September 2019

76ers Even Series With Win In Boston

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76ers’ Jrue Holiday was big.It had been a while since Philadelphia won a playoff game, in Boston, but Monday night the 76ers were undaunted by that gory past — and the Celtics considerable home-court advantage.Doug Collins’ band of young, talented players held it together in the fourth quarter — unlike in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series — and earned an 82-81 victory to even the series at 1-1 and assume home-court advantage.Seocnd-year forward Evan Turner made the driving, go-ahead layup with 40.4 seconds left and Phlly  held off with six straight free throws down the stretch. Turner finished with 10 points, including his layup that put the Sixers up 76-75. He added two free throws with 12 seconds to go.Guard Jrue Holiday scored 18 points and Andre Iguodala added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Sixers, who blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter as the Celtics won Game 1.Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Ray Allen scored 17 points for the Celtics.Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.Philadelphia led 57-49 entering the fourth, but Boston tied it twice before going up 72-71 on Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer, setting off a series of shots from beyond the arc.Holiday answered with a 3 for the Sixers, then Ray Allen got the lead right back for the Celtics on a 3-pointer with 1:40 left. The Celtics had a chance to extend the lead after forcing the Sixers into a 24-second shot clock violation, but Rondo missed a shot and Iguodala got the rebound, leading to Turner’s layup to put the Sixers up 76-75 with 40.4 seconds to go. read more

Florida Youth Football Coaches Face Gambling Charges

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Nine youth football coaches or associates in South Florida are facing felony charges in connection with a system of rampant, elaborate and high-dollar gambling on little league football.The charges are the result of an almost 18-month investigation by the Broward Sheriff’s Office into gambling on youth football, an investigation called “Operation Dirty Play” prompted by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” show that exposed flagrant betting during games in the South Florida Youth Football League.Those arrested on felony bookmaking charges were: Brandon Bivins, Darren Brown, Vincent Gray, Brandon Lewis, Brad Parker, La Taurus Fort, Willie Tindal, Darron Bostic and Dave Small.Six of the nine facing charges — men who coached boys ages 5 to 15 — are ex-convicts with a history of felony drug, assault and theft charges. If found guilty of felony bookmaking, essentially organized gambling, each could be facing up to five years in prison.Though the games featured little boys, the gamblers made big bets, said Det. Solomon Barnes, whose confidential informant, along with other undercover deputies, placed bets on youth football during the police investigation. Barnes said $20,000 was bet in a rivalry game between the Northwest Broward Raiders and the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes a few weeks ago. And up to $100,000 would be bet on the youth leagues’ final championship games of the season, he said.“They take all innocence away from the game when they involve themselves in these criminal acts,” the detective said. “And it’s just mind-blowing what we discovered in this investigation.”The initial “Outside the Lines” story in May 2011 showed people exchanging money in the stands and along the sidelines in plain view of fans, children and even law enforcement. One coach swapped cash with other men at a playoff game. When “Outside the Lines” returned last December — after league officials said they would work to deter gambling — the flagrant betting seemed to be gone. But as detectives would later learn, the publicity only pushed the illegal wagering further underground.Not only was the gambling in full force, Barnes said, but the coaches were the ones promoting and organizing the bets and setting point spreads on the games. The gambling involved multiple youth football leagues.The detective said he and others witnessed two coaches taking bets on the sidelines of a game involving their own teams, another having collected a wad of cash that he waved in front of the players indicating how much was riding on them. Dozens of men crowded into a backroom gambling parlor where a special window serves those wanting to bet on youth games. read more

Lebron at 30 5 Ways to Look at How

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LeBron James, the consensus best player on the planet, turns 30 today. What better opportunity to compare/contrast his career to that of the player widely considered G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) at this point in his remarkable career. Some believe James can overtake Jordan by the time he is done. Tall order. Here’s a look at some their stats, facts and other stuff.A Legend is BornIn a sense, 30 years ago two legends were born—one literally, one figuratively. When Michael Jordan started his career as the No. 2 pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, LeBron James was. . . less than two months old. So, James did not see Jordan win Rookie of the Year or see him in his second season, after playing just 18 regular-season games because of a broken foot, go for 63 points against Larry Bird in an epic playoff performance at old Boston Garden and follow it up with 49 points in the next game. It was then that “Air Jordan” was born and the phenomenon of Michael Jordan erupted—just as James was learning how to walk. read more

The NCAA Isnt Going Broke No Matter How Much You Hear It

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The story was much the same about 30 years later, in 2006, when the NCAA convened a task force to study levels of spending. The conclusion, as expressed by task force chairman Peter Likins? “There seems to be an unsustainable trend in financing athletics.”We can find even more examples of the NCAA sustaining “unsustainable” spending. In July 1929, at the end of a boom decade, the Carnegie Foundation put out a detailed report documenting what it saw as many evils in the college sports scene of the day.2 The study found that: “Since 1906 [college sports’] intensity has not abated, intercollegiate rivalry has not grown appreciably kinder, and specialization has much increased; costs have mounted amazingly.”More than two decades earlier, in 1902, the New York Daily Tribune ran a study of the elite of college sports,3 what we now know as the Ivy League, and found that other than Harvard and Princeton, athletics were finding it “difficult to make ends meet.” The biggest culprit? The cost of providing food for athletes was overwhelming some schools. The only answer, at least for Yale, was to balance the yearly deficit for athletics by dipping into “undergraduate subscriptions” (i.e., student fees) among the student body as a whole.So the modern NCAA’s tale of woe — expenses outpacing revenues, students forced to pick up the tab for athletes receiving perks — is older than the NCAA itself, which was founded four years after the Daily Tribune exposé. For more than a century the crisis has persisted, ever looming, never arriving. So what’s going on here?As far back as Howard Bowen’s revenue theory of cost, economists have known that within the context of a nonprofit organization, if a department on campus gets a budget, it spends it. Revenues grow, budgets grow, spending grows. The NCAA itself commissioned a series of reports (in 2003, 2005 and 2009) by several economists, which basically said each new dollar of college sports expense goes hand in hand with a new dollar of revenue. And NCAA President Myles Brand even bragged about this dynamic in a 2006 speech:Universities attempt to maximize their revenues and redistribute those resources according to their educational mission. Universities are nonprofit corporations, and as such, they do not generate profits for private owners or shareholders. But they do have an obligation to generate significant amounts of revenue to pursue their mission.The definitive word goes to University of Michigan professor Rod Fort, author of a 2010 paper on the topic in the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport. Fort shows what all of these anecdotes and the economic theory predict, which is that college sports expenses have grown at the exact rate as revenues for as long as the data exists. Even writing in the midst of the Great Recession of 2007-09, Fort found that “little seems to threaten the sustainability of FBS athletic departments,” and he used (and showed) data (the NCAA’s own revenues and expenses reports) to support his claim.What Fort found was that from 1960 until 2006, “In real terms, the annual growth rate in the average report of both revenues and expenses is 4.9%, nearly twice the typical growth rate in the economy at large.”Graphically (and extended out to 2010, with thanks to Fort for his data), here’s the trend: Year after year expenses zoom ever upward, but so do revenues. Revenue and expenses are basically locked together like you’d expect of a department that spends its budget and a budget that’s set based on expected revenue.And indeed, almost on cue, despite all of the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over the unsustainability of college sports revenues, news arrived Tuesday that the Big Ten has negotiated a new deal that blows its old deal out of the water, estimated to be worth $40 million for each of the 14 schools in the innumerately named conference.So how has this perpetual crisis rhetoric survived so long in the face of year-over-year revenue growth? The best explanation comes from a working paper by two economics professors at Western Kentucky University, Brian Goff and Dennis Wilson, which explains how useful it is to look poor whenever someone comes looking for money:Keeping awareness of the rent flow4 low, permits either certain athletic or other university officials discretion over use of the flows. As a result, the most common practice over many decades has been to minimize or diminish apparent surpluses. In fact, the supposed losses have been a means for university presidents to pursue “cost containment.”In other words, we’re always in a crisis because the people in power have a vested interest in seeming poor. This means many of those who’ve been predicting a looming college sports apocalypse have something very much in common with your run-of-the-mill apocalypse cult: They have something to sell. It’s worked for a century, so why not keep selling it until people stop buying? Once or twice a year, as predictably as the launch of college football season or March Madness, we’re treated to the “everyone’s broke” meme in college sports. Sometimes it’s pegged to the football season. Sometimes we hear about it in the context of a new TV deal worth billions. And sometimes it’s tied to the release of new numbers, as was the case last week when USA Today released its trove of college sports accounting data as a resource for researchers everywhere. Along with the data they compiled, Erik Brady, Steve Berkowitz and Jodi Upton put out a companion piece addressing the familiar claim that college sports are reaching a crisis point where they will begin to crumble under their own cost. As economics professor Andrew Zimbalist says in the article, “It’s an unstable situation.”The USA Today article then pivots from its ominous opening, quoting industry participants such as school presidents and former TV executives who have their doubts about the situation — the theme being that claims of financial doom are nothing new for college athletics, and they’ve not come true yet. But in a story built around financial reports showing that 90 percent of the industry is losing money, the clear theme seems to be “this time it’s real.” It’s unsustainable!A sober reading of the history of these claims of unsustainable spending leads to a very different conclusion — specifically: NCAA expenses track with revenue and have done so for decades. But rather than hand-wringers learning from the past and ferreting out Occam’s ledger — the accounting isn’t telling the whole story — decade after decade we see similar fretting over schools losing money on college sports yet spending more and more, surely building to a “bubble” that has to burst. “This time it’s real” has been part of this sky-is-falling rhetoric for over a century.For example, in 1975, the NCAA was worried about costs. As many economists and historians before me have noted,1 this worry over costs coincided with a period of economic stagnation and inflation in which much of America was worried about costs. NCAA members gathered in what was called a “special” convention with the goal of taking collective action to control costs. The president of the NCAA opened the conference with a dire warning that likened the crisis to an urgently needed amputation:Due to the intense competitive nature of the intercollegiate athletics, it seems the only way to successfully curtail costs is at the national level. … The NCAA, to be an effective instrument, must adopt measures to curtail costs which may well guarantee the continuation of intercollegiate athletics. … We urge you to put aside, or at least put in second place, your special interests and put as primary the goal of curtailing costs so intercollegiate athletics may survive. It is probably better to cut off the hand than to die.The members made it clear that the crisis was dire and the solution was NOT to raise more revenue, because that wasn’t realistic. The only answer was to lower the cost of scholarships. A representative from Bowling Green explained:We know that the generation of new income is unlikely, if not impossible. It is only the number of grants, the source of funds and the revised basis for grants that any real economies can be made. For most of us, a good many of the other proposals here are nickel and dime stuff, when we are talking about real dollars, we are talking about grants-in-aid.The result in 1975 was that the elements of cost of attendance that had been allowed previously (course supplies and a monthly stipend known colloquially as “laundry money”) were banned by common agreement. Of course, revenue did go up, and not surprisingly, expenses managed to keep rising at the same rate — the money saved by lowering the cost of scholarships simply moved into other forms of spending.Here’s what that revenue growth has looked like since 1992, shown against the growth in the list cost of tuition. read more

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For around the clock OSU sports updates, follow the Lantern Sports Twitter @lanternspts24_7 The Ohio State men’s hockey team picked up its first series win and sweep of the season over Western Michigan.The Buckeyes defeated the Broncos both Friday and Saturday, winning each game by a score of 4-2. Although the scores of the games were the same, the methods of winning were drastically different.Friday’s four-goal third periodOhio State started slow in the opener before catching fire in the third. The Buckeyes outshot the Broncos 12-5 in the first period, but found themselves behind on the scoreboard. Western Michigan capitalized on its first power-play opportunity as Jared Katz put a shot past goaltender Dustin Carlson.The Broncos held their 1-0 lead until Paul Kirtland scored for the Buckeyes at the 4:50 mark in the third period. Kirtland, after being released from the penalty box, immediately took the puck down the ice and hit a shot that found its way past goaltender Riley Gill. The goal initiated a wave of momentum in the Buckeyes’ favor.Hunter Bishop struck again for the Buckeyes at the 5:24 mark, and Mathieu Picard added his first goal of the season just 15 seconds later for the Buckeyes’ third goal in 49 seconds.Western Michigan cut the Buckeye lead in half with its second power-play goal of the game, this time on a five-on-three. But Peter Boyd iced the game for the Buckeyes scoring with only 2:26 remaining, pushing the Buckeye lead back to two.“I really liked the fact that when the game was over, the first thing I looked at was Dusty [Carlson] getting the big hug from Kyle Reed,” coach John Markell said. “It was just nice to see that we got the win for whoever’s in net.”The win is Carlson’s first of the season. The junior finished with 19 saves and helped the Buckeyes kill five of the Broncos seven power plays. Markell said he was pleased with Carlson’s performance.“The first goal was not his fault. They got two power-play goals, and one was off the shaft of his stick. The other one was a five on three,” Markell said. “Our job now is to go back, assess the tape, and know that in this league and college hockey you have to be able to back up a game.” The Buckeyes were able to do just that the next night.Saturday night sweepMarkell expressed concern that OSU might not be focused on Saturday after coming off a win and anticipating the football game that night for the Big Ten title.However, the Buckeyes were able to maintain their focus and came out strong in the first period. Zac Dalpe started the scoring for the Buckeyes, recording a power-play goal to give OSU a 1-0 edge.Later in the first period, Hunter Bishop hit a backhand shot past Western goaltender Riley Gill to put the Buckeyes up 2-0.But the Broncos were resilient and capitalized on a five-on-three power play late in the first. Western’s Greg Squires hit a shot, which deflected off a defender’s skate, then floated past goaltender Cal Heeter to cut the Buckeye lead in half.Similar to Friday’s game, no goals were scored in the second period, so the Buckeyes carried their 2-1 lead into the third.In the third period, Peter Boyd hit a centering pass from behind the goal, which Dalpe ripped to the back of the net for his second goal of the game.The Broncos again came back, scoring halfway through the third period, drawing them to within one.But for the second night in a row, Boyd sealed the victory for the Buckeyes with a late score. This time, it was an empty-net goal with just 19 seconds remaining, putting the Buckeyes up 4-2 to match the score of Friday night’s game.Heeter had a big night in goal for the Buckeyes, finishing with 36 saves.“You figure anytime you put 38 shots on net, I’d like to think you would score more than a couple of goals,” Broncos coach Jim Culhane said. “I think Cal [Heeter] played a tremendous game for OSU and really made some quality saves for them.”With the win, Heeter moved to 4-1-1 on the season. The Buckeyes, now winners of three straight, look to carry their momentum into next week’s matchup against Ferris State. read more

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After enduring two postponed games because of inclement weather in their series with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Columbus Clippers split a doubleheader Friday, losing the first game, 5-2, and winning the second, 3-0. The series, which was set to begin Tuesday, was pushed until Wednesday because of poor weather. There were two more weather-related postponements during the four-game series before it ended Friday night. “It has been a little tough because we haven’t been able to take batting practice in a week, so we have been off that a little bit,” Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh said. “But the guys have handled it well, and we know it’s part of the game.” The first game of Friday’s doubleheader began at 5:05 p.m., finishing up the five innings that were left over from Thursday night. The Clippers lost the game, 5-2, but they weren’t finished. The second game began at 7:05 p.m. and lasted seven innings. The Clippers pulled out a 3-0 win behind right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister, who is now 7-0 on the season after holding the Red Sox to just three hits. The Clippers (28-14) and Red Sox (21-20) finished the series, 2-2. McAllister is the first International League pitcher to obtain seven victories on the season, according to the Clippers website. “I felt like I was able to use my fastball pretty well tonight and locate both sides of the plate,” McAllister said. “Obviously I left a couple pitches that they were able to hit, but I thought I had a decent mix. I like to get early outs, and when I have my defense behind me, that’s huge.” The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third inning, when Clippers outfielder Josh Rodriguez homered to center field, putting the Clippers on the board, 1-0. “Off the bat I knew I hit it well, but I didn’t think I hit it well enough to, or at least high enough to, get it out,” Rodriguez said. “But the ball was traveling well tonight, and I was able to get it out.” The other two runs resulted from a Red Sox error in the bottom of the sixth inning, clinching the win for the Clippers. “In games like this where you have seven innings, you like to get on the board early, help your pitcher out, help him relax, but Zach didn’t really need that,” Rodriguez said. “He pitched a hell of a game. We got on the board early. It was a good outing for us, and that’s what we needed.” Many players said the inclement weather put a damper on the Clippers’ normal routine. “You have to get used to it,” McAllister said. “Everyone plays in bad weather, but I don’t think it affects us as much as some people might think. I’ve played in it my entire life. It’s just a matter of getting your mind right before you go out.” However, Sarbaugh noted, the weather can affect the overall routine of the team. “Baseball players are routine oriented, so we have been off that a little bit,” Sarbaugh said. “I think it shows more in the defense because you aren’t getting that defensive work during batting practice, but the guys have handled it well.” The Clippers will host a four-game series against the Durham Bulls (24-17) beginning May 21. read more

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Redshirt-freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett sprained his MCL in the first half of an Oct. 25 game against Penn State, but stayed in to lead the Buckeyes to a 31-24 double-overtime win.Credit: Mark Batke / Photo editorWhen Urban Meyer said his quarterback had a sprained MCL, some Ohio State fans might have cringed — for good reason.It’s the second straight season the third-year OSU coach has seen his starting quarterback suffer that injury, after all. But unlike then-junior Braxton Miller — who missed two games and all but the opening drive of another with the same injury in 2013 — redshirt-freshman J.T. Barrett is expected to play this weekend after hurting his knee on Saturday against Penn State.On Monday, Meyer stressed that Barrett would play in the Buckeyes’ Saturday matchup with Illinois, and the quarterback reiterated the same point — barring unforeseen circumstances — on Wednesday.“It would have to be something drastic happen between now and Saturday at 8 o’clock,” Barrett said. “But I plan on playing Saturday.”During the Big Ten teleconference on Tuesday, Meyer said he expected Barrett to be “full-go” at practice on Wednesday, but that didn’t quite end up being the case.“He went — I wouldn’t say quite full — be he’ll be full tomorrow, they’re telling us,” Meyer said after Wednesday’s practice. “He did good, real good.”Barrett said practice went “fine” for him, and added he did most of the things he would normally do at practice, but not everything.“I was limited at first, but then today got out there and did team stuff at the end, which was good,” he said.“Dropping back, jogging a little bit, just normal things.”Junior offensive lineman Taylor Decker agreed that Barrett seemed “fine” in practice, and said the quarterback was trying to make sure he takes care of his knee.“Obviously he is trying to be careful with his knee, you don’t want to tweak it anymore,” Decker said Wednesday. “Hope to have him as healthy as possible coming back for the game, but he has looked fine to me.”While he’s been limited in practice since the injury, Barrett didn’t miss any significant time during the Buckeyes’ double-overtime win against the Nittany Lions. In fact, he ran for 32 yards during the extra periods and scored both of OSU’s overtime touchdowns on the ground.On the other hand, Miller originally hurt his knee during the Buckeyes’ opening drive in their second game of the 2013 season against San Diego State University, and didn’t return to the field until week five against Wisconsin.Despite the stark contrast in the amount of time missed, Meyer said Barrett’s injury is “very similar” to the one Miller suffered just over a year earlier. But he was sure to stick to his expertise when addressing why Barrett could play when Miller could not.“I’m not a doctor,” Meyer said. “(Barrett’s injury is) probably not as severe.”Meyer added that MCL sprains are fairly common and don’t require surgery, and went on to say some players simply react differently to injuries.“Everybody is built differently, I guess, but once again, I’m not a doctor,” he said.As he decided to leave speculation out of the picture and trust the medical experts when it comes to the differences between Miller’s injury and Barrett’s, Meyer said he listened to his medical staff after the initial injury as well.“At halftime, they said he got an MCL sprain,” Meyer said. “I said, ‘how bad?’ And they said, ‘well, we’ll see how it goes.’”Apart from one drive when redshirt-sophomore quarterback Cardale Jones, redshirt-freshman H-back Jalin Marshall and sophomore H-back Dontre Wilson all took snaps, Barrett didn’t miss any game time after spraining his knee.Barrett — who tore his right ACL in the last game he played at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, before spraining his left MCL against the Nittany Lions — said he’d never played through a similar injury in the past. He added he wouldn’t have stepped back on the field if he wasn’t fully ready to play.“I’ve actually really never played with an injury to this degree,” he said. “But I knew that I could take a drop, I could run, so it was just one of those things like, ‘Hey man, if you play, you play.’ It’s not like going in there half stepping, because if so, the team could use a Cardale Jones that could go full-go.”Even after playing through it on Saturday, Decker said Barrett is likely still hurting in practice this week.“I’m sure he has got some pain but he played the whole second half with it, so I have no doubts that he will be back and be ready,” he said.Barring “something drastic,” Barrett is set to lead the Buckeyes against the Fighting Illini on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. read more

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first_imgIn a note the MoD had told personnel: “It remains possible that the perpetrator may attempt to place further devices.”British Transport Police confirmed that they had increased security arrangements because of the discovery and would be stepping up patrols.The discovery of the suspect device and the subsequent arrest came 11 years after the 7/7 bombings when the London transport network was targeted in a terror attack that killed 52 passengers. Police in attendance on Holloway Road Police on Holloway Road arrest a 19-year-old after Greenwich bomb find Another witness, a man called Ali, 30, said: “The armed police, I think five of them, ran behind him and put him on the floor.”He was struggling not to get arrested for like a good five minutes. They were shouting ‘armed police, don’t struggle’. Everything happened so quick.”Emi Koizumi, 42, added: “We saw loads of police, including armed [police] and also plain-clothed [officers] with their faces covered.“The plain-clothed police ran off down the street towards Highbury Corner right as we walked up.“No one would tell us what was going on under the railway bridge.” Police on Holloway Road, north London Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. Officers came from behind him and tasered him. They jumped on him. He was on the floor.Witness on Holloway Road Police on Holloway Road, north LondonCredit:PA WIRE One onlooker said the police appeared to be waiting for the suspect.The suspect, described as Asian in appearance with black hair, was tasered in the back as he walked along.A shop worker who did not wish to be named said: “He was just walking down the street doing his business.”He was just a normal guy walking along slowly.”He was definitely Asian and he definitely had black hair and I think he was in his 20s.”Officers came from behind him and tasered him.”They jumped on him. He was on the floor.”They checked him. They put him in a car and took him away.”I saw the whole thing from where I work.” Specialist forensic officers will examine the suspect package over the weekend and sources said it would be early next week before they could determine exactly what it was.Scotland Yard said the arrest came “following the discovery of a suspicious item on a tube in north Greenwich”.A statement said: “The 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts, under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He has been taken to a London police station where he remains in custody.”Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the suspected device.The arrest came as security experts warned that militants from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) may try to attack the UK as a reprisal for its support for the offensive on Mosul.Hundreds of battle-hardened jihadists are also expected to return to Europe as Isil’s caliphate in Iraq and Syria shrinks in the face of the Western-backed offensive. Police arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of terrorism offences after the suspect device was found A terror plot to target the London Underground has been foiled after police found what they suspect to be a viable bomb on a tube train, planted by a terrorist planning further attacks.A 19-year-old man was tasered and arrested by armed counter-terrorism officers on Friday, a day after the suspect device was found on board a train near the O2 centre.On Friday it emerged that security officials had contacted the Ministry of Defence after the find, to warn serving military personnel, and the threat level for transport in London had been raised to severe to reflect that an attack was highly likely. Details of the suspected plot emerged in the memo sent to serving military personnel, forwarding a warning from the security agency that monitors terror threat levels.The memo said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre “has raised the threat level for transport in London to severe: an attack is highly likely”.It said: “This increase is in response to the discovery of a suspected viable improvised explosive device (IED) on a London Underground train yesterday.“It is unknown who placed the device and what their motivation was. Therefore it remains possible that the perpetrator may attempt to place further devices. The threat level will continue to be reviewed as further information is received.”It is understood the threat level for transport outside London remains unchanged at moderate. The scene on Holloway RoadCredit:PA WIRE The Home Office declined to comment on the threat level and other bodies including Transport for London and Network Rail also refused to comment.The teenage terror suspect was later arrested outside London Metropolitan University on Holloway Road, around 10 miles from where the suspected bomb was discovered in north Greenwich.Witnesses described the young man being dragged to the ground by plain-clothed masked officers carrying machine guns.last_img read more

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first_imgGreg and Natalie's paso doble Daisy and Alijaz’s salsa Danny Mac can move can’t he 😳 #Strictly— Harry Judd (@mcflyharry) November 12, 2016 Claudia and AJ's Viennese waltz Greg and Natalie’s paso doble Louise and Kevin's American Smooth Ed!!!!!!!! That hip roll!! The lift! The jump! The blue! This is EPIC. Does he do weddings?! The finish!#bbcstrictly #GangnamStyle— jack monroe (@MxJackMonroe) November 12, 2016 Ore and Joanne’s rumba 7:00PMEd Balls goes Gangnam See Mary Berry is in the audience of #strictlyHollywood is sat at home, in a dark room, drunk on cheap beer and regret.— Scarlet Jones (@scarletbythesea) November 12, 2016 Danny Mac tangos to top but judges were harshThe first male celebrity of the series to tackle the tricky Argentine tango did a terrific job. Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse’s routine was passionate, precise, full of flicks, kicks and difficult technique. Yet judges Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell gave negative comments, much to the disbelief of the studio audience and many viewers at home. A score of 38 points was still enough to top the leaderboard but this felt like the panel injecting false jeopardy and trying to take the bookies’ favourite down a peg or two. Danny’s tears could have been down to frustration as much as emotion. Danny and Oti's Argentine tango Louise and Kevin’s American Smooth Someone just ripped the roof off the @bbcstrictly ballroom AGAIN!!!! Ladies & Gents.. @edballs. 🕶 #GangnamStyle #wowhttps://t.co/sAOVp9P0Ig pic.twitter.com/O9hRFyIOfm—Ore Oduba (@OreOduba) November 12, 2016 Mary Berry is only there to check out the ‘Frangipane’ #scd #Strictly— Scott (@scottacr) November 12, 2016 They stole the show last week with a near-perfect Argentine tango. Can they match that triumph with this old-school, showbizzy number? Bob Fosse-style black feather fans to open and high kicks. This is great – Louise is bang into the character and singing along, lots of Hollywood style and jazzy flourishes. Slightly camp at times but that’s no bad thing under the glitterball. Spins and lifts to finish. Lovely. Music: ‘Big Spender’ by Shirley BasseyJudges’ verdicts: “You look the part, danced the part, it was the perfect part for you,” says Darcey. “Full of lovely details and a heavenly routine – just try and hold those shoulders down in the lifts.” Len says “You had a couple of fans over there and you’ve got a big fan over here. Right on the money – big spender, big attitude, you’re gonna get a big score. ” Bruno says “vamp it up, this is your leading lady moment, full of little accents, you’ve got it all, baby”. Craig says “my cork was well and truly popped, darling – love the mix of jazz and ballroom. Your confidence has grown, beautifully judged performance”. Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 37 points – second on the scoreboard Hi I’m Ed Balls and I’m here to save 2016!— Jack Whitehall (@jackwhitehall) November 12, 2016 6:56PMThe B-word used already Roll flamingo ident! Roll recap! Roll Ed Balls’ Laurel and Hardy routine! Bye bye to Laura Whitmore.  Take a swig every time the B-word is used tonight. Warning: you may end up in A&E. Don’t mention the B-wordNo, not Brexit. Nor anything ruder. We’re referring to Blackpool, site of next week’s special episode from the iconic Tower Ballroom. It got so many mentions on this show that even the donkeys on the Pleasure Beach must have been rolling their eyes.Louise looks like Danny’s closest rivalLouise Redknapp topped the standings last week, with Danny Mac in second place. Tonight, those positions were reversed. Louise and pro partner Kevin Clifton closed the show with an American Smooth full of feather boas, high kicks, jazzy flourishes and Hollywood glamour. Having come out of her shy shell, she’s on that thing so beloved by talent contests: “a journey”. With Ore Oduba having dropped down the rankings in recent weeks, she’s looking like a nailed-on finalist and Danny’s main competition for the glitterball trophy.  They equalled their best score with last week’s Viennese waltz. Now it’s a a raw, authentic paso, which should suit Greg’s power and athleticism. Swishy skirtography from Natalie to start, then a leap from Greg and into a routine full of pouty, powerful passion. Lots of walking around, flamenco feel and some faltering footwork but some excellent stomping and a dramatic finish.Music: ‘Tamacun’ by Rodrigo y GabrielaJudges’ verdicts: Bruno coos that it was “strong and virile, difficult section in hold but you lost the shaping and artistry in the arms, my darling”. Craig agrees: “An air of panic about the whole thing which made it feel stiff but I loved the strong, deep, long lunges and stag leap.” Darcey says “You give off natural power, sometimes too much, tuck the hips under more but the shape of the jump was brilliant. There’s a natural performer in you.” Len says “plenty of aggression and attack but lost finesse in the technique.”Judges’ scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31 points – the same as Daisy. 7:35PMOppa Ed Balls style! BBC slaps its own back about Mary BerryDoyenne of dough Mary Berry stayed loyal to the Beeb and declined to follow the Great British Bake-Off to Channel 4. She was duly rewarded with front row Strictly seats, deferential applause, and copious mentions from the judges and presenters. Good bake. Barely a soggy bottom in sight. I trust the tipple-loving Dame Berry is currently enjoying some post-show hospitality in the BBC bar. Deservedly so. Hic. 7:36PMEd and Katya’s salsa Pour yourself a stiff drink – it’s Ed Balls o’clock. Daisy and Alijaz's salsa 7:04PMDaisy and Alijaz’s salsa 8:07PMPhew, what a show Danny and Oti’s Argentine tango 6:55PMAnd we’re off! Danny Mac tops the scoreboard, just ahead of Louise Redknapp. But most people will be talking about that extraordinary Ed Balls routine. As the credits roll on-screen, stay with us for analysis and reaction… 7:57PMLouise and Kevin’s American smooth In a year where the “popular vote” has resulted in much unhappiness – let’s vote @edballs to Blackpool #Strictly— Jonny Geller (@JonnyGeller) November 12, 2016 7:50PMDanny and Oti’s Argentine tango Utter joy #edballs #Strictly— Tracey Thorn (@tracey_thorn) November 12, 2016 center_img Claudia and AJ’s Viennese waltz 6:49PMStrictly’s biggest year ever Found this legendary lady in the Strictly audience; Mary Berry you are the greatest 😍👏🏼… https://t.co/MmJZCDf5dy— Tess Daly (@TessDaly) November 12, 2016 Danny Mac tops leaderboard for fierce Argentine tangoLouise Redknapp in second spot after jazzy American SmoothEd Balls bottom again but his hilarious Gangnam Style salsa breaks the internetEight remaining couples bidding to get through to next week’s Blackpool special A shock appearance in the dance-off last time, so can they bounce back? The rumba is notoriously tricky for celebrity males, as it’s slow, controlled and full of technique. A romantic rather than sexy rumba, with face-stroking and nice storytelling. Lots of walking, expressive arms and it picks up pace midway through. Nice dips and drags. Lacks a little continuous hip action but excellent effort on a difficult dance.Music: ‘Ordinary People’ by John LegendJudges’ verdicts: Darcey says it was “tender, romantic, seamless moves and lovely arm extensions”. Len says “your timing impressed me the most, it had mood and atmosphere but you could have improved your foot action”. Bruno says it was “expressive, musical, caring and loving”. Craig says he “hit it too hard and lost fluidity but very expressive and evocative”.Judges’ scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35 points. Top of the scoreboard so far. Slightly over-marked due to last week’s dance-off shocker, I’d suggest.  Laurel and Hardy last week. Now Ed’s in an electric blue Psy suit with black piping, dancing a salsa to the novelty 2012 hit, incorporating the viral video’s famous moves. Disco dad dance moves but a hip swivel and he didn’t drop her during the lift, which is an improvement. The famous “invisible horse” and Ed is milking this for entertainment factor. A lift and roll-down. And then a floor slide through Katya’s legs to finish. Huge reception in the studio. Extraordinary scenes. Music: ‘Gangnam Style’ by PsyJudges’ verdicts: Len looks shellshocked: “There’s always a sense of anticipation when you’re coming out and I enjoy watching you. It was entertaining and if you don’t make it to Blackpool, the show will lose a lot of fun.” Bruno feels “queasy and queer”. Ed says the pelvic thrust was “for you”. “It’s the best worst dance I’ve seen.” Craig says: `’Three latter, darling: OMG.” Darcey says “that without fail will go down in Strictly history”. Everyone on the Clauditorium balcony greets the couple with the invisible horse move. Judges’ scores: 4, 7, 8, 6 for a total of 25 points. His first 8 from Len. Enough to get him to Blackpool? I reckon so.  9:18PMSaturday night dance-by-dance The pocket rockets get romantic. As a northern ballroom lad, AJ is keen to get to Blackpool – and Claudia’s never been. Can they bag two tickets ticket north with this loving dance? Lots of solo sections and then into a spinning waltz with lots of footwork flourishes for Len. Ropy song choice but solid routine. Music: ‘Breakaway’ by Kelly ClarksonJudges’ verdicts: Bruno says “Strictly adorable, lovely flow, gorgeous”. Craig says “fantastic movement and flow, gaw-jus”. Darcey says she “kept in character throughout, smooth and serene”. Len says “great maturity, wonderful style, a lovely performance”. Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 36 points – top of the leaderboard.  Time to meet the stars of out show. Not much in the way of fancy dress tonight – unless you count Ed Balls in an electric blue suit with black trim, in tribute to South Korean rapper Psy. Time for our weekly comparison of the co-presenters’ frocks. Tess Daly in red knee-length. Claudia Winkleman in high-necked asymmetric black. Claudia shades it. Both sporting poppies, obviously. Ore and Joanne's rumba The Judge notched his highest score last week but this is an even bigger dance for him, as it has personal significance: his grandparents Harry and Frances, both in their 90s, have come to watch and it’s their favourite dance. Awww. A classic ballroom number to a Frank Sinatra standard. Cute picnic-in-the-park theme. I’d like to see more movement around the floor, this is slightly stately but has a sweetly sophisticated quality. Some of the Judge’s trademark faces towards the end. Respectable but not spectacular. Wonder if the grandparents’ presence will get him sympathy points? Music: ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’ by Harry Connick JrJudges’ verdicts: Craig says “it lacked swing and sway but at least I can look at your face now”. Darcey says “you improve each week, there was flow and guide, kept the shoulders down, you really stretched yourself and are becoming a real dancer, great job”. Len says “you made it a walk in the park, light and fluffy as a Mary Berry soufflé with no soggy bottom, your best dance”. Bruno says “you lost flow at times but I enjoyed seeing gorgeous Robert”. Judges’ scores: 7, 9, 9, 8 for a total of 33 points. Same as last week. A tad generous. 7:12PMGreg and Natalie’s paso doble 7:44PMClaudia and AJ’s Viennese waltz Ed Balls boosts flagging national moraleOppa Ed Balls style! When news emerged that Ed Balls and his pro partner Katya Jones would be dancing a salsa to Psy’s novelty hit Gangnam Style, we knew we were in for a treat. So it proved – exactly what the nation needed on a rainy evening at the end of a dispiriting week. Resplendent in an electric blue suit, the dad-dancing politician threw everything at this routine. There were invisible horse-riding moves, there were hip-thrusts at the judges (don’t have nightmares, Bruno Tonioli), there were lifts – and thankfully, this time Balls didn’t nearly drop poor Katya. It left Len Goodman speechless and nearly caused social networks to crash. A score of 25 points still saw “Disco Balls” bottom of the leaderboard, six points adrift – but Ed’s sheer entertainment value will surely see him through to Blackpool. One last hurrah in the Tower Ballroom, then bye-bye? That’s not Mary Berry on Strictly. Channel 4 are testing out their new Mary Berry robot ahead of the new series of Bake Off. #Strictly— Weather Fairy (@ctweatherfairy) November 12, 2016 Good evening and welcome to our Strictly Come Dancing liveblog for week eight. It’s showtime at 6.55pm on BBC One, when our 8 surviving couples take to the ballroom floor, bidding to make it through to next week’s Blackpool special. Last week, it was a case of remember, remember the 5th of November. There were fireworks in the ballroom as five maximum “10” paddles were held aloft and six couples notched their highest scores yet. Louise Redknapp topped the leaderboard with a near-perfect 39pts for the first Argentine Tango of the series. Laura Whitmore was eliminated after shock dance-off against Ore Oduba, while Ed Balls’ Laurel & Hardy routine saw him sail safely through againTonight, the bright lights of Blackpool in sight, as the eight surviving couples aim for next weekend’s annual trip north to the iconic Tower Ballroom. Danny Mac will dance this year’s second Argentine Tango. At the other end of the choreographic quality scale, we’ll get to see Ed Balls salsa-ing to Gangnam Style. Daisy Lowe and Greg Rutherford are bookies’ favourites for the bottom two but we could be in for another shock.We’ll be liveblogging from 6.30pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, recaps and analysis, so watch along with us. Please join in too – you can email me on michael.hogan@ telegraph.co.uk or tweet me on @michaelhogan. I’ll keep an eye on both and report the highlights here. Nearly time to staaaaaaart dancing… They were relieved to escape the dance-off last week after two in a row. Now it’s a fun, frisky disco salsa to open the show. Scooby van prop and Daisy’s sporting a psychedelic print dress. Leggy, good timing and sychronisation but I’m not sure there’s enough salsa hip rotation for the judges. Spectacular lifts and spicy spirit, though. Music:  ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ by Deee-LiteJudges’ verdicts: Len says he was “twitching and gyrating throughout, you sold it well and danced through the little blunder”. Bruno says “The looks! The legs! The lifts! Easy sex appeal and Mary Berry (who’s in the studio audience) would approve. I loved the retro Seventies styling”. Craig says the “footwork was haphazard, it was disjointed, loved the leg extensions, lifts great but sticky transitions”. Darcey says “soften the knees to help your balance”.Judges’ scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31 points. Not her best. Dance-off danger? Ore Oduba and Judge Rinder over-markedAfter early pace-setter Ore Oduba’s shock appearance in the bottom two last week, the judges seemed to be deliberately over-praising him to keep him in the contest. Ore’s romantic rumba was highly respectable but nowhere near as spectacular as the panel’s gushing implied. Judge Rinder also seemed to be treated generously – surely influenced by the fact that his proud grandparents, both in their 90s, were in the studio audience. His foxtrot was pleasant enough but was it really two points better than Daisy Lowe’s salsa or Greg Rutherford’s paso doble? I’d venture not.  6:38PMOppa Ed Balls style! If ever we needed a little light relief, it’s this week. Even Ed Balls says sitting down for Strictly on a Saturday night will act as a soothing balm to bring us back together. Just 15 minutes until showtime… The current series of Strictly Come Dancing is officially the most popular in the programme’s 12-year history. An average of 10.9m viewers have so far tuned into the Saturday night show – the highest ever figure at the halfway point of a series. Five minutes until that ba-ba-daa theme tune… 6:57PMFrockwatch I am almost admiring @edballs for @bbcstrictly now. Let’s face it now in this world he could win.If Trump can do it so can Ed— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) November 12, 2016 7:18PMJudge Rinder and Katya’s foxtrot Here’s your recap of all the ballroom action… Balls for PM— Sue Perkins (@sueperkins) November 12, 2016 Ed Balls is the hero we both need and deserve in these dark political times #SCD #StrictlyComeDancing— Liss (@AliciaFayeMyers) November 12, 2016 Daisy and Greg in dance-off danger?Model Daisy Lowe and long-jumper Greg Rutherford finished joint second bottom of the scoreboard, six points above Ed Balls. But assuming the pelvic-thrusting politician gets viewer votes for his demented dancing and sheer entertainment value, these two look most at risk. Daisy has already survived two dance-offs but it could be third time unlucky. Greg’s been lingering around the lower reaches of the leaderboard for a few weeks now but is he popular enough to be hauled clear? If so, Judge Rinder or Ore Oduba could come into the reckoning. The Sunday night results show airs at 7.15pm on BBC One, so please rejoin us on the liveblog then. And in the meantime, of course, keeeeeeep dancing!  They got their first 10s for last week’s fast, furious jive. Now it’s the second Argentine tango of the series – but Louise and Kevin have set the bar high. Gangster-and-moll theme with the requisite flicks and kicks. Slick and sensuous with lovely lifts, synchronisation and sharp footwork. Fast and fierce spins as the music gathers pace. One of those routines where you forget which one’s the pro. Superb.Music: ‘I Heard it Through the Grapevine’ by Marvin GayeJudges’ verdicts: “You need more of an A-frame, need to lead with the solar plexus not the arms, a bit too aggressive… but incredible”. Darcey says it was “frantic, busy, a little too aggressive. The technique was stunning but I wanted more still moments”. Bit harsh. Len says “the clarity and precision, the pain and passion – it swept me away, brilliant”. More like it. Bruno coos about “stallions, storytelling, arguments, precision – it was a killer Argentine tango”.Judges’ scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38 points – top of the leaderboard. Danny’s tearful 7:29PMOre and Joanne’s rumba 6:58PMBlackpool drinking game 6:41PMForget Donald Trump, let’s dance We don’t mean Brexit. We mean Blackpool. Expect next week’s Tower Ballroom special to get mentioned A LOT tonight. last_img

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first_img Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily  Front Page newsletter and new  audio briefings. The NHS 111 phone line may be fuelling Accident & Emergency pressures as “risk-averse” call handlers flood hospitals with 50,000 more patients a month, new figures suggest.A new report warns that the non-emergency phoneline is heaping strain on ambulance services – and is prone to “serious underperformance” when calls spike.The analysis shows that in just three years, there has been a 67 per cent rise in 111 calls which ended with a paramedic being called out, and a 65 per cent increase in cases which ended up at A&E.The report, by the Nuffield Trust, warns of “great variability” between different areas, with some too eager to call out paramedics, while others were too reluctant.The think tank said much of the total rise was explained by an increase in use of the controversial phoneline since 2013, following a “chaotic and patchy” rollout.But even taking account of the increased overall call numbers, the figures suggest that an extra 20,000 patients a month are being sent to emergency services, the analysis found.In North East England during, 17 per cent of callers were transferred to an ambulance compared to 8 per cent in South Essex, figures from 2016 show. Professor John Appleby, chief economist and director of research for the Nuffield Trust, said: “Halfway through one of the toughest winters the NHS has endured in recent times, we wanted to see whether there was any truth in the assertion that referrals from NHS 111 may be contributing to the pressure on A&E departments and ambulance trusts.”What we found was a bit of a mixed picture.”It’s a concern for the NHS that the proportion of callers sent to A&E and ambulances is growing all the time; but surveys of callers appear to show that even higher numbers would have opted for these emergency services if they hadn’t been able to ring 111.”What’s not clear is why different areas are sending such varying numbers of callers to ambulances and A&E, and it would be worth NHS England or the Department of Health investigating the reasons for this.”The report said the line was “prone to serious underperformance when calls spike on wintertime holiday weekends” and had failed to meet a key response target for two and a half years. The document suggests that of 1.4 million visits in January, only 82 per cent were dealt with in under four hours “This is a very high level of variation, and it is a problem for emergency services and patients if some areas are too eager or too reluctant to send an ambulance,” the authors wrote.In December 2013, the NHS 111 phone line called out ambulances in 89,802 cases – rising to 150,258 cases last December, the analysis reveals.  And the number of monthly callers told to take themselves to A&E rose from 53,530 to 88,378 over the same period.Researchers suggested the high use of ambulance service, compared with the numbers advised to go to A&E as a “walk-in” case was of particular concern.”This is the opposite of what happens with patients in general, where far more people attend A&E than are despatched in an ambulance.”It does lend some plausibility to the suggestion that NHS 111 is too risk averse with people who have more urgent problems.” The document suggests that of 1.4 million visits in January, only 82 per cent were dealt with in under four hoursCredit:Peter Byrne/PA Wire However, researchers concluded the phone line may have also prevented millions more cases from seeking emergency care.Surveys of 111 callers suggest that up to 45 per cent of those polled said without the line they would have sought emergency care.  After making the call, 20 per cent ended up at A&E or in an ambulance, the report said – though it suggested that callers might be “fallible” judges of what action they would really have taken, when asked after the event.last_img read more