The opening ceremony at the London Olympics went off smoothly Friday evening.Yahoo labeled the Queen's reaction to British athletes walking by "embarrassing,"however.They thought she had a bored expression. Sir Paul McCartney performed at the end of the program,singing Beatles songs "The End" and "Hey Jude."His voice was flexible at 70 years of age.
An impressive simulation of the Industrial Revolution featured smoke stacks belching acrid smoke.
There wasn't a famous torchbearer to light the cauldron at Olympic Stadium.Instead,a group of 16 young athletes,future Olympians,carried torches to a ring of copper leaves.They lit the leaves,which were then mechanically raised to form the Olympic cauldron.
Former Olympian Muhammad Ali,the boxer,was there to touch the Olympic flag,still able to stand despite his Parkinson's disease.He had lit the cauldron at the 1996 games in Atlanta,shaking from the illness even then.
The games begin in earnest today,Saturday.The soccer tournament actually began on Thursday,before the opening ceremony.The U.S. women's team beat France 4-2.The U.S. men's soccer team failed to qualify for the London games.
Update:Saturday saw continued good weather for the London Olympics.In the cycling road race,Kazakhstan's Alexander Vinokourov won the gold as he wrested the lead from Colombia's Rigoberto Uran near the end of the race,which passed Buckingham Palace.Vinokourov,38,became quite emotional,with many tears for his victory as he embraced his friends.He wasn't the favorite,having retired from the sport at one point.
The Russian women defeated China in beach volleyball.
The U.S. women's soccer team silenced Colombia 3-0 in Glasgow,Scotland.They qualified for the quarter finals,but have a match with North Korea first to finish up group play.
In tennis,American Serena Williams bested Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-3,6-1 to advance to the second round.The match was held at Wimbledon,with U.S. first lady Michelle Obama attending and applauding Williams.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tiger Woods Electrifies British Crowd
He may not be dominant again,but Tiger Woods has definitively rediscovered his old competitive fire,taking the British Open crowd along with him.On his final hole of the second round,Woods pinpointed a superb birdie from a bunker,igniting the British fans and impressing the gaggle of photographers huddled nearby,eager to snag an image of greatness reborn.He modestly downplayed the shot afterward,saying it wasn't that hard as it was from a slope in the bunker.British bunkers are like lunar craters,however.There's really nothing easy about getting out of them,let alone holing from one.
Woods shot his second consecutive 67 in the tournament,placing him in third position with his six under par behind fellow American Brandt Snedeker at -10 and Australian Adam Scott at -9.The venerable Tom Watson, 62,another favorite of the British fans,rallied at the end of his round,ensuring himself another weekend at the oldest major tournament in professional golf.The Open Championship,as it is formally known,is being held at the Royal Lytham &St.Annes Golf Club.
Leader Brandt Snedeker,31,who is from Nashville,Tennessee,said I love playing golf over here.I've been putting great all year.I knew if I got on the greens,I'd have a good chance.The soft-spoken Snedeker,a graduate of Vanderbilt University,equaled an Open Championship record low score of 130 for the first two rounds after his six under par 64 on Friday.
ESPN is carrying the tournament,which is being underwritten by luxury watchmaker Rolex.
Update:On Saturday,Adam Scott seized the lead from Brandt Snedeker with three straight birdies,ending the day with a two under par 68,-11 for the tournament.Snedeker was tied for second at -7 with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell,his close friend from their college golfing days.Tiger Woods was in fourth,distinguished by his 30 foot putt at the sixth hole,and goes into the final round still in contention,five strokes back of the lead in his quest for the claret jug.
The golf club adjoins the town of Lytham St.Annes,Lancashire.It is the 11th time the Open Championship has been played there in the tournament's 141-year history.
Woods shot his second consecutive 67 in the tournament,placing him in third position with his six under par behind fellow American Brandt Snedeker at -10 and Australian Adam Scott at -9.The venerable Tom Watson, 62,another favorite of the British fans,rallied at the end of his round,ensuring himself another weekend at the oldest major tournament in professional golf.The Open Championship,as it is formally known,is being held at the Royal Lytham &St.Annes Golf Club.
Leader Brandt Snedeker,31,who is from Nashville,Tennessee,said I love playing golf over here.I've been putting great all year.I knew if I got on the greens,I'd have a good chance.The soft-spoken Snedeker,a graduate of Vanderbilt University,equaled an Open Championship record low score of 130 for the first two rounds after his six under par 64 on Friday.
ESPN is carrying the tournament,which is being underwritten by luxury watchmaker Rolex.
Update:On Saturday,Adam Scott seized the lead from Brandt Snedeker with three straight birdies,ending the day with a two under par 68,-11 for the tournament.Snedeker was tied for second at -7 with Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell,his close friend from their college golfing days.Tiger Woods was in fourth,distinguished by his 30 foot putt at the sixth hole,and goes into the final round still in contention,five strokes back of the lead in his quest for the claret jug.
The golf club adjoins the town of Lytham St.Annes,Lancashire.It is the 11th time the Open Championship has been played there in the tournament's 141-year history.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Law Enforcement Jobs:University Police
The University of Maryland in Baltimore,the Founding Campus,is recruiting for University Police Officers I,II.Deliver quality crime control services that support the University's mission of education,research ,and service.Join a department of 43 sworn officers,69 security officers,along with administrative staff.All UM Police Officers are fully commissioned and certified by the Maryland Police Training Commission.
Level I requires HS diploma or GED
Level II requires HS diploma or GED+MD Police Training Commission
Excellent benefits are offered.Interested candidates may visit their website and apply online at www.hr.umaryland.edu/careers
Level I requires HS diploma or GED
Level II requires HS diploma or GED+MD Police Training Commission
Excellent benefits are offered.Interested candidates may visit their website and apply online at www.hr.umaryland.edu/careers
Friday, July 13, 2012
Out of the Quagmire:Mickelson Brilliant at Scottish Open
Phil Mickelson's career seemed to be on vacation.Last week,he didn't even make the cut at The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.Before that,he only tied for 65th place at the U.S. Open and had withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament because of fatigue,a reason that was mocked by TV commentators.On Friday,however,the 42-year old Arizona State alumnus launched an eight under par 64 at the Scottish Open on the Castle Stuart links course at Inverness.Mickelson made an eagle and six birdies on the British style golf course.It's not to the level I would like yet,Mickelson admitted,but I get closer each day.
Mickelson's eagle two was from 60 yards out on his first hole.This level of play was in stark relief to his previous eight rounds over par-the worst stretch in his career.I'm really glad I added this tournament,the popular San Diegan remarked on the European Tour website,and it's very helpful to see my game progress so quickly.Mickelson is preparing for next weekend's British Open,the third major tournament on the PGA Tour calendar.
Swede Alexander Noren topped the leaderboard at Inverness,followed by Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez.Mickelson was tied for 19th position after Friday's round in the overcast but dry conditions,seven under par for the tournament and five strokes off the lead.
Update:Phil Mickelson had another sharp round on Saturday at the Scottish Open,shooting a seven under par 65,including eight birdies,and moving up to a tie for fifth place on the leaderboard from 19th.Italy's Francesco Molinari took the lead at -17.Mickelson is now -14 for the tournament and three strokes behind Molinari.
Mickelson's eagle two was from 60 yards out on his first hole.This level of play was in stark relief to his previous eight rounds over par-the worst stretch in his career.I'm really glad I added this tournament,the popular San Diegan remarked on the European Tour website,and it's very helpful to see my game progress so quickly.Mickelson is preparing for next weekend's British Open,the third major tournament on the PGA Tour calendar.
Swede Alexander Noren topped the leaderboard at Inverness,followed by Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez.Mickelson was tied for 19th position after Friday's round in the overcast but dry conditions,seven under par for the tournament and five strokes off the lead.
Update:Phil Mickelson had another sharp round on Saturday at the Scottish Open,shooting a seven under par 65,including eight birdies,and moving up to a tie for fifth place on the leaderboard from 19th.Italy's Francesco Molinari took the lead at -17.Mickelson is now -14 for the tournament and three strokes behind Molinari.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Brown Bear Conservation
Tonight I am commemorating the brown bear,Ursus arctos,the species of bear with the widest distribution,which was just featured by National Geographic in its Photo of the Day feature.In its various subspecies,this large animal is found from North America to Siberia.In North America,there have been some brown bear attacks on humans and livestock.Nonetheless,conservation efforts have been strong and have brought the species back to healthy numbers there.Their situation is worst in Western Europe,where,outside of Scandinavia,they are only few in number in the face of such a heavy human presence.Russia is the brown bear capital of the world,with a population in excess of 100,000.
The beauty of bears is their range of colouration.There are even blond and grizzled brown bears with white-tipped guard hairs,the grizzly bear,in North America.Rare blue and white variants of the black bear,Ursus americanus,also occur and are often mistakenly labeled brown bears.
International in range,the brown bear is a powerful image for the wildlife conservation movement wherever it still survives.
The beauty of bears is their range of colouration.There are even blond and grizzled brown bears with white-tipped guard hairs,the grizzly bear,in North America.Rare blue and white variants of the black bear,Ursus americanus,also occur and are often mistakenly labeled brown bears.
International in range,the brown bear is a powerful image for the wildlife conservation movement wherever it still survives.
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