NBey6's Blog

"You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow."

- Harriet Martineau -

updated 8 minutes ago

TIW 6-6-10 NC Evening

Winning Numbers: 005 & 3510

           
306, 790, 473, 402, 469, 627, 815, 932
7265, 8729, 6038, 9502, 9418, 5871, 5961
4076, 4379, 4385, 4862, 0731, 2361, 1024

790, 801, 912, 023, 134, 245, 356, 467, 578, 689

0379, 1379, 2379, 3379, 4379, 5379, 6379, 7379, 8379, 9379

4370, 4371, 4372, 4373, 4374, 4375, 4376, 4377, 4378, 4379

24 and/or 79 pairs

As of June 6, 2010

1    Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 8,700 1 17

2    Federer, Roger (SUI) 8,390 -1 19

3    Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 6,675 0 21

4    Murray, Andy (GBR) 5,385 0 17

5    Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) 4,785 0 24

6    Soderling, Robin (SWE) 4,755 1 25

7    Roddick, Andy (USA) 4,510 1 20

8    Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 4,395 -2 17

9    Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 3,645 0 27

10  Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 3,185 0 24

11  Ferrer, David (ESP) 3,010 0 25

12  Cilic, Marin (CRO) 2,945 0 23

13  Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 2,825 4 26

14  Youzhny, Mikhail (RUS) 2,690 0 27

15  Ljubicic, Ivan (CRO) 2,215 1 24 

TIW 6-6-10 SC Evening

Winning Numbers: 326 & 2069

           
936, 023, 709, 738, 762, 680, 145, 298
3157, 4316, 5894, 6781, 6204, 7430, 7650
2835, 2936, 2947, 2451, 8390, 1950, 0812

762, 873, 984, 095, 106, 217, 328, 439, 540, 651

6200, 6201, 6202, 6203, 6204, 6205, 6206, 6207, 6208, 6209

0204, 1204, 2204, 3204, 4204, 5204, 6204, 7204, 8204, 9204

62 and/or 17 pairs

TIW 6-5-10 NC Evening

Winning Numbers: 262 & 8537

         
927, 832, 589, 520, 573, 708, 614, 390
0623, 1069, 2581, 9356, 9471, 3107, 3927
4502, 4809, 4813, 4126, 5087, 6827, 7564

708, 819, 920, 031, 142, 253, 364, 475, 586, 697

0107, 1107, 2107, 3107, 4107, 5107, 6107, 7107, 8107, 9107

3100, 3101, 3102, 3103, 3104, 3105, 3106, 3107, 3108, 3109 

25 and/or 70 pairs

Kanye West's Car Smashes Into Honolulu Home

Originally posted Jun 6th 2010 6:55 AM PDT by TMZ Staff

A car registered to Kanye West smashed into an unoccupied home in Honolulu early Saturday morning -- but Kanye was not involved.

Cops in Hawaii tell TMZ the accident happened around 4:00 AM. According to KITV in Hawaii, witnesses told police they saw three men running from the Porsche Panamera after the accident.

Police say the car was reported stolen sometime after the accident.

A call to Kanye's rep was not returned.

Buffett hopes new lunch auction draws big bids

Proceeds to benefit San Francisco charity; last year’s drew $1.68 million

The Associated Press

updated 4:57 p.m. ET, Sun., June 6, 2010

OMAHA, Neb. - Billionaire Warren Buffett always tries to make sure that anyone who's willing to make a seven-figure donation just to have lunch with the investor gets their money's worth, so the meals often last more than three hours.

So far, so good.

"Nobody's asked for their money back," Buffett said.

The Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO said he hopes the annual lunch auction will again draw multimillion-dollar bids to benefit the Glide Foundation, which provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco. But that's hard to predict, especially with more international interest — three of the past four winners came from outside the U.S.

"Some of these people I'd never heard of before they made the bid," Buffett said.

This year's auction was to start Sunday evening with a $25,000 minimum bid on eBay, but the final price of the meal won't be set until the auction closes Friday at 9:30 p.m. CDT. The date of the lunch will be determined later, once the winner is known and agrees with Buffett on a time.

Last year, Canadian investment firm Salida Capital paid $1.68 million to dine with Buffett. And that price represented a discount over the record $2.11 million a Chinese investment fund manager paid in 2008, which was the most expensive charity item eBay had ever sold.

Buffett's investment success and folksy wisdom have earned him a devoted following. Last month, 37,000 people attended Berkshire's annual meeting in Omaha.

But apart from his popularity, Buffett thinks the work of Glide has also moved bidders to pay astronomical prices for the lunch in previous years.

"They may like the lunch, but they care about where the money's going, too," Buffett said. "I would, too, if I were in their position."

Buffett knows a bit about philanthropy. He is giving away the bulk of his fortune over time. The plan he launched in 2006 will eventually split most of his shares of Berkshire stock between five charitable foundations, with the largest chunk going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

He has supported Glide ever since his late first wife, Susan, introduced him to Glide's founder, the Rev. Cecil Williams. Buffett said the organization and Williams, who has led the nonprofit for more than 45 years, do a remarkable job of helping people recover after they hit rock bottom.

"There's all kinds of people that need that kind of help, and I don't think anybody is better at providing it than Glide," he said.

Several of the past auction winners have visited Glide and made additional donations on top of their bids.

Williams said the needs he sees in San Francisco have only grown during the economic turmoil of the last couple years, while the donations that supply most of Glide's $17 million budget have fallen. That makes this lunch auction crucial, he said.

"We really don't want to cut back," Williams said. "I don't want to have to stand out in the lines and tell folks we can't take you."

The owners of the Smith and Wollensky restaurant in New York contributed $10,000 to Glide and will again host the lunch.

The auction winner gets to bring up to seven friends to the lunch with the "Oracle of Omaha." Buffett said he enjoys the meals and has even made a few friends through past ones.

"I've met interesting people. We had a good time. And I've learned some things I didn't know before," he said.

Updated: June 6, 2010, 2:34 AM ET
Schiavone wins final in straight sets

Associated Press

PARIS -- For more than a decade as a professional tennis player, and nearly 30 years as a person, Francesca Schiavone waited and worked to reach this particular moment on this particular court, and there was no way she was going to conceal her excitement about arriving.

As Schiavone moved closer, point by important point, to winning the French Open title, and to giving Italy its first female champion at a Grand Slam tournament, she let everyone watching share in the sheer joy.

At 2-all in the second-set tiebreaker of Saturday's taut final against Samantha Stosur of Australia, Schiavone hit a forehand volley winner and raised a fist, well aware she was four points from victory.

Schiavone next smacked a volley to end a nine-stroke exchange and jumped to celebrate. Three points away. A forehand winner followed, and Schiavone screamed. Two points away. She slid through the red clay and, lunging, poked yet another volley winner. She yelled again, hopping in place. One point away.

And then, after delivering a spin-laden backhand from the baseline, Schiavone watched the ball glance off Stosur's racket frame and deflect harmlessly in the wrong direction. Zero points away.

The 17th-seeded Schiavone covered her face with both hands, then dropped to the ground and stayed on her back for a few moments, smearing her white outfit with rust-colored clay, relishing the 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over the No. 7-seeded Stosur and the many, little steps that brought her there, right where she always believed she could be.

Schiavone curled over and kissed the court, giving thanks to "this clay, this beautiful tournament and this arena," as she put it later, for giving her "this opportunity and all the emotion that I am living."

She turns 30 this month, making her the oldest woman since 1969 to win her first Grand Slam championship. On Monday, Schiavone will rise to a career-best No. 6 in the WTA rankings, making her the oldest woman since 1998 to make her top-10 debut.

Consider how far she's come in only 12 months: At the 2009 French Open, Schiavone was ranked 50th and lost in the first round against -- you guessed it -- Stosur.

"When you achieve goals with self-awareness, by working on who you are and what you do every day of your life, you're able to appreciate it much more," she said in Italian. "I finally was ready to win this trophy."

Both she and those around her say the way Schiavone has grown as a person off the court in recent years helps her perform better on the court. She never had been past the quarterfinals at 38 previous major tournaments and had won only three titles anywhere.

"I wasn't like this 10 years ago. They know," she said, nodding toward Italian journalists who've tracked her career. "I decided to express myself, to be free, to be able to share my joy. Why not? When you give, you also can receive. If you remain closed, there's no exchange. I love to exchange. I love to give."

As far as tennis goes, it clearly also helps to have a concrete game plan and follow it perfectly, something Schiavone did against Stosur, who upset current No. 1 Serena Williams and past No. 1s Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic en route to Saturday.

"You want the full fairy tale," Stosur said, her voice cracking, "but it didn't quite happen."

Not for her. But it did for Schiavone, who mixed speeds, went after Stosur's weaker backhand side, made sure to put the Australian's powerful serves in play, and pushed forward perfectly, winning 14 of the 15 points when she went to the net.

"I still don't think I played that bad. She just had her day. She went for it, and everything came off," Stosur said. "It takes guts to do that."

Neither of Saturday's participants played in a Grand Slam singles final before -- only the fifth such matchup in the 42-year Open era -- and everything was new.

"It was a big occasion," Stosur said, "and you never really know how you're going to react."

When they stepped on court, sun blazing and the temperature on its way to 86 degrees, Stosur wasn't quite sure what to do with the pastel-colored flowers she was handed. She placed them on her green changeover bench before a ballkid removed the bouquet and put it on the ground, leaving her space to sit.

During the prematch photo op at the net following the coin toss, Schiavone and Stosur posed together briefly, then started to walk away before being reminded to rotate and face the other side of the court to oblige other cameras.

Once play began, though, all came much easier for both women. They produced big strokes and nearly even, entertaining action, prompting 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova to gush, "It's nice to see two creative players make it to the final and then play a good final."

The first service break of the match came a half-hour in, at 4-all. After saving two break points, Stosur faltered on the third, double-faulting to hand Schiavone a 5-4 edge. Stosur slapped her right thigh with her palm and dumped her racket on the sideline.

Schiavone then served out the set, which ended with Stosur dumping a backhand into the net. With that, Schiavone leaped and skipped to the changeover, while her loud cheering section rose, shouting while some waved a red-white-and-green Italian flag with a diminutive form of her first name, "Franci," printed in black block letters.

A group of about 30 friends made the trek from Italy, some leaving at 3 a.m. Saturday to catch a flight.

They wore black T-shirts printed hastily Friday with a childhood nickname, "Schiavo," in yellow, and "Nothing is impossible," in white. Later, they marched outside, chanting her name -- "Fran-CHESS-skah!" -- during Schiavone's postmatch news conference, cracking her concentration and drawing a smile while she spoke in English.

Schiavone's only real wobble came when Stosur finally earned her first break point, after an hour. Stosur went up 3-1 in the second set, then held to 4-1.

"I was a little worried," said Italy's Fed Cup and Davis Cup captain Corrado Barazzutti, who works with Schiavone in lieu of a full-time, personal coach.

But Stosur's coach, Australia's Fed Cup captain David Taylor, said of his charge: "She got very passive then, and she'll look back on that and regret that moment."

Indeed, Schiavone reeled off the next three games to get to 4-all. A series of holds led to the tiebreaker, which was tied before Schiavone took the last five points, full of emotion all the way.

"I felt an energy from inside that I couldn't even control. It was so big. And to tell the truth, I still have it," she said, more than two hours after the match's conclusion. "I could go run 20 kilometers to get it out of my system."

Said Navratilova, admiringly: "The passion came through. She wanted it. She wanted it, badly. She was going to die on that court if she had to."

During the on-court ceremony, Schiavone took a congratulatory call from Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and also spoke on a cell phone with her parents, who get too wound up watching her play, so remained home in Milan.

As a kid, Schiavone plastered her bedroom walls with posters -- long since removed -- of her favorite tennis players: Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Pete Sampras.

All Grand Slam champions.

Now, so many years later, Schiavone is a Grand Slam champion, too, and she joked Saturday that now perhaps she should put up a poster of herself.

"Everybody has the chance to be who you really want to be, and do everything in your life," Schiavone said. "This is what has happened to me."

Sunday, June 6, 2010
Nadal wins fifth French Open title

Associated Press

PARIS -- Accustomed to being on the move, Rafael Nadal fidgeted in his chair during a changeover one game from his fifth French Open title.

He jiggled his legs, took two bites of a banana, toweled off his arms and face, then rose and finished the job. Soon he was back in the chair sobbing into the towel, overcome with the emotion that accompanied his accomplishment.

The King Reclaims The Crown

Rafael Nadal returned to Roland Garros in 2010 as a more complete player -- and reclaimed the French Open title after a year hiatus, writes Greg Garber. Story

The relentless Spaniard reclaimed his crown Sunday as the King of Clay, avenging his lone Roland Garros defeat by beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

"It's the most emotional day in my career," Nadal told the crowd in French during the trophy ceremony.

His bad memories of 2009 included not only an upset loss to Soderling at Roland Garros, but the separation of his parents and knee tendinitis that contributed to a prolonged slump.

"It was a difficult year for me last year," he said. "It was difficult to accept the injuries and everything."

The victory ended his longest Grand Slam drought since winning his first major title at Roland Garros in 2005.

Seeded No. 2, Nadal won with dogged defense, chasing down shots all over the court. He swept seven consecutive games midway through the match and held every serve, saving all eight break points he faced.

Nadal improved to 38-1 at Roland Garros, with the only loss to Soderling in the fourth round a year ago.

"I played my best match against you," Nadal told the big-swinging Swede during the trophy ceremony. "If not, it's going to be impossible to beat you."

Nadal became the second man to win the French Open at least five times, and next year he'll have a chance to match Bjorn Borg's record of six titles.

"It's really impressive," Soderling told Nadal. "If you continue like this, you will sure have the chance to win many more."

With the victory, Nadal will also reclaim the No. 1 ranking Monday, supplanting Roger Federer.

Soderling, who has yet to win a major title, finished as the runner-up for the second year in a row. In 2009 he lost in the final to Federer.

"I love this tournament," he said. "I will come back next year, and I hope I'll be third time lucky then."

When Soderling's final shot landed in the net, Nadal slid onto his back, threw up his fists and rose, shaking from his hair the clay he loves. When he sat down, he began to cry.

French Open Titles, Open Era

"It was a really emotional moment for me," he said. "After you win this big title, you lose your tension."

The weather was mild and mostly cloudy -- a nice day to go running, and Nadal did plenty of it. Playing farther behind the baseline than in their match last year, he skidded across the clay and lunged to dig shots out of the corners, repeatedly extending points until Soderling finally misfired.

Soderling tried to win points quickly and sometimes did, but most of the long rallies went Nadal's way. Before the first set ended, the Swede was panting between points.

To compound Soderling's woes, he had an off day with his serve, his biggest weapon. He totaled only seven aces, the same number Nadal. For the other six rounds, Soderling had 75 aces, Nadal 12.

"I didn't play as good this year as I did against him last year," Soderling said. "I didn't serve as well. I wasn't hitting the ball as clean. It was tough today. I didn't really get into the match."

Nadal's march to his seventh Grand Slam title was deliberate only between points. Advised by the chair umpire he was taking too much time with his methodical ritual before serving, Nadal responded, "Thank you," and slightly picked up the pace.

Nadal's persistence paid off big early in the second set. Facing a break point, he retrieved shots from both corners and punched back a Soderling slam, then charged forward and hit a deft drop volley for a winner. The stadium shook with a roar, and Nadal threw an uppercut accompanied by a leg kick.

Game, Set, Match

Rafael Nadal is one of three players to win the French Open in the Open Era without dropping a set:

Nadal won in straight sets, 2nd time he's done so in this event (2008). In the Open Era, the only other players to be crowned champion here without dropping a set are Ilie Nastase (1973) and Bjorn Borg (1978 and 1980)

"That's why he's so good -- because he's moving so well and gets everything back," Soderling said. "He's a great defensive player, but also has a great offensive game, as well. He can really change defense to offense really quick."

Another eye-popping sequence came three games later. Nadal slid into the corner beyond the doubles service line to hit a forehand winner that left Soderling shaking his head. On the next point, Nadal raced to the other side and yanked a lunging backhand crosscourt for another winner.

Those points helped Nadal break at love for a 3-2 lead, during the run that allowed him to take firm control. He managed three consecutive service breaks, and by the time Soderling finally held to stop the skid, he trailed 2-1 in the final set.

With Nadal covering so much ground, Soderling sometimes rushed shots or aimed too close to the line. He finished with 45 unforced errors to 16 for Nadal.

Even the points Nadal lost took a toll on his opponent, who was coming off a grueling five-set win over Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. The Swede, who was seeded fifth and upset Federer in the quarterfinals, again came up short in his 26th Grand Slam tournament.

The first service break came in the fifth game when Nadal cracked a thunderous backhand for a winner, and he served out the set. That essentially decided the match: He's now 95-1 at Grand Slam tournaments when he wins the opening set.

Nadal improved to 22-0 this year on clay and now switches to grass, where he'll seek a second Wimbledon title after missing last year's tournament because of his knee trouble.

For the second time in three years, Nadal won all 21 sets en route to the Roland Garros championship. Only two other men in the Open era have won the title without losing a set, Borg and Ilie Nastase.

"I was very nervous during all the tournament," Nadal said. "Today I was ready to play with calm. It was a very special day."

Australia orders Google 'privacy breach' investigation

Google has apologised for collecting the personal data

The Australian police have been ordered to investigate Google for possible breach of privacy while taking pictures for its Street View service.

 

 

Australia's attorney general said he had asked police to probe the internet giant following complaints that Google had gathered personal data from some unencrypted wi-fi services.

 

 

Google has admitted doing so, but apologised, saying it was in error.

 

 

The company has recently criticised the government's plan for internet filters.

 

 

Vendetta?

Attorney General Robert McClelland said there had been numerous complaints from the public and that police should investigate possible criminal breaches of the telecommunications privacy laws.

 

 

Australian law prohibits people from accessing electronic communications for unauthorised purposes.

 

 

Google has said it will co-operate with a police investigation.

 

 

The possible offences occurred while Google vehicles, mounted with 360-degree cameras, gathered pictures for Street View, collecting private wireless data at the same time.

 

 

Google, the government said, had committed "probably the single biggest breach in the history of privacy".

 

 

The company says it mistakenly collected the data and has since apologised, and has implied that the Australian government is pursuing a corporate vendetta, says the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney.

 

 

The internet giant has been a strong critic of the Australian government's plans for an internet filter blocking illegal material, saying it would slow down user speeds and filter legitimate content.

"Americans have sought the value of everything in this world only in the answer to this single question: how much money will it bring in?"

 - Alexis de Tocqueville -