But when the point spread has moved to -6.5, favorite backers have come flocking. “One of the bigger groups took 7, but there’s a lot of people willing to lay 6.5, so I think you’re going to see a lot of back-and-forth on that,” Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook manager Ed Salmons told The Linemakers on Sporting News on Monday. Over at the South Point, the number got as low as -6 before Oregon money pushed it back up to -6....
In an ominous sign of how the killing of endangered animals has evolved from a crime committed by small bands of unorganized, mostly poor operators, these attackers were Janjaweed, the militia that has carried out genocidal attacks in Darfur. Lured by easy money, the Janjaweed have expanded their killing fields to endangered species. In the past two years, they have butchered hundreds of elephants around Zakouma, say Chadian authorities, carrying the tusks back to Sudan, where they are secreted on ships bound mostly for Asia—or traded for weapons....
There were a number of high profile video game franchises that did not receive new releases on the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Some of these make sense, as it could be that the previous game in the series under-performed, but others are pretty surprising. In fact, some of the biggest video game franchises of all time didn’t release brand new entries on the PS4 or Xbox One, despite having a significant presence in previous generations....
In hindsight, it was a defeat that appeared to signal the beginning of the end for Mourinho at United, with the Portuguese coach sacked four months later, replaced – initially on a temporary basis – by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Pochettino was heavily linked with the United hot seat, but Solskjaer’s impressive run earned him the job permanently. But while Spurs went on to reach a Champions League final, the Red Devils’ form dropped off dramatically....
Hoping to capitalize on the recent influx of buzz over Dead Island, many studios have been fighting tooth and nail over the film rights for the game, but so far publisher Deep Silver hasn’t found the right fit, despite numerous offers. While it seemed at first like Union Entertainment, in conjunction with The Mummy producer Sean Daniel had won the rights to the film, Deep Silver stepped in to say that Union was interested, but so are other studios as well as some big name directors....
“What’s goin’ on, Papi?” a grinning Dave Winfield asked. Yep, Big Papi is still a big hit wherever he goes, whatever he does. On Sunday, that meant a new job: The retired Red Sox great became a manager at the All-Star Futures Game, guiding the minor league talent on the World squad at Nationals Park. Ortiz, of course, drew the loudest ovation during pregame introductions. Famed for hitting fastballs into the bleachers at Fenway Park, he found this skippering business more like a changeup....
Both seeds lost in third set tie-breaks. Carreno Busta was beaten by Croatia’s Borna Coric, 7-5, 2-6, 6-7 (8/10) in an enthralling match lasting 2 hours 41 minutes. And Berdych went down 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 (4/7) in the match on centre court which followed against his fellow 6ft 5ins opponent, Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff. It means the tournament has lost two of its top-ranked players after having already being shorn of three major stars – Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – before it began, as they try to recover from injuries....
One final chance of glory and redemption, however, is still on the table for Messi, the 2019 Copa America. The continental showpiece will most probably be the swansong of his captaincy, if not as a player before the qualifiers for Qatar 2022 are underway. Given that he’ll be pushing 35 by then, it is almost certain that Messi won’t play a central role for the side as captain, or even as a player....
Australia awarded debuts to three batsmen for the third test against South Africa at Adelaide Oval last month after losing the first two matches in the series on the back of a string of batting collapses. Although the prodigiously gifted Maxwell is better known for his all-out attack in shorter formats, he thought his recent performances had shown the sort of application that might have earned him another chance at test level....
The conference’s best teams have plenty of reasons to be excited for the fall, and there’s a lot of optimism about the mid- and low-tier teams. But this is college football, and nothing’s guaranteed — there are plenty of questions surrounding each team. MORE: Reasons to be excited, skeptical about ACC teams Here’s why we’re excited (and skeptical) about each Big Ten team: Penn State Reason to be excited: You saw the Rose Bowl, right?...
John Wilner reports “USC and UCLA are planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024.” The move has not been finalized, but that would be the next major shakeup in the conference realignment game and all indications are the deal is done. USC has been with the Pac-12 since 1880 and is the conference’s most-recognizable football brand. UCLA joined the Pac-12 in 1919 and is the conference’s most-recognizable basketball brand....
Considering the sheer amount of content releasing this month, it’s not surprising that some people may have a hard time keeping track of it all. For those who are looking to add some games, betas, or special events to their calendars, here are all the biggest game releases, betas, and events for the gaming industry in October 2018. Big Game Releases October is typically the busiest month for game releases, and this year is no different....
According to the reports, the couple has been seeing each other for the last two years and has somehow managed to keep their relationship under the radar. They have also been spotted together on multiple occasions in the past, especially after they were roped in by a German luxury car maker to launch its cars every year since 2015. It was also reported that in spite of their busy schedule, the two have been making time for each other....
“Every individual is empowered to do the right thing here, regardless of what the states decide,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters Wednesday. “The next month or two is really pivotal in terms of how this pandemic goes.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, both Republicans, announced this week that they are opening businesses back to 100 percent capacity and ending mandates requiring people to wear masks in public....
His four-point agenda included beating the opioid epidemic, improving mental health (especially for children online), aiding veterans sickened by burn pits and cutting the national cancer death rate by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years. In his first section on the opioid crisis, Biden mentioned the estimated 23 million Americans who are recovering from drug addiction. He also said he wanted to get rid of outdated rules that stop doctors from prescribing treatments, and to halt the illicit drug trade by empowering state and local law enforcement to go after drug traffickers....
However, the Taliban has said it hasn’t been notified of a potential extension and won’t grant one. “If they extend it, that means they are extending occupation,” Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told Sky News in a recent interview. “It will create mistrust between us. If they are intent on continuing the occupation, it will provoke a reaction.” Shaheen said that if the U.S. stayed past August 31, it would cross a “red line....
According to Gallup, Biden started out his presidency with an approval rating of 57 percent. While it remained in the mid-50s for the first several months of his presidency, the rating has been in decline since June. By mid-December, Biden’s approval rating had fallen by 14 points to 43 percent. Still, the numbers are better than Trump at the end of his first year in office in 2017. The Republican had a 39 percent approval rating in the final poll conducted by Gallup that year, after starting his presidency at 45 percent approval....
Remember that inflation is a hidden tax. It is a powerful (and often unseen and unstoppable) way for a government to pay for its goods and services without raising visible taxes that make people angry. Warren Buffett is widely regarded as the best long-term investor in America. He clearly has moved from concerns about unemployment to concerns about inflation. “We are seeing very substantial inflation,” Buffett said at the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway....
The number of Venezuelans unlawfully crossing was down 82 percent from its peak in September, for instance. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Troy Miller, in the January 20 release, boasted that “early data suggests the expanded measures for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans are having a similar impact.” “And,” Miller continued," we look forward to sharing the additional data in the next update." No doubt. But the declines Miller promised are a premeditated deceit....
