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Monday, November 5, 2012

President Obama and Jay-Z in Columbus, Ohio

Obama supporter Harvey Weinstein has been talking about his decision to air the Navy Seal documentary of the Osama bin Laden raid two days before the election. "I didn't have to do anything to remind people of what Barack Obama did," he tells Piers Morgan with a wide smile Weinstein also jokes that the the acting from the politicans would make the perfect movie. COLUMBUS, Ohio — Which is more powerful: Disgust toward Barack Obama, or distrust of Mitt Romney? Ohio’s answer to the question could well determine who is President for the next four years. This state’s 18 electoral votes are vital in almost every scenario that gets Romney to the magic total of 270. He’s got powerful allies here in Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Rob Portman — and it’s a state that overall seems far more receptive to the GOP than it was in 2008, when Obama beat John McCain by 4.6 percentage points. After carrying out one of the biggest surveys ever, YouGov’s jumbo analysis has found the Democratic president will narrowly pip Republican rival Mitt Romney by two per cent in the overall popular vote. Crucially that will return him to the White House with a victory of 303 votes to 235 in the all-important Electoral College.But it’s here that the incumbent’s vaunted, micro-targeted ground game is in full force, where the economy is coming back to life, and where Obama has been consistently leading by a point or two or three in recent polls. The Real Clear Politics average of Ohio polls puts Obama’s margin at 2.8 percentage points: slim but serious, like the man himself.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

African painted dogs kill young boy at Pittsburgh Zoo

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium president Barbara Baker as saying the child, aged about three years old, was with his mother and friends when he fell about 4.5 metres off a deck - and over railing and a mesh barrier - into an exhibit of African painted dogs. When the boy fell, visitors immediately told staff members, who responded along with Pittsburgh police. Zookeepers called off the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. Three more eventually were drawn away from the boy, but the last dog wouldn't come into the building, and police had to shoot him,.A 2-year-old boy was mauled to death after he fell into the African painted dog exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, today, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh Police Lt. Kevin Kraus said the boy's mother had placed the child on top of a wooden railing overlooking the enclosure. The child fell off the wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier where the painted dogs were on display. Lt. Kraus said: "Almost immediately after that he lost his balance, fell down off the railing into the actual pit and he was immediately attacked by 11 dogs."The incident occurred at 11:48 a.m. at the Highland Park complex, according to an emergency dispatch supervisor. The zoo was shut down within a half-hour of the incident and will remain closed indefinitely.A group of African painted dogs killed a boy who fell into their exhibit today at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Barbara Baker, the zoo's president, said the child was around 3 years old. He "fell off an observation deck that's about 14 feet above the exhibit," she said, "and was killed by the dogs." "Our emergency teams and our Pittsburgh police responded immediately, but there wasn’t anything that could be done," added Baker.

Liverpool vs. Newcastle United 1-1 All Goals & Full Highlights

Vital Liverpool report from Anfield on a disappointing 1-1 Premier League draw with Newcastle United. A performance and result that fits quite nicely into a pattern that has dogged the club for several months.Luis Suarez often appears to feel it’s him against the world. Yesterday, the odds were better as it was only Newcastle he took on single-handed. The performance from the Liverpool striker ranged from the sublime of his astonishing goal to the ridiculous of the x-rated red card challenge on him from Fabricio Coloccini that was cowardly in intent. Yet the genius of the little South American is a double-edged blessing for the Reds. On the one hand, who wouldn’t want a forward with such audacious skill and vision in your side? At times against the Geordies, his ability to beat a man with a shrug of the hips bordered on the hypnotic.The imponderable it paid the Liverpool manager to ignore against Newcastle United was the state his team would be in had Fabricio Coloccini embedded his studs into Suárez's right knee with six minutes remaining. Coloccini was shown a merited straight red card, to the obvious disgust of his manager Alan Pardew, but Suárez survived and continued to present Liverpool's only threat even with a limp.

Real Madrid vs. Zaragoza 4-0 All Goals & Full Highlights 3/11/2012

Real Madrid made it five Liga games without defeat as they coasted to a straightforward 4-0 victory over Zaragoza at the Santiago Bernabeu. In front of a quiet set of fans, two goals in quick succession, courtesy of Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria, ensured that Los Blancos took a two-goal lead into the break. The visitors were resurgent in the second-half, but Michael Essien and Luka Modric added a pair of late goals as Jose Mourinho earned his 100th win in charge of Madrid. The game began at a relatively tepid tempo, with Zaragoza not afraid to push men forward and attack. Goals by Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria, Michael Essien and Luka Modric secured Real Madrid a 4-0 home win against Zaragoza in the Spanish league on Saturday. Earlier, Barcelona's 3-1 home win over Celta Vigo marked the Catalan club's best start to the league in its 113-year history. Madrid's win keeps it eight points adrift of leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, which was playing late Saturday away against Valencia.Zaragoza's bad luck continued when Hélder Postiga had a "goal" disallowed for offside after a skilful display of ball control. Abraham Minero kept up the pressure and caused panic in Real's defence as he lined up a shot in the 82nd minute only to fire over the crossbar. Cristiano Ronaldo almost scored for Real three minutes later when his fiercely struck free-kick bent back Jiménez's hand only for the ball to bounce off the top of the crossbar.

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal: Van Persie & Evra shoot down 10-man Gunners

That Robin van Persie would score against the club where he spent eight years felt strangely inevitable. That he did it in such a comfortable victory for Manchester United would have made it all the more painful for Arsenal supporters who watched their side finish the game with 10 men.FULL-TIME: Arsenal‘s worst nightmare comes true as Robin van Persie scored for Man Utd to silence the booing party from North London. Patrice Evra doubled the lead in the 2nd half after Rooney failed to convert a penalty but Santi Cazorla made sure United’s defence doesn’t get a cleansheet bonus after a fine curled effort in the last minute of the match. Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal. GOAL!! 94th minute: Arsenal may not be in top form, but Santi Cazorla sure is. A last minute attack affords him some space on the edge of the area. His first shot is blocked by Carrick but some space opens up again and this Cazorla doesn’t miss– he’s curled in a beauty past De Gea. Man Utd 2-1 Arsenal.The earth no longer shakes when these two teams meet. In its time this fixture has seen battles on and off the pitch, food fights, goal feasts and title deciders, but it is fast becoming just an ordinary game. Manchester United did not have to be at their best to beat Arsenal, indeed they were a long way below their best, especially in the finishing department, yet the result was never in doubt. The scoreline might suggest a tight humdinger. The evidence at Old Trafford provided anything but. These used to be hard-fought, full-blooded, controversial, breath-taking encounters.

Friday, November 2, 2012

CMA Awards 2012 list of winners

The 46th Annual Country Music Association Awards was the usual blend of all-star concert event, glitzy red carpet affair and tight-knit family potluck. Hosted yet again by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (or Ma and Pa of the CMAs, at this point), the Nashville-based country music kudosfest was jam-packed with tunes and good vibes from start to finish. But while there were plenty of laughs, it's not like three hours could go by without some awkward moments. We're taking the liberty of chronicling the most memorable bits, for better or worse, in addition to offering up the complete list of winners, as they're announced. Here's what's goin' down:Blake Shelton, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert were among the winners at the 46th annual Country Music Association Awards on Thursday in Nashville. The awards went off-script early as Little Big Town and Thompson Square earned unexpected wins. Church, the evening's leading nominee, took home only album of the year. Check out the complete list of winners below. Blake Shelton accepts an award onstage during the 46th annual CMA awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 1, 2012 in Nashville, United States.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Suicide Silence: Death of vocalist Mitch Lucker 'devastating'

There’s sad news to report as Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker has died at the age of 28 after a late night motorcycle accident in Huntington Beach, Calif. The Press-Enterprise reports that Lucker passed away Thursday morning (Nov. 1) following the accident. The Orange County coroner’s office said the musician was pronounced dead at 6:17AM PT at the UCI Medical Center in Orange County, Calif. Huntington Beach police were investigating the crash Thursday morning and expected to release details once their investigation was complete. Lucker, a native of Riverside, Calif., formed Suicide Silence with his friends in 2002. The group released their debut disc, ‘The Cleansing’ in 2007 and followed that by the well-received discs ‘No Time to Bleed’ and ‘The Black Crown.’ During his tenure, Lucker and his bandmates won Revolver Gold Gods Awards for Most Innovative Band and Best New Band.Mitch Lucker, the tattooed frontman for the American metal band Suicide Silence, has died after being involved in a motorcycle crash in California on Wednesday evening, according to reports. The band released the following statement regarding Lucker's death: "There's no easy way to say this. Mitch passed away earlier this morning from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. This is completely devastating to all of us and we offer our deepest condolences to his family. He will be forever in our hearts. R.I.P. Mitchell Adam Lucker. We love you, brother." Singer Mitch Lucker of the metal band Suicide Silence died Thursday morning in Orange County following a Halloween motorcycle crash. He was 28 years old. Lucker crashed around 8:55 p.m. Wednesday night in Huntington Beach, according to a press release from the Huntington Beach Police Department. He was driving a black 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle and hit a light pole, according to the release, flinging him from his bike. His motorcycle kept going down the street and hit a Nissan pick-up truck, but those inside that vehicle and nearby trick-or-treaters avoided injury.