[OOC] Kishin War - Soul Eater

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Kishin War - Soul Eater?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

---

---

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Agent*, Alexa [Bot], Ambreose*, Anansi*, Annalysa Jones, Ark Reahver, Armageddon, AsranKurochi, AzricanRepublic*, Bani*, Bashie L. Craft*, BekaL101, Beta Type Jakuri, blackwolf, Calvazara, Choclate~Pyrus, Chulance*, CriminalMinds*, DarkSea, dawnfox07*, dealing with it, Duskhorse*, Eleera Cain*, Elrith Eldwind, emotionless, flickery, Forensic_Anthro, Forevveru, Forget~Me~Not, Gasmask, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, Hadespwr*, Hushh, IceMoon96, Imehal, Irish Wolf, Irondude1994, It's_Gen, jackrules158*, Jadeling Hawkins*, Jaybt9*, Juso, JustQuit, kathrin, Kirinak*, kotaro7914, KuruLesperance, Lucaris*, Lucentfir, Lukisod, Majestic-12 [Bot], Marionette, MSNbot Media, Nemo, nightwolf, Nivosity, Otowar*, Ottoman, Patcharoo*, PirateofPie, Porecomesis*, Prediter5657*, Princess Awinita*, Prose*, QueenShibby, Rarikou, Regret*, Rem?us*, RydeDawg, SerenityMist, shadowty, Shan?*, SmileyCassandra, Something?, Stilts*, SuperQ19, sweet_angle66, Talisman, The Angry Penguin*, The Illusionist*, Thorait*, Tiko*, Tyro, unmog*, Usui*, Vestiline, Wake*, Wing06Twilight, Wudgeous, Xorn*, Ylanne, zen_ink*, zody*

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/IxGh3VR-HUU/viewtopic.php

iron chef bath and body works coupons jeff probst jeff probst king jong il dead south korea baron davis

Pakistan Taliban leader believed dead: intelligence officials (Reuters)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) ? The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, the militant movement that poses the gravest security threat to the country, is believed to have been killed by a U.S. drone strike, four Pakistan intelligence officials told Reuters on Sunday.

The officials said they intercepted wireless radio chatter between Taliban fighters detailing how Hakimullah Mehsud was killed while travelling in a convoy to a meeting in the North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border.

A senior military official told Reuters there was no official confirmation that the Pakistani state's deadliest enemy had been killed. The Pakistani Taliban issued a denial. U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, could not confirm his death.

If Hakimullah did die, it could ease pressure on security forces, who have struggled to weaken the group, which is close to al Qaeda and has been blamed for many of the suicide bombings across one of the world's most unstable countries.

But it may not ease violence in the long term in Pakistan, which is seen as critical for U.S. efforts to fight global militancy, most crucially in neighboring Afghanistan.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

or see http://link.reuters.com/kac58m

Pakistan blog: http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The death of Hakimullah's predecessor, Baitullah Mehsud, in a drone strike in 2009 raised false hopes that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, could be broken.

"Six to seven TTP members were talking to each other through wireless radio in the conversations we heard, talking about Hakimullah Mehsud being hit by a drone when he was heading to a meeting at a spot near Miranshah," said one of the intelligence officials.

"They referred to him by his codename."

Officials refused to disclose Mehsud's codename.

"Based on our intercepts, Mehsud was heading to a meeting in Nawa Adda," said another intelligence official. Nawa Adda is a village in the Dattakhel area of North Waziristan.

PREVIOUS REPORTS OF HAKIMULLAH'S DEATH FALSE

The Pakistani Taliban said Hakimullah was still alive, but the denial was far less assertive than one issued in 2010 after media reports said he had been killed in a drone strike.

"There is no truth in reports about his death. However, he is a human being and can die any time. He is a holy warrior and we will wish him martyrdom," said TTP spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan.

"We will continue jihad if Hakimullah is alive or dead. There are so many lions in this jungle and one lion will replace another one to continue this noble mission."

The TTP launched an insurgency in 2007 after the military began a major crackdown on militants.

Fighters were particularly incensed when Pakistani security forces stormed the Red Mosque complex run by hard-line clerics in the capital, Islamabad. The government said 102 people were killed in fighting in the incident.

The TTP delivered on threats to carry out revenge attacks in Pakistan after U.S. special forces killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a secret raid in a Pakistani town in May last year.

More recently, some senior Taliban commanders said the umbrella group had started exploratory peace talks with the government. But it is not clear if all factions were on board.

Hakimullah was not only in danger of being killed by the drone campaign that President Barack Obama has escalated, or by Pakistani military operations. He and his powerful deputy, Wali-ur-Rehman, were at each other's throats and hostilities were close to open warfare, Taliban sources say.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afganistan have been trying to sort out differences between Pakistani Taliban commanders so they can aid their fight against U.S.-led NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Any division within the TTP could hinder the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda's struggle in Afghanistan against the United States and its allies, making it tougher to recruit young fighters and disrupting safe havens in Pakistan that Washington says are used by the Afghan militants.

Hakimullah, who has a sharp face framed by shaggy hair and a disarming grin, is considered to be one of the most ruthless Taliban commanders. He is also ambitious. Under his leadership, the Taliban has vowed to expand its violent campaign overseas to hit Western targets.

A suicide bombing at a U.S. base in Afghanistan's Khost province in 2009 killed seven CIA employees. In video footage released after the attack, the bomber was shown sitting with Hakimullah Mehsud.

Shortly afterwards, the United States added the TTP to its list of foreign terrorist organizations and set rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Hakimullah Mehsud or Wali-ur-Rehman.

A Pakistani-born American who tried to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square in 2010 told a U.S. court he received bomb-making training and funding from the Pakistani Taliban.

(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Peter Graff and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120115/wl_nm/us_pakistan_taliban_leader

amazon promotional code artificial christmas trees bean bag chairs android tablet arthur christmas asus transformer nebraska football

GOP candidates fail to get on some primary ballots

Republican presidential candidate former, House Speaker Newt Gingrich waves as he arrives at a rally for home ownership, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, at the State Capitol in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Republican presidential candidate former, House Speaker Newt Gingrich waves as he arrives at a rally for home ownership, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, at the State Capitol in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Karen Santorum, right, interjects during a question and answer session with her husband Republican presidential candidate former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, left, at a campaign town hall meeting Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry greets people during a campaign visit, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, in Summerville, S.C. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters at the conclusion of a campaign stop at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Many of Mitt Romney's presidential challengers are having trouble fulfilling a fundamental requirement of running for public office: getting on the ballot.

Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman have all failed to qualify for the ballot in at least one upcoming GOP primary. In other states, they have failed to file full slates of delegates with state or party officials, raising questions about whether these candidates have the resources to wage effective national campaigns.

And if one of them were able to marshal enough anti-Romney forces to challenge the front-runner, the ballot blunders could limit their ability to win delegates in key states.

The exception: Ron Paul, who appears to have avoided such pitfalls so far.

"This is why you need a real-life, no-kidding-around campaign," said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist and former Gingrich aide who is neutral in the 2012 race. "All these guys who have been crowing that they found a new way to run for president, it's like saying I'm inventing a new airplane, and it has only one wing."

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, won the first two contests, in Iowa and New Hampshire, and he is leading in the polls in South Carolina and Florida, the next two states to have primaries. Romney raised $56 million in 2011 for his campaign, giving him big financial and organizational advantages over his GOP rivals.

Those advantages are on display as many of his competitors miss deadlines or fail to collect enough signatures to meet ballot requirements in upcoming contests.

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who came within a few votes of winning the Iowa caucuses, didn't get on the ballot in Virginia or the District of Columbia. His campaign also filed incomplete slates of delegates in Illinois and Ohio, which could limit his ability to win delegates in those key states.

Virginia has been a tough ballot to crack for several GOP candidates because the state requires campaigns to collect signatures from at least 10,000 registered voters. Romney and Paul were the only ones who made the ballot for the March 6 primary. Perry sued, and he has since been joined in the lawsuit by Gingrich, Huntsman and Santorum.

Santorum is the only major candidate who will be left off the ballot in the District of Columbia primary April 3, said Paul Craney, executive director of the DC Republican Committee. The party provides two ways to get on the ballot: Pay $10,000, or pay $5,000 and collect signatures from 296 registered Republicans in the heavily Democratic capital city.

"It's not easy, but it can be done, if you are a serious presidential candidate," Craney said. "All the presidential candidates who are serious about winning the nomination will be on the D.C. ballot."

Santorum adviser John Brabender acknowledged that Romney has more money and a larger campaign organization. But, he said, Santorum's campaign has gained resources and momentum since the close finish in Iowa. Romney, he said, has been running for president for the past six years, giving him more time to build his organization.

"It's a different campaign than it was earlier," Brabender said.

Huntsman, the former Utah governor, failed to get on the ballot in Arizona or Illinois.

The requirements to get on the GOP ballot in Arizona are pretty easy ? all you have to do is fill out a two-page form. Twenty-three candidates managed to do it properly, so they will be on the ballot for the state's Feb. 28 primary.

Huntsman, however, was left off the ballot because his filing had a photocopied signature and wasn't notarized, said Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett.

"If you can't get on the ballot around the country, you're a regional candidate, by definition," said Rich Beeson, the Romney campaign's political director. "Barack Obama is going to be on the ballot in all 50 states, and so will we."

Gingrich, the former House speaker, didn't make it on the ballot for primaries in Missouri or Virginia, though he has joined the lawsuit to get on the Virginia ballot and Missouri won't award any delegates based on its Feb. 7 primary. Instead, Missouri Republicans will hold caucuses March 17.

Perry, the Texas governor, made the ballot in Illinois, but he will only be eligible to win one delegate in the state's March 20 primary ? a contest in which 54 delegates will be up for grabs.

It will take 1,144 delegates to win the nomination at the Republican national convention this summer.

Illinois has a unique way of awarding delegates to candidates. The winner of the state's GOP primary doesn't necessarily get any delegates. Instead, Republicans will vote for the actual delegates, who are listed separately on the ballot but are identified by the candidate they support.

Each of the state's 18 congressional districts will elect three delegates, for a total of 54. To appear on the ballot as a delegate, candidates had to collect signatures from at least 600 registered voters in the district where they are running.

Only one Perry delegate filed signatures by the deadline, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Gingrich, Paul and Romney filed full slates, while only 44 Santorum delegates filed signatures.

Ron Michaelson, who served as executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections for nearly 30 years, said he doesn't remember presidential candidates having these kinds of problems in previous elections.

"They're concentrating so heavily on the early states, devoting so many resources there that they're not looking down the road far enough," said Michaelson, now a visiting assistant professor at the University of Illinois in Springfield.

The system in Illinois is designed to keep fly-by-night candidates from crowding the ballot, said Christopher Mooney, another political science professor at the University of Illinois.

"It keeps people who don't know what they're doing out of the arena," Mooney said.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Davenport in Phoenix and Ann Sanner in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-13-GOP%20Ballot%20Blunders/id-8e618f5cb86d48dd81945efbd501561e

rick perry oops rick perry oops tom bradley penn state tom bradley penn state grace potter grace potter ryan mathews

France to pursue reforms after downgrade (AP)

PARIS ? France's prime minister said Saturday his country will push ahead with cost-cutting measures after its top-tier debt rating was downgraded, a blow with repercussions across financially beleaguered Europe.

Other European countries from Austria to Cyprus assailed ratings agency Standard & Poor's after a raft of downgrades Friday night that renewed questions about the power such agencies wield. The move may make it more expensive for struggling countries to borrow money, reduce debts and avoid a new recession.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said downgrades of nine eurozone countries underline the fact that Europe has a "long road" ahead to win back investors' confidence. Her own country, the engine of Europe's economy, was not downgraded.

Merkel and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the downgrades should push European countries to quickly implement a planned pact to strengthen budget discipline. Germany and France have piloted rescue efforts for other eurozone countries as the continent has been swept up in crisis after crisis over the past two years.

Fillon struck a somber, measured tone when responding Saturday to the downgrade, which was particularly wounding to France's self-image and could hurt bailout efforts. France is central to those efforts, and the downgrade, by pushing up its own borrowing costs, could make it harder for France to help others.

Fillon said the downgrade confirmed his conservative government's plans for more reforms to bring down debts, despite worries that more austerity measures could suffocate growth.

He said the government wouldn't adjust the budget yet, saying it had been devised with an assumption of higher borrowing costs. S&P had warned 15 European nations in December that they were at risk for a downgrade.

The downgrade, three months before France holds presidential elections, was "an alert that should not be dramatized any more than it should be underestimated," he said.

Standard & Poor's stripped France of its coveted AAA status, knocking it down one notch to AA+. It dropped Italy even lower. Germany retained its top-notch rating, but Portugal's debt was consigned to junk.

Cyprus' finance minister called Standard & Poor's two-notch downgrade of his eurozone country to junk status "arbitrary and unfounded."

Kikis Kazamias said on Saturday that the agency ignored the island's deficit-cutting measures as well as the discovery of significant offshore natural gas deposits. He said the action illustrates once more how credit ratings agencies exacerbate Europe's debt crisis.

Austria's chancellor criticized S&P's decision to strip his country of the top AAA rating, and noted that his coalition government is working on an austerity package.

Werner Faymann wrote on his Facebook page that "Austria's economic data remain very good." He added that the decision showed "that Austria must become more independent from the financial markets."

The downgrade brought a downbeat end to a mildly encouraging week for Europe's heavily indebted nations and served as a reminder that the 17-country eurozone faces another tough year.

France's downgrade to AA+ lowers it to the level of U.S. long-term debt, which S&P downgraded last summer.

Stocks fell Friday as downgrade rumors reached the trading floors of Europe and the United States. But the declines were nothing like the wrenching swings of last summer and fall.

Speaking to fellow conservatives in the northern German city of Kiel, Merkel stressed the importance of a new treaty enshrining tougher fiscal rules. Most European Union leaders agreed in early December to draw up the pact.

"We are now called upon ... to implement quickly the fiscal pact and implement it decisively ? without trying to water it down everywhere," Merkel said.

The chancellor sought to allay concerns that the downgrade of France, the 17-nation eurozone's No. 2 economy after Germany, would complicate the work of the bloc's temporary rescue fund, the euro440 billion ($560 billion) European Financial Stability Facility. However, she did underline the urgency of putting its permanent successor, the European Stability Mechanism, in place quickly.

France's presidential elections could complicate Europe's internal discussions. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been at the heart of the debate, is highly unpopular and far from certain of winning a second term.

The man who tops polls ahead of the April and May elections, Socialist Francois Hollande, said the downgrade was a punishment for conservative Sarkozy's policies. He said Saturday that austerity measures were stifling growth and France's competitiveness.

Elie Cohen, economist with France's National Center for Scientific Research, said the Standard & Poor's decision casts doubt on Sarkozy's choices and European leaders' ability to handle the crisis.

"From the moment France was downgraded, it boomerangs on (Sarkozy's) own economic record, and it becomes one factor in the electoral battle," Cohen told AP Television News. Cohen said France's economic standing had been weakening for a long time, and the downgrade was overdue.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Cecile Brisson and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120114/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

jason witten ucla vs usc rich rodriguez rich rodriguez the muppet movie the muppet movie mars rover

NFL Playoff Game Capsules

Houston, TX (My Sportsbook) - While there were still two quarters left when defensive end J.J. Watt plucked Andy Dalton's pass out of the air and returned it for a touchdown, the play still seemed like a turning point. And whatever chance the Bengals had of coming back, the Texans snuffed it out with a dominant second half. Arian Foster rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns, rookie quarterback T.J. Yates passed for a score, and Houston pulled away from Cincinnati for a 31-10 victory in the first postseason game in franchise history. In a year marked by the unexpected and potential pitfalls -- from the loss of starting quarterback Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, to nagging injuries for star wide receiver Andre Johnson -- the Texans have put together the most successful season in the 10-year history of their franchise. They captured the AFC South title and won 10 games for the first time in their short history, thanks in part to Yates. He helped them to the division-clinching 20-19 win in Week 14 against Cincinnati. While Houston dropped its final three games of the regular season, it was in fine form during Saturday's dominant victory. Now the Texans are into the second round, and will face the Ravens in Baltimore next Sunday in an AFC Division Round contest.

Final Score: New Orleans 45, Detroit 28

New Orleans, LA (My Sportsbook) - It took a while to get on track, but once they did, Drew Brees and the Saints showed the upstart Detroit Lions what it takes to win a playoff game. Down 14-10 at the half, New Orleans completely dominated the second half to take a 45-28 win over the Lions in an NFC Wild Card game at the Superdome. Brees threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns on 33-of-43 passing to help the Saints advance to the NFC Divisional Round and exorcise the ghosts of a wild card loss to a 7-9 Seattle team last season. New Orleans, which got seven catches for 120 yards from Marques Colston and four catches for 111 yards and a score by Robert Meachem, will travel to San Francisco for a divisional round matchup with the 49ers next Saturday. Detroit's Matthew Stafford tossed three touchdowns and ran one in while passing for 380 yards on 28-of-43 passing, but he did have two interceptions in the fourth quarter when the game was still undecided. Stafford's main target all season was Calvin Johnson and that didn't change in this game as the premier wide receiver caught 12 passes for 211 yards and two scores in the loss.

Source: http://www.mysportsbook.com/news/sports_betting/952609.html

hiroki kuroda pineda huntington disease paula deen heather locklear hospitalized joplin tornado there will be blood

Think you're smart about money? Take our US currency quiz.

?lvaro Cogollo started with a love of the forest and went on to become an accomplished field biologist. As scientific director of the Medell?n Botanical Garden, he documents Colombia?s rich flora.

?lvaro Cogollo uses popular music to entice Colombians to love nature

Biologist ?lvaro Cogollo draws on Colombia's native vallenato music to inspire a love for his country's biodiversity.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/MCTi7XVBL4U/US-currency-quiz

iowa caucus results sickle cell trait michigan football michigan football sugar bowl presidential candidates mild kidney failure

NBA: Boston Celtics' Greg Stiemsma can block with best

Greg Stiemsma must be Donnie Wahlberg's favorite Celtic.

Why?

Because Stiemsma is the Celtcs' New Kid on the Block.

Wahlberg, a Boston native and diehard Celtics fan who narrated the ESPN documentary ?The Association: Boston Celtics? last season, is a member of the singing group ?New Kids on the Block? and an actor who currently stars in the CBS TV show ?Blue Bloods.?

Stiemsma, a 6-foot-11 rookie center, blocked six shots in his Celtics debut on Dec. 28 and contributed 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 more blocks in his first start in place of the injured Jermaine O'Neal last Monday.

Stiemsma has blocked only one shot in his last two games, so he's fallen from second into a tie for sixth in the league with a team-high 2.2 blocks per game. Stiemsma, who averages less than 15 minutes, is still second in minutes per block at 7.01.

?It's always just kind of come natural to me,? Stiemsma said. ?I try to work on keeping my body where I need to be, I try to work on my vertical and my agility, but you can't necessarily set up a drill to block shots.?

Stiemsma, 26, is a big hit with his new teammates. Paul Pierce has nicknamed him the ?Steamroller? and Kevin Garnett raves about him.

?Seriously, man, I'm happy for Greg,? Garnett said. ?You see a guy come in here, coming from the bottom, coming from nothing, very appreciative of his opportunity, comes in, works his (butt) off. You're not seeing that (usually). He really comes in and works his (butt) off. (He's) a true professional and you're just happy to see a guy get an opportunity like that, and more importantly him taking advantage of it.?

Stiemsma, who averages only 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds, still needs to develop the rest of his game. He doesn't want to be known as another Manute Bol, the 7-foot-7 stick man who was the only NBA player to finish his career with more blocks than points.

On the other hand, no one expected Stiemsma to even play in the NBA, let alone rank among the league leaders in any category.

?I'm sure there are people who are surprised,? he said. ?At times, to me it almost seems surreal, but I know I put the time in, I put the work in, I believe in my talent. It's fun for me to see the outcome too.?

In high school, Stiemsma helped his team capture three Wisconsin state titles, but at the Division 4 level. In 95 games at the University of Wisconsin, Stiemsma averaged only 10 minutes, 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1 block. He never averaged more than 11.7 minutes in any of his four college seasons. He made news in college only when he announced he was suffering from depression after poor grades nearly made him academically ineligible.

Attending a college with more than 40,000 students was a difficult adjustment. He had classes with 300-400 students. The entire enrollment of his high school was 185. Only 1,800 people live in Stiemsma's hometown of Randolph, Wis.

?I could probably tell you where everybody lives,? he joked.

His coaches, family and friends helped him get through those tough times.

?It was part of growing up,? he said. ?I wasn't taking care of what I needed to academically, and everything kind of backfired there. It was a grind at times. Even then I had doubts about if I wanted to keep playing the game at all.?

After college, Stiemsma played in Turkey and South Korea, then earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the NBDL in 2009-10, when he averaged 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 45 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Minnesota and Cleveland waived Stiemsma prior to last season, so he returned to Turkey and averaged 6 points, 4 rebounds and a league-high 1.8 blocks.

This fall, he helped the U.S. win the bronze in the Pan Am Games in Mexico. He traveled to Georgia, the Eurasian country not the southern U.S. state, to play, but the money fell through so he returned to the NBDL and averaged 9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks in four games for Sioux Falls before signing with the Celtics on Dec. 9.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers admitted he has no idea why Stiemsma can block so many shots.

?I've never known why good shot blockers were good shot blockers,? he said. ?They are born (that way) at times. They have such great timing.?

Over the past couple of years, Stiemsma worked with Sioux Falls assistant coach Tanner Bronson, his former Wisconsin teammate, to develop the split-second release on his jump shot.

Stiemsma, who has a couple of credits left at Wisconsin, weighed as much as 268 in college. The play in South Korea was quicker, so he lost weight to keep up with the pace. Stiemsma has kept the weight off and weighs about 240 now.

Stiemsma is Dutch, and some fans have trouble pronouncing his name.

?It sounds just like it's spelled,? Stiemsma said, ?as crazy as that sounds.?

If that doesn't help, pronounce it as ?Steams-ma.?

Stiemsma's family and close friends are excited that he's playing in the NBA, but he didn't expect the reaction he received when he visited a Macy's in the Boston area the day after blocking six shots in his debut. Quite a few people stopped him to congratulate him.

?I was kind of surprised,? Stiemsma said. ?I feel like I fly under the radar, but people recognized me on the street. That just kind of proves how good the Boston fans are.?

Stiemsma isn't sure where the mall was. That's understandable. After all, the rookie center is the new kid on the block in more ways than one.

Brooks off to fast start
It's too early to say that the Celtics made a mistake by trading guard MarShon Brooks for forward JaJuan Johnson on draft night last June, but Brooks is off to a much better start.

Entering last night, Brooks was averaging 14.1 points, tied for first among NBA rookies with Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, while Johnson had played less than 15 minutes and scored just four points.

The Celtics selected Brooks out of Providence College with the 25th pick, then dealt him to New Jersey for the 27th pick, which they used to take Johnson, and a 2014 second-round choice.

?We didn't really draft him,? Rivers explained. ?I don't even know why they go through that charade. The deal was done before the draft or before the pick. The Nets called us and told us to draft him.?

So the Celtics can't be criticized for trading Brooks, but they still passed up the opportunity to draft and keep him.

Brooks didn't know right away that the Celtics had drafted him for the Nets.

?I was just happy to be drafted, first of all,? he said. ?I was a little worried I'd go in the second round. My name got called. I went across the stage. I had my phone, and as I'm going across the stage, my phone was going off, ?Boom, boom, boom.' I checked my phone. I was a Celtic for what five minutes before they announced it on TV? I had like 500 text messages, ?Welcome to Boston.' It was from a lot of people I went to school with, Boston fans.?

Brooks was talking about playing with the Big Three during an interview when he found out he had been traded to New Jersey.

?All of it caught me by surprise,? Brooks admitted, ?because I didn't work out for the Celtics in the draft process, and I didn't work out for New Jersey.?

Brooks burned the Celtics for 15 points in the first half Wednesday, but he sprained his left ankle late in the half and scored only two more points that night. The ankle injury kept him out of Friday's win over Toronto. Before Wednesday's game, he insisted he held nothing against the Celtics for trading him.

?I want to make a point more so that the Nets made the right decision,? he said. ?I don't care about the Celtics. I was a Celtic for all of five seconds.?

Brooks averages 23 minutes a game for the Nets, but he probably wouldn't have played that much for Boston. Ray Allen starts at his position and leads the Celtics in scoring. Brooks would be a huge offensive upgrade over backup shooting guard Avery Bradley, a defensive standout who scored only two points in Boston's first six games before pouring in 11 against New Jersey on Wednesday.

Bradley was switched to shooting guard after he proved he couldn't handle the point, but he's shooting only 33.3 percent. Brooks is shooting a respectable 45.8, but is nowhere near the defender Bradley is.

The 6-foot-5 Brooks averaged 24.5 points last season to lead the Big East in scoring and rank second in Division 1.

Bill Doyle can be contacted by email at wdoyle@telegram.com.

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5716917210

cybermonday deals cybermonday deals steve johnson norman reedus norman reedus sears office max