Tuesday, April 30, 2013

High school sports: Preps of the week

AUSTIN BROWER, Westlake, track: This junior distance runner had another outstanding meet at the Davis Invitational on Saturday, not a surprise considering he's been outstanding all season.

Coming off victories in the 800 and 1,600 meters at the Desert Hills Invitational earlier this month, Brower finished second in the 800 meters and fifth in the 1,600 meters at the prestigious Davis Invite.

Brower's time of 1:55.54 in the 800 meters is the fifth-fastest time in Utah in 2013. His 4:15.35 showing in the 1,600 meters at Davis is also fifth best in Utah this year.

Brower finished sixth in the 4A 1,600 meters as a sophomore last season, and he should have no problem eclipsing that performance this season.

CERINA ARAGON, East, softball: It isn't just Cerina Aragon's athletic ability that makes her a versatile athlete for the East Leopards.

The sophomore started the season playing predominantly outfield. But when the team needed help at other positions, she stepped up.

"She's a standout player, a good athlete, and solid on the classroom, said East head softball Marianne Bullis. "But what I am really looking forward to is watching her leadership develop."

Aragon may be young but she is one of the Leopards' hardest working players and most determined competitors. She is a multi-sport athlete and very involved in school activities.

"She is just a real vocal leader," said Bullis. "She is very feisty and she just finds a way to get things done."

Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765628325/High-school-sports-Preps-of-the-week.html

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'I'm gay': NBA player Jason Collins breaks barrier

In this photo provided by ABC, NBA basketball veteran Jason Collins, left, poses for a photo with television journalist George Stephanopoulos, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Los Angeles. In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins became the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He participated in an exclusive interview with Stephanopoulos, which is scheduled to air on Good Morning America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless)

In this photo provided by ABC, NBA basketball veteran Jason Collins, left, poses for a photo with television journalist George Stephanopoulos, Monday, April 29, 2013, in Los Angeles. In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins became the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. He participated in an exclusive interview with Stephanopoulos, which is scheduled to air on Good Morning America on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ABC, Eric McCandless)

FILE - In a Friday, Sept. 28, 2012 file photo, Boston Celtics' Jason Collins poses during Celtics NBA basketball media day at the team's training facility in Waltham, Mass. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website. He finished this past season with the Washington Wizards and is now a free agent. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2013 file photo, then-Boston Celtics center Jason Collins (98) guards Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich. Jason Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website. The 34-year-old Collins has played for six NBA teams in 12 seasons. He finished this past season with the Washington Wizards and is now a free agent. He says he wants to continue playing. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson, File)

FILE - Boston Celtics center Jason Collins battles Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) for a rebound during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 in Los Angeles. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - In a Wednesday, April 17, 2013 file photo, Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, right, battles for a rebound against Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago. NBA veteran center Collins has become the first male professional athlete in the major four American sports leagues to come out as gay. Collins wrote a first-person account posted Monday, April 29, 2013 on Sports Illustrated's website. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

(AP) ? Last summer, NBA veteran Jason Collins considered joining an old Stanford college roommate, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, at Boston's gay pride parade.

Collins eventually decided he shouldn't, because he wanted to keep his secret safe: For more than a decade as a professional athlete, he had remained silent about his sexuality, worried about what teammates, opponents, fans ? the world, really ? might think.

Then came the Boston Marathon bombings two weeks ago, which Collins says "reinforced the notion that I shouldn't wait for the circumstances of my coming out to be perfect. Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

So after having, he explains, "endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie," Collins became the first active player in one of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues to come out as gay. He wrote a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website that begins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay."

Most recently a little-used reserve center for the Washington Wizards after a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics, the 7-foot Collins is a free agent who can sign with any team. He wants to keep playing in the NBA.

And he plans to be in Boston on June 8, marching alongside Kennedy at the city's 2013 gay pride parade.

"I didn't doubt for a second, knowing he was gay, that he would be the one to do it," Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, told The Associated Press. "I've never known him to look for publicity, or to look for the spotlight, but given that no one else would raise their hand, I knew he would do it."

Added Kennedy: "I'm so proud of him. And I'm so proud to call him a friend."

Collins' announcement, nearly two weeks after the Wizards' season ended, immediately drew praise and backing not only from pals, current and former teammates and coaches, the NBA itself, and a sponsor, but also from the White House ? President Barack Obama called him ? along with former President Bill Clinton, and athletes in various other sports.

"I certainly appreciate it, as a gay person. Any time you can have someone this high-profile come out, it's just so helpful, particularly to young people. We've reached a tipping point," said Billie Jean King, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles.

"We've got to get rid of the shame. That's the main thing," King said in a telephone interview. "And Jason's going to help that. He's going to help give people courage to come out."

In texts to the AP, Wizards guard Garrett Temple wrote, "I was surprised. I didn't know and I was right next to him in the locker room. It definitely took a lot of courage for him to come out. He was a great teammate," and rookie Bradley Beal wrote: "I didn't know about it! I don't think anyone did! I am proud of his decision to come out and express the way he feels and I'm supportive of that!!"

Collins' coach with the Celtics, Doc Rivers, drew a comparison between Monday's announcement and Jackie Robinson's role when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.

"I am extremely happy and proud of Jason Collins. He's a pro's pro. He is the consummate professional and he is one of my favorite 'team' players I have ever coached," Rivers said. "If you have learned anything from Jackie Robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. It will be society who has to learn tolerance."

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted that he was proud of Collins, writing: "Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," followed by the words "courage" and "support."

Even while hiding his sexual orientation, Collins says, he quietly made a statement for gay rights by wearing No. 98 with the Celtics and Wizards: 1998 was the year Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed, and the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, was founded.

According to the General Social Survey, the public has grown increasingly accepting of gay relationships since the late 1980s. That survey found in 1987 that 76 percent of Americans thought sexual relations between adults of the same sex was morally wrong. That fell to 43 percent by 2012.

"I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted," Collins writes in SI. "And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against."

While some gay athletes have expressed concerns about how earning potentials could be hurt by coming out, King said she thinks Collins' openness could have the opposite effect.

"I have a feeling he's got a whole new career," King said. "I have a feeling he's going to make more in endorsements than he's ever made in his life."

On Monday evening, hours after his story appeared on the web, Collins wrote on Twitter: "All the support I have received today is truly inspirational. I knew that I was choosing the road less traveled but I'm not walking it alone."

Momentum has been building toward this sort of announcement from a pro athlete in a top league in the United States. NFL players Brendan Ayanbadejo and Chris Kluwe were outspoken in support of state gay-marriage amendments during last year's elections. Obama spoke about his support for gay marriage during his campaign.

The topic made waves during Super Bowl week when one player, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, said he wouldn't welcome a gay member of his team. At the time, Ayanbadejo estimated that at least half of the NFL's players would agree with what Culliver said, at least privately.

On Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams reiterating the league's anti-discrimination policy about sexuality. It includes a section on questions teams cannot ask prospective draft picks and free agents. After the NFL combine in February, three players said officials posed questions about sexual orientation.

Earlier this month, the NHL and its players' union partnered with an advocacy organization fighting homophobia in sports, and Commissioner Gary Bettman said the You Can Play Project underlines that "the official policy of the NHL is one of inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands."

"I would say the NHL has been a force to kind of obviously embrace and encourage. ... What (Collins) did, I think it's definitely (good) for basketball, and the same for hockey, too. It's going to be encouraging for more guys to step up and just be open about themselves," Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward said.

Living in the nation's capital last month while the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about same-sex marriage had an effect on Collins, who says "the strain of hiding my sexuality became almost unbearable" at that time.

"Less than three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn't say a thing," he writes.

After being a first-round draft pick in 2001, Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds for the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Celtics and Wizards. He's come to be known more for personal fouls ? he led the league in that category one season ? than flourish.

"I go against the gay stereotype, which is why I think a lot of players will be shocked: That guy is gay? But I've always been an aggressive player, even in high school. Am I so physical to prove that being gay doesn't make you soft? Who knows? That's something for a psychologist to unravel," he says.

As for what response other NBA players will have to his revelation, Collins writes: "The simple answer is, I have no idea."

"Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it's a good place to start. It all comes down to education. I'll sit down with any player who's uneasy about my coming out," he says in his account, adding: "Still, if I'm up against an intolerant player, I'll set a pretty hard pick on him. And then move on."

Former teammate Jerry Stackhouse, now with the Brooklyn Nets, wrote in a text to the AP: "I hope Jason is received well by our NBA family. ... I've already reached out to him personally to show support and will encourage more guys to do the same."

NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement: "Jason has been a widely respected player and teammate throughout his career and we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue."

While Collins is the first male athlete in a major North American professional league to come out while intending to keep playing, several have previously spoken after they retired about being gay, including the NBA's John Amaechi, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo and Major League Baseball's Billy Bean.

"I think he is immensely brave. I think it's a shame in this day and age he has to be immensely brave, but he is," Amaechi told the AP. "He's going to be a remarkable and eloquent spokesperson for what it is to be a decent, authentic human being ? never mind just for gay people."

Rick Welts, president and chief operating officer of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, is openly gay.

"He probably knows what he signed up for. There'll be a whole bunch more television reporters and cameras than he's probably had in the past. ... There had been a long bit of speculation about when, who, how. I think that speculation has been put to rest now," Welts said, "and we'll always remember that Jason Collins was the first man to do this."

Collins says that if he remains in the NBA, he could face uncomfortable reactions from spectators.

"I don't mind if they heckle me. I've been booed before. There have been times when I've wanted to boo myself. But a lot of ill feelings can be cured by winning," he writes.

In February, former U.S. soccer national team player Robbie Rogers said he was gay ? and retired at the same time. Rogers is just 25, and others have urged him to resume his career.

"I feel a movement coming," he tweeted after word of Collins' news broke.

Female athletes have found more acceptance in coming out; Brittney Griner, a two-time AP women's college basketball player of the year now headed to the WNBA, caused few ripples when she said this month she is a lesbian. Tennis great Martina Navratilova, who came out decades ago, tweeted Monday that Collins is "a brave man."

"1981 was the year for me ? 2013 is the year for you," her post said.

Sports leagues in Britain and elsewhere in Europe have been trying to combat anti-gay bias. But the taboo remains particularly strong in soccer, where there are no openly gay players in Europe's top leagues and homophobic chants are still heard at some games.

Soccer "is not going to change," said Amaechi, who is English and now lives in Manchester. "If it wanted to change, it would change. It has the resources to do so. It doesn't want to change."

Justin Fashanu is the only significant British soccer player to have come out publicly, doing so in 1990. The former Nottingham Forest and Norwich City striker was found hanged in a London garage in 1998 at age 37. According to an inquest, Fashanu left a note saying that, because he was gay, he feared he wouldn't get a fair trial in the United States on sexual assault charges. Maryland police were seeking him on charges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy.

Among other athletes outside the U.S. to come out was Gareth Thomas, a Welsh rugby star who attracted widespread media attention in 2009 when he announced he was gay. He continued playing until retirement in 2011.

Orlando Cruz of Puerto Rico came out in October as the first openly gay professional male boxer. Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury came out six years after winning a gold medal in the backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis of the U.S. revealed he was gay in 1994, a year before announcing he was also HIV-positive. Former Olympic skiing gold medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden announced last year, after retiring, that she was in a long-term relationship with a woman.

In SI, Collins recounts that the first relative he came out to was his aunt, Teri Jackson, a San Francisco Superior Court Judge.

"I don't think Jason looked at his life as being a trailblazer," Jackson said Monday. "He has no regrets coming out. And he wants to play. And we'll see what happens next."

Collins says he told his twin brother, Jarron, last summer. Jarron was also a longtime NBA center who last played in the league in the 2010-11 season.

"He was downright astounded," Collins says.

Collins writes self-effacingly about his journeyman NBA career and a parlor game he calls "Three Degrees of Jason Collins," explaining: "If you're in the league, and I haven't been your teammate, I surely have been one of your teammates' teammates. Or one of your teammates' teammates' teammates."

That joking, though, leads to a larger point.

"Some people insist they've never met a gay person. But Three Degrees of Jason Collins dictates that no NBA player can claim that anymore. Pro basketball is a family. And pretty much every family I know has a brother, sister or cousin who's gay," Collins concludes. "In the brotherhood of the NBA, I just happen to be the one who's out."

___

AP Sports Writers Joseph White, Nancy Armour, Larry Lage, Brian Mahoney, Antonio Gonzalez, Rachel Cohen, Paul Newberry, Jimmy Golen, Howard Ulman, Rob Harris, Steve Wilson, Richard Rosenblatt and Tom Withers, and Associated Press Writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Cara Rubinsky, Jennifer Agiesta, Steve Peoples, Josh Lederman and Terry Chea contributed to this report.

___

Howard Fendrich is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-04-30-Jason%20Collins%20Comes%20Out/id-3eceb784b9bf494f9928a61db56b737c

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Hagel: US assessing reported Syrian chemical use

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. and its allies are still trying to figure out details of Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Monday, as international officials pressed for broader access to suspected attack sites.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, Hagel refused to discuss any military options including whether or not the U.S. would be willing to take unilateral action against the Syrian regime or if the administration would act only in concert with allies.

The Obama administration said last week that U.S. intelligence had concluded that Syrian government forces likely used chemical agents against rebels in two attacks, but said there were "varying degrees of confidence" about how large an attack it may have been.

Since then the administration has come under withering criticism from members of Congress demanding that the U.S. take steps to protect the Syrian people by setting up either a safe zone or a no-fly zone over at least parts of the country.

"We are continuing to assess what happened -- when, where," said Hagel. "I think we should wait to get the facts before we make any judgments on what action, if any should be taken, and what kind of action."

U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, have said that chemical weapons ? likely the nerve agent sarin ? were used on two occasions.

Syria wants any investigation limited to an incident in the Khan al-Assal village in the Aleppo province in March that reportedly killed 31 people, but U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants a broader investigation, that would include a December incident in Homs.

Britain, France, Israel and Qatar also believe chemical weapons have been used in Syria's two-year-old civil war. President Barack Obama has said that use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad's regime, or the transfer of those stockpiles to terrorists would cross a "red line" and have "enormous consequences."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-us-assessing-reported-syrian-chemical-185728573.html

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Rally against looting ancient Egyptian necropolis

DAHSHOUR, Egypt (AP) ? Egyptian youths protested Monday at a key historic site, demanding that authorities put a stop to looting and construction that threatens one of the nation's oldest pyramids and burial grounds.

Illegal construction of a new cemetery has been going on for months in part of a 4,500-year-old pharaonic necropolis. The expansion has encroached on the largely unexplored complex of Dahshour, where Pharaoh Sneferu experimented with the first smooth-sided pyramids that his son Khufu, also known as Cheops, employed at the more famous Giza Plateau nearby, when he built the Great Pyramid.

Authorities issued an order in January to remove the construction equipment, instructing the Interior Ministry's police to implement it, but no action has been taken.

Also, a security vacuum that followed Egypt's 2011 popular uprising has encouraged looters to step up their illegal digs, clashing with guards at the site.

On Monday, dozens of young protesters at the site about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Cairo held up a sign that read: "God does not bless a nation that gives up its heritage."

Ramadan Mohammed, a 20-year old student from the nearby village of Mansheyet Dahshour, said he witnessed looting himself. He said he wanted to show that Dahshour residents were not responsible and should not to be blamed.

"I'm here to see the government's response," Mohammed said, with the shadow of Pharaoh Sneferu's Bent Pyramid looming in the background. "The military was in control of the country all this past period, they should have protected the site and caught the looters. Instead, they stood there doing nothing," he complained.

Antiquities experts warn that construction of the new cemetery also endangers the ancient complex.

Villagers say their cemeteries are full, but authorities do not give permits or land for new ones, so they grabbed what they insist is empty desert land to erect family tombs.

The area, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, also includes the adjacent Valley Temple and the 3,800-year-old Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III.

Nearby is Sneferu's Bent Pyramid, some 700 years older, with its distinctive bent sides believed to have been caused when the builders had to correct the angle halfway through construction. Farther away is the Red Pyramid, where Sneferu's builders got the angles right, producing the first smooth-sided pyramid, evolving from the stepped structures built by earlier dynasties.

Antiquity restoration specialist Marwa el-Zeini, who was at the protest, blamed authorities for failing to stop the cemetery construction.

Mohamed Youssef, head of antiquities for Dahshour, dismissed the protest as a media stunt.

Monica Hanna, an independent archaeologist who has worked at Dahshour, praised the local initiative.

"It's the first time the local community is taking a step forward, rather than the academics," Hanna said. "Previously, it would always appear that the academics were against the residents."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rally-against-looting-ancient-egyptian-necropolis-204747299.html

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CSN: Carlos Ruiz returns from suspension

NEW YORK ? Catcher Carlos Ruiz was back in the Phillies? lineup Sunday after serving a 25-game suspension for testing positive for a banned stimulant late last season.

To make room for Ruiz on the roster, the Phillies designated catcher Humberto Quintero for assignment. Team officials debated whether to keep Quintero or Erik Kratz as the backup to Ruiz. Ultimately they decided on Kratz, who filled in while Ruiz was injured late last season and got the bulk of the reps while Ruiz was out this month.

The Phils have 10 days to dispose of Quintero?s contract. He could be released, traded or outrighted to Triple A if he clears waivers. Quintero had previously agreed to go to the minors for 45 days. Phillies officials are hopeful that he clears waivers and can remain in the system as depth.

?We?ll see how it plays out,? assistant GM Scott Proefrock said. ?But there?s a chance he could still be with us and, selfishly, we hope he is.?

Manager Charlie Manuel wasted no time getting Ruiz in the lineup. He was holding down the No. 5 spot in the batting order between Michael Young and Domonic Brown. Ryan Howard got a day off with Mets lefty Jonathon Niese on the mound. The Phils countered with lefty Cole Hamels.

Ruiz, 34, had a career year in 2012. He hit .325 (50 points above his career average) with 16 homers and 68 RBIs in 372 at-bats. He blossomed into a middle-of-the-order hitter and made his first all-star team.

Kratz and Quintero combined to hit just .209 with four doubles, two homers and nine RBIs while Ruiz was out. Their combined on-base percentage was just .242 and they had 21 strikeouts and four walks.

Needless to say, the Phils will welcome Ruiz? bat ? even if there?s a leveling off after last year?s across-the-board career-highs.

Ruiz was asked whether he believed he could be the same hitter he was last season.

?I feel great,? Ruiz said. ?For me, that?s very important. I?m healthy and we?ll see what happens.?

As far back as early spring training, Ruiz has not answered specific questions about his use of Adderall last season. Adderall is used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Ruiz was using it without a therapeutic use exemption, hence the suspension.

Ruiz declined to say Sunday if he?d taken the necessary steps that would allow him to continue to take the drug.

?I don?t want to say anything about that,? he said. ?It?s all in the past.

?It?s a nice feeling that everything is over. I?m real happy to come back.?

Source: http://www.csnphilly.com/baseball-philadelphia-phillies/ruiz-back-lineup-phillies-hope-keep-quintero

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Supreme Court won't lift block on Alabama immigration law

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed the state of Alabama, and gave a win to the Obama administration, by declining to review a lower court ruling that had blocked a controversial part of the state's tough immigration law.

Alabama had asked the high court to review an appeals court decision to stop enforcement of the 'harboring' provision that made it illegal to harbor or transport anyone in the state who had entered the country illegally.

The appeals court had acted in 2012 at the Obama administration's request. The White House had said that Alabama's law was trumped by federal immigration law.

The Alabama law, enacted in 2011, is considered one of the toughest state immigration statutes in the nation. The law also made it illegal to encourage people to either enter or stay in the country in violation of federal immigration laws.

The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in two separate decisions, upheld injunctions against the harboring provision and other parts of the law in August 2012.

A brief order issued by the court on Monday said Justice Antonin Scalia disagreed with the decision not to hear the case.

The Obama administration has challenged other provisions of the Alabama law, but they were not at issue in the case before the high court.

In 2012, the justices partially upheld a similar wide-ranging law enacted in Arizona.

Arizona and eight other states have similar laws. Laws in Georgia and South Carolina are also being challenged in court.

The case is Alabama v. United States, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-884.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Jackie Frank)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/justices-decline-review-alabama-immigration-law-134547712.html

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Musical of 'Rocky' heading to Broadway

This undated publicity image originally released by United Artists shows Sylvester Stallone posing in character as Rocky Balboa in the boxing film, "Rocky." It's been a knock-out in Germany. Now Stallone hopes a musical based on his beloved boxing film ?Rocky? will also be a hit on Broadway. Producers say they hope to get ?Rocky? up and punching at the Winter Garden by February following a successful debut in Hamburg last fall. Based on the Oscar-winning 1976 film, the musical features a score by ?Ragtime? veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a story by Thomas Meehan, who wrote ?The Producers? and ?Hairspray.? (AP Photo/United Artists)

This undated publicity image originally released by United Artists shows Sylvester Stallone posing in character as Rocky Balboa in the boxing film, "Rocky." It's been a knock-out in Germany. Now Stallone hopes a musical based on his beloved boxing film ?Rocky? will also be a hit on Broadway. Producers say they hope to get ?Rocky? up and punching at the Winter Garden by February following a successful debut in Hamburg last fall. Based on the Oscar-winning 1976 film, the musical features a score by ?Ragtime? veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a story by Thomas Meehan, who wrote ?The Producers? and ?Hairspray.? (AP Photo/United Artists)

(AP) ? It's been a knockout in Germany. Now Sylvester Stallone hopes a musical based on his beloved boxing film "Rocky" will also be a hit on Broadway.

Producers said Sunday they plan to get "Rocky" up and punching at the Winter Garden by February following a successful debut in Hamburg last fall.

Based on the Oscar-winning 1976 film, the musical features a score by "Ragtime" veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a story by Thomas Meehan, who wrote "The Producers" and "Hairspray."

Originally written in English but translated into German for its world premiere and billed as "Rocky: Das Musical," the show is produced by Stallone and Stage Entertainment USA.

"The reason I think it has worked so well there and why I think it'll work on Broadway is that, yes, it's a story about boxing, but the real story is actually an intimate, powerful and gritty and moving love story between two people who are both lonely and in a difficult place in their worlds," said Bill Taylor, managing director of Stage Entertainment USA. "They rescue each other. It's very uplifting."

The musical stays close to the film, which charted the rise and romance of amateur boxer and debt collector Rocky Balboa, played in Germany by Drew Sarich. No casting has been decided for New York.

In the story, Balboa, nicknamed the Italian Stallion, gets his shot against undefeated heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, played in the film by Carl Weathers. He also woos a love interest, Adrianna "Adrian" Pennino. Stallone wrote the screenplay and it won the best picture Oscar in 1976.

The film made famous the image of Balboa running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the quote "Yo, Adrian!" The German production kept the trumpet-laden funky theme "Gonna Fly Now" and the anthem "Eye of the Tiger," written for "Rocky III." Both will also be in the Broadway version.

The director is Alex Timbers, who directed Broadway's "The Pee-wee Herman Show" and directed and wrote the book for "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson." The boxing choreography is being done by Steven Hoggett, who choreographed "American Idiot," ''Peter and the Starcatcher" and "Once."

"This is not boxers doing a kick line," Taylor said. "It's stunning movement representing some of the sparring and the fighting. It's very, very cleverly created."

"Rocky" will be the first new tenant at the Winter Garden Theatre in years. The show that's been there since 2001, "Mamma Mia!," is transferring to another Broadway venue.

The musical will follow two other boxing-related works to appear on Broadway recently: Mike Tyson's one-man show about his life in and out of the ring, and a revival of Clifford Odets' "Golden Boy" about a young man torn between his natural talent as a violinist and the fast money of boxing.

___

Online: http://www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com .

___

Follow Mark Kennedy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-28-US-Theater-Rocky/id-038535885ba7488a84226ca016e2546c

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Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei Insists His Company Is ?Completely Transparent? In An Internal Email

Ren ZhengfeiAn internal email written by Huawei founder Ren Zheng-fei and obtained by Sina Tech (link via Google Translate) sheds light on the secretive Chinese firm's future. In it, Ren downplays his company's reputation for opacity, which has fueled charges that Huawei, the world's second largest maker of telecom equipment, is involved in espionage for the Chinese government. Ren, who is 68 and rumored to be near retirement, also insisted that he will not hand over Huawei's reins to a family member despite reports to the contrary.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5eknXFcbjNY/

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The Woman Who Received the First Successful Womb Transplant Is Now Six Weeks Pregnant

Derya Sert, a 22-year-old Turkish woman, is officially six-weeks into a normal, healthy pregnancy. The absolutely remarkable part? Sert was born without a womb and received the first successful uterus transplant ever.

After performing the actual surgery in 2011, doctors were able to use her own eggs, which they then fertilized before placing an embryo in her brand new womb this March.

Of course, Sert is still at an early stage in her pregnancy, and doctors won't really be able to claim absolute success until they're holding the screaming, amniotic-fluid-covered bundle of joy in their hands. But at least for now, this still incredible victory can provide hope to countless women in Sert's same position. [Washington Post]

[Shutterstock/Juan Gaertner]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-woman-who-received-the-first-successful-womb-transp-484688659

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Nintendo's refurb shop is now selling refurbished DSi XL and 3DSs for $100 up.

Nintendo's refurb shop is now selling refurbished DSi XL and 3DSs for $100 up. Leaves some change for games!

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5995496/

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Monday, April 8, 2013

Report points to worldwide rise in anti-Semitic incidents

A report by Tel Aviv University and the European Jewish Congress found a 30 percent jump in anti-Semetic violence and vandalism in 2012. Researchers saw a correlation between extreme right-wing parties and high levels of anti-Semitic incidents in certain countries.

By Ariel David,?Associated Press / April 7, 2013

Police officers gather at the site of a shooting where a gunman opened fire in front of a Jewish school in a city in Toulouse, southwestern France March 19, 2012. Israeli researchers and Jewish leaders on Sunday reported 30 percent jump in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism last year, topped by a deadly school shooting in France, and expressed alarm about the rise of neo-Nazi parties in Hungary, Greece and other countries.

Bruno Martin/AP/File

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Israeli researchers and Jewish leaders on Sunday reported a 30 percent jump in anti-Semitic violence and vandalism last year, topped by a deadly school shooting in France, and expressed alarm about the rise of far-right parties in Hungary, Greece and other countries.

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Following a two-year decline in the figures, the annual report on worldwide anti-Semitic incidents recorded 686 attacks in 34 countries, ranging from physical violence to vandalism of synagogues and cemeteries, compared to 526 in 2011. The report was issued at Tel Aviv University, in cooperation with the European Jewish Congress, an umbrella group representing Jewish communities across Europe.

The report linked the March 2012 shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, where an extremist Muslim gunman killed four, to a series of copycat attacks, particularly in France, where physical assaults on Jews almost doubled.

Researchers who presented the report at the university on Sunday said they had also found a direct correlation between the strengthening of extreme right-wing parties in some European countries and high levels of anti-Semitic incidents, as well as attacks on other minorities and immigrants.

They said Europe's economic crisis was fueling the success of parties like Jobbik in Hungary, Golden Dawn in Greece and Svoboda in Ukraine.

Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, called for strong action by the European Union, charging that governments ? particularly Hungary ?were not doing enough to curb these parties' activities and protect minorities.

"Neo-Nazis have been once again legalized in Europe, they are openly sitting in parliaments," said Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress.

Golden Dawn swept into Greece's parliament for the first time in June on an anti-immigrant platform. The party rejects the neo-Nazi label but is fond of Nazi literature and references. In Hungary, a Jobbik lawmaker has called for Jews to be screened as potential security risks. The leader of Ukraine's Svoboda denies his party is anti-Semitic but has repeatedly used derogatory terms to refer to Jews.

The report by the university's Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry found little correlation between the increase of anti-Semitic attacks and Israel's military operation in Gaza in November. While there was a spike in incidents at the time, it was much smaller in number and intensity than the one that followed the Toulouse attack, said Roni Stauber, the chief researcher on the project.

"This shows that the desire to harm Jews is deeply rooted among extremist Muslims and right-wingers, regardless of events in the Middle East," he said.

The release of the report was timed to coincide with Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was starting Sunday at sundown.

On the net:?http://www.kantorcenter.tau.ac.il/

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/eCNtxeE2-6Q/Report-points-to-worldwide-rise-in-anti-Semitic-incidents

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Facebook barges into Google turf with Home

From left, HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

From left, HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Cell phones with the a new Facebook interface are displayed at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Michael Goodwin, Senior Partner for HTC, displays an HTC First cell phone wit the new Facebook interface at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2013. The company says it is not building a phone or an operating system. Rather, Facebook is introducing a new experience for Android phones. The idea behind the new Home service is to bring content right to you, rather than require people to check apps on the device. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

(AP) ? Facebook Home, the new software that takes over the front screen of a smartphone, is a bit of a corporate home invasion. Facebook is essentially moving into Google's turf, taking advantage of software the search giant and competitor created.

Home will operate on phones running Google Inc.'s Android software and present Facebook status updates, messages and other content on the home screen, rather than making the user fire up Facebook's app. The software will be available for users to download on April 12 and will come preloaded on a new phone from HTC Corp., sold by AT&T Inc. in the U.S.

Google gives away Android, the most popular smartphone software in the world, in the hope that it will steer phone users toward Google services, such as Maps and Gmail, and the ads it sells. Compared with ads targeting PC surfers, mobile ads are a small market, but it's growing quickly. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion.

With Home, Facebook Inc. is inserting itself between users and Google, diverting them to the social network's own ads and services. It's taking advantage of the fact that Google places few restrictions on how phone manufacturers and software developers modify Android. By contrast, Home would not work on the iPhone without approval from Apple Inc., and close collaboration with the company.

"Facebook Home can only reside on Android because only Google was daft enough to allow it," independent phone analyst Horace Dediu said via Twitter.

At the launch event Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Google was aware of the project, but Facebook didn't work with the company to create Home. Asked if he believed Google could change tactics and restrict apps such as Home, he said it was theoretically possible, but highly unlikely for Google to do a "180-degree change" in its stance on Android's openness.

It's not the first time a big Internet company has co-opted Android: Amazon.com Inc. has gone much further with its Kindle Fire tablets. They run a version of Android that strips out all Google services, replacing them with Amazon's equivalents. Barnes & Noble Inc. does the same thing with its Nook tablets. These devices lie outside the Google system, whereas phones running Facebook Home still come with Google apps such as Maps and the Play Store for music, movies and applications.

The Play Store has many examples of downloadable applications that modify the Android home screen ? so-called "launchers." Home, however, represents the first time a major Internet company and Google competitor has created a downloadable launcher.

J.P. Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said Home may increase the pressure on Google to find ways to get people to spend more time on its Plus social network, which so far hasn't been as magnetic as Facebook's hangout. Anmuth also believes the communication tools built into Home could decrease usage of Google's Gmail and Gchat services.

But Zuckerberg said the app will help Google.

"I think this is really good for Android," Zuckerberg told the audience at the launch event in Menlo Park, Calif. Developers do their best work on the iPhone first, but with Home, Facebook is putting Android first. If consumers want the Facebook Home experience, they'll have to get an Android phone.

In a statement, Google seemed to agree. "This latest device demonstrates the openness and flexibility that has made Android so popular," it said.

___

AP Technology Writers Barbara Ortutay in New York and Michael Liedtke in Menlo Park, Calif., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-05-Facebook%20Home-Google/id-7716aa480be0450c84551d9970544edd

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

Kerry seeks speedy fix for Turkish-Israeli ties

ISTANBUL (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged Turkish leaders Sunday to speedily restore full diplomatic relations with Israel, two American allies the U.S. sees as anchors of stability in a Middle East wracked by Syria's civil war, Arab Spring political upheavals and the potential threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.

Turkey, however, demanded that Israel end all "embargoes" against the Palestinians first.

In Istanbul on the first leg of a 10-day overseas trip, Kerry met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with the aim of firming up the rapprochement between Turkey and Israel that President Barack Obama kick-started during a visit to the Jewish state last month.

Kerry met later Sunday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan before traveling on to Israel.

"We would like to see this relationship that is important to stability in the Middle East and critical to the peace process ... get back on track in its full measure," Kerry told reporters at a joint news conference with Davutoglu. He said that meant promises of "compensation be fulfilled, ambassadors be returned and full relations be embraced."

The two nations were once close partners, but the relationship plummeted in 2010 after an Israeli raid on a flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. Eight Turks and a Turkish-American died.

Before leaving Israel two weeks ago, Obama arranged a telephone conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Erdogan. Netanyahu apologized for the incident, and compensation talks are expected to begin this week.

But Davutoglu suggested that full normalization of ties would probably take some time.

"There is an offense that has been committed and there needs to be accountability," Davutoglu said. He signaled that Turkey would pursue a "careful" advance toward a complete restoration of relations, with compensation and an end to Israeli trade restrictions on the Gaza Strip as the stumbling blocks.

"All of the embargoes should be eliminated once and for all," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Fixing the Turkish-Israeli relationship has been a long-sought goal of the Obama administration, and the U.S. desperately wants significant progress by the time Erdogan visits the White House in mid-May.

The Turks have reveled somewhat in what they view as a diplomatic victory, with billboards in Ankara celebrating Netanyahu's apology and praising Erdogan for bringing pride to his country. Perhaps seeking to buffer his leverage further, Erdogan signaled shortly after the call that he was in no hurry to finalize the deal and pledged to visit the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory soon.

From a U.S. strategic sense, cooperation between the American allies has only become more important as Syria's two-year conflict has grown ever deadlier. More than 70,000 people have died in the war, according to the United Nations, but the U.S. fears it could get even worse ? by spilling into neighboring countries or through chemical weapons being used. Both potential scenarios have prompted intense contingency planning among Washington and its regional partners, Israel and Turkey included.

Kerry, who noted his twice-weekly telephone chats with Davutoglu, spoke of shared U.S. and Turkish efforts to support Syria's opposition coalition. The opposition has suffered from poor coordination between its political leadership and the military factions leading the fight against the Assad regime, and from intense infighting among those who seek to guide the amorphous movement's overall strategy.

Turkey has gone further than the U.S. in its assistance, accepting some 180,000 Syrians as refugees and sending advanced weaponry to rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad. The U.S. is only providing non-lethal aid to the rebels in the form of meals, medical kits and training.

Kerry praised Turkey for its generosity toward refugees and commitment to keeping its borders open, an issue of growing U.S. concern as the outflow of Syrians stretches the capacities of neighboring countries to accommodate them.

"The United States and Turkey will continue cooperating toward the shared goal of a peaceful transition in Syria," he said.

Although given short shrift at the news conference, a U.S. official stressed ahead of Kerry's meetings that he would also urge the Turks to remain cautious over the contentious issue of Iraqi oil.

Turkey wants to import oil directly from Iraq's autonomous Kurds in the north, a step that would enrage the central government in Baghdad and one the U.S. opposes. Washington doesn't want the riches of Iraq to bring the country back to sectarian warfare and has urged that any export arrangement get the Iraqi government's blessing.

The secretary of state is flying later Sunday to Israel, his third trip there in the span of two weeks. He'll meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday night, followed by Netanyahu and other senior Israeli and Palestinian officials Monday as part of a fresh American bid to unlock the long-stalled Middle East peace process.

Conversations in Israel will also cover shared U.S. and Israeli concerns over Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. and other world powers met the Islamic republic in Kazakhstan for another round of negotiations, but no breakthrough was announced on a proposed deal that would see international sanctions on Iran eased if Tehran convinces the world it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Kerry said the "door is still open" for a negotiated agreement, but that the onus was on the Iranians.

"If you have a peaceful program for nuclear power, as a number of nations do, it's not hard to prove that," he said. "They have chosen not to live up to the international requirements and standards with respect to verification of their program."

The other stops on his trip are Britain, South Korea, China and Japan. He returns to Washington on April 15.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-seeks-speedy-fix-turkish-israeli-ties-101244805--politics.html

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Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service (Sports Management/Finance/Admin) - Pro Sports (United States)

Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service (Sports Management/Finance/Admin)

Job Number: 84239752
Company Name:Pro Sports
Location: Denver, US
Career Focus:Sales & Sales Management
Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service (Sports Management/Finance/Admin)
The Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service will report to the team President. The position is responsible for all ticket sales and activities related to the conceptualization, implementation and direction of all team ticketing programs and ticketing staff for both sales and service. The position is based in Denver, Colorado.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Establish ticketing strategy in collaboration with Team President and Chief Marketing Officer in accordance with overall team marketing and branding strategy
Analyze existing ticket prices and policies and set annual direction and price points and programs
Manage full and part-time ticket sales team
Achieve overall ticketing revenue targets
Manage box office staff
Manage existing customer database
Conduct annual goal setting, mid-year and annual performance reviews for direct reports
Network with community leaders regarding ticketing partnerships
Work game nights
Train sales staff and manage their workflow
Institute a sales and service culture that maximizes top level sales, service and retention
Responsible for development of ticketing staff and timely performance management
Other duties as requested

Qualifications

Bachelor degree
Minimum of 5 - 7 years of proven ticket sales experience, preferably in sports / entertainment industries
Public speaking and presentation skills
Highly motivated
Previous financial experience with revenue and expense budgets and ability to achieve financial goals
Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point
Ability to meet tight deadlines and work well under pressure
Experience in managing teams
Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks / projects
Ability to work collaboratively with others and ability to build strong interpersonal relationships
Availability and willingness to work extended hours, including nights and weekends and be on-call as necessary

Compensation

Salary will be commensurate with experience
Compensation will be a combination of salary, sales commission and team profit sharing
Health benefits, 401K, parking

Get Started Applying for this Job by entering your email address below.

Source: http://www.job-search-engine.com/job/000000008umlu9?impression_id=q4_GUnGcTCyZGMIXSqj6_Q

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Why Mounting Your TV Above the Fireplace Is Never a Good Idea

Why Mounting Your TV Above the Fireplace Is Never a Good Idea When setting up your home theater, it's tempting to mount the TV above your fireplace. This arrangement seems like a great use of space, but it's actually one of the worst things you can do for both the TV itself, and for your own viewing experience.

It's Bad for the TV

First and foremost, the heat and soot generated by a fireplace can raise the operating temperature of the set, and reduce its usable life span. If the damage to the internals is noticeable, the manufacturer could even refuse warranty service. This won't really matter if you rarely use the fireplace, but it's a non-starter if you do.

It's a Pain in the Neck

Even if you aren't concerned about damaging the TV, you'll still strain your neck watching it it if it's mounted too high. Geoff Morrison at CNET likens it to sitting in the front row of a movie theater every time you watch TV, and suggests placing the center of the screen at eye level from your standard sitting position, or even slightly below. Apartment Therapy offers similar advice, recommending that the top of the screen should only be about 15 degrees above your horizontal plane of vision. By either measure, hanging your screen above a fireplace isn't remotely close to an optimal position. In fact, you'd be better off mounting it inside the fireplace.

It Hurts Your Image Quality

If this weren't enough, most LCD and LED-backlit sets still suffer from poor viewing angles, so looking at them from below can spoil your experience. An exhaustive 2008 DisplayMate study found that every LCD TV they tested suffered from noticeable color shifts at less than 15 degrees, far less than the angle from your couch to the top of a fireplace-mounted screen. LCD technology has improved somewhat in recent years, but unless you have a plasma screen or an expensive IPS display, you'll never get as vibrant a picture from a mantle-mounted TV as you would from one at eye level.

If you spent good money on a new flat panel, you want to put it in a position to shine. So avoid the fireplace and find another wall to mount it lower, or set it on an entertainment center. Your TV, neck, and eyes will thank you for it.

The Home Theater Mistake We Keep Seeing Over and Over Again | Apartment Therapy

Photo by ewen and donabel

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Z_SmLC5IDmw/why-mounting-your-tv-above-the-fireplace-is-never-a-good-idea

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1995 1.8 Exculsiv White Vw Golf 1 with 165000km, air-con, 17"ma ( Sunnyside & Arcadia ) R 38,000

Date Listed 06/04/2013
Price R 38,000
Address 278 Johan Street, Pretoria 0007, South Africa
View map
For Sale By Owner
Make Volkswagen
Model Golf
Year 1995
Kilometers 165000
Body Type Hatchback
Transmission Manual
Air Conditioning Yes
Colour White
Drivetrain Front-wheel drive (FWD)


1995 1.8 Exculsiv White Vw Golf 1 with 165000km, air-con, 17"mags, Alarm, immobilizer, central locking system, spare keys, gear lock, tow-bar, clean interior and exterior, one owner. Attached are some photos. Call Ernest on 0736114723. R38000 negotiable

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Ten LGBTA Books In My Classroom Library by Chris Kervina | Nerdy ...

At Airline Park Elementary, Mariah didn?t quite fit in with our 2nd grade class. She was?different somehow. A bit brash and more of a tomboy than many of us, she seemed to draw the attention of the class bullies, and she got in trouble when she reacted angrily to their teasing.

Mariah may have gone to my school for only a short time. I remember her in the 2nd grade, but not after. We weren?t really friends, but she still lives in my memory because of one particular day.

While rehearsing for the 2nd grade play, where I made my one and only stage appearance as a haystack, some of the other kids teased her as we waited around. They started by singing ?They Called The Wind Mariah? when she walked by on the stage. As usual, she started to get aggravated. Then one boy called her a name I?d never heard before.

?Lesbian!?

The boy spat that unfamiliar word at her, and she screamed back at him. I didn?t know what that meant, but I knew it must have been bad. The boy said it like he would have said one of the bad words adults use sometimes when they are angry. I thought that being a lesbian, whatever that was, must be awful.

Looking back, I wonder if Mariah was a lesbian. If she was, she probably didn?t find the refuge I did in books. During middle and high school, the books I read on my own, and certainly the ones I read in school, wouldn?t have reflected her. There were plenty of boys and girls falling in love to mirror the experiences of my peers, but they didn?t have female characters that suddenly discovered they had crushes on each other. If Mariah questioned her sexuality in the age before the Internet, she didn?t have any models or mirrors that kids need.

One of the courses I took to prepare to switch from working in the government contracting world to teaching was an elective called Young Adult Literature in Multicultural Settings, taught by Dr. Linda Hanrahan. Linda required us to explore YA books that represented the diversity we might encounter in our own classes. Perhaps inspired by Mariah, my friends from college, and my own experiences, I took on a study of gender and sexual identity in YA as my culminating project.

That class was the start of what has become my classroom library. Though some of those books have disappeared over the years (Love Rules, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies), half remain in my classroom library today. Others have joined them. They deal with many issues faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) teens, their friends, and their families.

Here are 10 LBGTQ books ?I have in my classroom library. This is by no means an exhaustive list. However, these 10 (+1 bonus!) have been a good start toward ensuring that my high school classroom has books for every reader.

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden (1992-L)

When 17-year-olds Liza and Annie meet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they form an instant friendship that turns romantic. Liza struggles to understand her feelings after she and Annie are discovered together by a school administrator.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999-G)

High school freshman ?Charlie? writes to an anonymous person about his first year in high school. He befriends Sam and her step-brother Patrick, who is gay. One subplot involves Patrick? secret relationship with Brad, the football team?s quarterback. Perks is #16 on NPR?s 2012 ?Best-Ever Teen Novels.?

Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez (2001-G, Q)

Senior and popular athlete Jason begins to question his sexuality and goes to a meeting for gay youth. There he meets Kyle, a swimmer who is coming to accept his sexuality, and Kyle?s best friend Nelson, a flamboyantly gay senior. As they bond over their fears about coming out, Kyle and Jason become more than friends. The book also deals with casual sex, meaningful relationships, and HIV.

Luna by Julie Anne Peters (2004-T)

In this 2004 National Book Award finalist, the fifteen-year-old narrator, Regan, has always known?her brother Liam?s secret: he cannot stand who he pretends to be during the day. At night, Liam transforms himself into Luna with the help of his sister?s clothes and makeup. Regan alternately fears Liam/Luna will harm or reveal himself. When Liam/Luna considers openly embracing her identity as a woman, can Regan support her?

Out of the Pocket by Bill Koningsberg (2008-G)

Senior football star Bobby Framingham knows he?s gay, but keeps his sexual orientation secret from his teammates and coach. Tired of hiding, he confides in ?friend? Finch Gozman,. Finch, a high school reporter who desperately wants to be a journalist, writes a news story that outs Bobby, who must deal with the fallout.

.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (2010-G)

Will Grayson has been best friends with Tiny Cooper since grade school. The only thing tiny about Tiny Cooper is his name; he?s out, outrageous, and lovable. When Will Grayson accidentally encounters another Will Grayson, the lives of all three are changed. Both funny and poignant, this was the first gay themed YA to debut on NYT Bestseller list and is #34 on NPR?s 2012 ?100 Best-Ever Teen Novels.?

Shine by Lauren Myracle (G-2011)

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner Shine starts in the aftermath of a brutal hate crime. After Peter?s attack leaves him in a coma, his former best friend, sixteen-year-old Cat, thinks someone in their rural Southern community is responsible and feels compelled to seek justice for Peter. The book immediately calls to mind the real life murder of Matthew Shephard and is a gut-wrenching, beautiful story of friendship and healing.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth (2012-L, G, T, Q)

Cameron Post lives in rural Montana. The day after her first kiss with her best friend Irene, twelve-year-old Cam?s parents die, and her conservative Aunt Ruth and her grandmother move in to care for her. As a teen, Cam begins to accepts her sexuality and identify as a lesbian. She falls for the beautiful Coley Taylor in high school, and they have a secret relationship. When her aunt discovers the truth, she sends 17-year-old Cam to God?s Promise, a fundamentalist church camp that promises ?to ?cure? her.

Every Day (2012-L? G? B? T?)

Every day, A wakes up in a new body. A?s hosts are male, female, all races, and all social classes. The only common threads: each is A?s chronological age and fairly close by. Mostly, A tries not to disturb their lives, until A wakes up as Justin and falls in love with Justin?s girlfriend Rhiannon. The next day brings a new body. But the love A feels for Rhiannon remains, and A wants to see her. This book defies definition and makes the reader question?everything.

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (2012-L, Q) 2012

Senior Astrid Jones hates that her mother moved them to a small Pennsylvania town. She feels attracted to other women, but doesn?t know if she is a lesbian. Her best friend pressures her to come out of the closet, her mother domineers, her sister tries to be perfect, and her father escapes into pot. With no one to talk to, Astrid examines her life through her imaginary friend Frank Socrates and sends her love to the passengers of the planes that fly overhead.

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shephard by Leslea Newmann (2012-G, Hate crimes)

Since it?s National Poetry Month, I?d be remiss if I left out October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shephard by Leslea Newmann. While Newmann?s book isn?t young adult literature, it, too, holds a place in my class library. October Mourning?s poetry responds to and explores the impacts of the brutal murder of Matthew Shephard in 1998. I graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1997. Some of my best friends there were in the LGBTA, one of whom was its president at the time. Newmann?s book and Myracle?s Shine are windows into the darker places I hope my kids never go. But I keep them and will include other ?dark books? because putting blinds over the windows doesn?t make the bad things go away. For the kids in 213, the right book might just be the one that rips down the blinds.

Chris Kervina teaches English and journalism, and relentlessly adds books to her classroom library in northern Virginia. A long time sufferer of helium hands, she also advises the literary magazine, works at basketball games, and belongs to an educational sorority. She can no longer claim to be just a ?Nerdy groupie.? Chris blogs inconsistently at http://mrskervina.blogspot.com. You can also find her on Twitter as @ckervina.

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Source: http://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/ten-lgbta-books-in-my-classroom-library-by-chris-kervina/

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Six-Run Seventh Inning Propels Tigers to 7-5 Win at Boston College Friday

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.clemsontigers.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=28500&ATCLID=207077160

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At Fire Island, Officials Weigh Filling a Breach

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A 856-foot-wide channel formed by Hurricane Sandy in a New York barrier island has helped flush out the bay beyond, but residents blame it for increased flooding.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/nyregion/at-fire-island-officials-weigh-filling-a-breach.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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PTT retail business to help cut down energy consumption - The Nation

The Nation April 5, 2013 6:54 pm

During April 5-14, these stations located along highways and major roads are instructed to turn on only necessary lights, according to PTT executive Saran Rangkasiri.

Meanwhile, the service hours of the remaining 700 stations would be shortened by 1-2 hour, to cut down power consumption.

Gas supply from Yadana field in Myanmar will be shut down for annual maintenance during the period, affecting the electricity generating in Thailand. The government has launched the energy-saving campaign, to ensure that power reserves during the period are kept at a reasonable level.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/PTT-retail-business-to-help-cut-down-energy-consum-30203497.html

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