Month: October 2012

  • Tempers flare in NJ city where thousands stranded. Hoboken Inundated by High Water from Sandy

    Tempers flare in NJ city where thousands stranded

     

     Email this Story

    Oct 31, 2:16 PM (ET)

    By SAMANTHA HENRY

    (AP) A firehouse is surrounded by floodwaters in the wake of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012,…
    Full Image

     
     


    HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP) – Officials in the city of Hoboken, N.J., are defending their response to severe flooding from superstorm Sandy.

    Public Safety director Jon Tooke says at least 25 percent of the city on the Hudson River across from Manhattan remains under water. He estimates at least 20,000 people are stranded and says most are being encouraged to shelter in place until floodwaters recede.

    Tempers flared Wednesday morning outside City Hall as some residents complained the city was slow to get food and other supplies out to the stranded.

    Tooke says emergency personnel have been working 24/7. He says the “scope of this situation is enormous.”

    (AP) A parking lot full of yellow cabs is flooded as a result of superstorm Sandy on Tuesday, Oct. 30,…
    Full Image

    National Guard troops are delivering food, supplies and gas canisters to people who need them. They are also evacuating people with medical problems or other special needs.

    THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

    National Guard trucks rolled into this city on the Hudson River to deliver ready-to-eat meals and other supplies and to evacuate young professionals and other residents who decided that after two days stranded by floodwaters, they wanted out.

    The mayor issued an appeal for people to bring boats to City Hall to help take people from their condo high-rises, brownstones and other homes as an increasing number of calls came in from people asking to be evacuated.

    “We are doing what we can but we really need more help,” said the mayor’s spokesman, Juan Melli.

    (AP) A resident walks through flood water and past a stalled ambulance in the aftermath of superstorm…
    Full Image

    Hoboken is a compact, one-square-mile city of 50,000 with many narrow streets that still retains its working-class grit, but also has come to be known as a great place for young professional families, including workers on Wall Street just across the river in Manhattan.

    Samuel Scott Cornish, 34, who lives with his wife, Katie, and newborn son, Jack, in a luxury apartment complex on the border of Hoboken and Jersey City, said he was told to move his Subaru to a different area inside his building’s garage for safety before the storm, only to discover it floating in water.

    Superstorm Sandy sent the raging Hudson overflowing its banks into their building at least a quarter-mile away. The garage is now filled with water-soaked cars, including a BMW floating upside down in a deep rampway full of water.

    Cornish said the storm itself was initially a bonding period with neighbors he once only nodded hello to at their doors – and now considers friends.

    Many downtown streets still have 2 to 4 feet of water and are nearly impassable.

    But now that Cornish and others have been able to get outside their homes and see a bit of dry sidewalk for the first time in days, folks are realizing the full scope of the damage and are getting antsy.

    Cornish was deciding Wednesday whether to evacuate to his parents’ house in Summit, where they have no power.

    “I’m debating, no power and a colder house in Summit, or stick it out here with some auxiliary power that will only last until the building runs out of diesel,” he said.

    In Cornish’s building, the generators gave them auxiliary power only in the hallways. He said doors were open and neighbors were sharing; some had refrigerators plugged in the hallway or worked on laptops.

    At one condo building where power remains out, residents decided to celebrate Halloween on Wednesday afternoon.

    Kathy Zucker, the condo president, said she had three children under the age of 6.

    “They are going a little stir crazy,” she said, “but they are hanging in there.”

    Zucker said children would be going door to door in Halloween costumes at 1 p.m.

    Around the city late Wednesday morning, people in hipster glasses and designer rain boots swept up mud-caked front sidewalks clogged with debris as National Guard trucks rolled through the area. Others got around with their legs wrapped in garbage bags.

    Payloaders had been used to get people out for medical emergencies, but Melli said the streets are so narrow they can get stuck.

    P.J. Molski, a 25-year-old graphic designer who lives in Hoboken, said his place is dry but his car, which he left parked on a flooded street, won’t start.

    Almost every basement apartment he has seen in the small city, which makes the most of its housing stock, is flooded, he said. The mayor had asked residents of those units to evacuate Sunday.

    “There are just pumps going all over the city of people trying to get the water out of their basement apartments,” he said. 

     

    Copyright. 2012. Myway.com. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Indian GP: Sebastian Vettel wins ahead of Alonso to extend lead

    28 October 2012Last updated at 11:11 GMT

    518

    Indian GP: Sebastian Vettel wins ahead of Alonso to extend lead

    By Andrew BensonChief F1 writer in Noida

    Sebastian Vettel dominated the Indian Grand Prix to take a fourth win in a row and extend his championship lead over Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

    The Red Bull driver is 13 points clear of the Spaniard, who was second ahead of Vettel’s team-mate Mark Webber.

    The Australian was holding off Alonso when he suffered a Kers power-boost problem and the Ferrari swept by.

    Lewis Hamilton closed on Webber but had to settle for fourth ahead of McLaren team-mate Jenson Button.

    Indian GP top 10

    1 Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull 1:31:10.744

    2 Fernando Alonso – Ferrari +00:09.437

    3 Mark Webber – Red Bull +00:13.217

    4 Lewis Hamilton – McLaren +00:13.909

    5 Jenson Button – McLaren +00:26.266

    6 Felipe Massa – Ferrari +00:44.674

    7 Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus +00:45.227

    8 Nico Hulkenberg – Force India +00:54.998

    9 Romain Grosjean – Lotus +00:56.103

    10 Bruno Senna – Williams +01:14.975

    Vettel is a strong favourite for the title, with Red Bull in imperious form and 75 points available in the remaining races.

    The German equalled the legendary Ayrton Senna’s record of leading every lap of a race for three consecutive grands prix, set for McLaren in 1989. And Vettel won in India for the second straight year after dominating here in 2011.

    “It has been an incredible two years for us here to get pole on Saturday and win the race on Sunday,” said Vettel. “It’s a very special grand prix, I really like the flow of this circuit. Sector one is a bit slow with long straights, but sector two and three is very nice.”

    Ferrari’s Felipe Massa took sixth, closely followed throughout the race by Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen, who is now almost completely out of the title race, 67 points behind Vettel in third place overall.

    Webber, in fourth place in the championship and 70 points adrift of Vettel, retains a mathematical chance but the championship battle is now effectively a fight between Vettel and Alonso.

    On current form, it is hard to see how the Spaniard has any realistic chance of closing the gap and preventing Vettel and Red Bull making it three championships in a row.

    “It’s not easy at the moment to fight the Red Bull but we will never give up,” Alonso said. “We lost points but this was more or less the plan this weekend; we were not fast enough to compete with them. We lost the minimum points and better races will come.”

    Indian GP facts

    • Track temperature: 31C
    • Air temperature: 29C
    • Ave wind speed: 3.2 metres per second
    • Humidity: 30%
    • Fastest lap: J Button (lap 60): 1 min 28.203 secs
    • Fastest Speeds:
    • Sector 1: F Alonso 258kph (160mph)
    • Sector 2 : F Alonso 244kph (152mph)
    • Sector 3 : K Raikkonen 224kph (139mph)
    • Speed Trap: J-E Vergne 322kph (200mph)

    Vettel has now led every single lap of the last three races, after a series of technical upgrades to the Red Bull moved it onto a separate level from any other car.

    Here at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, to the south-east of Delhi, Vettel aggressively fended off a challenge from Webber off the start line and controlled the race from there.

    After a measured first 20 laps, during which he extended his lead over Webber to five seconds, the world champion suddenly cut loose with a series of laps 0.7 seconds faster than anyone else.

    At this time, Alonso was beginning to close on Webber and threaten the Australian’s second place.

    The Spaniard moved up from fifth on the grid to third by lap four after some impressive racing between himself, Hamilton and Button on the opening lap.

    They went three abreast into Turn Four on the opening lap, after Alonso had taken advantage of the duelling McLarens to close on them.

    Hamilton and Button tried to go into Turn Four either side of the Ferrari and while Button hung on to third place, Alonso managed to stay ahead of Hamilton.

    The Ferrari then passed Button on the fourth lap. Webber inched clear of Alonso to move second by lap 16 before the Ferrari driver began to come back at him.

    Alonso made his sole pit stop on lap 29, a lap before Webber and was right on the Red Bull’s tail when it emerged from its stop.

    Webber began to suffer Kers problems from about lap 20 but he held Alonso off for the next 25 laps. But then he lost time behind two backmarkers and that put Alonso on to his tail. With no Kers, Webber was unable to defend and the Ferrari swept by into second place, grabbing an extra three points that could be crucial at the end of the season.

    Vettel then appeared to hit some trouble, with the underside of his car – the area called the ‘tea tray’ under the drivers legs – starting to spark as it dragged on the ground.

    Alonso was urged by his team to put pressure on him, but Vettel was able to stay in control until the end.

    Webber was then left to fend off an attack from Hamilton, which he managed to do.

    The final points positions were taken by Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg in eighth place, just holding off the Lotus of Romain Grosjean.

    Williams’s Bruno Senna, fighting to save his drive, was 10th.

    INDIAN GRAND PRIX 2012, DAY THREE

    • Sunday, 28 October: Race highlights: 14:05-15:45 GMT, BBC One; repeated BBC Two 01:00-02:40 GMT

  • Live Updates and Analysis: College Football Saturday, October 20th, 2012

    October 20, 2012, 11:06 AM1 Comment

    Live Updates and Analysis: College Football Saturday

    By MIKE HUGUENIN
    Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M throwing in the first quarter on Saturday.Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJohnny Manziel of Texas A&M throwing in the first quarter on Saturday.

    The Times is back today to host the best college football watch party in the country. Mike Huguenin will offer up his own analysis and insights on all of the big games and a lot of the not so big ones.

    Saturday is full of crucial conference showdowns, especially in the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences.

    We’re also asking that you submit photos to us on Saturday from wherever you’re watching your team. We’ll post selected images on our blog and on Twitter. Send us your photos via twitter using the hashtag #nytquad.

    Auto-refresh is: ONTurn OFF

    7:55 P.M. Points Aplenty

    Louisiana Tech averages a nation’s-best 53.8 points per game. It’s safe to assume the Bulldogs are going to reach their average this week: They lead 35-14 over Idaho with 45 seconds in the first quarter. Yes, first quarter.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:52 P.M. K-State Taking It to West Virginia

    Unfortunately for West Virginia, its defense again has showed up. That’s a bad, bad, bad unit. Kansas State leads the host Mountaineers 17-0 with 11:23 left in the second quarter. Any hope WVU has of remaining in Big 12 contention hinges on a win in this contest.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:45 P.M. Tuberville, Texas Tech Making Some Noise

    Texas Tech pulled a huge upset in October last season, upsetting then-unbeaten Oklahoma in Lubbock. But the Red Raiders didn’t win again and finished 5-7.

    Texas Tech pulled a huge upset last week, upsetting then-unbeaten West Virginia in Lubbock. Today, the Red Raiders (6-1) followed up that victory by beating host TCU 56-53 in three overtimes.

    Texas Tech has another big game next weekend, when it plays at Kansas State. Two weeks from today, the Red Raiders play host to Texas. Thus, there’s no question that the Red Raiders – who already have lost to Oklahoma this season and also have games left against Oklahoma State and Baylor – are going to have a say in who wins the Big 12. They have made big strides defensively from last season, but remain far from an elite unit. Thing is, QB Seth Doege is playing at a high level, and Texas Tech can score with anybody left on its schedule.

    The Red Raiders’ success again has shined a light on coach Tommy Tuberville. It seems doubtful Tuberville, 58, wants to end his career in Lubbock. He’s an Arkansas native who played his college ball in his home state, at Southern Arkansas. He also has had success as a coach in the SEC. There could be as many as four coaching vacancies in the SEC. Would one of those schools give Tuberville a call?

    As for TCU (5-2), the Horned Frogs already own two Big 12 losses and still have Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma remaining on the schedule.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:02 P.M. Irish Continue Rolling Along

    Notre Dame has gone to three BCS bowls and the Irish appear headed to their fourth this season, which would be their first BCS appearance since the 2006 season.

    The Irish are 7-0 after fending off visiting BYU 17-14 today. The Irish play at Oklahoma next week and finish off the regular season with a visit to USC, but there’s no way the Irish should lose any of their other regular-season games (Pittsburgh, Boston College and Wake Forest). Thus, even if Notre Dame loses to Oklahoma and USC, it means a 10-2 record. And a 10-2 Notre Dame team is going to be in the BCS.

    Of course, a win next week means the Irish have a legit shot at 12-0. Maybe a decade ago, to suggest an unbeaten Notre Dame team wouldn’t play for the national title would’ve been considered blasphemous. But if Oregon and one SEC team are unblemished, those two teams will be in the title game and the Irish would be left out. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Beating Oklahoma will be a tough task for this offense-challenged Irish team.

    Note Dame's Cierre Wood (20) rushed for 114 yards against Brigham Young.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesNote Dame’s Cierre Wood (20) rushed for 114 yards against Brigham Young.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:53 P.M. Robinson Lifts Wolverines

    Michigan senior QB Denard Robinson never had beaten Michigan State in his career, but he engineered a come-from-behind victory with some last-minute heroics in a 12-10 victory in Ann Arbor. Robinson led the Wolverines on an eight-play, 41-yard drive for a game-winning 38-yard field goal by Brendan Gibbons.

    The victory moves Michigan to 3-0 in the Big Ten Legends Division, and Iowa must win tonight at home against Penn State to keep pace. The Hawkeyes and Wolverines were the only division teams unbeaten in league play entering the day.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:32 P.M. Hey, Remember Matt Barkley?

    USC QB Matt Barkley is trying to resurrect his Heisman hopes, and Colorado is proving to be a willing participant. The game even isn’t six minutes old and Barkley already has three TD passes. He is 7-of-7 for 158 yards as USC leads 19-0.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:26 P.M. Louisville Getting All It Wants

    Unbeaten Louisville is getting a test from USF – which is winless in Big East play and coming off a loss to Temple. The Cardinals lead 21-18 with 6:35 remaining in the game. USF has failed to score a point in two trips to the red zone, including falling short on two fourth-and 1 opportunities, but still has a shot at the upset.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:16 P.M. Slaughter in the Swamp

    It’s a demolition in the Swamp, with Florida leading South Carolina 37-8 in the waning moments of the third quarter. The Gators led 21-6 at halftime and have dominated the second half.

    There were those who questioned how good these guys were. Uhhh … they’re good. The Gators have beaten Texas A&M, LSU and now South Carolina; those teams have a combined five losses, with three to the Gators and the other two to LSU.

    The World’s Largest Cocktail Party should be especially big next week because Georgia knows that (assuming it beats woeful Kentucky tonight) a win over the Gators would put it in the driver’s seat in the SEC East. Florida, meanwhile, knows that a win over Georgia keeps it squarely in the national title chase in coach Will Muschamp’s second season.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:00 P.M. Pelini’s Huskers Struggling

    Expect the grousing about Nebraska coach Bo Pelini to truly heat up if Northwestern holds on to its 21-10 third-quarter lead over the Huskers. Nebraska already has lost twice this season and has Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State in its next three games. The Huskers have lost at least four games in each of the past eight seasons; this is Pelini’s fifth season in Lincoln.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:53 P.M. Irish Seeking Some Offense

    Notre Dame has had issues moving the ball consistently this season, and the problem is cropping up again today. The Irish trail visiting BYU 14-10 with 3:35 left in the third quarter. Notre Dame has run the ball well, but the passing attack is anemic. The Irish play at Oklahoma next week.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:46 P.M. Gators Increase Lead

    What little bit of momentum South Carolina had gained with a last-play field goal in the first half was lost when Florida drove 59 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half. The Gators, who had all of 29 yards of offense in the first half, had the extra point blocked and returned for two points but still lead 27-8.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:17 P.M. Who Needs Offense?

    Florida leads South Carolina 21-6 at halftime, and the Gators have almost as many points as total yards (29). South Carolina’s defense has been stifling and has held Florida to 13 rushing yards on 18 attempts. But the opportunistic Gators have turned three South Carolina fumbles into touchdowns; when your offense is struggling, it helps when you start drives on the opponent’s 1, 2 and 29.

    It could’ve been an even bigger lead. Florida had a TD called back because of a chop block, had an interception overturned because it was offside (the Gamecocks were thankful, kicking a field goal on the last play of the first half after the offside call) and also committed two 15-yard penalties on South Carolina’s first scoring drive.

    Is a comeback possible for South Carolina? Florida has allowed 23 total second-half points this season.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:54 P.M. Gators Taking Advantage

    Wide receiver Quinton Dunbar after scoring a touchdown for Florida on Saturday.Chris Trotman/Getty ImagesWide receiver Quinton Dunbar after scoring a touchdown for Florida on Saturday.

    Florida leads South Carolina 21-3 with a bit more than two minutes left in the first half. The Gators have covered all of 32 yards on their three TD “drives.” They have turned three Gamecocks fumbles into touchdowns and have gone 2 yards, 29 yards and 1 yard for their TDs.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:28 P.M. Stanford Laying It On Cal

    “The Game” is a rout so far. Stanford leads California 21-3 and has outgained the Golden Bears 235-77 midway through the second quarter. The three TDs scored by Stanford were the first scored by the Cardinal offense in three road games this season.

    This is the 115th time the teams have met and the earliest the game ever has been played.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:20 P.M. Irish Defense Dominant Early

    Notre Dame entered today’s game with BYU with 15 sacks. The Irish already have added three against the Cougars and lead 7-0 after one quarter.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:10 P.M. It’s a Big Ten Throwback Game

    Where are Duffy and Bo? Michigan and Michigan State have played a scoreless first quarter dominated by defense. The teams combined for 95 total yards and three first downs.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:02 P.M. LSU Wins, Now Gets Week Off

    LSU did enough to hold off host Texas A&M 24-19, the Tigers’ second big win in a row; they beat South Carolina last week. LSU now gets a week off, then plays host to Alabama on Nov. 3. A win over the Tide means LSU’s early-October loss to Florida would be just a distant memory. A loss, though, and you can be sure Les Miles’ critics again would be out in force.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    3:07 P.M. Rutgers Will Stay Unbeaten

    Temple running back Montel Harris was tackled by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene on Saturday.Mel Evans/Associated PressTemple running back Montel Harris was tackled by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene on Saturday.

    Unbeaten Rutgers played poorly in the first half and trailed 10-0 at Temple. But the Scarlet Knights have awakened in the second half and taken a 35-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

    Rutgers is looking to start 7-0 for just the fifth time in school history and only the second time since 1991.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:59 P.M. Can Auburn Rally?

    On a national scale, the Auburn-Vanderbilt game in Nashville matters not a bit. But you can be sure everyone in the SEC is keeping an eye on the game because if Auburn doesn’t win, chances are the Tigers are going to go winless in SEC play. That, of course, would come two seasons after Auburn went 14-0 and won the 2010 national title.

    Vandy leads 17-13 with a bit less than 10 minutes left in the game. Auburn is 1-of-9 on third downs and has managed just 200 total yards. The Tigers don’t have a legit SEC quarterback on the roster – heck, they barely have a legit Sun Belt quarterback – and it could cost coach Gene Chizik his job.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:50 P.M. Braxton Miller Injured

    Ohio State QB Braxton Miller was removed from the Buckeyes’ home game against Purdue on a cart. ESPN sideline reporter Lewis Johnson said on the telecast that it appeared Miller, who was conscious, suffered an upper-body injury.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:43 P.M. Clemson Whipping the Hokies

    Clemson has blown open its ACC showdown with visiting Virginia Tech, taking a 31-10 lead late in the third quarter. It looks as if the Tigers will win their third in a row over the Hokies; Clemson won twice last season, by a combined 61-13.

    Virginia Tech was supposed to contend for the league title behind what was expected to be one of the best defenses in the nation, but the Hokies have been mediocre on that side of the ball and a rebuilt offense hasn’t been able to take up the slack. A loss today would drop the Hokies to 4-4 overall, and for all the talk about the Hokies seemingly being a true national title contender every year, this is the seventh season in a row that they have lost at least three games. The losing might not be over for Tech, which is at Miami next week and plays host to Florida State in two weeks.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:31 P.M. Purdue Hanging Tough at Ohio State

    Purdue has won just twice at Ohio State in the past 60 seasons and its last victory at Ohio Stadium came in 1988. Well, the Boilermakers lead the Buckeyes 20-14 late in the third quarter today.

    A suspect Purdue defense has clamped down on Ohio State QB Braxton Miller, and the Buckeyes are struggling mightily on offense with just 191 yards. Miller has just 5 yards on 9 carries and is completing less than 50 percent of his passes.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:22 P.M. Oklahoma State Gaining Some Redemption

    Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh throwing against Iowa State on Saturday.Brody Schmidt/Associated PressOklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh throwing against Iowa State on Saturday.

    Oklahoma State blew its chance at a national title by losing at Iowa State last season – the Cowboys’ only loss – but it is gaining some revenge this season, taking a 24-10 lead midway through the third quarter.

    Oklahoma State already has rolled up 414 yards of offense, including 78 on the ground, which is 18 more than the Cowboys managed in last season’s loss to the Cyclones.

    Oklahoma State’s defense isn’t that good, but neither is Iowa State’s offense.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    1:58 P.M. It Hasn’t Been Pretty, But LSU Leads

    LSU has been outplayed, yet still leads Texas A&M 14-12 at halftime. The Aggies have outgained the Tigers 258-147 and are 4-of-9 on third downs to LSU’s 0-of-7. But the Aggies committed two turnovers in the latter half of the second quarter, and LSU turned both into touchdowns.

    LSU has had 34 plays and, inexplicably, the Tigers have passed on 16 of them (QB Zach Mettenberger is 5-of-16). The Tigers are at their best when they run the ball, so why in the world has coordinator Greg Studrawa been so reliant on the pass? Mettenberger might have all the necessary physical tools, but the guy is nothing but an adequate SEC quarterback. LSU needs to play to its strength, which is its ground attack.

    Love it when running backs/receivers don’t wear gloves. I find it nostalgic, seeing LSU’s Michael Ford carry the ball like that today

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    1:26 P.M. Badgers Don’t Look That Good But Still Winning

    Wisconsin is the only postseason-eligible team in the Big Ten Leaders Division that isn’t winless in league play, and the Badgers lead visiting Minnesota 14-6 at halftime.

    With Ohio State and Penn State ineligible for the postseason because of NCAA violations, the Badgers would have to fall apart not to make the Big Ten championship game. Minnesota is playing with its third starting quarterback of the season today, and while the Badgers are scuffling a bit, they’re in no danger of losing to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota is 0-of-6 on third downs.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    1:15 P.M. Where’s LSU’s Offense?

    Zach Mettenberger of L.S.U. throwing on Saturday.Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesZach Mettenberger of L.S.U. throwing on Saturday.

    Early second quarter in College Station. Texas A&M has run 38 plays, LSU 17. A&M leads 9-0, and LSU is lucky it’s not a bigger margin.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    1:10 P.M. Big Mistake by Purdue

    Teams looking to pull big upsets can’t make killer mistakes, especially in the red zone, but that’s what Purdue QB Caleb TerBush did against Ohio State. TerBush threw an interception at Ohio State’s 6 after Purdue, which leads 13-7, had gone on a 19-play, 85-yard drive midway through the second quarter.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    12:55 P.M. Unbeaten Rutgers Trails Early

    Rutgers is one of four Big East teams unbeaten in league play (and one of three league teams unbeaten overall), but the Scarlet Knights trail host Temple 7-0 after one quarter. Temple is one of the unbeaten quartet in conference play.

    This is Rutgers’ seventh game this season, and Temple (3-2) is the only Scarlet Knights opponent that has a winning record. Rutgers hasn’t

    done much offensively, but it has played solid defense and leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-2.17 per game).

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    12:17 P.M. Rees Will Be at Irish Controls

    It appears Tommy Rees will start at quarterback for Notre Dame today against visiting BYU (3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff). Regular starter Everett Golson is recovering from a concussion, but also could play.

    Rees started for most of last season, but his inconsistency led to Golson beating him out during fall camp.

    This one will be all about Notre Dame’s defense, anyway. BYU has struggled against legitimate defenses, and the Irish defense certainly is legit. A win puts the Irish — who play at Oklahoma next week — closer to a BCS berth.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    12:11 P.M. Aggiers Waste No Time

    Texas A&M smartly marched 75 yards in 12 plays on the first possession of the game to take a 6-0 lead on LSU. The Aggies missed the extra point, but their offensive line dominated on the first drive. Now comes LSU’s turn, and if you’re a Tigers fan, you likely think your offensive line will be able to dominate, too.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    12:07 P.M. Big Game in College Station

    Zach Mettenberger of L.S.U. warmed up prior to Saturday's game against Texas A&M.Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesZach Mettenberger of L.S.U. warmed up prior to Saturday’s game against Texas A&M.

    An interesting early kickoff is Texas A&M playing host to LSU. LSU remained in the national title hunt by beating South Carolina last week, and now must win in College Station.

    Both teams have lost once – and both have lost to Florida, A&M at home and LSU on the road. Both had problems dealing with Florida’s defensive line, and the Gators ran effectively on LSU and passed effectively against A&M.

    A&M has the most diversified offense in the SEC, and QB Johnny Manziel is a big-time dual threat. LSU would prefer to make Manziel a pocket passer, and LSU’s defensive line has the talent to do that.

    A&M muist run effectively and hope that Manziel can make some plays with his feet.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    12:03 P.M. Must-Win Scenarios Face South Carolina, West Virginia

    LSU and Oklahoma came through in must-win games last weekend, remaining in contention for the SEC and Big 12 titles, respectively. This week, it’s South Carolina and West Virginia who are in desperation mode.

    The Gamecocks, who lost at LSU last Saturday, are at Florida today (3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff) and must win to stay in the hunt for the SEC East title. This is the third game in a tough three-game stretch for the Gamecocks, who dominated Georgia two weeks ago before losing to LSU. Florida is the only unbeaten team in the SEC East, and the Gators play Georgia in Jacksonville next weekend.

    West Virginia is coming off a big loss at Texas Tech, and the Mountaineers have to beat visiting Kansas State today (7 p.m. Eastern kickoff) to remain a viable contender in the Big 12. K-State is the only unbeaten team in the league, and its pass defense will get a huge test today from West Virginia QB Geno Smith.

    The contest also matches two top Heisman contenders in Smith and KL-State QB Collin Klein. Klein has run for 10 TDs and passed for seven, and he will be going against one of the nation’s most sieve-like defenses. Smith, meanwhile, has thrown for 25 touchdowns and hasn’t thrown an interception.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

     
     
    Copyright. 2012. The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved

  • Live Updates and Analysis: College Football Saturday. October 20, 2012

    October 20, 2012, 11:06 AM1 Comment

    Live Updates and Analysis: College Football Saturday

    By MIKE HUGUENIN
    Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M throwing in the first quarter on Saturday.Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesJohnny Manziel of Texas A&M throwing in the first quarter on Saturday.

    The Times is back today to host the best college football watch party in the country. Mike Huguenin will offer up his own analysis and insights on all of the big games and a lot of the not so big ones.

    Saturday is full of crucial conference showdowns, especially in the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences.

    We’re also asking that you submit photos to us on Saturday from wherever you’re watching your team. We’ll post selected images on our blog and on Twitter. Send us your photos via twitter using the hashtag #nytquad.

    Auto-refresh is: ONTurn OFF

    7:55 P.M. Points Aplenty

    Louisiana Tech averages a nation’s-best 53.8 points per game. It’s safe to assume the Bulldogs are going to reach their average this week: They lead 35-14 over Idaho with 45 seconds in the first quarter. Yes, first quarter.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:52 P.M. K-State Taking It to West Virginia

    Unfortunately for West Virginia, its defense again has showed up. That’s a bad, bad, bad unit. Kansas State leads the host Mountaineers 17-0 with 11:23 left in the second quarter. Any hope WVU has of remaining in Big 12 contention hinges on a win in this contest.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:45 P.M. Tuberville, Texas Tech Making Some Noise

    Texas Tech pulled a huge upset in October last season, upsetting then-unbeaten Oklahoma in Lubbock. But the Red Raiders didn’t win again and finished 5-7.

    Texas Tech pulled a huge upset last week, upsetting then-unbeaten West Virginia in Lubbock. Today, the Red Raiders (6-1) followed up that victory by beating host TCU 56-53 in three overtimes.

    Texas Tech has another big game next weekend, when it plays at Kansas State. Two weeks from today, the Red Raiders play host to Texas. Thus, there’s no question that the Red Raiders – who already have lost to Oklahoma this season and also have games left against Oklahoma State and Baylor – are going to have a say in who wins the Big 12. They have made big strides defensively from last season, but remain far from an elite unit. Thing is, QB Seth Doege is playing at a high level, and Texas Tech can score with anybody left on its schedule.

    The Red Raiders’ success again has shined a light on coach Tommy Tuberville. It seems doubtful Tuberville, 58, wants to end his career in Lubbock. He’s an Arkansas native who played his college ball in his home state, at Southern Arkansas. He also has had success as a coach in the SEC. There could be as many as four coaching vacancies in the SEC. Would one of those schools give Tuberville a call?

    As for TCU (5-2), the Horned Frogs already own two Big 12 losses and still have Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Texas and Oklahoma remaining on the schedule.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    7:02 P.M. Irish Continue Rolling Along

    Notre Dame has gone to three BCS bowls and the Irish appear headed to their fourth this season, which would be their first BCS appearance since the 2006 season.

    The Irish are 7-0 after fending off visiting BYU 17-14 today. The Irish play at Oklahoma next week and finish off the regular season with a visit to USC, but there’s no way the Irish should lose any of their other regular-season games (Pittsburgh, Boston College and Wake Forest). Thus, even if Notre Dame loses to Oklahoma and USC, it means a 10-2 record. And a 10-2 Notre Dame team is going to be in the BCS.

    Of course, a win next week means the Irish have a legit shot at 12-0. Maybe a decade ago, to suggest an unbeaten Notre Dame team wouldn’t play for the national title would’ve been considered blasphemous. But if Oregon and one SEC team are unblemished, those two teams will be in the title game and the Irish would be left out. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Beating Oklahoma will be a tough task for this offense-challenged Irish team.

    Note Dame's Cierre Wood (20) rushed for 114 yards against Brigham Young.Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesNote Dame’s Cierre Wood (20) rushed for 114 yards against Brigham Young.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:53 P.M. Robinson Lifts Wolverines

    Michigan senior QB Denard Robinson never had beaten Michigan State in his career, but he engineered a come-from-behind victory with some last-minute heroics in a 12-10 victory in Ann Arbor. Robinson led the Wolverines on an eight-play, 41-yard drive for a game-winning 38-yard field goal by Brendan Gibbons.

    The victory moves Michigan to 3-0 in the Big Ten Legends Division, and Iowa must win tonight at home against Penn State to keep pace. The Hawkeyes and Wolverines were the only division teams unbeaten in league play entering the day.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:32 P.M. Hey, Remember Matt Barkley?

    USC QB Matt Barkley is trying to resurrect his Heisman hopes, and Colorado is proving to be a willing participant. The game even isn’t six minutes old and Barkley already has three TD passes. He is 7-of-7 for 158 yards as USC leads 19-0.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:26 P.M. Louisville Getting All It Wants

    Unbeaten Louisville is getting a test from USF – which is winless in Big East play and coming off a loss to Temple. The Cardinals lead 21-18 with 6:35 remaining in the game. USF has failed to score a point in two trips to the red zone, including falling short on two fourth-and 1 opportunities, but still has a shot at the upset.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:16 P.M. Slaughter in the Swamp

    It’s a demolition in the Swamp, with Florida leading South Carolina 37-8 in the waning moments of the third quarter. The Gators led 21-6 at halftime and have dominated the second half.

    There were those who questioned how good these guys were. Uhhh … they’re good. The Gators have beaten Texas A&M, LSU and now South Carolina; those teams have a combined five losses, with three to the Gators and the other two to LSU.

    The World’s Largest Cocktail Party should be especially big next week because Georgia knows that (assuming it beats woeful Kentucky tonight) a win over the Gators would put it in the driver’s seat in the SEC East. Florida, meanwhile, knows that a win over Georgia keeps it squarely in the national title chase in coach Will Muschamp’s second season.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    6:00 P.M. Pelini’s Huskers Struggling

    Expect the grousing about Nebraska coach Bo Pelini to truly heat up if Northwestern holds on to its 21-10 third-quarter lead over the Huskers. Nebraska already has lost twice this season and has Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State in its next three games. The Huskers have lost at least four games in each of the past eight seasons; this is Pelini’s fifth season in Lincoln.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:53 P.M. Irish Seeking Some Offense

    Notre Dame has had issues moving the ball consistently this season, and the problem is cropping up again today. The Irish trail visiting BYU 14-10 with 3:35 left in the third quarter. Notre Dame has run the ball well, but the passing attack is anemic. The Irish play at Oklahoma next week.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:46 P.M. Gators Increase Lead

    What little bit of momentum South Carolina had gained with a last-play field goal in the first half was lost when Florida drove 59 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the second half. The Gators, who had all of 29 yards of offense in the first half, had the extra point blocked and returned for two points but still lead 27-8.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    5:17 P.M. Who Needs Offense?

    Florida leads South Carolina 21-6 at halftime, and the Gators have almost as many points as total yards (29). South Carolina’s defense has been stifling and has held Florida to 13 rushing yards on 18 attempts. But the opportunistic Gators have turned three South Carolina fumbles into touchdowns; when your offense is struggling, it helps when you start drives on the opponent’s 1, 2 and 29.

    It could’ve been an even bigger lead. Florida had a TD called back because of a chop block, had an interception overturned because it was offside (the Gamecocks were thankful, kicking a field goal on the last play of the first half after the offside call) and also committed two 15-yard penalties on South Carolina’s first scoring drive.

    Is a comeback possible for South Carolina? Florida has allowed 23 total second-half points this season.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:54 P.M. Gators Taking Advantage

    Wide receiver Quinton Dunbar after scoring a touchdown for Florida on Saturday.Chris Trotman/Getty ImagesWide receiver Quinton Dunbar after scoring a touchdown for Florida on Saturday.

    Florida leads South Carolina 21-3 with a bit more than two minutes left in the first half. The Gators have covered all of 32 yards on their three TD “drives.” They have turned three Gamecocks fumbles into touchdowns and have gone 2 yards, 29 yards and 1 yard for their TDs.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:28 P.M. Stanford Laying It On Cal

    “The Game” is a rout so far. Stanford leads California 21-3 and has outgained the Golden Bears 235-77 midway through the second quarter. The three TDs scored by Stanford were the first scored by the Cardinal offense in three road games this season.

    This is the 115th time the teams have met and the earliest the game ever has been played.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:20 P.M. Irish Defense Dominant Early

    Notre Dame entered today’s game with BYU with 15 sacks. The Irish already have added three against the Cougars and lead 7-0 after one quarter.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:10 P.M. It’s a Big Ten Throwback Game

    Where are Duffy and Bo? Michigan and Michigan State have played a scoreless first quarter dominated by defense. The teams combined for 95 total yards and three first downs.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    4:02 P.M. LSU Wins, Now Gets Week Off

    LSU did enough to hold off host Texas A&M 24-19, the Tigers’ second big win in a row; they beat South Carolina last week. LSU now gets a week off, then plays host to Alabama on Nov. 3. A win over the Tide means LSU’s early-October loss to Florida would be just a distant memory. A loss, though, and you can be sure Les Miles’ critics again would be out in force.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    3:07 P.M. Rutgers Will Stay Unbeaten

    Temple running back Montel Harris was tackled by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene on Saturday.Mel Evans/Associated PressTemple running back Montel Harris was tackled by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene on Saturday.

    Unbeaten Rutgers played poorly in the first half and trailed 10-0 at Temple. But the Scarlet Knights have awakened in the second half and taken a 35-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

    Rutgers is looking to start 7-0 for just the fifth time in school history and only the second time since 1991.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:59 P.M. Can Auburn Rally?

    On a national scale, the Auburn-Vanderbilt game in Nashville matters not a bit. But you can be sure everyone in the SEC is keeping an eye on the game because if Auburn doesn’t win, chances are the Tigers are going to go winless in SEC play. That, of course, would come two seasons after Auburn went 14-0 and won the 2010 national title.

    Vandy leads 17-13 with a bit less than 10 minutes left in the game. Auburn is 1-of-9 on third downs and has managed just 200 total yards. The Tigers don’t have a legit SEC quarterback on the roster – heck, they barely have a legit Sun Belt quarterback – and it could cost coach Gene Chizik his job.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:50 P.M. Braxton Miller Injured

    Ohio State QB Braxton Miller was removed from the Buckeyes’ home game against Purdue on a cart. ESPN sideline reporter Lewis Johnson said on the telecast that it appeared Miller, who was conscious, suffered an upper-body injury.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:43 P.M. Clemson Whipping the Hokies

    Clemson has blown open its ACC showdown with visiting Virginia Tech, taking a 31-10 lead late in the third quarter. It looks as if the Tigers will win their third in a row over the Hokies; Clemson won twice last season, by a combined 61-13.

    Virginia Tech was supposed to contend for the league title behind what was expected to be one of the best defenses in the nation, but the Hokies have been mediocre on that side of the ball and a rebuilt offense hasn’t been able to take up the slack. A loss today would drop the Hokies to 4-4 overall, and for all the talk about the Hokies seemingly being a true national title contender every year, this is the seventh season in a row that they have lost at least three games. The losing might not be over for Tech, which is at Miami next week and plays host to Florida State in two weeks.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:31 P.M. Purdue Hanging Tough at Ohio State

    Purdue has won just twice at Ohio State in the past 60 seasons and its last victory at Ohio Stadium came in 1988. Well, the Boilermakers lead the Buckeyes 20-14 late in the third quarter today.

    A suspect Purdue defense has clamped down on Ohio State QB Braxton Miller, and the Buckeyes are struggling mightily on offense with just 191 yards. Miller has just 5 yards on 9 carries and is completing less than 50 percent of his passes.

    CHAT ABOUT THIS

    2:22 P.M. Oklahoma State Gaining Some Redemption

    Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh throwing against Iowa State on Saturday.Brody Schmidt/Associated PressOklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh throwing against Iowa State on Saturday.

    Oklahoma State blew its chance at a national title by losing at Iowa State last season – the Cowboys’ only loss – but it is gaining some revenge this season, taking a 24-10 lead midway through the third quarter.

    Oklahoma State already has rolled up 414 yards of offense, including 78 on the ground, which is 18 more than the Cowboys managed in last season’s loss to the Cyclones.

    Oklahoma State’s defense isn’t that good, but neither is Iowa State’s offense.

     

    Copyright. 2012. The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved

  • Las Vegas Project Survives a Case of Bad Timing

    CityCenter opened in late 2009 and added about 5,900 hotel rooms to the Las Vegas inventory.

    October 16, 2012
     

    Las Vegas Project Survives a Case of Bad Timing

     

    By ALISON GREGOR

     

    LAS VEGAS — An $8.5 billion city within a city called CityCenter Las Vegas — built in this gambling town’s heyday but opened after the recession had set in — continues to struggle, though it is benefiting from growing numbers of visitors to the area.

    One of the largest privately financed developments in the United States, the 67-acre project on the Strip took five years to design and build, and opened in late 2009 to much fanfare. But the towers at CityCenter brought about 5,900 hotel rooms to Las Vegas, expanding its hotel inventory by almost 5 percent at a time when the number of visitors had fallen by about 2.85 million since 2007.

    At the same time, CityCenter also loaded the ravaged Las Vegas market with nearly 2,400 high-end condos, including condo-hotel units, and an upscale shopping center with potentially half a million square feet of luxury shops.

    Nearly three years since it opened, CityCenter is seen as, at best, a qualified success. A majority of the hotel rooms have been filled, but at much lower room rates than originally planned. Condominium sales have not taken off, though, and the units that have sold have gone at big discounts. Many luxury retailers have moved into the shopping center, but about 12 percent of the mall is still vacant.

    As sales trickled in, CityCenter eventually turned about 1,350 units at its condo-hotel Vdara into regular hotel rooms, while it leases out to vacationers about 70 percent of the approximately 150 units that it sold, said Bill McBeath, president and chief operating officer of CityCenter.

    At CityCenter’s sixth tower, the Harmon, which was intended to be a 49-story condo-hotel, construction was stopped by Clark County because of construction defects in mid-2008. At the time, CityCenter’s owners — MGM Resorts International, the publicly held casino operator, and Dubai World, an investment arm of the Dubai government — announced they would cap the structure at the 26th floor and kill plans for the approximately 200 condos. The Harmon never opened.

    Since then, the Harmon has been embroiled in a lawsuit over contractor payment, and MGM Resorts has announced plans to demolish the building — plans that have been held up by the lawsuit. Residents and businesses on the Strip have been watching the building’s continuing plight, debating whether it will end with a potentially colorful trial, now scheduled for mid-2013.

    Many have also been trying to assess CityCenter’s full impact on the local economy.

    CityCenter “opened at a bad moment,” said John Stater, a research and geographic information systems manager at Colliers International-Las Vegas. “It was something that MGM really wanted to do, but in terms of the local economy, I think it’s debatable whether it was pulling a lot of new visitors into Las Vegas.”

    Mr. Stater said he believed CityCenter was obviously “cannibalizing other businesses in Las Vegas” and may have contributed to the closing of the Sahara Hotel and Casino in 2011. But Mr. Stater said he also believed that CityCenter had finally been fully absorbed by the local economy.

    According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the gambling city has nearly recovered the visitors lost because of the recession. Michael Mixer, a managing partner of Colliers International-Las Vegas, said that by dropping hotel rates drastically, CityCenter has kept its occupancy up, and Las Vegas has been able to absorb the new hotel rooms.

    “When CityCenter opened, Las Vegas was at the depth of the recession,” he said. “The initial forecast room rates were unachievable at that time, and a lower-than-market average occupancy was experienced.” But as they discounted their hotel rates, he added, “they achieved a higher occupancy at the expense of lower-tiered properties, within the MGM family and others. This was a flight to a higher quality when given similar price points.”

    At Aria, CityCenter’s 4,000-room hotel and casino, results announced by MGM in the second quarter of 2012 showed occupancy at 93 percent and an average daily rate of $201. At Vdara, occupancy was 89 percent and the average daily rate was $161. In May 2009, Aria initially was booking rooms ranging from $179 to $799 a night, and suites ranging from $500 to $7,500 a night.

    CityCenter’s condos tell a similar tale of slashed prices, but in their case, prices may not yet be low enough. Tony Dennis, an executive vice president for the residential division at CityCenter, said CityCenter will soon introduce a new marketing effort, aimed largely at international buyers. This effort will most likely occur in the new year and will offer condos at even lower prices. At the same time, CityCenter has taken on the role of financier, assisting about a third of its buyers with loans, he said.

    Currently, at CityCenter’s Mandarin Oriental, 65 units out of 225 have sold; at the two-tower Veer, 272 units of 669 have sold; and at Vdara, about 156 of the 1,495 units sold before the conversion to a hotel.

    “Back in the day, at Mandarin, we were priced at about $1,600 a square foot on average, and today we’re priced at $840 a foot,” Mr. Dennis said. “And I think that still is a little high for the market. At Veer, in 2007, we were priced at $1,000 a foot, and we’re now at just over $600 a foot.”

    Total residential revenue to date from condos and condo-hotel units is about $393 million, Mr. Dennis said.

    Given the adverse conditions of the Las Vegas real estate and tourism market in 2008 and 2009, CityCenter’s condo sales and hotel bookings stand out in comparison to some other Las Vegas businesses. There are plenty of examples of half-finished or never-started hotels and commercial projects in Las Vegas, both on the Strip and off.

    At Crystals, CityCenter’s 500,000-square-foot luxury mall, upscale retailers have been slowly leasing storefronts, from Gucci and Prada to Hermes and Tiffany & Company. The center still has to lease its 30,000-square-foot third floor and is close to leasing the last three spaces on the lower floors, Mr. McBeath said.

    “As the retailers have enjoyed the success, and the growth in same-store sales,” he said, demand for the remaining spaces has risen. CityCenter doesn’t release its leasing rates or revenue-per-square-foot figures.

    CityCenter officials said that the development had created about 11,000 jobs for Las Vegas, and added a significant $40 million public art program on its campus, with work by artists like Henry Moore, Maya Lin, Claes Oldenburg and Frank Stella.

    While Las Vegas is a city of novelty and reinvention, real estate experts said the city cannot support much new development. Construction has started on two giant Ferris wheels modeled after the London Eye, and a third one is rumored. Some smaller hotels and shopping centers have also started construction, but there is almost no new hotel casino development anywhere on the Strip, Mr. Mixer said.

    “The rising occupancy and rate numbers we are beginning to see in our market still won’t support new development,” he said.

     
     Copyright. 2012. The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved

  • The Organization Man Mob nostalgics favor bloodlust and glamor, but Vegas’ real connected guy

    The Organization Man

    Mob nostalgics favor bloodlust and glamor, but Vegas’ real connected guy, Moe Dalitz, was all business

    By David G. Schwartz

    October 18th, 2012

    Moe Dalitz, pictured far left with Phyllis McGuire and others at the Las Vegas Country Club in 1976, is remembered for mob connections, charitable works and unfailing business instincts.

    Courtesy of Las Vegas News Bureau

    Moe Dalitz, pictured far left with Phyllis McGuire and others at the Las Vegas Country Club in 1976, is remembered for mob connections, charitable works and unfailing business instincts.

     
     

    In the CBS version of Las Vegas in the 1960s, it’s pretty easy to know who the bad guy is: Michael Chiklis’ mobbed-up Vegas antihero struts around his casino wearing a black fedora, has federal witnesses bumped off, and tries to charm the new sheriff with free champagne. He’s smooth, cunning and completely in control.

    In Las Vegas circa 2012, that bad guy’s actually considered a pretty good guy. We’ve rewritten our history to suit the cinematic notion of the mobster as an action hero, a four-color study in pure, brutal power. Most of the real connected guys who settled in Vegas though, were boringly, sometimes devastatingly good at running their businesses. And they left the black fedoras and bloodlust at home. Moe Dalitz was perhaps the most influential of them all.

    Morris Barney Dalitz, born in 1899, came of age just as Prohibition went into effect in January 1920. He’d been helping out with his father’s Ann Arbor, Mich., laundry business, and it didn’t take him long to figure out that laundry trucks could double as rum-running wagons, speeding bootlegged liquor from over the Canadian border to Cleveland and Detroit.

    Known as the leader of the Mayfield Road Gang, a criminal combine that trafficked in liquor throughout the Lake Erie area, Dalitz held his own in the violent, lawless underworld of the 1920s, but he also maintained “legitimate” businesses, including his father’s and others’ laundries—not exactly the stuff they make movies about. When Prohibition ended in 1933, he moved into running illegal casinos in Ohio and Kentucky; from there, it was a natural step to take over Wilbur Clark’s stalled Desert Inn project in 1949. Nearing the age of 50, Dalitz moved to Las Vegas and, like many other former lawbreakers, became more or less legitimate.

    Dalitz’s relationship with Clark is the story of the Strip in microcosm. Dalitz, with cash and connections, actually ran the Desert Inn, while Clark, a preternaturally likable fellow, pressed the flesh and smiled for the cameras. The arrangement suited both men: Clark liked “running” a casino, and Dalitz liked making money for himself and his partners.

    That Dalitz had such a low public profile only makes him seem that much more sinister to those who view the past through conspiracy-colored glasses. Surely he was a mob boss along the lines of Tony Soprano, commanding an army of henchmen and giving orders for guys to be whacked: evil and cunning, but with a soft heart and a fondness for his mother’s spaghetti sauce—or, in this case, rugelach.

    In all likelihood, it wasn’t nearly that exciting. From what we can tell, Dalitz’s biggest crime in Las Vegas was abiding the ongoing skimming operation at the Desert Inn that directed somewhere in the range of 10 percent of the casino’s gross annual revenues to underworld figures in other cities. Strictly speaking, that’s embezzlement and fraud, and it was hardly a victimless crime: The state was denied tax revenues, and some of that money bankrolled illegal activities elsewhere in the country. But there wasn’t much bloody Hollywood glamor to the skim. Dalitz and his peers didn’t see themselves as criminals; they saw themselves as businessmen trying to make an honest living in a sometimes-dishonest profession. These were often men already in middle age; this was the business they knew, and when they came to the desert, they stayed in it.

    And what did it get them? On the casino floor, to be sure, his power was immense, and his wealth allowed him a degree of prestige and influence in Las Vegas that, at first, might seem untoward for a man of his past. When he talked, people listened.

    The ever-popular epithet “mob boss” mischaracterizes and romanticizes Dalitz, but “shady businessman” doesn’t do him justice. He was also a legendary philanthropist and a business-and-civic visionary. He saw the Desert Inn Golf Course (which he opened in 1952) as the first step toward making Las Vegas a complete tourist destination—a process that continues today. He founded the Nevada Resort Association with the understanding that the Strip’s dueling personalities had to set aside their differences to work for their common good. Sunrise Hospital and the Boulevard Mall are just two of the better known off-the-Strip projects that Dalitz, with his peers, got built.

    None of this is saying that Dalitz’s good deeds in Las Vegas should wash out his crimes here, or that his late-in-life aspirations for respectability absolve him of his violent early days, particularly since it’s likely he was still funneling cash back to Cleveland and Chicago right up until he sold the Desert Inn to Howard Hughes in 1967. But his legacy is more nuanced than today’s wave of antihero nostalgia would have it.

    The image of Las Vegas as created by a shadowy network of guys out of The Godfather is a powerful one. In fact, it’s a classic Western motif: Outlaw comes to town, settles down, and makes good. It’s the kind of story that affirms our faith in the civilizing power of civic life. Today, the idea of fearsome mobster as founding father is particularly reassuring to city boosters. Once casino executives stopped worrying about wiretaps and car bombs, Las Vegas started developing a weird longing for the mob.

    This only seems to have intensified in the past few years as the city has struggled. It might be a question of identity: Since we’re no longer America’s Favorite Boomtown, we need something to grab onto, a harder edge on the Rat Pack nostalgia that started with Swingers in 1996 and continues to this day. And it makes our own stumbles in community-building easier to take. After all, the last generation had the power of the mob behind it. We mere mortals, there’s only so much we can do.

    That’s why it feels so much better to imagine Moe Dalitz as a mob boss—a man ruling a vast criminal underworld barely a step ahead of the law—than to imagine him as a businessman who didn’t much respect the law and perhaps never really reformed, but who also helped build Las Vegas.

     

     Copyright. 2012.http://www.vegasseven.com/  All Rights Reserved
     

  • — technical director Gordon Murray about Ayrton Senna’s F1 test with the Brabham BT52B i

     

    Ayrton & Gordon

    ca-plane-pourmoi:

    amjayes:

    “This test must have been one hell of a baptism for Ayrton because the car wasn´t that easy to drive. It was quick, but it wasn´t easy. The BMW engine had a single cast-iron turbo and it took a while to spool, which meant there was a bit of throttle delay before it boosted power. It must have been very different to anything Ayrton had driven before, but I dont remember him having any problems with it.”

    — technical director Gordon Murray about Ayrton Senna’s F1 test with the Brabham BT52B in 1983.

    #lawd how gorgeous is this man

    *nods dazedly*

     
    Source: amjayes
     

  • Korean GP: Lewis Hamilton says his fight for the title is over

    14 October 2012Last updated at 10:09 GMT

    Korean GP: Lewis Hamilton says his fight for the title is over

    By Andrew BensonChief F1 writer

    McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton has conceded his world championship hopes are over after finishing 10th in the Korean GP.

    Hamilton dropped down the field following a rear suspension failure – his second in as many races – and is now 63 points off the lead with only 100 still available.

    “In terms of winning, I think that’s it for us,” Hamilton said.

    Continue reading the main story

    “In terms of winning, I think that’s it for us. It’s a day to forget. A year to forget as well”

    Lewis Hamilton

    “We were still in the fight up until now but it’s too far away. We’ll keep fighting in the constructors’.”

    McLaren have lost second place in the constructors’ championship following a poor race in which Hamilton’s team-mate Jenson Button was taken out on the first lap by Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.

    McLaren are six points adrift of Ferrari, whose drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished third and fourth in Korea. Red Bull are 77 points ahead of the Italian team following a one-two, with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Mark Webber.

    The German’s third consecutive victory moves him into a six-point lead over Alonso in the championship.

    Hamilton challenged Alonso for third place in Korea in the early laps but began to suffer handling problems and he was told there was a problem with the car. McLaren later said it was almost certainly a rear anti-roll bar failure.

    That forced Hamilton to do an extra pit stop because of high tyre wear and his efforts to beat the Toro Rossos to eighth place foundered when he ran off the road and collected some artificial grass which further worsened the performance of his car.

    Play media
    Lewis Hamilton
     

    Hamilton gives up on title hopes

    He pointed out that it was the third consecutive race in which he had had a mechanical problem, after retiring from the lead in Singapore with a broken gearbox and suffering a broken rear damper in Japan a week ago.

    His frustration with McLaren’s performance was clear.

    “We had another rear suspension failure somehow, I don’t understand how,” he said.

    And in a reference to his decision to move to Mercedes next year, he added: “It’s a day to forget. A year to forget as well. I’m looking forward to a fresh start next year.”

    Hamilton also hinted that he hoped Alonso would beat Vettel to the title.

    “I hope Fernando keeps pushing,” he said.

    Button said his title hopes were “definitely” over after his retirement – he is 84 points behind Vettel.

    “I can’t really [remember a worse day in the office],” said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh. “This was one of those days that I won’t forget but I will be trying desperately to.

    “What we have to do as a team now is say that we have a car that was desperately quick, we can go out there and still get results in these last four races.

    “This team is and will be focused on getting out of here as quickly as we can and we’ll focus on doing what we can to be there and fighting for victories in the last four races.”

     

     

    Copyright. 2012. BBCSport.com All Rights Reserved

  • Skydiver breaks sound barrier in record jump

     

    You are here

    Home » Roswell » Skydiver breaks sound barrier in record jump

    SHARE

     

     
     

     

    ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, a daredevil skydiver shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever — a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert.

    Felix Baumgartner hit Mach 1.24, or 833.9 mph, according to preliminary data, and became the first man to reach supersonic speed without traveling in a jet or a spacecraft after hopping out of a capsule that had reached an altitude of 128,100 feet above the Earth.

    Landing on his feet in the desert, the man known as “Fearless Felix” lifted his arms in victory to the cheers of jubilant onlookers and friends.

    “When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data,” he said after the jump. “The only thing you want is to come back alive.”

    A worldwide audience watched live on the Internet via camerasmounted on his capsule as Baumgartner, wearing a pressurized suit, stood in the doorway of his capsule, gave a thumbs-up and leapt into the stratosphere.

    “Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are,” an exuberant Baumgartner told reporters outside mission control after the jump.

    Baumgartner’s descent lasted for just over nine minutes, about half of it in a free fall of 119,846 feet, according to Brian Utley, a jump observer from the International Federation of Sports Aviation. He said the speed calculations were preliminary figures.

    Baumgartner said traveling faster than sound is “hard to describe because you don’t feel it.”

    With no reference points, “you don’t know how fast you travel,” he said.

    The 43-year-old former Austrian paratrooper with more than 2,500 jumps behind him had taken off early Sunday in a capsule carried by a 55-story ultra-thin helium balloon.

    His ascent that was tense at times and included concerns about how well his facial shield was working.

    Any contact with the capsule on his exit could have torn his suit, a rip that could expose him to a lack of oxygen and temperatures as low as minus-70 degrees. That could have caused lethal bubbles to form in his bodily fluids.

    But none of that happened. He activated his parachute as he neared Earth, gently gliding into the desert east of Roswell and landing without any apparent difficulty. The images triggered another loud cheer from onlookers at mission control, among them his mother, Eva Baumgartner, who was overcome with emotion, crying.

    He then was taken by helicopter to meet fellow members of his team, whom he hugged in celebration.

    Coincidentally, Baumgartner’s feat came on the 65th anniversary of the day that U.S. test pilot Chuck Yeager became the first man to officially break the sound barrier in a jet.

    At Baumgartner’s insistence, some 30 cameras recorded his stunt Shortly after launch, screens at mission control showed the capsule as it began rising high above the New Mexico desert, with cheers erupting from organizers. Baumgartner could be seen on video, calmly checking instruments inside the capsule.

    Baumgartner’s team included Joe Kittinger, who first tried to break the sound barrier from 19.5 miles up in 1960, reaching speeds of 614 mph. With Kittinger inside mission control, the two men could be heard going over technical details during the ascension.

    “Our guardian angel will take care of you,” Kittinger radioed to Baumgartner around the 100,000-foot mark.

    An hour into the flight, Baumgartner had ascended more than 63,000 feet and had gone through a trial run of the jump sequence. Ballast was dropped to speed up the ascent.

    Kittinger told him, “Everything is in the green. Doing great.”

    As Baumgartner ascended, so did the number of viewers watching on YouTube. Nearly 7.3 million watched as he sat on the edge of the capsule moments before jumping.

    After he landed, his sponsor, Red Bull, posted a picture of Baumgartner on his knees on the ground to Facebook, generating nearly 216,000 likes, 10,000 comments and more than 29,000 shares in less than 40 minutes.

    On Twitter, half the worldwide trending topics had something to do with the jump, pushing past seven NFL football games. Among them was this tweet from NASA: “Congratulations to Felix Baumgartner and RedBull Stratos on record-breaking leap from the edge of space!”

    This attempt marked the end of a five-year road for Baumgartner, a record-setting high-altitude jumper. He already made two preparation jumps in the area, one from 15 miles high and another from 18 miles high. He has said that this was his final jump.

    Baumgartner has said he plans to settle down with his girlfriend and fly helicopters on mountain rescue and firefighting missions in the U.S. and Austria.

     

    Copyright. 2012. Asociated Press. All Rights Reserved

  • Korean GP: Sebastian Vettel takes title lead with Korea win

     

     
    Play media
    Sebastian Vettel leads Mark Webber in Korea

     

    Korean Grand Prix highlights

    14 October 2012 Last updated at 07:52 GMT

    Korean GP: Sebastian Vettel takes title lead with Korea win

    By Andrew Benson Chief F1 writer

    Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel took a dominant victory in the Korean Grand Prix to take the world championship lead from Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

    Vettel’s victory was his third in a row and it makes him the first driver to win four races this season. Team-mate Mark Webber was second ahead of Alonso.

    Vettel has a six-point lead over the Spaniard with four races to go.

    Lewis Hamilton’s title hopes are effectively over after his McLaren struggled to 10th.

    Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen took fifth, stretching his lead over Hamilton in third place in the championship, but Vettel has a 48-point lead over Raikkonen and a further 14 over Hamilton with only 100 points still available in the remaining races in India, Abu Dhabi, the USA and Brazil.

    Korean GP top 10

    1. Sebastian Vettel – Red Bull 1:36:28.651

    2. Mark Webber – Red Bull +00:08.231

    3. Fernando Alonso – Ferrari +00:13.944

    4. Felipe Massa – Ferrari +00:20.168

    5. Kimi Raikkonen – Lotus +00:36.739

    6. Nico Hulkenberg – Force India +00:45.301

    7. Romain Grosjean – Lotus +00:54.812

    8. Jean-Eric Vergne – Toro Rosso +01:09.589

    9. Daniel Ricciardo – Toro Rosso +01:11.787

    10. Lewis Hamilton – McLaren +01:19.692

    Vettel’s second crushing victory within a week – along with Webber’s comfortable second place – confirms the impression that Red Bull have made a significant step forward with their car and that the German is on course for a third consecutive title.

    “Fantastic. I’m very happy,” said Vettel. “I tried hard to push, Mark was always on my toes. We had two brilliant pit stops.

    “The only mistake I had was I locked up the front right on the way in. Fortunately I had a good lead and I could control the gaps. We were a little bit worried about the tyres because there has been a lot of locking.

    “The guys have been flat out, not much break between Japan and here we have done another step on the car, and hopefully we can carry that through to the next races.”

    Ferrari were comfortably clear of the rest, with Massa taking fourth place close behind Alonso in the Brazilian’s most competitive performance of the season. He is expected to be confirmed at the team for 2013 in the forthcoming days.

    “We have to be happy with the performance today,” said Alonso. “We were third and fourth just behind Red Bull who at the moment are difficult to beat.

    “We overtook McLaren in the constructors’ championship, which we didn’t expect. So we are moving in the right direction. We just need a little step to compete with Red Bull and it’s going to be a beautiful last four races.”

    But they could do nothing about the Red Bulls ahead as Vettel, from second position on the grid behind Webber, moved into the lead on the run down to the first corner and never looked back, only briefly losing the lead during the first pit stops.

    Continue reading the main story

    “I’m very happy. I tried hard to push, Mark was always on my toes”

    Sebastian Vettel

    Red Bull became increasingly anxious about the wear of Vettel’s right-front tyre in the closing laps and warned him to back off in certain corners.

    But he managed it well – as did Webber in a similar situation behind him – and Alonso had to settle for third.

    After their second and final stops, Massa closed up on Alonso, but was told by his race engineer Rob Smedley that he was “a little bit too close to Fernando” and to back off a little.

    It became clear later on that Alonso had been conserving his tyres for a late assault – in vain – on the Red Bulls.

    Raikkonen followed the Ferraris home in fifth place, ahead of the impressive Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India and the second Lotus of Romain Grosjean.

    Play media
    Sebastian Vettel

     

    Sebastian Vettel on ‘perfect’ Korean GP win

    It was a sobering afternoon for Hamilton, who ran fourth behind Alonso in the early laps after the Ferrari passed him on the main straight on the first lap.

    But he began to struggle for grip with high tyre usage caused by a broken rear anti-roll bar – at about lap 18, McLaren said – and was forced to make a third pit stop. He was the only driver in the field who had to do so.

    That dropped him to 10th, behind the Toro Rossos of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

    Ricciardo was passed by Vergne in the closing laps, with Hamilton right behind them.

    But Hamilton’s attempts to pass were hindered by his running wide at Turn 13 and picking up some of the artificial grass, which trailed from his car in the last three laps.

    That badly affected his car’s rear downforce and he dropped back from the Toro Rossos, only just holding off the Sauber of Sergio Perez for 10th on the final lap.

    Korean Grand Prix 2012, day three

    • Sunday, 14 October: Race replay 14:05 BST; BBC One. Highlights 19:00 BST BBC Three.