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0 minutes. "Only one thing is certain," CNN's opening montage declares. "Expect the unexpected." That hits the spot. We need false hope at a time like this. It's the 19th Republican debate. Everything that can happen probably already has. The screen flickers with a Romney video clip from the campaign trail. "We're not choosing a talk show host," he says. This will need to be fact checked.
3 minutes. Wolf Blitzer. Facebook. Twitter. You know the drill.
4 minutes. Candidates on the catwalk. They walk out like they have done before. Nothing changes. They shake hands, then stand for the national anthem, sung by the local college's chamber singers, who have dressed for the occasion like puritan flight attendants. They sing well, which is totally unexpected. Santorum and Romney sing along. Gingrich, Paul, and Callista Gingrich, who is seen in a crowd shot, keep their mouths closed. Will have to keep an eye on them. You never know.
7 minutes. More Blitzer, who repeats the rules we have heard 18 times before. Then he asks the candidates to introduce themselves. (See more on the Florida debates.)
8 minutes. Santorum introduces himself by introducing his 93-year-old mother in the audience, who could easily pass for 81, and makes everyone feel good. She stands, Santorum smiles with pride and the crowd cheers wildly. "I'd better just stop right there," Santorum says. Yes, he should. He should also pick mom for vice president.
9 minutes. More of the expected. Gingrich says he is from neighboring Georgia. Romney says he has 16 grand-kids. Paul says he champions "a sound monetary system," which really has nothing to do with expensive acoustics, though don't tell his college-age voters. The dude is totally rad.
10 minutes. First question on immigration. This is totally unexpected. Immigration is usually asked at the end of the debate. Crazy. To allay this shock, the candidates give answers that are no different. Everyone on stage likes laws, wants to seal the borders, and embraces legal immigration. There are requisite mentions of American Express and MasterCard handling identification cards.
14 minutes. "I don't think anyone is interested in going around and rounding up people around the country and deporting 11 million Americans," says Romney. Oops. He recovers quickly: "Or, excuse me 11 million illegal immigrants into America." Paul follows up by saying he would end U.S. military involvement on the Afghan border to pay for more guards on the Mexican border.
16 minutes. Blitzer asks Gingrich why he called Romney the "most anti-immigrant candidate" in a recent ad. "Because, in the original conversations about deportation, the position I took, which he attacked pretty ferociously, was that grandmothers and grandfathers aren't going to be successfully deported," Gingrich says. This is a backhanded way of accusing Romney of wanting to deport Santorum's sweet mother, if she had no papers. (See more on the GOP debates.)
19 minutes. Romney, who has been giving Gingrich the evil eye, pounces. "That's simply unexcusable. That's inexcusable," Romney says, flip-flopping "un" for "in" in three words. "Mr. Speaker, I'm not anti-immigrant. My father was born in Mexico. My wife's father was born in Wales. They came to this country. The idea that I'm anti-immigrant is repulsive." It's the first time in 19 debates that someone has used the word "repulsive." Unexpected and about time. Romney goes on to say he is not going to round-up grandmothers. He is just going to deny them of employment, and hope they leave the country.
20 minutes. Gingrich says he would like Romney to "self-describe" himself, if he is not anti-immigrant for wanting to expel grandmothers. Romney, in full alpha dog mode, is off again. "There are grandmothers that live on the other side of the border that are waiting to come here legally. I want them to come here, too, not just those that are already here," Romney says. So he is not anti-grandma, he just favors some over others. More grandma back and forth follows.
21 minutes. Blitzer asks Romney about an ad he is running that says Gingrich called Spanish "the language of the ghetto." "I haven't seen the ad, so I'm sorry. I don't get to see all the TV ads," Romney replies. Later Romney adds about the ad, "I doubt that's my ad, but we'll take a look and find out." It is Romney's ad, a Spanish language radio spot. Gingrich said it, in a discussion about the importance of learning English, and later admitted that he chose his words poorly.
23 minutes. A question about the influence of China in Latin America. Paul calls for more free trade. Santorum warns of radical Islam in Venezuala and promises to be more involved as president in the continent. Paul and Santorum squabble about the proper reach of U.S. foreign policy.
29 minutes. During the squabble, Blitzer double checks the origin of the Romney ad. "It was one of your ads. It's running here in Florida on the radio. And at the end you say, 'I'm Mitt Romney and I approved this ad.' " Romney has no response. "Let me ask the speaker a question. Did you say what the ad says or not? I don't know," he says instead. "It's taken totally out of context," protests Gingrich. "Oh, OK, he said it," Romney concludes, misrepresenting what Gingrich just said to prove that he had not previously misrepresented something Gingrich once said.
30 minutes. Moving on to housing. How do you get Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae out of housing? Romney attacks Gingrich for once working as a political consultant for Freddie Mac. "We should have had a whistle-blower and not horn-tooter," says Romney. Romney never uses bad words. Maybe this is why "tooter" sounds so naughty.
31 minutes. Gingrich responds by attacking Romney for holding stock in Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, as well as investing in Goldman Sachs, "which is today foreclosing on Floridians." Romney shoots back that most of these investments were in mutual funds controlled by a blind trust. Back in 1994, Romney argued that blind trusts were not really blind, since politicians could still direct the investments. But never mind that now. Because Romney then says, "And Mr. Speaker, I know that sounds like an enormous revelation, but have you checked your own investments?" Apparently, Gingrich also owned stock in Fannie and Freddie. Gingrich says, "Right," thereby admitting his whole attack was a giant exercise in hypocrisy.
34 minutes. Gingrich finds his comeback. "To compare my investments with his is like comparing a tiny mouse with a giant elephant," Gingrich says. Never before has "elephant" been used as an insult in a Republican debate. Unexpected.
35 minutes. Paul is asked to comment. "That subject really doesn't interest me a whole lot," he says, to applause. Got to love that guy. He goes on to blame the housing bubble on the Federal Reserve.
36 minutes. Santorum chastises Blitzer for focusing on these issues. "Can we set aside that Newt was a member of Congress and used the skills that he developed as a member of Congress to go out and advise companies -- and that's not the worst thing in the world -- and that Mitt Romney is a wealthy guy because worked hard and he's going out and working hard?" he asks. Not likely. But the crowd applauds. (See more on the State of the Union Address.)
37 minutes. First commercial break. Blitzer promises to talk about space when we return.
40 minutes. We are back to talk about tax returns. Is Gingrich satisfied with the Romney releases? "Wolf, you and I have a great relationship, it goes back a long way. I'm with him," Gingrich says of Santorum. "This is a nonsense question." Blitzer points out that Gingrich recently said of Romney, "He lives in a world of Swiss bank and Cayman Island bank accounts."
41 minutes. Just as Gingrich seems to be succeeding in getting the question dropped, Romney jumps in. "Wouldn't it be nice if people didn't make accusations somewhere else that they weren't willing to defend here?" he says. So Gingrich pivots from bickering with Blitzer, and attacks Romney. "I don't know of any American president who has had a Swiss bank account," he says. "I'd be glad for you to explain that sort of thing."
43 minutes. Romney blames the blind trust. Then he finds words to defend his wealth that have been missing for the last three debates. "I'm proud of being successful. I'm proud of being in the free enterprise system that creates jobs for other people. I'm not going to run from that," Romney says. "I'm proud of the taxes I pay. My taxes, plus my charitable contributions, this year, 2011, will be about 40 percent." The two men go back and forth a bit more.
45 minutes. Some talk about tax rates. Gingrich tries to explain why he both talks about Romney's tax rates in a derogatory way and wants to reduce his taxes to zero, by eliminating the capital gains tax. Gingrich says he wants everyone to pay what Romney now pays in taxes, even if it means reducing Romney's taxes further. "My goal is to shrink the government to fit the revenue, not to raise the revenue to catch up with the government," he says. Santorum chimes in to say he doesn't want taxes quite as low as Gingrich. Paul says he wants to get rid of the 16th Amendment, which gives Congress the power to collect taxes.
49 minutes. Blitzer asks Paul if he will release his health records. "Oh, obviously, because it's about one page," the 76-year-old says. "I'm willing to challenge any of these gentlemen up here to a 25- mile bike ride any time of the day in the heat of Texas." Everyone else on stage agrees to release their health records too.
50 minutes. Space cadet time. Romney is against a moon base, but for a vibrant space program, whatever that means. Gingrich is for a moon base, largely to beat the Chinese, but he says lots of the efforts to get there could be done with private enterprise. Santorum thinks a moon base is too expensive. "Well, I don't think we should go to the moon," says Paul. "I think we maybe should send some politicians up there." Paul is so cool. Maybe his sound monetary policy does have beats after all. (See photos of Obama's State of the Union Address)
56 minutes. Blitzer points out that Gingrich would allow a lunar colony with 13,000 Americans in it apply for statehood, which is probably a pander to the same stoner college vote that Paul has wrapped up. Romney, who is still in alpha dog mode, attacks again. "I spent 25 years in business," he says. "If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, You're fired.'" Romney tends to get in trouble when he talks about firing people. Yet he still does it. Then he accuses Gingrich of pandering to Floridians, like he did to South Carolinians, and to New Hampshirites.
59 minutes. Gingrich answers by pandering more. "The port of Jacksonville is going to have to be expanded because the Panama Canal is being widened, and I think that's useful thing for a president to know," he says. He also talks about the Everglades. Then he claims again to have created four consecutive balanced budgets, which is not true. (See last debate recap.)
60 minutes. Paul points out that the balanced budgets Gingrich claims still included deficits, if one accounts for the money that was taken out of Social Security. "I agree with Ron," Gingrich responds, once again undermining his own talking point. "I actually agree with you, and I propose that we take Social Security off budget."
62 minutes. Question from the audience by an unemployed woman without health insurance. She asks what the candidates would do for her. Paul says he would get government out of health insurance. Gingrich says he would repeal ObamaCare and get the economy going again, and create a new health reform that gives her a tax break to buy health insurance.
64 minutes. Romney basically agrees, and then attacks President Obama. This is the first time he has attacked Obama in a sustained way. Last debate this moment came at 71 minutes. In the previous dozen or so debates, he always attacked Obama with just about every answer.
66 minutes. Santorum goes after Gingrich and Romney for supporting ObamaCare-like health reforms in the past. The substance has been well tread in prior debates. But what is notable is that in the tit for tat that follows, Santorum kind of gets under Romney's skin in a way that Gingrich has so far failed to do. "I make enough mistakes in what I say, not for you to add more mistakes to what I say," Romney says at one point. It's meant as a joke. But no one laughs.
72 minutes. As Santorum continues to tear into Romney for the horror of what he did in Massachusetts in 2004, it is worth remembering that Santorum endorsed Romney for president in 2008.
75 minutes. "Congressman Paul, who is right?" asks Blitzer. "I think they're all wrong," Paul says.
76 minutes. The candidates are asked to name Hispanic leaders they could see in their cabinet. They all do. Except Paul. "I don't have one particular name that I'm going to bring up," he says.
78 minutes. Commercial break.
82 minutes. We're back. Candidates are asked to say why their wives are great. Paul says he has been married 54 years, and his wife wrote "a very famous cookbook, 'The Ron Paul Cookbook.'" Romney says his wife has overcome breast cancer and Multiple Sclerosis, and wants to make sure young women don't get pregnant before marriage. Gingrich says his wife plays the French horn, and writes patriotic books. Santorum says his wife has written a couple of books, one about their child who died at birth, and another about training kids to have good manners.
88 minutes. Romney and Gingrich are asked to bicker over who is closer to Reagan. Romney admits that it took him a long time to come around to the Reagan view. "I became more conservative," he says. Gingrich says Nancy Reagan told him the Reagan torch had been passed to him. Then he attacks Romney. "In '92 he was donating to the Democrats for Congress and voted for Paul Tsongas in the Democratic primary," Gingrich says. "In '94 running against Teddy Kennedy, he said flatly, I don't want to go back to the Reagan-Bush era, I was an independent."
91 minutes. "I've never voted for a Democrat when there was a Republican on the ballot," says Romney, which is a pretty misleading thing to say. There was also a Republican primary in 1992. Romney could have chosen to vote in it.
92 minutes. Questions about Cuba. Santorum is against the Obama policy of liberalizing relations. He warns of "Jihadist's who want to set up missile sites" in Cuba or Venezuela. Paul shoots back that he doesn't think the American people "see a Jihadist under the bed every night." If he had any chance of winning, Paul would be seen as the winner of this debate.
95 minutes. Romney attacks Obama's Cuba policy. So does Gingrich.
98 minutes. A self-described Palestinian in the audience, as part of a question about Middle East Peace, says, "I'm here to tell you we do exist." Romney responds by saying, "It's the Palestinians who don't want a two-state solution." This is not true. The Palestinians have gone to the United Nations demanding just such a thing, though they differ with Israel about borders and conditions. Gingrich repeats his previous claim about Palestinian invention. "It was technically an invention of the late 1970s, and it was clearly so. Prior to that, they were Arabs. Many of them were either Syrian, Lebanese, or Egyptian, or Jordanian," he says. By that standard, Americans are an invented people too. But no one points this out.
102 minutes. Question about Puerto Rican statehood. Santorum panders a lot, praising Puerto Rico and its leaders. But then declines to take a position on statehood.
105 minutes. Question about how religious views would affect presidency. Paul says all that matters to him in the job is the Constitution. Gingrich says he would pray for guidance and stop the war against Christianity that is being waged by the "secular elite." Santorum says he understands that rights come from God, not government.
110 minutes. One more break.
113 minutes. Last question. Why are you the person most likely to beat Obama? Paul suggests that he can pick up support from Obama's base, by coming at the president from the left on foreign policy and civil liberties. Romney recites his stump speech. Critical time, social welfare state, etc. Gingrich does a riff about Saul Alinsky, food stamps and appeasement. Santorum says he can win blue-collar Reagan Democrats like Reagan did.
120 minutes. We are done. Pretty much as expected. Now Florida must vote. The outcome will no doubt help to determine how many more debates must be endured.
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Fourth set: *Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-2 Nadal
The Eurosport commentators point out that this was the stage at which Nadal was broken in the last two sets. No such trouble this time. Apart from slapping an overhead from the back of the court an inch or two long, he looks comfortable, and holds to 15. He barks up to Uncle Toni. Uncle Toni nods appreciatively. The rest of the Rod Laver Arena do too. They want a deciding set.
Fourth set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1 Nadal*
Well, that happened rather quickly. Djokovic holds to love. More musings on Twitter: "Amazing how the stuff that works so well against Federer doesn't translate at all against Djokovic," says Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim. "RN doing all the running."
Fourth set: *Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 1-1 Nadal
A must-win game for Nadal surely? And he comes through ? but only just ? after Djokovic takes the game to deuce. Nadal seals it with a 124mph ace, his seventh of the match. But it's the second serve that's proving decisive. "Without a doubt the big stat of the match Djoker 66% on 2nd serve points for the match Rafa 43% on his 2nd serve points for the match," says Brad Gilbert on Twitter.
Fourth set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 Nadal*
Oohs and aaahs from the crowd on the second point, as Djokovic has Nadal spinning forwards and backwards and this way and that way. The Serbs turns to the crowd, arms outstreched, to milk the applause. What can Nadal do? He's tried to be aggressive, he's tried to shorten the rallies, but it's just not working. And it's getting to him. After six straight defeats to Djokovic in finals, can you blame him? That said, he does take the game to deuce, before surrendering when a forehand return sails long. "Nice how the Guardian website has Nadal, alone, as its front page photo announcing the coverage....despite Djokovic being the defending champion, and No1, and despite Djokovic currently winning," says Thomas Ehr. "Just can't give the guy any credit, can you?" Not my decision Thomas, but us Brits love nothing more than an underdog.
Djokovic wins the third set 6-2
Nothing is coming off for poor Rafa right now. 0-15. 0-30. 0-40. Three set points. An extra tug of the shorts, but Djokovic sits back, waits, before hammering a forehand down the line. And as the Times' Neil Harman says on Twitter: "I am willing to wager that Mr Djokovic does not start the fourth set quite as timidly as Mr Murray did on Friday #gettingthejobdone." Djokovic is a set away from his third Australian Open title ? and a third straight grand slam final win over Nadal. Apparently Nadal would be the first man to lose three major finals in a row. So at least it's not just Mr Murray that has embarrassing grand slam final records then.
Third set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 5-2 Nadal*
And it's another hold to love for Djokovic. Nadal is winning just 20% of the points from the back of the court at the moment. And if he's not winning them from there, where's he going to? An even more pertinent question comes from Rosemary Cooper: "Why do the ball boys and girls wear the silly flaps on the back of their hats? Has anyone told them that it's nearly 11pm?"
Third set: *Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 4-2 Nadal
Nice touch from Djokovic at 15-all, as he applauds Nadal's forehand winner. But that's about as generous as the world No1 gets. More fearsome hitting and a clever change-up with delicate drop-shot (he must have heard you, Emmanuel) and it's 30-40, break point. But there's life in Rafa yet. He rattles off the next three points.
Third set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 4-1 Nadal*
15-0. 30-0. 40-0. Game. Djokovic turns the screw. Back to you Rafa. Can he respond? Of course he has the mental strength, but the way Djokovic has played over the last 12 months or so, you give him an inch, he takes a mile.
Emmanuel Jamin, meanwhile, is dreaming of a bygone era: "That's it, I give up. I recognise that finding angles from the back of the court requires incredible skill, that the confrontation is intense, that both are great athletes but I can't help dreaming of runs to the net, delicate volleys and drop shots. Modern tennis is monodimensional and, dare I say it, boring, even when played with such talent. If tennis were rugby it would only consists of scrums and kicks. If it were cycling it would only be about pedaling as hard as...sorry, that's really what cycling is like. Tennis has become as dull as cycling."
Third set: *Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 3-1 Nadal
Nadal is having to work so hard to hold serve at the moment, and this game is no different, as Djokovic laps up Nadal's vicious slice before carving out a curling forehand winner. 30-40, break point. A rally of real brute force ensues, Nadal tries the forehand down the line, cross-court, tries to wrong-foot Djokovic, but he still comes out the loser as he forces the issue just a big too much and goes wide.
Third set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 2-1 Nadal*
While Djokovic is looking stronger and stronger, I'm already starting to tire. Barry Glendenning obliges by going to fetch a No2 from the coffee machine for me, which can probably best be described as pond water. But I doubt it leaves such a sour taste in the mouth as Nadal gets when Djokovic flicks a forehand deep into the corner to hold. "I like the cut of Oliver Lewis' jib," says Guy Hornsby. "I never considered Mr Naylor as anything but a yeoman, a multi-faceted all-sports public extension to the Guardian's sports team, and while I initially thought he was actually a staffer there, he's simply a sport (and theatre) obsessive who puts the rest of us in the shade. Though the idea of "Gary Naylor" as a sort of Kesyer Soze of sport hacks is appealing. No one's met him, but everyone's heard of him. He just sends Rob Smyth out to run his errands and intimidate people."
Third set: *Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 1-1 Nadal
Devastating play from Djokovic produces probably the biggest squeak of the match so far as Nadal scampers deep to his backhand wing, but he can't get the ball back in play. A deuce or two or three or four later and Nadal eventually holds. But it wasn't comfortable. "Gary Naylor is real," confirms Mike Chamber. "He is. Met him at the Oval Test last year. He's right in describing himself as corporeal, he's not easy to miss. Loves sport, loves to discuss sport, has a beard and a son (at least one, he mentioned one)." And this from Andrew Latimer: "BBC's analysis of the second set: Djokovic has to continue hitting winners in order to win. Good to see punditry isn't dead..." Yep, it's insightful.
Third set: Djokovic 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 Nadal*
The way this is shaping up it could be the longest match. Of. All. Time. And there was me thinking my colleague Jacob Steinberg had it bad with Murray and Djokovic's five-set set-to on Friday. Djokovic at least does the decent thing and holds to love. "Gary Naylor is wrong," announces Oliver Lewis. "He isn't smack in the middle of the demographic, he is the demographic. All us other contributors merely aspire to that level of ubiquity, though for a while I was convinced he was just the assumed name for any Guardian staff members who didn't want to be named for some reason."
Djokovic wins the second set 6-4
Djokovic is like a flickering light bulb at the moment, on one minute, off the next. Off, 15-0. On, 15-all. On, 15-30. Off, 30-all. Off, 40-30. Djokovic's return is then called out, the umpire overrules the call, and Nadal challenges. It's in. They'll replay the point. Nadal grimaces. Djokovic shouts a little, he would have won the point. But he does the next. And the next with a brutal backhand. Set point No4. And now it's Nadal's turn to double! They're back on level terms. And that's my cue for a quick toilet break.
Second set: Djokovic 5-7, 5-4 Nadal*
15-0. 30-0. 30-15. 40-15. Two set points. Djokovic goes for broke on his backhand and it flies long and wide. Nadal let rips on his forehand and Djokovic is stranded. Deuce. For all the world it looks like Djokovic will take the next point but somehow he doesn't. Advantage Nadal, break point. And would you have it, it's a double fault! Djokovic is broken. Wow. There's life in this set yet. And an answer from Gary Naylor. "I am corporeal - all too corporeal - and I should probably get out more. Pretty much smack in the middle of the MBM demographic I suspect. That Mac Millings though - he isn't real."
Second set: *Djokovic 5-7, 5-3 Nadal
Djokovic is hitting so much deeper now, with more freedom and purpose. Nadal manages to counter that at 15-all, as he charges into the net to swat away a forehand volley. He needs to do it more. There's a controversial Hawk-Eye moment at deuce, but to be honest I missed it as was checking this out: "Here's something to read while Novak's bouncing the ball!," says AliWalker24 on Twitter. "Andy Murray Broke My Heart (Again)." Djokovic carves out a set point, but again Nadal descends on the net and draws the error. Nadal eventually holds, but the set may still be beyond him.
Second set: Djokovic 5-7, 5-2 Nadal*
I'm still not sure about the squeaks but the grunting has definitely gone up a decibel or two. Two hours we've been going now. Djokovic holds to 15, the highlight an outrageous backhand winner on the opening point which somehow clips a fraction of the line. His cheeky drop-shot at 40-0 wasn't half bad either. Nadal must hold serve to stay in the set. Here's Andrew Latimer. "To Toby: Neither player actually has squeaky shoes, they add the sound in later for effect ... something to do with realism and atmosphere I think.
Second set: *Djokovic 5-7, 4-2 Nadal
Nadal's most comfortable service game in a while, as he holds to 15. Mats Wilander on Eurosport wants Nadal to try and mix it up, perhaps serve and volley a bit, to keep Djokovic on his toes. And speaking of toes: "Hallo there," chirps Toby Earle. "I have a question for the 'banter' ? can you confirm which player has the least squeaky shoes, as that will determine my allegiance. I also hope they're white non-marking soles." Hmm. I'll get back to you on that Toby ? and I'll also open it to the floor ...
Second set: Djokovic 5-7, 4-1 Nadal*
Djokovic has picked up his serving now, and he's starting to dominate more of the rallies too, as he sends Nadal left and right and left and right and left and right. He holds to 30. Meanwhile, Robin Mahood opens up a whole can of worms: "As a Canadian, I've always wondered if Gary Naylor is famous for being anything other than Gary Naylor, unpaid contributor to The Guardian. Put differently, just who is Gary Naylor? Does he even exist? And P.S. You've made me laugh out loud on at least four occasions tonight, and we're only in the second set." Thanks Robin. Over to you Gary ...
Second set: *Djokovic 5-7, 3-1 Nadal
Shot of the match at 15-all, as Nadal, on the run, bludgeons a backhand down the line. But then there's another unforced error, making it 23 for the match so far. Make that 24. 30-40, break point. Nadal is flirting with the lines too much at times, he needs to leave himself a little more margin for error. Not often we say that about the Spaniard. A wonderful volley from Djokovic as he digs the ball out from around his heels and the world No1 breaks.
Second set: Djokovic 5-7, 2-1 Nadal*
Djokovic holds to 30. There are signs these two are clicking into gear now, after an intriguing if a little error-strewn first set. And here's Neil Stainthorpe: "Actually, comparing players from different generations isn't so difficult. If you asked yourself "Who would win, Nadal or Rod Laver?" you'd have to go for Nadal. After all, Laver is 63 and Nadal is only 25." I like your logic Neil. And I'm sure Mr Laver will like you even more for not divulging his real age.
Second set: *Djokovic 5-7, 1-1 Nadal
A first double fault from Nadal ? indeed the first of the match ? and it's 0-15. Djokovic rips into Nadal's forehand and it's 0-30. A Nadal forehand down the line goes awry. 15-40. Two break points. Djokovic hands Nadal the intitiative on the first and the Spaniard pounces. Djokovic holds firm on the next but it's not enough, and a gruelling 21 shots later it's deuce. Nadal takes the game after another deuce with his fourth ace of the day.
Second set: Djokovic 5-7, 1-0 Nadal*
Djokovic, for sure, does look a touch sluggish. But then he did at times against Murray and look what happened there. Still very early days. While other players tire as the sets go on, these two seem to defy biology by getting stronger and stronger. Djokovic holds to 30, by the way.
Nadal wins the first set 7-5
A few cheap points on the first serve get Nadal to 30-15. He's been serving well today, especially with the body serve, even though his service games have been tight. Nadal charges into the net and dispatches a volley with ease, cue an appreciative nod from Rod Laver, who's again watching on. Two set points. But Djokovic ups the ante with some powerful hitting and it's deuce. Nadal emerges victorious from a cross-court duel to bring up a third set point. Djokovic goes long and the first set is Nadal's after 82 minutes. 82 minutes. Just what the doctor ordered for Djokovic after his semi-final marathon. And the same amount of time the whole women's final took I believe.
And look, an email from my brother. "Massive set coming up for Novak here, you don't want to be 2-0 down in sets against anyone but especially not Rafa when you played for nearly five hours a couple of days ago."
First set: Djokovic 5-6 Nadal*
Cometh the crucial moments, cometh the Djokovic bouncing of the ball before serving. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 15-0. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 15-all. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 30-15. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 30-all. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 30-40, as Nadal produces one of his best forehands of the day. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Break Nadal, as Djokovic goes long. Nadal will serve for the first set after 66 minutes.
First set: *Djokovic 5-5 Nadal
With Nadal 15-0 up, a flock of seagulls rudely decide to interrupt proceedings. No bother for Rafa though, he takes an extra tug at his shorts, waits patiently, and dishes up two strong serves to get to 40-0. Djokovic recovers to 40-30, but a sweet shot on the inside-out forehand gives Nadal the game. A fist pump and "VAMOS" follows.
First set: Djokovic 5-4 Nadal*
Rafa is scowling. Woof! He whacks a forehand winner to get to 0-30. But then he somehow contrives to lose a point he really should have won. 15-30. Flump! Forehand into the net. 30-all. Scurry! He scampers but can't get a racket on Djokovic's winner. Flail! Nadal backhand goes long. He will have to hold serve to stay in the first set. Seems strange to say it, but Nadal, usually the model of consistency, is just not being consistent enough.
First set: *Djokovic 4-4 Nadal
A sniff of danger for Nadal at 30-all. He gives Djokovic a look-in on the second serve, but Djokovic tamely nets. But anything Djokovic can do ... Nadal dumps a forehand into the net too. Deuce. Nadal chips and chops but it's not enough, and produces another uncharacteristic unforced error. Advantage Djokovic. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. Another unforced error. Deuce. Advantage Djokovic. Deuce. Advantage Djokovic. And Djokovic breaks, on what I believe is his sixth break point of the match. A very scrappy and strange game from Nadal. We're back level.
First set: Djokovic 3-4 Nadal*
Someone else has joined me in the office! How exciting. I must admit that's distracted me a bit, but I can tell you a nonchalant forehand swat down the line, followed by a cross-court smack sees Djokovic hold. To 15 I think. Cue Gary Naylor again. "Was it you reading the news on Talksport a few weeks ago? I think alone at Guardian Towers must be better than in company at Talksport." Yes, I can confirm it was. Though I wouldn't want to comment on the second bit.
First set: *Djokovic 2-4 Nadal
Djokovic, now in black and prowling like a panther, pulls off a wonderful point at 30-15, drawing Nadal into the net before flicking a delicate backhand cross-court winner. 30-all. Nadal error, 30-40. Break point. But Nadal lassos a forehand down the line and reels Djokovic in. Deuce. Gary Naylor's back to declare: "One sees what one looks for but there's already signs that Djokovic's concentration is not all it could be." And wouldn't you know it, Gary's right. Djokovic has his chances but can't capitalise. Advantage Nadal. Deuce. Advantage Djokovic. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. Deuce. Advantage Djokovic. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. Game Nadal. 40 minutes and we've only had six games.
Anthony O'Connell's not impressed though. "Just off to play some golf, this match can't live up to the semis. The problem for Rafa today, is that, unlike federers beautiful top spin strokes, Novak hits a very flat ball and this does not suit Nadal's game."
First set: Djokovic 2-3 Nadal*
A few loose shots from Djokovic - combined with a viciously spun forehand from Nadal ? and it's deuce. Nadal then produces the point of the match so far: seemingly dead and buried, with Djokovic prowling at the net, he somehow threads throw a backhand winner. First break point of the day. Cue a little leap. But Nadal, definitely standing a bit closer in to return on the second serve, mis-times his return and it's deuce. Advantage Djokovic. Deuce. Advantage Nadal. And it's first blood to Nadal as Djokovic hits a backhand long. Nadal scurries back to his chair, Djokovic ? disgusted with himself ? throws his shirt off.
"Here on the Australian coverage, Lleyton Hewitt has just made the comment that Djokovic and Nadal are the best movers on the court he has ever seen," says Philip Davis. "How did he grow up without seeing Sampras, Agassi or McEnroe play?" Comparing players from different eras, it's always so tough isn't it? I would say these are two of the best athletes we've ever seen, when you consider how the game has moved on in terms of speed and power.
First set: *Djokovic 2-2 Nadal
A challenge from Djokovic on the first point, more in hope it would seem than anything, but would you know it he's right, and it's 0-15. The longest rally of the match so far ? 23 shots ? at 15-all, which Nadal takes with a forehand smash. Djokovic bends down, sucking for air, but we've been here before haven't we? He did it in the quarter-final against David Ferrer and in the semis against Andy Murray and look what happened there. Nadal holds to 15.
First set: Djokovic 2-1 Nadal*
The forehand down the line will be a tactic that should serve Nadal well today, as it will keep the ball away from Djokovic's dangerous backhand wing. He does exactly that, firing a winner past a stranded Djokovic to get to 0-30. Djokovic doesn't even attempt to get to it. Surely he's not trying to conserve energy already? The Serb rattles off the next three points though, make that four, as the inside-out forehand draws the error from his opponent. And this from Sasu Laaksonen: "Rafa's backhand was worse than bland powder puff jam in those six defeats v Djokovic. If keeping the ball in play is still his only strategy from the backhand side, Serbia is in for a fest, once again."
First set: *Djokovic 1-1 Nadal
For all of Nadal's talk about trying to be more aggressive against Djokovic (see the preamble), he still seems quite some way behind the baseline. Early days though. And it makes no difference. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game. Strong serving from Nadal, including an ace down the T. Djokovic changes his racket.
First set: Djokovic 1-0 Nadal* (*denotes next server)
Djokovic did indeed win the coin toss and the world No1 will get us under way. A loose forehand from Nadal goes long on the first point, then Djokovic throws in two errors of his own to give Nadal a slight opening at 15-30. No bother though. Djokovic unleashes a huge forehand, Nadal slaps a tight forehand, and is then bamboozled by a great kicker serve. Djokovic is on the board first.
Tik, tok, tik, tok, tik, tok, tikity tok, they're warming up. Djokovic is once again wearing a white shirt with Serbian coloured swirls, trim and matching shoes. Rafa, meanwhile, looks resplendent in pea green, with a blue headband, wristbands and shoes. He once again has knee heavily bandaged after somehow managing to pinch a tendon while sitting in his hotel room before the tournament started. He also has something scrawled on his hand, not that I can see what it says. The commentators don't seem to know either.
The coin toss. Sue Barker is talking too loudly but I think Djokovic will serve first. Rafa, usually one to put his game face on at this point, even cracks a joke with his opponent. But then he reverts to type, jumping up and down at the net, before sprinting to the back of the court like a raging bull.
The first email. And guess who it's from. "Rafa has to stay in the points and make the match long preying on Djokovic's physical and mental fatigue after epic semi-final," says Gary Naylor. "He should take as much time as possible at changeovers and use his timeouts. Djokovic can't keep coming back from the brink and when the big points come Rafa needs to be mentally sharper."
Conor Breslin, meanwhile, has a slightly less tactical suggestion: "Hi Katy, I'd like to see Rafa poison Djok with some sort of heavily laced gluten cake in advance of todays final. Vamos Rafa!"
The players emerge from the bowels of Rod Laver (the court named after the great man I should stress, not the great man himself). The tournament seems to have got rid of the usual pre-final interviews in which the players give absolutely nothing away, presumably because the players give absolutely nothing away.
Apparently there has been some drizzle in Melbourne today. If the rain returns, the final will be played under a closed roof.
The scene in Melbourne: 15,000 fans, 33 degrees, humid and unsunny.
The scene at Guardian Towers: One game-by-game reporter, one degree and even more unsunny.
Stat attack. This is the third consecutive grand slam final between Djokovic and Nadal, which is an Open era record. As for their head-to-head (need Nadal be reminded), although it's one-way traffic over the past 12 months, Nadal still leads 16-13 overall. These two have shared the last seven slams between them and while Djokovic is going for his fifth major title, Nadal is looking for his 11th.
A little pre-match entertainment. It's been the most-viewed piece on our site for the last few days, but just in case you haven't seen it already, here's 14-year-old ballboy Dylan Colaci doing his best impression of Ricky Ponting in the slips. Quite a catch.
Short of putting stones in Djokovic's shoes or concrete in his racket, if you've got any advice for Rafa/predictions/general musings on this Sunday morning do ping them over. I can't promise to pass on the former to said Spaniard, but I can however offer my two pennies worth on how this could play out. Fitness will no doubt be an issue, but for me, the decisive factor will be belief. Come the big moments, the split seconds in which matches are the very top level are decided, will Nadal really think he can beat Djokovic? His pre-match words would suggest possibly not.
"I am trying to play a bit more aggressive and hit more winners," the world No2 said. "The improvement I want is not complete so I need time to play with this plan. I probably need a few more months and a few more tournaments. I don't know if it's going to be enough against him. I need to play a little better, in my opinion, to have a chance. I don't know if I am ready to win the match but I am going to fight for it."
Fight, no doubt, he will.
So how do you solve a problem like Novak Djokovic? Wouldn't Rafael Nadal love to know. Six times they met in finals last year, and Djokovic came out on top not once, twice, thrice, or whatever would come next if the words existed, so instead let's just say he won. Every single time.
15-0! At the Indian Wells Masters in March, Djokovic won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
30-0! At the Miami Masters in April, Djokovic won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
40-0! At the Madrid Masters in May, Djokovic won 7-5, 6-4.
GAME! At the Rome Masters, also in May, Djokovic won 6-4, 6-4.
SET! At Wimbledon in July, Djokovic won 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
MATCH! And finally at the US Open in September, Djokovic won 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
Nadal admitted after the Wimbledon final that Djokovic had taken up residence in his head ? in much the same way that Nadal has caused a seemingly incurable migraine in Federer's in recent years. The irony was that Rafa had been out-Rafa'd.
A new year, though, brings with it fresh optimism, and that will have been boosted a little more by Djokovic's draining duel with Andy Murray in the semi-finals. As our man in Melbourne, Kevin Mitchell, has pointed out, if Djokovic beats Nadal today, it will be despite rather than because of his near five-hour, five-set win. It will also serve as further proof of the world No1's excellence, not that we needed it.
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Demi Moore arrives at Variety's 3rd Annual Power of Women Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this Sept. 23, 2011 photo. A 911 recording released Friday Jan. 27, 2012 by Los Angeles fire officials revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her. Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Demi Moore arrives at Variety's 3rd Annual Power of Women Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this Sept. 23, 2011 photo. A 911 recording released Friday Jan. 27, 2012 by Los Angeles fire officials revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her. Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A 911 recording revealed frantic efforts by friends of Demi Moore to get help for the actress who was convulsing as they gathered around her and tried to comfort her.
Moore was "semi-conscious, barely," according to a female caller on the recording released Friday by Los Angeles fire officials.
The woman tells emergency operators that Moore, 49, had smoked something before she was rushed to the hospital on Monday night and that she had been "having issues lately."
"Is she breathing normal?" the operator asks.
"No, not so normal. More kind of shaking, convulsing, burning up," the friend says as she hurries to Moore's side, on the edge of panic.
Another woman is next to Moore as the dispatcher asks if she's responsive.
"Demi, can you hear me?" she asks. "Yes, she's squeezing hands. ... She can't speak."
When the operator asks what Moore ingested or smoked, the friend replies, but the answer was redacted.
Asked if Moore took the substance intentionally or not, the woman says Moore ingested it on purpose but the reaction was accidental.
"Whatever she took, make sure you have it out for the paramedics," the operator says.
The operator asks the friend if this has happened before.
"I don't know," she says. "There's been some stuff recently that we're all just finding out."
Moore's publicist, Carrie Gordon, said previously that the actress sought professional help to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. She would not comment further on the emergency call or provide details about the nature or location of Moore's treatment.
The past few months have been rocky for Moore.
She released a statement in November announcing she had decided to end her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, 33, following news of alleged infidelity. The two were known to publicly share their affection for one another via Twitter.
Moore still has a Twitter account under the name mrskutcher but has not posted any messages since Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, Millennium Films announced Friday that Sarah Jessica Parker will replace Moore in the role of feminist Gloria Steinem in its production of "Lovelace," a biopic about the late porn star Linda Lovelace. A statement gave no reason for the change. The production, starring Amanda Seyfried, has been shooting in Los Angeles since Dec. 20.
During the call, the woman caller says the group of friends had turned Moore's head to the side and was holding her down. The dispatcher tells her not to hold her down but to wipe her mouth and nose and watch her closely until paramedics arrive.
"Make sure that we keep an airway open," the dispatcher says. "Even if she passes out completely, that's OK. Stay right with her."
The phone is passed around by four people, including a woman who gives directions to the gate and another who recounts details about what Moore smoked or ingested. Finally, the phone is given to a man named James, so one of the women can hold Moore's head.
There was some confusion at the beginning of the call. The emergency response was delayed by nearly two minutes as Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dispatchers sorted out which city had jurisdiction over the street where Moore lives.
As the call is transferred to Beverly Hills, the frantic woman at Moore's house raises her voice and said, "Why is an ambulance not on its way right now?"
"Ma'am, instead of arguing with me why an ambulance is not on the way, can you spell (the street name) for me?" the Beverly Hills dispatcher says.
Although the estate is located in the 90210 ZIP code above Benedict Canyon, the response was eventually handled by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
By the end of the call, Moore has improved.
"She seems to have calmed down now. She's speaking," the male caller told the operator.
Moore and Kutcher were wed in September 2005.
Kutcher became a stepfather to Moore's three daughters ? Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Belle ? from her 13-year marriage to actor Bruce Willis. Moore and Willis divorced in 2000 but remained friendly.
Moore can be seen on screen in the recent films "Margin Call" and "Another Happy Day." Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and a Half Men" and is part of the ensemble film "New Year's Eve."
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? White House hopeful Mitt Romney widened his lead over rival Newt Gingrich to 11 percentage points in Florida, according to Reuters/Ipsos online poll results on Saturday, up from 8 points a day earlier, as he cemented his front-runner status in the Republican nomination race.
With just three days remaining before Florida's Republican primary, Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, led Gingrich, a former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, by 43 percent to 32 percent among likely voters in Florida's January 31 primary, the online poll said.
He had led Gingrich by 41 percent to 33 percent in the online tracking poll on Friday.
"The momentum in Florida ... really seems to be moving in Romney's direction," said Chris Jackson, research director for Ipsos Public Affairs.
The poll confirmed that Romney's fortunes are turning around in Florida a week after a stinging setback when Gingrich scored an upset win in South Carolina's primary.
Romney has moved ahead of Gingrich in several Florida polls, after turning in his strongest debate performance yet in the seesawing race for the Republican nomination to oppose Democratic President Barack Obama's bid for re-election in November.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey showed Romney also gained when voters were asked who they would support in a head-to-head contest with Gingrich. Saturday's results showed that 53 percent would support him, versus 45 percent for Gingrich.
In the results released on Friday, Romney had led by just 2 percentage points when voters were asked the same question.
SANTORUM GETTING SOME GINGRICH SUPPORT?
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum trailed well behind with 16 percent support, but he had gained ground from 13 percent in Friday's results.
"It seems like some people who are leaving Gingrich are moving to the other conservative in the race, Rick Santorum," Jackson said.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul was at 6 percent, up from 5 percent. The small-government libertarian has not been campaigning in Florida.
Romney has subjected Gingrich to a blistering run of attack advertisements in Florida. He has assailed Gingrich for leaving Congress under an ethics cloud in the 1990s and for being a Washington insider and lobbyist in the two decades since.
Gingrich denies he ever worked as a lobbyist, but has yet to find an effective way to parry Romney's attacks.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, capturing many voters after the most recent debate in Jacksonville on Thursday, where Romney was seen as a clear winner.
Florida lets voters cast their ballots early at polling stations or by mail, and 30 percent of the poll respondents said they had done so, compared with 29 percent on Friday.
Romney held a 12-point lead among those who had already voted, and an 11-point lead among those who had not yet voted.
Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online surveys, but this poll of 903 likely voters has a credibility interval of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Saturday's Reuters/Ipsos survey is the second of four daily tracking polls being released ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
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NEW YORK ? The son of New York City's police commissioner has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman who told authorities she got pregnant from the encounter and had an abortion, people familiar with the investigation said Thursday.
Greg Kelly, 43, was absent Thursday morning from his job as anchor of the popular local morning show "Good Day New York" and through a lawyer denied the allegations.
The woman told authorities she met Kelly for drinks on Oct. 8, then went back to her law office in lower Manhattan, where she was assaulted, one person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. She told authorities she was not capable of consenting to sex, the person said.
She said she became pregnant and had an abortion, according to a law enforcement official. Neither the person nor the law enforcement official were authorized to speak publicly and talked to the AP on condition of anonymity.
It wasn't clear whether the woman supplied any medical evidence to authorities to support her claim.
Police spoke to the woman but quickly turned the case over to the Manhattan district attorney's office because of the potential conflict of interest in investigating the son of Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Kelly, a former Fox News correspondent, is cooperating with the investigation, his lawyer, Andrew Lankler, said in an emailed statement.
Greg Kelly "strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind," Lankler said. "We know that the district attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence." The lawyer didn't respond to questions about the focus of the investigation.
Lew Leone, the general manager of the local Fox station, said, "Greg Kelly has requested some time off." He did not elaborate.
At some point, the woman's boyfriend learned the story and became enraged, the person said.
The woman's boyfriend confronted the elder Kelly at a recent public event, police spokesman Paul Browne said.
"He said, `Your son ruined my girlfriend's life,'" Browne said. "The commissioner said, `Well, what do you mean?' He said he didn't want to talk about it here, so the commissioner told him to send a letter."
Browne said that, to his knowledge, no letter was sent. He said he could not comment on the investigation because of the potential conflict of interest.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday that he "thought the police department did exactly what they should do" by turning the matter over to the district attorney.
"Keep in mind: Everyone has a right to have their complaints investigated," the mayor said, noting that Greg Kelly hasn't been charged with any crime.
It wasn't immediately clear how much time elapsed between the man's remarks to the commissioner and the woman's decision to go to a police station Tuesday, nor why she had waited for nearly three months after the alleged attack to make a report.
It's also unclear how long the woman and Kelly knew each other before the alleged encounter at her office. But they apparently were in touch afterward, according to the person familiar with the investigation.
The identity of the woman has not been released, and the AP does not name people who report being sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified or come forward publicly.
Kelly joined Fox News in 2002. He covered the Iraq War, including four assignments in Baghdad, and was the White House correspondent from 2005-2007, according to his biography on WNYW's website.
In 2007, the television show "Extra" identified him as the most eligible anchorman on TV. The show's website said Kelly "has enough heart and courage to make any woman swoon."
He's been involved in an ongoing feud with Joel McHale, host of "The Soup" on E! Entertainment. The show plays clips from television shows to poke fun at people, and McHale has frequently targeted Kelly and "Good Day New York."
One clip noted his sullen response to partner Rosanna Scotto the morning after a loss by the NFL's New York Jets, another showed Kelly playing disco music on his laptop coming off a commercial.
Kelly struck back last Halloween by showing up on "Good Day New York" in a McHale costume and making fun of "The Soup."
Earlier in his career, Kelly covered politics for local cable news channel New York 1 and was an anchor and reporter for NewsChannel 34, an ABC and NBC affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y., his biography said.
He also served for nearly a decade in the Marine Corps and is now a lieutenant colonel in its reserves.
Raymond Kelly has been police commissioner since 2002. He also served as commissioner in the 1990s.
The allegations about Kelly's son are the latest potential public relations challenge. Also Thursday, about 20 activists held a news conference on the steps of City Hall and criticized Ray Kelly for giving an interview to the producers of the movie "The Third Jihad." They said the film encourages Americans to be suspicious of all Muslims. Kelly has apologized for the interview.
___
Associated Press writer Tom Hays and AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
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Submitted by Sher Williamson / UGC
Our readers have submitted some inspiring photos from around the world. This week's gallery features images from Hawaii, Scotland, Botswana and other stunning settings.
Scroll through this gorgeous set of images and vote for your favorite at the bottom.
Submitted by Harvey Barrison / UGC
Eilean Donan Island, Western Highlands of Scotland
Submitted by Anne Sanders / UGC
Davy Mountain, Warne, N.C.
Submitted by Michelle Yingling / UGC
Submitted by Siva Ramanathan / UGC
Submitted by Cherrie Warzocha / UGC
Submitted by Melissa Warde / UGC
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland
Submitted by Kelly Wallace / UGC
Baby sea lion, Galapagos Islands
Submitted by Lynn Perry / UGC
Bison, Yellowstone National Park
Submitted by Jerry Pearson / UGC
Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colo.
Submitted by Kaushal Modi / UGC
Mount Christoffel, Curacao
Submitted by Beth Weinstein / UGC
Submitted by Nicki McManus / UGC
Delaware River near Milford, Pa.
Submitted by David Jordan / UGC
Harbor Seals in Casco Bay, Portland, Maine
Submitted by Terry Guthrie / UGC
Autumn on the Tallulah River, Ga.
Submitted by Tom Gubala / UGC
Lilac-breasted Roller, Tanzania
Submitted by Ashley Davis / UGC
Submitted by Randy Clegg / UGC
The Old Mill at Berry College, Rome, Ga.
Submitted by Cagil Baykara / UGC
Submitted by Jessica Baskett / UGC
If you have photos you'd like to share, submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here.
You can also join our It's a Snap Facebook community and share your photos with others by clicking here.
Which photo is your favorite?
| The Old Mill at Berry College, Rome, Ga. | ? 15.4% (250 votes) |
| Baby sea lion, Galapagos Islands | ? 13.1% (213 votes) |
| Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colo. | ? 12.6% (204 votes) |
| Bison, Yellowstone National Park | ? 12.3% (199 votes) |
| Lilac-breasted Roller, Tanzania | ? 7.1% (115 votes) |
| Imperial Beach, Calif. | ? 6.9% (112 votes) |
| Eilean Donan Island, Scotland | ? 5.5% (90 votes) |
| Kona, Hawaii | ? 4.9% (79 votes) |
| Elephant, Botswana | ? 4.8% (78 votes) |
| Tallulah River, Ga. | ? 3.3% (54 votes) |
| Dunnottar Castle, Scotland | ? 2.6% (42 votes) |
| Harbor Seals in Casco Bay, Portland, Maine | ? 2.1% (34 votes) |
| Mount Christoffel, Curacao | ? 1.9% (31 votes) |
| Brussels, Belgium | ? 1.5% (24 votes) |
| Davy Mountain, Warne, N.C. | ? 1.3% (21 votes) |
| San Fransisco, Calif. | ? 1.3% (21 votes) |
| Custer State Park, S.D. | ? 1.2% (19 votes) |
| La Jolla Cove, Calif. | ? 0.9% (15 votes) |
| Delaware River near Milford, Pa. | ? 0.8% (13 votes) |
| Chameleon, Hawaii | ? 0.6% (9 votes) |
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WELLINGTON (Reuters) ? A New Zealand court granted bail on Thursday to two associates of the founder of online file-sharing website Megaupload, accused of being involved in a scheme that allegedly made more than $175 million from Internet piracy and illegal file sharing.
Dutchman Bram van der Kolk, 29, and Finn Batato, a 38-year-old German, who were arrested last Friday along with Megaupload's founder, Kim Dotcom, were freed on bail. A decision on another accused, Mathias Ortman, was put off until Friday pending further submissions on his bail application.
"I am satisfied that the risk of flight here is minimal and such risk as remains can be met by the imposition of strict bail conditions including electronic monitoring," Judge David McNaughton said in a written judgment.
A lawyer for the men had argued their role in the company was different from that of Dotcom, and they did not have secret sources of funds or multiple identities.
The United States wants to extradite all four on charges of Internet piracy, copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering.
Dotcom, 38, was refused bail on Wednesday because the judge believed there was a significant risk he could try to flee New Zealand. He will reappear in court on February 22. His lawyer is preparing to appeal that decision, maintaining that Dotcom does not have the means to leave the country.
The defendants have said they are innocent of the piracy and other charges, asserting the company simply offered online storage.
An extradition application must be lodged within 45 days of an arrest, and the U.S. must show the alleged offences would be crimes in New Zealand punishable by at least 12 months in jail.
Legal experts have said the extradition process is likely to be long and complex.
(Reporting by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
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Insight on Netflix's better-than-anticipated earnings and the company's 2012 guidance, with Martin Pyykkonen, Wedge Partners; Mike Olson, Piper Jaffray; and CNBC's Julia Boorstin. "Latin America is a great opportunity for them," points out Pyykkonen.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46137734/
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PARIS/BERLIN (Reuters) ? Germany and France pressed Monday for a rapid deal between Greece and its private creditors that cuts its soaring debt to sustainable levels and said they were committed to a sealing a new bailout for Athens by March to avert a disastrous default.
Euro zone finance ministers met in Brussels to discuss the terms of a Greek debt restructuring and new treaties that will pave the way for tighter fiscal discipline and a new rescue fund the bloc wants in place by mid-year.
Ahead of that meeting, French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said an elusive deal to convince the banks and investment funds that own Greek debt to accept deep losses on their holdings appeared to be "taking shape."
But his German counterpart Wolfgang Schaeuble warned that any deal must help Greece cut its debt mountain to "not much more than 120 percent of GDP" by the end of the decade, from roughly 160 percent today, something many economists believe will not be achieved by the existing plan.
"The negotiations will be difficult, but we want the second program for Greece to be implemented in March so that the second (bailout) tranche can be released," Schaeuble told a news conference in Paris with Baroin and the heads of the German and French central banks.
"Greece must fulfil its commitments, it is difficult and there is already a lot of delay," Schaeuble said.
After several rounds of talks, Greece and its private creditors are converging on a deal in which private bondholders would take a real loss of 65 to 70 percent on their Greek bonds, officials close to the negotiations say.
But some details of the debt restructuring, which will involve swapping existing Greek bonds for new, longer-term bonds are unresolved.
Charles Dallara, the Institute of International Finance chief who is negotiating on behalf of the private debt holders, left Athens over the weekend saying banks had no room to improve their offer.
Sources close to the talks told Reuters Monday that the impasse centered on questions of whether the deal would return Greece's debt mountain, currently over 350 billion euros, to levels that European governments believe are sustainable.
"There will likely be an updated debt sustainability analysis that will be discussed at the Eurogroup," a banking source in Athens said, requesting anonymity. "Talks will continue this week. The aim is to have an agreement by late next Monday."
In Brussels, European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said talks had been "moving well" and expressed confidence a deal could be sealed this week.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was no question of extending Greece a bridging loan if talks with the private sector dragged on further.
The euro pushed up to its highest level against the dollar in nearly three weeks on hopes Greece and the banks could overcome differences and seal a successful debt swap.
LAGARDE DEMANDS
Speaking in Berlin not far from Merkel's Chancellery, IMF chief Christine Lagarde urged European governments to increase their financial firewall to prevent Greece's troubles from ensnaring bigger countries like Italy and Spain.
She also called on European leaders to complement the "fiscal compact" they agreed last month with some form of financial risk-sharing, mentioning euro zone bonds or bills, or a debt redemption fund as possible options.
Berlin opposes those steps and Merkel told a news conference with the Belgian prime minister that it was not the time to debate an increase in the euro zone's bailout funds -- the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and its successor, the 500 billion euro European Stability Mechanism (ESM).
"I don't think it is right to do one new thing then do another, let's get the ESM working," Merkel said, reiterating that Germany was prepared to accelerate the flow of capital into the ESM ahead of its planned introduction in mid-2012.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, who has complained openly that his reform efforts have not been recognized by the markets, is reportedly pushing for the rescue fund to be doubled to 1 trillion euros. Lagarde stopped short of advocating that, saying: "I am not saying double it."
But she did speak out in favor of folding funds from the EFSF into the ESM to give it more firepower.
The more immediate worry is Greece. Without the second bailout from the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund, Athens will not be able to pay back 14.5 billion euros in maturing bonds in March, triggering a messy default that would hurt the entire euro zone and send tremors beyond the 13-year old single currency bloc.
DETERIORATION
Euro zone leaders agreed in October that the second bailout would total 130 billion euros, if private bondholders forgave half of what Greece owes them in nominal terms.
But Greek economic prospects have deteriorated since then, which means either euro zone governments or investors will have to contribute more than thought.
A key sticking point is the coupon, or interest rate, the new Greek bonds would carry. Officials said the new bonds are likely to be 30 years in maturity and carry a progressively higher coupon, which would average out at around 4 percent.
Progress will be presented to the Eurogroup, the euro zone ministers, by Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.
"We will listen to the Greek finance minister to hear what models there are," said Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter as the talks got under way. "It is important to have a long-term model so that Greece has time ... We know that the banks are not overly happy, but a crash is far more expensive than such a long-term plan."
After dealing with Greece, euro zone ministers will choose a replacement for European Central Bank Board member Jose Manuel Gonzales Paramo, whose term ends in May.
The 17 ministers of the euro zone will then be joined by 10 ministers from the other European Union countries to finalize a treaty setting up the euro zone's permanent bailout fund, the ESM.
The 27 EU finance ministers will also prepare the final draft of another treaty to sharply tighten fiscal discipline in the euro zone, called the "fiscal compact," that is designed to ensure another sovereign debt crisis cannot happen in future.
EU leaders are to sign off on both treaties at a summit on January 30, allowing the ESM to become operational in July.
(Additional reporting by Stephen Brown and Alexandra Hudson in Berlin, Leigh Thomas in Paris, Lefteris Papadimas and Ingrid Melander in Athens; Writing by Noah Barkin and Jan Strupczewski, editing by Mike Peacock/Jeremy Gaunt.)
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