On July 21, Sarah Michelle Gellar is heading back to a place where she'll surely be welcomed with open arms: Comic-Con International in San Diego. Although the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum will have major cachet at an event that celebrates everything geeky, she's appearing there not because of her past TV show but because of her next one: a new CW fall series called "Ringer" in which she plays twin sisters with serious issues and dark secrets. Clearly, the network hopes that her Comic-Con appearance will generate enough buzz to entice her old fans to tune in — after all, it's not like her other work has been that noteworthy. In fact, although Gellar won a Daytime Emmy (for "All My Children") even before she arrived in Sunnydale, many of her choices since "Buffy" have been questionable, to say the least. Here's a look at her career highs and lows. — Television Without Pity android tablet
热门帖子
-
Newlyweds Kate Moss and Jamie Hince are officially husband and wife after tying the knot in the Costwolds this afternoon. Following their w...
-
© WENN Anna Massey in "Anna Karenina" LONDON (AP) -- Anna Massey , the member of an acting dynasty whose roles ranged from lonel...
-
LOS ANGELES — You would think that Los Angeles, of all places, would know how to handle a catastrophe. But in just over a week, 11 miles o...
-
SANDWICH, England -- Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lewis have nothing in common except for the unlikely position they shared Thursday atop the leader...
-
Sixty-six All-Stars were announced Sunday and somehow they still messed it up. Here are my five biggest All-Star snubs. laptop backpack 1....
-
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc, the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain, said it has canceled an upcoming bankruptcy auction and wil...
-
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the toast of Hollywood last night as they attended a reception on their first official visit to Ameri...
-
On July 21, Sarah Michelle Gellar is heading back to a place where she'll surely be welcomed with open arms: Comic-Con International in ...
-
One of the questions I had when I broke the news last week about the Facebook/Skype partnership: Would group video chat be part of the produ...
-
NEW YORK (AP) — With three failed marriages between them, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony finally seemed to find true love together when the...
2011年7月21日星期四
2011年7月20日星期三
Mac OS X Lion: This Is Not the Future We Were Hoping For
It breaks my heart to say this, but Mac OSX Lion's interface feels like a failure. Its stated mission was to simplify the operating system, to unify it with the clean experience of iOS. That didn't happen.
If it weren't for the fast, rock-solid Unix, graphics and networking cores, Lion would be Apple's very own Vista.
The path to a simpler future
When Steve Jobs first introduced Lion, he set a bold goal: to take what has made the iPad and the iPhone so successful and bring it to the desktop. There's nothing wrong with that. The simplification of the computer experience—which actually gives more power to the users by allowing them to focus on their work instead of screwing around with their machine to make it do what they want—has been the Holy Grail of computers since the 80s.
It happened then, when we switched from the command line to the graphical desktop. (For the complete history of this evolution, read this). But in the last three decades computers have again become too complicated for a lot of people. The rest of us put up with it because we've gone through years of conditioning, but most people don't know any conventions and shortcuts accumulated over two decades—the layers upon layers of user interface, patched one on top of another.
That's why the iPad and the iPhone have been so amazing. They were clean slates that kicked all those conventions to the curb. The result is a simple, powerful environment. It's awesome. It is the future.
Lion is the wrong step into that future. By trying to please everyone, the OS X team has produced an incongruent user interface pastiche that won't satisfy the consumers seeking simplicity nor the professional users in search of OCD control. Apple hasn't really targeted a specific population. Or provided varying levels of user control--a super-simple modal interface for normal people and pro-level classic window interface for nerds. That's what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 8. Ironically, if Apple had taken a page out of Microsoft's book in this case, it would have been a step in the right direction.
Lots of good intentions
The first time I started Lion I was expecting Launchpad to take over the screen, like the iPad. Apple touted it as the new way to launch your apps. The combined theory of Lion-iOS-iCloud is good, almost magic: Launchpad to access your apps, apps to access your documents which, eventually, would all be in the cloud and accessible from all your devices. Eliminating the physical desktop metaphor completely, the same way Gmail has eliminated the need to have mail folders. With current instant-search technology, there's no need for anal folder organization. Advanced users and other masochists would still have access to their Finders for the time being, of course, just like Microsoft is doing with Windows 8.
That could have made a lot of sense for everyone involved. But what Apple did doesn't compute: Launchpad is supposedly the way to access all your apps, but who wants to click once on the dock's Launchpad icon, launch that interface, and then select your app when you can just open the app from the Finder itself? It's an extra click (or two or three). It's added complexity; it's superfluous.
Mission Chaos
That's one part of Lion's multiple personality problem. Mission Control along with Full Screen apps is another. Mission Control is touted by Apple as the perfect merger of Exposé and Spaces. Beloved by advanced users, Exposé and Spaces are great productivity tools in Leopard. The first allows you to quickly select apps and windows. Spaces helps pro users organize work environments, by grouping different app windows all floating on different desktops.
The way they mixed it (check the video for a better understanding) may work for advanced users, but it is way too complicated for consumers. It feels like a broken bridge between the modal world and the windowed world.
Full sizeBy default, there's a Dashboard Space, where all widgets live, like in the current Mac OS X. Then there is a Desktop Space, where the windowed apps exist. Again, this is like in Leopard. In Lion there could be multiple desktops grouping different apps, all set by the user. And finally, there is Full Screen App Space, which results in multiple spaces too, one per app taking over the whole screen. iPhoto, Preview and many system apps can run full screen at this point.
This is not a bad idea per se. When you work only with Full Screen Apps it all makes perfect sense. It's very easy and smooth to move from one app to the other swiping your three or four fingers left or right. Your mind switches tasks as you move from app to app. I mostly work with Photoshop, my tabbed browser, iMovie/FCP and Mail. Add iPhoto for my personal 70,000-photo album and iTunes for about 12,000 songs. It'd be very convenient for me to switch through full screen versions of these apps. I like the simplicity and the clarity it brings.
But when you add Desktop Spaces and the Dashboard Space, it all becomes a mêlée of windows, desktops, squares, Dashboard widgets and icons. When you get into Mission Control by swiping three fingers up, you get a new clusterfuck that is added to the traditional windowed clusterfuck we have now. Click on one of the windows or spaces or whatever to go to it. Does it work? Yes. Is it more confusing for consumers than Exposé or Spaces? Yes. It's more complicated because it tries to mix control of all these different entities in one single place. The mix doesn't work.
Allegedly, as all third-party apps include the full screen mode that Apple is advocating, a android tablet would become a home for small single-window apps like iChat or Twitter (or at that time, it may be better to move all of those to the Dashboard Space and get it over with). Advanced users would be able to run all their apps in the Desktop Spaces if they wanted so. Normal users would be able to run all their apps in full screen mode, simplifying their lives. Like with Launchpad, full screen apps should be the default mode of apps, unless specified in the System Preferences.
For consumers, that would result in a pure, gloriously simple modal environment like the iPad. The pros would still have their clusterfuck.
The inconsistency problem
This mix and match of concepts brings a lot more problems. Take this example: when you are in a full screen app, there's no easy way to open a new app. You either have to swipe your way back to a Desktop space and launch your app from the Dock or the Finder or Launchpad. Or you swipe your three fingers up to access Mission Control and launch your app from the Dock or click on Launchpad in the Dock and find your app there. Or you can access the Command + Tab menu and access Launchpad from there. Or you can find your app in the Spotlight widget on the top menu of the full screen app.
These multiple points of access would make the head of any consumer explode, while advanced users would probably go for a quick third-party launcher like Alfred, something that would allow them to quickly open any app or document from anywhere.
That's not the only headache that this mix of multiple concepts introduce. There's the issue of inconsistency in gestures. Never mind the introduction of Natural Scrolling, which basically reverses the way you have scrolled all your life to match the way the iPad does it (your brain will adapt to it in a few minutes--but you can always turn it off). The problem is that gestures are not consistent between applications.
Full sizeYou swipe left and right with three fingers to move through spaces, but when you are in Launchpad, you do a similar backpack by using two fingers only. One doesn't work. That's because Launchpad is an application, so it uses the two-finger page-swapping gesture. But it feels wrong because your brain is wired to the way you swap spaces. In Safari, the two-finger swapping makes you travel in your history. In Preview, it makes you go through pages. Which kind of makes sense, but it doesn't.
There's a problem there, which is likely going to affect other apps. It feels like the wenger backpack is non-consistent and it's certainly not as intuitive as the iPhone or the iPad, perhaps because the touch element doesn't exist. One tip: If you are going to get Lion, get a Magic Trackpad.
The ugly failure of the physical metaphor
Another iOS aspect that has worked its way into Mac OS X Lion is the graphical emulation of physical surfaces. Now there's gross faux wood panelling in Photo Booth. The Address Book is a real world hardbound address book. iCal is a bloody pseudo-calendar made of paper and leather.
Full sizeThe question is: Why is Apple reproducing things that are obsolete already? Do people still use calendars made of leather and paper? Do people use agendas? Seriously, does anyone under 18 even know what these are?
I understand that the iOS guidelines call for physical surfaces to invite touch, but that's because there's a screen to touch. And, let's face it, we are not in 2008 anymore. Everyone knows how to touch a screen. And I can't touch my iMac screen and make it do anything, anyway.
It may be the subject for another article, but this emulation of old stuff feels like a juvenile gimmick, much like the old gummy-drop Aqua interface feels old and dated now. In this regard, perhaps Apple software people should have taken a page from Jon Ive and his cronies: Simplify the interface, get rid of the things that don't add any information to the user, all the useless adornments. I'd have loved to see a user interface that echoed Apple's own hardware and use of typography.
The right stuff
It's not all bad. They got rid of the swissgear backpack scrollbars and--when they are not doing gimmicky real-world object emulation--the graphical aspects of the user interface are simpler and unified. More sober than ever before.
The use of animation is also gorgeous, and full of meaning. The sharing interface of AirDrop works great. It's simple, it makes sense, it works. There's nothing superflous there. In Mail, the animation used to show threads works well. It helps the user to understand what's going on ("oh, it's expanding!"). I would love to see more simplification of the graphics and more use of animation to convey information.
There are lots of other little things, like iChat and its unified contact list, a much needed fix that third party chats apps already had. The accounts and contact information is also unified in a iOS-like kind of way. Those things feel good. As do things like saving the status of application and the automatic versioning of documents, which saves your data automatically and allows you to go back in time to reverse edits on a document-per-document basis. These little things will be reason enough for many to upgrade to Lion.
I don't need Lion, and you probably don't need it either
But overall, it doesn't feel like a must-have upgrade to me.
I love Mac OS X. I've used it since the very first and painful developer preview, back in September 2000. I love iOS too, because its modal nature simplifies powerful computing, and, at the same time, empowers normal people. I hoped Mac OS X Lion was going to merge both perfectly. Sadly, from a user interface point of view, it has failed to achieve that. And by failing at this task, it has made a mess of what was previously totally acceptable.
If it weren't for the fast, rock-solid Unix, graphics and networking cores, Lion would be Apple's very own Vista.
The path to a simpler future
When Steve Jobs first introduced Lion, he set a bold goal: to take what has made the iPad and the iPhone so successful and bring it to the desktop. There's nothing wrong with that. The simplification of the computer experience—which actually gives more power to the users by allowing them to focus on their work instead of screwing around with their machine to make it do what they want—has been the Holy Grail of computers since the 80s.
It happened then, when we switched from the command line to the graphical desktop. (For the complete history of this evolution, read this). But in the last three decades computers have again become too complicated for a lot of people. The rest of us put up with it because we've gone through years of conditioning, but most people don't know any conventions and shortcuts accumulated over two decades—the layers upon layers of user interface, patched one on top of another.
That's why the iPad and the iPhone have been so amazing. They were clean slates that kicked all those conventions to the curb. The result is a simple, powerful environment. It's awesome. It is the future.
Lion is the wrong step into that future. By trying to please everyone, the OS X team has produced an incongruent user interface pastiche that won't satisfy the consumers seeking simplicity nor the professional users in search of OCD control. Apple hasn't really targeted a specific population. Or provided varying levels of user control--a super-simple modal interface for normal people and pro-level classic window interface for nerds. That's what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 8. Ironically, if Apple had taken a page out of Microsoft's book in this case, it would have been a step in the right direction.
Lots of good intentions
The first time I started Lion I was expecting Launchpad to take over the screen, like the iPad. Apple touted it as the new way to launch your apps. The combined theory of Lion-iOS-iCloud is good, almost magic: Launchpad to access your apps, apps to access your documents which, eventually, would all be in the cloud and accessible from all your devices. Eliminating the physical desktop metaphor completely, the same way Gmail has eliminated the need to have mail folders. With current instant-search technology, there's no need for anal folder organization. Advanced users and other masochists would still have access to their Finders for the time being, of course, just like Microsoft is doing with Windows 8.
That could have made a lot of sense for everyone involved. But what Apple did doesn't compute: Launchpad is supposedly the way to access all your apps, but who wants to click once on the dock's Launchpad icon, launch that interface, and then select your app when you can just open the app from the Finder itself? It's an extra click (or two or three). It's added complexity; it's superfluous.
Mission Chaos
That's one part of Lion's multiple personality problem. Mission Control along with Full Screen apps is another. Mission Control is touted by Apple as the perfect merger of Exposé and Spaces. Beloved by advanced users, Exposé and Spaces are great productivity tools in Leopard. The first allows you to quickly select apps and windows. Spaces helps pro users organize work environments, by grouping different app windows all floating on different desktops.
The way they mixed it (check the video for a better understanding) may work for advanced users, but it is way too complicated for consumers. It feels like a broken bridge between the modal world and the windowed world.
Full sizeBy default, there's a Dashboard Space, where all widgets live, like in the current Mac OS X. Then there is a Desktop Space, where the windowed apps exist. Again, this is like in Leopard. In Lion there could be multiple desktops grouping different apps, all set by the user. And finally, there is Full Screen App Space, which results in multiple spaces too, one per app taking over the whole screen. iPhoto, Preview and many system apps can run full screen at this point.
This is not a bad idea per se. When you work only with Full Screen Apps it all makes perfect sense. It's very easy and smooth to move from one app to the other swiping your three or four fingers left or right. Your mind switches tasks as you move from app to app. I mostly work with Photoshop, my tabbed browser, iMovie/FCP and Mail. Add iPhoto for my personal 70,000-photo album and iTunes for about 12,000 songs. It'd be very convenient for me to switch through full screen versions of these apps. I like the simplicity and the clarity it brings.
But when you add Desktop Spaces and the Dashboard Space, it all becomes a mêlée of windows, desktops, squares, Dashboard widgets and icons. When you get into Mission Control by swiping three fingers up, you get a new clusterfuck that is added to the traditional windowed clusterfuck we have now. Click on one of the windows or spaces or whatever to go to it. Does it work? Yes. Is it more confusing for consumers than Exposé or Spaces? Yes. It's more complicated because it tries to mix control of all these different entities in one single place. The mix doesn't work.
Allegedly, as all third-party apps include the full screen mode that Apple is advocating, a android tablet would become a home for small single-window apps like iChat or Twitter (or at that time, it may be better to move all of those to the Dashboard Space and get it over with). Advanced users would be able to run all their apps in the Desktop Spaces if they wanted so. Normal users would be able to run all their apps in full screen mode, simplifying their lives. Like with Launchpad, full screen apps should be the default mode of apps, unless specified in the System Preferences.
For consumers, that would result in a pure, gloriously simple modal environment like the iPad. The pros would still have their clusterfuck.
The inconsistency problem
This mix and match of concepts brings a lot more problems. Take this example: when you are in a full screen app, there's no easy way to open a new app. You either have to swipe your way back to a Desktop space and launch your app from the Dock or the Finder or Launchpad. Or you swipe your three fingers up to access Mission Control and launch your app from the Dock or click on Launchpad in the Dock and find your app there. Or you can access the Command + Tab menu and access Launchpad from there. Or you can find your app in the Spotlight widget on the top menu of the full screen app.
These multiple points of access would make the head of any consumer explode, while advanced users would probably go for a quick third-party launcher like Alfred, something that would allow them to quickly open any app or document from anywhere.
That's not the only headache that this mix of multiple concepts introduce. There's the issue of inconsistency in gestures. Never mind the introduction of Natural Scrolling, which basically reverses the way you have scrolled all your life to match the way the iPad does it (your brain will adapt to it in a few minutes--but you can always turn it off). The problem is that gestures are not consistent between applications.
Full sizeYou swipe left and right with three fingers to move through spaces, but when you are in Launchpad, you do a similar backpack by using two fingers only. One doesn't work. That's because Launchpad is an application, so it uses the two-finger page-swapping gesture. But it feels wrong because your brain is wired to the way you swap spaces. In Safari, the two-finger swapping makes you travel in your history. In Preview, it makes you go through pages. Which kind of makes sense, but it doesn't.
There's a problem there, which is likely going to affect other apps. It feels like the wenger backpack is non-consistent and it's certainly not as intuitive as the iPhone or the iPad, perhaps because the touch element doesn't exist. One tip: If you are going to get Lion, get a Magic Trackpad.
The ugly failure of the physical metaphor
Another iOS aspect that has worked its way into Mac OS X Lion is the graphical emulation of physical surfaces. Now there's gross faux wood panelling in Photo Booth. The Address Book is a real world hardbound address book. iCal is a bloody pseudo-calendar made of paper and leather.
Full sizeThe question is: Why is Apple reproducing things that are obsolete already? Do people still use calendars made of leather and paper? Do people use agendas? Seriously, does anyone under 18 even know what these are?
I understand that the iOS guidelines call for physical surfaces to invite touch, but that's because there's a screen to touch. And, let's face it, we are not in 2008 anymore. Everyone knows how to touch a screen. And I can't touch my iMac screen and make it do anything, anyway.
It may be the subject for another article, but this emulation of old stuff feels like a juvenile gimmick, much like the old gummy-drop Aqua interface feels old and dated now. In this regard, perhaps Apple software people should have taken a page from Jon Ive and his cronies: Simplify the interface, get rid of the things that don't add any information to the user, all the useless adornments. I'd have loved to see a user interface that echoed Apple's own hardware and use of typography.
The right stuff
It's not all bad. They got rid of the swissgear backpack scrollbars and--when they are not doing gimmicky real-world object emulation--the graphical aspects of the user interface are simpler and unified. More sober than ever before.
The use of animation is also gorgeous, and full of meaning. The sharing interface of AirDrop works great. It's simple, it makes sense, it works. There's nothing superflous there. In Mail, the animation used to show threads works well. It helps the user to understand what's going on ("oh, it's expanding!"). I would love to see more simplification of the graphics and more use of animation to convey information.
There are lots of other little things, like iChat and its unified contact list, a much needed fix that third party chats apps already had. The accounts and contact information is also unified in a iOS-like kind of way. Those things feel good. As do things like saving the status of application and the automatic versioning of documents, which saves your data automatically and allows you to go back in time to reverse edits on a document-per-document basis. These little things will be reason enough for many to upgrade to Lion.
I don't need Lion, and you probably don't need it either
But overall, it doesn't feel like a must-have upgrade to me.
I love Mac OS X. I've used it since the very first and painful developer preview, back in September 2000. I love iOS too, because its modal nature simplifies powerful computing, and, at the same time, empowers normal people. I hoped Mac OS X Lion was going to merge both perfectly. Sadly, from a user interface point of view, it has failed to achieve that. And by failing at this task, it has made a mess of what was previously totally acceptable.
2011年7月18日星期一
Borders, unable to find white knight, to liquidate
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Borders Group Inc, the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain, said it has canceled an upcoming bankruptcy auction and will close its doors for good.
The company said in a statement Monday it was unable to find a buyer willing to keep it in operation and will sell itself to a group of liquidators led by Hilco Merchant Resources.
Borders' roughly 400 remaining stores will close, and nearly 11,000 jobs will be lost, aandroid tabletording to the backpack.
"We are saddened by this development," Borders President Mike Edwards said in the statement. "We were all working hard toward a different outcome, but the headwinds we have been facing for quite some time ... have brought us to where we are now."
Borders was unable to overcome competition from larger rival Barnes & Noble Inc and from Amazon.com Inc, which began to dominate book retail when the industry shifted largely online. Borders, for which online sales represented only a small fraction of revenue, never caught up to its rivals' e-reader sales, namely Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's android tablet.
Borders had hoped to sell itself to buyout firm Najafi Cos, which owns the Book-of-the-Month Club. While Najafi was willing to pay $215 million in cash and take on another $220 million in liabilities to acquire the assets, the deal fell apart last week after creditors objected to terms that would have allowed Najafi to liquidate after completing the sale.
Earlier Monday, Reuters reported that swissgear backpack Inc, the nation's third-largest bookstore chain, was in talks to acquire a small number of Borders stores, citing sources close to Borders' bankruptcy. Representatives for Borders did not address the report when contacted by Reuters, and the company's statement did not say whether formal talks had taken place.
A CHANGING INDUSTRY
Founded in 1971 by Tom and Louis Borders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders had just 21 stores when it was purchased in 1992 by Kmart. By 1997, its store count had ballooned to 203, and the company was setting its sights even higher with plans to expand to 1,000 locations.
But a money-losing e-commerce website and mounting competition from online retailers forced Borders to try unsuandroid tabletessfully to sell itself in 2008.
The company finally declared bankruptcy in February 2011 after delaying payments to landlords and publishers. It conducted going-out-of-business sales at about 200 of the 642 stores it operated prior to bankruptcy.
While competitors responded to consumers' growing preference for online business and electronic device-based entertainment, Borders remained mainly a brick-and-mortar operation.
"They were like the dinosaur that saw the ice coming but didn't think it was going to hit them," Schuyler Carroll, a bankruptcy attorney at Perkins Coie LLP, told Reuters Monday.
The Hilco group, which also includes Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, SB Capital Group, Tiger Capital Group and Great American Group, will begin liquidations as early as Friday, with the process to conclude sometime in September, Borders said. The bookseller will seek bankruptcy court approval of the closing procedures at a hearing Thursday in U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan.
Andrew Glenn, an attorney for Borders, told Reuters last week the company expected a liquidation sale to bring in between $250 million and $284 million.
DJM Realty, a unit of Gordon Brothers, will be in charge of the management and disposition of the 259 Borders leases that remain available for assignment.
"It is not every day a portfolio becomes available" with real estate as desirable as Borders, DJM said in a statement Monday. The properties should draw strong interest given the lack of real estate development and barriers to entry in key android tablet, DJM said.
PROBLEMS WIDESPREAD
For all its innovations on the digital side, Borders' main retail competitor, Barnes & Noble, remains in its own difficult straits, Carroll said.
The company put itself up for sale in August amid years of declining print book sales, saying its shares were undervalued. It is examining a $1 billion takeover offer made in May by John Malone's Liberty Media Corp.
David Strasser, an analyst at Janney Capital Markets, said liquidating Borders could make Barnes & Noble more valuable.
"This is perhaps an opportunity for a higher negotiated bid via Liberty or an entrance of another bidder," Strasser said last week in a note to clients.
But Carroll isn't so sure.
"Barnes & Noble is having its own problems," Carroll said. "I don't think one less store down the street is going to solve them."
Barnes & Noble was thought to be interested in buying a handful of Borders stores after Glenn said at a hearing last week that the company had voiced some interest in select Borders locations.
Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch said in February that certain Borders stores appeared attractive to the company, which operates more than 700 stores.
Borders' statement did not address whether Barnes & Noble had made an offer, and a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman declined to comment.
OUT OF A JOB
Edwards extended a "heartfelt thanks" to his employees in Monday's statement, saying he was "proud" of the role they've played in the lives of consumers.
Carroll said the most significant loss associated with Borders' closing is that of jobs.
"It's one more knife in an economy that really doesn't need that," he said. "And for people who may be living on the edge right now and may not be able to quickly find a new job, they may not do very well."
The company said in a statement Monday it was unable to find a buyer willing to keep it in operation and will sell itself to a group of liquidators led by Hilco Merchant Resources.
Borders' roughly 400 remaining stores will close, and nearly 11,000 jobs will be lost, aandroid tabletording to the backpack.
"We are saddened by this development," Borders President Mike Edwards said in the statement. "We were all working hard toward a different outcome, but the headwinds we have been facing for quite some time ... have brought us to where we are now."
Borders was unable to overcome competition from larger rival Barnes & Noble Inc and from Amazon.com Inc, which began to dominate book retail when the industry shifted largely online. Borders, for which online sales represented only a small fraction of revenue, never caught up to its rivals' e-reader sales, namely Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's android tablet.
Borders had hoped to sell itself to buyout firm Najafi Cos, which owns the Book-of-the-Month Club. While Najafi was willing to pay $215 million in cash and take on another $220 million in liabilities to acquire the assets, the deal fell apart last week after creditors objected to terms that would have allowed Najafi to liquidate after completing the sale.
Earlier Monday, Reuters reported that swissgear backpack Inc, the nation's third-largest bookstore chain, was in talks to acquire a small number of Borders stores, citing sources close to Borders' bankruptcy. Representatives for Borders did not address the report when contacted by Reuters, and the company's statement did not say whether formal talks had taken place.
A CHANGING INDUSTRY
Founded in 1971 by Tom and Louis Borders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders had just 21 stores when it was purchased in 1992 by Kmart. By 1997, its store count had ballooned to 203, and the company was setting its sights even higher with plans to expand to 1,000 locations.
But a money-losing e-commerce website and mounting competition from online retailers forced Borders to try unsuandroid tabletessfully to sell itself in 2008.
The company finally declared bankruptcy in February 2011 after delaying payments to landlords and publishers. It conducted going-out-of-business sales at about 200 of the 642 stores it operated prior to bankruptcy.
While competitors responded to consumers' growing preference for online business and electronic device-based entertainment, Borders remained mainly a brick-and-mortar operation.
"They were like the dinosaur that saw the ice coming but didn't think it was going to hit them," Schuyler Carroll, a bankruptcy attorney at Perkins Coie LLP, told Reuters Monday.
The Hilco group, which also includes Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, SB Capital Group, Tiger Capital Group and Great American Group, will begin liquidations as early as Friday, with the process to conclude sometime in September, Borders said. The bookseller will seek bankruptcy court approval of the closing procedures at a hearing Thursday in U.S. bankruptcy court in Manhattan.
Andrew Glenn, an attorney for Borders, told Reuters last week the company expected a liquidation sale to bring in between $250 million and $284 million.
DJM Realty, a unit of Gordon Brothers, will be in charge of the management and disposition of the 259 Borders leases that remain available for assignment.
"It is not every day a portfolio becomes available" with real estate as desirable as Borders, DJM said in a statement Monday. The properties should draw strong interest given the lack of real estate development and barriers to entry in key android tablet, DJM said.
PROBLEMS WIDESPREAD
For all its innovations on the digital side, Borders' main retail competitor, Barnes & Noble, remains in its own difficult straits, Carroll said.
The company put itself up for sale in August amid years of declining print book sales, saying its shares were undervalued. It is examining a $1 billion takeover offer made in May by John Malone's Liberty Media Corp.
David Strasser, an analyst at Janney Capital Markets, said liquidating Borders could make Barnes & Noble more valuable.
"This is perhaps an opportunity for a higher negotiated bid via Liberty or an entrance of another bidder," Strasser said last week in a note to clients.
But Carroll isn't so sure.
"Barnes & Noble is having its own problems," Carroll said. "I don't think one less store down the street is going to solve them."
Barnes & Noble was thought to be interested in buying a handful of Borders stores after Glenn said at a hearing last week that the company had voiced some interest in select Borders locations.
Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch said in February that certain Borders stores appeared attractive to the company, which operates more than 700 stores.
Borders' statement did not address whether Barnes & Noble had made an offer, and a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman declined to comment.
OUT OF A JOB
Edwards extended a "heartfelt thanks" to his employees in Monday's statement, saying he was "proud" of the role they've played in the lives of consumers.
Carroll said the most significant loss associated with Borders' closing is that of jobs.
"It's one more knife in an economy that really doesn't need that," he said. "And for people who may be living on the edge right now and may not be able to quickly find a new job, they may not do very well."
2011年7月15日星期五
Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony call it quits
NEW YORK (AP) — With three failed marriages between them, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony finally seemed to find true love together when they married seven years ago. They had twin children, went on tour together, did a movie together and even planned a music-based reality show they were working on together.
But on Friday, the pair announced they were no longer together.backpack
"We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision," the couple said in a statement by Lopez's publicist. "We have come to amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time."
It was a surprising split for one of Hollywood's most high-profile couples. They seemed inseparable: Lopez even danced in the background for her crooner husband when he performed on "American Idol," where she debuted as a judge this past season.
The pair, both of Puerto Rican heritage, married in 2004 after years of knowing each other. He was ending a marriage to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, while she had recently endured a high-profile breakup with Ben Affleck.
Lopez had been married twice before in brief unions to Ojani Noa and Chris Judd and had a famous romance with Sean "Diddy" Combs.android tablet
Her union with Anthony was her most enduring public relationship. The pair did a joint tour together and starred in the movie "El Cantante" in 2006.
They also had two children, twins Emme and Max. They were Lopez's first children; Anthony had a child from Torres and another from a previous relationship.
In April, the pair, both 42, announced plans for a television show together, "Q'Viva! The Chosen," with Simon Fuller, the creator of "Idol." The show was to feature the superstar couple as they traveled the world to find the best performers in Latin music, dance and other arts with the goal of creating a live extravaganza.
The show had no airdate, and it's unclear if it will continue.
Lopez released her latest album, titled "Love?" this year. Her career, which lulled in recent years, has surged since she became an "Idol" judge.
But on Friday, the pair announced they were no longer together.backpack
"We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision," the couple said in a statement by Lopez's publicist. "We have come to amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time."
It was a surprising split for one of Hollywood's most high-profile couples. They seemed inseparable: Lopez even danced in the background for her crooner husband when he performed on "American Idol," where she debuted as a judge this past season.
The pair, both of Puerto Rican heritage, married in 2004 after years of knowing each other. He was ending a marriage to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, while she had recently endured a high-profile breakup with Ben Affleck.
Lopez had been married twice before in brief unions to Ojani Noa and Chris Judd and had a famous romance with Sean "Diddy" Combs.android tablet
Her union with Anthony was her most enduring public relationship. The pair did a joint tour together and starred in the movie "El Cantante" in 2006.
They also had two children, twins Emme and Max. They were Lopez's first children; Anthony had a child from Torres and another from a previous relationship.
In April, the pair, both 42, announced plans for a television show together, "Q'Viva! The Chosen," with Simon Fuller, the creator of "Idol." The show was to feature the superstar couple as they traveled the world to find the best performers in Latin music, dance and other arts with the goal of creating a live extravaganza.
The show had no airdate, and it's unclear if it will continue.
Lopez released her latest album, titled "Love?" this year. Her career, which lulled in recent years, has surged since she became an "Idol" judge.
2011年7月14日星期四
Tom Lewis, Thomas Bjorn share lead
SANDWICH, England -- Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lewis have nothing in common except for the unlikely position they shared Thursday atop the leaderboard at the British Open.
It's not just that one is twice as old.
Or that Bjorn is a 40-year-old pro who wonders how much longer he can compete at the highest level, while Lewis is an amateur making his major championship debut, his best golf still to come.
The biggest difference are their memories of Royal St. George's.
Bjorn took a small step toward atonement with a birdie on the par-3 16th -- the hole that cost him the claret jug in 2003 when he took three shots to escape a pot bunker -- on his way to a 5-under 65 in the toughest conditions of the opening round.
He made a birdie on Thursday, and couldn't help but smile when he saw it bounce away from trouble and toward the flag.
"When I hit the shot, I thought, 'This is going to struggle.' So when it just made it over that bunker, that was just a smile of knowing that things were going my way today," Bjorn said.
Lewis ran off four straight birdies late in his round, an amazing stretch that began on the par-5 14th. That's the hole where Lewis wrapped up the British Boys Amateur Championship two years ago, the highlight of a sterling amateur record. A par on the final hole gave him a 65, the lowest ever by an amateur in the British Open, making him the first amateur to lead this championship in 43 years. backpack
"It was a special moment for me, winning here, and to come back to where you've won is extra special," Lewis said. "I was just thrilled to be here, but to shoot 65 the first round was something I wouldn't have thought. I was just happy to get the drive off the tee at the first, and that was all that mattered."
Adding to the nerves was playing alongside Tom Watson, such a popular figure in the Lewis household that they named their oldest son after the five-time Open champion. And to think the kid only wanted to make sure he didn't embarrass himself in front of Watson.
"He could be my grandson," Watson said. "I just had to smile inside to watch him play. I didn't play particularly well myself, but I certainly was impressed by the way he played."
Equally impressive to Watson was to overhear Lewis' caddie tell him there were still 54 holes left.
But what a start.
Bjorn wasn't even in the tournament until Vijay Singh withdrew on Monday, giving the Dane another shot at Royal St. George's. When someone suggested if he would be better off not playing to avoid memories of his meltdown, Bjorn cut him off. tablet
"A couple of people asked me that question, 'Would you not just want to go home?' " Bjorn said. "This is The Open Championship. Where else do you want to be?"
Miguel Jimenez also played in the windy morning conditions and had a bogey-free 66. He was joined later in the round by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.
A dozen players were at 68, a group that two major champions from last year -- PGA winner Martin Kaymer and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who was 3 over through five holes until a ferocious rally.
It was vintage links golf along the Strait of Dover, where the seaside wind can be as fickle as the bounces on rolling turf of Royal St. George's. Flags that were crackling throughout the morning when Bjorn and Jimenez faced cold conditions and a spot of rain were only rippling when Lewis teed off in the afternoon, and they were drooping when the round ended.
The change was reflected in the scores.
Rory McIlroy, coming off an eight-shot victory in the U.S. Open that made the 22-year-old the centerpiece of this major, rallied from a sloppy start for a 1-over 71, and he had no complaints.
"Anywhere around even par is a good start," McIlroy said.
It didn't feel that way toward the end of a long day.
The morning half of the draw were a combined 223-over par. The afternoon half combined to go only 94-over par. There were a dozen rounds in the 60s in the morning, and 23 in the afternoon.
"Looks like the wind gods are having an afternoon tea?" came a tweet from John Daly, who was proud of his 72 in the morning.
The calmer conditions are expected for Friday morning when Lewis goes out for his second round, with the wind shifting and becoming more fierce in the afternoon. That figures to only help Lewis, Glover and those who got the late-early portion of the tee times.
Lewis figures he has other advantages.
He has been around golf all of his life -- his father once played the European Tour -- and he really feels at home on links courses. The Royal & Ancients tends to play its championships for amateurs on the seaside courses, and Lewis has played only links this summer except for one tournament. laptop backpack
"We're used to the wind," Lewis said. "Watching it on the TV this morning, I didn't think scores would be as low as they are. But the wind dropped, and that was the opportunity to shoot a good score. And I'm thankful I did play well."
Far more impressive was Bjorn, because of the conditions and his history on this ancient turf. Players stuck their hands in the pocket to fight the chill, the wind and occasional rain. Bjorn also made his move on the 14th, making back-to-back birdies.
And then came the par-3 16th.
It was his first time on that hole in competition since that dreadful Sunday afternoon in 2003. Eight years later, the difference was the day of the week -- and what was riding on it. Just like then, he had a two-shot lead in the British Open. His tee shot had him concerned as it drifted in the blustery wind toward one of the seven bunkers guarding the green.
The ball barely cleared a bunker, hopped onto the green and trundled toward the hole. swiss gear backpack
"That gives you the trust and belief that sometimes things can turn out your way, and it does that in links golf," Bjorn said. "We all know what its' like -- a bounce here or there and then it goes either wrong or right. And today it went my way."
But he was dismissive when it was suggested that hole -- and this course -- owes him something.
"This hole owes nobody anything," Bjorn said. "No hole in golf does, and no golf course does. I played that Open and I played fantastic the whole week. I tried to hit the right shot every single time, and I didn't hit the right shot on 16. That happens in golf. That's the nature of this game. You've just got to deal with them things."
He has coped as well as can be expected, even if no one believes him. Bjorn had a tough time when he returned to the British Open the following year at Royal Troon, then moved on. A year later, in the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, he was tied for the lead and poised for a playoff until Phil Mickelson birdied the final hole to win. That at least told Bjorn he could still contend. android tablet
Thursday was another reminder, although he is not sure how long it will last.
That holds true for Lewis, the English amateur who is advancing quicker than he could imagine. He poured in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th for his last birdie, and was so locked into what he was doing that he didn't take time to glance at the yellow scoreboard atop the grandstand, or even wait for Watson to walk first onto the 18th green, a tradition reserved for the most respected players in the game.
Either way, they were cheering for Tom.
It's not just that one is twice as old.
Or that Bjorn is a 40-year-old pro who wonders how much longer he can compete at the highest level, while Lewis is an amateur making his major championship debut, his best golf still to come.
Bjorn took a small step toward atonement with a birdie on the par-3 16th -- the hole that cost him the claret jug in 2003 when he took three shots to escape a pot bunker -- on his way to a 5-under 65 in the toughest conditions of the opening round.
He made a birdie on Thursday, and couldn't help but smile when he saw it bounce away from trouble and toward the flag.
"When I hit the shot, I thought, 'This is going to struggle.' So when it just made it over that bunker, that was just a smile of knowing that things were going my way today," Bjorn said.
Lewis ran off four straight birdies late in his round, an amazing stretch that began on the par-5 14th. That's the hole where Lewis wrapped up the British Boys Amateur Championship two years ago, the highlight of a sterling amateur record. A par on the final hole gave him a 65, the lowest ever by an amateur in the British Open, making him the first amateur to lead this championship in 43 years. backpack
"It was a special moment for me, winning here, and to come back to where you've won is extra special," Lewis said. "I was just thrilled to be here, but to shoot 65 the first round was something I wouldn't have thought. I was just happy to get the drive off the tee at the first, and that was all that mattered."
Adding to the nerves was playing alongside Tom Watson, such a popular figure in the Lewis household that they named their oldest son after the five-time Open champion. And to think the kid only wanted to make sure he didn't embarrass himself in front of Watson.
"He could be my grandson," Watson said. "I just had to smile inside to watch him play. I didn't play particularly well myself, but I certainly was impressed by the way he played."
Equally impressive to Watson was to overhear Lewis' caddie tell him there were still 54 holes left.
But what a start.
Bjorn wasn't even in the tournament until Vijay Singh withdrew on Monday, giving the Dane another shot at Royal St. George's. When someone suggested if he would be better off not playing to avoid memories of his meltdown, Bjorn cut him off. tablet
"A couple of people asked me that question, 'Would you not just want to go home?' " Bjorn said. "This is The Open Championship. Where else do you want to be?"
Miguel Jimenez also played in the windy morning conditions and had a bogey-free 66. He was joined later in the round by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.
A dozen players were at 68, a group that two major champions from last year -- PGA winner Martin Kaymer and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who was 3 over through five holes until a ferocious rally.
It was vintage links golf along the Strait of Dover, where the seaside wind can be as fickle as the bounces on rolling turf of Royal St. George's. Flags that were crackling throughout the morning when Bjorn and Jimenez faced cold conditions and a spot of rain were only rippling when Lewis teed off in the afternoon, and they were drooping when the round ended.
The change was reflected in the scores.
Rory McIlroy, coming off an eight-shot victory in the U.S. Open that made the 22-year-old the centerpiece of this major, rallied from a sloppy start for a 1-over 71, and he had no complaints.
"Anywhere around even par is a good start," McIlroy said.
It didn't feel that way toward the end of a long day.
The morning half of the draw were a combined 223-over par. The afternoon half combined to go only 94-over par. There were a dozen rounds in the 60s in the morning, and 23 in the afternoon.
"Looks like the wind gods are having an afternoon tea?" came a tweet from John Daly, who was proud of his 72 in the morning.
The calmer conditions are expected for Friday morning when Lewis goes out for his second round, with the wind shifting and becoming more fierce in the afternoon. That figures to only help Lewis, Glover and those who got the late-early portion of the tee times.
Lewis figures he has other advantages.
He has been around golf all of his life -- his father once played the European Tour -- and he really feels at home on links courses. The Royal & Ancients tends to play its championships for amateurs on the seaside courses, and Lewis has played only links this summer except for one tournament. laptop backpack
"We're used to the wind," Lewis said. "Watching it on the TV this morning, I didn't think scores would be as low as they are. But the wind dropped, and that was the opportunity to shoot a good score. And I'm thankful I did play well."
Far more impressive was Bjorn, because of the conditions and his history on this ancient turf. Players stuck their hands in the pocket to fight the chill, the wind and occasional rain. Bjorn also made his move on the 14th, making back-to-back birdies.
And then came the par-3 16th.
It was his first time on that hole in competition since that dreadful Sunday afternoon in 2003. Eight years later, the difference was the day of the week -- and what was riding on it. Just like then, he had a two-shot lead in the British Open. His tee shot had him concerned as it drifted in the blustery wind toward one of the seven bunkers guarding the green.
The ball barely cleared a bunker, hopped onto the green and trundled toward the hole. swiss gear backpack
"That gives you the trust and belief that sometimes things can turn out your way, and it does that in links golf," Bjorn said. "We all know what its' like -- a bounce here or there and then it goes either wrong or right. And today it went my way."
But he was dismissive when it was suggested that hole -- and this course -- owes him something.
"This hole owes nobody anything," Bjorn said. "No hole in golf does, and no golf course does. I played that Open and I played fantastic the whole week. I tried to hit the right shot every single time, and I didn't hit the right shot on 16. That happens in golf. That's the nature of this game. You've just got to deal with them things."
He has coped as well as can be expected, even if no one believes him. Bjorn had a tough time when he returned to the British Open the following year at Royal Troon, then moved on. A year later, in the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol, he was tied for the lead and poised for a playoff until Phil Mickelson birdied the final hole to win. That at least told Bjorn he could still contend. android tablet
Thursday was another reminder, although he is not sure how long it will last.
That holds true for Lewis, the English amateur who is advancing quicker than he could imagine. He poured in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th for his last birdie, and was so locked into what he was doing that he didn't take time to glance at the yellow scoreboard atop the grandstand, or even wait for Watson to walk first onto the 18th green, a tradition reserved for the most respected players in the game.
Either way, they were cheering for Tom.
2011年7月13日星期三
DRESDEN, Germany (AP)
Running low on hope and almost out of time, the Americans were surely beat, about to make their earliest exit from the Women's World Cup.
And then, with one of the most thrilling goals in U.S. history, they weren't.
Showing a dramatic burst sure to captivate the folks back home, the Americans packed an entire World Cup's worth of theatrics into a 15-minute span by beating Brazil 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie Sunday night.
"Phenomenal," US coach Pia Sundhage said. "Somebody's writing this book. It speaks to the American attitude." travel backpack
Abby Wambach tied it with a magnificent, leaping header in the 122nd minute, and Hope Solo denied the Brazilians - again - in one of the most riveting games in the history of the World Cup, men's or women's.
''There is something special about this group. That energy, that vibe,'' Solo said. ''Even in overtime, you felt something was going to happen.''
The United States advanced to Wednesday's semifinals against France, which eliminated England on penalty kicks Saturday. And while the Americans will have to win twice more to win the final, they are the only one of the favorites left after two-time defending champ Germany was stunned by Japan on Saturday night.
The US victory came 12 years to the day the Americans' last caught their country's attention in a big way with their penalty-kick shootout victory over China at the Rose Bowl that gave them their second World Cup title. This one created enough of a buzz that highlights were shown on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium, drawing big cheers.
For Brazil, it is yet another disappointment at a major tournament. And this one is sure to sting more than any others because Marta had it won for the Brazilians, scoring her second goal of the game in the second minute of overtime for the 2-1 lead. But Erika stalled when she went down on a tackle, and the delay added three minutes of stoppage time to the game. laptop backpack
That was all the time Wambach and the Americans needed, after pushing themselves to limit while playing a woman short after Rachel Buehler's 66th-minute ejection.
''Not for one second,'' Wambach said when asked if she ever felt the Americans were beat. ''I kept saying, all it takes is one chance. I kept holding up one finger to the girls.''
Two minutes into stoppage time, Megan Rapinoe blasted a left-footed cross from 30 yards out on the left side that Andreia didn't come close to getting her hands on. Wambach, one of the best players in the world in the air, made contact and with one furious whip of her head, buried it in the near side of the net from about five yards.
''I took a touch and smoked it,'' Rapinoe said. ''I don't think I've ever hit a cross with my left foot that well. And then that beast in the air got ahold of it.''
Wambach let out a primal scream and slid into the corner, pumping her fists and quickly mobbed by teammates. No goal had ever been scored that deep into a World Cup game. android tablet
''Everything seemed to be on the safe side, but it wasn't,'' Brazil coach Kleiton Lima said. ''Unfortunately there was the goal.''
The Americans, shooting first, made their three penalty kicks only to have Cristiane and Marta easily match them. But then it was Daiane's turn - the same Daiane who'd given the US a 1-0 lead with an own goal in the second minute of the game. She took a hard shot, but Solo stretched out and batted it away. Though the US still had to make two more, the celebration was already starting.
After Rapinoe blistered the net with a blast and Ali Krieger converted hers, the Americans raced onto the field, their joy only matched by that of the pro-American crowd of 25,598. Wambach tackled Solo and Sundhage even broke out her air guitar when AC/DC's ''You Shook Me All Night Long'' began to play.
Shake the tournament, the Americans did.
''It is a special moment for me and for this team,'' Solo said.
Four years ago, Solo touched off a firestorm after the Americans were humiliated 4-0 in the semifinals by Brazil, criticizing then-coach Greg Ryan's decision to bench her. She has lost only one game since, being particularly tough on Brazil. She's now 5-0, including a 1-0 shutout in overtime in the 2008 Olympic final.
It's redemption for the rest of the Americans, too, who have been roundly criticized and questioned for their uncharacteristically inconsistent play in recent months. After going more than two years without a loss, they've been beaten four times since November.
''It's like a storybook,'' Wambach said.
While the Americans partied, Marta and the Brazilians watched in silence. Cristiane repeatedly wiped away tears during postgame interviews. Despite a star-filled roster led by Marta, the FIFA player of the year five times running, Brazil has never won a major tournament. It lost to the Americans in the two Olympic gold-medal games, and to Germany in the 2007 World Cup final.
''They fought, they did everything,'' coach Kleiton Lima said. ''They threw their hearts into it and, of course, they were really sad.''
The U.S. has now eliminated Brazil at five of the last seven major tournaments. The lone consolation was that Marta's goals, the 13th and 14th of her career, tied her with Birgit Prinz atop the all-time World Cup scoring list. The Americans also have won their last five meetings against Brazil.
None, however, was more memorable than this.
Brazil spotted the US the lead in the second minute with an own goal by Daiane, who misdirected a clearance, then spent the next 63 trying furiously for the equalizer - and getting increasingly frustrated with every minute they didn't get it.
When they finally did, it was clouded in controversy.
Marta made a dangerous run into the box in the 65th, beating two US defenders and coming practically nose to nose with Solo before Buehler tracked back and dragged her down. Australian referee Jacqui Melksham not only ruled it a penalty but a red card as well. Cristiane, who already scored one goal off a penalty, took the kick. Solo made a perfect read and smacked it away, pumping her fists as Lloyd ran toward her to grab her in a bearhug.
But Melksham ordered the penalty retaken - and gave Solo a yellow card, ruling the American had left her line or a teammate encroached the penalty area before the kick was taken. Replays clearly showed Solo was on her line.
''I have no idea,'' Solo said. ''It is what it is.''
As the crowd jeered, Marta stepped up for the retake, staring down her old foe. Solo cost Marta and the Brazilians the gold medal in Beijing, stopping a point-blank blast from Marta in the 72nd minute of the Olympic final. This time, however, Marta got the best of the US 'keeper, burying the ball to pull the Brazilians even.
As she walked away from the spot, Marta slapped her right arm.
Fired up, the Americans repeatedly pushed forward over the last 20 minutes but couldn't get a decent shot. The closest they came was a blast from Rapinoe in second-half stoppage time, but it was from long range and it was never a real threat to Andreia.
Marta seemed to put the game out of reach in the 92nd minute - though replays seemed to show that Maurine, the player who fed her the ball, was offside.
But the Americans, criticized after losing four games in the last eight months, have talked repeatedly about their resilience. On this day, it was on full display.
''We're just fighting for each other out there,'' said captain Christie Rampone, the last player left from the 1999 squad. ''We were totally believing the whole time.''
And then, with one of the most thrilling goals in U.S. history, they weren't.
Showing a dramatic burst sure to captivate the folks back home, the Americans packed an entire World Cup's worth of theatrics into a 15-minute span by beating Brazil 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie Sunday night.
"Phenomenal," US coach Pia Sundhage said. "Somebody's writing this book. It speaks to the American attitude." travel backpack
Abby Wambach tied it with a magnificent, leaping header in the 122nd minute, and Hope Solo denied the Brazilians - again - in one of the most riveting games in the history of the World Cup, men's or women's.
''There is something special about this group. That energy, that vibe,'' Solo said. ''Even in overtime, you felt something was going to happen.''
The United States advanced to Wednesday's semifinals against France, which eliminated England on penalty kicks Saturday. And while the Americans will have to win twice more to win the final, they are the only one of the favorites left after two-time defending champ Germany was stunned by Japan on Saturday night.
The US victory came 12 years to the day the Americans' last caught their country's attention in a big way with their penalty-kick shootout victory over China at the Rose Bowl that gave them their second World Cup title. This one created enough of a buzz that highlights were shown on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium, drawing big cheers.
For Brazil, it is yet another disappointment at a major tournament. And this one is sure to sting more than any others because Marta had it won for the Brazilians, scoring her second goal of the game in the second minute of overtime for the 2-1 lead. But Erika stalled when she went down on a tackle, and the delay added three minutes of stoppage time to the game. laptop backpack
That was all the time Wambach and the Americans needed, after pushing themselves to limit while playing a woman short after Rachel Buehler's 66th-minute ejection.
''Not for one second,'' Wambach said when asked if she ever felt the Americans were beat. ''I kept saying, all it takes is one chance. I kept holding up one finger to the girls.''
Two minutes into stoppage time, Megan Rapinoe blasted a left-footed cross from 30 yards out on the left side that Andreia didn't come close to getting her hands on. Wambach, one of the best players in the world in the air, made contact and with one furious whip of her head, buried it in the near side of the net from about five yards.
''I took a touch and smoked it,'' Rapinoe said. ''I don't think I've ever hit a cross with my left foot that well. And then that beast in the air got ahold of it.''
Wambach let out a primal scream and slid into the corner, pumping her fists and quickly mobbed by teammates. No goal had ever been scored that deep into a World Cup game. android tablet
''Everything seemed to be on the safe side, but it wasn't,'' Brazil coach Kleiton Lima said. ''Unfortunately there was the goal.''
The Americans, shooting first, made their three penalty kicks only to have Cristiane and Marta easily match them. But then it was Daiane's turn - the same Daiane who'd given the US a 1-0 lead with an own goal in the second minute of the game. She took a hard shot, but Solo stretched out and batted it away. Though the US still had to make two more, the celebration was already starting.
After Rapinoe blistered the net with a blast and Ali Krieger converted hers, the Americans raced onto the field, their joy only matched by that of the pro-American crowd of 25,598. Wambach tackled Solo and Sundhage even broke out her air guitar when AC/DC's ''You Shook Me All Night Long'' began to play.
Shake the tournament, the Americans did.
''It is a special moment for me and for this team,'' Solo said.
Four years ago, Solo touched off a firestorm after the Americans were humiliated 4-0 in the semifinals by Brazil, criticizing then-coach Greg Ryan's decision to bench her. She has lost only one game since, being particularly tough on Brazil. She's now 5-0, including a 1-0 shutout in overtime in the 2008 Olympic final.
It's redemption for the rest of the Americans, too, who have been roundly criticized and questioned for their uncharacteristically inconsistent play in recent months. After going more than two years without a loss, they've been beaten four times since November.
''It's like a storybook,'' Wambach said.
While the Americans partied, Marta and the Brazilians watched in silence. Cristiane repeatedly wiped away tears during postgame interviews. Despite a star-filled roster led by Marta, the FIFA player of the year five times running, Brazil has never won a major tournament. It lost to the Americans in the two Olympic gold-medal games, and to Germany in the 2007 World Cup final.
''They fought, they did everything,'' coach Kleiton Lima said. ''They threw their hearts into it and, of course, they were really sad.''
The U.S. has now eliminated Brazil at five of the last seven major tournaments. The lone consolation was that Marta's goals, the 13th and 14th of her career, tied her with Birgit Prinz atop the all-time World Cup scoring list. The Americans also have won their last five meetings against Brazil.
None, however, was more memorable than this.
Brazil spotted the US the lead in the second minute with an own goal by Daiane, who misdirected a clearance, then spent the next 63 trying furiously for the equalizer - and getting increasingly frustrated with every minute they didn't get it.
When they finally did, it was clouded in controversy.
Marta made a dangerous run into the box in the 65th, beating two US defenders and coming practically nose to nose with Solo before Buehler tracked back and dragged her down. Australian referee Jacqui Melksham not only ruled it a penalty but a red card as well. Cristiane, who already scored one goal off a penalty, took the kick. Solo made a perfect read and smacked it away, pumping her fists as Lloyd ran toward her to grab her in a bearhug.
But Melksham ordered the penalty retaken - and gave Solo a yellow card, ruling the American had left her line or a teammate encroached the penalty area before the kick was taken. Replays clearly showed Solo was on her line.
''I have no idea,'' Solo said. ''It is what it is.''
As the crowd jeered, Marta stepped up for the retake, staring down her old foe. Solo cost Marta and the Brazilians the gold medal in Beijing, stopping a point-blank blast from Marta in the 72nd minute of the Olympic final. This time, however, Marta got the best of the US 'keeper, burying the ball to pull the Brazilians even.
As she walked away from the spot, Marta slapped her right arm.
Fired up, the Americans repeatedly pushed forward over the last 20 minutes but couldn't get a decent shot. The closest they came was a blast from Rapinoe in second-half stoppage time, but it was from long range and it was never a real threat to Andreia.
Marta seemed to put the game out of reach in the 92nd minute - though replays seemed to show that Maurine, the player who fed her the ball, was offside.
But the Americans, criticized after losing four games in the last eight months, have talked repeatedly about their resilience. On this day, it was on full display.
''We're just fighting for each other out there,'' said captain Christie Rampone, the last player left from the 1999 squad. ''We were totally believing the whole time.''
2011年7月11日星期一
L.A. Prepares for Worst and Hopes for Best in Freeway Shutdown
LOS ANGELES — You would think that Los Angeles, of all places, would know how to handle a catastrophe.
But in just over a week, 11 miles of Interstate 405 — the north-south spine of the West Side of Los Angeles, which carries 500,000 cars every weekend over the Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley — is going to shut down for 53 hours, from late Friday night to early Monday morning. No cars, trucks or motorcycles will be allowed, to make way for the latest phase in a $1 billion widening project for a highway that serves as an unhappy second home for commuters during rush hours.
And they are calling it Carmageddon. backpack
City officials are warning of a traffic nightmare, urging people to stay home or get out of town with pronouncements that have taken on an increasingly alarming tone. “EXPECT BIG DELAY” reads the warning on electronic billboards on highways and streets from Bakersfield to San Diego. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has an official “Countdown to the Closure” clock on its Web site, ticking down to the weekend of July 16 and 17.
The Los Angeles Police Department, leaving no electronic stone unturned, asked Lady Gaga to post a warning on her Twitter feed, which has 11.4 million followers and is usually more concerned with promoting “Born This Way” than a highway. There is a Carmageddon Facebook page and an all-things Carmageddon Web site, with maps, videos, a Twitter feed and local businesses offering deals to people who stay home. (The tagline: “The Price You Pay to Live in L.A.”) And there is an ever-growing list of hashtags to help Twitter account users track the impending crisis. android tablet
Kajon Cermak, the traffic reporter for KCRW in Santa Monica, said she was considering doing what any rational person would do on that weekend: leaving. “I was talking to my husband, and he said we should get out of here and go to Portland,” Ms. Cermak said. “The traffic is going to be bumper to bumper. Everybody is talking about it.”
Which is hardly a surprise considering how terrifying the warnings have sounded.
“If you think the 405 is gridlocked during the week, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa said by telephone last week. “My message is to stay home. Or go on vacation. Walk. Go on a bike. But do not get in your car and go anywhere near the West Side. It’s going to be a mess.”
Bill Rosendahl, a City Council member from the area, said, “This is truly a potential paralysis moment.”
Of course, the big question is whether all this could end up being the Los Angeles equivalent of the Y2K crisis-that-never-came. There are plenty of people here who recall what took place after similarly alarming traffic warnings before the 1984 Summer Olympics.
“The message got out, and the freeway was never better,” said Borja Leon, the deputy mayor for transportation. “The traffic flow was incredible.”
But there are many more cars on the road here than 25 years ago. Ms. Cermak said she was struck by Interstate 405’s routine gridlock on weekends.
Preparations for this potential traffic catastrophe have been plentiful. Hospitals are lining up hotel and dormitory rooms for employees. The Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center, a high-tech command post built to manage during a natural disaster, will be in full operation, the mayor said.
The Getty Center — perched on a hillside overlooking the highway, and a top draw for tourists — is closing for the weekend, the first time it has done so since opening in 1997, said Ron Hartwig, its spokesman. Santa Monica is permitting farmers who come down for the Saturday farmers’ market to leave their trucks in parking lots through the weekend and is asking homeowners who have space to “host a farmer” through the closing.
One enterprising helicopter company is advertising trips from the Valley to the West Side — “Enjoy the ride over the Sepulveda Pass” — for $150 a person. Movie theaters near the roadway are promising free popcorn to draw nervous patrons through the door.
Los Angeles officials say they are only doing the responsible thing in issuing the ever-more-apocalyptic warnings of what lies in store. Local businesses are not so sure, worried that all this will do is drive away customers on what should be a busy summer weekend, while making it tougher for employees to get to work.
“We have elected officials standing up at the podium saying, ‘Get out of town, get away, don’t come here!’ ” said Jay Handal II, the manager of San Gennaro Cafe in Brentwood. “That’s probably the most business-unfriendly thing for them to be telling people. They should be promoting the local neighborhood, instead of telling people to get the hell away.”
The real fear is that come Monday morning, when the real crush of regular weekday traffic comes, the contractors will not be finished with the work. Though, perhaps fear is not the right word. “Oh, if that happens, it’s like, oh, L.A., we get our first snow day!” Ms. Cermak said. travel backpack
An article on Thursday about the anxiety of Southern Californians over the temporary closing of Interstate 405 reversed the given name and surname of the city’s deputy mayor for transportation. He is Borja Leon.
But in just over a week, 11 miles of Interstate 405 — the north-south spine of the West Side of Los Angeles, which carries 500,000 cars every weekend over the Sepulveda Pass into the San Fernando Valley — is going to shut down for 53 hours, from late Friday night to early Monday morning. No cars, trucks or motorcycles will be allowed, to make way for the latest phase in a $1 billion widening project for a highway that serves as an unhappy second home for commuters during rush hours.
And they are calling it Carmageddon. backpack
City officials are warning of a traffic nightmare, urging people to stay home or get out of town with pronouncements that have taken on an increasingly alarming tone. “EXPECT BIG DELAY” reads the warning on electronic billboards on highways and streets from Bakersfield to San Diego. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has an official “Countdown to the Closure” clock on its Web site, ticking down to the weekend of July 16 and 17.
The Los Angeles Police Department, leaving no electronic stone unturned, asked Lady Gaga to post a warning on her Twitter feed, which has 11.4 million followers and is usually more concerned with promoting “Born This Way” than a highway. There is a Carmageddon Facebook page and an all-things Carmageddon Web site, with maps, videos, a Twitter feed and local businesses offering deals to people who stay home. (The tagline: “The Price You Pay to Live in L.A.”) And there is an ever-growing list of hashtags to help Twitter account users track the impending crisis. android tablet
Kajon Cermak, the traffic reporter for KCRW in Santa Monica, said she was considering doing what any rational person would do on that weekend: leaving. “I was talking to my husband, and he said we should get out of here and go to Portland,” Ms. Cermak said. “The traffic is going to be bumper to bumper. Everybody is talking about it.”
Which is hardly a surprise considering how terrifying the warnings have sounded.
“If you think the 405 is gridlocked during the week, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa said by telephone last week. “My message is to stay home. Or go on vacation. Walk. Go on a bike. But do not get in your car and go anywhere near the West Side. It’s going to be a mess.”
Bill Rosendahl, a City Council member from the area, said, “This is truly a potential paralysis moment.”
Of course, the big question is whether all this could end up being the Los Angeles equivalent of the Y2K crisis-that-never-came. There are plenty of people here who recall what took place after similarly alarming traffic warnings before the 1984 Summer Olympics.
“The message got out, and the freeway was never better,” said Borja Leon, the deputy mayor for transportation. “The traffic flow was incredible.”
But there are many more cars on the road here than 25 years ago. Ms. Cermak said she was struck by Interstate 405’s routine gridlock on weekends.
Preparations for this potential traffic catastrophe have been plentiful. Hospitals are lining up hotel and dormitory rooms for employees. The Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center, a high-tech command post built to manage during a natural disaster, will be in full operation, the mayor said.
The Getty Center — perched on a hillside overlooking the highway, and a top draw for tourists — is closing for the weekend, the first time it has done so since opening in 1997, said Ron Hartwig, its spokesman. Santa Monica is permitting farmers who come down for the Saturday farmers’ market to leave their trucks in parking lots through the weekend and is asking homeowners who have space to “host a farmer” through the closing.
One enterprising helicopter company is advertising trips from the Valley to the West Side — “Enjoy the ride over the Sepulveda Pass” — for $150 a person. Movie theaters near the roadway are promising free popcorn to draw nervous patrons through the door.
Los Angeles officials say they are only doing the responsible thing in issuing the ever-more-apocalyptic warnings of what lies in store. Local businesses are not so sure, worried that all this will do is drive away customers on what should be a busy summer weekend, while making it tougher for employees to get to work.
“We have elected officials standing up at the podium saying, ‘Get out of town, get away, don’t come here!’ ” said Jay Handal II, the manager of San Gennaro Cafe in Brentwood. “That’s probably the most business-unfriendly thing for them to be telling people. They should be promoting the local neighborhood, instead of telling people to get the hell away.”
The real fear is that come Monday morning, when the real crush of regular weekday traffic comes, the contractors will not be finished with the work. Though, perhaps fear is not the right word. “Oh, if that happens, it’s like, oh, L.A., we get our first snow day!” Ms. Cermak said. travel backpack
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: July 8, 2011
Correction: July 8, 2011
2011年7月10日星期日
Clinton slams Gaddafi threat to attack Europe
MADRID/TRIPOLI, July 2 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped up Western calls on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to quit, brushing off his threat to attack Europeans in their homes and offices.
"Instead of issuing threats, Gaddafi should put the well-being and the interests of his own people first and he should step down from power and help facilitate a democratic transition," Clinton told reporters on a trip to Spain. Laptop backpack
In an address relayed to some 100,000 supporters in Tripoli's Green Square on Friday, Gaddafi urged NATO to halt its bombing campaign or risk seeing Libyan fighters descend on Europe "like a swarm of locusts or bees."
"Retreat, you have no chance of beating this brave people," Gaddafi said.
"They can attack your homes, your offices and your families, which will become military targets just as you have transformed our offices, headquarters, houses and children into what you regard as legitimate military targets," he said.
NATO announced it had stepped up strikes on Gaddafi forces in west Libya including the capital Tripoli, saying it had carried out more than 50 attacks since Monday.
Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said the alliance stance was unchanged.
"Spain's and the international coalition's response is to maintain the unity and determination with which we have been working these past months," she said.
Libyan rebels who had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital were stopped in their tracks on Friday by a barrage of rocket fire from government forces, underlining the dogged resistance of Gaddafi troops to a five-month revolt.
"(It) was obviously a strategic withdrawal because of the battlefield situation and the amount of bombardment that the revolutionary forces were receiving," said rebel spokesman Ahmed Bani. "But we hope to counter that within the next 48 hours."
In Tripoli, a senior source in Gaddafi's government said there was reliable intelligence indicating the rebels were planning to attack oil export terminals in the eastern towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf.
"The Libyan government will do whatever (possible) to prevent such attacks," the source, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters.
"It urges international oil companies as well as international insurance companies to put pressure on their governments to force the rebels, who are supported by NATO, to stop their destructive operations,"
HELICOPTER ATTACKS
Coalition military officials refuse to characterize the situation on the ground as a stalemate after a 104-day bombing campaign that has strained alliance firepower and tested unity, with internal divisions over strategy surfacing.
Analysts say part of NATO's strategy is to use the attacks to hinder efforts by authorities to put down any future uprising in Tripoli.
Britain's Defense Ministry said Apache helicopters hit three tanks and a bunker firing position in an attack on an army camp west of Tripoli late on Friday. Libyan state TV said NATO also bombed the central Al-Jufrah region on Saturday.
A document seen by Reuters showed African Union leaders had agreed on Friday that member states would not execute the arrest warrant for Gaddafi, leaving open the possibility that he could go into exile in one of the African Union's 53 nations.
The grouping also offered to host talks on a ceasefire and a transition to democratic government, but did not call on Gaddafi to step down and left open whether he had a future role. android tablet
Mansour Sayf al Nasr, the rebels' representative in France, told reporters at the summit in Equatorial Guinea: "We understood that the spirit of the document is that Gaddafi will not have a role to play in the future of Libya."
Abdel-Hafiz Ghoga, vice president of the Benghazi-based rebel council, told Reuters:
"We reject the African Union proposal because it includes nothing concerning our demands. We are only demanding one thing: Gaddafi's resignation ... We can gain freedom and democracy only if Gaddafi steps down.
"I think we can obtain freedom only through military operations and we will be able to do this."
In Tripoli, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim did not comment on whether any AU-hosted negotiations should start on the assumption that Gaddafi would step down, saying only: "We have been saying for months that we will have talks with all parties."
(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in Benghazi; Lutfi Abu-Aun in Tripoli; Tarek Amara in Tunis; Mike Holden in London; Pete Harrison in Brussels; and David Lewis in Malabo; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
"Instead of issuing threats, Gaddafi should put the well-being and the interests of his own people first and he should step down from power and help facilitate a democratic transition," Clinton told reporters on a trip to Spain. Laptop backpack
In an address relayed to some 100,000 supporters in Tripoli's Green Square on Friday, Gaddafi urged NATO to halt its bombing campaign or risk seeing Libyan fighters descend on Europe "like a swarm of locusts or bees."
"Retreat, you have no chance of beating this brave people," Gaddafi said.
"They can attack your homes, your offices and your families, which will become military targets just as you have transformed our offices, headquarters, houses and children into what you regard as legitimate military targets," he said.
NATO announced it had stepped up strikes on Gaddafi forces in west Libya including the capital Tripoli, saying it had carried out more than 50 attacks since Monday.
Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez said the alliance stance was unchanged.
"Spain's and the international coalition's response is to maintain the unity and determination with which we have been working these past months," she said.
Libyan rebels who had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital were stopped in their tracks on Friday by a barrage of rocket fire from government forces, underlining the dogged resistance of Gaddafi troops to a five-month revolt.
"(It) was obviously a strategic withdrawal because of the battlefield situation and the amount of bombardment that the revolutionary forces were receiving," said rebel spokesman Ahmed Bani. "But we hope to counter that within the next 48 hours."
In Tripoli, a senior source in Gaddafi's government said there was reliable intelligence indicating the rebels were planning to attack oil export terminals in the eastern towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf.
"The Libyan government will do whatever (possible) to prevent such attacks," the source, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters.
"It urges international oil companies as well as international insurance companies to put pressure on their governments to force the rebels, who are supported by NATO, to stop their destructive operations,"
HELICOPTER ATTACKS
Coalition military officials refuse to characterize the situation on the ground as a stalemate after a 104-day bombing campaign that has strained alliance firepower and tested unity, with internal divisions over strategy surfacing.
Analysts say part of NATO's strategy is to use the attacks to hinder efforts by authorities to put down any future uprising in Tripoli.
Britain's Defense Ministry said Apache helicopters hit three tanks and a bunker firing position in an attack on an army camp west of Tripoli late on Friday. Libyan state TV said NATO also bombed the central Al-Jufrah region on Saturday.
A document seen by Reuters showed African Union leaders had agreed on Friday that member states would not execute the arrest warrant for Gaddafi, leaving open the possibility that he could go into exile in one of the African Union's 53 nations.
The grouping also offered to host talks on a ceasefire and a transition to democratic government, but did not call on Gaddafi to step down and left open whether he had a future role. android tablet
Mansour Sayf al Nasr, the rebels' representative in France, told reporters at the summit in Equatorial Guinea: "We understood that the spirit of the document is that Gaddafi will not have a role to play in the future of Libya."
Abdel-Hafiz Ghoga, vice president of the Benghazi-based rebel council, told Reuters:
"We reject the African Union proposal because it includes nothing concerning our demands. We are only demanding one thing: Gaddafi's resignation ... We can gain freedom and democracy only if Gaddafi steps down.
"I think we can obtain freedom only through military operations and we will be able to do this."
In Tripoli, government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim did not comment on whether any AU-hosted negotiations should start on the assumption that Gaddafi would step down, saying only: "We have been saying for months that we will have talks with all parties."
(Additional reporting by Maria Golovnina in Benghazi; Lutfi Abu-Aun in Tripoli; Tarek Amara in Tunis; Mike Holden in London; Pete Harrison in Brussels; and David Lewis in Malabo; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
2011年7月9日星期六
Brit-pack welcomes Kate the California girl to LA... but where was Posh, as David turns up alone
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the toast of Hollywood last night as they attended a reception on their first official visit to America.
The couple were joined by 200 guests for drinks and canapés in the garden of the Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles including David Beckham, Stephen Fry and Lord Freddie Windsor, who now lives in the city with his actress wife Sophie Winkleman. backpack
Prince William was greeted warmly by David Beckham who had attended the couple's wedding in April. Although he was not on the official guest list for the party, royal aides said that he particularly wanted to welcome the couple to Los Angeles and deliver several signed LA Galaxy shirts which Prince William will auction for one of his charities.
The footballer told Prince William: 'Victoria really wanted to come but she is just so tired at the moment. She sent you both lots of love. How was Canada? It looked amazing.'
Prince William replied: 'Don’t be silly, send her all our love and tell her good luck with it all. It’s been an amazing few days – we’ve been so lucky with all the incredible places we’ve been able to see and we’ve met so many fascinating people. It’s been amazing, amazing.'
Beckham also spoke about the media frenzy surrounding the birth of his first daughter.
He said: 'I woke up on Wednesday to a tonne of messages on my voicemail from our friends congratulating me on the birth of our daughter. android tablet
'I turned to Victoria and said: “Did I miss something?” Apparently it’s being reported every day that she’s already been born. One way or another, fingers crossed, she’ll be with us in the next few days.'
The reception was held at the home of Dame Barbara Hay, the Consul General, where Catherine and Prince William are staying during their visit. The couple arrived at 6pm to cheers from a small crowd of local residents. The surrounding roads in the area had been closed hours beforehand.
Guests also included Bob Iger, the chief executive of Disney and those affiliated with The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, the charity Centrepoint (of which The Duke of Cambridge is patron) and a Los Angeles-based project, Inner-City Arts. wenger backpack
Prince William chatted with Stephen Fry, who is currently filming in Los Angeles and will attend Saturday night’s Bafta gala in honour of the Royal couple.
Held at the opulent Belasco Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, guests are set to include Barbra Streisand, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Tom Hanks.
The privilege of an intimate setting with the Duke and Duchess - and 300 A-listers - will set guests back £16,000, the cost of a table.
Fry commented on Prince William's blue and red striped Guards tie, saying: 'It’s nice and reassuring to see one of those all the way out here.'
William returned the compliment on Fry's purple, flowery tie: 'I’m loving your tie too, very jazzy.'
They then spoke about Shakespeare and Fry’s imminent visit to New Zealand to film The Hobbit.
The actor later said: 'Everyone is turning out to see them. The Bafta do is going to be lots of fun. Why are they such a big draw? Because having them here is like fairydust.'
The newly-weds have a busy schedule ahead of them in the U.S., which will take them from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the poverty of Skid Row. Kate, stepped off the plane in a lavender dress from London-based designer Roksanda. The Prince wore a more formal blue suit. She was presented a red, white and blue bouquet.
In a bid to protect their privacy, police have enacted strict anti-trespassing measures to ensure that the city's notoriously keen paparazzi are kept at a distance.
'They will meet a huge range of people from the governor to people working in the projects of Skid Row. They will get a good snapshot of life in this part of California.'
Los Angeles police officers, CHP, sniffer dogs and private security details all kept a close watch on the 115 reporters who were gathered about 20 feet away from where the plane landed.
Simon Cowell's ex-girlfriend, Teri Seymour, was one of the excited reporters waiting to catch a glimpse of the royals as she talked on camera for US entertainment show, Extra.
As the group of 15 dignitaries came to meet the large grey plane embossed with the Canadian flag, the airport employees had trouble getting the stairs to attach to the door of the plane.
A motorcade of security gathered by the plane including CHP, police bikes and CIA agents in suits, dark sunglasses driving Range Rovers and black suburbans.
After a brief delay adjusting the ladder, William and Kate walked down to meet the dignitaries on the tarmac. She wore a light grey chiffon dress and was given a bouquet of red, white and blue roses by the governors wife.
Governor Jerry Brown told the Prince 'Welcome to California.'
After a few minutes of polite conversation they both got into the waiting black Range Rover and were escorted away by the waiting security patrol
Wearing a lavender Peridot dress by Serbian-born designer Roksanda Illinic, Kate remained unfazed by the media frenzy surrounding her Stateside arrival with William.
The couple were met by Neil Stiles, president of the entertainment magazine group Variety who jointly sponsored the Venture Capital New Media Summit with the UK Trade and Investment to promote British technological business interests in America.
After meeting delegates from the British and American technology sectors, William and Kate then took to the stage to become a part of the summit.
They looked on with interest about the discussions over the development of Tech City, the UK's answer to Silicon Valley, which is based in the Shoreditch and Old Street areas of East London.
On the panel were Shawn Colo, co founder of award-winning digital publishing business Demand Media and Ankur Shah, co founder of Techlightenment, a company which specialises in social media technology.
Other delegates included Matt Jacobson, head of market development at Facebook and Judah Schiller, founder and CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, the advertising firm.
The purpose of the trip is threefold - to promote British business, strengthen cultural ties and push forward causes close to William's heart.
The first engagement of the trip will be a UK Trade and Investment reception featuring technology experts from both sides of the Atlantic.
A key aim of the event is to generate support for Tech City, the area around Old Street in east London which is fast becoming a major base for innovative internet firms and software companies.
Other highlights will include a charity polo event in aid of the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and a glitzy Bafta black-tie reception during which the Duke and Duchess will promote British creative talent.
In contrast to the high society events, the royal couple will also go to Skid Row to see how a community arts organisation is helping youngsters in the socially deprived area of down town LA. Inner-City Arts uses visual arts and performance to give homeless and poverty-hit youngsters a creative outlet.
The royal couple's final event before jetting back to the UK will see them attend a jobs fair at Sony Pictures Studio staged by Service Nation: Mission Serve.
The body is an umbrella organisation set up by the US government which brings together different service charities to support the re-integration of servicemen and women into civvy street.
Outside the Beverly Hilton, where the motorcade arrived for the UKTI event, five budding royalwatchers got their first sighting of the royal couple.
The high school grads from Orange County had booked into the hotel as soon as they heard William and Kate would be visiting.
Hannah Schade, 18, who wore her royal wedding T shirt, says, ''We had our flag out and as they drove by they waved back at us.'
And the verdict? 'She looked gorgeous as usual," adds Tara Campbell, 17.
The pair, who were joined by friends Shirley Lahr, 18, Sarah Pontius, 18, annd Mari Walker, 18, to wait outside for two hours. The friends had all got together to hold a royal wedding party back in April and were all determined to celebrate the graduation from Rosary High School, Fullerton, with a royalwatching tour.
'We're hoping to make every event, especially the BAFTA one tomorrow,' Campbell adds.
And for the excited young women, it's all about Kate. "We like the transformation from commoner to royalty," says Schade. 'It's a fantasy.'
They've been following the progress through Canada to LA and Lahr adds, 'Kate's so composed. She's a great role model.'
Brian Gott, the publisher of Variety said the couple met 20 industry execs backstage before they met the panel including film director Brett Ratner who chatted with Prince William.
'The prince told Brett that he enjoyed his movies Rush Hour and Silence of the Lambs. He was very knowledgeable and made us all feel very relaxed. Kate apologised for having slightly clammy hands, she seemed a little nervous.
'William was very relaxed, he poured his own drink, apple juice, and extended his hand to everyone he met. They weren't in any hurry to get away. They were totally charming. I've met every star in the world but these are the two most genuine down to earth people I've ever met.'
The couple were joined by 200 guests for drinks and canapés in the garden of the Consul General’s residence in Los Angeles including David Beckham, Stephen Fry and Lord Freddie Windsor, who now lives in the city with his actress wife Sophie Winkleman. backpack
Prince William was greeted warmly by David Beckham who had attended the couple's wedding in April. Although he was not on the official guest list for the party, royal aides said that he particularly wanted to welcome the couple to Los Angeles and deliver several signed LA Galaxy shirts which Prince William will auction for one of his charities.
Hollywood royalty: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend an official reception in Los Angeles where they were welcomed by their friend David Beckham
Dressed in a black suit with a blue spotted tie, Beckham attended without his wife Victoria, who is due to give birth to a girl next week. tabletThe footballer told Prince William: 'Victoria really wanted to come but she is just so tired at the moment. She sent you both lots of love. How was Canada? It looked amazing.'
Prince William replied: 'Don’t be silly, send her all our love and tell her good luck with it all. It’s been an amazing few days – we’ve been so lucky with all the incredible places we’ve been able to see and we’ve met so many fascinating people. It’s been amazing, amazing.'
Beckham also spoke about the media frenzy surrounding the birth of his first daughter.
He said: 'I woke up on Wednesday to a tonne of messages on my voicemail from our friends congratulating me on the birth of our daughter. android tablet
'I turned to Victoria and said: “Did I miss something?” Apparently it’s being reported every day that she’s already been born. One way or another, fingers crossed, she’ll be with us in the next few days.'
The reception was held at the home of Dame Barbara Hay, the Consul General, where Catherine and Prince William are staying during their visit. The couple arrived at 6pm to cheers from a small crowd of local residents. The surrounding roads in the area had been closed hours beforehand.
Old friends: Prince William chats with David Beckham who turned up especially to welcome the couple to Los Angeles
The Duchess had changed from her Roksanda Illinic lavender Peridot dress which she had worn on her arrival to Los Angeles. She attended the reception in an emerald green, silk-belted Maja dress by Diane von Furstenberg, accessorised with her favourite beige platform stilettos and a leopard print clutch bag, also by DVF.Guests also included Bob Iger, the chief executive of Disney and those affiliated with The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, the charity Centrepoint (of which The Duke of Cambridge is patron) and a Los Angeles-based project, Inner-City Arts. wenger backpack
Prince William chatted with Stephen Fry, who is currently filming in Los Angeles and will attend Saturday night’s Bafta gala in honour of the Royal couple.
Held at the opulent Belasco Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, guests are set to include Barbra Streisand, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Tom Hanks.
The privilege of an intimate setting with the Duke and Duchess - and 300 A-listers - will set guests back £16,000, the cost of a table.
Fry commented on Prince William's blue and red striped Guards tie, saying: 'It’s nice and reassuring to see one of those all the way out here.'
William returned the compliment on Fry's purple, flowery tie: 'I’m loving your tie too, very jazzy.'
They then spoke about Shakespeare and Fry’s imminent visit to New Zealand to film The Hobbit.
The actor later said: 'Everyone is turning out to see them. The Bafta do is going to be lots of fun. Why are they such a big draw? Because having them here is like fairydust.'
Glowing: The Duchess of Cambridge looks delighted to be in LA as she mingles with guests at the home of Dame Barbara Hay, the Consul General
Quick change: Catherine swaps her lavender dress by Serbian-born designer Roksanda Illincic (L) for a green-belted dress by American designer Diane von Furstenberg
William and Kate flew into Los Angeles on the back of a successful tour of Canada - their first official overseas visit as a married couple.The newly-weds have a busy schedule ahead of them in the U.S., which will take them from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to the poverty of Skid Row. Kate, stepped off the plane in a lavender dress from London-based designer Roksanda. The Prince wore a more formal blue suit. She was presented a red, white and blue bouquet.
In a bid to protect their privacy, police have enacted strict anti-trespassing measures to ensure that the city's notoriously keen paparazzi are kept at a distance.
Speaking shortly ahead of their arrival, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Britain's ambassador to the US, said: 'They have had a fantastically successful trip to Canada and they will have a great welcome in California.
Luvvie to see you: Prince William chats with actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry
The Duchess of Cambridge mingles at a reception at the reception at the British Consul General's office
Salute: William and Kate step down from the Canadian air force jet
Red, white and blue: The Duchess of Cambridge arrived with a bouquet of coloured flowers
They're here: Prince William and his wife Catherine descend from the Canadian Air force jet ahead of their tour of California
Touch down: The Royal couple looked relaxed as they arrived under blue skies in Los Angeles
As expected, security was incredibly strict as the press were subjected to body scans before being allowed access to the Tarmac.California girl: The Duchess of Cambridge attends the UK Trade & Investment reception at the Beverly Hilton Hotel
Los Angeles police officers, CHP, sniffer dogs and private security details all kept a close watch on the 115 reporters who were gathered about 20 feet away from where the plane landed.
Simon Cowell's ex-girlfriend, Teri Seymour, was one of the excited reporters waiting to catch a glimpse of the royals as she talked on camera for US entertainment show, Extra.
As the group of 15 dignitaries came to meet the large grey plane embossed with the Canadian flag, the airport employees had trouble getting the stairs to attach to the door of the plane.
A motorcade of security gathered by the plane including CHP, police bikes and CIA agents in suits, dark sunglasses driving Range Rovers and black suburbans.
After a brief delay adjusting the ladder, William and Kate walked down to meet the dignitaries on the tarmac. She wore a light grey chiffon dress and was given a bouquet of red, white and blue roses by the governors wife.
Governor Jerry Brown told the Prince 'Welcome to California.'
After a few minutes of polite conversation they both got into the waiting black Range Rover and were escorted away by the waiting security patrol
Welcome: British Ambassador to the United States, Nigel Sheinewald, greets Prince William (L) with California governor Jerry Brown standing (in background) next to Catherine
There was near hysterical screaming outside Los Angeles's historic Beverly Hilton Hotel as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived for a new media summit straight from LAX.Wearing a lavender Peridot dress by Serbian-born designer Roksanda Illinic, Kate remained unfazed by the media frenzy surrounding her Stateside arrival with William.
The couple were met by Neil Stiles, president of the entertainment magazine group Variety who jointly sponsored the Venture Capital New Media Summit with the UK Trade and Investment to promote British technological business interests in America.
After meeting delegates from the British and American technology sectors, William and Kate then took to the stage to become a part of the summit.
They looked on with interest about the discussions over the development of Tech City, the UK's answer to Silicon Valley, which is based in the Shoreditch and Old Street areas of East London.
On the panel were Shawn Colo, co founder of award-winning digital publishing business Demand Media and Ankur Shah, co founder of Techlightenment, a company which specialises in social media technology.
Other delegates included Matt Jacobson, head of market development at Facebook and Judah Schiller, founder and CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, the advertising firm.
Business: Variety Venture Capital & New Media Entertainment co-chair Paul Wright, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and President of Variety Neil Stiles attend Variety's Venture Capital and New Media Summit
The couple were then treated to a series of practical demonstrations of how technology is transforming our everyday lives.The purpose of the trip is threefold - to promote British business, strengthen cultural ties and push forward causes close to William's heart.
The first engagement of the trip will be a UK Trade and Investment reception featuring technology experts from both sides of the Atlantic.
A key aim of the event is to generate support for Tech City, the area around Old Street in east London which is fast becoming a major base for innovative internet firms and software companies.
Other highlights will include a charity polo event in aid of the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry and a glitzy Bafta black-tie reception during which the Duke and Duchess will promote British creative talent.
In contrast to the high society events, the royal couple will also go to Skid Row to see how a community arts organisation is helping youngsters in the socially deprived area of down town LA. Inner-City Arts uses visual arts and performance to give homeless and poverty-hit youngsters a creative outlet.
The royal couple's final event before jetting back to the UK will see them attend a jobs fair at Sony Pictures Studio staged by Service Nation: Mission Serve.
The body is an umbrella organisation set up by the US government which brings together different service charities to support the re-integration of servicemen and women into civvy street.
Outside the Beverly Hilton, where the motorcade arrived for the UKTI event, five budding royalwatchers got their first sighting of the royal couple.
The high school grads from Orange County had booked into the hotel as soon as they heard William and Kate would be visiting.
Hannah Schade, 18, who wore her royal wedding T shirt, says, ''We had our flag out and as they drove by they waved back at us.'
And the verdict? 'She looked gorgeous as usual," adds Tara Campbell, 17.
The pair, who were joined by friends Shirley Lahr, 18, Sarah Pontius, 18, annd Mari Walker, 18, to wait outside for two hours. The friends had all got together to hold a royal wedding party back in April and were all determined to celebrate the graduation from Rosary High School, Fullerton, with a royalwatching tour.
'We're hoping to make every event, especially the BAFTA one tomorrow,' Campbell adds.
And for the excited young women, it's all about Kate. "We like the transformation from commoner to royalty," says Schade. 'It's a fantasy.'
They've been following the progress through Canada to LA and Lahr adds, 'Kate's so composed. She's a great role model.'
Brian Gott, the publisher of Variety said the couple met 20 industry execs backstage before they met the panel including film director Brett Ratner who chatted with Prince William.
'The prince told Brett that he enjoyed his movies Rush Hour and Silence of the Lambs. He was very knowledgeable and made us all feel very relaxed. Kate apologised for having slightly clammy hands, she seemed a little nervous.
'William was very relaxed, he poured his own drink, apple juice, and extended his hand to everyone he met. They weren't in any hurry to get away. They were totally charming. I've met every star in the world but these are the two most genuine down to earth people I've ever met.'
2011年7月6日星期三
Facebook Video Chat v. Google Hangouts: It’s No Contest
One of the questions I had when I broke the news last week about the Facebook/Skype partnership: Would group video chat be part of the product, and if so would it be free?Wenger backpack.The answer is no, there’s no group chat. Facebook says that one on one video chat is far more popular on Skype than group chat and so it makes sense to start there. But that’s misdirection – group chat on Skype requires that at least one user be paying $4.49/month for premium service. So not a lot of group video chat happens on Skype.
Google’s new hangout product is all about group chat, and it’s free. Up to ten people can use it at once. Google is smart about this, figuring out which person is talking and focusing the video stream on them until someone else takes over. If you want to have fun with a group of friends, or hold a dead simple video team call, Google Hangouts is perfect for that.Android tablet.
But Google Hangouts isn’t as good for one on one conversations. The whole setup of a hangout, sending out invites, is too complicated for that, Instead you can just initiate a Google video call directly to another user, and that works very similarly to Skype and now Facebook (Google should add a video chat button to user profiles, too).
If you want to have a one on one video chat, and your friend list is hosted at Facebook, the new Facebook video chat is a near perfect product. You can initiate a call right from the home page, or that person’s profile page. And there’s no need to register for Skype, or download the Skype client.
Both products require their own download, though. And neither work on mobile yet. So for now, there’s really no comparison between the products. Facebook video chat is great to talk to friends one at a time. Google tablet Hangouts is great for group chat. There’s no real overlap between the products at all.
But…I wouldn’t be surprised to see Facebook launch group video chat down the road. Until now Skype has kept up fees for premium/business users, and we’ve heard that it was always a key “future revenue” product that they pointed to during their IPO and buyout process. Backpack But few users seem to be willing to go premium, and their new owners may just remove that pay barrier sooner rather than later. When that happens I’d expect Facebook to launch that feature as well shortly afterward.
2011年7月5日星期二
Casey Anthony trial acquittal: Death of Caylee Anthony is still a mystery
Casey Anthony, the Florida mother accused of killing her two-year-old child with chloroform and duct tape, was acquitted on Tuesday of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter of a child.
The verdict shocked many legal commentators and trial-watchers who had long assumed that Ms. Anthony would be convicted and perhaps sent to Florida’s death row.
But the jury of five men and seven women, who heard testimony in the month-long trial and deliberated nearly 11 hours, viewed the case differently. The relatively quick not guilty verdicts are an apparent rebuke of the government's case, which lacked any direct evidence of Anthony's involved in the death of her daughter, Caylee. Despite this lack of evidence the state pushed for a possible death sentence.
IN PICTURES: Key players in the Casey Anthony trial
The jury was given the option of convicting Anthony of a lesser charge, manslaughter, but decided against that. After the verdict, they declined an invitation to speak to the media.
Defense Attorney Jose Baez called it a bittersweet victory.
“While we are happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case. Caylee has passed on far too soon,” he said, referring to Ms. Anthony’s daughter.
He added: “Casey did not murder Caylee. It is that simple, and today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction.”
Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for Orange and Osceola Counties, said he never criticizes a jury verdict.
“Despite what your personal view as to guilt or innocence might be, the criminal justice system has worked,” he said.
He noted that because Caylee’s body was not discovered until six months after her death, much of the evidence had decomposed or degraded. “This was a bare bones case, very, very difficult to prove,” he said. “The condition of the remains worked to our significant disadvantage.”
As the verdict was announced in the packed Orlando courtroom of Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Ms. Anthony looked pale and frightened. Then, as the clerk read the words “Not Guilty” on count one, her face eased and she burst into tears.
The “not guilty” verdicts continued on the two other felony charges. In essence, the panel acquitted Anthony of all charges related to Caylee’s death. swiss laptop backpack
Assistant State Attorneys Linda Burdick, Jeff Ashton, and Frank George sat stunned and stone-faced after the verdict was read. Casey’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, left the courtroom soon after the verdict was read.
The jurors convicted Ms. Anthony of four misdemeanor charges of giving false information to law enforcement officers. Each of those charges carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. wenger backpack
Had she been found guilty of first-degree murder she would have faced a possible death sentence or life in prison. Instead, with time already served in pre-trial detention, she faces, at most, a maximum sentence of several months.
Chief Judge Perry set sentencing for 9 a.m. Thursday. backpacks for travelling
The verdict came after a month-long trial that captivated much of the nation by presenting a mystery that seemed to defy solution. Why would a mother wait 31 days before mentioning to her family, friends, or the police that her young child was missing?
Prosecutors said Anthony killed her daughter, Caylee, in June 2008 because she was tired of being a mother and wanted to live the life of a single, carefree 22-year-old.
They said she drugged the toddler with chloroform and then pressed duct tape against her mouth and nose to suffocate the child. She then hid the body in her car for several days, they said, then dumped it in a wooded area a quarter mile from the family home.
Defense attorneys said Caylee accidentally drowned in the family’s swimming pool and that Casey went into denial about the tragedy. They said Casey’s father, George, helped dispose of the body and cover up the death.
Caylee was last seen alive on June 16, 2008. Authorities recovered her skeletal remains six months later in the wooded area. android tablet
No direct physical evidence proved the mother caused her daughter’s death. But prosecutors encouraged the jury to view the case as a whole and consider strong circumstantial evidence, including a foul odor in Anthony’s car that government witnesses – and even her own father – said was the distinct smell of a decomposing human body.
In his closing argument, Baez urged the jurors not to get caught up in the strong emotions that have followed the case since Anthony was arrested in 2008.
He told the jurors during his closing argument on Sunday that it was the government’s burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the defense did not have to prove anything.
“Don’t speculate,” he said. “Don’t guess. It has to be proven to you beyond and to the exclusion of any reasonable doubt.”
Court personnel had arranged a room for the media to interview jurors about their deliberations. The jurors, whose names have not been released, declined to speak to reporters.
Although many commentators had opined about the strength of the state’s case, prosecutors were unable at trial to present any direct physical evidence proving that Anthony played a role in her daughter’s death. They argued that the three pieces of duct tape found with Caylee’s skeletal remains were the murder weapon. But there no finger prints on the tape and the only unidentified DNA detected excluded both Caylee and her mother.
Defense attorneys said it was speculation that the tape caused Caylee’s death, and that the state – in a capital case – must prove that murder was committed.
Most of the trial was televised and the entire proceeding could be followed via a live video feed from the Orlando courtroom. It sparked an active Internet dialogue and speculation about how Caylee may have died and why Casey Anthony acted so coldly after her daughter disappeared.
Photographs showed Anthony within days of Caylee’s death dancing at a nightclub in a “hot body contest.” Prosecutors showed the jury a photo of a tattoo Anthony obtained two weeks after Caylee’s death. It said “Bella Vita,” beautiful life in Italian. Defense attorneys suggested to the jury that the tattoo was a tribute to her daughter, not a declaration of independence. backpack
“I am happy for Casey,” Baez said after the verdict. “I am ecstatic for her and I want her to be able to grieve and grow and somehow get her life back together.”
He added that if there was any lesson from the long legal saga it related to the capital punishment. “This case is a perfect example of why the death penalty does not work and why we need to stop and look and think twice about a country that tries to kill its own citizens,” he said. “I think if this case gets any attention it should focus on that issue.”
Baez added: “The best feeling I have today is that when I go home and my daughter asks me what did you do today I can say I saved a life.” tablet pc
IN PICTURES: Key players in the Casey Anthony trial
The verdict shocked many legal commentators and trial-watchers who had long assumed that Ms. Anthony would be convicted and perhaps sent to Florida’s death row.
But the jury of five men and seven women, who heard testimony in the month-long trial and deliberated nearly 11 hours, viewed the case differently. The relatively quick not guilty verdicts are an apparent rebuke of the government's case, which lacked any direct evidence of Anthony's involved in the death of her daughter, Caylee. Despite this lack of evidence the state pushed for a possible death sentence.
IN PICTURES: Key players in the Casey Anthony trial
The jury was given the option of convicting Anthony of a lesser charge, manslaughter, but decided against that. After the verdict, they declined an invitation to speak to the media.
Defense Attorney Jose Baez called it a bittersweet victory.
“While we are happy for Casey, there are no winners in this case. Caylee has passed on far too soon,” he said, referring to Ms. Anthony’s daughter.
He added: “Casey did not murder Caylee. It is that simple, and today our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction.”
Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for Orange and Osceola Counties, said he never criticizes a jury verdict.
“Despite what your personal view as to guilt or innocence might be, the criminal justice system has worked,” he said.
He noted that because Caylee’s body was not discovered until six months after her death, much of the evidence had decomposed or degraded. “This was a bare bones case, very, very difficult to prove,” he said. “The condition of the remains worked to our significant disadvantage.”
As the verdict was announced in the packed Orlando courtroom of Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Ms. Anthony looked pale and frightened. Then, as the clerk read the words “Not Guilty” on count one, her face eased and she burst into tears.
The “not guilty” verdicts continued on the two other felony charges. In essence, the panel acquitted Anthony of all charges related to Caylee’s death. swiss laptop backpack
Assistant State Attorneys Linda Burdick, Jeff Ashton, and Frank George sat stunned and stone-faced after the verdict was read. Casey’s parents, George and Cindy Anthony, left the courtroom soon after the verdict was read.
The jurors convicted Ms. Anthony of four misdemeanor charges of giving false information to law enforcement officers. Each of those charges carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison. wenger backpack
Had she been found guilty of first-degree murder she would have faced a possible death sentence or life in prison. Instead, with time already served in pre-trial detention, she faces, at most, a maximum sentence of several months.
Chief Judge Perry set sentencing for 9 a.m. Thursday. backpacks for travelling
The verdict came after a month-long trial that captivated much of the nation by presenting a mystery that seemed to defy solution. Why would a mother wait 31 days before mentioning to her family, friends, or the police that her young child was missing?
Prosecutors said Anthony killed her daughter, Caylee, in June 2008 because she was tired of being a mother and wanted to live the life of a single, carefree 22-year-old.
They said she drugged the toddler with chloroform and then pressed duct tape against her mouth and nose to suffocate the child. She then hid the body in her car for several days, they said, then dumped it in a wooded area a quarter mile from the family home.
Defense attorneys said Caylee accidentally drowned in the family’s swimming pool and that Casey went into denial about the tragedy. They said Casey’s father, George, helped dispose of the body and cover up the death.
Caylee was last seen alive on June 16, 2008. Authorities recovered her skeletal remains six months later in the wooded area. android tablet
No direct physical evidence proved the mother caused her daughter’s death. But prosecutors encouraged the jury to view the case as a whole and consider strong circumstantial evidence, including a foul odor in Anthony’s car that government witnesses – and even her own father – said was the distinct smell of a decomposing human body.
In his closing argument, Baez urged the jurors not to get caught up in the strong emotions that have followed the case since Anthony was arrested in 2008.
He told the jurors during his closing argument on Sunday that it was the government’s burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and that the defense did not have to prove anything.
“Don’t speculate,” he said. “Don’t guess. It has to be proven to you beyond and to the exclusion of any reasonable doubt.”
Court personnel had arranged a room for the media to interview jurors about their deliberations. The jurors, whose names have not been released, declined to speak to reporters.
Although many commentators had opined about the strength of the state’s case, prosecutors were unable at trial to present any direct physical evidence proving that Anthony played a role in her daughter’s death. They argued that the three pieces of duct tape found with Caylee’s skeletal remains were the murder weapon. But there no finger prints on the tape and the only unidentified DNA detected excluded both Caylee and her mother.
Defense attorneys said it was speculation that the tape caused Caylee’s death, and that the state – in a capital case – must prove that murder was committed.
Most of the trial was televised and the entire proceeding could be followed via a live video feed from the Orlando courtroom. It sparked an active Internet dialogue and speculation about how Caylee may have died and why Casey Anthony acted so coldly after her daughter disappeared.
Photographs showed Anthony within days of Caylee’s death dancing at a nightclub in a “hot body contest.” Prosecutors showed the jury a photo of a tattoo Anthony obtained two weeks after Caylee’s death. It said “Bella Vita,” beautiful life in Italian. Defense attorneys suggested to the jury that the tattoo was a tribute to her daughter, not a declaration of independence. backpack
“I am happy for Casey,” Baez said after the verdict. “I am ecstatic for her and I want her to be able to grieve and grow and somehow get her life back together.”
He added that if there was any lesson from the long legal saga it related to the capital punishment. “This case is a perfect example of why the death penalty does not work and why we need to stop and look and think twice about a country that tries to kill its own citizens,” he said. “I think if this case gets any attention it should focus on that issue.”
Baez added: “The best feeling I have today is that when I go home and my daughter asks me what did you do today I can say I saved a life.” tablet pc
IN PICTURES: Key players in the Casey Anthony trial
2011年7月4日星期一
British actress Anna Massey dies at 73
© WENN
Anna Massey in "Anna Karenina"
LONDON (AP) -- Anna Massey, the member of an acting dynasty whose roles ranged from lonely spinsters to Margaret Thatcher, has died, her agent said Monday. She was 73.
Massey died Saturday after a battle with cancer, with her husband and son at her side, according to agent Pippa Markham.
The actress was born in 1937 into a performing family — her father was Canadian actor Raymond Massey and her mother British actress Adrianne Allen. Her brother Daniel Massey also became an actor, and her godfather was director John Ford.
Massey made her West End stage debut at 17 in "The Reluctant Debutante" and her film debut in Ford's 1958 police procedural "Gideon's Day."
She had roles in films including Michael Powell's classic chiller "Peeping Tom," Otto Preminger's "Bunny Lake is Missing," Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" and the 2002 adaptation of "The Importance ofBeing Earnest," in which she played the comic governess Miss Prism.
Massey worked most frequently in television and was a stalwart of British period dramas, often cast as a waspish spinster or maiden aunt. She appeared in TV adaptations of Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina," Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" and many others. android tablet
In 2006, she played former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the TV drama "Pinochet in Suburbia."
Markham said Massey would be remembered as "a consummate professional," but the actress revealed in a memoir that she had struggled with depression and stage fright, and suffered a nervous breakdown in the 1960s.
She once said that as an actor, "I'm not instinctive. It takes enormous discipline and bravery to get me there."
Massey won a BAFTA, Britain's top acting award, for her role in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel "Hotel du Lac."
In 2004 she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.
Massey is survived by her husband, Uri Andres, and David Huggins, her son from a first marriage to the late actor Jeremy Brett.
Funeral details were not immediately available. backpack
2011年7月3日星期日
CC, McCutchen lead list of All-Star snubs
Sixty-six All-Stars were announced Sunday and somehow they still messed it up. Here are my five biggest All-Star snubs. laptop backpack
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates. I figured he was a lock for the team, but Bruce Bochy was put into a bit of a bind when the players voted in Jay Bruce as one of the three outfield reserves in the NL (along with Hunter Pence and Matt Holliday). Justin Upton was added as the deserving lone representative of the Diamondbacks, but Bochy selected Carlos Beltran over McCutchen, even though McCutchen has a higher average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, more steals and plays a superior center field as opposed to a mediocre right field. I can only guess Bochy viewed this as an opportunity to talk with Beltran and persuade him to drop his no-trade clause if the Giants attempt to trade for him. backpack
(And, no, Bruce is not better than McCutchen. Bruce has more home runs, but is hitting .230 with a .314 OBP on the road.)
2. CC Sabathia, P, Yankees. He's scheduled to start the Sunday before the All-Star Game, so would have been replaced on the roster anyway, but he deserved the honor of making the squad. Manager Ron Washington could have resolved the CC situation in one of two easy ways: Pick him over Tigers closer Jose Valverde (very mediocre numbers for a closer) or Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson (whom I think is a deserving All-Star).
3. Tommy Hanson, P, Braves. Bochy had four roster spots for pitchers and picked Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain (no issues there, even if they are his own guys), Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard (the lone Nats rep and having a dominating year in middle relief) and ... Ryan Vogelsong, a journeyman right-hander who had been out of the majors for four seasons. Look, Vogelsong's story is one of the best of the season. His numbers are excellent (6-1, 2.09), but you can't pick Lincecum and Cain and a guy who has had 12 good starts with no previous track record of success. Bochy said Vogelsong will be his emergency long man in case the game goes extra innings, so he's unlikely to get into the game, but it was still an odd selection over Hanson, Ian Kennedy, Jhoulys Chacin or Shaun Marcum. tablet pc
4. Jhonny Peralta, SS, Tigers. The fans did a terrific job voting in the starters this season. Really, the only debatable selection was Derek Jeter, and can you really fault the fans for voting in one of the greatest players of all time over a group of shortstops who, while having excellent seasons, don't have a long track record of excellence? Trouble is, there was no way to squeeze Peralta on the roster. With two DHs, it's hard for Washington to slot deserving bench players, since he had to pick Michael Cuddyer and Matt Wieters to represent the Twins and Orioles.
5. Shane Victorino, CF, Phillies. I wrote the other day that it would be difficult to find room for him on the roster, and since I slot him slightly behind McCutchen in the pecking order, I'm having trouble squeezing him on the roster. If you give the Beltran slot to McCutchen, where does Victorino fit? Gaby Sanchez is the lone Marlins rep, but you could give his slot to Anibal Sanchez (replacing Vogelsong or Cain) and find room for Victorino.
Anyway, both managers did about as well as they could. Bochy made one major gaffe in logic (Beltran over McCutchen) while Washington had better options than Jose Valverde. Considering the managers got hamstrung by the players voting in Russell Martin, Michael Young, Carlos Quentin and Bruce, it makes it tough to fill out the roster.
(FYI, five pitchers are scheduled to start next Sunday and will have to be replaced by rule: Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, James Shields, Cole Hamels and Cain.) swissgear backpack
Finally, my nominees for the five players in each league for the "extra man" vote:
American League: CC Sabathia, P, Yankees; Jhonny Peralta, SS, Tigers; Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox; Ben Zobrist, 2B, Rays; Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox.
National League: Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates; Tommy Hanson, P, Braves; Shane Victorino, CF, Phillies; Danny Espinosa, 2B, Nationals; Ian Kennedy, P, Diamondbacks. android tablet
P.S.: Can we get rid of the rule that says the players have to vote in three relievers? Chris Perez? Brandon League? Ugh.
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates. I figured he was a lock for the team, but Bruce Bochy was put into a bit of a bind when the players voted in Jay Bruce as one of the three outfield reserves in the NL (along with Hunter Pence and Matt Holliday). Justin Upton was added as the deserving lone representative of the Diamondbacks, but Bochy selected Carlos Beltran over McCutchen, even though McCutchen has a higher average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, more steals and plays a superior center field as opposed to a mediocre right field. I can only guess Bochy viewed this as an opportunity to talk with Beltran and persuade him to drop his no-trade clause if the Giants attempt to trade for him. backpack
(And, no, Bruce is not better than McCutchen. Bruce has more home runs, but is hitting .230 with a .314 OBP on the road.)
2. CC Sabathia, P, Yankees. He's scheduled to start the Sunday before the All-Star Game, so would have been replaced on the roster anyway, but he deserved the honor of making the squad. Manager Ron Washington could have resolved the CC situation in one of two easy ways: Pick him over Tigers closer Jose Valverde (very mediocre numbers for a closer) or Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson (whom I think is a deserving All-Star).
3. Tommy Hanson, P, Braves. Bochy had four roster spots for pitchers and picked Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain (no issues there, even if they are his own guys), Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard (the lone Nats rep and having a dominating year in middle relief) and ... Ryan Vogelsong, a journeyman right-hander who had been out of the majors for four seasons. Look, Vogelsong's story is one of the best of the season. His numbers are excellent (6-1, 2.09), but you can't pick Lincecum and Cain and a guy who has had 12 good starts with no previous track record of success. Bochy said Vogelsong will be his emergency long man in case the game goes extra innings, so he's unlikely to get into the game, but it was still an odd selection over Hanson, Ian Kennedy, Jhoulys Chacin or Shaun Marcum. tablet pc
4. Jhonny Peralta, SS, Tigers. The fans did a terrific job voting in the starters this season. Really, the only debatable selection was Derek Jeter, and can you really fault the fans for voting in one of the greatest players of all time over a group of shortstops who, while having excellent seasons, don't have a long track record of excellence? Trouble is, there was no way to squeeze Peralta on the roster. With two DHs, it's hard for Washington to slot deserving bench players, since he had to pick Michael Cuddyer and Matt Wieters to represent the Twins and Orioles.
5. Shane Victorino, CF, Phillies. I wrote the other day that it would be difficult to find room for him on the roster, and since I slot him slightly behind McCutchen in the pecking order, I'm having trouble squeezing him on the roster. If you give the Beltran slot to McCutchen, where does Victorino fit? Gaby Sanchez is the lone Marlins rep, but you could give his slot to Anibal Sanchez (replacing Vogelsong or Cain) and find room for Victorino.
Anyway, both managers did about as well as they could. Bochy made one major gaffe in logic (Beltran over McCutchen) while Washington had better options than Jose Valverde. Considering the managers got hamstrung by the players voting in Russell Martin, Michael Young, Carlos Quentin and Bruce, it makes it tough to fill out the roster.
(FYI, five pitchers are scheduled to start next Sunday and will have to be replaced by rule: Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, James Shields, Cole Hamels and Cain.) swissgear backpack
Finally, my nominees for the five players in each league for the "extra man" vote:
American League: CC Sabathia, P, Yankees; Jhonny Peralta, SS, Tigers; Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox; Ben Zobrist, 2B, Rays; Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox.
National League: Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pirates; Tommy Hanson, P, Braves; Shane Victorino, CF, Phillies; Danny Espinosa, 2B, Nationals; Ian Kennedy, P, Diamondbacks. android tablet
P.S.: Can we get rid of the rule that says the players have to vote in three relievers? Chris Perez? Brandon League? Ugh.
2011年7月2日星期六
Billions worth' of treasure found in Indian temple
A treasure trove of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones said to be …
A treasure trove of gold and silver jewelry, coins and precious stones said to be worth billions of dollars has been found in a Hindu temple in southern India, officials said on Saturday.
The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion), said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India's richest temples.
The thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple which is renowned for its intricate sculptures. Travel backpack School backpack.
"We are yet to open one more secret chamber which has not been opened for nearly 140 years," Jayakumar told AFP,Wenger Red Lightweight Laptop backpack.
The actual value of the treasure haul can be ascertained only after it is examined by the archaeological department, said Jayakumar.
The temple, dedicated to Hindu lord Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple's vaults since, backpack.
A necklace found on Thursday was 18 feet (six metres) long. Thousands of gold coins have also been found.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
But India's Supreme Court recently ordered that the temple be managed by the state to ensure the security of valuables at the shrine, tablet pc.
Until now, the Thirupathy temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state was believed to be India's richest temple with offerings from devotees worth 320 billion rupees.
The revelation about the huge riches in the Padmanabhaswamy temple has forced police to sharply step install security cameras and alarms.
Authorities also plan to set up a commando force for security, said Kerala director general of police Jacob Punnoose.
"Now it?s known all over the world that the Padmanabhaswamy temple has jewels worth billions of rupees we have decided to assign it maximum security," Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told AFP.
The valuables have an estimated preliminary worth of over 500 billion rupees ($11.2 billion), said Kerala Chief Secretary K. Jayakumar, catapulting the temple into the league of India's richest temples.
The thousands of necklaces, coins and precious stones have been kept in at least five underground vaults at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple which is renowned for its intricate sculptures. Travel backpack School backpack.
"We are yet to open one more secret chamber which has not been opened for nearly 140 years," Jayakumar told AFP,Wenger Red Lightweight Laptop backpack.
The actual value of the treasure haul can be ascertained only after it is examined by the archaeological department, said Jayakumar.
The temple, dedicated to Hindu lord Vishnu, was built hundreds of years ago by the king of Travancore and donations by devotees have been kept in the temple's vaults since, backpack.
A necklace found on Thursday was 18 feet (six metres) long. Thousands of gold coins have also been found.
Since India achieved independence from Britain in 1947, a trust managed by descendants of the Travancore royal family has controlled the temple.
But India's Supreme Court recently ordered that the temple be managed by the state to ensure the security of valuables at the shrine, tablet pc.
Until now, the Thirupathy temple in southern Andhra Pradesh state was believed to be India's richest temple with offerings from devotees worth 320 billion rupees.
The revelation about the huge riches in the Padmanabhaswamy temple has forced police to sharply step install security cameras and alarms.
Authorities also plan to set up a commando force for security, said Kerala director general of police Jacob Punnoose.
"Now it?s known all over the world that the Padmanabhaswamy temple has jewels worth billions of rupees we have decided to assign it maximum security," Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told AFP.
2011年7月1日星期五
Beaming Kate Moss gets hitched to Jamie Hince with daughter Lila among the 15 bridesmaids
Newlyweds Kate Moss and Jamie Hince are officially husband and wife after tying the knot in the Costwolds this afternoon.
Following their wedding at a village church, the bride and groom happily posed outside with the supermodel's 15 bridesmaids, including her eight-year-old daughter Lila Grace, Backpack.
The bride, 37, looked stunning in a vintage-style cream dress and matching floor-length veil, designed by close friend John Galliano.
We've done it! Supermodel Kate Moss and her new husband Jamie Hince pose outside St Peter's Church in Little Faringdon in the Cotswolds
Presenting Mr and Mrs Rock 'N' Roll: The couple strides into the village after marrying in a Church of England ceremonyThe model showed off her slim figure in a cream bias-cut dress with sheer skirt with gold leaf embroidery and rhinestones，tablet pc.
Moss's choice of designer is somewhat of a reprieve to disgraced Galliano, who is currently on trial in Paris for allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks.
Her hair is styled in loose waves by Sam McKnight - not James Brown as previously thought - and she appears to have resisted her usual cat eye make-up in favour of a more natural look for the big day, created by Charlotte Tilbury,backpack. Her head piece features floral detailing on either side of an off-white headband.
'Come here hubby': The blushing bride pulls her new husband in for a passionate kiss，Wenger SAB87310140030 Orange Shoulder bag.
Large bridal party: The bride poses with her 16 bridesmaids, including her daughter Lila GraceManolo Blahnik designed a special pair of wedding shoes that include a blue insole as Kate's 'something blue'.
Her new husband Hince shunned traditional dark colours and opted for a light blue Stefano Pilati for YSL suit, giving his ensemble a rock twist with a pair of sunglasses, Laptop Backpacks.
The bridal party included 14 young bridesmaids in white chiffon dresses with a gypsy-style neckline and matching ballet pumps, with maid-of-honour, Moss's former casting agent Jess Hallett in a blue Stella McCartney creation.
So happy: The bride has never looked happier as she smiles for the cameras
Now it's time to party: Photographer Mario Testino looks on as the bride heads into the Rolls Royce to return to the reception
Cover up: Moss's hair was styled in loose blonde waves underneath the 1920s-style cap veil with flower embroidery on the lace
Wedding bling: The couple exchanged simple gold bands, which Moss wears with her diamond engagement ringAfter posing up for a public shoot outside the church, the couple then got into a waiting Rolls Royce to head back to Moss's £2million Cotswolds home for the first of a three-day reception.
Moss is expected to change into a McCartney oyster silk chiffon dress for her first dance, then a micro mini bodycon dress for the after party and a third Stella creation, a three piece off-white wool suit for her going away outfit, according to Grazia.
Ahead of the ceremony, Moss arrived at the church accompanied by her daughter Lila and father Peter in a silver Rolls Royce.
Kate smiled serenely as her luxury car was driven through the cordoned-off streets, trailed by six other Rolls Royces ferrying the bridal party.
Matching: Moss's ex-partner publisher Jefferson Hack - father of her daughter Lila - wore a grey suit, which looked similar to the one worn by the groom
Celebration: A local villager throws confetti at the bride as she walks towards her Rolls RoyceClose friends Naomi Campbell, wearing Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci, Bryan Ferry in a Gucci suit and US Vogue editor Anna Wintour are understood to have attended the ceremony.
One of the guests, reality TV star Kelly Osbourne was clearly moved by the ceremony.
She Tweeted: 'This is the most beautiful, loving, amazing wedding I have ever been to. it's magical when you see people really in love!'
Rock 'n' roll wedding: Moss giggles as Hince and the bridesmaids pull their rock poses for the camerasMoss's ex-partner Jefferson Hack - father of her daughter Lila - also attended in a light grey suit.
Socialite Jade Jagger and Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie were pictured arriving at the local Swan Inn earlier in the day to get ready for the A-list nuptials.
Locals are facing extensive road closures and footpath blocks ahead of the nuptials, as VIP guests arrived in town.
Drawing a crowd: Locals gathered on the street to catch sight of the supermodel as she and her husband headed back to her £2million home for the wedding reception, android tablet pc.
Vintage bride: The first look at Kate Moss as she arrives at St Peter's parish church for her wedding, wearing a vintage-style lace veil while her dress is covered in rhinestones
Memories: The supermodel smiles as her good friend, famed photographer Mario Testino snaps pictures
Disgruntled villagers were pictured being stopped at roadblocks and being redirected this morning by security staff manning the vicinity near the supermodel's property and St Peter's parish church.
A document from Gloucestershire county council reveals that the main road through the small town will be blocked for almost 700 metres, with police redirecting traffic.
'Mosstock' will kick off later today following an intimate church wedding and is set to continue throughout the entire weekend with food provided by The Dorchester and Ritz Paris hotels and entertainment rumoured to be by Iggy Pop, Beth Ditto, Snoop Dogg and Carl Barat.
Glamorous: Sadie Frost drives herself to the church wearing a striped blazer, Christopher Beales dress and Fifties-style sunglasses and a 40s style hat, while Jade Jagger looked glam in a white coat, Android 2.2 Tablet PC-W12.
Stylish: Jude Law got a lift to the wedding with his ex-wife Frost, while Stella McCartney - who designed Moss's post-ceremony outfits - wore a white trouser suit from her own collection
Beefy security guards are roaming Kate's property to keep out photographers and potential party crashers.
But despite the heavy security surrounding the A-list wedding, the couple were only too happy to pose for photographers as they arrived at last night's rehearsal dinner.
The Kills rocker Hince looked a little uncertain as he was guided by his then-fiancée, but good friend, Primal Scream bassist Mani insists there are no nerves ahead of this afternoon's nuptials.
Stylist en route: Kate's friend and hair stylist James Brown was driven separately
'He's all right, he's marrying a supermodel,' the rocker told Metro of Hince. 'What's there to be nervous about?'
Mani will be joining 300 guests at Mosstock, expected to be the party of the year - but he won't be giving the couple anything in return.
'They don't need anything,' he said. 'They are rich. Anyway I've let her in my gigs for free often enough, so that's present enough.'
Lockdown: The small village is overrun with police and private security guards
You shall not pass: Local residents of the village Southrop talk to security guards ahead of Kate Moss' wedding this afternoon
Sorry for any inconvenience: Residents are facing road closures and redirections as the A-list guests descend on the quiet villageClearly excited ahead of their impending wedding, the couple gave paparazzi a rare treat by actually posing up for photographs outside The Swan pub in the Cotswolds village of Southrop before their rehearsal dinner yesterday.
The beaming bride-to-be opted for a hippy-style turquoise dress, which looked like it could have been borrowed from her mother Linda's old clothing collection from the 70s.
The supermodel, 37, had co-ordinated her eye-catching dress with a pair of turquoise high-heeled boots.
Flouting the dress code? The casual guests, including Jade, Fran Cutler, Katy England and Bobby Gillespie, arrived in plenty of time to put on their party wear
Sorry, you're not on the list: Security guards discuss the lockdown with villagers
Here come the boys: Security stuff were plentiful as the roamed the parish vicinityThe pair cuddled up and smiled outside the pub, one of the rare times they have actually posed for photographs as a couple.
Moss and her 42-year-old rocker groom headed to the 17th century, award-winning pub for dinner after attending a rehearsal at the St Peter's parish church in the village.
The pub was voted Best Restaurant in Britain last year by readers of Which? Good Food Guide and is famous for its signature dish, chargrilled 28-day hung Cotswold rib-eye steak with thrice cooked chips.
'Special event': A copy of the Gloucestershire county council document outlining the closures
We're getting married the morning: A beaming Kate Moss snuggles up to her future husband Jamie Hince outside The Swan pub in Southrop in the Cotswolds
On Thursday afternoon, Hince and Moss were joined by their bridal party at the Grade II-listed, Norman church for a rehearsal of their ceremony with their vicar Rev Harry MacInnes.
When asked about whether or not he would be officiating recently, Rev MacInnes told the Mail: 'I couldn’t possibly comment. But I do know Kate and she is very much part of our community.'
Spotted outside the church were Moss's actress friend Sadie Frost with her 10-year-old daughter Iris, who is one of the bridesmaids, while her youngest son Rudy, seven, will be a page boy.
Something blue: Moss was going for a hippy, vintage style as she arrived at the pub
Also seen walking through the churchyard was Hince's 'best woman' and The Kills bandmate Allison Mosshart and Moss's hairdresser pal James Brown.
Moss and Hince are expected to wed in a Church of England ceremony on Friday afternoon, before retreating to the model's £2million mansion for the first of a three day £500,000 celebration.
Dubbed 'Moss-stock' by some of the locals, the newlyweds are expected to celebrate their nuptials with a festival-style reception lasting the whole weekend.
Idyllic: The couple are expected to tie the knot in a Church of England ceremony at the Norman, Grade II-listed St Margaret's parish church, in the village of Little Faringdon
Getting ready: It was all happening as organisers set up for the event with marquees galoreAlso in the wedding party will be Moss's eight-year-old daughter Lila Grace - from her previous relationship with publisher Jefferson Hack, who will serve as chief bridesmaid.
Party planner Fran Cutler's daughter Mercy, Kate's half-sister from her father Peter's second marriage and artist Jake Chapman and model Rosemary Ferguson’s three children will complete Moss's young attendants.
During the religious ceremony, Hince's sister Sarah and Frost will do readings.
Meanwhile, the huge marquees are already in place for the big event in Moss's extensive back garden.
Ready for the party: The three-day celebration on Moss's Cotswolds estate is rumoured to be costing £500,000
Village: An aerial view of St Peter's parish church where Kate and Jamie will wed todayProviding the catering over the weekend will be the team from Moss's favourite London restaurant China Tang at the Dorchester and the Ritz in Paris, while lorries of Grey Goose Vodka, Red Bull and Dom Perignon champagne have been ordered in to stock the bar.
The entertainment is rumoured to be provided by Iggy Pop, Beth Ditto, Snoop Dogg and Carl Barat - former Libertines bandmate of Moss's ex-boyfriend Pete Doherty.
Among the 300-strong guestlist will be Naomi Campbell, Vivienne Westwood, Stella and Mary McCartney retail tycoon Sir Philip Green, artist Tracey Emin, Rhys Ifans, Jude Law, Jo Wood and Jade Jagger.
Supporting the newlyweds will be Kate's father Peter, her mother Linda and her partner Geoff Collman and Jamie's parents William and Carole.
Keeping watch: Moss has enlisted tough security to keep out wedding crashes from the festivities
Following their wedding at a village church, the bride and groom happily posed outside with the supermodel's 15 bridesmaids, including her eight-year-old daughter Lila Grace, Backpack.
The bride, 37, looked stunning in a vintage-style cream dress and matching floor-length veil, designed by close friend John Galliano.
We've done it! Supermodel Kate Moss and her new husband Jamie Hince pose outside St Peter's Church in Little Faringdon in the CotswoldsPresenting Mr and Mrs Rock 'N' Roll: The couple strides into the village after marrying in a Church of England ceremonyMoss's choice of designer is somewhat of a reprieve to disgraced Galliano, who is currently on trial in Paris for allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks.
Her hair is styled in loose waves by Sam McKnight - not James Brown as previously thought - and she appears to have resisted her usual cat eye make-up in favour of a more natural look for the big day, created by Charlotte Tilbury,backpack. Her head piece features floral detailing on either side of an off-white headband.
Large bridal party: The bride poses with her 16 bridesmaids, including her daughter Lila GraceMore...
The bridal party included 14 young bridesmaids in white chiffon dresses with a gypsy-style neckline and matching ballet pumps, with maid-of-honour, Moss's former casting agent Jess Hallett in a blue Stella McCartney creation.
So happy: The bride has never looked happier as she smiles for the camerasNow it's time to party: Photographer Mario Testino looks on as the bride heads into the Rolls Royce to return to the receptionCover up: Moss's hair was styled in loose blonde waves underneath the 1920s-style cap veil with flower embroidery on the laceWedding bling: The couple exchanged simple gold bands, which Moss wears with her diamond engagement ringMoss is expected to change into a McCartney oyster silk chiffon dress for her first dance, then a micro mini bodycon dress for the after party and a third Stella creation, a three piece off-white wool suit for her going away outfit, according to Grazia.
Ahead of the ceremony, Moss arrived at the church accompanied by her daughter Lila and father Peter in a silver Rolls Royce.
Kate smiled serenely as her luxury car was driven through the cordoned-off streets, trailed by six other Rolls Royces ferrying the bridal party.
Celebration: A local villager throws confetti at the bride as she walks towards her Rolls RoyceOne of the guests, reality TV star Kelly Osbourne was clearly moved by the ceremony.
She Tweeted: 'This is the most beautiful, loving, amazing wedding I have ever been to. it's magical when you see people really in love!'
Rock 'n' roll wedding: Moss giggles as Hince and the bridesmaids pull their rock poses for the camerasSocialite Jade Jagger and Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie were pictured arriving at the local Swan Inn earlier in the day to get ready for the A-list nuptials.
Locals are facing extensive road closures and footpath blocks ahead of the nuptials, as VIP guests arrived in town.
Drawing a crowd: Locals gathered on the street to catch sight of the supermodel as she and her husband headed back to her £2million home for the wedding reception, android tablet pc.Vintage bride: The first look at Kate Moss as she arrives at St Peter's parish church for her wedding, wearing a vintage-style lace veil while her dress is covered in rhinestonesMemories: The supermodel smiles as her good friend, famed photographer Mario Testino snaps picturesA document from Gloucestershire county council reveals that the main road through the small town will be blocked for almost 700 metres, with police redirecting traffic.
'Mosstock' will kick off later today following an intimate church wedding and is set to continue throughout the entire weekend with food provided by The Dorchester and Ritz Paris hotels and entertainment rumoured to be by Iggy Pop, Beth Ditto, Snoop Dogg and Carl Barat.
Beefy security guards are roaming Kate's property to keep out photographers and potential party crashers.
But despite the heavy security surrounding the A-list wedding, the couple were only too happy to pose for photographers as they arrived at last night's rehearsal dinner.
The Kills rocker Hince looked a little uncertain as he was guided by his then-fiancée, but good friend, Primal Scream bassist Mani insists there are no nerves ahead of this afternoon's nuptials.
Stylist en route: Kate's friend and hair stylist James Brown was driven separatelyMani will be joining 300 guests at Mosstock, expected to be the party of the year - but he won't be giving the couple anything in return.
'They don't need anything,' he said. 'They are rich. Anyway I've let her in my gigs for free often enough, so that's present enough.'
Lockdown: The small village is overrun with police and private security guardsYou shall not pass: Local residents of the village Southrop talk to security guards ahead of Kate Moss' wedding this afternoonSorry for any inconvenience: Residents are facing road closures and redirections as the A-list guests descend on the quiet villageThe beaming bride-to-be opted for a hippy-style turquoise dress, which looked like it could have been borrowed from her mother Linda's old clothing collection from the 70s.
The supermodel, 37, had co-ordinated her eye-catching dress with a pair of turquoise high-heeled boots.
Flouting the dress code? The casual guests, including Jade, Fran Cutler, Katy England and Bobby Gillespie, arrived in plenty of time to put on their party wearSorry, you're not on the list: Security guards discuss the lockdown with villagersHere come the boys: Security stuff were plentiful as the roamed the parish vicinityMoss and her 42-year-old rocker groom headed to the 17th century, award-winning pub for dinner after attending a rehearsal at the St Peter's parish church in the village.
The pub was voted Best Restaurant in Britain last year by readers of Which? Good Food Guide and is famous for its signature dish, chargrilled 28-day hung Cotswold rib-eye steak with thrice cooked chips.
'Special event': A copy of the Gloucestershire county council document outlining the closuresWhen asked about whether or not he would be officiating recently, Rev MacInnes told the Mail: 'I couldn’t possibly comment. But I do know Kate and she is very much part of our community.'
Spotted outside the church were Moss's actress friend Sadie Frost with her 10-year-old daughter Iris, who is one of the bridesmaids, while her youngest son Rudy, seven, will be a page boy.
Moss and Hince are expected to wed in a Church of England ceremony on Friday afternoon, before retreating to the model's £2million mansion for the first of a three day £500,000 celebration.
Dubbed 'Moss-stock' by some of the locals, the newlyweds are expected to celebrate their nuptials with a festival-style reception lasting the whole weekend.
Idyllic: The couple are expected to tie the knot in a Church of England ceremony at the Norman, Grade II-listed St Margaret's parish church, in the village of Little FaringdonGetting ready: It was all happening as organisers set up for the event with marquees galoreParty planner Fran Cutler's daughter Mercy, Kate's half-sister from her father Peter's second marriage and artist Jake Chapman and model Rosemary Ferguson’s three children will complete Moss's young attendants.
During the religious ceremony, Hince's sister Sarah and Frost will do readings.
Meanwhile, the huge marquees are already in place for the big event in Moss's extensive back garden.
Ready for the party: The three-day celebration on Moss's Cotswolds estate is rumoured to be costing £500,000Village: An aerial view of St Peter's parish church where Kate and Jamie will wed todayThe entertainment is rumoured to be provided by Iggy Pop, Beth Ditto, Snoop Dogg and Carl Barat - former Libertines bandmate of Moss's ex-boyfriend Pete Doherty.
Among the 300-strong guestlist will be Naomi Campbell, Vivienne Westwood, Stella and Mary McCartney retail tycoon Sir Philip Green, artist Tracey Emin, Rhys Ifans, Jude Law, Jo Wood and Jade Jagger.
Supporting the newlyweds will be Kate's father Peter, her mother Linda and her partner Geoff Collman and Jamie's parents William and Carole.
Keeping watch: Moss has enlisted tough security to keep out wedding crashes from the festivities
订阅：
评论 (Atom)