A stunning speech by Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., today.
Sure, he might have been drunk. Sure, he’s a lame duck who decided to not run for reelection. But for the first time in a long time, I’m proud to say I’m from R.I. I don’t care what the Internet trolls say. Patches spewed some fire and brimstone the likes of which nobody in my generation has ever seen from Congress. That’s at least worth something, right?
Filed under news
A snapshot of Google Trends in action
You’re obviously late to the Internet party if you haven’t realized Google owns the world. As the leading search engine, the amount of information it gathers on multiple levels is stupefying.
One thing that is relatively unknown for the average user, however, is the fact that you — sitting lazily on your La-Z-Boy — can pretty much keep your finger on the pulse of what your hometown, your state, your country or the world is thinking about (and, thus, searching for) at any particular moment.
Google Trends is one window into the strange Internet universe, and sometimes what you’ll see in the top ten searches can get downright weird.
After tracking it for a few days, you begin to learn about our Internet-dwelling populace — how much television people really watch (a lot), how much smut people like to read (a lot), and why news organizations are starting to pitch infotainment BS to the people instead of real news (guess which category you’ll find dominating the list).
I’ve got a Trends widget installed on my iGoogle page that updates on the hour what people in the U.S. want to know, so let’s take a foray into searches that are showing as “hot,” “spicy,” or the pinnacle — “volcanic” — here at 5:30 p.m. on this Tuesday evening:
Courtesy Drunkathlete.com
#3) Amber Hanley
Hotness rating: ON FIRE
I guess all you need to do if you’re a random college coed looking for fame is to find yourself in the same room as a highly intoxicated and horny Steelers quarterback in the “VIP” section of a rural Georgia bar. Here’s a clip from the latest report from the National Enquirer CBS News (???):
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (CBS/AP) — Amber Hanley, a 21-year-old college student who met NFL star Ben Roethlisberger in a Georgia bar, says the Steeelers (nice typo CBS) quarterback wanted more than a just a cute photo with the young co-ed, but she just rolled her eyes and moved on, earning a tongue lashing from Big Ben.
Later, she says, Roethlisberger was hitting hard on another girl.
Illegal, poor taste or just drunk fun?
Filed under gonzo
Empty seats have been plentiful at Firestone Fieldhouse this year. (Photo | Marc Choquette)
From pepperdinesports.com —
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Pepperdine men’s basketball team gave a strong performance and was just one three-point attempt at the buzzer away from overtime, but the Waves fell just short against rival Loyola Marymount, 87-84, in a first-round West Coast Conference Tournament game on Friday night.
After falling behind by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Waves rallied back to give themselves a chance at the end. The Waves got the ball back down by three with 15.1 seconds left, but a three-point attempt from the right wing by junior forward Mychel Thompson (Portland, Ore./Stoneridge Prep) had to be rushed at the buzzer and missed the mark.
So that’s it for Waves basketball this season … and it really couldn’t come soon enough. After a decent showing in their non-conference schedule highlighted with a win over Utah, the Waves went 3-0 in conference play before free-falling and losing their last twelve in a row.
This was supposed to be the year the Waves were due to get back on track. While expectations weren’t high, many were expecting them to surpass last year’s win total of 9, but instead the squad finished at a dismal 7-24, one of the worst records in Division 1 basketball.
I’m not sure this result can really be put on the athletic department, or coach Asbury and his staff. Both are doing the best they can, in my opinion, considering the circumstances and … speculating … budget restraints.
I think a lot of this comes down to recruiting, program stability and how much attention the regents & administration pay to this issue.
After much anticipation, the 2010 kits for U.S. Soccer were unveield today at Nike’s “Write History” summit in London. Some of the world’s best were on hand to show off the goods, and Nike Football’s Twitter was on rapid fire documenting today’s developments.
But first, a look at what the Yanks will be repping this summer in South Africa:
Photo courtesy Nike
My first reaction is that the sash looks awful. Supposedly, they are a tribute to a similar design the 1950 U.S. team sported (the squad that beat England in one of soccer’s biggest upsets of all-time).
But I like the navy color and red trim. Maybe the sash will grow on me in time, but this is doubtful.
Three criteria for the national kits were applied by Nike in the design — Performance, Pride and Environment. The latter is especially relevant, as each jersey is made from eight recycled plastic bottles.
Weird sash and bottles aside, the full-zip track jacket Onyewu is sporting looks pretty fresh. This is where my purchase will be going (if Nike doesn’t mark it up 500 percent — which they will).
Photo courtesy Nike
What do you think about the 2010 U.S. kits?
Filed under sports
The captivated crowd at Caffe Dello Sport
Just returned to Copley after venturing to the North End to view today’s Champions League matches.
Barcelona drew 1-1 at Stuttgart today, with Barca overcoming a poor showing in the first half to dominate possession in the second and got an important away goal from Ibrahimović in the 52nd minute to seal the draw.
Stuttgart took the lead off a brilliant header from Cacau midway through the opening frame and should have netted a few more if not for their inability to finish a few golden chances inside the box.
The two will resume play in two weeks at Nou Camp in Barcelona.
The other match featured Bordeaux stealing a 1-0 win at Greek squad Olympiacos. Michaël Ciani headed one in in first half extra time to give Bordeaux the lead. The French side fought off a furious effort by Olympiacos to draw the match even in extra time. The Greeks almost tied it in the 94th minute, but the referree disallowed the goal due to a foul committed in the box.
There was a good crowd at Caffe Dello Sport today, despite favorite Italian sides AC Milan having the week off and Inter-Milan welcoming Chelsea tomorrow in perhaps the most anticipated match of this year’s round of 16.
The cafe had both games on the tube, yet it was the Barcelona/Stuttgart match that drew the most attention. The crowd looked mostly international, mostly Italian and Spanish. The occasional poor call drew some heated debate in Italian over the numerous cups of espresso being consumed.
Overall, I would say the atmosphere was a bit livelier at the Phoenix Landing, but I definitely plan on coming back to the North End when Inter or AC Milan square off, because I have a feeling it will feel noticeably different from today’s matches.
Filed under sports
Photo courtesy Caffe Dello Sport website
After four great matches last week, the UEFA Champions League returns this week to complete the first leg of the knockout round.
Here are this week’s matches (all times EST) :
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24
I’ve decided to check out one of Boston’s other notable soccer bars (last week was Phoenix Landing in Cambridge) — Caffe Dello Sport in the North End.
This place was essentially ground zero for celebrations when Italy won the 2006 World Cup, when the North End was Italy West — with fireworks, champagne being poured into thirsty mouths from apartment balconies and mobs dancing in the streets.
Billed as a quintessential Italian cafe, they specialize more in strong espresso, paninis and limoncella shots than the Guinness and Fish ‘n Chips you’ll find at the Banshee or Phoenix Landing. Those on Yelp call it a good spot to hear the native Italian tongue and enjoy a nice cappuccino — that alongside some Champions League action sounds perfect for this rainy Tuesday.
I’ll be back to update, along with some pictures, later this afternoon. Grazie!
Filed under sports
10:30 a.m.
Commonwealth Ave. & Washington St.
Brighton
Looks like someone had a little too much fun Friday night.
Filed under random
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