BoBA ISML 2010 Predictions: Preliminaries, Round 1 - Picks

ARENA 01: Abstained [Akiyama Mio] Ryōgi Shiki Senō Natsuru
ARENA 02: Abstained Kawasumi Mai Yuno [Ichinose Kotomi]
ARENA 03: Abstained Kotegawa Yui [Uiharu Kazari] Felli Loss
ARENA 04: Abstained [Senjōgahara Hitagi] Louise Vallière Sōryū Asuka Langley
ARENA 05: Abstained Kamio Misuzu Fujibayashi Ryō [Kotobuki Tsumugi]
ARENA 06: Abstained Sawachika Eri [Sanzen'in Nagi] Winry Rockbell
ARENA 07: Abstained [Shiina Mafuyu] Takei Hisa Sonozaki Shion
ARENA 08: Abstained Kurata Sayuri Lambdadelta [Maria]
ARENA 09: Abstained Hinaichigo Sangō Shizuku [Kusakabe Misuzu]
ARENA 10: Abstained [Sakurano Kurimu] Ryūgū Rena Shindō Chihiro
ARENA 11: Abstained Bernkastel Lisa [Alice]
ARENA 12: Abstained Niche [Hiiragi Tsukasa] Kirishima Akari
ARENA 13: Abstained Suigintou [Tainaka Ritsu] Ranka Lee
ARENA 14: Abstained Yin Nagi [Furukawa Nagisa]
ARENA 15: Abstained Chii [Saber] Tsukimiya Ayu
ARENA 16: Abstained [Holo] Kushieda Minori Tsuruya
ARENA 17: Abstained Sōseiseki Yoko Littner [Ikaros]
ARENA 18: Abstained Daidōji Tomoyo [Konjiki no Yami] Kirishima Kotone
ARENA 19: Abstained [Sengoku Nadeko] Suō Pavlichenko Enma Ai
ARENA 20: Abstained Yagami Hayate Mishima Akane [Ibuki Fūko]
ARENA 21: Abstained Miyamura Miyako [Hirasawa Ui] Erurū
ARENA 22: Abstained Kuronuma Sawako Sunohara Mei [Nishizawa Ayumu]
ARENA 23: Abstained Amae Koromo Shirayuki Mizore [Beatrice]
ARENA 24: Abstained Chiba Kirino [Nymph] Isayama Yomi
ARENA 25: Abstained [Takamachi Nanoha] Ushiromiya Maria Shihō Matsuri
ARENA 26: Abstained Mizuno Kaede Sakurazaki Setsuna [Izumi Konata]
ARENA 27: Abstained Yūki Mikan [C.C.] Hachikuji Mayoi

BoBA ISML Predictions: Preliminaries, Round 1

Winners


Group 1 - Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
Group 2 - Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
Group 3 - Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 4 - Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 5 - Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
Group 6 - Horo, Spice & Wolf
Group 7 - Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
Group 8 - Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
Group 9 - Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
Group 10 - Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
Group 11 - Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
Group 12 - Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
Group 13 - Shinku, Rozen Maiden
Group 14 - Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

ISML Best Available - Winners


1. Mio Akiyama, K-ON!
2. Hitagi Senjougahara, Bakemonogatari
3. Kurimu Sakurano, Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Nanoha Takamachi, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
5. Suiseiseki, Rozen Maiden
6. Shinku, Rozen Maiden
7. Mikoto Misaka, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
8. Ritsu Tainaka, K-ON!
9. Mafuyu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
10. Fuuko Ibuki, CLANNAD
11. Kuroko Shirai, To Aru Majutsu no Index/To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
12. Minatsu Shiina, Seitokai no Ichizon
13. Beatrice, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
14. Horo, Spice & Wolf

Predicted order of finish - Groups


Group 1


1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON!
2. Kotomi Ichinose - CLANNAD
3. Mai Kawasumi - Kanon
4. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
5. Shiki Ryogi - Kara no Kyoukai
6. Yui Kotegawa - To-Love-Ru
7. Felli Loss - Chrome Shelled Regios
8. Natsuru Seno - Kampfer
9. Yuno - Hidamari Sketch


Group 2


1. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari
2. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON!
3. Nagi Sanzen'in - Hayate the Combat Butler
4. Ryou Fujibayashi - CLANNAD
5. Asuka Langley Shikinami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
6. Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere - Zero no Tsukaima
7. Misuzu Kamio - AIR
8. Winry Rockbell - Full Metal Alchemist
9. Eri Sawachika - School Rumble


Group 3


1. Mafuyu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Maria - Hayate the Combat Butler
3. Misuzu Kusakabe - 11eyes
4. Hina-Ichigo - Rozen Maiden
5. Hisa Takei - Saki
6. Sayuri Kurata - Kanon
7. Lambdadelta - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
8. Shion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
9. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer


Group 4


1. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Tsukasa Hiiragi - Lucky Star
3. Alice - Pandora Hearts
4. Fredrica Bernkastel - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Akari Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
6. Chihiro Shindou - ef-a tale of memories
7. Rena Ryuuguu - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
8. Lisa - Seiken no Blacksmith
9. Niche - Letter Bee


Group 5


1. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON!
2. Suigintou - Rozen Maiden
3. Nagisa Furukawa - CLANNAD
4. Saber - fate/stay night
5. Ranka Lee - Macross Frontier
6. Chii - Chobits
7. Ayu Tsukimiya - Kanon
8. Yin - Darker Than Black
9. Nagi - Kannagi-Crazy Shrine Maidens



Group 6


1. Horo - Spice & Wolf
2. Minori Kushieda - Toradora!
3. Golden Darkness (Konjiki no Yami) - To-Love-Ru
4. Yoko Littner - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
5. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono
6. Tsuruya - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
7. Kotone Kirishima - Nyan Koi!
8. Souseiseki - Rozen Maiden
9. Tomoyo Daidouji - Card Captor Sakura


Group 7


1. Fuuko Ibuki - CLANNAD
2. Ui Hirasawa - K-ON!
3. Eruruu - Utawarerumono
4. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari
5. Hayate Yagami - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical nanoha
6. Miyako Miyamura - ef - a tale of memories
7. Akane Mishima - Kampfer
8. Suo Pavlichenko - Darker Than Black
9. Ai Enma - Jigoku Shoujo


Group 8


1. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
2. Mei Sunohara - CLANNAD
3. Ayumu Nishizawa - Hayate The Combat Butler
4. Koromo Amae - Saki
5. Yomi Isayama - Ga-Rei Zero
6. Nymph - Sora no Otoshimono
7. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke
8. Mizore Shirayuki - Rosario+Vampire
9. Kirino Chiba - Bamboo Blade


Group 9


1. Nanoha Takamachi - Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
2. Konata Izumi - Lucky Star
3. C.C. - Code Geass
4. Maria Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
5. Mayoi Hachikuji - Bakemonogatari
6. Mikan Yuuki - To-Love-Ru
7. Setsuna Sakurazaki - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Kaede Mizuno - Nyan Koi!
9. Matsuri Shihou - Sola


Group 10


1. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon
2. Kobato Hanato - Kobato
3. Kana Ikeda - Saki
4. Isumi Saginomiya - Hayate the Combat Butler
5. Shinobu Oshino - Bakemonogatari
6. Sakura Kinomoto - Card Captor Sakura
7. Evangeline A.K. McDowell - Mahou Sensei Negima!
8. Ai Haibara - Detective Conan
9. Yakumo Tsukamoto - School Rumble


Group 11


1. Suiseiseki - Rozen Maiden
2. Haruka Nogizaka - Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
3. Tsubasa Hanekawa - Bakemonogatari
4. Rika Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara
6. Index Librorum Prohibitorum - To Aru Majutsu No Index
7. Sakuya Aizawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Moka Akashiya - Rasario+Vampire
9. Akari Mizunashi - ARIA


Group 12


1. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ami Kawashima - Toradora!
3. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon
4. Hanyuu Furude - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Yuuki Kataoka - Saki
6. Amu Hinamori - Shugo Chara!
7. Izumi Segawa - Hayate the Combat Butler!
8. Makoto Sawatari - Kanon
9. Alice Carroll - ARIA


Group 13


1. Shinku - Rozen Maiden
2. Ruiko Saten - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
3. Saki Miyanaga - Saki
4. Mion Sonozaki - Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni
5. Nayuki Minase - Kanon
6. Kana Minami - The Minami Family
7. Sheryl Nome - Macross Frontier
8. Yuuko Amamiya - ef-a tale of memories
9. Teletha Testarossa - Full Metal Panic!


Group 14


1. Mikoto Misaka - To Aru Majutsu No Index/To Aru Kagaku No Railgun
2. Ange Ushiromiya - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni
3. Rei Ayanami - Neon Genesis Evangelion
4. Illyasviel von Einzbern - Fate/Stay Night
5. Momoko Toyoko - Saki
6. Chiaki Minami - The Minami Family
7. Shiori Misaka - Kanon
8. Yuuhi Katagiri - Akane-Iro Ni Somaru Saka
9. Noe Isurugi - True Tears

Quick hits, January 23, 2010

On the mad countdown to World Nutella Day, the boredom of having a single class, and the lagging Lakers.

World Nutella Day is in two weeks. TWO BLOODY WEEKS! Well, now it's less than. I am wondering two things. One: when will this storm finally pass? And two: when are my K-ON plushinhas (pronounced plush-een-yas; yes, I just love that nh in Portuguese) getting over here? I need them for the shot involving a Nutella jar.

I'm a bit nervous here. As it stands, they are still in transit. I am aware that they could arrive well after WND, and that would be a drag. But if they do arrive, are they going to be in tip-top condition? Azusa is not going to available for the shoot; she won't be setting sail for the Beach until March at the earliest. Nothing I can do about that.

But I have plans about the Hokago Tea Time and their crazy antics with Nutella. I would imagine that a number of chocolate desserts Tsumugi Kotobuki of K-ON! brings are made with Nutella.

Those whose minds have been in the gutter since childbirth will know where this is going. What? You don't have a clue? Ask Mugi the yuri-obsessed blonde ditzmistress for the details. She'l fill you eeen.

---

So I am now in Week 2-3 of my Disaster Recovery course. I am learning some stuff about the analysis phase and documentation this, recommendation that. And for some hare-brained reason unbeknownst to me...I am bored.

I want to travel for once. But it's cold. It's too warm and feels too good in my classroom. I need to crawl under a kotetsu right now, but all I see are chairs, tables, a projector screen, a few laptops, fluorescent lights and a projector.

Did I mention a professor and students? I am so bored.

---

The Lakers still can't beat the likes of the Cavaliers. I literally exploded when they stumbled again. Once could swear I was on meth when I screamed like one of those Huntington Beach punk bands.

I love punk rock. I don't know how much more I could handle. I think I could handle a lot more...if my other family members didn't intervene.

But to hell with their ineptitude. How will they successfully defend their title if they can't beat the Beasts from the East?

---

I'm happy for Rachel Alexandra. I knew she was going to win the Horse of the Year Award. Zenyatta had no chance.

I Have A Dream

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
                Free at last! Free at last!
                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

ISML 2010: BoBA At-Large Top 20

With the Preliminaries concluded, I now provide a revised version of my list of the best available for 20 of the 34 at-large spots in the 2010 International Saimoe League. In my next entry, I will make my predictions on who will win their respective preliminary groups.

Note that this is not the order of how many nomination ballots, this is a subjective ranking.

1. Mio Akiyama - K-ON! (last edition: 1, unchanged)
2. Mafuyu Shiiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
3. Hitagi Senjougahara - Bakemonogatari (last edition: 7, up 4)
4. Kurimu Sakurano - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 9, up 5) 
5. Ritsu Tainaka - K-ON! (last edition: 3, down 2)
6. Nadeko Sengoku - Bakemonogatari (last edition: unranked, new entry)
7. Ruiko Saten -  To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry)
8. Saki Miyanaga - Saki (last edition: 2, down 6)
9. Kuroko Shirai - To Aru Kagaku No Railgun (last edition: 19, up 10)
10. Tsumugi Kotobuki - K-ON! (last edition: 6, down 4)
11. Minatsu Shiina - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: 17, up 6)
12. Kobato Hanato - Kobato (last edition: 18, up 6)
13. Beatrice - Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (last edition 20, up 7)
14. Sawako Kuronuma - Kimi ni Todoke (last edition: unranked, new entry)
15. Kazari Uiharu - To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (last edition: unranked, new entry) 
16. Chizuru Akaba - Seitokai no Ichizon (last edition: unranked, new entry)
17. Ikaros - Sora no Otoshimono (last edition: unranked, new entry)
18. Alice - Pandora Hearts (last edition: unranked, new entry)
19. Shizuku Sango - Kampfer (last edition: unranked, new entry) 
20. Utau Hoshina - Shugo Chara! (last edition: 5, down 15)

Bedlam and Despondency in Haiti

Fears of major catastrophe as 7.0 quake rocks Haiti

By Clarens Renois (AFP) – 3 days ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE — A huge quake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.

"I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions," Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN television.

All communications with the island went down after the earthquake and no details were immediately available on any people killed or injured in the disaster.

A tsunami alert for the Carribean region was immediately issued after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT.

An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. Later three aftershocks measuring 5.9, 5.5 and 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale hit, US officials said.

In Port-au-Prince, local media reported that the presidential palace, parliament, cathedral and several ministries were badly damaged.

An AFP correspondent in Petionville, a suburb east of the capital, said one three-story building, housing two offices, was toppled by the quake, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.

The up-scale area is home to many foreign diplomats and members of a major United Nations mission to the country.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville.

The earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), the USGS said.

In Washington, President Barack Obama said the United States stood ready to help.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake," Obama said. "We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti."

A US Southern Command spokesman in Miami said the agency was "monitoring the situation and coordinating everything to respond rapidly."

A tsunami warning issued for Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic was scrapped shortly afterwards.

Haiti's ambassador told CNN he was heartbroken as he had just spoken by telephone with a senior presidential aide who described scenes of chaos and devastation.

"He had to stop his car just about half an hour ago, and take to the streets, start walking, but he said houses were crumbling on the right side of the street and the left side of the street," Joseph said.

Already the poorest nation in the Americas, Haiti has been hit by a series of disasters recently and was battered by hurricanes in 2008.

Four big storms -- Tropical Storm Fay and hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike -- pounded impoverished Haiti in August and September 2008, killing a total of 793 people and leaving more than 300 others missing, according to government figures.

The country was also gripped by a tense political standoff in April 2008 amid riots over skyrocketing food prices. UN troops are a regular sight throughout much of the country.

Seventy percent of Haiti's population lives on less than two dollars per day and half of its 8.5 million people are unemployed.

According to official figures, food insecurity already affects more than a quarter of Haiti's population, some 1.9 million people, with women and children the worst affected.

The Food and Agriculture Organization has designated Haiti as one of the world's most economically vulnerable countries.

The WFP serves one meal a day to more than 500,000 Haitian schoolchildren, providing them with what is often their only meal of the day.

The organization also feeds 100,000 women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 50,000 children under the age of five.

Since mid-2004, the Brazilian-led MINUSTAH has been keeping the peace in the impoverished Caribbean island nation.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved

Suck it, Mack Brown.

Alabama back on top with 13th national title




Jason Harless / The Tuscaloosa News Buy photo

Alabama running back Mark Ingram celebrates after scoring on a 1-yard run with two minutes left to play against Texas in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif.

By Cecil Hurt Sports Editor Published: Friday, January 8, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 11:41 p.m.

PASADENA, Calif.
It was a BCS National Championship Game that turned into a classic — even if the University of Alabama would have preferred otherwise.



The Crimson Tide captured its first national championship in 17 years, and its first of the BCS Era, holding off a valiant second-half comeback by Texas to defeat the Longhorns 37-21 at the Rose Bowl.



The win also was the first ever for Alabama against Texas in nine tries. But the results were far more important than the mere ending of a losing streak.



“I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “The blood, sweat and tears they put in was tremendous. Most people don’t realize the dedication it takes to do that.



“We had a lot of anxiety at the beginning of the game. We made some mistakes. Then it was like we won the game at halftime. But (Texas) had the ability to come back. Give them credit. But our guys made the plays and I was proud that our guys were able to finish (and) put it away.”



The Longhorns, as Saban noted, did not go quietly.



Texas had pinned its hopes on the passing of quarterback Colt McCoy, and when he went out in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury, the Longhorns were lost for the rest of the half.



Two special-team foibles in the early going — a fake punt attempt on the first series that was intercepted by Texas’ Blake Gideon and a failure to field a sky kick that resulted in a Longhorn recovery — led to two Texas field goals and a 6-0 lead. But the important development in the early going was the loss of McCoy on a first-down play from the Alabama 11, his shoulder injured on a hit by the Crimson Tide’s Marcell Dareus.



The 6-0 lead held up through the first quarter, but with McCoy’s replacement, Garrett Gilbert, struggling and the UA 1-2 rushing attack shifting into gear, the Crimson Tide exploded for 24 second-quarter points on touchdown runs by Mark Ingram, from 2 yards out, and Trent Richardson on an explosive 49-yard run. Leigh Tiffin added a 26-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining in the half.



On the ensuing possession, Texas elected not to kill the clock and turned the ball over for what may have been the game’s most devastating touchdown.



Gilbert’s shovel pass attempt to Tre Newton with 15 seconds remaining in the half was intercepted at the line by Dareus, who shoved Gilbert out of the way and went 28 yards for a touchdown that put the Crimson Tide ahead 24-6.



Texas regained the momentum in the second half as Gilbert’s comfort level increased.



Alabama, meanwhile, lost its offensive momentum, going three-and-out on three straight possessions in the third quarter.



Gilbert connected on touchdown passes of 44 yards to Jordan Shipley in the third quarter and another 28-yarder to Shipley in the fourth quarter, and suddenly Alabama found itself leading just 24-21 and staring at what would have been the biggest collapse in BCS history.



Instead, the Alabama defense rose to the occasion.



After the Longhorns stopped Alabama at 37 with 3:14 remaining, a P.J. Fitzgerald punt pinned Texas at its 7. A defensive holding call on Alabama moved the ball to the 17, but UA then came up with the biggest play of the day. A blitzing Eryk Anders slammed Gilbert, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Courtney Upshaw at the Texas 3.



Three plays later, Ingram scored his second touchdown and Alabama secured its first championship since 1992. An interception by Javier Arenas led to an insurance score by Trent Richardson and a final interception downfield by Tyrone King closed the contest.



Both Ingram (22 carries for 116 yards) and Richardson (19 carries for 109 yards) finished over the 100-yard mark for the game.



Gilbert, who was 4-for-22 passing at one point, finished 15-for-40 for 156 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. McCoy was 2-for-2 for nine yards before his injury.



Ingram was the game’s offensive MVP, while Dareus won the defensive honor.



Texas, which had won 17 straight games, was disappointed but proud after the loss.



“I told the guys they had a great run,” said Texas head coach Mack Brown. “After Colt got hurt, we were limited in some of the things we wanted to do, but we continued to fight and attack.



“We didn’t know if Colt could come back, but he didn’t look good. We told Garrett to just keep playing, that it was a tough learning curve, but keep learning. And there was a time when I thought he was going to bring us back to win the game. I actually thought when we got the ball back at the (7) that we were going to take it down and win the game because that’s what we’ve done so many times.



“Colt was trying at halftime to get back, and I knew he shouldn’t. But he wanted to play. That’s how tough he is.



“He was really in pain at halftime. I could tell he didn’t need to be on the field.”



“Colt McCoy is a great player,” Saban said. “As much as I enjoy winning, you hate to see a great competitor who has had a great career not be able to participate in a game that he has been waiting for his entire career. We thought we had a pretty good gameplan, if he played, for what he did. The hit Eryk Anders made at the end of the game was really the difference in the game.”

Quick hits, January 8, 2010

What is going on with Beach Hoops? Looks like we are slumping again. Both the men and women lost to Fullerton. That's not even the worst that has happened to our guys. We can't even beat an NAIA team like Cal Baptist in men's volleyball. For a team like Long Beach State to lose to Cal Baptist? That is embarrassing, everybody. Doesn't matter if we defeated the hosts later on. To lose to a team that competes three levels below is simply unforgivable.

Come on Andy Read, get your players to show up against the doormats!

Aside from that, the men's ice hockey team won over Portland State.

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The words to Yea Alabama were fulfilled in the Crimson Tide's 37-21 victory over the Texas Longhorns. So the likes of Mack Brown can suck it.

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Lakewood's wrestling team also disapppointed last night, dropping a 43-19 stinker to Millikan. Enjoy this victory while you can Rams; we're gonna look to exact payback on you the next time we meet.

Rose Parade 2010 anecdotes

After a few days in which I set out to tie some loose ends here and there, I have tucked myself into writing on the 2010 Rose Parade and my thoughts on it.

I could have made this an entry on resolutions, but I do not believe in promises that can be broken the next day. That's where me and Phil Jackson share something similar-we don't believe in New Year's resolutions.

This time, I arrived earlier than usual. I took the 5:00 Blue Line, and via the Red and Gold lines I got there a few minutes past six. I claimed a spot closer to the grandstands. Last year I was near Colorado and Raymond. THis year it's Clorado and Fair Oaks.

This also marked the first-ever time I got to visit the Norton Simon Museum  and sample some of the fine art that the late Mr. Simon had.

I seemed to be blowing my yellow vuvuzela a bit too much. One of the local CHP officers told me before I completed my countdown to 2010 in New York City, "I will give you my lunch if you promise not to blow that horn again."

I do have to owe it that guy; he along with others on the Boulevard, prevented me from getting really, REALLY starved.

I made up my mind as to who I wanted to win the game. I mingled with the Ohio State fans. "O-H?" I asked. "I-O!" they replied. By the time I had finished, I knew that the Buckeyes would win this game.

I was able to take plenty of photos of the ENTIRE parade. Last year, all I had was my cell phone. This time I had two cameras to take stock in all the action. Check them out at: bongaboi.deviantart.com.

New Year's Day 2010 Quick hits

Kobe Bryant knows how to open a new year in dramatic fashion. A buzzer-beater against the Sacramento Kings lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 109-108 win. Heh. Old hat for the Black Mamba come playoff time?

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People on deviantART can't tell me that my gallery is just desktop screenshots now. I took plenty of photos of the Rose Parade for your enjoyment/web design use because those folks special (aside from those ungrateful art-thief-hunting bastards who I choose not to tolerate), nuff said.

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AFC Wimbledon and Melbourne Victory wasted their games to open the new year with defeats, but Long Beach State's men's basketball team took the cake in terms of futility. This team is on a dangerous path, losing in overtime to UC Riverside 68-66.

Dan Monson, how dare you waste the nonconference gauntlet tonight. Epic fail. Again, I say, EPIC FAIL! When you cannot beat the Sisters of Mercy with your team's shooting (and on top of that, not learning your lesson from the LMU disasterfest), the Changi Prison guards need to give your players a caning or two.

One last time: E.P.I.C. F.A.I.L. Make 'em run suicides for the plan backfiring on you.

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Ohio State was going to win the Rose Bowl. Oregon fell victim to the SI jinx, 26-17.