Monday, April 30, 2012

Liga B Prahova, rezultate

Seria Est
Progresul Bucov – Ştiinţa Albeşti 2-2
Gloria Plopu – AS Pleaşa 3-1
Prahova Tg. Vechi – Energia Pietroşani 3-1
Unirea Teleajen – Avântul Tomşani 3-1
AS Strejnic – Voinţa Ciorani 2-3
Avântul Iordăcheanu – Viitorul Fulga 9-0
CS Şirna – Prahova II Tomşani 4-0
Sportul Valea Călugărească – CS Brazi 3-4
Voinţa Vadu Părului – Progresul II Drăgăneşti, amânat
Clasament
1. Gloria Plopu 24 20 2 2 77-19 62
2. Unirea Teleajen 24 15 3 6 57-28 48
3. Prahova Tg. Vechi 24 15 3 6 51-34 48
4. Voinţa Ciorani 24 14 5 5 53-29 47
5. Voinţa Vadu Părului 23 13 4 6 74-43 43
6. Ştiinţa Albeşti 24 11 6 7 50-45 39
7. Avântul Iordăcheanu 24 11 5 8 51-35 38
8. AS Pleaşa 24 11 5 8 56-47 38
9. Avântul Tomşani 24 11 5 8 45-37 38
10. AS Strejnic 24 10 6 8 47-36 36
11. CS Brazi 24 9 6 9 54-66 33
12. Progresul II Drăgăneşti 23 9 4 10 47-33 31
13. Energia Pietroşani 24 8 3 13 68-76 27
14. Sportul Valea Călugărească 24 6 7 11 56-41 25
15. CS Şirna 24 5 3 16 42-79 18
16. Progresul Bucov 24 4 2 18 24-71 14
17. Viitorul Fulga 24 4 1 19 38-102 13
18. Prahova II Tomşani 24 2 4 18 27-96 10
Seria Nord
Teleajen Văleni – Voinţa Livadea 3-2
AS Podenii Noi – CSO II Plopeni 3-3
Flacăra Mălăieşti – Tineretul Bucov 3-2
Intersport Filipeşti de Târg – Luceafărul Drajna 4-2
Victoria Bordeni – Unirea Lipăneşti 2-5
Voinţa Măgurele – Brădetul Ştefeşti 0-1
Gloria Vâlcăneşti – Găzarul Surani 2-5
Real Rio Cocoşeşti – Voinţa Gornet 2-3
Voinţa Vărbilău – Petrolul Teleajen 0-3
Clasament
1. Intersport Filipeşti de Târg 24 20 0 4 60-27 60
2. Găzarul Surani 24 15 3 6 84-49 48
3. Brădetul Ştefeşti 24 15 3 6 57-37 48
4. CSO II Plopeni 24 13 5 6 47-34 44
5. Voinţa Livadea 24 13 2 9 54-41 41
6. Tineretul Bucov 24 11 5 8 56-47 38
7. Real Rio Cocoşeşti 24 12 1 11 47-39 37
8. Petrolul Teleajen 24 10 5 9 52-48 35
9. Teleajen Văleni 24 11 2 11 51-49 35
10. Voinţa Gornet 24 10 4 10 49-49 34
11. Voinţa Măgurele 24 9 6 9 43-38 33
12. Flacăra Mălăieşti 24 10 3 11 56-58 33
13. Victoria Bordeni 24 10 2 12 47-46 32
14. Gloria Vâlcăneşti 24 9 4 11 39-42 31
15. Unirea Lipăneşti 24 8 4 12 56-61 28
16. AS Podenii Noi 24 7 4 13 41-74 25
17. Luceafărul Drajna 24 2 2 20 26-74 8
18. Voinţa Vărbilău 24 1 5 18 32-84 8
Seria Vest
Prahoviţa Măgureni – CS Valea Doftanei 1-1
AFC II Filipeşti – Sori Tg. Nou 5-0
Gloria Ologeni – Dalina Bărcăneşti 5-2
Precizia Breaza – Tricolor Varniţa 4-3
AS Tg. Vechi – CS Cornu 1-0
CS Brazi Negoieşti – Conpet II Ploieşti 1-2
Unirea Cocorăştii Colţ – Prahova Nedelea 2-0
Cetatea Coada Izvorului – AS Mislea 3-1
Viitorul Ariceşti – Petrolul Băicoi 2-1
Clasament
1. Precizia Breaza 24 20 1 3 93-28 61
2. Unirea Cocorăştii Colţ 24 17 3 4 69-24 54
3. Tricolor Varniţa 24 16 2 6 70-31 50
4. Cetatea Coada Izvorului 24 16 1 7 78-41 49
5. CS Brazi Negoieşti 23 15 1 7 51-39 46
6. Petrolul Băicoi 24 15 0 9 51-35 45
7. Prahova Nedelea 24 12 3 9 52-30 39
8. Conpet II Ploieşti 24 12 2 10 62-43 38
9. AS Tg. Vechi 24 10 3 11 38-41 33
10. CS Cornu 24 10 1 13 49-49 31
11. AS Mislea 24 9 4 11 36-46 31
12. AFC II Filipeşti 24 9 2 13 40-60 29
13. Viitorul Ariceşti 24 8 3 13 36-49 27
14. Gloria Ologeni 24 7 5 12 61-78 26
15. Dalina Bărcăneşti 24 6 3 15 51-81 21
16. CS Valea Doftanei 24 6 3 15 28-68 21
17. Sori Tg. Nou 24 2 6 16 24-58 12
18. Prahoviţa Măgureni 23 3 1 19 22-110 10

S-a întâmplat astăzi...

1925, Bucureşti: România – Turcia 1-2, amical, marcator - Brauchler; arbitru - A. Rolton (Anglia)
1960, Sofia: Bulgaria – România 2-1, preliminarii JO, marcator - Tătaru, arbitri - P. Tsouvaras, Koulakis, Vernardaxis (Grecia)
1968, Linz: Austria – România 1-1, amical, marcator - Kallo; arbitru - Karol Galba (Cehoslovacia)
1982, Hunedoara: România – Cipru 3-1, preliminarii CE, marcatori - Văetuş, Cămătaru, Boloni, arbitri - Arsen Hoxha - Hiqmet Kuka, Y. Kruja (Albania)
1985: Israel - Suedia, amical, arbitru - Dan Petrescu (România)
1985, Bucureşti: România – Anglia 0-0, preliminarii CM, arbitri - Emilio Carlos Guruceta - Victoriano Sanchez Arminio, Juaquin Urio (Spania)
1996, Munchen: Bayern – Bordeaux 2-0, finala Cupa UEFA, tur, arbitru - Serge Muhmenthaler (Elveţia)
2002, Hvidovre (Danemarca): Danemarca – Anglia 0-0, CE juniori sub 17 ani, arbitri - Roberto Rosetti (Italia) – Oscar David Martinez Samaniego (Spania), Heigo Niilop (Estonia) – Augustus Constantin (foto) (România), observatori – Lars Ake Bjorck (Suedia), Bernard Carrel (Elveţia)

Siena (Italia) – “Stadio Artemio Franchi”

“Stadio Artemio Franchi”
Este stadionul din orașul Italian Siena, aici având loc partidele formației AC Siena. Stadionul a fost construit în anul 1923, are o capacitate de 15.373 locuri, iar din anul 2007 poartă numele fostului președinte al Federației Italiene și al UEFA, Artemio Franchi, care a decedat în 1983, în urma unui accident rutier produs aproape de Siena.
Siena
Este un oraș din regiunea Toscana, Italia. Centrul vechi al orașului, dominat de Piazza del Campo și Palazzo Comunale, a fost înscris în anul 1995 pe lista patrimoniului mondial UNESCO. Are o populație de aproximativ 54.000 locuitori.

Liga C Prahova, rezultate

Seria Mizil
Avântul II Iordăcheanu – Avântul Boldești Grădiștea 1-3
Viitorul Iordăcheanu – Viitorul II Poienarii Burchi 4-2
Rapid Sălciile – Unirea Râfov 4-0
Steaua Vâlcele – Victoria Fântânele 3-3
Progresul Boldești Grădiștea – Tineretul Balta Doamnei 2-1
Viitorul Pantazii – Tineretul Berceni 1-4
Podgoria Vadu Săpat – Viticultorul Dârvari, amânat
Voința Călugăreni – Inter Ciupelnița, amânat
Clasament
1. Rapid Sălciile 21 19 0 2 103-26 57
2. Tineretul Berceni 21 15 4 2 65-20 49
3. Inter Ciupelnița 20 14 4 2 79-38 46
4. Viticultorul Dârvari 20 14 2 4 61-31 44
5. Avântul Boldeşti Grădiștea 21 12 5 4 65-35 41
6. Viitorul Pantazii 21 10 4 7 54-39 34
7. Viitorul II Poienarii Burchii 21 8 4 9 54-57 28
8. Podgoria Vadu Săpat 20 7 4 9 38-40 25
9. Progresul Boldeşti Grădiștea 21 7 3 11 30-45 24
10. Unirea Râfov 21 6 3 12 51-66 21
11. Avântul II Iordăcheanu 21 6 3 12 38-63 21
12. Victoria Fântânele 21 5 5 11 49-69 20
13. Voinţa Călugăreni 20 4 5 11 34-67 17
14. Tineretul Balta Doamnei 21 4 4 13 39-61 16
15. Steaua Vâlcele 21 4 3 14 42-95 15
16. Viitorul Iordăcheanu 21 3 3 15 32-82 12
Seria Slănic
Viitorul Țipărești – Juventus Călinești 4-3
Șoimii Apostolache – AS Podenii Vechi 2-0
AS Mehedința – Progersul Aluniș 0-1
Tineretul Gura Vitioarei – Tricolor Coțofenești 2-1
Avântul Bertea – AS III Podenii Noi 3-1
Flacăra Filipești de Târg – Steaua Sângeru 3-0
AS Tufeni – Victoria Olteni 2-0
Vulturii Provița de Sus – Viitorul Mărgineni 7-0
Clasament
1. AS Tufeni 20 17 2 1 59-17 53
2. Victoria Olteni 20 13 2 5 63-37 41
3. Avântul Bertea 20 12 3 5 58-30 39
4. Progresul Aluniş 20 11 6 3 39-23 39
5. Tineretul Gura Vitioarei 20 12 2 6 57-33 38
6. AS Mehedinţa 20 11 1 8 37-36 34
7. Şoimii Apostolache 20 10 2 8 45-50 32
8. Viitorul Ţipăreşti 20 10 1 9 60-37 31
9. Steaua Sângeru 20 8 3 9 57-54 27
10. Viitorul Mărgineni 20 7 1 12 32-54 22
11. Flacăra Filipeşti de Târg 20 5 3 12 39-67 18
12. Tricolor Coţofeneşti 20 5 2 13 33-58 17
13. AS III Podenii Noi 20 4 3 13 37-60 15
14. Juventus Călineşti 20 3 4 13 38-61 13
15. AS Podenii Vechi 20 3 3 14 24-69 12
16. Vulturii Proviţa de Sus 6 3 0 3 20-12 9
Seria Ploiești
Voin ța Hăbud – Unirea Corlătești 2-4
CIS Construct Tăriceni – AS Balta Doamnei 3-1
Viitorul Crivina – Speranța Olari 5-0
Viitorul Puchenii Mari – Progersul Puchenii Moșneni 1-2
Viitorul Poienarii Burchi – Victoria Pisculești 2-0
NG Brătășanca – Arizona Zalhanaua 4-1
AS Puşcaşi – CS Şirna II Brăteşti 0-2
Viitorul Predeşti – AS Potigrafu 7-0
San Sar Malu Roşu – Spicul Poienarii Rali 7-3
Clasament
1. Victoria Pisculeşti 23 16 3 4 61-28 51
2. Viitorul Crivina 23 15 2 6 72-40 47
3. Progresul Puchenii Moşneni 23 14 3 6 53-36 45
4. AS Potigrafu 23 13 2 8 59-51 41
5. Unirea Corlăteşti 23 10 7 6 54-48 37
6. Viitorul Poienarii Burchi 23 10 7 6 53-50 37
7. Speranţa Olari 23 11 3 9 56-56 36
8. CS Şirna II Brăteşti 22 9 8 5 52-43 35
9. San Sar Malu Roşu 23 10 3 10 70-60 33
10. AS Balta Doamnei 23 10 3 10 49-45 33
11. Viitorul Predeşti 23 8 6 9 63-53 30
12. Voinţa Hăbud 23 8 6 9 35-43 30
13. CIS Construct Tăriceni 23 7 8 8 42-45 29
14. Viitorul Puchenii Mari 23 7 7 9 48-44 28
15. NG Brătăşanca 22 8 2 12 41-58 26
16. Spicul Poienarii Rali 23 6 3 14 36-61 21
17. Arizona Zalhanaua 23 3 1 19 21-58 10
18. AS Puşcaşi 23 2 4 17 26-72 10

Smoothies All Around!

Soma Smoothies on the Minuteman Trail
No sooner had I returned from New York over the weekend, than the Soma Smothie I'd been anticipating for review had arrived. So I took a break from the loop frame delirium of the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show and immediately took it for a spin. Soma roadbikes are not very common here on the East Coast. So imagine my surprise when on my way home I encountered another Smoothie!

650B Converts
As I stopped to snap some pictures at the end of my ride, these gentlemen recognised me and we had a nice chat about their 650B conversions - one a vintage Andre Bertin and the other a Soma Smoothie ES with a Bontrager fork. I am so happy to be back home! Where else but in Boston does one encounter this sort of thing?

Soma Smoothie
But enough about other people's bikes for now, and here is more about the one I am riding. This Soma Smoothie is on loan for review directly from the manufacturer. It is a 52cm steel frameset that was built up to accommodate my Campagnolo lever preferences, which was very nice of them. Everything shown on the bike is directly from Soma, except for my bag and pedals.

Soma Smoothie
I have not weighed the bike yet, but (without saddlebag) it feels pretty similar to my vintage Moser - so I'd say around 21lb. Described as a road/race frame, the Smoothie nonetheless has eyelets for fenders and clearances for 28mm tires.

Crankbrothers Candys, Soma Smoothie
One thing it does't have? Toe overlap! That's right: Here is a stock 52cm road/racing bike with no TCO. They exist. I wear size 37-38 shoes and with 23mm tires there is a boatload of clearance (well maybe it's a small boat, but still). I can definitely fit it with 25mms without a problem, maybe even 28mm.

Soma Smoothie
The pearly white colourscheme is adaptable to a wide range of aesthetics, from classic to colourful to stark. The TIG welded frame will not satisfy lug lovers but is solid and smooth-jointed. It is a versatile, unobtrusive frameset. A carbon fork is available in place of the standard steel one for those wishing to go that route.

Soma Smoothie
This is not a review, so I won't go over the details of the build at this stage. But as far as first impressions (and mind you this is after just 25 miles), a couple of things stand out: First, it is smooth - as advertised. And I am talking about ride quality: very comfy over bumps and I do not feel any road vibration. And second, it handles tamely and predictably. No twitchiness and very precise cornering at the moderate speeds maintained during my conservative "shake down" ride. 

Soma Smoothie ES
The Smothie ES owner I met on the road is very happy with his bicycle, which he's got outfitted with 32mm tires and fenders. I will refrain from writing more about the bike I have on loan until I ride it extensively, but at under $400 for the frame, I am impressed so far. We need more of these on the East Coast and I hope some local shops will carry floor models in the near future. 

All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended for Game 2 of the Boston Celtics' first-round playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks after bumping an official in Sunday's loss. Rondo was protesting a call with 41 seconds left in Game 1 loss when he bumped referee Marc Davis with his chest. The Celtics had made a frantic comeback to cut a 19-point Hawks lead to four when Rondo lost his composure after Davis called a foul on Boston forward Brandon Bass. Rondo's absence further complicates the Celtics' predicament. They're also likely to be without shooting guard Ray Allen, who still hasn't recovered from an ankle injury. Boston will play Game 2 in Atlanta on Tuesday before returning to Boston for Friday's Game 3. Rondo insisted he didn't intentionally bump Davis, but NBA rules allow little leeway when a player makes contact with an official.

Upon Further Review of Hart v. Electronic Arts: New Article Proposes Partial Recovery for Partially Transformative Use

Back in September 2011, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled in Hart v. Electronic Arts, 808 F. Supp. 2d 757 (D.N.J. 2011) that videogame publisher Electronic Arts may use college athletes' likenesses in its videogames because "there are sufficient elements of [Electronic Arts'] own expression ... that justify the conclusion that its use of the image is ... entitled to First Amendment protection." (Previously blogged about on Sports Law Blog here).

To many, the district court's decision in Hart was controversial, not only because it subordinates the rights of college athletes, but also because it expands what courts have traditionally defined as "transformative use" of one's likeness. For example, the court in Hart concluded that Electronic Arts' inclusion of“virtual stadiums, athletes, coaches, fans, sound effects, music andcommentary” makes use of player likenesses in NCAA Football "transformative." Nevertheless, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had previously held in Hilton v. Hallmark Cards that First Amendmentprotection applies only where “a product containing a celebrity’s likeness isso transformed that it has become primarily the defendant’s own expressionrather than the celebrity’s likeness.”

After several months of contemplating the district court's ruling in Hart v. Electronic Arts, I have released a draft of my upcoming Florida Law Review article, entitled "Closing the Free Speech Loophole: The Case for Protecting College Athletes' Likenesses in Commercial Videogames." In this article I argue that the partial transformation to a person's likeness via digital format -- whether it be by adding additional background elements, or by changing one's jersey number, height or hairdo -- should not be seen as a complete bar to recovery under right of publicity law.

Instead, I argue that a partial transformation to one's likeness should be deemed as a partially mitigating factor that may reduce the infringer's liability, but would not reduce it to zero. Thus, under this alternative assessment, college athletes whose likenesses appear in college football videogames would be entitled to partial recovery.

For those interested in further discussion of college athletes' publicity rights in commercial videogames and the idea of partial recovery for partial transformative use of one's likeness, a full copy of my upcoming law review article is available here.

Marți, 1 mai, partide internaționale oficiale

Preliminariile Campionatului European Feminin Juniori sub 17 ani
Ora 17.00, Gentofte (Danemarca): Suedia – Olanda
Dilan Gokcek - Dilel Ozdemir (Turcia), Betina Engelbrecht (foto) - Marianne Svendsen (Danemarca)
Ballerup (Danemarca): Finlanda – Danemarca
Nelli Stepanian - Liana Gregorian (Armenia), Stella Gogou - Evgenia Kaskantiri (Grecia)

Liga I, etapa a 28-a, partida de luni

ora 19.00, Ploiești:
Petrolul Ploiești - CS Mioveni 3-1
Crăciun (autogol) 7, Boudjemaa 20, 69 - Ayza 79; Zerka (Petrolul) a fost eliminat în minutul 42.
Arbitri: Teodor Crăciunescu (Rm. Vâlcea) - Sebastian Gheorghe (Suceava), Bogdan Gheorghe (București) - Cătălin Popa (Pitești)
Observatori: Victor Berbecaru (foto) (Rm. Vâlcea), Paul Mincu (București)

Cupa României, faza județeană, programul sferturilor de finală

Astăzi, la sediul AJF Prahova a avut loc tragerea la sorți pentru stabilirea programului sferturilor de finală ale fazei județene a Cupei României. Iată programul:
CSM Câmpina - Precizia Breaza
Unirea Câmpina - Dero Ploiești
CS Vispești Blejoi - Avântul Măneciu
Petrolistul Boldești - CS Păulești
Partidele sunt programate marți, 8 mai, d ela ora 17.30, pe terenurile primelor echipe.

Rondo says he tripped

"Obviously I was upset about the call," Rondo said. "I said some words to Marc. I deserved the first tech. As I was walking, I thought he stopped. My momentum carried me into him. I even think I tripped on his foot. I didn’t intentionally chest-bump him. But that’s what it appears to be."

Rondo ejected as Celtics lost Game 1

Upset with a loose ball foul on Brandon Bass, Rajon Rondo screamed in the face of referee Marc Davis. Immediately upon receiving a technical foul, Rondo intentionally bumped his chest into Davis' back.

More on Levelized Tuition

Writing in the Boulder Daily Camera, Bob Greenlee, a local columnist, finds the idea of a levelized tuition model appealing:
All state universities are proud icons representing the faith, hope, and future economic health of local taxpayers whose funds make state institutions possible. The level of state funding in Colorado has declined over the years to the extent that one can question whether or not CU is state supported or merely state named. The declining level of financial support may not be keeping pace with the growing needs of this important institution that is relying more on tuition hikes to keep the lights on and retain the talent required to maintain basic academic standards. For both parents and students the rising tuition costs are becoming a burden with studies indicating the amount of debt carried by students who mortgage their future exceeds the total amount of all credit card debt held by American consumers.

A number of intriguing observations about these issues have emerged from Roger Pielke, Jr., professor of environmental studies at CU-Boulder. Last year Pielke wrote an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education attempting to gain support for completely revamping how tuition is charged. Tuition for in-state CU students currently runs around $7,700 a year. Out-of-staters pay nearly four times as much. Pielke notes the financial viability of CU depends on "securing a large proportion of non-residents (that) creates incentives to favor their admission." He notes that two-thirds of all tuition income comes from a third of those attending the university and questions why there should be a distinction because the economic benefits that accrue for someone obtaining a college education are universal. Perhaps, he argues, a flat tuition of around $14,000 should apply to everyone and rather than state higher education funds going directly to the university he proposes Colorado should provide a direct subsidy to resident students.
I'm glad that he put that last bit in. The notion of a levelized tuition does not mean eliminating the state subsidy for in-state students. Nor is it about increasing tuition. It is about adopting a model for financing a state flagship university that aligns incentives with costs, and works to elevate quality of instruction, facilities, faculty and students.

For those wanting a bit more background, here is a link to my original essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education.   I also discussed this proposal on this blog here and here and here and here and here and here.

A nice Panini Redemption mail day!

I had called and got a redemption card replaced. My original card was supposed to be a Asante Samuel Panini Certified prime signature materials card numbered to 25. They replaced it with this Ausin Pettis National Treasures auto/patch rookie card numbered to 99. Not too bad of a trade off. I just hope it's equal value. Will have to wait til the next Beckett comes out. But either way, it's a nice card!

What do you guys think?

Exclusive Offer!!!

Since Panini is our sponsor, I thought it would be fun to get an interview with one of their main men Tracy Hackler. And now I can get this interview. I have asked permission ahead of time and now I give you the fans of this blog an opportunity to comment on this post with a question you have for him. If there are a lot of questions, I will select the best! I also have questions myself and being a busy man Tracy is, I am trying not to ask a ton of questions, but there will still be plenty so ask away!

This is your chance to ask him whatever you want about their products, upcoming products, or whatever else is on your mind!! We will continue to thrive to get you closer to the hobby!

"Dear Colleague" Letter Regarding PASPA

On April 26, 2012, U.S. Congressmen Frank Pallone and Frank Lobiondo (both from New Jersey) released a "Dear Colleague" letter explaining the impetus for the two bills they recently introduced pertaining to PASPA, the 1992 federal statute prohibiting state-sponsored sports gambling in all jurisdictions except Nevada, Montana, Delaware, and Oregon. An excerpt from the letter is below:

"We have developed two separate, but equally effective, pathways toward the same goal of bringing sports gaming and the economic benefits it yields to the State of New Jersey. The New Jersey Betting and Equal Treatment Act of 2012 (NJ BET Act), H.R. 3081, provides New Jersey with an exemption to the federal prohibition [in PASPA]. It allows state law in New Jersey to determine how sports betting will be regulated within the state. The Sports Gaming Opportunity Act of 2012, H.R. 3797, opens a window in which states can enact alaw providing for sports gambling within their state until January 1, 2016,after which the federal prohibition [in PASPA] against states allowing sportsgambling would go back into place."

The full letter can be found here.

[SOC]

At night, I like to listen to AM radio in the dark while I try and sleep. I say try because people who know me will tell you that I don't sleep enough, and I am very restless. Part of this comes from massive quantities of caffeine. The other comes from having a brain that simply refuses to turn off. When you live in the flow state, you don't want to sleep. Sleep becomes the enemy. This is because sleep robs you of experience and opportunity. Flow demands that you move and create. But I digress. . .

There is something neat about the pop and crackle of AM radio in the dark. Add on top of that the weird tales you hear on Coast to Coast AM, and it makes for interesting late night and early morning experiences. It also fucks with your head a bit if you are traveling remote roads late at night. I admit that C2C is a weird show, and I certainly don't subscribe to the craziness you hear on the show. But it is wildly entertaining, paranoid, and creepy.

I have a high tolerance for weird and offbeat people. In fact, I actually like those types of people. Granted, I am not going to believe wild tales of UFO abduction and anal probes. But you have to admit that these people are wildly imaginative and inventive. Crazy people are mostly harmless, and their weirdness doesn't rate any worse than many of the religious beliefs out there that get official tolerance. The really neat thing is when these people actually hit on something that is true or correct. Their craziness helps them to see things the rest of us might overlook. These crazy people are like canaries in the coal mine alerting us to the real dangers that come along.

I like C2C because they exhibit the same tolerance on their show that I exhibit in my daily life. I don't believe there is any such thing as "normal," so I give these people the latitude and the freedom to indulge their weirdness. C2C does this every night. This is also why it wins its time slot over any other programming. People love this show.

Regular C-blog readers may wonder what has happened to our biggest fan of C2C, the Unknown Blogger. He is still there sending me crazy shit, but I don't have time to watch his vids and edit his shit into something readable. I spend weekends traveling and working, and I play catch up during the week. I will see what I can do about getting the U-man back on the air here.

Finally, I must also confess that I have been taking some massive shits lately. I try to include more fruits and vegetables in my program along with the usual Taco Bell consumption. The result is that I take a dump 3 to 5 times a day, and I don't mean diarrhea either. This is the real deal shitting here. We are talking horse manure. Lots of fiber is going through my colon. Is this TMI? I suppose it is. But it is what is on my brain as I write this. Regularity is very important to me. If you aren't shitting 3 to 5 times daily, you aren't eating right.

More coffee, a shower, and off to work. Have a great day and a great week, folks.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Imagini cu Cristina Bujor şi Mihaela Gomoescu-Ţepuşa în Spania

În perioada 10-15 aprilie, Cristina Bujor şi Mihaela Gomoescu-Ţepuşa au participat la un turneu de junioare sub 17 ani, în Spania. Pe site-ul Comisiei Centrale au fost postate câteva imagini cu cele două arbitre la turneul spaniol.
Bineînţeles, nu se putea rata o vizită pe "Santiago Bernabeu"
Înaintea meciului Cehia-Spania
 La o plimbare...
 Înaintea aceluiaşi meci Cehia-Spania
Tot pe "Santiago Bernabeu"
La Toledo

S-a întâmplat astăzi...

1940, Bucureşti: Rapid – Venus Bucureşti 2-2, finala Cupei României, marcatori - Baratky, Sipos – Iordache, Ploeşteanu; arbitru - Emil Kroner
1950, Budapesta: Ungaria – Cehoslovacia 5-0, amical, arbitru - Ştefan Alexandriu (România)
1969, Paris: Franţa – România 1-0, amical, arbitru - Bruno de Marchi (Italia)
1985: Israel - Suedia, amical tineret, arbitru - Nicolae Dinescu (România)
1986, Madrid: Real Madrid – FC Koln 5-1, finala Cupa UEFA, tur, arbitru - George Courtney (Anglia)
1994, Bucureşti: Gloria Bistriţa – Universitatea Craiova 1-0, finala Cupei României, marcator - Ilea; arbitri - Adrian Porumboiu - Ilie Coţ, Nicolae Grigorescu (foto)
1997, Bucureşti: România – Irlanda 1-0, preliminarii CM, marcator - Ad. Ilie; arbitri - Mario van der Ende - Berend Talens, Ron Metz (Olanda)
2002, Copenhaga: Ucraina – Franţa 0-0, CE juniori sub 17 ani, arbitri - Augustus Constantin (România) - Oscar David Martinez Samaniego (Spania), Bo Abildgaard – Johnny Ron (Danemarca), observatori – Jan Damgaard (Danemarca), Evgheni Chountov (Belarus)
2003, Kaunas: Lituania – România 0-1, amical, marcator - Bratu; arbitri - Andrejs Sipailo - Sergejs Braga, Vjaceslav Kohans (Letonia)

Waalwijk (Olanda) – “Mandemakers Stadion”

“Mandemakers Stadion”
Este stadionul din localitatea olandeză Waalwijk, aici având loc partidele formației locale RSC Waalwijk. Stadionul a fost construit în anul 1996 și are o capacitate de 7.500 locuri.
Waalwijk
Este o localitate de aproximativ 39.000 locuitori, din sudul Olandei.

AS Tg. Vechi - CS Cornu 1-0

Cornenii au început partida de la Tg. Vechi, cu AS-ul din localitate, în formula: Bucuroiu - Zanfir, Negreanu, Gratie (cpt), Grigore - Rada, Diaconu, A. Burlacu, Duţă - Heroiu, Dobroiu. Pe parcursul jocului, antrenorul Andrei Ionescu i-a mai trimis în teren pe: Flaidăr şi Duşescu. În ciuda faptului că meciul a fost destul de echilibrat
şi cornenii ar fi meritat un punct, pe final, în minutul 83, gazdele au înscris prin Ivan şi şi-au asigurat victoria.

Boy Racers Are Disrespectful



















Sure, you are giving your friend a sendoff that
he would've wanted. But not at the graveyard
guys!

How about showing the other families who
were saying goodbye to their love ones.

This was very disrespectful to those families.

Duminică, 29 aprilie, partide internaţionale oficiale, rezultate

Futsal Cup, finale
Finala mică
ora 18.00, Lleida (Spania): FC Marca - Sporting Lisabona 3-3, 4-3 la lovituri de departajare
Finala
ora 20.30, Lleida (Spania): Dinamo Moscova - CF Barcelona 1-3

Liga I, etapa a 28-a, partidele de duminică

ora 18.30, Galaţi:
Oţelul Galaţi - FCM Tg. Mureş 0-0
Iorga (Oţelul) a fost eliminat în minutul 86
Arbitri: Radu Petrescu - Adrian Ghinguleac (Bucureşti), Florin Neacşu (Câmpulung Muscel) - Lucian Rusandu (foto) (Sf. Gheorghe)
Observatori: Viorel Sandu, Daniel Florea (Bucureşti)
ora 21.30, Bucureşti:
Rapid - Steaua 1-1
Grigore 32 - Tănase 28
Arbitri: Miroslav Zelinka - Patrick Filipek, Kristof Mencl - Roman Hrubes (Cehia)
Observatori: Patriţiu Abrudan (Cluj), Claudiu Popa, Adalbert Kassai (Bucureşti)

Liga lu' Lică, etapa a 26-a, rezultate complete, clasament și etapa viitoare

CS Bănești - Dero Ploiești 2-2
Progresul Drăgănești - Avântul Măneciu 2-1
Unirea Urlați - Unirea Câmpina 1-1
CS Vispești Blejoi - Carpați Sinaia 7-2
AFC Brebu - CS Păulești 0-2
CSM Câmpina - Petrolistul Boldești 2-0
Tinerețea Izvoarele - Caraimanul Bușteni 3-2
CS Ceptura - Astra III Ploiești 3-1
Chimia II Vadu Săpat - Petrolul II Ploiești 0-3
Clasament
1. Unirea Câmpina 26 21 5 0 65-6 68
2. CS Vispeşti Blejoi 26 20 5 1 84-22 65
3. Petrolistul Boldeşti 26 18 3 5 71-22 57
4. CSM Câmpina 26 17 4 5 62-24 55
5. Avântul Măneciu 26 15 3 8 67-34 48
6. Progresul Drăgăneşti 26 16 0 10 65-37 48
7. CS Păuleşti 26 14 6 6 57-36 48
8. CS Ceptura 26 11 4 11 46-44 37
9. FC Astra III Ploieşti 26 11 3 12 43-45 36
10. Unirea Urlaţi 26 10 4 12 38-52 34
11. CS Băneşti 26 9 5 12 40-61 32
12. Petrolul II Ploieşti 26 8 4 14 32-46 28
13. Dero Ploieşti 26 8 3 15 35-57 27
14. AFC Brebu 26 7 3 16 36-51 24
15. Caraimanul Bușteni 26 7 2 17 25-51 23
16. Carpaţi Sinaia 26 5 4 17 20-87 19
17. Tinereţea Izvoarele 26 4 3 19 26-87 15
18. Chimia II Vadu Săpat 26 2 1 23 19-68 7
Etapa viitoare, a 27-a
Vineri, 4 mai, ora 18.00
Petrolul II Ploiești - CS Ceptura (în tur, 0-4)
Sâmbătă, 5 mai, ora 11.00
Caraimanul Bușteni - CSM Câmpina (1-3)
Petrolistul Boldești - CS Vispești Blejoi (0-1)
Unirea Câmpina - CS Bănești (3-1)
Sâmbătă, 5 mai, ora 18.00
Carpați Sinaia - Progresul Drăgănești (0-6)
Duminică, 6 mai, ora 11.00
Avântul Măneciu - AFC Brebu (1-1)
Dero Ploiești - Tinerețea Izvoarele (0-1)
Astra III Ploiești - Unirea Urlați (3-2)
CS Păulești - Chimia II Vadu Săpat 3-0 (2-0)


Liga lu' Lică, etapa a 26-a, partidele de duminică

Duminică, 29 aprilie, ora 11.00
CSM Câmpina - Petrolistul Boldești 2-0
Tinerețea Izvoarele - Caraimanul Bușteni 3-2
CS Ceptura - Astra III Ploiești  3-1 
Clasament
1. Unirea Câmpina 26 21 5 0 65-6 68
2. CS Vispeşti Blejoi 26 20 5 1 84-22 65
3. Petrolistul Boldeşti 26 18 3 5 71-22 57
4. CSM Câmpina 26 17 4 5 62-24 55
5. Avântul Măneciu 26 15 3 8 67-34 48
6. Progresul Drăgăneşti 26 16 0 10 65-37 48
7. CS Păuleşti 26 14 6 6 57-36 48
8. CS Ceptura 26 11 4 11 46-44 37
9. FC Astra III Ploieşti 26 11 3 12 43-45 36
10. Unirea Urlaţi 26 10 4 12 38-52 34
11. CS Băneşti 26 9 5 12 40-61 32
12. Petrolul II Ploieşti 26 8 4 14 32-46 28
13. Dero Ploieşti 26 8 3 15 35-57 27
14. AFC Brebu 26 7 3 16 36-51 24
15. Caraimanul Bușteni 26 7 2 17 25-51 23
16. Carpaţi Sinaia 26 5 4 17 20-87 19
17. Tinereţea Izvoarele 26 4 3 19 26-87 15
18. Chimia II Vadu Săpat 26 2 1 23 19-68 7

New Amsterdam Bicycle Show 2012

Rolling Orange/ Fietsfabriek
Dominated by a sea of transportation bicycles and accessories, Dutch-style and otherwise, the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show lived up to its name and then some. Only in its second year running, the show was a lively display of trends in North American urban cycling. 

New Amsterdam Bicycle Show
Held in a contemporary ground floor space in SoHo, the rooms began to fill with visitors from the minute its doors opened at 10am on Saturday. 

New Amsterdam Bicycle Show, Beer Garden
By mid-day the crowds were impressive, with every seat in the Beer Garden annex occupied by hot dog eating and beer drinking attendees. 

Grolsch Bike/ Republic Bikes
Grolsch sponsored the show with free beer, and had a couple of bespoke bikes on display. This one with the charming backward fork is by Republic, and there was also a Fietsfabriek cargo bike nearby. 

Viva, Brooks
In a general sense, I would describe the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show as similar to Interbike, only focused predominantly on transportation cycling. 

Horse Cycles, Hand Made in Brooklyn
A secondary focus of the show was on small, independent manufacturers and craftspersons. A few local framebuilders were represented, and there were lots of bespoke and hand made accessories on display. 

Benjamin Cycles Truss Frame
My favourite handmade bicyce at the show was this truss frame by Benjamin Cycles (whose website I cannot find - help me out someone who knows them?). 

Benjamin Cycles Truss Frame
Not only is it a truss frame, but the two tone stencil paint job is spectacular.

Horse Cycles
Nearby, Horse Cycles had a nice display of beautifully lugged frames.

Horse Cycles
But what really stood out was their frame with what appeared to be silver octopus tentacles wrapped around the tubes. Not for me, but it was certainly noteworthy.

Amy Munro's Formigli Bicycle
I have been wanting to see Amy Munro's Florentia Formigli bicycle for a while, and here it was at the show - gold lugs and all. 

Bianchi Pista Classica
And catering to the bespoke/ lugged aesthetic, Bianchi showed off their newest Pista Classica model - celeste with custard yellow lugwork.

Taliah Lempert
Of course with all these bicycles, it was only fitting to have a bicycle painter at hand. Taliah Lempert was in attendance, and her bicycle paintings booth was extremely popular.

Bicycle Paintings Jersey
There were even bicycle jerseys with her paintings on them, as well as coffee cups and coloring books.

Susi Wunsch, Velo Joy
Unlike industry-only trade shows such as Interbike, the New Amsterdam Show is open to the public, which makes the atmosphere more dynamic and casual, not so corporate-feeling. It is also good for the vendors, because they can sell their goods at the show and offset the fees of attending. 

House of Talents Baskets
These House of Talents baskets - displayed at the Adeline Adeline/ Velojoy booth - were selling particularly well and it seemed like everyone was walking around with one. I am not surprised, as I've been testing them over the winter and they are are excellent; I will have a review up soon.

Clever Hoods
Another hot item were the Clever Hood capes. These sold so well on the first day, the owner had to restock overnight. The brisk trade created a happy environment of pleased vendors and attendees alike. The show had a relaxed and exciting vibe to it that I enjoyed.

We Flashy
As far as trends, the big one that was hard to miss - and I mean that literally - was reflective wear. It seemed like a dozen manufacturers were showing garments and accessories that were both fashionable and offered reflective properties. We Flashy introduced an entire line of tees and sweatshirts with reflective designs. Bicycle Habitat offered pant cuff straps with glow in the dark views of the NYC skyline. Halo Coatings brought a prototype of  spectacles that light up in the dark.

Dargelos Lightning Vest
The Dargelos Lightning Vest creates ethereal silhouettes that looked stunning during the fashion show when photographers used flash. 

Vespertine NYC
And then there was the tailored wool brocade vest by Vespertine that every passer-by oohed and aahed over. The texture, construction and quality of this vest is hard to describe without dedicating an entire post to it, and I will try to get my hands on one for review.

Vespertine NYC
With New York City being one of the fashion capitals of the world, it is only fitting that some good ideas about how to combine hi-viz and fashion should develop here, and it's interesting to see the creativity with which various designers are approaching this.

New Amsterdam Bicycle Fashion Show 2012
The fashion show held on Saturday - called Postcards from New Amsterdam - highlighted the local approach to bicycles and fashion as well. Directed by Nona Varnado and Hudson Urban Bicycles (HUB), the show was well coordinated and almost aggressively focused - leaving me with a better sense of how the outfits related to the bicycles the models were shown with than the show I watched at Interbike last year.

New Amsterdam Bicycle Fashion Show 2012
As far as transportation bicycles, a dizzying variety of brands and styles were represented. Some were displayed by the manufacturers themselves, while others were brought in by the local bike shops. I was especially excited to see the Achielle bicycle and the Viva shown earlier, neither of which I had seen in person before. I had a chance to test ride an Achielle while in New York City, and will have a review of that shortly.

Worksman Cycles
The locally made Worksman Cycles were on display, and I was excited to see some locked up around the city as well - some new and others decades old.

United Pedal Saddlebags, via Bicycle Habitat
Aside from the high-viz and the transportation bicycle trends, one final trend I noted were bags - lots and lots of bags, most of them handmade locally. My favourite was this small United Pedal saddlebag, at the Bicycle Habitat booth.

Truce Bags
Truce offered a more contemporary selection of messenger-style bags in bright colours.

Fabric Horse Bags
And Fabric Horse added funky tool bags to the mix.

Cooper Bikes
A couple of manufacturers unveiled new lines of bikes, and one of these was Cooper - yes, as in the automobile Mini Cooper!

Bobbin Bicycles
Fresh from celebrating their North American grand opening, the candy-coloured Bobbin Bicycles were on display as well.

Brooklyn Cruiser
There was much, much more at the show, and my image collections on flickr and instagram should give you an idea of just how many interesting things there were to look at.

Grumpy Old Wheelmen
The attendees were pretty intriguing also. Lots of glamorous New York fashion types - though my favourite outfit of the day was this one!

Taliah Lempert's Bicycle Paintings
I attended the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show on Saturday only and am now back in Boston. Today was likely even busier, since both Bike Snob NYC and Grant Petersen of Rivendell were giving their talks. If anyone was there for this, I would love to hear about it. My overall impression is that the New Amsterdam Show proved to be pretty good for the exhibitors. If you are a small manufacturer or an East-Coast bike shop, I feel that this show is more relevant than Interbike on a number of levels, as well as more accessible financially. And for the attendees it was a blast as well, with all sorts of cool products on display they might not see elsewhere, and special discounts on most of the merchandise sold.

New Amsterdam Bicycle Show, Beer Garden
Having attended as "media," I do have a couple of suggestions for the organisers as far as improvements for next year. The lighting conditions were inconsistent, and quite poor in some parts of the space - which I felt was unfair to those vendors who were assigned those spaces. It was also difficult to take photos without using a flash unit and getting on everyone's nerves, which I don't like to do. The other thing, is that in my experience it is customary for trade shows to provide a free wireless internet connection for media, so that we might share our impressions of the show without having to, say, go to the Starbucks around the corner every couple of hours. Some secure storage space for equipment would also have been much appreciated. Maybe next year there could be a curtained off little Media Room?

Opus Bikes, Po Campo
That said, the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show was fantastic and I hope it will be even better next year. I will certainly try to make it again, and I recommend it to anyone within reasonable traveling distance.