V.A.R. Check: In Premier League, Almost No One Is Happy

LONDON — England’s Premier League has long prided itself on the kind of soccer it sells to the world, a compelling product that it bills as a unique brand of high-octane, fast-and-furious soccer. So it is perhaps little surprise that the league’s introduction this season of video assistant refereeing — the game-pausing, controversy-inducing, fan-aggravating replay system in growing use worldwide — has been an uncommonly bad fit here, a case of sound and fury meeting a handbrake.

The new system has dominated coverage of the first four months of the season, where hardly a week has gone by without a major V.A.R.-induced controversy. A missed penalty at Bournemouth. A disallowed goal at Manchester United. A toe, or an armpit, inches offside at one stadium, a handball overlooked at another.

Not even the biggest matches have been immune. Long before the final whistle blew in Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Nov. 10, in one glaring example, the match already had been overshadowed by yet more questions about officiating, with City Manager Pep Guardiola quickly transformed into an internet meme over his televised outrage at two calls in particular.

Tesla Truck Snafu Joins List of Mishaps Before Memes Were Cool

New-product launches don’t always go as planned. Thursday night’s preview of Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck was one of the more spectacular examples, when Franz von Holzhausen, the company’s design chief, unintentionally shattered two of the pickup’s windows with a metallic ball.

Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s reaction? “Oh my f---ing god.”

Watch the Windows Get Smashed on Tesla's New Cybertruck

Watch the Windows Get Smashed on Tesla's New Cybertruck

Here are a few other auto-industry previews that went astray.

Black Friday

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since 1932, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the U.S., and most major retailers open very early (and more recently during overnight hours) and offer promotional sales. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day.^[2] Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday off, which, along with the following regular weekend, makes it a four-day weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005,^[3] although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate,^[4] have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.^[5] Similar stories resurface year upon year at this time, portraying hysteria and shortage of stock, creating a state of positive feedback.

Moroccan Singer Saad Lamjarred Arrested in Paris for ‘Sexual Assault’

Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred has allegedly been arrested in Paris for “sexual assault.”

According to Moroccan news outlet Le360, the Moroccan star, who was staying Marriott Champs Elysées, was reportedly arrested by the police of the 17th arrondissement of Paris, on Wednesday 26 October. He was placed in custody before being brought before the competent prosecutor on Friday morning.

The Moroccan singer was scheduled to perform on Saturday October 29 at Paris’ Palais des Congrés.

“We are following with great interest this issue and contacts have been made between the authorities of both countries to clarify this matter, “Minister of Culture, Mohamed Amine Sbihi was quoted by Le360 as saying.

Saad Lamjarred is facing a lawsuit in the United States for another case of sexual assault.

A New York woman told the New York Post in May that she was allegedly sexually assaulted and beaten in a Brooklyn apartment by Lamjarred, in 2010.

Rifat Harb, the alleged victim’s attorney claims that the Moroccan singer was “arrested and indicted, and after posting bail, immediately fled the country, and has not returned since.”

In recent years, Saad Lamjarred has become a household name both in Morocco and the whole Middle East. The Moroccan singer broke many YouTube records with is sensational songs.

In the spring of 2015 his song entitled ‘Lamaalem’ (The Boss) reached 100,000,000 views on video sharing website YouTube within three months after the video clip was released. The song has reached over 400,000,000 on YouTube, a new record for an Arab singer.

The Moroccan singer’s captivating song has has earned him a Guinness World Record achievement.

Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton today !

 

The first presidential debate is Monday night. Hillary Clinton has some work to do. She was probably expecting to go into the first debate ahead by double digits. WHY ISN’T SHE LIKE, 50 POINTS AHEAD????? She certainly can’t figure it out.
The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Hillary and Trump at a virtual tie, with 46 percent and 44 percent respectively. (Gary Johnson has 5 percent and Jill Stein has 1 percent.)
I used to wonder the same thing, but my younger sister was recently polled. I was so excited when she told me and asked her who it was, but she couldn’t remember. Because she’s a dork.



And as usual, here’s RCP’s current national polling average:

A whopping 74 percent of Americans say they plan to watch the first presidential debate. It’ll be interesting to see what the national poll numbers look like after that.

Las Vegas the city of lights

Las Vegas. It’s a city that can break you, make you and wed you all in one night. It’s a city that can turn your world upside down in a role of the dice. With its loose morals and relaxed laws on gambling, Las Vegas is a global symbol of excess. Having been hit hard by the recession, Las Vegas is booming once again. Its population is on the increase as more jobs are created in the Nevadan city. This economic upturn is powered by the whopping 39 million people who visit the city each year with many of them putting their casino online skills to the test on Vegas’ gambling tables.

Such a strong tourism industry has seen colossal hotel-casinos open along Vegas’ 4mile Strip. The Mirage Hotel with its 3,000 rooms was the first of its kind to open in 1989. A few years later the Egyptian Luxor, with over 4,400 rooms, was built and this was soon followed by the MGM Grand which now has over 6,000 rooms. Such vast hotels have been bankrolled by the addictive nature of the super casinos within them. The average visitor to Vegas spends just over $1,000 as they look to create memories reminiscent of Hollywood movies.

With its Mob past and decedent activities, Vegas is a firm favourite with Hollywood. Over the years countless amounts of films have fed into the Las Vegas myth. From the recent Hangover trilogy to Ocean’s 11 starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney – Hollywood loves promoting Las Vegas as a sinful, anything goes place and, in truth, it is! Away from the gambling tables, Las Vegas is home to world class shopping facilities and numerous fine dining establishments for you to immerse yourself in. Nowhere does glamour quite like Las Vegas. In fact, you may leave Las Vegas but Las Vegas never leaves you!

Brazilian star Claudia Leitte to perform with Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez on the official song for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™

© Getty Images

One of the vital ingredients of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ has today been confirmed, with the announcement by FIFA and Sony Music of the artists behind the event’s official song. One of Brazil’s hottest musical talents, Claudia Leitte, will team up with global superstars Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez on the track entitled “We Are One (Ole Ola)”.

Following the success of Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, the new single, written and co-produced by Pitbull, is set to bring the passion of Brazilto the world when it is officially released by Sony Music later this year. Capturing the colourful atmosphere of the 2014 host nation, the song will ignite the excitement felt by football fans around the world in the lead-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

The announcement was made on Thursday, 23 January, at the Maracanã football stadium, with Claudia Leitte and Pitbull joining FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke as well as LOC President José Maria Marin, Brazilian Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes, LOC Board Member and footballing great Bebeto and two-time FIFA World Cup winner Cafu for an exclusive visit to the venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup final.

Speaking at the Maracanã on Thursday, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke said: “FIFA and Sony Music are extremely excited to share the exciting talent of Claudia Leitte with the world, alongside such internationally celebrated artists as Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez. In my many visits to this country, I’ve heard a lot about the great Brazilian music tradition and it gives me great pleasure to see a Brazilian artist at the heart of this song. I’m sure, like me, millions of football and music fans all over the world will be eagerly awaiting the song’s release.”

“I am very happy and thrilled to represent my country at the FIFA World Cup alongside these two amazing artists who I admire and respect. I love sharing my culture and country to people through music!” said Claudia Leitte. “The FIFA World Cup is one of the biggest events on the planet, and I look forward to dancing samba with Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez in Brazil - we are one!”

“I’m honored to join Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte at the FIFA World Cup to bring the world together,” said Pitbull. “I truly believe that this great game and the power of music will help unify us, because we are best when we are one.”

“We Are One (Ole Ola)” will debut later this year ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, and will be included on the upcoming “Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Album” to be released by Sony Music Entertainment. A video for “We Are One (Ole Ola)” is also in development.

FIFA and Sony Music have enjoyed a successful partnership in the World Cup’s official music programme ever since 1994. The tradition of an official song dates back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup™ in England with a song for the first Official Mascot, the lion “World Cup Willie”. Ever since, the official music programme and the Official Mascot have become an increasingly significant component of the event, providing an excellent opportunity for people other than football fans to identify with the world’s biggest single-sport event.

Official songs at recent FIFA World Cup™ competitions have included “Un’estate italiana” by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini in 1990, “Gloryland” by Daryl Hall with Sounds of Blackness in 1994, and “La Copa de la Vida” by Ricky Martin in 1998. In 2002, the official song was “Boom” by Anastacia, and there was also an official anthem by Vangelis featuring typical Korean and Japanese sounds. In 2006, “The Time of Our Lives” by the Il Divo quartet was a resounding success, followed in 2010 by “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” written by Shakira who performed alongside South African band Freshlyground.

FIFA.COM