Parker scores record 23 to lead West over East

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) ? Candace Parker put on a show in her All-Star debut.

Parker scored a record 23 points to lead the West to a 102-98 victory over the East on Saturday.

"I didn't know what to expect," Parker said. "I hadn't been to one, and this was really special. Being with all these great players and share stories, that's why I'll remember from this All-Star game more than what happened on the court."

The Los Angeles Sparks star was voted a starter for the 2011 game, but couldn't play because of a knee injury. She also missed the 2009 game because she was still recovering from the birth of her daughter.

"Things happen," Parker said. "I learned not to question them and go on my path and take whatever comes. It happened to work out this way."

The wait was worth it as Parker, who earned the game's MVP honors.

While the award was special, Parker and her West teammates were more excited that got the victory for retiring star Tina Thompson.

"We didn't want her to go out with a loss," said Parker, who was quickly heading back to Los Angeles after the game to get to a family reunion that she was hosting.

Thompson, who made her record ninth All-Star appearance, announced her retirement at the end of the season. She had a rough game missing all five of her attempts from the field, but still enjoyed the moment.

West coach Cheryl Reeve put her back in the lineup with a few seconds left to get one final ovation from the fans.

Parker's stellar game helped the league overcome the loss of Brittney Griner and top vote-getter Elena Delle Donne, who sat out because of injuries. The pair have been an attendance and ratings boon for the league.

Griner has missed Phoenix's last five games with a sprained left knee and Delle Donne suffered a concussion in Chicago's game Wednesday. They were poised to make history as the first pair of rookies from the same class to start the WNBA All-Star game.

But Griner sat on the bench, while Delle Donne recovered at home in Delaware.

"It hurts not being able to play, but I'm having a lot of fun just cheering," Griner said.

Even though the rookies couldn't play, the WNBA had seven other first-time All-Stars in the game. That didn't even include Parker.

Despite joking before the game that she was "too old" to dunk, Parker threw down a few in warmups.

After a quiet first half, she helped rally the West after the break. With her team trailing by 11 early in the third quarter, Parker scored seven straight points. After the foul by Tamika Catchings, Parker flexed her muscles and used a nifty stutter-step from the wing for an easy layup. Parker finished off her run with another lay-in.

After Sparks teammate Kristi Toliver hit back-to-back 3-pointers to the tie game, Ivory Latta hit her own 3-pointers to give the East an 81-74 advantage heading into the final period.

Parker, who finished with 11 rebounds, and Toliver wouldn't let the West lose for the fourth time in the past five All-Star games. Parker broke Swin Cash's All-Star game record of 22 points with a layup midway through the fourth quarter.

East coach Lin Dunn, who it was announced will be inducted into the women's basketball Hall of Fame next year, joked that there was a simple reason her team came up short.

"They had Candace and we didn't," she said laughing.

Trailing 100-98 with 30 seconds left, the East had a chance to take the lead, but Cappie Pondexter missed a 3-pointer. Parker got the rebound and Toliver sealed the win by hitting two free throws.

"I see it every day," Parker said of her Sparks teammate. "She's one of the best shooters ever. I was proud of the way she came out and played within herself."

Toliver, who was playing in her first All-Star game, scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half to help the West rally.

"Being here this weekend was a lot of joy," she said. It was humbling to be here but I feel like I belong."

The game also featured the return of referee cam, with Lamont Simpson wearing a device that looks like a pair of glasses. The veteran official caught a pre-game dance off between the East and West. Maya Moore floored the sell-out crowd by breaking out the old-school dance move the worm. She repeated the move when she was introduced as a starter.

Simpson admitted that after he first wore the ref cam in June, he received a lot of emails and texts from friends.

In the fourth quarter, Simpson approached Latta on the court and joked that "there's never been a technical foul in the history of the All-Star game."

In another first, the game was coached by two women for the only time in its 11-year history. Lin Dunn of Indiana coached the East and Reeve of Minnesota was in charge of the West.

Reeve had four Minnesota Lynx players on her West squad. Moore and Seimone Augustus were voted as starters. Reeve chose Lynx center Rebekkah Brunson to replace Griner in the starting lineup.

Minnesota point guard Lindsay Whalen was the first sub in for the West, replacing Taurasi. That produced four Lynx players, who also were on the 2011 All-Star team, on the court at the same time.

The four Lynx stars combined for 24 of the West's 29 points in the first quarter.

___

Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parker-scores-record-23-lead-west-over-east-214935002.html

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If you're getting a Chromecast, here's everything you need to know!

The Google Chromecast is one of the hot tickets in the tech world right now, and while it has somewhat limited functionality compared to something like an Apple TV, there's a lot to be said for it. It's only $35 for starters, and has cross-platform functionality ? though Google's idea of cross-platform is still limited to ChromeOS and the Chrome browser, iOS and Android. That's great news for us however, as with Netflix and YouTube initially ? and likely Google Play Music when it finally makes the jump to iOS ? supported already, we can get in on the action. So, if you're tempted, keep on scrolling for everything you need to know!

Setup

Our buddies over at Android Central have been playing with the Chromecast for a few days now, and have put together a pretty comprehensive setup guide. On Android there's a handy app available in Google Play to help you get going, but if you're going to be using your Chromecast with your Mac and or your iOS device, you'll need to use the Mac to get setup. Head over to the Google Chromecast page where you'll find a download link for the Chromecast app for your Mac. Once installed, it's a matter of a few simple steps to get your Chromecast dongle set up on your home WiFi network, and then you should be good to go.

• Download Now - Google Chromecast app for Mac
• Chromecast setup and first impressions

Playing your content on your TV

Andrew from Android Central has put together a great walkthrough video on what to do when you're up and running with your Chromecast in order to get your stuff onto your TV. Though demonstrated on an Android device, the basic principles are pretty much the same on iOS, so it's definitely worth a watch.

Netflix is one of the initial partners for Chromecast, and Android Central's Jerry Hildenbrand has tested things out with the Netflix iOS app, and all appears well so far. When your YouTube and Netflix apps are on the same networks as your Chromecast, you should see the magic buttons appear in front of you.

Using the browser

Chromecast can mirror full screen browser tabs from your Mac or PC to your TV in the same way you mirror content from your mobile device. This is very similar to the AirPlay we know and love, though only works for content within the confines of Chrome on your computer. And, with the Google Cast Chrome extension installed, you can also beam YouTube videos over directly from the browser. Pretty neat.

• Download Now - Google Cast Chrome extension

Jump into the forums!

The Android Central forums are buzzing about the Chromecast right now, and is without a doubt the best place you can go to get tips and tricks, share your own thoughts, and generally jump into some great discussions about Google's $35 dongle. As more folks get their hands on one, and more services partner up, the discussions will only get better. And, with your Mobile Nations Passport, you can just head on over there and get started!

• Join in the discussion in the Android Central Chromecast forums!

Your thoughts

If you've already picked up a Chromecast, or are planning on doing so soon, we'd like to hear your thoughts on it. What is it that attracts you to it, that makes it a compelling purchase for you? In particular, what drives you to the Chromecast over something such as an Apple TV? We'd love to hear from you!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/XXabpLhLFeY/story01.htm

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Reports: Syrian Troops, Hezbollah Consolidate Gains in Homs

Syrian government forces backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are reported to be consolidating their control over a key rebel district in the strategic central city of Homs.

State-run television broadcast live coverage Sunday from Khaldiyeh, an embattled northern neighborhood in Homs, saying the army now controlled most of the area. Video showed extensive destruction, including rubble-strewn streets and bodies it says were of fighters.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported that "the army and Hezbollah control a major part of Khaldiyeh after having gained ground over the past 24 hours."

The opposition Syrian National Coalition dismissed the reported military advances in Khaldiyeh as "fictitious victories," accusing the government of having extensively bombed the area. The SNC said what it called a "tactical withdrawal" by Free Syrian Army fighters is "not indicative of [President Bashar] al-Assad?s ability to maintain control over the area."

On Saturday, pro-government forces captured the ancient Khalid Ibn al-Walid Mosque in Khaldiyeh, which rebels had controlled for more than a year.

The mosque was a focal point of the anti-government uprising and had been the launch pad for several anti-government demonstrations.

Syrian rebels have controlled much of Homs since the civil war broke out more than two years ago. The main highway from Damascus to the north and Mediterranean coast runs through the city, which is also close to the Lebanese border.

Meanwhile, the SNC, Syria's main exiled opposition group, condemned the reported execution of scores of government soldiers by rebels in a northern Syrian village several days ago and said it was forming a commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.
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Syrian activists say rebels killed 150 government soldiers, some after they surrendered, last week in the village of Khan al-Assal, outside Aleppo, the country's largest city.

The SNC said initial reports showed "armed groups" not affiliated with the main rebel coalition were involved. It did not elaborate, but the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front says its fighters participated in the battle.

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/report-says-syrian-troops-hezbollah-consolidate-gains-in-homs/1711770.html

tmz

Dear 2013 NFL Season: HURRY UP AND GET HERE!

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Judge deliberates in GI's WikiLeaks trial

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) ? A military judge is deliberating the fate of an Army private accused of aiding the enemy by engineering a high-volume leak of U.S. secrets to WikiLeaks.

Prosecutors argue that Pfc. Bradley Manning is a glory-seeking traitor. His lawyers say Manning is a naive whistleblower who was horrified by wartime atrocities but didn't know that the material he leaked would end up in the hands of al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

Army Col. Denise Lind began deliberating Friday after nearly two months of conflicting evidence and arguments about the 25-year-old intelligence analyst. A military judge, not a jury, is hearing the case at Manning's request.

Lind said she will give a day's public notice before reconvening the court-martial to announce her findings. The most serious charge is aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence in prison.

Manning's supporters say that a conviction would have a chilling effect on government accountability by deterring people from disclosing official secrets to journalists. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in a telephone press conference Friday that if Manning is convicted of aiding the enemy, it will be "the end of national security journalism in the United States."

He accused the Obama administration of a "war on whistleblowers" and a "war on journalism."

Prosecutors contend Manning knew the material would be seen across the globe, including by bin Laden, when he started the leaks in late 2009. Manning said he didn't' start leaking until February 2010.

"Worldwide distribution, that was his goal," said the military's lead prosecutor, Maj. Ashden Fein. "Pfc. Manning knew the entire world included the enemy, from his training. He knew he was giving it to the enemy, specifically al-Qaida."

During closing arguments, defense attorney David Coombs said Manning was negligent in releasing classified material but lacked the "evil intent" that prosecutors must prove to convict him of aiding the enemy.

After Coombs finished his three-hour-long argument, there was a smattering of applause from Manning supporters, who were quickly hushed by the judge.

Meanwhile, Lind banned one of Manning's most visible supporters from the trial Friday "to prevent harm or intimidation" of trial participants. An Army spokeswoman said the subject was a member of the media who posted threatening messages online. Clark Stoeckley, a college art instructor from New Jersey, confirmed he was the one booted.

Stoeckley attended the court-martial as a sketch artist, arriving each day in a white box truck with bold words painted on the sides: "WikiLeaks TOP SECRET Mobile Information Collection Unit."

A tweet Thursday night from an account Stoeckley used said: "I don't know how they sleep at night but I do know where." It was removed Friday and Stoeckley told The Associated Press on Twitter he couldn't comment.

Inside the courtroom, a few spectators smiled ? as did Manning ? when Coombs mocked the testimony of a former supervisor who had said Manning told her the American flag meant nothing to him and that she suspected before they deployed to Iraq that Manning was a spy. Coombs noted that she had not written up a report on Manning's alleged disloyalty, though had written ones on him taking too many smoke breaks and drinking too much coffee.

Manning also faces federal espionage, theft and computer fraud charges. The Crescent, Okla., native has acknowledged giving WikiLeaks some 700,000 battlefield reports, diplomatic cables and videos. But he says he didn't believe the information would harm troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.

After his arrest in May 2010, Manning was held alone for nine months in a windowless cell 23 hours a day, sometimes with no clothing. Jailers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., said they considered him a suicide risk. Lind later ruled Manning had been illegally punished and should get 112 days off any prison sentence he receives.

Coombs' courtroom style was usually deferential and mild-mannered, but he ratcheted up his comments for the closing arguments.

Coombs called the government's final remarks "a diatribe ... fictional ... fantastical," and said it leaped to conclusions and contradicted itself in areas where prosecutors could not prove something with facts.

The defense attorney also countered one of Fein's arguments that attempted to show Manning was seeking fame: A photo Manning took of himself, smiling in front of a mirror while on leave in Maryland. Fein said it showed a "gleeful, grinning" Manning who was proud to have leaked documents and to be "on his way to notoriety," which he wanted.

Coombs asked the judge to take a closer look at the photo, pointing out that Manning was wearing makeup and a bra.

"What you see is a young man who is cross-dressing," Coombs said as Manning's face tightened slightly in a pained look.

"Maybe, just maybe ... he is happy to be himself for that moment," Coombs said of Manning's struggle to fit into the military at a time he was confused about his gender identity and serving openly was illegal for gays.

Coombs also showed three snippets of video from a 2007 U.S. Apache helicopter attack that Manning leaked, showing troops firing on a small crowd of men on a Baghdad sidewalk, killing several civilians, including a Reuters news photographer and his driver. Coombs said the loss of civilian lives shocked and horrified the young soldier.

"You have to look at that from the point of view of a guy who cared about human life," Coombs said.

The verdict and any sentence will be reviewed, and could be reduced, by the commander of the Military District of Washington, currently Maj. Gen. Jeffery S. Buchanan.

___

Associated Press writer Jessica Gresko in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/judge-deliberates-gis-wikileaks-trial-071825287.html

rob dyrdek

Researchers Reveal How Great White Sharks Store Energy

New findings provide novel insights into the biology of these ocean predators.

Written by Rob Jordan

Great white sharks are not exactly known as picky eaters, so it might seem obvious that these voracious predators would dine often and well on their migrations across the Pacific Ocean. But not so, according to new research by scientists at Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The researchers' findings, published July 17 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, reveal previously unknown details of how great white sharks power themselves and stay buoyant on non-stop trips of more than 2,500 miles. The discoveries have potentially broad implications for conservation and management of coastal waters.

"We have a glimpse now of how white sharks come in from nutrient-poor areas offshore, feed where elephant seal populations are expanding ? much like going to an Outback Steakhouse ? and store the energy in their livers so they can move offshore again," said researcher Barbara Block, a professor of marine sciences and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. "It helps us understand how important their near-shore habitats are as fueling stations for their entire life history."

Just as bears put on fat to keep them going through long months of hibernation, ocean-going mammals such as whales and sea lions build up blubber to burn on their long migrations. Until now, little was known about how sharks, which carry fat in their massive livers rather than external blubber, make similar voyages.

In a study initiated by a summer project of Stanford undergraduate student Gen Del Raye, researchers first looked at a well-fed juvenile great white shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They documented over time a steady increase in buoyancy as the shark's body mass increased, presumably due to the addition of stored oils in its liver.

The researchers then turned to detailed data records from electronically tagged white sharks free-swimming in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Using these data, which include location, depth and water temperature, the scientists identified periods of "drift diving," a common behavior of marine animals in which they passively descend while momentum carries them forward like underwater hang gliders.

By measuring the rate at which sharks sink during drift dives, the researchers were able to estimate the amount of oil in the animals' livers, which accounts for up to a quarter of their body weight. A quicker descent meant less oil was present to provide buoyancy. A slower descent equated with more oil.

"Sharks face an interesting dilemma," said Sal Jorgensen, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "They carry a huge store of energy in the form of oil in their massive livers, but they also depend on that volume of oil for buoyancy. So, if they draw on those reserves, they become heavier and heavier."

Buoyancy consistently decreased over the course of each studied shark's migration, indicating a gradual but steady depletion of oil in the liver. In other words, they were primarily running on energy stored up before they embarked on their journeys.

"The most difficult thing about this research was finding a way to bring all of the different sources of data together into a coherent and robust story," said Del Raye.

Part of that story is the importance of calorie-stocked coastal feeding grounds, not just for mammals such as whales, but also for sharks readying for long-distance migrations. Could the same be true for other ocean animals such as sea turtles and a variety of fish? The study may help answer that question too through a novel technological approach that can be applied to ongoing studies of other large marine animals.

Rob Jordan is the communications writer for the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.?

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Source: http://menlopark-atherton.patch.com/groups/summer/p/researchers-reveal-how-great-white-sharks-store-energy

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Catholics hear pope's call to shake up church

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ? In the thick of his historic visit to Brazil this week, Pope Francis urged young Catholics to make a "mess" in their dioceses and break out of their spiritual cages.

Francis' exhortation during a special meeting with Argentine faithful on Thursday, won him acclaim as a renegade leader of the world's biggest church. But it also left many of his followers with their own interpretations of the pontiff's words about the need to shake up the church.

Some said they thought Francis wanted them to object more forcefully when taught ideas that clash with church doctrine. Others said it meant hitting the streets and pushing for social change.

"If in my biology class they speak about abortion, I should raise my hand and say I don't believe in that," said Maria Alejandrina de Dicindio, a 54-year-old Argentine catechism teacher who had traveled to Rio to see her pope, a fellow Argentine. "The youth should open their mouths when it's their turn."

For Mexican pilgrim Gilberto Amado Hernandez, the pope's message meant he should start showing the world Jesus Christ's message of love.

"It's difficult to meet young people who want to get close to Christ," Amado said. "We have to show them that faith is something beautiful."

Francis himself didn't specify what to do, but he has displayed his own mold-breaking ways throughout this week's visit to Rio de Janeiro and rural Sao Paulo state, his first overseas trip as pope.

The first pontiff from the Americas worried security officials by riding through massive crowds atop an open-sided popemobile rather than the fully enclosed, bulletproof vehicle his last two predecessors used. He's also ventured straight up to well-wishers to kiss babies and bless children and met privately Friday with juvenile offenders.

While speaking to his fellow Argentines Thursday, Francis said Catholics should make a concerted effort to get outside their own worlds.

"I want to see the church get closer to the people," he told them. "I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures, because these need to get out."

His final message: "Don't forget: make trouble."

In his own way, he lived those words as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, before being selected as pope in March.

Then known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future pope largely abandoned the kinds of luxuries favored by other high-ranking church officials. He rented out the archbishop's luxurious suburban mansion, living instead in a spartan room in a downtown church office building. He also rode subways and buses around town rather than keep a chauffeur.

Francis' visit to a Rio slum on Thursday wasn't his first such venture. He made regular unescorted trips to dangerous slums as archbishop and saw to it that every major "misery village" in Buenos Aires had a chapel and a priest to spread the Lord's word.

He also encouraged young people and the laity to take on leadership roles in parishes that were previously held by priests, so that church members would have much more say in what happens in their communities. Though the Catholic Church openly supported Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship, Francis later approved sainthood investigations for priests who were killed by the military government.

Yet biographer Sergio Rubin said Francis the archbishop also had a very keen sense of politics and took care to act prudently, choosing his battles and avoiding challenging superiors in ways that would backfire.

He wasn't so gleeful and devoted to the crowd, seemingly mindful that he didn't yet have the power to make a big splash in the church, according to an Argentine Catholic official who asked not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to talk publicly about church politics.

Instead, Francis molded the church in Argentina in quieter ways by recruiting and promoting a new generation of outgoing priests in his own model, and not only fellow Jesuits used to living among lay people.

His replacement as archbishop, Mario Poli, had impressed Bergoglio by earning a degree in social work from the public University of Buenos Aires. In a book of dialogues with a friendly rabbi, Francis said, "This is a much better situation, because in the (university) you become acquainted with real life, the different points of view there are about it, the different scientific aspects, cosmopolitanism. . It's a way of having your feet well planted in the earth."

The shake-up message is also one he's applying as pope to the Vatican's staid and dysfunctional bureaucracy. Francis has made clear that big change is on the way, naming commissions of inquiry to investigate the scandals at the Vatican bank and propose an overarching reform of the entire central governance of the Catholic Church.

The pontiff has dived into crowds that have greeted him at the Vatican and in Brazil.

During two raucous rides down Copacabana beach, he's waved, smiled and stopped repeatedly to accept gifts thrown at him from the crowd. At one point, Francis gave away his own white skullcap and put on another one tossed in from the street.

For Argentine student Ana Paula Garrote, Francis was showing Catholics they needed to live that type of spirit.

"For me, the pope wanted to say that we should go out into the streets, not stay in the parishes, and not be ashamed of talking about God," Garrote said.

___

Michael Warren reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writer Marco Sibaja contributed to this report from Rio de Janeiro.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/catholics-hear-popes-call-shake-church-070731053.html

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