Local Roundup: Rivendell Girls Rally Past Division III Champs

Thetford The Rivendell Academy girls basketball team picked the right time to begin executing well Saturday night against Thetford the end of the game.

The Raptors outscored the Panthers 15-3 in the fourth quarter to overcome a nine-point deficit and upset the defending D-III state champs, 37-34, at Vaughan Gym.

The loss snapped a 15-game winning streak for Thetford (4-1), which won 11 in a row last year en route to the programs first state crown. Its the Panthers first loss to a D-III foe since bowing to Oxbow in the 2012 semis.

Rivendell (2-2) sank three of its four 3-pointers in the final period, one each by Jen DeBois, Tayo Ameden and Mikayla DeBois. The last gave the Raptors their first lead, 35-33, with 1:31 to play.

Ameden (team-high 10 points) sank a pair from the free throw line with 19 seconds to play to all but seal it, 37-33.

Thetford made 1-of-2 from the line with less than 15 to go, then missed from long range in the final seconds.

Im very happy with the performance. It was our defense that won it for us, Rivendell coach Hank Tenney said. Thats what we pride ourselves on. Weve been in a lot of these close games where teams are scoring 30-35 points. We had a tough one the other night (Thursdays 43-35 loss at Woodsville), but we executed really well tonight.

The Panthers led 18-13 at halftime and by as many as nine on several occasions. In the fourth, Thetford missed a number of close-range layups and shot just 1-for-8 from the free throw line while Rivendell rallied.

We were impatient at times tonight, and I think some of our inexperience showed, said Thetford coach Eric Ward, whose team carries seven seniors, but lost seven from last year to graduation. Rivendell did a nice job, made some big shots. This is one were going to have to learn from.

Sophomore Izzy Wilmott led the Panthers with 12 points, while leading scorer Michaela Pomeroy (15.3 ppg coming in) was held to just four.

Jen DeBois and Riley Thomson finished with eight points apiece for the Raptors.

Jared Pendak

Whitcomb-Rochester 53 Websterville 27

Barre, Vt. The Hornets nearly doubled up on Websterville, improving to 2-1 on the season.

Lindsey LaPerle led the Hornets with 19 points. Phoebe Parrish added 15 and Savannah Sheppard had eight points. Whitcomb-Rochester led 31-14 at halftime.

Keene 62, Newport 29

Keene, n.h. The Tigers lost a tough matchup with the Blackbirds in the Keene holiday tournament.

Krystin Kibbey led Newport with 10 points. Kennedy Pysz added seven. Cate Rooney had 23 points for the Blackbirds. The Tigers face Con-Val in a consolation round today.

KUA 1-2 in Holiday Tournament

Groton, Mass. The Wildcats ended a three-game run in the Lawrence-Groton Holiday Tournament with a 56-38 victory over Groton School. Abby Kelly was named to the all-tournament team as she averaged 14.3 points in the three games, including 20 against tournament champion Lawrence.

Boys Basketball

Woodstock 69, Poultney 38

Poultney, Vt. The Wasps (3-0) took control in the middle two quarters, outscoring the Blue Devils 43-16 and coasting from there.

Point guard Kurt Ryder drained three 3-pointers and had 19 points to lead Woodstock. Connor Fegard added 16 points. Chris Townley had eight points and played strong defense against Poultney star Sam White.

Whitcomb 55 Trinity Baptist 8

Bethel The Hornets overwhelmed Trinity Baptist and improved to 3-1.

Chris Barnaby had 13 points, Zak Gillette had 11 and Spencer Taylor had eight for Whitcomb. The teams meet again at Barre Auditorium on Dec. 30.

South Royalton 72 Danville 52

South Royalton The D-III Royals came out of the gates quickly and held on to beat the defending D-IV state champion Indians.

SoRo led 23-7 after the first quarter and then pulled away for good in the fourth, outscoring Danville 17-11. Nicholas Howe led the Royals with 23 points. Keanan Thompson added 16 points. Jake Kinnarney and William Wuttke each chipped in with 11 points.

Oxbow 62, Blue Mtn. 35

Wells River, Vt. The Olympians had the range from 3-point land, draining eight from downtown to pull away from the Bucks.

Matthew Thomson led a balanced Oxbow attack with 12 points. Ben Emerson added 11, Tristan Longmoore had 10, Miles Garone had nine and Anthony Giesing finished with eight points. The Olympians pulled away by outscoring the Bucks 27-15 in the second quarter.

Rivendell 44, Thetford 41

Thetford The Raptors (4-1) clawed all the way back in the fourth quarter to stun the host Panthers (0-3).

Thetford took control early, taking a 17-7 lead after the first quarter. The Panthers still led 39-28 after three, but Rivendell answered by outscoring the hosts 16-2 in the final eight minutes.

Kolin Huntington led Rivendell with 16 points. Zack Gray added 11 and Shamus Peyton had eight points.

Matt Perry led Thetford with 10 points. Kyle Bowen and Matt Sonnhalter each added seven points.

Boys Hockey

Hartford 4, Northfield 0

Northfield, Vt. The Hurricanes (2-3) blanked the Marauders with four different goal scorers doing damage.

Nate Lemieux put Hartford in front for good just 17 seconds into the game, scoring with assists from Ben Rouillard and Tyler Hamilton. Griffin Shaw, Jordy Allard and Rouillard then added goals.

Lemieux added a pair of assists. Rouillard had another assist to also finish with three points. Adam Parker and Will Gardner each had helpers.

Teighan Meeker had 24 saves in goal for Hartford.

Lebanon 3, Kingswood 3 (ot)

Wolfeboro, n.h. The Raiders survived a tough atmosphere with a hard-fought draw at the Knights.

Ryan Damren answered an early goal by Kingswood to pull Lebanon even. T.J. Barber then put the Raiders in front as the first period came to a close. Kingswood added another to tie it up before Brendan Kelly scored unassisted on a breakaway in the third period to put Lebanon in front, 3-2.

Kingswood then tied it up with five minutes left in regulation. Damren hit the crossbar for a Lebanon highlight in a frantic overtime session.

Junior goalie Chad Fazio made 55 saves in his first career varsity start and was the backbone for us, according to coach Gary Smith.

Jack Whitaker, Nate Gariepy, Riley Sleeper and Cam Broughton each had assists for Lebanon.

Souhegan 15, Kearsarge 4

Amherst, n.h. The Cougars struggled to keep pace with the Sabers, dropping to 1-1 on the season. Kearsarge returns to action at Moultonborough-InterLakes on Jan. 3.

Girls Hockey

Lebanon 2, Oyster River 0

Durham, n.h. The Raiders earned a shutout over the Bobcats at the Whittemore Center for their first win of the season.

Karli Swenson, assisted by Sierra Rogers, put Lebanon on top at the 5:11 mark of the first period. Kyra Taylor added an insurance goal with three minutes left to play with Swenson and Rogers each picking up assists.

Goalie Erika Moffitt had 13 saves and drew praise from coach Brad Shaw for a few tough saves to preserve the shutout.

Massena 6, Hanover 1

Massena, n.y. The Marauders suffered a tough defeat to the tournament host.

Matti Hartman scored for Hanover, assisted by Margeaux Baker and Kelly Brigham. Goalies Kiely Smiga-McManus and Katie Fenton combined for 20 saves. The Marauders outshot the hosts 35-26 but were undone by some breakdowns in the defensive zone.

Burr & Burton 4 Hartford 1

Manchester Center, Vt. The Hurricanes (0-4) couldnt keep pace with the host Bulldogs.

Courtney Murray scored for Hartford. Amanda Nelson and Morgan Morrill assisted. Goalie Heather Dexter made 25 saves for the Canes.

Rutland 10, Woodstock 0

Woodstock The Wasps (0-2-1) were no match for the Raiders. Goalie Annabelle Lessard had 50 saves for Woodstock.

Alpine Skiing

Sunapee at Crotched Mtn.

Hillsborough, n.h. The Lakers opened their season with morning and afternoon giant slalom meets at Crotched Mountain.

Will Austin took second out of 102 racers in the morning boys race with a combined time of 78.84 seconds over two runs, less than half-second behind first place Elijah Wood, of Derryfield.

Jaquine Balch was fifth in the afternoon girls event, followed by teammate Laura Sullivan in eighth. The boys finished fourth place out of 12 teams in both the morning and afternoon events.

Bowling

Windsor Wins

St. Johnsbury, Vt. The Yellowjackets earned the top seed in prelims and then beat Lyndon in the Baker bowl final by scores of 175-156 and 201-135.

Junior Sami Poland had the high game of the day in prelims for Windsor, rolling a 210. Tristan McMullen rolled a 179 and 194, Katey Comstock had a 166 and 189 and Devon Campney rolled 188 and 144.

Montana Miller (146, 172) and Jeremy Diagle (155, 112) led Oxbow in prelims. Brandan Young paced Randolph with scores of 169 and 158.

Hartford Takes Third

Shelburne, Vt. The Hurricanes beat South Royalton in the consolation round of the Baker bowl to take third place at Champlain Lanes.

Hunter Brooks led Hartford in prelims with scores of 204 and 168. Wyatt Connor had 201 and 166. Robert Ingham led South Royalton with scores of 170 and 195.

Hartford fell to South Burlington in the first round of the Baker bowl, 126-129 and 160-211. Hartford then beat SoRo 145-124 and 123-95 to clinch third place.

Indoor Track

Raiders Kennedy Wins Three

Hanover Lebanons Corrinne Kennedy earned three first-place finishes in a 21-team indoor track meet at Leverone Field House.

Kennedy won the girls 300-meter dash, 55-meter hurdles and high jump to pace the sixth place Lebanon girls. Kim Merchant (fourth) and Kath Merchant (fifth) added strong finishes in the shot put for the Raiders girls.

Oxbows Izzy Giesing won the 1000-meter run, edging Hannah Giesing (fourth) in the same event. Sharons Anna Barnes took fourth in the 3000-meter run.

Will Merchant led the Lebanon boys with a win in the long jump. Josh Fontaine added a first place finish in the 1500-meter run. Ryan Milliken was fourth in the 55-meter dash, Raphael Harriman was fifth in the 3000-meter run and Marcus Roper was fifth in the shot put for the Raiders.

Cole Chapman earned a first place finish for Oxbow in the 300-meter dash. Liam Fleming (fourth, 3000-meters) and Sam Emerson (fourth, high jump) also earned points for the Olympians. Sharons Max Buskey was first in the sixth-heat of the 300-meter dash.

Boys Team Scores: 1. Nashua North 45, 2. Timberlane 41, 3. St. Johnsbury 33, 4. Thetford 30.5, 5. Lebanon 29, 12. Sharon 8, 18. Hanover 3, 21. Oxbow 1.

Girls Team Scores: 1. Nashua North 46, 2. Milford 41, 3. St. Johnsbury 41, 4. Monadnock 37, 5. Souhegan 34, 6. Lebanon 23, 7. Oxbow 18, 13. Sharon 3.

Source: http://www.vnews.com/sports/14908070-95/local-roundup-rivendell-girls-rally-past-division-iii-champs

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Chris Kyle's Widow: 'Yes, Ventura Lawsuit Money Is Coming Out of My Pocket'

FOX NEWS INSIDER - The widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle pushed back against Jesse Ventura, telling Gretchen Carlson that she will have to pay out of her own pocket after Ventura won a defamation lawsuit against her late husband.

Since Kyle's death, many have criticized Ventura for continuing with the lawsuit, but he has maintained that insurance companies would pay the award, not the Kyle family.

In an exclusive sit-down on "The Real Story," Taya Kyle said despite what Ventura claims, she will indeed have to pay a portion of the $1.8 million verdict.

"Absolutely. ... I think insurance is responsible for $500,000 because of the way the law is written," she said.

The case remains in the courts after Kyle's lawyers asked that the verdict be dismissed.

A federal jury in Minnesota sided with Ventura over the summer, deciding that Kyle had libeled the former Minnesota governor in his best-selling book.

Source: http://nation.foxnews.com/2014/12/19/chris-kyles-widow-yes-ventura-lawsuit-money-coming-out-my-pocket

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VIDEO: Nicki Minaj Has Nip Slip On Watch What Happens Live

(Bravo)

Nicki Minaj unwittingly had a nip slip on Wednesdays Watch What Happens Live, moments before talking about some of her unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions. Oh, the irony! Check out the video and uncensored photo below.

Minaj was the only guest on the episode, an honor given to just a handful of stars, and the rapper proved to be must-see television within seconds of the show starting. Just after Andy Cohens introduction, Minaj and the host seemingly had no idea that her nipple was peeking out of her tight, low-cut top.

Then, just moments later, Cohen took a call from a viewer (who was watching with her 9-year-old) wanting to know whether her 2011 nip slip on Good Morning America was tougher than her dress malfunction at this years MTV Video Music Awards, when her outfit wouldnt zip.

Minaj, still apparently unaware ofthe slip she just had, answered, Well, definitely a nip slip, because the dress malfunction didnt show anything, thank the Lord. The nip slip was very, very hard for me to deal with. Still, the star recalled being panicked at the VMAs and contemplating not taking the stage. I felt like I wanted to crawl under a freakin rock. Cohen, clearly still oblivious to what happened, went on to say before starting one of his games that Minaj may have the confidence to whip out a nip on Good Morning America, but can she handle the girth of Plead the Fifth?'

The performer hasnt mentioned the new incident on social media, but plenty of others have, both during the broadcast and after. @NICKIMINAJ is talking about a nip slip while CURRENTLY having a nip slip. @BravoWWHL, help her, wrote one watcher. Check out the video belowand, if so inclined, click here to see the uncensored nip slip photo.

Source: http://www.gossipcop.com/nicki-minaj-nip-slip-watch-what-happens-live-video-nipple-uncensored-photo-wwhl-wardrobe-malfunction/

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It's time to tell it like it is: the Serial podcast was rubbish

Then came Serial. Presented by Ira Glass second-in-command, Sarah Koenig, under the This American Life umbrella, it was a 12-part re-examination of a murder that occurred in 1999. Yes, 12 parts. So much so meh, right?

Wrong. The series rapidly clocked up a record-breaking five million downloads on iTunes, and was quickly hailed as the worlds most popular podcast. Even Radio 4 jumped on the bandwagon, gaining the rights to broadcast it simultaneously.

The Guardian called it a truly remarkable piece of journalism. The New York Times said it made plenty of us drive a bit wobblier and feel the occasional tingle of campfire-narration awe.

Sarah Koenig, the presenter of Serial

So, a week or two behind everybody else, I began to listen, allowing myself to expect great things. I even endured the juvenile tedium of the first few episodes, in the hope that something would click and I would see what all the fuss was about.

But I was sorely disappointed.

The whole thing was so smug, so petty, so low-brow, so plodding and voyeuristic and self-indulgent, that it set ones teeth on edge.

Lets start by just coming out with it. The series was badly written.

Now, I understand that the house style of This American Life is a colloquial, informal one. That is part of what is so refreshing about programmes like these. But Serial took it to a whole new level.

The script was written in the style of a college dorm chat, with the presenter regularly using words like crappy, and saying like on an annoyingly frequent basis. It made for a cheap, Junior High listen, which felt like an offence to the seriousness of the subject.

Secondly, the premise was bizarre. Why this murder case rather than the many thousands of others that happened in 1999, or any other year? Why should anybody care?

Id be the first to accept that compelling stories can be found in the everyday lives of modest people. But this disproportionate focus on a single crime, with exhaustive interviews with every single person involved, was, to put it frankly, boring.

Nothing new really happened. The story didnt go anywhere. Instead, the journalist picked apart the lives of a network of teenagers, gloating at every lurid detail.

It felt, as it were, like overkill.

Thirdly, there was a self-congratulatory preoccupation with the journalistic process. American journalism is renowned for its fact-checking, and that can only be applauded. But Koenig relentlessly foregrounded her own research, and made an unseemly song and dance about her meticulousness. Was this really about the murder? Or about her?

Last but by no means least, the whole idea was set up to leave the listener short-changed.

Was there ever a chance that a journalist would solve a decades-old murder? No, of course there wasnt. It was only ever going to be a journey-is-the-destination piece of voyeurism, and as such had little forward momentum.

Unless, of course, you were gullible. When the series ended, many listeners were devastated that their nave expectations had been dashed.

When I found out that Sarah Koenig had failed to find evidence of a smoking gun, I felt like a failure, wrote Rabia Chaudry, the person who first gave the story to Koenig, in TIME Magazine.

Even the Guardian, amid all the hyperbole, admitted in the end that for all the remarkable delivery, the depth and skill applied by Koenig and her team, its a more tawdry and voyeuristic exercise than the one that began 13 weeks ago.

Which in Guardian-speak means Ive been a fool.

For voyeurism it was, and voyeurism it was always going to be. Koenig said that the reason she took this case as her subject was serendipitous: Rabia Chaudry wrote to her about it, and she became hooked. But the truth, I suspect, is rather more cynical.

This was a case that had it all: teenage s*x, teenage drugs, a teenage high school murder. The point was never really to arrive at the truth. It was to join countless cheap thrillers and horror movies in exploiting that shadowy hinterland between s*x and death. This was Scream with quinoa. And the audience responded.

Which has partly answered the big question: why were so many people infatuated with Serial?

Yes, there was the voyeurism. Yes, there was the hollow promise, ultimately betrayed, of finding a resolution to the case. In addition, it appealed to an audience that had never heard of This American Life, much less Studs Terkel, and who were blown away with the novelty of the thing.

But I suspect that in the end, Serial just became cool. Once it was given the kitemark of approval by the trendy kids in Brooklyn, Hoxton, and other nests of hipsterity, it became a lifestyle accessory every bit as important as a beard, a sleeve tattoo and an overdeveloped sense of irony.

So enough already. Lets acknowledge that the emperor is unclothed. If you want to know whodunnit, the answer is Sarah Koenig.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11303390/Its-time-to-tell-it-like-it-is-the-Serial-podcast-was-rubbish.html

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Amber Rose: �If I'm Not Married to Wiz Right Now, I Don't Want to Be Married�

ByJasmine Simpkins|December 19, 2014

Amber Rose has no plans to go back on the market anytime soon. HipHollywood caught up with Rose on the red carpet for the People Magazine Awards where she told us shes still heartbroken from her split with Wiz Khalifa, and cant even think about being married again.

Im not thinking about that right now, Rose admitted. If I not married to Wiz right now, I dont want to be married. I dont even want to date right now, I just want to get my heart back together.

Rose filed for divorce from Khalifa on September 24, 2014, after just one year of marriage. The mother and model cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the break-up. Rumors of infidelity had been swirling about both parties in the weeks leading up to the filing. Rose has been adamant that she did not cheat on Wiz despite rumors of a fling with her now manager Nick Cannon. Reports linked Wiz to several video models and p**n stars, though he never responded to claims. But, since the split, he has hooked up, and shot a s*x tape, with Playboy model Carla Howe. Boy does he move fast.

Rose however doesnt seemed phased by Wiz recent escapades, and just wants her family back together. Honestly, we dont see how he let her go. Have her seen her latest twerk video?

Source: http://hiphollywood.com/2014/12/amber-rose-exclusive-amber-rose-if-im-not-married-to-wiz-right-now-i-dont-want-to-be-married/

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Obama vows US response to North Korea over Sony cyberattack

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to respond to a devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures that he blamed on North Korea, and scolded the Hollywood studio for caving in to what he described as a foreign dictator imposing censorship in America.

Obama said the cyberattack caused a lot of damage to Sony but the company should not have let itself be intimidated into halting the public release of "The Interview," a lampoon portraying the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We will respond," Obama told an end-of-year news conference. "We'll respond proportionally, and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose."

Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it had determined that North Korea was behind the hacking of Sony, saying Pyongyang's actions fell "outside the bounds of acceptable state behavior."

Obama said North Korea appeared to have acted alone. Washington began consultations with Japan, China, South Korea and Russia seeking their assistance in reining in North Korea.

Japan and South Korea vowed to cooperate. China, North Korea's only major ally, has yet to respond but a Beijing-run newspaper said "The Interview" was not a movie for Hollywood and U.S. society to be proud of.

"The vicious mocking of Kim is only a result of senseless cultural arrogance," the newspaper said.

It was the first time the United States had directly accused another country of a cyberattack of such magnitude on American soil and set up a possible new confrontation between longtime foes Washington and Pyongyang.

The destructive nature of the attack, and threats from the hackers that led the Hollywood studio to pull the movie, set it apart from previous cyber intrusions, the FBI said.

A North Korean diplomat at the United Nations in New York said Pyongyang had nothing to do with the cyberattack. "DPRK (North Korea) is not part of this," the diplomat told Reuters.

Obama said he wished that Sony had spoken to him first before yanking the movie, suggesting it could set a bad precedent. "I think they made a mistake," he said.

"We cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the United States," he said. "Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don't like, or news reports that they don't like."

"NOT CAVED IN"

Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Lynton insisted the company did not capitulate to hackers and said it is still looking for alternative platforms to release "The Interview." This week, a spokeswoman for Sony had said the company did not have further release plans for the $44 million film starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

"We have not caved, we have not given in, we have persevered and we have not backed down," Lynton told CNN. "We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie."

Despite Obama's stern warning to North Korea, his options for responding to the computer attack by the impoverished state appeared limited. The president declined to be specific about any actions under consideration.

North Korea has been subject to U.S. sanctions for more than 50 years, but they have had little effect on its human rights policies or its development of nuclear weapons. It has become expert in hiding its often criminal money-raising activities, largely avoiding traditional banks.

The FBI said technical analysis of malicious software used in the Sony attack found links to malware that "North Korean actors" had developed and found a "significant overlap" with "other malicious cyber activity" previously tied to Pyongyang.

But it otherwise gave scant details on how it concluded that North Korea was behind the attack.

U.S. experts say Obama's options could include cyber retaliation, financial sanctions, criminal indictments against individuals implicated in the attack or even a boost in U.S. military support to South Korea.

But the effect of any response would be limited given North Korea's isolation and the fact that it is already heavily sanctioned for its nuclear program.

There is also the risk that an overly harsh U.S. response could provoke Pyongyang to escalate into cyber warfare.

Non-conventional capabilities such as cyberwarfare and nuclear technology are the weapons of choice for the impoverished North, defectors said in Seoul.

They said the Sony attack may have been a practice run for North Korea's "cyberarmy" as part of its long-term goal of being able to cripple its rivals' telecommunications and energy grids.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Susan Heavey, David Chance, Arshad Mohammed and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Ju-min Park and Jack Kim in Seoul; Editing by David Storey, Bernard Orr and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/20/us-sony-cybersecurity-usa-idUSKBN0JX1MH20141220

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'Serial' Podcast Finale: What We Know (and What We Don't Know)

Thu Dec 18 18:16:10 EST 2014

"Serial" is over. Deal with it.

Elise Bergerson/This American Life Sarah Koenig of "Serial"

Yesterday, Funny or Die shared a video skit featuringMichaela Watkins playing Sarah Koenig before the final episode of "Serial." Though poking fun at a real-life murder investigation is in questionable taste, the spoof did get something right -- the pressure on Koenig to deliver a satisfying ending to the blockbuster "This American Life"-spinoff podcast.

So now that the "Serial" is over, did Koenig manage to deliver?

[Spoilers follow.]

Anyone who is expecting the 12-episode podcastto wrap up like a scripted series (other than "Lost" or "The Sopranos") will invariably be disappointed. There's no surprise ending. The butler didn't do it. But to be fair, Koenig never promised we would have hard answers by the end of her investigation into this 1999 murder. Part of the appeal of "Serial" all along has been that we've all gotten to be amateur sleuths, speculating on everything, asking "what if" to infinity. And the speculations continued with the latest episode.

The episode delivers some updates, but mostly, Koenig and her colleagues recap what they know about the murder of Hae Min Lee and the case against Adnan Syed.

In a frustrating move, Koenig spends too much time talking to a new player in the "Serial" story, Josh, who worked with Jay at the p**n video store back when Hae was murdered. Josh says he remembers Jay being afraid of people connected to the murder and was freaked out about a van parked across the street from the video store.

But Josh's recollections, ultimately, don't really add up to much except that he didn't think Jay was the type of person to be involved in a murder (as if anyone can identify that type of person so easily).

"He wasn't the type of guy that you really got the sense he could do something real," Josh said about Jay. "He wasn't a killer and he wasn't a thug in anything. He was kind of the opposite. He seemed like he was in way over his head."

This American Life Adnan Syed, the subject of "Serial," in 1998.

But again, that's neither here nor here.

Koenig also finally managed to talk to Don, Hae's boyfriend at the time of her murder. But aside from confirming that Adnan was a good guy, nothing really comes out of that conversation either (although interestingly, Don, like Adnan, also didn't call Hae after she went missing).

So many questions still remain and, as Koenig herself pointed out, "there's something that's not computing here."

After running through the cell phone call record and the infamous "Nisha call" yet again, Koenig acknowledges the unresolved discrepancies -- discrepancies that may never be resolved.

She comes to a realization that honestly, you'd have hoped she would have reached quite some time ago: that it's not a question of whether Jay was lying or Adnan was lying, but rather the possibility that they were both lying. Ding ding ding.

But, as Koenig says, there's so much speculation here and "all speculation is equally speculative." And then she speculates some more.

Koenig defers to her colleagueDana Chivvis, who is more impartial to the case (the "Dr. Spock" of "Serial," according to Koenig). If Adnan didn't kill Hae, then he certainly had a string of unusually bad luck, Chivvis concluded (and, certainly, being convicted for a crime, if he didn't commit it, is spectacularly unlucky).

Instead of focusing on the "most likely" explanation, Koenig decides to focus on the "most logical." But so much of the case defies logic. Did Adnan just happen to lend Jay his cell phone and his car on the day that his ex-girlfriend went missing? Why did Jay help Adnan (or whoever the killer was) bury Hae's body if he wasn't involved? If some random serial killer or murderer killed Hae, how did Jay get involved? If Adnan is guilty, why did he agree to participate in the podcast?

"I think you shouldn't really take a side...just go down the middle," Adnan told Koenig, offering advice about how to end the podcast. "Leave it up to the audience to determine."

"Why on Earth would a guilty man agree to let me do this story?" - Sarah Koenig

Though clearly Koenig is reluctant to draw any conclusions, she knows her audience expects her to deliver a verdict.

"I don't believe any of us can say what happened to Hae," said Koenig. All that's really know is that Jay knew where Hae's car was, but does that really prove anything? "That all by itself is not a story...it's not enough to me to send anyone to prison for life, let alone a 17-year-old kid."

So if she was a juror, Koenig said she would have to acquit but "as a human being," she admits, "if you ask me to swear Adnan Syed is innocent, I couldn't do it." So more hemming and hawing.

"Most of the time, I think he didn't do it....why on Earth would a guilty man agree to let me do this story?" she adds.Still, "as much as I want to be sure, I'm not," Koenig confessed at the end, leaving us as confused as ever.

Though the episode didn't resolve anything, there is some real news about Adnan's case: The group from The Innocence Project has filed a motion to test the DNA from Hae's body, which, unbelievably, was never tested 15 years ago. It also turns out that there's another possible suspect: a serial criminal responsible for a couple of rapes and at least one murder was out of jail and in the area at the time of Haes murder. But then how would Jay know anything about the murder and where Hae's car was?

Which leads us to more speculating... At least one thing we know for sure: Adnan's appeal, based on inadequate counsel, is still alive. So we'll continue with the "what ifs" until there are more answers...or more questions.

READ MORE: Obsessed with "Serial"? You'll Love These Documentaries

Season 2 of "Serial" is coming sometime in 2015. Listen to the final episode below:

Source: http://www.indiewire.com/article/serial-podcast-finale-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont-know-20141218

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