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Friday, June 15, 2012

Winderman: Turns out Heat can handle NBA Finals pressure

It wasn't pretty, but LeBron & Co. did enough to steal a crucial victory in OKC

Pool / Reuters

LeBron James scored 32 points in the Heat's Game 2 win on Thursday.

OPINION

By Ira Winderman

NBCSports.com

updated 3:17 a.m. ET June 15, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY - For months, we've heard the prattle.

LeBron James again had found his love for the game. The Heat would heed the lessons of their first Big Three season together and emerge stronger for the journey. The subtle free-agency addition of Shane Battier would make more than a subtle difference.

And yet they still couldn't push past the Bulls for the top seed in the East during the regular season, even with Derrick Rose often out.

Then Miami managed to fall behind the Pacers in the second round, and twice had to stave off elimination against the last-leg Celtics in the third round.

So yes, the Heat again arrived at the Finals one step from salvation, this time with James in possession of a third Most Valuable Player trophy.

But what we didn't know was what they would do in the ultimate moment, what they would do when a team just as talented would push back, and do it greater than Carmelo Anthony in the first round, David West in the second or Kevin Garnett in the third.

The initial Finals sample hardly was heartening, Tuesday's 105-94 series-opening loss making it already look like another wait-for-next-year year for James.

Then came Thursday.

And then came the Thunder, a team too impetuous to know better than to give up, a team that four times this postseason already had overcome deficits of 13 points or more. Down 17 in the first half, down 15 in the third quarter, they did what they did to the Spurs. They went all Durant. And all Westbrook. And all Harden on the Heat.

The lead was dwindling. James was gassed. Dwyane Wade was committing one particularly horrifying turnover at midcourt, Chris Bosh fumbling a pass in the post.

Suddenly, this was 2011 and the Mavericks and AmericanAirlines Arena all over again.

No, it wasn't quite Wade standing with arm exaggeratingly outstretched in front of the Mavericks' bench with the Heat up 15 in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of last year's Finals, but it was a 13-point lead early in this fourth quarter at the Thunder's dome.

A year ago, the Heat melted against the Mavericks in that Game 2 and in that series. It was a game that exposed the Heat's Big Three as a team not up to the moment or the challenge. A week later, they were finished, banished to an offseason of lockout purgatory and then these past six months of lingering doubt.

But then flash back to Thursday, when the lead kept dwindling, the doubts kept rising, a season quite possibly about to slip away, considering only three teams have ever overcome 0-2 deficits in the Finals.

More news

Turns out Miami can handle heat

??Winderman: Last year's Finals ended with James exiting as villain, mocking Nowitzki's flu before one loss. But this LeBron and these Heat and this series look different.

Heat hot early, hang on to get even with Thunder

LeBron James scored 32 points and hit the clinching free throws with 7 seconds left, Dwyane Wade added 24 points and the Miami Heat claimed home-court advantage in the NBA Finals by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-96 in Game 2 on Thursday.

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Kidnaping by Mexican police caught on video

MEXICO CITY (AP) ? There it was on video: Five heavily armed policemen barge into a hotel in western Mexico before dawn and march out with three handcuffed men in underwear.

But police weren't making an arrest. Prosecutors say they apparently were taking orders from criminals. Just hours after the three were seized, they were found asphyxiated and beaten to death.

Mexicans have become inured to lurid tales of police collaboration with narcotics gangs during 5 ? years of a drug war that has cost more than 47,500 lives. But seldom can they actually see it occur, and the video broadcast on national television was a shocker.

"One assumes that in some cities ... the municipal police work for the drug cartels," said Jorge Chabat an expert on security and drug trafficking at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching. "But what is different here is that there is a video. It's not the same thing to imagine that this going on, and to see it."

The Jan. 20 video released by prosecutors late Wednesday shows a police truck pulling up to the hotel in the city of Lagos de Moreno, quickly followed by a pickup carrying four armed men in civilian clothing. A city policeman carrying an assault rifle runs over to their truck and is given what appears to be a list. Then he and his fellow officers trot into the hotel and present the list at the reception desk, apparently asking what rooms the men are staying in.

In the next segment of the video, the victims are trotted out of the hotel in their underwear with their hands cuffed behind their backs. One is being hustled along by a man in civilian dress, who stuffs him into a patrol car. The gunmen ? police are investigating whether they belong to the Jalisco New Generation drug gang ? appear to be calling the shots throughout, with the police officers serving as gofers.

The police then watch and wait in front of the hotel while the men's luggage and vehicle are stolen. Finally, the police truck carrying the victims follows the gunmen as they drive away in the own pickup and the stolen vehicle.

While the kidnapping and murder occurred in January, and the faces of several officers were clearly seen on the videos, the officers were not detained until June 6, when soldiers and state police raided a local police station. And they still have not been formally charged with any crime.

"It took time to obtain the video tapes, to do the investigation, and to get the arrest warrants," said Jalisco state prosecutor's spokesman Lino Gonzalez said Thursday. "We didn't have the information."

In any case, the release of the dramatic images comes less than three weeks before national and state elections in which security is a major issue. Critics accuse President Felipe Calderon of setting off a bloodbath with his strategy against gangs, while his party's presidential candidate, Josefina Vazquez, has suggested her opponents are ready to compromise with the cartels.

Jalisco is governed by Calderon's party. The man who was mayor of Lagos de Moreno when the video was shot is now a rival party's candidate for the state legislature.

Gonzalez said that so far, seven policemen and officials of the municipal police force of Lagos de Moreno have been detained pending charges. And state Attorney General Tomas Coronado said the four men in civilian clothing also have been detained separately in other cases. He declined to say what gang they might belong to.

There are still mysteries surrounding the case, including whether the gunmen thought the victims were members of a rival drug cartel. The victims were from the northern state of Coahuila, where the hyperviolent Zetas cartel has been battling the Sinaloa cartel, allies of the local Jalisco Nueva Generacion gang.

Gonzalez said the victims, before checking into the hotel, had been briefly detained by police at the local jail for a minor infraction. They paid a fine and were released. But while in custody, "They said something indiscrete," Gonzalez said. "Apparently they said something like 'We're from Coahuila, and we're part of the mafia.'"

It's not unusual in Mexico for detainees to boast about their connections, hoping to press corrupt police to release them.

This time, however, it backfired.

"Apparently, somebody at the jail heard the comment, and reported it to the real criminals," Gonzalez said.

Coronado told local media the men had claimed to be Zetas.

Gonzalez said it has never been proved the kidnapped men were gang members. They may have just been in Lagos de Moreno collecting the rent on a ranch, and they are being treated simply as victims.

Chabat noted that corruption has reached so deep that in 2010 in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, seven local police officers in the town of Santiago were arrested on allegations they were working for the Zetas drug gang and that they kidnapped and killed the town's Mayor, Edelmiro Cavazos, in retaliation for his attempts to cut corruption.

"There are police officers who kill the mayors they are supposed to protect," Chabat said. But this week's video "is cause for despair," he said. "It gives rise to the feeling that this is not going to be solved in the short term."

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Fashion spotlight shines on Ferragamo's Giornetti

Salvatore Ferragamo's creative director, Massimiliano Giornetti, talks during an interview with the Associated Press, in Paris, Thursday, June 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)

PARIS (AP) ? He's come out of the shadows and into the world spotlight. But Massimiliano Giornetti, Salvatore Ferragamo's creative director since 2010, says that he's still a "down to earth" guy ? despite having tea with Meryl Streep and hanging out with Angelina Jolie.

The humility is perhaps surprising considering that Giornetti, who has breathed life into the 84-year-old fashion house, made history this week with the biggest catwalk coup in recent times: taking over the arcades of the Louvre for the 900-year-old building's first fashion show.

While the Louvre venue might be new, the Hollywood A-list has been linked for an eternity to the storied Italian brand.

"The link between Salvatore Ferragamo and Hollywood is as old as the company," Giornetti told The Associated Press. "It was probably the first house (in the 1920's) to create this link between fashion and celebrities."

It was patronage of actresses ? such as Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo ? that ensured Salvatore Ferragamo's "fairytale" rise from a humble shoe repair shop in California into the leather "shoemaker of the stars."

The ongoing Marilyn Monroe exhibit in Florence's Museo Salvatore Ferragamo is proof enough of the brand's star quality. It features 14 pairs of the house's shoes once worn or purchased by the screen siren.

Today, Ferragamo is one of the world's biggest fashion empires? spanning leather goods, watches, perfumes and ready-to-wear for men and women. Sales last year were $1.37 billion.

Giornetti says Ferragamo's a natural hit because of a simple and universal concept: beauty with functionality.

"The first time Greta Garbo visited the Ferragamo headquarters," Giornetti recounted, "the diva said 'I want to have shoes to walk with.'"

That eye for comfort, stamped on the house from the beginning, was what made the shoes so famous. Salvatore Ferragamo ? the founder of the house who died in 1960 ? even studied human anatomy to master how to make elegant shoes truly wearable.

From this know-how sprang the famous wedge heel in 1936. Then later came the classic staple bestseller ? the Vara Bow Pump.

Ferragamo ensured this philosophy was carried on to Giornetti, half a century later.

A native of Tuscany, Giornetti studied in Florence. After 10 years designing Ferragamo's menswear, Giornetti was named creative director in 2010, giving him control of the women's side, too.

With Ferragamo's headquarters situated in Florence's Palazzo Spini Feroni ? a fortified medieval edifice ? it's clear that both the designer and the brand have the city in their hearts.

Florence's hands-on artisanal tradition has existed since the Renaissance. Giornetti says it's key to the house and to his own personal style, mixing aesthetics with practicality.

"It's modern teaching that started back in the past. (Ferragamo's philosophy) is linked with the work of Leonardo da Vinci, who also studied the anatomy and the human figure."

It's thanks to Ferragamo's links and sponsorship of da Vinci's restored masterpiece "The Virgin and Saint Anne," that the Louvre granted access to Tuesday's show ? a showcase of clothes inspired by Florence's artisanal history.

In the collection, relaxed cool-colored clothes with intricate and detailed stitching were combined appealingly with Florentine leather savoir-faire.

There was a nod to couture craftsmanship in a knee-length cream dress with myriad organic looking leather appliques.

Though he just showed in one of the world's most famous buildings, Giornetti remains unpretentious.

He lives in the non-trendy part of Florence on the left bank because "it's the most authentic and genuine part of the city, where you find the artisanal traditions: the goldsmith, the silversmith, the art of dyeing leather, the old tradition of basket weaving."

Given his roots it's no surprise that Giornetti praises the slower and less showy side to fashion. It's rooted in a simple, artisanal approach to clothes ? devoid of ego.

The down-to-earth values of a family-run label also appeal to him.

"Working for a family business means a lot, especially when everything is becoming more global with fashion brands becoming part of enormous companies."

Despite Giornetti's new-found fame ? people now want to take photos with him in the street ? he says he's still a "very down to earth person."

Yes, he's now able to rub shoulders with his idols like actress Angelina Jolie and Chinese film director Wong Kar-wai, but he says, "I still like to go to the cinema by myself."

It's with genuine pride that he speaks of a fitting he did for actress Meryl Streep in London ahead of last year's Academy Awards.

His favorite moment with the Oscar-winner? As it rained, "sharing a cup of tea."

_____

Thomas Adamson can be followed at http://Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP

Associated Press

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Sunday, June 10, 2012

ONLINE BUSINESS CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS (Home)

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Bailout for Spain's banks buys time for Europe

Spaniards dressed up like Bishops for a stag party play the role of a confessor in downtown Madrid, Saturday June 9 2012. Spain will ask for a bank bailout from the eurozone, becoming the fourth and largest country to seek help since the single currency bloc's debt crisis erupted.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A Spanish family check the prices of tapas on a terrace in downtown Madrid, Saturday June 9, 2012. Spain will ask for a bank bailout from the eurozone, becoming the fourth and largest country to seek help since the single currency bloc's debt crisis erupted.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

A woman looks at an item she just bought on a terrace in downtown Madrid, Saturday June 9, 2012. Spain will ask for a bank bailout from the eurozone, becoming the fourth and largest country to seek help since the single currency bloc's debt crisis erupted.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The plan to bail out Spain's banks with up to $125 billion in aid buys European policymakers time to try to save the euro and eases deep fears in global financial markets.

The deterioration of Spain's banks and the pressing need for a rescue was threatening to bankrupt its government. That would likely cause far more pain for Europe than the financial messes in Greece, Portugal and Ireland, smaller economies that have received bailouts.

Investors need all the reassurance they can get. They're already worried about what will happen when Greek voters go to the polls June 17. The Greeks could elect a government that will refuse to live up the terms of a $170 billion bailout. That could force the country to exit the euro ? an outcome that would raise fears that another, bigger European country might be next.

"A significant part of this (bailout for Spanish banks) has to do with ring-fencing Greece," says Jacob Kirkegaard, a research fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "This is enough to prevent added market contagion."

Spain on Saturday asked the 17 countries that use the euro currency for money to rescue its banking system. European officials responded by offering to provide up to $125 billion to rebuild Spanish banks' capital, their financial bulwark against losses on bad loans.

Europe's troubles also are causing economic problems for the United States and developing countries such as China and Brazil, which rely on Europeans to buy their exports. So the plan unveiled Saturday eases pressure on President Barack Obama and the world economy as well.

"This move will come as a relief to the Obama administration as it suggests that European leaders are finally beginning to take significant actions to ease the intensifying pressure on the euro zone's peripheral economies" such as Spain and Portugal, says Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University.

Spain had been resisting pressure to seek outside help for its banks, which have been overwhelmed by bad real estate loans. But leaders became increasingly concerned that any fallout from Greece's upcoming elections would rock markets, further hurting Spain's financial sector. The exact amount Spain needs won't be clear until outside accountants complete an audit of its banks by June 21.

Unlike the other European countries to receive bailouts, Spain did not have to agree to deeper cuts in its government budget to secure the help. More austerity likely would have pushed Spain, already suffering from near-25 percent unemployment, deeper into recession.

"You don't want an economy of that magnitude going down the tubes," says Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. Spain has the world's 13th-biggest economy, more than four times the size of Greece's. It is the fourth-largest economy in Europe.

In recent weeks, jittery investors had demanded higher interest rates on Spanish bonds, making it clear that Spain would not be able to borrow enough money in the markets for its own bank bailout. The rising fears come at a time when nearly half the countries that use the euro are in recession. At 11 percent, unemployment in the euro zone is at the highest level since the single currency was introduced in 1999.

European economic troubles pinch U.S. businesses. U.S. companies send 22 percent of the goods they export to Europe and already have more than $2 trillion invested in factories, offices and businesses there. A bigger fear is that Europe's financial troubles could cross the Atlantic. When banks lose confidence in each other, they refuse to lend each other money, causing a credit crunch that can wreck economies on both sides.

"Anything that calms European markets is good for the United States," says Tufts' Drezner.

The Spanish deal also gives European policymakers more time to strengthen the single currency. They are already talking about creating a "banking union" with a centralized regulator, a bailout fund and a European Union-wide deposit insurance backstop.

"Spain's decision to seek a bailout for its banks buys some temporary breathing room for the Eurozone," Cornell's Prasad says.

But Europe's troubles aren't over.

Europe still needs to find a way to stimulate economic growth across the continent so that European countries can begin to grow their way out of their debt problems. And the eurozone countries must pull closer together politically and economically, agreeing to more standardized policies limiting government debts and strengthening bank regulation.

Meantime, other big countries continue to struggle with big government debts and wounded banks.

"You don't know if three months from now it's going to be Italy" lining up and asking for a bank bailout, Drezner says.

___________________________________________________

Svensson contributed from New York and AP Business Writer Sarah DiLorenzo contributed to this report from Paris.

Associated Press

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U.S. welcomes European action on Spain's banks

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Saturday, June 9, 2012

China says to provide "selfless" help to Afghanistan

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