There was a lot to cheer Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden: LeBron James being introduced, LeBron James throwing talc in the air, LeBron James slamming two-handed breakaway dunks and LeBron James refusing to rule out playing for the Knicks.
It was a night to cheer for the future, for the possibilities that come with salary-cap space and for the fantasy that James, a potential free agent in 2010, may some day pull on a blue and orange jersey.
James was as splendid and occasionally dominant, although he hardly needed to exert himself in a game that was never close as the Cleveland Cavaliers dismantled the retooled Knicks, 119-101. He finished with 26 points and had ample support from Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11 points) and Delonte West (16 points).
The Cavaliers were as crisp and efficient as the Knicks were dull and disoriented. Al Harrington and Tim Thomas, acquired in a pair of salary-purging trades last week, seemed shaky in their debuts. The rest of the Knicks looked no better, as the team shot 41.4 percent from the field and turned the ball over 17 times.
The Knicks put James in their sights last Friday when they made two trades to clear cap space in 2010. One of those deals remains unresolved, however.
Cuttino Mobley, the third player acquired last week, remains in limbo because of concerns over his heart, which surfaced during routine testing this week. The Knicks allowed the trade to become final Tuesday, so Mobley is theirs regardless of what happens.
Mobley visited a specialist in Boston on Tuesday and is scheduled for more tests on Wednesday. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Knicks do not expect him to be cleared this week. That means he will miss at least two more games, against Detroit and Golden State.
So the Knicks played another game with an incomplete roster and a jumbled rotation. The lineup took another blow in the first half, when Nate Robinson left with a strained right groin muscle.
Robinson, who had started every game since the trade, injured himself when he landed awkwardly after converting a fast-break layup. His status is uncertain.
Although Harrington and Thomas have experience playing the run-and-gun, they seemed uneasy in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense. They were guilty of stopping the offense at times while trying to become acclimated.
Harrington, who had 13 points, took 16 shots, the second most on the team, and made just five. Thomas (16 points) went 4 for 9. Quentin Richardson led the Knicks with 22 points.
The Knicks sorely missed Zach Randolph’s rebounding, particularly on the offensive end, and Jamal Crawford’s instant offense. Mostly, the Knicks missed the offensive flow they had established before making the two trades.
They looked a lot like the Knicks of Isiah Thomas, with no evidence of chemistry or organization. They were booed frequently in the first half, as the Cavaliers pushed the lead to 20 points, then 30. Cleveland led by 67-38 at halftime and never looked back.
The only consolation in any of this was James’s gracious praise of New York and the Garden, and his graceful avoidance of any predictions about his future. He swatted away a direct question about playing for the Knicks.
“To bring that type of distraction to our team right now would be unfair to my team, my teammates, coaching staff and the rest of the organization,” James said.
During an eight-minute session with a room packed with 60 reporters, James clarified a few of his career priorities. He said he was not concerned with a team’s market size, noting that Tim Duncan has fared quite well in San Antonio.
He said he considered defense a critical factor in winning titles, which would conceivably rule out the Knicks. He said his greatest priority was collecting championships.
James said he was flattered by all of the speculation tying him to the Knicks (and the Nets and the Detroit Pistons), but said it was too early to contemplate free agency. James would be the biggest prize in 2010, when Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire can also be free agents.
“July 1 of 2010 is a very big day,” James said. “It’s probably going to be one of the biggest days in free-agent history in the N.B.A.”
But James left Knicks fans with two valentines to hold for the next 19 months. He said he was “really close” to D’Antoni, one of his coaches with the USA Basketball team last summer, whom he called an “offensive mastermind.”
And he said he loved playing at the Garden.
“Every time I come here it’s a warm feeling, because you know the history,” he said. “Being a basketball junkie like myself, how could you not love it, being in this building.”
REBOUNDS
Team officials have given no indication that Cuttino Mobley’s career is in jeopardy, but they cannot say when, or if, he will be cleared to play. “I don’t know yet,” said Donnie Walsh, the team president, declining to say whether Mobley had failed his physical examination. “I’m saying right now that he’s undergoing further tests and we’ll make a determination when we get more information.” The team will not confirm widespread reports that Mobley is being tested for heart issues, although multiple people have confirmed that is the case. The Knicks chose Tuesday to waive the physical examination requirements, thus allowing their trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to become final. Clippers officials were frustrated by the delays, which forced them to play Monday’s game without Zach Randolph. “All I know is if he has had anything, he has been asymptomatic," Coach Mike Dunleavy told Los Angeles reporters. “He’s never had any issue with us.” Walsh declined to say whether the Knicks would be entitled to compensation if Mobley could not play. “I did the trade, we’re happy with the trade, it’s a good trade for us,” he said.warhammer gold
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Rockets pull away from Heat
Yao Ming scored 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Rockets to their third straight victory, 107-98, over the Miami Heat.
Houston won despite a rough offensive night for Tracy McGrady, who was limited to six points on 2-of-7 shooting in 31 minutes of court time.
Ron Artest added 20 points, while Luis Scola contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds for Houston, which moved to 7-3 on the road and beat the Heat for the fourth time in the last five matchups. It was the perfect finish of a three- game road trip for the Rockets, who also beat Washington and Orlando during the swing.
"On this trip we learned something. We could which way we are going to play basketball," said Yao. "We are going to use the advantage we have on the team. For the first 10 games we played without team discipline. We passed the ball to the weak side very well on this trip. We need to keep doing that the rest of the season."
Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 23 for the Heat, who have alternated losses and wins in their last 10 games. Shawn Marion scored 17 to go with seven rebounds, but Wade struggled by going 7-of-23 from the field.
"We bit ourselves in the foot too early," said Marion. "I think when we scramble like that, we are not in position to get some of those loose rebounds and that's what killed us tonight, and our inactivity in the first half."
A three-pointer by Chalmers had the Heat within 95-90 with nearly 4 1/2 minutes remaining, but Carl Landry responded with a three-point play and Miami never got closer than seven the remainder of the game.
Rafer Alston's three-ball expanded Houston to a 25-14 lead with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, and it was 30-21 going to the second.
It was 56-48 at the half, but the Heat rallied to close the deficit to 58-56 on a Michael Beasley layup with nearly eight minutes remaining in the third. Houston came back with the ensuing 11 points, capped by a Yao three-point play. Yao had 10 consecutive Houston points at one juncture in the quarter, finishing that spurt with a rare three-point jumper, expanding the lead to 71-59.
Miami closed the gap to 80-75 going into the fourth, but the Rockets got quick baskets from Landry and Aaron Brooks to start the last quarter. warhammer gold
Game Notes
The Rockets are 5-0 when breaking the century mark this season, while the Heat are 1-7 when allowing at least 100 points...Erik Spoelstra had his first technical foul as Heat head coach...Miami is 5-3 at home...Haslem has at least five rebounds in 71 straight games...Marion is expected to miss Miami's next game, Wednesday at Portland, to attend a family funeral...The Rockets host Indiana on Wednesday.
Houston won despite a rough offensive night for Tracy McGrady, who was limited to six points on 2-of-7 shooting in 31 minutes of court time.
Ron Artest added 20 points, while Luis Scola contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds for Houston, which moved to 7-3 on the road and beat the Heat for the fourth time in the last five matchups. It was the perfect finish of a three- game road trip for the Rockets, who also beat Washington and Orlando during the swing.
"On this trip we learned something. We could which way we are going to play basketball," said Yao. "We are going to use the advantage we have on the team. For the first 10 games we played without team discipline. We passed the ball to the weak side very well on this trip. We need to keep doing that the rest of the season."
Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 23 for the Heat, who have alternated losses and wins in their last 10 games. Shawn Marion scored 17 to go with seven rebounds, but Wade struggled by going 7-of-23 from the field.
"We bit ourselves in the foot too early," said Marion. "I think when we scramble like that, we are not in position to get some of those loose rebounds and that's what killed us tonight, and our inactivity in the first half."
A three-pointer by Chalmers had the Heat within 95-90 with nearly 4 1/2 minutes remaining, but Carl Landry responded with a three-point play and Miami never got closer than seven the remainder of the game.
Rafer Alston's three-ball expanded Houston to a 25-14 lead with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, and it was 30-21 going to the second.
It was 56-48 at the half, but the Heat rallied to close the deficit to 58-56 on a Michael Beasley layup with nearly eight minutes remaining in the third. Houston came back with the ensuing 11 points, capped by a Yao three-point play. Yao had 10 consecutive Houston points at one juncture in the quarter, finishing that spurt with a rare three-point jumper, expanding the lead to 71-59.
Miami closed the gap to 80-75 going into the fourth, but the Rockets got quick baskets from Landry and Aaron Brooks to start the last quarter. warhammer gold
Game Notes
The Rockets are 5-0 when breaking the century mark this season, while the Heat are 1-7 when allowing at least 100 points...Erik Spoelstra had his first technical foul as Heat head coach...Miami is 5-3 at home...Haslem has at least five rebounds in 71 straight games...Marion is expected to miss Miami's next game, Wednesday at Portland, to attend a family funeral...The Rockets host Indiana on Wednesday.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Clinton fans, foes weigh in on secretary of state post
Illinois Senator Barack Obama and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. (Getty Images Photo)Barack Obama may be the new leader of the free world, but Topic A this week has become the will-she-or-won't-she speculation about Hillary Rodham Clinton and the secretary of state's job.So superheated is interest in the question that the Gallup Organization conducted a national poll on it, which found that 57 percent of Americans and eight of 10 Democrats favor Obama naming her to the post.A Marist poll released Wednesday found 55 percent of New Yorkers want to see Clinton named to the post, and 72 percent think she'll do a good or excellent job at it.As transition team lawyers vet the complex dealings of former President Bill Clinton - and as Clinton herself is said to be weighing whether she really wants to surrender her Senate seat for a job as the nation's top diplomat - ordinary citizens, pundits and pols have joined their voices in a rising cacophony of opinion on the topic.
Out in Mentor, Ohio, a die-hard Hillary backer who has been following news accounts yesterday called her "an excellent choice."She and her husband would be wonderful around the world - but I do have some concerns that the media starts treating her with a little respect," said Jeff Dameron, an unemployed banker who went door-to-door for Clinton in the cold winter months before Ohio's primary, and still won't say how he voted in November. "I am hoping maybe this was the happy ending I was looking for after all this mess."Clinton surrogates and some analysts are publicly and privately circulating her strong doubts about whether she should take the job."She has to evaluate whether she's comfortable closing down her political operation," said one person familiar with the situation.Syndicated columnist David Broder, who calls himself a fan, argues the job would be a "mistake" for Clinton because she would find it hard to subordinate her views to those of her new boss, and her husband would be "unlikely to remain silent."Dick Morris, a onetime Bill Clinton adviser who is now a poison-pen critic of the couple, contends the public is witnessing Hillary's "brazen" and "desperate" efforts to get the job. She may have discussed it with Obama in Chicago last week, Morris wrote on his Web site yesterday, then tried to lock that into an "offer" by leaking an account of their meeting to the media. Obama, Morris argues, is seeking to escape the trap by having allies talk about the legal problems and lining up Senate jobs for her."In the world of Hillary and Bill, predictions are almost impossible," Morris wrote. "But Obama and the world would be well served if Hillary did not get the job."At the other end of the spectrum are posts on the Web site of the New Agenda, an organization set up by Clinton backers who believe her primary campaign was undermined by rampant sexism in the media and her own party."Hillary on Obama's leash as SOS? . . . I would want her out of the Senate too if I were him," posted one reader. And psychotherapist Barbara Schlachet contributed a piece expressing irritation at those who fear Clinton will "suck up the limelight" in an Obama administration.And then, "Will secretary of state be enough for Hillary's army?" asks The Daily Beast, a news-buzz site founded by Tina Brown, which yesterday released a poll finding 61 percent of American women see gender bias in the media, and eight in 10 women see it in politics as well.When the going gets rough, Brown wrote, Obama will need Clinton "like Batman needs Robin. . . . And God help Bill if he screws it up for her."wow goldStella O'Leary, president of the Irish-American Democrats, a political action committee, said Clinton as secretary of state would be "absolutely wonderful from our perspective; she's such a friend of Ireland." . . . It's always nice to have a friend in high places. But now I'm hearing in these last hours that she may not want it," O'Leary said. "She likes politics a great deal, she and Bill Clinton, they like the rough and tumble of political argument, and she also seems to really love New York."
Out in Mentor, Ohio, a die-hard Hillary backer who has been following news accounts yesterday called her "an excellent choice."She and her husband would be wonderful around the world - but I do have some concerns that the media starts treating her with a little respect," said Jeff Dameron, an unemployed banker who went door-to-door for Clinton in the cold winter months before Ohio's primary, and still won't say how he voted in November. "I am hoping maybe this was the happy ending I was looking for after all this mess."Clinton surrogates and some analysts are publicly and privately circulating her strong doubts about whether she should take the job."She has to evaluate whether she's comfortable closing down her political operation," said one person familiar with the situation.Syndicated columnist David Broder, who calls himself a fan, argues the job would be a "mistake" for Clinton because she would find it hard to subordinate her views to those of her new boss, and her husband would be "unlikely to remain silent."Dick Morris, a onetime Bill Clinton adviser who is now a poison-pen critic of the couple, contends the public is witnessing Hillary's "brazen" and "desperate" efforts to get the job. She may have discussed it with Obama in Chicago last week, Morris wrote on his Web site yesterday, then tried to lock that into an "offer" by leaking an account of their meeting to the media. Obama, Morris argues, is seeking to escape the trap by having allies talk about the legal problems and lining up Senate jobs for her."In the world of Hillary and Bill, predictions are almost impossible," Morris wrote. "But Obama and the world would be well served if Hillary did not get the job."At the other end of the spectrum are posts on the Web site of the New Agenda, an organization set up by Clinton backers who believe her primary campaign was undermined by rampant sexism in the media and her own party."Hillary on Obama's leash as SOS? . . . I would want her out of the Senate too if I were him," posted one reader. And psychotherapist Barbara Schlachet contributed a piece expressing irritation at those who fear Clinton will "suck up the limelight" in an Obama administration.And then, "Will secretary of state be enough for Hillary's army?" asks The Daily Beast, a news-buzz site founded by Tina Brown, which yesterday released a poll finding 61 percent of American women see gender bias in the media, and eight in 10 women see it in politics as well.When the going gets rough, Brown wrote, Obama will need Clinton "like Batman needs Robin. . . . And God help Bill if he screws it up for her."wow goldStella O'Leary, president of the Irish-American Democrats, a political action committee, said Clinton as secretary of state would be "absolutely wonderful from our perspective; she's such a friend of Ireland." . . . It's always nice to have a friend in high places. But now I'm hearing in these last hours that she may not want it," O'Leary said. "She likes politics a great deal, she and Bill Clinton, they like the rough and tumble of political argument, and she also seems to really love New York."
Monday, November 17, 2008
Residents return to devastated LA mobile home park
Stacks of charred bricks, blackened shells of cars and burned tree trunks were all that remained Monday in much of the community some residents once called the "Beverly Hills of mobile home parks."
The mostly retired residents returned to see what was left of their homes at Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where winds with hurricane intensity blew a wall of fire through hundreds of manufactured homes and set them ablaze so quickly that even firefighters had to drop their hoses and run.
"It looks like a war zone — no trees, no buildings," said Michele Warneck, 54, who burst into tears after returning from the park. She had watched her two-bedroom house burn on the television news. "Everything that was porcelain just blew up."
Once considered a paradise with swimming pools and tennis courts, the park was now roamed by cadaver-sniffing dogs in search of anyone who didn't escape. That search ended Monday afternoon with investigators finding no evidence anyone perished.
The inferno destroyed 484 homes in the park Saturday. Firefighters were able to save about 120 homes, but many were badly damaged and the park is flattened except for charred trees with blackened branches bent in one direction by the hot winds. Twisted metal foundations and pipes are all that is left of many homes.
The fire was one of three in Southern California that have destroyed about 1,000 homes and apartments and burned 41,000 acres, or 64 square miles, forcing thousands to flee.
Most evacuation orders were lifted by Monday, when clear skies and calm winds allowed firefighters to make some gains, but officials warned of another bad air day and classes were canceled at dozens of schools near fire zones in Orange County.
In Sylmar, scores of residents stood in line outside a high school gymnasium for tours of the charred mobile home park where retirees once played tennis, took a dip in a jacuzzi and played Mah-Johng and poker.
Those whose homes were destroyed were shuttled through the neighborhood in a black van. Authorities were still investigating the fire, so people weren't allowed to get out and sift through the ashes for scraps of their belongings.
"It's gone," said Ed Hurdle, 82, after taking one of the first park tours. "The car is gone. The house is gone. It's twisted metal. It's totally charred there. There's no hope at all. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing."
A separate set of white police vans ferried residents whose homes were still standing so they could gather medication and other essentials.
"My house was in great shape. All it was was dirty," said Betty Glassman, 78. "I feel like I'm in a dream. Pinch me."
Cadaver dogs searched the burned units, but found only the cremated remains of a man who died several years ago.
Animal control recovered several dead animals and three live cats. Los Angeles County Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter said the cats could have been hiding under one of the units that wasn't damaged.
Neighbors huddled together inside the gymnasium, which has been turned into a Red Cross shelter for evacuees, hugging each other and comparing notes about what they saw and what they were able to salvage.
"It's a disaster. It looks like Hiroshima," said Joan Costa, carrying plastic bags filled with makeup and medicines she had pulled from her home.
The fire left a local hospital in darkness, and nurses used hand-cranked ventilators to keep patients alive when the fire knocked out power to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar. Authorities are investigating why the emergency generator failed. No patients were harmed during the 3 1/2-hour outage early Saturday.
Elsewhere, the largest of the fires has burned more than 28,000 acres in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and has destroyed more than 250 homes and apartment units. San Bernadino became the fourth county declared a state of emergency.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Frank Garrido warned residents returning their homes in the Diamond Bar area to watch for snakes, mountain lions and other wildlife who fled the flames into more populated areas.
In the Orange County suburb of Yorba Linda, residents returned to find more than 100 homes destroyed. Some hung signs thanking firefighters for saving their homes, others snapped photos of the scorched community.
Lindey Lindholm sifted through the rubble of his home, searching for family heirlooms. It's all gone," Lindholm said.
The first of the wildfires broke out in the Montecito area of Santa Barbara County, about 90 miles northwest of Sylmar.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said President-elect Barack Obama contacted him Sunday night to offer what help he could. Obama has turned his campaign Web site home page into a plea to help fire victims that includes a link to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's site, where people can sign up to volunteer or donate to the Red Cross or Salvation Army.
Schwarzenegger on Monday asked the Bush administration to declare Southern California a federal disaster site.
The governor also requested disaster loans for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino. He said many of the residents affected by the fires — particularly mobile home owners — lacked insurance or are seriously underinsured.
The causes of all three fires were under investigation, although officials labeled the Santa Barbara-area fire "human-caused," said Doug Lannon, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Lannon said the fire started in a Montecito landmark known to be a popular hangout for teenagers. He said it was possible someone was smoking in the brush or started a campfire there.
Oakridge park resident Steve Fisher, 58, said he'd eventually like to move back there but doesn't know if he will — especially since he didn't have insurance on his home that burned.
"I've never lived in a place with such a communal spirit," Fisher said. "It was just like paradise."
The mostly retired residents returned to see what was left of their homes at Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where winds with hurricane intensity blew a wall of fire through hundreds of manufactured homes and set them ablaze so quickly that even firefighters had to drop their hoses and run.
"It looks like a war zone — no trees, no buildings," said Michele Warneck, 54, who burst into tears after returning from the park. She had watched her two-bedroom house burn on the television news. "Everything that was porcelain just blew up."
Once considered a paradise with swimming pools and tennis courts, the park was now roamed by cadaver-sniffing dogs in search of anyone who didn't escape. That search ended Monday afternoon with investigators finding no evidence anyone perished.
The inferno destroyed 484 homes in the park Saturday. Firefighters were able to save about 120 homes, but many were badly damaged and the park is flattened except for charred trees with blackened branches bent in one direction by the hot winds. Twisted metal foundations and pipes are all that is left of many homes.
The fire was one of three in Southern California that have destroyed about 1,000 homes and apartments and burned 41,000 acres, or 64 square miles, forcing thousands to flee.
Most evacuation orders were lifted by Monday, when clear skies and calm winds allowed firefighters to make some gains, but officials warned of another bad air day and classes were canceled at dozens of schools near fire zones in Orange County.
In Sylmar, scores of residents stood in line outside a high school gymnasium for tours of the charred mobile home park where retirees once played tennis, took a dip in a jacuzzi and played Mah-Johng and poker.
Those whose homes were destroyed were shuttled through the neighborhood in a black van. Authorities were still investigating the fire, so people weren't allowed to get out and sift through the ashes for scraps of their belongings.
"It's gone," said Ed Hurdle, 82, after taking one of the first park tours. "The car is gone. The house is gone. It's twisted metal. It's totally charred there. There's no hope at all. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing."
A separate set of white police vans ferried residents whose homes were still standing so they could gather medication and other essentials.
"My house was in great shape. All it was was dirty," said Betty Glassman, 78. "I feel like I'm in a dream. Pinch me."
Cadaver dogs searched the burned units, but found only the cremated remains of a man who died several years ago.
Animal control recovered several dead animals and three live cats. Los Angeles County Assistant Coroner Chief Ed Winter said the cats could have been hiding under one of the units that wasn't damaged.
Neighbors huddled together inside the gymnasium, which has been turned into a Red Cross shelter for evacuees, hugging each other and comparing notes about what they saw and what they were able to salvage.
"It's a disaster. It looks like Hiroshima," said Joan Costa, carrying plastic bags filled with makeup and medicines she had pulled from her home.
The fire left a local hospital in darkness, and nurses used hand-cranked ventilators to keep patients alive when the fire knocked out power to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar. Authorities are investigating why the emergency generator failed. No patients were harmed during the 3 1/2-hour outage early Saturday.
Elsewhere, the largest of the fires has burned more than 28,000 acres in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and has destroyed more than 250 homes and apartment units. San Bernadino became the fourth county declared a state of emergency.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Frank Garrido warned residents returning their homes in the Diamond Bar area to watch for snakes, mountain lions and other wildlife who fled the flames into more populated areas.
In the Orange County suburb of Yorba Linda, residents returned to find more than 100 homes destroyed. Some hung signs thanking firefighters for saving their homes, others snapped photos of the scorched community.
Lindey Lindholm sifted through the rubble of his home, searching for family heirlooms. It's all gone," Lindholm said.
The first of the wildfires broke out in the Montecito area of Santa Barbara County, about 90 miles northwest of Sylmar.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said President-elect Barack Obama contacted him Sunday night to offer what help he could. Obama has turned his campaign Web site home page into a plea to help fire victims that includes a link to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's site, where people can sign up to volunteer or donate to the Red Cross or Salvation Army.
Schwarzenegger on Monday asked the Bush administration to declare Southern California a federal disaster site.
The governor also requested disaster loans for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino. He said many of the residents affected by the fires — particularly mobile home owners — lacked insurance or are seriously underinsured.
The causes of all three fires were under investigation, although officials labeled the Santa Barbara-area fire "human-caused," said Doug Lannon, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Lannon said the fire started in a Montecito landmark known to be a popular hangout for teenagers. He said it was possible someone was smoking in the brush or started a campfire there.
Oakridge park resident Steve Fisher, 58, said he'd eventually like to move back there but doesn't know if he will — especially since he didn't have insurance on his home that burned.
"I've never lived in a place with such a communal spirit," Fisher said. "It was just like paradise."
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Shuttle Endeavour links with space station
Space shuttle Endeavour linked with the international space station on Sunday, kicking off a huge home makeover that will allow twice as many astronauts to live up there beginning next year.
Commander Christopher Ferguson guided the shuttle to a smooth docking as the two spacecraft soared 212 miles above India. His ship's radar worked just fine, despite earlier trouble with the antenna.
"We understand that this house is in need of an extreme makeover and that you're the crew to do it," the space station's skipper, Mike Fincke, said as he welcomed the seven shuttle astronauts aboard.
His crewmate, Gregory Chamitoff, was especially excited to see Endeavour. He's been living on the space station for almost six months, and the shuttle is his ride home.
"Wow," Chamitoff exclaimed. "You look beautiful ... I am smiling from ear to ear."
Earlier in the afternoon, before Endeavour began its final approach from eight miles out, Fincke and his crew captured striking video of it and the moon, which was also prominent in many of the launch-night photos.
"It's a big day here today," Fincke said.
Once Endeavour closed to within several hundred feet, Ferguson guided it through a 360-degree backflip so Fincke and Chamitoff could take zoom-in photos of all its thermal shielding. About 200 digital images will help NASA determine whether Endeavour sustained any damage during liftoff Friday night. Fincke said he noticed nothing amiss.
Only one piece of debris has been spotted so far in launch pictures. It was probably ice and did not strike Endeavour, said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. Flight controllers initially thought it might be one of the shuttle's thermal blankets.
NASA officials were delighted with how everything was going.
"The team down here on the Planet Earth wanted to compliment you on a well-done, very nicely done rendezvous and docking," Mission Control radioed up.
The first priority for the 10 astronauts was a crew member swap.
Astronaut Sandra Magnus moved into the space station for a 3 1/2-month stay, replacing Chamitoff. The two greeted each other with a bear hug. "Welcome to your new home," Fincke told her.
As soon as everyone embraced, Fincke declared: "On to work. Man, this place just got smaller."
Besides Magnus, Endeavour was delivering thousands of pounds of home improvement gear: an extra bathroom, kitchenette and exercise machine, two more sleeping compartments, and a fancy new recycling system for converting urine and condensation into drinking water.
NASA cannot double the size of the space station crew — currently at three — until all the new equipment is installed, checked out and working properly. The goal is to have six people living permanently on the orbiting outpost by June.
Most of the new stuff is inside a giant cylinder that Endeavour's astronauts will attach to the space station on Monday.
Endeavour and its crew will spend almost two weeks at the space station, cheap wow gold a little longer than usual. Four spacewalks will be carried out beginning Tuesday, primarily to clean and lubricate a solar wing-rotating joint that broke down more than a year ago. It's clogged with metal shavings from grinding parts.
Commander Christopher Ferguson guided the shuttle to a smooth docking as the two spacecraft soared 212 miles above India. His ship's radar worked just fine, despite earlier trouble with the antenna.
"We understand that this house is in need of an extreme makeover and that you're the crew to do it," the space station's skipper, Mike Fincke, said as he welcomed the seven shuttle astronauts aboard.
His crewmate, Gregory Chamitoff, was especially excited to see Endeavour. He's been living on the space station for almost six months, and the shuttle is his ride home.
"Wow," Chamitoff exclaimed. "You look beautiful ... I am smiling from ear to ear."
Earlier in the afternoon, before Endeavour began its final approach from eight miles out, Fincke and his crew captured striking video of it and the moon, which was also prominent in many of the launch-night photos.
"It's a big day here today," Fincke said.
Once Endeavour closed to within several hundred feet, Ferguson guided it through a 360-degree backflip so Fincke and Chamitoff could take zoom-in photos of all its thermal shielding. About 200 digital images will help NASA determine whether Endeavour sustained any damage during liftoff Friday night. Fincke said he noticed nothing amiss.
Only one piece of debris has been spotted so far in launch pictures. It was probably ice and did not strike Endeavour, said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. Flight controllers initially thought it might be one of the shuttle's thermal blankets.
NASA officials were delighted with how everything was going.
"The team down here on the Planet Earth wanted to compliment you on a well-done, very nicely done rendezvous and docking," Mission Control radioed up.
The first priority for the 10 astronauts was a crew member swap.
Astronaut Sandra Magnus moved into the space station for a 3 1/2-month stay, replacing Chamitoff. The two greeted each other with a bear hug. "Welcome to your new home," Fincke told her.
As soon as everyone embraced, Fincke declared: "On to work. Man, this place just got smaller."
Besides Magnus, Endeavour was delivering thousands of pounds of home improvement gear: an extra bathroom, kitchenette and exercise machine, two more sleeping compartments, and a fancy new recycling system for converting urine and condensation into drinking water.
NASA cannot double the size of the space station crew — currently at three — until all the new equipment is installed, checked out and working properly. The goal is to have six people living permanently on the orbiting outpost by June.
Most of the new stuff is inside a giant cylinder that Endeavour's astronauts will attach to the space station on Monday.
Endeavour and its crew will spend almost two weeks at the space station, cheap wow gold a little longer than usual. Four spacewalks will be carried out beginning Tuesday, primarily to clean and lubricate a solar wing-rotating joint that broke down more than a year ago. It's clogged with metal shavings from grinding parts.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friends defend Paula Abdul fan who committed suicide
The Paula Abdul fanatic who police believe committed suicide outside the star's mansion had cased the "American Idol" judge's block as far back as January, cops said Thursday.
But a good friend has rushed to the defense of 30-year-old Paula Goodspeed, telling the Daily News that the aspiring singer wasn't a suicidal, "looney freakazoid" still obsessing over the mocking she received at her September 2005 "American Idol" audition.
Instead, Goodspeed was upbeat and planning for the future when she last communicated with pal Brianna Schlanger less than 24 hours before cops recovered her body Tuesday.
"She sent me a text at 10:22 the night before about meeting for a latte and movie. She ended the message with a happy face," said Schlanger, a model from Reseda, Cali. "She seemed fine. Something must have happened after that. It needs to be further investigated."
Goodspeed's mother, Sandra McIntyre, reported Goodspeed missing on Tuesday, telling cops she last saw her daughter at 11 p.m. Monday.
McIntyre, who's been living recently at Goodspeed's Thousand Oaks, Calif., apartment, declined to comment when reached by phone late Thursday.
Schlanger said Goodspeed mentioned having a doctor's appointment in Burbank at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and promised to arrive at Schlanger's house after that.
"I'll be at your house at 5:30, and we can get a latte and go to the theater," Goodspeed said in a text message.
"I'm still in disbelief, waiting for her to show up at my door," Schlanger, who met Goodspeed while taking singing lessons, told the Daily News. "I knew she admired (Paula Abdul). But there's no way she was stalking her or had any bad intentions."
Schlanger said Goodspeed had a fiance she was planning to marry on Valentine's Day, and that the aspiring singer never took drugs and didn't touch alcohol when they went to karaoke bars.
The detective handling Goodspeed's case said the woman had a history on Abdul's block.
"There have been prior incidents involving Paula Goodspeed on the street. One was in January of this year and another in June," said Los Angeles Police Det. Robert Bub.
Bub said neither event was serious enough to generate a formal report.
Still, the June call apparently led LAPD to ask Ventura County Sheriff's deputies to check on a potentially "suicidal" Goodspeed in her Thousand Oaks apartment on June 24, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Goodspeed was found dead with no signs of trauma and no note at 6 p.m. Tuesday in her Toyota, a few doors down from Abdul's Sherman Oaks home.
The Abdul fan came face to face with her when she tried out for "American Idol" three years - and was sent home after being roundly mocked in her tryout.
Goodspeed's niece Sonja McIntyre, 20, denied her aunt was suicidal - or a stalker. And said Goodspeed even told her that she and Abdul once had coffee together at a Starbucks.warhammer gold
"Not an ounce of truth to this," said Abdul publicist Jeff Ballard. "Paula met her only at 'Idol.'"
An autopsy is schedule for today, the coroner's office said.
A final cause of death could take weeks pending toxicology tests.wow gold
But a good friend has rushed to the defense of 30-year-old Paula Goodspeed, telling the Daily News that the aspiring singer wasn't a suicidal, "looney freakazoid" still obsessing over the mocking she received at her September 2005 "American Idol" audition.
Instead, Goodspeed was upbeat and planning for the future when she last communicated with pal Brianna Schlanger less than 24 hours before cops recovered her body Tuesday.
"She sent me a text at 10:22 the night before about meeting for a latte and movie. She ended the message with a happy face," said Schlanger, a model from Reseda, Cali. "She seemed fine. Something must have happened after that. It needs to be further investigated."
Goodspeed's mother, Sandra McIntyre, reported Goodspeed missing on Tuesday, telling cops she last saw her daughter at 11 p.m. Monday.
McIntyre, who's been living recently at Goodspeed's Thousand Oaks, Calif., apartment, declined to comment when reached by phone late Thursday.
Schlanger said Goodspeed mentioned having a doctor's appointment in Burbank at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and promised to arrive at Schlanger's house after that.
"I'll be at your house at 5:30, and we can get a latte and go to the theater," Goodspeed said in a text message.
"I'm still in disbelief, waiting for her to show up at my door," Schlanger, who met Goodspeed while taking singing lessons, told the Daily News. "I knew she admired (Paula Abdul). But there's no way she was stalking her or had any bad intentions."
Schlanger said Goodspeed had a fiance she was planning to marry on Valentine's Day, and that the aspiring singer never took drugs and didn't touch alcohol when they went to karaoke bars.
The detective handling Goodspeed's case said the woman had a history on Abdul's block.
"There have been prior incidents involving Paula Goodspeed on the street. One was in January of this year and another in June," said Los Angeles Police Det. Robert Bub.
Bub said neither event was serious enough to generate a formal report.
Still, the June call apparently led LAPD to ask Ventura County Sheriff's deputies to check on a potentially "suicidal" Goodspeed in her Thousand Oaks apartment on June 24, a sheriff's spokesman said.
Goodspeed was found dead with no signs of trauma and no note at 6 p.m. Tuesday in her Toyota, a few doors down from Abdul's Sherman Oaks home.
The Abdul fan came face to face with her when she tried out for "American Idol" three years - and was sent home after being roundly mocked in her tryout.
Goodspeed's niece Sonja McIntyre, 20, denied her aunt was suicidal - or a stalker. And said Goodspeed even told her that she and Abdul once had coffee together at a Starbucks.warhammer gold
"Not an ounce of truth to this," said Abdul publicist Jeff Ballard. "Paula met her only at 'Idol.'"
An autopsy is schedule for today, the coroner's office said.
A final cause of death could take weeks pending toxicology tests.wow gold
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Ahead of the Bell: Mortgage hearing
As the mortgage crisis deepens and the government joins with the lending industry in a new effort targeting struggling homeowners, Congress is examining the roles played by investors, lenders and loan servicers in the process.
Representatives of those three sectors are scheduled to testify at a House Financial Services Committee hearing Wednesday morning.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed frustration with the scope of industry cooperation. Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., and five other Democrats accused hedge fund investors of blocking mortgage modifications.
"For the hedge fund industry, which has flourished for much of the past decade, to take steps so actively in opposition to what is currently in the national economic interest is deeply troubling," they said in a recent letter to industry representatives.
On Tuesday, the government and the mortgage industry mounted the most sweeping effort yet to help troubled homeowners by speeding the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which seized control of the two mortgage finance companies in September, announced the plan along with other government and industry officials. Officials said they hoped the new approach, which goes into effect Dec. 15., will become a model for loan servicing companies, which collect mortgage payments and distribute them to investors.
Expected to appear at Wednesday's hearing are: Benjamin Allensworth, senior legal counsel of the Managed Funds Association, which represents hedge funds; Thomas Deutsch, deputy executive director of the American Securitization Forum, representing Wall Street institutions that transform mortgages and other debt into bonds that are traded; Michael Gross, managing director of loan administration loss mitigation at Bank of America Corp.; and Molly Sheehan, senior vice president in the home lending division at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. last month expanded its mortgage modification program to an estimated $70 billion in loans, which could aid as many as 400,000 customers. The New York-based bank already has modified about $40 billion in mortgages, helping 250,000 customers since early 2007. Bank of America has said that starting Dec. 1, it will modify an estimated 400,000 loans held by newly acquired Countrywide Financial Corp. as part of an $8.4 billion legal settlement reached with 11 states in early October.
The government said last week it expects that only 20,000 troubled borrowers will apply to refinance into more affordable home loans by next fall under a new mortgage aid program enacted by Congress over the summer.warhammer goldThe $300 billion "Hope for Homeowners" program was launched Oct. 1. Designed by lawmakers eager to respond to the mortgage crisis, the Congressional Budget Office had projected it would let 400,000 troubled homeowners swap risky loans for conventional 30-year fixed rate loans with lower rates.
But the early results have been discouraging: the government received only 42 applications in the program's first two weeks, according to the Federal Housing Administration.
Representatives of those three sectors are scheduled to testify at a House Financial Services Committee hearing Wednesday morning.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed frustration with the scope of industry cooperation. Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., and five other Democrats accused hedge fund investors of blocking mortgage modifications.
"For the hedge fund industry, which has flourished for much of the past decade, to take steps so actively in opposition to what is currently in the national economic interest is deeply troubling," they said in a recent letter to industry representatives.
On Tuesday, the government and the mortgage industry mounted the most sweeping effort yet to help troubled homeowners by speeding the process for renegotiating hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which seized control of the two mortgage finance companies in September, announced the plan along with other government and industry officials. Officials said they hoped the new approach, which goes into effect Dec. 15., will become a model for loan servicing companies, which collect mortgage payments and distribute them to investors.
Expected to appear at Wednesday's hearing are: Benjamin Allensworth, senior legal counsel of the Managed Funds Association, which represents hedge funds; Thomas Deutsch, deputy executive director of the American Securitization Forum, representing Wall Street institutions that transform mortgages and other debt into bonds that are traded; Michael Gross, managing director of loan administration loss mitigation at Bank of America Corp.; and Molly Sheehan, senior vice president in the home lending division at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. last month expanded its mortgage modification program to an estimated $70 billion in loans, which could aid as many as 400,000 customers. The New York-based bank already has modified about $40 billion in mortgages, helping 250,000 customers since early 2007. Bank of America has said that starting Dec. 1, it will modify an estimated 400,000 loans held by newly acquired Countrywide Financial Corp. as part of an $8.4 billion legal settlement reached with 11 states in early October.
The government said last week it expects that only 20,000 troubled borrowers will apply to refinance into more affordable home loans by next fall under a new mortgage aid program enacted by Congress over the summer.warhammer goldThe $300 billion "Hope for Homeowners" program was launched Oct. 1. Designed by lawmakers eager to respond to the mortgage crisis, the Congressional Budget Office had projected it would let 400,000 troubled homeowners swap risky loans for conventional 30-year fixed rate loans with lower rates.
But the early results have been discouraging: the government received only 42 applications in the program's first two weeks, according to the Federal Housing Administration.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Aides: Obama suggested more help for auto industry
President-elect Obama suggested to President Bush that the administration immediately help struggling U.S. automakers, aides to the Democrat say, in the first face-to-face meeting the pair had since Obama's election victory.
Obama's aides said the president-elect on Monday brought up the issue with Bush and discussed with him the need for urgent action. The Illinois senator's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said only that the talks during Obama's first post-election victory to the White House were mostly "about the broad health of the industry" and were not just limited to any one of the three largest car makers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked the administration over the weekend to consider expanding the $700 billion bailout for financial firms to include car companies. At a news conference last Friday, Obama said he hoped the Bush administration would "do everything it can to accelerate the retooling assistance that Congress has already enacted." He also said that helping the auto industry was a high priority for his transition team.
The White House did not reject such an idea. Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush would listen to lawmakers if, when they come back for a post-election session, "they decide to try to do something more on the auto industry." She said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would review the rescue plan again, but also suggested the administration needs Congress' help to determine which industries might qualify for help under the new law.
Regarding any new economic stimulus plan, the White House has repeatedly stressed that its main priority is passage of a free trade agreement with Colombia.
The president and Obama also talked about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and financial crisis. At the same time, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama talked about raising daughters in the nation's most famous house. Then Obama flew back to Chicago to work on setting up the new administration that will take over on Jan. 20.
The 43rd president and the man who will be the 44th — and first black — commander in chief met alone in the Oval Office, with no handlers or staff. It was Obama's first time in the storied workspace, even though he had been to the White House previously for events.
Neither the Bushes nor the Obamas spoke to reporters. Aides who described the discussion about the auto industry did so on grounds of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meeting.
Perino said that Bush described the meeting as "constructive, relaxed and friendly," covering problems at home and abroad, and said he personally pledged a smooth transition. Bush gave Obama a sneak peek at White House highlights, such as the Lincoln Bedroom and the president's office in the residence, after their hour-plus in the Oval Office.
Such White House meetings have a history going back decades. They are discussions that can range wherever the two men choose, whether on specific issues, how best to make decisions, the extraordinary resources that accompany any American president, the special weight of the office or even the secrets about the building that few people are privy to. It's also a chance to establish personal rapport between near-strangers, though that is by no means guaranteed.
Outside, crowds built throughout the day with people pressing their noses through the fencing around the White House complex in hopes of getting a glimpse of the first family to be. Street vendors operating nearby were already stocked with Obama-related merchandise.
Bush and Obama met as the main transition news of the day was the Democratic team's preparations to rescind many of the incumbent's executive orders. Obama transition chief John Podesta said that the senator's aides were poring over all of them and will make such reversals among the new president's first acts.
Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement that no decisions have yet been made on executive orders. "Before he makes any decisions on potential executive or legislative actions, he will be conferring with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, as well as interested groups," she said.
Said Podesta, delivering a concrete rebuke of Bush only about 24 hours before the two men sat down together: "We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."
Obama's aides said the president-elect on Monday brought up the issue with Bush and discussed with him the need for urgent action. The Illinois senator's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said only that the talks during Obama's first post-election victory to the White House were mostly "about the broad health of the industry" and were not just limited to any one of the three largest car makers.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked the administration over the weekend to consider expanding the $700 billion bailout for financial firms to include car companies. At a news conference last Friday, Obama said he hoped the Bush administration would "do everything it can to accelerate the retooling assistance that Congress has already enacted." He also said that helping the auto industry was a high priority for his transition team.
The White House did not reject such an idea. Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush would listen to lawmakers if, when they come back for a post-election session, "they decide to try to do something more on the auto industry." She said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson would review the rescue plan again, but also suggested the administration needs Congress' help to determine which industries might qualify for help under the new law.
Regarding any new economic stimulus plan, the White House has repeatedly stressed that its main priority is passage of a free trade agreement with Colombia.
The president and Obama also talked about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and financial crisis. At the same time, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama talked about raising daughters in the nation's most famous house. Then Obama flew back to Chicago to work on setting up the new administration that will take over on Jan. 20.
The 43rd president and the man who will be the 44th — and first black — commander in chief met alone in the Oval Office, with no handlers or staff. It was Obama's first time in the storied workspace, even though he had been to the White House previously for events.
Neither the Bushes nor the Obamas spoke to reporters. Aides who described the discussion about the auto industry did so on grounds of anonymity, citing the private nature of the meeting.
Perino said that Bush described the meeting as "constructive, relaxed and friendly," covering problems at home and abroad, and said he personally pledged a smooth transition. Bush gave Obama a sneak peek at White House highlights, such as the Lincoln Bedroom and the president's office in the residence, after their hour-plus in the Oval Office.
Such White House meetings have a history going back decades. They are discussions that can range wherever the two men choose, whether on specific issues, how best to make decisions, the extraordinary resources that accompany any American president, the special weight of the office or even the secrets about the building that few people are privy to. It's also a chance to establish personal rapport between near-strangers, though that is by no means guaranteed.
Outside, crowds built throughout the day with people pressing their noses through the fencing around the White House complex in hopes of getting a glimpse of the first family to be. Street vendors operating nearby were already stocked with Obama-related merchandise.
Bush and Obama met as the main transition news of the day was the Democratic team's preparations to rescind many of the incumbent's executive orders. Obama transition chief John Podesta said that the senator's aides were poring over all of them and will make such reversals among the new president's first acts.
Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement that no decisions have yet been made on executive orders. "Before he makes any decisions on potential executive or legislative actions, he will be conferring with congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, as well as interested groups," she said.
Said Podesta, delivering a concrete rebuke of Bush only about 24 hours before the two men sat down together: "We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Poor training behind Russian sub deaths: ex-officer
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - Some of the 20 men killed on a Russian nuclear submarine this weekend may have died because they lacked adequate training in how to respond in a fire drill, a former submarine officer said on Monday.
Russian prosecutors said the victims on board the Nerpa nuclear submarine died from asphyxiation when the fire extinguishing system was set off unexpectedly, releasing toxic freon gas -- used as a fire suppressant -- into the submarine.
The accident, the worst to hit Russia's navy since an explosion on the Kursk submarine eight years ago killed all 118 sailors on board, raised questions about the capability of the Russian military.
Alexander Nikitin, a former navy captain who worked as a chief engineer on Russian nuclear submarines, said civilian technicians on board the vessel to take part in sea trials may have not known how to react when the gas was released.
"When the system for releasing fire suppressant is switched on, an alarm sounds, but they may not have heard the alarm or understood it was an alarm to indicate fire suppressant is being released into the compartment," Nikitin told Reuters.
"Since it is quite a rare alarm, they could have assumed it was some kind of different alarm," said Nikitin, who now monitors nuclear safety in Russia for the Norwegian environmental group Bellona.
Nikitin said everyone on board the vessel would have had access to breathing apparatus. "Most likely, they did not use it according to the procedures or as they were supposed to."
The governor of Russia's Primorye region on the Pacific coast, where the vessel docked after the accident happened, on Monday declared November 11 a day of mourning in the region.
A Russian navy spokesman declined to comment further on the accident, which happened on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean.
About two thirds of the 208 people on board the submarine were civilians checking the vessel before handing it over to the navy for active service. Civilians accounted for 17 of the 20 dead.
"In the chaos that you have on these kinds of sea trials with a handover team, lots of things can happen," said Nikitin. "These are not military people who strictly follow instructions.
"In situations like these, there is a danger of more serious incidents, there are always heightened risks."
The navy did not identify the submarine. Russian news agencies quoted naval sources as saying it was the Nerpa, classified by NATO as an Akula-class attack submarine.
Russian prosecutors said the victims on board the Nerpa nuclear submarine died from asphyxiation when the fire extinguishing system was set off unexpectedly, releasing toxic freon gas -- used as a fire suppressant -- into the submarine.
The accident, the worst to hit Russia's navy since an explosion on the Kursk submarine eight years ago killed all 118 sailors on board, raised questions about the capability of the Russian military.
Alexander Nikitin, a former navy captain who worked as a chief engineer on Russian nuclear submarines, said civilian technicians on board the vessel to take part in sea trials may have not known how to react when the gas was released.
"When the system for releasing fire suppressant is switched on, an alarm sounds, but they may not have heard the alarm or understood it was an alarm to indicate fire suppressant is being released into the compartment," Nikitin told Reuters.
"Since it is quite a rare alarm, they could have assumed it was some kind of different alarm," said Nikitin, who now monitors nuclear safety in Russia for the Norwegian environmental group Bellona.
Nikitin said everyone on board the vessel would have had access to breathing apparatus. "Most likely, they did not use it according to the procedures or as they were supposed to."
The governor of Russia's Primorye region on the Pacific coast, where the vessel docked after the accident happened, on Monday declared November 11 a day of mourning in the region.
A Russian navy spokesman declined to comment further on the accident, which happened on Saturday in the Pacific Ocean.
About two thirds of the 208 people on board the submarine were civilians checking the vessel before handing it over to the navy for active service. Civilians accounted for 17 of the 20 dead.
"In the chaos that you have on these kinds of sea trials with a handover team, lots of things can happen," said Nikitin. "These are not military people who strictly follow instructions.
"In situations like these, there is a danger of more serious incidents, there are always heightened risks."
The navy did not identify the submarine. Russian news agencies quoted naval sources as saying it was the Nerpa, classified by NATO as an Akula-class attack submarine.
Friday, November 7, 2008
China envoy ends historic Taiwan visit amid violent protests
A senior Chinese envoy left Taiwan on Friday after a historic visit that paved the way for closer cooperation between the former bitter rivals, but which was marred by huge protests that left scores injured.
Chen Yunlin -- the most senior Chinese official to visit the island since it split from China at the end of a civil war in 1949 -- made history on Thursday when he met Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
But angry protests followed his five-day visit at every turn, culminating in violent clashes in the early hours of Friday between police and protesters that left more than 110 people injured, according to officials and local media.
About 2,200 riot police backed by water cannon were dispatched to Taipei's Grand Hotel where Chen was staying to control 1,000 rowdy protesters, police said.
Some threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at police in an attempt to get past barbed wire barricades. Twelve demonstrators were handcuffed and taken away.
Police said 64 officers were hurt in the clashes, while local media said more than 50 protesters and journalists were also injured.
Later Friday around 100 people, most of them college students, staged a sit-in outside the main government building to protest police handling of the earlier demonstrations. The group was later dispersed by police.
The ruling Kuomintang and the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which organised the demonstrations throughout Chen's visit, traded barbs over the violence -- the worst protest clashes in 10 years.
DPP parliamentarian Lai Ching-teh claimed the party had kept its promise to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday, when Ma and Chen were meeting.
"Those who used violence were sent by the Kuomintang," Lai told reporters.
But the accusation was flatly rejected by the Kuomintang.
"Since DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen led her supporters into the streets, she has to take full responsibility for the violence," the KMT said in a statement.
At a press conference shortly before his departure, Chen, his eyes red, appeared close to tears as he thanked Taiwanese security officials.
"I would like to express our thanks to the police," he told reporters.
"They made many sacrifices and shed blood during the tense protests. Words cannot describe our appreciation," Chen said, bowing briefly.
On Thursday, thousands of mainly DPP-supporting demonstrators rallied in central Taipei to protest Chen's brief meeting with Ma.
Organisers put the turnout at more than 100,000 while police estimated the size of the crowd to be 10,000.
The cacophony could be heard for kilometres (miles) around the central government plaza as they moved off, on foot and in vans equipped with loudspeakers, towards the Grand Hotel.
During Chen's visit, the two sides signed four deals that will see them cooperate in air travel, post and cargo shipping.
Taipei and Beijing insist the accords will bring enormous economic benefit to both sides, but protesters fear that money and jobs will flood out of Taiwan as businesses seek to take advantage of cheap labour and resources in China.
Tung Chen-yuan, a political science professor of National Chengchi University in Taipei, said Taiwan "swiftly signed agreements with Beijing, but a lot of people here felt that he had made too many concessions to Beijing."
"It will become more difficult for the Ma administration to reach a consensus with the opposition on the future of the cross-Strait relationship," Tung said.warhammer gold
A survey of around 800 people carried out by Taipei's Apple Daily found nearly a third thought the DPP were to blame for the violence, while a quarter pointed the finger at Ma, saying he had failed to safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty. wow gold
Chen Yunlin -- the most senior Chinese official to visit the island since it split from China at the end of a civil war in 1949 -- made history on Thursday when he met Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
But angry protests followed his five-day visit at every turn, culminating in violent clashes in the early hours of Friday between police and protesters that left more than 110 people injured, according to officials and local media.
About 2,200 riot police backed by water cannon were dispatched to Taipei's Grand Hotel where Chen was staying to control 1,000 rowdy protesters, police said.
Some threw eggs, rocks, bottled water and petrol bombs at police in an attempt to get past barbed wire barricades. Twelve demonstrators were handcuffed and taken away.
Police said 64 officers were hurt in the clashes, while local media said more than 50 protesters and journalists were also injured.
Later Friday around 100 people, most of them college students, staged a sit-in outside the main government building to protest police handling of the earlier demonstrations. The group was later dispersed by police.
The ruling Kuomintang and the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which organised the demonstrations throughout Chen's visit, traded barbs over the violence -- the worst protest clashes in 10 years.
DPP parliamentarian Lai Ching-teh claimed the party had kept its promise to stage a peaceful protest on Thursday, when Ma and Chen were meeting.
"Those who used violence were sent by the Kuomintang," Lai told reporters.
But the accusation was flatly rejected by the Kuomintang.
"Since DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen led her supporters into the streets, she has to take full responsibility for the violence," the KMT said in a statement.
At a press conference shortly before his departure, Chen, his eyes red, appeared close to tears as he thanked Taiwanese security officials.
"I would like to express our thanks to the police," he told reporters.
"They made many sacrifices and shed blood during the tense protests. Words cannot describe our appreciation," Chen said, bowing briefly.
On Thursday, thousands of mainly DPP-supporting demonstrators rallied in central Taipei to protest Chen's brief meeting with Ma.
Organisers put the turnout at more than 100,000 while police estimated the size of the crowd to be 10,000.
The cacophony could be heard for kilometres (miles) around the central government plaza as they moved off, on foot and in vans equipped with loudspeakers, towards the Grand Hotel.
During Chen's visit, the two sides signed four deals that will see them cooperate in air travel, post and cargo shipping.
Taipei and Beijing insist the accords will bring enormous economic benefit to both sides, but protesters fear that money and jobs will flood out of Taiwan as businesses seek to take advantage of cheap labour and resources in China.
Tung Chen-yuan, a political science professor of National Chengchi University in Taipei, said Taiwan "swiftly signed agreements with Beijing, but a lot of people here felt that he had made too many concessions to Beijing."
"It will become more difficult for the Ma administration to reach a consensus with the opposition on the future of the cross-Strait relationship," Tung said.warhammer gold
A survey of around 800 people carried out by Taipei's Apple Daily found nearly a third thought the DPP were to blame for the violence, while a quarter pointed the finger at Ma, saying he had failed to safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty. wow gold
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Barack Obama wins presidency, making history
Barack Obama, the son of a father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, was elected the nation’s 44th president Tuesday, breaking the ultimate racial barrier to become the first African American to claim the country’s highest office.
A nation that was founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a smashing electoral college victory to the 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Obama was born, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying.
Obama was winning in every state his party carried four years ago, including Pennsylvania, which McCain had worked vigorously to pry from the Democratic column. Obama was also making significant inroads into Republican turf, carrying Ohio and Virginia, the latter voting Democratic for the first time in more than 40 years. He was also winning the swing states of New Hampshire, Iowa and New Mexico, which backed President Bush in 2004.
The major TV networks and the Associated Press called the race for Obama within minutes of the polls closing, sparking a raucous celebration in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of celebrants gathered in Grant Park along the city’s waterfront.
Giant video screens at the scene were tuned to CNN. Each time the network projected a state as an Obama win, the crowd erupted in cheers. The battleground states produced the loudest roars – first Pennsylvania, then New Hampshire, then Ohio, then, finally, victory.
Moments later, the Obama campaign announced that McCain had called the president-elect to concede.
Voters also handed Obama a fortified congressional majority, as Democrats picked up several seats in the Senate and in the House. The party knocked off at least two GOP incumbents, including North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
McCain, burdened by his party’s toxic image, prevailed in a band of states that comprise a shrinking Republican base, mainly in the South, the Plains and parts of the interior West.
In winning the White House, Obama to a large degree remade the electorate: About one in 10 of those casting ballots Tuesday were doing so for the first time. Though that number was about the same as four years ago, most of the newcomers were under age 30, about a fifth were black and a fifth were Latino. That was greater than their share of the overall population, and those groups voted overwhelmingly for Obama.
Overall, he won large majorities of women, black and Latino voters. Although he lost among white voters, Obama narrowed the margin significantly from 2004.
For most voters, the sagging economy was the topmost concern – a dynamic that played strongly to the Democrat’s favor. Six in 10 voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the nation, according to exit polls – far more than cited energy, Iraq, terrorism or healthcare.
Voters flocked to the polls in record numbers Tuesday, continuing a pattern of electoral exuberance that started in the primary season. There were scattered voting problems reported throughout the day, including long lines, malfunctioning voting machines and mislaid ballots.
But there was nothing like Florida’s infamous “butterfly ballot” fiasco, which sent the 2000 presidential contest into several weeks of overtime before the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to settle the race.
Mostly, there was patience, good cheer, and for many, pride in taking part in a slice of history, whatever the result; had he won, McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, would have been the first woman to serve as vice president.
Lines began forming across the country before the sun had risen, with queues starting at 4 a.m. in New York City. The outcome across most of the Democratic-leaning Northeast was never in doubt, but many felt it was their responsibility – and privilege – to vote.
“I needed to cast my own ballot today, not just because it’s my duty as a citizen but because for once it feels like it counts,” said Eric Schwartz, 36, a computer specialist on New York’s Upper West Side. “It’s a more global feeling. Like I needed to make a mark on a day when things matter. Today, everyone matters.”
In Arlington, Va., Takia Williams, 25 and African-American, wrestled with her frustrated 2-year-old, who wanted to play on the slide in the back seat of their car. But nothing could dampen Williams’ spirits after casting a ballot for Obama. “I couldn’t wait to vote,” she said.
Obama will be one of the youngest presidents in American history, the first born outside the continental United States (in Hawaii) and only the third to move directly from the U.S. Senate to the White House.
He burst on the national political scene just over four years ago, with an electrifying keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama’s soaring speech previewed themes he would reprise in his presidential bid, including a call to end the partisanship symbolized by a country divided into Republican red and Democratic blue.
Months after that address, Obama won his U.S. Senate seat, and there was immediate talk of a run for president. The speculation, however, vastly understated the challenge facing Obama, who by his own admission entered the crowded Democratic field as a decided underdog. His victory over New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton after a long, contentious primary season was in itself one of the great political upsets of all time.
Contrary to the wisdom at the time, the battle did not sap but rather strengthened Obama. He built campaign organizations in traditionally Republican states, like Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Indiana, that came into play in the fall thanks to the groundwork laid in the spring.
Obama also became a better, more substantive candidate and a much stronger debater, which served him well in his three matchups with McCain. Obama’s unflappable performance on stage and steady response to the Wall Street meltdown helped allay voter concerns about his judgment, maturity and readiness to assume office, undercutting what was perhaps McCain’s strongest argument against the freshman lawmaker.
For all the wild celebration in Chicago, there were quieter moments that captured the full weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of protests in Selma, Birmingham and other racial flash-points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When CNN called the state of Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears
A nation that was founded by slave owners and seared by civil war and generations of racial strife delivered a smashing electoral college victory to the 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, who forged a broad, multiracial, multiethnic coalition. His victory was a leap in the march toward equality: When Obama was born, people with his skin color could not even vote in parts of America, and many were killed for trying.
Obama was winning in every state his party carried four years ago, including Pennsylvania, which McCain had worked vigorously to pry from the Democratic column. Obama was also making significant inroads into Republican turf, carrying Ohio and Virginia, the latter voting Democratic for the first time in more than 40 years. He was also winning the swing states of New Hampshire, Iowa and New Mexico, which backed President Bush in 2004.
The major TV networks and the Associated Press called the race for Obama within minutes of the polls closing, sparking a raucous celebration in Chicago, where hundreds of thousands of celebrants gathered in Grant Park along the city’s waterfront.
Giant video screens at the scene were tuned to CNN. Each time the network projected a state as an Obama win, the crowd erupted in cheers. The battleground states produced the loudest roars – first Pennsylvania, then New Hampshire, then Ohio, then, finally, victory.
Moments later, the Obama campaign announced that McCain had called the president-elect to concede.
Voters also handed Obama a fortified congressional majority, as Democrats picked up several seats in the Senate and in the House. The party knocked off at least two GOP incumbents, including North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
McCain, burdened by his party’s toxic image, prevailed in a band of states that comprise a shrinking Republican base, mainly in the South, the Plains and parts of the interior West.
In winning the White House, Obama to a large degree remade the electorate: About one in 10 of those casting ballots Tuesday were doing so for the first time. Though that number was about the same as four years ago, most of the newcomers were under age 30, about a fifth were black and a fifth were Latino. That was greater than their share of the overall population, and those groups voted overwhelmingly for Obama.
Overall, he won large majorities of women, black and Latino voters. Although he lost among white voters, Obama narrowed the margin significantly from 2004.
For most voters, the sagging economy was the topmost concern – a dynamic that played strongly to the Democrat’s favor. Six in 10 voters said the economy was the most important issue facing the nation, according to exit polls – far more than cited energy, Iraq, terrorism or healthcare.
Voters flocked to the polls in record numbers Tuesday, continuing a pattern of electoral exuberance that started in the primary season. There were scattered voting problems reported throughout the day, including long lines, malfunctioning voting machines and mislaid ballots.
But there was nothing like Florida’s infamous “butterfly ballot” fiasco, which sent the 2000 presidential contest into several weeks of overtime before the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to settle the race.
Mostly, there was patience, good cheer, and for many, pride in taking part in a slice of history, whatever the result; had he won, McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, would have been the first woman to serve as vice president.
Lines began forming across the country before the sun had risen, with queues starting at 4 a.m. in New York City. The outcome across most of the Democratic-leaning Northeast was never in doubt, but many felt it was their responsibility – and privilege – to vote.
“I needed to cast my own ballot today, not just because it’s my duty as a citizen but because for once it feels like it counts,” said Eric Schwartz, 36, a computer specialist on New York’s Upper West Side. “It’s a more global feeling. Like I needed to make a mark on a day when things matter. Today, everyone matters.”
In Arlington, Va., Takia Williams, 25 and African-American, wrestled with her frustrated 2-year-old, who wanted to play on the slide in the back seat of their car. But nothing could dampen Williams’ spirits after casting a ballot for Obama. “I couldn’t wait to vote,” she said.
Obama will be one of the youngest presidents in American history, the first born outside the continental United States (in Hawaii) and only the third to move directly from the U.S. Senate to the White House.
He burst on the national political scene just over four years ago, with an electrifying keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Obama’s soaring speech previewed themes he would reprise in his presidential bid, including a call to end the partisanship symbolized by a country divided into Republican red and Democratic blue.
Months after that address, Obama won his U.S. Senate seat, and there was immediate talk of a run for president. The speculation, however, vastly understated the challenge facing Obama, who by his own admission entered the crowded Democratic field as a decided underdog. His victory over New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton after a long, contentious primary season was in itself one of the great political upsets of all time.
Contrary to the wisdom at the time, the battle did not sap but rather strengthened Obama. He built campaign organizations in traditionally Republican states, like Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Indiana, that came into play in the fall thanks to the groundwork laid in the spring.
Obama also became a better, more substantive candidate and a much stronger debater, which served him well in his three matchups with McCain. Obama’s unflappable performance on stage and steady response to the Wall Street meltdown helped allay voter concerns about his judgment, maturity and readiness to assume office, undercutting what was perhaps McCain’s strongest argument against the freshman lawmaker.
For all the wild celebration in Chicago, there were quieter moments that captured the full weight of history.
Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, a veteran of protests in Selma, Birmingham and other racial flash-points, was among hundreds of black Atlantans who crowded the pews for an election-watch party at the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. When CNN called the state of Pennsylvania, an early harbinger, Young pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed away tears
Monday, November 3, 2008
This time, Hamilton does what is needed
This time he succeeded: Lewis Hamilton became the youngest world champion in the 58-year history of Formula One after finishing fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix, the final race of the Formula One season.
Last year Hamilton squandered a seven-point series lead in the last race and lost the title by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen.
On Sunday, Hamilton started from fourth on the grid while his closest rival in the championship, Felipe Massa, started from pole position. But again Hamilton led by only seven points and had to finish fifth or higher. Massa had to finish first or second and hope that Hamilton was no better than sixth.
It was a nail-biting trial from the beginning, with a deluge three minutes before the start causing changes of position and team strategies. But Hamilton proved that he could hold it all together and finish exactly where he needed to.
In a wild last lap in the rain, Hamilton dropped out of fifth. As Massa crossed the finish line, his team at first told him he had won the title. But then Hamilton passed Timo Glock on the final stretch and a Ferrari engineer told Massa he had not won the title.
"The most dramatic race of my whole life," Hamilton said. "It's pretty much impossible to put into words.
"It's been a long journey, but I've always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans."
For Massa it was a bittersweet result, as he, too, did all that he could to win the title. Starting from pole position, the Brazilian controlled the race from the start to take his 11th career victory, his second in Brazil.
"The race was just perfect, we did everything fantastically," Massa said. "It's a really emotional day for me.
"You come here and do everything perfect with the championship, but the race finishes with the checkered flag and unfortunately we missed one point - but that's racing."
It was only Hamilton's second season in the sport, and his 35th race. He has nine victories and has finished on the podium 22 times. Hamilton ended the season with 98 points, to 97 for Massa.
The previous youngest world champion was Fernando Alonso, who won the title at age 24 in 2005. Hamilton is 23.
The constructors' title went to Ferrari, which finished with 172 points, to 151 for McLaren.
After his failure to win last year, Hamilton was criticized for cracking under pressure, and his ability to win the title was put under question.
The race on Sunday buried any such doubts.
Just before the race started, with the cars sitting on the grid, the skies opened in a torrential shower that inundated the track. The start was delayed for 10 minutes to give the teams time to put rain tires on the cars.
Although both Massa and Hamilton made good starts and held position, a couple of accidents farther down the pack brought out the safety car to neutralize the race while the debris was cleaned up. The race restarted after Lap 4.
After eight laps many of the cars began to enter the pit lane to change their tires from the rain tires to dry-weather tires.
This shook up the order. But through it all, both Massa and Hamilton drove exemplary races, doing all they had to hold the necessary positions.
Not even the two pit stops would loosen their hold on just the position they needed to win the title.
Then, with five laps left, the rain began to fall again and the leaders all stopped to put on rain tires again.
Massa held on for one lap and stopped with four laps left. He returned to the track still in the lead with Hamilton in fifth.
Sebastian Vettel, in a Toro Rosso, passed Hamilton, pushing him down to sixth. The British driver was on his last lap and the title was slipping away again. He reacted. In the final meters, he passed Glock, finished fifth and took the title by that single point that he needed.
"Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just focused on having a clean race," said Hamilton. "Then it started to drizzle and I didn't want to take any risks, but Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn't believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo. It was just amazing.
"I was shouting, 'Did I win? Did I win?' Then they told me when I was on the corner and I was ecstatic. It's a dream."
Throughout the weekend, Hamilton had been under pressure not only in his performance on the track but also outside of his car. As the first black driver in the sport, he had been subject to racist comments on a Web site of fans of Alonso, who had been Hamilton's teammate at McLaren last year.
At the Interlagos circuit outside São Paulo, he and his father were booed by the local fans on just about every appearance in the McLaren garage or on the giant television screens encircling the track.
Local television presenters had played practical jokes on him like throwing an effigy of a black cat at him. But Hamilton kept his head in all conditions, saying of the cat, "I took it is a good luck, because I think in the U.K. black cats are quite lucky."
Few drivers divide opinion as much as Hamilton. Although he is considered by people close to him to be quiet and polite, many fans accuse him of arrogance and dangerous driving. He has occasionally been criticized by his fellow drivers, but some people say this is envy.
"It goes with the territory," said Ron Dennis, the McLaren Mercedes team director. "You are successful and young; you're going to get criticized. Especially as an athlete."
Last year Hamilton became the most successful rookie in the 58-year history of Formula One as he scored 12 podium finishes and four victories. But he lost the title after squandering a 17-point lead in the last two races.
Yet Hamilton was the best-trained driver ever to enter Formula One. He had been a protégé of the team since he was 13 years old, benefiting from financial assistance as he rose up the racing series hierarchy, winning every championship along the way.
On Saturday, when asked if his second season was more difficult than the first, Hamilton said: "I think this year maybe I've made more mistakes, but I've arrived at the last race of the season with the same amount of points as I did last year - so I guess that really answers the question."
He may have made more mistakes, but not when it counted most.
Last year Hamilton squandered a seven-point series lead in the last race and lost the title by a single point to Kimi Raikkonen.
On Sunday, Hamilton started from fourth on the grid while his closest rival in the championship, Felipe Massa, started from pole position. But again Hamilton led by only seven points and had to finish fifth or higher. Massa had to finish first or second and hope that Hamilton was no better than sixth.
It was a nail-biting trial from the beginning, with a deluge three minutes before the start causing changes of position and team strategies. But Hamilton proved that he could hold it all together and finish exactly where he needed to.
In a wild last lap in the rain, Hamilton dropped out of fifth. As Massa crossed the finish line, his team at first told him he had won the title. But then Hamilton passed Timo Glock on the final stretch and a Ferrari engineer told Massa he had not won the title.
"The most dramatic race of my whole life," Hamilton said. "It's pretty much impossible to put into words.
"It's been a long journey, but I've always had the support of my family, the team, our partners and the fans."
For Massa it was a bittersweet result, as he, too, did all that he could to win the title. Starting from pole position, the Brazilian controlled the race from the start to take his 11th career victory, his second in Brazil.
"The race was just perfect, we did everything fantastically," Massa said. "It's a really emotional day for me.
"You come here and do everything perfect with the championship, but the race finishes with the checkered flag and unfortunately we missed one point - but that's racing."
It was only Hamilton's second season in the sport, and his 35th race. He has nine victories and has finished on the podium 22 times. Hamilton ended the season with 98 points, to 97 for Massa.
The previous youngest world champion was Fernando Alonso, who won the title at age 24 in 2005. Hamilton is 23.
The constructors' title went to Ferrari, which finished with 172 points, to 151 for McLaren.
After his failure to win last year, Hamilton was criticized for cracking under pressure, and his ability to win the title was put under question.
The race on Sunday buried any such doubts.
Just before the race started, with the cars sitting on the grid, the skies opened in a torrential shower that inundated the track. The start was delayed for 10 minutes to give the teams time to put rain tires on the cars.
Although both Massa and Hamilton made good starts and held position, a couple of accidents farther down the pack brought out the safety car to neutralize the race while the debris was cleaned up. The race restarted after Lap 4.
After eight laps many of the cars began to enter the pit lane to change their tires from the rain tires to dry-weather tires.
This shook up the order. But through it all, both Massa and Hamilton drove exemplary races, doing all they had to hold the necessary positions.
Not even the two pit stops would loosen their hold on just the position they needed to win the title.
Then, with five laps left, the rain began to fall again and the leaders all stopped to put on rain tires again.
Massa held on for one lap and stopped with four laps left. He returned to the track still in the lead with Hamilton in fifth.
Sebastian Vettel, in a Toro Rosso, passed Hamilton, pushing him down to sixth. The British driver was on his last lap and the title was slipping away again. He reacted. In the final meters, he passed Glock, finished fifth and took the title by that single point that he needed.
"Before it started to rain I was quite comfortable, and I was just focused on having a clean race," said Hamilton. "Then it started to drizzle and I didn't want to take any risks, but Sebastian got past me and I was told that I had to get back in front of him. I couldn't believe it. Then at the very last corner I managed to get past Timo. It was just amazing.
"I was shouting, 'Did I win? Did I win?' Then they told me when I was on the corner and I was ecstatic. It's a dream."
Throughout the weekend, Hamilton had been under pressure not only in his performance on the track but also outside of his car. As the first black driver in the sport, he had been subject to racist comments on a Web site of fans of Alonso, who had been Hamilton's teammate at McLaren last year.
At the Interlagos circuit outside São Paulo, he and his father were booed by the local fans on just about every appearance in the McLaren garage or on the giant television screens encircling the track.
Local television presenters had played practical jokes on him like throwing an effigy of a black cat at him. But Hamilton kept his head in all conditions, saying of the cat, "I took it is a good luck, because I think in the U.K. black cats are quite lucky."
Few drivers divide opinion as much as Hamilton. Although he is considered by people close to him to be quiet and polite, many fans accuse him of arrogance and dangerous driving. He has occasionally been criticized by his fellow drivers, but some people say this is envy.
"It goes with the territory," said Ron Dennis, the McLaren Mercedes team director. "You are successful and young; you're going to get criticized. Especially as an athlete."
Last year Hamilton became the most successful rookie in the 58-year history of Formula One as he scored 12 podium finishes and four victories. But he lost the title after squandering a 17-point lead in the last two races.
Yet Hamilton was the best-trained driver ever to enter Formula One. He had been a protégé of the team since he was 13 years old, benefiting from financial assistance as he rose up the racing series hierarchy, winning every championship along the way.
On Saturday, when asked if his second season was more difficult than the first, Hamilton said: "I think this year maybe I've made more mistakes, but I've arrived at the last race of the season with the same amount of points as I did last year - so I guess that really answers the question."
He may have made more mistakes, but not when it counted most.
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