Liverpool continued their push towards the Premier League’s top four after Mohamed Salah scored two superb goals in a 3-0 win over Southampton on Saturday and broke former striker Robbie Fowler’s club record.The result left Liverpool fifth on 22 points from 12 games, one behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and third-placed Manchester United who were at home to Newcastle later in the day.Juergen Klopp, who was taken to hospital after a health scare on Wednesday and returned to work on Thursday, was able to sit back with no jitters as a flawless Liverpool performance drew praise from their manager.”It was an open game, we had more chances before we scored,” Klopp told the BBC. “We need to be patient in a lively way.”The first goal, wow, I have nothing to do with the goal and the second was a fantastic pass and Mo Salah makes great runs. We could have scored more but it was a perfect day for us.”Salah became the first Liverpool player to score nine goals in his opening 12 league games, eclipsing Fowler’s tally of eight, after two strikes in the first half.The current #PL top scorer… ? pic.twitter.com/zns1R3t9Er- Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 18, 2017The Egypt forward capitalised when Southampton’s Dusan Tadic lost possession in a dangerous area and curled a delightful effort past visiting keeper Fraser Foster to fire the home side ahead in the 31st minute.Ten minutes later, Salah tucked the ball home with plenty of composure after Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who also enjoyed a fine afternoon at Anfield, released him with a defence-splitting pass.advertisementWith Southampton subdued, Coutinho made it 3-0 midway through the second half when he swept home a rebound after Foster parried a fierce Roberto Firmino shot into his path.69: Firmino forces a save from Forster and Coutinho drives in the rebound! ?And then he makes way for Can. Good work, Phil![3-0] pic.twitter.com/wy79iG6rr6- Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 18, 2017Liverpool, who maintained their unbeaten run at Anfield in all competitions this season, missed several chances to win by a bigger margin as Southampton dropped to 14th place on 13 points, four above the relegation zone. read more

Looking for some game tips? Then the ‘Touchdown Zone’ is for you!Join us each month as we look at different Touch Football skills and tips to help you improve your game. This month, we look at passing from half. You can watch the video here – https://youtu.be/aEmDXgv7vws To view other skills and tips, please visit the TFA YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/touchfootballaus) or click on the links below: The Wrap – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3g_eBdHO3EHalf-time tips – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mXWGjbShkwExit patterns – https://youtu.be/JoX5_gFrSKU  Dynamic Rollball – https://youtu.be/V156XcGjnpU  Stay tuned to the TFA website and YouTube channel for upcoming editions of the ‘Touchdown Zone’. Related LinksThe Touchdown Zone read more

Tottenham eyeing Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitschby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveTottenham are eyeing Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch.Sky Sports says Tottenham are monitoring the 23-year-old Austria international and have sent scouts to watch Grillitsch play at both club and international level.It is thought that Austrian has an £18million release clause in his contract, which still has has more than two-and-a-half years to go.The news comes after Belgian midfielder Mousa Dembele looks set to depart from London with Tottenham accepting a £9m bid from Beijing Guoan.Dembele has struggled with injuries this season playing just 13 times in all competitions as Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks have been preferred in the deeper role. TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say read more

Mumbai: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday slammed the MCC’s recommendation that single-make balls be used in Test cricket, saying that it would be “unfortunate” if the suggestion, which will take away the challenge of playing in overseas conditions, is considered seriously. The World Cricket Committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), called the custodian of the game’s laws, has proposed the use of a standard ball in the inaugural World Test Championship, which takes place after the World Cup in May-July. Also Read – Dhoni, Paes spotted playing football together”Now we are hearing that they (MCC) are taking about standardising the ball, you might as well standardize the pitches, you might as well standardise the bat, you might as well standardise everything…What’s the big deal in playing cricket… (there is this) whole idea of going overseas and winning… because you are playing in different conditions,” said Gavaskar at the launch of ‘So Sorry Gully Cricket’ app. “That (MCC) World Committee is like Cricket Club of India or the National Cricket Club in Kolkata or Madras Cricket Club in Chennai. Also Read – Andy Murray to make Grand Slam return at Australian Open”It is pretty similar to that, the MCC is saying our committee should (be) listened to (more than the) ICC Committee. And unfortunately a lot of people take them seriously,” he added. At the moment, SG ball is used in India, Dukes in England and the West Indies, and Kookaburra in other countries including Australia and South Africa. Players have expressed their ball preference in recent times, including India skipper Virat Kohli and premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. They gave their vote to the red Dukes. A shot clock to prevent time wasting and free hit for a no ball are among the other steps proposed by the MCC to spice up the longest format. Gavaskar said playing in home and overseas conditions form the essence of Test cricket. “I personally feel, the whole idea of cricket is the different conditions that you get. You get different conditions from ‘gully’ to ‘gully’ (street to street), leave aside country to country or city to city. One gully there might be something, which is just across, you can’t hit the straight ball, there might be a policeman there, there might a fish vendor coming there (while the play is on), which might not happen in next gully, so you cannot standardise,” he added. read more

Warsaw– Polish senators hailed, on Thursday in Warsaw, the Moroccan democratic experience which is a model in the region.During a meeting of a delegation of MPs from the house of advisors, led by its speaker Mohamed Sheikh Biadillah, with deputy president of the foreign affairs committee at the Polish senate Bogdan Klich, rapporteur of the project of report by the political affairs and democracy committee at the Council of Europe’s parliamentary assembly, the senators, who said that they closely followed the situation in the Arab world and protests which ousted some dictators, noted that Morocco succeeded in undertaking intelligent political reforms that meet the expectations of citizens, away from unrest that rocked some countries in the region. They also called for strengthening partnership between Morocco and Poland in the different area read more

Last year, under first-year head coach Brian Shaw, the Nuggets learned to love the long ball. Denver attempted almost five more threes per game last season than in 2013, despite not playing all that much faster. That increase was the second-largest year-over-year jump in the NBA.6Beaten only by the Phoenix Suns’ amazing 7.3 threes per game increase.Shaw’s push for more threes was aided by the arrival of Randy Foye, a gunner for hire, who hoisted 498 3-pointers last season (11th most in the NBA). Wilson Chandler, too, set a career high for threes attempted. The return of Arron Afflalo, acquired from Orlando in the offseason, figures to increase Denver’s 3-point launching. Afflalo shot 42 percent from three on 300 attempts last season.But Afflalo’s threes — especially the corner threes — are welcome. Afflalo shot 49 percent from the corner three spots last season, a success rate that will bolster the Nuggets’ already potent attack. Denver was the third-best team from the corners last season, connecting on 42 percent of its attempts.Much of Denver’s ability to generate corner threes will depend on Ty Lawson and Nate Robinson. Both excel in getting to the rim and causing the defense to collapse, but Lawson is the better at finding 3-point shooters. Thirty-one percent of his 542 assists last season were on 3-pointers, and 52 were from the corner.With the uncertain timing of the return of JaVale McGee from a stress fracture in his leg, the Nuggets figure to play small again this year (other than Timofey Mozgov). This means their race for a playoff spot in the West again could come down to their 3-point shooting. — John Ezekowitz (Editor’s note: This article was published before the Lakers announcement on Friday that Steve Nash would not play this season because of a back injury.)As Kobe Bryant returns from the leg fracture that limited him to six games in 2013-14, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping he has one more playoff push left before he ends his illustrious career. But that’s going to be hard to do with this supporting cast. The Lakers are coming off a 27-55 season, the highest single-season loss total in franchise history. And perhaps more troubling, they received an unusually small amount of production from their future Hall of Famers, traditionally the franchise’s bread and butter.According to a wins above replacement (WAR) variant I computed based on a combination of Player Efficiency Ratings and Win Shares,2For those curious, I regressed PER and Win Shares per 48 minutes onto Real Plus-Minus (RPM); you can estimate a player’s RPM using the formula 0.15*(PER – 15) + 30.5 *(WS48 – 0.1). I then made sure the minute-weighted average of a team’s estimated RPMs scaled to the team’s efficiency differential for the season in question, and computed WAR using the same process FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief Nate Silver employed in this article. This statistic is useful in cases where RPM (for which data only exists going back to 2000-01) or even Statistical Plus-Minus (which extends back to 1976-77) are not available; Basketball-Reference.com computes WS and PER going all the way back to 1951-52, the first year the NBA kept track of minutes played. the Lakers have received an average contribution of 20.6 WAR per season from their Hall of Fame-bound players,3Or future Hall of Famers, as determined by Basketball-Reference’s Hall of Fame probability statistic. which places them second to the Boston Celtics’ 21.8 mark among NBA franchises since 1951-52. During the decade of the 1980s, and again in the first five seasons of the 2000s, the Lakers got more than 28 WAR per season from Hall of Famers alone. And from 2006-2013, as they won two more championships and another conference title, the Lakers received an average of 16.4 WAR from Hall of Famers per year. But last season, the Lakers’ future HOF contingent — which included Bryant (who has a 100 percent probability of making the Hall according to Basketball-Reference), Pau Gasol (61 percent) and Steve Nash (55 percent4Admittedly a lowball figure, this is an artifact of MVP awards not being factored into the Hall of Fame probability method.) — generated just 0.8 WAR, the lowest such output Los Angeles has received since 1994-95, when nary a single Hall of Famer suited up in forum blue and gold.The rueful joke about the Lakers, at least from fans of the league’s other 29 franchises, is that they consistently manage to “pick up a HOFer or two every 4 years or so when their team’s playoff performance starts to slide a little,” in the words of one Internet commenter after LA was on the verge of acquiring Dwight Howard in 2012. And it’s basically true: Shortly after George Mikan’s career wound down, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West reported for duty, to be joined later by Wilt Chamberlain. Soon came the next wave: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Magic Johnson and James Worthy, whose departures were followed within a few years by the arrivals of Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant. And four years after O’Neal left, along came Gasol. The supply of Hall of Famers rarely goes un-stocked in Laker-land.That’s why, as a rule, the Lakers don’t stay bad for long. The team has only suffered back-to-back losing seasons twice since 1961, and in each case it snapped back above .500 — and stayed there for an extended period of time — starting the very next year.The Lakers appeared to follow their classic “pick up a HOFer” formula when they eventually did snag Howard. But the cycle was, for once, broken; after a single disappointing season in LA, Howard did the unthinkable, spurning the Lakers for the Houston Rockets. Now the only future Hall of Famers in sight are the 36-year-old Bryant and 40-year-old Nash, as newcomer Carlos Boozer has but a 7 percent chance of ever making the Hall, and overhyped rookie Julius Randle will probably be lucky to be more than a bench player in the NBA.The Lakers have a history of grabbing all-time greats to plug holes, and they will have salary cap space available starting next season. But as it stands now, they’re looking at the distinct possibility of painful Hall of Famer withdrawal after Bryant retires. The franchise has essentially never had to deal with that before. — Neil Paine Anthony Davis cannot generate any more hype — there’s that much of it already. Fresh off a dominating performance at the FIBA World Cup (54 percent shooting from the floor, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game), Davis is poised to make the jump into the game’s elite.Last year, when he wasn’t on the bench with a fractured hand, Davis put together an offensive season that was nearly as good as any by a second-year power forward or center in the past 30 years. If we look at his Offensive Rating7Offensive Rating measures offensive efficiency by estimating how many points a player produces through made shots, free throws, assists and rebounds per 100 possessions. versus his Usage Rate,8Usage Rate measures how many of a team’s possessions he “uses” up — via shooting, drawing fouls or turning the ball over — when he is on the floor. Davis produced a season matched only by Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson, scoring at an efficient rate while using more than 25 percent of his team’s possessions.Of course, not all of Davis’s stats were world-beating last season. According to Evan Zamir’s invaluable NBA WOWY9With Or Without You. database, New Orleans allowed as many points per possession (1.10) when Davis was on the court as when he was not. And despite his 6.7 percent block rate (most among players who played more than 2,000 minutes), Pelicans opponents took a larger percentage of their shots at the basket and made a larger percentage when Davis was on the floor.While Davis definitely has improvements to make defensively (see Zach Lowe’s excellent feature for details), New Orleans had other defensive shortcomings last season. Which is why the Pelicans signed Omer Asik. Asik was one of the best defensive centers in the league according to Real Plus-Minus,10Real Plus-Minus is the latest version of Adjusted Plus-Minus, a measure of a team’s point differential when a player is on the court vs. off it. Read more about it here. and should provide Davis with a legitimate defensive backcourt partner who might be able to complement his athleticism and uncanny ability to block shots.As long as Davis can remain healthy, his performance at the World Cup and the improvement of his supporting cast both point toward his ascension into the top five or 10 players in the NBA. — John Ezekowitz The Kings began their offseason with a move that confused many in the NBA, especially those who do analytics. In July, they decided against re-signing excellent young point guard Isaiah Thomas, and replaced him with Darren Collison.Last season, Thomas scored 20 points per game with a 57 percent True Shooting Percentage, the 10th-best mark for a point guard in the NBA, while maintaining a 35 percent assist rate and shooting 52 percent on drives to the basket. Collison is an effective shooter, but he is inferior to Thomas in almost every other statistical category. He had one of the worst assist rates (22 percent) for a point guard who played more than 2,000 minutes last season, turned the ball over more frequently than Thomas, and had one of the worst Defensive Real Plus-Minus marks (-3.23) for a point guard. What makes the move even more puzzling is that the Kings didn’t save that much salary: only $1.5 million per year.The Kings’ roster turnover has been dramatic since the beginning of last season (when 23 different players suited up for the Kings). Both point guards, Collison and presumed backup Ramon Sessions, are new to the team this year, as is rookie shooting guard Nik Stauskas.They’ll have to mix in with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, who are coming off successful World Cup campaigns for the U.S. national team. It’s a defining season for both players, as Cousins is entering what should be his prime and Gay is in a contract year at the end of a much-maligned max deal. Both of them love to shoot — Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are the only pair of teammates who can match the duo’s elevated Usage Rates (32.7 percent for Cousins, 27.6 percent for Gay) — and it’s likely their Usage Rates will climb with Collison running the point instead of Thomas.With DeMarcus Cousins, anything is possible, but given the depth and quality of the Western Conference, any realistic hopes of the Kings contending likely left with Thomas. — John Ezekowitz Last year was the second time Jeff Hornacek made history as an overachiever for the Suns.The first came in 1989. As the third leading scorer, at 13.5 points per game, on that year’s team, he was a key factor in its historic run. Even though the Suns were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals that season, they were the greatest overachievers — defined as actual wins relative to what we would expect before the season14These backward-looking retro-predictions use the Statistical Plus-Minus (SPM) metric devised by FiveThirtyEight’s Neil Paine, and the SPM projection system devised by FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief Nate Silver. They allow for estimates of how good a team “should have been” in a given season (based on how its players performed in preceding seasons) going back to 1979-80. — of any team going back to 1980. The 1989 team was expected to only win about 33 games, and finished a whooping 26 games better than expected.Last year, Hornacek’s Suns joined Hornacek’s Suns. Except this time he was their coach. In his first year as a head coach, he made the 2013-14 Suns the 13th-greatest overachieving team of all time, earning 48 wins instead of the projected 32.Those 16 wins over expectation were by far the best of any team last year.Last year’s Suns team was solid offensively. While fast-paced and led by speedy guards Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, it ranked eighth in relative pace. Fast, but not like Steve Nash’s “:07 Seconds Or Less” Suns. The 2014 Suns’ relative offensive rating was eighth. For overall efficiency, they were 10th.Offense aside, however, they were just average, ranking 15th in relative defense. We project the Suns to win 44 games this season, good for 14th in the league and ninth in the Western Conference, so just shy of the playoffs. To make it to the postseason, the Suns will have to overachieve again. — Andrew Flowers After an offseason of homecoming parties, failed coups and depressing injuries, the NBA is back. To celebrate, we took each player’s projected Real Plus-Minus and wins above replacement, calculated a total for each team, and ran 10,000 simulations of the NBA schedule to divine likely records and championship odds.1The rosters we used came from ESPN.com’s depth charts, and were current as of Monday, Oct. 20. We’ve split the teams into the lower and upper tiers in each conference; these are the seven teams that likely won’t make the playoffs from the West. So ease into your red wine bath (hi, Amar’e) and let us tell you the stats, x-factors or regressions that offer a preview of the coming season. As Gordon Hayward went, so went the Jazz. And last year, neither went far. Heading into restricted free agency, Hayward finished last season with a career-low true shooting percentage of 52.0 percent and an ugly career-low 3-point percentage of 30.4 percent. The Jazz were 25-57.Given those shooting struggles, it may seem strange that the Charlotte Hornets signed Hayward to a max offer sheet this summer, and that the Utah Jazz matched that contract, retaining him. But Hayward has a diverse array of offensive skills and, perhaps more importantly for a Jazz team without many standout players, he’s a workhorse.The full nature of Hayward’s offensive responsibilities are probably best shown by Seth Partnow’s True Usage statistics, which measure total offensive involvement, including a player’s assists and potential assists (as calculated by SportVU Player Tracking statistics). True Usage can be read as the percentage of a team’s offensive possessions involving a player when he takes a shot, gets fouled, turns the ball over or creates a scoring opportunity for a teammate.Hayward’s True Usage was 42.33 percent last season, 11th among all wing players and roughly the same as Carmelo Anthony’s. He also had an Assist Usage5Assist Usage measures the percentage of possessions a player is on the floor in which he creates a scoring chance for a teammate. of 18.38. That number was fourth among all wing players, and roughly the same as LeBron James’s. Even though Hayward didn’t shoot well, the Jazz’s offense was better by 3.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.From the Jazz’s perspective, the key to getting value from Hayward’s massive new contract, and getting the most out of his versatility on the court this season, is asking him to do less. Alec Burks and Trey Burke will both have another year of experience, and explosive rookie Dante Exum will probably have the ball in his hands plenty. Hayward’s shooting percentages should climb this season as he works slightly more off the ball, finding shots by spotting up, cutting to the basket or driving against a defense that has already shifted.It may seem counterintuitive for a team to ask its best and highest-paid player to take on a smaller offensive role, but in the Jazz’s case it may be the answer to many of the team’s offensive challenges. — Ian Levy With Kevin Love gone, the Minnesota Timberwolves are starting over after trading away a homegrown superstar. (Sound familiar?) Rather than sit through another season of rampant Love speculation,11Love could have opted out of his contract after the 2014-15 season, opening up the very real possibility that he would leave Minnesota as a free agent with no compensation at all. Timberwolves coach/general manager Flip Saunders decided to move on with whomever he could get for Love — a haul that included the No. 1 overall picks from each of the past two NBA drafts (Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett), plus under-appreciated veteran Thaddeus Young.Minnesota preemptively unloaded Love in part because it was unable to convince him that his teammates were good enough to win. And certainly the Timberwolves didn’t do enough winning to even make the postseason a year ago, finishing just 40-42 in what was supposed to be a strong playoff push for the team.12Although they did increase their win total for the fourth consecutive season. Amid the rubble of another frustrating season — which came in spite of Love’s ongoing statistical brilliance — the weak-supporting-cast argument was tough to overcome.But the 2013-14 Timberwolves were a better team than their wins and losses indicated. Their Pythagorean record — i.e., the record we would have predicted them to have based on their point differential — was 48-34, good for seventh in the Western Conference. After adjusting their average margin of victory for strength of schedule, Minnesota was the ninth-best team in the NBA last season.That would have shown up in the standings if not for Minnesota’s dismal record in close games, which led to the seventh-most negative disparity between actual and Pythagorean wins of any team since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. And as much as we extol the virtues of execution in crunch time, these differences are, traditionally, mostly the product of bad luck.It’s very possible the Timberwolves would have enjoyed a reversal of fortune in 2014-15, had they simply kept Love.Instead, the Wolves are counting on the development of Wiggins, Bennett and 2014 No. 13 overall pick Zach LaVine to boost an existing core that includes Nikola Pekovic and FiveThirtyEight darling Ricky Rubio. But although Wiggins was regarded as a once-in-a-generation prospect in high school, his college numbers suggest a future better described by “solid starting wing” than “next LeBron.” Meanwhile, Bennett is coming off one of the worst rookie seasons in NBA history,13By any rookie, much less a No. 1 overall pick. and LaVine’s undistinguished stats at UCLA have me wondering if he’s doomed to follow in Joe Alexander’s footsteps as a workout warrior turned draft bust.Minnesota was in a difficult position with Love, and trading him to Cleveland yielded as good a package as the team was likely to get, given its relative lack of leverage. Even so, Love was a true franchise player, and Minnesota pulled the plug on his Timberwolves career a year early, leaving the team’s future in some very unproven hands. — Neil Paine read more

FiveThirtyEight Embed Code More: Apple Podcasts | ESPN App | RSS | Embed Welcome to the latest episode of Hot Takedown, FiveThirtyEight’s sports podcast. On this week’s episode (Sept. 5, 2017), ESPN’s Mina Kimes drops by to discuss her recent profile of Aaron Rodgers, including what it was like to have the Green Bay Packers quarterback in her living room. We also preview the NFL as the regular season gets underway and try to make sense of which of the “hipster” teams getting a ton of pundit love might live up to the hype. Plus, a significant digit on the U.S. Open.Here are the stories we discussed this week:Be sure to check FiveThirtyEight later this week for our NFL predictions.Ezekiel Elliot will reportedly play in Week 1, despite his six-game suspension being upheld.Significant Digit: 50, the percent of the U.S. Open quarterfinal field made up of American women. As of our taping Tuesday afternoon, CoCo Vandeweghe, Madison Keys, Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens all remained in the U.S. Open, keeping alive the possibility of an all-American semifinal showdown. read more

The Ohio State women’s golf team’s season ended over the weekend as the Buckeyes finished 21st at the NCAA Championships at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. The Buckeyes’ final score for the four-day tournament was a 69-over 1,221. The four lowest scores per individual team member counted toward a day’s total stroke count. UCLA took home the national title with a 1,173, while last year’s national champion, Purdue, finished second with a score of 1,177. Leading the Buckeyes on the par-72, 6,260-yard course was junior Vicky Villanueva, whose total score of 298 (+10) tied for 32nd among individual scorers. Senior In Hong Lim, who was playing in her final round as a Buckeye, fired OSU’s second-lowest score of the tournament, a 307 (+19), which tied her for 74th in individual scoring. Sophomore Susana Benavides shot a 308 (+20), while fellow sophomore Amy Meier fired a 319 (+31), tying for 80th and 113th, respectively, out of more than 120. Sophomore Rachel Rohanna, who had the lowest, or tied for the lowest, score for the Buckeyes in two of the previous three tournaments, finished with a 322 (+34). OSU’s highest placement during the tournament was after the first day, when they sat alone in 14th. It was coach Therese Hession’s 12th NCAA Championships appearance in 20 years as OSU’s coach. read more

Ohio State sophomore defenseman Gordi Myer fights for the puck during the Buckeyes’ 2-1 overtime win against Minnesota on Dec. 8. Credit: Nick Hudak | For The LanternNumerous times throughout the season, Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik has said his hockey team played with a “bend, don’t break” mentality.Saturday night, in the men’s hockey team’s first-ever sweep of Minnesota, that mentality led the Buckeyes to a crucial in-conference victory.“Our team kind of just hung in there,” Rohlik said. “We did what we had to do, we blocked shots, our goaltender made saves, and we kind of did the little things just good enough to win a hockey game.”The No. 15 Buckeyes (10-4-4, 5-4-1-0 in Big Ten) completed the sweep of No. 7 Minnesota (10-9-1, 4-7-1-1 in Big Ten) with a resounding 4-1 victory.This win was anything but easy for Ohio State, and the victory gives the Buckeyes a rush of momentum heading into a three-week break.“[It’s] huge,” senior forward Matthew Weis said. “I think that’s a great accomplishment and shows where this program is headed, and I think it shows the heart and guts that we have in that locker room.”Weis assisted on sophomore forward Matt Miller’s eventual game-winning goal with less than six minutes to go. Miller ripped a one-timer from the point off the Weis faceoff win, giving Miller the game-winner and Weis his 100th career point as a Buckeye. He joins junior forward Mason Jobst who earned his 100th point in Friday’s game.“It’s a great accomplishment,” Weis said. “I’m really happy and honored, but I mean I wouldn’t have done it without my teammates over the four years, I was lucky enough to play with some great guys over the time here.”Ohio State outshot the Golden Gophers 14-8 in the first period, but then was outshot by Minnesota 24-12 for the remainder of the game.Redshirt junior goalie Sean Romeo was dominant in net for the second straight night. The Buckeyes’ netminder made 31 saves on Saturday and stopped 64 of 66 shots in the series.“I think our team just really bought in this weekend, and it just goes to show how well they played in front of me,” Romeo said.Jobst got the Buckeyes on the board late in the first period. The Ohio State captain walked the puck out from the corner, and found plenty of space to beat sophomore goalkeeper Mat Robson on a shot to the weak side.The Golden Gophers outshooting Ohio State 13-3 during the second period. Romeo held strong in the net until a deflection led to Minnesota deadlocking the score. Junior forward Brent Gates Jr. threw the puck in front from behind the net and the puck deflected off senior defenseman Janik Moser’s skate, beating an ill-prepared Romeo to the near side. “Bounces like that are going to happen,” Romeo said. “You hate to see it in a tight game like that, but I figured that if I could just keep doing my job, our team would put the puck in the net, and we’d come out on top.”Ohio State entered this series a team that struggled at home, falling twice to Penn State in two pivotal in-conference matchups. This weekend, the Buckeyes beat a top-10 team twice in their home arena, moving them all the way to second place in the Big Ten standings.“It means we put the time and the effort in this week,” Rohlik said. “I’ve said it a million times, we practiced well this week and I felt great about it, and we’ll enjoy it this weekend, but it’s a long season, I think it’s a building block for our program, it’s a building block for this team.” read more

Ohio State redshirt senior guard Adreana Miller (15) pass the ball in the first half of the game against South Florida. Ohio State lost 71-47. Credit: Nick Hudak | For The LanternThe Ohio State women’s basketball team secured its most impressive victory of the season on Thursday night with a come-from-behind win against North Carolina, 76-69.The Buckeyes (2-2) started off slow against the Tar Heels (5-3), trailing by as much as 14 points with 6:24 left in the first quarter, and found themselves with a four-point deficit at the half. The game looked like it was already out of hand early when North Carolina sophomore center Janelle Bailey made a basket on a fast break to put the Tar Heels up 16-2 early in the first quarter. But the Buckeyes responded with a flurry of their own coming back to make the game to 18-16 with 2:46 left  in the first with strong play from redshirt senior guard Carmen Grande and freshman forward Dorka Juhasz, who seem to be building a chemistry down low.Grande, the active NCAA leader in assists, had a game-high 23 points, recording only 23 points total this season coming into the game, to go with six assists. She was able to take advantage of her shot opportunities Thursday and knock down what was given to her. “I always want to be a scoring option,” Grande said. “I want to take advantage of the best option that we get in every possession, so I just went out there and that time, the open player was me, so I just took the shot.”Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff was at a loss for words explaining Grande’s performance against the Tar Heels. “It was bit of an anomaly the way she started,” McGuff said. “I think just her kind of trying to feel her way through a new system. I think too she’s such a conscientious kid. She’s so concerned about making everybody else better and today she was a little more aggressive for herself.”Ohio State fought in a back and forth affair in the second half, but did enough,outscoring the Tar Heels 47-36 in the final 20 minutes. Juhasz recorded her third double-double in her first four games as a collegiate athlete, adding 18 points along with 16 total rebounds for the game.The Buckeyes finished strong down the stretch despite a couple of late 3s by Tar Heels guards,  redshirt junior Stephanie Watts and redshirt senior Paris Kea, the last of which cut the Ohio State lead down to three and silenced the crowd. Ohio State redshirt senior guard Adreanna Miller notched the final two free throws to secure the victory for the Buckeyes and putting her just five away from 1,000 career total.Ohio State will try and take the momentum into their next game against in-state rival Cincinnati at 2 p.m. on Sunday. read more

Staples Inc., the famous stationery chain stores, announced on Friday that more than 1.16 million customers could be affected in the massive data breach that exposed credit and debit card data of shoppers who used their cards in 115 stores around America from August 10 to September 16 2014.Staples first announced that there had been a data breach where hackers stole customer data from point-of-sale systems in October. On Friday, it gave an update of how many stores were impacted by the hack and how.Staples said that hackers installed malware in the point-of-sale systems, which include cash registers and terminals that handle debit and credit card transactions. The hackers may have got access to customer names, card numbers, expiry dates and most importantly verification numbers too.The company said that while most of the data was stolen between August and September, the smuggling started since July 20 in two of its locations. Staples also released a list of stores that have been affected.Staples warned all its customers who have shopped in their stores during the period to remain cautious and monitor their accounts closely.”Staples customers who shopped at the affected stores during the relevant time periods should review their account statements and notify their card issuers of any suspicious activity,” the company said adding that it was “committed to protecting customer data and regrets any inconvenience caused by this incident. Staples has taken steps to enhance the security of its point-of-sale systems, including the use of new encryption tools.”Staples is just one of the big retail chains that has been hit by massive security hacks. Target Corp., Home Depot and Sears Holdings Corp and Bebe Stores have also become victims of cyber crimes.Sony Pictures, the Hollywood studio, has also been dealing with dangerous cyber threats for the past few months now. Hackers have exposed crucial confidential data which might cost the company over $200 million.Cyberattacks are becoming a raging issue in the retail industry. Companies can go into deep debts in the aftermath of these attacks with mounting security and legal expenses. Some retailers face lawsuits from customers as well.Experts say that banks and credit card companies need to tighten security standards. They also suggest removing the magnetic strip that helps transfer data from the cards and instead introduce a PIN number method and a computer chip to prevent such breaches. read more

Location of ChittagongFour people were killed and three others injured in two road accidents in Sitakunda and Hathazari upazilas of Chittagong district on Friday, reports UNB.Four people were injured when an armoured vehicle of Bangladesh Army hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Munshi Mosque area in Hathazari upazila around 8:30am, said Hathazari police station officer-in-charge Belal Uddin.The injured were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where two of them succumbed to their injuries, said Nayek Hamid at CMCH police outpost.In another incident, two people were killed after a passenger bus hit a motorbike in Sitakunda upazila around 2:30am, said Alam Kumira Highway police outpost inspector Jahangir.The deceased are Apu Das, 25, and Bidyut Das, 27, hailing from Ghatfarhadbeg area of the port city. read more

Related Does this bring artists any closer to receiving the money they’re owed?The Official Receiver is employed by the Insolvency Service in the UK.  Pledge has posted contact information for the Official Receiver on their website.  Strangely, Pledge does not say whether there is a deadline for contacting the Official Receiver, which I have to believe there almost surely is, and that Pledge knows this. There are likely a few secured creditors, who will be banks in most cases like this, and they will get a preference.  If there is any money left over, that sum will be paid to the unsecured creditors proportionately.  Fans, artists and vendors will likely be unsecured creditors.While there are likely thousands of unsecured creditors, I would imagine that the only unsecured creditors who will be counted are the ones who contact the Official Receiver and file a form, but that should be confirmed with the Official Receiver.What advice do you have for artists and fans who are owed money?If I were a fan, artist or vendor who is unpaid due to Pledge’s default, I would immediately hire an insolvency lawyer in the UK to advise me.  If that’s not possible, I would send an email to the Official Receiver describing what happened, when it happened, your efforts at collection and how much you believe you are owed.  I would do that right away.  You have to start somewhere and now you have someone to deal with who is obligated to respond to you and not stonewall you.  You should also find out how to be notified of future actions in the case.Even if you have little hope of getting paid anything, it is worth it to send that email so that the Official Receiver gets the full picture of the company’s behavior directly from those harmed.  A core fact that needs to be confirmed, hopefully by the government, is what happened to the fans’ money?  I have read reporting suggesting that Pledge may have co-mingled “pledges” with their operating accounts and used new contributions to pay old obligations.  If that’s proven true, then we are possibly in a whole different ball game.  The more information the Official Receiver has, the better job they will be able to do to bring justice to all concerned. After guiding fans, artists and vendors toward repaying within 90 days and then toward administration, which would mean the company could emerge and continue operating after paying off its debts and liabilities, Pledge instead chose winding up. If you look at the timeline, I think you will find that they were assuring administration was their course after they’d already filed for wind up.[Note: PledgeMusic cofounder Benji Rogers, who left the company in 2016 but returned on a voluntary basis earlier this year, contested that claim in a blog post last week: “Pledge pursued a range of sale options with a basic hierarchy to try to achieve the best outcome for the creditors,” it reads in part. “In order for an administration to be successful any sale would have needed to generate a minimum price and although we were in contact with several interested parties, ultimately none offered that price and so we were unfortunately unable to appoint an administrator. The final and least desired option was to place the company into liquidation which was done on the 31st of July.”]I’m not a UK lawyer but as I understand it, winding up means Pledge shuts down and a government agent called the “Official Receiver” sells its assets to satisfy its creditors from the proceeds.  However, the Insolvency Service told me that the Official Receiver also has the discretion to investigate why the company is being wound up and if they find wrongdoing, the Official Receiver can refer the case to other agencies for further action either civil or criminal.  The Official Receiver has the power to seek to bar any of the Pledge board members from being a director in another company for up to 15 years. There are due-process rules to follow in all these situations. One of the more confusing aspects about the already confusing disintegration of PledgeMusic — the direct-to-fan marketplace that ceased operations earlier this year, leaving artists on the hook for a total sum estimated to be between $1 million and $3 million — is the British legal terminology used in the proceedings for the UK-based company: “administration” instead of bankruptcy; “winding up” instead of liquidation.A “winding up” order was made against the company on July 31, with the trade organization UK Music calling on the government to take urgent action and investigate the company.Variety reached out to music attorney Christian Castle to help explain the latest moves, which, in short, mean that the company has chosen liquidation rather than bankruptcy.Can you explain in the simplest possible terms what has happened, now that an “Official Receiver” has been appointed for PledgeMusic in the UK?Pledge had a choice between “administration,” which is somewhat like a reorganization where the company continues operating after renegotiating its debts and liabilities, and “wind up,” which is somewhat like a liquidation where the company shuts down and sells its assets to satisfy creditors. British Trade Organization Calls for Government Action on PledgeMusic ×Actors Reveal Their Favorite Disney PrincessesSeveral actors, like Daisy Ridley, Awkwafina, Jeff Goldblum and Gina Rodriguez, reveal their favorite Disney princesses. Rapunzel, Mulan, Ariel,Tiana, Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine all got some love from the Disney stars.More VideosVolume 0%Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcutsKeyboard Shortcutsplay/pauseincrease volumedecrease volumeseek forwardsseek backwardstoggle captionstoggle fullscreenmute/unmuteseek to %SPACE↑↓→←cfm0-9Next UpJennifer Lopez Shares How She Became a Mogul04:350.5x1x1.25×1.5x2xLive00:0002:1502:15 In addition, for American readers, I would also contact your state Attorney General’s consumer protection unit, especially for fans but also for artists and vendors.  The Federal Trade Commission is another potential option.  While Pledge may be winding up in the UK, there may still be jurisdiction over them in the US because they operated here and solicited money from fans here.  Conceivably, this could be a 51 jurisdiction issue for the US alone.  Fans may also wish to contact their credit card companies and contest the charge for their pledge.To my knowledge, this is the first time a crowdfunding site has gone bankrupt.  Policy issues abound and need to be looked at both at the federal and state level in the US.  I understand that UK Music have already twice petitioned their government to conduct an investigation. PledgeMusic Moves Toward Liquidation: What Artists Who Are Owed Money Can Do Popular on Variety read more

Citation: Musical Robot Tags Along as your Serenading Sidekick (2008, June 18) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2008-06-musical-robot-tags-serenading-sidekick.html If you ever thought it would be cool to be serenaded by a robot, you might get a kick out of the new A.M.P. Bot. Developed by Hasbro Tiger Electronics, the 2.5-foot-tall humanoid rolls around on a Segway-type platform, blasting your favorite tunes, all the while following you around your house like a younger sibling with its remote control technology. Gift Guide: Techie kids’ toys for every age group Explore further At a retail price of $400-$500 predicted for its October 2008 release, the robot isn´t for everyone, but is aimed at hardcore tech and music enthusiasts. The A.M.P (Automated Musical Personality) Bot contains a high-fidelity, three-speaker system within its 15-pound body, and carries any MP3 player inside its mini backpack. The robot uses gyroscopic technology to balance on two rubber wheels, and even has beat sensors that allow it to move to the beat of the music. To have it follow you around, just carry a palm-sized remote with you and press “Follow.” Other remote buttons include “Track,” which commands the robot to face you, and “Park,” which tells the robot to stop. When pressing the “Drive” button, you also have the option of directing the robot´s movement with the remote.To avoid running into things, the robot has infrared sensors. It can´t do stairs very well, but if it does fall, it´ll keep playing. It´s supposed to be able to handle carpets, floors, and even sidewalks, if you want to give it some fresh air. Other features include touch pads on the robot´s body that allow you to add DJ-like effects to the music playback. It can produce 100 sound effects and displays LED-based animation, as well. When the battery power dies, a set of kick stands automatically drop down to keep the robot from falling over.The A.M.P robot runs on six D batteries, while the remote uses three AAAs. Hasbro plans to begin pre-sale this August, and the robots should be available in October at venues including Amazon.com, The Sharper Image, and Hammacher Schlemmer.via (with pics): PC Magazine This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. read more

Share Tags: Retirement, TravelBrands Posted by MISSISSAUGA — After 30-plus years in the travel industry, TravelBrands’ Tracy Poole, Business Development Manager for British Columbia, is retiring, effective July 20.Before joining the TravelBrands team in 2016, Poole spent nine years in sales at Fun Sun Vacations and also held various roles within retail offices and at various tour operators. Her career also included a stint at The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd.“My 33 years in the travel industry have been an absolute pleasure and to spend my final years with TravelBrands has definitely been a highlight,” she said. “To work for a family-owned, Canadian company and one of the best teams in the industry has been a dream come true to end it all off.”Nathalie Tanious, Vice President, TravelBrands, referred to Poole as part of the family. “She will always have a place at our table,” she said. “Her enthusiasm, dedication and unwavering commitment to the travel community are unparalleled. This is not a goodbye, this is a see you very soon.”More news:  Venice to ban cruise ships from city centre starting next monthPoole was recently recognized as one of 28 Top Sales Representatives voted by Canadian travel agents, which according to Bruce Lidberg, Director of Sales Western Canada, TravelBrands, is testament to her “wonderful energy and passion for the industry”.“She is a close colleague and dear friend who I will certainly miss dealing with on a daily basis. I wish her only the best in this well-deserved retirement,” he said.Poole’s role at TravelBrands will be taken over by a new hire. Travelweek Group Tuesday, July 10, 2018 << Previous PostNext Post >> “This is not a goodbye”: TravelBrands’ Tracy Poole to retire read more

An investor with a 2.9% stake in UK pay TV operator BSkyB is the latest that is understood to be ready to oppose the re-election of James Murdoch as chairman, according to UK press reports.Legal & General has reportedly changed its previous position and could oppose Murdoch’s re-election at the Sky AGM, which takes place tomorrow. Kames Capital owns 1.6% of Sky and will also reportedly join the ranks of those not prepared to back Murdoch.The news follows advice from the Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC), which earlier this month advised investors to vote against re-electing James Murdoch. Since that point, Murdoch has stepped down from the board of the operating companies of News Corp’s UK newspapers The Sun and The Times. read more

Polish cable operator Inea has added two new HD channels to its programming line-up.Entertainment channel Tele5 HD offers movies and TV series from Europe and the US, while Fashion One HD offers lifestyle news, celebrity profiles, holiday programmes and red carpet events. Both channels are available in the Max HD package.The addition of the two new channels takes the total number of HD channels offered by Inea to 40.

Andy SchuonA group of veteran US media executives led by a former MTV executive have launched what they describe as a vertically integrated global media, information and technology company focused on OTT and multiscreen content.Former MTV programming chief Andy Schuon is heading up the Los Angeles-based Every Day Networks, which will also have offices in Europe. The outfit has assembled a portfolio of channels after acquiring the former Fox Sports action sports and lifestyle channel Fuel TV along with OTT channel PlanesTrains+Automobiles and cable network Business Rockstars.Schuon previously served as president of CBS Radio, head of programming at MTV and VH1, created MTV2, headed up several Universal media companies and founded Revolt TV with Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs.Working alongside him on the new venture are former Tribune Company chief digital officer Don Meek, who takes on the role of chief operating officer, Fuel TV founder CJ Olivares, who will serve as chief content officer, and former Fox Networks Group executive Austin Wignall, who will take on the role of head of audience development.Schuon has co-founded Every Day Networks with entrepreneur Gary Verolic, co-founder of investment outfit JG Wentworth.The company will focus on developing content for mobile and OTT TV. Every Day Networks has the stated goal of becoming the first ‘integrated multi-network company’ purpose-built to deliver services in the age of connected devices and social media. The outfit’s efforts will be data-driven, based on MasterChannel Interchange (MCX), a technology platform designed to help with the development of content, distribution and revenue models.MCX Indie, one iteration of this platform, is designed to enable the creation of new OTT channels, allowing content owners to team up with Every Day Networks to develop services without making heavy investments in data integration and revenue platforms, according ot the company.Every Day Networks plans to build on Fuel TV’s existing distribution on cable and satellite in 70 territories by making the channel globally available via OTT next year.The three-year-old startup and entrepreneurship-focused Business Rockstars is available in 35 million US TV homes and on radio. This will be launched internationally as a cable channel and OTT app, according to the company.Every Day Networks said it would expand the reach of OTT travel and lifestyle channel PlanesTrains+Automobiles, which is available via Roku and Amazon Fire, along with a distribution deal with Delta Airlines, by launching on the Apple TV platform soon.“We believe Every Day Networks is what a successful media company looks like in the 21st century,” said Schuon.“We’re set up with great brands and a great team to follow the audience as they migrate to new viewing platforms that enable an entirely new commercial model for our industry.” read more

Satellite operator Eutelsat has added two new UHD TV channels to the line-up of services available via its Hotbird platform at the 13° East orbital slot.Fashion TV’s new UHD TV channels, FTV UHD, and 4K travel channel Travelxp 4K will air from the position, having concluded mutli-year contracts with Eutelsat that will enable them to reach cable and IPTV networks across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.FTV UYHD debuted on the platform just before Christmas, while Travelxp 4K will start broadcasting this month.Both channels are encoded in HEVC with 10-bit colour depth, at 50 frames per second.Travelxp 4K will broadcast in 10-bit REC 2020 colour space using the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR TV technology developed by the BBC and NHK. The HLG system enables SDR displays to decode HDR content.“Since the launch of our first fashion-themed channel on a Eutelsat satellite in 1997 we have developed a unique and comprehensive brand with high-quality broadcasting at its core. We made the leap to High Definition ten years after the launch of our first digital channel on Eutelsat’s fleet. Today, we are excited to pursue our commitment to the highest quality of broadcasting standards through an Ultra HD channel offering Eutelsat’s Hotbird homes exceptional images of the latest fashion events from around the world. Eutelsat is our fashionable and lucky Hotbird,” said FTV UHD CEO Michel Adam Lisowski.“Travelxp 4K is all about bringing the world to homes in stunning resolution. 10 bit REC 2020 with HLG, HDR will make the viewing experience more immersive and vivid. It’s not just about more pixels in 4K but better pixels. We are proud to reinforce our partnership with Eutelsat and to benefit from their vast knowledge of the Ultra HD broadcasting chain. Joining the Hotbird neighbourhood and gaining access to a unique and ethnically diverse population pool is a natural step for us that will fast-track penetration of Travelxp 4K into homes across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East,” said Travelxp 4K CEO Prashant Chothani. read more