Category: News

In the closest Heisman race ever, Toby Gerhart came up just 28 points short.

Alabama’s Mark Ingram, a running back, won college football’s most prestigious award Saturday night—he grabbed 1,304 points, while Gerhart placed second with 1,276. The difference was a mere 1.2 percent.

Texas’s Colt McCoy (1,276 points), Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh (815) and Florida’s Tim Tebow (390) rounded out the finalists, the largest group since 2004. The Heisman chase was the closest by 17 points—Bo Jackson beat Chuck Long by 45 in 1985.

Ingram ran for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns while leading Alabama to a No. 1 ranking and a BCS Championship Game appearance.

“I’m so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner,” said Ingram, who was emotional throughout his acceptance speech. The son of a former NFL wide receiver, Ingram is the third straight sophomore to win the trophy.

If Gerhart, who ran for 1,736 yards and 26 scores, was disappointed, it showed only minimally.

“It’s an honor to be here,” he said, unphased as Ingram posed with the trophy not 50 feet away. “It’s an honor to represent Stanford.”

The announcement, made at the Nokia Theater in New York, capped off one of the wildest Heisman races in recent memory, one that changed dramatically after championship weekend. Before Texas and Nebraska faced off for the Big 12 title and Florida and Alabama met for the SEC crown, McCoy led Gerhart, Tebow, Ingram and Suh, in that order. But after those two match ups, the dynamics of the race changed: with Gerhart off, Ingram and Suh turned in notable performances while McCoy and Tebow floundered. About 90 percent of the 904 voters turned in their ballots after those games, and the change in perception was reflected in the final results.

Ultimately, Ingram won four of the six regions—Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and South—while Suh took the Southwest and Gerhart won the Far West. Ingram won five more first place votes and eleven more second place votes than Gerhart, while McCoy and Gerhart tied for the most third place votes, beating Ingram by nine.

Gerhart, despite his razor-thin loss, was nothing but gracious in defeat.

“Mark’s a great guy,” he said. “I appreciate the way he plays. I’m a physical guy, he’s a physical guy, we can relate to each other.”

“He carried his team on his back,” he continued. “I’m extremely proud of him.”

More are coming your way from the VGA (yes, it’s definitely been a video-filled weekend). This time it’s the new trailer for Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. At the end of the video, the date May

2K Games is not about to be left out in the fun at the VGA 2009, bringing along with them their own little “surprise package” in the form of a new game announcement. It’s Spec Ops: The

More announcements are coming your way, thanks to the ongoing Video Game Awards. After the Batman Arkham Asylum 2 reveal, we have another hot sequel in the form of Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2.
 
 
 
 

I’m paying an unexpected visit to my ancestral home in Wisconsin this week to take care of my mother who is recovering from surgery. It’s been an interesting few days so far, what with various medical administrations, a big winter storm (snow plus lightning!) that prompted a power outage, loss of heat, followed by sub-zero temperatures. Not to mention a new not-quite-housebroken puppy. Oh, and frozen drain pipes.

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I don’t think anyone would dare oppose the notion that Batman: Arkham Asylum brought back the hero in the superhero video game genre. That’s why it’s certainly a most pleasant surprise when it was announced just earlier

The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) is a week in and so far there have been hundreds of protesters arrested during violent demonstrations and in better news actually some progress made with UN climate conference, Connie Hedegaard giving a midway conference status update on Saturday, saying that “We have made considerable progress over the course of the first week“.

Since we’re halfway in, now is a great time to catch up on the event and make sure you don’t miss what’s coming next. Check out the following Climate Change Conference resources for week 2.

Visit the official 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) website and view a calender of events, conference FAQ, climate facts, blogs and more. You can also view their webcast, follow what others are saying and blogging about via COP15 Twitter or catch the action on Facebook.

The New York Times, as you might have expected, has excellent conference web coverage dedicated to news from the Climate Talks. There’s a round-up of events, a multimedia section, and a whole lot more. Best of all you can submit your questions about the conference to Times’s reporters Andy Revkin and Tom Zeller Jr., both of whom are on the ground covering the talks, the protests, so fourth. If you submit your questions now there’s a chance the reporters will answer your question in a video feature early next week.

Read the first six days round-up.

Visit One Climate to see live-streaming news of the event.

Learn about the 5 issues you should be watching for at the conference plus see how the first week went.

Shea Gunther over at MNN discusses one of the most pertinent questions of the conference – “Do nations who have enjoyed the economic benefits of centuries of polluting owe a debt to now-developing countries they’re asking to grow greener?” A short but nice piece.

Which media have you been frequenting while following COP15 news?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

Stay up to date on Copenhagen week two

A lot of you got excited when it was confirmed that Japan’s mega-blockbuster hit, Pokemon Heartgold/ SoulSilver will be coming to the West come “Spring 2010.” Well, we’ve got another reason for you to get excited about,

San Francisco, California | Bizarre Restaurants and Bars

A nondescript building in an unglamorous neighborhood hides a secret, swanky, and historic bar. Visitors must have reservations or know the secret password to enter the unmarked door. Once inside they can pass through though a concealed bookshelf door from the main lounge to the Library, a smaller bar lined with books.

This particular building has functioned as a bar since 1867, nearly 150 years of serving libations. From 1921 to 1933, the speakeasy operated illegally through the Prohibition, and somehow managed to keep from being noticed by federal Prohibition Agents. Utilizing a connection with Canadian bootleggers in Vancouver, the establishment was never short on illegal spirits. Today, the speakeasy atmosphere of yesteryear is maintained, and in fact, expected under house rules.

“-Please Speak-Easy
-No Cell Phone Use
-No Standing At the Bar
-Don’t Even Think of Asking For A “Cosmo”
-Smokers, Use Back Door
-No Photography
-Please Be Patient, Our Drinks Are Labor Intensive
-Please Exit Bourbon & Branch Quietly”

Listed as “The Ipswitch: A Beverage Parlor” for the first few years of the National Prohibition, the business was soon purchased by a young Mr. John J. Russell. He opened his bar in the basement of the building, with “JJ Russell’s Cigar Shop” operating upstairs as the legitimate front. This particular incarnation lasted through 1935. It’s said that if one wanted to visit the bar, a knock on the cigar shop door and the correct utterance of the password were obligatory. Upon entering the shop, if a specific cigar was requested, a trap door would be opened, and the patron would be escorted downstairs to the speakeasy.

Still functional are the five secret underground tunnels once used by frequenters for a quick and safe exit. Allowing a low-key leave, the tunnels lead to Geary Street, Jones Street, two to O’Farrell Street, and one to Leavenworth Street, called “The Ladies Exit”. In addition to the concealed exits was a brass bell warning system installed in the bar that was connected to the cigar shop upstairs, in case of an emergency.

Today there are three separate rooms in which to enjoy the 1920s speakeasy atmosphere. The main room requires a reservation, but includes a table for seating and the full cocktail menu. If passing by Bourbon & Branch without a reservation, one would need to access “The Library”, which is standing room only and offers only a portion of the full menu. Open 6pm-2am Wednesday through Saturday, to access the library, one must supply the mandatory password, “books”. Russell’s Room, the original cigar shop front, can also be visited.

Bourbon & Branch is known for its stock of premium liquors, many of which are rare and made in very limited batches. All of the juices, purees, and extracts used in the cocktails are handmade in house. The bar has become famous for its superbly crafted mixed drinks, though it should be said they are priced accordingly.

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, Dodge, Specialty

If you squint your eyes a bit, and possibly drink a very large amount of tequila, your eyes might find a slight (read: extremely remote) resemblance to the DMC DeLorean in the old 1980s-vintage Dodge Daytona — minus, of course, the Delorean’s trademark gullwing doors. Plus, it seems as if every other ’80s Daytona is finished in a shade of light silver that could be mistaken at first glance for an unfinished stainless steel skin. Sort of.

It makes sense, then (okay, not really) that at least one enterprising person with a suitably-warped sense of vision saw fit to build his very own Mr. Fusion-powered Dodge Daytona Time Machine, and we give him solid marks for effort. Except. perhaps, for not wiping the dust off his camera lens (see what we mean around the 1:00 minute mark) before shooting the video.

If you’re like us, you’re probably wondering why someone would go to the trouble of recreating a BTTF Time Machine using a Dodge Daytona? We’ll let the builder explain:

Being an adult, I have realized that without winning the lottery or inventing the latest, greatest thing, I am never gonna have the money to buy a Delorean. Well, I could probally get the money together, but I am pretty sure my wife will not let me spend it on a 28 year old car… but I sure as hell can afford an old 1980’s Dodge Daytona!

Makes sense, no? Click past the break to watch the video in all its child-of-the-eighties glory. Thanks for the tip, Luke!

[Source: YouTube via BTTF4.com]

Continue reading VIDEO: 1986 Dodge Daytona gets the Back to the Future treatment

VIDEO: 1986 Dodge Daytona gets the Back to the Future treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from climatenoborders, 11 December 2009: “As part of the range of actions during the UN COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, activists have designated December 14th the ‘No Borders! No Climate Refugees!” Day of Action. As such, the international network, No Borders, is organizing an action targeting the Danish Ministry of Defence as a symbol of the military role in creating refugees and enforcing repressive border regimes…” more

Amsterdam, Holland | Musical Wonders

In a city chockablock with museums, one of the smallest and most unusual is home to about 50 mechanical player pianos and almost 20,000 punched rolls of music.

The player piano was an American invention of the late 1800s that very quickly became popular. The latest evolution of musical automata, self-playing pianos began to emerge along with mechanical adaptations for standard pianos in the 1870s. Most of them required a human user to use the foot pedal bellows to run machinery which pulled scrolls of pre-programmed music past the mechanical parts, which then activated the keys of the piano.

The popularity of the player pianos was launched with their performance in the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition and lasted until the stock market decline of the 1930’s. Combined with the accessibility of record players and the advent of radio, the market for these expensive music machines evaporated.

The name Pianola was a trademark of the The Aeolian Corporation of New York in the 1890s, but the name was broadly applied to all player pianos. Export to Europe began in 1899 where they quickly gained popularity in homes and music halls. Queen Victoria owned one for the last two years of her life.

The program scrolls were made of normal paper, punched with holes or slits to correspond to notes, much like early computer punch cards. Some composers took advantage of the new technology to design songs that could not be played with a mere ten fingers, creating unique pieces exclusive to the machines inexhaustible supply of virtual fingers.

The museum is housed in a small but atmospheric building in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam.

I was browsing through T.J. Maxx the other day and happened across the coolest thing in the clearance aisle. (Disclaimer: I am not much of a baker. If you are, this may not be either cool or new to you, but I was very excited.) Natural Elements has a ceramic muffin pan that is both microwave and oven safe. So, if you want to whip up…Oh, brownie muffins, for instance, without turning on your oven, you can. This means muffins in the summer without heating up the kitchen.

We used our pan last night to make strawberry cheesecake muffins in the oven. They turned out perfectly. I still need to make some microwave cupcakes to test the pan out, but it was very easy to wash and nicely non-stick on the areas where the batter dripped out of the cupcake liners and onto the pan. I really like that the pan is not Teflon and still is very easy to clean. I have been so not a Teflon fan ever since I found out that just cooking with your Teflon coated pan and overheating it could kill your little birdies. Anything that takes out a canary cannot exactly be good for my kids to be breathing, either.

Do you use ceramic cookware?

Photo: K. Thomas

Post from: Blisstree

Natural Elements Ceramic Muffin Pan

Obama just loves all Electric and stays Cool himself, could we also stop to be cynical and truly endorse the “Feel Good Investment Play” for real?

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