Loss Of Bees Could Be "A Blow To UK Economy" - Understatement Of The Century

BBC News Science reporter Katia Moskvitch missed this one completely. If bees die, plants die. If plants die, we die. Who cares about the UK economy. I don't. I care about bees pollinating plants. If they don't then we're screwed. The pesticides we create to protect our crops will end up killing bees and then kill us. I've seen The Happening, and Marky Mark knows what's up. If bees are dying it's the end of the world as we know it. Really, at this point, the best we can hope for is for this epidemic to advance no further than England. Sorry Brits, you lose again.

Jerry & Don Need To Return to Middle School

I needed to double-take while watching this part of the Sox broadcast. I thought Don was being sly and pulling Jerry's leg because he couldn't remember how many feet were in a mile. But, as it turns out, both of them were truly dumbfounded in regards to knowing how many feet there are in a mile. Doesn't everyone with a pulse know that? Or at least everyone making big salary figures working for NESN? I don't know, but this gave me a great chuckle. And then Jerry was told how many feet there were, but he still got it wrong when he said his friend was higher than a mile at 5,000 feet. Yikes. Nonetheless, they both definitely need to tune up on their elementary knowledge for these interleague series.

World Cup Daily Recap

The FIFA World Cup began to heat up toward its knockout stage today, with a few teams going home and a few teams marching on. For the host country, it was a tear between agony and jubilance.

South Africa went into today's match needing a win along with a lot of help. They preferred a Uruguay victory, but either way, a series of complicated circumstances required them to make up a large goal differential in addition to beating France. Before the midway point of the first half, though, things suddenly looked possible. South Africa took a 2-0 lead and was pressuring all game long, making it seem as though something special actually could happen. But France added a goal in the second half, and the lead never grew any larger. The South Africans collected a world cup win on their home soil, but they were eliminated at the same time as the cards fell the wrong way down the road. Uruguay defeated Mexico simultaneously, 1-0, and ended the South Africans' hopes. From Group A Uruguay and Mexico both move on to the knockout round, while France and South Africa end on very different notes, both still leaving the tournament.

In the later games, Argentina did battle against Greece while Nigeria simultaneously kicked off with Korea Republic. In the first-mentioned match, Lionel Messi was still in search of his first goal of the world cup. Messi has played great soccer, but he hasn't put the ball in the net yet -- and he didn't today, either. Nonetheless, his play created some goals for his teammates, and Argentina stormed through to the next round (to no one's surprise). They defeated Greece, 2-0. Meanwhile, Korea Republic earned a 2-2 tie with Nigeria and brought their record to 1-1-1. This gave them 4 points, edging Greece by 1 point and claiming the 2nd spot in Group B. From Group B, Argentina and Korea advance, while Greece and Nigeria say goodbye.


Tomorrow, the big day arrives at last for the United States. They play their huge match against Algeria tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM EDT, and England and Slovenia will kick off at the same time. The US can advance with a win. With a draw, they will need some help. A loss will eliminate them from the tournament. Either way, by about noontime tomorrow, we will all know who moves on from Group C. We can only hope our Americans are one of the two teams marching forward.


US forward Jose Altidore missed practice today with illness. Altidore was the USA's leading goalscorer during world cup qualifying. Despite the missed time, though, experts believe Altidore will be starting tomorrow for the Americans.

Bruins Acquire Horton In Multi-Piece Deal

We've been blogging about it recently, and Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has finally pulled the trigger on a deal that was rumored to be in the works. Within the last hour, the B's sent defenseman Dennis Wideman in a package with their 15th overall selection in the draft to the Florida Panthers. In exchange, Boston acquired forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell.

Horton is a strong forward and a former top prospect. In 2003, Florida drafted Horton 3rd overall. Most Panthers fans believe that he was never able to live up to his potential and use his size and strength properly to his advantage. However, he did notch 142 goals and 153 assists in his 422 games as a Panther, including one season (2006-07) with 31 goals and 20+ goals in each of the past 5 seasons. Horton Scored 20 goals and added 37 assists for 57 points in just 65 games for Florida last season.

Campbell seems like, more-or-less, a piece to make the trade work salary-wise. He's only gathered 85 points in 363 career games, and he has never had a plus-minus greater than zero in six NHL seasons. Dennis Wideman, meanwhile, experienced a drop-off this season, watching his 50-point total from two years ago drop to just 30 points this past season.

If you're a Bruins fan, having seen how poorly Wideman played last year, you have to be pretty happy about the concrete pieces swapping sides in this deal. Horton is a good player who still has the potential to be a big, physical factor in the offense. The downside is giving up that #15 pick, but don't forget that Boston still has two picks in the second round that they can maneuver as they wish.

Overall, I'll give this trade a good rating. I'm excited about what Nathan Horton can do in a B's uniform.

Artist Cashes In On Painting Made Of 200,000 Dead Ants

AOL News  -  When employees of Ripley's Believe It or Not! want to win an in-house contest, they turn to AOLNews.com. Just ask Ed Meyer, Ripley's vice president of exhibits and archives.


"We are currently having a contest among employees to find interesting artifacts for our collection," Meyer said. "One of our employees from Atlantic City, one who spends an awful lot of time on sites like [AOLNews.com], informed us of the painting."


The painting he's speaking of is "Self-Portrait With Gun" and was made by San Francisco-based artist Chris Trueman from 200,000 dead ants.


The picture, which depicts an event in Trueman's life, features his younger brother dressed up like a cowboy holding his dad's 22-caliber rifle. Making the painting was traumatic because he had to kill all the ants.


However, the ants didn't die in vain, thanks to a story that appeared on AOLNews.com on May 25. As a result, Trueman has made a different kind of killing -- the financial kind.


I'm always talking about creative people and how we need them in the world. Well this is just a whole new dimension of creative. Borderline absurd creativity. Like, this is pretty sadistic. How do you obliterate 200,000 ants (although apparently they didn't die in vain) and then arrange them into a painting of yourself or your brother or whoever this is holding a gun? I do not understand the motives of some people, and Chris Trueman is one of those people. Great accomplishment, don't get me wrong. People need to think of things that no one else will think of. He shouldn't have to worry about anyone stealing his idea, at least.

The Age-Long Debate: Is Cheerleading a Sport?

(Credit to Yahoo on the video) Well, I never actually thought we would see the day that a federal trial comes up to decide this. I figured it was confined to talk in the hallways of a high school or on the campus of a college. Now, I'm not saying that this school should or shouldn't have banned volleyball and that they should or shouldn't have allowed cheerleading. But I think we can all agree that volleyball is no less of a sport than cheerleading is. I don't know the definition of "sports" or anything like that, but I have a bad feeling about this one for the cheerleaders' side. Volleyball has a ball that you play with, two sides that compete, a point system when you score, and a winner at the end of the game. Those seem to be several of the main qualities that makes something a sport. Most of those are absent in cheerleading.
I don't have a certain side in this debate and I don't have any problem with cheerleaders. Coming back from a commercial, every NFL game uses some video footage of the cheerleaders to their advantage. The fans in the front row are grateful for them. Halftime and timeouts at NBA games are times to shine for them. And by all means, cheerleading should continue to thrive for the betterment of everyone. But is it actually a sport? Or is it an activity? That is the question for debate.
Vote 1 for cheerleading is a sport just like football or basketball is a sport. Vote 5 for cheerleading cannot be classified as a sport because it lacks the major components needed.

Thanks to Ed on the find.

Sox Start Set With Rockies, Half Game Back

Two months ago, the Sox were stumbling and tumbling on their way to becoming the laughing stock of the American League East division. Today, here they are -- set to begin an interleague set with the Colorado Rockies and sitting just a half-game back of the New York Yankees for the AL East lead.

Thanks to the resurgence of Adrian Beltre, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and more -- all at the same time -- the Sox offense has come to life. They have become a run-scoring machine, and they lead the league in runs scored by a hearty 10 runs over the next best (NYY). Patchwork in the daily lineup thanks to the likes of Daniel Nava, Felix Doubront, Darnell McDonald, and others has been the key to success in helping Boston get back to the top. Having done all of this without Jacoby Ellsbury and Josh Beckett, there are very good reasons for optimism with this ball club.

As they head into their series with the Colorado Rockies, there are plenty of storylines to watch out for. In what makes for an exciting series, Jon Lester looks to continue his dominance in the opener tonight. Lester is 8-2 with a 3.13 ERA, posting all-star caliber numbers (much like his current co-ace, Clay Buchholz). In game two, Red Sox fans will get to be witnesses to a special streak. Ubaldo Jimenez will take the hill against Boston, riding his 13-1 start to the season out to the mound. Jimenez has been nearly untouchable, posting that phenomenal record along with a 1.15 ERA thus far. The lowest ERA by a starting pitcher for a season is 1.12.

Finally, in game three, we will see Daisuke Matsuzaka make his return from the disabled list to start against Colorado. Dice-K had been showing promising signs prior to his DL stint, and we can only hope that he continues to pitch the way we have seen he is capable of. After all, in his last fully healthy season with the Sox, Dice-K posted an 18-3 record with a 2.90 ERA.

With the Yankees playing average baseball lately and getting poor production out of a few select guys they rely on (AJ Burnett is 0-4 with a 10.35 ERA in his last 4 starts), and the Rays having struggles in the past couple of weeks, the Red Sox could very well find themselves atop the division very soon. That is, if they continue to play the brand of baseball we've seen them play in the last couple of weeks.

Toews Earns Cover Boy Honors

For the second consecutive year, Chicago Blackhawks fans get to buy NHL 11 by EA Sports with one of their own players manning the cover image. After Patrick Kane covered NHL 10, Jonathan Toews has been named the cover boy for NHL 11, which will be released on September 14.
Toews earned this accolade through his phenomenal play all season that he capped off with his first Stanley Cup, captaining his Blackhawks to victory. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the NHL's best player throughout the playoffs.
I was going to buy NHL 11 no matter who was on the cover. But a part of me is still just praying that we'll see a black and gold cover with a kid named Hall or Seguin in a couple years, maybe NHL 13 or 14. Wouldn't that be nice for the fans of Boston? We can only hope.

Thanks to Fitch on the find.

Report: Bruins Shopping Timmy the Tank

The reports have been flying around all day today. The Bruins have reportedly made Tim Thomas their #1 trading chip for the days leading up to the draft. And as much as I hate to see Timmy the Tank part ways with Beantown, it really is a must that Thomas be wearing a different sweater next season.

There are a few reasons for this. The first and most obvious reason from the team's standpoint is his salary cap hit. Thomas still has 3 years remaining on his contract making $5 million toward the cap in each season. His contract cannot be bought out -- Boston is absolutely stuck with that cap hit. There is one way, and one way only, that they can free up that salary space. What is that way? A trade that Tim Thomas approves of -- he has a no-trade clause, as well. If Boston could find a way to do that, it would open some room on the cap to re-sign the guys they need to, such as Johnny Boychuk. Money is tight right now on the squad, with several players earning raises over the past few seasons. Most would agree that $5 million per season is much too high a salary to be paying your backup goaltender.

And that is a fact, as well. Timmy is now the backup goaltender. Tuukka Rask has taken the reigns between the pipes for the black and gold. His resurgence last season, coupled with his incredible poise and maturity come playoff time, has assured the crowds that he is the real deal. So, given that Thomas is a backup goaltender now for Boston, that leads into the next reason why he must be traded -- for his own sake.

Thomas is a 36-year-old goaltender who has proven he can still flash the pads. Let's be honest here -- he's still an above average goaltender in the NHL. Just because he took a back seat to Tuukka Rask (remember that Rask led the NHL in saves percentage and goals against average) doesn't mean he can't still man the cage. There are a hell of a lot of teams who could use an upgrade at the #1 goalie spot, and Thomas is a competitor. The guy contributed his heart and soul to the Bruins' organization for the past four years. The least we can do is give him the opportunity to keep a starting job in his final years. The way things worked out, it can't happen here. But I sure hope they let it happen somewhere.

There are, however, a few problems with the whole thing. Many experts speculate that Boston has no chance of getting rid of Thomas's $5 million salary without getting a similar contract in return. That would, more-or-less, defeat the purpose of dumping Tank. Teams know this concept. Teams are aware that the Bruins want to dump Thomas's salary -- that they need to dump his salary. So they're going to be picky, and they're going to extract everything they can out of the Bruins. Boston just needs to make sure it knows what the right deal is and pull the trigger on that transaction.

Timmy the Tank has been a great Bruin. He shows pride and determination every time he takes the ice. He's always giving 110% and he has won a ton of games for the Bruins in the past few years. I think every Bruins fan should make sure they recognize the contributions he has made in his time here. He helped transform this franchise into what it has become -- a team with a bright future that is back on the map.

If you do get traded, Timmy... just know that we love you and we'll miss you.

World Cup Daily Recap

Today was another exciting day of the World Cup. We had Portugal against Korea, Chile against Switzerland, and Spain against Honduras. The boring part of today's score lines was that all three games were shutouts. But before you think that means another set of low-scoring, unexciting affairs, let me warn you that the winning teams combined for 10 goals today.

So where did those 10 come from? A massive scoring outburst from Christiano Ronaldo and the Portugal squad that took down Korea, 7-0. Yes, 7-0 -- no typo. It was a masterfully dominating performance and it brought the People's Republic of Korea down from its high hopes. In Korea's opener, they lost a 2-1 decision to Brazil that left some believing they may be able to hang around with the big boys. Portugal assured us otherwise today.

The other two scoring affairs were pretty calm matches. In the morning game here in the States, Chile took down Switzerland, 1-0. In the afternoon game and what was the final of the three games today, Spain knocked off Honduras, 2-0. Spain, after a huge upset loss in their first match, needed to come up big with a win to avoid an ever-so-unlikely early exit before the knockout stage. Luckily for the Spaniards, it seems that their futból boys have gotten their act together.

We're now just two days away from the United States' big match against Algeria. Can the US earn a win and squeeze through to the knockout round? If the cards fall right, the Americans could end up winning Group C. It all rides on Wednesday's games, and the US will be doing everything in their power to earn the win in theirs.