25 arrested in 5 states in NY Web gambling probe | wishtv.com

NEW YORK (AP) ? Three owners of an Internet gambling website that boasts of having customers in 100 countries have been indicted, along with 22 other people, on charges that they were part of a betting ring took tens of millions of dollars from people in the United States, prosecutors said Thursday.

People were arrested in five states Wednesday as part of a sweeping investigation aimed at bookmakers and money couriers connected to Internet and phone gambling, including men who prosecutors identified as owners of the online gambling site Pinnacle Sports.

The three, Brandt England, of Las Vegas, George Molsbarger, of Santa Monica, Calif., and Stanley Tomchin, of Montecito, Calif., were charged with enterprise corruption, money laundering and conspiracy. England faced an additional charge of promoting gambling.

England's lawyer in Las Vegas, David Chesnoff, said, "We certainly intend to defend this matter vigorously in court." He declined to address the specifics of the allegations, saying he was new to the case.

The probe was led by investigators from the New York Police Department, but multiple state, municipal and federal law enforcement agencies were involved, and arrests took place in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada and California.

The Queens district attorney's office, which is prosecuting the case, said that in one 18-month period the gambling operation took in $50 million in profit while using computer servers in gambling friendly countries to try to hide dealings with bettors in the U.S.

Gamblers placed bets over the phone and at least four websites, while the ring used dummy accounts to hide the flow of money and couriers to transport cash profits to and from Panama and Costa Rica, authorities said.

Pinnacle Sports sidestepped the issues of whether it was involved in illegal gambling in the U.S. and whether England, Molsbarger and Tomchin were owners of the site.

"Regarding the recent allegations surrounding the individuals allegedly affiliated with Pinnacle Sports, please be reassured that no Pinnacle Sports employees have been arrested or charged, and Pinnacle Sports itself was not charged in the indictment," it said in an emailed statement. "We expect no interruptions to our day to day business activities at this time."

No one returned a phone message left at a number listed in Tomchin's name Thursday. Molsbarger's phone number isn't publicly listed.

Other people indicted in the case include a manager of the legal sports betting operation at the M Resort Spa Casino in Nevada and men in several states who prosecutors said had worked as bookmakers or money handlers.

Source: http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/entertainment/consumer_tech/25-arrested-in-5-states-in-NY-Web-gambling-probe_02336099

marine urination video hostess cadillac ats bain capital marines urinating haley barbour olivier martinez

Buddha statue: Possibly fake, still from space

Researchers who reported that a potentially ancient Buddha statue is carved from a meteorite said they are not surprised that an expert in Buddhist history believes the statue to be a fake.

"Honestly, that is what we expected," said Elmar Buchner, who along with his colleague reported on the statue in September in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science. "We heard so many opinions from so many experts in art history and experts for Buddhism on the origins and the age of the statue prior to and after the publication."

The most public of these consultations is a new report from Achim Bayer, a Buddhism expert at Dongguk University in South Korea. In a report released online, Bayer writes that the features of the statue are "pseudo-Tibetan" and are more likely to be a European reproduction dating from 1910 to 1970 than a true ancient carving dating back 1,000 years, as Buchner and his colleagues had estimated.

1. Science news from NBCNews.com

   1. Sleuth finds the truth in ghost stories

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell has busted a lot of ghostly myths over the past 40 years ? but the spookiest part of his job comes when he actually catches a ghost red-handed.

   2. How to eat a Triceratops in 4 easy steps
   3. Why dinosaurs showed off their feathers
   4. Fukushima fish still radioactive

Bayer did not contest that the statue is a made of meteorite.

"The non-Asian features of the 'lama wearing trousers' should be immediately obvious to any scholar in the field," Bayer wrote, referring to the statue as a "lama" or guru. The shoes, pants and sleeves of the man's garments are all wrong for ancient Tibet, he wrote. The statue's hands, eyes and ears are also shaped unusually for Tibetan art, he said.

The statue was said to have come to Germany in the possession of a pre-World War II scientific expedition commissioned by the Nazi party. Bayer called that into question, too, saying there is no documentation of the statue's transfer and arguing that it is more likely a fake created in the 20th century for the antique or Nazi-memorabilia market.

"For us, Bayer's hypothesis is just one opinion," Buchner wrote in an email to LiveScience. "However, we cannot decide whether this hypothesis is valid or not because we are not the experts in art history, and we told the press that our assumptions are speculative, accordingly," wrote Buchner, who is a geologist.

The geochemical analysis of the meteorite is still sound, Buchner said. The team found that the material used to make the statue is a rare type of iron- and nickel-rich meteorite from a meteorite fall along the Siberian-Tibetan border. [ Top 5 Weirdest Meteorites ]

That cosmic origin brings up one more mystery in the tale of the controversial space Buddha.

"I think it is not convincing that anybody took a very precious meteorite to produce a reproduction for the local antique market!?" Buchner wrote.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas or LiveScience@livescience. We're also on Facebook &Google+.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49556803/ns/technology_and_science-science/

phillies Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012 London 2012 Fencing

http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/blog-post/iphone-5-or-galaxy-s3

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=412212978833477&id=166408236787727

joan rivers gary carter dies oolong tea survivor one world lil kim progeria what will my baby look like

Oma & Bella' Film Shows Food As Therapy For Holocaust Survivors

By Barbara Goldberg
NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - For anyone who craves one more hug from a grandma long gone, one more of her chocolate turtle cookies or another whiff of her apple strudel baking in the oven, there is "Oma & Bella".
Scenes from the new documentary about two octogenarian friends living together in Berlin are warm, but the hunger to learn more about their past as Holocaust survivors creates a suspenseful undercurrent throughout the film, which is being released on iTunes and Amazon in the United States on Tuesday.
The sometimes jarring shifts from cozy kitchen scenes of chopping and sauteing to starkly lit interviews in which they reluctantly reveal some of the horrors they survived as Jewish girls in World War Two are purposeful, filmmaker Alexa Karolinski said.
"In the beginning, they basically said, 'You can do whatever you want as long as you don't ask us about then,'" Karolinski said of the agreement with her grandmother - or Oma - Regina Karolinski, and her friend Bella Katz, who moved in to help with Oma's recovery from a hip operation in 2007 and never left.
"I wanted to make a film that was as fragmented as the reality of not talking about the Holocaust," Karolinski said.
"Even if they say they don't want to talk about it, they do. In the weirdest moments. If you go through something so traumatizing, it informs everything you do in your life."
The 75-minute film, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, grew out of Karolinski's effort to create a cookbook of Oma and Bella's delicious Eastern European Jewish meals.
The cookbook, available on the film's website, omabella.com, took longer to put together than the film itself since "handfuls" had to be translated into measurable cups and "as long as it needs" into a finite cooking time.
The women stick with recipes from their childhood, from the days before Oma, at age 14, was sent from her home in Poland to a Nazi work camp and Bella fled the liquidation of her Lithuanian ghetto home to join the Jewish resistance.
At the end of the war that annihilated their families, they arrived separately in Berlin, where they met. They were displaced persons without so much as a photograph of their parents.
"For Oma and Bella, cooking has become their therapy," said the 28-year-old German-Canadian filmmaker, explaining food keeps their family history alive.
"Food is the only materialistic thing they have from their lives before the war; they don't even have a photograph. They say their chicken soup tastes exactly like their mothers' chicken soup. It helps them remember their homes because they were orphaned by the war."

HOLOCAUST RECOLLECTIONS
The Registry of Holocaust Survivors lists 195,000 survivors and family members from 59 countries, although each year an increasing number of them are deceased, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.
Oma & Bella, in German with subtitles, is Karolinski's first feature film. It started as her thesis project at the School of Visual Arts in New York and gained momentum with $44,000 in financing from Kickstarter.com.
Slathered with Oma and Bella's zest for life, the film offers an uplifting and intimate glimpse into the lives of these two feisty and lovable friends and reveals the joy that can be found in a leafy cabbage or a perfectly rolled cheese blintz.
"Have you ever seen anything this beautiful?" asks Bella, opening the oven like a treasure chest to reveal glistening vegetables in a pot.
As rich and satisfying as their lust for life is, it is the sinewy thread of the past that keeps the film taut and constantly plumbing the depths of their past.
After Bella reveals in a choked voice the nightmarish recollection of her father's suicide when Nazi soldiers stormed their house to seize him, Oma offers soothing words about his bravery in taking his life before the soldiers could.
"These things you don't want to admit are true. It hurts," Oma tells the camera held by her granddaughter. "Now you see, Alexa, why we don't like to talk about it." (Editing by Christine Kearney and Dale Hudson)

Rachel Tepper, wants your feedback, tips, and thoughts about this story, or any others: rachel.tepper@huffingtonpost.com

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/oma-and-bella_n_2005853.html

betty white ed reed football schedule jo paterno dead south carolina tuskegee airmen mike james

Nokia seeks $972 million from bonds to help drive fightback

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Mobile phone maker Nokia plans to raise 750 million euros ($972 million) from bonds convertible into shares, seeking a cheap way to help finance its fight to claw back market share lost to Apple and Samsung.

Once the world's biggest mobile phone maker, the Finnish firm has fallen far behind Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy phones in the lucrative smartphone market, and is pinning its hopes for recovery on new models that go on sale next month.

With its cash reserves falling and its credit ratings cut to junk over the past year, analysts have said Nokia needs to show a turnaround in the next several months if it is to survive.

Its shares fell 5.09 percent to 2.05 euros on Tuesday as investors worried the eventual conversion of the bonds into stocks would reduce earnings per share. The bonds may be converted into a maximum 287.2 million shares, or 7.74 percent of current shares.

But analysts said the choice of convertible bonds - which normally pay lower interest rates than ordinary bonds while offering investors the chance to profit when they are converted into shares - was a smart one.

"It is a rather cheap way to get extra financing," said Evli analyst Mikko Ervasti. "They need buffers (and) their 2014 bond also requires financing."

Nokia's net cash fell to 3.6 billion euros in September from 4.2 billion in June. It also finished the third quarter with 3.8 billion euros in interest-bearing liabilities, with 1.75 billion in bonds and loans maturing in 2014.

Additionally, the company owns half of network equipment venture Nokia Siemens Networks, which finished the quarter with 1.4 billion euros in liabilities.

The convertible bonds will be due in 2017 and pay a coupon of 5.00 percent. The initial price for conversion into ordinary shares was set at 2.6116 euros, 28 percent above the average price of Nokia shares between the launch and pricing.

PINNING HOPES ON LUMIA

Nokia's fortunes hinge on its top-of-the-range Lumia 820 and 920 models, which run on Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 software. The phones, which come in vivid colours and have high-resolution cameras, will hit the stores in November.

On Tuesday, the group unveiled the lower price Lumia 510, which is an update of the Lumia 610 but does not use the newest version of Windows software. The 510 has a larger screen and will be sold for around $199, excluding taxes and subsidies.

ING analysts welcomed the convertible bonds plan as reducing uncertainty around Nokia's short-term debt maturities and bolstering its capital.

"It also shows that the company is taking the question marks around its credit quality seriously and is willing to take the steps necessary to improve this," they said in a research note.

Trading in the bonds are due to start around October 26.

BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi and Deutsche are the joint bookrunners.

($1 = 0.7714 euros)

(Additional reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Tarmo Virki in Helsinki, and Josie Cox in London; Editing by Mark Potter and Hans-Juergen Peters)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nokia-seeks-1-billion-bonds-help-power-fightback-093924937--finance.html

cordova demaryius thomas transtar 316 william daley truffles truffles

Case Study On Pay Per Click Management - Work On the Internet

Miscellaneous Written by Anonymous ??Wednesday, 24 October 2012 00:20 Pay per Click management yields 30% increase in sales in 4 weeks

The Client
Located in Los Angeles, CA, Flower Girl Dress For Less is a full service online flower girl dress retailer with over 20 years of experience. They provide a large selection of high quality, discounted resses and accessories for special events such as weddings, first holy communions and christenings. They carry a full range of infant dresses, holiday dresses, Christmas dresses, party dresses and accessories at bargain prices.

The Challenge
Flower Girl Dress For Less has been a long time client of Zero 360 Marketing and they have held search engine ranking on all search engines for many years. The challenge was that their Pay Per Click campaigns on Google and Bing that were previously generating good results where no longer working. They were spending several thousand dollars a week on advertising but sales were flat.
The Solution
Flower Girl Dress For Less management was initially concerned about the time it would take to get a new campaign going would further impact their business. The Zero 360 Marketing's PPC team went right to work starting with:
??? Reviewing existing PPC campaigns and segmenting their ads and keywords that were working.
??? Searching out keywords and search terms that were not converting or were irrelevant and creating a comprehensive list of negative keywords.
??? Created multiple new PPC campaigns based according to best practices and proprietary methods.
??? Changing bidding methods from broad match which allows Google & Bing to decide when to show and charge for the ads, to phrase and exact match allowing us to determine when to show the ads and when not to.
??? Created a large number of new ads related to each search term. Ads are based on Flower Girl Dresses unique selling propositions, highlighting their benefits.
??? Landing pages were optimized for better conversion and sales.
Their old PPC campaign was paused and the new PPC campaign was launched on a Friday. The daily ad budget was increased by 10% to allow testing of some new international markets. By Monday Flower Girl Dress For Less received close to 30% more orders than normal. The numbers were astounding. They were rushing to process orders and ship within the promised time frame. They continued to break sales records on Tuesday, Wednesday and onto the following week.
The Results
The changes to PPC ads resulted in a 30% increase in sales over a 4 week period which has necessitated the hiring of more employees to handle the new business. Our PPC team continues to monitor and adjust the new campaigns. Some of the new international markets were adjusted to remove the under-performing keywords and ads, focusing the budget on high-yield keywords.

Article Tags :

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 00:20

Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/reviews/miscellaneous/219477-article.html

brandon marshall ryder cup Kate Middleton Bottomless the Pirate Bay Hotel Transylvania looper eagles

The Final Presidential Debate: Four Punches that Knocked Out Mitt Romney (Rolling Stone)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257659254?client_source=feed&format=rss

jordans prometheus movie posterior adam lambert arrested barkley beltran space ball

What was your initial capital when you started your online store?

Hi fastlaners !

I'm very curious on what was your initial startup capital when you started your business. I am struggling with this, I really don't know how much money I need to start my ecommerce biz. Maybe you can give some insights so newbies can have an idea of the amount of money needed to start an online store. I will probably sell video games to start but I have no idea on how many games should I order from the suppliers. Anyway what was your initial investment?

Source: http://www.thefastlaneforum.com/internet-mobile-apps-software/43266-what-your-initial-capital-when-you-started-your-online-store.html

valentines day westminster dog show valentines day cards hallmark grammy winners obama budget woolly mammoth

Guitar Lessons college student discount

Hello there!

I am currently seeking guitar students in the North Portland and St. Johns area. Here is info about me and what I can offer you:

My Credentials:
I have degrees in Music Education (K-12) and Music Performance (Guitar).
I taught three years of elementary music and two and a half years of high school guitar in the Oregon public school system.
I teach guitar classes with the Art Conspiracy, a two week summer arts program in rural Yamhill County (Oregon).
I have had students of all ages (children to adults) and experience levels (absolute beginner to advanced).
Awarded Outstanding Jazz Soloist at the 2006 Elmhurst Jazz Festival in Illinois.
Performed with Lenny Pickett, Tom "Bones" Malone, Kalani, Jim Mair, Lisa Henry, and others while a student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
I have been playing guitar for 15 years and teaching for 9 years.
Other than teaching, I am a full time musician and perform regularly thr

Source: http://portland.daype.com/services/lesson-and-tutoring/Guitar-Lessons-college-student-discount-Ad-27981806.html

dan savage new world trade center kellen moore guy fieri ryan braun bryce harper may day

88% Of Teens? Sexual Pics Reposted By ?Parasite Websites?

It's no secret that the sexually explicit photos teens (stupidly) post online could be stolen, but a new study sheds light on how frequently such images are reposted. The Internet Watch Foundation found that 88% of teens' videos and photos are stolen, sometimes by a cottage industry of 'parasite websites' that exist for the sole purpose of harvesting candid teenage photos.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Du7tSTDS-D8/

beginners 2012 oscars the shore meryl streep oscar wins sasha baron cohen oscars oscar winners the artist

Mass shooting in Wisconsin, suspect at large, police say

A tactical unit responds to the shooting in Brookfield, Wis. (AP)

A shooting at a spa near a Brookfield, Wis., mall on Sunday left three dead and four others wounded, police said, and authorities are searching for the suspected gunman.

Police identified the suspected shooter as 45-year-old Radcliffe Haughton, of Brown Deer, Wis. Haughton is 6-foot-2-inches tall, weighs approximately 210 pounds and was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, grey sweater, blue jeans and carrying a white and black backpack, police said. He was reportedly driving a black 2003 Mazda Prot?g? with license plate no. 171-KZD, though according to witnesses he may have fled on foot.

The shooting occurred at the Azana Salon & Spa across the street from the Brookfield Square Mall at approximately 11:15 a.m. local time, police said.

"Our entire operation is focused on locating the suspect," Brookfield Police Chief Daniel Tushaus said at a press conference on Sunday.

Authorities have not released a motive. But according to WISN-TV, Haughton is the estranged husband of one of the spa workers.

Haughton (Waukesha County Sheriff's Dept.)

A spokeswoman for Froedtert Memorial Hospital told the Associated Press that said four shooting victims were being treated for non-life threatening injuries at the hospital.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the mall has been placed on lockdown, as has a nearby country club.

SWAT, fire and rescue officials responded to the scene, and a Flight for Life helicopter landed in the mall's parking lot. Police and tactical units were conducting a sweep of surrounding buildings, and a bomb squad was also called in.

In August, Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran with white supremacist ties, opened fire at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and injuring three others before shooting himself.

And Sunday's shooting took place less than a mile from a hotel where a gunman opened fire during a Living Church of God service in 2005. Seven people were killed and four wounded in that shooting.

[Refresh this page for updates to this story.]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/mall-shooting-wisconsin-brookfield-180854621.html

iraq war over megyn kelly richard hamilton richard hamilton howard stern americas got talent china aircraft carrier barbara walters most fascinating person 2011

Met Office predicts snow for parts of the UK next week. | Car ...

With the Met Office announcing that the UK will experience low temperatures towards the end of this week, we can expect that this will bring frost and ice to our roads.

The organisation said it is still too early to assess the snow risk, but confirmed a cold snap is on the way.

It comes after risk meteorologist Jim Dale from British Weather Services told the Huffington Post last week that he thinks Britain is in for more ?impressively cold temperatures? this winter, a forecast that was echoed by Weatherweb.net.

How many of you are prepared for the cold months and dangerous weather? Follow these tips to make sure you are ready for winter.

Tyres: Ensure your tyres are inflated correctly and that you have a minimum of 3mm of tread on your tyres to cope with wet and slippery conditions.

Battery: In winter, the battery will run down quicker than in warmer weather. Make sure you do a regular long journey to top it up or trickle-charge the battery.

Engine: Modern engines are more robust than older ones. All the same, depress the clutch when starting as this will reduce drag on the engine when starting, and preserve the battery.

Screenwash: Keep this topped up and use a proper additive at the right concentration to prevent it freezing.

Fuel: Keep your tank topped up ? that way if you are caught out, you?ll have enough fuel to make it home or run the engine to keep warm. However, it?s essential to keep snow from blocking the exhaust as noxious fumes can leak into the vehicle.

Windows: Clear all snow and ice from the windscreen before driving. Do not use water to de-ice windscreens. Hot water can crack the glass, and the water will only freeze again on the screen or on the ground where you are standing.

Locks: A squirt of WD-40 will prevent your door locks freezing up.

Warm clothing: Your car may be as warm as toast on the inside but if you have to step outside, you could be in trouble if you have not got any warm clothing with you.

It is perhaps too early to expect the snow of 2010, but when it comes to cars and bad weather conditions it is much better to be safe than sorry.

Source: http://www.osv.ltd.uk/latestnews/motoring-news/22oct/

mary louise parker cher morgellons nhl all star draft touch nitrous oxide rihanna thug life tattoo

CEA officially brands 4K as Ultra HD, gets ready for a flood of new displays at CES

Now that HDTV is "the new normal" according to Nielsen (its most recent stats say more than 75 percent of US households have one) then naturally, it's time to upgrade to 4K. This week the Consumer Electronics Association officially dubbed such screens -- with characteristics including at least eight million active pixels, and 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, among other things -- Ultra High-Definition, or Ultra HD in order to help educate consumers about the new tech. The ITU already laid down its spec recommendations for Ultra High Definition TV so the industry should be able to move forward in unison pushing super high-res displays across the land. Of course we did say "should," and Sony is already informing media outlets that it plans to market its 4K products as "4K UHD." Whatever it's called, we saw 84-inch screens from multiple manufacturers announced recently, and with the CEA's announcement we're penciling in a few more pixel-dense models for the big Las Vegas show in January.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

CEA officially brands 4K as Ultra HD, gets ready for a flood of new displays at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  CEA  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MBaZBXliEqA/

california earthquake tyson chandler tyson chandler stephen hill draft tracker the pirates band of misfits cleveland browns

Lawyers, CEOs helped Obama win Sept. money battle (The Arizona Republic)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/257046837?client_source=feed&format=rss

askew blue moon eddie murphy ann romney marco rubio marco rubio farrah abraham

Softbank in talks to invest in Sprint

NEW YORK (AP) ? Japanese cellphone company Softbank Corp. was in talks Thursday about taking a substantial ownership stake in struggling U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel Corp.

Sprint, the third-largest cellphone company in the U.S., said the deal could be big enough to involve a "change of control" of the company. It didn't provide any other details.

The news sent Sprint shares as high as $6.04, the highest level since 2008. In afternoon trading, the shares were up 70 cents, or 14 percent, at $5.74.

The Wall Street Journal, citing an unidentified person with knowledge of the talks, had reported earlier that the potential deal would help Softbank expand outside of Japan. It put the value of the transaction at more than $12.8 billion.

Sprint, which is based in Overland Park, Kan., is in a difficult competitive position. It has 56 million wireless subscribers, making it about half the size of market leader Verizon Wireless, and it keeps losing high-paying subscribers to Verizon and AT&T, the industry's No. 2 player.

Sprint has $21 billion in long-term debt, and has embarked on a costly network restructuring and signed a long-term contract to buy $15.5 billion worth of iPhones from Apple over four years. Investor concerns over Sprint's financial health have eased this year, however, and the stock has more than doubled since January.

The company had a market capitalization of $15 billion at Wednesday's close, implying that Softbank's reported $12.8 billion bid won't be enough to buy the entire company.

Analysts expressed surprise at news of the talks. The U.S. wireless industry is rife with speculation about mergers, as smaller players find themselves struggling to compete, but the injection of a possible foreign investor clouds the picture. Sprint has been in talks to buy various smaller rivals, but an acquisition or major investment by a Japanese company wouldn't do much to help its competitive position in the U.S.

"We would expect to see very little synergies created with such a transaction," said Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher King.

A takeover by Softbank would reward Sprint's shareholders and shore up its financials, however.

Last week, media reports said Sprint's board was considering a bid for MetroPCS Communications Inc., the fifth-largest cellphone company in the U.S., to counter an offer by T-Mobile USA, which ranks as No. 4. The T-Mobile-MetroPCS deal could make the competitive situation even more difficult for Sprint.

Shares of MetroPCS, based in Richardson, Texas, dropped 39 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $11.65, as investors speculated that Softbank's interest means there's less of a chance for a counterbid from Sprint.

Tokyo-based Softbank, once the underdog in Japan's telecom industry, has seen its fortunes improve ever since it started selling the iPhone in 2008. It was initially the only Japanese phone company to offer the iPhone. Rival KDDI Corp. started selling the iPhone late last year.

The U.S. wireless industry is no stranger to foreign investment, but the results have been mixed. T-Mobile is owned by German phone company Deutsche Telekom. With T-Mobile treading water, DT has tried to exit its investment by selling the subsidiary to AT&T. That deal was scuttled by U.S. regulators.

Vodafone Group PLC, a British cellphone company, owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless. That's been a successful investment, but New York-based phone company Verizon Communications Inc., which owns the rest, has complete control over the joint venture and is seen as having twisted Vodafone's arm in an attempt to get it to let Verizon take complete ownership.

Shares of Clearwire Corp. jumped 73 cents, or 56 percent, to $2.03 on news of the Softbank talks. Sprint owns half of the company, and investors were betting that a deal with Softbank would include a buyout of Clearwire. The company operates a wireless broadband network that Sprint resells as "Sprint 4G." Clearwire has struggled to become a viable standalone company, and it needs additional funding to upgrade its network.

___

Associated Press writers Michelle Chapman and Barbara Ortutay contributed to this story.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-11-Sprint-Softbank/id-10461ec79a964d899109bcb373cbebe7

sam houston state university sam houston state university bradley manning whoopi goldberg tebowing tebowing washington wizards

Maternal depression, antidepressants alter baby language ...

Written by Loren Grush

The first few months of a newborn?s life are critical in terms of language acquisition and cognitive development. However, this time period is very sensitive and complex, and various environmental factors can have an impact on a child?s early development.

Now, a new study has revealed that both maternal depression and a common kind of antidepressant are two big environmental issues, which can alter when this learning phase begins in children ? ultimately affecting their ability to learn how to speak.

Researcher from the University of British Columbia, Harvard University and the Child & Family Research Institute have revealed that treating maternal depression with a class of antidepressants called serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) help to speed up the newborn?s ability to grasp and understand the sights and sounds of their native language. Conversely, untreated maternal depression ultimately delayed this period of language acquisition.

According to the scientists, this phase of cognitive development begins before a baby is even born ? meaning their prenatal environment is extremely important.

?My work and the work of a lot of other people have shown that we develop in the womb ready to learn any of the world?s languages,? Janet Werker, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the study?s lead author, told FoxNews.com. ?We start out universal listeners, ready to learn what languages we hear and see.?

Werker explained that during this language learning period, newborns are able to differentiate between the characteristics of their native language and the characteristics of languages of foreign speakers. This window of learning eventually closes though, typically around 8 months after birth.

Once the window closes, babies stop paying attention to sounds they do not need and lose the ability to discern between verbal cues that are not utilized in their native language.

?For example, when it comes to the difference between [the words] ?raw? and ?law,? you as an English speaker can hear that distinction,? Werker said, ?but a Japanese adult cannot.

We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Source: http://www.empowher.com/mental-health/content/maternal-depression-antidepressants-alter-baby-language-development

dark knight rises trailer dark knight rises trailer vince young vince young evan longoria john edwards conocophillips

Zuma under fire for costly upgrade of his home

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? New security fences. A medical clinic. Fire-fighting services added for a helipad. That and other upgrades, all for South African President Jacob Zuma's home to the tune of more than $23 million in taxpayer money. And all for his rural private residence.

Zuma is embroiled in a controversy over the costly additions to his private home in a country where millions still lack decent homes, running water, electrical power and adequate access to health and education services.

The revelations of the renovation of Zuma's rural compound, dubbed "Zumaville" in the local press, in KwaZulu-Natal come before the ruling African National Congress' December conference where Zuma seeks to be reappointed as the party's leader, and therefore its candidate for president in the 2014 national election.

Zuma's standing has already been shaken by the recent police killings of 34 striking platinum miners in the continuing wave of ongoing wildcat strikes. He is widely seen by striking miners as aloof to their concerns that they're not paid enough for the difficult and dangerous work they perform. Firebrand politician Julius Malema, ousted this year as ANC Youth League leader, says Zuma should not be allowed another term in office.

The government has refused to disclose the precise cost of the work on Zuma's countryside home. Local reports say the upgrades cost about 200 million rand ($23 million).

Zuma said at a breakfast meeting Thursday that he does not know how much the work will cost, that it was authorized by the Ministry of Works and was motivated by security concerns. Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi said last week that work on Zuma's residence was similar to that done on those of other South African presidents.

High security fences have been erected, roads upgraded, a medical clinic added and fire-fighting services developed for the helipad at the compound, according to the South African Press Association. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Deputy Public Works Minister Jeremy Cronin also could not confirm the cost but said the matter would be investigated for any "inexplicable overruns on costs," according to SAPA.

Some critics say the ANC party that was once led by anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is overly focused on political power with too little attention being accorded to the country's black poor.

Zuma's presidency has been "marked by political problems, most notably a radical decline in the ANC's credibility. Zuma's own actions have also stripped the office he holds of dignity," wrote Pallo Jordan, a former minister of arts and culture, in an article published in BusinessDay newspaper. "Whoever the ANC membership elects in December will have to grasp the nettle of restoring the ANC's dented credibility and dignity to the office of the president."

Shadrack Gutto, a professor of African studies at the University of South Africa, said ordinary South Africans have come to expect little good from the ANC, whose top bosses have become fabulously wealthy even as millions of South Africans are mired in poverty. As some South African miners were striking for better pay, businessman Cyril Ramaphosa, an influential member of the ANC who had once been a touted as a future leader, was bidding millions of dollars for a prize buffalo.

"Every day there is a scandal here, a scandal there," Gutto said, adding that a time will come when the party will be thrown into "the dustbin of history."

Of the costly renovations to Zuma's private residence Gutto said: "It has to be investigated. It will be a scandal when the truth comes out."

Zuma, 70, remains popular in his Zulu homeland and many say he will win another term as ANC chief. He may be challenged by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. The speculation has been fueled by the release this week of an authorized Motlanthe biography, as well as a decision by ANC officials in Gauteng province, where both Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria are located, to back Motlanthe.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-11-AF-South-Africa-Zuma-Home-Scandal/id-87fd5e070db74b299ef860fae34054b0

chicago marathon detroit tigers barcelona vs real madrid chicago bears Johnny Depp Dead college football rankings notre dame football

On Speaking to Myself Revisited | into the quiet

October 10, 2012 ? 3:25 am

So last night I was searching for something I?d written a long time ago and thought I?d check and see if it ever ended up on my blog. What ensued was several hours of reminiscing? plus one late dinner. Oops. I started this blog five and a half years ago and a lot has happened and much has been written in that time that I?d completely forgotten about. So I?m going to re-post a few old favourites. The following was written in June 2008.

On Speaking to Myself

It?s quarter to eleven, you should get up now.
God. Really? Quarter to eleven? It doesn?t feel like it. That?s terrible, I?ll get up now.
I roll onto my side and discover how comfortable it really is on my left side. I wish I?d been lying on my left side for the last half hour. I pause, on my left side, just for a minute.
Well?
Yeah, yeah, I?m getting there, hang on.
What would your brother-in-law say right now? You still being in bed at quarter to eleven?
Me thinking about my brother-in-law while I?m naked in bed disturbs me and I pull the covers up to my nose. My bloodshot eyes are like two red beacons, willing my husband to bring me coffee.
He would say ? You can?t do THIS when you have children you know, you can?t sleep-IN on a Sunday morning. And he would roll his chirpy blue eyes to the chirpy blue sky and lift all four chirpy children with one perfectly muscled arm as they chirpily squealed for chirpy joy. Where the hell is my husband? He never brings me coffee in bed so why the hell can?t he work out that THIS is the morning I need one?
Couples with children shouldn?t be allowed to talk to couples without children. It should be a law. My brother-in-law probably really thinks that I have no idea about not having another sleep-in for the next 20 years. All the more reason to stay here just a little bit longer.
Are you getting up now?
Am I the only part of our consciousness that?s capable of eliciting movement? You get up.
We won?t be able to do this when we have kids you know.
I roll my bloodshot eyes around and around my head until I feel dizzy.
I can?t get up, I?m dizzy.
We need to get the washing on while the sun?s still warm.
That?s the most imbecilic thing you?ve ever said, you?re clearly sleep-deprived, now go back to sleep.
The bathroom needs cleaning.
I?m right there, it really does. I can hear its tortured screams from beyond the wall next to me. I pull the covers up over my ears.
Pfft, I pfft. But I?ve run out of excuses. The bathroom is wailing in staphylococcus studded screams, the washing is mounting a mutiny on the laundry floor, the kitchen sink is a cacophony of caterwauling, and I need to pee.
?How would you like an amazing energy drink that is guaranteed to taste good and get you out of bed?? My husband looms over me and smiles at my red eyeballs poking above the top of the sheet. A broad hand clamped around a hot coffee comes into view.
I look at him. My gratitude swamps the bed like a menopausal hot flush.
Let?s not have kids, what?d?ya reckon honey?
Did I say that out loud?

Source: http://simonnemichelle.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/on-speaking-to-myself-revisited/

triple play virginia tech shooting james neal jackie robinson virginia tech emancipation proclamation april 16

Find a sport you enjoy instead of just working out. [Discussions Of The Day]

Great discussions are nothing new here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!

Discussion of the Day

Other Great Discussions

Good Question

Great Discussions Any Time

To join or start great discussions on any topic, be sure to visit the Openthread forum. Today, one reader is asking for advice about iPhones on T-Mobile. Jump in and help out!

If you've got a cool project, inspiration, or just something fun to share, be sure to let us know in our Tips forum.

Happy Lifehacking, everybody!

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/GgvN9jBv_0M/find-a-sport-you-enjoy-instead-of-just-working-out

the scream stephen colbert new madrid fault rihanna and chris brown affirmative action helicon zac efron and taylor swift

News round-up, week ending 5th October | Disability Horizons

Posted on October 11, 2012 | Posted by disabilityhorizons |

John Pring who runs the Disability News Service publishes his weekly news round-up of the happenings in the disability world the past week.

• The government?s choice to be the new chair of the equality watchdog faces a tough task to repair an organisation that is damaged almost beyond repair, according to the former chair of the Disability Rights Commission.

• Motability has been accused of treating disabled people like criminals, after it began fixing tracking devices to their cars.

• The Labour leader has again used his main conference speech ? for the second year running ? to suggest that many disabled benefits claimants were choosing a life on welfare rather than finding jobs.

• Labour?s shadow minister for disabled people has attacked the government?s ?reprehensible? failure to carry out an assessment of the overall impact of its cuts and reforms on disabled people.

• A Labour government would move to ?integrate? social care with the NHS, the shadow health secretary has told the party?s annual conference.

• A leading disabled activist has called on the Labour leadership to move away from its ?toxic? position on the ?fitness for work? test and instead develop policies that support sick and disabled people into work.

• A Labour government would aim to move ? in the long term ? towards an education system that is ?fully inclusive? of disabled children, according to the MP who has led its review into special educational needs.

For links to the full stories, please visit Disability News Service

Disability News Service (DNS) is run by John Pring, an experienced journalist who has been reporting on disability issues for more than 15 years.

Tags: Disability, Disability Horizons, Disability News Service, John Pring, Martyn Sibley, Srin Madipalli, Weekly news round-up

Source: http://disabilityhorizons.com/news-round-up-week-ending-5th-october

the new ipad apple announcement indianapolis colts joseph kony joseph kony ipad 3 release date apple store down

Sumatran quakes in April were part of tectonic plate breakup

Planet Earth may be 4.5 billion years old, but that doesn't mean it can't serve up a shattering surprise now and again.

Such was the case on April 11 when two massive earthquakes erupted beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, far from the usual danger zones. Now scientists say the seafloor ruptures are part of a long suspected, yet never before observed, event: the slow-motion splitting of a vast tectonic plate.

The first of the quakes, a magnitude 8.7, was 20 times more powerful than California's long anticipated "big one" and tore a complex network of faults deep in the ocean floor. The violence also triggered unusually large aftershocks thousands of miles away, including four off North America's western coast.

"It was jaw-dropping," said Thorne Lay, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz. "It was like nothing we'd ever seen."

At first, Lay wondered whether the computer code he used to analyze earthquakes was wrong. Eventually, he and other scientists realized that they had documented the breakup of the Indo-Australian plate into two pieces, an epic process that began roughly 50 million years ago and will continue for tens of millions more. Lay and other scientists reported their findings online Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Most great earthquakes occur along plate borders, where one plate dives beneath the adjoining plate and sinks deep into Earth's mantle, a process called subduction. The April 11 quakes, however, occurred in the middle of the plate and involved a number of strike-slip faults, meaning the ground on one side of the fault moves horizontally past ground on the other side.

Scientists say the 8.7 main shock broke four faults. The quake lasted 2 minutes and 40 seconds ? most last just seconds ? and was followed by a second main shock, of magnitude 8.2, two hours later.

Unlike the magnitude 9.1 temblor that struck in the same region on Dec. 26, 2004, and created a deadly tsunami, the April 11 quakes did not cause similar destruction. That's because horizontally moving strike-slip faults do not induce the massive, vertical displacement of water that thrust faults do on the borders of plates.

The type of interplate faults involved in the Sumatran quakes are the result of monumental forces, some of which drove the land mass of India into Asia millions of years ago and lifted the Himalayan Mountains. As the Indo-Australian plate continues to slide northwest, the western portion of the plate, where India is, has been grinding against and underneath Asia. But the eastern portion of the plate, which contains Australia, keeps on moving without the same obstruction. That difference creates squeezing pressure in the area where the quakes occurred.

The study authors say that over time, as more quakes occur and new ruptures appear, the cracks will eventually coalesce into a single fissure.

"This is part of the messy business of breaking up a plate," said University of Utah seismologist Keith Koper, senior author of one of the studies. "Most likely it will take thousands of similar large quakes for that to happen."

The quakes were also notable for triggering powerful aftershocks thousands of miles away. Though major quakes have been known to trigger aftershocks at great distance, they are usually less than 5.5 in magnitude. The April earthquakes triggered 11 aftershocks that measured 5.5 or greater in the six days that followed, including a magnitude 7. Remote shocks were felt 6,000 to 12,000 miles from the main quakes.

Fred Pollitz, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., and lead author of one of the studies, said the quakes were extremely effective in transmitting seismic wave radiation around the world. Though Pollitz said the magnitude of the larger Sumatran quake is No. 10 on the list of quakes since 1900, no other temblor has triggered so many strong aftershocks so far away.

"It's the most powerful earthquake ever in terms of capability of putting stress on other fault zones around the world," he said.

Pollitz said the quakes were likely to teach seismologists about the physics of earthquakes, particularly those along strike-slip faults. That knowledge, he said, would certainly apply to California's San Andreas fault, which is also a strike-slip fault.

Lay said that the Sumatran quakes were most surprising in that they were completely unanticipated by seismologists and that he did not expect the event to repeat any time soon.

monte.morin@latimes.com

Source: http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/latimes/news/science/~3/DeRd14WkSpY/la-sci-sumatran-earthquake-20120927,0,6659504.story

pinnacle airlines kansas vs kentucky joe posnanski michael kidd gilchrist national championship calipari national archives

Hamas boycotts Barcelona over Schalit tickets

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) ? Hamas is launching a media boycott of Barcelona after reports the Spanish league leader gave a complimentary ticket for an upcoming match to an Israeli soldier formerly held captive by militants in the Gaza Strip.

A Barcelona spokesman confirmed the team had given the ticket to Gilad Schalit, who was captured by Gaza militants in June 2006 and returned home last October under an Israel-Palestinian deal on prisoner exchange.

The team spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity in line with club policy. He says Barcelona often gives complimentary tickets.

Since his release, Schalit writes a newspaper sports column.

Hamas official Attallah Abu Al Subah says that, as of Thursday, no TV station in Gaza will broadcast Barcelona matches and no papers in the coastal strip will write about the club.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-boycotts-barcelona-over-schalit-tickets-155641177--spt.html

san francisco fire patti labelle the weeknd the weeknd payroll tax payroll tax aisha khan

Consumer Financing Options Aren't the Best Bet for Business | Point ...

Many small business owners might be tempted to utilize consumer financing options rather than commercial financing when seeking out funds for their business.? Though fairly easy to get, when it comes to financing your business, consumer financing options likely won?t be the best bet for either you or your business.

Nearly everyone, from a school teacher to a CEO, has had a personal financing need at some point in their lives ? from a personal credit card, to a home equity line of credit (HELOC), a personal loan from a bank or a manufacturer retail finance program.? ?So it?s no wonder that almost everyone knows at least one place to turn for consumer financing, likely from a lender used previously or one of the many consumer financing providers on radio, TV, or billboards. With so many consumer financing options out there, there?s bound to be a lender that will approve just about any need and any applicant.? To make them even more appealing, many approvals can happen in as little as just a few minutes.

But, there?s a dark side.

Unlike commercial financing, using consumer financing will impact your personal credit.? Every time you get another loan or open another line of credit, you are accumulating more debt.? More debt almost always means a lower credit score.? If that?s not bad enough, if you?ve obtained a home equity line of credit, you?ve now put your home on the line.

Commercial financing might seem to be a little bit of a dark horse in the financing game, due to the saturation of consumer financing in the industry.? But, commercial financing could be your saving grace? without having to put your home and personal credit at risk.

The trick to commercial financing is ensuring that it?s used in the right instances.? For one, it can only be used to purchase equipment or other products that will be put into use by a business for a related business purpose.? Second, you?ll need to prove that you are purchasing on behalf of a legitimate business.? These minor ?hassles? definitely pay off as commercial financing does not add a trade line of any additional debt to your personal credit.? So, there is no need to worry about a lowered credit score and subsequent decline when they come back to buy more equipment.

Source: http://blog.directcapital.com/business-insights/finance-lending/disadvantages-consumer-financing/

toby mac blue ivy carter photos purple squirrel blade runner close encounters of the third kind norovirus beyonce and jay z baby

Children with ADHD | Bodybuilding, Supplements, Diets, Workouts ...

---

ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children can be a very serious problem. Children with ADHD find it difficult to concentrate and focus on any particular thing. Such children also find it difficult in remembering things too.

How to Identify ADHD Kids

Identifying a child with ADHD condition is crucial and very often, parents do not realize their child has ADHD. There are some things that you need to look out for while categorizing children under this condition.

The first sign of a child suffering from this condition is short span of attention. They tend to make careless mistakes and may have difficulty in following instructions, listening to people or completing tasks that are assigned to them. They may come across as forgetful, careless, disorganized and distracted.

Besides this a child with ADHD condition may be hyperactive and impulsive with his or her actions. They may be unable to sit still, may keep interrupting others and may be constantly restless. An ADHD Diet for Children is vital in the treatment of this condition.

ADHD Diet for Children

ADHD and diet have been shown to be linked, with many kids suffering from food allergies and the lack of proper nutrition.

A little tweak in your child?s diet can help you control the situation to a large extent. A diet for ADHD kids need to be carefully monitored, and there are several things that need to be blacklisted from an ADHD Diet for Children diet, and ADHD supplements may need to be given. These are some of the points that you should consider when making an ADHD Diet for Children

Opt for soy products or almond products like soy milk, almond milk and so on. Make sure kids drink a lot of water and do not substitute water with juices
Keep your child away from junk food
Fruit juices are okay as long as the sugar content is minimal. Too much sugar can add to the problems
Not more than one piece of chocolate is permissible in a week
Avoid giving them processed meats
Refrain from giving fried food to your child
Try to avoid colored foods as much as possible
Include lot of fresh vegetables and fruits to your child?s diet
Omega 3, found in fish, helps in altering the brain function. Include lot of Omega 3 rich food in your child?s diet
Avoid giving sugary food when your child?s stomach is empty
Include a lot of protein in your child?s diet. This can come from sources like eggs, beans, whole grain bread fortified cereals and so on.

Besides altering the diet for ADHD kids, the apt treatment for adhd by a professional is also essential to tackle this condition.

Popular Posts

Six Star Mass Gainer

Mass Gainers are great resources to help strength athletes and body builders pack on pounds of additional muscle. Six Star Mass Gainer hopes to provide these massive surges in muscle weight while at the same time supplying the body with other helpful ingredients to help enhance workouts. Though a mass gainer is nothing new, we [...]

Benefits of body from mineral

The benefits of minerals are many, and different minerals have different benefits. You cannot therefore term one mineral as more beneficial than the other. All minerals are necessary for the proper functioning of the body, and they help in bone health, water balance, and body metabolism. Here is a list of some minerals that are [...]

The next generation of free online weight loss programmes

A free web-based weight loss programme featuring successful strategies from real people who have lost weight has been proven to help dieters, say researchers. Researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine in the U.S. created AchieveTogether, a website bringing real dieters together and evaluated its success. The researchers operated under the theory that all [...]

Vegetables value

Composition Of Vegetables And Nutritional Value Of Vegetables ? Vegetables are an extremely important part of the human diet. This is something we have all heard from the time we were kids, but unfortunately many of us seem to ignore it. The result is a variety of medical conditions, ranging from mild skin conditions to [...]

Escape Your Shape Diet

The Escape Your Shape Diet program is rated 2/5 Escape Your Shape Diet Review: Background Escape Your Shape is unique in the sense that it focuses on exercise first and diet after. The program classifies people into four basic shapes: hourglass, spoon, ruler or cone. Once you have identified your shape, you will be provided [...]

Source: http://stek.org/nutrition-supplements/diets/children-with-adhd/

north country brian mcknight sbux nfldraft asante samuel salton sea arizona immigration law

Luke Donald: a 'hometown' star on the other team

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) ? The Ryder Cup comes to Chicago for the first time, and it's only fitting that the Windy City can claim one of the players as its own.

Luke Donald spent four years at Northwestern, winning an NCAA title and graduating with a degree in art. He married a local girl and never found reason to settle anywhere else. He lives on the North Side and suffers annually with Cubs fans. After the Ryder Cup, he and his wife will pick apples in the country for her birthday.

There's only one catch ? Donald is English.

The only "hometown" player in this Ryder Cup will be playing for the visiting team.

"Unique, isn't it?" Donald said.

This is not the first time for a Ryder Cup held in the United States to include European players who make their primary home in America ? Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose (Orlando, Fla.), Paul Casey (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Jesper Parnevik (Jupiter, Fla.) to name a few. But those are seen as golf communities. Chicago is among the world's great sports cities, and it's one of the best golf markets in America.

It is expected to be loud at Medinah when the matches begin Friday, and there is little doubt that will give the Americans a big edge in crowd support.

So where does that leave Donald?

"The way I look at it is the home team has the biggest advantage," he said. "Just taking away 1 percent of the crowd support, that's a help to our team. And that's the way I'm looking at it. But, yeah, it's kind of odd. I don't play Medinah that much. I've played it twice in the last five weeks or something like that. I don't really go there that much. Staying in a hotel 20 miles away from where you live is kind of strange, but that's the way it goes."

Donald will have support from more than just a few friends and family members. Europeans are coming across for the Ryder Cup, too, and you'll be able to hear them singing around the first tee and belting out that "Ole, ole, ole ole" across the tree-lined course.

But it won't quite be the same as what Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes heard at Valhalla in their native Kentucky, the reception Padraig Harrington and the Irish boys received at The K Club, Jose Maria Olazabal at Valderrama or Lee Westwood at The Belfry.

Donald is very much English. He just happens to love Chicago, which is why he never left.

He first saw the city during a brief recruiting trip in April. Donald got off the plane and saw snow covering the ground.

"I was wondering how I was going to play golf in college when it was still a little chilly out," he said. "That was my first impression. And then my coach took me around to all the courses, just amazing golf courses. I had never seen anything like that coming from England. Also just amazed at college sports in general, just how big everything was. Our stadium was 55,000, and that was considered small in college sports. That's a big Premier League football stadium in England."

It was at Northwestern that he met his wife, Diane. They started getting serious right before he turned pro, while she was still a sophomore at Northwestern. That was enough reason to stay, though not the only reason. Donald remains with Pat Goss, his coach at Northwestern. His friends outside golf are in Chicago.

Most players turn pro and move to Florida, Texas or Arizona.

Donald used to stay with friends when he went to Florida in the winter to keep his golf game sharp. Now he has a house in Jupiter and plays out of The Bear's Club when it turns cold up north. But his main home is Chicago. It's been that way for years, and probably will be for some time.

"I think you become familiar with a place," Donald said. "I had a lot of friends. My coach, Pat, was probably a big reason, too. I started dating Diane a couple months before I got my tour card, but we met when I was in college. I didn't really have any reason to go anywhere else, other than the weather. But you always stay where you feel comfortable. And I felt very comfortable in Chicago."

This isn't the first time Donald is playing a Ryder Cup on American soil. He made his debut at Oakland Hills outside Detroit in 2004 as a captain's pick, though not many paid attention. He had only one PGA Tour win at the time ? the Southern Farm Bureau Classic ? and three wins worldwide.

Donald only recently relinquished the No. 1 ranking to Rory McIlroy. Until then, he had been at No. 1 for a total of 56 weeks. Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros are the only other players who had been No. 1 longer since the ranking began in 1986.

Even now, Donald has an unassuming manner that doesn't draw much attention. Heads don't turn when he walks into a restaurant or shows up at an event.

Donald remains active with Northwestern, particularly the golf team. He is involved with The First Tee in Chicago, along with the Ronald McDonald house. They have two young daughters, but still take time to go to restaurants, sports events, along with arts shows and museums.

"We like blending in," Diane Donald said. "Everything is so easy to get to in Chicago, and it has everything. It's kind of funny because I felt like I waited my entire life to leave Chicago, and now we have a home in Florida that's empty half the year. Luke loves being here."

Only at Medinah, he won't feel entirely at home.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/luke-donald-hometown-star-other-team-154709530--golf.html

dear john derrick rose torn acl pacers undrafted free agents braveheart james harden earthquake california