Ukraine gymnast Maksym Semiankiv baffles with bizarre routine at Rio Olympics

Sergej Evplov: Ukraine talent show, amazing 7yo kid

It was an Olympics gymnasticsroutine thatany armchair athlete could have performed with precision.

In bizarre scenes inthe men"s gymnastics team final in Rio de Janeiroon Monday night, Ukrainian Maksym Semiankivwalked up to the high bar, jumped up,grabbed it, then immediately dropped back to the floor.

Previous slide Next slide

Rio 2016: death-defying gymnastics

Rio 2016:The velodrome explained

Rio 2016: Olympic diving pool turns green

Rio 2016: Love wins on the rugby pitch

Rio 2016: No to early morning drug tests

Rio 2016: b***s, b***s, b***s

Rio 2016: Century of freestyle records

Olympic torch hits downtown Rio

Rio 2016: death-defying gymnastics

Some want the Produnova vault banned, fearing broken legs and spines, but India"s first female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics is hoping it"s her golden ticket.

The elite athlete, performing at the pinnacle of his sport on the world stage,then bowed to the judges and walked off.

So fast was his "routine" that his name was still flashed up on television screens to introduce him when the 24-year-oldwalked away, leaving commentators and fans alike baffled.

Ukrainian gymnast Maksym Semiankiv, pictured here in 2015, left fans baffled in Rio.Photo: Getty

"That was strange. I"mnot sure what just happened," NBC"s gymnastics commentator said.

It was only the start.

Onto the parallel bars, andSemiankiv did it again:Jump up, touch the bars, drop down, walk away.

Ukraine had qualified seventh out of eight teams ahead ofthe final, in which each country selects three gymnasts from their five-men squads to compete on each of six apparatus.

Ukraine, however, had only two gymnasts competing in three of the six apparatus.

Unsurprisingly,they finished last,72 points behind gold-medal winning Japan.

Amid the confusion, conspiracy theories about what had happenedimmediately started spreading online.

Was this some kind of political protest? Was the Ukrainedeliberately tanking,hoping to keep their gymnasts fresh for the individual finals?Was the team airing their grievances four years after the London Games, whenUkraine was denied a bronze medal in the men"s team finalafter Japan appealed a score on pommel horse that was ultimately changed?

NBC gymnastics analyst Andy Thornton tweeted that the move was a planned strategy by Ukraine.

Ukrainian gymnast VladyslavHrykolater claimedthat Semiankivhadinjuredhis hand.

"Just before the start, he had problems with his hand," Hryko said. "Even at the qualification, he was still able to work fine, but now before the start he couldn"t even support himself with his hand."

Ukraine"s Oleg Verniaievalsosaidon Instagram that a member of the team had to go to a hospital, but provided little other explanation.

"I would like to personally apologize for the situation in today"s team final competition. There was unpredictable circumstances. We found out that we won"t be competing as a full team 15 minutes prior to start of the competition when one of our team members came back from the hospital. At that point we weren"t able to change our line up.

"I would like to personally apologize in front of Switzerland team as well. I"m sure they were disappointed to see this situation tonight."

However, the international gymnastics federation told the Wall Street Journal that it was Ukraine"s choice -not the federation"s rules -to skip parts of the men"s gymnastics team final.

The Ukrainian team would have been allowed to shuffle their line-up due to an injury simply by filling out a form and speaking to medical staff, the federation said. If they had withdrawn, the Swiss team - ranked ninth after the preliminaries - would have competed in their place.

Swiss fans were furious that Ukraine simply threw in the towel.

One tweeted: "I am so mad at Ukraine and so gutted for Switzerland right now."

Amid the confusion, there were comparisons to ascene in the 2006 film Stick It, when a group of gymnasts revolt anddeliberately earn a string of zeroes in competition.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/ukraine-gymnast-maksym-semiankiv-baffles-with-bizarre-routine-at-rio-olympics-20160809-gqoud2.html

Continue Reading ..

Uproar after Google "Removes Palestine" from Google Maps

Google Changes Palestine Search Term

Uproar after Google Removes Palestine from Google Maps

More than 150,000 people have signed a petition in anger at Googles decision to erase Palestine from Google Maps.

Users using Google Maps who type in Palestine no longer see the name appearing on Google Maps. Instead, an outline of the Palestinian territories appears, with Israel clearly labeled.

The omission of Palestine is a grievous insult to the people of Palestine and undermines the efforts of the millions of people who are involved in the campaign to secure Palestinian independence and freedom from Israeli occupation and oppression, reads the petition on Change.org, calling for Google to return Palestine to Google Maps.

Though Google removed Palestine from Google Maps several weeks ago, the issue only came to light after the Palestinian Journalists Forum (PJF) started an online campaign calling for the reinstatement of Palestine.

This is part of the Israeli scheme to establish its name as a legitimate state for generations to come and abolish Palestine once and for all, said the PJF, adding that it is an attempt to change history.

Responding to the criticism, which has been voiced through hashtags such as #PalestineIsHere and #BoycottGoogle, a Google spokesperson reportedly told Quartz that the decision is aimed at featuring regions objectively.

Google has not responded to the campaign and the lack of Palestine on the map persists.

The State of Palestine is recognized by 136 United Nations member states.

Source: http://egyptianstreets.com/2016/08/09/uproar-after-google-removes-palestine-from-google-maps/

Continue Reading ..

Bill Belichick wears Nate Ebner rugby shirt at Patriots practice

Patriots" Nate Ebner Living Olympic Rugby Dream Following Unspeakable Tragedy

FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick and several members of the Patriots coaching staff showed theirsupport for Patriots safety Nate Ebner, who is competing in Rio on the U.S. Olympic rugby team, by wearing a USA Rugby shirt with Ebners nameon the back.

Ebner, a safety and special teams ace who re-signed with the Patriots this offseason after hitting free agency,has been granted a leave from Patriots training camp to compete in the Games. The U.S. played its first match Tuesday, a 17-14 loss to Argentina.

It takes on Brazil at 5 p.m. Tuesday night, and the Patriots will be watching.

Belichick informed his team that it would be catching the second game -- which consists of two seven-minute halves -- as a group at Gillette Stadium.

"Im mad we missed the first game," said Patriots safety Devin McCourty. "But well go in there and a lot of us will watch that game at 5 o"clockand get to cheer our guy on."

Though USA Rugby Men"s Sevens coach Mike Friday once placed Ebner"s odds of making the Olympic roster at about 50-50, the former Ohio State rugby star earned one of the team"s 12 spots after a few months of training with USA Rugby.He came off the bench for the U.S.in the second half of the loss to Argentina.

When the Patriots watch Ebner on Tuesday night, they"ll be glued, McCourty said.

"Nate is a very popular guy on the team," McCourty said. "Everybody loves Nate, his work ethic and what he brings to the team. A lot of us cant wait to get in there and watch him do something that hes very passionate about.

"I think in the secondary, we know he talked to us about trying out for the Olympics before it even came up, so to now see it come full circle and get a chance to watch him in the Olympics is going to be a cool experience."

Source: http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/bill-belichick-wears-nate-ebner-rugby-shirt-patriots-practice

Continue Reading ..

Phillies minor league affiliate totally burn Tim Tebow on his baseball aspirations

Tim Tebow: The Man, The Legend, The Future MLB Star?

Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow was in the news today when it became known he hopes to make another comeback attempt. This time, on the baseball diamond and not the gridiron.

Tebow plans to hold a workout to allow every MLB team to see his skills.

But the Reading Fightins have already made their decision. They"re all set in the outfield and sent the below tweet.

They"re not wrong. The Fightins have been red hot this season.Reading has been dominant all season, led by the home run prowess of outfielder Dylan Cozens (32 HR, 103 RBIs) and first baseman Rhys Hoskins (34 and 101). Catcher Jorge Alfaro has also been a steady force in the three-hole for the team with the best record in all of professional baseball.

Tebow will probably need to say his prayers if he wants any shot of making that squad.

We already know Philadelphians love throwing things, so why not choose something a bit sharper?

How about some axes.

That"s the idea behindEast Kensington"s Urban Axes.

"Its like darts, only bigger and more satisfying,"says Krista Poll, one of the owners of the new joint.

We sent a camera crew over to Urban Axes to get a firsthand look at what throwing axes is like and we"re not going to lie, throwing axes is as enjoyable as expected.

They"re taking group bookings with dates starting on September 15th and later. Go throw some things. Take out some of that aggression. It will feel good.

More info on their website here.

Chase Utley hit 233 career home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies. On Monday night he hit his first against them.

The Phils are out on the west coast this week for an emotional reunion with their legendary second baseman before Chase and his new squad come back to Philadelphia next week to give fans an emotional reunion with a franchise favorite.

But just because Chase is so beloved in Philly doesn"t mean he won"t hurt us like he did last night.

Utley reminded us of that sweet, short swing last night when he took a Zach Efflin fastball down the line for a home run.

So many mixed emotions. Don"t really know how to feel. Don"t like it one bit.

But, I guess, the Phils aren"t going anywhere this season so maybe we root for Chase to get one more World (bleeping) Championship.

Would like to see Efflin get his stuff together though. More on the ugly loss and Efflin"s struggles here.

Tim Teeball?

Unable to find regular work playing the sport he dedicated his life to excel at (football), former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow is going to give a different sport a try: baseball.

The Tebow baseball news comes from ESPN"s Adam Schefter who points out that despite not having played organized baseball in over a decade, Tebow has been trying to get back into the baseball thing for months and plans to hold a workout for MLB teams later this month.

For almost the past year, Tebow has been training in Arizona and Los Angeles to hone his play as a professional batter and outfielder in a sport he has not played on a full-time basis since he was in high school in 2005.

Tebow was an All-State baseball player in Florida and hit .494 as a junior, helping Nease High School reach the final four of the Florida state playoffs.

Tebow"s camp hopes that all 30 MLB teams will come to watch him work out. Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen.

Obviously, Tebow should end up playing for the Angels.

Source: http://www.csnphilly.com/the700level/phillies-minor-league-affiliate-totally-burn-tim-tebow-his-baseball-aspirations

Continue Reading ..

"Bachelor in Paradise": Josh Murray calls Andi Dorfman"s tell-all "a fictional story"

Chris Harrison on Chad Johnson"s "Bachelor in Paradise" Debut: "He Really Pissed Me Off"

Erin Jensen, USA TODAY 9:29 a.m. EDT August 9, 2016

Josh Murray steps up to the "Bachelor in Paradise" plate.(Photo: Rick Rowell, ABC)

Josh Murray entered Bachelor in Paradise just in the Nick of time.

On Monday, Andi Dorfman"s ex-fianc,the hunky former baseball player with teeth that would get lost in a snowstorm, caused a little bit of trouble.

Looking to "find a wife more than anything" and armed with a date card, Josh upset the palapa equilibrium when he asked Amanda Stanton out on a date. The night before she received a rose from Nick Viall, the runner-up from AndiandKaitlyn Bristowe"sseasons.

Nick wondered if Josh only asked Amanda out to torment him, and was concerned about some of the allegations Andi made in her book,It"s Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak into Happily Never After.In the memoir, released in May, Andi wrote thatJosh"often behaved like an emotional abuser."

"Quite honestly some of the stuff that is written about Josh is pretty aggressive and a little disturbing," Nick confessed to the camera."I know at least the things written about me aren"t fictional. There"s at least some accuracy to them. So, it"s hard to imagine that that"s not the case for Josh."

Amanda Stanton and Josh Murray on their date, probably not thinking about Nick Viall.(Photo: Rick Rowell, ABC)

While sailing with Amanda, Josh admitted that dealing with his ex"s tell-all hasbeen tough.

"She had some not-so-kind things to say, and it"s very unfortunate that she would depict me in such a false way," Josh told the mother of two from Ben Higgins" season of The Bachelor."It"s like, how am I supposed to comment on these excerpts that people are sending me to a fictional story, something that"s just not true at all? It"s definitely frustrating, but it doesn"t affect me until somebody asks me about it."

Josh continued."You have to be a bigger person no matter what kind of lies or egregious things are said about you. You have to try to take the high road...Honestly, it doesn"t affect me at all. G*d knows what the truth is. Like, that"s all that matters."

In an interview, Andi told us that her revelations weren"t an attempt to drag her exes."Ididn"t want any story that was in there just to be gratuitous or just to burn someone," she said."That was not my intention." Whenwe reached out to Joshs camp for comment, wedidnt receivea reply.

To theBachelor in Paradisecameras, Josh again wrote the book off as being "a fictional story.""There"s stuff that"s so ludicrous," he said."How do you comment on something like that?"

Josh"s explanation satisfied Amanda"s curiosity.

"I thought he gave a really good answer, and I trust him. And, I can tell how genuine he is. So, it"s not really something I"m worried about," she said in an interview. "I"m just excited to see where things go from here."

We can think of someone who isn"t so excited.

See how Nick deals with this possible new coupling when Bachelor in Paradiseairs onMondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2aZfMGj

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/08/09/josh-murray-bachelor-in-paradise-andi-dorfman-tell-all-book/88442526/

Continue Reading ..

Furball Fun: International Cat Day

Cole, Marmalade & NEW Cat Toys! #InternationalCatDay

Don"t fret or stew over this one: There are actually multiple occasions on the annual calendar spotlighting felines in all of their whiskery and wondrous ways, including National Cat Day, which falls a couple of days ahead of Halloween.

But International Cat Day is its own entity, and has a distinct vibe and reason for being. Begun by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Cat Day invites we humans to not simply coo over our cats (though, of course, that"s always encouraged) but to ponder how we can work to make their catly worlds better, safer, healthier, and loved.

Think of it as quite proactive, if you like, and pause to ponder how you can help cat rescue, animal organizations, or even your own at-home cuddler on Aug. 8 and every day of the year.

One such day is on the horizon, and tickets are available now. It"s Kitten Rescue"s 8th annual Furball at the Skirball, an eveningtime event with a plant-based dinner at its center.

Black Sabbath"s Geezer Butler is an honoree, as is Mr. Butler"s wife Gloria. Both are devoted cat aficionados, and both Butlers gladly lend a helpful hand to groups who assist felines in a multitude of ways, from health concerns to home placement.

Furball at the Skirball is on Saturday, Sept. 10 and tickets? They"re here.

Perhaps securing your seat at the sweet soiree is how you approach World Cat Day, or perhaps a play session, on the floor, with your own kitty is how you mark the occasion.

However you celebrate our constant, tumbling, meowing, snoozing, kneading, loving companions is your choice. But, of course, if your choice arrives with a bit of yarn, and a toy, or a check for a rescue, well... that is meow-worthy, too.

Published at 4:41 PM PDT on Aug 8, 2016

Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/entertainment/the-scene/Furball-Fun-International-Cat-Day-389503222.html

Continue Reading ..

Why George P. Bush is breaking with Jeb! and getting on the Trump train

George P. Bush Sworn in as 28th Texas Land Commissioner

The Bush family has finally embraced Donald Trump. Well, at least George P. Bush, the son of "low-energy" Jeb Bush, has.

Without naming Trump, the Texas land commissioner gave Trump a tepid endorsement this weekend: "From Team Bush, it"s a bitter pill to swallow, but you know what? You get back up and you help the man that won, and you make sure that we stop Hillary Clinton," Bush said, speaking as the Texas GOPs victory chair, tasked with ensuring the election of Texas Republicans in November.

Jeb Bush, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush have been steering clear of the new Trump brand of conservatism. Last week,W chided Trumps policies of "isolationism, nativism, and protectionism" also without naming the nominee at an Ohio fundraiser for Sen. Rob Portman, and none of the Bushes attended the Republican National Convention in July.

But George P. Bush is a more active Republican than his father, uncle, and grandfather, and therefore has more at stake with Trump. In many ways, he perfectly encapsulates the difficulty many Republicans face this fall: They need Trumps supporters to back them, but they also need people who dont support Trump to back them.

As Club for Growth director David McIntosh told the New York Times: "You hope Trump does well so that the base Republican vote comes out and is strong. But you also have to plan for if he doesnt do well."

As an active Republican, Bush is under pressure to support Trump to avoid devastating down-ballot losses

George P. Bush"s role as victory chair is to get conservative victories up and down the ballot. But with his family publicly critical of the GOPs nominee, his nomination struck ire with some state Republicans.

"Its a very surprising decision, particularly in light of the father, the uncle and the grandfather making it abundantly clear they are not going to endorse Donald Trump for November," a former GOP Texas chair and Trump delegate,Tom Pauken, told the Austin American-Statesman when Bush was nominated. "If you dont have your own family on board, how do you encourage others?"

According to GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak, this is pressure enough to push Bush to come out in support of Trump.

But there are other reasons that might have pushed Bush to break ranks with his family, namely that being an active Republican means you have to play along with the party.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have both gotten in line, supporting, but not endorsing, Trump although Trumps controversial statements often put them in some awkward denouncing-but-still-supporting situations.

As Talking Points Memo editor Josh Marshall points out, Jeb Bush isnt going to be running for reelection, but his son is only at the start of his career.

And as Ted Cruz showed at the RNC convention, treading the line with Trump can be dangerous. Cruzs approval favorability rating plummeted after his speech at the convention, during which he pointedly refused to endorse Trump, National Journals Josh Kraushaar points out:

This election is about normal vs. abnormal

Source: http://www.vox.com/2016/8/8/12404818/why-george-p-bush-supports-trump

Continue Reading ..