Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Draymond Green, Klay Thompson back Steve Kerr"s use of marijuana


First Take - Klay Thompson Scores 60 points in 3 quarters in Warriors blowout win over Pacers

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In light of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitting recently that he used marijuana for chronic back pain, some of his players had his back on Saturday.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson discuss Steve Kerr"s medicinal marijuana admission.

Kerr says he tried pot for back pain

Ive never been a guy who has done it, period, Draymond Green said. So, I cant say that I know much about it, but from what I hear from whether its football guys, I think a lot of them do it because of all the pain that they go through.

And when you read Steves comments, it makes a lot of sense. When you look at something that comes from the earth, any vegetable that comes from the earth, they encourage you to eat it. So, I guess it does make a little sense as opposed to giving someone a manufactured pill. If something takes your pain away like some of these pills do, it cant be that good for you.

Kerr revealed in a podcast that he tried marijuana twice to help him recover from two back surgeries the past year and a half. He also stated that he hopes all professional sports leagues would allow for the usage of marijuana as a form of treating pain, as opposed to a prescription drug, like Vicodin.

But not recreation use, Klay Thompson said. That should not be of its use ever, but theres obviously a medicinal side to [marijuana] that people are finding out have benefits, especially people in really high pain.

Coach Steve Kerr earned praise from Warriors players Draymond Green and Klay Thompson for his admission of using marijuana for medicinal purposes.Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports

Coaches are subject to one drug test per season during training camp, with different thresholds for what is considered a positive test. NBA players who test positive for recreational drugs such as marijuana are not disciplined until their third failure.

Green first saw the news of Kerrs comments on his cell phone.

But, of course, we live in a world where the first thing that pops on your phone is, Steve Kerr said he smoked weed twice because they want the headline. And then you read it, and its like, Man, this makes a lot of sense."

Green and Thompson applauded their coach for being brave enough to speak out on this issue. Now that this topic is front and center on the minds of the sporting world, Green is left wondering why marijuana isnt approved.

The only thing I can really think of is that its from the earth. Its grown from the earth, Green said. So, maybe it is better than a Vicodin, like [Kerr] said. ... It usually takes a guy like Steve to do something like that to where it even starts the conversation. And then you start the conservation, stuff is still at least three or four years out. Who knows?

Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/golden-state-warriors/post/_/id/2947/draymond-green-klay-thompson-back-steve-kerrs-use-of-marijuana

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All the Looks From the Victoria"s Secret Fashion Show 2016


Victoria"s Secret Fashion Show 2016 Highlights

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is the victorias secret Fashion Show the most over-the-top runway event of the year? Yes. Is it also the most fun? Definitely. Tonight was no exception, with the likes of Adriana Lima, Taylor Hill, Bella Hadid, and more jetting off to Paris for the 2016 extravaganza. (Chances are youve already seen your favorite model snap a selfie in front of the Eiffel Towerthey arrived several days ago.)

Lady Gaga performed in a surprisingly demure rose-embroidered gown; Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner got their wings; and Dilone, Georgia Fowler, and Herieth Paul hit the Victorias Secret runway for the first time. This year, the looks were as fantastical as ever and ran the gamut from Joan Smallss sweeping Spanish-inspired robe to Cindy Brunas tres Parisienne black lace lingerie accented with (what else?) sheer gossamer wings. Josephine Skriver was dripping in crystal fringe, and nearly every look was topped off with thigh-high bootsa trend youll no doubt see all winter long. Youll have to wait until Monday to watch the entire show on CBS, but for now, click through every look in the slideshow.

Source: http://www.vogue.com/13507949/victorias-secret-fashion-show-2016-runway-looks/

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No justice for Walter Scott RT � The Big Picture - RT.com


No Justice for Walter Scott

In tonights Progressive Roundtable, Thom talks with Democracy Spring Director Kai Newkirk and Sarah Badawi of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) about the mistrial ruling in the case of Walter Scott, Trumps review of the Army Corps of Engineers decision to divert the Dakota pipeline, and the #Pizzagate debate in the nations capital.

Thom then talks with George Washington Univ. professor and author of Obama on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President and Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President, Dr. Justin Frank, about Trump as a person, his behavioral traits, and his eccentric threats on Twitter.

For more information on the stories we"ve covered visit our websitesatthomhartmann.comandfreespeech.org

You can also watch tonight"s showonHuluand over at The Big PictureYouTube page.

Be sure to check us out onFacebookandTwitter!

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGBAT23Jse0EUBFsrPDU8kuV0TNnw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779294975949&ei=_xZHWIiDDIbK3QGU0K3ABw&url=https://www.rt.com/shows/big-picture/369304-walter-scott-dakota-pipeline/

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FSU"s Cook not among Heisman finalists


The 2016 Heisman Trophy Finalists Are Announced

By: WCTV Eyewitness News / Associated PressDecember 6, 2016

NEW YORK (WCTV / AP) -- Despite a record-setting year at Florida State, running back Dalvin Cook will not be going to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday evening.

Cook, who has rushed for over 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns, was not one of the five finalists named, leaving many FSU fans frustrated and feeling that Cook was snubbed from the award for a second straight year.

As a sophomore, Cook ran for 1,691 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2015. He finished seventh in Heisman voting last year and received 7 first place votes. Traditionally, only the top few finalists receive invites to the award ceremony.

Instead, this season boasts a pair of quarterbacks who will be representing the ACC. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is a Heisman Trophy finalist for the second consecutive season, joining Louisville"s Lamar Jackson.

Michigan linebacker Jabrill Peppers and Oklahoma teammates Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook were also named as finalists.

The finalists were announced Monday evening on ESPN.

Watson finished third in last year"s voting, won by Alabama running back Derrick Henry. Just like last year, he heads to New York not as the favorite but as the contender coming on strong at the end.

Despite a long lineage of heisman-winning running backs in college football, quarterbacks have been the favorite for the trophy as of late. Henry was just the third running back to win the award since the turn of the century, including Reggie Bush"s 2005 Heisman, which was ultimately vacated after allegations that he received improper benefits.

13 quarterbacks have won the award in that time, including FSU"s Chris Weinke and Jameis Winston.

Cook is a Doak Walker finalists, annually given to the nation"s best running back, along with Texas" D"Onta Foreman and San Diego State senior Donnel Pumphrey.

Source: http://www.wctv.tv/content/news/FSUs-Cook-not-among-Heisman-finalists-404958555.html

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Why Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean Weren"t Actually Snubbed by GRAMMY Nominations


Bruno Mars - Versace on The Floor [Official Audio]

Hold fire!

As debates over this year"s GRAMMY snubs rage on, ET would like to take a moment to clarify which albums were actually eligible, and which we might see more of on the next awards season cycle.

RELATED: 2017 GRAMMY Awards: The Complete List

In order to be considered for the 2017 GRAMMY Awards, the new music -- including singles and albums -- must have been released between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016. Among the albums released outside the window: The Weeknd"s Starboy, Bruno Mars" 24K Magic, Lady Gaga"s Joanne, Miranda Lambert"s The Weight of These Wings, Alicia Keys" Here, Michael Buble"s Nobody But Me, Kenny Chesney"s Cosmic Hallelujah, and Bon Jovi"s This House Is Not for Sale.

However, a handful of those artists did debut their album"s lead singles ahead of the eligibility cutoff, including The Weeknd"s "Starboy" (released just eight days before) and "False Alarm," as well as Lady Gaga"s "Perfect Illusion." None of those tracks garnered a nomination on Tuesday.

RELATED: 2017 GRAMMYs: 6 Biggest Snubs and Surprises

In the country world, Lambert and Chesney both scored nominations for their singles, "Vice" and "Setting the World on Fire," respectively. Lambert"s "Vice" is up for Best country solo performance and Best country song, while Chesney"s collaboration with Pink is up for Best country duo/group performance. Both albums will be in contention for the 2018 ceremony.

Meanwhile, neither of Frank Ocean"s 2016 releases -- Blonde and Endless -- were submitted for consideration, despite being released within the eligibility timeframe. The 29-year-old has already won two GRAMMYs -- Best Urban Contemporary Album for Channel Orange and Best Rap-Sung Collaboration for "No Church in the Wild" with Kanye West and Jay-Z -- and been nominated a total of eight times between 2013 and 2015.

The 2017 GRAMMY Awards will be hosted by The Late Late Show"s James Corden and will air live on CBS on Feb. 12.

From Taylor Swift winning her second Album of the Year to Lady Gaga"s tribute to the late David Bowie, here"s a look at some of the stand-out moments from last year"s GRAMMYs.

Source: http://www.etonline.com/news/204347_why_bruno_mars_alicia_keys_and_frank_ocean_weren_t_actually_snubbed_by_grammy_nominations/

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Amazon unveils smart convenience store sans checkouts, cashiers


Kassenschlager: Amazon Go erfindet den Supermarkt neu

Call it Amazon.coms driverless store.

The tech giant has built a convenience store in downtown Seattle that deploys a gaggle of technologies similar to those used in self-driving cars to allow shoppers to come in, grab items and walk out without going through a register.

The 1,800-square-foot store, officially dubbed Amazon Go, is the latest beach in brick-and-mortar retail stormed by the e-commerce giant, which already has bookstores and is working on secretive drive-thru grocery locations.

Its clearly a sign that Amazon sees a big opportunity in revolutionizing the staid traditions of Main Street commerce.

In the much longer term, if the experiment works out and is adopted widely, it could radically transform the nature of work in the retail industry, much like driverless car and truck technology threatens to upend transportation.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that cashiers are the second-largest occupation, with 3.5 million employed in the U.S.

Analysts with Cowen say the move shows how aggressively Amazon is pursuing the grocery business, which represents about 17 percent of total U.S. retail, or nearly $800 billion. Its an area dominated by Wal-Mart, an Amazon rival that is revving up its e-commerce game. For Amazon, it represents a huge source of potential revenue growth, plus another way to ensconce itself in peoples shopping habits.

While more and more people, especially among the younger cohorts, are going online for their groceries, we acknowledge some people may never be comfortable with the idea, say the Cowen analysts.

Amazon shares closed up 2.57 percent on Monday, trading at $759.36 and widely outperforming the market.

The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that success in its experiments could lead Amazon to open more than 2,000 brick-and-mortar stores in various formats. Amazon declined to comment on those plans.

Clearly there is a strong user case in avoiding lines and automating payments, says Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Baird who closely tracks the company. It makes it just as convenient, if not more convenient, than online shopping in some cases.

Amazon could get even more bang for its revolutionary technology, perhaps, by selling it to other brick-and-mortar retailers, Sebastian said.

After all, Amazon provides cloud computing, payment and even e-commerce platform services to retailers that otherwise compete with it.

The Amazon Go store is at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Blanchard Street, in the new Day One tower that lies at the center of Amazons new downtown campus. Its right next to where Amazons biospheres are going up.

The store is open to those employees of the tech giant participating in a beta testing program. At lunchtime Monday, the sidewalk outside the place was crowded with those participants, clutching orange bags. The store is expected to be open to the public in early 2017.

Amazon says that what makes the store tick is a combination of computer vision, the aggregation of data from different sensors and machine learning. It calls the whole cocktail Just Walk Out technology.

It can tell, say, when a particular shopper picks up a carton of milk from a shelf, and the technology puts it in that shoppers virtual cart. It can also tell when an item is put back on the shelf and removes it from the virtual cart accordingly.

Shoppers walking into the store call up the Amazon Go app and hold their smartphone to a scanner as they would at an airport security line. That opens a gate. Then they just pick any combination of products and walk out. Amazon charges them after they leave the store.

Unlike the self-serve registers present at many supermarkets, theres no need to stand in line or go through any register.

The store features ready-to-eat meals and snacks prepared by on-site chefs or local bakeries. There are also essentials such as bread and milk, as well as high-end cheese and chocolate.

amazon says there will be well-known brands as well as special finds were excited to introduce to customers. That includes an Amazon Meal Kit, which contains ingredients needed to make a meal for two in 30 minutes.

The digitalization of brick-and-mortar stores has taken gradual steps in the past few years.

One example is Starbucks, a global retail empire thats been banking on an increasingly robust smartphone app to lure consumers into its loyalty program and payment system.

Elements of these technologies have existed for a while. But building a store thats based around it is a very interesting concept, said Tom Coughlin, president of data storage consulting firm Coughlin Associates and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

He thinks, however, that human troubleshooters will be, at least for a while, a critical part of the shopping experience. Itll be interesting to see how well it works not having anybody there, he said.

In a blog posting, Neil Stern, an analyst with retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle, wrote that Amazon Go was a game changer for the retail industry at a time when labor costs are increasing.

It could drastically change not just food retailing, but every segment of retail, Stern wrote. One can envision a future of Amazon brick-and-mortar outposts: book stores, beauty stores, drive-thru grocery stores and convenience locations all using this technology.

Source: http://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazoncom-unveils-self-driving-brick-and-mortar-convenience-store/

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What"s on TV: "Mad Max" Black & Chrome Edition, "The Last Guardian"


I WAITED 6 YEARS TO PLAY THIS..

After a long wait, Team Ico"s next release is finally upon us. the last Guardian arrives on PS4 this week, while Xbox One and PC gamers can experience Dead Rising 4, as well as the game preview release of new MOBA Gigantic. For movie fans, it"s time to pick up one of the selections from our gift guide, as the Mad Max: High Octane Collection hits the streets, including a special "Black & Chrome" (B&W) release of Fury Road.

On streaming, Amazon has the latest season of its Mozart series, while Netflix drops off season two of Fuller House, season one of the true crime kidnapping series Captive, and its Mythbusters-like series White Rabbit Project. Look after the break to check out each day"s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNG4KGzlxqyA6mJzaw0o6CqTrtc6tw&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779294912073&ei=Y-9GWIDHEobi3gHhjqe4CA&url=https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/05/whats-on-tv-mad-max-black-and-chrome-edition-the-last-guardi/

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