Spain sweeps US in singles for 2-0 Davis Cup lead

AAA??Sep. 14, 2012?4:22 PM ET
Spain sweeps US in singles for 2-0 Davis Cup lead
By PAUL LOGOTHETISBy PAUL LOGOTHETIS, AP Sports Writer?THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES?

Spain's Nicolas Almagro, left, is congratulated by John Isner of US after winning the second single match at Davis Cup World Group Semi-final tennis match in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept. 14 , 2012. Almagro won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Spain's Nicolas Almagro, left, is congratulated by John Isner of US after winning the second single match at Davis Cup World Group Semi-final tennis match in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept. 14 , 2012. Almagro won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

John Isner of US, left, laments beside his sport manager, Jim Courier, right, after he lost the second single match at Davis Cup World Group Semi-final tennis match against Nicolas Almagro, in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept. 14 , 2012. Almagro won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

John Isner of US, left, misses a point during the second single match at Davis Cup World Group Semi-final tennis match against Nicolas Almagro, in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept. 14, 2012. Almagro won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Spain's Nicolas Almagro celebrates after winning against John Isner of US, unseen, the second single match at Davis Cup World Group Semi-final tennis match in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept. 14 , 2012. Almagro won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

Spain's David Ferrer returns the ball to Sam Querrey of US, during the first singles match at their Davis Cup World Group Semi-final in Gijon, northern Spain, Friday, Sept.14 , 2012. Ferrer won the match 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)

(AP) ? Even without facing Rafael Nadal, the United States is on the brink of elimination by the clay-court masters from Spain.

Sam Querrey and John Isner lost their opening singles matches Friday, giving the defending champions a 2-0 lead in the Davis Cup semifinals.

David Ferrer put the hosts ahead in the best-of-five series with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Querrey. Nicolas Almagro beat Isner 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to leave Spain one point from its fourth final in five years.

Almagro overcame 25 aces from Isner, who saved three match points before hitting a forehand long.

The U.S. must win the doubles match Saturday to stay in the series, with brothers Mike and Bob Bryan facing Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez. The Bryan twins are 4-0 when the U.S. has faced a 2-0 deficit, and 5-0 against Spain.

Reverse singles are Sunday. Spain is playing without injured Rafael Nadal, and the U.S. is without Andy Roddick, who retired after the U.S. Open.

The United States has only rallied back to win from a 0-2 deficit once in 38 series ? in 1934 against Australia. Since the start of World Group play, Spain is 37-0 after winning both opening singles.

The winner plays either Argentina or the Czech Republic in the final in November.

Almagro and Ferrer are a combined 23-1 on clay. While Querrey wasted nine break opportunities in the fourth set of his match, Isner took advantage of his lone chance in the fourth to reach the deciding set.

As the light quickly faded, neither player relented on serve. Isner fired another ace to save a 16th break point before committing three unforced errors in the final game.

The 10th-ranked Isner had a 4-0 Davis Cup record this season, including wins over Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But the 6-foot-9 Isner dropped to 0-3 in five-set Davis Cup matches.

The fifth-ranked Ferrer started well with a break but eventually surrendered his only two service games of the match to lose the first set to Querrey.

Querrey, returning to Davis Cup play for the first time since 2010, failed to convert 12 break chances as the wind gusted off the Bay of Biscay.

"On a couple of them, I should have been more aggressive but he played good points," said the 26th-ranked Querrey. "I feel if I get one of those breaks, it could be a different game."

Ferrer played on hard courts in the U.S. Open semifinal on Sunday.

"It's never easy to adapt from hard court to clay, and with only three to four days even less," said Ferrer, who is 15-0 on clay in the competition. "I didn't feel too bad, but I didn't play perfect tennis, either."

___

Follow Paul Logothetis at http://twitter.com/PaulLogoAP

Associated Press
People, Places and Companies: John Isner, Rafael Nadal, Sam Querrey, David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro, Mike Bryan, Bob Bryan, Marcel Granollers, Marc Lopez, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Spain, United States

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-09-14-Davis%20Cup-US-Spain/id-7e75b021ce3f46e489cff7a6f6ded5a9

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NYC bans big sugary drinks at eateries, theaters

NEW YORK (AP) ? New York City's Board of Health opened up a new, experimental front in the war on obesity Thursday, passing a rule banning sales of big sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, concession stands and other eateries.

The regulation, which was proposed in the spring by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and approved by panel of health experts after several months of review, puts a 16-ounce size limit on cups and bottles of non-diet soda, sweetened teas, and other calorie-packed beverages.

The ban will apply in fast-food joints, movie houses and Broadway theaters, workplace cafeterias, and most other places selling prepared food.

It doesn't cover beverages sold in supermarkets or most convenience stores.

The restaurant and beverage industries have assailed the plan as misguided. They say the city's health experts are exaggerating the role sugary beverages have played in making Americans fat.

One board member, Dr. Sixto R. Caro, abstained from voting. The other eight board members voted yes.

"I am still skeptical. . This is not comprehensive enough," said Caro, a doctor of internal medicine who practices in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Some New Yorkers have also ridiculed the rule as a gross government intrusion and tens of thousands signed a petition, circulated by the industry, voicing their opposition.

The unprecedented regulation would follow other ambitious health moves on Bloomberg's watch.

Some have proven to be national pacesetters, such as making chain restaurants post calorie counts prominently on their menus; McDonald's announced Wednesday that it would start displaying the information nationwide next week, before a federal requirement that could force all major chains to do so next year.

New York City also has barred artificial trans fats from restaurant food and taken aggressive steps to discourage smoking. Starting this month, dozens of city hospitals are asking mothers of newborns to listen to talks about why they should breast-feed instead of using formula.

Bloomberg and other advocates for the soda plan ? who include a roster of doctors and such food figures as chef Jamie Oliver ? see it as another pioneering step for public health.

After Thursday's vote, Bloomberg's official Twitter feed tweeted: "NYC's new sugary drink policy is the single biggest step any gov't has taken to curb (hash)obesity. It will help save lives."

They say the proposal strikes at a leading cause of obesity simply by giving people a built-in reason to stop at 16 ounces: 200 calories, if it's a regular Coke, compared to 240 in a 20-ounce size. For someone who drinks a soda a day, the difference amounts to 14,600 calories a year, or the equivalent of 70 Hershey bars, enough to add about four pounds of fat to a person's body.

Beyond the numbers, some doctors and nutrition experts say the proposal starts a conversation that could change attitudes toward overeating. While there are many factors in obesity, "ultimately it does come down to culture, and it comes down to taking some first steps," said Dr. Jeffrey Mechanick, a Mount Sinai School of Medicine professor who has studied the effect of government regulation on the obesity epidemic.

Soda makers and sellers say the plan unfairly singles out soft drinks as culprits for the nation's fat problem, represents an overweening government effort to regulate behavior and is so patchy as to be pointless. Because of the web of who regulates what, it would affect a belly-buster regular soda sold at a sports arena but not a 7-Eleven Big Gulp, for instance.

An average New Yorker goes to the movies about four times per year and buys concessions only twice, said Sun Dee Larson, a spokeswoman for the AMC Theatres chain.

"We firmly believe the choices made during the other 363 days have a much greater impact on public health," she said in a statement.

Thursday's vote is unlikely to be the final word on the proposal.

A soft-drink industry sponsored group called New Yorkers for Beverage Choices ? which says it has gathered more than 250,000 signatures on petitions opposing the soda plan ? is considering a lawsuit and exploring legislative options for challenging the plan.

"This is not the end," Eliot Hoff, a spokesman for the group, said in a written statement. "We will continue to voice our opposition to this ban and fight for the right of New Yorkers to make their own choices. And we will stand with the business owners who will be hurt by these arbitrary limitations."

It's not clear what legislative routes there may be: City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Wednesday she's not interested in trying to block the expected health board vote, though she has said she isn't a fan of the soda idea.

The rule wouldn't apply to lower-calorie drinks, such as water or diet soda, or to alcoholic beverages or drinks that are more than half milk or 70 percent, unsweetened juice.

Enforcement would be conducted by an existing corps of city restaurant inspectors. A violation would lead to a $200 fine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nyc-bans-big-sugary-drinks-eateries-theaters-151520600--finance.html

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Survey Says: 44% Of iPhone Owners In Britain Want iPhone 5, 18% Of British HTC Owners To Follow

With little time for the Reality Distortion Field to wear off, a survey conducted just hours after yesterday's Apple press event reveals that a whopping 44% of current iPhone owners in Britain want to upgrade. That's probably good news if you're Cupertino-inclined. But for some of Apple's competitors, bad news could be on the horizon. According to the poll, 18% of current HTC smartphone owners in Britain want an iPhone too, while Nokia fared even worse with 20% of owners displaying iPhone 5 lust. Overall,?20% of all smartphone owners said that they wanted to upgrade to the new iPhone without needing any further information about the product.?Clearly, the iPhone's magic trick is still resonating with some this side of the pond.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/aD-R_JD8Igg/

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Researchers look to alien soils for heat shield

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2012) ? An important test is coming up next week to see whether a heat shield made from the soil of the moon, Mars or an asteroid will stand up to the searing demands of a plunge through Earth's atmosphere.

At stake is the possibility that future spacecraft could leave Earth without carrying a heavy heat shield and instead make one on the surface of another world and ride it home safely. The weight savings opens new possibilities ranging from using smaller rockets to carrying many more supplies on an exploration mission.

Michael Hogue, a researcher at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, came up with the idea during a brainstorming session last year covering different ways to use extraterrestrial soils, known as regolith.

"Others were talking about how regolith can be used to make bricks or landing pads and I said, 'Well, if it's good for that, why can't it be used to make atmospheric entry heat shields?' " Hogue said.

NASA funded the concept research through its NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, or NIAC, program.

Since then, a team of engineers has been trying out various mixtures and techniques to find out whether the idea has any potential. So far, the tests have been very successful, with small bricks of material standing up well to the intense heat of a blowtorch. A sensor placed behind the brick recorded temperatures of about 200 degrees F compared to the approximately 4000 degrees F the front side endured.

"I expected some to fail," Hogue said. "There is an optimum range of density you need to hit for each material where it's light enough to have low enough thermal conductivity, but also structurally strong enough to survive the forces of atmospheric entry. All of our formulations that we tested with a cutting torch at least passed that."

The dome-shaped bricks, each 2 inches thick and 4 inches in diameter and made of different combinations of material, will face their toughest test next week when they are placed inside the arc jet facility at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. There, they will be subjected to a scorching plasma stream that will put the bricks through heating conditions similar to those seen in during entry.

"That will ultimately determine whether this idea is feasible or not," Hogue said.

The concept, while promising, is far from becoming operational. At this point, Hogue puts the concept at a TRL, or technology readiness level, of 1 on a scale of 9, with 9 being an operational element. Working it up the TRL scale will take a series of evaluations, adaptations and inventions, including potentially trying out a sample disc on the bottom of a cargo spacecraft returning from the International Space Station.

Hogue said his attitude has gone "from guarded skepticism to hopeful enthusiasm" on the effort.

The potential weight-savings is too great to ignore, Hogue said.

Making the heat shield in space would likely be the work of a robotic device, or at least a heavily automated system to either mix the regolith with a rubbery substance in a mold or heat a large disc of regolith until the soil elements fuse together. The heat shield could then be cut and shaped as needed.

The primary advantage is that getting the finished heat shield off an asteroid or Martian moon would take very little force because the gravity is so low. The heat shield could be as big as anyone would want. It could be used to insulate a spacecraft whether it is going to the Martian surface or back to Earth.

The weight savings is critical to the plan because the regolith material is anything but light. A brick of regolith, actually made from Mars and moon soil simulant instead of actual extraterrestrial dirt, feels the same in the hand as a brick one builds a house from on Earth.

Also, the heat shield would not be reusable, but would be designed to have some layers fleck or burn off, a process called ablating. All heat shields except the space shuttles' were made of ablative material.

"You can make it massive and if it heats up and ablates off, all the better because the ablated mass takes heat with it." Hogue said. "After about five minutes you jettison the shield over water and you're done."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/G7vX6yZs3w4/120913140414.htm

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Spotted at IDF: NEC's lightweight LaVie Z Ultrabook (hands-on video)

Spotted at IDF NEC's lightweight LaVie Z Ultrabook handson video

Remember NEC's LaVie Z Ultrabook we first heard about at Computex? It's a super light (875g / 1.93 lbs) and thin (15mm / 0.59-inch) magnesium alloy system running Windows 7 that's only available in Japan and we just spotted it here at IDF 2012 in San Francisco. Spec-wise you're looking at a 1.9GHz third-generation (Ivy Bridge) Core i7 CPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD with integrated Intel HD 4000 GPU driving a 13.3-inch 1600x900-pixel display. It features an SD card slot on the left side, audio, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, HDMI and power connectors on the right edge and the obligatory webcam.

We spent a few minutes using the LaVie Z and were quite impressed with how lightweight and well made it is. It feels like a premium Ultrabook yet still looks unique -- unlike the plethora of me-too designs the PC industry's been dumping on the market lately (yes, we're looking at you, HP). The screen is nice and bright with decent viewing angles. NEC's done a good job with the button-less trackpad which is properly responsive. Sadly the keyboard is a bit of a mixed bag -- the short travel and small surface area of the individual keys will be an issue for some. Want to know more? Check out the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading Spotted at IDF: NEC's lightweight LaVie Z Ultrabook (hands-on video)

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Spotted at IDF: NEC's lightweight LaVie Z Ultrabook (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/11/spotted-at-idf-necs-lightweight-lavie-z-ultrabook-hands-on-vi/

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Ss6zX6Z3gW8/google-fights-back-official-youtube-for-ios-is-here

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Tupac Hologram Company Digital Domain Files For Bankruptcy

Series of expensive projects doomed company that made noise with its Coachella Tupac hologram.
By Gil Kaufman


Tupac's hologram at Coachella
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1693667/tupac-hologram-company-bankrupt.jhtml

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New-look Ravens too tough for Bengals

Flacco, Rice head new-look offense, while Reed supplants Woodson in record books

Image: RiceGetty Images

Baltimore?running back Ray Rice celebrates a 7-yard touchdown run against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday in Baltimore.

By DAVID GINSBURG

updated 10:15 p.m. ET Sept. 10, 2012

BALTIMORE - Joe Flacco deftly directed Baltimore new, no-huddle offense, and the Ravens' defense administered an old-fashioned whipping on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Flacco threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Ed Reed took an interception 34 yards for a score, and the Ravens rolled to a 44-13 victory Monday night to extend their home winning streak to 11 games.

Using the no-huddle offense almost flawlessly, the Ravens amassed 430 yards and got two short touchdown runs from Ray Rice. After letting an early 14-point lead dwindle to 17-13, the Ravens pulled away by scoring 24 straight points in just over six minutes.

Flacco watched the final eight minutes of the blowout on the sideline after going 21 for 29 in Baltimore's ninth consecutive victory in the AFC North. The Ravens were the only team in the division to win the opener.

And while the offense certainly was impressive, Baltimore's defense also excelled in its first game under coordinator Dean Pees. Playing without injured NFL Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs - who had 14 sacks last year - the Ravens dropped Andy Dalton four times.

Not only that, but Baltimore turned two turnovers into touchdowns over a two-minute span. After Reed's touchdown return, 37-year-old linebacker Ray Lewis forced a fumble that was recovered by Lardarius Webb, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Rice to make it 41-13 with 13:41 remaining.

Reed's jaunt with a pass tipped by Cincinnati receiver Brandon Tate put the diminutive safety in the NFL record book. Reed has 1,497 yards in interception returns, eclipsing the previous record of 1,483 yards by Rod Woodson. It was Reed's seventh career score on a pickoff return.

Dalton went 22 for 37 for 221 yards, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 91 yards and a score in his Cincinnati debut. But the Bengals, who failed to beat a team that reached the postseason last season, once again came up short against a high-caliber opponent.

Dalton went 4 for 5 for 56 yards in the opening drive of the second half, and although the drive stalled at the Baltimore 1, Mike Nugent kicked a 19-yard field goal to get the Bengals to 17-13.

Flacco brought the Ravens right back, throwing a bit of Rice into the mix with excellent results. Rice caught a screen pass for 18 yards and ran for 13 more during an 89-yard drive in which Flacco went 5 for 7 for 73 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dennis Pitta.

After a 40-yard field goal by Ravens rookie Justin Tucker made it 27-13 with 1:13 left in the quarter, Reed struck exactly one minute later.

Flacco went 12 for 15 for 183 yards in the first half to stake Baltimore to a 17-10 lead.

Flacco set the tone for the shootout on the game's first offensive play, throwing deep to Torrey Smith for a 52-yard gain. That set up a 46-yard field goal by Tucker, who won the job in training camp from Billy Cundiff.

Baltimore quickly forced a punt, and Flacco went back to work. He completed a 16-yarder to Jacoby Jones on a third-and-15, tossed a 1-yard pass to Rice on a fourth-and-1 and watched from the backfield as Rice completed the 12-play, 63-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run behind a fine block by fullback Vonta Leach.

After Dalton got Cincinnati to 10-3 with a 76-yard march that ended with a field goal, Flacco capped an 82-yard drive by splitting two defenders with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin.

The Ravens finally punted with 6 minutes left in the first half, and Dalton used the rest of the time to move the Bengals to their lone touchdown. The Bengals twice converted fourth downs on the 81-yard march, the last one a 6-yard run into the end zone by Green-Ellis on a fourth-and-1.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Sit him or start him: Colt McCoy

????PFT Live: Mike Florio says that the Browns should have gone all in with Brandon Weeden as their starting QB, but because Colt McCoy is still on the team, they now have a tricky decision ahead of them.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48980345/ns/sports-nfl/

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How Duct Tape Fixes the World [Giz Explains]

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dj4ZFyQL7oo/how-duct-tape-fixes-the-world

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Bailiffs try to evict Hong Kong Occupy activists

HONG KONG (AP) ? Hong Kong's Occupy activists were locked in a standoff Tuesday with bailiffs trying to evict them from a public space underneath HSBC's Asian headquarters.

Bailiffs scuffled with the protesters, who had ignored a court order requiring them to leave the site by August 27. Local television showed black-clad bailiffs trying to carry off one of the camp's dozen or so Occupy activists and linking arms to force back others.

The activists were allowed to return to their camp, which they've outfitted with sofas, tables, chairs, bookcases and gas cookers, while the bailiffs started packing up some of their belongings.

Hong Kong's Occupy movement started camping out under the HSBC building in the heart of the city's financial district on Oct. 15, when protesters in the Asian financial center joined others around the world in a day of demonstrations against corporate excess and economic inequality.

The group, which according to media reports numbered more than 100 at its peak, has outlasted other Occupy encampments around the world that have been shut down by authorities.

The land under the HSBC building where the Occupy activists have been living is owned by the bank but legally designated a public passageway. A judge ruled that the activists' use of the space goes beyond its designated use.

The global movement is generally thought to have begun Sept. 17, when tents sprang up at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bailiffs-try-evict-hong-kong-occupy-activists-040618560--finance.html

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