Kevin Haskin: Rookie Pruett makes splash at HPT | CJOnline.com

At one point of the NHRA Kansas Nationals, a rookie in the Top Fuel division looked the part.

Leah Pruett could not right her dragster, which inexplicably swerved into another driver?s lane at Heartland Park Topeka during a qualifying round Friday. Pruett came perilously close to a brush with Steve Torrence?s parachute.

The moment was scary, yes. But devastating? Not at all.

Pruett came back and proved why she turned pro, advancing to the semifinal round in the Top Fuel bracket Sunday. The finish was her best to date after winning just one round in four previous NHRA events this season.

?To do well here, keep it straight and beat them all on the light has definitely boosted our confidence,?? said Pruett, ?as well as my confidence with the team that we can make these 50-minute turnarounds.

?The top-tier teams running on $50 million a year can barely get that done, and here we are with a very good crew, though it?s part-time and not working with all the equipment.??

The transition from the Pro Modified division was a leap Pruett, 24, hoped to make earlier. She obtained her Nitro license when she was 21, while connected with Don Schumacher Racing. She did not get a shot then, however, and needed to make an impression driving at the Pro Modified level.

The Dote family, based in Monroe, Ohio, was watching. Involved in racing since 1984, it too wanted to make a jump and compete in the pro division.

The family began fielding a Top Fuel team four years ago. When it noticed Pruett and contacted her prior to this season, she seemed like the ideal face for the operation.

?I think because we built it from scratch, we kind of wanted a driver who was new,?? said Connie Dote, who co-owns the team with her husband, Mike. ?Bringing in someone with rookie status makes it mean more.??

Especially after Pruett bounced back and topped Antron Brown and Doug Kalitta in the first two elimination rounds Sunday after qualifying 11th. She got those wins, remember, after the qualifying scare that happened Friday.

?She jumped right back in the car and said, ?I?m ready,? ?? Dote said. ?Right there you knew she?s a champion. Anything that needs to be handled, she can handle it.??

The odd twist to that incident was that Pruett?s fiancee, Gary Pritchett, is car chief for Torrence?s crew. During the turnaround prior to Sunday?s semifinals, Torrence swung by the Pruett pit to offer any assistance.

?I didn?t see who was standing on my side at the starting line, but I had a feeling we had a lot of people rooting for us,?? Pruett said.

Her upset bid ended in that semifinal run against Tony Schumacher when Pruett?s car caught fire, and she limped to the finish line.

Still, the encouraging finish might have caught a potential sponsor?s eye. If not, Pruett will not be deterred. Part of her responsibilities with the team, which is running a limited NHRA schedule, includes digging into any marketing angles.

The attractive Californian has the savvy to work that side of things, as well as on her engine.

?There?s a philosophy I kind of look at. I?m on the racing track, and I?m racing a Tony Schumacher, a Brittany Force or a Larry Dixon. We?re all on the same race track, but the path we took to get there was totally different,?? Pruett said.

?Once we get in that car, you might have been taking a nap, drinking a smoothie and combing your hair, or you might have been taking out a rear end and fueling it up and sweating your butt off. ... I?m trying to play both sides. I?m trying to find that money to be that championship-caliber team, but I?ve got to do the work to be in that ride.??

Devotion to the job is constant for Pruett?s crew, which is headed by Doug Kuch.

?He put everything together,?? Dote said. ?He?s been the backbone and built it himself.??

Now, Pruett is trying to add more power, by both driving, and selling, the Top Fuel car.

?This is a very cohesive operation,?? Pruett said. ?I can understand what?s happening inside the motor or the clutch. Just driving the car these days doesn?t get you to where you want to be. I wanted to be here and I am. I really enjoy this team.??

Source: http://cjonline.com/sports/auto-racing/2013-05-19/kevin-haskin-rookie-pruett-makes-splash-hpt

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It's (Mostly) Official: Yahoo Buying Tumblr Youth Serum for $1.1B

Cash! The WSJ says "the Yahoo board has approved a deal" to make this happen, and it's hard to imagine Tumblr turning this down. One of the most unpopular companies in the world will soon own one of the most popular in history, and we'll all find out if you really can buy cool.

A billion dollars for a company with a massive, young, ad-averse, GIF-swapping user base and an open disdain for revenue?Yahoo's shareholders are probably a little puzzled, if they aren't prima facie dazzled by how often Tumblr is characterized as "cool" and "young"?that demographic elixer Yahoo will now try to vampire-suck out of Tumblr. Cool, cool, cool, young, young, so young.

Tumblr's investors won't be so dazzled, as they were hoping for a hell of a lot more than a billion dollars. Then again, these same investors poured millions into a company that, as mentioned, never made making money a priority?Tumblr should consider itself lucky to have this deus ex Marissa Mayer, the ultimate bail-out.

So, it's not ideal for either party, but that's Yahoo in 2013. It's a little sad and a little confusing, but the two deserve each other?and as AllThingsD's Kara Swisher reports, "There were no other competing bids." This is the internet acquisition equivalent of two tired, slightly desperate lovers exchanging leers from opposite sides of the bar, shrugging, and going home together. This is a Sure, why not, deal.

Still, no clues for the following questions:

A) What is Yahoo going to do with Tumblr in a way that justifies that giant price tag?

B) Will Tumblr have to start making money now?

C) What will Yahoo do with all of the porn and cutting?

D) Is this the end of the road for unpopular boy king David Karp, who for the first time in his career will have to be accountable to grownups? If not now, then perhaps soon?we've heard nothing good of him from inside Tumblr. He's been alienating his peers for years, gaining distrust instead of revenue, and earning a reputation as a startup headache. Of course, at the very same time, Karp was constructing one of the most beloved services on the internet?but these managerial quirks don't go down well with the WWW old guard.

We'll be at Yahoo's Manhattan announcement on Monday, but don't expect any big answers to the above?we don't suspect Yahoo even has them. The last we heard, Tumblr's employees will be called to hastily scheduled meetings Monday morning?rooms filled with dread and relief.

Source: http://valleywag.gawker.com/its-mostly-official-yahoo-buying-tumblr-for-1-1-bill-508716117

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2013 Billboard Music Award Winners & Performances (VIDEOS)

2013 Billboard Music Award Winners & Performances (VIDEOS)

The 2013 Billboard Music Awards aired Sunday night live from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, with comedian Tracy Morgan serving as the host of the show. Let’s check out the full list of Billboard Music Awards 2013 winners! Here’s the complete list of nominees and the winner is show in bold type. Top Artist ...

2013 Billboard Music Award Winners & Performances (VIDEOS) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/05/2013-billboard-music-award-winners-performances-videos/

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Today's Question: We each have many types of love relationships ...

Today's Question is....

We each have many types of love relationships ? parents, children, spouses, friends. And they?re not always with people; you may love an animal, or a place. Is there a single idea or definition that runs through all the varieties of ?love??

Source: http://www.tidefans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196632

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Switched On: Hinging on success

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The announcement of the Acer Aspire R7 was the best example of the company's assertion that it was moving from computers designed with touch to computers designed for touch. But if having a fancy, even unprecedented, hinge is what defines a touch-optimized notebook, Acer is a bit late to the party.

Last October, Switched On discussed the role that laptop-tablet hybrids -- namely convertibles and detachables -- would play in the differentiation of Windows 8 devices. Both types have seen their share of support. Detachables have included HP's Envy x2, ASUS' Transformer-inspired VivoTab and Microsoft's Surface. (Dell's XPS 10 is available only with Windows RT.)

Filed under: Apple, Microsoft

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XsmzwncKH7w/

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PFT: Pre-draft fears about Gronk coming true

AP

At a time when the Jaguars aren?t interested in bringing Tim Tebow home to Jacksonville, he went there anyway.

Via the Florida Times-Union, Tebow was in town Friday night to speak at New Life Christian Fellowship.? As he did earlier this month in Michigan, he said nothing about his NFL future.

Tebow did offer one funny, self-deprecating jab at his NFL past.

?One of my favorite stories, ironically, was against the New York Jets,? Tebow said, referring to the game-winning touchdown run for the Broncos, in a 2011 Thursday night game.? ?And probably my greatest Jets highlight, I guess.?

The Jaguars remain uninterested in allowing Tebow to create similar highlights for them, even though in 2012 the Jags tried to trade for Tebow.? Jaguars legend Tony Boselli recently suggested that Tebow possibly could be a ?franchise quarterback,? but Boselli agreed with the Jaguars? decision to steer clear of Tebowmania.

?What team wants to bring a guy who?s a developing player onto their roster when he?s going to be a complete distraction ? through no fault of his own ? and become a disruption in the locker room?? Boselli said.? ?It becomes all about that ? whether he is going to play, whether it?s going to work ? and the rest of the team is saying, ?We?re trying to win ballgames.?? I feel bad for Tim because I don?t think it?s all his fault.? It?s outside circumstances and people who are making it tough on him.?

Still, Tebow?s image feels partially scripted and contrived.? Though he seems to be a good person, there?s a too-good-to-be-completely-true element that Tebow and/or those close to him possibly have helped perpetuate.? Many casual fans have bought it completely, prompting them to skew their view of his football abilities.

Unless a team is willing to embrace Tebow and Tebowmania, making him the starting quarterback no matter how bad he is in practice or the first 3.75 quarters of a close game, it won?t work.? With no team willing to do that for 2013, the question becomes whether a team that stinks this season will decide that, for 2014, it can stink again without Tebow ? or it can stink with him.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/18/pre-draft-gronkowski-concerns-could-be-coming-to-fruition/related/

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OJ's ex-lawyer contradicts his testimony on guns

LAS VEGAS (AP) ? O.J. Simpson's former lawyer defended himself point-by-point Friday against allegations he botched the former football star's armed-robbery trial, after giving damaging testimony that Simpson actually knew his buddies had guns when they went to a hotel room together to reclaim some sports memorabilia.

Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter quickly found himself under withering cross-examination from a Simpson lawyer intent on proving that Galanter's word couldn't be trusted ? that he knew ahead of time of Simpson's plan and spent more effort covering up his involvement than representing Simpson.

The weeklong hearing concluded late Friday with Clark County District Judge Linda Marie Bell telling attorneys she will issue her decision in writing. She didn't specify a date.

Simpson was returned to prison custody. His attorneys, Patricia Palm and Ozzie Fumo, said they were optimistic that the judge would grant a new trial.

"I just think the evidence of his claims is overwhelming," Palm said.

Galanter took the stand as the state's star witness in a hearing on Simpson's claim that he was so badly represented at trial and on appeal that his conviction should be thrown out.

He spent most of the day on the defensive, with Simpson lawyer Tom Pitaro grilling him with accusations and pointed questions.

"Mr. Simpson never told me he was going to go to the Palace (Station) hotel with a bunch of thugs, kidnap people and take property by force," Galanter said at one point. "To insinuate I, as his lawyer, would have blessed it is insane."

Galanter conceded at one point that Simpson's conviction was his responsibility.

At another point, he conceded that he "misspoke" when he told the trial judge, Jackie Glass, that crucial audio recordings had been carefully analyzed by experts.

"Clearly I misspoke," Galanter said as Pitaro bored in. "I would never, ever ... I would just never intentionally mislead a judicial officer or a lawyer. I'm falling on that sword."

Galanter denied giving Simpson the go-ahead to retrieve the photos and footballs he believed had been stolen from him. He denied keeping Simpson in the dark about offers of plea deals that carried only a few years in prison. He said his client agreed all along with the decision not to put him on the stand to testify at his trial.

And he disputed Simpson's testimony from earlier this week when the former NFL star said he didn't know anyone in the hotel room had guns.

"When you look at the entire trial, I don't think I could have fought harder, done more," Galanter said. "I put every ounce of blood, sweat and soul into it."

At another point, he said: "Simpson brought a lot of baggage into the courtroom. It's not like the 12 jurors didn't know he was accused of murder and acquitted."

Simpson, 65, was found guilty in 2008 of kidnapping and armed robbery over the hotel room episode and was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison. The conviction came 13 years to the day after his "trial of the century" acquittal in Los Angeles in the murders of his ex-wife and a friend of hers.

Galanter testified that Simpson confided to him that he had asked two men to bring guns to the hotel room in September 2007, and "he knew he screwed up."

On the stand, Galanter brought up the guns only after he paused and was reminded that Simpson had waived attorney-client privilege. "I'm very uncomfortable doing this," he said.

Testifying about events leading up to the incident, Galanter said he was surprised when Simpson told him over dinner in Las Vegas that he and several other men were planning a "sting" the next morning to take back the mementos.

Galanter said he advised Simpson not to take matters into his own hands: "I said, 'O.J., you've got to call the police.'"

Simpson testified that Galanter advised him that he was within his rights to retrieve the items, told him not to testify at the trial, and failed to tell him prosecutors had offered plea bargains.

During questioning about how much Galanter was paid for the case, the judge asked Pitaro where he was going with his questions.

"What Mr. Galanter has done is, this man has received over a half-million dollars and has put his interest, his financial interest, above the interest of his client," Pitaro said.

Galanter insisted he told Simpson at least three times that prosecutors discussed plea bargains. He said Simpson rejected them.

Simpson said, "No deal. No way," to an offer from the district attorney of five to seven years in prison, Galanter said. Later, during the trial, Simpson turned down a better offer, Galanter said.

"I went out in the hall and said to O.J., 'There is an offer of two to five.' He said, 'See if they will take a year,'" Galanter testified. "I discussed a year with them, and they said no and the trial went on."

If Simpson succeeds in getting his conviction thrown out, prosecutors will have to decide whether to retry him or offer a plea bargain. If he loses, he will be sent back to prison and will probably appeal. He will be 70 before he is eligible for parole.

___

Find Ken Ritter at http://twitter.com/krttr .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ojs-ex-lawyer-contradicts-testimony-guns-215731197.html

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