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Posts Tagged 'lakers'
Home Court Advantage, Part Deux
Posted by hiphopmama on May 23, 2009
Threeeeee!!!
LA Lakers 103, Denver 97
Are you kidding me? Six points?? Someone won a game in this series by more than one possession? Don't be fooled, though – this one was just as close as the others and could easily have gone either way. The difference tonight was as expected, as it came down to Kobe vs. Melo. Tonight, for the first time in the series, Kobe won by a landslide.
Carmelo came out on fire again, scoring 14 in the first quarter and helping Denver get off to a quick start, but foul trouble kept him on the bench and disrupted his rhythm enough to throw him off after that. He only had three points and no field goals in the second half, partly because of improved defense by the Lakers. They were quicker to throw an extra defender or two at him when he drove to the basket, cutting him off and forcing decisions from him. And, to be honest, we were helped out by the Nuggets' failure to hit their shots tonight, which helped us hang around even when we weren't playing particularly well. The lead was rarely, if ever, as high as 10, and for most of the night it hovered between four and eight. The Lakers countered each Denver run effectively, keeping the home crowd from really getting involved and allowing them to stay close enough to swoop in and steal it at the end.
And we did steal this one, make no mistake. It wasn't as criminal a theft as game 1, when we were vastly outplayed for three quarters, but it was definitely Denver's game to win, especially in their own building. Kobe just wasn't having it. He put up 41 points, bringing his three-game tally to 113 and willing us to a 2-1 series lead. Props to Pau Gasol, who, despite looking tired and decrepit at times, dug deep enough to carry us for a while in the fourth quarter. He had a couple tough turn-arounds while we were in the midst of five or six consecutive stops, allowing us to pull even with the Nuggets and set the stage for another Kobe clinic in the final minutes. Winded and exhausted, he still had the wherewithal at 93-95 to pull up and drain a three-pointer while heavily guarded to give us the lead with 38 seconds left. It was a truly ridiculous shot. Not quite as dramatic as Lebron's but equally effective and more tightly contested. He brought the ball up in a strange arc to avoid the swiping hands of JR Smith, hung in the air a split second longer than usual, pumped his legs once, and fired it up to give the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish.
The rest of the game was a replay of game 1 for Denver, only sadder. After K-Mart missed a lay-up and Kobe converted on one of two free throws, the Nuggets once again threw the ball away on the inbounds, once again as a result of a Trevor Ariza steal. Perhaps in an attempt to learn from his game 1 mistake, Karl used a bigger man to inbound the ball. Unfortunately, the man he chose was Kenyon Martin, a man certainly not known for his passing ability. Odom's length forced him to lob it to a streak Carmelo, but Melo appeared to cut his run off a bit and Ariza streaked in, this time on his outside shoulder, and snatched the ball away. Again. As he took off for the other end, Anthony grabbed him to pick up his sixth foul and sentence himself to the bench for the final seconds.
Ariza made both free throws, Kobe made four more, and that was that. Not even Chauncey Billups could come up with any heroics to save his team tonight, as his two free throws were all Denver could muster after the Ariza steal. Carmelo was clearly devastated on the sideline, watching in resigned agony as his team waded through those horrible final seconds, and even I felt bad for him given how incredibly he's played in this series. Not that bad, though, but a little, I suppose.
As with any other Lakers game, there is no real take-home lesson here. A win like this for any other team would probably mean a turning point and an opportunity to get their minds right and blaze through the rest of the series. This Lakers team? Not so fast. The optimist in me wants to say they will put the clamps down and thoroughly destroy a demoralized Nuggets team in game four, especially now that they have adjusted somewhat to the altitude. The realist in me knows better. Game four will more than likely be exactly like the first three – punches and counterpunches in the first half, then a dogfight to the finish line. In my mind, the odds of us prevailing in close games are about two in three, which is borne out by the series thus far, so Denver may have as much as one more miracle win in them. That won't be enough, though, and I still see this one going no further than six games. We'll pretend that was the realist and not the optimist talking.
Posted in nba | Tagged: carmelo anthony, chauncey billups, george karl, kenyon martin, kobe bryant, lakers, lamar odom, nba playoffs, nuggets, pau gasol, trevor ariza | Leave a Comment »
It Had To Be
Denver 106, LA Lakers 103
Did anyone really expect this series to go any other way? After watching game 1? Please. We Laker fans may have harbored dreams of taking a commanding 2-0 lead and picking them off in 5 or 6, but this series screams "seven games" loud and clear. If it weren't for the Bulls-Celtics first round series, I would not hesitate to dub this one a classic in the making, but as it stands it is likely to play second fiddle after that stunner. Yet while that match-up yielded more purely fantastic results, game after game, the stakes in this series are so much higher that, even without a single overtime game, this one might trump it.
With that build-up, you just knew we were going to be heading back to Denver at 1-1. The frustrating part was how it happened. Tonight's script was a reverse image of game 1, with the Lakers jumping out to the big first half lead – as high as 14 points – only to watch it dwindle and then disappear in the fourth quarter. Somehow, even with that big lead, we were the ones playing catch-up late in the game after Denver roared back to claim a 7-point lead at the 9-minute mark of the fourth. Our almost savior tonight was the three-point line, as big shots kept us in the running on numerous occasions. Back-to-back threes by Kobe and Brown cut that 7-point lead to 1, and a tough pull-up from distance by Kobe evened the score at 99. This time, though, the Nuggets were the ones who performed down the stretch, making free throw after free throw and executing (just) effectively enough to stave off a cataclysmic 2-0 series deficit.
Carmelo had another stellar game despite a slow start, finishing with 34 points and 9 rebounds, including some incredible displays of strength on the offensive glass in crunch time. The way he effortlessly muscles defenders out of the way is a sight to behold, although it's one I wouldn't mind never witnessing again this season. He has officially shed the "chokes in big situations" tag he earned early in his career. He has stepped up marvelously in this series, going head to head with Kobe and coming up essentially even with one of the best to ever do it. Win, lose, or draw, I have gained a lot of respect for him, especially in his evident maturation as a person and player. Rather than engaging in Kenyon Martin style demonstrations after the play, he now simply jogs back up court and gets his job done. It doesn't preempt him from being incredibly intense or maintaining his focus at all times, but it does prevent the occasional self-destruction he was prone to in the past. It's nice to see that players can indeed develop in this way, and he is currently reaping the benefits.
On the (very small) plus side, our bigs played better in this game, looking less like the Swiss cheese they resembled in game 1. Pau had a strong night on the boards (17 rebounds plus 17 points), but two consecutive missed free throws late in the fourth put a damper on his rejuvenated performance. Odom played capably as well, as did Bynum, but Andrew was somewhat MIA as a result of Phil's resorting to a smaller line-up, with Shannon Brown picking up a lot of those minutes. He played well in them too, scoring 8 points and hitting a big three in the fourth quarter. What was extra impressive was his willingness to take and make the big shot in an important situation. His worth just keeps going up and up.
I think the only take-home lesson from these first two games is that this is going to be a tight, tight series with little breathing room. I wouldn't be surprised if, at the end of the series, the total point differential over a full seven games was under 25 or 30 points. Right now, we're on pace for more like 20 points of differential between these two teams, a testament to how well constructed and well coached they both are.
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to game 3 we go…
Posted in nba | Tagged: carmelo anthony, highlights, kenyon martin, kobe bryant, lakers, nba playoffs, nuggets, shannon brown | 1 Comment »
Off to a Better Start
Play of the game
Sorry for the delay. This write-up was preempted by my attendance of the No Doubt concert, which was great, better even than this gripping game. I was lucky enough to get updates throughout (thanks, Diana), so my friends and I were biting our nails as it went down to the wire, and we let out a big "Lakers!" cheer when the final score came through. Poor Paramore probably thought it was for them. Oh well.
The best word I can think of to describe this game is EVEN. These are two quite evenly-matched teams, at least when the Lakers are somewhat off their game as they have been, and it was reflected in the tight scoreline in the final three quarters. It reminded me of a heavyweight boxing match, with each team punching, then counter-punching, then responding with a slightly reworked strategy. The Lakers came out flat, allowing the Nuggets to build as much as a 13-point lead in the first quarter, but after their second quarter spurt it was close the rest of the way. Around the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Denver had a seven point lead, but other than that it was always around a one to four point margin.
And then we closed on them. Our front line had been battered and bruised by the shorter and, frankly, lesser pairing of Nene and Kenyon Martin, but Pau kept on battling and eventually got something going by crashing the glass, specifically on the offensive end. More importantly, though, Kobe took over. He scored 18 points in the fourth, with nine straight free throws, including four to ice the game. He got a big assist from Ariza, who made two key plays in our come-from-behind effort. The first was a three-pointer when we were down 94-89 with 4:16 remaining, at a key moment when you felt we could either make or break our comeback. A Kobe jumper and a Fisher three put us in front 97-96 with 2:30 on the clock. Ariza's other game-saving play was his steal of Denver's inbounds pass after two Kobe free throws put us up 101-99 with 30 seconds remaining. Kobe was guarding Melo, but Ariza came out of nowhere and closed on the ball like a cornerback reading a quarterback's eyes, just in time to snatch the ball off Anthony's back shoulder and race down court. Anthony Carter's pass, presumably obstructed by Lamar Odom's lank, had just enough loft on it to give Ariza that extra split second, and that was all he needed. Two more Kobe free throws later, and it was a done deal.
Actually, Chauncey Billups did his best in the midst of all that to steal the game back, hitting two ridiculous, highly contested three-pointers, but it wasn't quite enough for the Nuggets, who had to settle for second-best on a night when they were the better team for most of the game.
I can't yet decide on an interpretation of this one. There are two non-mutually exclusive ways to go. The first is this: Championship clubs close games. It doesn't matter how you play the first 47 minutes, only who is ahead when 48 are completed. In the end, the "better" team doesn't always win, just the team that performs better when it matters most. The Lakers have the game's best closer and arguably its best coach, along with last year's playoff experience, so they have the natural advantage when it comes to late-game situations. This win is just a sign that we have the right ingredients to get the job done even when we're not playing our best. The other interpretation is slightly less favorable: The Lakers are scraping by and will soon meet up with a team or a situation that with catch them out. Sure, they escaped by the skin of their teeth in this one, but one of these days they won't be so lucky. They continue to underperform, even in this most crucial of games, and if they can't get their act together they will soon be shown the exit so they can retreat to their Hollywood homes and watch the Finals from comfier confines.
I sit somewhere in between these two extremes. Yes, they were at a notch below their best, but, aside from the opening six minutes or so, they were not exhibiting the lack of effort that characterized those two catastrophic losses in Houston. They weren't phoning it in, they were just being matched, move for move, by a very good team that has found its groove. They slugged it out, with some brave performances thrown in there (Kobe's defending, Ariza's hanging in there). Carmelo had an exceptional game, one which I doubt he can repeat too many times in this series, and our bigs were outworked by a pluckier twosome, all of which helped account for the close nature of the game. The Lakers have the ability to play much better than this, while the Nuggets have much more limited room for improvement. J.R. Smith was far from his best, and Chris Andersen will play a much bigger role in front of the home fans, but I doubt they can defend much better than they did in game one and of the starters, only Billups has the potential to show much more than he did last time out. And when all the chips were on the table, the Lakers were the ones who found a way to win, which is what it all comes down to. That doesn't mean that they won't make it interesting, but if they can continue to perform with the kind of heart we saw over the last three quarters of this one, they should still make it through. So we can start this whole process over again with Cleveland. Or Orlando, apparently.
Game recap:
Posted in nba | Tagged: anthony carter, carmelo anthony, chauncey billups, chris andersen, j.r. smith, kenyon martin, kobe bryant, lakers, lamar odom, nba playoffs, nene, nuggets, pau gasol, trevor ariza | 4 Comments »
What's Done Is Done
Job well done. Or maybe just DONE.
Houston 70, LA Lakers 89
Lakers win series 4-3
I can only hope that's true. What's done is done. Because if it is, then we have a good chance at knocking off Denver in five or six. What's done is done. If it's not, then we're stuck alternating good and bad performances – no, make that stupendous and horrendous performances – at home and away, and we're more than likely going to need the full seven again. What's done is done. Or so I pray.
This game seven at home in Staples Center went entirely according to plan and much like all the other games we won. We jumped on them early and held onto the lead for the remainder of the game. The few twists, however, were notable and deserve some explication. For one, did you see that final score? We didn't even make it to 90 points, yet we still won. Why? Because we played defense. That's "defense," with a "D." I know, as Lakers fans, many of us are unfamiliar with the concept, but it's a complicated system in which you position your body in such a way as to prevent the other team from scoring. Believe it or not, many, many championships have been won in this fashion. If we are somehow able to win one this year, it will be because we catch up with the rest of the world on this concept.
But the important thing today was that we cared enough to play some D, and we were able to keep up the defensive intensity the whole way through. We held the Rockets to an absurdly low 70 points and under 37% shooting while we shot 47% and out-rebounded them by 22 (55-33).
The other crucial difference in this game was the continuous dominance we displayed. Houston took almost half a quarter to get its first points on the board, and they didn't get their first field goal until the 4:43 mark of the first. All the things we were unable to do in games four and six came easily in front of the home fans. Most importantly, Pau and Bynum locked down Scola and finally made the Rockets pay for the yards of height differential between our front lines. I called out Pau in my last post – unfairly, I've been told – but he came through for the team today. He blazed the trail that the rest of the team followed with his 21 points and 18 rebounds, which allowed Kobe to slide by with a 14-point performance in 33 minutes. Pau once again led the team with his 41 minutes on the floor.
Some of the old swagger was back for Pau in this one, which was more than a little comforting. He had the full complement of skills working for him, from the hook in the lane to the face-up options to the pull-up from the elbow. More tellingly, he was fierce on the boards as well, which is always a sign as to how he's feeling on a given day. His three blocks were yet another indication of his energy level in this game seven, especially the early one he got on a Scola jumper that sparked a Lakers fast break and helped set the tone.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to feel in the wake of this series, or even this game. I'm happy we won, sure, but there are more questions than answers as we make our way to the Western Conference Finals. Taking the short view, we played with the requisite playoff intensity in this game, and our big men lived up to their seven-foot stature. Auspiciously, Andrew Bynum worked himself into a nice aggressive groove in game seven, and hopefully he'll be able to carry forward the positive momentum into the next series. Being more pragmatic, however, leads to a host of problems that I'd rather not deal with. Which team is going to show up on a given night? Why is effort even an issue in the playoffs for a team challenging for a title? What exactly can we expect from our bench? And what the fuck happened in games four and six? I don't have any answers, other than that I believe there aren't answers to many of these. The Lakers simply are who they are, which is an inconsistent, mentally ambivalent team with little to no killer instinct. The talent level of the team means that they may still have enough to win it all, even with such a weak constitution clearly in evidence, but they are certain to keep their fans on the edge of their seats and reaching for the blood pressure medication as they make their way toward the ultimate goal.
Kobe and Pau postgame:
And Phil:
No one will ever care if the Lakers go on to win it, but I have to agree with Bill Plaschke in his assessment of Phil's hands-off approach being ill-suited to our young team. I'm curious to hear my two readers' thoughts about the issue, because, much as I think PJ believes too much of his own hype, I'm usually loath to criticize his handling of the team. But he's had on the kid gloves for a long time, much more than I've ever seen from him before, and he's been protecting his players like a mother bird sheltering her babies under her wing. That's not an image I usually associate with Phil Jackson, which indicates to me that he's somewhat out of his element here and perhaps grasping for a working strategy for the group of players he has. And kudos to him for being willing and able to adjust his tactics midstream, but I feel like he's not always adjusting the right ones. Call a friggin' timeout now and then to calm the young guys down, but don't shield them from all criticism. That does nothing but reinforce this team's already overlarge ego and further the players' belief that they're impervious to everything, even when they're in the thick of a winner-takes-all game seven. At least that's my take on the matter. But maybe my zen is off. In either case, what's done is done. I hope.
Posted in nba | Tagged: highlights, kobe bryant, lakers, nba playoffs, pau gasol, rockets | 5 Comments »
Game 6 Editorial
LA Lakers 80, Houston 95
I've just about given up on this Lakers team. I completely concur with the Forum Blue & Gold post about the Lakers' lack of mental toughness and inability to learn from experience. They got it exactly right. There is no telling which Lakers team is going to show up on any given night. The best you can do is assume they will alternate good and bad performances, with some allowances for an occasional good or bad streak. They have zero killer instinct, and I'm gonna go out there and invoke Softgate again now. Let me tell you why.
Pau has gone all wet noodle on us. Remember that toughness he showed in the Christmas Day win over the Celtics? Remember how gritty he looked late in the fourth quarter, coming up with key defensive players and refusing to back down to the Boston attempts to punk him? Yeah, that's all gone. Now, instead of fighting back, he hangs his head, flails his arms, and shrugs his shoulders. Instead of banging with the best of them, he looks timid on the boards. Instead of seeking out the contact, he struggles against 6-6 Chuck Hayes and can't figure out how to adjust his game to take advantage of his half-foot size advantage. When even the intellectual side of his game has gone, it's time to pack it up.
It may be an unfair burden to put on one player, but it really all comes down to Pau. Kobe is the team's clear leader and most important player, but Pau is sort of the compass of the other guys. And the ability of other teams to hang off everyone in their defense of Kobe is in large part a result of Pau's effectiveness, or lack thereof. When he fails to deliver, it makes Kobe's and everyone else's jobs that much harder, and it weakens us incredibly. It has been a non-issue for much of the season, but I'm going to hazard a guess that all those excessive minutes he played when Bynum was out are catching up with him and hurting his play. When you're tired and everything else has left you, you fall back on what you know. And toughness has never been Pau's strong suit. You could argue that this Rockets team is just be a tough match-up for him, but I don't quite buy that either, because he has faced a variety of different players, most of them no more than seventh- or eighth-man caliber, and he has been unable to take advantage of any of them.
Not that the team as a whole has been much better, but the lack of a legitimate one-two punch has severely hampered our efforts in the playoffs. If I wanted to see Kobe play with a bunch of amateurs, I would bring back Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. They're shelling out millions for these guys, so it would be nice to see someone other than #24 play with a bit of passion.
That's it, I'm done. Off to watch some Brasileirão action I have recorded. It will be nice to see some players actually trying for a change.
Posted in nba | Tagged: kobe bryant, lakers, nba playoffs, pau gasol, rockets | 3 Comments »
Lakers>Rockets, but David>>>Lakers
Houston 78, LA Lakers 118
I was really looking forward to watching this game, but I only got through the first two and a half quarters before I had to head out and see a movie with my brother. David is one of the only things in the world that could have made me miss this game, and it was still worth it. The huge lead didn't hurt in that regard either. I'll watch the rest tomorrow and try to post something before my usual time. Till then, HipHopMama out. (We saw Star Trek.)
Posted in nba | Tagged: lakers, nba playoffs, rockets | 1 Comment »
All Tied Up
What's that expression? A picture is worth a thousand... Ah fuck it. If they can't put in the effort, I can't either.
I've been dreading doing this write-up, not because the game was so painful – which it apparently was – but because I couldn't bring myself to watch it in its entirety after learning and partially witnessing the debacle. I was busy today with Mother's Day activities – thanks again to Miguel and Mari for their thoughtful gifts =) – but I checked in from time to time and watched in horror as the lead ballooned to near 30 points. The only extended stretch I watched was in the last few minutes when they cut it to 13, but after a couple minutes of that I decided my Thai food was more engrossing and went back to that instead.
There's nothing to say about this game that we haven't already repeated ad nauseum, all season long. They just don't have that killer instinct, even with the best closer in the game on their roster, and they simply refuse to put teams away when they have the chance. And tonight was a chance if ever there was one, up 2-1 and facing a team that had just lost its best player. Will they still win this series? Yeah, probably, if for no other reason than because Yao is out of the picture, but this loss, more than even the sweep by the Bobcats, puts in question their title hopes for me. During the year, the excuse was always that they were too good and played down to the level of their competition because they were focused only on the bigger picture, meaning a championship. Now, there is no such excuse as they are in the thick of a contentious playoff series and supposedly keen to get in a position to redeem themselves for last year's failings. Yet instead of putting the series essentially out of reach and burying a wounded Houston team, they let little Aaron Brooks run rampant and boost the Rockets to a 2-2 series tie. That they allowed Brooks to beat them says a lot about their effort today, after having bottled him up for games 2 and 3. They had clearly devised a good solution to the problems he presented, but despite seemingly learning their lesson in game 1, they let up on the gas and let Brooks carouse in the lane once again, helping the Rockets to an easier victory than either of the two we earned against them. Oh, and on top of all that, LO got hurt. More updates on that as information becomes available.
I can't bring myself to write any more about this one, so I'll leave it to a writer as sarcastic as I am, T.J. Simers from the LA Times. His piece captures the sheer disbelief I feel at the display my team put on today. Read it at your own peril.
Posted in nba | Tagged: lakers, nba playoffs, rockets, yao ming | 1 Comment »
Aww Shit
You never wanna see someone go out like this, let alone a team's most important player. Having already lost Tracy McGrady long ago, the Rockets are now down 7 feet and 6 inches of wow as Yao Ming has sustained a fracture in his foot and will miss the remainder of the playoffs. I'm a Laker fan, but I don't like to see anyone win at the expense of another player's health, and I'd much prefer us to face teams at full strength. It's pretty much a given that T-Mac will get hurt and miss games at some point during the season, but if Yao is going to be doing the same the Rockets will have a tough road to hoe. And I love the guy, so I wish him all the best.
I'm not sure yet what this means for the Rockets' line-up or for match-ups with the Lakers. With Mutombo out as well, they don't have a true center backing up Yao, so maybe Scola moves over to the five with Landry entering the starting line-up at four. It's a small front court, to be sure, but I'm not sure what other options they have at this point. Chuck Hayes is a heckuva competitor and quite a scrapper on the boards, but at 6'6″ he barely qualifies as a forward to begin with. You can't help but think this depletes their squad just too much, but I won't put anything past this group, especially with Artest fueling them. As a Laker fan, though, I still hope we can close this thing out in 5. Let Yao start his road to recovery that much sooner.
Posted in nba | Tagged: carl landry, chuck hayes, injuries, lakers, luis scola, nba playoffs, rockets, ron artest, tracy mcgrady, yao ming | 2 Comments »
A Champion Caliber Win
LA Lakers 108, Houston 94
Now that is how you play and win a playoff game. Not just any playoff game, either, but a potentially series-swinging one in a contentious match-up against a serious contender. There was very little in the way of "afters," as they would refer to it in soccer, referring to the extracurricular activities that marred game 2. There were a couple of contentious moments, but other than that, both teams just played hard, playoff basketball and gave it absolutely everything they had.
The normally stellar refs had another good game under difficult circumstances. They managed to keep a lid on what could have been a powder keg of a game, and they got the Vujacic call right even if they got the Artest call wrong. Sasha did come down a little hard on Wafer on that three-point shot, but in reality the Nilla-man jumped at a 45-degree angle into him, which could have been called a foul on the Rockets player instead. They gave him his three free throws and got on with the game, as they should have. The Artest call, on the other hand, was not so artfully handled. Yes he came across Pau's head a bit and he crashed awkwardly to the ground, but he at least appeared to have some intent to go for the ball and clearly wasn't looking to cause any kind of injury. It was either a hard regular foul (my vote) or a flagrant 1 at most. I could have understood the refs going with the flagrant 1 because of the circumstances of this series, but a flagrant 2 was pretty excessive. I fully expect that one to be overturned or at least reduced, and certainly no suspension handed down.
And the game. What a game. As a Laker fan, it was about all I could have hoped for. At this point you know they're not going to blow anybody out and keep them down double digits the whole way, especially not against as tough a team as the Houston Rockets, so grinding out a convincing victory even through the nail-biting moments is as good as it gets. It shows that kind of champions poise that we've been looking for in them, and which they lacked woefully in game 1, and it is the first serious indication that they may be back on the right track.
The first quarter was close, and the biggest edge we could claim was that we won the battle of the pace of the game by putting up 30 points in the first 12 minutes. We played the second quarter even but claimed the moral advantage by taking a 2-point lead into halftime with some good play to close the half, but we really got our mojo working in the third quarter, when we scored 24 and held Houston to a mere 14 points. As always, when our defense is knuckling down, there is little anyone can do to hang with us since we have such a killer offense. 24 points isn't exactly a huge haul for us in a single quarter, but when we hold our opponents to 14 it is as good as 30 or more.
We rode that 12-point advantage through the fourth quarter to a victory despite a few tense minutes when the Rockets got to within 6 on a Yao Ming slam dunk. Instead of panicking, though, we simply ran our offense, upped our defense, and gritted our teeth to get the victory. The next trip down court, Farmar calmly drained a baseline jumper, and Kobe hit a ridiculous three as the shot clock was winding down to bump it back up an 11-point gap.
And that, effectively, was the game. This was a quintessential playoff game in many ways, with defense being the foremost. Neither team made it to 44% shooting, but we won that stat battle, holding the Rockets to 41.7% while shooting 43.9% ourselves. Our distributed scoring was another hallmark of our good team play, as Kobe's 33 was amply supported by 16 from Odom, 13 from Pau and Ariza, 12 from Farmar, and 8, 6, and 4 from Brown, Walton, and Bynum, respectively. The most impressive stat of the night, for my money anyway, was the turnover breakdown. While we scored 20 points off 17 Rockets turnovers, they were only able to capitalize with 5 points off just 6 turnovers. That means that all game long, we took care of the ball every single possession except for 6. That is simply incredible, especially for this Lakers team, which often seems to think it can get away with any number of turnovers by hitting shots.
To me, this game came down to good coaching. No disrespect to Adelman, who has clearly done an incredible job getting the most out of this team without its best player and leading scorer, but he doesn't have anywhere near the savvy – or star power – as Phil Jackson, and PJ worked his magic again tonight. No Derek Fisher? Fine, we start Jordan Farmar and instill the confidence and readiness in him to go out and have the biggest game of his career. (His stat line was 12 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 turnover, by the way.) We lost home court and need this win to put ourselves back in the driver's seat? Okay, our guys will come out ready and grind through a tough defensive game despite the "soft" label that is still being bandied about. The accusation that we don't want it enough? Pfft. Just read our efficiency statistics and tell me who was better prepared for this game.
Let's not get it twisted, now. This series is still a long way from over. That 75% number they kept quoting for teams who win game 3 after being tied 1-1 is all well and good, but it still means that 1 in 4 teams who lose game 3 come back to take the series. Those aren't the most reassuring numbers as far as I'm concerned, and when this Rockets team is involved, I'm even tentative to call this more than a momentary advantage. But tonight's was a huge game, make no mistake, and I do believe it will be a postseason-defining moment for us. If we can really drive the stake into their hearts all the way in the next game, we could essentially break their spirits and set ourselves up to close it out at home just like in the first round, as remarkable as that sounds. Will it happen? I'm not sure, but I'd say we have a good chance of doing it with our squad back at full strength Sunday with Fish's return. My fingers are definitely crossed, though.
And here is Kobe's 30+ footer to close the third quarter and give us the 12-point cushion that saw us through:
Posted in nba | Tagged: andrew bynum, derek fisher, highlights, jordan farmar, kobe bryant, lakers, lamar odom, luke walton, nba playoffs, pau gasol, phil jackson, referees, rick adelman, rockets, ron artest, sasha vujacic, shannon brown, trevor ariza, yao ming | 1 Comment »
The Laker Nation: Thinking of Revoking My Citizenship
"Besame mucho"
This is the kind of night where I'm not proud to be a Laker fan. Don't get me wrong – it wasn't as bad as the Laker Haters (their official name) will have you believe, nor will it merit David Stern's sure-to-be-extensive whining, but it wasn't pretty either. And for as much as we took, we gave even more, acting like instigating little bitches more often than not. This is not how I want us to win a game, let alone a championship.
Here is my take on the extracurricular events:
It all started with Lamar Odom and Luis Scola. I have no fucking clue what sparked that one, but Lamar was talking to him from pretty early on – yapping in his face after blocking his shot and just generally being a punk. At the time, I was confused, because you never really see that from him and Scola seems so unassuming, but when I saw him tugging on Lamar's jersey later on I figured he must have done something to spark it. Whatever the case, those two got the ball rolling and the everybody else ran with it from there. After a little extra English on a Scola foul on Odom, Lamar had something to say, as did Walton and Vujacic, which resulted in some technical fouls. The next possession, Fisher came out set to take one of those much-ballyhooed "message fouls" on Scola to put him in his place. Unfortunately, he went at him a little too hard and got himself ejected with a flagrant 2. I really think the thing that earned him the ejection was the extended elbow. Or maybe it was the way he tensed himself up in anticipation of the collision after looking over his shoulder to make sure it was Scola coming to set the screen. Either way, Fish was shown the door and it was officially on, if it wasn't before.
Things actually settled down for the better part of a quarter and a half, until Ron Artest finally hit his breaking point. And Kobe had to go and play the fucking instigator. That really is the perfect word for him. He's probably my favorite player just based on how much I love to watch him do what he does – for everything else, Dwyane Wade is at the top of my list – but as a person he's an ass-wipe. Most of the people who are the best at what they do are such unsavory types. Kobe just has a little extra of the punk-ass juice in him, and when he threw a little elbow up at Artest's throat on a rebound but didn't get called for a foul (somehow the refs put it on Ron-Ron himself – don't ask, I have no idea either), Ron disputed the call before crossing the court to confront Kobe. On second look at it, it probably just should have been a technical rather than an ejection, as he got in Kobe's face and made his point without any real physical aggression, but his reputation probably preceded him in this instance and he was given his marching orders.
The only real action after that was a technical for taunting that Kobe got for telling Battier, for the umpteenth (unnecessary) time, "You can't guard me." Kobe looked shocked at the call, as it's the kind of thing they usually let slide, but in a game like this they had to call it. You can't really dispute that.
Oh, and the game itself? Even without all the extras it was a good one. We jumped out to a blazing start, got the lead as big as 15, then watched Houston come all the way back and take the lead. It was looking like the same old song and dance as last year's finals, as we were getting out-toughed by a team that we really should have been beating. Then all the incidents and ejections and we actually managed to respond with the requisite level of grit needed to grind this one out. The subs finally came through, putting on a run with Kobe on the bench to regain the lead they had given up, as the team eventually made the decision to start hustling for loose balls and doing all the little things the Rockets had been doing better than us. The score wasn't close in the end, but the intensity never wavered, right down to the final buzzer.
There are plenty of questions left after this one. How hard will the hammer come down on all the players on the naughty list after this game? Will Fisher be suspended for game 3? Will Ron-Ron or Kobe be fined, and will Kobe be assessed any kind of foul after the fact for that elbow he obviously threw? How will the repercussions of this play out over the rest of this and any subsequent series? All tough to answer. I'll wager the following guesses:
Kobe will get a fine for the elbow, maybe some kind of flagrant 1 assessed. Nothing more is merited, and nothing more will likely be given.
Artest's ejection should be plenty of punishment for his actions, especially since it was probably excessive to begin with. I don't foresee anything extra there.
Fisher has a good chance of being suspended for the next game. I can't say for sure which way they'll go with that one, but I can see that whatever they choose, they'll be justified. On the Laker side, it was the same kind of foul Deron Williams took on Andrew Bynum in the last series which resulted in just a regular, garden variety foul being called. Plus it's Derek Fisher, and how often do you see that sort of thing from him? On the side of actual logic, it was premeditated, harsh, and involved an extended elbow. They can interpret that however they want, but a suspension wouldn't be out of question by any means. All I can say is, come on, Jordan.
As for the repercussions? That's difficult to say. I tend to think this melee will galvanize the Lakers and help them on their way, even if it's just because they're the more talented team so a little extra motivation will push them to higher heights than Houston. They needed to be reminded that it's not going to be a cakewalk. Why that reminder was necessary I have no idea. I would have thought last year's finals would have been enough, but out of sight, out of mind, I guess. This will definitely be a series to watch from now on.
And now, because it's my blog and I can, I have a word to say about Artest. I like the guy. I can't explain why, I've just always been in his corner. I really felt like that whole incident in Detroit was more the fault of the fans than the players, because spectators at sports events get way out of control. Can you imagine if one of those fat ugly white guys saw Artest walking down the street? Would they really have anything like that to say to him? No, they would cross the street and avert their eyes. But on a basketball court, all of a sudden they're real brave. They deserved what they got. The league had to do what it did, because that kind of thing can never happen, but it's still karma for a couple bitch-ass fans. Oh well. Now Artest is back and doing his best to rein in the temper that has gotten him in so much trouble, and I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt as much as any other player. He looked so under control and within his element in game 1 and most of game 2 that I was starting to believe, or maybe hope, that he had finally figured it out. At the same time, though, I was waiting for him to snap, and he finally did, when Kobe threw that elbow up high at him. And to be honest, he deserved to have his say after the refs missed that one, and even to get in Kobe's face about it a little bit. The thing that did him in was the fact that he crossed the court to do it and stayed with it a little too long. Oh, and the fact that he was Ron Artest. That didn't help his case any either. I still hope he gets his act together so he can play out the rest of the series, because the way he's performing he deserves as much shine as he can get. As much as I want us to beat the snot out of him and his team ON THE COURT, I still hope he plays well.
A lot of Laker fans won't like me for all of what I've said, but fuck it, that's how I feel. I hate giving extra ammunition to all the Haters out there, but in this case most of it is true. Come on, Lakers, let's win this the right way so we can feel good about our rings if and when they come. This whiny, instigating little posture is unbecoming of so talented a team. And if we can't win without resorting to that stuff, then we don't deserve to be wearing the purple and gold.
And here is Fisher's foul on Scola:
And for anyone who still cares about the actual game, here's a ridiculous play by Kobe:
Posted in nba | Tagged: derek fisher, highlights, kobe bryant, lakers, lamar odom, luis scola, nba playoffs, rockets, ron artest | 6 Comments »


text:
What You're Doing
What You're Doing - Guitar Backing Track - The Beatles
Backing Track for guitarist.
This title is a cover of What You're Doing as made famous by The Beatles
In the same key as the original: D
Guitar Backing Track With Vocals
Version with vocals without guitar
Guitar Backing Track Without vocals
Version without vocals without guitar
Full version with vocals and guitar
Guitar without the other instruments
Genres: Rock & Roll, In English
Original songwriters: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
All files available for download are reproduced tracks, they're not the original music. This instrumental version contains the background music for Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar.
Group 8Piano Backing Track
You Can't Do That
Guitar Backing Track
I Don't Want to Spoil the Party
There's a Place
All I've Got to Do

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home TV/Cable News Fox aired two repeat of 'Glee' and it showed
Fox aired two repeat of 'Glee' and it showed
RBR.com
FOX's encores of GLEE at 8p (1.6/5) and 9p (1.8/5) combined to rank No. 3 for the night in Adults 18-49 and No. 2 in Adults 18-34 (tie).
ABC's Wipeout closed its summer season with back-to-back originals at 8p and 9p (2.8/9 & 2.6/7). The ABC News special: Final Witness followed with a 1.4/4 at 10p.
CBS aired repeats of NCIS (1.8/6) and NCIS: LA (1.5/4) at 8p and 9p. The special Fashion's Night Out 2010 delivered a 0.6/2 at 10p.
Following the summer finale of Minute To Win It (1.9/6), part one of NBC's two-night America's Got Talent finale (3.8/11) was up +15% from the same episode last season. At 10p, the season premiere of Parenthood posted a 2.7/8, dropping -13% from its series launch last spring (3.1/9 on 3/2/10) and -21% from The Jay Leno Show's premiere in the time period on the same night last fall (3.4/9).
Live+Same Day Nielsen Ratings
(source: FOX)
Previous articleNBC wins Tuesday with summer hit 'America's Got Talent'
Next articleThings Are Looking Up!
RBR+TVBR has been reporting on the business of broadcasting for nearly three decades. Beholden to no one, it is independently owned.
Gray Scoops Up Another LPTV Property
Sinclair's Local News OTT Service Gets Samsung App Placement
Comscore Wins A Entravision Market For Local Ratings


The Bilateral Multi-Directional Vest is constructed to counteract multi-directional shoulder instability.
Enveloping neoprene panels at the front, rear, and in the armpit add support to bolster unstable shoulders.
The rear panels are designed to support the proprioceptive scapula, conveying feedback to users who seek more proprioceptive input.
The Bilateral Multi-Directional Vest's extended length stops the brace from riding up as the side panels are fastened securely beneath the rib cage.
Integrated breathable mesh inserts in both front and side panels aid cooling for greater comfort on the move.
Only available in black colour, in Large and X-Large sizes.


Super Simple Vegan Burrito Bowl! So quick and easy it takes less than 20 minutes! Make this your go-to weeknight meal in a pinch!
In a hurry? Low on funds? No worries – you can still have a delicious dinner! I have been eating this quick and easy vegan burrito bowl since long before I switched to a plant-based diet.
I made this at least once a week in my first (very tiny studio) condo in downtown Chicago. It's inexpensive and gets dinner on the table in a few short minutes. It is also surprisingly flavorful without having to add a bunch of spices.
Back then, I didn't add the dressing that I'm featuring here, so if you are really short on time or funds or just don't feel like making the dressing, rest assured this Vegan Burrito Bowl is plenty flavorful without it – it's all about the salsa, so make sure you get a good one.
This vegan burrito bowl recipe is really versatile. Eat it with a fork or scoop it up with tortilla chips. Eat it over greens as a salad or pile into a tortilla for a taco. Use it as a filling for stuffed peppers or enchiladas or (obviously) a burrito. How would you eat it?
I use instant brown rice, canned beans and store bought salsa – pantry staples – to whip this up in less than 20 minutes.
Try changing up the veggies if you have some leftovers to use up – carrots, broccoli and jalapeños would all be good choices.
Of course, whole grain rice, beans cooked from scratch, and even homemade salsa would be wonderful if you've got the time, but that's not what this recipe is intended for.
Fear dinnertime with a busy schedule and a budget no more! I even suggest you double this up so you have leftovers for the next day.
Now grab some tortilla chips and dig in!
If you try this quick and easy Vegan Burrito Bowl, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I'm sure to see it. Enjoy!
This is your go-to dinner if you've got a busy schedule and a budget. It only takes 20 minutes or less.
Combine all ingredients, except the non dairy milk, in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Add 1 tbsp non dairy milk at a time and stir until you reach your desired consistency. (I used 2 tbsp). Set aside.
Cook the instant rice according to package directions (this usually takes about 5 -10 minutes depending on brand). When the rice is done, add to the same pot the black beans, corn, and salsa. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 5 minutes. Take off heat, add bell peppers and cilantro if using. Pour in Creamy Avocado Dressing and combine.
Serve with tortilla chips or over chopped Romaine lettuce.
~To save an extra few minutes, start the rice first and make your dressing while the rice is cooking, then finish the rest of the recipe. Or you can skip the avocado dressing and just add chopped avocado for an ever easier and cheaper option.
Check out these great Vegan Bowl Recipes too!
Insanely delicious and so easy!!!! I'm obsessed, truly.
And it feels so good to eat this healthy.
Great recipe. So happy I found it.
Thanks, Patti! Sometimes the easiest recipes are the best. So glad you enjoy it!
My daughter and I tried this recipe tonight. It was so delicious and easy to make! We will definitely be trying some more of your recipes. It was great that it was fast and easy to make!
Thank you, Stephanie! Glad you both loved it! With three school age kids and a very busy hubby, quick and easy is almost always the name of the game around here!
Thank you so much for this quick dinner idea! I have shared it with my FB community page "Super Quick Plant-Based Recipes" https://www.facebook.com/SuperQuickPBRecipes/ They will love this AND your site!
What could use instead of the avocado dressing. I hate avocado. Any suggestions?
Hi, Sylvie. A nacho cheese sauce – like this Vegan Queso – or this southwest inspired ranch dressing both would be great choices. Or you can just leave it off all together and add a little more salsa. Enjoy!
You definitely need to jump on the bandwagon, Aimee! 🙂 It's really so easy! And tasty!
Ok, so it took me a while to make this but I finally did tonight. It was amazing & my husband LOVED it! He's taking left overs for lunch tomorrow! Thank you for your amazing recipes!
So glad you guys liked it! Sometimes the most simple recipes are the best!
Ooh sounds good. I love a good bowl. I love avocado too so must try your sauce!
Thanks! Avocado makes everything better, right?! Hope you like it!
this looks so perfect and delicious. Lately I've been eating a lot of bowls like this. I'm always amazed at what a difference the sauce makes for me. Somehow, a good sauce or dressing makes the whole thing come together and feel like a proper meal. this looks great!
Thanks. I agree, you can totally make a dish into something different with the sauce alone…even if the ingredients in the bowl are mostly the same. Hope you enjoy!


Santa Barbara, CA—October 2018… Visionary Solutions, Inc., a leader in innovative high-bandwidth video networking solutions, has announced the appointment of PCI Shanghai as its distributor in China, including the mainland, Macau, and Hong Kong. Headquartered in Shanghai, with branches in Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Hong Kong, PCI Shanghai offers audio, video, and control (AVC) solutions in diverse fields, including conferences, hotels, theme parks, theaters, transportation, entertainment, cinema, and exhibition centers.
Founded in 1995, Visionary Solutions, Inc., manufactures solutions that provide real-time transport of audio and video over IP networks. With SD, HD and 4K encoders that support the latest technology standards, such as Dante™, H.264, and JPEG2000, VSI's modular solutions are recognized around the world for their outstanding value, performance, flexibility, and quality.
For more information about PCI Shanghai, visit www.pci-sh.com. For more about Visionary Solutions, visit www.vsicam.com.


The lowering of personal income tax (PIT) rates under the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) are in sync with the practices of other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the National Tax Research Center (NTRC).
NTRC Executive Director Trinidad Rodriguez said the TRAIN, which exempts those earning a taxable income of P250,000 and below from paying the PIT, is along the same thresholds set by other economies in the region such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Rodriguez said Singapore, for instance, sets a tax-exempt threshold of 20,000 Singapore dollars, which is equivalent to P738,000, while Thailand's threshold is 150,000 baht, or around P228,000.
In Malaysia, the threshold is 5,000 ringgits or P60,000; for Cambodia, 150,000 riels or P82,188; Laos, 12 million kips or P74,400; Myanmar, 2 million kyat or P76,000, Rodriguez said.
According to the Department of Finance (DOF), the proposed PIT cuts in the TRAIN will exempt some 83 percent of taxpayers from income taxation, giving them the much-needed relief after 20 years of non-adjustment of the tax system.
It will actually benefit 99 percent of families/households because of the hefty PIT cuts for salaried workers and the unconditional cash transfers for the poorest families, said the DOF.
"The minimum wage in these respective countries are well covered by the exemption, by the exempt threshold, similar to us. That's on the PIT schedule," NTRC's Rodriguez said during one of the earlier hearings held on the TRAIN by the Senate ways and means committee chaired by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara.
The first package of the Duterte administration's tax reform program—TRAIN—aims to lower personal income tax rates while, at the same time, widening the base for the value-added tax and adjusting excise tax rates for fuel and automobiles, among other reform measures.
Under the Senate-approved SB 1592, the first P250,000 annual taxable income will be exempted from tax, plus the P82,000 tax exemption for 13th month pay and other bonuses. This translates into an approximate tax-free monthly income of P21,000.
DOF calculations also show that even with the slightly higher expenses that taxpayers would incur under the TRAIN's revenue-enhancing provisions, the increases in their take home pay would more than offset these would-be additional costs.
As what I've read. The additional exemptions are removed from the computation except for the De minimis benefit exemption threshold of P82000 which includes 13th month pay and other bonuses. Thus, the tax base will increase for those supporting independents. This is what they meant for simplifying the computations of Personal Income Tax, I guess.
Will there still be a Personal and Additional Exemption for computing the Net Taxable Salary/Income?


text:
Q: Suppressing load of sfdx.js in VS Code in debug mode When you develop a plugin for the SFDX CLI and use the --dev-suspend flag at the end of your command in a VS Code terminal, the first thing that is loaded is a new document that contains the core sfdx.js file.
Is there any means of suppressing the visual document load within VS Code in this case since it is connecting to a remote debugger?
My current launch config in my .vscode folder for a project:
{
  // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
  // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
  // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "node",
      "request": "attach",
      "name": "Attach to Remote",
      "address": "127.0.0.1",
      "port": 9229,
      "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "remoteRoot": "${workspaceFolder}"
    },
    {
      "name": "Run All Tests",
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "protocol": "inspector",
      "program": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/mocha/bin/_mocha",
      "args": ["--inspect", "--no-timeouts", "--colors", "test/**/*.test.ts"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development",
        "SFDX_ENV": "development"
      },
      "sourceMaps": true,
      "smartStep": true,
      "internalConsoleOptions": "openOnSessionStart",
      "preLaunchTask": "Compile"
    },
    {
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Run Current Test",
      "program": "${workspaceFolder}/node_modules/mocha/bin/_mocha",
      "args": ["--inspect", "--no-timeouts", "--colors", "${file}"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development",
        "SFDX_ENV": "development"
      },
      "sourceMaps": true,
      "smartStep": true,
      "internalConsoleOptions": "openOnSessionStart",
      "preLaunchTask": "Compile"
    }
  ]
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Lees J. Incidence of weight loss in head and neck cancer patients on commencing radiotherapy treatment at a regional oncology centre. Eur J Cancer Care (Engl) 1999 Sep;8(3):133-6 Abstract available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10763643.


Beautiful and great condition Greco SA ES335 type, Super Real Project. Made in Japan on 1980s. The sound is good, electronics work well. The frets are about 70% with no fret bumpy.
Some small chips and scratches, but nothing damage the overall appearance. An old gigcase is included as well. I have sent many guitars outside and never had a problem. My packaging is very very safe!! I pack very carefully and full with bubble wrap outside. Actually it will be around 160 to 180 I have to pay, but it is OK. I will try my best to resolve the issue.
I have examined the item(s) and included my observations as accurate as I could in the description above. Please note that some descriptions may be based on my own opinion. And DONT FORGET TO CHECK ALL PICS, as they are more accurate to describe the physical condition. I do not bend to threats of retaliation feedback. Add a map to your own listings.
The item "GRECO SUPER REAL ES335 Japan Vintage Jazz Archtop Semi Acoustic Rare Lawsuit" is in sale since Sunday, March 17, 2019. This item is in the category "Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Electric Guitars". The seller is "gtrqlti-iamb" and is located in Japan. This item can be shipped worldwide.


Urban-Desi recording artist, producer, and dancer whose EP Mick's Tape garnered acclaim for its fusion of Punjabi and English music.
He was three years old when he first began to sing. He was 13 when he moved with his family to the US, and, two years later, he started working in an American studio. He went to school for mixing.
He released his first official single, "Double Addi," through his own label, MathOne Ent.
He was born and raised in India before coming to New York and settling in Detroit.
He first gained recognition with his Punjabi remix to Rihanna's "Birthday Cake."


text:
Stephanie Mitchell Hughes
Stephanie Mitchell Hughes is quintessentially a servant to the community. Born into a family of educators, Stephanie Mitchell Hughes grew up listening to stories about women subjected to physical and emotional abuse, and children who were poor and often came to school hungry and went back home to an empty house, sometimes overnight.
These stories shaped and informed Ms. Mitchell Hughes' work as an attorney and her social activism in the areas of child advocacy, domestic violence, and empowering women and girls.
She has represented children who are abused, neglected and dependent, advocated on behalf of children with learning differences, worked on local, state, and national initiatives in support of victims of domestic violence, and supported other programs to empower and educate women.
In recognition of her work, Ms. Mitchell Hughes received a Peacemaker Award from CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence.
In February 2006, Ms. Mitchell Hughes became a single parent herself, with few resources, and no support. Despite all of her experience and education, Ms. Mitchell Hughes found it difficult to continue to practice law. However, Ms. Mitchell Hughes also realized that her difficulties as a single working mother stood in stark contrast to the challenges experienced by other single mothers with less education, even fewer resources, and no support.
Ms. Mitchell Hughes openly shares her personal story so that other single mothers will learn from her many mistakes and be encouraged on their journey.
Lawyer, Servant, Savior
Josh Hara
Tom Knotek
Scott Gaudi


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    <string name="hello">Hello World!</string>
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The racing action remains big at Huset's Speedway East of Sioux Falls, SD Sunday night. The national outlaw sprint series 'All Star Circuit of Champions' will be racing.
Drivers like Tim Shaffer (pictured at the top) will be there. He's known as 'The Steel City Outlaw' from Pittsburgh, PA. Shaffer is the defending and 4 time series champion and a former winner of the Knoxville Nationals.
Plus the driver that currently leads the All Star championship standings is Dale Blaney of Hartford, OH. Blaney is a former champion as well.
The drivers of the All Stars have wrapped up a series of events in New York and now invade the Midwest. They will be facing the top drivers of Huset's Sunday night July 21, 2013.
One Huset's driver they will face is 7 time and defending Huset's champion Terry McCarl. McCarl beat the All Stars at Huset's a few years back.
Tickets are adults $25, ages 8-14 $5 and kids 7 & under free. Gates open at 5pm with racing at 7pm.


Academia Moderna Charter Schools is held accountable for how well we educate children in a safe and responsible environment, not for compliance with district and state regulations. We are judged on how well we meet the student achievement goals established by their charter, and how well we manage the fiscal and operational responsibilities entrusted to us. Academia Moderna must operate lawfully and responsibly, with the highest regard for equity and excellence. If they fail to deliver, they are closed.


Spartan Kristen Miller discusses how she positively navigated a career transition from film to digital marketing.
Kristen Miller is a Digital Marketing Specialist in the Financial Services Industry.
She has been working in Marketing for the past five years and specializes in social media, websites and email campaigns. Kristen has a Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University (MSU) in Telecommunications: Digital Media, Arts and Technologies with a specialization in Film Studies.
After graduating from MSU, Kristen's career started in the film industry as a Production Assistant in Los Angeles on many popular TV shows (24, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, New Girl, The Office, Water For Elephants, The Emmy Awards). However, after a few years, she decided to make a career transition and chose Marketing, where she could use her creativity and administration skills.


Dr. Murray provides comprehensive general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and restorative dentistry at our established dental practice. Featuring a wide range of services, clinical expertise, and advanced technology, our dental office will exceed your expectations for innovative dental care. Dr. Murray and our team have been serving the Portsmouth area for over 20 years, and patients trust us with their comfort, smiles and oral health.
We are proud to be one of the few dental offices in the area to have integrated the latest dental technology. Our digital office makes patient education a breeze, and with three kinds of lasers, we regularly perform procedures in just one visit. We also offer the latest cosmetic dentistry services, including Zoom! Whitening and Invisalign clear braces. When you visit us, you'll experience the best dentistry has to offer.
Your health and wellbeing are important to us, and we promise to look after you dental health for a lifetime. If you experience a dental emergency, stop by our Portsmouth dental office. We make every effort to see emergency patients the same day.
Call today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Murray. Families in the Portsmouth, South Shore, Wheelersburg, Lucasville, and Otway areas have trusted us with their smiles since 1988.


Devon's political leaders are uniting to call on the Government for fairer funding for the county's elderly and vulnerable.
They say the number of child protection investigations has doubled in the past 10 years while demand for social care for vulnerable adults is rising relentlessly – particularly in Devon with its large elderly population.
But, say the leaders, there has been no complementary increase in funding.
The four leaders on Devon County Council – Conservative John Hart, Alan Connett from the Liberal Democrats, Labour's Rob Hannaford and Independent leader Frank Biederman – say they are grateful of the support of Devon MPs in helping to win extra Government cash for schools and other services.
The grant for public health at £35 a head is the ninth lowest of 152 local authorities across the country, they say. If Devon was funded at the national average it would receive an extra £17.5 million.
Every Devon school pupil is worth £269 less than the national average. There would be an extra £22 million a year for Devon's schools if the county was funded at the national average.
"This is set against a backdrop of ever reducing core funding from central Government," say the leaders.
"Devon County Council is entering its eighth year of austerity cuts to funding.
"Core funding for all services has fallen from £283 million in 2010/11 to £115 million for 2018/19.
"The county council has cut its budget by £230 million and reduced the non-school workforce by 42 per cent from 6,608 to 3,809.


The markets are on the red this morning that is alse the International Labor day. Perhaps the traders have taken a day off or are lazing about in bed. Either way, Bitcoin has sunk below the dreaded $9,000 value and is trading at $8,957. This slight dip has affected the rest of the markets. Ethereum (ETH) is down 4.63% and is currently trading at $652. Ripple (XRP) is having a hard time staying above its current $0.80 value.
The very bullish cryptocurrencies of Tron (TRX) and Neo (NEO) that had stunned us yesterday, are also showing negative gains in 24 hours. TRX is valued at $0.09 and Neo (NEO) at $79.93.
But the general feel of the markets as we move down 2018 is one of high hopes and expected stunning market performances by the top coins. Ethereum has not escaped the critics and analysts who have gone ahead to forecast its doom or pending dominance over Bitcoin.
One such analyst has predicted that Ethereum will be valued at $2,500 by the end of the year and further increase in 2019 and 2020. The analyst is no other than Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group. His prediction would bring the market cap of Ethereum to $247.9 Billion. Assuming the growth of Ethereum would be proportional to the total market capitalization of the Crypto-markets, this would mean the total market cap would be at around $1.562 Trillion by the end of the year.
This would be amazing. The added volume would signify that cryptocurrencies would have attracted more investors by then and been accepted into the mainstream .
But what would it take for Ethereum to dethrone Bitcoin?
Firstly, it would take a massive price surge of Ethereum that would beat that of Bitcoin in the markets. The volume of ETH would then have to be sustained. For this to happen, Ethereum would have to create more 'buzz' and excitement than Bitcoin. This buzz would then attract investors and buyers in the droves.
Secondly, Ethereum would have to ward off the completion in terms of other projects that are in the industry of smart contracts and offering platforms for ICOs and tokens. At the moment, the only visible threat for Ethereum is Tron, EOS, Stellar and Zilliqa. But all these projects are yet to release the final versions of their platforms save for Stellar. Therefore Ethereum is still eons ahead in this aspect.
In conclusion, Ethereum is still a solid coin to have in your portfolio. It will take a lot for it to dethrone Bitcoin but this feat might be achievable with some solid P.R on the part of the Ethereum foundation.


text:
_© 2013-2014 James G Hurley_

VideoCore is a project inteded to be an audio and video manipulation and streaming graph.  It currently works with iOS and periodic (live) sources.  It is a work in progress and will eventually expand to other platforms such as OS X and Android.  **Contributors welcome!** [![Stories in Ready](https://badge.waffle.io/jgh-/VideoCore.png?label=ready&title=Ready)](https://waffle.io/jgh-/VideoCore)

###Table of Contents
* [Setup](#setup)
* [Projects Using VideoCore](#projects-using-videocore)
* [Architecture Overview](#architecture-overview)
* [Version History](#version-history)

##Setup

####CocoaPods

Create a `Podfile` with the contents
``` ruby
platform :ios, '6.0'
pod 'VideoCore', '~> 0.1.10'
```
Next, run `pod install` and open the `xcworkspace` file that is created.

####Sample Application
The SampleBroadcaster project in the sample folder uses CocoaPods to bring in
VideoCore as a dependency:

```
cd sample/SampleBroadcaster
pod install
open SampleBroadcaster.xcworkspace
```

... or you can build from the command-line:
```
xcodebuild -workspace SampleBroadcaster.xcworkspace -scheme SampleBroadcaster build
```
More on CocoaPods: http://cocoapods.org/

##Projects Using VideoCore

Looking for someone to help you with your video streaming project? Feel free to contact jamesghurley@gmail.com

* Cine.io (http://www.cine.io)

_If you would like to be included in this list, either make a pull request or contact jamesghurley@gmail.com_

##Architecture Overview

VideoCore's architecture is inspired by Microsoft Media Foundation (except with saner naming).  Samples start at the source, are passed through a series of transforms, and end up at the output.

e.g. Source (Camera) -> Transform (Composite) -> Transform (H.264 Encode) -> Transform (RTMP Packetize) -> Output (RTMP)

```
videocore/
sources/
videocore::ISource
videocore::IAudioSource : videocore::ISource
videocore::IVideoSource : videocore::ISource
videocore::Watermark : videocore:IVideoSource
iOS/
videocore::iOS::CameraSource : videocore::IVideoSource
Apple/
videocore::Apple::MicrophoneSource : videocore::IAudioSource
OSX/
videocore::OSX::DisplaySource : videocore::IVideoSource
videocore::OSX::SystemAudioSource : videocore::IAudioSource
outputs/
videocore::IOutput
videocore::ITransform : videocore::IOutput
iOS/
videocore::iOS::H264Transform : videocore::ITransform
videocore::iOS::AACTransform  : videocore::ITransform
OSX/
videocore::OSX::H264Transform : videocore::ITransform
videocore::OSX::AACTransform  : videocore::ITransform
RTMP/
videocore::rtmp::H264Packetizer : videocore::ITransform
videocore::rtmp::AACPacketizer : videocore::ITransform

mixers/
videocore::IMixer
videocore::IAudioMixer : videocore::IMixer
videocore::IVideoMixer : videocore::IMixer
videocore::AudioMixer : videocore::IAudioMixer
iOS/
videocore::iOS::GLESVideoMixer : videocore::IVideoMixer
OSX/
videocore::OSX::GLVideoMixer : videocore::IVideoMixer

rtmp/
videocore::RTMPSession : videocore::IOutput

stream/
videocore::IStreamSession
Apple/
videocore::Apple::StreamSession : videocore::IStreamSession

```

##Version History

* 0.1.10
	* Bugfixes
	* Adaptive Bitrate introduced
* 0.1.9
	* Bugfixes, memory leak fixes
	* Introduces the ability to choose whether to use interface orientation or device orientation for Camera orientation.
* 0.1.8
    * Introduces VideoToolbox encoding for iOS 8+ and OS X 10.9+
    * Adds -lc++ for compatibility with Xcode 6
* 0.1.7
    * Add a simplified iOS API for the common case of streaming camera/microphone
    * Deprecate camera aspect ratio and position
    * Add a matrix transform for Position
    * Add a matrix transform for Aspect Ratio
    * Bugfixes
* 0.1.6
	* Use device orientation for CameraSource rather than interface orientation
* 0.1.5
	* Add aspect fill to CameraSource
* 0.1.4
	* Switch from LGPL 2.1 to MIT licensing.
    * Add Camera preview layer.
    * Add front/back camera toggle.
    * Fix aspect ratio bug in Camera source.
* 0.1.3
	* Update sample app with a more efficient viewport render
* 0.1.2
	* Fixes a serious bug in the GenericAudioMixer that was causing 100% cpu usage and audio lag.
* 0.1.1
 	* Fixes Cocoapods namespace conflicts for UriParser-cpp
* 0.1.0
	* Initial CocoaPods version


'Guys and Dolls' is a very American musical. Set in New York around about the 1950s there is gangsters, guns and a trip to Havana. It tells the story of Nathan and Adelaide the 'Hot Box' dancer who have been engaged for 14 years and of gambler Sky Masterson who takes missionary Sarah Brown to Havana in order to win a bet. It's a really feel-good tale, with some great and memorable tunes. The Eglesfield Music Society have done well with this charming garden show and have produced what could be the best musical of the year.
The location is very beautiful. In a back quad of The Queen's College the stage area is provided on a patio in front of a wall. Set wise the approach is minimalistic, with a few benches and a table being manipulated to create all spaces on stage. The band is seated onstage under a large tree and the space is warmly and subtly lit. All the musicians are dressed in black and red, helping them blend with the actors on stage who are dressed in 1950's New York fashions. Although it is great to have the band on stage as part of the action for a musical that is so driven by the force of its musical numbers it does present a challenge for the actors who cannot see the MD. That said, the musical numbers come together every well; all the actors have very good voices and there are wonderful harmonies dotted throughout.
The cast are all very talented and work together well. Fen Greatley (Nathan) and Hannah Bristow (Adelaide) have excellent chemistry together and provide some of the funniest scenes. However, they also shine separately from each other. Greatley is always engaged in his scenes and is utterly in control of his character and accent. Bristow brings a lot of heart to her portrayal of Adelaide making her comic without being stupid. She also has a wonderful voice, with her rendition of 'Adelaide's Lament' being one of the best of the production. These two are clearly very talented, but the rest of the cast far from pale in comparison. Rose Rands as Sarah has a very beautiful voice and in her version of 'If I Were a Bell' she makes the transition from prim missionary girl to inebriated Havana tourist convincingly. She and Bristow also work very well in their duet together. Euan Campbell plays Sky Masterson in a strong and likeable way; the audience are just as hopeful as he is that his luck will hold out in 'Luck be a Lady.' There were unfortunately a few issues with volume throughout and I did feel that a few scenes could have done with a little more rehearsal and direction, only picking up again when the actors had dialogue to rely on.
The most comic moments of the production were provided by Ed Scrivens as Nicely-Nicely. Watch out for his brilliant facial expressions as well as his timing and delivery. He takes his chance to shine in 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat' which is both funny and heart-warming. Justin Drennan also provides humour as the much maligned Brannigan and Fred Woodcock as Benny Southstreet produces a star turn in the scene in the mission.
The choreography is simple, but very effective. 'Take Back Your Mink' got some of the largest laughs of the night but one or two of the numbers could do with a bit more polish. The ensemble work very well together and with the band provide a delightful production of great musical numbers and comedic turns. Even the guides dotted around college to help the audience find their way are engaged with the production.
'Guys and Dolls' is a real feel-good show. Grab yourself a bottle of bourbon and a blanket and go down to The Queens College. The cast are great and the show a gem.


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text:
Reports & Media > Opinion > The age of unreason
The age of unreason
Roger Partridge
roger.partridge@nzinitiative.org.nz
The National Business Review
Reason has taken us a long way. For thousands of years subsistence was the human condition. Then in the late 18th century, prosperity suddenly erupted in Western Europe. And since then it has embraced the bulk of humanity.
It is no coincidence that progress occurred simultaneously with the age of reason. As the philosopher Immanuel Kant explained in his 1784 essay, the Enlightenment helped Europeans break free from a lazy and cowardly submission to the dogmas of religious and political authority. Prosperity was their reward.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and the Age of Reason seems to be taking a break. From alternative facts about the size of Donald Trump's inauguration crowd to vaccine protesters, and from opponents of genetically modified crops to climate change deniers, the world is facing a riot of unreason.
Of course, the madness of crowds is not a new thing. History is full of episodes of idiocy. But at a time of unprecedented access to knowledge, why should the 21st century face a pandemic of false facts?
Fact-free dogmas have taken hold even in our schools. Educationalists now claim children should learn in open classrooms (fashionably called "modern learning environments") and that teachers should step aside and let students direct their own learning. It is not simply that these dogmas are contradicted by cognitive science. Even the scantest application of common sense exposes their flaws.
The 21st century's problem with reason is not simply a prevalence of false views. It is that those who hold them resist even attempts at reason. Reason is forbidden as soon as the conversation becomes uncomfortable for one of the participants. Today, feelings count more than facts.
This is a new phenomenon. Former National leader Don Brash may have faced protestors after his 2004 Orewa speech, but he never risked being deplatformed. No one claimed his so-called Nationhood arguments were "hate speech." Brash's views provoked disagreement but did not cause offence.
Yet, as Brash discovered in August at Massey University, all this has changed. In the eyes of his opponents, Brash's views are not simply wrong; they are hurtful. And those taking offence are as convinced of their own self-righteousness as 16th century Puritans.
This modern propensity to be offended knows no limits. As the British Euro-MP Daniel Hannan put it, we are facing the "unquenchable indignation of the offended." What hope is there for a contest of ideas if one contestant is red-carded as soon as someone claims they feel uncomfortable? Rational discussion becomes impossible.
Indeed, on some issues, it is becoming difficult not to offend. Who could have imagined that recruiting only males for the role of Father Christmas would cause outrage? Or criticising cultures that do not respect women's rights would be politically incorrect in an age when gender equality is a fundamental human right?
If interest groups advocate both A and non-A, what chance is there for reason? And how have we become so precious?
Stanford University's Francis Fukuyama attributes the problem to identity politics. In his new book, Identity, Fukuyama says "The focus on lived experience by identity groups valorizes inner selves experienced emotionally rather than examined rationally… This privileges sincerely held opinions over reasoned deliberation that may force one to abandon those opinions."
In other words, we are living in an age which encourages recourse to feelings over reason.
To test this claim, think about how often we see reporters at the scene of some crisis or other asking bystanders how they feel – rather than asking experts to explain what has happened?
And then, of course, there is the role of social media. Every slight, every lived experience, however obscure, is amplified in the caldron of social media. This results in what historian Niall Ferguson describes as the modern-day trial by public opinion.
None of this encourages the better angels of our nature to intercede and apply reason. Instead of applying dispassionate analysis and common sense, the 21st-century prefers to wallow in ignorance and emotion.
In combination, these forces are not just a problem for free speech (as some have argued). They are a threat to reason itself. To the very foundation of enlightenment civilisation.
Yet how many times does each of us dilute the views we express for fear of offending someone? Indeed, anyone? The truth is we are all complicit in the decline of reason.
The good news is this means we can also contribute to reason's resurrection. The next time someone in authority utters irrational nonsense, each of us can stop nodding and call them out. We can point out the contradictions, and demand evidence and analysis. How about that for a New Year's resolution?
After all, the sooner we all wake up from this age of unreason the better it will be for liberal democracy – and for civilisation itself.
Roger Partridge is the Chair of The New Zealand Initiative.


1. Who won mixed doubles championship in French Open 2017?
2. Who were runners up in mixed doubles championship in French Open 2017?
3. Who won men's doubles championship in French Open 2017?
4. Who were runners up in men's doubles championship in French Open 2017?
5. Who won women's doubles championship in French Open 2017?
6. Who were runners up in women's doubles championship in French Open 2017?
7. Who won women's singles championship in French Open 2017?
8. Who was runner up in women's singles championship in French Open 2017?
9. Who won men's singles championship in French Open 2017?
10. Who was runner up in men's singles championship in French Open 2017?