Lakers…11th win streak?

The Lakers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night here in Los Angeles. So did they get their 11th game or did they have to settle just for 10?

Although Kobe fractured his finger in the first quarter he was able to get 20pts and help the Lakers get their 11th game win!!!

ESPN says, Bryant scored 20 points despite wearing a splint on his index finger in the second half, and the Lakers wrapped up the generous portion of their schedule with their 11th straight victory, 104-92 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. Bryant hurt himself while reaching for a pass late in the first quarter, and he played through it briefly before leaving in the second quarter to get X-rays and a halftime splint. The break isn’t his first avulsion fracture, in which a small piece of bone tears away near a ligament or tendon. Although Bryant believes he’ll be fine to play on the Lakers’ five-game road trip starting Saturday at Utah, his injury was the only real blemish on the final win in an outstanding start for the defending champions, who improved the NBA’s best record to 18-3 while finishing a cushy season-opening stretch with 17 of their first 21 games at home Bryant hurt himself while reaching for a pass late in the first quarter, and he played through it briefly before leaving in the second quarter to get X-rays and a halftime splint. The break isn’t his first avulsion fracture, in which a small piece of bone tears away near a ligament or tendon.

With Kobe with a fractured finger the Lakers still have to play the Utah Jazz tomorrow night in Utah and lets hope he will be ok. He’s a strong man and he’s going to pull it through.

Congratulations to my Lakers on getting that 11 lets hope for as many as we can and go all the way. Good luck to them for tomorrow night!

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=291211013

Gold PS3 is gold

wow a gold ps3? can this really be possible? what do you think?

yahoo says, What do you get the gamer who has everything?

Answer: this 24-karat gold-plated Playstation 3, which comes complete with two matching controllers and a one-year warranty.

This sounds amazing right? Not for long when the article also states, You might want to consider a second mortgage first, though: pricing starts at (yes, starts at) $4999. And we thought the PS3 was expensive when it launched at $500.

If that doesn’t quite do it for you, the same supplier also offers a mighty snazzy gold-and-black Blackberry Tour 9630, starting at a mere $899. There’s that worrying “starts at” again. The menu also includes platinum-plated iMacs — no home’s complete without one — and promises a jewel-encrusted limited-edition PS3 will be on sale in a few weeks.

Who would be out of their mind to buy a ps3 for five grand? I know im not. that’s insane!! I think the Sony company doesn’t know how to take peoples money anymore so now they are trying to come up with whatever they can to sell.

Kobe leads All-Star balloting!!

Today Yahoo news announced, The NBA released its first returns for the All-Star Game, to be held Feb. 14, 2010 at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and, once again, it appears as though China really wants to see Tracy McGrady.

With just a couple months left, theres now 37 days left to vote for the all-star game. Today they announced Kobe has the leading votes with 692,518. That is just incredible. Lets hope he is not the only Laker in the All star-game next year.

Some players also making a return with surprising votes are Tracy and Iverson. Most of Tracy’s votes are coming from China. It is said that his votes are also helping back other rockets in the ballots likes Aaron Brooks which has more votes than Deron Williams!!

This is a sneak peak on how the votes are going:

In non-head-scratching news, Kobe Bryant is the overall leader with 692,518 votes and, naturally, first among West guards. Carmelo Anthony, the league’s leading scorer, paces forwards in the West (588,958) with the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki (366,300) second. Amar’e Stoudemire (447,776) is the leading vote-getter among Western centers, with the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum trailing some 150,000 votes.

Over in the East, Dwyane Wade is the leading vote-getter in the conference with 672,227 votes, followed by the Magic’s Vince Carter (292,002). LeBron James leads all Eastern forwards with 649,327 votes, followed by Kevin Garnett (533,187), who, somewhat surprisingly, has over 200,000 more votes than Chris Bosh. Dwight Howardbrings home the centers with 625,279 votes. No one else is even close.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Kobe-leads-All-Star-balloting-McGrady-A-I-ine?urn=nba,207966

Artest: Fame led to frustration, drinking

Early this week i heard something that really caught my attention. I hate Ron Artest and i hate him being on my team. When i heard news about him i wasnt so interested till i heard he admitted to drinking while playing with the Chicago Bulls. My first thought was, “ugh that guy just loves getting attention.”

In an article on ESPN he says now he is trying to clarify the comments he made about drinking. The article states “Excerpts of an interview Artest did with the Sporting News for its Dec. 7 issue were released in advance and included Artest saying: “I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime. I [kept it] in my locker. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it.” I really dont know who would even say this in the first place. come one this is something u keep to yourself. Phil Jackson said it was common he probably isnt the only guy who did that so why did who do it?

Artest, who played for the Bulls from 1999 to 2002, was a guest Thursday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000 Chicago, and he said he was trying to portray himself as an example of how not to handle pressure.

Artest stated, “”The whole point of it was to let people know I was not proud of how I was as a youngster, and how immature I was. I think the guy released the part of the story that was going to sell the newspapers.”I think when the story comes out, it will show how I was not proud of how I was during my younger days in the NBA. But I think in order to get everybody interested in actually buying the paper, I think they just released all these power points, so to speak.”

So was all this for attention or did the guy really do it to sell the paper? i believe that whether it was to sell or not Artest shouldnt had talked about this anyway. Ron Artest is not the only player to do this and he probably wont be the last but he just has to stop making such a big commotion about everything.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=4710394&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has leukemia

Can i just say WOW? The other day i was watching LTV on Kcal 9 waiting for the Laker game to start, then Jim Hill and James Worthy mentioned that Kareem was diagnosed with leukemia. I didnt know what think i was in complete shock. Then they passed a video of him talking saying he was scare because his friend found out he had leukemia and then 4 weeks later after he found out he was dead. Luckily hes is not that serious because they caught it early and they can’t cure it but they can control it.

In an article it states, Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is battling leukemia, and says his prognosis is “very good.” It also says, The retired Los Angeles Lakers center — the National Basketball Association’s greatest all-time scorer — was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare blood and bone marrow cancer, last December. Kareem said on GMA on Tuesday, “I heard the word ‘leukemia,’ and I thought this was definitely a death sentence,”  adding that his first thought was of his friend Bruno Kirby, who died of a different form of leukemia in 2006.

Many people and close friends were very shocked to hear this. former player Byron Scott was also very shocked with the news. This is what he had to say about it, “I saw it at 6 o’clock in the morning,  turned on ESPN and saw ‘Breaking news, ‘ said Scott,  who played with the Lakers for 11 seasons and has called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a friend since coming to the NBA in 1983. “‘The Captain’ has a form of leukemia. I was totally shocked by it,  and probably even more shocked that he had been dealing with it for the past 11 months. Again,  this is somebody I’ve got a great relationship with and spent a lot of time with. So,  obviously,  I want to give him a call and talk to him and see how he’s feeling.”

I know many people specially those who have been Laker fans for quiet a while are shocked by it. I know i am. I also know that Kareem is going to be ok. It was just shocking knowing that a guy you have seen around with the team you love is now battling with leukemia. Im 20 and ive been a Laker fan since i was maybe 7 or 8. It’s definetly ground breaking news to me but hes an awesome guy who ive been lucky enough to only meet only  once and i know he is going to be alright. Mr Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not going anywhere. If Magic did it so can he!!!

Sources:http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2009/11/byron_scott_stunned_to_hear_of.html

http://www.fox28.com/global/story.asp?s=11484251

League-wide retirement of No. 23 seems unlikely

Lebron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers spoke thursday after a game saying he might change his number next season to number 6. He is currently wearing no. 23. According to a yahoo news article,  James said on Thursday that he is considering switching his number next season and wants other players to do the same in honor of Jordan, the Hall of Famer who is often regarded as the league’s best player ever.

I think it might be a good idea but theres other players in the NBA also wearing that number. 13 players in the NBA including Kevin Martin (Sacramento), Stephen Graham (Charlotte), C.J. Watson (Golden State), Marcus Camby (Los Angeles Clippers), Jodie Meeks (Milwaukee), Devin Brown (New Orleans), Lou Williams (Philadelphia), Jason Richardson (Phoenix), Martell Webster (Portland) and Wesley Matthews (Utah), Byron Mullens (Oklahoma City), Toney Douglas (Knicks), and Lebron James (Cleveland).

If Lebron thinks is a good idea for him then he can go ahead and change it but dont make other players try to change it just because he is trying to honor MJ. For example, Knicks rookie Toney Douglas wasn’t so sure, saying he’s worn No. 23 since he was 3 years old. I dont think if hes worn that number since he was 3 he would like to change it. i believe it depends on the player not on Lebron James trying to persuade them.

The article also states, Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and the NHL did the same with Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99, but that hasn’t been done in the NBA. Spokesman Tim Frank said on Saturday that “retiring a player’s number is a decision that has been made by the teams” and not the league.

Lebron James in my opinion, is just trying to get attention. He also mention last week how he wouldnt mind being a Laker and wanted to play with Kobe. If you’re a star like him you wouldnt want to play with another star. To me hes just trying to find the easy way out to get the ring and not work for it.

The 23 will sure bring disagreement among players because not everyone agrees with it. They shouldnt because is a players decision whether to do it or not. It would be a nice gesture but they shouldnt feel pressured to do it if the league doesnt enforce it.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091114/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_lebron_jordan_s_number

Ticket for no speaking english?

Today i was at home watching the news on channel 5 and i heard something about a police giving a lady a ticket because she didnt speak english. So i decided to look more into it because it seemed really ridiculous to me.

This is what i found. Ernestina Mondrago was willing to pay for making an illegal  u turn  and driving without a licence but then she couldnt understand why she got a ticket for speaking spanish. They say shes really angry and the Dallas police department is now embarrassed.

The ticket says she got 3 but the last one said “A non english driver.” The police says it is not illegal to drive in Dallas if u dont speak english so why did they do that? They says the police officer was in training but that doesnt mean he doesnt know the laws right? Hes suppose to know its legal to drive even if u dont speak english.

The federal law does say ur suppose to speak english to drive a commercial car not a private one.

The chief mentions in the video that they believe it was a mistake but in an article it states, “Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said this afternoon that his officers have written at least 39 citations to people over the past three years for not speaking English.” So was it a mistake? I dont think so. The supervisor of the officer in training was there when the ticket was issued so theyre wondering why he didnt catch that. Nw they are going to review all his tickets in the upcoming days.

The citation was removed after saying that it was a mistake. Now Dallas news says, “Apologizing publicly to the city’s Spanish-speaking community, the chief said all officers and supervisors involved will be investigated for dereliction of duty. All pending citations will be dismissed, and people who paid fines will be reimbursed.” I hope this never happens again. My parents dont speak english and if this was to happen to them ill be furious. It’s not making a mistake its called racism.

Source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-citations_23met.ART.State.Edition2.4bac015.html?nTar=OPUR

World’s Most Expensive Cruise Ship

In December, travelers will be able to board a $1.4 billion ship five years in the making. According to Forbes.com, “After five years of planning and construction, Royal Caribbean is unveiling the Oasis of the Seas, a $1.4 billion ship that will be the largest and tallest cruise liner in the world when it takes its maiden voyage this December. At 1,184 feet from stem to stern, it’s nearly as long as the Empire State building is tall–while rivaling the amenities of any world-class Las Vegas resort. A crew of roughly 2,160 will man 18 decks and tend to 5,400 passengers (assuming two per room).”

The article also states that for now, the Oasis will feature two main routes. From December 2009 to April 2010, the ship will sail seven nights from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. Then, beginning May 2010, it will sail from Ft. Lauderdale to Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico. Prices start at $729 for interior rooms, per person, based on double occupancy. For a steeper price, there are multi-level loft suites available with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Wow i couldnt believe this! A 1.4 billion cruise? I thought the economy was bad but i guess it wasnt that bad. The prices for the ship arent that bad but  in my opinion the cruise is too big. Didnt they learn anything from the Titanic? I hope nothing goes wrong with this ship like it did with Titanic but it is too big. The ship looks very nice from the inside though. It has a shopping center, and family place and they are planning to have a pool where they want to put professional to do stunts. It will be a blast to be in there but i wouldnt do it for anything in the world. So if u plan on aborting this ship later in the future… GOOD LUCK!

Source:http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/15/most-expensive-cruise-lifestyle-travel-ship-royal-caribbean.html?partner=yahoobuzz

Marge makes the cover of Playboy for ‘The Simpsons’ 20th anniversary

“Marge Simpson has done something that Homer might not like but will make Bart the proudest kid in his school: She’s posed for Playboy magazine.” as is stated in the daily news. After more than a half century featuring women like Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford and the Girls of Hooters on its cover, Playboy has for the first time given the spot to a cartoon character. Marge is also getting a 2 page centerfold. They dont exactly say how much of Marge they will show on the new Nov edition but it hits the stands Oct 16. They say they are doing this because for Playboy, which has seen its circulation slip from 3.15 million to 2.6 million since 2006, putting Marge on the cover was designed to attract younger readers to a magazine where the median age of readers is 35, while not alienating older readers.

Maybe the creators think it’s a good idea because they are trying to make money but also what if a younger audience want to see it? parents are going to get upset sooner or later that they have a big cartoon character on a playboy magazine cover. I cant decide whether this was a good idea or not. I do know though that playboy shouldnt had used Marge for it. Maybe another cartoon character that is not as big as Marge would be less controversial for some parents.

 

Source:http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13525780?source=rss

Anti-Wi-Fi paint keeps your wireless signal to yourself…

Don’t like the idea of your neighbors rudely snooping on the wireless signal you slaved to pay for from the lazy comfort of their living room? According to yahoo news, “It’s not just about slowing down your connection; while they’re downloading Mad Menvia bittorrent, you could be on the hook for their actions. Wireless security and encryption systems are fraught with problems and insecurity, and other methods to restrict your signal to a small area are cumbersome at best.”

Now Researchers say they have created a special kind of paint which can block out wireless signals. Security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network – without having to set up encryption.The paint contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi – or other radio waves – meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked.By coating an entire room, signals can’t get in and, crucially, can’t get out.Developed at the University of Tokyo, the paint could cost as little as £10 per kilogram, researchers say.

I think this might be a good idea to some people but somehow i feel it will bring problems in the future. It might be a great idea right now but people are going to find a way to get ur wi-fi sooner or later. They wont be able to access ur wireless network but also think about this, you, inside the house, won’t be able to interlope on anything beamed on the outside. What if one day u need another persons wireless network? u wont be able to do it. I wouldnt recommend this paint unless you are a very stingy person. Sooner or later you’re going to b in need and guess what? You wont be able to get wi-fi because u painted your house with anti Wi-Fi paint!

Also, researchers say, “The paint isn’t just of interest to those concerned about wireless leaking out of the building. Movie theaters have long been interested in finding a legal way to keep cell phones silent during screenings. Electronic jammers that actively block wireless signals are illegal, but passive materials that prevent wireless signals from getting through are not. Since the wireless-blocking paint can also block the lower-frequency signals that cell phones use, addled mobile junkies would have no outlet for reaching the outside world.” This should be interesting if they do it. I wonder what people have to say about this? Would this be a good idea or are they just going to be wasting more money?

Source:http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/151779