Friday, September 26, 2008

Dramatic Draping at Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2009

A model walks the runway during the Salvatore Ferragamo fashion show at Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 on September 23, 2008 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images Europe)
The Salvatore Ferragamo Spring 2009 exhibition at the Milan Fashion Week was marked by dramatic elegance. Models swathed in expertly cinched and pleated fabrics swept the stage, some of their bodies completely concealed beneath yards of luxurious fabrics in the season's hottest colors--fuschia, as above, and lime green.
Most of the designs in the collection are asymmetrical and elegantly draped, emphasizing the wearer's shape by the way the fabric falls.


original

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Friday, September 19, 2008

French Fried

The Frederic Weis Story.

by Matt Caputo

When all was said and done, the New York Knicks needed nine years and a guy named Patrick Ewing to rid their organization of Frederic Weis. But when they acquired the son of their former franchise player yesterday for the rights to Weis, who never played a day in the NBA, the team took it’s biggest step toward erasing a draft choice that some New Yorkers still believe might have cursed their troubled NBA squad. Without ever suiting-up, Weis became one of the most talked about draft picks in Knicks history because of who the team didn’t select in his place.

At 7-foot-2, Weis’ game was only beginning to grow into his massive frame when the Knicks took him with the 15th pick in the 1999 draft. He’d played well in the top professional league in France, his native country, the year before he was picked. Weis averaged 13 plus points and 7 plus rebounds in the 98-99 season. Although he’d sustained a back injury at the end of the season, Weis appeared to be making the right progress toward being in the NBA.

The Knicks were coming off a run to the championship in the labor dispute shortened season. After 50 games and a record of 27-23, the Knicks hung around the playoffs long enough to be beaten by the Spurs in the Finals. The series gave David Robinson his first title and kept Patrick Ewing Sr. that much further away from the chip that had eluded him his entire career. Although it was a short season, the Knicks were on a high and their position in the draft was only going to help them.

1999 was a solid draft that did birth a few stars. Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Lamar Odom, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion and Richard Hamilton are among some of the top players to come from via the ‘99 draft. However that same draft class included William Avery, Leon Smith, Trajan Langdon and Aleksandar Radojevic, who are numbered among several others who didn’t pan out in the League.

When it came to the 15th pick, the Knicks still had options. The typical objection of Knick fans was that the team didn’t take local beast Ron Artest. However, James Posey, Devean George, Andrei Kirilenko and Manu Ginobili, who was not selected until second to very last pick, were all still in the player pool waiting to hear their names called.

At the time, the Knicks were so high on Weis they felt he was too good to be floating around Europe another year. Even Weis himself wasn’t sure he was ready. He didn’t play well in Summer League and earned the nickname “French Toast” in the process.

Weis was a no-show at Summer League in 2000. He chose instead to be forever posterized in the hearts and minds of hoop fans everywhere at the Sydney Olympics. Vince Carter didn’t so much as dunk on the Frenchman as he did totally leap over him with a blatant disregard. It was like Weis wasn’t even there.

After the 1999 NBA Summer League, Weis went home and played in the French ProA league, but his numbers dropped a bunch. He signed a two-year contract worth $1.3 million to play in Greece in 2000, but left after only five games. He has played the majority of his career in Spain having never averaged 10 points or 10 rebounds in a season since being drafted by the Knicks.

Weis made an unexpected return to the French National Team in 2007 to help them through EuroBasket’07. Although the French finished 8th, he did play alongside Tony Park, Ronnie Turiaf and Boris Diaw, providing tough post defense. Aside for being totally humiliated by Vince Carter, he helped France to a Silver Medal finish at the 2000 Olympics. So, in all fairness, Weis has played fairly well in International competition and his strong defense and massive post presence might not always show up in stats.

Ewing Jr., 6-8, 240-pounds, was taken by Sacramento with the 43rd pick in the 2008 draft. He was traded to the Rockets on Aug. 14 as part of a multi-player deal. A 24-year-old Boston native, Ewing Jr. played his first two collegiate seasons at Indiana University before transferring to Georgetown. As a senior, Ewing averaged 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 34 games, winning the Big East Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Knicks acquisition of “Young Ewing” probably won’t make or break their playoff chances. But if the kid makes the team it might be another reason to leave the game on this season, seeing as going to a Knicks game is out of the question. As it is likely that Ewing Jr. knows he’s got some work to do before he fills his father’s uniform, especially considering he’s a bit shorter than his dad, Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari, an Italian import via first round draft pick, can take a lesson from this trade. The last thing the Knicks need right now is another Frederic Weis.



the original source:
slamonline.com/online/2008/08/french-fried/

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North Carolina's talented class leads the way

The fall signing period for college basketball, Nov. 12-19, is about three months away, and we are on the brink of college coaches' fall contact period, which begins Sept. 9 and extends through Oct. 5. So players' verbal commitments could really start multiplying.

Already, 60 players in the 2009 ESPNU 100 have chosen their future college. Of those players who have made their decisions, 14 of them are ranked in the top 30 and 27 are in the top 50.

Only three of the top 15 prospects, however, have decided where they'll attend college. These highly rated and still-undecided players, including the top two prospects, 6-6 G/F Xavier Henry, and 6-9 PF Derrick Favors, could significantly impact the final positioning of the 2009 fall recruiting classes.

Although these current recruiting rankings undoubtedly will change during the coming months, we thought it timely to revise and update the pre-summer recruiting list from May. North Carolina, with commitments from five players in the ESPNU top 50, retains the No. 1 spot.

Villanova, with a recent commitment from one of the nation's top sleepers, No. 27 6-9 C/F Mouphtaou Yarou (Woodstock, Va./Massanutten Military Academy), vaulted to No. 2. Three of its recruits are ranked in the top 35. Georgetown, Texas A&M and Marquette complete the top five current classes.

ESPN.com's top 10 recruiting classes

John Henson

Chris Johnson/Reebok

John Henson is the No. 3 prospect in the ESPNU 150.


The Tar Heels struck early and assembled a highly talented class with five top 50 players who could make up a formidable team. This group is headed by No. 3 prospect power forward John Henson, who recently moved with his family to Tampa, Fla. He will play his senior year at Sickles High School. Henson had a tremendous summer, after which he made a considerable jump in the player rankings, and he has unlimited potential as he adds strength and weight. Other top newcomers for coach Roy Williams are No. 19 prospect Dexter Strickland (Elizabeth, N.J./ St. Patrick), a 6-3 combo guard; No. 25, 6-5 guard Leslie McDonald (Eads, Tenn./ Briarcrest Christian); and the highly skilled Wear twins, No. 49 David Wear and No. 50 Travis Wear (Santa Ana, Calif./ Mater Dei). The Tar Heels could lock up the top recruiting ranking if they can get No. 12 prospect, 6-9 forward Ryan Kelly (Raleigh, N.C./ Ravenscroft).


Coach Jay Wright's Wildcats ascended to No. 2 by securing commitments from three players among the top 35, led by No. 22 Maalik Wayns (Philadelphia/ Roman Catholic). The 6-footer projects as the consummate future floor leader at Villanova. The Wildcats also have Yarou, a native of of Benin, Africa, who emerged as one of the nation's best power players this summer; and No. 31 Isaiah Armwood (Rockville, Md./ Montrose Christian), a versatile 6-8 P/WF. Villanova could challenge North Carolina for top honors if it lands No. 11 Dominic Cheek (Jersey City, N.J./ St. Anthony) -- a sweet-shooting, 6-6 guard -- and No. 33, 6-10 C Aaric Murray (Concordville, Pa./ Glen Mills).


Coach John Thompson III and the Hoyas have a strong three-member class of two ESPNU 100 players and one of the nation's top prep school talents. Six-foot-8 PF Chris Braswell (Chatham, Va./ Hargrave Military Academy) was a 2008 Hoyas signee, but he did not achieve the academic requirements to enroll at Georgetown this fall and will spend next year as a postgraduate player at Hargrave Military. Braswell, a force inside, will be one of the top-rated prep school players. The Hoyas also have No. 32 DaShonte Riley (Beverly Hills, Mich./ Detroit Country Day), a talented but inconsistent 6-10 C/F, and No. 75, gifted 6-7 WF Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif./ Loyola). Several highly ranked prospects are considering Georgetown, so it could advance in the final rankings.
Dashonte Riley

Les Bentley for ESPN.com

Is Dashonte Riley going to be Georgetown's next great center?


Coach Mark Turgeon and his hard-working staff continued their outstanding recruiting success for the Aggies; Texas A&M has received commitments from three ESPNU 100 players. They are No. 59 Naji Hibbert (Hyattsville, Md./ DeMatha), a multitalented 6-5 2G, No. 64 Khris Middleton (Charleston, S.C./ Porter Gaud), a high-scoring 6-6 WF, and No. 87Kourtney Roberson (Acadia, La.), a powerful inside operative.


New head coach Buzz Williams has recruited well since replacing Tom Crean at Marquette. The Golden Eagles already have three ESPNU 100 recruits and are looking to add more. Marquette's class is headlined by Junior Cadougan (originally from Toronto, but attending classes at the Christian Life Center in Humble, Texas). The 6-1 Cadougan was one of the top point guards on the summer circuit. No. 76 Jeronne Maymon (Madison, Wis./ Madison Memorial), a 6-7 power forward, is the state's second-best player. Six-foot-7 WF Erik Williams (Cypress, Texas/ Cypress Springs) is ranked No. 97.


Coach Sidney Lowe has again landed recruits from the talent-rich state of Georgia; among them are two ESPNU 100 players. Lorenzo Brown (Roswell, Ga./ Centennial), No. 48, can play both backcourt positions, and 6-8 PF Richard Howell (Marietta, Ga./ Wheeler), rated No. 58, will join him in North Carolina. Howell played on the same travel team as N.C. State's freshman standout of last year, J. J. Hickson, who was drafted by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. Howell has the potential to make an impact comparable to that of Hickson for the Wolfpack next year. Coach Lowe also has a commitment from one of the nation's best perimeter shooters, potential ESPNU 100 prospect 6-5 2G Scott Wood (Marion, Ind.). Although the Wolfpack now have players for all three of their available scholarships, they are still involved in talks with No. 81, 6-5 G/F Garrius Adams (Apex, N.C./ Middle Creek).


Coach Jim Calhoun and the Huskies have received commitments from two players in the top 40. One of the top big men of the summer, No. 20 6-8 PF Alex Oriakhi (Tilton, N.H./ The Tilton School), is headed to Storrs. Joining him will be his high school teammate, No. 38 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who's a versatile, high-scoring wing. UConn will move up if the Huskies can close on any of the highly rated targets they are pursuing.

Erik Murphy

Kelly Kline for ESPN.com

Erik Murphy is athletic enough to play in Florida's up-tempo system.


You can always count on coach Billy Donovan to have a nationally ranked recruiting class, and this year is no exception. The Gators now have commitments from No. 24, 6-10 PF Erik Murphy (Southborough, Mass./ St. Mark's School) and No. 36, 6-10 C/F DeShawn Painter (Chatham, Va./ Hargrave Military Academy). Murphy is one of the most talented all-around big men in the nation. He is a perfect fit for Donovan's playing style. Painter is a superb athlete, but he must get stronger. If the Gators can grab shooting star 6-3 2G Kenny Boynton (Plantation, Fla./ American Heritage), who is ranked No. 13, their class could move up to No. 2.


Coach Paul Hewitt and his staff have gotten four talented recruits, including two ESPNU 100 players. The group is led by No. 41 Kammeon Holsey (Sparta, Ga./ Hancock Central), a versatile 6-8 forward, and No. 47 Mfon Udofia (Lithonia, Ga./ Miller Grove), a hard-nosed, 6-3 combo guard. The Yellow Jackets also have commitments from two other nationally ranked players, 6-5 G/F Glen Rice Jr. (Marietta, Ga./ Walton) and hot-shooting 6-6 WF Brian Oliver (New Castle, Del./ William Penn). Georgia Tech appears to be one of the top schools for No. 2 prospect Derrick Favors (Atlanta, Ga./ South Atlanta). The Yellow Jackets could challenge for top honors if they add Favors.


Based on our revised ESPNU 100, the Illini fell from the No. 2 spot to No. 10. Coach Bruce Weber now has two ESPNU 100 commitments -- No. 56, guard D.J. Richardson, who will attend Henderson, Nev./Findlay Prep for his senior year and No. 69, 6-9 PF Tyler Griffey (Wildwood, Mo./ Lafayette). Both Richardson and Griffey had outstanding performances in July and could elevate in the final player ratings. Illinois signed two other highly regarded backcourt players, 6-4 Brandon Paul (Gurnee, Ill./ Warren), who could turn out to be the Illini's top recruit next year, and 6-3 combo guard Joe Bertrand (Sterling, Ill.).

Honorable mentions


Once again, coach Rick Pitino and his Cardinals will have a highly ranked recruiting class. Louisville now has two ESPNU 100 players. No. 28 Peyton Siva (Seattle/ Franklin) is a tough, talented point guard. Athletic big man Rakeem Buckles (Opa-Locka, Fla./ Monsignor Pace), ranked No. 74, is well-suited for the team's style of play. The Cardinals also have gotten unranked sharpshooter, 6-5 2G Mike Marra (Northfield, Mass./ Northfield-Mount Hermon). Do not be surprised if Coach Pitino adds more talent to this class.


Coach Jeff Capel's Sooners have three commitments, including two ESPNU 100 players. No. 37, point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin (Mouth of Wilson, Va./ Oak Hill Academy) is the Sooners' top recruit. He is joined by No. 92, 6-5 G/F Steven Pledger (Chesapeake, Va./ Atlantic Shores Christian); and unranked, but productive, 6-9 PF/C Kyle Hardrick (Norman, Okla.). Mason-Griffin is a strong, compact, spark plug lead guard who stood out against the nation's top point guards in July. He will be an outstanding future floor leader for the Sooners.

Other programs that could rank in the top 25:

Arizona (3 verbals), Arizona State (2), Auburn (2), Baylor (2), Clemson (3), Duke (1), Indiana (4), Iowa (2), Kansas State (2), Kentucky (2), Memphis (2), Michigan (2), Michigan State (2), New Mexico (3), Oklahoma State (3), Pittsburgh (2), Purdue (4), Southern California (2), UAB (2), UCLA (2), UNLV (4), Virginia (2), Virginia Tech (4), West Virginia (3), Wisconsin (2) Rutgers (2) and St. John's (2)


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Position rankings: TOP 10 Centers

Dwight Howard is a long, long way from reaching his lofty goal of being one of the best to ever play the game, but he certainly is pointed in the right direction.

The sky is the limit for Dwight Howard. (Getty Images)

At age 22, Howard already is the best center in the NBA as he prepares for his fifth season with the Orlando Magic, who are building their franchise and their future hopes around him. At a time when his position's prominence in the game has diminished, Howard has risen to the top with a rare combination of power and athleticism, showing just a hint of how dominating a great center can be. His breakout season -- a league-leading 14.2 rebounds, along with 20.7 points and 2.1 blocks -- might be only a preview, merely a tip of his vast potential. While most of the contenders are banking on perimeter play to carry them, Howard will show that his position has not grown obsolete or insignificant.

Here are the top 10 centers in the NBA, based on players' projected impact on the 2008-09 season:

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando:

Howard still has plenty of room and time to grow as an NBA star. The Superman cape he unveiled last All-Star Weekend might not be too much of a stretch. He should start leaping tall buildings soon, eager to continue expanding his game. The Magic have no excuse if they can't build a serious contender around this inside force.

2. Yao Ming, Houston:


姚明

It's time for Yao to start acting and playing like a former No. 1 pick and lead the Rockets deep into the playoffs. With both Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest alongside him, there should be no reason why Yao can't get the Rockets past any of the Western contenders.

3. Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers:

安德鲁-拜纳姆

After missing all the playoff fun last season, Bynum could either disrupt what the Lakers had or put them over the top. Now going into his fourth season (directly from high school), he has shown some enormous talent. His trick will be making it fit on a team that reached the NBA Finals without him.

4. Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix:

沙奎尔-奥尼尔Sure, he has slowed considerably. He is not as hungry anymore, but he still is a dominating presence around the basket. He is counting down the days to retirement, but if Shaq takes his conditioning seriously, the Suns will give him a chance to add one more championship ring before he leaves the game. And that could motivate him this season.

5. Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers:
马库斯-坎比It's hard to ask for anything more than 13.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks a game from a center, which still makes Camby valuable, even if Denver didn't want him anymore. From a fantasy perspective, his value will go down when he has to share the lane with Chris Kaman. Together, they should give the Clips a defensive presence.

6. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee:
安德鲁-博古特Another former No. 1 pick who has been viewed as a disappointment because expectations were too high. Won't ever be a star, but he can be more than adequate. Watch for new coach Scott Skiles to ramp him up a notch. If he can raise his intensity level, Bogut can help bring the Bucks back to respectability.

7. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans:
泰森-钱德勒Although their point guard gets all the credit, the Hornets would not be a contender without Chandler, who has begun to shine after a slow start in Chicago. He needs to block more shots, but averaging a double-double (11.8 ppg and 11.7 rpg) makes him comfortable in his role. Should score a little more this season.

8. Greg Oden, Portland:

格雷格-奥登

He missed all of last season after being the No. 1 pick in the draft, but he will join the league now with a vengeance, making sure his presence is felt. The year off will relieve the pressure of being a No. 1 pick, making his debut season even more impressive.

9. Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers:

克里斯-卡曼

His role looks a little uncertain with Marcus Camby on the roster, but that doesn't take away from a career season. Kaman averaged 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks with Elton Brand on the sideline. If Baron Davis will pass him the ball, Kaman will score, but it's unlikely he will get the opportunities he had last season

10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland:

扎诸纳斯-伊尔戈斯卡斯His toughest assignment is making sure he stays out of the way of LeBron James. Ilgauskas' skills have eroded, but he still can hit the open jumper, make a good pass and guard the slower centers in the league. He needs lots of help trying to guard the younger centers.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

'3 Points' shows basketball's Tracy McGrady's African aid journey


Tracy McGrady

Josh Rothstein

On a visit documented in “3 Points,” basketballer Tracy McGrady walks with an African boy.

He helps the poorest of the poor as he visits refugee camps.

Basketball all-star Tracy McGrady certainly enjoys a good life. "Am I spoiled?" he asks. "Yes, I'm spoiled."

McGrady's first paycheck came from Adidas in a $500,000 endorsement deal, and his first job was playing in the NBA. The Houston Rockets guard/forward lives in a mansion, has no shortage of jewelry and clothes, and flies on private planes.

Unlike so many professional athletes, though, McGrady chose to leave all such luxuries behind and see firsthand how the world's least fortunate survive. His riches-to-rags journey is chronicled in the new documentary, “3 Points,” an account of McGrady's visit last year to three African refugee camps.

Africa's genocidal crisis, sparked by a civil war between Sudan's Arab leaders and the country's ethnic Africans in its Darfur region, has triggered any number of documentary films, including George Clooney's "Sand and Sorrow," Don Cheadle's "Darfur Now" and former Marine Brian Steidle's "The Devil Came on Horseback."

But few of those films have at their center as compelling a chronicler as McGrady, who travels to Africa “3 Points,” openly admitting he knows next to nothing about what's going on in Darfur.

His honest reactions

"I had no clue what genocide was, and I'm still learning about it," he says in the film before he travels to refugee camps in eastern Chad. "I really don't know what I am going to see."

Teammate Dikembe Mutombo helped spark McGrady's concern for Africa's dispossessed. McGrady contributed to a Congolese hospital Mutombo opened last summer, and soon thereafter McGrady saw Luol Deng (a Chicago Bulls player whose family is Sudanese) talking about the steep cost of the civil war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Sudanese.

McGrady organized a visit, working with documentary filmmaker and photographer Josh Rothstein and humanitarian John Prendergast of the Enough Project. Yet it's not simply what McGrady observes during his trip that anchors "3 Points," which was just completed and is now in search of a broadcast or theatrical distributor. Rather, it's how he reacts to the tragedy that he witnesses: He doesn't really know what to do.

After encountering children playing soccer without a field, McGrady says he'll pay $1,000 for a new pitch only to be told that green grass isn't really the refugees' greatest need.

"A lot of the film has to deal with his being out of his element," says Rothstein. "And he realized that was maybe the most important part of the trip for him."

McGrady's journey was both personal and emotional. To visit the barren camps, he had to forsake any number of usual niceties. That included McGrady's having to sleep in a tent for the first time. His trying to get along without air conditioning. Eating food that wasn't prepared in a four-star restaurant. As McGrady's wife, CleRenda Harris, notes in the film, "Tracy is definitely stepping out of his comfort zone."

But it wasn't all such trivial concerns. He had to worry about land mines. Listen to stories of rape, murder, torture. And his eyes were quickly opened.

Precisely because he is not an expert in Sudanese politics, the 29-year-old McGrady can serve as a conduit for the audience. He may be supreme on the court, but he's like almost everyone else when it comes to the outside world: He's unsure of what's going on.

"People are really hesitant about expressing that they don't know something -- but what's the big deal?" McGrady says in an interview to discuss the film. "I'm not ashamed about that at all. And my going out and saying, 'I don't know a lot about this' will make people feel OK that they don't know about it, either."

Adds his longtime manager and assistant, Elissa Grabow, who accompanied McGrady on his Africa trip: "This is not to market his brand. It's not about that, but about what I don't know, and that I am not afraid to say that I don't know."

"By the end of my trip," McGrady says, "I started to realize what they really needed -- and that's schools." When he returned to the United States, McGrady decided to try to help build them.

Others in the game

So this week, McGrady is taking his film to -- and asking for more donations from -- players in the National Basketball Assn., which is helping to show "3 Points" to teams. (In addition to the long-range field goal, the movie's title refers to three strategies to fight genocide: peace, protection and punishment.) The goal is to raise awareness and money; players who, like McGrady, contribute $75,000 can build a new school in a camp, train teachers and purchase educational supplies.

McGrady has enlisted his Florida high school as a sister school to a new school in Chad, the first of which is to be built later this year. So far, Grabow says, six NBA players have made donations, including Derek Fisher and Jermaine O'Neal.

"Some of the players need to be educated," McGrady says. "But some of them are caring guys, know that something has to be done and are willing to help."

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Taking Bad Names To The Next Level ,Bad Signs



Choose Your Fonts Carefully


But can you clean my blouse?


How do they answer the phone?


I hope it's not a school crossing!



Oh...so that's where it is

You have been warned

A service I'd like to find in more places

Look Out Neiman Marcus!

YES! These actually exist!!!

Seems Bea be pimpin'

Where do they keep the swings?

Yes you are.

Maybe the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl

Not much of a line forming

...and you can get fu-king take out.

Oh...OK

Are men this bad?

So this is where you get it done.

Sssshhhhh!

...use headlight at night.

I wonder how they got that tang in their chicken.

Someone has to be the best


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