Kent Exiles 12-50 Sussex Thunder
11:08am Tuesday 19th June 2012 in Sport
KENT Exiles were beaten by Sussex Thunder on Sunday in their final home game of the season.
Going into the game as underdogs, and with a depleted squad due to five games in as many weeks having taken its toll with injuries, the Exiles dug in early on and matched Thunder stride for stride.
After an early Thunder score the Exiles thought they had drawn level when Zac Ritchie threw to Sam Johnson and the wideout broke a tackle and outpaced the visiting defence, but a penalty wiped the score off the board.
Ritchie found Colin Chislett and then Johnson again to move them within touching distance of the endzone and Jon Miller caught the touchdown.
Sussex Thunder pulled ahead on their next drive, but the Exiles came straight back once again.
Ben Abbott continued his good form finding some running room and Ritchie found the reliable Chislett and Miller before Wesley Eversley jumped between three defenders to pull in the touchdown and bring the scores level again.
One more Thunder score as the half ran out gave the visitors the lead, but at half-time it was anyone's game.
However, the second half was a different story as Sussex Thunder’s defence started to get on top and force turnovers which resulted in some quick scoring without reply from the Exiles and before long the game was out of reach.
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Source: www.newsshopper.co.uk
London 2012 Olympic Games legacy: Jowell and Jenkins - BBC News
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Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Man with locked-in syndrome calls for change to murder law - The Guardian
A a 58-year-old victim of locked-in syndrome has told the high court that a decision not to allow him to be helped to die would condemn him "to a 'life' of increasing misery".
Tony Nicklinson was a very active and outgoing man until a stroke in 2005 left him paralysed from the neck down and unable to speak. He communicates by blinking or limited head movement.
His wife, Jane, said as she arrived at the High Court in London that there can be "no happy endings" to the case, but there can be "a good" outcome – if the judges give legal protection to the doctor who agrees to end her husband's life.
If the court rejects Nicklinson's plea to die, he says, all he will have to look forward to is the hope that he will "acquire a life-threatening illness such as cancer".
"I need help in almost every aspect of my life," he explained in a letter read out by his lawyer. "I have no privacy or dignity left. I am fed up with my life and don't want to spend the next 20 years or so like this. I'm not depressed so do not need counselling. I have had over six years to think about my future and it does not look good. I … can expect no cure or improvement in my condition as my muscles and joints seize up through lack of use.
"Indeed, I can expect to dribble my way into old age. If I am lucky I will acquire a life-threatening illness such as cancer so that I can refuse treatment and say 'no' to those who would keep me alive against my will.
"By all means protect the vulnerable," he added. "By 'vulnerable' I mean those who cannot make decisions for themselves. Just don't include me. I am not vulnerable. I don't need help or protection from death or those who would help me. If the legal consequences were not so huge – ie life imprisonment – perhaps I could get someone to help me. As things stand, I can't get help."
During a four-day hearing Lord Justice Toulson, sitting with Mr Justice Royce and Mrs Justice Macur, will also hear arguments in a second landmark judicial review action brought by a man who suffered a stroke three years ago at the age of 43. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is referred to as Martin or AM. He is unable to move, can communicate only by moving his eyes, requires constant care and is dependent on others for every aspect of his life.
Nicklinson's case is not the start of a "slippery slope, only the striking of a balance in law that better suits the values of modern Britain," argued his lawyer, Paul Bowen QC.
But in the absence of statutory regulation, Nicklinson is fighting for a common law of defence of necessity to be granted to doctors who help people to die after an order has been sought by the courts. At present, voluntary active euthanasia constitutes murder, and the sentence is life imprisonment.
The legal changes Nicklinson is asking for, would sit alongside the existing laws. They would only be sanctioned if a judge had agreed beforehand and was satisfied that the person is suffering from a medical condition that causes "unbearable suffering".
The judge would also need to be convinced that the patient had given a "a voluntary, clear, settled and informed wish to end his own life". Also that there are no alternative means available by which their suffering may be relieved.
"The law is anomalous and discriminatory. It fails to protect the very people it is intended to protect," argued Bowen, "It has not stopped the widespread practice of euthanasia but has forced it underground, where it is unregulated."
Nicklinson sent an email to his solicitor, asking if it was possible for the lawyer to "tell/remind the judges a few things".
His QC, Paul Bowen, read it out to the hearing, after saying that "in the final analysis, this is about one man and his right to choose".
The email said: "All this current activity making documentaries and writing articles has reminded me of how much I want my life to end. I know you said this hearing is all about the legal arguments but is it possible for you to tell/remind the judges a few things?
"I have wanted my life to end since 2007 so it is not a passing whim. I know consent makes no difference but the doctor has it anyway. Legal arguments are fine but they should not forget that a life is affected by the decision they come to; a decision going against me condemns me to a 'life' of increasing misery. I have no doubt that the judges have heard it all before but I simply wanted to get it off my chest."
In written arguments before the court David Perry QC, for the Ministry of Justice, opposed the attempt to change the current law, citing a 1993 case in which voluntary active ehthanasia was described by Lord Goff of Chieveley as an "act [that crosses] the Rubicon which runs between on the one hand the care of the living patient and on the other hand euthanasia – actively causing his death to avoid or to end his suffering. Euthanasia is not lawful at common law."
Perry said Nicklinson's "tragic and very distressing circumstances evoke the deepest sympathy", but that, "notwithstanding the distressing facts of his situation, the defendant submits that the claim for declarations is untenable. The law is well established". He said there was "no defence of necessity to a charge of murder or assisted suicide if a doctor were to terminate, or assist in the termination of, the claimant's life".
The case continues.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
London Welsh appeal to block Premiership promotion delayed for seven days - Daily Mail
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London Welsh's appeal against the decision to block their promotion to the Aviva Premiership has been delayed by a week.
The case will now be heard on June 28 - it was originally scheduled for Thursday - under agreement by all parties involved.
The independent panel will compromise of James Dingemans QC (chairman), Ian Mill QC and Tim Ward QC at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Appeal: Welsh are hoping their recent victory isn't in vain
Welsh won this season's Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.
But the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby's Professional Game Board for entry to the Premiership.
The Exiles played the final's second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain top-flight status.
As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next term despite finishing bottom by a point behind Wasps this season.
But should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them, then they will go up and the Falcons be relegated.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Hammerson sells London offices portfolio for £518m - Daily Telegraph
Brookfield hired Mr Jepson to lead an expansion in London and has been scouring the market for months a deal.
Mr Jepson said: “The acquisition of this portfolio is in keeping with our previously stated strategy to expand in the UK and reaffirms our commitment to building a platform in London.
“This unique portfolio provides Brookfield Office Properties with opportunities to create value through leveraging our leasing, asset management and development expertise.”
David Atkins, chief executive of Hammerson, said: "I'm delighted that we have been able to achieve our goal of becoming a pure retail business earlier than anticipated by arranging a single transaction for the majority of our London offices which secures excellent value for shareholders."
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
London Games to be first social media Olympics - AP - NBC Sports
LONDON - Tweet this: The London Games will be the first Olympics told in 140 characters or less.
The London Games will be the most tweeted, liked and tagged in history, with fans offered a never before seen insider's view of what many are calling the social media Olympics, or the "socialympics."
Hash tags, (at) signs and "like" symbols will be as prevalent as national flags, Olympic pins and medal ceremonies. Some athletes may spend more time on Twitter and Facebook than the playing field.
Mobile phones have become smarter, laptops lighter and tablet devices a must-have for technology lovers — meaning social-savvy fans, whether watching on television or inside the Olympic stadium itself, will be almost constantly online.
Organizers expect more tweets, Facebook posts, videos and photos to be shared from London than any other sports event in history. The 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver offered just a small glimpse of what's to come.
"Vancouver was just the first snowflake," said Alex Hout, the International Olympic Committee's head of social media. "This is going to be a big snowball."
Twitter is already braced for a surge of traffic. Launched in 2006, it has become a key outlet for sports fans to trade messages during live events.
Users sent 13,684 tweets per second during a Champions League soccer match between Barcelona and Chelsea in April, a record volume of tweets for a sporting event — busier even than the 2012 Super Bowl. Chances are good that will be one of the records broken in London.
"It could be the 100-meter final or something unexpected," said Lewis Wiltshire, Twitter U.K.'s head of sport.
At the last Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, Twitter had about 6 million users and Facebook 100 million. Today, the figure is 140 million for Twitter and 900 million for Facebook.
"In Sydney (2000) there was hardly any fast Internet, in Athens (2004) there were hardly any smartphones, in Beijing hardly anyone had social networks," said Jackie-Brock Doyle, communications director of London organizing committee LOCOG. "That's all changed. Here, everyone has all that and will be consuming the games in a different way."
Later this month, at trials in Calgary for Canada's Olympic track and field team, athletes will even wear Twitter handles on their bibs — encouraging fans to send messages of support as they race.
Sponsors have also taken their Olympic campaigns online. Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Visa and BP are among those using Facebook to reach younger consumers. Samsung is even offering to paint the faces of Internet users with their national flag — virtually, of course.
"They key difference from four years ago is that now almost everyone has a smartphone, which means everyone can participate in real time," said Adam Vincenzini, an expert at Paratus Communications, a London-based PR and social media marketing agency. "You used to have to be sitting at your desk to access various social media platforms. Now you can have your phone or tablet on your lap while you watch, whether that's at the pub or the stadium."
The IOC, with 760,000 Twitter followers and 2.8 million on Facebook, will host live chats from inside the Olympic village with athletes, allowing the public to pose questions using social media accounts. It has already created an online portal, called the Athletes' Hub, which will collate posts from their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Under IOC rules, athletes and accredited personnel are free to post, blog and tweet "provided that it is not for commercial and/or advertising purposes" and does not ambush official Olympic sponsors and broadcasters. Social media posts should be written in a "first-person, diary-type format."
What about spectators using their phones and iPads to take photos and video?
"There is no problem with photo sharing," Hout said. "We encourage it. But monetizing is not allowed."
"People are allowed to film. They're allowed to do that on their phones," he said. "The thing that we ask is that content is not uploaded to public sites."
The reason is to protect the exclusivity of the broadcasters who shell out big money for the rights. NBC, for example, paid more than $1 billion for the U.S. rights to the London Games.
"We encourage the use of social media. We encourage athletes to engage and to connect," Hout said. "There are some rules to follow, there's no question about it. But we don't police the fans, we don't police the athletes. We don't do that. What we do is we engage."
Facebook launched an Olympic page on Monday that groups teams, sports, athletes, broadcasters and in one place. The site has pages dedicated to specific Olympic sports and links to Facebook sites for 60 national teams and 200 athletes, including Michael Phelps, LeBron James and David Beckham.
LOCOG also plans to announce new Olympic tie-ups with Twitter and Google.
But London Olympic organizers have drawn up strict rules for their employees and the 70,000 Olympic volunteers. They have been told not to share their location, any images of scenes in areas that are off limits to the public, or details about athletes, celebrities or dignitaries who they find themselves in contact with.
"We are not stopping people from using social sites," Brock-Doyle said. "We say there are lots of things about your job — procedures, places you'll be and do — that remain confidential. There are elements of your job you can't share with wider groups of people."
Athletes, too, will need to navigate the social media world carefully.
Australian swimmers Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk have already been punished after posting photos of themselves on Facebook in which they cradled pump-action shotguns and a pistol in a U.S. gun shop.
The Australian Olympic Committee ordered them to remove the photos immediately. The swimmers have been banned from using social media for a month starting July 15 and will be sent home the day the Olympic swimming program finishes.
The British Olympic Association has offered advice to its own athletes, suggesting that "a few smiley faces and LOL's (online speak for laugh out loud) will make you seem more approachable and encourage more people to talk and ask you questions." What not to do: "Don't get into disputes with your audience."
British swimmer Rebecca Adlington, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a leading medal contender in London, has spoken out about abuse she has received about her physical appearance from some users on social media sites. She has already blocked the worst offenders from being able to contact her, but insists she won't stop using Twitter, where she trades dozens of messages a day with more than 50,000 followers.
"I'm insecure about the way I look and people's comments do hurt me," Adlington said in a message posted on Twitter.
While some athletes prefer to tune out from social media to concentrate on their competition, others embrace the opportunity to interact with their fans.
"Letting people know what I'm eating, how I'm sleeping, what the venues are like — people want to know what we're going through," U.S. gymnast Jonathan Horton said. "They want to know what it's like going through the experience and what we're up to."
All in 140 characters.
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Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap
Follow David Stringer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/david_stringer
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AP Sports Writer Nancy Armour in Chicago contributed.
Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com
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