"Doc Rivers To Have Surgery"- By James

May 17, 2011

"Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers has returned to Boston from his Orlando, Fla., home to undergo surgery on Tuesday for a non-cancerous growth on his throat, a league source said."

Rivers would not able to speak for two weeks after the surgery. Rivers signed a five years extension with the Celtics. In Mid-October, Rivers underwent a biopsy to determine if the lesions found in his throat were cancerous. After the tests, the results came out negative.

"I'm going to be around for a little while, it looks like," Rivers said in October. "I'm sure that disappoints everyone."

Rivers had been undergoing annual examinations of his throat and vocal cords because of the stress placed on those areas by his professions.

"Jim O'Brien suggested it two or three years ago and said every coach should do it," said Rivers, who has been spreading the word himself. "I'm glad I did it. I think most coaches should because we yell and use our throat a lot. It makes you more susceptible."

ESPN
   

"Heat Say Celtics Trio Their Inspiration"- By James

May 11, 2011

"MIAMI -- On the eve of an elimination game that could potentially oust the Boston Celtics from the postseason, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade cited the reigning Eastern Conference champions as an inspiration for joining forces in Miami."

Boston has ejected James from the NBA playoffs two of the previous three seasons. James' last game in a Cleveland uniform came in Boston on May 13, 2010, when his Cavaliers bowed out to Boston in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Heat pushed the Celtics to the brink of elimination with a 98-90 overtime win in Boston on Monday. Miami now leads the best of seven series of 3-1. They have a chance to close out the Celtics at American Airlines Arena in Game 5.

"Teams with a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series have lost the series just eight times in 199 series. Even though the Heat are now heavy favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference finals, they insist they aren't looking ahead."


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"Three Key Celtics Beat Up But OK"- By James

"MIAMI -- Three Boston Celtics starters battled injuries in the Game 2 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, though none appears serious enough to jeopardize the players' availability for Saturday's Game 3."


Captain Paul Pierce suffered strained left Achilles, Ray Allen got a bruised chest, and Rajon Rondo had back pain throughout the game. The injuries didn't seem a problem so the players would rest up and get back on the court. The injured players were taken to the locker room o seek treatment. Rondo wore a wrap on his lower back to keep his back from tightening.

"Rondo finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting with 12 assists and six rebounds in 41:42. According to ESPN Stats and Info, it was the eighth career playoff game that he's scored 20-plus points and had 10-plus assists."

Paul Pierce finished the game with 13 points and 5 rebounds.

 

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"Kobe Bryant Refuses Tests on Ankle"- By James

April 26,2011

"EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has a sprained left ankle and is officially listed as day to day, a team spokesman told reporters on Monday."

Kobe Bryant injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the New York Hornets while Bryant was defending Hornets guard Willie Green. He turned his ankle over and fell into Green, causing a foul.On Monday Bryant was on extensive treatment on his ankle. He says that he would not let the doctors check his ankle any further. He would play following Game 4. Bryant has experience many injuries throughout his career.

"I should play," Bryant said. "It's going to take a lot to stop me from playing. I'm concerned, as I am about any injury, but I've played through so many of them it kind of becomes old hat for me."

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Tornado Closes Lambert-St Louis Airport- By James

April 23, 2011

The Lambert-St. Louis Airport has been closed because the tornado destroyed its main terminal. The storm tore off the terminal's roof, shattered glass and sent debris flying. The storm also flatten homes, felled trees, and downed power lines in Missouri. Lambert-St. Louis Airport said that all flights are cancelled and clean up is underway. No people were reported injuried.

"About the time we came into the building, the doors blew off. Literally 10 seconds later, it was over. It's amazing to me more people weren't hurt," said St Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch, who was at the airport as the storm approached.

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Source: BBC News



Josh Hamilton Injuried Early- By James

Texas Rangers Josh Hamilton left a game during the first inning with a strained right shoulder. Hamilton hit a triple and the Tiger's third baseman fell on him. Hamilton then tried to score on a pop fly, but he got tagged out. It is unknown when Hamilton sustained the injury. He is currently being evaluated by the team's doctor. Hamilton had suffered injuries throughout his career. Once he hit a wall in Target Field in Minnesota and cracked a few ribs. The Rangers does not know when Hamilton would be healthy to play again.

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Royal Navy Crewmen Killed in HMS Astute Sub Shooting - By James

A Royal Navy crewmen was shoot dead and another is in critical condition after a shooting on board a nuclear submarine. Another crew member shot the other crew members, but officials don't know the reason why. Police and investigators are still looking into the situation. Officials say that the attack are not linked to terrorism and are still interviewing witnesses. Another crew member was also arrested and is now in custody. The Astute is the Royal Navy's biggest attack submarine. It runs a nuclear reactor and it doesn't need to surface to re-fuel.

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"Gadhafi Likely to Survive Revolt"- By James

Gadhafi is more likely to survive the revolt because his has more specialized equipment. Gadhafi main power is in the air. If the U.S. agrees to have a "No-Fly Zone" in Libya, Gadhafi may become vulnerable. Without air support, the rebels might have a chance to reach the capital. But so far it's not enforced so Gadhafi has the upper hand. Gadhafi also has more rocket propelled grenade. If the weapons get into the wrong hands, there's no telling what happens. Some of the weapons had been taken away by rebels to help their revolt. By they were unable to acquired an air craft to help in the air. Officials in the U.S. say that Gadhafi has technically have no power. Dozens have lives have been taken away during the revolt in Libya.

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"Orlando Magic Coach Takes Up Dwight Howard Cause"- By James

Orlando Magic Coach Takes Up Dwight Howard Cause

            Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he thinks Dwight Howard might have had some restraint on the court. Howard has a one game suspension after picking up his sixteenth technical foul. For every two technical fouls that he receives for the remainder of the season, he must sit out one game. "It's very tough, but I've just got to do it. I think it's like they want to make an example out of me, but I'll just stay positive and continue to do all the things that I do to bring fun to the game. That's all I can do. I'm not a bad guy. I'm not a hothead because I get techs, and I think that's the message that people want to put across." said Howard to reporters. Van Gundy said that even though Howard had been excessively fouled, Howard is still playing hard on the court. Howard still practices with the team and he tries not to let the officiating affect how he plays. He always thinks about the future and not the past or the present.

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Which Phone is Better? Droid or iPhone4?- By James

The two most popular smart phones today are the Droid and the iPhone 4. Both of these phones are dependable and awesome. But which one is better?

Most people think that the Droid from Verizon is better than the iPhone 4 from AT&T. The Droid has a bigger touch screen than the iPhone 4. It also has an eight megapixel camera with16:9 image capture.The camera includes a duel led flash and image stabilization. The capacity of it is 24 GB but you can extend it to 40 GB. It has eight hours of 3G talk time with 220 hours of standby. Some of the other features include Adobe Flash Player, HDMI output, accelerometer, and a micro USB port.

The iPhone 4 has different features. Even though it has a smaller screen, it does have 960x640 resolution. It has a five mega pixel camera with a 4:3 image capture. It also has led flash and a VGA front facing camera (second camera).   The capacity is either 16GB or 32GB that is already built in. It has a 300 hour standby time, longer than the droid. Other features include video chat, 3-axis accelerometer, and a proximity sensor.

iPhone 4 and Droid Comparison Chart

Basketball- By James

Basketball is one of the oldest sports in the world. It involves a lot of running and thinking. You have to play all your hardest but with good sportsmanship towards your teammates and towards the other team. Sports of any kind can help any person relieve stress and be active. Even though the referees can call unreasonable fouls or who has possession of the ball, it’s only a game. It was invented so anybody can have fun and enjoy the game itself. I believe that every kid should have an opportunity to be on the court and just have fun. In some parts of the world, some kids don’t get the chance to play any sports. Some of the reasons that they can’t play are that the country might be poor or the kids’ parents don’t have enough money to buy the necessary thing to play a sport. I played basketball for the Academy's Middle Division Wildcats. During practice, you show the coach what you can bring for the team. For me, I was good at defense. During games, you feel nervous until the game has started. After the tip off started, you just have fun and play hard. We lost a couple of game but that was because we weren't working as a team. But later on in the season, we worked together perfectly and won our first round tournament. It doesn't matter if your good or bad, you just have to worked together and have fun. You'll get better in the future but that also means the competition gets better too. We lost our championship game against Odessa, but only by three points. The referees made some bad calls but we played our hardest and that is worth more than a whole army base of steel. Afterwords, our coach told us not to worry about the game because they'll be more games next year. He gave us a speech about investment and entitlement. He said that investment build overtime with hard work. Entitlement was a position or title that was given to you without you doing hard work. Overall, basketball season was fun and it thought me values that would be a use to me overtime. 

Interview with Shubh - By James

Interview with Shubh

1. How was your trip to Egypt? 
It was really educational and historical but there wasn’t any government protest.
2. When you went to Egypt, did you see any unusual things?
When we were on a tour riding through a poor district, I saw a guy with a machete fending off a group of people. I also saw a guy jumping out of a shop’s window carrying a TV.
3. Did your tour guide say anything about the problems that were happening there?
No, not really. Everything was normal.
4. What is your view on the Egyptian protests?
I think that what’s happening over there [now] is the start of Egypt’s transition to being a full democracy with legitimate presidential terms.
5. Did anybody in Egypt have negative feelings towards you and other Americans?
The people there thought we were Egyptians.

Interview with Mr.Pitcairn- By James

Interview with Mr. Pitcairn

1.     How long have you been a part of the Academy at the Lakes community?

I came first as a parent when Jason was in Kindergarten, Daniel in second and Kelsey was in fourth grade. For the last five years I was the Middle Division Director and four years before that I was the Middle Division Soccer Coach. So I’ve been here for 13 years.

2.     What is your favorite poem and why?

The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson. When I first read it, it brought history alive to me.

3.     How were inspired to help children to receive a better education?

By being a good example, by opening the eyes of each student to their potential and to find the joy in the journey.

4.     Can you tell us about your Family’s history that came to America?

The first Pitcairn that came over was Major John Pitcairn. He led the British troops at Lexington and Concord. He never left America because he died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The next Pitcairn didn’t come until about eh 1840s.

5.     How many generations still carry the name “Pitcairn”?

Hundreds of them. The first record of the name was in Scotland in the 1200s.

6.     What outdoor activities do you like to do?

I like to run half and full marathons, walk, and I love to watch soccer, especially my boys and students.

7.     What is your perspective on imperialism?

I think that it was a period of history that had many sad episodes which we can learn a great deal about how a country can be both great and good.

8.     In your own words, what does it take to be a leader?

It’s not my expression, but a good leader leads by serving others.

Egypt- The Protest- By James

Egypt- The Protest

            In Cairo, Egypt, protestors filled the street for a reform in the government. The protests cause current President Hosni Mubarak to announce that he would not run for re-election. The protesting started on January 15. After days passed, the protesting grew strength and thousands of people were demanding that Mr. Mubarak step down from his presidency. The protestors fought a war against the army and started riots. They broke curfews and robbed stores in that area. Mr. Mubarak tried to stopped the protesting by changing his staff with new people but did not offer to step himself down. This attempt did not slow the protesting down but raise the strength or it. The very first protest was started using cell phones and social media to communicate to the world to start a protest. President Obama warned Mubarak that if he didn’t stop the violence in his country, the country could potentially lose the one billion dollars the U.S. gives to them. The Egyptian army said that it would not fire at its own people and new vice president Mr. Suleiman said that Mr. Mubarak had allowed him to open an interview with the opposition for constitutional and political reforms.

Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/egypt/index.html

"Cholera alert reaches Venezuela via Dominican Republic"- By James

“More than 20 Venezuelans have contracted cholera after visiting the Dominican Republic, the Venezuelan health ministry has said.”

            The infected were taken to a local hospital in Caracas and are kept in quarantine. The patients had gone to the Dominican Republic for a wedding celebration. Cholera had reached the Dominican Republic last November. A number of people living in Venezuela might also have Cholera.

"The people must remain calm because all those infected had attended a family gathering in the Dominican Republic," said Venezuelan Health Minister Eugenia Sader. She also said that Venezuela had sufficient medical supplies to treat the Cholera.

The Dominican Republic had reported 286 cases of Cholera. I Haiti, almost 200,000 people have been infected since October. The aid agency said that the infection is slowly down.

Cholera is a bacterial disease spread by contaminated drinking water or food, but is treatable with oral or intravenous re-hydration and antibiotics.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12292666

  

"Baseball's Hall of Fame"- By James

Baseball’s Hall of Fame

          Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected into the baseball’s Hall of Fame. Alomar was picked on 90 percent of the ballot on his second try. On his first try, Alomar fell short on the 75 percent votes needed to be inducted to the Hall of Fame. During Alomar’s 17 years in the major league, he batted .300 with 210 home runs and 1,134 RBIs. He also had a career average of .318 in 58 post seasons games. He won a record of 10 Gold Gloves at second base and was a 12-time All-Star.

          Bert Blyleven was picked 79.9 of the ballots. He had won 285 games and ranked fifth for throwing strikeouts. This was his 14^th time on the ballot and his stats had improved over the years. He was well known for throwing curveballs almost every game. He was in second place in votes, behind Roberto Alomar.

          Some people like Mark McGwire and Jeff Bagwell made a poor performance on the vote count. They scored the lowest which is under 50 percent. “Guys cheated. They cheated to themselves and their teammates. Baseball is meant to be played cleaned” said a BBWAA member (Baseball Writers' Association of America).

Source: ESPN, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof11/news/story?id=5991808

"Mexico arrests Zetas drugs cartel suspect" By James

Mexico arrests Zetas drugs cartel suspect: Flavio MendezJanuary 18, 2011

            “The Mexican police arrested a suspect leader and founding member of the notorious Zetas drugs gang.”

            Flavio Mendez Santiago is thirty-five years old and was arrested on the southern state of Oaxaca. He was a former soldier and was accused of controlling the traffic of drugs and illegal immigrants in Mexico. There was a $1.2 million dollars reward for information leading to his arrest. He was classified as the thirty-seven most dangerous criminals in Mexico. Mendez was known as “El Amarillo” or “The Yellow One” and was arrested Monday night outside Oaxaca City with his illegal body guard. Mendez is accused that he joined the Gulf Cartel in 1993 and was to serve as a body guard for the cartel leader, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, before splitting to found the rival Zetas organization.

          The Zetas are one of Mexico’s feared drug cartels. They gained a reputation for extreme violence as they fought to take over the other cartels. Also they are known for smuggling South American cocaine and other drugs to the United States. They have made a huge profit by smuggling migrants from South and Central America to the United States. The Mexican defense ministry describes the gang as “the most formidable death squad to have worked for organized crime in Mexican history".

Source: BBC News
             http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12220885