World Cup Underdog Greece Awaits Costa Rica
RIO DE JANEIRO — This World Cup just got a whole lot easier for Costa Rica. According to the rankings, anyway.Having left former champions Uruguay, Italy and England behind to sensationally win their group — one of the toughest at the World Cup — the Costa Ricans line up against their lowest-ranked opposition so far in Greece in the second round on June 29.It surprisingly has Costa Rica finding itself the favorite for a place in the quarterfinals. That’s certainly a new situation for the small Central American country which arrived hoping to avoid finishing last in a group of supposed powerhouses and now has a chance to be in the last eight of the whole tournament.“We were the Cinderella and now we are favorites. That’s respect and we earned it,” Costa Rica defender Michael Umana said.Costa Rica came through with a succession of shocks, beating 2010 semifinalist Uruguay 3-1, stunning 2006 winner Italy 1-0 and then not having to stretch itself in a 0-0 draw with England.No one can accuse the team of having it easy and yet it’s unbeaten and hasn’t conceded a goal at the World Cup since the 24th minute of its opening game.Because of that, Greece, a former European champion, appears happy to accept the underdog role for the last 16 game at Recife’s Arena Pernambuco.“At this stage, everyone is considered an opponent who is better than us,” Greece midfielder Lazaros Christodoulopoulos said.Costa Rica’s expectations have sky-rocketed, not just because of the results but the way they earned them. It progressed from the group stage for the second time and first since 1990, doing it with panache and attacking verve and with forwards Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz leading from the front.“What we have accomplished is now part of history but there are still some chapters left and we want a happy ending,” Costa Rica Director of National Teams Adrian Gutierrez said. “We know that this team has a ceiling but we still haven’t seen it.”Campbell, especially, has been a revelation — helped, maybe, by his loan to Greek club Olympiakos from England’s Arsenal. The striker, who turned 22 on June 26, could play against up to four of his Athens club teammates this weekend.“I don’t think I’ll be giving him a call,” Greece midfielder Andreas Samaris said of contacting his club mate before the game. “But if I did, I’d wish him the best of luck and then tell him his team is going to lose.”If Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto is honest, Greece is probably the team he would have chosen to play out of the other 15 in the knockouts. In fact, both teams could argue they’ve had a lucky draw.“Sure, I would choose Costa Rica over some other teams,” Christodoulopoulos said, “but what Costa Rica has done is a miracle.”While Costa Rica has been flying high from the start, Greece has taken a little time to get going. The Greeks scored their first goals of the World Cup in their last group game and secured qualification at the very end via a hotly-disputed injury-time penalty from Georgios Samaras against Ivory Coast.Greece prides itself on defensive solidity and a more measured approach, but it’s a team that is completely comfortable with its style and unafraid to play to its strengths.“Our tactics have been the same in all the games: to stay tight in defense to contain the opponents and stay dangerous in attack,” Greece coach Fernando Santos said. “The mistaken perception is to think that every team should play like Brazil or Barcelona, but they have the characteristics to play that way. … But we are Greece.”Those tactics have worked before. Costa Rica should be aware that Greece has its own fairytale, when the team surprised everyone to win the 2004 European Championship. Veteran midfielders Giorgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis were part of that triumph a decade ago and are looking for one final football memory here in Brazil.Neither country has ever gone to the World Cup quarterfinals. One of them will now.___By Gerald Imray. AP Sports Writer Carlos Rodriguez in Santos, Brazil and AP writer Derek Gatopoulos in Fortaleza, Brazil contributed to this report.TweetPinShare0 Shares
Continue Reading Previous RTI announces medical-grade connectivity frameworkNext Kontron and Lynx partner on secure connected commercial vehicles STMicroelectronics has integrated machine-learning technology into its advanced inertial sensors to improve activity-tracking performance and battery life in mobiles and wearables. The LSM6DSOX iNEMO sensor contains a machine-learning core to classify motion data based on known patterns. Relieving this first stage of activity tracking from the main processor saves energy and accelerates motion-based apps such as fitness logging, wellness monitoring, personal navigation, and fall detection.Devices equipped with ST’s LSM6DSOX can deliver a convenient and responsive “always-on” user experience without trading battery runtime. The sensor also has more internal memory than conventional sensors, and a state-of-the-art high-speed I3C digital interface, allowing longer periods between interactions with the main controller and shorter connection times for extra energy savings.The sensor is easy to integrate with popular mobile platforms such as Android and iOS, simplifying use in smart devices for consumer, medical, and industrial markets.The LSM6DSOX contains a 3D MEMS accelerometer and 3D MEMS gyroscope, and tracks complex movements using the machine-learning core at low typical current consumption of just 0.55mA to minimize load on the battery.The machine-learning core works in conjunction with the sensor’s integrated finite-state machine logic to handle motion pattern recognition or vibration detection. Customers creating activity-tracking products with the LSM6DSOX can train the core for decision-tree based classification using Weka, an open-source PC-based application, to generate settings and limits from sample data such as acceleration, speed, and magnetic angle that characterize the types of movements to be detected. Support for free-fall, wakeup, 6D/4D orientation, click and double-click interrupts allows a wide variety of applications such as user-interface management and laptop protection in addition to activity tracking. Auxiliary outputs and configuration options also simplify use in optical image stabilization (OIS).Share this:TwitterFacebookLinkedInMoreRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppSkypePocketTelegram Tags: Chips & Components 
TFA have released preliminary draw information for the 2008 X-Blades NTL. Please read the attached memorandum for more information. For more information see the 2008 X-Blades NTL website at: http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=14-907-0-0-0
Man City boss Guardiola confident Fernandinho can make Liverpool clashby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveManchester City boss Pep Guardiola is confident Fernandinho can make their clash with Liverpool.The influential midfielder has missed the last three matches through injury – which has coincided with City losing two times.And Guardiola has revealed the 33-year-old has made a return to training – even though he is still short of full match fitness.Asked directly about Fernandinho’s fitness Guardiola said: “Almost everyone is fit. They are training – not 100 per cent but training.”We will have his qualities again and he is an incredible player. He is so important like Kevin is, so of course we have to find another solution if he is not available.” About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
A $1,397,050 road-paving contract in Cumberland County has been awarded by the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. The contract was awarded to Cumberland Paving and Contracting Ltd. to repave Barronsfield Road from the intersection of Route 242 in River Hebert, north for six kilometres toward Minudie. The project is scheduled for completion this summer. “This project is part of the department’s efforts to build better highways for Nova Scotia,” said Murray Scott, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. “Barronsfield Road is an important connection through this unique part of Nova Scotia.” The project is part of government’s commitment to better roads and infrastructure as outlined in the speech from the throne. The department’s highways division manages more than 23,000 kilometres of roads in Nova Scotia. It maintains 4,100 bridges and operates seven provincial ferries. Staff provide services from district offices in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Opposition Progressive Conservatives are looking for a fresh start this weekend with a leadership convention they hope will propel them into the government benches after the next provincial election.The convention begins Friday with speeches from five candidates — three men and two women — after a campaign race that started when former party leader Jamie Baillie announced he would step down as leader in November, then resigned in January amid unspecified allegations of inappropriate behaviour.The candidates include perceived front-runner and Tory caucus member Tim Houston, Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke, caucus members John Lohr and Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, and Julie Chaisson, executive director of the Halifax Seaport Market.All five have spent months travelling the province to sign up party members, a process that saw more than 11,600 people purchase memberships.“That’s tremendous to have that level of response, particularly in this era of disengagement with politics,” Nova Scotia PC party president Tara Miller said in an interview earlier this week.Miller said the membership surge was the result of people responding to the messages of the candidates, and also to an optimistic feeling within party ranks.“I think another reason that people are so engaged is because there … is a feeling that this leader will be the next premier of Nova Scotia,” said Miller.Lori Turnbull, a political scientist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said that kind of bullishness isn’t just partisan spin.Turnbull said the Tories are well aware that voters in other provinces — most recently Quebec and Ontario — have dumped their Liberal governments in favour of right-leaning parties, and it appears New Brunswickers are poised to do the same in the days ahead.In Nova Scotia, Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil has won two consecutive majority governments, but Turnbull says the Liberals’ current majority is “as small as you can get.”“Just by way of typical voting patterns, it’s possible — maybe even probable — that the Progressive Conservatives are electing the next premier of the province this weekend,” said Turnbull. “So I think it matters who they pick because that person will set the tone for the party.”Houston, who represents Pictou East, launched his campaign a month ahead of his rivals and has touted himself as best positioned to take on the Liberals in the next election.However, his style and perceived status as front-runner has made him the main target for the other candidates.Tom Urbaniak, a political scientist at Cape Breton University, said he was surprised Houston’s campaign didn’t make more overtures to the other candidates in a contest that will be decided by a combination of a ranked ballot and weighted ridings.Each of the province’s 51 constituencies will count for 100 points, allocated according to the proportion of votes each candidate receives from that riding.“I don’t see a lot of room to grow beyond Tim Houston’s base, so one wonders if they are feeling pretty confident that they will be close to that 50 per cent mark with people’s first-choice picks,” Urbaniak said. “If they are too far off, then it gets really interesting.”Urbaniak said the overarching narrative of the campaign has been a two-way race between Houston and Clarke, who is a former cabinet minister under premiers John Hamm and Rodney MacDonald.“That narrative is going to influence … how (party members) designate their second and third choices (on their ranked ballots),” Urbaniak said. “That’s especially if they are very concerned about a particular person winning — they will vote strategically.”Clarke has campaigned as the party’s experienced hand and as the person who is best equipped to take over as premier.Smith-McCrossin, a former nurse and small-business owner, has championed private sector job growth and has come out in favour of a zero tax-rate for small business, while Chaisson has positioned herself as a party outsider and voice for change.Lohr has gained attention by staking ground on the party’s far right, professing his support for oil and gas exploration, including hydraulic fracturing, which is under a moratorium in Nova Scotia.He also caused a stir after speaking out against the removal of statues of Sir John A. Macdonald elsewhere in the country. Lohr also claimed there were paid protesters at a rally last July in Pictou, N.S., against the planned discharge of treated pulp mill effluent into the Northumberland Strait.Despite the media attention, neither Urbaniak nor Turnbull see Lohr’s pronouncements as a sign of populist growth within the party or the province as a whole.“I don’t see the same kind of populist support here as say for someone like Doug Ford (in Ontario),” said Turnbull. “You need a brand to sell it and I don’t really see the same thing here in terms of a person or the brand resonating.”
WINNIPEG — Lawyers are to present their closing arguments today at the Winnipeg trial of a man accused of killing a woman whose body was found in a barrel.Perez Cleveland, who is 46, has pleaded not guilty in the 2016 death of 42-year-old Jennifer Barrett.Court has heard that Cleveland shared a house with his adult daughter and five women who were described by one of them as “sister wives.”Four of the women testified that they experienced extreme physical abuse, surveillance and manipulation in the home.The Crown has said that Cleveland became convinced Barrett was cheating, so he tortured her for days before she was killed.The defence argued that one of the other women was jealous of Cleveland and Barrett’s relationship and acted violently towards Barrett.The Canadian Press
The Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) — the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports — today announced the collective contribution of over $2 million from NBC Sports Group, ESPN and FOX Sports.The pledge, a powerful testimony on the importance of women in broadcast and company leadership; helps fulfill the Foundation’s mission to ensure opportunities for girls and women of all abilities by providing access to sports.The funding will help drive the Foundation’s national efforts to close the 1.4 million participation gap in athletic opportunities for high school girls and collegiate women, provide grants to amateur and professional athletes in the pursuit of athletic excellence and sustain the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to the health and future success of girls across the United States.The unprecedented, joint effort by FOX Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports Group, speaks to the media’s critical role in creating, covering and shaping the stories of female athletes in sports. Further, it aligns with the companies’ efforts to grow women’s leadership in senior-level positions within the industry, and help former athletes transition from the field to the boardroom.“It is truly amazing to see three giants in the sports industry coming together on mutual ground to benefit girls and women,” stated WSF Founder Billie Jean King. “Together, we’ll take a stand to ensure girls and women stay in the game.”“As a long-time supporter of the Foundation, ESPN and Disney have invested nearly a half million dollars over the last three years,” said ESPN President John Skipper. “We know that WSF is a proven organization with great potential to expand access to sports for women and girls and we are proud to join the other two media companies in support of their continued work.”“Playing sports and celebrating the importance of its roles in our society is a key part of the culture at FOX Sports. Our partnerships at the grassroots level with AYSO to the highest competitive level with collegiate sports and the FIFA Women’s World Cup signify our commitment to growing women’s sports, said Eric Shanks, President, COO, and Executive Producer of FOX Sports. From lessons on teamwork, determination and self-belief, FOX Sports is proud to support the Women’s Sports Foundation and their dedication to developing America’s girls into the next leaders of our corporations, and our society at large.”NBC is known for its first-class coverage of numerous sporting events including the Olympics. “As a company, we believe in showcasing the stories of male and female athletes alike,” said NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus. “Our investment in the Women’s Sports Foundation provides female athletes with the opportunity to pursue their athletic aspirations. It also underscores the Olympic spirit which is rooted in fair play, equality and peace.”The Women’s Sports Foundation’s mission to create leaders by ensuring all girls access to sports is driven by years of evidence-based research that demonstrates the profound impact of sports participation. A girl who participates in sports is healthier, has higher self-esteem and shows greater achievement in higher education and employment. In fact, 80% of female business executives attribute their career success to having played sports. To that end, the Foundation advocates for equal opportunities for girls and women at all levels, and supports physically and emotionally healthy lifestyles. The Foundation also builds capacities for organizations that get girls active, particularly in underserved communities.As part of their commitment, the media groups join Gatorade as presenting sponsors at the upcoming Salute to Women in Sports (October 15 in New York City), the Foundation’s annual fundraising gala that celebrates the most accomplished women in sports and the girls they inspire.“The Women’s Sports Foundation drives access to sport for all girls. We help communities to harness sport as a tool to empower girls to be the next generation of healthy, successful leaders,” said Kathryn Olson, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation. “With help from ESPN, FOX Sports and NBC Sports Group, our combined efforts will expand sport and participation for future generations and showcase powerful female role models through the coverage of women’s sports in the media.”Source:PR Newswire
(Correction: Dan Doreen’s name was incorrectly spelled.)By Kenneth Jackson and Jorge BarreraAPTN National NewsAbout three dozen Mohawks from Tyendinaga blocked the main rail line between Toronto and Montreal for several hours Sunday in support of hunger-striking Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence and the Idle No More movement.The move forced CN to suspend all rail traffic along the line.The blockade stranded about 2,000 passengers, said VIA Rail in a statement to media.This was the same rail line, between Belleville, Ont., and Napanee, Ont., shut down in 2007 for almost 12 hours by the Mohawks as part of a planned national day of action.“It’s not about me, it’s not about you, it’s about Chief Spence and everyone else dying,” said Tom Maracle, a Mohawk from Tyendinaga, at the blockade.Maracle, however, issued a warning.“This is peaceful. The next one won’t be,” he said.A fire was keeping the blockaders warm. The blockade was launched at about 4 p.m. local time. OPP arrived on the scene at about 8 p.m. The blockade was expected to end sometime late Sunday evening.CN spokesman Jim Feeny said CN had suspended all rail traffic until the blockade ended.“This is the main line,” he said. “It is a heavily used line…We are hoping that the issue can be resolved and that traffic can be resumed as quickly as possible.”kjackson@aptn.ca@afixedaddressjbarrera@aptn.ca@JorgeBarrera
It’s been orbiting for seven months. Its mission is classified. And now the X-37B is back home. The unmanned spacecraft touched down at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:14 AM PT this morning. The primary purpose of the mission was apparently to test the craft also known as the Oribital Test Vehicle. The military will not say whether the ship was carrying any cargo. According to a statement, the craft “completed all the on-orbit objectives for the first mission.”The ship was built by Boeing. It weighs 11,000 pounds, measures 9.5 feet tall, 29 feet long, and has a wingspan of under 15 feet. The Associated Press likens it to a sports car, with the more traditional spaceship something more akin to a cargo truck.According to the military, the ship is set to return to space in spring of next year.
Any talk of Microsoft reversing their policy of the Xbox One phoning home every 24 hours has been quashed by comments made by Don Mattrick, front man for the Microsoft E3 event and President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at the company.Mattrick was interviewed by GameTrailers and inevitably tackled the issue of the need to connect the Xbox One at regular intervals to allow it to continue functioning. His explanation may surprise you, referring to the requirement as an “online state” that future-proofs the console in a “service-based world.” He also confirms Microsoft expected the push back from gamers over this decision, but genuinely believes that you won’t understand how great the online state is until you actually try it.Mattrick’s comments also make it clear why Microsoft decided to redesign the Xbox 360 to look more like the Xbox One. They see the 360 as being the console gamers will stick with if they don’t have access to the Internet, and Mattrick treats this as being a “fortunate” situation.I think Microsoft is being a little naive if they think gamers without Internet access will decide to buy or stick with an Xbox 360. Ultimately, game releases will dry up for the current-gen console over the next few years, and they do have alternatives in the form of the Wii U and PS4, both of which don’t require the Internet in order to function. How many unconnected gamers will choose Xbox 360 over one of those alternatives?But it seems clear now that Microsoft’s stance on Xbox One is: you’ll love the online state of Xbox One once you’ve actually tried it, and if you can’t connect to the Internet it’s fine because you still have the Xbox 360.
Feb 19th 2017, 1:02 PM 350,000 children trapped in Mosul faced with grim choices as ‘most brutal fighting yet’ begins Iraqi forces have launched an offensive against Islamic State in the contested town of Mosul. An Iraqi soldier driving a humvee through Mosul Source: Manu Brabo/AP PhotoIRAQI FORCES LAUNCHED an offensive today on jihadists defending Mosul’s west bank, in what could be the most brutal fighting yet in a four-month-old operation on the country’s second city.They swiftly retook five villages and set their sights on Mosul airport, which lies just south of the city, marking a new phase in Iraq’s largest military operation in years.The Islamic State group has put up stiff resistance to defend Mosul, the city where its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014.“Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a short televised speech.“We announce the start of a new phase in the operation. We are coming, Nineveh, to liberate the western side of Mosul,” he said, referring to the province of which Mosul is the capital.A top army commander then announced that forces led by federal police units retook villages south of Mosul, including Athbah, which leaves them within striking distance of the airport.“We launched our operation at 7:00 am (4am Irish time)… We are heading towards the airport,” said Abbas al-Juburi of the interior ministry’s elite Rapid Response force.“We destroyed two car bombs and killed several Daesh members,” he told AFP near the front line.‘Toughest nut’Military vehicles blared patriotic songs as heavy bombardment and shooting could be heard in the distance.The jihadists overran Mosul and swathes of other territory north and west of Baghdad in 2014, sweeping aside security forces ill-prepared to face the assault.The Iraqi government launched the offensive to reconquer Mosul on 17 October, throwing tens of thousands of forces into the long-awaited counter-attack with air and ground support from the US-led coalition. Source: AP/Press Association ImagesThe Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against IS declared east Mosul “fully liberated” on 24 January.But it took Iraq’s most seasoned forces – the elite Counter-Terrorism Service – more than two months to clear the eastern side of Mosul.After a pause, federal forces now face what was always billed as the toughest nut to crack: Mosul’s west bank, home to the narrow streets of the Old City.“West Mosul had the potential certainly of being more difficult, with house-to-house fighting on a larger and more bloody scale,” said Patrick Skinner, from the Soufan Group intelligence consultancy.Narrow streetsThe streets around the historical centre, which includes the mosque in which Baghdadi made his only public appearance in June 2014, will be impassable for many military vehicles and force government fighters to take on IS in perilous dismounted warfare.Prior to the offensive that saw IS seize Mosul and much of Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland nearly three years ago, the east bank was more ethnically diverse than the west, where analysts believe the jihadists could enjoy more support.“IS resistance could be greater in this area and it will be harder, but all the more important, to completely clear the networks from Mosul after its recapture,” said Emily Anagnostos, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. A man detained at a security checkpoint by Iraqi forces outside Mosul Source: Bram Janssen AP/Press Association ImagesWhile the federal forces’ attrition is said to be high, IS’s had been undoubtedly higher and commanders have said the jihadists may no longer have the resources to defend east Mosul effectively.Recent incidents in the recaptured east point to the difficulty of ensuring remnants of IS have not blended in with the civilian population in a huge city which most residents did not flee ahead of the government offensive.Aid organisations had feared an exodus of unprecedented proportions before the start of the Mosul operation but half a million — a significant majority — of residents stayed home.Trapped civiliansTheir continued presence prevented both sides from resorting to deadlier weaponry, which may have slowed down the battle but averted a potentially much more serious humanitarian emergency in the middle of winter as well as more extensive material damage to the city.“Mosul is going better than we expected, but there are serious dangers ahead,” Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, told AFP.Residents of west Mosul have reported very difficult living conditions and warned that they were already low on food, with weeks of fighting expected to lie ahead.Save the Children urged all parties to protect the estimated 350,000 children currently trapped in west Mosul. Source: Manu Brabo AP/Press Association Images“This is the grim choice for children in western Mosul right now: bombs, crossfire and hunger if they stay – or execution and snipers if they try to run,” said the charity’s Iraq director, Maurizio Crivallero.IS fighters and Mosul residents remained able to move across both sides of the city during much of the fighting in the east but all bridges across the Tigris have now been dropped and the jihadists in the west are all but besieged.IS has used civilians as human shields as part of its defence tactics and killed residents attempting to flee, making it both difficult and dangerous for the population to escape.- © AFP, 2017Read: ‘We have very little food left’: People are burning their own clothes to stay warm in MosulRead: Warning of ‘extreme risk’ to citizens as the battle for Mosul rages on http://jrnl.ie/3247738 9,847 Views Share214 Tweet Email 22 Comments Short URL Sunday 19 Feb 2017, 1:02 PM By AFP Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Xherdan Shaqiri made some harsh comments on his teammates from Stoke City as he made an interview in Switzerland and claimed that the quality is really low there compared to his previous teams.The Switzerland international used to play together with players like Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben or Mauro Icardi – now, he is playing in the Premier League for the team fighting just to avoid the relegation.The former Bayern Munich talent spoke about his teammates as he said, according to Sport Bible:“The feeling that even a Ronaldinho could do little in this team is sobering.”
Jose Mourinho is sold on Lampard succeeding at Chelsea Tomás Pavel Ibarra Meda – September 14, 2019 Jose Mourinho wanted to give his two cents on Frank Lampard’s odds as the new Chelsea FC manager, he thinks he will succeed.There really…“I had to realise that it’s a bit different when you have players like Ribéry and Thiago at Bayern or Icardi and Kovacic at Inter.”“Here at Stoke, I can not exert too much influence, simply because there is a lack of quality around me.”“I can not just Löffel verwerfen (down tools )but it would take something extreme for Stoke in the transfer market this summer to revive my enthusiasm.”