Sarah Shaffi, Olympics editor (news)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
8:43 AM
Today marks just 50 days until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
To celebrate the occasion London 2012 has published a list of 50 ways to join in with the Games.
Ideas for London include getting your photo taken with the Olympic Countdown Clock in Trafalgar Square, watching Damon Albarn in his opera Dr Dee at the national Opera House as part of the London 2012 Festival, and sending a message of support to Team GB’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes via www.ourgreatestteam.com.
People are also encouraged to consider training to become a referee, official or coach in a sport that interests them, visit the giant Olympic Rings at St Pancras International Station, and view the Tate Britain’s exhibition of Olympic and Paralympic posters.
Seb Coe, chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: “The Jubilee celebrations and the incredible welcome given to the Olympic Torch Relay have shown the great community spirit of British people and their enthusiasm to get involved with big events.
“By releasing this list, we want to demonstrate that whatever your interests, there is a way for you to be part of London 2012. We are urging the UK public to join in, and to keep their bunting and flags ready to mark what will be an unrivalled summer of sport, culture and celebration.”
London 2012 is also encouraging people to become a Local Leader - a person in the community who organises events to celebrate the Games.
There are currently more than 14,000 Local Leaders across the country for London 2012 who have already hosted or are planning events.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “With a mere 50 days to go, we are keeping our foot on the pedal to make sure everything is in place for a smooth and successful Games. We will learn any lessons from the spectacular celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee and will make sure the capital is buzzing as we roll out a huge programme of events and festivities for everyone to enjoy.
“So whether it’s watching the sporting spectacle at our live sites or being inspired to take up a new sport, joining in the free arts extravaganzas going on across the city or just enjoying the shopping, theatre and restaurants that make this the best big city in world, London is the place to be.”
Source: www.newhamrecorder.co.uk
London 2012 Organising Committee Supports 100 Days of Peace Project - ibtimes.co.uk
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The objective of 100 Days of Peace, which is a London 2012 Inspire Mark project, is to promote a safer and more tolerant society across the Games period and is specifically aimed at young people. It is strongly linked to London 2012's work around the Olympic Truce and seeks peace in London for 50 days ahead of the Games and for 50 days afterwards. At the end of this period, on October 28th, London Citizens will publish a new map of London with CitySafe Zones marked on it.
An integral part of the 100 Days of Peace project is the CitySafe Campaign where young people and adults will work on a number of initiatives. In all, there will be 18 other CitySafe rallies organised by London Citizens taking place across London on the same day in 18 other Boroughs.
These include encouraging local businesses and organisations to offer their premises as CitySafe Havens, pledging to report 100 percent of crime and organising events that facilitate dialogue between police and young people, led by CitySafe Champions.
The CitySafe Campaign is led by London Citizens member communities which include Families United and The Jimmy Mizen Foundation
Both 100 Days of Peace and the CitySafe Campaign are coordinated by London Citizens, the UK's largest independent civic alliance with over 250 schools, churches, mosques, trade unions, charities and local associations. One of the four sub-regional groups of London Citizens is the East London Communities Organisations (TELCO) which has been working with London 2012 from the start of the bid process.
Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth matrimonial commitment ahoy - The economic choice
Miley Cyrus and her Australian partner, Liam Hemsworth are now betrothed to one another sealed with a rather nice 19th century engagement ring.
The couple have enjoyed an on off relationship since they met and fell in love on the film-set set of ‘The Last Song‘ back in 2009.
Hunger Games Actor, Liam Hemsworth has publicly received the thumbs up from his future father-in-law, Billy Ray Cyrus who is told People Magazine that he is delighted at the news.
Miley, who shot to fame in Disney Channel hit television series Hannah Montana, has been spotted looking pleased as punch and beaming an awful lot since the engagement and if Liam’s tweets of the engagement ring are anything to go by it looks as if the future Mrs Hemsworth has more than one reason to celebrate.
A simple betrothal band has divided opinion in the media as to whether or not the offending item of jewellery is tasteful or just bling and should such rings be flaunted in a time of economic crisis.
The rising cost of precious metals also affects the viability for the average man on the street to purchase an engagement ring let alone one which will compete with that presented to Miley Cyrus.
In Greece women are now selling their engagement and wedding rings to pay for giving birth in hospital and the price of wedding ring may not even cover it.
The engagement between a 19 year old actress and a 22 year old actor has raised questions in the press over how long a teen marriage can last and why is such a union being devalued by the couple themselves who appear to be flaunting their opulence but one must remember what it was like to be young, naive and in love.
Miley Cyrus - by Angela George
Image by Angela George [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Tags: Engagement, Hannah Montana, Hunger Games, Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus
Source: www.economicvoice.com
London 2012: Olympic Torch Relay in Scotland - BBC News
The Olympic flame is set to arrive in Scotland.
The torch will arrive by ferry at Cairnryan in Galloway, at about 18:30 BST, after five days in Northern Ireland.
The official torch relay in Scotland, which will be covered in full by a special BBC website, will begin from nearby Stranraer at 06:00 BST on Friday.
Its week-long tour of Scotland will see it carried from the south-west of Scotland to Glasgow, then to Inverness and Orkney and Shetland. The torch relay will visit the Western Isles before travelling through Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh to the Scottish Borders.
Among more than 700 torchbearers will be some well-known athletes and celebrities.
Rower Katherine Grainger, who has won silver medals at each of the past three Olympics, will travel home to Glasgow to carry the torch on Friday.
Olympic curling gold medallist Rhona Martin and stunt cyclist Danny Mackaskill will also be involved in Friday's relay.
TV personality Jenni Falconer, golfer Colin Montgomerie, rugby player Chris Paterson and cyclist Mark Beaumont will carry the torch during its week in Scotland.
The first day of the torch relay will see it travel from Stranraer and up through Ayrshire, calling at places such as Turnberry, Alloway and Ayr.
On Friday afternoon, the torch will call at Rutherglen and Giffnock on the outskirts of Glasgow before finishing with a celebration in the city's George Square.
Saturday's journey will begin at 07:00 BST on a tall ship outside the city's Riverside Museum and end almost 12 hours later at the Eden Court in Inverness.
On Sunday, the torch will make a flying visit to Orkney and Shetland before heading to Stornoway on Lewis, where the following day's relay begins.
On Monday, the relay will again pass through Inverness on its way to Aberdeen.
The journey on Tuesday is from Aberdeen to Dundee and on Wednesday the route is St Andrews to Edinburgh, where there will be a celebration at Edinburgh Castle featuring a performance by pop star Emeli Sandé.
On Thursday morning, the flame heads south from Edinburgh through the Borders, leaving Scotland at about 16:30 BST.
However, a week later the torch will enter Scotland once again, spending the morning of Thursday 21 June travelling from Dumfries to Gretna.
There may be further Scottish interest in the relay before it ends its journey at the Olympic park in London on 27 July.
Sir Chris Hoy, who won three gold medals in Beijing four years ago, will carry the torch in Manchester and Andy Murray will be the torchbearer in the London Borough of Merton, home of the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon.
Olympic Torch in Scotland - Full details
Friday 8 June - Stranraer to Glasgow (Day 21)
Saturday 9 June - Glasgow to Inverness (Day 22)
Sunday 10 June - Kirkwall to Lerwick (Day 23)
Monday 11 June - Stornoway to Aberdeen (Day 24)
Tuesday 12 June - Aberdeen to Dundee (Day 25)
Wednesday 13 June - St Andrews to Edinburgh (Day 26)
Thursday 14 June - Edinburgh to the Borders (Day 27)
Thursday 21 June 2012 - Dumfries to Gretna (Day 34)
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sussex rocked in the rain - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex rocked in the rain
3:41pm Thursday 7th June 2012 in Sport By Steve Hollis
Sussex slumped from 81-2 to 90-6 in the six overs that were possible before it began to rain at Horsham today.
The county had begun the day in a strong position as they replied to Surrey's total of 124 but got off to the worst possible start when skipper Mike Yardy was out first ball to Stuart Meaker.
Joe Gatting followed 13 balls later when he was bowled by Meaker before play was held up by brief shower.
Luke Wright was caught behind off Murali Kartik five balls after the resumption and a miserable period was concluded when Ben Brown was trapped lbw by Meaker before the heavens opened and washed out the rest of the day.
Including Chris Nash's dismissal late yesterday it meant Sussex had lost five wickets for seven runs in the space of 28 balls.
Meaker's figures this morning were 3-3 from three overs.
Luke Wells remains unbeaten on 38 after watching the carnage this morning from the other end.
Comments(12)
Neville says...
3:52pm Thu 7 Jun 12
bruce beckett says...
3:59pm Thu 7 Jun 12
BobbyZamoraIsALegend says...
4:13pm Thu 7 Jun 12
Zamora25 says...
4:17pm Thu 7 Jun 12
The Real Ryfish says...
4:52pm Thu 7 Jun 12
BobbyZamoraIsALegend says...
4:59pm Thu 7 Jun 12
Zamora25 says...
5:24pm Thu 7 Jun 12
bruce beckett says...
5:25pm Thu 7 Jun 12
The Real Ryfish says...
6:15pm Thu 7 Jun 12
Anyway, how quickly SHOULD Wells be progressing? Very few young players come in and stay in the team, so surely he is progressing just fine? Goodwin is having a bloody awful season, granted, but it is unlikely he has become a bad player during the close season so there is no reason to think he is finished.
Gatting has yet to convince, and Brown/Hodd look to be fighting for a place in the 2nds, but you seem to love it when we play badly.
Why not make a few more positive comments when things are going well and disprove my opinion?
PS: I presume it was you pretending to be me on the live bog last week when someone spoofed your name and assumed (incorrectly) it was me?
bruce beckett says...
6:40pm Thu 7 Jun 12
bruce beckett says...
6:43pm Thu 7 Jun 12
Neville says...
6:49pm Thu 7 Jun 12
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
London 2012 Olympics: Usain Bolt stuns the world by winning 100m showdown with Asafa Powell in 9.79 sec - Daily Telegraph
Britain supplied two of the supporting cast members for Thursday’s sprint showdown though neither were able to steal the show. Mark Lewis-Francis suffered the ignominy of being disqualified for a false start while Marlon Devonish finished sixth in an underwhelming 10.40sec.
The world 400m hurdles champion, Dai Greene, insists that winning Diamond League races is of no importance to him this season and that his training programme has been geared to peaking for the Olympics.
One can only trust he and his coach, Malcolm Arnold, know what they are doing because Greene showed none of the strength and power that carried him to the world title in Daegu last summer as he struggled home in fourth place last night in a weary 49.98sec.
A long way ahead of him was Javier Culson, the Puerto Rican who took the silver in Daegu but has looked the man to beat all season. His winning time of 47.92sec was the fastest in the world this year and has been bettered by Greene only once in his career.
Greene, who appeared to be running out of gas in the straight, said: “It was disappointing. I’m not going to lie, I wanted a lot more. I didn’t think I was going to run as fast as Culson but I just didn’t feel quite as fresh as I did a few weeks ago.” In mitigation, Greene was forced to pull out of last week’s Rome Golden Gala with a stomach virus and he admitted his preparation had not been ideal.
“I thought I could have gone about four tenths faster,” said the Welshman. “That was the target in my head. I ran very aggressively from the start but it was a struggle from hurdle seven onwards. Hopefully, things will get a bit easier in the future.”
The eagerly awaited Olympic 5,000m showdown between Mo Farah and defending Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele is in danger of not even happening after the Ethiopian trailed home in fifth place in the 5,000m here. The race had been nominated by the Ethiopian athletics federation as an Olympic trial and, unfortunately for Bekele, the four athletes who finished ahead of him were all compatriots, leaving him in serious peril of missing out on London.
Bekele has yet to run under 13 minutes this season, though he insisted that he still had time to post a quick enough to catch the selectors’ eyes because the final decision would not be made for several weeks.
“I don’t give up hope,” said Bekele. “I still have time. No problem, I will make it.” Thursday’s race was won by Dejen Gebremeskel, the 5,000m bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships, in 12min 58.92sec, though Farah still leads the world rankings after his 12min 56.88sec in Eugene, Oregon, last Friday.
Jessica Ennis had a mixed night after recording her third-quickest ever time of 12.83sec in the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles only to be disqualified from the final for a false start. Victory went to Australian world champion Sally Pearson with a world-leading time of 12.49sec in her first outdoor race of the European season. Britain’s Tiffany Porter showed her own Olympic medal credentials by taking some big scalps in finishing third in 12.70sec.
Abi Oyepitan turned back the clock with her best 200m time in eight years to finish in second place in her race in 22.71sec — the fastest time this year by a UK runner and well within the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard.
The last time she ran so quickly was at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she reached the final. Having already secured the ‘A’ standard in the 100m, the Tony Lester-coached athlete now looks back to her best after years of injury problems.
Britain's winners and losers in Oslo...
Good Night for...
Abi Oyepitan (200m)
After reaching the final of the Athens Olympics, Oyepitan’s career was blighted by injury, but she now looks back to her best. Her 22.71sec in Oslo took her to the top of the UK rankings.
Nigel Levine (400m)
The UK indoor champion sliced a huge 0.67sec off his lifetime best to win his 400m race in 45.11sec — well inside the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard.
Gareth Warburton (800m)
His winning time of 1min 44.98sec made him the third GB athlete to achieve the Olympic ‘A’ standard.
Bad Night for...
Dai Greene (400m hurdles)
He looked a shadow of the runner who won the world title last September as he came fourth in 48.98sec. The Welshman admitted he was disappointed but was not pressing the panic button yet.
Nicola Sanders (400m)
The 2007 world silver medallist finished last in her 400m race in 52.79sec, a long way off the Olympic ‘A’ standard.
Jessica Ennis (100m hurdles)
After clocking 12.83sec in her semi-final — the third fastest time of her career — she was disqualified in the final for a false start.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Sussex Police ready to referee violent domestic rows - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex Police ready to referee violent domestic rows
4:25pm Thursday 7th June 2012 in News By Anna Roberts
Police will have dedicated domestic violence units to race to arrest thugs attacking their partners during the European Championships.
Traditionally, forces have seen a spike in attacks during football tournaments as offenders drink and take out their frustrations on their other halves.
Officers are expecting a similar rise when the tournament begins on Friday, in particular on days when England play.
Sussex Police is to send out domestic violence patrols on matchdays which will be able to quickly attend reports of attacks.
The force has issued body-worn cameras to officers to help them secure evidence against offenders from the moment they arrive at the scene, rather than having to rely on vulnerable victims to give evidence against their partners.
Senior officers are keen for victims to call 999 as soon as they are targeted rather than waiting to report crimes later.
Football violence
Police also hope to reduce violence in pubs and clubs across the county during the tournament by asking venues to only provide drinks in plastic or polycarbonate glasses.
And they will use their powers to order those who are drunk and causing trouble to disperse – arresting those who refuse.
Superintendent Grenville Wilson said: “Our main aim is to make this a safe and trouble-free tournament.
“Our approach will be friendly, fair but firm.
“The vast majority of supporters are law-abiding and peaceful, but there are a few who use events like the championships as an excuse to cause trouble. We don’t want it and we won’t put up with it.
“Sussex also has a large number of visitors and students from abroad, and indeed people from abroad who now live here, and whose teams may progress through the tournament and who want to enjoy the occasion.
“We will be affording them protection throughout the force area as well.”
Comments(2)
PorkBoat says...
4:43pm Thu 7 Jun 12
Maxwell's Ghost says...
10:40pm Thu 7 Jun 12
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
London Welsh prepare for appeal over Premiership exile - The Guardian
London Welsh's appeal against a decision barring them promotion to the Aviva Premiership looks set to be heard this month.
The Exiles won this season's Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.
However, the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall that they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby's Professional Game Board for Premiership entry.
London Welsh played the final's second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain Premiership status.
As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next season despite finishing bottom, a point behind Wasps, this season. However, should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them then they will go up and the Falcons will be relegated.
In a statement, the RFU said: "The Rugby Football Union has today received London Welsh's appeal against the decision that the club failed to meet the minimum standards criteria set out by the Professional Game Board for promotion to the Aviva Premiership.
"It is proposed that the appeal hearing, which will take place before an independent panel, will be held on 21 June at the London Bloomsbury Hotel.
"An expedited timetable has been agreed with London Welsh, with the proposed date of 21 June the earliest possible time to allow for the exchange of cases and evidence. During the appeal, no further comment will be made."
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Cop Accused Of Karate-Chopping Judge Identified, But Still Walking The Beat - Gothamist.com
A routine allegation of police brutality made headlines yesterday, in no small part because the individual making the accusation is a Very Important Person on the side of the Law. Justice Thomas Raffaele, who sits in the Matrimonial part in State Supreme Court in Jamaica, Queens, says an NYPD officer karate-chopped him in the throat without provocation just after midnight on Friday. Investigators tell the Times the judge has since identified the officer, and an investigation is underway. But for now at least the unnamed officer is still on the beat, free to walk the streets and sweep the leg at will.
Raffaele picked the officer out of a photo array, and the NYPD has confirmed he works in the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights, Queens. The incident occurred when Raffaele, 69, was headed home after cleaning out his parents' old house, which had recently been sold. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans, he came upon a handcuffed man lying face down on the sidewalk at 74th Street near 37th Road, screaming at two police officers standing over him.
One officer—the one who would soon assault Raffaele—was allegedly dropping his knee into the man's back repeatedly. Raffaele says he called 911 because an outraged crowd was gathering and he was concerned the situation could spiral into further violence. Which it did, with Raffaele the alleged victim. He says the officer became enraged and charged at him, perhaps thinking Raffaele was one of the bystanders heckling him. The officer allegedly karate-chopped the judge in the throat, sending him to his knees in great pain. After a visit to the E.R., doctors determined that Raffaele was not seriously injured.
The man in handcuffs, Charles Memminger, sustained "incredibly substantial bruises" on his back and abrasions to his face from where it was pressed into the sidewalk, according to his attorney, who plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city. (He also says he's in possession of video of the incident, which has yet to see the light of day.) Memminger was not charged, and it's still unclear what started the whole thing.
High Commissioner Ray Kelly himself has weighed in on the incident, telling reporters, "The investigation is going forward. We have to assemble the facts and, obviously, talk to officers who were on the scene. That’s all being either conducted now, or will shortly be conducted by the Internal Affairs Bureau."
Source: gothamist.com
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