sham surplussing: February 2012

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Jeremy Lin, Knicks Win Fifth Straight; Linsanity Continues

MINNEAPOLIS ? Jeremy Lin did it again.

Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Steve Novak scored 15 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play and Lin used his quickness to draw a foul and get to the line in the closing seconds. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Lin had just five points on 1-for-13 shooting and four turnovers in the second half.

Kevin Love had 32 points and 21 rebounds for the Wolves, who missed two chances to win the game in the final five seconds.

The Knicks trailed by seven with 6:41 to play and it looked as if a week of Tebow-like hype was finally catching up to Lin. But the Wolves only scored one field goal the rest of the way, and the Knicks hung in there.

Playing yet again without the injured Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, who was mourning the death of his brother, Landry Fields scored 19 on 8-for-10 shooting and Iman Shumpert added 20 points.

Fields hit a short jumper to make the score 94-93 with 2:10 to go and Shumpert added another for a 95-94 lead with 1:22 to go to give them their first lead since early in the second quarter.

But Love, who had 31 points and 31 rebounds in win over the Knicks last year, hit two free throws and Rubio drove to the rim for a left-handed layup for a three-point lead with 39 seconds to play.

Novak's 3-pointer tied it at 98 on the next possession and Lin and Bill Walker each hit free throws to seal it for the Knicks, who scored 29 points on 23 Minnesota turnovers.

The matchup of two of the most dynamic young point guards in the league made this an extremely hot ticket. The Timberwolves had to sell standing-room only tickets to pack in an announced crowd of 20,232, the largest crowd here since 2004.

Lin and Rubio have each energized dormant franchises in their own way.

Rubio is the Spanish spitfire who has passed his way into the hearts of fans and teammates, one no-look assist at a time.

With him on the trigger, the Wolves are talking about the playoffs for the first time since Kevin Garnett led them to the Western Conference finals in 2004.

His unselfish play and flair for the dramatic have made the Wolves cool again, as evidenced by the fifth sellout this season.

His European roots have made the Timberwolves a global commodity, but that's nothing compared to what Lin has done in New York.

The Knicks were lost at 8-15, with rumors of Mike D'Antoni's job security swirling before the coach moved to Lin out of desperation.

All he's done since is re-ignite a basketball-loving city's enthusiasm for the game, help fill the league's void in Asia after Yao Ming's retirement and save the Knicks' season.

He scored 89 points in his first three starts, including an incredible 38 to beat the Lakers in the Garden on Friday night.

In his fourth start, Lin is already drawing the casual fan even in road games. He was cheered heartily in pregame introductions and gave the curious crowd exactly what it was looking for. His quickness gave Rubio fits on defense and he scored in every manner imaginable.

There was the crossover of Luke Ridnour and step-back jumper, a tear-drop drive into the lane and stutter-step blow-by for two, and that was just in a three-minute stretch of the first quarter.

NOTES: The Timberwolves wore Minnesota Muskies uniforms in tribute to the ABA team that spent one season here in 1967. "I'm still trying to figure out what a Muskie is," F Anthony Tolliver said. ... The Wolves in-house DJ played Whitney Houston songs during halftime after news of the singer's death at 48.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/11/jeremy-lin-knicks-win-fifth-straight_n_1271120.html

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

How to Begin a Retail Internet and Online Business

[unable to retrieve full-text content]If you are thinking of an opportunity to be able to earn potentially a lot of profit and income in the comfort of your home, you must consider setting up some retail Internet and Online Business. This is not only a very good and ...

Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/how-to-begin-a-retail-internet-and-online-business-2755.html

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Crazy coffee shop lets anyone on the web gently torture its customers (Yahoo! News)

Imagine this: You're quietly sipping?coffee when your seat suddenly shrinks, your table shoots upward, and the?music switches from soothing jazz to screamo in a heartbeat. That's the usual scenario inside the Kauko coffee shop in Helsinki, Finland, where you can grab a steaming cup of coffee for free...as long as you can endure abrupt changes in your environment that can be controlled by anyone with an internet connection.

Kauko was built to celebrate the city's designation as 2012's World Design Capital, and was meant to emphasize the importance of good?design in everyday life. If you fancy playing god for a bit, head over to the?caf?'s official website, and choose from among the several chairs and tables you can control. This will load a live feed of your chosen fixture as well as the patron using it.

If all the controllable elements are occupied when you visit, watch the video above to see some of the best moments caught on camera.

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

Friday, February 10, 2012

Edit Your Photos, Play as a Soccer Manager, Use Chrome and More [Video]

Click here to read Edit Your Photos, Play as a Soccer Manager, Use Chrome and More

Sometimes I want to quit my job and become a photographer. Or a soccer manager. Or a gamer. Or maybe even just a Chrome and Google Voice user. These apps will help me when I decided to make the plunge.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/IY-vzrOfwLg/

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US, Japan closer to moving many Okinawa Marines

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba speaks during a news conference at the ministry in Tokyo Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. The transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam will not require the prior closure of a base on the southern Japan island of Okinawa, the United States and Japan announced Wednesday in a compromise they hope will break a stalemate over opposition to the large U.S. military presence there. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday to proceed with plans to transfer thousands of U.S. troops out of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, leaving behind the stalled discussion about closing a major U.S. Marine base there.

The transfer, a key to U.S. troop restructuring in the Pacific, has been in limbo for years because it was linked to the closure and replacement of the strategically important base that Okinawans fiercely oppose.

The announcement Wednesday follows high-level talks to rework a 2006 agreement for 8,000 Marines to transfer to the U.S. territory of Guam by 2014 if a replacement for Marine Corps Air Station Futenma could be built elsewhere on Okinawa.

That agreement has been effectively scuttled by opposition on Okinawa, where many residents believe the base should simply be closed and moved overseas or elsewhere in Japan. More than half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan, including 18,000 Marines, are stationed on Okinawa, taking up around 10 percent of the island with nearly 40 bases and facilities.

The two governments said in a joint statement that the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam would not require the prior closure of Futenma, as the original pact required. Details of the realignment will be discussed further, but about 10,000 troops will remain on Okinawa, as in the original agreement.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told a news conference that he hoped the progress on the realignment plan would help the two countries step up deterrence in the Asia-Pacific region. He also said Tokyo and Washington would continue efforts to eventually close Futenma.

Progress on the issue is important to the United States, which is revising its military and diplomatic posture in Asia ? in what is being called the "Pacific Pivot" ? to reflect the rising power of China and increasing tensions over territorial disputes throughout the region.

Washington is also under pressure to make the most of its resources as budget cuts loom in Congress with combat operations are ending in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wednesday's statement was vague on specifics of what lies ahead. But senior Japanese officials have said 4,700 Marines will be transferred to Guam. The remaining 3,300 would reportedly rotate among Australia, Hawaii and the Philippines.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said from Washington that talks would continue with both sides working on mitigating the impact on Okinawa, developing Guam as a strategic hub and maintaining an effective U.S. military presence in the region. He also said discussing troop numbers and locations was premature as the bilateral talks continue.

Tokyo is hoping the reduction of troops on Okinawa will ease opposition and demonstrate its desire to stand by promises to reduce the island's share of the troop-hosting burden. Officials say they remain committed to closing Futenma, which the U.S. and Japan agreed to do after the 1995 rape of a schoolgirl by three American servicemen led to mass protests.

"We decided to choose to reduce Okinawa's burden as much as possible rather than being stuck in a stalemate by sticking to an earlier package," Gemba said, stressing Tokyo's effort to serve Okinawa's interest as much as possible.

But Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima gave a mixed response. He welcomed the agreement to move ahead with the Marines' relocation and a return of some of the bases as serving "Okinawans' desire to reduce the U.S. military presence," but repeated his rejection to move Futenma to another location on the island.

"A relocation without local consent would be impossible. We want Futenma moved out of Okinawa," Nakaima said in a statement.

The most likely replacement site, on a less crowded part of the island, is widely opposed on Okinawa and its viability remains a heated political debate.

Guam, meanwhie, has pushed hard for the troop buildup because of the potential economic boom.

"We are the closest U.S. community to Asia. We are very patriotic citizens. And unlike many foreign countries and even some U.S. communities, we welcome an increased military presence," Gov. Eddie Calvo said in a statement last week.

Guam, which is being built up to play a greater role in Washington's Asia-Pacific strategy, could also stand to get far fewer Marines than expected if the new plan goes through. The tiny U.S. territory had been counting on a huge boost from the restructuring plan, and may have to revise its forecasts.

But officials said the revised number could be more manageable.

A smaller contingent of Marines would alleviate concerns on Guam that the swelling military presence would overwhelm the island's infrastructure and environment.

Mark G. Calvo, the director of Guam's military buildup office, said the territory has been briefed by the Department of Defense about the talks with Japan and supports the transfer, even if it is smaller than expected. He said the idea of reducing it to about 4,000 Marines had been discussed after an environmental impact assessment two years ago pointed to possible problems.

"There are concerns about a loss of economic benefits, but it puts us in a better position to adjust our infrastructure," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-02-08-AS-Japan-US-Military/id-e5bda66e111242fdac546ed307bc3506

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