Metta World Peace expects to hear it from Thunder fans

A long memory isn't required to figure out why Metta World Peace became a main story line for the Western Conference semifinals.

He was hit with a seven-game suspension for elbowing Oklahoma City guard James Harden in the head three weeks ago. The Lakers begin the semifinals Monday at the home of the Thunder.

"It'll be ironic. I assume that the fans won't love it," World Peace told The Times in a quiet moment before Game 7. "People can say what they want, but that's going to the most entertainment Oklahoma City has had since they've been Oklahoma City.

"But for me it's just work. I'm not even really worried about what they think. They have Derek Fisher in that locker room. Whether that [elbowing] happened or not, they would come in with some focus."

Would Fisher put in a good word for World Peace, his former teammate for two-plus seasons?

"No. I wouldn't," World Peace said. "If I'm not on your team, I'm not on your team."

World Peace has not spoken to Harden since elbowing him in the second quarter of the Lakers' 114-106 double-overtime victory April 22.

He didn't expect to greet him before the game.

"He doesn't start. I only fist-bump the starting five," World Peace said. "I don't fist-bump subs."

World Peace returned Saturday for Game 7 against theDenver Nuggets at Staples Center, his reappearance affecting almost everybody before tipoff.

Nuggets Coach George Karl gave it a thumbs down, saying World Peace should have been out the entire first round without the chance to be the "savior of a team."

The Lakers, of course, opened their arms to him, Matt Barneseven interrupting World Peace's interview with reporters Saturday morning by calling out, "Welcome back, Ron."

It's a minor gaffe to address World Peace by his former name, Ron Artest, but the Lakers definitely missed his defensive presence.

"He's going to make a big difference," Lakers center Andrew Bynum predicted beforehand. "We'll have a different dynamic."

World Peace had 15 points and five rebounds in the Lakers' 96-87 series-clinching victory over the Nuggets. The ovation he received from Lakers fans during pregame introductions might have been the loudest among the starters.

"I think I've been in the spotlight a long time just for my personality," he said. "When I got to L.A., I said if we don't win a championship, blame me. So it came all the way down to Game 7 [against Boston in 2010] and the spotlight was on me and everybody [said], 'If we don't win, we're going to blame you.' And I had one of the biggest games of Lakers history."

Indeed, World Peace had 20 points, five steals and a huge three-pointer with 1:01 left in that game. The Lakers beat the Celtics, 83-79, to win their 16th NBA championship.

After a slow start this season, World Peace had a stellar April and was on his way to a solid game against the Thunder until being ejected with 12 points,

five rebounds and three steals.

It was a bit of a rush to thrust him in the starting lineup Saturday. It paid off.

"A player as talented as he is and what he brings to their team on both ends of the floor, I don't think it can hurt having him out there," said Fisher, a teammate of World Peace's for 21/2 seasons. "He's another guy that they can use to facilitate the game offensively. So I don't think there's any question that they miss him."

Sources:  latimes.com

Auto Legend CARROLL SHELBY Dead at 89

Legendary car designer and racing driver Carroll Shelby has died.

Shelby is known for introducing the Shelby AC Cobra to the United States in the 1960s -- combining an English sports car chassis with an American Mustang engine.

A rep for Shelby's company Carroll Shelby International says Shelby died today at a Dallas hospital. He had received a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.

As a driver -- Shelby first gained fame by winning France's arduous 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959.

He was 89.






Sources

Flesh-eating bacteria claims Georgia woman’s leg after zip-line accident

Picture and money jar set up to collect funds for Aimee Copeland of Georgia, who lost her leg after she contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while zip-lining at the Little Tallapoosa River.

A Georgia woman who lost her leg after contracting a rare flesh-eating bacteria after a zip-lining accident could lose more limbs, her family warned.

Aimee Copeland, 24, remains in critical condition at Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga. nearly a week after suffering a cut on her leg that now threatens her life.

The bacteria causing the disease is “usually not life-threatening,” Dr. Jay Varkey, an epidemiologist at the Emory University School of Medicine, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday. “It requires a perfect storm of bad circumstances. And when it happens in those rare cases, it can be dramatic.”

Copeland is one of those rare cases: She has had most of her left leg amputated since the horrific May 1 mishap.

The young woman was kayaking with friends along the Little Tallapoosa River in Georgia when the group went zip-lining with a homemade rope, The Journal-Constitution reported.

When it was Copeland’s turn, the line snapped, and she fell and cut her leg. Doctors speculate she could have come into contact with the common bacteria — called Aeromonas hydrophila — from the water, where it then entered her body through the gash.

In her case, the bacteria triggered a flesh-eating disease that can dissolve muscle, doctors said.

Copeland, a master’s student at the University of West Georgia, had the cut closed with 22 staples, according to reports. She was sent home with pain killers.

But the unbearable pain didn’t stop, and she returned to the hospital and received antibiotics.

By the end of the week, she had to have her left leg amuptated at the hip after she was diagnosed with an infection called necrotizing fasciitis.

“It’s a miracle she made it past Friday night,” Copeland’s father, Andy, told ABC affiliate WSBTV in Atlanta.

She could still have her hands and right foot amputated because of poor circulation, The Journal-Constitution said.

The number of cases of disease caused by the bacteria is not well-documented, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and “most cases have been sporadic rather than associated with large outbreaks.”

Andy Copeland wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that well-wishers “should rejoice on this day, because Aimee’s greatest attributes are her incredible intellect and her loving compassion and I am certain that mankind will benefit from both when the tubes are finally removed.”

Sources: nydailynews.com

Originally posted by ERIK ORTIZ 

Minnesota House OKs Vikings stadium plan

The Minnesota Vikings took a giant step Monday night toward a new taxpayer-subsidized football stadium when the state House approved legislation, but lawmakers upped the share the team would have to pay.On a 73-58 vote, the $975 million stadium plan remained alive. The state Senate was to vote Tuesday on a competing plan, moving the Vikings closer than ever to a replacement for the aging Metrodome.Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton hailed the vote by thanking fans who have flooded lawmaker phone lines, email inboxes and the Capitol itself to push for passage. Several stood outside the House chamber singing the team fight song after the vote."The voices of the people of Minnesota were heard tonight," Dayton said Vikings vice president Lester Bagley, who has spent about a decade trying to get the team to this stage, also breathed a sigh of relief. But he said franchise owners will find it tough to stomach an amendment that would put the team on the hook for $105 million more."There's time to work on it and get it fixed," Bagley said. "I don't want to take away from the moment. It was a great day."Early in a nine-hour debate, the House overhauled the proposal to boost the team's share from the $427 million owners have committed to find from private sources, including the NFL. It was among almost four dozen amendments considered, with relatively few controversial ones succeeding Toward the end of debate, House members rose one after another to defend their intention to back or oppose the bill. Rep. Larry Hosch, DFL-St. Joseph, made it personal. He told of being born during a Vikings game, with his dad having to break away from an overtime game to ferry his mom to the hospital. Hosch said he can't fathom not having Sunday games to share with his own kids. "It might not make sense in dollars and cents," Hosch said, adding, "I can't imagine a state without the Vikings." Others urged their colleagues not to let nostalgia cloud their decisions on a massive public subsidy. "Let's not build a monument to misplaced priorities," said Rep. Doug Wardlow, a freshman Republican. Many who were against it raised concerns that the gambling money needed to repay bonds wouldn't materialize, putting taxpayers on the hook. "It's like purchasing a house and hoping you can make the payments," said Republican Rep. Mary Franson. "We are building a stadium and we are hoping we can make the payments." Discussion on the House floor was overshadowed at times by the chants of Vikings boosters rallying in the rotunda outside. Dayton and Vikings players, including quarterback Christian Ponder, fired up purple-clad fans, who chanted, "Build it!" Ponder drew cheers when he said, "I want to be here in Minnesota for the rest of my life." The Vikings have pushed for a new stadium for more than a decade, but their efforts went nowhere until their lease at the Metrodome expired. Rep. Morrie Lanning, the bill's sponsor, said the team likely would leave the state if the legislation fails. "Whatever you think of this bill, this is our one chance," said Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove. "This bill works, it's been fine-tuned and it will build a stadium." The House is the first test for a proposal that must also clear the Senate and likely would face House-Senate negotiations before another round of votes. The plan negotiated by the governor, key lawmakers, the Minneapolis mayor and the team would have the Vikings cover about $427 million of the construction costs, or about 44 percent. The state would pay $398 million, with the money coming from an expansion of gambling. The city of Minneapolis would kick in $150 million by redirecting an existing hospitality tax. The amendment raising the team's share won strong bipartisan approval. Another would give the state a bigger share of any proceeds from a team sale once the stadium is built. A plan to pay the state's share through a gambling expansion survived an attempt to remove it when House members turned back a push to replace that money with fees on tickets, concessions and other fan purchases. The Vikings will play the upcoming season at the Metrodome but are free to leave after that. The team hasn't threatened to move, but fans fear they could relocate to Los Angeles or another city seeking its own football team. "If they don't do it now, they're out in LA by next year, or someplace else," said J.P. Charney, 24, of Minnetonka, who came to the Capitol with his brother to support a new stadium. Dayton made the stadium issue his top priority last fall, urging lawmakers to act to avoid losing a valuable asset. Dayton has also touted the thousands of jobs that stadium construction would bring. The governor has acted as lead cheerleader for the project, joining in chants of "Build it!" in a raucous rotunda rally with construction workers before the House debate Monday. "Minnesota's a can-do state," he told the crowd. "We've been successful because we say, 'Yes we're going to move ahead. Yes, we're going to create more jobs. Yes, we're going to do the things we want to do to remain vital and strong.'" Supporters weren't ready to predict passage. The legislation appeared all but dead until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell visited in April, raising pressure on lawmakers to act. After that, the bill limped through several committees. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said stadium supporters picked up momentum after fans and construction workers mobilized to support the project over the weekend. Dayton appeared at rallies at the Mall of America on Saturday and a Minneapolis sports bar on Sunday.

Sources : usatoday.com

Bryce Harper can handle this challenge, ready or not

As the sun sets over the San Gabriel Mountains on Saturday night,Bryce Harper will stroll to the plate for the first time as a major leaguer, thousands of gazes focused on him, the baseball nation watching from home. He may or may not get a hit. It will not be a challenge for him.

Do you want to know what a challenge is for Harper? When he was 13 and 14, which is not so long ago, he traveled across the country, without his parents, to play baseball in the best tournaments, the best leagues, for 15- and 16-year-olds. The other kids teased him. The other parents were jealous. Harper could gain acceptance if he played baseball well. Then he would fly to another tournament, put his uniform on in the car on the way from the airport to the field, and start over. That was a challenge. That was pressure.

Saturday night, Harper will be where he believes he belongs. Does he? We’ll have to see. “There’s no better place to get groomed than the big leagues,” Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth said. If Harper fails and gets sent back down to the minors, he will still believe he belongs. It will not ruin him. “He needs to be challenged,” one person close to Harper said.

There is no downside for it to happen now. If he’s ready, great, the Nationals have added offense to a team that desperately needs it. If he is not, he will handle it. His world will not end.

“Getting to the big leagues and sticking is not 100 percent guaranteed for anyone,” Ryan Zimmerman said. “Bryce is the kind of kid that, he’s very confident. He knows he’s a good player. But you have to be like that in baseball. He’ll be able to handle whatever it is, whether he comes up and goes back down or comes up and stays up. For the most part, Bryce is very mentally tough for his age.”

Zimmerman reached the majors a few weeks before his 20th birthday. He remembers facing John Smoltz, a player had grown up admiring, and thinking, ‘Holy [smokes].’

“You have to get past that point,” Zimmerman said. “You have to get past the point of, these are figures, these are superheroes, and now you’re playing against them. You have to put yourself on that level. Once you get past that, the game is the game.”

In that regard, Harper will benefit by being more famous than pretty much everyone on the field. He calls Albert Pujols by his first name. He wore a hat with an uncommon logo this spring, and when asked for an explanation, Harper said, “Kobe and Beckham wear it.”

I think Harper will feel less internal pressure in the majors than in Syracuse, and a few people in his orbit agree. If Baseball’s Chosen One fails in the minors, it is an embarrassment. If Harper struggles at the major league level, then he is just another player working through a slump. He is the rare player with less to prove in the majors than in the minors.

The questions about his demeanor, his attitude, his makeup will come. The Nationals are past that.

“Bryce, not so much anymore, but at first, had a different way of expressing his confidence,” Zimmerman said. “From last spring training to this spring training, I’ve never seen somebody grow up as quickly as he has in one year. The way he carries himself, he thinks [about] things differently now.”

After Harper moved to minor league camp, he briefly became somewhat restless. But at Class AAA, he fit in well. His teammates teased him, and he teased them back.

“That’s never been an issue,” Class AAA Manager Tony Beasley said. “He’s always been a good teammate. He’s just another one of the guys in the clubhouse. He doesn’t separate himself or get any kind of special attention. He’s been awesome.”

He’ll walk to the plate Saturday night at Dodgers Stadium. He may or may not be ready. He will have handled tougher situations on a diamond. What will happen? Who knows?

“What has he always done?” one Nationals coach said this winter. “He always found a way to be the best player on the field.”

Sources

Originally Posted by Adam Kilgore

5 Tips For Winning An Argument

5. Soft and Steady

When debating you should never raise your voice. You should remain calm at all times. The louder you talk, the louder your opponent talks – and the end result is a yelling match. And of course, it goes without saying that you should definitely not resort to violence. You can even try to talk quieter than normal – as this can draw people in to you and it can make you appear wise. An argument is not won by the person with the loudest voice, it is won by the person with the most compelling arguments.


4. Get Your Opponent On Your Side

It is a good idea to try to get your opponent on your side by making statements that you know he agrees with – this puts you in the strong position in the debate. You don’t even need to use a fact relating to your debate – you could, for example, in a debate about the existence of God state “I am sure you agree with me when I say that petrol is overpriced”. As soon as your opponent agrees, you have won a psychological battle. You are no longer the opponent – you are a comrade. This technique is so effective it is used by telemarketers all the time.

3. Don’t Attack

It is not a good idea to blatantly tell your opponent that he is wrong – instead you should show that he is wrong through good counter-arguments. Telling a person they are wrong merely annoys them and does nothing for your argument as (at least until you can prove it), it is a subjective comment. Be humble in the debate and show good will – not only will it make you look good if you win, it will show that you are a worthy opponent even if you lose.

2. Don’t Play Dirty

Never resort to name calling – even if your opponent does. You must attack your opponent’s argument – not their person. As soon as you begin to criticize your opponent, it becomes obvious that you have run out of ways to defend your view. These types of insults (ad hominem) are a sure way to lose a debate. You should be pleased if your opponent resorts to this feeble attempt to escape the real debate as it means you are close to victory.

1. Define The Fundamentals

When arguing, both parties need to agree on fundamental “truths” to begin with – if you don’t, there can be no debate. What is the point of arguing that the Bible was written by God, when your opponent doesn’t even believe in God? First you should debate the existence of God. If you both agree that He exists, you can then debate the smaller points. If your opponent convinces you that God can not exist, there is little point in arguing about the authorship of the Bible. This is the structure seen in the Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas – he starts with the basic points, presents arguments and counter-arguments, and moves on when each point is “proven” by logic.

Sources

Top 10 Theories On How The World Will End

There are many possibilities through which the world’s end can occur. There have been put forward many explanations as to how that all will happen. Here are just ten of the many possibilities that have been proposed by the scientists from all over the world about how life on earth will end.

10. Destruction through Nuclear Holocaust or Biochemical Weapons

Nuclear weapons have been a threat since day one. However, nuclear energy is useful. It is the weapons that would kill human race, especially in an event where mistrust between states grew to the point that they engage in a nuclear warfare. There are enough nuclear weapons that states have, if launched at once, can actually destroy the entire planet earth hundreds of times over. Biochemical warfare also presents itself with the same consequences.

9. Genetically Engineered Human Mutants

With the kind of scientific experiments from which the stuff for popular science-fiction emerges, it is possible that humans would end up themselves and all life forms on earth. They could leave this interphase of destroying life and other forms and directly just reach the end of the world. How can humans risk and threat the world like this? Through genetic engineering and gene therapy. Humans are capable of transferring harmful genes to other species. Scientists have conducted experiments to make genetically modified animals. They can make a human mutant too in the form of a humanoid. Having changed human genes and DNA, it would affect human emotions, psyche and physical abilities, leading to complications. Man has spent years in order to understand human behavior, it will be the deconstruction of that understanding, if human mutants increase in numbers to the extent of overtaking known human species.
8. Invasion by Aliens from the Outer Space

One of the adventurous stories that science-fiction always has to offer is something about aliens invading the earth descending g through their UFOs. If one was to believe that there is an intelligent life existing in some other part of the universe and that it is trying to connect with us, they might at least make a visit. If they are of domineering nature, like humans, they might actually invade instead of merely visiting. The threat is of them possessing far superior weapons that would be enough to kill the whole of human kind instantly.

7. Collision of an Asteroid

There are many flying objects in space, one of which is giant asteroids. Like planets, they too have their own orbits to rotate about. However, since there being so many of them, there is a possibility of one of them colliding with the earth. There are thousands of meteors and small asteroids that fall to the earth, which we often see in the form of a shooting star. But the threat exists from a giant one. NASA claims that it is developing a more applicable technology, where not just theoretically the asteroid can be destroyed or made to change its trajectory, but could actually save the earth in this way.

6.  Reversal of Geomagnetic Field

Earth has a magnetic field which has a north and a south pole, which also make the end of earth’s axial points. The purpose of the earth’s magnetic field is to protect it from cosmic radiations, solar wind and subatomic particles from space. Scientists believe that every tens of thousands of years to millions of years, earth’s magnetic field gets reversed. The last time it occurred was over 780,000 years ago, called the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal. Over the past century, the earth’s magnetic field has decreased in strength about 5%. If natural changes that occur inside the earth happen to be extreme, it could alter the magnetic field and end all life as we know it

5. Earth Spins Off Its Axis

One of the factors which is sustaining life on the planet earth is its location in the Solar System. It is neither too far from the sun, so as to kill life from cold temperature, and nor too near it to kill life from overexposure to harmful sun rays. It spins on its axis to give us day and night and revolves around the sun to give us seasons. If earth was to spin off from its axis even a little bit, the whole balance would be disturb that would directly affect living conditions. The right pull of gravity from the sun and the right push of centrifugal forces is what keeps the axis in the right place. The current axial tilt of the earth is 23.5°, which remains the same through its rotation and revolution. The external forces which can cause an impact large enough to disturb this tilt of the axis include massive earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.

4. The Big Freeze

Scientists believe that since the Big Bang, which essentially created the universe, there has been a constant process of expansion that has not stopped and will never cease. This very expansion of the universe would lead heavenly bodies away from the center of the universe. In the process, earth would be moving away from its center, which is the sun. When that happens, called the Big Freeze, the coldness will prevail over the earth. Under such extreme coldness existence of life is not possible. The phenomenon of global warming is something that can speed up the process of the Big Freeze real quickly.

3. Solar Flares and Gamma-Ray Bursts

There are massive explosions taking place on the surface of the sun, which release incredible amount of heat energy. The sounds of these sun explosions are not heard because of the vacuum that exists in space, through which sound waves cannot travel. However, these sun explosions do give out solar flares which do reach the earth’s atmosphere. These solar flares are most harmful to the Ozone Layer, which basically works to protect us from these high radiations. The very unpredictability of a solar flare is what is fearful. Gamma-ray bursts, which according to scientists has never taken place in Milky Way, our galaxy, but has a possibility of occurring anytime. Solar flares and gamma-ray bursts can destroy earth.
2. The Death of the Sun or the Universe

Every star in the universe has a life-span completing which it fades away to its own death. Sun is the star, which is still in its early ages, but there would come a time when it too will expire. Along with this fact that sun is a red star which has to die, the universe having been born once would face an end too. When there would be no sun or no universe, the earth will not exist in isolation against natural laws. The end of universe will occur, as believed by scientists, when it would not have any more capacity to expand and would reach its limit by exploding killing all life forms and life-sustaining conditions.

1. God will End the Universe Someday

According to all religious belief systems, God, which is the Force of Nature and the First Cause, created the universe and made man to live on earth to test him based on his deeds, intentions and will power. God is the single most significant factor which started this whole chain of events and He will end this whole cosmic phenomenon at some point in time. The exact time as to when He would decide to end the universe and man is only known to Him alone. However, amongst many ways and theories as to how the world will end, one strong belief is that of God ending the universe someday.

Sources