Maybe it seems like “A Haunted House” is a cheap knock-off of the “Scary Movie” series. After all, it almost parallels the goals of the successful horror spoofs.
On the contrary, nothing written here will discourage comedy enthusiasts from enjoying an hour and a half of cheap laughs. Many fantastic works, films and otherwise, are derived, almost plagiarized, from successful ones before them, including the “Scary Movie” series, “Date Night” and a number of vampire-themed books.
At first glance, Malcolm (Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (Essence Atkins) seem like a perfect couple. They recently have moved in together and are beginning their lives as a serious couple. It is soon learned that Malcolm is a wise man for allowing a live-in trial period before proposing to Kisha.
As he and Kisha begin settling into their new living arrangement, strange things start happening. Malcolm is shocked to learn Kisha sold her soul to the devil for a pair of shoes when she was a little girl and has been possessed by a demon since the incident. Throughout the film, he tries everything to get the demon to leave, including psychics, priests and prison-hardened gang members.
The whole movie is filmed using Malcolm’s new high-definition camera. Apparently, he had purchased it just before Kisha moved in so he could record the memories he expected them to make.
Arguably, the funniest scene is when Malcolm uses Kisha’s stuffed animals to show the audience the best way to make love to a woman. I felt like he was speaking to me directly when he said, “Get out your pen and pad,” because I was the only one in the audience with those objects.
Be assured that I did not let those valuable instructions go to waste. This film not only provides laughs, but also a very useful instructional video - one that could prove useful both on and off campus.
However, “A Haunted House” is not meant to be a sex-ed class. After making it through the whole thing, I’m honestly not sure what the purpose of the movie is. There is a different main character, plot, theme or climax every five to ten minutes.
It seemed like the story was about to take a completely different direction when an improvised security camera caught Rosa (Marlene Forte), the housekeeper, acting as a drug lord, murderer and possible prostitute. Once again, don’t take that the wrong way. The movie is hilarious and is sure to make any person with even the smallest sense of humor laugh uncontrollably.
In any other review, plot would be discussed more, the tone of the film would be examined or some analysis of the intricacies of the performance would be given. When dealing with “A Haunted House,” there is not much to discuss besides the heft of random comedy. In fact, the film is not much more than a spoof of a spoof.
If nothing else is gained from this review, be warned that if you walk into a showing expecting a quality scary movie, which would not be hard given the title, you probably will expect a full refund plus a gift card to Outback Steakhouse as you walk dreary-eyed and confused out of the screening room.
Model and presenter Tamara, who is worth a reported ￡300million, began the evening at a nearby restaurant with close friend Lucy Galsworthy where they downed a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne to “get the night started”.
She was still up at 5am yesterday taking to Twitter to write: “Amazing night @AuraMayfair three hours sleep before a photo shoot!”
The eldest daughter of Bernie and his former wife Slavica, Tamara lives in a ￡45million Kensington townhouse, which has a ￡1million white crystal bath.
Her smash hit fly-on-the-wall Channel 5 series Billion $$ Girl revealed she owns 120 pairs of designer Christian Louboutin shoes and 30 Hermes handbags. She regularly takes her dogs for spa facials.
Despite being one of the world’s most eligible bachelorettes, Tamara recently declared there is no man in her life at the moment. She said: “I’m not looking for love but if it happens, it happens, and that would be nice.
“I’ve always been in long-term relationships and this is the first time I’ve lived alone and been single and it’s good to be able to be alone. I’m not looking, but I’m not averse to the idea. I’m just having fun.”
2013年1月30日星期三
2013年1月28日星期一
State labor regulators have ordered a Chino
A city couple is seeking the return of more than $10,000 in cash that city police seized during a drug raid in November 2012 that yielded no illegal narcotics.
Prosecutor Paul J. Narducci is attempting to prove the cash seized from Catrice Williams and Tyrone Santiago, who are both in their late 20s and have prior drug convictions, is the proceeds of drug transactions and is therefore subject to forfeiture.
Williams and Santiago are exercising their right to an asset forfeiture hearing, which is a civil court proceeding at which the state must present clear and convincing evidence that the money was derived from drug sales.
The couple cross-examined three police officers as the hearing got underway today before Judge Susan B. Handy. Williams and Santiago asked for a continuance so they could speak to an attorney before presenting their case. The judge continued the hearing to March 27,
According to testimony and court documents, the police executed a search and seizure warrant at 70 Brainard St., Apt. 1 after an anonymous tip line caller and a confidential informant told them there were drug sales at the apartment. The police said they conducted two controlled purchases of illegal drugs at the apartment in the weeks before the raid during which they observed somebody resembling Williams meet the confidential informant at the door.
The officers said they forced their way into the apartment, finding no illegal narcotics but seizing $8,000 in cash from a bedroom closet and sums of money from Santiago’s pants pocket, two purses and a dresser drawer. Williams and Santiago dispute the amount of money seized and say the police took other items, including jewelry. They said the officers thanked them for the money and “high-fived” each other as they left the apartment.
Though nobody has been arrested, the police said the investigation is continuing.
Officer Brian Laurie testified that Williams had a lot of “brand new clothing” in the apartment, including “dozens upon dozens” of shoes. He said the officers marked three large plasma screen televisions as evidence. He noted Williams had two vehicles - an Audi and an a minivan - and that the house was well-stocked with food. Williams, who said she works in the health care industry, said she was unemployed when the raid occurred but is currently working two jobs.
State labor regulators have ordered a Chino warehouse operator to pay more than $1 million in overtime plus $200,000 in penalties for hundreds of state labor law violations.
State Labor Commissioner Julie Su issued citations Monday to Quetico, a warehouse and distribution company that handles shoes, apparel and electronic goods for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big-box retailers.
The commissioner's investigation of two Quetico facilities, totaling a half-million square feet, found that the company created restrictive procedures which shorted 865 workers of their wages. Employees were forced to come to work early to stand in long lines to punch time cards at only three available clocks, the state said.
Employees also were denied legally required lunch and rest breaks, the state said.
"Wage theft takes many forms," Su said in a statement.
"My office will crack down on any employer who is taking hard-earned wages from workers by falsifying time cards and systematically preventing employees from taking a full meal break.... We are also intent on eliminating the competitive advantages that labor law violators gain over employers who play by the rules."
Quetico did not respond to a request for comment on the alleged labor law violations.
Quetico's warehouses also have been cited by state agencies for safety violations in the last year, according to Warehouse Workers United, a union-backed group that has been campaigning to highlight alleged labor abuses at Inland Empire distribution centers used by Wal-Mart and other retailers.
"Many of the problems that we commonly see in Southern California warehouses are concentrated at this warehouse," said Guadalupe Palma, the group's director.
Prosecutor Paul J. Narducci is attempting to prove the cash seized from Catrice Williams and Tyrone Santiago, who are both in their late 20s and have prior drug convictions, is the proceeds of drug transactions and is therefore subject to forfeiture.
Williams and Santiago are exercising their right to an asset forfeiture hearing, which is a civil court proceeding at which the state must present clear and convincing evidence that the money was derived from drug sales.
The couple cross-examined three police officers as the hearing got underway today before Judge Susan B. Handy. Williams and Santiago asked for a continuance so they could speak to an attorney before presenting their case. The judge continued the hearing to March 27,
According to testimony and court documents, the police executed a search and seizure warrant at 70 Brainard St., Apt. 1 after an anonymous tip line caller and a confidential informant told them there were drug sales at the apartment. The police said they conducted two controlled purchases of illegal drugs at the apartment in the weeks before the raid during which they observed somebody resembling Williams meet the confidential informant at the door.
The officers said they forced their way into the apartment, finding no illegal narcotics but seizing $8,000 in cash from a bedroom closet and sums of money from Santiago’s pants pocket, two purses and a dresser drawer. Williams and Santiago dispute the amount of money seized and say the police took other items, including jewelry. They said the officers thanked them for the money and “high-fived” each other as they left the apartment.
Though nobody has been arrested, the police said the investigation is continuing.
Officer Brian Laurie testified that Williams had a lot of “brand new clothing” in the apartment, including “dozens upon dozens” of shoes. He said the officers marked three large plasma screen televisions as evidence. He noted Williams had two vehicles - an Audi and an a minivan - and that the house was well-stocked with food. Williams, who said she works in the health care industry, said she was unemployed when the raid occurred but is currently working two jobs.
State labor regulators have ordered a Chino warehouse operator to pay more than $1 million in overtime plus $200,000 in penalties for hundreds of state labor law violations.
State Labor Commissioner Julie Su issued citations Monday to Quetico, a warehouse and distribution company that handles shoes, apparel and electronic goods for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other big-box retailers.
The commissioner's investigation of two Quetico facilities, totaling a half-million square feet, found that the company created restrictive procedures which shorted 865 workers of their wages. Employees were forced to come to work early to stand in long lines to punch time cards at only three available clocks, the state said.
Employees also were denied legally required lunch and rest breaks, the state said.
"Wage theft takes many forms," Su said in a statement.
"My office will crack down on any employer who is taking hard-earned wages from workers by falsifying time cards and systematically preventing employees from taking a full meal break.... We are also intent on eliminating the competitive advantages that labor law violators gain over employers who play by the rules."
Quetico did not respond to a request for comment on the alleged labor law violations.
Quetico's warehouses also have been cited by state agencies for safety violations in the last year, according to Warehouse Workers United, a union-backed group that has been campaigning to highlight alleged labor abuses at Inland Empire distribution centers used by Wal-Mart and other retailers.
"Many of the problems that we commonly see in Southern California warehouses are concentrated at this warehouse," said Guadalupe Palma, the group's director.
2013年1月24日星期四
whole town there was one small shop
Roots, Canada’s iconic fashion and lifestyle brand will be available at Target stores for a limited time starting in March.
Canadian Target stores are slated to begin opening in March and April 2013. The Target stores are opening in locations formerly occupied by Zellers.
In keeping with the department store’s “expect more, pay less” philosophy the stores will also sell home brands from interior designer and daytime TV host Nate Berkus and Cordon Bleu chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis. They travelled to Toronto for the announcement along with cosmetic innovator Sonia Kashuk, who has been associated with Target for 14 years. De Laurentiis, who is a personality on the Food Network has been associated with Target for three years. The department store chain will also sell a collection of clothing, shoes and accessories from pro-snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White, who creates the collection of athletic-inspired clothing with his brother Jesse.
White wasn’t able to attend the event because he is competing in the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., but greeted the guests at the Evergreen Brickworks hall by video, telling the audience, “I’ve had the best times in Canada.”
L.A. stylist-to-the-stars Kate Young, who has created looks for celebrities including Natalie Portman, will offer Target a line of affordable women’s apparel and accessories as well as special-occasion dresses available from April 14 to the end of May.
Roots owners Michael Budman and Don Green say they will offer a collection of hoodies and sweat pants for men, women and children at Canada’s Target stores.
Budman and Green, who have historically prided themselves on their “made in Canada” commitment, admit this collection for Target was made in Asia. Budman laments it is a reality of the current retailing landscape that even elements of their regular collections are now made offshore. “It’s the way of the world,” he says.
In November of last year I travelled to Ecuador with 10 other students and 3 teachers, altogether the group had raised over $2000 for the community of Santa Marianita.
The first week of our trip we lived in this very small community of 200 people and helped build a playground and tables and chairs for the small school, the community was deep in the mountains of the cloud forest area.
In the whole town there was one small shop that sold shoes and convenience items like snacks.
The money that we all took went towards the materials that built the playground and the furniture.
Last September I had a cake stall outside the IGA and raised $450. I was very thankful that the Boorowa community helped provide almost a quarter of the funds that went into the project.
See your ad here
After spending a week in this small community we then said our goodbyes and moved on to climb the active volcano called Cotopaxi and reached a height of over 5000 metres.
We trekked around the national park that surrounded it, riding mountain bikes down the winding road of the volcano to the large lake about a 1km away. After this we had another hot week in the Amazon where we went down one of the tributaries and went wildlife spotting in the humid rainforest.
We all arrived back in Sydney dressed in colourful clothes that we bartered for in the busy markets of Otavalo, tired and ready to get home for Christmas.
Canadian Target stores are slated to begin opening in March and April 2013. The Target stores are opening in locations formerly occupied by Zellers.
In keeping with the department store’s “expect more, pay less” philosophy the stores will also sell home brands from interior designer and daytime TV host Nate Berkus and Cordon Bleu chef and New York Times bestselling cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis. They travelled to Toronto for the announcement along with cosmetic innovator Sonia Kashuk, who has been associated with Target for 14 years. De Laurentiis, who is a personality on the Food Network has been associated with Target for three years. The department store chain will also sell a collection of clothing, shoes and accessories from pro-snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White, who creates the collection of athletic-inspired clothing with his brother Jesse.
White wasn’t able to attend the event because he is competing in the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., but greeted the guests at the Evergreen Brickworks hall by video, telling the audience, “I’ve had the best times in Canada.”
L.A. stylist-to-the-stars Kate Young, who has created looks for celebrities including Natalie Portman, will offer Target a line of affordable women’s apparel and accessories as well as special-occasion dresses available from April 14 to the end of May.
Roots owners Michael Budman and Don Green say they will offer a collection of hoodies and sweat pants for men, women and children at Canada’s Target stores.
Budman and Green, who have historically prided themselves on their “made in Canada” commitment, admit this collection for Target was made in Asia. Budman laments it is a reality of the current retailing landscape that even elements of their regular collections are now made offshore. “It’s the way of the world,” he says.
In November of last year I travelled to Ecuador with 10 other students and 3 teachers, altogether the group had raised over $2000 for the community of Santa Marianita.
The first week of our trip we lived in this very small community of 200 people and helped build a playground and tables and chairs for the small school, the community was deep in the mountains of the cloud forest area.
In the whole town there was one small shop that sold shoes and convenience items like snacks.
The money that we all took went towards the materials that built the playground and the furniture.
Last September I had a cake stall outside the IGA and raised $450. I was very thankful that the Boorowa community helped provide almost a quarter of the funds that went into the project.
See your ad here
After spending a week in this small community we then said our goodbyes and moved on to climb the active volcano called Cotopaxi and reached a height of over 5000 metres.
We trekked around the national park that surrounded it, riding mountain bikes down the winding road of the volcano to the large lake about a 1km away. After this we had another hot week in the Amazon where we went down one of the tributaries and went wildlife spotting in the humid rainforest.
We all arrived back in Sydney dressed in colourful clothes that we bartered for in the busy markets of Otavalo, tired and ready to get home for Christmas.
2013年1月22日星期二
What first struck me two years ago
First, let me state my credentials upfront, just so no one reads other motives into my intentions here. I am an indigene of Rivers state who had lived and worked abroad for some twenty-eight years, until I decided to return home two years ago, urged on by what I saw and believed to be an impressive attempt to transform my state. And although I am an Ikwerre indigene like Governor Rotimi Amaechi, I have never met the man and therefore have no reason to hold brief for him. I should also add that this diary was compiled over a three-month period, well before the recently reported face-off between the Governor and the Niger Delta Minister, Elder Godsday Orubebe. But naturally, in the face of that unfortunate exchange, the piece, originally written as part of a larger management report and a forthcoming book on governance in Nigeria, has had to be reviewed, somewhat.
It is also proper to state early that as an interested member of that broad family generally referred to as the Niger Delta, I believe that the exchange between the Governor and the Minister was most unnecessary. This is made even more so by the different nature of their jobs and the different mandates that they enjoy, as clearly defined in a federal structure. For, whereas the Governor enjoys the direct mandate of the people, the Minister serves at the pleasure of the President. In a proper federal structure, there is, and should not be a conflict. And I am also not aware that there is, or should be a competition between an elected state governor and an appointed Minister. Perhaps, as some politicians have argued, these are the early skirmishes of the battle for 2015! But, either way, the exchange was unnecessary.
That said, let me return to my set piece, which, as I earlier said, was originally inspired by my desire to attempt a review of Amaechi’s tenure, vis-a-vis my own desire to return home to Nigeria when I did, two years ago. Has it been worth it for me? Are there any regrets that I left a seemingly lucrative job in Manchester, in the United Kingdom to return to my state and to be a part of what appears an honest effort to transform our state?
Without question, based on the performance of Amaechi’s government, I believe it has been worth my while. What first struck me two years ago when I got back was the improved level of security in the state. Unlike an earlier experience, when I visited some six years ago, when the entire city of Port Harcourt was enveloped in a blanket of gun-trotting armed military men. It was most reassuring to find out that those days were gone and that the city was now a more stable and calmer environment that brought back memories of what it was like for me as a child.
But anyone who knows the city as well as I do, cannot fail to acknowledge that the sheer volume of development taking place, especially in the area of roads construction and urban renewal, is staggering. Knowing how Port Harcourt had ‘misdeveloped’ over the years, I would never have thought that it would be possible to dualise some of the key artery of roads within the city, as has been done. Who would have thought that the old Aba road, the famous Ikwerre road, the Oginigba-Rumumasi road and even the old Olu Obasanjo road could all be so beautifully dualised into six-lane roads.
It was also gratifying for me to discover that a 41-kilometre Unity Road complex from the Ogoni axis of the state to Andoni local government, connecting some 30 reverine communities to the rest of the state by road, was nearing completion. Apparently, the road had been started by the former Odili administration, but evidently expanded upon by the Amaechi administration. Even the famous Ada George road, which seemed ‘imcompleteable’, was virtually completed. I was also amazed to see that my old abode on Akwaka road, which used to be impassable and heavily flooded had also been rebuilt and upgraded.
This monumental feat has been extended to secondary schools, where the standards are also of international nature, complete with imposing auditoriums, university-type living quarters and state-of-the-art teaching facilities. And to imagine that although education is entirely free at the primary and secondary school levels, complete with the supply of free books, shoes, bags and other items, quality of education is not in anyway compromised. These are rare feats indeed. And while all of this is going on, work has commenced on the relocation, and upgrading of the once prestigious, pioneer University of Science and Technology in the country, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. The new site will now be within the Greater Port Harcourt City development scheme.
It is also proper to state early that as an interested member of that broad family generally referred to as the Niger Delta, I believe that the exchange between the Governor and the Minister was most unnecessary. This is made even more so by the different nature of their jobs and the different mandates that they enjoy, as clearly defined in a federal structure. For, whereas the Governor enjoys the direct mandate of the people, the Minister serves at the pleasure of the President. In a proper federal structure, there is, and should not be a conflict. And I am also not aware that there is, or should be a competition between an elected state governor and an appointed Minister. Perhaps, as some politicians have argued, these are the early skirmishes of the battle for 2015! But, either way, the exchange was unnecessary.
That said, let me return to my set piece, which, as I earlier said, was originally inspired by my desire to attempt a review of Amaechi’s tenure, vis-a-vis my own desire to return home to Nigeria when I did, two years ago. Has it been worth it for me? Are there any regrets that I left a seemingly lucrative job in Manchester, in the United Kingdom to return to my state and to be a part of what appears an honest effort to transform our state?
Without question, based on the performance of Amaechi’s government, I believe it has been worth my while. What first struck me two years ago when I got back was the improved level of security in the state. Unlike an earlier experience, when I visited some six years ago, when the entire city of Port Harcourt was enveloped in a blanket of gun-trotting armed military men. It was most reassuring to find out that those days were gone and that the city was now a more stable and calmer environment that brought back memories of what it was like for me as a child.
But anyone who knows the city as well as I do, cannot fail to acknowledge that the sheer volume of development taking place, especially in the area of roads construction and urban renewal, is staggering. Knowing how Port Harcourt had ‘misdeveloped’ over the years, I would never have thought that it would be possible to dualise some of the key artery of roads within the city, as has been done. Who would have thought that the old Aba road, the famous Ikwerre road, the Oginigba-Rumumasi road and even the old Olu Obasanjo road could all be so beautifully dualised into six-lane roads.
It was also gratifying for me to discover that a 41-kilometre Unity Road complex from the Ogoni axis of the state to Andoni local government, connecting some 30 reverine communities to the rest of the state by road, was nearing completion. Apparently, the road had been started by the former Odili administration, but evidently expanded upon by the Amaechi administration. Even the famous Ada George road, which seemed ‘imcompleteable’, was virtually completed. I was also amazed to see that my old abode on Akwaka road, which used to be impassable and heavily flooded had also been rebuilt and upgraded.
This monumental feat has been extended to secondary schools, where the standards are also of international nature, complete with imposing auditoriums, university-type living quarters and state-of-the-art teaching facilities. And to imagine that although education is entirely free at the primary and secondary school levels, complete with the supply of free books, shoes, bags and other items, quality of education is not in anyway compromised. These are rare feats indeed. And while all of this is going on, work has commenced on the relocation, and upgrading of the once prestigious, pioneer University of Science and Technology in the country, the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. The new site will now be within the Greater Port Harcourt City development scheme.
2013年1月20日星期日
The passport model is being used in cycling
Passports are an essential item for globetrotting tennis professionals. A biological passport could become an added carrying card.
Stuart Miller, who oversees tennis' anti-doping program for the International Tennis Federation, said Saturday such a program was "being considered seriously."
The so-called biological passport is a method of collecting and comparing biological data from athletes so that variances from normal biological levels or "markers" can be detected. Identifying those irregularities helps spot doping.
The passport model is being used in cycling and track and field.
"Our aim would be to implement it, but implementation is reasonably complex," Miller said by phone from London.
He characterized discussions within the ITF as "ongoing" rather than advanced but said it could be "fully operational in the order of 12 months" once it was underway.
Miller did not rule out implementation as early as 2014.
Consideration of the passport program coincides with a growing unease and outspokenness in the wake of Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong admitted to using EPO, testosterone and blood doping to fuel his record seven Tour de France wins.
Players from Serena Williams to Roger Federer said they were surprised and dismayed.
None was harsher than two-time defending men's champion Novak Djokovic.
"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this," the No. 1 Serb said of Armstrong. "He cheated the sport. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story. ... I think he should suffer for his lies all these years."
Others expressed concern about the efficacy of tennis' current program, especially the amount of blood testing it conducts away from competition.
According to the ITF's posted figures for 2011, there were only 21 out-of-competition blood tests.
At the ATP World Tour Championship in London, Federer and Scotland's Andy Murray called for more blood testing in the sport.
Djokovic said this week that he had not had a blood test in six or seven months. Bob Bryan, the top seed in doubles with brother Mike Bryan, said he had never had an out-of-competition blood test.
ESPN commentator and coach Darren Cahill said on Twitter that the amount of blood testing was "inadequate" and had "gone backwards."
"It's a proactive thing, not a reactive thing," said Cahill Sunday, adding that he believes the sport is clean. "But more funding is needed."
Some players said they would welcome a passport program.
"I'd be definitely in favor of that," Bob Bryan said Sunday after a third-round win against Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot. "Anything to make it harder to cheat."
For some, however, the sport is not doing nearly enough.
Guy Forget, once a top-5 player and now France's Davis Cup captain, said he believed he competed against players who were doping - though he has no proof.
He called for individual tournaments to divert prize money and put it toward more testing.
He is also favors a passport program, harsher penalties and preservation of blood samples so they can be retested in later years with more sophisticated methods.
"Some sports like cycling are more exposed, but we know in our sport some players have been caught," Forget said. "It would be foolish to not be concerned by these problems especially since the game got more physical."
The ITF's Miller could not put a dollar figure on a passport program for tennis but said "cost is an issue across all of anti-doping."
The ITF's anti-doping program, which is funded by the ATP and WTA and four Grand Slams, has been reported to be around $1.6 million.
Besides funding and informing stakeholders in the sport, Miller said establishing a passport program would require a period of sample gathering and an expert panel to review results.
"It's not just go and collect samples," he said. "We have to get all the pieces together before we're fully operational."
For the time being, players will probably continue to look over their shoulders.
Asked if she thought the sport was clean Saturday, two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia wasn't sure.
Stuart Miller, who oversees tennis' anti-doping program for the International Tennis Federation, said Saturday such a program was "being considered seriously."
The so-called biological passport is a method of collecting and comparing biological data from athletes so that variances from normal biological levels or "markers" can be detected. Identifying those irregularities helps spot doping.
The passport model is being used in cycling and track and field.
"Our aim would be to implement it, but implementation is reasonably complex," Miller said by phone from London.
He characterized discussions within the ITF as "ongoing" rather than advanced but said it could be "fully operational in the order of 12 months" once it was underway.
Miller did not rule out implementation as early as 2014.
Consideration of the passport program coincides with a growing unease and outspokenness in the wake of Lance Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Armstrong admitted to using EPO, testosterone and blood doping to fuel his record seven Tour de France wins.
Players from Serena Williams to Roger Federer said they were surprised and dismayed.
None was harsher than two-time defending men's champion Novak Djokovic.
"I think it's a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this," the No. 1 Serb said of Armstrong. "He cheated the sport. He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story. ... I think he should suffer for his lies all these years."
Others expressed concern about the efficacy of tennis' current program, especially the amount of blood testing it conducts away from competition.
According to the ITF's posted figures for 2011, there were only 21 out-of-competition blood tests.
At the ATP World Tour Championship in London, Federer and Scotland's Andy Murray called for more blood testing in the sport.
Djokovic said this week that he had not had a blood test in six or seven months. Bob Bryan, the top seed in doubles with brother Mike Bryan, said he had never had an out-of-competition blood test.
ESPN commentator and coach Darren Cahill said on Twitter that the amount of blood testing was "inadequate" and had "gone backwards."
"It's a proactive thing, not a reactive thing," said Cahill Sunday, adding that he believes the sport is clean. "But more funding is needed."
Some players said they would welcome a passport program.
"I'd be definitely in favor of that," Bob Bryan said Sunday after a third-round win against Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot. "Anything to make it harder to cheat."
For some, however, the sport is not doing nearly enough.
Guy Forget, once a top-5 player and now France's Davis Cup captain, said he believed he competed against players who were doping - though he has no proof.
He called for individual tournaments to divert prize money and put it toward more testing.
He is also favors a passport program, harsher penalties and preservation of blood samples so they can be retested in later years with more sophisticated methods.
"Some sports like cycling are more exposed, but we know in our sport some players have been caught," Forget said. "It would be foolish to not be concerned by these problems especially since the game got more physical."
The ITF's Miller could not put a dollar figure on a passport program for tennis but said "cost is an issue across all of anti-doping."
The ITF's anti-doping program, which is funded by the ATP and WTA and four Grand Slams, has been reported to be around $1.6 million.
Besides funding and informing stakeholders in the sport, Miller said establishing a passport program would require a period of sample gathering and an expert panel to review results.
"It's not just go and collect samples," he said. "We have to get all the pieces together before we're fully operational."
For the time being, players will probably continue to look over their shoulders.
Asked if she thought the sport was clean Saturday, two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia wasn't sure.
2013年1月14日星期一
The story of British aristocracy and the people
My, but the British can make the soapiest of soap operas seem like, well, a "Masterpiece."
Because a soapy soap, essentially, is what "Downton Abbey" really is, masked in the finest of the queen's English and adorned in the most magnificent of period-piece costumes and scenery.
I came late to the "Abbey" party, just now joining as season three gets under way. It was past time to see what so many viewers of this "Masterpiece Classic" offering on PBS have been rejoicing about for two previous seasons.
Luckily for this "Downton" novice, PBS aired the entire second season last Sunday, leading up to the much-anticipated return of the series that evening.
Honestly, I decided to finally watch mainly because it seemed like I had to, not because I really wanted to. After all, if you're going to remain a card-carrying member of the TV lovers club, you'd better be watching as many of the most-lauded shows as you can.
So, while my expectations for "Downton Abbey" were pure boredom, happily, the reality fast became pure addiction.
I stayed up until 1 a.m. (on a school night!), devouring as many season two episodes as I could earlier this week.
It was love at first sight. But, then again, I've always been a sucker for a good soap opera (for a bad one, too, actually).
The show, in all it's British uppercrust finery, contains just about all of the classic daytime soap plot lines: Love! Betrayal! Tragedy! Hidden passion! Scandals! Star-crossed lovers! Heck, there even was an amnesiac-presumed-dead heir to the manor!
Well, sort of. The story of the beloved Mr. Bates and his estranged wife probably isn't murder, but he was convicted of it anyway. Wait — a wrongful murder conviction?! Oh, for the love of "General Hospital," the things they think of over on the other side of the pond.
Seriously, if all that isn't soapy soap fare, what is?
But the blood is so blue and the dialogue so very English, you kind of forget all the smarmy stuff; well, you forgive it, anyway.
The story of British aristocracy and the people who served them, circa the early 1900s, "Downton Abbey" weaves a fun and lavish tale about their lives and loves and dramas, with a backdrop of actual history.
There's no zealot like a convert, of course: six-plus hours into viewing and I repeatedly have had to quash the desire to take on a British accent and walk around the office saying things like "rubbish, that" and "stiff upper lip, old chap."
I remain behind the fan curve, though, still wading through the second season before getting to that big season-three debut.
Plenty of folks are way ahead of me: according to wire reports, Sunday's show had 7.9 million viewers, a seriously high number for public television. Note, the season two premiere garnered only 4.2 million.
The increase likely is partly due to the awards and critical praise the show has been getting, but also because of a massive publicity blitz. The "Downton Abbey" craze has been everywhere leading up to the debut. Which, of course, makes me wonder what the heck I was thinking in not watching sooner?
Well, better late than never, old chaps.
Speaking of television crazes, there's a resurrection of sorts about to begin of a former all-the-rage show — "Sex and the City."
"Of sorts" because it's a prequel to the story of the loves and exploits of New York City it-girl Carrie Bradshaw, not a return-to.
A series laying out Carrie's back-story begins Monday on the CW network, called "The Carrie Diaries."
According to the Los Angeles Times, "Diaries" is set in 1984 and "stars AnnaSophia Robb as 16-year-old Carrie, a Connecticut high school student reeling from the recent death of her mother, falling hard for a dangerous new transfer student named Sebastian, and discovering the excitement of New York City for the first time."
Because a soapy soap, essentially, is what "Downton Abbey" really is, masked in the finest of the queen's English and adorned in the most magnificent of period-piece costumes and scenery.
I came late to the "Abbey" party, just now joining as season three gets under way. It was past time to see what so many viewers of this "Masterpiece Classic" offering on PBS have been rejoicing about for two previous seasons.
Luckily for this "Downton" novice, PBS aired the entire second season last Sunday, leading up to the much-anticipated return of the series that evening.
Honestly, I decided to finally watch mainly because it seemed like I had to, not because I really wanted to. After all, if you're going to remain a card-carrying member of the TV lovers club, you'd better be watching as many of the most-lauded shows as you can.
So, while my expectations for "Downton Abbey" were pure boredom, happily, the reality fast became pure addiction.
I stayed up until 1 a.m. (on a school night!), devouring as many season two episodes as I could earlier this week.
It was love at first sight. But, then again, I've always been a sucker for a good soap opera (for a bad one, too, actually).
The show, in all it's British uppercrust finery, contains just about all of the classic daytime soap plot lines: Love! Betrayal! Tragedy! Hidden passion! Scandals! Star-crossed lovers! Heck, there even was an amnesiac-presumed-dead heir to the manor!
Well, sort of. The story of the beloved Mr. Bates and his estranged wife probably isn't murder, but he was convicted of it anyway. Wait — a wrongful murder conviction?! Oh, for the love of "General Hospital," the things they think of over on the other side of the pond.
Seriously, if all that isn't soapy soap fare, what is?
But the blood is so blue and the dialogue so very English, you kind of forget all the smarmy stuff; well, you forgive it, anyway.
The story of British aristocracy and the people who served them, circa the early 1900s, "Downton Abbey" weaves a fun and lavish tale about their lives and loves and dramas, with a backdrop of actual history.
There's no zealot like a convert, of course: six-plus hours into viewing and I repeatedly have had to quash the desire to take on a British accent and walk around the office saying things like "rubbish, that" and "stiff upper lip, old chap."
I remain behind the fan curve, though, still wading through the second season before getting to that big season-three debut.
Plenty of folks are way ahead of me: according to wire reports, Sunday's show had 7.9 million viewers, a seriously high number for public television. Note, the season two premiere garnered only 4.2 million.
The increase likely is partly due to the awards and critical praise the show has been getting, but also because of a massive publicity blitz. The "Downton Abbey" craze has been everywhere leading up to the debut. Which, of course, makes me wonder what the heck I was thinking in not watching sooner?
Well, better late than never, old chaps.
Speaking of television crazes, there's a resurrection of sorts about to begin of a former all-the-rage show — "Sex and the City."
"Of sorts" because it's a prequel to the story of the loves and exploits of New York City it-girl Carrie Bradshaw, not a return-to.
A series laying out Carrie's back-story begins Monday on the CW network, called "The Carrie Diaries."
According to the Los Angeles Times, "Diaries" is set in 1984 and "stars AnnaSophia Robb as 16-year-old Carrie, a Connecticut high school student reeling from the recent death of her mother, falling hard for a dangerous new transfer student named Sebastian, and discovering the excitement of New York City for the first time."
2013年1月10日星期四
which is bottled and sold on the Internet
Presidential candidates ate at Jenkins Quality Barbecue, renowned for its secret mustard-based sauce. So have tens of thousands of others in the 55 years since its founding in Northwest Jacksonville.
Melton Jenkins Jr. loved opening new businesses and over the years, operated six barbecue restaurants.
He died Jan. 2 of pneumonia after a long illness. He was 89.
“My father was an entrepreneur at heart,” said his daughter, Meltonia Jenkins-DuBois. “He opened his first restaurant with the grace of God, $125 and a dream.”
He loved people and once gave a man with no shoes the ones off his own feet, Jenkins-DuBois said. At his visitation, friends spoke of how he gave to others, she said. He contributed to such groups as the Boy Scouts and Little League and once donated property to Edward Waters College. He mentored young men and helped some finish college, his daughter said.
The Jacksonville native quit school in the 10th grade. When Jenkins-DuBois was 10 years old, her father went to night school and did so well that he earned his diploma in one year.
Mr. Jenkins worked at the Jacksonville Shipyards and in the 1940s, opened Junior’s Inn, where he sold short-order meals and gained the nickname “hamburger.”
His next venture was a milk route, but he still aspired to open a restaurant. He and wife, Willie Mae, opened their first Jenkins barbecue in 1957 on Kings Road near Spires Avenue. At the time, he was working at St. Regis Paper Co. With the double load, he was getting little sleep but continued for two or three years until he could afford to quit the mill.
“I think he was successful because he was a very spiritual man,” said Jenkins-DuBois, adding that he was always reading the Bible and underlining verses. “He relied on God rather than his own ego. We went through recessions, but the grace of God kept us going.”
Mr. Jenkins also made good decisions, she said. While he leased the first restaurant, now closed, he subsequently bought his buildings. There are now three locations: 830 Pearl St., 2025 Emerson St. and 5945 New Kings Road.
He also kept the menu simple — ribs, chicken, pork, beef, wings and a handful of sides. Just as it has been for 55 years, it’s cooked over an oak wood-fired pit and wrapped in butcher paper. It’s basted with her grandfather’s secret mustard-based sauce, which is bottled and sold on the Internet.
Mr. Jenkins retired in the late 1990s, but his daughter has carried on as president and CEO. In all, four generations have been involved in the business.
Her mother, who died in 1983, was a good baker. But Jenkins-DuBois said she preferred her father’s cooking because he spiced the food well.
He is also survived by two otherdaughters, Wilhelmina Brown and Pamela Jenkins of Jacksonville; a brother, Van Jenkins of Jacksonville; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. The funeral was at First New Zion Missionary Baptist Church at 4835 Soutel Drive.
Melton Jenkins Jr. loved opening new businesses and over the years, operated six barbecue restaurants.
He died Jan. 2 of pneumonia after a long illness. He was 89.
“My father was an entrepreneur at heart,” said his daughter, Meltonia Jenkins-DuBois. “He opened his first restaurant with the grace of God, $125 and a dream.”
He loved people and once gave a man with no shoes the ones off his own feet, Jenkins-DuBois said. At his visitation, friends spoke of how he gave to others, she said. He contributed to such groups as the Boy Scouts and Little League and once donated property to Edward Waters College. He mentored young men and helped some finish college, his daughter said.
The Jacksonville native quit school in the 10th grade. When Jenkins-DuBois was 10 years old, her father went to night school and did so well that he earned his diploma in one year.
Mr. Jenkins worked at the Jacksonville Shipyards and in the 1940s, opened Junior’s Inn, where he sold short-order meals and gained the nickname “hamburger.”
His next venture was a milk route, but he still aspired to open a restaurant. He and wife, Willie Mae, opened their first Jenkins barbecue in 1957 on Kings Road near Spires Avenue. At the time, he was working at St. Regis Paper Co. With the double load, he was getting little sleep but continued for two or three years until he could afford to quit the mill.
“I think he was successful because he was a very spiritual man,” said Jenkins-DuBois, adding that he was always reading the Bible and underlining verses. “He relied on God rather than his own ego. We went through recessions, but the grace of God kept us going.”
Mr. Jenkins also made good decisions, she said. While he leased the first restaurant, now closed, he subsequently bought his buildings. There are now three locations: 830 Pearl St., 2025 Emerson St. and 5945 New Kings Road.
He also kept the menu simple — ribs, chicken, pork, beef, wings and a handful of sides. Just as it has been for 55 years, it’s cooked over an oak wood-fired pit and wrapped in butcher paper. It’s basted with her grandfather’s secret mustard-based sauce, which is bottled and sold on the Internet.
Mr. Jenkins retired in the late 1990s, but his daughter has carried on as president and CEO. In all, four generations have been involved in the business.
Her mother, who died in 1983, was a good baker. But Jenkins-DuBois said she preferred her father’s cooking because he spiced the food well.
He is also survived by two otherdaughters, Wilhelmina Brown and Pamela Jenkins of Jacksonville; a brother, Van Jenkins of Jacksonville; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. The funeral was at First New Zion Missionary Baptist Church at 4835 Soutel Drive.
2013年1月8日星期二
kidnapping and murders committed against the Groene family
Duncan, who was sentenced to death in 2008 after pleading guilty to kidnapping and torturing two northern Idaho children before killing one of them in western Montana, was back in Boise's U.S. District Court Tuesday for a competency hearing.
The hearing, which was ordered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is intended to determine whether Duncan was mentally competent when he waived his right to appeal his sentence in 2008.
Defense attorney Michael Burt told U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge that experts will testify that Duncan has a medical condition called brain impairment, which may have caused psychosis and other mental problems. They say that for years, Duncan has held a delusional belief system based on an epiphany that he should not participate in his own defense.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott told the judge that the evidence will show that multiple experts and three judges in three different courtrooms all have found Duncan to be competent, and that Duncan himself has consistently demonstrated an ability to make rational decisions.
Duncan has been convicted of five different murders in Idaho, Montana and California. But this competency hearing focuses only on the crimes he committed against young Dylan Groene and his 8-year-old sister, Shasta, in 2005.
Federal prosecutors spent much of the morning eliciting testimony from retired FBI agent Mike Gneckow, who was one of the lead investigators in the Idaho murder and kidnapping cases. Gneckow's wife, Gail Gneckow, is also an FBI agent who worked on the cases, and together they interviewed Duncan multiple times.
It was during those recorded interviews that Duncan talked about his motive for killing, how he chose his targets, and frequently, how he believes that his own death sentence is a greater societal wrong than the torture, kidnapping and murders committed against the Groene family.
Duncan is extremely intelligent and wanted to strike back at society and the criminal justice system for perceived wrongs, Mike Gneckow said.
"He was locked up as a kid, so he wanted to get revenge against society for his lost innocence ... and he chose the method that he thought would cause the most pain against society and that was kids," Gneckow said.
"He essentially said that the criminal justice system is evil, that the criminal justice system is to blame for what he did. He consistently said throughout the interviews that he takes responsibility for what he did but he doesn't take the blame ... the blame rests squarely on society and the criminal justice system," Gneckow recounted.
Duncan frequently talked about what he called his "epiphany," Gneckow said.
Prosecutors played excerpts of that recorded interview, in which Duncan said he had an epiphany while in the Montana wilderness with Shasta Groene, realizing that he was the one making bad choices, the one that was "screwed up."
"I looked at her, and I says, I figured out that's where I want to be, where she is," Duncan said in the recorded interview. "I'm putting myself in her shoes, figuratively and literally in a lot of different ways ... I don't want to idolize her, she's just a little girl, but that's how I want to be, that little girl, like that child."
The goal was to hurt society as much as possible, Duncan said in the interview with the Gneckows, and he said his own death sentence was the greater wrong because it will be carried out by all of society, not just one person.
"To me, it's more important that you guys realize that I was determined to hurt you, to hurt society. I didn't care about the sex. I didn't care about the violence," Duncan said during another excerpt of the recorded interview. "I hated what I was doing but to be hurting you was worth it ... it's very, very human what I did."
During cross-examination, defense attorney Michael Burt focused on other excerpts from the interviews between the Gneckows and Duncan, including one portion where Duncan described praying or talking to the moon one night in Missouri — before he came to Idaho — as he wrestled over whether he should turn himself in for two murders committed years earlier in Washington state or continue on his crime spree.
Duncan said that he subsequently found a gun in a turkey shack and considered it a message from God that he shouldn't turn himself in after all. He continued with his plan, and ultimately used the gun for his crimes in Idaho.
Burt characterized that statement as Duncan literally thinking he heard the voice of God, but Gneckow disagreed, saying he understood Duncan was essentially using a figure of speech.
Defense attorneys said they would call on Duncan's preview defense teams to testify — a dicey proposition since normally any communication between attorneys and their clients are protected from ever being revealed in court under the attorney-client privilege law. If the attorneys do testify, they won't necessarily get to pick and choose which details they share with the court, because talking about one part of their communications with Duncan could open the door for prosecutors to ask them about other communications with the defendant.
Burt said he would seek to have that testimony given in the judge's chambers or in a closed courtroom, because he said it might prompt other clients to worry that someday their private communications with their attorneys would be fodder in court.
The hearing, which was ordered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is intended to determine whether Duncan was mentally competent when he waived his right to appeal his sentence in 2008.
Defense attorney Michael Burt told U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge that experts will testify that Duncan has a medical condition called brain impairment, which may have caused psychosis and other mental problems. They say that for years, Duncan has held a delusional belief system based on an epiphany that he should not participate in his own defense.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott told the judge that the evidence will show that multiple experts and three judges in three different courtrooms all have found Duncan to be competent, and that Duncan himself has consistently demonstrated an ability to make rational decisions.
Duncan has been convicted of five different murders in Idaho, Montana and California. But this competency hearing focuses only on the crimes he committed against young Dylan Groene and his 8-year-old sister, Shasta, in 2005.
Federal prosecutors spent much of the morning eliciting testimony from retired FBI agent Mike Gneckow, who was one of the lead investigators in the Idaho murder and kidnapping cases. Gneckow's wife, Gail Gneckow, is also an FBI agent who worked on the cases, and together they interviewed Duncan multiple times.
It was during those recorded interviews that Duncan talked about his motive for killing, how he chose his targets, and frequently, how he believes that his own death sentence is a greater societal wrong than the torture, kidnapping and murders committed against the Groene family.
Duncan is extremely intelligent and wanted to strike back at society and the criminal justice system for perceived wrongs, Mike Gneckow said.
"He was locked up as a kid, so he wanted to get revenge against society for his lost innocence ... and he chose the method that he thought would cause the most pain against society and that was kids," Gneckow said.
"He essentially said that the criminal justice system is evil, that the criminal justice system is to blame for what he did. He consistently said throughout the interviews that he takes responsibility for what he did but he doesn't take the blame ... the blame rests squarely on society and the criminal justice system," Gneckow recounted.
Duncan frequently talked about what he called his "epiphany," Gneckow said.
Prosecutors played excerpts of that recorded interview, in which Duncan said he had an epiphany while in the Montana wilderness with Shasta Groene, realizing that he was the one making bad choices, the one that was "screwed up."
"I looked at her, and I says, I figured out that's where I want to be, where she is," Duncan said in the recorded interview. "I'm putting myself in her shoes, figuratively and literally in a lot of different ways ... I don't want to idolize her, she's just a little girl, but that's how I want to be, that little girl, like that child."
The goal was to hurt society as much as possible, Duncan said in the interview with the Gneckows, and he said his own death sentence was the greater wrong because it will be carried out by all of society, not just one person.
"To me, it's more important that you guys realize that I was determined to hurt you, to hurt society. I didn't care about the sex. I didn't care about the violence," Duncan said during another excerpt of the recorded interview. "I hated what I was doing but to be hurting you was worth it ... it's very, very human what I did."
During cross-examination, defense attorney Michael Burt focused on other excerpts from the interviews between the Gneckows and Duncan, including one portion where Duncan described praying or talking to the moon one night in Missouri — before he came to Idaho — as he wrestled over whether he should turn himself in for two murders committed years earlier in Washington state or continue on his crime spree.
Duncan said that he subsequently found a gun in a turkey shack and considered it a message from God that he shouldn't turn himself in after all. He continued with his plan, and ultimately used the gun for his crimes in Idaho.
Burt characterized that statement as Duncan literally thinking he heard the voice of God, but Gneckow disagreed, saying he understood Duncan was essentially using a figure of speech.
Defense attorneys said they would call on Duncan's preview defense teams to testify — a dicey proposition since normally any communication between attorneys and their clients are protected from ever being revealed in court under the attorney-client privilege law. If the attorneys do testify, they won't necessarily get to pick and choose which details they share with the court, because talking about one part of their communications with Duncan could open the door for prosecutors to ask them about other communications with the defendant.
Burt said he would seek to have that testimony given in the judge's chambers or in a closed courtroom, because he said it might prompt other clients to worry that someday their private communications with their attorneys would be fodder in court.
2013年1月6日星期日
where they lived and driving them home
He and his wife, Terry, have been running it for 14 years and it raises money for needy children. It's not named after the Alabama coach but for his father, the hardworking man and tough Pop Warner coach who made Saban what he is.
Saban, who isn't one to let his emotions show easily, opened up a bit while talking about his father during media day for the BCS championship.
Saban grew up in rural West Virginia and started working by the time he was 11, "which I think is probably been the most critical thing in the development of the work ethic that I have," he said Saturday.
His father and mother, Mary, instilled in Saban the importance of respecting people and at times he was taught hard lessons.
"There was a bum that used to come to my dad's service station early in the morning because he'd give him free coffee and doughnuts," Saban said. "We had had a tough game the night before, I don't remember whether it was basketball game, a football game or whatever. The guy was giving me a hard time and I sort of sassed him. I was 17 years old. I got the strap right on the spot.
"It was the right thing. I needed to learn a lesson. I was disrespectful to an older person, regardless of the situation."
Big Nick Saban started the Pop Warner football league in which his son played. Saban said his father bought a school bus to drive the kids around, picking them up from the coal mining towns where they lived and driving them home so they wouldn't have to hitchhike.
"He was a tough coach," Saban said. "He expected the best all the time. Probably instilled some of the perfectionist-type characteristics that I have in what I try to do."
Being a quarterback is always about making the right call at the right time.
That's why Alabama's AJ McCarron brought about 30 pairs of shoes to South Florida. Surely there's a penalty for going out in black sneakers and brown pants, right?
"Back at home, I've got a bunch of shoes. I've got at least 130 pair," McCarron said. "I brought like 30 here. At nighttime, I never know what I'm going to wear so I change and try to match."
McCarron typically wears a suit, bow tie and all, to games.
Tailback Eddie Lacy just shakes his head and points to the only pair of shoes — red and white sneakers — he brought to Florida.
"That's all I need," he says. "I've only got two feet. I don't know what's up with (McCarron) and his shoe fetish."
Saban, who isn't one to let his emotions show easily, opened up a bit while talking about his father during media day for the BCS championship.
Saban grew up in rural West Virginia and started working by the time he was 11, "which I think is probably been the most critical thing in the development of the work ethic that I have," he said Saturday.
His father and mother, Mary, instilled in Saban the importance of respecting people and at times he was taught hard lessons.
"There was a bum that used to come to my dad's service station early in the morning because he'd give him free coffee and doughnuts," Saban said. "We had had a tough game the night before, I don't remember whether it was basketball game, a football game or whatever. The guy was giving me a hard time and I sort of sassed him. I was 17 years old. I got the strap right on the spot.
"It was the right thing. I needed to learn a lesson. I was disrespectful to an older person, regardless of the situation."
Big Nick Saban started the Pop Warner football league in which his son played. Saban said his father bought a school bus to drive the kids around, picking them up from the coal mining towns where they lived and driving them home so they wouldn't have to hitchhike.
"He was a tough coach," Saban said. "He expected the best all the time. Probably instilled some of the perfectionist-type characteristics that I have in what I try to do."
Being a quarterback is always about making the right call at the right time.
That's why Alabama's AJ McCarron brought about 30 pairs of shoes to South Florida. Surely there's a penalty for going out in black sneakers and brown pants, right?
"Back at home, I've got a bunch of shoes. I've got at least 130 pair," McCarron said. "I brought like 30 here. At nighttime, I never know what I'm going to wear so I change and try to match."
McCarron typically wears a suit, bow tie and all, to games.
Tailback Eddie Lacy just shakes his head and points to the only pair of shoes — red and white sneakers — he brought to Florida.
"That's all I need," he says. "I've only got two feet. I don't know what's up with (McCarron) and his shoe fetish."
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