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According the U.S. News and World Report, Coronado Island, just 5.2 miles from San Diego, is one of the most expensive places to reside in the United States.
Just got back from a superb trip to San Diego where I was able to take this great picture of San Diego from Coronado Island...
According the U.S. News and World Report, Coronado Island, just 5.2 miles from San Diego, is one of the most expensive places to reside in the United States.
According the U.S. News and World Report, Coronado Island, just 5.2 miles from San Diego, is one of the most expensive places to reside in the United States.
5.8 Earthquake Shakes California-Mexico Border - I was on the fifth floor when the building started swaying. Surreal stuff!!
I was chilling in Tijuana getting ready to pick up my passport in an hour or two from the US Embassy here.
I met with them yesterday to get my new 2012 H1-B visa stamp and my application was approved. I'm now just keeping my fingers crossed that they have processed everything in time so I can head back to San Diego tonight!
Reuters) - A moderate strength earthquake rattled both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border on Wednesday, breaking windows and scaring residents but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The 5.8-magnitude quake, which struck near the Mexican border city of Mexicali, was felt widely in the San Diego and Tijuana areas.
Buildings were evacuated on both sides of the border and several small aftershocks were felt after the initial temblor.
Mexicali, east of the city of Tijuana, is home to a number of factories that assemble goods for export to the United States.
I was chilling in Tijuana getting ready to pick up my passport in an hour or two from the US Embassy here.
I met with them yesterday to get my new 2012 H1-B visa stamp and my application was approved. I'm now just keeping my fingers crossed that they have processed everything in time so I can head back to San Diego tonight!
Reuters) - A moderate strength earthquake rattled both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border on Wednesday, breaking windows and scaring residents but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
The 5.8-magnitude quake, which struck near the Mexican border city of Mexicali, was felt widely in the San Diego and Tijuana areas.
Buildings were evacuated on both sides of the border and several small aftershocks were felt after the initial temblor.
Mexicali, east of the city of Tijuana, is home to a number of factories that assemble goods for export to the United States.
I would highly recommend anyone considering getting their H1-B stamp in Tijuana to do so!
I received my first stamp in 2007 in London where it took hours and then I had to wait 5-7 days to get my passport back in the mail. I needed to get a new stamp because I changed employers back in June.
I looked at other embassys closer to Florida. Canada was my first choice but it was impossible to get an appointment through their NVARS booking system. After several days of constant attempts to book appointments at Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and even Calgary I gave up. I even tried XVARS and they couldnt book one for the dates I wanted...
I looked at The Bahamas next but the staff there emailed me to tell me they didn't do H1-B transfers or change of status, only renewals.
As a last resort I looked at Tijuana and had no problems booking an appointment for December 29th at all!
I flew into San Diego the night of December 28th and stayed at Hostel International at 5th & Market in Gaslamp. Taxi to the hostel was $15. The hostel cost $22/night had free wi-fi and a free pancake breakfast. I woke up at 6am the next morning, took the blue line trolley to the border with my laptop and a small backpack and walked in to Mexico.
In Mexico I picked up a taxi for $7 to the Marriott. I Paid $100 for the night's stay at the Marriott and then walked two blocks to the nearest Banamex to pay the VISA registration fee. The fee was 1900 pesos. From there I had trouble flagging down a taxi though so by the time I got to the US Consulate I was 20 minutes late.
I would recommend getting a taxi from the hotel and asking the driver to wait.
The security at the Consulate waved me to the front of the line and checked my documents. I realised I hadn't brought the confirmation of the DS-160 form. It was no problem though - they sent me next door where I paid $20 for them to refill out the form and print it out - it only took them 15 minutes.
I walked back to the front of the line showed my documents and was assigned a number and then took a seat. There are two waiting areas - one outside, one inside. You wait outside until you are called to the inside waiting area. Then you wait until your number is called. The whole process took 2 hours - with only about 10 minutes of interaction so bring a good book! I felt it was much smoother than the experience I had in London.
When your number is called for the first interview it's to double check documents, finger prints, photograph and a brief conversation about the employment position. Then you head back outside to wait until you are called back to the waiting area inside again. Then you wait until your number is called again and you are asked more formal questions about job responsibilities etc - nothing too difficult.
After that you are told to come back tomorrow after 3pm and you are good to go!
In a great mood, I went sightseeing for the day to the Cultural Center, shopping malls, Museum of Las Californias, Avenida Revolucion etc, then I had celebratory dinner at a local restaurant recommended to me by the Marriott staff.
The Marriott had an amazing breakfast and the next day I went back about 3:30pm and was surprised that no-one else was waiting at all so I just walked up, showed my id, got my passport back got back in to the waiting taxi and drove to the border. At the border showed my passport and was all set.
Obviously it's a great feeling being back in the states and better still to be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend in San Diego. I would definitely get future stampings done in TJ.
Trip costs:
Flight: $300
Airport Taxi: $15 each way
Hostel (2 nights) $46
Marriott: $100
Visa fee: $190
DS-160 fee: $20
Taxis in TJ: $30-40
$726 (Plus food, drinks, souvenirs etc)
When you compare that cost to the flight from Florida to the UK alone - you can see what great value it is!
I received my first stamp in 2007 in London where it took hours and then I had to wait 5-7 days to get my passport back in the mail. I needed to get a new stamp because I changed employers back in June.
I looked at other embassys closer to Florida. Canada was my first choice but it was impossible to get an appointment through their NVARS booking system. After several days of constant attempts to book appointments at Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and even Calgary I gave up. I even tried XVARS and they couldnt book one for the dates I wanted...
I looked at The Bahamas next but the staff there emailed me to tell me they didn't do H1-B transfers or change of status, only renewals.
As a last resort I looked at Tijuana and had no problems booking an appointment for December 29th at all!
I flew into San Diego the night of December 28th and stayed at Hostel International at 5th & Market in Gaslamp. Taxi to the hostel was $15. The hostel cost $22/night had free wi-fi and a free pancake breakfast. I woke up at 6am the next morning, took the blue line trolley to the border with my laptop and a small backpack and walked in to Mexico.
In Mexico I picked up a taxi for $7 to the Marriott. I Paid $100 for the night's stay at the Marriott and then walked two blocks to the nearest Banamex to pay the VISA registration fee. The fee was 1900 pesos. From there I had trouble flagging down a taxi though so by the time I got to the US Consulate I was 20 minutes late.
I would recommend getting a taxi from the hotel and asking the driver to wait.
The security at the Consulate waved me to the front of the line and checked my documents. I realised I hadn't brought the confirmation of the DS-160 form. It was no problem though - they sent me next door where I paid $20 for them to refill out the form and print it out - it only took them 15 minutes.
I walked back to the front of the line showed my documents and was assigned a number and then took a seat. There are two waiting areas - one outside, one inside. You wait outside until you are called to the inside waiting area. Then you wait until your number is called. The whole process took 2 hours - with only about 10 minutes of interaction so bring a good book! I felt it was much smoother than the experience I had in London.
When your number is called for the first interview it's to double check documents, finger prints, photograph and a brief conversation about the employment position. Then you head back outside to wait until you are called back to the waiting area inside again. Then you wait until your number is called again and you are asked more formal questions about job responsibilities etc - nothing too difficult.
After that you are told to come back tomorrow after 3pm and you are good to go!
In a great mood, I went sightseeing for the day to the Cultural Center, shopping malls, Museum of Las Californias, Avenida Revolucion etc, then I had celebratory dinner at a local restaurant recommended to me by the Marriott staff.
The Marriott had an amazing breakfast and the next day I went back about 3:30pm and was surprised that no-one else was waiting at all so I just walked up, showed my id, got my passport back got back in to the waiting taxi and drove to the border. At the border showed my passport and was all set.
Obviously it's a great feeling being back in the states and better still to be able to enjoy the rest of the weekend in San Diego. I would definitely get future stampings done in TJ.
Trip costs:
Flight: $300
Airport Taxi: $15 each way
Hostel (2 nights) $46
Marriott: $100
Visa fee: $190
DS-160 fee: $20
Taxis in TJ: $30-40
$726 (Plus food, drinks, souvenirs etc)
When you compare that cost to the flight from Florida to the UK alone - you can see what great value it is!
I just got my new H1-B Visa Stamp APPROVED at the U.S Embassy in Mexico. Now all I have to do is survive the night in Tijuana before collecting my passport tomorrow. Problem is my Spanish is dreadful... Does have any suggestions of any useful phrases I can use to get by..?
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
And a Happy New Year :)
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
And a Happy New Year :)
Switching up the regular Tuesday night 5k for some 5-A-Side football you think I'd be in good shape to put out my best performance, right?
Wrong.
Tonight's match at Cinco Soccer had me twisting, turning, sprinting and completely out of breath in five minutes.
The pace was fast and frenetic and I loved it!
Located off East Henry Ave here in Tampa, the setup is simple: two regulation five-a-side fields equipped with Forbex artificial turf with a mini-kids field and also a soccer-tennis/ fut-volley court.
The quality of play is some of the best I've competed against out here so far, and despite bagging two goals (one of which was a beautiful left foot volley) we succumbed to a tough defeat.
Perhaps best of all though Cinco Soccer also has a soccer themed pub with big-screen TV to watch a game before or after you play.
Players will know there aren't many beers that taste as good as that first one when you walk of the field!
Definitely worth checking out for more information if you're into your football: www.cincosoccer.com
Wrong.
Tonight's match at Cinco Soccer had me twisting, turning, sprinting and completely out of breath in five minutes.
The pace was fast and frenetic and I loved it!
Located off East Henry Ave here in Tampa, the setup is simple: two regulation five-a-side fields equipped with Forbex artificial turf with a mini-kids field and also a soccer-tennis/ fut-volley court. The quality of play is some of the best I've competed against out here so far, and despite bagging two goals (one of which was a beautiful left foot volley) we succumbed to a tough defeat.
Perhaps best of all though Cinco Soccer also has a soccer themed pub with big-screen TV to watch a game before or after you play.
Players will know there aren't many beers that taste as good as that first one when you walk of the field!
Definitely worth checking out for more information if you're into your football: www.cincosoccer.com
The inquest in to my brother John's death took place today.
I'm quite detached from everything here and I haven't received a full copy of the coroners report yet so unfortunately can't really comment on it.
My heart just goes out to poor John who suffered so much, more than I ever could have known, and probably most of all my Dad.
My Dad tried so, so hard to nurse John back to health. It's heartbreaking what he's been through.
My Dad lost his father when he was just a schoolboy, his wife and now his eldest son - I just hope I can do enough to support him through this because he's such a great man.
I'm quite detached from everything here and I haven't received a full copy of the coroners report yet so unfortunately can't really comment on it.
My heart just goes out to poor John who suffered so much, more than I ever could have known, and probably most of all my Dad.
My Dad tried so, so hard to nurse John back to health. It's heartbreaking what he's been through.
My Dad lost his father when he was just a schoolboy, his wife and now his eldest son - I just hope I can do enough to support him through this because he's such a great man.
What better way to spend the day than on Caladesi Island... #1 On Dr. Beach's List Of America's Best Beaches.
More to follow...
More to follow...
Ho Ho Ho! The holiday season is upon us and we all know what that means…SANTA PUB CRAWL! For those of you who have never heard of Santa Pub Crawl and for those of you who might have memory loss from the last few years here is what its all about:
You must wear something with a Santa Claus theme. This could be a themed Santa (Darth Vader Santa, Sexy Santa, Beach Bum Santa, etc.), a reindeer, a present, and elf, etc, etc, etc. Be creative! Equipped in our Santa suits we will be pub crawling through the streets of Hyde Park singing X-Mas carols (not your moms carols I will warn you), and spreading holiday cheer!
The route was as follows:
1.) MacDinton's
2.) Lodge
3.) The Lime
4.) Tiny Tap
5.) Hyde Park Circle X-mas tree
6.) Timpanos
7.) The Rack
8.) Tavern
9.) MacDinton's
[Footage Missing]
Please send this invite for 2010 to others. The More the Merrier!
(Please note we also added Cork and The Dubliner at some point which is why footage is probably missing from MacD's)
Full slideshow of pictures from the pub-crawl route are here:
A.J. Blackstone (University of Tampa ) (creator)
Santa-HO!
You must wear something with a Santa Claus theme. This could be a themed Santa (Darth Vader Santa, Sexy Santa, Beach Bum Santa, etc.), a reindeer, a present, and elf, etc, etc, etc. Be creative! Equipped in our Santa suits we will be pub crawling through the streets of Hyde Park singing X-Mas carols (not your moms carols I will warn you), and spreading holiday cheer!
The route was as follows:
1.) MacDinton's
2.) Lodge
3.) The Lime
4.) Tiny Tap
5.) Hyde Park Circle X-mas tree
6.) Timpanos
7.) The Rack
8.) Tavern
9.) MacDinton's
[Footage Missing]
Please send this invite for 2010 to others. The More the Merrier!
(Please note we also added Cork and The Dubliner at some point which is why footage is probably missing from MacD's)
Full slideshow of pictures from the pub-crawl route are here:
A.J. Blackstone (University of Tampa ) (creator)
Santa-HO!
Checking out a different part of South Tampa, my new roommate Caio and I decided to check out some of the local drinking establishments.
What we discovered:
Wooden Door has cheap domestic beers on Happy Hour @ $2.25 a piece.
CDB's Southside has $5 Martini's every night and they're great! The food downstairs is fabulous, and upstairs has a good crowd on Friday nights complimented by talent on the acoustic guitars.
Red Dog is a dirty dive bar and has more trucks parked outside than other any bar I've seen so far in Tampa! Still made for a good time!
Elmers is not a good place for pool, drinks or shots - we got screwed with all three.
The pool tables aren't balanced and we got overcharged on our tab. Our "dollar shots" added 7 bucks to our tab.
Although admittedly I was getting drunk at this stage so my math may have been off.
Cheap is fantastic (if you know someone!) If you don't then it's just expensive.
MacDintons is still MacDintons. A South Tampa staple.
Throughout the night we kept catching action of the Plant City vs Manatee high-school football final on television that definitely added to the atmosphere in each bar.
But, after MacDintons, the rest of the night is a blur...
That wouldn't necessarily put me off attempting this challenge again though!
What we discovered:
Wooden Door has cheap domestic beers on Happy Hour @ $2.25 a piece.
CDB's Southside has $5 Martini's every night and they're great! The food downstairs is fabulous, and upstairs has a good crowd on Friday nights complimented by talent on the acoustic guitars.
Red Dog is a dirty dive bar and has more trucks parked outside than other any bar I've seen so far in Tampa! Still made for a good time!
Elmers is not a good place for pool, drinks or shots - we got screwed with all three.
The pool tables aren't balanced and we got overcharged on our tab. Our "dollar shots" added 7 bucks to our tab.
Although admittedly I was getting drunk at this stage so my math may have been off.
Cheap is fantastic (if you know someone!) If you don't then it's just expensive.
MacDintons is still MacDintons. A South Tampa staple.
Throughout the night we kept catching action of the Plant City vs Manatee high-school football final on television that definitely added to the atmosphere in each bar.
But, after MacDintons, the rest of the night is a blur...
That wouldn't necessarily put me off attempting this challenge again though!
Each year since 1993, the Clearwater Community Volunteers put on Winter Wonderland, which is a two to three-week long charity drive in downtown Clearwater whose proceeds benefit the children of Pinellas County.
People from all over the world have visited Winter Wonderland, gazing in awe at the thousands of lights that adorn the real pine trees and enjoying the wonderful entertainment that is on the stage all the time that Winter Wonderland is open.
Winter Wonderland is a complete Christmas village with an entertainment stage, photos with Santa, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, a hot chocolate shop, a petting zoo, pony rides, playground and a Bouncy House.
Entrance to Winter Wonderland is free but they ask visitors to bring a non-perishable food item and/or an unwrapped toy to donate to local area charities, such as the Homeless Emergency Project sponsored by Everybody's Tabernacle.
What we found quite amusing about the event was that the whole thing was sponsored by the Church of Scientology - an organization not exactly renowned for believing in Christ.
We didn't really know what to make of this and both being extremely hungry didn't really care to delve in to it, opting instead to head on out and make dinner reservations...
People from all over the world have visited Winter Wonderland, gazing in awe at the thousands of lights that adorn the real pine trees and enjoying the wonderful entertainment that is on the stage all the time that Winter Wonderland is open.
Winter Wonderland is a complete Christmas village with an entertainment stage, photos with Santa, cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus, a hot chocolate shop, a petting zoo, pony rides, playground and a Bouncy House.
Entrance to Winter Wonderland is free but they ask visitors to bring a non-perishable food item and/or an unwrapped toy to donate to local area charities, such as the Homeless Emergency Project sponsored by Everybody's Tabernacle.
What we found quite amusing about the event was that the whole thing was sponsored by the Church of Scientology - an organization not exactly renowned for believing in Christ.
We didn't really know what to make of this and both being extremely hungry didn't really care to delve in to it, opting instead to head on out and make dinner reservations...
Get your costumes ready for Tampa’s Largest Pub Crawl!
Over 850 attended last year in wild holiday themed costumes raising thousands of dollars and hundreds of toys for charity!
Cancel your company “Holiday” party, get your tinsel, wigs, north poles and costumes ready for the biggest and best pub crawl ever! Make sure to wear your dancing shoes!
Pictures to follow!
When: Friday Dec. 11th 2009
Starts: 6:30 PM
Where: The Honey Pot 1507 E. 7th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605 - YBOR City
Moves: 7:30 PM
Cost: $10 at the door in costume with a new unwrapped toy.
$30 no costume with a toy.
Dress: Holiday themed costumes required (visit www.santapubcrawl.com for ideas)
This event benefits: Meals on Wheels of Tampa Bay & The Central City YMCA
Do NOT miss this event! This year will be bigger than ever and always features tons of great costumes and people.
> Drink specials at each stop (The route is a secret!)
> Awesome locations in YBOR - We take over each location early before the regular YBOR crowd.
> LIVE Costume Contest with awesome prizes! (last year’s prizes included 2 free round trip airline tickets anywhere in the US, Foursome golf package, gift certificates from local restaurants and other fun prizes for individual and group costume categories.
Check out www.santapubcrawl.com for more info, pics of past events and updates.
Over 850 attended last year in wild holiday themed costumes raising thousands of dollars and hundreds of toys for charity!
Cancel your company “Holiday” party, get your tinsel, wigs, north poles and costumes ready for the biggest and best pub crawl ever! Make sure to wear your dancing shoes!
Pictures to follow!
When: Friday Dec. 11th 2009
Starts: 6:30 PM
Where: The Honey Pot 1507 E. 7th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605 - YBOR City
Moves: 7:30 PM
Cost: $10 at the door in costume with a new unwrapped toy.
$30 no costume with a toy.
Dress: Holiday themed costumes required (visit www.santapubcrawl.com for ideas)
This event benefits: Meals on Wheels of Tampa Bay & The Central City YMCA
Do NOT miss this event! This year will be bigger than ever and always features tons of great costumes and people.
> Drink specials at each stop (The route is a secret!)
> Awesome locations in YBOR - We take over each location early before the regular YBOR crowd.
> LIVE Costume Contest with awesome prizes! (last year’s prizes included 2 free round trip airline tickets anywhere in the US, Foursome golf package, gift certificates from local restaurants and other fun prizes for individual and group costume categories.
Check out www.santapubcrawl.com for more info, pics of past events and updates.
SEC-Big East Challenge: Syracuse Orange beat Florida Gators in battle of unbeaten basketball teams
On
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Syracuse continued their impressive start to the season last night with a solid win over No. 10 Florida, beating the Gators 85-73 - the smallest margin of victory for the Orange so far.
Not bad for a team that wasn't even ranked to start the season.
The guy sat next to me was taking notes throughout the game and it turned out he was a scout for the Orlando Magic!
He had great insight into the game and said theres 2 or 3 players from each team hes watching...
Who those players were though was unclear.
This week's triumph was led by the unlikely hero Rick Jackson, who scored a career-high 21 points, including a monster jam off the lob from freshman Brandon Triche at the buzzer to close out the first half.
Coach Jim Boeheim's famous zone defense seems to have been perfected by this year's crew, and opponents have yet to figure out how to successfully penetrate to the hoop.
"Florida's a really difficult team for us to play against," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. "We made plays when we had to to win the game."
If Syracuse keeps up this smart, unselfish play they could be serious contenders in this year's tournament, giving the always-vocal Orange faithful something to really cheer about.
Not bad for a team that wasn't even ranked to start the season.
The guy sat next to me was taking notes throughout the game and it turned out he was a scout for the Orlando Magic!
He had great insight into the game and said theres 2 or 3 players from each team hes watching...
Who those players were though was unclear.
This week's triumph was led by the unlikely hero Rick Jackson, who scored a career-high 21 points, including a monster jam off the lob from freshman Brandon Triche at the buzzer to close out the first half.
Coach Jim Boeheim's famous zone defense seems to have been perfected by this year's crew, and opponents have yet to figure out how to successfully penetrate to the hoop.
"Florida's a really difficult team for us to play against," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. "We made plays when we had to to win the game."
If Syracuse keeps up this smart, unselfish play they could be serious contenders in this year's tournament, giving the always-vocal Orange faithful something to really cheer about.
This weekend was so good for sports spectators!! But not necessarily for fans in Florida...
There were highs and there were lows!
First off an injury hit Manchester United (Owned by Tampa Bay Bucs Owner Malcolm Glazer) ran riot in the second half to destroy West Ham 4-0 to go within 2 points of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership table.
Then Chelsea slipped up as Manchester City staged a stirring fightback to come from behind and beat the Premier League leaders in an enthralling encounter at rain-soaked Eastlands.
The title race is back on!
Speaking of title races, in NCAA College Football No.1 Undefeated Florida took on No.2 Undefeated Alabama in the S.E.C Championship for a place in the BCS National Championship.
Trailing 19-13 at the half, Florida took the third-quarter kickoff and came up a yard short on Tebow's third-and-7 pass to Riley Cooper. The Gators didn't know it at the time, but it was over.
At the end of third quarter, Alabama celebrated with its crimson-clad fans, while Tebow called all of his teammates around him at the 40-yard line, exhorting them to pull off another fourth-period comeback. That's what the Gators did a year ago, scoring two TDs in the final 15 minutes to overcome the Tide.
Not this time.
For more than a year, the Texas Longhorns agonized over falling 1 second short of getting into the Big 12 and national championship games.
This season, they're conference champions and headed to the BCS title game because a video replay showed they still had 1 second left.
Given a chance for one last play, Hunter Lawrence nailed a 46-yard field goal as time expired for good, giving a roughed-up Colt McCoy and the Longhorns a 13-12 victory over Nebraska in the Big 12 championship on Saturday night and they now go on to the BCS final against Alabama.
For two years, I wanted to see a Tebow vs Bevo matchup, but such is the way of sports.
We opted for a chilled Sunday in front of the TV and the NFL, and again there were ups and downs.
Josh Freeman kept guiding Tampa Bay inside the 20-yard line and Carolina kept taking the ball away, no matter how improbable it all seemed.
Five turnovers later, the Buccaneers' rookie quarterback was stunned and their miserable season took another ugly twist.
Jonathan Stewart rushed for 120 yards and the game's only touchdown, and the Panthers picked off Freeman five times on Sunday -- three times in or near the end zone -- in a 16-6 victory over the Buccaneers.
The Colts and Saints continue to be the most compelling stories in the league. Each team is 12-0, the first time the league has ever had two 12-0 teams. And each week, it seems as if one of them defies the odds by winning a game they easily could have lost.
It was the Saints' turn for a mini-miracle on Sunday. The Colts never trailed in winning an efficient, ho-hum 27-17 over the Tennessee Titans (5-7), which had entered the game on a five-game win streak. The Titans outgained the Colts, but committed two turnovers and went 0-3 on fourth down, including on one series where they had first-and-goal from the Colts' 1. Indy has now won 21 straight regular season games, tying the record held by 2006-2008 Patriots.
devinthomas300
Redskins wideout Devin Thomas
New Orleans, meanwhile, trailed the Redskins in Washington all game and seemed destined to lose when Shaun Suisham lined up for a chip-shot 23-yard field goal with less than two minutes left and the Skins up by seven. Without timeouts, the Saints would have needed a miracle to come back down 10.
But Suisham inexplicably missed the easy kick and the Saints needed only 33 seconds to drive 80 yards for the tying score that sent the game into overtime. In OT, predictably, the Skins fumbled on their first possession and the Saints drove down to kick a field goal for a 33-30 win.
And finally, The Steelers and Patriots, two of the preseason favorites to win the AFC, have combined to lose seven of their last eight games. As the NFL's models of consistency and excellence over the past decade, it's strange to see the Patriots and Steelers struggling.
After New England’s defense was carved up by Drew Brees on Monday night, the Patriots lost their second in a row when Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter was good from 41 yards out and Channing Crowder picked off Tom Brady. Bad for New England, good for Miami.
Such a great weekend for sports, although that depends which side of Florida you are on...
There were highs and there were lows!
First off an injury hit Manchester United (Owned by Tampa Bay Bucs Owner Malcolm Glazer) ran riot in the second half to destroy West Ham 4-0 to go within 2 points of Chelsea at the top of the Premiership table.
Then Chelsea slipped up as Manchester City staged a stirring fightback to come from behind and beat the Premier League leaders in an enthralling encounter at rain-soaked Eastlands.
The title race is back on!
Speaking of title races, in NCAA College Football No.1 Undefeated Florida took on No.2 Undefeated Alabama in the S.E.C Championship for a place in the BCS National Championship.
Trailing 19-13 at the half, Florida took the third-quarter kickoff and came up a yard short on Tebow's third-and-7 pass to Riley Cooper. The Gators didn't know it at the time, but it was over.
At the end of third quarter, Alabama celebrated with its crimson-clad fans, while Tebow called all of his teammates around him at the 40-yard line, exhorting them to pull off another fourth-period comeback. That's what the Gators did a year ago, scoring two TDs in the final 15 minutes to overcome the Tide.
Not this time.
For more than a year, the Texas Longhorns agonized over falling 1 second short of getting into the Big 12 and national championship games.
This season, they're conference champions and headed to the BCS title game because a video replay showed they still had 1 second left.
Given a chance for one last play, Hunter Lawrence nailed a 46-yard field goal as time expired for good, giving a roughed-up Colt McCoy and the Longhorns a 13-12 victory over Nebraska in the Big 12 championship on Saturday night and they now go on to the BCS final against Alabama.
For two years, I wanted to see a Tebow vs Bevo matchup, but such is the way of sports.
We opted for a chilled Sunday in front of the TV and the NFL, and again there were ups and downs.
Josh Freeman kept guiding Tampa Bay inside the 20-yard line and Carolina kept taking the ball away, no matter how improbable it all seemed.
Five turnovers later, the Buccaneers' rookie quarterback was stunned and their miserable season took another ugly twist.
Jonathan Stewart rushed for 120 yards and the game's only touchdown, and the Panthers picked off Freeman five times on Sunday -- three times in or near the end zone -- in a 16-6 victory over the Buccaneers.
The Colts and Saints continue to be the most compelling stories in the league. Each team is 12-0, the first time the league has ever had two 12-0 teams. And each week, it seems as if one of them defies the odds by winning a game they easily could have lost.
It was the Saints' turn for a mini-miracle on Sunday. The Colts never trailed in winning an efficient, ho-hum 27-17 over the Tennessee Titans (5-7), which had entered the game on a five-game win streak. The Titans outgained the Colts, but committed two turnovers and went 0-3 on fourth down, including on one series where they had first-and-goal from the Colts' 1. Indy has now won 21 straight regular season games, tying the record held by 2006-2008 Patriots.
devinthomas300
Redskins wideout Devin Thomas
New Orleans, meanwhile, trailed the Redskins in Washington all game and seemed destined to lose when Shaun Suisham lined up for a chip-shot 23-yard field goal with less than two minutes left and the Skins up by seven. Without timeouts, the Saints would have needed a miracle to come back down 10.
But Suisham inexplicably missed the easy kick and the Saints needed only 33 seconds to drive 80 yards for the tying score that sent the game into overtime. In OT, predictably, the Skins fumbled on their first possession and the Saints drove down to kick a field goal for a 33-30 win.
And finally, The Steelers and Patriots, two of the preseason favorites to win the AFC, have combined to lose seven of their last eight games. As the NFL's models of consistency and excellence over the past decade, it's strange to see the Patriots and Steelers struggling.
After New England’s defense was carved up by Drew Brees on Monday night, the Patriots lost their second in a row when Miami Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter was good from 41 yards out and Channing Crowder picked off Tom Brady. Bad for New England, good for Miami.
Such a great weekend for sports, although that depends which side of Florida you are on...
England's first game at the 2010 World Cup will be against United States - a re-run of the 1950 tie. We could play Germany or Australia in the last 16!!
Fabio Capello's men will play the United States in Rustenburg on 12 June, Algeria in Cape Town on 18 June and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on 23 June.
Five-time champions Brazil face Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in arguably the strongest group...
Holders Italy were drawn with Slovakia, Paraguay and New Zealand.
France, the 1998 winners and 2006 runners-up, will play hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay, who staged and triumphed at the first World Cup in 1930.
As the BBC writes, "Capello cast his eyes over a section of the draw he could have hand-picked himself."
European champions Spain are unlikely to fear Chile, Switzerland or Honduras and three-time winners Germany will take on Serbia, Ghana and Australia.
The Netherlands, ranked number three in the world, must navigate their way past Denmark, Cameroon and Japan.
Two-time champions Argentina are pooled with 2004 European champions Greece, Nigeria and South Korea.
England's seeding as one of the eight top teams in the competition meant they would always avoid Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany and Argentina and South Africa in the group stage.
England's only previous World Cup meeting with the USA - a 1-0 defeat in 1950 - ranks as one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's 80-year history, and they have never played Algeria or Slovenia on world football's biggest stage.
But England can lay claim to victories over the USA and Slovenia under Capello at Wembley.
Fabio Capello's men will play the United States in Rustenburg on 12 June, Algeria in Cape Town on 18 June and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on 23 June.
Five-time champions Brazil face Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in arguably the strongest group...
Holders Italy were drawn with Slovakia, Paraguay and New Zealand.
France, the 1998 winners and 2006 runners-up, will play hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay, who staged and triumphed at the first World Cup in 1930.
As the BBC writes, "Capello cast his eyes over a section of the draw he could have hand-picked himself."
European champions Spain are unlikely to fear Chile, Switzerland or Honduras and three-time winners Germany will take on Serbia, Ghana and Australia.
The Netherlands, ranked number three in the world, must navigate their way past Denmark, Cameroon and Japan.
Two-time champions Argentina are pooled with 2004 European champions Greece, Nigeria and South Korea.
England's seeding as one of the eight top teams in the competition meant they would always avoid Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany and Argentina and South Africa in the group stage.
England's only previous World Cup meeting with the USA - a 1-0 defeat in 1950 - ranks as one of the biggest shocks in the tournament's 80-year history, and they have never played Algeria or Slovenia on world football's biggest stage.
But England can lay claim to victories over the USA and Slovenia under Capello at Wembley.
Flashed! at The Rack by 813area.com
The Rack cites itself as "Tampa's Premier Sushi Bar & Billiards Lounge located in Hyde Park South Tampa Florida. Featuring high quality billiards tables, dart boards, sushi bar, 3 full liquor bars and private rooms"
Thanks Bref!
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