2011 NBA Finals Preview Game 1 : Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat :: Head, Heart, Or Karma?

Instead of watching two storied franchises which seemed to have had innate, perhaps unfair, personnel advantages over various dynasties of time, we have two teams which seem to be reflecting an era of basketball while at the same time possibly ushering in a new era, with the Lockout looming and strongly indicating a change to the business of basketball as we know it.

You have the "uber-owner" in Mark Cuban, who some like Phil Jackson have said is

buying his way to a championship, using savvy and years of experience mastering roster movement in the NBA to build a veteran, complete team, each player ready to fit into his role. And you have the "Superfriends" squad, the penultimate AAU team, perhaps the most athletic trio ever to put on basketball shoes, surrounding itself with willing and capable teammates ready to sacrifice personal achievements to be led by them.

As the elimination of both the Lakers and Celtics might signal the end of GMs "getting duped" into providing the last piece of a Big Three, will the winner of this series suggest the beginning or end of that particular model of roster construction?

Watch America's Got Talent: Season 5, Episode 32

The NBC reality series, America's Got Talent, returns for its sixth season tonight. Live shows will air on Tuesday nights, while results shows will air on
http://poison001.blogspot.com
Wednesdays.

Host Nick Cannon returns with the three judges: Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan and

Howie Mandel.America's Got Talent" and Simon Cowell is determined to find it. In "America's Got Talent", Simon searches for the most talented person in a variety of

categories including singing, dancing, comedy, and various novelty acts. Each of the contestants, chosen at casting calls around the nation, will have a chance to

prove that they have talent in front of judges and America. The winner, chosen by

viewers, will receive the opportunity to headline ... more.Tonight's season premiere showcases the Los Angeles auditions. Below are several sneak peeks, as well as some photos.

E. coli outbreak: blame game delays common response

Madrid European agriculture ministers were meeting Tuesday in Hungary about the spread of a mysterious deadly strain of E. Coli that has killed 16 people, mostly in northern Germany, and affected more than 1,000
 
throughout Europe. But a blame game over the origin of the contamination is threatening a common response. At least 16 people, including one in Sweden, have died from a virulent form of enterohamorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which can cause bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure known as haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS).Europe's outbreak of E. coli bacterial infections caused another two deaths on Tuesday, including the first outside Germany, bringing the rising total to 16 reported fatalities and around 400 severe cases. One man in his 40s is in hospital in Kristiansand with bloody diarrhoea caused by EHEC after possibly eating infected food from Germany.

EHEC (Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli) bacteria, also known as O.104, can lead to patients developing a serious kidney disease called HUS (haemolytic uraemic syndrome), which can cause acute kidney failure.

Call of Duty Elite is a for-pay social, content service for MW3

The Call of Duty franchise looks set to get a Facebook style boost this November when the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 3 launches. Shipping with the game will be Call of Duty Elite, which aims to bolster the experience with online stat tracking, downloadable content and player interaction.How Call of Duty Elite
 
Works, and Why You Might Be Paying For ItThe people who make Call of Duty keep promising that they won't charge you extra to play their hit game against other people. They shoot down any fears that they're going to turn CoD multiplayer into a pay-per-month subscription service, a la World of Warcraft or HBO.Everything you need to know about Call of Duty’s new online service, plus quotes from Activision’s Jamie Berger and Beachhead’s Chacko Sonny.It’s no secret that Activision has been looking for a way to monetise its vast, vast multiplayer userbase for Call of Duty. And thanks to the nature of the Internet, Call of Duty Elite is no secret either, now. It’s a service for players of Black Ops and the forthcoming Modern Warfare 3 that offers social networking.While many people claimed that $15 was too much for a

map pack, the DLC was purchased by the millions. Activision knows how to profit from the secondary and even tertiary content that gamers are keen to access, and the just-announced Call of Duty Elite is the newest weapon in the war for higher stock value. The concept is interesting: Elite is an interactive strategy guide that's constantly updated with your stats and playing habits, along with a full suite of social networking functions.

Sports Illustrated investigation on Jim Tressel, Ohio State - SI.com - Magazine

A Sports Illustrated investigative report by senior writer George Dohrmann, with staff writer David Epstein,
 
reveals a program rife with alleged NCAA rules violations. Jim Tressel's resignation was likely triggered by the impending publication of a Sports Illustrated article on Ohio State and violations of NCAA rules taking place under Jim Tressel's supervision. While no one outside of SI has gotten a look at the

article, one thing is certain: George Dohrmann is the writer, and that means nothing good for Ohio State even with Tressel's resignation this morning. Last Friday, SI informed Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch of all the new allegations and asked that Tressel be made aware of them. Lynch said that the school would have some comment by the end of the day. No comment came, and on Saturday, Lynch told SI to contact Tressel’s attorney, Gene Marsh,