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Tiger Woods Waiting Continues: "It Is Unusual That We Haven't Gotten A Statement," Authorities Say

2009-11-29T09:43:04Z

WINDERMERE, Fla. — Moments after pulling out of his driveway in the middle of the night, Tiger Woods drove his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree, causing injuries that sent him to the hospital to be treated.

The investigation of that mysterious crash has moved much more slowly.

Woods added to the suspense Saturday when for the second straight day, the world's No.1 golfer was unavailable to speak to the Florida Highway Patrol. State troopers are looking for answers about the accident in which the Windermere police chief said Woods' wife, Elin, used a golf club to smash out a rear window and help him get out.

Police first went to his $2.4 million house inside the gates of Isleworth on Friday, only for Woods' wife to ask if they could return the next day because he was sleeping.

As they headed to Woods' house Saturday afternoon, FHP dispatch put through a phone call to troopers from Woods' agent, informing them that Woods and his wife would be unavailable to talk until Sunday.

"I don't know what was said," Sgt. Kim Montes, the patrol spokeswoman, said Saturday. "I mean, (Friday) we understood, and that's kind of normal. It is unusual that we haven't gotten a statement. This just delays us to getting closer to the completion of the investigation."

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to a text message asking why Woods was unavailable.

Sunday could deliver two bits of information – what Woods has to say about the accident or perhaps the 911 tapes that FHP said it would release once authorities have reviewed the call.

In its initial accident report, the patrol said Woods left his house, ran over a fire hydrant with his Cadillac Escalade and then smashed into a tree at 2:25 a.m. Friday. And Windermere police chief Daniel Saylor said Woods' wife told officers she heard the crash from inside their home, and used a golf club to break out the back window.

The silence has only fueled speculation of what happened, why Woods left the house at that hour, where he was going and whether an argument preceded the crash.

"Every 10 seconds these days, people update their tweets," said David Schwab, vice president of sports marketing firm Octagon. "People are just adding speculation and controversy. You need something to settle the ship. If he's not able to do it, find someone to do it for him."

The FHP continues to investigate the crash as a traffic accident, refusing to get caught up in rumors.

Montes said Woods is not required to give a statement, only his driver's license, insurance and registration of the SUV, which was towed to a private yard with damage to the front and both back-seat windows broken.

"We still are going to move forward with our crash investigation," she said.

More than two dozen media and a cluster of TV trucks were camped outside the gates of Isleworth, an exclusive subdivision near Orlando that's set on an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and a chain of small lakes, on Saturday, watching for any developments. A couple of tourists even stopped by and took pictures.

Woods' news conference for the Chevron World Challenge, the tournament he hosts that benefits his foundation, had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. It's unclear whether he would still play, or even attend the event in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

"We do not know if Tiger is playing; we are anticipating a great week of competition," said Greg McLaughlin, the tournament director and president of his foundation.

In a telephone interview, Woods' father-in-law, radio journalist Thomas Nordegren, told The Associated Press in Stockholm that he would not discuss the accident.

"I haven't spoken to her in the last few ... " Nordegren said about his daughter, Elin, before cutting himself off. "I don't want to go into that."

Woods' mother-in-law Barbro Holmberg also refused to address the matter.

"She doesn't want to comment on private issues like these," Holmberg's spokeswoman Eva Malmborg said.

Aside from occasional criticism of his temper inside the ropes, Woods has kept himself out of the news beyond his sport. In an October posting on his Facebook account, Woods wrote, "I'm asked why people don't often see me and Elin in gossip magazines or tabloids. I think we've avoided a lot of media attention because we're kind of boring. ..."

"He's an iconic brand, the platinum standard," said John Rowady, president of rEvolution, a Chicago-based sports marketing agency. "I find it interesting how he's being attacked by so many sides after how gracious he's been. But even the best of celebrities who try to do their best can be riddled with controversy."

Jimmy Clausen Black Eye (PHOTOS)

2009-11-29T09:29:50Z

Reports surfaced last week that Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen was punched hours after the Fighting Irish lost a double-overtime game to UConn. Later in the week Clausen appeared at practice with a black visor covering his face. In Notre Dame's Saturday night loss to Stanford, photos of the quarterback's face showed the extent of his black eye. Scroll down for pictures of Clausen's wound.

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Carlos Delfino Blocks Mickael Pietrus (VIDEO)

2009-11-29T09:11:01Z

The Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks battled it out last night in a close 100-98 Orlando victory. Midway through the third quarter, the Bucks led by 12, but Orlando looked to cut the deficit to ten points by scoring a quick basket. Milwaukee's Carlos Delfino had other plans, however, and brutally stuffed Mickael Pietrus' attempt at the basket. Unfortunately for the Bucks, the block was not enough, as they ultimately lost by two points.

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Magic Vs. Bucks: Orlando Tops Milwaukee, 100-98

2009-11-29T08:59:27Z

MILWAUKEE — Vince Carter scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half after getting four stitches and Dwight Howard added 25 points and 20 rebounds to rally the Orlando Magic to a 100-98 victory over the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.

Orlando, winners of seven of the last eight and best in the Eastern Conference at 13-4, trailed by 15 midway through the third quarter before Carter helped the Magic rally. He had missed a majority of the first half after needing stitches for a cut lip when he was inadvertently hit in the face midway through the first quarter.

But Orlando nearly squandered a 10-point fourth quarter lead after going up 91-81 on J.J. Redick's three-point play with 5:27 to go.

Milwaukee, which has lost four straight, tied it when rookie Brandon Jennings, who finished with 18 points, hit a 3 to tie it at 95 with 2:40 to play.

After the teams traded baskets and a free throw each, Carter missed a layup, Howard got an offensive rebound and Rashard Lewis hit an 11-footer to give the Magic a 100-98 lead with 44 seconds left.

Ersan Ilyasova, who finished with 20 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, missed a 3-point attempt that would have given Milwaukee the lead. Luke Ridnour, who had 20 points, grabbed the offensive rebound but missed a 13-footer.

The Bucks elected not to foul with 27 seconds left and Carter missed a layup, but Howard tapped it up in the air several times and Matt Barnes grabbed the final rebound as time expired.

Milwaukee took a 68-53 lead on a 3-pointer by Jennings midway through the third, but squandered it when Carter, Lewis and Jason Williams sparked a 20-4 run to give Orlando a 73-72 lead in the fourth. Lewis finished with 14 points and Williams had 12.

Milwaukee was without Andrew Bogut (left leg sprain), Michael Redd (sore left knee) and top defender Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (left foot sprain).

NOTES: Carter missed over 13 game minutes getting the stitches. ... Howard has 15 double-doubles in 18 career games against Milwaukee. ... Barnes said he planned to appeal a $20,000 fine handed down Saturday by the NBA for throwing a basketball into the stands following Miami's 99-98 last-second win on Wednesday. ... A Sesame Street production pushed the tip-off back 30 minutes. The Bucks' court and hoops weren't installed and ready for play until 2 hours before the tip.

Senate Report: Bin Laden Was 'Within Our Grasp' In 2001

2009-11-29T08:08:29Z

WASHINGTON — Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says.

The report asserts that the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan, it says.

Staff members for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Democratic majority prepared the report at the request of the chairman, Sen. John Kerry, as President Barack Obama prepares to boost U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate has long argued the Bush administration missed a chance to get the al-Qaida leader and top deputies when they were holed up in the forbidding mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan only three months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Although limited to a review of military operations eight years old, the report could also be read as a cautionary note for those resisting an increased troop presence there now.

More pointedly, it seeks to affix a measure of blame for the state of the war today on military leaders under former president George W. Bush, specifically Donald H. Rumsfeld as defense secretary and his top military commander, Tommy Franks.

"Removing the al-Qaida leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat," the report says. "But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide. The failure to finish the job represents a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism."

The report states categorically that bin Laden was hiding in Tora Bora when the U.S. had the means to mount a rapid assault with several thousand troops at least. It says that a review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants "removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora."

On or about Dec. 16, 2001, bin Laden and bodyguards "walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan's unregulated tribal area," where he is still believed to be based, the report says.

Instead of a massive attack, fewer than 100 U.S. commandos, working with Afghan militias, tried to capitalize on air strikes and track down their prey.

"The vast array of American military power, from sniper teams to the most mobile divisions of the Marine Corps and the Army, was kept on the sidelines," the report said.

At the time, Rumsfeld expressed concern that a large U.S. troop presence might fuel a backlash and he and some others said the evidence was not conclusive about bin Laden's location.

___

On the Net:

The report: http://foreign.senate.gov/

USC Vs. UCLA: Trojans Taunt Bruins In 28-7 Win

2009-11-29T07:59:58Z

LOS ANGELES — When Matt Barkley kneeled down to end Southern California's victory in the final minute, UCLA defiantly stopped the clock with a timeout.

So the Trojans let 'er rip, throwing a long touchdown pass and then celebrating it with a taunting ferocity that brought the Bruins onto the field on the verge of a brawl.

The last 90 seconds of Los Angeles' 79th crosstown showdown had more action than the first 58 1/2 minutes, even if it was just a few extra fireworks at the close of No. 24 USC's workmanlike 28-7 victory Saturday night.

Malcolm Smith returned one of USC's three interceptions 62 yards for an early touchdown for the Trojans (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10), who regained their defensive pride while maintaining their city dominance.

Yet those in the non-sellout Coliseum crowd who left early missed most of the good stuff in an otherwise lusterless game between two opponents in brightly colored home jerseys.

"You're either competing or you're not," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "We've been saying it for years. We've been living it for years. If you really believe in competing, if you really do, you'll understand it."

When the Bruins stopped USC's attempt to run out the clock, offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates dialed up a play-action pass with Carroll's eager approval. Barkley's 48-yard throw down the middle to Damian Williams with 44 seconds left led to an ebullient USC celebration that nearly set off an all-out fight.

"No, we weren't going to fight – but I put my helmet on and my mouthpiece in, just in case," Barkley said, grinning.

The Trojans jumped, yelled and gestured on their sideline before moving onto the field in unison in a teamwide taunt of the Bruins (6-6, 3-6), who then came across midfield to challenge them before coaches and officials kept them apart.

"They were excited, they were taunting, and we wanted to let them know we weren't going anywhere," UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said. "I don't take offense. If we were winning, I would have done the exact same thing. I still shook hands with everybody on that team."

Incredibly, no penalties were called for the faceoff, although UCLA got two personal fouls for in-game infractions in the final seconds. UCLA's coaches herded most of their players to the locker room without the customary postgame handshakes.

Both Carroll and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel didn't see the final touchdown as a pile-it-on score, noting the Trojans were only ahead by 14 points and had tried to run out the clock.

"Our job is to cover, and they have every right to throw deep," Neuheisel said. "People can make their own conclusions. Our job is to stop the play. ... I don't blame them for doing it."

Allen Bradford ran for 62 yards and two TDs, including a score with 1:30 to play, as the Trojans rebounded splendidly from the worst defensive performance in USC history.

USC has won three straight over UCLA – allowing just 21 total points – since the Trojans' 13-9 loss to UCLA in 2006. But the long-mighty Trojans staggered into the Coliseum with two blowout losses in their last three games and their lowest ranking since 2001.

The Trojans gave up 47 points to Oregon and a school-record 55 to Stanford in the past three games, but UCLA barely threatened to score until the final minutes. USC constantly rattled UCLA freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, and Will Harris' interception set up Bradford's first TD run early in the second half.

USC limited the Bruins to 180 yards and no points in the first three quarters, more than making up for the Trojans' unabated offensive struggles under Barkley, who passed for 206 yards in his first crosstown game. USC also lost starting tailback Joe McKnight on the first drive of the second half to a thigh injury.

"You come here knowing how big this rivalry is, and how much it means to everybody in this city," Barkley said. "I'm going to remember this one."

The Bruins barely moved until senior quarterback Kevin Craft relieved Prince, who sprained his right shoulder, in the second half. Fullback Chane Moline scored their only TD on a 2-yard direct snap with 5:41 to play.

But Barkley then made perhaps his best throw, hitting Ronald Johnson with a 20-yard pass on third down with less than 2 1/2 minutes to play. Bradford rumbled 21 yards to the UCLA 2 on the next play before scoring.

USC then took over on downs near midfield with 54 seconds left, sealing the Trojans' 10th win in the last 11 meetings – and setting up those late shenanigans.

Craft passed for 98 yards and Prince had 90 for the Bruins, whose three-game winning streak ended. The Bruins are bowl-eligible, but they're the seventh-place team in a strong conference with just six automatic bowl affiliations.

Both teams marched into the Coliseum wearing their home jerseys, a long-dormant tradition revived last season by USC at the Rose Bowl. UCLA even went a step further with the powder-blue 1967 throwback jerseys that the Bruins first wore in a win over Washington three weeks earlier to snap a five-game skid.

But all the color was in the uniforms, not the dull play. USC led 7-0 after a 10-punt first half, the rivalry's lowest-scoring first half in 33 years.

Prince made the half's biggest mistake when he lost sight of Smith, throwing a short slant pass right into the USC linebacker's numbers in the first quarter. Smith outran Prince down the UCLA sideline, showing off the speed he shares with his brother, former Trojans receiver Steve Smith.

Antoine Walker Slum: Walker Apologizes For "Unacceptable" Living Conditions

2009-11-29T07:44:43Z

CHICAGO — Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is apologizing for "unacceptable" living conditions at Chicago buildings owned by his companies.

Walker told the Chicago Tribune he wants to "humbly apologize" to everyone who's been affected by the failings of his companies, Walker Ventures LLC and AW Realty LLC.

One building has been described as a slum nuisance by the city. A broken sewer pipe filled the basement with feces and debris, and bricks tumbled from the building's facade.

Over a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Walker's companies over poor management and unpaid debts.

Walker is also facing criminal charges over gambling debts to three Las Vegas casinos.

Walker played for Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami and Minnesota during his 12-year career.

Bud Selig To Resign After 2012, Report Says

2009-11-29T07:38:15Z

According to sources, a group of five owners approached the 75-year-old Selig about remaining on the job beyond the end of his contract, which expires after the 2012 season.

Georgia Vs. Georgia Tech: Bulldogs Outlast Yellow Jackets, 30-24

2009-11-29T06:50:24Z

ATLANTA — Georgia took a page out of Georgia Tech's playbook, rushing for 339 yards to upset the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets 30-24 Saturday night and put a real damper on the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Washaun Ealey rushed for 183 yards, while Caleb King rambled for 166 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs (7-5) reclaimed state bragging rights in a disappointing year and handed the Yellow Jackets (10-2) a huge setback in what has been their best season in nearly two decades.

Georgia Tech's loss completed a dismal day for the two teams that will meet next week in Tampa, Fla., for the ACC title. Earlier, Clemson was blown out by South Carolina 34-17.

Just as they did a year earlier, the Yellow Jackets put themselves in a deep hole in the first half, falling behind 17-3 to a Georgia team that opened huge holes for its running back tandem. Ealey, a freshman, had already set a new career high early in the second quarter.

Unlike 2008, when Georgia Tech rallied from 16 points down for a 45-42 victory that snapped a seven-year losing streak to the Bulldogs, the Jackets couldn't come all the way back. The nation's second-best rushing team was held to 205 yards on the ground.

After Blair Walsh missed a potentially clinching field goal from 55 yards out, only his second miss of the season, Georgia Tech converted a fourth down at the Georgia 46 with plenty of time to run it the rest of the way.

But coach Paul Johnson abandoned the triple option, taking three straight deep shots through the air – all incomplete – to leave the Yellow Jackets facing fourth-and-10. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt, who returned to the game on a gimpy ankle after being injured in the first half, found Demaryius Thomas wide open along the sideline for what would have been enough for the first down.

But Georgia Tech's top receiver let the ball slip through his hands with no one around.

Game over.

Georgia has been one of the nation's most disappointing teams, losing more games than it had in any season during Mark Richt's nine years as coach. Amid calls for him to shake up his coaching staff, the Bulldogs defied their critics and pushed the coach's record against Georgia Tech to 8-1.

For good measure, the Bulldogs likely improved their bowl prospects.

King was part of a dynamic sequence early in the third quarter, when Georgia Tech could have launched another comeback but were instead answered right away.

The Yellow Jackets closed to 17-10 on their third play from scrimmage when Thomas turned a short pass into a 77-yard touchdown. He caught a throw just across the line, stiff-armed Vance Cuff and took off down the sideline for his 10th play of the year covering at least 50 yards.

But Georgia took the very next snap to the house. King got the handoff, blew through yet another big opening up the middle and zigzagged his way down the field for a 75-yard touchdown that quickly silenced the home crowd.

Georgia Tech never caught up. Walsh added field goals of 38 and 43 yards to offset a pair of Georgia Tech touchdowns: Jonathan Dwyer's 5-yard run and a 1-yard sneak by Nesbitt.

The Bulldogs had two 100-yard runners in a game for the first time since 2004 and piled up the most rushing yards of Richt's tenure. By comparison, Nesbitt was Georgia Tech's top rusher with a mere 41 yards. Dwyer, the reigning ACC player of the year, was held to 33 yards on 14 carries.

When it was over, Georgia got back at the Yellow Jackets for snatching pieces of the famed Sanford Stadium hedge following their 2008 upset. This time, defensive lineman Kade Weston planted a huge flag with the Georgia "G" near the middle of the field.

Ari Herzog: Why I Grew a Mustache - and Why You Should Care

2009-11-29T06:49:00Z

To the casual observer perusing through my Flickr-uploaded mustache photographs over the last two weeks, hardly an eyebrow would likely raise and few questions would be asked.

But to members of my family and numerous friends and acquaintances who saw me throughout the latter half of November, my hairy upper lip caused many questions. Why are you growing a mustache? Did you lose a bet? Ugh, I don't like it; can you shave it off?

The subject of three prior Huffington Post articles this month -- by Victoria Fine, Halle Tecco, and Shira Lazar -- when I began explaining I had grown a mustache to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer, and that I was one of 255,000 men around the world participating in an annual charitable event called Movember (because the "Mo" is Australian for mustache, where the annual event began), the questions muted and my questioners lowered their eyebrows.

The month of November is nearly 48 hours away from expiration in my part of the world, and the majority of my Movember Brothers will shortly pull out the shavers and scissors and cut our whiskers away. (Confession: I shaved mine two nights ago.)

Living in the metropolitan Boston region, about 30 of us are informally connected through the so-called Team Boston, competing against other regions of the United States to see who can raise the most money all month. The donations will be divied between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

"The mustache is the world's most effective awareness building tool for the prostate cancer movement," says Troy Kelley, chief digital officer for Arnold Worldwide and a member of Team Boston. "I was amazed that everywhere I went, people went out of their way to ask about my 'stache. It opened the door for me to unveil the inspirational story of the Movember movement. It just goes to show that the most effective marketing and fundraising ideas are usually the simplest."

Adam Zand, who goes by @NoOneYouKnow on Twitter, opted to participate for personal reasons. He writes, "I'm dedicating my Mo' efforts to Uncle Phil Zand of Northbrook, Illinois who died from cancer and to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch who will survive cancer."

Ditto for Skip Bensley of Brilliant Video Productions. "I participated because I lost my grandmother and mom to cancer; and since it hits so close to home, I try and support all initiatives that involve cancer research for men and women."

While most of Team Boston (and most Movember participants worldwide) are men, women are also opting to participate alongside their brethren. Rachel Levy says she got involved as a means "to support the Boston social media men, as they were gathering support for Movember and I thought I could help. Since I'm not able to grow a mustache like the men, I decided to photoshop a beard on my profile photo, and remove hair as I reached my goal of $300. Sadly, I'm still a bearded lady with only 2 days to go."

And therein lies the rub. Movember is not just about growing mustaches but also raising money for a cure. "While there have been inroads made, we still have a long way to go," says Bensley.

Cognizant the world faces an economic recession that is in the final chapters of recovery from, might you be willing to donate a dollar or two to our global cause?

Tom Gregory: Dubai Completes 110 Story Middle Finger!

2009-11-29T06:35:21Z

(Reuterz - Dubai)

Visible from space, Dubai has completed construction of the World's largest structure,
The 110 story "Burj Dubai Middle Finger Tower".

The dedication festivities were hosted by Dubai's Sovereign Ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
who took the opportunity to simultaneously announce he was suspending payments to the international lenders who financed it.

" We wanted to show the world a great symbol" he said " You gave us $59 Billion in loans and a payment schedule - and we give you this!"

Stanford Vs. Notre Dame: Cardinal Comeback Thwarts Charlie Weis

2009-11-29T06:09:25Z

STANFORD, Calif. — Toby Gerhart turned what could be Charlie Weis' final game as Notre Dame coach into his own Heisman Trophy infomercial.

Gerhart ran for 205 yards and three scores, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass and scored the game-winning touchdown with 59 seconds left to help Stanford hand Weis and the Fighting Irish a fourth straight loss to end the regular season, 45-38 Saturday night.

On a night when Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate put on an aerial show for the Irish (6-6) in a showcase for Weis' offense, it was Gerhart who won the game for Stanford (8-4) and possibly earned a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist in two weeks.

He threw his touchdown pass to Ryan Whalen on fourth-and-4 to help the Cardinal tie the game early in the fourth quarter and then won it with his 4-yard run in the final minute.

After Stanford stopped Robert Hughes on third-and-2 from the Irish 35 with less than 6 minutes left, Gerhart carried seven times for 54 yards on the winning drive, bowling over would-be tacklers before scoring his 26th rushing touchdown of the season. The fans chanted "To-by! To-by!" throughout the drive.

Clausen and Tate weren't done, driving to the 24 before Chase Thomas sacked Clausen at the 31. On the final play, Clausen's desperation heave into the end zone was batted down by Michael Thomas, giving Stanford its first win against Notre Dame since 2001.

Weis could be done too after falling to 35-27 in five seasons as Irish coach. He was set to go back to Indiana with the team instead of going on a recruiting trip as originally planned and will meet soon with athletic director Jack Swarbrick.

"We'll engage in the evaluation in earnest following this game and we'll go from there," Swarbrick said before the game, adding that no potential candidates have been contacted.

Weis, who has six years left on a 10-year contract signed midway through his first season, took a 35-26 record into the game against Stanford in five years as Irish head coach. His .565 winning percentage is worse than the .583 marks that got his two predecessors, Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie, fired.

The game could also be the last at Notre Dame for Clausen and Tate, who must decide whether to skip their senior seasons to go into the NFL draft. The Irish have not decided whether to accept a bowl bid.

Clausen matched a career high with five touchdown passes, completing 23 of 30 for 340 yards. Tate had 10 catches for 201 yards and three scores, while Michael Floyd also caught two touchdown passes.

Weis opened up the playbook in what could have been his goodbye game. The play of the game for the Irish came early in the third quarter when they lined up in the Leprecat formation. Hughes took the direct snap out of the shotgun and handed to Tate on an end-around. Tate flipped it to Clausen, who was lined up as a receiver to start the play, and Clausen then found a wide open Floyd for a 46-yard touchdown.

Tate added his own highlight reel play early in the fourth quarter catching a short pass from Clausen at the 19 with Stanford giving him a huge cushion. Tate then wove his way through nine defenders, running all the way across the field to complete the 28-yard score that made it 38-30.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh had a few of his own tricks as well, calling the fourth-down halfback option. Andrew Luck's pass to Jim Dray for the 2-point conversion tied the game at 38 with 8:59 to go.

The teams traded early touchdowns after fumbles deep in their territory, with Gerhart scoring on a 4-yard run after a fumble by Theo Riddick at the 13 on Notre Dame's first play from scrimmage and Clausen connecting on a 5-yarder to Tate after Tyler Gaffney fumbled a punt at the 16.

Clausen added an 18-yard touchdown pass to Michael Floyd and a 78-yarder to Tate one play Richard Sherman's personal foul turned a third-and-15 from the 7 into a first down. Owen Marecic's 1-yard run with 11 seconds left in the half cut Notre Dame's lead to 24-20.

Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup

2009-11-29T05:45:10Z

With the Senate ready to begin debating its health care bill next week, it's time for President Obama to make an unambiguous case for its passage. Finally. He needs to deliver on health care reform, including a public option, and then quickly move on to jobs, jobs, jobs -- the latest Fed forecast predicts that unemployment will still be over 9 percent when the 2010 midterms roll around. Yet, on Tuesday, when the president addresses the nation, he won't be making the case for health care or a jobs bill. Instead, he'll be explaining why we need to "finish the job" in Afghanistan by escalating the war. Can someone in the White House Priorities Department please hit reboot?

Summer Qassim: Beard Feared, Sheared

2009-11-29T05:43:19Z

There are two kinds of people in this world that go around beardless--boys and women--and I am neither one."- - Greek saying

A woman with a beard looks like a man. A man without a beard looks like a woman. - Afghan Saying

Please set aside notions of a carnivalesque bearded woman, for this is not a piece on female facial hair and its removal. But it is about beards, and how my preference for seeing my husband with one has been anything but a private matter.

My good friend S and I were talking about when she first met her now husband on a set-up. I asked if she liked him immediately and she said quite honestly 'No, not exactly. But there's a lot you can do for guys. I had him color the gray parts of his hair and had him grow facial hair so that the engagement pictures turned out the way I wanted them too.' Another friend and I had talked in general terms about guys we knew and their post-wedding makeovers. This friend would cite various male acquaintances of ours whose makeovers included more post-nuptial 'groomliness' -- attention to wardrobe, hair and overall style. Eschewing for now the obviously more important virtues like the cultivation of patience, compromise and sacrifice that occur afterwards in (good) marriages, the idea of a subtle male makeover was normalized for me. And while certainly not the hallmark of trend and style, friends have labeled me an aesthete, so just like my husband casually categorizes people in terms of the indie-bands they like, I tend to describe people based on their predilections for/against high waisted pants and the circumference of their cuffs, for example. And so I had no misgivings about asking my then-fiance to grow a beard so I could see what he looked like. It turned out I liked what I saw. The beard added depth to his face. It added masculinity. And the simple fact of the matter was, I liked it.

The matter, however, has not been simple. While my husband shrugged off my aesthetic preference as an excuse for him to stop shaving, hordes of other people in this Pakistani society (where advice giving is nearly a national pastime) had daily comments to make, especially as the wedding became imminent. While many at his law firm had grown used to his periodic unshavenliness, all were expecting him to shave, especially for me. 'Doesn't Summer hate your beard?' was the most common of the cliched comments, based on the very Pakistani assumption that girls prefer their men clean-shaven and pretty, looking the model of English gentlemen. He would reply that Summer in fact, requested the beard, and that, apparently, prompted more incredulous looks and comments, my preferences apparently (but not for the first time) challenging clean-cut categories about how aesthetics dictate class and education. Perhaps the biggest cliche since 'Anyone but Bush' that I've encountered has been hearing people tell him 'Your beard makes you look like a [insert Taliban, mullah, religious fundamentalist (itself a tired and trite term).'

So deeply entrenched were the equations of beard = Taliban that even my once eager to accommodate fiance started to lament his beard. And while one can perhaps excuse elder uncles and senior family men for their adherence to old-world British notions of 'acceptable' and 'unacceptable' as remnants of their desperately trying to fit in a post-colonial society, what surprised me were the reactions of some of his friends - young Pakistani men who would take him aside and say, 'Hey man, I bet you can't wait to shave that beard and go back to normal.' All of these friends went to college in America, and some even went to prep schools. Perhaps the onus of trying to fit in gave way to attitudes about shaving and beards.

And so, the night before the wedding, where I had fallen spell to the bridal concern for how my own wedding pictures would turn out, I found myself on the phone with my soon-to-be husband, who was relaying how his uncles had repeatedly said 'So, you're going to shave tomorrow, right?' and was seriously considering giving in to the peer pressure. It took every ounce of my newly-cultivated balance of feminine insistence and casual I-don't-really-care-it's-your-life to guarantee the beard's attendance at our wedding.

And yet... the problem continued. At every destination on our East Asia honeymoon, people asked if we were Arab. While that pleased my Arab-o-phile tendencies, my husband became increasingly irritated for not being seen as a Pakistani. 'Maybe it's because of me,' I would tell him. As they Arabs say, the more time you spend with the Arabs, the more you resemble them. (fine by me -- I spent a lot of time in Lebanon). But no, it was blamed on the beard. This was only exacerbated in Bangkok, where tribes of Arabs shifted between trips to the malls and hanging out in the InterContinental hotel lobby. One night an unfortunate beard trimming experiment led to a hole in the famous beard, prompting him to shave the rest of it off. And I returned to find I had a new husband.

It is said that babies and toddlers have a hard time dealing with fathers and close male relatives who suddenly shave. Apparently they don't recognize their fathers after shaving, and the sudden appearance of an unrecognizeable male can be quite traumatic for these young ones. A few parenting websites recommend that fathers shave in front of their babies and children, so that they can see the process of hair removal, thereby alleviating some of the trauma. And while definitely not a baby, I can personally attest to the trauma of instant beard removal. There's an old joke that says 'Men marry one woman and wake up next to another.' Well that's how I felt. In fact, I felt like I was cheating on my husband, because this soft-faced man even smelled different without the scruff. The beard's regrowth was not even discussed - my husband hasn't touched a razor since. What was discussed were scenarios in which the beard might disappear again. My husband's most vehement insistence was of the instance when he'd travel to the U.S. embassy in Islamabad for his visa application to accompany me back home to California. 'Having a beard will severely harm my chances of getting a U.S. visa,' he told me solemnly. 'Everyone just associates beards with religion, and if you want me to come with you, I'll have to shave it off.'

This has has made me quite curious about the history of beards in a non-religious sense, especially about when and why clean shavenliness became 'normal.' A trip to Wikipedia has enlightened me. And although most of your internet connections are undoubtedly faster than mine, I shall recount the more interesting findings. The answer, it seems, lies with the Romans - and later their metaphorical successors, Europe and corporate America.

According to Wikipedia:

Prior to the Romans the highest ranking Ancient Egyptians grew hair on their chins which was often dyed or hennaed (reddish brown) and sometimes plaited with interwoven gold thread. A metal false beard, or postiche, which was a sign of sovereignty, was worn by queens as well as kings... a fashion existing from about 3000 to 1580 BC.

Mesopotamian civilizations (Assyrian, Babylonian, Chaldean, Median and ancient Persian) devoted great care to oiling and dressing their beards, using tongs and curling irons to create elaborate ringlets and tiered patterrns. (note: perhaps the modern equivalent could include straightening irons?)

The Persians were fond of long beards. In Olearius' Travels, a King of Persia commands his steward's head to be cut off, and on its being brought to him, remarks, 'what a pity it was, that a man possessing such fine mustachios, should have been executed,' but he adds, 'Ah! it was your own fault.'

In ancient India, the beard was allowed to grow long, a symbol of dignity and of wisdom. The nations in the east generally treated their beards with great care and veneration, and the punishment for licentiousness and adultery was to have the beard of the offending parties publicly cut off. They had such a sacred regard for the preservation of their beards that a man might pledge it for the payment of a debt.

The ancient Greeks regarded the beard as a badge or a sign of virility which it was a disgrace to be without; and in the Homeric time it even had a sanctity as among the Jews, so that a common form of entreaty was to touch the beard of the person addressed. It was only shaven as a sign of mourning, though in this case it was instead often left untrimmed. A smooth face was regarded as a sign of effeminacy.

Around 299 BC, after a barber was brought to Rome, most Romans began shaving; being clean-shaven became a sign of being Roman and nor Greek.

And as the Romans are the metaphorical predecessors of the modern-day empire, so they seem to be in their dictation of aesthetic standards.

Beards and the Armed Forces

Again according to Wikipedia, following WW I beards fell out of vogue. One of the main theories for this was the use of chemical weapons that allegedly necessitated soliders to shave to ensure the proper sealing of gas masks. Another interesting fact is that WW I recruitment involved a major migration of men from rural to urban areas. 'The rural lives of some of these bearded men included the "Saturday Night Bath" as a reality rather than a humorism. The sudden concentration of recruits in crowded army induction centers brought with it disease, including head lice. Remedial action was taken by immediately shaving the faces and cutting the hair of all inductees upon their arrival.'

A close friend from Iraq once took out pictures from his younger days in Saddam's Iraq. This friend was a refugee in Syria, but having been part of the intellectual class in Baghdad and a respected journalist (writing under a nom de plume for safety), he was meticulously careful about appearing clean-shaven in Damascus, his attempt at appearing professional and moneyed - and quite separate from the mass of Iraqis of all cultural cross-sections finding refuge in Syria. Given this impeccable grooming, I was surprised to see him in these pictures, mustachioed. He explained that while he had skipped Iraq's mandatory military service, he had to appear that he had served, and thus grew a mustache to look like he had just completed his service. 'Those were some of the worst years of my life,' he lamented, referring to the forced mustache, not the tyranny of the Iraqi military police. Interestingly, the new Iraqi armed forces (outfitted in American military fatigues) had some problems with shaving. So entrenched was the affiliation of army with mustache, that apparently the U.S. trainers had to discuss the 'virtues' of clean-shavenliness in the armed forces.

But coming back to WWI, the newly returned soldiers came back to a growing film industry in which the soldier's look was popularized on screen. And of course here it is... the 'mass marketing of Madison avenue' had the Gilette Safety Razor Company as its early client, thereby ensuring short hair and clean shaven faces for decades to come.
And so beards became 'counterculture' - suitable for beatniks, musicians and academics, but distinctly absent from government, politics, and reinforced by films, tv programs and of course advertisements. And now, especially in Pakistan, the aesthetic domain of the Taliban.

I recently saw an ABC Primetime segment in which an actress in a hijaab was the victim of (staged) discrimination in a bakery. The experiment was designed to gauge the level of customer consternation at anti-Muslim sentiment. Watching this with me, my husband said, 'I wonder what would happen if that was not a sweet-faced woman, but a man with a dark beard. How would people react then?' Given that a landing on U.S. soil is expected to be imminent, perhaps we'll find out, or else I'll have to get used to my new husband, again.

Brad Pitt's New Orleans Project Gets Mixed Local Reaction

2009-11-29T05:31:45Z

In 2007, frustrated by the slow pace of rebuilding in the Lower Ninth, Brad Pitt set up a foundation called Make It Right; the foundation then commissioned 13 architecture firms to design affordable, green houses. The organization plans to build 150 homes, all for returning Lower Ninth residents. So far, just 15 of them are occupied, but those 15 make a big impression.

Indeed, from the main route into the Lower Ninth, the Claiborne Avenue Bridge, it's impossible to miss the Brad Pitt Houses, as everyone here calls them. They are sprawling, angular buildings in bold hues not usually seen outside a gelateria. Monuments to the city's resilience, and to Hollywood's big heart, they are also New Orleans's newest tourist attraction.