Sunday, August 30, 2009

NEW : Dangerously difficult quest for cupcakes in Baltimore


I had planned to write a Baltimore 101: Cupcakes in the City for today's post because I was meeting friends for happy hour at the Baltimore Cupcake Company last night, and would then have tried there,Cake Love, and Charm City Cupcakes.  Sadly, Baltimore Cupcake Company failed me.  (Well, failedus.)
I called about two weeks ago to ensure that they still do the cupcake happy hours.  I was assured that yes, on Monday through Thursday, from 5:30-6 p.m., cupcake were 1/2 off.  Friends and I made plans and had been waiting in anticipation.  We arrived yesterday just after 5:30 p.m., ready for cupcake deliciousness.
Baltimore Cupcake Company was closed.  The door was locked, and no cupcakes were in sight.  Two other people tried after us; we were all confused and disappointed.  After lamenting the loss for a few minutes, we decided to go to Koba, a favorite coffee shop that didn't close until 6 p.m. and usually served cupcakes.  Koba was also dark, and we were told that the register was being counted - at 5:41 p.m.  Defeated, we racked our brains for a place to get something sweet.
Enter Dangerously Delicious Pies.  I called ahead to make sure that they were open; yes, they were open until 7 p.m.  and serve single slices of their infamous pies.  We kept with the sweet pies, ordering the Apple Crumb, Lemon Chess, and White Trash Creme Brulee.  Although a little pricey, all three pies received big thumbs up, and we left deliciously satisfied.  After a long, disappointing quest for cupcakes, we settled for pie but still satisfied our sweet cravings. 
Readers: I happen to love Koba, so I can't knock it too much.  Have you been to the Baltimore Cupcake Company?  Can anyone come to its defense?  It could use an ally right now.
Dangerously Delicious Pies, Federal Hill


NEW : Updated map of Station fire August 30 2:16 am


Station fire map
The updated map of the Station fire near Los Angeles shows major spread of the fire on the north side. The map shows heat detected by satellites at 2:16 a.m. Sunday morning. The red areas are the most recently burned. The Morris fire to the east shows no recent heat.
As of early Sunday morning the Station fire had grown to 35,000 acres and had come to within 5 miles of the community of Acton. The southeast wind of Saturday changed to a down-canyon wind overnight, pushing it closer to some residential areas.
Station fire
(Photo: the Station fire burns above Altadena, California on August 28. MICHAL CZERWONKA)
Extreme fire behavior caused the fire to spread in all directions on Saturday. Firefighters reported 80-foot flames as the 15-20 foot high brush burned.
On Sunday morning there may be an inversion which could slow the spread, but when it breaks up, extreme fire behavior could be seen again.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for areas in La Canada-Flintridge, Pasadena, La Crescenta, Altadena, Glendale, and Big Tujunga Canyon.
Three to five homes were destroyed in Big Tujunga Canyon on Saturday where three civilians were flown out by helicopter with burn injuries.
About 1,804 personnel are assigned to the fire and it is 5% contained.
The U.S. Headlines Examiner has a link to live video of the southern California fires.

HOT : UFC Twitter Mailbag: UFC 102, Todd Duffee, Couture vs. Nogueira, More

UFC 102 is in the books, and the UFC Twitter universe had plenty to say about a great night of fights. We have questions and comments about old-timer heavyweightsAntonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture, young up-and-coming heavyweight Todd Duffee, light heavyweight knockout artist Thiago Silva and a couple of NCAA champion wrestlers, Jake Rosholt and Mark Munoz, who are looking good early in their MMA careers.

Your questions and comments, and my responses, for our UFC Twitter mailbag are below.

John_S_Adams: Great night of fights. Nog looked 100% and won a great battle against Couture. Todd Duffee - wow! Keep an eye on this guy!
Couldn't agree more. Top to bottom, UFC 102 was a tremendous show. And I love Duffee, the 23-year-old who set a new UFC record by knocking out Tim Hague in seven seconds. Duffee is now 5-0 with all five wins by KO/TKO, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

BBKing77: Why does everyone say Minotauro is old? He's 33! He's in his prime! He just looks older.
People said Nogueira was old because he looked old in his loss to Frank Mir. Nogueira says he was far from 100% for that fight, though, and he looked phenomenal against Couture. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's in his prime -- I think his prime was in about 2003-04 in Pride -- but he still has some good fights left in him. If Mirko Cro Cop beats Junior dos Santos next month, I'd love to see Nogueira fight Cro Cop again. I'd also love to see Nogueira against the Cain Velasquez-Ben Rothwell winner, or maybe against Frank Mir again so we can find out whether a healthy Nogueira is a better fighter than Mir.

WFNYCraig: Needed 5 rounds!
I agree, I would have loved two more rounds of Couture vs. Nogueira. I think three rounds is the right length for most MMA fights, but for big main events like Couture vs. Nogueira, I think five-round non-title fights are a good idea, and I think we'll see them soon. (Even though Dana White says he doesn't agree.)

FightLaunch: Where did Munoz wrestle at in college?
Mark Munoz, who beat Nick Catone by split decision, was an NCAA champion wrestler at Oklahoma State. It was a good night for the Cowboys -- Jake Rosholt, also a former NCAA champion from Oklahoma State, beat Chris Leben.

sbrooks360: Should Yves Lavigne have stopped it when Leben tapped? It was a weak tap but he saw it.
Yes, I thought referee Yves Lavigne was a bit slow to step in when Leben tapped out from Rosholt's arm-triangle choke. However, in fairness to Lavigne, as you note, Leben's tap was a little weak -- he was getting woozy and just kind of waved at Rosholt before his arm went limp. Leben got right up and walked out of the Octagon, so no harm was done.

jtwilham: Or is Keith Jardine the most-overrated fighter in the UFC?
This came in response to my tweet saying Thiago Silva is one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC. I really don't think Jardine is overrated; I think he's somewhere around the No. 10 light heavyweight in MMA, and that's about where he's rated by most fans and members of the MMA media. I just think we're overlooking how impressive Silva is. Aside from his loss to Lyoto Machida -- who beats everyone -- Silva is unbeaten in his MMA career, and only one opponent has even made it out of the second round with him. Silva is a beast.



source : http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/08/30/ufc-twitter-mailbag-ufc-102-todd-duffee-couture-vs-nogueira/

NEW : Coming Home to Race in the Chicago Triathlon

The 2009 Chicago Triathlon promises to be not only an adventure in racing, but one in logistics as well for the over 9,500 veteran, newbie, pro and elite racers. We will do battle with the elements, the course and ourselves as we hurl into the chilly (expected 60 degree) waters of Lake Michigan beginning at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Mind you that transition opens at 4:45 am and closes at 5:45 a.m., meaning that if your wave of the swim start goes off at 10 a.m... you have quite a few hours of pondering the sunrise ( and dare I say sanity) over majestic Chicago skyline in the brisk morning air. 

I have come home, so to speak, to race in this year's triathlon. In over 10 years of professional Adventure Racing, at least 40 triathlons and untold numerous other endurance events, I have never raced my hometown triathlon. I still get strange looks and cautious comments from the home team..."You're doing what?" ..."How far?" ... "What do you do in a triathlon?" etc. Interesting to note though that my 101-year-old grandmother, who has never lived anywhere else but Chicago, seems to be able to keep track of it all and knows the course.

I have often said "The joy is in the Journey" and I think that a truer statement could not be said in the case of this triathlon. Traveling with an enormous gear bag, hard bike case and backpack through the airport and EL system in Chicago makes it seem as if the competition has actually already started. Thank goodness for little wheels.

After putting together the bike -- truly an exercise worthy of Rubix Cube-proportion -- and coordinating the transition bag, it was off to registration I went, fearing a throng of Type A triathletes aching to be body marked! What I found was a smooth operation. Getting your number, showing your ID, getting your swim cap, body marked and goodie bag literally took all of 15 minutes. I think a new record! It did feel a little weird walking around town with black numbers written all over me (number 5088, if anyone cares to follow onslowtwitch.com), but kind of proud as well. People tend to look askance at that type of tattooing.

Granted I had to meander through a virtual labyrinth of triathlon gear porn from every merchant and sponsor in Chicago (ok loved it!) but a record of in-and-out nonetheless. One thing about triathletes: once they have the fever, there is rarely a cure. Every new technology, fabric, aerodynamic ge-gaw has to be bought and debated about. A triathlon is truly a unique playing field, where you can compete (at least equipment-wise) with the pros in the same event. Think of not only wearing comparable football gear as the pros, but doing so in the Super Bowl... with them!

The 2009 Chicago Triathlon is part of the prestigious Lifetime Fitness national series, so you get to hobnob with the pros as they chase the series big money purse. Hobnob is probably as close as I will come tomorrow to finishing with them, but no matter. My brother Craig will be racing with me (actually his wave is leaving an hour after me) and I get to race in my hometown... so matter what happens, I think I am a winner. Besides... now I have the best reason to dig into some serious Chicago pizza. I'm racing tomorrow!



source : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-garfield/coming-home-to-race-in-th_b_272066.html

HOT : Ironman Louisville 2009 and Preview

New Delhi, Aug 30, 2009: Ironman Louisville 2009 and Preview. Sunday's Ford Ironman Louisville event could feature the largest field in Ironman history with almost 3,000 athletes registered from 20 countries for the third annual event here in Kentucky. In addition to the huge age group field, a competitive pro field is also set to take part, headed by defending champions Max Longree and Mariska Kramer-Postma, but both will face competitive fields including a number of Ironman champions.


Australian Luke McKenzie, a two-time Ironman champion already in 2009 (Malaysia and Japan), arrives here in Louisville as the man most likely to take the crown away from Longree, but South Africa's Raynard Tissink with five Ironman titles on his resume, also arrives as another favorite. Added to the competitive list of male pros is two-time Ford Ironman Wisconsin Dave Harju.

Kramer-Postma will face multiple-Ironman champions Nina Kraft, Fernanda Keller and Lisbeth Kristensen as she tries to defend her title. Kraft was a runner-up here in Louisville two years ago, while Kristensen finished third here last year, just eight months after the birth of her daughter, Astrid. Keller is trying to continue a 21-year streak of qualifying for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona.

The 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run course will utilize a variety of Louisville’s scenic areas, including Waterfront Park, Oldham and Henry Counties and the city of LaGrange. Athletes will end their journey with a finish line celebration at Fourth Street Live!.

Approximately 150 Louisville residents are scheduled to participate in this event that serves as an official qualifier for the Ford Ironman World Championship, taking place on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.



source : http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25557&Itemid=70

NEW : Matt Cassel Injury


Matt Cassel injury the quarterback of Chief made another trouble for them when he went off the field because of his injury and Tyler Thigpen once again has been selected as the replacement by the Kansas City. Matt Cassel was traded in the month of March by the Chiefs and was supposed to be the answer.

He was signed by the Chiefs in the month of June to a big contract and there was a big hope that he would come forward as something good for the team that could not have in last year being a reliable, healthy quarterback having a bright future. But now due to the Matt Cassel injury, all the questions are back. The coach of the Chiefs, Todd Haley said that now I don’t think to be a high powered team in his absence.
Matt Cassel was helped to move to the locker room after having injury on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium during the match with Seattle in which Chiefs lost by 14-10. Cassel was sacked from behind by the Brandon Mebane, Seahawks defensive and Cassel fell down grabbing his left leg on the turf. Shortly after that he got up and rejoined the team to play before a timeout was called and being helped to move to the locker room.
After being injured during the match, Matt Cassel did not return to the match and Matt Cassel injury conditions with some updates of other injured players like cornerback Brndon Flowers and Devard Darling, wide receiver would not be discussed by the coach Haley.
Matt Cassel Injury
Matt Cassel Injury

HOT : Family Sins


Filmed in Calgary by Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers, Susan LevitanBettina VivianoRicka Fisher; producer, Peter Lhotka; director,Graeme Clifford; writer, Donald Martin;

Brenda Geck - Kirstie Alley
Marie Devereaux - Deanna Milligan
Phillip Rothman - Will Patton
Nadine Devereaux - Kathleen Wilhoite
Kenneth Geck - Kevin McNulty
Joey Geck - David Richmond-Peck
Scott Mathers - Patrick Gilmore
 
For those who want a little Stockholm Syndrome with their "Flowers in the Attic," CBS offers Sunday night movie "Family Sins." Based on the true story of Frances Burt, a Rhode Island woman whose cruelty to her foster children knew no bounds, the made-for details the most appalling abuse imaginable: beatings with electrical cords, forcing kids to shoplift and then hitting them when they get caught, withholding food for minor infractions. Though it's only a skin-deep treatment of the subject -- those interested in a Ph.D-level exploration of deviant psychology need not apply -- salacious nature of the plot will keep auds hooked.
Burt is fictionalized as Brenda Geck, a New Hampshire housewife whose generous, church-going, upright-citizen demeanor belies a role as the head, more or less, of her own crime family.
Played by a blowsy Kirstie Alley, Geck's vile nature is inherent in both broad strokes and little details. It sounds hopelessly over the top, but Alley gives a touch of dark humor to the proceedings to make it bearable. After maliciously being teased by Geck for being fat, foster daughter Marie (Deanna Milligan) reveals she's pregnant. Alley's shrill sneer as she wonders if the rapist was either her husband or her son sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Marie eventually escapes and tells the media of her imprisonment, resulting in the filing of about a billion criminal charges against Geck and her family. The beatings, the insurance fraud arsons, the mental abuse is dealt with briskly -- a viewer doesn't have much time to ponder the most recent atrocity before a new one is revealed. Without the time for reflection, the tone of Graeme Clifford's ("The Last Don") made-for is breezy, even if the subject matter is the absolute opposite.
Performances are solid throughout, with Kathleen Wilhoite (she's had recurring parts on "ER," "Gilmore Girls,""Mad About You" and "L.A. Law") a standout as Marie's simple mother who is locked in the Geck's basement for 20 years -- and is thankful for the kindness the torturers have shown her over the decades.
The big question, of course, is why Geck became such a monster. No motive is ever given beyond an offhand reference to financial gain and the traditional "we may never know what drove this woman to commit these deeds" explanatory platitude for psychos.
Camerawork and editing is creative, with flashbacks given a different tone depending on the age and demeanor of the narrator. Scenes of the initial raid on the Geck house are shown via a hand-held camera. Calgary setting is appropriately Anywhere, North America.
Camera, Ousama Rawi; editor, Lori Jane Coleman; music, Charles Bernstein; production designer, Louise Middeton; casting, Stuart Aikins. 2 HOURS.
 

 
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NEW : Dangerous surf a concern as Danny weakens


CAROLINA BEACH, N.C. — Danny weakened to a tropical depression early Saturday but was still expected to produce a second straight weekend of dangerous surf along the East Coast.
Large waves and treacherous rip currents were forecast from the Carolinas to New England, though National Hurricane Center forecasters said Danny had been mostly absorbed by a low pressure system associated with a cold front over North Carolina.
"We were expecting that that was going to happen sooner or later. It happened a little bit sooner," said senior hurricane specialist Lixion Avila. "Basically Danny has been swallowed by the big low."
Meanwhile, Hurricane Jimena rapidly intensified Saturday, quickly becoming a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kmh) off Mexico's southern Pacific coast. Jimena, the 10th named storm of the Pacific season, was expected to become a major hurricane by Sunday as it tracked north-northwest along the Mexican and southern Baja California peninsula coasts.
In North Carolina, tropical storm watches for the coast were discontinued, but people up and down the Eastern Seaboard were urged to be cautious near the water.
The dangers of storm-agitated seas were demonstrated when a young boy disappeared Friday in rough surf off North Carolina. His mother reported seeing him go underwater off the town of Corolla, not far from the Virginia line. His body board washed ashore without him.
The Coast Guard and local authorities spent hours looking for the 12-year-old boy but called off the search Friday evening and did not expect to continue searching Saturday.
Coast Guard spokesman Lt. j.g. Scott Hembrook said the waves in the area were about 4 to 6 feet tall.
"What the storm is doing is creating a particularly strong undertow" that can pull swimmers to the bottom, he said. Undertow is created as water that has crashed onshore rushes back out to sea.
Farther north, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation was closing beaches in five communities until further notice. The agency also canceled all public ferry service in and around Boston on Saturday, citing potential high seas, strong currents and heavy rain. State authorities urged boaters to have their vessels securely moored by Friday night.
In New Jersey, heavy rains associated with Danny caused some minor flooding, mostly along small rivers and creeks and in areas with poor drainage. The precipitation ended in most areas by late Saturday morning.
However, swimmers were being advised to stay out of the water.
Early Saturday, the remnants of Danny were located about 80 miles (130 km) southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. Maximum sustained winds were near 35 mph (55 kph).
On the Outer Banks island of Ocracoke, Anchorage Marina dock master Robert Raborn said Friday that the warnings of rough seas prompted the usual stream of weekend boaters crossing the Pamlico Sound to cancel reservations for overnight docking space.
"Pretty much everybody's canceled," said Raborn, 40.
Also in the Pacific, a tropical depression formed far out to sea with winds of 35 mph. It was swirling 1,010 miles (1,625 km) southwest of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. It wasn't likely to threaten land.

NEW : Ex-schoolmate, teacher joyful at Jaycee Dugard's survival


MEYERS — The news that Jaycee Lee Dugard was alive brought her former teacher back to the fifth-grade classroom of 1991 where scared children faithfully maintained the desk, books and pencils of a kidnapped girl and wrote letters to her — wherever she might have been.
On Wednesday, at a Bay Area parole office, Dugard revealed her identity — and her torturous story: The 29-year-old woman was the shy 11-year-old who once sat near the front of Sue Bush's classroom at Meyers Elementary School near South Lake Tahoe.
She was the girl, abducted on the way to school in 1991, whose disappearance traumatized a community. She was the girl who left people wondering in sadness, so many years later, what might have happened to her.
Thursday, she was the source of joy — and more wonder — for those who knew young Jaycee or came to know her story. Most weren't yet aware of the circumstances of her alleged captivity with a sex offender with whom she had two children.
"It's absolutely astonishing, unbelievable, surreal," Bush said. "I'm still trying to process it. It was hard to process when she was gone. Now, it's hard to process that she is back."
The news that Jaycee was alive returned Jessica Brambila back to frightening, confusing events when she was a 7-year-old second-grader at the same school as Dugard.
"I just remember my parents asking me if I knew her, and I remember them insisting on walking me

to the school bus every day after that," said Brambila, 26, who lives across the street from the former school site. "I didn't really know what was going on."
She recalls wild rumors that later spread through the small town at the entryway to Lake Tahoe on Highway 50 from Sacramento. She remembers one from a former family friend, who insisted that a man stopped at a gas station the day Jaycee was taken and remarked, "We found a virgin to sacrifice." She says no one knew what to believe.
Former Meyers Elementary principal Karen Tinlin, now at Tahoe's Bijou Community School, remembers frenzied schoolchildren stepping off the bus that Jaycee normally rode, "knowing that she had been grabbed up into a car" before getting to the bus stop.
"I had kids in my office within a few hours, asking, 'Can we pray for Jaycee?' Tinlin said. ''Kids were very, very worried. They walk to the bus every day. It was a common thing — and then it went awry."
Bush, known as Sue Long when she was Jaycee's teacher, remembers how her class — in the closing days of the school year — became a group counseling session for a teacher and kids who refused to accept that Jaycee was gone forever.
"I'm so happy she is OK," said Bush, now retired in Nevada's Washoe Valley. ''It must have taken great courage for her to step forward. I never actually believed she was dead — even though that seemed like the logical conclusion."
Aimee Rice, a fifth-grade teacher at the magnet school, didn't know Jaycee but said the 11-year-old's abduction never faded from memory. Each year, fifth-graders are shown her ''missing" poster in a safety program called ''A Fighting Chance," that discusses what to do if approached by strangers.
"Every fifth-grader in this town has seen Jaycee's picture," Rice said. ''And then, today, I'm watching CNN and, suddenly, wow! She's alive."
The magnet school's secretary, Monique Truszewski, who was working at the Heavenly ski resort when Jaycee was taken, said she ''got chills" at the news.
"It's thrilling. I got tears in my eyes," Truszewski said. "We're a tight community. We all remember. It's going to be very interesting what comes out of this. What happened to this child? Did they (the abductors) brainwash her? Did they scare her? Or did she, maybe, come to accept them?
"As a parent, I've wondered over the years: What would I have done? I can't imagine watching your kid at a bus stop getting taken."

HOT : Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 5 RBs


Running backs are the straws that stir the drink of any fantasy football team, whether they're goal line touchdown hogs or the workhorse of their offense.
Here' s the top five running backs from Paul Charchian's fantasy football cheat sheet on FantasyVictory.com
1. Maurice Jones-Drew 
I have no problem with people who buck conventional wisdom and take MoJo with the first pick overall. Even last year, while splitting carries with Fred Taylor and running behind a horrible offensive line, he still scored 14 times. In April, the team spent their first and second round picks on linemen, and assuredly, MoJo will have more running room than last year. Taylor migrated to New England, meaning MoJo will get the vast majority of the carries, for the first time in his career. If he had scored 14, 9 and 15 times in his three seasons as a change-of-pace back, he could explode as a full time starter. Lastly, he’s a PPR beast, as evidenced by his 62 receptions last year. In typical scoring systems, those catches were like getting 10 free touchdowns.
2. Michael Turner 
Turner was a beast last year, leading the league with 376 carries, finishing second in rushing yards, and second in rushing touchdowns with 17. He topped 1000 yards in home games alone. Clearly, he won’t get that much work this year, but with Matt Ryan progressing, defenses will be unable to key on him as they did last year. People worry that he’ll wear down due to his workload, but it probably won’t happen this year, after just one year as a starter. The Falcons’ offensive line is mostly intact, and 2nd-year player Sam Baker returns from injury. As he was in San Diego, Turner is very explosive with 11 runs of more than 20 yards last year. Simply put, there’s very little not to like about Turner.
3. Adrian Peterson 
In 2008, Peterson played 16 games for the first time since he was a Texas prep player. As a result, he led the league with 1700 rushing yards and carried the ball a whopping 363 times. A fumbling problem emerged, but it’s easy to overlook that issue when he has 20 runs of more than 20 yards. The Vikings shuffled their offensive line in the offseason, which raises some concerns. They’re replacing a pro bowl center with a seventh round pick, and they’re starting a rookie at right tackle. But, Peterson’s freakish skill obviates the need for the kind of blocking that most backs require. If you believe that Peterson will post back-to-back 16 game seasons, you can certainly make him the top pick in your draft.
4. DeAngelo Williams 
Someday in the distant future, you’ll be sitting around the living room, maybe watching football with your grandkids. And, you’ll share the amazing tale of how DeAngelo Williams powered you to a fantasy league championship with his unbelievable performances in the second half of the 2008 season. When you’re telling that story, you’ll want to have these stats at the ready: 1. Williams scored in each of the last 10 games. Over those 10 games, posted 16 touchdowns. Despite a timeshare with Jonathan Stewart, he also topped 100 rushing yards in seven of the last nine games. It was made more remarkable by his incredibly lackluster start to the season, failing to top even 66 rushing yards in five of the 

Download full cheat sheet and see more fantasy football player rankings at FantasyVictory.com