Final observations from the Ryder Cup

MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) ? The PGA Tour supplied the best tonic possible Tuesday to cure the Americans of a Ryder Cup hangover.

It staged a press conference to mark the official one-year countdown to the Presidents Cup, the one team event that Americans still seem capable of winning. Then again, it was held at Muirfield Village, where in 1987 they lost the Ryder Cup on home soil for the first time.

It hasn't been the same since.

These days, the closest the Americans ever get to that 17-inch trophy is the emblem of it stitched on their team uniforms.

Europe now has won seven of the last nine times in the Ryder Cup, and the only reason the dominance isn't even greater is because Justin Leonard knocked in a 45-foot putt on the 17th hole at The Country Club. The other win was in 2008 at Valhalla, even though the Americans didn't have Tiger Woods. Or maybe they won because he didn't play.

The immediate question is who the PGA of America will select as the next captain, but that's assuming the decision will have a bearing on the outcome. In some corners, the captain's role is overrated ? until a team loses, and the fans and media need someone to blame.

The next Ryder Cup will be in 2014 in Scotland, which officials referred to as the home of golf. That's true, although the bagpipes surely will sound a little different on a golf course at Gleneagles designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Before looking ahead, it's worth looking back with a few observations about one of the best Ryder Cup competitions ever:

? Was this really the "Miracle at Medinah?"

The best slogans are built around alliteration, and this could be called the "Meltdown at Medinah," depending on your colors. It was remarkable, no doubt, because six of the 12 singles matches could have gone either way. By the numbers, Europe matched a Ryder Cup record by rallying from a 10-6 deficit on the final day, same as the Americans at Brookline in 1999. The difference is that Europe did this on the road. And the American comeback was easier because Europe had three Ryder Cup rookies who did not hit a shot until Sunday singles.

This Ryder Cup had 24 of the top 35 players in the world. Throw in 18-hole matches, and there's no such thing as a sure thing. Remember, Europe had a three-point lead going into the final day at Wales before a home crowd and it came down to the last match. The lesson going forward is that no lead is safe.

The only "miracle" reference should be to Saturday afternoon, when the Americans had a 10-4 lead and was ahead in the final match. It looked as though they would have an 11-5 lead at worst until Ian Poulter birdied his last five holes and Europe picked up an invaluable point ? and the momentum.

? Rory McIlroy is a sure thing.

Boy Wonder might be the only guy who can roll out of a bed and win a singles match at the Ryder Cup. McIlroy didn't sleep in, he just got the time zones mixed up. But there was a feeling that whoever the Americans had facing him didn't stand a chance. Jim Furyk referred to McIlroy as the "present day Tiger Woods," and he might be right. Even with the match all square, there was never a sense that McIlroy was going to lose.

? Man of the match.

Martin Kaymer holed the putt that clinched the Ryder Cup for Europe, but there was no mistaking its star. Ian Poulter became the first captain's pick to go 4-0, and he might have won them all if Jose Maria Olazabal had not held him out Friday afternoon. There were only four matches all week when a team or a player was behind at any point on the back nine and rallied to win. Poulter was involved in two of them.

His career record is now 12-3, the highest winning percentage of any European player in history. Poulter effectively locked up a spot on the team for the next several years, and Lee Westwood even went so far as to jokingly suggest a change to the qualifying process for Europe.

"It's nine spots, two picks, and Poults," he said.

? Tiger Woods as the anchor.

Curtis Strange was criticized in 2002 for sending out Woods in the 12th and final match Sunday at The Belfry for two reasons. His point might be irrelevant at that stage (it was) and he would not be able to contribute to any momentum from an earlier spot in the lineup. Davis Love III did the same at Medinah.

Woods actually was in the right spot. He just didn't deliver.

The Americans needed to see Woods take control of his match against Francesco Molinari, knowing they would be assured a point in that anchor match. Woods fell behind two holes early. He took the lead for the first time on the 13th hole, and the match was still square with two holes remaining. The last time Woods was in that spot, in 2002, he built a 2-up lead early against Jesper Parnevik, didn't put him away and actually trailed after 15 holes.

His half-point was irrelevant as far as who won the cup. It could have, and perhaps should have, meant something.

? Rookies.

The PGA of America devotes an entire page to rookie records in the Ryder Cup. Love said all week, and the PGA of America should take note, that there really are no rookies in the Ryder Cup. Webb Simpson (U.S. Open) and Martin Kaymer (PGA Championship) had won majors the year they made their Ryder Cup debut. Yes, the pressure is more intense at the Ryder Cup than any tournament, but it's that way for the veterans, too.

The four American "rookies" went 9-6. Two of their best players were rookies ? Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley, both of whom were 3-1. Dufner might have won all four of his matches except for Poulter finishing a fourballs match with five straight birdies.

? The next captain.

Paul McGinley is the leading candidate for Europe, a decision with strong influence by the players. Nothing is clear for the U.S. team, a decision by the PGA of America.

There seems to be a template for the U.S. team that captains be former major champions in their late 40s. That would point toward David Toms, who played on three losing teams. Fred Couples gets a lot of attention, but the Presidents Cup is far less stressful than the Ryder Cup, and he doesn't have a lot of support from within the PGA of America. Larry Nelson is a popular choice because he was overlooked. He'll be 67 in 2014. And there is some thought to let Paul Azinger be captain again.

The last American who was captain more than once was Jack Nicklaus. That was in 1987 at Muirfield Village, and that didn't turn out very well.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/final-observations-ryder-cup-231507246--golf.html

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Australia in trouble at 65 for 5 ? Cricket News Roundup ? Part I - Bettor

Australia in trouble at 65 for 5 ? Cricket News Roundup ? Part I ? October 2, 2012

Pakistan spinners ran riot to have Australia against the ropes at 65 for 5 in the 14^th over, after putting ?a par 149 for 6 on the board, in their do-or-die Super Eight match, being played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Openers Shane Watson and David Warner both returned to the dugout after scoring eight runs apiece. Rookie ?left-arm spinner Raza Hasan and Mohammad Hafeez shared four wickets between them, while economical Saeed Ajmal accounted George Bailey in his two overs bowled so far, conceding just four runs.

Earlier Pakistan rode on Nasir Jamshed?s calculated half-century to set a respectable total of 149 in their stipulated twenty overs, after getting off to a meticulous start. Kamran Akmal (32) and Abdul Razzaq (22) were the other notable contributors.

Pakistan Playing XI:

Mohammad Hafeez*,?Imran Nazir,?Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal?,?Shoaib Malik,?Umar Akmal,?Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq,?Umar Gul,?Saeed Ajmal,?Raza Hasan

Australia Playing XI:

SR Watson,?DA Warner,?MEK Hussey, GJ Bailey*, CL White, GJ Maxwell, MS Wade†, GB Hogg, PJ Cummins, MA Starc, XJ Doherty

Mahela Jayawardene has defended Sri Lanka?s decision to change captain for the final Super Eight match against England, saying they did that with right intentions.

Jayawardene and his deputy Angelo Mathews have both been recently handed fines for slow over rates and a further offence would mean the player would be handed one match ban, and the Sri Lankan team management did not want to risk its key players ahead of World T20 semi-finals.

"The intention was not wrong. I had a warning for an over-rate issue, and if it happened again I could have missed the next match,? said Jayawardene after his side qualified for the semi-finals with a 15-run win over England. ?We don't want to miss the big games, so we did it with the right intentions,? he added further.

Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail has questioned Mohammad Hafeez? decision to bat first against arch-rivals India in a crunch Super Eight match, at Colombo on Sunday.

?Pakistan should have realised that India?s strong point is their batting and they can chase a big total, so why did they bat first?? said the former top-order batsman Aamer Sohail during a TV show. ?Our eleven was not chosen with India in mind,? he added further.?

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Australia-in-trouble-at-65-for-5-Cricket-News-Roundup-Part-I-October-2,-2012-a191796

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Republicans pressing Clinton on Libyan consulate security

This Sept. 12, 2012, file photo shows a man walking through a room in the gutted U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.??Top Republican lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday saying they had information that U.S. diplomats requested increased security at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, ahead of the Sept. 11?attack, and that the requests were turned down by officials in Washington.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who heads the panel's subcommittee on national security, homeland defense and foreign operations, asked Clinton to detail whether such requests were made and how they were handled. The committee plans to hold a hearing into the attack Oct. 10.

American officials have branded the attack a terrorist strike.

"Based on information provided to the Committee by individuals with direct knowledge of events in Libya, the attack that claimed [U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens'] life was the latest in a long line of attacks on Western diplomats and officials in Libya in the months leading up to September 11, 2012," they wrote. "It was clearly never, as Administration officials once insisted, the result of a popular protest.

"In addition, multiple U.S. federal government officials have confirmed to the Committee that, prior to the September 11 attack, the U.S. mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi. The mission in Libya, however, was denied these resources by officials in Washington."

Issa and Chaffetz listed 13 incidents in Libya in the months leading up to the attack?which also killed three other Americans?that they argued should have triggered enhanced security.

One of them directly affected Ambassador Stevens: A Facebook page run by supporters of slain Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi highlighted that the diplomat "was in the habit of taking early morning runs around Tripoli" along with members of his security detail. The site highlighted those runs and included a picture of Stevens.

Asked about the letter, White House press secretary Jay Carney sidestepped the issue.

"I'm not going to get into a situation that's under review by the State Department or by the FBI in its investigation of what happened," he told reporters as President Barack Obama prepared for his Wednesday night debate with Mitt Romney.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/republicans-press-clinton-libyan-security-183825182--election.html

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Everyday is a Holiday: The heart of the home (My kitchen Must-Haves)

I've said it a million times...when you are self employed, and work from home, it is so so easy to lose track of time. I know that so many of you guys can relate. Any life long professional artists, very busy etsy shop owners, or full time bloggers...you'll find yourself asking your "normal" friends who have "proper" jobs: "what DAY is it?"?

?There are a million obvious reasons for this...mainly having to do with the Groundhog's Day effect. One day melting into the next, repeating and repeating and repeating. That's why the past 8 or so months seem to have been a blur for me and Aaron. That's about the length of time that we've been living in this house. It feels as if the entire time we have been living here that we were on pause. Ok, well maybe not exactly on pause, but I'd say at least?a very slow cruise control.

For anyone who is a newer reader...let me catch you up on how and why this came to be our house. Last Fall, Me and Aaron had an apartment in a beautiful town right on the ocean. We had been there for a few years and probably would've stayed there for many more. It was a small town full of giant white beach homes...old homes...many of them mansions and most of them were only inhabited during the summer. In the winter it felt like we had this charming little seaside village all to ourselves. We'd walk our pups the few blocks down to the ocean and just marvel at how gorgeous all of these big sleeping victorian homes were. And we even had a small downtown area...a great bakery, pizza parlor, post office, train station...all within walking distance...short walking distance...two blocks away!?

Ok, so there we were, fairly set as far as location goes. And then...as things always seem to do...things changed.

My parents moved out of their home...sorta out of the blue...and bought land way far away in upstate New York. They decided that it was time for them to truly retire and begin their longtime dream of building a log cabin way out in the country. Now, they had very definite plans for their future home but nothing very solid in mind for the home that they were leaving behind. It was kinda in a limbo state. They put it on the market...but not with any real enthusiasm. Well, two of my brothers were still living there and it was assumed that they'd just stay there until the place sold, and then they'd find apartments or whatever. But who knew how long that would be? ?They were both students, not working full time, and couldn't afford to keep up the payments, etc...

I'm am the oldest of five kids and when I thought about there being no more family home base I suffered a little twinge in my heart. All of us kids are all here at the Jersey Shore and we need a family headquarters. So I asked Aaron what he thought about stepping in and taking over the family home. OK, fast forward to...yes, that's exactly what we did. We moved in, my brothers became our roommates. And soon after, even my sister, who was living in Brooklyn, moved in too. For her it was an interim dwelling. A financial buffer zone between where she was living and where she would soon be living. So ok, I'm bringing all of this up for a reason. Remember how I said that the past 8 months have been a blur...our life on slow cruise control? Well, I mean that we just weren't settled into anything solid yet. And the reason that I'm bringing this up now is that I think we are finally feeling some firmer ground underfoot. My sister's interim stay here has come to a close...she is now in her new apartment. My brother Jay decided to move in with my parents way way upstate to help them build the log cabin, and me and Aaron are here, along with my brother Walt, and I think we're finally about to make this into our home. We've been here for 8 or so months but everything felt in flux...so we couldn't really put our mark on the place. We did a lot of temporary quick fixes...which I showed here on the blog. But nothing big. Nothing that truly says Jenny and Aaron live here.?

Well, I guess we put a little bit of effort into the living room. Giving two walls our signature hand painted stripes, and painting one wall with an oversized vintage wallpaper pattern. But this house won't be our home until we do the KITCHEN. For us, that is the heart and soul of our home and we won't feel comfortable until we get the kitchen right from top to bottom. Luckily, we are starting out with a good bone structure. My dad built the cabinets, we've got wood floors, and a great big 'ole stainless steel commercial stove. As far as the wood floors go, they need refinishing, and I'm not sure if we're gonna stain them black or figure out a way to have my absolute fave kitchen floor treatment...black and white check.

It's exciting to finally be at this stage of development. We feel on the verge, the end of the diving board, and we're ready to take the plunge. I've been pinning like crazy and referencing some of my favorite old magazine tear sheets. We're gonna tap the gas peddle and get us out of that slow cruise control. We'll make sure to chronicle it all along the way with tutorials, diy's etc...

And now here are some of our Must Haves...

Chalkboard Walls

The dining room comes right off of the kitchen and I'd love an entire chalkboard wall at the far end of the dining room. It's a very small wall with a window in the center of it and I think a black wall will be perfect...and then adorning it with chalk artwork??? too perfect! We've been painting menu boards for years...in homes, bakeries, cafes...and we just love the look. We were thrilled when the decor world went chalkboard paint crazy! We'll never get sick of it! Classic!

?Black Pendant Lighting

I'm certainly a pastel gal...cupcakes, frosting, aprons and crochet potholders. But I need black! For me it actually makes everything else sweeter! Just go with basic white or cream, with black fixtures and accents...it's the perfect starting point for our look. It's just clean and classic...and it balances the many sweet pastels that I'll be adding. I adore pendant lighting in black. These strong fixtures will ground my whimsy.?

Painted metal chairs

We've been a fan of these forever. I don't even need a full set. Even just one of them added to the mix works for me. I love the look. And again, it's all about being classic and sturdy and familiar.

Checkered Floors

We had them in one of our apartments but it barely counts...the kitchen was tiny and had no charm at all. Actually, all the charm was in the checked floors. They are the definition of classic kitchen. You'll find them in an astonishing array of venues...from a tiny retro cafe, to a grand old high ceilinged estate. I just love the bold graphic.?

We're looking forward to writing this chapter of our domestic development. We hope you'll follow along with us. What are your kitchen Must Haves? What is the beating heart of your home?

Source: http://everyday-is-a-holiday.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-heart-of-home-my-kitchen-must-haves.html

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US military deaths in Afghanistan hit 2,000 after 11 years of war

KABUL - U.S. military deaths in the Afghan war have reached 2,000, a cold reminder of the human cost of an 11-year-old conflict that now garners little public interest at home as the United States prepares to withdraw most of its combat forces by the end of 2014.

The toll has climbed steadily in recent months with a spate of attacks by Afghan army and police ? supposed allies ? against American and NATO troops. That has raised troubling questions about whether countries in the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan will achieve their aim of helping the government in Kabul and its forces stand on their own after most foreign troops depart in little more than two years.

On Sunday, a U.S. official confirmed the latest death, saying that an international service member killed in an apparent insider attack by Afghan forces in the east of the country late Saturday was American. A civilian contractor with NATO and at least two Afghan soldiers also died in the attack, according to a coalition statement and Afghan provincial officials. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because the nationality of those killed had not been formally released. Names of the dead are usually released after their families or next-of-kin are notified, a process that can take several days. The nationality of the civilian was also not disclosed.

In addition to the 2,000 Americans killed since the Afghan war began on Oct. 7, 2001, at least 1,190 more coalition troops from other countries have also died, according to iCasualties.org, an independent organization that tracks the deaths.

According to the Afghanistan index kept by the Washington-based research centre Brookings Institution, about 40 per cent of the American deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices. The majority of those were after 2009, when President Barack Obama ordered a surge that sent in 33,000 additional troops to combat heightened Taliban activity. The surge brought the total number of American troops to 101,000, the peak for the entire war.

According to Brookings, hostile fire was the second most common cause of death, accounting for nearly 31 per cent of Americans killed.

Tracking deaths of Afghan civilians is much more difficult. According to the U.N., 13,431 civilians were killed in the Afghan conflict between 2007, when the U.N. began keeping statistics, and the end of August. Going back to the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, most estimates put the number of Afghan civilian deaths in the war at more than 20,000.

The number of American dead reflects an Associated Press count of those members of the armed services killed inside Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion began. Some other news organizations use a count that also includes those killed outside Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the global anti-terror campaign led by then-President George W. Bush.

The 2001 invasion targeted al-Qaida and its Taliban allies shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives.

Victory in Afghanistan seemed to come quickly. Kabul fell within weeks, and the hardline Taliban regime was toppled with few U.S. casualties.

But the Bush administration's shift toward war with Iraq left the Western powers without enough resources on the ground, so by 2006 the Taliban had regrouped into a serious military threat.

Obama deployed more troops to Afghanistan, and casualties increased sharply in the last several years. But the American public grew weary of having its military in a perpetual state of conflict, especially after the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq at the end of last year. That war, which began with a U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein, cost the lives of nearly 4,500 U.S. troops, more than twice as many as have died in Afghanistan so far.

"The tally is modest by the standards of war historically, but every fatality is a tragedy and 11 years is too long," said Michael O'Hanlon, a fellow at the Brookings. "All that is internalized, however, in an American public that has been watching this campaign for a long time. More newsworthy right now are the insider attacks and the sense of hopelessness they convey to many. "

Attacks by Afghan soldiers or police ? or insurgents disguised in their uniforms ? have killed 52 American and other NATO troops so far this year.

The so-called insider attacks are considered one of the most serious threats to the U.S. exit strategy from the country. In its latest incarnation, that strategy has focused on training Afghan forces to take over security nationwide ? allowing most foreign troops to go home by the end of 2014.

Although Obama has pledged that most U.S. combat troops will leave by the end of 2014, American, NATO and allied troops are still dying in Afghanistan at a rate of one a day.

Even with 33,000 American troops back home, the U.S.-led coalition will still have 108,000 troops ? including 68,000 from the U.S. ? fighting in Afghanistan at the end of this year. Many of those will be training the Afghan National Security Forces that are to replace them.

"There is a challenge for the administration," O'Hanlon said, "to remind people in the face of such bad news why this campaign requires more perseverance."

___

Associated Press writers Heidi Vogt and Rahim Faiez in Kabul and researcher Monika Mathour in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-military-deaths-afghanistan-hit-2-000-11-131020733.html

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Swim tests and PE no longer a requirement at University of Chicago

Sept. 28, 2012

Dive Summary:

• The University of Chicago became the latest institution this month to do away with a swimming proficiency test once required for graduation while also nixing its undergraduate physical education requirements--and, in effect, a fitness test used to place out of those classes.?
• Only a handful of colleges still require swim tests, including a few Ivy League institutions, military academies, and a few women's and small liberal arts colleges.
• Details are limited as to what the future of fitness and athletics at the school will look like, but PE classes will now be taken voluntarily and not-for-credit, and Karen Warren Coleman, vice president for campus life and student services, will soon announce a task force to "promote a culture of physical fitness and athletics on campus" and expand the school's PE offerings, athletics and recreation programming.

From the article:

The University of Chicago this month became the latest institution to drop a swimming proficiency test required for graduation. But Chicago made another change, as well: it will eliminate its physical education requirements and, in doing so, cut the fitness test students could take to place out of the fitness classes. In a statement sent to all undergraduates, College Dean John W. Boyer and Karen Warren Coleman, vice president for campus life and student services, said students will instead "be invited to participate in an expanded array" of voluntary physical education, athletics and recreation programs. ...

Source: http://www.educationdive.com/news/swim-tests-and-pe-no-longer-a-requirement-at-university-of-chicago/58875/

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News guide to Georgia as it holds crucial election

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) ? Here's a guide to understanding Georgia as it holds a heated parliamentary election that will determine the future of the pro-Western government of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Q: WHERE IS GEORGIA?

A: Georgia is located in the Caucasus Mountains with its western border on the Black Sea. Russia looms over Georgia from the north, while Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan are on its southern and southeastern borders. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801, Georgia had a few brief years of independence after the 1917 Russian Revolution before being absorbed into the Soviet Union.

___

Q: HOW AND WHEN DID IT GAIN INDEPENDENCE?

A: Georgia declared its independence in April 1991 as the Soviet Union was crumbling. Its first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was soon ousted in a violent military coup and fled Georgia in January 1992. By this time, the Soviet Union was officially dead. Eduard Shevardnadze, who had served as Soviet foreign minister, returned to his homeland and remained Georgia's leader until the end of 2003.

___

Q: WHAT IS GEORGIA KNOWN FOR?

A: Georgia is the birthplace of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, who was born in Gori in 1878. He ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953.

Georgia also is considered the birthplace of wine, with archeological evidence showing that it was where wine was first produced at least 6,000 years ago. The country still takes great pride in its reds and whites, produced by thousands of small farmers as well as some modern wineries.

Georgian wines and food were considered the best in the Soviet Union, and Georgian restaurants remain popular in Russia. Georgians also are known for their warm hospitality, with Russian visitors joking that the most difficult part about visiting Georgia today is getting up from the table or freeing yourself from an embrace, despite the chill in relations between the two countries.

Georgians were also among the first to adopt Christianity, which they did in the fourth century. Stone churches built in the 10th century still stand, and the patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church is by far the most respected figure in the country today.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/news-guide-georgia-holds-crucial-election-142218860.html

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