Link Information - Click to View
End for Herschel space telescope
Source: BBC News
Posted on:
Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013, 10:18am
Views: 22
Source: http://www.labspaces.net/128016/End_for_Herschel_space_telescope
Eclampsia Kendrick Lamar JJ Abrams New Orleans Pelicans chris brown hillary clinton apple stock
Apr. 29, 2013 ? Fertilizing with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus definitely improves crop yields, but does it also improve the soil?
The latest study to tackle this question has yielded mixed results. While 50 years of inorganic fertilization did increase soil organic carbon stocks in a long-term experiment in western Kansas, the practice seemingly failed to enhance soil aggregate stability -- a key indicator of soil structural quality that helps dictate how water moves through soil and soil's resistance to erosion.
The results of the research, which was carried out in continuous corn that was also irrigated and conventionally tilled, were somewhat surprising to lead author Humberto Blanco, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln soil physicist. The findings appear in the May-June issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality.
Fertilization typically leaves behind more crop residues in fields, he explains, which in turn can boost soil organic carbon levels. But unexpectedly in this case, "we didn't see improvement in soil aggregate stability even though soil organic carbon concentration increased," Blanco says, noting that soil particles usually bind together more strongly in aggregates as soil organic carbon concentrations rise.
He cautions, however, that more research is needed over a wider range of management and climatic conditions, particularly since studies of fertilizers' impacts on soil structural properties, such as aggregate stability, are currently few.
"Definitely the effects of inorganic fertilizer application on soil properties will depend on tillage and cropping systems," Blanco says. "So we need to look at this in other long-term experiments."
In the present study, he and co-author Alan Schlegel studied a randomized and replicated experiment that was set up in 1961 at Kansas State University's Southwest Research-Extension Center in Tribune. The experimental plots of irrigated and tilled (disk/chisel) continuous corn have received six different rates of ammonium nitrate fertilizer (range 0 to 200 pounds/acre) for 50 years. The plots also received two rates of triple superphosphate fertilizer (0 and 18 pounds/acre) for 50 years, and a higher phosphorus rate (36 lb/acre) for 19 years.
Growing corn continuously under conventional tillage and with high inputs of water and fertilizer may seem outmoded, but this management system is "not uncommon," as demand for corn grain and crop residues grow, Blanco says.
When he tested soils from the experimental plots, he saw soil organic carbon concentrations rise gradually with increases in nitrogen fertilization at soil depths from 0 to 6 inches, although not at deeper ones. Similarly, phosphorus fertilization increased soil organic carbon at depths of 0 to 3 inches and 6 to 12 inches.
But Blanco observed a different trend in soil aggregate stability, especially when nitrogen and phosphorus were applied together at high rates. At a depth of three to 12 inches, for example, adding more than 80 pounds of nitrogen per acre reduced the number of stable soil aggregates by 1.5 times when no phosphorus was applied, by 2.1 times at 18 pounds of phosphorus/acre, and by 2.5 times at 36 pounds of phosphorus/acre.
Blanco can't say for certain why this occurred, but he has some hypotheses. Some studies suggest that adding fertilizers rich in ammonium ions may cause soil particles to disperse rather than aggregate, thereby offsetting any positive effects of increased soil organic carbon content. Because tillage periodically disturbs the soil, it may also negate any benefits of fertilization.
Blanco is now testing these hypotheses in three additional long-term experiments in Nebraska that encompass a wider range of tillage practices and cropping systems. The effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on crop yields are well-researched, of course. Likewise, reduced tillage, cover crops, intensified cropping systems, and other conservation practices are known to build the soil long-term. Blanco now wants to see the two come together.
"It's clear that we need inorganic fertilizers to meet the increasing demands for food production, so it's important to look at how the extensive use of inorganic fertilizers affects soil properties in the long term," he says. "The hypothesis is that inorganic fertilization combined with conservation tillage -- strip till, no-till, and others -- may improve soil structural properties relative to conventional tillage systems."
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Suki Waterhouse dancing with the stars Bates Motel Michelle Shocked ncaa bracket bracket Jason Terry
Even before Jason Collins, plenty of other athletes around the world have come out as gay, either while still active or in retirement.
From Martina Navratilova to Greg Louganis to Sheryl Swoopes, men and women from a variety of sports have openly acknowledged their sexuality, though many others are believed to still be reluctant to come forward.
Collins, a 34-year-old NBA veteran, became the first active player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay, writing a first-person account posted on Sports Illustrated's website Monday. Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, including this past season with the Washington Wizards, and is now a free agent.
"It is hugely powerful when any individual in the sports world, wherever they come from in the world, feels able to come out," said Ruth Hunt, deputy chief executive of the British gay rights organization Stonewall. "The fact that this is a current player adds to the strength of his statement."
Previously, some pro sports athletes waited until after quitting to say they were gay, including former NBA player John Amaechi and former NFL running back Dave Kopay. English soccer player Justin Fashanu committed suicide in 1998, eight years after coming out during his playing career.
Amaechi, a center who played five seasons with four teams, became the first NBA player to publicly come out in 2007, three years after the Englishman's playing career was over. He said Collins spoke with him before deciding to come out and called his decision "ground-breaking" and one that could encourage other gay athletes to follow suit.
"I'm getting tons of messages right now from people talking to me about him, about what he's done," Amaechi told The Associated Press. "I've spoken to a couple of college athletes in the States and a couple of high school athletes who are very good who have been immensely buoyed by this news.
"They feel a weight lifted off them even if they aren't out and they aren't going to come out at this point."
Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues. Homophobic chants still occur at some games.
"Football is not going to change," Amaechi said. "If it wanted to change it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."
Amaechi said he has been in touch with soccer players, including in the English Premier League, who are gay but are not ready to go public.
"Many of them are out already," he said. "They are out in the way that most people are out in that people they love and that people who care about them know that they are gay. But random strangers don't know that they are gay."
Fashanu remains the only top-level British soccer player to have come out publicly, acknowledging he was gay in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage at age 37.
According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy after a party at his apartment.
Robbie Rogers, a former U.S. national team player who played for Leeds in England's second-tier division last season, went public in February that he was gay, saying on his personal website that "I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest." He also said he was retiring from the sport.
Anti-gay sentiment in soccer has been expressed in different ways.
Last year, Italy forward Antonio Cassano said he hoped there were no homosexual players on the national team and used a derogatory word to describe gays. Fans of two-time defending Russian champion Zenit St. Petersburg signed a petition saying gay players were "unworthy of our great city." Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup winning manager, caused a stir in 2009 when he said he had never come across a gay player and would advise gay players to stay in the closet.
"The NBA is light years ahead of football, there is no doubt about that," Amaechi said.
In the U.S., Kopay, who played for five NFL teams over 10 years, was the first pro athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly when he came out in 1977 after retiring, and wrote a book about it.
Four-time diving gold medalist Louganis revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive.
Swoopes, a WNBA star and three-time Olympic gold medalist, disclosed in 2005 that she was gay.
In tennis, women's greats Navratilova and Billie Jean King came out about their sexuality. Former French player Amelie Mauresmo also spoke about her sexual orientation.
U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe came out before she played in last year's London Olympics. WNBA star Seimone Augustus and the league's No. 1 draft pick, Brittney Griner, are some of the more recent female athletes to follow suit.
Glenn Burke, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A's in the 1970s, and Billy Bean, a utility player in the 1980s and 1990s, disclosed they were gay after retiring. Burke died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.
Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star, attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay; he played until he retired in 2011.
"I was like a ticking bomb. I thought I could suppress it, keep it locked away in some dark corner of myself, but I couldn't. It was who I was, and I just couldn't ignore it any more. I'd been through every emotion under the sun trying to deal with this," Thomas said in a recent documentary broadcast on British television.
Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as pro boxing's first openly gay fighter, saying, "I don't want to hide any of my identities. I want people to look at me for the human being I am."
Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out as gay six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year after her retirement that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman. Australian diver Matthew Mitcham came out as gay before he won the men's 10-meter platform gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
__
AP Sports Writer Rob Harris in London contributed to this report.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gay-athletes-come-while-active-retired-225227273.html
jackpot winning numbers mega millions megamillions drawing olbermann mega millions march 30 lucky numbers odds of winning mega millions
Co-stars (and fictional enemies) break down Miller's latest video for MTV News.
By Rob Markman, with additional reporting by Katie Atkinson
Mac Miller and Corey Feldman in the video for "S.D.S."
Photo: Rostrum
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706497/mac-miller-corey-feldman-sds-video.jhtml
argentina train crash nancy pelosi nancy pelosi gop debate republican debate lewis black kirkwood
(Newscast Limited via AP Images)
The Great Recession took its toll on millions of Americans, but even more so for black and Hispanic families, a new study shows.
According to the Urban Institute, the existing racial wealth gap became even bigger since the start of the economic downturn. In 2010, the average white family was six times wealthier ($632,000) than the average black ($98,000) or Hispanic family ($110,000). That?s up from 1983, when the average white family was five times as wealthy in comparison to the average black or Hispanic family.
?While the Great Recession didn?t cause the wealth disparities between whites and minorities, it did exacerbate them,? the study says.
Wealth was measured by total assets, including home value, bank and retirement accounts, student loans and credit-card balances.
The study by the nonpartisan, research organization also found that between 2007 and 2010, Hispanic families? wealth dropped a jaw-dropping 44%, largely due to falling home prices. Black families? wealth dropped 31%, the study attributed the drop to hits on retirement assets and high rates of unemployment during the recession from 2007 to 2009. White wealth also dipped, but at 11% was a much smaller drop.
The study also showed that the income gap between whites and minorities groups was smaller, but substantial. In 2010, the average income for whites was twice that of blacks and Hispanics?$89,000 compared the $46,000. That means for every $2.00 whites earned, blacks and Hispanics earned just $1.00.
Source: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/29/racial-wealth-gap-grows-during-great-recession-study/
UFC 155 Jack Klugman merry Christmas a christmas story twas the night before christmas santa Capital STEEZ
(Reuters) - Authorities were searching on Sunday for a man suspected of stabbing an 8-year-old girl to death at a home in a northern California suburb, officials said.
Residents of Valley Springs, California, 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, were warned to stay inside their homes with their doors locked as investigators fanned out across the region, hunting for the girl's attacker.
Detectives interviewed potential witnesses, family members and collected fingerprints and possible DNA from the home where the girl was killed on Saturday, but had no specific suspect, the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The sheriff's office identified the girl as Leila Fowler, 8, and said it expected an autopsy to be performed on Monday. They had previously said she was 9 years old.
Authorities said the girl's 12-year-old brother encountered an intruder in his home on Saturday afternoon and the suspect fled, according to KCRA, a local television news station. The boy then went to check on his sister and found her stabbed. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, KCRA reported.
The sheriff said the suspect was considered armed and dangerous and described him as a "muscular" white or Hispanic man, about 6-feet (1.83-meters) tall with longish gray hair. They said he was last seen wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and blue pants.
The sheriff's office said it had notified the local school district about the case and planned to have an increased presence at the schools and bus stops on Monday.
(Reporting by Chris Francescani and David Bailey; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Jackie Frank and Paul Simao)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/california-police-search-suspect-fatal-stabbing-girl-051918273.html
reese witherspoon meteor shower NBA Al Michaels Canelo vs Trout 420 Meteor Showers 2013
Still stuck on central-bank life support
LONDON (Reuters) - Five years after the onset of the global financial crisis, the world economy is in such a chronic condition that the European Central Bank might cut interest rates this week and the Federal Reserve is likely to indicate no let-up in the stimulus it is providing the U.S. economy. With the euro zone economy in recession, momentum is building for the ECB to lower interest rates for the first time since July 2012, according to senior sources involved in the deliberations.
Deutsche Bank has "zero tolerance" for tax evaders: CEO
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank
Japan's ANA takes its first 787 back into the air since grounding
TOKYO (Reuters) - All Nippon Airways , the Japanese launch customer for Boeing Co's
U.S. Steel locks out workers at Lake Erie in Canada: union
TORONTO (Reuters) - United States Steel Corp
Abu Dhabi plans financial free zone, may resemble Dubai
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi is putting finishing touches to plans to establish a financial free zone that could resemble, and therefore compete with, the Dubai International Financial Centre, sources familiar with the matter said. A federal decree was passed by the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan in February to create the area, known as the Abu Dhabi World Financial Market, on Al Maryah island, the sources told Reuters.
Dell investors may still gain after Blackstone pullout: Barron's
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dell shareholders could still stand to profit even after Blackstone Group LP
Analysis: China's 4G bonanza to shake up mobile gear vendor market
STOCKHOLM/PARIS (Reuters) - Chinese telecom operators will start awarding contracts for super-fast mobile networks this year, kicking off the third wave of a global investment cycle that is reshaping the competitive landscape among telecom equipment makers. China, the world's biggest mobile market with 1.1 billion subscribers, is likely to further alter the picture at the expense of European suppliers by giving a huge boost to Huawei and its smaller Chinese rival ZTE .
Italian court rejects Nomura seizure order: sources
SIENA, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian judge has rejected an order to seize around 1.8 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of assets from Nomura as part of a probe into suspected fraud involving troubled lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena
Vodafone investors want bigger bid or full takeover by Verizon
LONDON (Reuters) - Six major Vodafone investors
Renault hopes to have approval for Chinese plant by summer: CEO
PARIS (Reuters) - Renault-Nissan
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-business-summary-012012257.html
mitch hedberg secret service scandal shea weber greystone sidney crosby at the drive in alternative minimum tax
Specialist Meric Greenbaum, left, works with traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, April 29, 2013. A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Specialist Meric Greenbaum, left, works with traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, April 29, 2013. A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The handheld device of trader Joseph Tarangelo, center, is reflected in his glasses as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, April 29, 2013. A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader George Ettinger works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, April 29, 2013. A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Luigi Muccitelli, left, and specialist Michael Pistillo, center, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, April 29, 2013. A pair of encouraging economic reports helped propel the stock market up in early trading on Monday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) ? Technology companies led the stock market higher Monday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index back up to the record high it reached earlier this month.
A pair of strong economic reports also encouraged investors. Wages and spending rose in the U.S. last month, and pending home sales hit their highest level in three years.
Shortly after 12 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 85 points at 14,798, a gain of 0.6 percent. Microsoft and IBM were among the Dow's best performers, rising 2 percent each.
Big tech firms have slumped this month. Concerns about weak business spending and slower overseas sales have weighed on the industry, said Marty Leclerc, the managing partner of Barrack Yard Advisors, an investment firm in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Revenue misses from IBM and other big tech companies have highlighted the industry's vulnerability to the world economy.
"The areas of the stock market that haven't done as well rely on exports," Leclerc said. "Those stocks more dependent on the domestic economy have done the best."
Tech played catch-up on Monday. Information technology stocks rose the most of the 10 industry groups in the S&P, 1.5 percent. It's the only group that remains lower over the past year.
The S&P 500 index was up 11 points to 1,593, a gain of 0.7 percent. That matches its all-time closing high reached on April 11.
The Nasdaq composite rose 32 points at 3,311, a rise of 1 percent. Apple, the biggest stock in the index, rose 3.5 percent to $431.95.
The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes reached the highest level since April 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. Back then, a tax credit for buying houses had lifted sales. Separately, the government reported that Americans' spending and income both edged up last month.
Moody's and Standard & Poor's parent company McGraw-Hill surged following news that the ratings agencies settled lawsuits dating back to the financial crisis that accused them of concealing risky investments. McGraw-Hill gained 6 percent to $54.80, while Moody's jumped 10 percent to $61.02, the biggest gain in the S&P 500.
Eaton Corp. gained 5 percent to $61.31 after reporting that its quarterly net income jumped, beating Wall Street's estimates. The results were helped by its acquisition of Cooper Industries, an electrical equipment supplier.
In the market for government bonds, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.65 percent. That's down from 1.67 percent late Friday.
Associated Pressbarbara walters tupelo honey limp bizkit stations of the cross nike foamposite galaxy bill maher seabiscuit
LONDON (AP) ? Helen Mirren was crowned queen of the London stage at the Olivier Awards Sunday, while compelling, canine-titled teen drama "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" emerged as best in show with seven trophies.
Mirren, 67, was a popular and expected best actress choice for her regal yet vulnerable Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience," Peter Morgan's behind-palace-doors drama about the relationship between Britain's queen and its prime ministers.
The actress, who won an Academy Award in 2007 for playing Britain's monarch in "The Queen," quipped that it was 87-year-old Elizabeth who deserved an award, "for the most consistent and committed performance of the 20th century, and probably the 21st century."
Backstage, it turned out she wasn't kidding. Mirren, who has been Olivier-nominated three times before, said that finally winning "doesn't mean that I was the best actor. There were so many incredible performances out there."
"I was making a joke about the queen winning, but I think actually it is a reflection of the kind of respect the queen is held in," she said.
Her "Audience" co-star, Richard McCabe, who won the supporting actor trophy for playing 1960s and 70s Prime Minister Harold Wilson, said Mirren was a joy to work with.
"It's important as an actor to be absolutely fearless, and she is," he said.
While the queen herself hasn't been to see the Stephen Daldry-directed show ? rumored to be Broadway-bound ? McCabe said "a lot of people in the royal household have been coming in and watching incognito, and they must be reporting back."
The surprise of the awards ceremony at London's Royal Opera House was "Curious Incident," an adaptation of Mark Haddon's best-selling young-adult novel about a teenage math prodigy with Asperger's Syndrome who sets out to find the killer of his neighbor's dog, with destabilizing results.
The show, which premiered at the state-subsidized National Theatre last year before transferring to a commercial West End playhouse, has won praise for its creative use of movement and technology to make the leap from page to stage.
The Simon Stephens-scripted drama was named best new play, and 28-year-old Luke Treadaway was crowned best actor, beating a strong list of contenders including Rupert Everett, Mark Rylance and James McAvoy.
Treadaway said the "Curious" company knew they had created "something really special" with the show about a teenager "who sees the world differently to a lot of people."
"I think people could kind of see themselves in him," Treadaway said.
"This is not even necessary," he said, holding his trophy, a bust of the late actor Laurence Olivier. "I enjoy doing it so much anyway."
The play also won prizes for director Marianne Elliott and supporting actress Nicola Walker, as well as for set, lighting and sound.
Walker said the play had, through some "magic," succeeded in creating an onstage world as seen through the eyes of a teenage hero with autism.
"You start out thinking (it) is completely different to our world, and you end up thinking 'No, there are parts of this world I understand.'"
The Olivier awards honor achievements in London plays, musicals, dance and opera. Winners in most categories are chosen by a panel of stage professionals and theatergoers.
Founded in 1976, the Oliviers have been laying on the glitz in recent years, with glossy ceremonies modeled on Broadway's Tony Awards.
"Downton Abbey" actor Hugh Bonneville and West End star Sheridan Smith ? an Olivier winner in 2011 and 2012 ? hosted a sparky ceremony that included performances by "Glee" star Matthew Morrison, Tony-winning "Wicked" diva Idina Menzel and 60s songstress Petula Clark.
The best new musical category had a retro feel, with the trophy going to "Top Hat" ? a tap-dancing, tail-coated homage to Hollywood's Golden Age based on the 1935 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie. It also won awards for costume design and choreography.
Blood-soaked musical "Sweeney Todd" took the prize for best musical revival, with its stars Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball named best actress and actor in a musical.
"I'm not sure I deserve this," Ball said. "But I've also got sciatica, and I don't deserve that either."
Royal Ballet principal dancer Marianela Nunez took the prize for outstanding achievement in dance, while the same company's "Aeternum" was named best new dance production.
An immersive staging of the Philip Glass opera "Einstein on the Beach" at London's Barbican Centre was named best new opera production. American tenor Bryan Hymel won the outstanding achievement in opera prize for performances at the Royal Opera House.
Special achievement awards went to choreographer Gillian Lynne ? best known for her work on Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals including "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera" ? and playwright Michael Frayn, whose classic backstage farce "Noises Off" is still going strong 30 years after its debut.
___
Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless
Online: http://www.olivierawards.com
Associated Pressapple earnings the glass castle jennifer hudson trial north korea threat brandon jacobs brandon jacobs brian dawkins
President Obama said a 'red line' would be crossed if the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebels. Might that propel the US into war, as those elusive 'weapons of mass destruction' did in Iraq?
President Barack Obama answers a question regarding the ongoing situation in Syria during his meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
EnlargeFor President Obama, the Syrian regime?s possible use of chemical weapons brings with it a political dilemma that can be summed up in two words: ?Slam dunk.?
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
That was what then-CIA director George Tenet told the Bush White House about Iraq?s alleged possession of ?weapons of mass destruction? (WMD).
It was a phrase Mr. Tenet came to regret, asserting that others in the administration twisted its intended use ? that building public support for a US-led invasion of Iraq would be easy ? to make the CIA (and him in particular) the scapegoat when no WMD were found.
But Tenet admitted in his 2007 book ?At the Center of the Storm? that ?there was never a serious debate that I know of within the administration about the imminence of the Iraqi threat,? nor any in-depth discussion of possible alternatives to military invasion.
Fast-forward ten years since the beginning of the Iraq War ? which has cost 4,486 US military fatalities, plus at least several hundred US civilian contractors killed in Iraq ? and ?Iraq has informed every part of this debate? over Syria, writes Amy Davidson in the New Yorker.
The headline on a Politico piece reads: ?Iraq haunts President Obama?s Syria choices.?
?The ghosts of the Iraq War weigh heavily on the president and his top advisers handling the Syria crisis, according to former officials and analysts close to the administration,? writes Politico?s Josh Gerstein. ?They don?t want to get it wrong. They don?t want to move too quickly. They don?t want to spend the second term getting embroiled in toppling another Middle East dictator and cleaning up the aftermath after spending the first term getting untangled from the last war.?
It?s a specter with implications for Obama?s legacy; by nearly 2-to-1, Americans don?t think the war in Iraq was worth the cost.
In fact, Obama already has had a sort-of ?slam dunk? moment with his assertion that the Assad regime?s use of chemical weapons against Syrian rebels would constitute the crossing of an unacceptable ?red line,? with the implied warning that the US might then initiate a military response.
Has that red line been crossed?
"Our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin," the White House said in a letter to members of Congress this week.
The operative phrase here seems to be ?small scale,? suggesting that the red line may have been nudged but not fully crossed. Speaking to reporters before meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in the Oval Office Friday Obama implied as much.
Bacon Number Kate Middleton photos Chi Magazine Kate Middleton Nude Photos boxing news Coptic Christian saturday night live
Restaurant: Sway
Location: South Austin, 1417 South First Street, Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 326-1999
Price: Appetizers ? $6 to market price; Entrees ? $13 to market price; Desserts ? $3 to $12
Hours: Sun-Wed 11am to 10pm; Thurs-Sat 11am ? 11pm
(8/10) Satay
A combination of charcoal grilled pork, shrimp and tofu served with kewpie mayo, red chili peanut sauce, and Sway?s salt and pepper combination (schezuan pepper and fermented bean paste). The dish is simply prepared, with the pork and shrimp charred on the grill while the tofu combined a velvety texture with a charred, crisp exterior. The accompaniments exploded various flavors with the salt and pepper combination standing out. The pepper offered slow, deep spice note. Sway uses this combination in many of its dishes.
(8/10) Pad Kwetio
Sway offers 3 various noodle dishes. This dish utilizes wide rice noodles with pork belly, Chinese broccoli, tofu and black wok water (which tasted like a combination of soy sauce infused with various Asian flavors (ginger, lemongrass, etc)). The wide noodles soaked up much of the sauce. The pork belly was crisp, the tofu was soft and smooth, and the Chinese broccoli was barely cooked through, offering a great textural contrast.
(9/10) Son in Law
Sway?s signature dish involves braised pork shoulder, thick soy sauce, chili vinegar, and a crispy soft boiled farm egg. A soft boiled egg is rolled in panko and quickly fried, then split open and served on top of the pork. The dish also is topped with thai basil and crispy shallots. As typical with Thai cuisine, the dish enhances sweet-spicy-salty-bitter-sour basics, with this dish focusing more on the spice from the chili vinegar and saltiness from the thick soy. The oozing egg yolk cuts through the dish with a savory note.
(8/10) Blue Crab Fried Rice
Sway offers 4 different variations of fried rice (blue crab, beef, chicken, and vegetable). Their fried rice differs from the fried rice you?d typically get at Chinese restaurants because it isn?t soaked in soy sauce. The blue crab fried rice is flavored with lemongrass, ginger, snow peas, scallions, thai basil and scrambled eggs. The blue crab is generous within the dish. A light rice dish that serves as a great side course for the various curries and stir fries on the menu.
(9/10) Salt and Pepper Cuttlefish
Another segment of Sway?s menu is its salt & pepper fried dishes. For now, Sway offers blue prawns, cuttlefish, tofu and lobster. The lobster dish is usually one 1.5-2 lb lobster and typically is priced in the $40 price range. Cuttlefish is similar in texture to squid/calamari. The portions are larger than calamari, yet it remains tender. Cuttlefish is fried in a rice flour mixture and then mixed with the schezuan pepper and fermented bean paste mix. It came served with a chili dipping sauce but it?s really unnecessary as you get plenty of flavor from the salt and pepper combination.
(8/10) Coconut Lychee Sorbet
For dessert, Sway offers a selection of single scoop sorbets and ice creams for $3. Flavors include coconut lychee sorbet, mango calamansi sorbet (a citrus fruit native to the Philippines), milk chocolate 5 spice ice cream, avocado sorbet, condensed milk ice cream, and cashew caramel swirl ice cream. Their composed dessert dishes takes classic ideas and spin a Thai twist to them (semifreddo, affogato, panna cotta, etc). The coconut lychee sorbet was a simple, clean finish to the meal, with the citrusy lychee being the stronger component of the dish. Crunchy amaranth (a type of grain) sits on the bottom of the dish, offering a good textural contrast.
We dined on a Friday evening, around 9pm. The restaurant was incredibly busy and had a wait time for about 60-90 minutes. Sway does have a bar that serves various Asian beers, sake, and a variety of teas, coffee, and drinking vinegars so one can spend some time there before a table is ready. Service is efficient at the beginning as waters are quickly served, an introduction is given on the menu, and drink/appetizer orders are taken. Though due to the heavy volume at the restaurant, there can be a wait for food and drink orders. For the most part, the wait staff does a good job keeping guests informed. As the night winds down, the level of attention picks up so it?s possible this is just a restaurant learning to handle its high volume.
Sway is an open restaurant with a modern, sleek decor, with somewhat loud music blasting through the speakers. It can be loud at times so it may be difficult for larger parties to hear each other but can be ideal for parties of 2. The bar offers a few seats and you can order both food and drink there. There?s a section of tables outdoors, which would be inviting on cooler summer nights. The tables within the restaurant leads to communal seating as 3-4 parties will be seated at each table. The prime seats would be at the kitchen counter with the main attraction being the open kitchen as you can see chefs do their thing right in front. In a short time, Sway has gathered quite a following as most evening nights involve an hour or so wait. At the end, Sway offers exotic flavors and a more modern take on Thai food in a modern setting. With the chefs of La Condesa taking the reins here, it seems like Sway will be a permanent hot spot in the South First Street dining scene.
Reviewed by Shaun, AustinFoodRatings.com
Source: http://austinfoodratings.com/thai/sway-review/
sprint britney spears At&t Wireless 9/11 Jerry Lawler andy murray Samsung Galaxy S3
A mesmerizing new video showcases the sun's life over three years, stitched together from gorgeous snapshots taken by a NASA spacecraft in orbit around our nearest star.
The video is made up of photos captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) ? two images a day for three years. The eye-catching images offer an unprecedented glimpse of the daily commotion waxing and waning on the surface of the sun.
SDO's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly records an image of the sun every 12 seconds in 10 different wavelengths, according to NASA officials. The images seen in the video are in the extreme ultraviolet range.
"In this wavelength it is easy to see the sun's 25-day rotation as well as how solar activity has increased over three years," agency officials said in a statement.
In the video, the size of the sun appears to subtly fluctuate. These changes are caused by the variation over time in the distance between SDO and the sun. Despite these tiny variations, the shots are fairly stable and consistent.
With SDO maintaining this steady and unbroken gaze, heliophysicists regularly observe the sun's active regions, and have been able to watch solar storms as they occur. By closely monitoring changes in the sun's activity, researchers can catch solar flares and other major spaceweather events in the act.
"SDO's glimpses into the violent dance on the sun help scientists understand what causes these giant explosions ? with the hopes of some day improving our ability to predict this space weather," NASA officials said.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched in February 2010 and is equipped with a suite of instruments to stare at the sun for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This type of uninterrupted coverage allowed scientists to monitor the star as it ramps up toward a period of solar maximum this year in its regular 11-year cycle of activity.
Follow Denise Chow on Twitter?@denisechow. Follow us?@Spacedotcom,?Facebook?or?Google+. Originally published on SPACE.com.
Copyright 2013 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stunning-nasa-video-shows-3-years-sun-3-124027921.html
boston bruins carl crawford mad cow disease rampart nick collins dave matthews ambien
* Huntelaar on target after injury break * Schalke in race for Champions League spot (Updates with quotes, details) BERLIN, April 28 (Reuters) - Klaas-Jan Hunterlaar scored a hat-trick in a fairytale comeback from an injury break to steer Schalke 04 to a 4-1 win over Hamburg SV on Sunday and boost their chances of Champions League action next season. The Dutchman, who had been out with a knee injury since early March, could not have hoped for a better return with Schalke firmly in control of fourth place which leads to the Champions League qualifying rounds. ...
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dem-senator-absolutely-bringing-back-failed-gun-control-190052725.html
national weather service weather channel Rivals Kaepernick Eddie Vanderdoes puppy bowl national pancake day
Four arrested as Bangladesh building toll rises to 352
DHAKA (Reuters) - Two factory bosses and two engineers were detained in Bangladesh on Saturday, three days after the collapse of a building where low-cost garments were made for Western brands killed at least 352 people. More were being pulled alive from the rubble at the building, where police said as many as 900 people were still missing in Bangladesh's worst ever industrial accident.
Iranian scientist freed by U.S. returns home: local media
DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian scientist held for more than a year in California on charges of violating U.S. sanctions arrived in Iran on Saturday, Iranian media reported, after being freed in what the Omani foreign ministry said was a humanitarian gesture. Mojtaba Atarodi, 55, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Iran's Sharif University of Technology, had been detained on suspicion of buying high-tech U.S. laboratory equipment, previous Iranian media reports said.
Palestinians' Abbas says to start talks on unity government
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday he would begin talks with rival factions including Islamist Hamas to form a unity government, a crucial step towards healing years of damaging internal divisions. But, underscoring the chasm between Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Abbas had not consulted his group about his move and the Islamists had only heard about it in media reports.
Militants kill five Iraqi soldiers, Sunni protesters form "army"
RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Militants shot dead five Iraqi soldiers in the Sunni Muslim stronghold province of Anbar on Saturday and protesters said they were forming an "army" after four days of unrest that raised fears of a return to widespread sectarian civil conflict. More than 170 people have been killed since Tuesday when security forces stormed a Sunni protest camp in the town of Hawija, triggering clashes that spread to other Sunni areas in western and northern areas.
Ten dead, dozens hurt during Mexican prison riot
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Ten people were killed and dozens wounded in a prison riot early Saturday in the central state of San Luis Potosi, local officials said. State police said they had re-established control in an cell block of La Pila prison in the state capital of San Luis Potosi after a fight broke out between prisoners, according to a posting on the security ministry's official social media page.
German SPD leader woos Greens for anti-Merkel alliance
BERLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) took the stage at a Greens party congress on Saturday with an unashamed pitch for them to throw in their lot with the SPD to defeat Chancellor Angela Merkel in September. It was the first time an SPD leader had addressed a Greens congress. Sigmar Gabriel, whose party would need a coalition with the rising pro-environment party to have any chance of leading the next government, delivered a passionate plea to the Greens to stop flirting with Merkel's conservatives.
North Korea says detained American tourist to face trial
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Saturday that a Korean-American tourist, jailed by the reclusive state since late last year, will face trial for "committing crimes" against the North. The move comes amid a diplomatic standoff between North Korea and the United States, and as Pyongyang has threatened to attack U.S. military bases in the Pacific and the South.
Nigerian senator says 228 killed in gunfight with Islamists
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A gunbattle between security forces and Islamist insurgents in Nigeria a week ago killed 228 people, a local senator said on Saturday, putting the death toll six times higher than the government's estimate. A large number of civilian deaths will fuel accusations that the military acted heavy-handedly and failed to protect bystanders and might also increase pressure on the government to seek a negotiated settlement with the radical group Boko Haram.
Iceland's center-right set to return, five years after crash
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Icelanders fed up with years of belt-tightening looked set on Saturday to oust the ruling Social Democrats, wooed with pledges of tax cuts and debt relief from the center-right, which presided over a spectacular financial collapse five years ago. Leaden skies and driving sleet were a fair reflection of the mood of voters who have seen promises of a quick recovery fade, while mortgage debts rise, prices soar and crippling capital controls keep investment at a record low.
Yemen military intelligence official assassinated
ADEN (Reuters) - Two suspected Islamist militants shot dead a provincial military intelligence chief in Yemen on Saturday, a security official said, the latest in a series of assassinations in the impoverished state's lawless south and east. The gunmen opened fire from a motorbike, killing Colonel Ahmed Abdulrazzaq, intelligence head in Yemen's Hadramawt Province, outside his home in Mukalla on the Arabian Sea.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-010829028.html
hopkins hopkins dear john derrick rose torn acl pacers undrafted free agents braveheart
In the few days that have passed since Apple?s latest quarterly results, people can?t seem to stop writing about the so-called stalled growth and ?margin collapse? that hit the company. Ok, the term ?collapse? is excessively stupid (you know who you are, stop it). Apple?s revenue is still growing, but profitability is down year over year. The profit decline is due to undeniably lower gross margin. But what does that mean?
If you look at a the last 5 quarters and put it in graph form, it looks ugly. It looks scary. It makes you wonder why anyone would own the stock. And looking at 5 quarters is a pretty typical thing to do on Wall Street. People thing of this as a longer term view of things, as crazy as that sounds. Apple just reported Q2, so looking at 5 quarters means you see Q2 from last year on the left, and Q2 from this year on the right.
Newsflash: Looking at a year over year comparison in isolation doesn?t paint a very clear picture of what?s really happening. And because Wall Street suffers from attention deficit disorder, it needs to form rapid-fire decisions on things.
Most analysts do not publish long term performance charts in their reports. I don?t know why, but it?s true. Sure, they all have the data in their models. They probably all have long term charts built in Excel, but they don?t get published.
Well, I?m publishing the one I keep in my model.
This chart goes back to Q3 2007, which is the first quarter of iPhone shipments. I could have gone back further, but I don?t think it would be as relevant because the business truly has changed ever since iOS was built.
So in blue we have a line graph representing revenue. You can see that it took a while for the iPhone to make a massive impact on the overall revenue, but in 2010 things just started to rocket upwards.
Then in the last two years, you can see that the holiday quarter has stood out as massively important. There have been two such holiday quarters so far, and they define the new peaks for revenue. In other words, Apple revenue has become much more seasonal. This means the quarters in between the seasonal peaks are less important. They are not unimportant. They are just less important.
Think of it this way. When you watch a storm build in the ocean, you can see each wave becoming bigger, crashing harder onto the beach. It doesn?t make a lot of sense to evaluate each wave on it?s way down. It makes a lot more sense to think about how high each wave crest goes. And right now, Wall Street is looking at a falling wave. Revenue could easily rocket higher again. China Mobile deal? Potentially a less expensive iPhone? Continued growth of the iPad, where sales nearly doubled year-over-year?
Now let?s look at gross margin, because this is what really has Wall Street bothered. I showed margin on the green bar chart, because somehow it just seemed easier to look at in bar format.
Apple had gross margin above 40% for 8 quarters since the iPhone launch. And a full 6 of these quarters were consecutive, from the March 2011 through to June 2012 quarter. For rear-view-mirror observers, it?s horrible to see that the gross margin peak happened in March 2012, which is the year ago quarter relative to this week?s earnings report.
But Apple does not have a history of margins above 40%. The mid to high 30% range is much more common, and it seems the company is moving back into that zone. Yes, the iPhone has higher margin than the Mac or even iPad. And that?s great. But I think we all realize that Apple can?t continue to gain global market share with a product that is out of reach for most global consumers.
So Apple has done the smart thing. They?ve taken more aggressive action on the iPhone 4 in places like China. It?s quite obvious that this makes the year-over-year margin comparison look like a case of Apple failure. But if you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the margin moves really don?t look that shocking. If anything, it?s shocking to see how bloody high they climbed in the first place. This seems more sustainable.
And what if Apple had been more aggressive on pricing in the first place? The margin never would have climbed so high, and last year?s Q2 quarter never would have been as insanely profitable as it was. And we?d be looking at the most recent Q2 result saying, ?Wow, Apple keeps growing. Amazing!?
The stock market is all about comparisons. And unfortunately, the comparisons are fairly short term in nature. But even the ?fast moving? (I use that term loosely) technology sector requires a longer time frame for analysis. Apple did not build its iOS empire in a year, or even two years. Android did not grow to dominate the scene in a couple of years either. BlackBerry did not collapse in a year (and it?s potential comeback will not take one year). Things still move a lot more slowly than we all seem to think.
Apple is growing quite nicely. And if gross margin normalizes here, which seems reasonable, then next year we?ll be looking at a growth stock again. Everyone will forget about the supposed gross margin ?collapse? that we apparently just witnessed.
Since I happen to have my DSLR camera beside me right now, this metaphor seems appropriate. You don?t need to constantly take pictures with your telephoto lens set to 300mm. Sometimes the wide angle shot is better, and provides more context.
     |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/rk0vY0YNftM/story01.htm
tony nominations 2012 facebook organ donor jessica simpson gives birth carrie underwood blown away chk ryan seacrest kentucky derby
Rags To Riches: Celebrities That Were Poor Before Fame
Most of us are a wee bit jealous of the million-dollar mansions, fashionable designer clothing, and flashy cars of celebrities. But, some of your favorite stars grew up poor before they found fame. Let’s check out some of these rags to riches stories of Hollywood celebrities. There are quite a few celebs that came from ...
Rags To Riches: Celebrities That Were Poor Before Fame Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News
Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/04/rags-to-riches-celebrities-that-were-poor-before-fame/
gia utah jazz lawrence of arabia denver nuggets new jersey devils torn acl derrick rose injury
NEW YORK (AP) ? Don't count out the captain.
Derek Jeter is certain he will return to the New York Yankees this season at the same level that made him one of baseball's most revered players.
In a jocular mood and wearing pinstriped pants, a practice jersey and hat, Jeter expressed frustration in learning last week that there was a new break in the ankle, an injury that has sidelined him since Game 1 of the AL championship series. He likely will be out until after the All-Star break.
Still, he never wavered in his confidence that he will run ? without a limp ? to the shortstop position that has been his since 1996.
"When you have doubt, that's when you're in trouble. I have been told this bone will heal, and when it heals I'll be ready to go," Jeter said Thursday before the Yankees' 5-3 win over Toronto. "It's frustrating I can't magically make it heal sooner than it's taken."
Jeter was in the dugout for a game for the first time this season, getting to know several teammates that weren't with the Yankees when he played in his last spring training game in mid-March.
Kevin Youkilis, among the new Yankees, was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game because of a tight lower back.
"He tried to take some work in the cage," manager Joe Girardi said. "He's just not ready. I thought it would be today. So hopefully it's tomorrow. We'll just go day by day."
Girardi is confident that when Jeter returns, he'll be the same player who has 3,304 hits, including an AL-leading 216 last season.
"He's had a setback here," Girardi said. "We have to deal with it but, hopefully, we get him back and he's the same player he was at the end of last year."
The 13-time All-Star is disappointed he failed in fulfilling his prediction that he would return by opening day. Now the reality is he will not be able to help his team until around mid-July, weeks after he's turned 39 years old.
No. 2 has a date in mind for his return, but he not saying when it is.
"The last timeline I set, I didn't make," Jeter said. "I don't want to disappoint myself or anyone else."
Jeter was always stubborn about injuries, refusing tests and claiming he was well enough to play. He has willed himself onto the field throughout a career in which his 2,531 games at shortstop rank only behind Omar Vizquel (2,709) and Luis Aparicio (2,581).
"I don't talk about injuries," he said. "It's just I think talking about injuries is just making an excuse for yourself. You either play or you don't."
In 2004, he famously dived into the stands to make a catch against the Boston Red Sox and walked off the field bloody and bruised. Yet, he took his position at Shea Stadium the next day.
When he dislocated his shoulder in 2003, he returned almost exactly to the day predicted and played through pain much of the season ? the only one of his 17 previous full seasons that he played less than 130 games.
At 38, he had no such luck. Jeter played for much of last September with a bad bone bruise. It finally gave out against the Detroit Tigers when he lunged for a groundball Oct. 13. A week later he had surgery, and a Christmas party at Yankee Stadium for his Turn 2 Foundation, he vowed to be on the field for the April 1 opener.
But Jeter was slowed by stiffness and soreness during spring training and only played five big league games, three at shortstop. When the pain persisted into April, he went for a new CT scan in Charlotte, N.C., and that test revealed the break.
"When I got it, it wasn't good news," Jeter said. "I thought I would go up there, when I went to see the doc, I thought he would say it was something different. Tape it up. Let's go. But it wasn't the case. It didn't feel too good for quite some time. I'm laughing and smiling and happy that I'm up here. But I'm still upset that I can't play."
For now he will be limited to playing cheerleader and working out until he is given the OK to start his on-field rehabilitation again. Jeter walked without a limp into and out of the news conference, and he wasn't wearing the protective boot he says he has to wear, even though he doesn't think it's necessary.
He'll spend at least the 10-game homestand in New York.
"It's tough to not be around the team," Jeter said.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jeter-no-doubt-hell-return-yankees-223715039--mlb.html
spring lululemon jon hamm southern university biggest loser TJ Lane lindsey vonn
The Wanted's new single may be called 'She Walks Like Rihanna,' which puts them in a pretty exclusive club.
By James Montgomery
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1706348/the-wanted-walks-like-rihanna.jhtml
tory burch Al Smith Dinner Herman Melville Books Kyna Treacy megan fox Lane Goodwin Romnesia
West Virginia's Geno Smith speaks during a news conference after being selected 39th overall by the New York Jets in the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
West Virginia's Geno Smith speaks during a news conference after being selected 39th overall by the New York Jets in the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
New York Jets fans watch as their team makes a selection during the second round of the NFL football draft on Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Green Bay Packers fan Joe Linna, of Ludington, Mich., celebrates after Green Bay selected Alabama's Eddie Lacy 61st overall in the second round of the NFL football draft on Friday, April 26, 2013, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Detroit Lions first found draft pick defensive end Ziggy Ansah at Ford Field Friday, April 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Kirthmon F. Dozier)
Former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Tony Casillas is joined by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he announces a draft pick during the second round of the NFL Draft, Friday, April 26, 2013 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK (AP) ? The most exciting few minutes of the NFL draft came on Day 2.
In the span of a few minutes early in Friday night's second round, the San Diego Chargers caused draftniks at Radio City Music Hall to let out a roar with the selection of Notre Dame's Manti Te'o. Just when things were settling down, the New York Jets announced their pick ? quarterback Geno Smith. Fans, many clad in Jets jerseys, cheered ? and booed.
Te'o, of course, was the victim of a tabloid-ready hoax involving a fake girlfriend. That, and his poor play in the national title game against Alabama, followed by less-than-impressive workouts for pro scouts, had everyone wondering when he would be selected.
Smith, of course, now heads to a team with all kinds of quarterback issues, from starter Mark Sanchez still with the team despite an awful season, Tim Tebow still with the team despite not really getting a chance to play, and three other QBs on the roster for now in David Garrard, Greg McElroy and Matt Simms.
Welcome to San Diego, Manti.
Welcome to the J-E-T-S, Jets, Geno.
___
Here are 10 things to know about the draft after the first two days. The final four rounds are Saturday.
1. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IN SAN DIEGO, NEW YORK
"I did expect to go in the first round," Te'o said. "But things happened and all it did was give me more motivation to get better. I don't know if I have something to prove, but it definitely puts a huge fire under my butt to just be better."
Asked if he dropped into the second round because of the off-field issues and his flop in the title game, he said: "I really don't know. That's a question that you've got to ask the teams."
Chargers GM Tim Telesco, who traded up seven spots to No. 38 to land Te'o, certainly has no issues with his new guy.
"He's a great kid," Telesco said. "We did a lot of work on Te'o and I've seen him for a number of years. He loves football. He's passionate about it. He loves to practice. He loves to play."
Smith, who was projected as first-rounder, believes he can compete with Sanchez and whoever else is around.
"I love to compete. Mark is a guy who I watched at USC, I watched him in the NFL, and I think highly of him as well as Tim and all of those guys over there," he said, "As I said, I'm coming in as a rookie and I'm going to compete and I'm also going to accept my role whatever it is."
Asked if he thinks he's a franchise QB, he said: "Yes sir. I do believe so and for a number of reasons, but the main thing is that I'm not only coming into practice, I'm going to come into work and I'm going to compete daily and I'm going to also do my best to better my teammates in order for us to win a Super Bowl."
What does it all mean?
New Jets GM John Idzik says: "What this means for Mark Sanchez is competition, and Mark is open to that. We've had discussions about that, and I think he buys into the fact that that helps him and it helps any player on our team, and as a result, it helps our team."
1. RUNNING BACKS SCORE
A night after no running backs were taken in the first round for the first time since 1963, the second round produced five, and Alabama star Eddie Lacy (expected to be a first-rounder) wasn't the first to go. Cincinnati gave that distinction to Gio Bernard of North Carolina with the No. 37th overall pick. Then, Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell went to Pittsburgh at No. 48, Wisconsin All-American Montee Ball went to Denver at No. 58, Lacy went to Green Bay at No. 61 and Texas A&M's Christine Michael went to Seattle at No. 62.
The third round produced one running back ? Arkansas' Knile Davis to Kansas City at No. 96.
Lacy, who ran for 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, may have dropped because of concerns about his health, including a hamstring problem that prevented him from participating in the NFL combine and working out for scouts a few weeks ago.
"You can't do anything about it," Lacy said. "I'm just looking forward to being part of a new team and contributing as much as I can."
1. STILL ON THE BOARD
Among notable players till on the board entering Saturday's final four rounds are quarterbacks Matt Barkley of Southern California, Ryan Nassib of Syracuse and Landry Jones of Oklahoma; running back Marcus Lattimore of South Carolina (recovering from a serious knee injury); and two starters from national champion Alabama, offensive lineman Barrett Jones and defensive tackle Jesse Williams.
1. VIKINGS STRONG
Minnesota did not have a second or third-round pick Friday night because they had a huge first round Thursday night with three picks ? DT Sharrif Floyd (Florida) at No. 23, DB Xavier Rhodes (Florida State) at No. 25 and a last-second deal with New England moved the Vikings up to snag WR Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee) at No. 29.
"I don't think it could've worked out any better for the caliber of players we got coming into our program," Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. "I'm very excited."
The Vikings, coming off a surprising run to the playoffs spearheaded by running back Adrian Peterson, immediately filled three of their biggest needs. A linebacker by the end of the draft and Minnesota will have hit on all cylinders.
Not bad for a team that started last season in what was expected to be a rebuilding one.
1. FINALLY, A PICK
Four teams did not have first-round picks, but stepped up in the second round to start filling their needs. Tampa Bay was the first of the four to pick, going for defensive back Johnthan Banks of Mississippi State at No. 43 overall. Washington, which lost its first-rounder in last year's deal to draft Robert Griffin III, went for defensive back David Amerson of North Carolina State at No. 51 overall. New England, known for trading early picks for a bunch of later picks, chose linebacker Jamie Collins of Southern Mississippi at No. 52, and Seattle ? after trading down six spots with Baltimore ? closed out the second round by taking running back Christine Michael of Texas A&M.
1. FOREIGN FLAVOR
Defensive end Ziggy Ansah of BYU led a parade of international players into the NFL.
Ansah, from Ghana, didn't even know how to put on shoulder pads a few years ago. On Thursday, he was the No. 5 overall pick by the Detroit Lions.
Also going in the first round was Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner from Germany (Indianapolis, No. 24). Two more went in the second round, SMU defensive end Margus Hunt from Estonia (No. 53, Cincinnati) and Florida State offensive tackle Menelik Watson from Britain (Oakland, No. 42). The third round saw Connecticut linebacker Cisio Moore from Liberia go to Oakland at No. 66. Still on the board is Alabama defensive tackle Jess Williams from Australia.
1. WHERE ARE THE QUARTERBACKS?
As predicted, quarterbacks were not popular in the first round, and not too popular in the second- and third-rounds, either. After Buffalo surprised nearly everyone by picking Florida State's EJ Manuel as the only QB in the first round (at No. 16), the next to go was West Virginia's Geno Smith by the New York Jets in the second round, at No. 39, and North Carolina State's Mike Glennon by Tampa Bay in the third round, at No. 73. Of course, stars such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees and even Russell Wilson weren't first-rounders, either.
1. MY TEAM'S BETTER THAN YOURS
In a game of one-upmanship, former players from Dallas (Tony Casillas), Pittsburgh (Merril Hoge) and the New York Giants (Rich Seubert) got the fans going before announcing the second-round picks for their teams.
Casillas stepped up to the podium and called out ... "still America's team," the Dallas Cowboys select ...
Next up was Hoge, who chimed in with "the only team to win six Super Bowls," and went on to make Pittsburgh's choice.
And next in the sequence came Seubert, who simply said, "Go Giants!" before announcing New York's pick.
The crowd at Radio City, of course, booed Casillas and Hoge, and cheered Seubert.
1. LEAN BEEF
The second day of the draft was not for heavyweights. After 18 offensive and defensive linemen totaling nearly 2? tons were selected in the first round, the second round dropped to five. The third round, though, saw 12 linemen taken. Of course, teams turned their attentions to skill positions, with eight wide receivers and 17 defensive backs taken Friday night.
1. CONFERENCE LEADERS
To the surprise of no one, the Southeastern Conference has provided the NFL with the most draft picks of any conference ? 32 of 97 so far. That's one-third of the newest class of the NFL players. The SEC breakdown is 12 in the first round, eight in the second and 12 in the third. Stay tuned for the next four rounds.
No. 2 is the Atlantic Coast Conference with 12, including six first-rounders.
___
Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/rosenblattap
Associated Presspietrus cheney tori spelling marion barber marion barber syracuse ohio state
