• Hit F5 to refresh or turn on the automatic widget below • Email your thoughts and chat to evanfanning@gmail.com • Follow our daily live blog from SW19 • Follow Evan on Twitter, if that’s your thing Second set: Cibulkova* 1-6, 1-3 Sharapova And Sharapova breaks straight back. Oh dear. All that hope gone in a few shoddy serves. Second set: Cibulkova 1-6, 1-2 Sharapova* Cibulkova has broken Sharapova. There has been a definite improvement from the Slovakian in the last couple of game and that will give her some belief that she might be able to force her way back into this game. She can’t, of course, but it’s no harm if she thinks she can for a little bit at least. “Marvellous to see that Sharipova has mastered the art of playing tennis while juggling the moon in one hand (see pic),” writes Mihai Cucos. “Has she become a Hindu goddess?” Well if she has she needs to get back focusing on her game. there’s a time and a place for Hindu goddesses but Centre Court on a rainy Tuesday is not it. Although it would be a lot better than Cliff Richard I suppose. Second set: Cibulkova* 1-6, 0-2 Sharapova It’s a good game from Cibulkova – the best she’s played in this match – but it’s still not enough. In a game that lasted eight minutes Sharapova seemed to be able to reach all areas of the court and return in devastating fashion. Four times Sharapova has break point and it’s an escape act too many fir Cibulkova who has not one a game since the opening game of the match. “Come on,” Sharapova shouts after the winning point. She may have been directing it at Cibulkova. Second set: Cibulkova 1-6, 0-1 Sharapova* Sharapova holds service with ease. On BBC they reckon Cibulkova needs to find a Plan B. I reckon she’s searching for Plan X or Y at this stage. They’re about the start the first of the other quarter-finals on Court One. At least they think they are but we know that a great big rain cloud is heading straight for them. Maria Sharapova wins the first set 6-1. The Slovakian gets appears to get a foothold in the game taking a 40-love lead on her service before Sharapova comes storming back to take the game and the set. The final point was loose and wild from Cibulkova who needs to sort herself out in the next couple of minutes otherwise this is going to be over very, very shortly indeed. This is brilliant from Sharapova. First set: Cibulkova 1-5 Sharapova* Cibulkova moves into a position where she has two break points – they’re almost handed to her by Sharapova who seems so determined to diominate that she is looking to blast her opponent into submission when at times, some subtelty might be the best approach. Needless to say Sharapova wins the next four points and takes the game. After watching Sharapova beat laura Robson I made her my choice to win Wimbledon. Then, for some unknown reason, I went and put money on Caroline Wozniacki. I’m regretting my actions now. Not just in terms of the bet – pretty much all my life-choices have been dubious. First set: Cibulkova* 1-4 Sharapova The problem with Cibulkova’s strategy is that Sharapova is looking stronger than her in a rally as well as the serve. Cibulkova takes a 30-love lead by Sharapova won’t led it slide and storms back – with one point-winning backhand particularly devastating – and Cibulkova flounders and loses the game with a double-fault. First set: Cibulkova 1-3 Sharapova* Sharapova wins to love and it may not be jumping the gun to say that Cibulkova is in a bit of trouble. There’s a clear gulf between the two at the moment. If you are a fan of groaning in tennis then this is the match for you. The roof is closed so the acoustics are making every grunt echo through the arena. It wouldn’t sound any better in the Royal Opera House. Trickier to play tennis there though. First set: Cibulkova* 1-2 Sharapova First break of the match and it’s fairly comfortable for Sharapova. A real pattern for the game is already emerging. Cibulkova lacks the serve to cause Sharapova too many problems and is aiming to do her damage with powerful ground strokes. They’re not powerful enough at the moment and the No5 seed is returning with interest. First set: Cibulkova 1-1 Sharapova* Sharapova has a clear height advantage – she’s 6ft 2in facing Cibulkova who is just 5ft 3in – and that tells in her first service game which she wins easily losing just one point courtesy of an unforced error. First set: Cibulkova* 1-0 Sharapova If the first point of this game is anything to go by we could be here for a while. There are gasps as Cibulkova takes a tumble which allows Sharapova to take the point after a 22-stroke rally. The Slovakian clambers to her feet and recovers to hold serve. “Does anyone know if women tennis players do beep tests?” wonders gary Naylor. “I was very impressed by La Lisicki last Thursday who looked very strong indeed in defeating Li Na 8-6 in the third and she lasted much better than Ms Bartoli today. Of course shotmaking matters, but I’m surprised that so many female players seem to fade after 90 minutes or so of a match. Women don’t when running the marathon.” Answers to the usual address. Another insight into the world of super-rich sports people … Rory McIlroy has just turned the tennis court in his house into a five-a-side football pitch. Decisions, decisions. Celebrity watch … No Wills and Kate today but Rory McIlroy is here. Ever wondered what famous sportspeople talk about when they meet? Here’s a snapshot of the conversation between McIlroy and Andy Murray when they met at the practice grounds earlier on. Murray to McIlroy, who is wearing a sharp suit: “You look good.” McIlroy: “Yeah, well, you know.” It’s like something from an Evelyn Waugh novel out there. Preamble Fear not, just like at Centre Court there is now a roof on Guardian Towers so I will be able to bring you full game-by-game coverage of this enticing match despite the Day After Tomorrow-style downpour that has engulfed London this afternoon. It’s a tough slog on the women’s tennis circuit. While their male counterparts get a day off, sitting at home or in their hotel quaffing copious amounts of energy drinks in the belief that they actually do any good. Meanwhile, the women barely have time for a cup of tea as they are back in action today in the quarter-finals just 24 houurs after their fourth-round matches. One of the most intriguing of the day’s matches is between fifth-seed Maria Sharapova and 24th-seed Dominika Cibulkova, who beat world No1 Caroline Wozniacki on Monday. Given that Serena and venus Williams are on the plance home Sharapova is now firm favourite to win a title she last won in 2004. Incidentally if Sharapova can go all the way she will join an illustrious group to have won the title more than once. That seven-year gap between titles would put Sharapova behind only Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1971 and 1980) as an Open era player with the longest gap between Wimbledon titles. But first she has to defeat Cibulkova. And then the winner or Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki. And then whoever she may meet in Saturday’s final. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves. These two have met four time previosuly, with the record at two wins apiece. The last time they played was in Madrid earlier this year where Cibulkova won 7-5, 6-4. Wimbledon 2011 Maria Sharapova Wimbledon Tennis Evan Fanning guardian.co.uk
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Pair taken into custody on drugs and arms trafficking charges amid two-week standoff at notorious jail Two weeks after deadly rioting sparked an ongoing siege in Venezuela’s notorious El Rodeo jail, authorities say they have arrested two of the prison’s directors on drug and arms trafficking charges. Luisa Ortega Díaz, head of Venezuela’s public prosecutor, said Luis Rafael Aranguren, the director of the El Rodeo 2 unit, and Rubén José González Heredia, the vice-director of the El Rodeo 1 unit, had been taken into custody. Heredia is accused of “facilitating” the entry of guns, explosives and drugs into the prison, while Aranguren faces corruption and gun-running charges. Violence at the El Rodeo complex, just outside of Caracas, began on 12 June, with clashes between rival gangs leaving at least 22 dead. After a lull in fighting, confrontations broke out again on 17 June, when thousands of security forces swept into the prison, triggering gun battles between troops and prisoners . El Rodeo’s rebelling inmates are said to control an arsenal that includes AK-47 and R-15 assault rifles and even a 50-calibre anti-aircraft machine gun. Government troops managed to regain control of El Rodeo 1, but up to 1,200 prisoners remain under siege in El Rodeo 2. Authorities have blamed the stalemate on Yorvis Valentín López Cortez, a 26-year-old prison leader or “pran” better known as “El Oriente”. Reportedly a convicted murderer who took over de facto control of El Rodeo 2 in 2009, he is said to run the jail with support from a 20-year-old known as “El Yoifre”. During telephone interviews with local journalists – part of a propaganda battle between gang leaders and the government – El Oriente has accused security forces of committing human rights abuses and issued threats. “If the guards come into the prison many people will die, many guards and many prisoners,” he told El Universal on Monday. A series of videos have also been posted on YouTube , purporting to be statements from prisoners inside El Rodeo 2. “They are massacring the prison population,” says one masked prisoner leader in a six-minute recording, which he described as a plea for “international help”. “They have massacred more than 160 [of our] colleagues in El Rodeo 1,” the leader claimed, flanked by inmates wearing hoods and masks. Venezuela’s deputy justice minister, Néstor Reverol, told the Unión Radio station a small group of “delinquents” had in effect kidnapped hundreds of other prisoners inside the cellblock. “We will continue to ask these delinquents … to give up. We will not withdraw our troops,” he added. Venezuela Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk
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Pair taken into custody on drugs and arms trafficking charges amid two-week standoff at notorious jail Two weeks after deadly rioting sparked an ongoing siege in Venezuela’s notorious El Rodeo jail, authorities say they have arrested two of the prison’s directors on drug and arms trafficking charges. Luisa Ortega Díaz, head of Venezuela’s public prosecutor, said Luis Rafael Aranguren, the director of the El Rodeo 2 unit, and Rubén José González Heredia, the vice-director of the El Rodeo 1 unit, had been taken into custody. Heredia is accused of “facilitating” the entry of guns, explosives and drugs into the prison, while Aranguren faces corruption and gun-running charges. Violence at the El Rodeo complex, just outside of Caracas, began on 12 June, with clashes between rival gangs leaving at least 22 dead. After a lull in fighting, confrontations broke out again on 17 June, when thousands of security forces swept into the prison, triggering gun battles between troops and prisoners . El Rodeo’s rebelling inmates are said to control an arsenal that includes AK-47 and R-15 assault rifles and even a 50-calibre anti-aircraft machine gun. Government troops managed to regain control of El Rodeo 1, but up to 1,200 prisoners remain under siege in El Rodeo 2. Authorities have blamed the stalemate on Yorvis Valentín López Cortez, a 26-year-old prison leader or “pran” better known as “El Oriente”. Reportedly a convicted murderer who took over de facto control of El Rodeo 2 in 2009, he is said to run the jail with support from a 20-year-old known as “El Yoifre”. During telephone interviews with local journalists – part of a propaganda battle between gang leaders and the government – El Oriente has accused security forces of committing human rights abuses and issued threats. “If the guards come into the prison many people will die, many guards and many prisoners,” he told El Universal on Monday. A series of videos have also been posted on YouTube , purporting to be statements from prisoners inside El Rodeo 2. “They are massacring the prison population,” says one masked prisoner leader in a six-minute recording, which he described as a plea for “international help”. “They have massacred more than 160 [of our] colleagues in El Rodeo 1,” the leader claimed, flanked by inmates wearing hoods and masks. Venezuela’s deputy justice minister, Néstor Reverol, told the Unión Radio station a small group of “delinquents” had in effect kidnapped hundreds of other prisoners inside the cellblock. “We will continue to ask these delinquents … to give up. We will not withdraw our troops,” he added. Venezuela Tom Phillips guardian.co.uk
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Rescuers in Hunan province needed an axe and a circular saw to free a 5-year-old boy trapped between walls, Chinese state media reported Tuesday. (June 28)
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Rescuers in Hunan province needed an axe and a circular saw to free a 5-year-old boy trapped between walls, Chinese state media reported Tuesday. (June 28)
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Our first encounter with Nokia’s N9 may have been eleven different kinds of awesome, but we knew it was a mere scratch of the high-grade polycarbonate surface. One of the core pieces of functionality we didn’t get the chance to address back then was the camera, and after Nokia decided to toot that horn recently — saying, among other things, that it’s the ” fastest image-capturing phone ” yet — we decided we had to go back for a second go-around. In terms of performance, Nokia’s camera application definitely lives up to the company’s own hype, with nearly instant captures and an equally brisk return to a state of readiness for more image-taking. When shooting video, we noted that audio recording starts slightly later than the video, leaving the first half second or so without sound. This isn’t an uncommon issue (we’ve seen it on other phones and tablets) and can be seen in our video sample after the break. Now might be a good time to also mention that the N9s we tested with today were all prototype units, so don’t prejudge Nokia’s final hardware on the basis of what you see here. Unless your premature judgment is positive, we doubt Nokia would mind that. Gallery: Nokia N9 camera sample images So anyhow, we took a walk around the company’s offices, escorted by a group of unarmed but surely lethal Finnish ninjas, taking shots of the surrounding cityscape as we went. The results show the N9 picking up a ton of detail and controlling noise admirably, while a few impromptu ThinkPad hands-on photos convinced us it can do a pretty stellar job with closeups as well. With a name like N9 , however, it was obvious which phone we needed to compare Nokia’s lone wolf MeeGo handset to, so out came our trusty N8 with its world-beating 12 megapixel sensor. Alas, in spite of having an F2.2 aperture on the N9, Nokia hasn’t managed to replicate the heroics of its earlier device: the N8 shows its advantage in consistently picking out better color balance and in also being sharper throughout the frame. It makes the N9′s images appear as if they were shot through a haze, though we hasten to add that this should be considered a strength of the older phone rather than a major failure of the new one. Additionally, the N9 suffers from the typically narrow dynamic range of smartphone camera sensors, which is the cause of the consistently blown-out sky in our gallery images. Still, considering the quick software operation and consistently detailed imagery on offer from the N9, we’d say Nokia is on to a winner here. Gallery: Nokia N9 versus Nokia N8 camera samples Continue reading Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It seems no matter what Sarah Palin does or doesn't do, she's going to be lambasted by America's press – even the supposedly “conservative” ones. On Tuesday's “Morning Joe,” co-host Joe Scarborough used Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's successful campaign launch as a means of bashing the former Alaska governor (video follows with transcript and commentary): JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST: And what a contrast, Andy, with Sarah Palin. And there’s going to be this contrast for some time. Of course, Sarah Palin’s people now are conducting outreach to Iowa activists. She obviously can’t love what’s happening with Michele Bachmann. But just think: had Sarah Palin a year ago surrounded herself with professional handlers where, not to tell her what to say or how to act, but, but to stop her from doing some self-destructive things. It’s like when Roger Ailes, who runs Fox News and knows a little bit about these things. Roger Ailes said, “Don’t put out that thing on Facebook after Gabby Giffords (unintelligible).” She ignored Roger, and she paid for ignoring Roger. She doesn’t listen to people. Michele Bachmann does, and it makes a difference. First off, why do people in the media – even the supposedly “conservative” ones – think Palin isn't happy with Bachmann's success? Doesn't this assume she's going to toss her hat into the ring and therefore sees the Minnesota Congresswoman as a competitor? If the opposite is true, and Palin has no intention of running next year, at least not for president, she might be thrilled with Bachmann's success. She could be exuberantly cheering her fellow Tea Partier on as Bachmann likely more closely echoes Palin's conservative views than most of the other Republican presidential candidates that have announced. As I like so many observers believe the former Alaska governor is not going to run and instead is biding her time to not only have some influence over the 2012 platform but also to decide who she's going to throw her support behind, it is quite possible in the coming months we're going to see these two ladies on the same stage with one quite happily endorsing the other. As such, Scarborough and his compatriots in the media on both sides of the aisle gleaning some de facto competition between these women are making an assumption that could be tremendously false. As for Ailes recommending Palin not respond to the Tucson shootings, does that mean he was right? People all throughout the liberal press were blaming the former vice presidential candidate for Giffords' shooting. Should she really have stayed quiet and not defended herself? The idea that Palin's response to that incident hurt her is largely in the minds of her detractors who will attack her no matter what she says or does. At this point in time, is there really anything this woman could do that would get the approval of folks like Scarborough and his colleagues? Beyond which, why do the press see Bachmann and Palin as being tied at the hip? Does every action by one have bearing on the other? Fortune magazine editor Andy Serwer pointed this out to Scarborough. There is indeed an odd sexism going on here that presumes that every discussion about Bachmann has to involve Palin and vice versa. Until the moment that Palin actually does enter the race, can't these women be judged independently, or is that asking too much?
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Justin Bieber & Jimmy Fallon – Someday Commercial Justin bieber on Jimmy Fallon Show Justin Bieber New Fragrance Someday IRALAZAS says: Justin Bieber & Jimmy Fallon Someday Commercial, June 24. 2011 http://t.co/KWBIBtH via @youtube – I cant stop laughing right now!..
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Firemanoly and the Guardians on a National Cable Show One Tree Hill Season 6 Episode 21 – A Kiss to Build a Dream On PART2 LISA OG LILLIAN SKillachi_ says: #Np – Nick Lachey – Shades Of Blue
Continue reading …Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video)
June 28, 2011 No Comment
You’d need only a smartphone app to pinpoint every pothole on your block, but to map out more severe structural damage, you’d probably need more sophisticated equipment — which is where Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite comes in. Unveiled at last week’s 3D & Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, this road condition evaluation system is comprised of a 360-degree camera, GPS and an inclinometer. After using its camera to capture images at 16 frames per second, the IP-S2 analyzes the properties of every shot and uses this information to create 3D video footage. The contraption can also measure the height, distance and surface area of any given frame, allowing engineers to insert computer-generated images into the video (as pictured above) and to construct more accurate maps of disaster-stricken regions. In the wake of this year’s devastating earthquake, for example, Japan’s Geospatial Information Authority used this technology to map coastal areas of the Miyagi Prefecture, giving officials and rescue workers a better idea of the damage inflicted upon the region. You can find out more about the IP-S2 in the video after the break. [Thanks, Don] Continue reading Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) Topcon’s IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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