ESPN: NCAA investigating Manziel over autographs

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) -- ESPN says the NCAA is investigating whether Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was paid for signing hundreds of autographs in January.

Citing unidentified sources, ESPN's "Outside the Lines" said the Heisman Trophy winner signed items in exchange for a five-figure fee during his trip to Miami for the BCS championship game.

ESPN said sources told "Outside the Lines" that Manziel signed photographs, footballs, mini football helmets and other items at the request of autograph broker Drew Tieman.

Reached at his home Sunday night in Pembroke Pines, Fla., Tieman declined to make any comment or take any questions from The Associated Press.

ESPN reported that a source said James Garland, the NCAA's assistant director of enforcement, contacted Tieman and at least one person associated with the signings in June.

"We cannot comment on current, pending or potential investigations," NCAA spokeswoman Emily Potter told the AP in an email statement Sunday night.

Texas A&M also declined to comment.

"It is Texas A&M's long-standing practice not to respond to such questions concerning specific student-athletes," the school said in an email statement to the AP.

It's unclear what level of involvement the NCAA has at this point. When a player is believed to have broken rules, it's not uncommon for a school to declare that player ineligible, then ask the NCAA to investigate and reinstate the athlete's eligibility.

Nate Fitch, a friend of Manziel's, posted several tweets at that time saying he was with the Heisman winner in South Florida for the BCS title game. None of Fitch's tweets around the dates of that trip suggested anything about meeting with Tieman, or any memorabilia signings.

Tieman's Facebook page was taken down Sunday night, but cached images collected from the page included a photo of him and Notre Dame's Manti Te'o, which was purportedly taken Jan. 3, less than a week before the BCS game.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC_NCAA_MANZIEL_AUTOGRAPHS?SITE=ORLAG&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

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At church, a growing emphasis on charity beyond passing the plate

From the back seat of their Toyota SUV, Tracy Scott's children spotted the woman.

She was standing near a highway entrance ramp on the North Side, apparently homeless, and the Scott kids wanted to say hello.

But they were in the wrong lane. So Scott steered her Sequoia back onto the interstate, went up two exits and looped around so they'd be able to present the woman with a paper bag stuffed with snacks, water, a McDonald's gift card and a note.

"She just kind of reached out and grabbed my hand and said, 'Thank you,'" said Scott, a member of Park Community Church. "I said, 'It's our pleasure.' Then the light was green, so off we went."

That gift ? and the 15 or so similar ones Scott and her three children passed out this past spring ? originated with a $2 bill, an envelope and a pastoral charge to go forth and do good. It also reflects what at least one expert sees as a growing commitment to Christian philanthropy that moves beyond passing the plate on Sundays.

In January, the Tribune wrote about Park's decision to give worshippers back a portion of their tithes. Everyone at the Near North Side sanctuary that weekend received at least $2 and heard a sermon that focused largely on the violence endemic in Chicago. Leaders sent members out to invest that money somewhere it might make a difference.

For thousands of years, worshippers have made offerings and supported charities and evangelism efforts. But as Christians try to reconcile Chicago's shootings, poverty and homelessness with their religious duties, more churches are sending their faithful out to minister on an individual level.

Scott Thumma, a Hartford Seminary professor, said such calls for Christians to address pressing needs within their communities are becoming more common across the country. In just over a decade, the percentage of large churches he surveyed that said their congregations were "working for social justice" increased from about 1 in 3 to about 6 in 10.

Such work fulfills a clear doctrinal purpose, Thumma wrote in an email: It answers the Bible's mandate that believers "serve others, offer a cup of water to the thirsty and food to the hungry."

On Sunday, another example of boots-on-the-ground giving took place at Chicago's Willow Creek Community Church, which launched its Luminocity project that encourages members to go out into the city to make a difference.

"Look at our city," said the Rev. Jon Klinepeter, Willow's pastor. "It's falling in on itself. People are killing each other at a rate that's shocking."

He then urged the mostly young congregation that packed into the Loop's Auditorium Theatre to figure out the "village" that makes up their sphere of influence and to pray about how to make a difference there. With everyone's participation, he said, the church could have a meaningful, citywide impact.

"We're waiting for someone else to fix the problem," Klinepeter said. "What if it's your job to be an agent of change in your village?"

Klinepeter told his church that it's about giving boldly instead of just giving. While all offerings are appreciated, he said, it's the ones that require actual sacrifice that demonstrate the truest sort of generosity.

"You can't leverage your influence in your world if you don't hurt a little," he said. "Sometimes I have to put my agenda on hold for the purpose of someone else's need being met."

For Scott, the Park Community member who distributed provisions to homeless people, such intentional, person-to-person ministry produced powerful results. After she worked with her kids to choose the treats, decorate the bags and compose notes, the family spent an afternoon scouring the city for people who looked like they needed some help. As she drove away from the homeless woman her kids spotted on the entrance ramp, the giver and the recipient were in tears.

"For me, personally, it just makes it much more real," Scott said. "I can give money to Park. I know who they're giving money to and completely trust them with that. That is an entirely different process than the messier, grittier thing we went through with our kids saying, 'We live in this city. What's something we want to help with? And how can we take $2 and make it mean something?'"

mitsmith@tribune.com

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ChicagoBreakingNews/~3/Aij7xkF9-U4/story01.htm

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Stamkos, St. Louis invited to Team Canada camp

Tribune staff

Published: July 22, 2013

Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning were invited to an orientation camp for the Canadian national team, Hockey Canada announced Monday.

A total of 47 players were invited to the camp, the first step in assembling the team that will represent Canada in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russa. The camp is Aug. 25-28 in Calgary.

Stamkos and St. Louis were among 25 forwards invited. St. Louis played for Canada in the 2006 Olympics.

Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Stve Yzerman is Team Canada's executive director.

"I would like to congratulate the players being invited today to our orientation camp," Yzerman said in a statement. "This marks an important step for this program, as it is our only opportunity to be together as a group before Sochi."

The team will be coached by Mike Babcock, coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tbo/bolts/~3/cMZ0rFkjc6A/

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World Citizen: Turkey and Israel, Still No Happy Ending

It was the phone call heard around the world: The conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hailed as a major diplomatic breakthrough, a triumph for U.S. President Barack Obama, who in the last moments of his trip to Israel last March nudged the two leaders to end their festering disagreement.

Reconciliation, however, is yet to come. ...

Source: http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/13133/world-citizen-turkey-and-israel-still-no-happy-ending

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Zimbabwe Vote Disputed as Mugabe Eyes Victory (Voice Of America)

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Rare Dinosaur Find: Abandoned Nests with Eggshells

Huge meat-eating dinosaurs that stalked a vast floodplain some 150 million years ago in what is now Portugal left behind traces of their progeny: eggshells.

Some of the eggshells, which belonged to two Jurassic-Era theropods, or a group of carnivorous dinosaurs, once harbored embryos of Torvosaurus, the largest predator of its day.

"It was the equivalent of the T. rex in the Cretaceous," said study co-author Vasco Ribeiro, a paleontologist at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal.

Ribeiro and his colleagues aren?t sure how the eggs came to be abandoned.

Delicate finds

Because they are so delicate, dinosaur eggs are a relatively rare find. Paleontologists unearthed some of the most primitive Torovosaurus embryos ever found earlier this year, and there have been occasional dinosaur nursery finds, including a clutch of hundreds of dinosaur egg fragments found in Spain. [Image Gallery: Dinosaur Daycare]

Ribeiro and his colleagues found the eggshell fragments at two separate sites, both of which were part of the Lourinh? Formation, a geological formation known for its rich Jurassic dinosaur nest sites. During that time period, the area was a floodplain that cycled through dry seasons and monsoon rains.

The eggshells were shattered and there was no trace of the dinosaur embryos that once coiled inside. But by analyzing the size, shape and texture of the eggshells, the team was able to deduce which animals left those eggs so long ago.

The shells found at one site came from spherical eggs that were about 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter. They likely belonged to a Torvosaurus, a massive, bipedal dinosaur that grew up to 36 feet (11 meters) tall.

The eggs at the other site were harder to identify. But the researchers believe the eggs may have contained embryos of Lourinhanosaurus antunesi, a theropod that was about 15 feet (4.5 m) long when full-grown. When intact, the eggs from that site would have been about 5 inches (13 cm) along the long axis and 3.5 inches (9 cm) along the short axis.

Neglected or protected?

The researchers don't know exactly how the eggs came to be abandoned.

One possibility is that the ancient carnivores laid many eggs and simply left those eggs to their own fates. Other researchers argue that these dinosaurs, like crocodiles, were attentive parents during embryonic development, guarding their clutches from predators.

Either way, once the hatchlings emerged, they were probably on their own, Ribeiro said.

"We have no evidence that mother dinosaur took food to the nest or protected the nest," Ribeiro told LiveScience.

Follow Tia Ghose on Twitterand Google+.?Follow?LiveScience @livescience, Facebook?& Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/rare-dinosaur-abandoned-nests-eggshells-132223648.html

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McConnell, Senate challengers share stage in Ky.

FANCY FARM, Ky. (AP) ? Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell largely ignored his challengers at Kentucky's premier political showdown Saturday, aiming his criticism instead at President Barack Obama while touting his GOP leadership role.

His Democratic rival in the 2014 race, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and McConnell's GOP challenger went on the attack as they shared the stage with Kentucky's longest-serving senator at the annual Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky. It was the first joint appearance by the three, though they have been trading jabs for weeks in speeches and TV ads.

Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of state, portrayed McConnell as the chief Republican obstructionist and made her case for a change.

"If doctors told Sen. McConnell he has a kidney stone, he'd refuse to pass it," said Grimes, drawing cheers from her supporters and jeers from McConnell's at the raucous event.

Louisville businessman Matt Bevin, trying to capitalize on tea party influence in the GOP, declared that he would defeat McConnell in the primary election next May.

"I don't intend to run to the right of Mitch McConnell," said Bevin, a political newcomer. "I don't intend to run to the left of Mitch McConnell. I intend to run straight over the top of Mitch McConnell."

By the time he made the bold declaration, McConnell had left the stage. Bevin criticized McConnell for leaving the event early, starting a chant with the crowd: "Where's Mitch? Where's Mitch? Where's Mitch?" Then adding: "The people of Kentucky have been wondering that for quite a while now."

The stump speeches drew a large crowd of sign-waving, chanting partisans, signaling the fervor for a race that won't ultimately be decided until November 2014.

McConnell tried to score political points by criticizing Obama, who has never been popular in Kentucky. Republicans are trying to tie Grimes to Obama, and some Republicans in the crowd had signs that showed pictures of Obama on one side and Grimes on the other.

McConnell said the federal health-care law championed by Obama has been a "disaster for America," and he criticized the Democratic president for his administration's policies that he said are hurting Kentucky's coal industry. Kentucky is one of the nation's leading coal producers.

"I fought them every step of the way," said McConnell, who's making a bid for a sixth term.

Turning to a local issue, McConnell said that he ? along with fellow U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield ? forced the government to reverse its decision to halt fishing below the dam of a popular waterway in the area. Obama recently signed a bill imposing a two-year moratorium on barriers to prevent fishing in the tailwaters near dams along the Cumberland and its tributaries.

"You can't get any of those things done from the back bench," McConnell said, in the only criticism that appeared to be directed at his challengers.

"We're not just deciding who represents Kentucky in the Senate," McConnell added. "We're going to be deciding who runs the Senate."

Grimes said the GOP stands for "gridlock, obstruction and partisan," and said McConnell has been a key player in pursuing the strategy.

"There's a disease of dysfunction in Washington D.C., and after 30 years, Sen. McConnell is at the center of it," she said.

Grimes accused McConnell of voting against the interests of workers, women and retirees.

The Senate race is expected to shatter fund-raising records in Kentucky. It's unclear whether Bevin will have the campaign funds to mount a strong primary challenge to McConnell, who at last count had raised more than $15 million. Bevin refused Saturday to say how much of his own cash he will invest in the race, or how much has put in already. The campaign has been running a TV ad since he announced his candidacy last month.

The setting for Saturday's showdown was the shaded grounds of St. Jerome Catholic Church in the tiny western Kentucky community of Fancy Farm where people started showing up on Friday. It's an annual rite that dates back more than a century. By mid-day Saturday, hundreds of people, many waving placards, had gathered in and around an outdoor pavilion.

The raucous event ? a holdover from the days before television, when politicians had to seek out crowds to solicit votes ? takes on the aura of a sporting event, with spectators shouting themselves hoarse heckling some speakers and cheering others, depending on their philosophies.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcconnell-senate-challengers-share-stage-ky-225040367.html

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AP sources: A-Rod, union reach out to Yankees, MLB

NEW YORK (AP) ? Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees turned down requests Saturday to meet with Alex Rodriguez's camp and the union about the embattled star's expected drug penalty, two people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press.

The overtures were made two days before MLB was poised to hand Rodriguez a lengthy suspension for his part in the Biogenesis case. The two people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no public statements were authorized.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, was in Trenton, N.J., playing what could be his last game in a while. He drew four straight walks and scored a run while on a minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Double-A Thunder. He was scheduled to be off Sunday.

The All-Star third baseman said Friday night the Yankees' tentative plan was for him to join them in Chicago for Monday night's game against the White Sox.

Before Rodriguez took the field, his side reached out to the Yankees and union head Michael Weiner contacted MLB Executive Vice President Rob Manfred. The Yankees and MLB said they had no interest in such talks.

There was always the chance, however, that further negotiations could take place at the last minute.

The New York Post, Daily News and New York Times reported the discussions earlier Saturday.

There hasn't been any definite word on the severity of Rodriguez's looming penalty, with speculation ranging from a lifetime ban to a suspension through the 2014 season.

Also possible, according to those familiar with the talks, was a suspension lasting until Aug. 31, 2014, the day before all teams are permitted to expand their rosters from 25 players to 40.

The 38-year-old Rodriguez hasn't played in the majors this season. The three-time American League MVP is recovering from hip surgery and a strained quadriceps.

A day after Rodriguez homered for Trenton, Thunder manager Tony Franklin hedged on whether A-Rod was ready to rejoin the majors.

"That's not for me to say," Franklin said. "His swing is getting better. He's running better. He's doing the baseball things OK right now. But that's a different game up there."

"I think he can handle it because he's been there for a number of years," he said. "I don't think he'll be surprised by anything on the baseball field despite what's going on now. He's been one of the best baseball players I have ever seen. Once they decide he's ready to go back, I don't think he'll have any trouble adapting at all."

Rodriguez certainly had no trouble tracking balls, drawing three of his four walks on full-count pitches against Reading. He swung through a 91 mph fastball on a 3-0 pitch his third time up in the fifth and flipped his bat.

A high-and-tight fastball backed him off the plate in the seventh, and he turned and smiled, thankful the pitch didn't hit him.

Rodriguez ran the bases, then left the game after the seventh. He gave his batting gloves and a bat to fans in the sellout crowd of 8,113 before heading into the dugout.

A few minutes before the national anthem, he chatted up fans near the dugout, fist-pumped a kid and walked off to have a catch.

Rodriguez caught a knuckling line drive by the game's first batter and later fielded a grounder and began an inning-ending double play.

Batting second, Rodriguez walked to the plate to Jay-Z's "On To The Next One" and received a mixture of cheers and boos in the first. He fouled off a 2-2 pitch before eventually drawing a walk.

Rodriguez slowly went first to third on a double off the right-field wall and was stranded. He also walked in the third while his girlfriend, former pro wrestler Torrie Wilson, held up her cellphone to video the action from a second-row seat behind the plate.

In the top of the second, Rodriguez ranged to his right to field a grounder and threw high and wide to second. It was ruled an infield hit, though he probably would've made the play a few years ago.

The next inning, Rodriguez fielded a slow bouncer down the line and made a strong throw to first to get the out. He heard loud cheers as he jogged slowly to the dugout, looking around and seemingly taking in the crowd's appreciation.

___

Rob Maaddi reported from Trenton, N.J.

___

Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-sources-rod-union-reach-yankees-mlb-233425919.html

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Iran's president-elect Hassan Rouhani has called Israel an old "wound" that must...

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Mayor: Spirit Airlines move 'no big deal'

Obama asks Graham, McCain to travel to Egypt

Tuesday, Jul 30, 3:57 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain have been asked by President Barack Obama to travel to Egypt next week to urge the military to move ahead on new elections, the senators... Read more...

Source: http://www.ktar.com?nid=22&sid=1652300

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Adam Rutherford's Creation Science (The Real Kind) Part 1

Science journalist, author and Nature editor Adam Rutherford talks about new book Creation: How Science Is Reinventing Life Itself, which looks at the science of the origin of life and at the emerging science of synthetic biology

More Science Talk

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Science journalist, author and Nature editor Adam Rutherford talks about new book Creation: How Science Is Reinventing Life Itself, which looks at the science of the origin of life and at the emerging science of synthetic biology.???

Also check out the podcast interview with Nobel laureate Jack Szostak about his origin of life research. And the podcast interview with Jerry Coyne about his book Why Evolution Is True. As well as the preview of the article Are Aliens Among Us?

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/basic-science/~3/z_TN48zs_CU/episode.cfm

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LIVONIA: Co-op Services Credit Union hits goal to save community more than $200,000

LIVONIA ? Co-op Services Credit Union announced it achieved its goal to save members of the community more than $200,000 in auto loan interest through the ?Amazing Auto Loan Challenge.? ?

The challenge offered rates as low as 1.79 percent for up to 72 months, along with an additional $100 for members who helped the credit union achieve its goal by financing a new vehicle or refinancing an existing auto loan from another financial institution between April 17 and July 31. Everyone who participated was to receive $100 deposited into their account.

?We created the Auto Loan Challenge because we realized that we could save members an average of more than $550 over the life of the auto loan. We wanted to bring that savings to the entire community,? said Lisa Fawcett, Co-op Services? vice president of marketing. ?We give our members special thanks for spreading the word to their friends and family about the challenge. ?They helped us hit our goal.?

There is still an opportunity for people to take advantage of these low rate loans and to refinance auto loans from other financial institutions.

For more information about Co-op Services? low interest auto loans or to apply for an auto loan online, visit www.cscu.org.

LIVONIA ? Co-op Services Credit Union announced it achieved its goal to save members of the community more than $200,000 in auto loan interest through the ?Amazing Auto Loan Challenge.? ?

The challenge offered rates as low as 1.79 percent for up to 72 months, along with an additional $100 for members who helped the credit union achieve its goal by financing a new vehicle or refinancing an existing auto loan from another financial institution between April 17 and July 31. Everyone who participated was to receive $100 deposited into their account.

?We created the Auto Loan Challenge because we realized that we could save members an average of more than $550 over the life of the auto loan. We wanted to bring that savings to the entire community,? said Lisa Fawcett, Co-op Services? vice president of marketing. ?We give our members special thanks for spreading the word to their friends and family about the challenge. ?They helped us hit our goal.?

There is still an opportunity for people to take advantage of these low rate loans and to refinance auto loans from other financial institutions.

For more information about Co-op Services? low interest auto loans or to apply for an auto loan online, visit www.cscu.org.

Source: http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2013/08/01/news/doc51fa522778786940586983.txt

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