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The Orlando Magic were able to hold off the Chicago Bulls, 97-91
The Chicago Bulls have been going through a lot of drama on and off the court lately. Not only was Fred Hoiberg relieved of his head coaching duties over a week ago, but the Chicago Bulls recently suffered their worst loss in franchise history against the Boston Celtics, 133-77.
Having a new head coach didn't seem to make matters better as there have been reports that he would have players go through a two-and-a-half hour practice, which most of the players are against. The Chicago Bulls would look avoid a third straight loss and a ninth straight road defeat as they battle the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center. The Magic, on the other hand, are trying to get away from a fourth straight loss.
The Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic have seen each other a total of 116 times in the past as the Bulls won 64 games while the Magic ended up winning only 52 of those matchups. This game will mark the first of four times that these two ball clubs will meet up during this season. Last season, the Bulls swept the Magic in their regular-season series, 4-0.
-Denzel Valentine (ankle)
-Antonio Blakeney (coach's decision; 9.5 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.5 APG, 42.6 FG%, 44.8 3P%, 65.7 FT%)
-Cristiano Felicio (coach's decision; 3.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 56.3 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 73.7 FT%)
-Cameron Payne (coach's decision; 6.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 40.3 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 88.0 FT%)
-Tyler Ulis (G-League; 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG)
-Chandler Hutchison (illness; 4.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 42.6 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 55.6 FT%)
-Rawle Alkins (G-League)
-Timofey Mozgov (knee)
-Khem Birch (coach's decision; 2.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.2 APG, 58.8 FG%, 100.0 FT%)
-Isaiah Briscoe (coach's decision; 1.9 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 42.1 FG%, 100.0 3P%, 40.0 FT%)
-Wesley Iwundu (coach's decision; 4.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 37.5 FG%, 31.8 3P%, 77.8 FT%)
-Jarell Martin (coach's decision; 2.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.6 APG, 35.4 FG%, 21.1 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Troy Caupain (G-League)
-Amile Jefferson (G-League)
-Melvin Frazier (0.0 PPG, 0.3 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%)
Both the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls would put up a good fight in this game as they each shot in the high 40 percents in the first half. Nikola Vucevic scored 13 points for the Magic while hitting a three-pointer late in the second quarter. Former Nuggets player Evan Fournier was kept to just 6 points but was able to get off two assists in the 15 minutes that he played.
D.J. Augustin also had six points but he would collect his from beyond the arc. Aaron Gordon was only able to score three points which came from the charity stripe. He finished the game with a total of 8 points. Terrence Ross played the most minutes off the bench but only scored six points, hitting a trey early in the second quarter.
On the other end of the court, the 2014-2015 All-Rookie selection Zach LaVine got hot for 14 points as he shot 67 percent from the floor. He earned three of those points from behind the arc while recording 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and one steal. Rookie Wendell Carter helped out with six points while Kris Dunn had five points and three rebounds off the bench. Lauri Markkanen ended up with four points, three from distance and one from the free-throw line. Robin Lopez played 15 minutes off the bench as he had five points but it was the home team that went into the locker room with a 51-46 lead.
Both teams continued to fight in the second half but the Bulls showed more accuracy as they completed 52 percent of their shots, holding the Florida team to 35 percent shooting. Justin Holiday, who is averaging 13 points a game this season, lit the floor up with 16 points, drilling 4 three-pointers in the process. LaVine would cool down as he only had nine points and four turnovers.
The Orlando Magic, however, found a way to continue to pull away as Vucevic dropped 13 more points, leading the Magic to a 97 to 91 victory over the Bulls. This victory would bring a halt to the Magic's three-game skid. Nikola Vucevic finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and one block while Zach LaVine settled for 23 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
The Chicago Bulls will travel over to Texas to meet up with DeMar DeRozan (24.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.2 APG, 48.0 FG%, 17.1 3P%) and the San Antonio Spurs (14-14) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. This will be the second and final game between these two teams this season. Last time they saw each other was on November 26 when the San Antonio Spurs snuck away from the Bulls, 108-107. During that game, DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and dished off 5 assists while Zach LaVine had 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
The Orlando Magic will host Donovan Mitchell (20.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.2 APG, 42.8 FG%, 30.3 3P%) and the Utah Jazz (14-15) on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. This matchup will mark the first of two meetings between these ball clubs during this season. The Magic ended up getting swept in the regular-season series against the Jazz last season, 0-2.
illnois
The Mavericks hand the Hawks a 114-107 loss
It's been three years since the Dallas Mavericks have made a postseason appearance and eight years since their first and only championship. With the 7th seed in their possession and holding onto a 14-11 record, they will look to sneak into the playoffs this year. The last time they made the playoff, they lost in the first round to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 1-4.
The Mavericks will hope to grab a third straight victory as they host the Atlanta Hawks at the American Airlines Center. As for the Georgia team, they were able to bring a halt to a four-game losing streak by defeating the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, 106 to 98. The Hawks made it to the playoffs ten straight times before seeing it come to an end during the 2017-2018 season.
The Hawks and the Mavericks have met up a grand total of 75 times in the past as Hawks won 43 games while the Dallas Mavericks were held to just 32 wins. This will be the second and final time that these two squads will see each other this season. The last time they met up was on October 24 when the Hawks handed the Mavericks a 111-104 loss. Kent Bazemore finished that contest with 32 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals while Wesley Matthews settled for 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Atlanta Hawks:
-Daniel Hamilton (coach's decision; 1.5 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 25.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 50.0 FT%)
-Omari Spellman (hip; 6.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 38.6 FG%, 31.7 3P%, 75.0 FT%)
-Jeremy Lin (back; 11.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 3.1 APG, 51.2 FG%, 41.3 3P%, 84.1 FT%)
-Taurean Prince (ankle; 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 43.1 FG%, 36.7 3P%, 83.3 FT%)
-Miles Plumlee (knee; 4.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 68.2 FG%, 57.1 FT%)
-Alex Poythress (G-League; 5.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 53.1 FG%, 35.7 3P%, 47.1 FT%)
Dallas Mavericks:
-Ryan Broekhoff (coach's decision; 1.5 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.2 APG, 35.0 FG%, 29.4 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Salah Mejri (coach's decision; 1.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.3 APG, 54.5 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Dennis Smith (wrist; 13.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 44.0 FG%, 35.9 3P%, 66.7 FT%)
-Daryl Macon (G-League; 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG)
-Ray Spalding (G-League; 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG)
-Kostas Antetokounmpo (G-League)
-Dirk Nowitzki (ankle)
Both teams would start off hot as the Mavericks shot 45 percent from the field while the Hawks completed 43 percent of their shots. John Collins scored 12 points for the Georgia team while gathering 8 rebounds and one assist. He had help from Kent Bazemore, who offered 11 points, which included a three-pointer early in the first quarter. Rookie Kevin Huerter had eight points while knocking down 2 three-pointers in the second quarter. The other rookie, Trae Young, also had eight points which included two treys. Alex Len played the most minutes off the bench but was kept to just two points.
On the other end of the floor, Luka Doncic chalked up 12 points while recording five rebounds and three assists. 2014-2015 NBA champion Harrison Barnes had 11 points while drilling 3 three-pointers in the first period. Former Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan chipped in with 7 points, along with seven rebounds and one assist. Dorian Finney-Smith played 14 minutes off the bench as he had five points but it was the visiting team that went into halftime with a 52-51 lead.
The Texas team would close things out in the second half as they went on a 63-55 run, completing 49 percent of their attempted shots. During that run, Barnes continued to add to his scoring total as he put up 14 more points, which held two three-pointers. Doncic had 12 points while grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing off 3 assists, recording one steal and one block.
As for the Hawks, they tried to stay in it as Young got hot for 16 points while shooting 57 percent from the floor. Both Huerter and Bazemore helped out with 11 points each while John Collins contributed with 8 points. Dewayne Dedmon scored seven points in the 18 minutes that he played in the second half but it wouldn't matter as the Dallas Mavericks escaped with a 114-107 win. Harrison Barnes finished the game with 25 points, 3 rebounds, and one steal while Trae Young had 24 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals.
The Atlanta Hawks will head to the TD Garden to take on Kyrie Irving (22.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.4 APG, 48.2 FG%, 39.1 3P%) and the Boston Celtics (17-10) on Friday at 7:00 p.m. This will mark the second of four matchups between these two teams this season. The last time they met up was on November 23 when the Celtics came away with a 114-96 win. During that game, Aron Baynes scored 16 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, dished off 4 assists, and blocked one shot while Jeremy Lin finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals.
The Dallas Mavericks will head out to Arizona to battle T.J. Warren (17.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 51.4 FG%, 43.0 3P%) and the Phoenix Suns (4-24) tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. This will be the second of four more times that these ball clubs will play each other this season. October 17 was the last time they met up as the Suns won the season opener, 121-100. Devin Booker finished that game with 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists while Dwight Powell had 16 points, 5 rebounds, one steal, and one block.
trae
trae young
The Spurs are able to hold off the Jazz, 110-97
The San Antonio Spurs are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. The last time they failed to make a postseason appearance was back during the 1996-1997 season, a season before they drafted Tim Duncan. Since then, they have won five championships, the most recent one against the Miami Heat in the 2014 Playoffs. Right now, they sit at the 13th seed in the Western Conference with a 12-14 record, hoping to grab a second straight win over the Utah Jazz at home.
The Jazz, on the other hand, are trying to make the playoffs for a third straight time, losing the last two in the Western Conference Semifinals; one against the Golden State Warriors and one against the Houston Rockets. The Utah Jazz will hope to win for a third straight time.
The San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz have battled each other a grand total of 210 times in the past as the Jazz won 94 games while the Spurs went on to win 116 games. This meeting will mark the second of three matchups between these two ball clubs. The last time they saw each other was on December 4 when the Jazz blew the Spurs out of the building, 139-105. Donovan Mitchell finished that game with 20 points, one rebound, 2 assists, and 2 steals while Jakob Poeltl had 20 points, 7 rebound, one assist, and one block.
San Antonio Spurs:
-Dante Cunningham (abdomen; 4.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 44.7 FG%, 44.2 3P%, 90.0 FT%)
-Pau Gasol (foot; 6.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 51.2 FG%, 57.1 3P%, 72.2 FT%)
-Dejounte Murray (knee)
-Davis Bertans (personal; 7.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 48.0 FG%, 44.9 3P%, 93.3 FT%)
-Lonnie Walker (G-League)
-Ben Moore (G-League)
-Tony Bradley (G-League)
-Naz Mitrou-Long (G-League; 0.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%)
-Georges Niang (3.3 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 44.0 FG%, 38.2 3P%, 85.7 FT%)
-Tyler Cavanaugh (G-League)
The San Antonio Spurs would show dominance in the first half as they shot 50 percent from the field, limiting the Utah Jazz to 36 percent shooting. DeMar DeRozan, who averaged 20 points a game in his first 9 years with the Raptors, got hot for 16 points in the first half of this contest. He also had 5 defensive rebounds and 2 steals while LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 14 points on 78 percent shooting. Aldridge used his 6'11" height to his advantage as he pulled down 5 boards and blocked 2 shots from going in.
Brooklyn-native Rudy Gay was kept to just three points in the half while Bryn Forbes was able to cough up four points. Derrick White scored only two points in the 16 minutes that he played as he attempted just three shots. Marco Belinelli, who averaged a career-high 14 points last season, played the most minutes off the bench as he scored 8 points, including two 3-pointers in the first.
On the other end of the court, the Jazz's leading scorer this season, Donovan Mitchell, was kept completely scoreless in the 18 minutes that he played in the first half. He did manage to grab 3 defensive rebounds while stealing the ball twice from his opponent. Thabo Sefolosha came off the bench to carry the load as he had 9 points, shooting a perfect 100 percent from the field. He also had a trey while Rudy Gobert helped out with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and one block. Ricky Rubio also had seven points which held a three-pointer in the first period. Royce O'Neale played 13 minutes off the bench as he had 5 points but it was the home team that went into halftime with a huge 54 to 36 lead.
Mitchell came out of the locker room hot as he lit the floor up with 27 points to make up for his poor performance in the first half. He shot 53 percent from the field while hitting 3 three-pointers. Rubio also scored more in this half as he had 19 points, finishing the game out with a total of 26 points. Gobert added 5 more points to his scoring total while Derrick Favors had only two points, going scoreless in the first session. O'Neale played the most minutes off the bench as he didn't even attempt a shot.
As for the 5-time champions, Gay made up for his first-half performance as he had 20 points on 90 percent shooting. He also had 10 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, and one block while DeRozan saw to it that he got 12 points. Forbes was able to get it going as he earned 11 points while LaMarcus Aldridge had just six points. Former Portland Trail Blazers guard Patty Mills played 14 minutes off the bench as he had just a three-pointer but the Spurs were still able to hand the Jazz a 110-97 defeat. DeMar DeRozan finished the game with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and one block while Donovan Mitchell had 27 points, 5 rebounds, one assist, 2 steals, and one block.
The San Antonio Spurs will host Deandre Ayton (15.8 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 59.5 FG%, 00.0 3P%) and the struggling Phoenix Suns (4-22) on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. This game will mark the third of four times that these teams will battle each other during this season. The last time they saw each other was on November 14 when the Spurs fell to the Suns, 96-116. During that game, T.J. Warren scored 27 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, gave out 2 assists, and committed 3 steals while DeMar DeRozan finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Utah Jazz will visit Oklahoma to take on Paul George (24.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.4 APG, 42.3 FG%, 35.2 3P%) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (16-8) on Monday at 8:00 p.m. This will be the first of four matchups between these teams this season. Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the regular-season series, 3-1, but ended up losing in the first round of those playoffs to the Jazz, 2-4.
The Memphis Grizzlies overpower the New Orleans Pelicans, 107-103
The Memphis Grizzlies are currently in the midst of recovering from one of their worst seasons ever as they finished last year with a 22-60 record. Last time they had a record that bad was back in the 2007-2008 season, the year before they drafted Marc Gasol. The Grizzlies are coming fresh off a 96-86 win that earned over the impressive Los Angeles Clippers, who are also recovering from a disappointing previous season. The Grizzlies will look to grab a second straight win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
As for the Pelicans, their season isn't going as they planned as they are sitting at the eleventh spot in the Western Conference with a 13-13 record. Last year, they made the Playoffs but fell to the Golden State Warriors in the Semifinals, 1-4. Since then, they have been without DeMarcus Cousins, who averaged twenty-five points a game in the two seasons he spent with them.
The Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans have battled each other a total of 60 times in the past as the Pelicans defeated the Grizzlies 32 times while the Pelicans captured 28 wins. This meeting between the two teams tonight will mark the first of four times that these two ball clubs will see each other during this season. Last season, the regular-season series between these teams were tied at two apiece.
-Dillon Brooks (knee; 6.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 40.9 FG%, 36.8 3P%, 77.8 FT%)
-Chandler Parsons (knee; 5.7 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 41.2 FG%, 30.0 3P%)
-Wayne Selden (coach's decision; 5.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 41.1 FG%, 34.1 3P%, 86.7 FT%)
-D.J. Stephens (coach's decision)
-Jevon Carter (G-League)
-Ivan Rabb (G-League; 2.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.7 APG, 61.5 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 60.0 FT%)
-Yuta Watanabe (G-League; 1.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Nikola Mirotic (illness; 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 46.5 FG%, 36.4 3P%, 83.8 FT%)
-Elfrid Payton (finger; 9.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 47.1 FG%, 42.9 3P%, 63.6 FT%)
-Ian Clark (coach's decision; 4.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 37.0 FG%, 31.1 3P%, 90.0 FT%)
-Andrew Harrison (coach's decision; 3.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 31.0 FG%, 20.0 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Wesley Johnson (coach's decision; 4.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 42.1 FG%, 43.2 3P%, 83.3 FT%)
-Jahlil Okafor (coach's decision; 3.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.1 APG, 50.0 FG%, 100.0 FT%)
-Trevon Bluiett (G-League)
-Frank Jackson (G-League; 4.3 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.6 APG, 36.5 FG%, 29.6 3P%, 71.4 FT%)
-Kenrich Williams (0.8 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.0 APG, 33.3 FG%, 50.0 3P%)
Both teams made it very clear that this will not be a game that one would run away with as the Grizzlies closed the first quarter out with a 31-30 lead. The New Orleans Pelicans ended up shooting 55 percent from the field in the first half while the Memphis Grizzlies completed 49 percent of their shots. Marc Gasol chalked up 12 points in the first half, earning four of those points from the free-throw line. This would mark Joakim Noah's second game in a Grizzlies uniform as he scored four points in his season debut against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Noah looked a little better this time around as he put up nine points on 80 percent shooting. He also had four defensive rebounds and two assists as he came off the bench. Mike Conley, who is averaging a career-high 21 points this season, struggled from the field as he made only 2 of his 6 shots, finishing the game with nine points. Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Shelvin Mack played the most minutes off the bench but was held scoreless, only attempting 3 shots.
As for the Pelicans, Anthony Davis tallied 6 points in the first quarter and 13 points in the second quarter. He shot 73 percent from the field while pulling down six rebounds, committed one steal, and preventing three shots from going in. Julius Randle, who averaged 19 points for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, scored 13 points while Jrue Holiday chipped in 12 points. E'Twaun Moore played 11 eleven minutes off the bench but only had two points to show for it as the home team walked into the locker room with a tight 60-58 lead over the Memphis team.
The Grizzlies would take it upon themselves to close things out as they sparked up a 49 to 43 run, limiting the Louisiana team to just 36 percent shooting. JaMychal Green scored 13 points off the bench while New York-native Kyle Anderson had 12 points. Both Green and Anderson had a three-pointer in the third quarter while shooting 71 percent from the field each. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley would be limited to just three points each but Conley would take his from the charity stripe while Gasol had a trey.
Randle tried his best to keep the Pelicans involved with 13 points, along with 9 rebounds and 2 steals. But it wouldn't help that he had two turnovers. Davis, who has averaged a double-double in all but one of his seasons (his first season), was kept to just six points on 20 percent shooting. But he did have 5 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal, and one block in the final 17 minutes that he played. Holiday helped out with 8 points but it was Memphis Grizzlies who pulled away with a 107-103 win. JaMychal Green finished with a season-high 24 points, along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a season-high three 3-pointers. Julius Randle had 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
The Memphis Grizzlies will host LeBron James (28.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.6 APG, 52.5 FG%, 36.9 3P%) and the Los Angeles Lakers (15-9) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. This game will mark the first of three times that these two teams will fight each other this season. They tied the regular-season series up two apiece last season.
The New Orleans Pelicans will travel to Michigan to take on Blake Griffin (24.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 5.0 APG, 46.4 FG%, 36.2 3P%) and the Detroit Pistons (13-9) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. This will be the first of two times that these squads will see each other this season. The Pelicans were able to sweep the Pistons last season in their regular-season series, 2-0.
The Chicago Bulls push through the Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-112
The Chicago Bulls are currently trying to avoid an 8th straight loss as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the United Center. The last time the Bulls suffered an 8-game losing streak was last year when they lost a total of 10 straight. They are tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the worst record in the East at 5-20 and at risk of missing the playoff for a second straight time.
As for the Thunder, they are coming fresh off a 114-112 win against the Brooklyn Nets, all thanks to Paul George, who nailed a clutch 3-pointer to secure the win. They are looking for their 5th straight victory. The Thunder and the Bulls have played each other a grand total of 151 times in the past as the Thunder won 74 games while the Chicago team pulled out 77 wins. This will mark the first of two matchups between these ball clubs this season. The Thunder swept the Chicago Bulls last season in their season series, 2-0.
-Andre Roberson (knee)
-Deonte Burton (coach's decision; 3.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.4 APG, 44.4 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 83.3 FT%)
-Raymond Felton (coach's decision; 4.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 35.2 FG%, 17.9 3P%, 88.9 FT%)
-Abdel Nader (coach's decision; 1.2 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.1 APG, 50.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%)
-Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (2.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.3 APG, 33.3 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 66.7 FT%)
-Tyler Davis (G-League; 0.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 0.0 FG%)
-Kris Dunn (knee; 9.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, 30.8 FG%, 25.0 3P%)
-Bobby Portis (knee; 10.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 41.5 FG%, 27.3 3P%, 55.6 FT%)
The Chicago Bulls would have control in the first half as they completed 57 percent of the shots they put up, limiting the Oklahoma City Thunder to 46 percent shooting. The 2018-2018 All-Rookie selection Lauri Markkanen scored 16 points while knocking down four 3-pointers. He also had 3 rebounds while Zach LaVine contributed with 13 points, 3 defensive rebounds, and 6 assists. He was able to drill a trey midway through the first session while Ryan Arcidiacono had a 3-pointer in the first period. He finished the game with just those three points. Robin Lopez played the most minutes off the bench as he chipped in with 10 points.
On the other end of the court, Steven Adams put up 17 of Oklahoma City's 62 points while pulling down 5 rebounds but had three turnovers. Paul George scored 16 points which included a 3-pointer before the first quarter expired. He shot 63 percent from the field in the first half but struggled overall as he only made 6 of his 16 shots attempted in the game, ending with 38 percent shooting from the field, lowest of all five Thunder starters.
Russell Westbrook recorded 9 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals while Terrance Ferguson was held scoreless in the 14 minutes that he played, attempting only two shots. Former Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder played the most minutes of all the reserves in the first half as he gave eleven points but it was the home team who went in the break with a 70 to 62 advantage.
The Thunder would not give up, though, as they came out of the locker room to spark a 50-44 run, including a big 29-17 run in the third period. During that time, Westbrook added 15 more points to his scoring total while knocking down two 3-pointers. He also collected 7 more rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals but had 7 turnovers. George would start to see his shooting decline as he only scored three points, earning them from beyond the arc just one minute into the third.
MARKKANEN SAVES THE DAY:
With 34 seconds left in the game and the score being 109-108 in the Bulls' favor, Dennis Schroder would complete a driving layup to give the Thunder a one-point lead. That would force the Chicago team to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Justin Holiday would drill a huge three-pointer off of a Lauri Markkanen assist, giving the Bulls a 112-110 lead. Four seconds out of a Thunder timeout, Russell Westbrook would drive the ball in the paint for a layup, tying the game up at 112 apiece. But Markkanen respond as he made a driving layup with only four seconds left in the game to allow the home team to regain the lead. Paul George would attempt a three-pointer after a Thunder timeout but would fail to convert as the Bulls hold off the Thunder, 114-112, bringing an end to their seven-game losing streak.
Zach LaVine finished the game with 25 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals but had a career-tying nine turnovers. Russell Westbrook scored 24 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, dished off 13 assists, and committed a season-tying 4 steals. Those stats would complete his triple-double (109th of his career; 5th of the season) but had a season-high 10 turnovers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will host Donovan Mitchell (20.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, 42.7 FG%, 29.2 3P%) and the Utah Jazz (13-13) on Monday at 8:00 p.m. This meeting will mark the first of four matchups between these two teams this season. The Thunder would win the regular-season series against the Jazz, 3-1, before losing to them in the first round of the playoffs, 2-4.
The Chicago Bulls will host Kyrie Irving (22.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 6.4 APG, 48.5 FG% 39.2 3P%) and the Boston Celtics (14-10) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. This will be the second time that these two teams will see each other this season as one more game lies ahead of them. The first time they met up each other was on November 14 when the Celtics handed the Bulls a 111-82 blowout loss. During that game, Jaylen Brown scored eighteen points, grabbed six rebounds, gave out three assists, and committed one steal while Shaquille Harrison had sixteen points, six rebounds, one assist, and four steals.
okc thunder
The Warriors knock off the Cavaliers, 129 to 105
This would have been one of the most hyped matchups of the season but with LeBron James being gone, it's just another game for the defending champions. Tonight, the Golden State Warriors will visit the Quicken Loans Arena to battle the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors are facing difficulties of their own, though. They are currently trying to recover from their two only losing streaks this season; one being a four-game losing streak and another one being a recent two-game skid.
Even though they are still without Draymond Green, who is missing his ninth straight game due to a toe injury, the Warriors were still able to get past the Atlanta Hawks, all thanks to Stephen Curry, who outscored the Hawks in the first quarter by himself, 18-17. This meeting between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers will mark the first of two games between these teams this season. The Warriors swept the regular season series against the Cavaliers last season before sweeping them in the NBA Finals.
-DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles)
-Draymond Green (toe; 6.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 7.2 APG, 44.4 FG%, 22.2 3P%, 66.7 FT%)
-Damian Jones (pectoral; 5.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 71.6 FG%, 64.9 FT%)
-Damion Lee (G-League; 5.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.2 APG, 43.4 FG%, 41.4 3P%, 80.0 FT%)
-Sam Dekker (ankle; 6.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 45.8 FG%, 38.5 3P%, 80.0 FT%)
-Kevin Love (toe; 19.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, 32.3 FG%, 29.2 3P%, 81.8 FT%)
-David Nwaba (knee; 6.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.6 APG, 42.4 FG%, 22.7 3P%, 67.6 FT%)
-Ante Zizic (knee; 3.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 50.0 FG%, 62.5 FT%)
-J.R. Smith (personal; 6.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 34.2 FG%, 30.8 3P%, 80.0 FT%)
The game would be held somewhat close in the first half as the Cleveland Cavaliers shot forty-nine percent from the floor while the Golden State Warriors completed fifty-one percent of their shots. Former Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood scored fifteen points while hitting two three-pointers early in the first quarter. Rookie Collin Sexton contributed with twelve points which held three three-pointers while Tristan Thompson chipped in five points, eight rebounds, and one assist. Larry Nance played sixteen minutes off the bench as he had nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
As for the Warriors, Stephen Curry got extremely hot as he chalked up twenty-five points while knocking down six three-pointers in the process. He also had three defensive rebounds, four assists, and one steal while Kevin Durant earned ten points for himself. Durant was also able to drill a three-pointer in the second quarter while grabbing five defensive rebounds, dishing off five assists, committing one steal, and blocking two shots. Four-time All-Star Klay Thompson was kept to just six points on twenty-nine percent shooting while recording three defensive rebounds. Jonas Jerebko played the most minutes off the bench but only had six points while the Cavaliers went into halftime with a 64 to 58 advantage.
The Warriors would hit the Cavaliers with a huge 71 to 43 run in the second half as they shot fifty-four percent from the field, holding the Ohio team to forty percent. During that run, Curry continued to put up a shooting display as he had seventeen additional points, nine coming from beyond the arc and the other eight from the free-throw line. He also had six defensive rebounds and three assists while Durant put up fifteen points with three three-pointers in the third period. Thompson would make up for that tough first half he had as he scored ten points with two three-pointers in the fourth. Jerebko played twelve minutes off the bench as he had only five points which included a three-pointer late in the third.
On the other end of the court, both Thompson and Sexton had nine points apiece while Tristan Thompson saw to it that he got eleven rebounds. The second round pick in the 2015 draft Cedi Osman scored seven points while knocking down a three-pointer early in the third quarter. George Hill would be held scoreless in the eleven minutes that he played. Jordan Clarkson played the most minutes off the bench as he put up seven points but it wouldn't matter as the Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 129-105 final score. Stephen Curry finished the game with forty-two points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and one steal while Collin Sexton had twenty-one points, two rebounds, and three assists.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host Buddy Hield (18.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 47.5 FG%, 41.8 3P%) and the Sacramento Kings (12-11) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. This will be the first of two times that these ball clubs will face each other this season. Both teams tied the regular season series last season at one apiece.
The Golden State Warriors will visit Wisconsin to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo (27.6 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 57.8 FG%, 11.5 3P%) and the Milwaukee Bucks (15-7) on Friday at 9:30 p.m. This game will be second and last one that the Bucks and Warriors will play against each other this season. The last time they fought each other was on November 8 when the Milwaukee Bucks handed the Warriors a 134-111 blowout loss. During that game, Eric Bledsoe scored twenty-six points, grabbed four rebounds, dished off six assists, and committed one steal while Klay Thompson finished with twenty-four points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks.
draymond
draymond green
splash brothers
The Denver Nuggets survive the Toronto Raptors, 106-103
The Toronto Raptors not only the hottest team in the East but they are also the best team in the league right now, grasping a 20-4 record. The only teams they have fallen to were the Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics. They will look grab their ninth straight victory as they host the Denver Nuggets. If they do so, this will tie their all-time longest winning streak which they set last season.
The Denver Nuggets, on the other hand, are hoping to earn their sixth straight win, coming fresh off of a close 113-112 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Nuggets and the Raptors have seen each other a grand total of 44 times in the past as the Nuggets won 26 games while the Raptors were kept to just 18 games. This game will mark the first of two times that these two ball clubs will face each other during this season. Last season, these teams split the season series at one apiece. Both teams will look to set the tone tonight.
-DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell (G-League; 1.2 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 30.0 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 50.0 FT%)
-Thomas Welsh (G-League; 1.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 66.7 FG%, 50.0 3P%)
-Lorenzo Brown (coach's decision; 2.7 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 37.8 FG%, 22.7 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Greg Monroe (coach's decision; 3.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 51.5 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 50.0 FT%)
-Malachi Richardson (coach's decision; 1.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.0 APG, 27.8 FG%, 26.7 3P%, 66.7 FT%)
-Jordon Loyd (G-League; 4.0 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 100.0 FG%, 100.0 3P%, 100.0 FT%)
-Chris Boucher (G-League; 4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.0 APG, 50.0 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 66.7 FT%)
The Denver Nuggets would have complete control in the first half as they shot fifty percent from the field, limiting the home team to forty-three percent. Nikola Jokic chalked up fourteen points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing off ten assists. Jamal Murray helped out with twelve points as he was able to drill two three-pointers in the process. Juan Hernangomez earned himself seven points which included a trey early in the first period. Malik Beasley played the most minutes off the bench as he had eight points including two three-pointers in the second quarter.
As for the Canada team, former San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard got hot for sixteen points on sixty percent shooting. He also had four defensive rebounds and two assists while Pascal Siakam chipped in eight points. Kyle Lowry, who is averaging fifteen points a game this season, was held scoreless in the eighteen minutes that he played. Danny Green had a three-pointer early in the first quarter while Serge Ibaka collected five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block. Jonas Valanciunas played ten minutes off the bench as he scored six points while the Nuggets went into halftime with a commanding 59 to 47 lead.
The best team in the league would bounce back, though, as they sparked a 56 to 47 run, shooting forty-nine percent from the field. During that run, Leonard added eleven more points to his scoring total, including a three-pointer midway through the third period. Ibaka earned ten more points, along with three defensive rebounds and one assist. Lowry would still struggle as he was only able to hit a three-pointer and two free throws, ending the game with five points. Fred VanVleet played the most minutes off the bench but was kept scoreless.
On the other end of the court, both Murray and Jokic scored nine points each. Murray would go on to collect three defensive rebounds and three assists while Nikola Jokic had six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Paul Millsap would only have two points, ending the game with six total. Beasley played fourteen minutes off the bench as he had seven points which held a three-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE:
With only forty-one seconds left, the Raptors would have a 101-100 lead. Nikola Jokic knocked down a twelve-foot jump shot with forty seconds left to put the Denver team up by one. After a missed two-pointer and a missed three-pointer by Danny Green, the Raptors would have no choice but to foul after Juan Hernangomez grabs the defensive rebound. He would make his second free throw after missing the first one, giving the visiting team a 103-101 lead.
Coming out of a timeout with only seven seconds left in regulation, Kawhi Leonard would drill a jump shot to tie the game up at 103 apiece. After a timeout called by the Nuggets, Serge Ibaka ended up committing a costly foul away from the ball, sending Jokic to the charity stripe. He was able to knock down his free-throw, giving them another lead. Once they got the ball back, Leonard would commit the intentional foul, sending Nikola Jokic right back to the line. He was able to knock down both of his free throws. With time running out, Kyle Lowry would be forced to attempt a pull-up three-pointer but would not make it as the Denver Nuggets hold on to be the Toronto Raptors, 106 to 103.
FINAL RESULTS:
Nikola Jokic finished the competition with twenty-three points, eleven rebounds, fifteen assists, and two steals while Malik Beasley had fifteen points, two rebounds, and one assist off the bench. Kawhi Leonard had twenty-seven points, eight rebounds, and two assists while Delon Wright scored nine points off the bench, as well grabbing three rebounds, dishing off two assists, and committing two steals.
The Denver Nuggets will travel down to Florida to take on Nikola Vucevic (21.0 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 55.3 FG%, 40.9 3P%) and the Orlando Magic (11-12) on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. This will mark the second and final time that these teams will see each other this season. The last time they played each other was on November 23 when the Nuggets handed the Orlando team a 112 to 87 loss. During that game, Trey Lyles scored twenty-two points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished off one assist while Terrence Ross finished with eighteen points and one assist.
The Toronto Raptors will host Joel Embiid (27.0 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 46.8 FG%, 30.1 3P%) and the Philadelphia 76ers (17-8) on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. The matchup will mark the second of four times that these two teams will meet up this season. The last time they saw each other was on October 30 when the Canada team escaped with a 129-112 win. Kawhi Leonard finished that game with thirty-one points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals while Joel Embiid had thirty-one points, eleven rebounds, four assists, and one block.
The Los Angeles Lakers hold off the Phoenix Suns, 120-96
The Phoenix Suns are dead last in the Western Conference, tying the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst record in the league at 4-18. They will look to avoid a fifth straight loss as they battle the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center. The Lakers, on the other hand, are looking pretty decent after a 0-3 start to the season, holding onto a 13-9 record. Their current win-loss percentage is 59.1%, marking the first time they had a fifty-percent win-loss percentage since the 2012-2013 season.
The Suns and the Lakers have battled each other a grand total of 308 in the past as the Suns won 130 times while the Lakers went on to pull out 178 victories. This game between the Suns and the Lakers will mark the second of four times that these two ball clubs will meet up this season. The last time they played each other was on October 24 when the Suns fell to the Lakers, 131-113. Lance Stephenson finished that game with twenty-three points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals while Devin Booker also had twenty-three points, along with seven rebounds and seven assists.
Los Angeles Lakers:
-Rajon Rondo (hand; 8.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 45.5 FG%, 42.9 3P%, 50.0 FT%)
-Alex Caruso (G-League)
-Isaac Bonga (G-League)
-Johnathan Williams (G-League; 3.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 APG, 57.9 FG%, 20.0 FT%)
The Los Angeles Lakers would have control most of the first half as they shot fifty percent from the field, keeping the Phoenix Suns to thirty-eight percent. Kyle Kuzma lit the floor up with eighteen points while hitting two three-pointers in the second quarter. Brandon Ingram helped out with thirteen points while recording three rebounds and two assists. He also had a three-pointer, which he drilled early in the second period. Three-time NBA Champion LeBron James was kept to just twelve points but did have three rebounds, four assists, and one block. Lonzo Ball was limited to just two points. Josh Hart played ten minutes off the block but was held completely scoreless as he only attempted three shots.
As for the struggling Suns, former Orlando Magic forward Trevor Ariza scored eleven points on fifty percent shooting. He also had three treys in the first quarter while earning four defensive rebounds, one assist, and four steals. Josh Jackson chipped in eight points while Deandre Ayton put up six points. Devin Booker had six points, as well, but went down with a hamstring injury in the second quarter and would not return. Elie Okobo played the most minutes off the bench but was kept scoreless as the Lakers went into halftime with a 61 to 46 advantage.
The California team would close things out in the second half as LeBron James scored ten more points while hitting a three-pointer late in the third quarter. He also had three defensive rebounds and four assists while rookie Moritz Wagner contributed with ten points of his own. On the other end of the court, both Troy Daniels and Richaun Holmes scored nine points off the bench each but it wouldn't mean much as the Los Angeles Lakers go on to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 120-96. Kyle Kuzma finished the game with twenty-three points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block while Richaun Holmes settled for a season-high fifteen points, along with one rebound, a career-high four steals, and a season-high four blocks.
The Phoenix Suns will host Buddy Hield (18.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 47.3 FG%, 41.1 3P%) and the Sacramento Kings (11-11) on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. This game will mark the first of four times that these two teams will clash with one another this season. Last season, the Suns won the regular season series against the team, 3-1.
The Los Angeles Lakers will stay at home as they host Demar DeRozan (23.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 48.2 FG%, 18.2 3P%) and the San Antonio Spurs (10-12) on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. This will be the third of four times that these teams will see each other this season. The last time they met up was on October 27 when the Spurs handed the Lakers a 110-106 loss. During that game, DeRozan scored thirty points, grabbed twelve boards, gave out eight assists, committed two steals, and blocked one shot while LeBron James finished with thirty-five points, eleven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
The Houston Rockets hand the Chicago Bulls a tough loss, 121 to 105
The Chicago Bulls are en route to their longest losing streak this season, hoping to avoid a fifth straight loss as they battle the Houston Rockets in Texas. The Bulls are currently holding onto a 2-9 record on the road. The Rockets, on the other hand, are still trying to work things out as they look for their second straight victory. The Houston Rockets have a 4-5 record at home.
The Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls have played each other a total of 137 times in the past as the Rockets won 69 games while the Bulls were kept to just 68 wins. This meeting will mark the second and final time that these two teams will match up this season. The last time they played each other was on November 3 when the Houston team survived the Bulls, 96-88. During that game, James Harden scored twenty-five points, grabbed one rebound, dished off seven assists, and committed four steals while Zach LaVine had twenty-one points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
-Brandon Knight (knee)
-Carmelo Anthony (13.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 40.5 FG%, 32.8 3P%, 68.2 FT%)
-Zhou Qi (ankle; 2.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 100.0 FG%)
-Vincent Edwards (G-League; 3.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 50.0 FG%, 50.0 3P%)
The Texas team would have full control in the first half as they shot forty-nine percent from the field, limiting the visiting team to thirty-nine percent. James Harden would be the only player to score double-digits in the half as he got hot for twenty-three points, knocking down four three-pointers in the process. He shot sixty-four percent from the field while recording three defensive rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Clint Capela helped out with seven points and eight rebounds while Chris Paul had five points, two rebounds, five assists, and one block. Paul had a three-pointer late in the beginning period as James Ennis was kept to four points. Eric Gordon played the most minutes off the bench as he scored nine points, including a three-pointer in the second quarter.
As for the Bulls, Zach LaVine chalked up fourteen points on sixty percent shooting. He also had a trey in the second period while grabbing four rebounds and committing two steals. Illinois-native Jabari Parker chipped in ten points while jumping up for five boards. Both Justin Holiday and Wendell Carter earned themselves six points. Lauri Markkanen played twelve minutes off the bench but was kept to just a three-pointer late in the first quarter as the Houston Rockets went into their locker room with a 56 to 46 lead.
The Houston Rockets would finish the job in the second half as they went on a 65 to 61 run, although both teams shot fifty-one percent from the field each. James Harden would cool down as he only had seven points in the second half, earning six of them from beyond the arc and one from the charity stripe. Capela would pick up the load as he warmed up with eleven points, shooting a high eighty percent from the field. P.J. Tucker chalked up eight points while Chris Paul had seven points. Paul had eight more assists to add to his stat column. LaVine continued to add to his scoring total, putting up seventeen more points but it was the Houston Rockets who stuck around to hand the Chicago Bulls a 121-105 loss. James Harden finished the game with thirty points, six rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block while Zach LaVine had twenty-nine points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Chicago Bulls will head to Indianapolis to battle Bojan Bogdanovic (16.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.7 APG, 44.0 FG%, 34.5 3P%) and the Indiana Pacers (13-10) on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. This game will mark the second of four times that these two ball clubs will meet up this season. The last time they played each other was on November 2 when the Pacers crept away with a 107-105 win. During that game, Victor Oladipo scored twenty-five points, pulled down fourteen rebounds, dished out five assists, committed two steals, and prevented a shot from going in while Antonio Blakeney had twenty-two points and three rebounds.
The Houston Rockets will travel to the Target Center to clash with Karl-Anthony Towns (20.6 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 48.7 FG%, 39.6 3P%) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (11-12) on Monday at 8:00 p.m. This will be the first of three times that these two teams will battle each other during this season. The Rockets would sweep the regular season series against the Timberwolves last season, 4-0.


Whether Bashar al-Assad falls or not, the fighting in Syria is likely to persist for a long time.
There are no guarantees. But in almost every scenario, the violence will persist.
So what happens after Bashar al-Assad falls? Do the new Syrian leaders sever ties with Iran and Hezbollah, to say nothing of Russia and China? Do they make friends with the Saudis, the Turks, and even us? Does the place slide into anarchy, leaving power to those radicals most adept at filling vacuums and then imposing total rule?
The obvious answer is that nobody knows and it's a fool's game to guess. Even the question's premise is shaky, as it's far from clear that Assad's regime is on the verge of collapse. Unlike Libya's Muammar Qaddafi, who relied mainly on foreign mercenaries to protect his final bastion, Assad will be defended to the death (and possibly afterward) by fellow homegrown Alawite Muslims, who dominate Syria's security forces and comprise nearly one-fifth of its population, or about 4.5 million people.
The rebels have gained momentum and strength in recent days, assassinating some of Assad's closest military advisers, luring some prominent defectors, and capturing a few key border stations, including one on the Turkish border, a move that might facilitate the flow of more (and more lethal) weapons.
But these trends—hopeful as they are—don't necessarily mean that Syria's government is about to surrender. To the contrary, earlier this week, Israel's intelligence chief reported that the Syrian army had removed all its forces from the Golan Heights, on Israel's border, and redeployed them to Damascus and other cities, presumably to bolster internal security. These forces include Syria's crack soldiers and a lot of tanks. In other words, Assad may only be just beginning to bring out his heavy firepower.
The passions are too riled, the stakes are too high, for the combatants on either side to make peace. At some point (and that point may have been passed), their main cause will devolve to simple survival: The fighters on each side will keep fighting because they know that, if they stop, the other side will kill them, either preemptively or in revenge.
Even assuming things do calm down soon after Assad's departure, that leaves another question: What happens next? Much depends here on just who the next leaders are and what their interests might be.
The New York Times reported in June that CIA officers in southern Turkey are helping U.S. allies decide which Syrian rebels should receive the weapons—rifles, ammo, rocket-propelled grenades, "and some antitank weapons"—that are being funneled across the border. In other words, the CIA is identifying which rebels are not jihadists.
One could extend the point further. Even if our largesse did buy us influence, that doesn't mean we're influencing the right people. The group that starts or wins a revolution is not necessarily the group that takes power in the aftermath. At the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917, few thought that Lenin's Bolsheviks—a small, marginal party compared with the Mensheviks and the Socialist Revolutionaries—would rise to the top. In the wake of last year's Arab Uprising (a better term, in retrospect, than Arab Spring), the Muslim Brotherhood won Egypt's first free election, even though the party had little presence in the first days of the Tahrir Square protests.
That said, the United States and its allies in the region have a stake in this conflict. Our influence in shaping the outcome may be limited, but the outcome has huge implications—and that's why everybody, whether ally or adversary, is very nervous.
Most nervous are the Shiite leaders of Iran. For many years, Syria has served as the main funnel through which Iran has expanded its regional influence, not least by pouring money and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. For that reason, early on in his presidency, Barack Obama tried to lure Assad away from Iran through diplomatic means; various Sunni Arab leaders have made similar overtures, all to no avail. Now, if Assad is toppled, his successors—whoever they might be—are unlikely to remain Iran's lackeys. In other words, the effect will be what Obama and the Sunnis had aimed for: the weakening and isolation of Iran. With one important exception: This new Syria, whatever else it might be, is likely to be seething with persistent violence.
In one sense, the Israeli government would be happy to see Assad go; he and his father before him have long declared Syria to be at war with Israel. In another sense, though, the Golan has been fairly stable in recent years: Few Israelis have worried about a Syrian invasion from the north, and, judging from Assad's redeployment of all his troops from the Golan to his own cities, he isn't much worried about an Israeli invasion from the south.
Israelis do have this worry, though: If Syria tumbles into anarchy, if no new government can be formed, or if the new government isn't strong enough to contain (or kick out) the smattering of jihadists who have crossed into the country to exploit the current chaos, the Golan Heights could turn into a festering wound of instability and a haven for terrorists, like southern Lebanon during its long civil war in the 1980s.
What can the United States do to advance the rebels' cause and help stabilize their rule when they form a new government? There really isn't much we (or any other outside power) can do, beyond what we seem to be doing already (and it's a good guess that the New York Times article on the CIA's efforts just begins to skim the extent of those measures). The neocons who call for an American invasion of Syria seem already to have forgotten the brutal lessons of the last 10 years of war. (Toppling Assad? No problem, with one arm tied behind our back. Imposing order and democracy afterward? Another matter entirely.) Imposing a "no-fly rule" on Assad's regime, as some have suggested, is the stuff of cliché: Assad isn't doing much shelling from the air; and if he started doing so, any airplane we'd shoot down would probably land on civilians in cities.
Assuming Assad keeps resisting a settlement (as seems likely), the best course of action is to continue condemning his actions, support the rebels in a low-key way (doing a lot overtly might be ineffective, as well as harmful to the rebels' long-term political prospects and a confirmation in many eyes of Assad's claim that the rebels are western agents), and—if they do win the battle—help them, to the extent they want our help, in the aftermath.
First, Russia and China have engaged in outrageous behavior, supplying Assad with arms and vetoing three U.N. resolutions calling for sanctions. But the notion that this marks "something new" is a head-scratcher. The United States is far from an innocent in the business of bolstering hideous tyrants for the sake of some national interest, however dubiously contrived.
Second, a "proxy war" means a war between rival nations, fought on some third party's territory in order to minimize the destruction. Vietnam was a proxy war; Nicaragua was a proxy war. (Or at least the superpowers saw them as such; the Vietnamese and Nicaraguans had a different viewpoint.) America is not at war with Russia or China. If it were, Syria would be unlikely terrain for such a contest: None of the "Great Powers" (a quaint term in this polycentric, if not a-centric, world) is sending troops or anything more potent than fairly small arms. The conflict could escalate into something more serious. One job of diplomats is to keep it from doing so, not to indulge in fantasies reeking of nostalgia for Cold War gun-boating and childhood board games of Risk.


text:
news, local-news, training hub, Burnie, Devonport, jobs, education, Battery of the Nation
The North-West's peak business bodies have backed a planned industry training hub in Burnie, arguing boosting regional productivity is crucial. It is understood the first two of 10 federally funded hubs in regional Australia will start in early 2020. Burnie, which was chosen as one of the 10 locations across the nation, is likely to get one of the first two hubs. Tasmanian federal Liberal MPs and North-West business groups have been lobbying for that to happen. Central Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jess Jansz said one of the major benefits for business would be the provision of a career facilitator who would form partnerships between industries with skills shortages and people providing advice and education to students. "University isn't the only path to a high-paying, fulfilling career and it is vital we get that message across to year 11 and 12 students as they're making those critical decisions about their future," Ms Jansz said. Business North West president Ian Jones said the hub would benefit businesses and young jobseekers across the North-West and West Coast, including King Island. "The industry training hub model is exciting because it facilitates additional education for trainers as well as career advice and mentoring for young people with a specific focus on traditional in-demand trades which will be vital as we roll out projects like Battery of the Nation," Mr Jones said. "In an economy like the North-West, West Coast and King Island we need to be training enough electrical engineers and boilermakers for the demands of renewables projects like Marinus Link and the Robbins Island, Jims Plain and Granville Harbour wind farms." Devonport Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dane Layton said the hub and associated vocational education scholarships would help address the skills shortage, which was a key challenge for North-West businesses. "For small and medium businesses, finding people in our local area with the right skills is challenging, and being the first industry training hub in Australia would mean we could get to work right away in addressing that shortage," My Layton said. "Our region's economy is growing well and we need to maintain our momentum by equipping educators and students in year 11 and 12 with an understanding of the types of skills that North-West employers actually need and then delivering additional financial support for that training." While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/f35ndb3GgpgdJDz6gtVeqN/9c03a8c9-a9fa-4230-99e5-1eff0dcec209.JPG/r3_230_4499_2770_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
September 12 2019 - 12:24PM
Burnie training hub has North-West business leaders buzzing
The North-West's peak business bodies have backed a planned industry training hub in Burnie, arguing boosting regional productivity is crucial.
It is understood the first two of 10 federally funded hubs in regional Australia will start in early 2020.
Burnie, which was chosen as one of the 10 locations across the nation, is likely to get one of the first two hubs.
Tasmanian federal Liberal MPs and North-West business groups have been lobbying for that to happen.
Central Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jess Jansz said one of the major benefits for business would be the provision of a career facilitator who would form partnerships between industries with skills shortages and people providing advice and education to students.
"University isn't the only path to a high-paying, fulfilling career and it is vital we get that message across to year 11 and 12 students as they're making those critical decisions about their future," Ms Jansz said.
Business North West president Ian Jones said the hub would benefit businesses and young jobseekers across the North-West and West Coast, including King Island.
"The industry training hub model is exciting because it facilitates additional education for trainers as well as career advice and mentoring for young people with a specific focus on traditional in-demand trades which will be vital as we roll out projects like Battery of the Nation," Mr Jones said.
"In an economy like the North-West, West Coast and King Island we need to be training enough electrical engineers and boilermakers for the demands of renewables projects like Marinus Link and the Robbins Island, Jims Plain and Granville Harbour wind farms."
Central Coast Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Jess Jansz. Picture: Simon Sturzaker.
Devonport Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dane Layton said the hub and associated vocational education scholarships would help address the skills shortage, which was a key challenge for North-West businesses.
"For small and medium businesses, finding people in our local area with the right skills is challenging, and being the first industry training hub in Australia would mean we could get to work right away in addressing that shortage," My Layton said.
"Our region's economy is growing well and we need to maintain our momentum by equipping educators and students in year 11 and 12 with an understanding of the types of skills that North-West employers actually need and then delivering additional financial support for that training."
While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates and daily headlines direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Note that for most of the past 20 years, natural gas did not fall below 10% of the price of crude oil. Now it is only 2% of the price of crude (80% below its most common low).
The cost of finding and extracting natural gas, plus the cost of financing and the other costs of operating a production company are well above the current price – perhaps, by some estimates, in the $5-$6 range. Exploration companies can't operate long-term as gas prices below cost. That's why the number of drilling rigs is declining at this time, and companies are attempting to divert exploration to oil.
The cost of finding and extracting oil from deep ocean wells exceeds $70. If a low ratio of the price of gas is 10% of that of crude, and if the world replacement cost of oil (assumed to be mostly from deep ocean) is about $70 or more, then $7 natural gas seems reasonable.
In this chart, top panel is the 20-year monthly price ratio of NatGas/Crude. The middle panel is the price of NatGas. The bottom panel is the price of West Texas Intermediate Crude. In all three panels the moving average is for 36 months.
The U.S. glut of natural gas is 2.5 Trillion cubic feet. The usual end of winter gas in storage is 1.5 Trillion cubic feet. The maximum storage capacity (above and below ground) in the US. 4.4 Trillion cubic feet (about a 2 month supply at normal usage rates). At the current rate of production and consumption, the maximum storage capacity would be reached, at which time the price of gas could fall dramatically below the near $2 per 1000 cubic feet price.
This past winter was the 4th warmest in 117 years, and this past March was the warmest since 1950. Warm weather reduced natural gas demand for heating.
The drilling rig count has decline 30% from the peak to 658, as driller divert to oil, which is not in oversupply.
Current production of natural gas in the U.S. is about 63 Billion cubic feet per day.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 7th, 2012 at 9:37 AM and is filed under Interesting Charts.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


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Q: Codeigniter File Upload error: 'You did not select a file to upload' I am using codeigniter 3, getting error like You did not select a file to upload. in do_upload() function, but normal php function move_uploaded_file() works fine. i referred most of the answers from stackoverflow but i did not get solution.
I think it may be in wamp issue, but i did not get clearly where it is.
if this code works in your machine then it will be issue in my wamp php or Apache settings.
View: (upload.php)
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body>
<?php echo form_open_multipart('welcome/do_upload'); ?>
    <input id="sfile" type="file" name="file">
    <input type="submit" value="Submit">
<?php echo form_close(); ?>
</body>
</html>

Controller: (welcome.php)
function do_upload()
    {
        $config['upload_path'] = './uploads/';
        $config['allowed_types'] = 'gif|jpg|png';
        $config['max_size'] = '100';
        $config['max_width']  = '1024';
        $config['max_height']  = '768';

        $this->load->library('upload', $config);

        if ( ! $this->upload->do_upload()) //not working
        {
            $error = array('error' => $this->upload->display_errors());
            var_dump($error);
        }
        else
        {
            $data = array('upload_data' => $this->upload->data());
        }
        echo $basename = $_FILES['file']['name'];
        move_uploaded_file($_FILES['file']['tmp_name'],$config['upload_path'].$basename);
        // move_uploaded_file() works fine
    }

A: AS per CI 3 you need to pass name attribute in your $this->upload->do_upload('').
So you need to pass name attribute in it
$this->upload->do_upload('file');

Check size of file you have uploaded because you set $config['max_size'] = '100';. It means you will not able to upload file size for more then 100 kb
Read File Uploading Class

A: It could be related to a post loss due to 301-error.
Try replacing
<?php echo form_open_multipart('welcome/do_upload'); ?>

with (work around)
<form action="do_upload" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">

If it works, there's some error in routing configs

A: First load upload library and then after initialize config data.
And pass attribute name of your input file type in $this->upload->do_upload('file').
function do_upload()
{
    $config['upload_path'] = './uploads/';
    $config['allowed_types'] = 'gif|jpg|png';
    $config['max_size'] = '100';
    $config['max_width']  = '1024';
    $config['max_height']  = '768';

    $this->load->library('upload', $config);  # Load upload library
    $this->upload->initialize($config);   # Initialize
    if ( ! $this->upload->do_upload('file'))
    {
        $error = array('error' => $this->upload->display_errors());
        var_dump($error);
    }
    else
    {
        $data = array('upload_data' => $this->upload->data());
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Discharge the responsibilities of the Board of Directors to the shareholders, potential shareholders and investment community with respect to VMUI's compensation programs and compensation of VMUI's executives.
Produce an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in VMUI's annual proxy statement, in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (the "NYSE"), Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and other regulatory bodies and otherwise oversee compliance with any applicable compensation reporting requirements of the SEC.
Provide governance by appropriately and effectively using compensation (which includes, for the purposes of this charter, salary, bonus and all benefits whether monetary or otherwise) to tie employee's interests to those of the shareholders, in order to achieve the Company's vision and goals.
No director may serve unless he or she (i) is a "Non-employee Director" for purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and (ii) satisfies the requirements of an "outside director" for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, to the extent necessary to qualify for the performance based compensation exemption under Section 162(m).
The Committee is composed of non-employee members of the Board of Directors whose current and prior relationships with the Company would not create shareholder concerns as to the independence of the compensation decision-making.
The Committee may request that the Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer, Chief People Officer or any other executive of the Company serve as a non-voting advisor to the committee from time to time. The Chief People Officer will function as staff to the Committee.
The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall serve until such member's successor is duly elected and qualified or until such member's earlier resignation or removal. The members of the Committee may be removed, with or without cause, by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Unless a Chairman is designated by the full Board of Directors, the members of the Committee shall designate a Chairman by majority vote of the full Committee membership. The Chairman shall be entitled to cast a vote to resolve any ties. The Chairman will chair all regular sessions of the Committee and set the agendas for Committee meetings.
The Committee shall meet at least four times annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. The Chairman of the Board or any member of the Committee may call meetings of the Committee. Other VMUI executives may be called upon to attend meetings of the Committee, and may be delegated responsibilities as the Committee deems appropriate.
As part of its review and establishment of the performance criteria and compensation of designated key executives, the Committee should meet separately at least on an annual basis with the CEO, Chief People Officer and any other corporate officers, as it deems appropriate. However, the Committee should meet regularly without such officers present, and in all cases such officers shall not be present at meetings at which their performance and compensation are being discussed and determined. All meetings of the Committee may be held telephonically.
All non-management directors who are not members of the Committee may attend meetings of the committee but may not vote. Additionally, the Committee may invite to its meetings any director, management of VMUI and such other persons as it deems appropriate in order to carry out its responsibilities. The Committee may also exclude from its meetings any person, or persons, as it deems appropriate in order to carry out its responsibilities.
The following functions shall be the common recurring activities of the Committee in carrying out its responsibilities. These functions should serve as a guide with the understanding that the Committee may carry out additional functions and adopt additional policies and procedures as may be appropriate in light of changing business, legislative, regulatory, legal or other conditions. The Committee shall also carry out any other responsibilities and duties delegated to it by the Board of Directors from time to time related to the purposes of the Committee outlined in this Charter.
The Committee, in discharging its oversight role, is empowered to study or investigate any matter of interest or concern that it deems appropriate and shall have the sole authority to retain outside counsel or other experts for this purpose, including the authority to approve the fees payable to such counsel or experts and any other terms of retention.
Establish and review the overall compensation philosophy of VMUI which fairly rewards employees for performance and which effectively attracts and retains the resources necessary to successfully lead, manage and operate the Company.
Review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to CEO compensation, including annual performance objectives. Determine the specific details of the total compensation for the CEO and, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, of the other executive officers.
Evaluate the performance of the CEO in light of these criteria and, based on such evaluation, review and approve the annual salary, bonus, stock options and other benefits, direct and indirect, of the CEO and, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, of the other executive officers.
Take steps to modify any executive compensation program that yields payments and benefits that are not reasonably related to executive and corporate performance.
Consider policies and procedures pertaining to expense accounts of senior executives.
Review and recommend to the full Board of Directors compensation of directors as well as director's and officer's indemnification and insurance matters.
Review and make recommendations to the full Board of Directors, or approve any contracts or other transactions with current or former executive officers of the Company, including consulting arrangements, employment contracts, severance or termination arrangements and loans to employees made or guaranteed by the Company.
Review and consult with the CEO on the selection of officers and evaluation of executive performance and other related matters.
Establish and periodically review policies in the area of senior management perquisites.
The Committee will review and consult with the CEO on succession plans for all executive officers and other key employees.
Review and make recommendations to the Board Directors with respect to VMUI's incentive-compensation plans, deferred compensation plans for executives (including any modifications to such plans), and equity-based plans, and provide annual oversight of performance objectives for the executive incentive plans. If the Committee is authorized, it can administer stock plans and other incentive compensation plans.
Oversee and approve all compensation programs involving the use of company equity that are not otherwise subject to the approval by the Company's shareholders.
Select, retain and/or replace, as needed, compensation and benefits consultants and other outside consultants to provide independent advice to the Committee. In that connection, in the event the Committee retains a compensation consultant, the Committee shall have the sole authority to approve such consultant's fees and other retention terms.
The salary bands/ranges used for making day to day compensation decisions, including base pay, bonus targets and equity grants.
All salary strategies and structures will be reviewed annually.
As part of the annual review process, pay philosophy and performance against philosophy (as evidenced by incumbent pay and recruitment impact) will be reviewed.
Plans and programs developed to adjust salaries across the enterprise will be reviewed with the Committee prior to implementation.
The Committee will authorize the merit increase program funding level each year.
The committee will authorize the funding level of the bonus pool in the first meeting of the new year.
Funding will be based on the metrics and targets agreed at the beginning of the year.
The plans and programs developed for distribution of bonus payments to individuals (e.g., company vs. individual components).
Any new benefit plans or changes to existing benefit plans will be reviewed with the Committee prior to implementation. This includes changes to type and amount of benefits provided as well as costs to ensure cost saving initiatives do not negatively impact the ability to attract and retain staff.
Will be reviewed with the Committee only if they involve a material change to the standard option agreement or an option agreement previously approved by the Board of Directors.
Termination agreements that provide benefits above and beyond the standard policy and practice will be reviewed by the Committee.
The Committee will approve a standard termination policy.
Develop and recommend to the Board of Directors compensation for board members.
Prepare an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in VMUI's proxy statement, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the NYSE, SEC and other applicable regulatory bodies.
Oversee the preparation of a "Compensation Disclosure and Analysis" (the "CD&A") for inclusion in the Company's annual proxy statement and annual report on Form 10-K, in accordance with the rules of the SEC. The Committee shall review and discuss the CD&A with management each year and, based on that review and discussion, determine whether or not to recommend to the Board that the CD&A be included in the Company's annual proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K.
Report regularly to the Board of Directors (i) following meetings of the Committee, (ii) with respect to such other matters as are relevant to the Committee's discharge of its responsibilities and (iii) with respect to such recommendations as the Committee may deem appropriate. The report to the Board of Directors may take the form of an oral report by the Chairman or any other member of the Committee designated by the Committee to make such report.
Maintain minutes or other records of meetings and activities of the Committee.
The Committee shall perform a review and evaluation, at least annually, of the performance of the Committee and its members, including by reviewing the compliance of the Committee with this Charter. In addition, the Committee shall review and reassess, at least annually, the adequacy of this Charter and recommend to the Board of Directors any improvements to this Charter that the Committee considers necessary or valuable. The Committee shall conduct such evaluations and reviews in such manner as it deems appropriate.


text:
s vehemently contended that since the FSL revealed that the hand-wash, pant pocket wash and wash of the bed-sheet turned pink, it proves beyond reasonable doubt that the bribe amount was indeed accepted by the respondent and the said evidence in itself is sufficient to prove the case of the prosecution beyond reasonable doubt against the respondent. HELD THAT:- V. Swaminathan the complainant deposed that the respondent was representing himself as one Mr. Sachdev and did not disclose his identity which he came to know when he attended the meeting of IMWG at Chennai in January 2009 to make out a case of initial demand. However, these facts were deposed by the complainant for the first time in his testimony before the Court only and thus the learned Trial Court rightly rejected the same being material improvements. Further, the testimony of V. Swaminathan, shadow witness and the TLO Insp. Rajesh Chahal does not establish specific demand of bribe by the respondent during the trap proceedings. The tape recorded conversations exhibited by the prosecution purportedly of the recording of the conversations at the time of trap does not reveal a demand of bribe. The investigating officer in h .....
t, M/s Titanium Tantalum Products Ltd. was in the business of exporting a large number of items such as pressure vessels, reactors, heat exchangers, columns and parts manufactured out of Titanium, Tantalum, Nickel, Zirconium etc. For the purpose of export of the above-mentioned items export license was required from Director General of Foreign Trade, New Delhi (in short DGFT ). Since number of these items are of dual use that is they can be used for military purpose apart from the civil use, the clearance of a few government agencies such as Cabinet Secretariat is also required to clear the export license from the point of view of National Security. For this purpose, an Inter-Ministerial Working Group (in short IMWG ) was in place which had representatives from number of different agencies. Their company had applied for export license with DGFT in the month of August-September 2008 for making export worth ₹ 4,50,00,000/- to Qatar, UAE. The export license was not received by them even after a lapse of 4-5 months because their proposal was not cleared by the Cabinet Secretariat. On 9th January 2009 the Inter-Ministerial Working Group had a meeting at Chennai. After the meeting .....
V. Swaminathan. He was instructed not to touch the tainted amount before handing over the same to the respondent. He was further directed to hand over the same to the respondent on specific demand only. Thereafter, V. Swaminathan called him wherein the respondent asked him to meet at India Palace Guest House, Karol Bagh at about 7:00 P.M. S. Shridhar was asked to act as the shadow witness and to remain with V. Swaminathan in order to overhear the conversation and see the transaction of bribe. He was instructed to pass on a signal of transaction of bribe by rubbing his face with both hands. V. Swaminathan was also instructed to give a call to Rajesh Chahal immediately after the transaction of bribe in case the shadow witness could not see him or other team members. 6. On completion of the pre-trap proceedings, Rajesh Chahal along with the trap team members, both witnesses and V. Swaminathan reached Karol Bagh near the hotel where V. Swaminathan was staying at 6:15 P.M. DVR was handed over to V. Swaminathan with the direction to switch the same on before entering the room with the respondent. At about 7:20 P.M., he received a call from V. Swaminathan informing him about the transact .....
clean glass bottles which were sealed and marked BW and BSW. The recorded conversation was heard and then transferred in an audio cassette after ensuring its blankness. The respondent was arrested on the spot. The tainted bribe amount of ₹ 1,00,000/-, five bottles containing washes, pant of the respondent, piece of blanket and bed sheet, audio cassette were taken into police possession. 8. Vide order dated 2nd April 2014, charge was framed against the respondent for offences punishable under Section 13(1)(d) punishable under Section 13(2) PC Act and vide the impugned judgment learned Trial Court acquitted the respondent. 9. Respondent was acquitted by the Trial Court on the ground that there was nothing on record and no explanation to show why Vineet Aggarwal, SP CBI visited DGFT office to meet Dr. Shyam Aggarwal even before the complaint was filed by V. Swaminathan. First complaint which was actually the first information given by V. Swaminathan to DGFT was not placed on record by the Investigative Agency. No explanation was furnished by the prosecution with respect to the original complaint not being placed on record and why the said complaint was not made the basis of FIR .....
bout his identity only when he attended the meeting of IMWG at Chennai in January 2009. Thereafter, he stated that he had met him earlier also but at that time he represented himself as on Mr. Sachdev . These facts have not been mentioned in the complaint filed by V. Swaminathan and have only been stated for the first time in his deposition before the court. 13. A perusal of the testimonies of V. Swaminathan, the shadow witness and TLO Inspector Rajesh Chahal does not establish specific demand of bribe by the respondent on 2nd February 2009 during the trap proceedings. The voluntary acceptance and recovery of tainted money from the possession of the respondent also remains doubtful. 14. The motive for demand of illegal gratification has not been established. As per the charge-sheet, application of V. Swaminathan was approved by the IMWG subject to NOC from the Cabinet Secretariat and it was alleged that NOC was pending in the office of the respondent. It was further the case of the prosecution that the documents pertaining to the license of M/s Titanium Tentalum Products Ltd. Chennai, for export to Qatar were received in the office of the respondent on 25th September 2008 and the f .....
be since the file with respect to grant of NOC for export of SCOMET items to Qatar by M/s Titanium Tantalum Products limited was pending with the respondent. This fact was proved by the testimony of Ignaci Arulanandu who has stated that documents relating to export license of M/s Titanium Tantalum Products Ltd. was recovered from the room of the respondent and NOC was pending on the day of the search. 17. Ld. Counsel for the respondent contends that no motive on behalf of the respondent for acceptance of bribe has been established. The respondent was not the final authority as his proposal and note for NOC had to be approved by his senior officials namely Additional/ Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretary. He further submits that on the date of the incident that is 2nd February 2009 the respondent went to meet V. Swaminathan at Hotel India Palace Guest House, Karol Bagh as he had contacted him that his CEO Mr. Ramesh Aiyar wanted to meet him to seek advice on Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman demanding bribe from V. Swaminathan. Bhagirath Jha (DW-2), Under Secretary (Legal), Cabinet Secretariat produced the official records in his deposition before the trial court which showed that the Re .....
ed by the prosecution to establish demand, the contents of which were found to be missing when the audio tape was played in court. Audio cassette Q2 had no incriminating evidence in it and audio cassette Q3 could not be played in court due to the heavy background noise in it. 19. Learned counsel also submitted that recovery of tainted money was not made from Respondent by Trap Team leading to doubt on voluntary acceptance and factum of demand. Reliance is placed upon the decisions of the Supreme Court reported as (2017) 8 SCC 136 Mukhtiar Singh v. State of Punjab, (2016) 12 SCC 150 V. Sejappa v. State, 2009 (3) SCC 779 C.M. Girish Babu v. CBI and (2013) 14 SCC 153 State of Punjab v. Madan Mohan Lal Verma. The phenolphthalein test coming positive cannot be given undue weightage in the present case as the powdered currency notes were went in the hands of multiple people. That as such even if the respondent shook hands with any of these witnesses the alleged powder is bound to be transmitted to the hands of the respondent. Reliance is placed upon the decision of the Supreme Court reported as (2015) 11 SCC 314 C Sukumaran v. State of Kerala. 20. Learned counsel submitted that from the .....
, there is no evidence to establish demand of bribe at the time of raid. 23. Though it is the case of the prosecution that the file for approval of the case of V. Swaminathan was pending before the respondent, however the respondent produced DW-2 who brought the minutes dated 29th January, 2009 of IMWG and also the deposition of PW-18 shows that approval for two cases of the complainant company had been granted unconditionally on 9th January, 2009 wherein the respondent had no role to play and as regards third file relating to Qatar it was subject to NOC of the Cabinet Secretariat in which decision making process the respondent was not the final authority. It also assured that the Note dated 12th January, 2009 prepared by the respondent had already been put up before the senior officers i.e. Additional Secretary and the Special Secretary. 24. Case of the respondent in his statement under Section 313 Cr.P.C. was that he was innocent and falsely implicated at the instance of Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman of IMWG who was known to Vineet Aggarwal S.P. CBI and in conspiracy with the complainant, this corruption case was foisted on the respondent. The respondent had strongly objected to c .....


"I started making music for myself when I was sixteen. I'm 25 now, and as things happen in life, you want to talk about those changes. I knew that I didn't want this to be a full pop record, so I was constantly searching for a sound that matched where my heart was at. I grew up and fell in love with the John Mayer sound and other artists like Sufjan Stevens and Ryan Adams. I listened to Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel and found sounds that I appreciate, and really tried to write songs with that kind of influence. What I hope is that this comes off as pop folk. I'm still poppy because I like pop music, but it's rooted in something a little bit deeper then just like normal pop."
You co-wrote almost all of the songs. Can you describe your writing process?
"Yes, there's only one song I didn't write on this. I have an amazing production team. I did Spring Awakening in New York, and through that, I was able to be in contact with writers who have a studio in their backyard in L.A. The first song we wrote was 'Oh Mother.' It's a special one to me because I have a really special relationship with my mom, and that whole dynamic of growing up, leaving your mom, and falling in love was important to me at the time."
"'Heart of Stone.' I think it's because it's the last song we wrote, and I wrote it about a couple of circumstances in my life that I was afraid to talk about and didn't know how to talk about. It was a great way for me to communicate my thoughts and feelings into a song."
How have your experiences on Broadway influenced your music?
"When I was 21, I had the opportunity to act because of Weeds, and they were recasting a couple of Broadway shows at the time. No one knew that I could sing, but I had done musical theater my whole life. Spring Awakening isn't a typical show; it's a rock musical. Godspell is definitely a more traditional musical. We made a video of me recording 'Beautiful City' in the studio, and it blew up. It helped me legitimize the work that I had been doing on my own in music and gain interest. The shows were helpful to me in pushing me forward into mainstream music."
Those skills will definitely come in handy when you perform live.
"Absolutely. I actually have my first show coming up, and I'm kind of scared about it! It's just at a club here in L.A., but I have an official release party in a couple of weeks."
"I'm reading a couple film scripts right now. There's an independent film I might do in the fall, but mostly I'm focusing on finishing our last season of Weeds."
What do you look for when you're selecting roles?
"A lot of it has to do with where I'm at emotionally. I'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to working with particular actors or directors—and I like that—but when I read a script, it's about the story. I miss those movies from when I was growing up that were more story-based, and this is cheesy, but like the . I also try and find characters that I can relate to."
"I have always been fascinated with Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and that whole Mark Twain and Southern adventure vibe."


Margaret Mitchell is a relational leader who anticipates trends and has a proven track record of creating competitive breakthrough strategies. She communicates complex issues with vision, and purpose through her core values. She is a consistent top performer who pursues growth with energy and drive. Margaret is a strong decision maker who builds consensus and strives for personal and organizational excellence. She skillfully develops and coaches others, and is recognized for her savvy ability to build and maintain relationships with children, youth, families and people from all walks of life.
Margaret joined YWCA Greater Cleveland in May 2011 by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors in the capacity of President and CEO. She was recruited to the YWCA as a change agent to energize the strategic vision and elevate organizational relevance and reputation. Under her leadership YWCA Greater Cleveland transformed its traditional preschool into an unduplicated trauma-informed therapeutic model serving homeless families with children ages 3 to 5; leads a community level collective impact collaborative to prevent and end youth homelessness in Greater Cleveland, and put the organization on track to financial health reversing decades of deficit funding.
Prior to the YWCA Margaret served as President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Cleveland where she took an ailing nonprofit and turned around the board of directors, grew revenue, reserves and transformed the agency into a quality performance culture. Margaret moved to Cleveland in October of 2007 from Dallas, Texas where she was Vice President for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, the largest BBBS agency in the country. During her tenure on the leadership team, BBBS Lone Star received Board of the Year and Agency of the Year national honors. Margaret developed national African American male recruitment strategies still in place, and served on the National Leadership Council as a founding member of the Diversity Committee.
Before her career in non-profit management, Margaret was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Menttium Corporation the global leader in talent development and corporate mentoring. Previous to her business career Margaret was an Associated Press (AP) award winning journalist, managing editor of Today's Dallas Woman Magazine and the author of more than 12 books.
Margaret was named a 2014 Power Player of the Year by SMART BUSINESS Magazine; a 2013 Woman Worth Watching by Diversity Journal Magazine, is a member of Leadership Cleveland 2011, and In Counsel with Women. Margaret, a graduate of Hampton University, is committed to her faith, and husband of 30 years. Margaret and her husband are the parents of three young adults establishing their careers in engineering, nursing and firefighting.


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During the time of reflection that brings Holy Week, we remember the many paths that Jesus walked in his journey; trails and stories that maybe many of us will never know or imagine. On this day of prayer for Nicaragua, I would like you to reflect on a moment when you have felt alone, a moment where you saw no way out of their problems, a moment where darkness invaded your life. Maybe that moment is never going to look like the thousands of situations that Nicaraguans face in their lives every day, like the poor and vulnerable neighborhoods and communities where I serve. It is for this reason, dear brothers and sisters, that Jesus continues to remind us, especially today, that he is present in every situation of our lives, even if we do not see him or touch him. We feel him and we do not need to put our fingers in his wounds to know that he has been resurrected and accompanies us. On this day, let us pray for every brother and sister, citizens of this beautiful land that enjoys the sun of a new day throughout the year.
For Nicaraguan families, sharing a meal is very important. I want to share with you my missionary experience in the coffee communities of Matagalpa. They have the blessing of eating corn and beans throughout the year. Working with them has been a wonderful experience in my life. There are families that do not care about material possessions or luxuries the way that we do and are happy to harvest their food and, above all, to share it with those who come to visit them. My prayer on this day is for those families who live off the land, those whose farms are all they have in life. It costs them both to get seeds and to try to produce new foods because they only know how to harvest corn and beans. I know that they are receptive to grow cabbages, tomatoes, peppers or any other seed that is carried to make their diet more varied and share it with their neighbors in the community.
This experience has marked my life personally. They have shown me that we do not need too much to be happy, just the necessities to go forward, even when struggling with our own cross. Blessings dear brothers and sisters, and never cease to appreciate the beauties of God's creation around us.
Magyolene Rodriguez serves as a long-term volunteer with the Convencion de Iglesias Mision Cristiana de Nicaragua. Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Churches Wider Mission, and your special gifts.


Harry's Guitar Shop opened in 1985 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since then, we have consistently provided top notch gear, service, and instruction to all types of musicians, from professionals to first-time buyers.
In addition to our extensive selection of instruments, we keep a wide variety of strings, straps, tubes, pickups and other accessories on hand.
We offer a variety of instructional books including popular artists songbooks and guides for the entire range of instruments we sell.
We are also a full service guitar shop. We keep a full inventory of guitar parts in stock, and our resident guitar-tech provides expert repair and service, ensuring structural integrity and proper playability for your instrument.


Dr. Tiffany Boisjolie earned her undergraduate degree in veterinary science with a minor in microbiology from the University of Arizona, and her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at VCA Berwyn, IL and VCA Franklin Park, IL. Her fellowship in nephrology was completed at the Chicago Veterinary Kidney Center. Her special interests include pain management, kidney disease, and toxicology. She is a member of American Veterinary Medical Association, the Arizona Veterinary Medical Association, The International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, and the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.