Shame on NBC for very public humiliation of longtime ‘Today’ veteran

Whatever you think of Curry as a “Today” co-host, and there are legitimate disagreements on that point, no one deserves this sort of slow, forced march to a public execution.

For a solid week, from the moment The Times released a story detailing just what NBC had in mind — including her expected replacement by “Today” third-hour host Savannah Guthrie — Curry had to go on the air every day and smile.

Knowing that all her bosses, all her colleagues, almost all the media and millions of her viewers realized her employer didn’t want her there anymore.

Slow-motion dismissal may be an okay management tactic if you suspect an unpaid intern is smoking weed on lunch break. For someone who has been with the company 22 years, and whom NBC seems to genuinely value, it’s unfathomable.

“Today” is too high-profile a show, and making a host change at the time when ABC’s “Good Morning America” has pulled almost even was inevitably going to roil the pond.
NBC was hoping, no doubt, that once it had decided to bump Curry to another job, she would agree to a hugfest statement about how she loves “Today,” but couldn’t pass up this new dream offer of having her own personal news team to roam the world with cherry-picking the best stories.
Curry did say she loves that new job, as she should. But when she also described the offer as NBC “throwing some fancy titles at me,” it was clear she wasn’t going to hide how she really felt about being dumped from “Today.”
Nor did she have a reason to hide it. She’s not the perp here. She’s the vic.
Minutes after her new position was formally announced — she will be NBC News National and International Correspondent/Anchor and “Today” Anchor at Large, which is a fancy title — NBC issued a statement in which officials right up to NBC News President Steve Capus showered her with torrents of lavish praise.
And that’s great. But where were Capus and everybody else during the preceding week, when all we heard from NBC was blackout silence?
Matt Lauer joined the chorus of praise Thursday, hailing Curry’s “big heart” and saying he looked forward to working together.
That’s great, too. But Lauer was also The Quiet Man for the preceding seven days.
Now sure, it would have been inappropriate for anyone to comment on the undoubtedly delicate contract negotiations. But nothing would have stopped anyone at NBC from whispering a few general words of personal support. No one did.
As for the argument this was a private matter, that played a lot better before the whole world knew it was going on. And whether or not NBC was the source of the original revelation, NBC had ways to make it less uncomfortable. It never employed them.
NBC seemed to treat this whole issue as surgery, removing an unwanted object, and that attitude continued to the end.
Where previous “Today” hosts were sent off with video tributes and long reminiscences, Curry got no clips and less than a minute for each year of her service.
Maybe in the long term this will revive “Today.” Right now, it just feels clumsy and cold.

ObamaCare is Constitutional! Now What?

The Supreme Court upheld most of ObamaCare. The reasoning behind the decision was fascinating. In a nutshell, a divided Court concluded that the individual mandate was really a “choice,” and the penalty for not purchasing health insurance was really a “tax.” You can check out more of the details in my analysis of the ObamaCare decision. The Supreme Court’s creativity aside, the big question is what it means for all of us.
First, the Court did invalidate an important part of the statute. ObamaCare expands the scope of Medicaid and offers states some funding to address the increased costs. If a state declined to expand Medicaid, however, the statute not only held back the increased funding, but it also took away current Medicaid funding to the state. In other words, the federal government was going to put a horse’s head in the state’s bed if they refused ObamaCare’s generous offer. The Court sided with the states on this issue.
[See Seniors Win Big in Court's Obamacare Ruling.]
The expanded Medicaid issue is important to us regular folk for a couple of reasons. The Court’s decision makes it far more likely that some states will decline to expand Medicaid coverage. For those that do expand coverage, it’s likely that state taxes will be on the rise as they try to handle the increasing health costs.
Beyond Medicaid, the ruling means several things for individuals. First, beginning in 2014, individuals must either participate in a health insurance program or pay a penalty. Called the individual mandate, it’s been the subject of much controversy over the past months. While polls show that most are not in favor of the mandate, it’s here to stay.
Beginning in 2014, the cost of not purchasing health insurance for a family of four will be $285 or 1 percent of income, whichever is greater. By 2016, this penalty rises to $2,085 or 2.5 percent of income.
[See How to Save Money on Health Insurance.]
Second, states will be implementing exchanges to help regulate the cost of individual health insurance policies. Exactly how these exchanges will work or how the government can control costs remains to be seen. But beginning in 2014, individuals will be able to buy individual health insurance through these exchanges.
Third, young adults up to age 26 can remain on their parent’s insurance. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 2.5 million people have already taken advantage of this provision, which went into effect sooner than most of the law.
Finally, the law’s provisions on preexisting conditions remain intact. Beginning in 2014, the law makes it illegal for a health insurance company to exclude, limit, or set unrealistic rates on coverage based on preexisting conditions. This part of the law is already in effect for children under the age of 19.
[See How to Find Health Insurance in Retirement.]
The preexisting condition provision of the law is a bit of a Trojan Horse. At first glance it looks like a real gift, as insurance companies will not be able to exclude individuals from coverage because they are sick or have a chronic disease. But on closer inspection, many see a real problem with this provision and the individual mandate.
The penalty for not buying insurance is much lower than the actual cost of insurance. For this reason, many are concerned that individuals will pay the penalty rather than buy insurance. Should they get sick and need coverage, the preexisting condition provision ensures that they’ll qualify for coverage.
In the final analysis, there are some clear winners from the Court’s decision: health insurance providers, Medicaid companies, and hospitals. In trading following the decision, Medicaid and hospital stocks were up sharply, even during a day when stocks overall fell hard. While insurance stocks declined, that’s likely to turn around, as more individuals will be purchasing health insurance under ObamaCare.
DR is the founder of the popular personal finance blog The Dough Roller, and the credit card review site Credit Card Offers IQ.

Juror Says Panel Had Little Doubt on Sandusky’s Guilt

BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Joshua Harper watchedJerry Sandusky listen to one guilty verdict after another — 45 in all — and was more certain than ever that Sandusky, the former Penn State football assistant, had sexually abused those young boys. Sandusky never flinched. No sign of regret creased his face.

“He knew it was true,” Harper, a high school chemistry teacher here, said as his 2-year-old son and his 4- and 5-year-old daughters played on the floor of their home Saturday morning. “It made me feel confident that we made the right decision.”

For two weeks, Harper, a graduate of Penn State and a juror in Sandusky’s trial, heard in disturbing detail how one of his alma mater’s most famous graduates had preyed on and molested 10 boys as he was simultaneously building a charity and a reputation as a pillar of a tight-knit community where football and family were highly valued.

On Friday, Sandusky, 68, spent the first night of what is expected to be the rest of his life behind bars. He will be sentenced within 90 days, his fate rigidly mapped out and only at the mercy of the state’s justice system.

In the meantime, Sandusky will be examined by the state Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, which will determine whether he is a violent sexual predator. He will very likely be isolated from other prisoners for his protection until Judge John Cleland reviews the reports and settles on a sentence.

Then Sandusky will be transferred to the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill, in south-central Pennsylvania, which holds up to 4,000 inmates, a quarter of them classified as temporary.

Harper said there was little debate and even less doubt in the jury room about Sandusky’s guilt. As emotional and wrenching as the accounts were from the eight victims who testified, Harper said the grimmest and most significant testimony came from Mike McQueary, then a graduate assistant, who said he interrupted a sexual assault by his former coach against a young boy in the showers at the university’s football center.

“It was just eye-opening on all the things that happened because we got a whole lot of detail on what Sandusky was doing,” Harper said.

While Sandusky’s future appears predestined, the fates of Penn State, its vaunted football program and some of its current and past officials will be determined after a number of investigations.

There are federal investigations into a possible cover-up by Penn State and the charity Sandusky founded, the Second Mile. The university’s board of trustees has hired the former F.B.I. director Louis J. Freeh to look into the mistakes made in the wake of Sandusky’s crimes and to propose remedies.

The N.C.A.A. and the Big Ten Conference are investigating whether the athletic department had lost institutional control and whether there were more violations of ethical conduct and compliance. Two fired administrators — Tim Curley and Gary Schultz — have been accused of lying to a grand jury about the sexual assault witnessed by McQueary.

Then there are the numerous civil suits from Sandusky’s victims that Penn State has acknowledged are coming.

“The university plans to invite victims of Mr. Sandusky’s abuse to participate in a program to facilitate the resolution of claims against the university arising out of Mr. Sandusky’s conduct,” Penn State said in a statement late Friday. “The purpose of the program is simple — the university wants to provide a forum where the university can privately, expeditiously and fairly address the victims’ concerns and compensate them for claims relating to the university.”

One of the plaintiffs could be Matt Sandusky, an adopted son of the coach, who came forward in the final days of the trial and offered to testify that Jerry Sandusky had abused him. Matt Sandusky was never called to testify, but Jerry Sandusky’s lead lawyer, Joseph Amendola, conceded that the disclosure had kept his client off the witness stand.

Although the jury did not hear that Matt Sandusky had joined the list of accusers until after the verdict, Harper said it was a unifying moment for the jury’s seven women and five men, who had decided early not to exchange last names or contact information.

“That was total confirmation that we made the right decision,” Harper said. “That was very important for me because I don’t have to question my decision.”

On the day after a conviction was announced against one of the most high-profile pedophiles in recent times, there seemed to be little doubt in this corner of the world known as Happy Valley that the right verdict had been rendered.

Still, it did not mean anyone was happy about it.

It was a somber afternoon on campus, especially at Paterno Library, named for Penn State’s iconic coach, Joe Paterno. He had known of at least one of the instances of abuse and was found to have failed to act properly and was fired. Two months later, he died from lung cancer.

Six people politely declined to talk about the months since scandal gripped their community.

“There’s been too much sadness,” said a female graduate student who did not want to give her name.

Fifty yards from the Centre County Courthouse a life-size cutout of Paterno filled a storefront. Across the street from where Harper and his fellow jurors found Sandusky guilty, a banner advertised memorabilia signed by Paterno.

Shana Stamm, a 27-year-old home care aide, remembered how classes at her elementary school were once suspended for an afternoon so Sandusky could give a motivational speech. She remembered how many of her classmates raised money for the Second Mile.

“It’s devastating for this whole community,” she said. “He turned out to be such an evil man.”

He Should Be Alive Today

Alan Turing, who was born 100 years ago on June 23, 1912, might not have invented the computer. (That honor goes to Charles Babbage and Lord Byron's daughter.) But today’s computing would be unthinkable without the contributions of the British mathematician, who laid down the foundations of computer science, broke Nazi codes that helped win World War II at the famous Bletchley Park, created a secure speech encryption system, made major contributions to logic and philosophy, and even invented the concept of Artificial Intelligence. But he was also an eccentric and troubled man who was persecuted (and prosecuted) for being gay, a tragedy that contributed to his suicide just short of the age of 42 when he died of cyanide poisoning, possibly from a half-eaten apple found by his side. He is hailed today as one of the great originators of our computing age.

In 1959, four years after Alan Turing’s suicide just shy of the age of 42, his mother Sara published her biography Alan M. Turing. Shortly after, his elder brother John began his own alternative account, seeking to “put the record straight” and correct any inaccuracies or biases in his mother’s version. Although he worked on the essay throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, John declined to release the account until after his mother’s death, and ultimately left it unpublished in his private papers. It was found in a drawer by his son John Dermot Turing, and finally included as part of the re-release of Alan M. Turing, in celebration of the centenary of his birth. The following is adapted from the book:

My brother Alan was born on 21* June 1912 in a London nursing home. At this, and at all other times, my father took all decisions of consequence in the family. Now, rightly or wrongly, he decided that he and my mother should return alone to India, leaving both children with foster parents in England. Alan and I were left with “the Wards”—always we referred to them as “the Wards.” We were the wards and they were our guardians but no matter—this was to be the centre of our existence for many years and our home from home. I believe it was here, perhaps in the first four or five years at the Wards, perhaps even in the first two, that Alan became destined for a homosexual. Has anyone mentioned it until now?

No. My mother was fully aware of it before Alan’s death (not, I imagine, that she had the faintest idea of what it implied), but she makes no reference to it in her book. One can put that down to Edwardian reticence if one pleases. In my view, based on such conversation as I had with my mother about it, necessarily reduced to a minimum, her reaction was much what one might expect if a specialist had informed her that her son was color blind or had an incurable obsession with spiders: it was a nasty shock of brief duration and of no great significance. I am trying to make this memoir as truthful as I can, so I will not go to the length of pretending that I like homosexuals. To my mind, what is intolerable is the world of the “gay crusade” and, as my unfortunate brother may be cast in the part of an early and valiant crusader, this is by no means an irrelevant comment.

My mother, perhaps unwittingly, gives the impression in her book that she recognized Alan’s genius from the start, and that she sedulously fostered it. If so, she did not give that impression in the family at the time; in fact, quite the contrary.

‘Alan M. Turing: Centenary Edition’ by Sara Turing. 194 pp. Cambridge University Press. $30. (Kings College, University of Cambridge)

My father, on the whole, either ignored my brother’s eccentricities, or viewed them with amused tolerance but (as will appear) there were deep dudgeons when Alan started to accumulate appalling school reports at Sherborne. As for myself, with the selfishness of youth, and separated by a gap of four years, I did not care what Alan did, and I was content to go my own way, as indeed he was content to go his. Our interests were so dissimilar that they never clashed. The only person in the household who was forever exasperated with Alan, constantly nagging him about his dirty habits, his slovenliness, his clothes and his offhand manners (and much else, most of it with good reason) was my mother. If this was due to some early recognition of his genius, she was certainly doing nothing to foster it by trying to press him into a conventional mould. Needless to say, she achieved nothing by it except a dogged determination on Alan’s part to remain as unconventional as possible. The truth of the matter, as I now view it in retrospect, is that neither of Alan’s parents or his brother had the faintest idea that this tiresome, eccentric and obstinate small boy was a budding genius. The business burst upon us soon after he went to Sherborne. After a few terms, it became apparent that he was far ahead of the other boys in mathematics: when Alan was sixteen, the maths master told my mother that there was nothing more that he could teach him and he would have to progress from there on his own. I think it must have been when Alan was due to take the School Certificate examination (now replaced by “O” levels) that he read Hamlet in the holidays. My father was delighted when Alan placed the volume on the floor and remarked “Well, there’s one line I like in this play.” My father could already see a burgeoning interest in English literature. But his hopes were dashed when Alan replied that he was referring to the final stage direction (Exeunt, bearing off the bodies).

LeBron James finally gets it

For a long time, LeBron James had it easy. And that's what made it so hard.

The NBA hadn't really seen a player with such a mix of talent, size and a willingness to being the ultimate team player. So much of this was natural. Not just James' athleticism, either. James had a personality that made him want to be well-liked by his teammates, not just by the public.

Those are the ingredients of a champion. And they were identified early and coveted by every team in the league.

Now James has finally reached that pedestal after nine long years of trying. No one thought it would take this long, especially James himself.

For years, James' career had been all about potential and the mostly stress-free rewards of acclaim, fame and cash. Then something changed -- potential gave way to expectation, and it was a blow to James' ego and a reputation he was both unprepared for and slow to accept. That burden and the relief from it was what made lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy on Thursday night so liberating.

James didn't just have to learn the hard way, he had to be hurt the hard way: in front of everyone. He didn't just have to grow up as a player, he had to do it with millions breaking down his mistakes. It created one of the most fascinating and polarizing plots in history, an arc that finally reached a climax with the Miami Heat's NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I just think it's a normal process that, not just LeBron, but anybody has to do to learn to be a champion," said Mike Krzyzewski, James' coach for Team USA. "But in LeBron's case, because he's recognized as one of the great players, he had to learn out in the open. And so a great player will get criticized as he's learning."

When James first made the Finals, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007, it was received with commendation, even though he'd played terribly by his standards as the Cavs were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. At age 22, he was ahead of the curve, and excitement surrounded future trips to the Finals. In one of the more memorable moments of James' early career, he was embraced by Tim Duncan in a hallway after Duncan had won his fourth title.

Holding the O'Brien trophy in one arm and with the other around James, Duncan whispered into James' ear: "Some day the league is going to belong to you."

As James walked away from the Finals that night, he did so with a smile at the thought of that. The warm blanket of potential serves as a shell that deflects criticism. This turned out to be fleeting.

"A lot of people said we were the worst team to ever make the Finals and LeBron really used that as motivation," said Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone, who coached James as an assistant with the Cavs for five years. "He went out and made himself an MVP after that; he really worked on his game. But it still felt like a tease because he could see where he wanted to go, but we just couldn't get there."

Twice in Cleveland, after he'd won MVP awards, James played on teams seeded No. 1 in the playoffs. These teams were different than the overmatched team of '07. The Cavs' payroll spiked to $100 million as they brought in teammates for him, players such as Mo Williamsand Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs were not loaded with All-Stars, but they didn't have to be -- the MVP was supposed to carry the group just as he'd done before, back when it was all about potential.

Now there was demand. But he wouldn't reach the Finals again with the Cavaliers.

When he went to the Heat, it was to join two of the best players of his day, the sort of stars he never had with him in Cleveland. But when he walked away from the Finals again in 2011 without a title, even with the help of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, no one dared think about potential. The last scraps of potential for James were buried in the two-day period in July 2010 when he announced his decision to sign with the Heat and then projected the number of championships he planned to win into a microphone the next night.

Now, all was expectation. That embrace is much colder. It wasn't just the expectations of the basketball-viewing public and his sponsors and his new teammates. It was the expectations that James had placed on his own shoulders with his words and his actions. Even if James could take back the line that stays attached to him like a tattoo -- "Not one, not two ... " -- the expectations would be smothering to him.

"When he went to Miami, I sent him a text and told him that this was going to be the hardest thing he's tried to do in his life," said Paul Silas, who coached James for two seasons in Cleveland. "I think he thought it might be easy. And they might have had it all as a team. But he was still going to have to put them on his shoulders, and it took him a while to understand that."

James' understanding of how tough it was going to be was stunted by emotional bruises. After a poor playoff series against the Boston Celtics in 2010, he deflected its effects by saying, "I spoil a lot of people with my play." When it happened again last year on a higher-profile stage in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, James again snapped back at the consequences of living with expectations.

Microsoft risks losing pals

WITH the unveiling of the Surface tablet, Microsoft is heading into unusual territory: competing with its partners.

But Microsoft has little to lose, since the companies which make Windows PC are having little success with their own tablets.

With the unveiling of its tablet this week Microsoft Corp. is taking up the competition with Apple Inc. and its iPad by borrowing a page from Apple's playbook. It is keeping both software and hardware development under the same roof.

"If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the compliments from Microsoft poured down like a torrential storm on Apple last night," said analyst Brian White at Topeka Capital Markets.

Even Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's famously tough-talking CEO sounded downright Zen and Apple-inspired as he introduced the Surface.

"We believe that any intersection between human and machine can be made better when all aspects of the experience - hardware and software - are considered and working together," he said at Monday's launch event in Los Angeles.

That's a new philosophy for Microsoft, a company accustomed to writing the software, charging loads of money for it, and letting others design the hardware. Microsoft has sold hardware before, most notably the Xbox game console, which is essentially a PC. But when it ventured into the game console market, it wasn't directly treading on the toes of the big PC makers who buy Windows from it. (The exception was Sony, which makes both PCs and PlayStation consoles.)

With Surface, Microsoft faces the challenge of selling the soon-to-be-launched Windows 8 to PC makers who want to make tablets, while at the same time selling tablets directly to consumers.

Rick Sherlund, an analyst at Nomura Securities said Microsoft's hardware partners "are no doubt unhappy" about the prospect of competing with Microsoft's tablets, particularly since Microsoft set a high bar with Surface.

Surface will come in two versions, both with screens measuring 10.6 inches diagonally, slightly larger than the iPad. One model will run on phone-style chips, just like the iPad, and will be sold for a similar price. Another, heavier and more expensive model, will run on Intel chips and be capable of running standard Windows applications.

Mr Ballmer suggested that Microsoft is making hardware so it can kick-start Windows tablets and make sure they're competitive right from the get-go. But the company's long-term goals are unclear. Will Microsoft keep making tablets, or will it declare victory at some point and leave the field to its hardware partners?

One sign of limited long-term commitment to making its own tablets is that Microsoft will be selling the tablets only from its own stores and website. That might leave space for other manufacturers to sell Windows tablets through other electronics stores.

Google Inc. is in a similar position. It makes Android, the software that powers most iPad competitors. But it has also acquired Motorola Mobility, a company that makes Android tablets and phones, so now finds itself competing with hardware partners like Samsung and HTC.

But Google has made clear that it will treat Motorola as a separate, "arms-length" business, and that it made the acquisition to get hold of Motorola's patents, which will provide legal cover not just for Google, but for other manufacturers who make Android devices.

Microsoft's position is complicated by the possibility that consumers will favour its tablet over other Windows tablets for exactly the reasons Mr Ballmer articulated: it's made by the same company that wrote the software. That puts an end to the old Windows PC support runaround, where PC makers blame Microsoft for product failures, and Microsoft blames the PC makers. If something's wrong with Surface, buyers will know who to call.

Ronan de Renesse, an analyst at Analysys Mason, said Microsoft can afford to alienate PC makers when it comes to tablets, because they've captured such a small share of the market.

Samsung Electronics and AsusTek Computer Inc. are the only PC makers who have appreciable market share in tablets, and they only make up 10 per cent or so, by his estimate. Other major competitors to the iPad are Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle and Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook.

"Microsoft's move in creating its own tablet is the sign that PC manufacturers have lost the game," Mr Renesse said. "The big question is, if Surface becomes as successful as the iPad, will Microsoft choose to stop licensing Windows on tablets?"

Microsoft's partners are mum. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Acer, both of which make PCs and tablets, had no comment on Microsoft's announcement. Samsung did not respond to requests for comment.

Heat Wave Marks First Day of Summer

Hot enough for you? With a fearsome heat wave moving from the Midwest to the Eastern Seaboard, we hardly need a reminder that summer is upon us.

But we have one anyhow. The summer solstice -- the astronomical beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere -- takes place at 7:09 p.m. ET on June 20. That makes this the longest day of the year north of the equator. From now until December, the days gradually get shorter, though not immediately cooler.

We are already told the U.S. has had the warmest spring since record-keeping began in the 19th century. Today there are heat warnings for 13 states, with highs in the upper 90s in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., and heat indexes higher than 100 for cities that include Philadelphia and Raleigh.

"You're talking about almost 15 degrees above normal," said Kristin Kline, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Mount Holly, N.J.

It is mere coincidence that this is happening on the day of the solstice. Generally, the sun's heat, trapped by the atmosphere, has a lagging effect, which is why August in the U.S. is usually hotter than April, even though the days are the same length.

A quick reminder of what's happening: Earth, turning on its axis as it circles the sun, is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit. Whatever the season, the axis points the same way, with Polaris, the North Star, hovering over the North Pole.

This is the day that the axis, as seen from the north, points as much toward the sun as it will all year, and appears at its highest in northern skies. So Chicago and New York, for instance, get more than 15 hours of sunlight today, compared with 9.1 hours on the winter solstice Dec. 21. And everything north of the Arctic Circle will get 24 hours of daylight today -- compared with round-the-clock darkness six months from now.

Public health officials tried to remind people, as always on such days, to stay in air-conditioned buildings if possible, drink plenty of water and avoid exertion, as ozone builds up in the air. New York City's schools remained open for 1.1 million students, though only 64 percent of their classrooms are reported to have air conditioning.

Utilities and transit systems are also under stress. With demand peaking, equipment is more likely to break down in the heat.

"While extreme temperatures can affect our equipment and infrastructure, we will do everything possible to avoid service disruptions," said Joseph Lhota, CEO of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Forecasters say the current heat wave will break by the weekend. There's a cold front moving eastward, currently stretching from Michigan to the central plains. Beyond that, you can at least take comfort that with summer here, fall can't be far behind.

A tense, tied NBA Finals moves to Miami for Game 3

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kevin Durant had the ball in his hands and LeBron James in his face.

With 10 seconds left in Game 2, the NBA Finals were providing all the theater anyone could ask. Two superstars going head-to-head, the Miami Heat trying to hold off another stirring rally by the Oklahoma City Thunder, television ratings reaching levels last seen when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal played together.

James forced Durant to miss that tying attempt — perhaps getting away with a foul — and the Heat held on for a 100-96 victory on Thursday night that evened the series at one game apiece. And as it shifts to Miami for the next three games, the only thing that seems certain is a tense series that looks to be lengthy.

Game 3 is Sunday night and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra thinks it will look similar to the first two.

"This is going to be probably like this every single game, and that's the beauty of competition at this level, and embracing that competition and seeing what it brings out of you collectively," Spoelstra said.

It's brought out the best of league MVP James and Durant, the NBA scoring champion. The series hype was built around them and they spent the first two games living up to every ounce of it.

James has bounced back from his disappointing 2011 finals by scoring 30 and then 32 points, and even that was only good enough for a split because Durant has been just as good. He followed up his 36-point performance in Game 1 by scoring 32 on Thursday, 16 in the fourth quarter after he scored 17 in the final period of the opener. Yet that was wasted because the Thunder had fallen into a 17-point hole in the first half.

The Thunder also spotted Miami a 13-point lead in the first half of Game 1 and have fallen into double-digit holes in three straight games. Coach Scott Brooks said after Game 2 he wasn't considering a new starting lineup, even though the Thunder have been more effective with a smaller group on the floor.

Instead, he said the only change the Thunder needed was greater intensity from the start.

"We didn't come out with the toughness that we need to come out with. We're an aggressive team, we're a physical team," he said. "Defensive mindset was not where it needs to be, and hopefully we change that going into Game 3."

The slow starts at home could mean trouble for the Thunder in Miami, where they won't have their raucous crowd to help rattle the Heat. But Oklahoma City has been good on the road in the postseason, winning twice in Dallas in the first round, taking a game in Los Angeles in the second round and pulling out a Game 5 victory in San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.

"These are the two best teams. They're confident no matter what building they're in," James said. "We're happy now that it's a 1-1 series and we're going back to Miami and will take control of the home court. It doesn't mean that the series has changed. Both teams can win on each other's floor and both teams are confident."

Ratings through two games are up 11 percent from last year, when it seemed interest in the Heat couldn't get higher, and Thursday drew the highest rating for a Game 2 since 2004, when the Lakers lost to Detroit in their last title run with O'Neal and Bryant.

The latest game provided a look at the best of what both teams have: James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all making big plays in the fourth quarter; Sixth Man of the Year James Harden coming off the Thunder bench to keep them in it while Durant sat with foul trouble; Russell Westbrook turning from sloppy to sensational as the game went along.

So what's next?

"It's a long series. After Game 1 there was the hyperbole of, 'The Heat have no idea what to do with the speed of OKC.' I have no idea what the story lines will be after Game 2," Miami forward Shane Battier said. "We know every game is its own beast. You just have to play disciplined and tough to win a single game in the finals."

Battier has provided surprising offense with 17 points in each game while also taking his turns defending Durant. But it's James who will likely have that role during the important stretches, such as the crucial moment of Game 2.

Durant expects to score no matter who his guarding him. The problem, he said, is the Thunder aren't paying enough attention to the other end of the floor.

"I've got to make shots for my team. But I think on the defensive end, we all have to be better, and we can't really worry about the offensive end," he said. "We missed shots, but we can't let it dictate our defense. But I've got to stay positive, keep working, and we're looking forward to a Game 3."

The Heat's last finals game on their home floor ended with Dallas celebrating a championship after Game 6 last year. They can be the ones partying this time if they take care of all three in Miami.

For now, the Heat are only worried about the first one.

"We've got to figure out a way at home to protect home floor, especially in Game 3, and win it," Wade said. "If you go up there and lose Game 3, you've given them, in a sense, home court right back. We just want to continue to play well at home like we've done all season long."

Why Experience of Tiger Woods Ensures Dominant Round 3

With Tiger Woods tied for the lead following the cut and heading into Round 3 of play, he is the heavy favorite to win the U.S. Open in 2012.

While he shares the lead with David Toms and Jim Furyk, it’s Woods who should come away with his 15th major championship. The fundamental reason is simple: No one else has been in this position as many times as Woods has.

Through the first two rounds, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Vijay Singh have been cut, while more experienced names like Phil Mickelson and Angel Cabrera are so far out of contention that they stand little chance in the future.

Moving into Day 3, it has become rather clear that Tiger Woods enters as the odds-on front man. Considering his familiarity with the field and the poise that he offers as someone who has “been there before”, it’s become clear that it will be incredibly difficult for anyone out there to give Woods a sincere run for his money.

Of course, every year there is a surprise and a twist. No one knows what to expect from the Masters and the U.S. Open.

That is, no one knows what to expect from the U.S. Open if they’ve never been there before. At this point in his career, Woods is so far beyond familiar with the pressure of what is at stake that it’s almost unfair. His life experience, both as a golfer and as an individual, is unmatched by any golfer in the tournament, and it isn’t even close. Each time that he steps foot onto the greens, he holds a superiority that others can only dream of obtaining.

Take Beau Hossler, for instance.

Hossler may been a fun story and fans across the country, especially in the region of Southern California, are pulling for his success. But at 17-years old, there’s only so much that you can expect. He is, after all, in high school and had his prom only one month ago.

This is his second appearance in any major tournament. Woods, on the other hand, turned professional in 1996 when he was only 21-years old. He has grown up around the sport and boasts dozens of professional victories.

The experience factor isn’t even close, especially when it comes to understanding the complexities and nuances of the U.S. Open. It’s a tournament that he has won outright four times to date. Remember, we’re talking about an individual who’s used to winning many titles in a year (in six different years, he's won six or more professional tournaments).

If Woods were to falter, I would speculate that it would have happened earlier in the tournament. Perhaps he wasn’t feeling the course, or perhaps he was dealing with physical issues that may have slowed him down. Instead, Woods came away from the first half of the tournament on top.

And for the first time since 1994, the defending Masters champion (Bubba Watson) and the defending U.S. Open champion (Rory McIlroy) both missed the cut. Woods is dealing with very little competition with much experience at all.

Having already shown his resilience after recovering from consecutive bogies, Woods has maintained control of his swing. As we enter Round 3, expect Tiger Woods to maintain that exact same dominance that we have now come to be ever so familiar with when hearing his name in the days of old.

Nik Wallenda Fulfills Lifelong Dream in Niagara Falls High Wire Walk

Daredevil Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a high wire.

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the falls Friday night and millions more were believed to be watching on television as Wallenda crossed some 200 feet in the air on a two-inch-wide wire strung over the raging waters of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls.

Wallenda trotted in his final steps across the wire and stepped into Canada, barely 25 minutes after he started.

PHOTOS: Nik Wallenda Traverses Niagara Falls

After he greeted his wife and family, Wallenda was approached by customs agents, who asked him for his passport, which he presented.

"No, I'm not carrying anything over. I promise," he said.

"What is the purpose of your trip sir?" the agent asked.

"To inspire people around the world," Wallenda said.

Wallenda said the mist and the winds midway across the walk were the biggest challenge.

"It's all about the concentration, the focus, and it all goes back to the training," he said.

"I'm grinning from ear to ear because I can see I'm here. I made it," he added.

Walk Across Niagara: By the Numbers

Others have crossed the Niagara River itself, but never over the falls. Wallenda said that Friday night's feat was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream as well as a chance to honor his great-grandfather, legendary funambilist Karl Wallenda, who died after falling from a tightrope in Puerto Rico in 1978.

Celebrating Father’s Day Without Dad

My Dad was everything a girl could hope for—tall, dark, handsome and crazy about me. And he held the number one attribute on my little kid scorecard: he was a smooth dancer, smiling as my miniature Mary Janes scuffed his wingtips. He was a gentle man and a gentleman, so kind that he’d drop an extra quarter in the toll booth collector basket for the driver in line behind him.

Dad never went to college but I knew he was smart because he never talked to my brother Jack or me in baby talk. “Don’t gesture with your utensils,” he’d say. “Don’t yawn audibly!” Dad even said “shan’t” instead of “shall not.” No other Dad on the block did that.

Though I idolized my Dad, I knew my Mom had first dibs. Dad was so in love with Mom that he used to put rivets in his hat that spelled TGFM, Thank God for Mary. His other acronym, used to defuse any small family scuffle, was “BD. Blame Daddy.” Dad spoiled me for what to expect in a husband. (Thank God I lucked out when I met Joe, though I doubt he’ll be putting TGFML on his baseball caps anytime soon.)

When we were young, our family would escape to a tiny cabin at a South Jersey lake—no hot water or shower, but the fun of our very own outhouse. After dinner, we’d all sit on a beat up red sofa on the screened porch. Dad would put his arms around us and we’d all belt out “You Are My Sunshine” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” But when Dad launched into “Carolina Moon,” we didn’t know the words so we just let him sing to the night stars in his croon-y Perry Como style. Mom would hold his hand and smile.

Year after year, I watched my Dad love Mom with a passion even as she weakened with a rare blood disease that would finally take her life.

With her gone, I tried to be there for Dad. I’d visit him every month in Florida and I’d sit in Mom’s recliner alongside his and we’d watch his favorite Seinfeld reruns. Dad had suffered two strokes, so he didn’t talk as much but his vocabulary never slacked off. During a speech therapy exercise, I asked him to repeat, “I feel sad” and he slowly formed the words, “I…feel…lu-gu-bri-ouuuusss.”

But an MRI revealed something I couldn’t fix—terminal brain and kidney cancer. I brought Dad back up north so Jack and I could help him feel comfortable. One night, after failing miserably in an attempt to give him morphine, I ran out into the dark, crying, “I’m his daughter, not his doctor.” When I pulled myself together and returned, Dad was resting on a red leather couch set up for his frequent and now, extended naps. Curled on the couch, nearly 92, he looked almost childlike. “Daddy, does this sofa remind you of our cabin at the lake?” He grinned with the memory. I whispered, “Do you remember when we used to sing together?” He looked at me and then slowly my Dad started to sing, so softly that I had to bend close to hear. “Carolina Moon, keep shining, shining on the one who waits for me. Carolina Moon, I’m pining, pining for the place I long to be.”

Dad was missing Mom. Letting him go to her was the hardest thing I have ever done. Today, Father’s Day doesn’t make me sad. It only brings back memories–of starry skies, his strong arms around us, his voice clear and strong in the night. I can hear him still. And I know this for sure. I will always be his girl.

President Obama tries to change the subject

It almost certainly won’t work, however, because Obama offered little new in terms of policy and adopted a largely presidential — rather than a political — approach to the questions reporters posed to him.

Obama’s main message on Friday was the same one that he has advocated for months and months. In short: There are jobs proposals that he has offered to Congress that they have refused to act on. They should do so. Immediately — if not sooner. (Obama uttered the words “right now” in relation to when Congress should act no less than four times in his prepared statement.)

The problem with that argument is that anyone who follows politics at all closely knows that there is a zero percent chance of any movement on other portions of the jobs bill prior to the election.

What Obama is trying to do then is what he has been trying to do for months, which is lay the blame for the lack of job growth at the feet of Republicans in Congress.

While it’s not a bad strategy to run against Congress — particularly given the rampant unpopularity of that institution — there are two potential problems with Obama’s strategy.

The first is that Democrats control the Senate, a fact that allows Republicans to muddy the political waters when it comes to what role Congress has played in blocking progress on jobs.

Second, and more importantly, history has shown that the American public broadly believes the stewardship of the economy is the responsibility of the president. What that means is that when economic times are good, the president — whether Democrat or Republican — gets more credit than he probably should, and when economic times are bad he gets more blame.

(Also keep an eye on President Obama’s statement that “the private sector is doing fine” — a line Republicans are sure to seize on.)

Aside from introducing nothing new — rhetorically or policy-wise — in today’s press conference, the other reason Obama won’t likely see the subject changed heading into the weekend is that he seemed reluctant to look even a tiny bit like a candidate while standing at the presidential podium.

He spent lots — and lots — of time on a explanation of the European economy and dodged directly castigating Republicans at almost every turn. Even when he did, Obama was markedly more measured than he has been on the campaign trail.

“If Republicans want to be helpful...what they should be thinking about is how do we help state and local governments,” said Obama at one point. At another he said that Republican economic policies would “add weakness to the economy”.

It was more rounded-edges rhetoric than sharp contrasts — a clear sign that Obama (and his political team) were worried about sending an image of him as campaigner-in-chief to the voters and the political class.

To be clear, Obama’s press conference won’t hurt him. (Remember: the kind of people who watch mid-day presidential press conferences are the professional political class who are not exactly representative of the average, undecided voter.)

But if Obama and his team were hoping to change the subject off of last week’s bad jobs report, it seems unlikely they’ll succeed.

What Rand Paul’s Romney endorsement means

“My first choice had always been my father. I campaigned for him when I was 11-years-old. He’s still my first pick, but now that the nominating process is over, tonight I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be supporting Gov. Mitt Romney.”

It might not be exactly the endorsement Romney might have wanted — two thirds of it was spent pumping up Ron Paul with the Romney endorsement as an afterthought — but it is genuinely important to have Rand Paul on the record in support of Romney.

As we have seen over the last few months, the Paul forces have the very real ability to not only disrupt the choosing of delegates to the Republican National Convention but also influence (and change) the leadership at various state parties around the country.

Does Rand Paul endorsing Romney mean that the Paul acolytes will immediately cease and desist in their efforts to have their views heard? No. But more so than most people who support a politician, the Paul folks listen to Ron/Rand and follow their wishes.

Rand’s endorsement then — when coupled with Ron’s email to supporters earlier this week urging politeness at the national convention — are a net win for Romney because they virtually ensure that there won’t be a genuine insurrection led by supporters of Paul at the convention. (Expect Romney to give Rand/Ron speaking slots at the convention too in hopes of throwing a sop to the Paul acolytes and push the theme of inclusion and big-tented-ness.)

The second way Rand Paul’s endorsement matters is as it relates to the Kentucky Senator’s own future national prospects.

It’s an open secret in Washington that Rand Paul wants to — and will — run for president either in 2016 or 2020. In the spring of 2011, in fact, Rand Paul speculated that he might run in 2012 if his father decided against a bid.

To do that and have a genuine chance at winning, Rand Paul can’t have the Republican establishment in open revolt against him. He knows that. His dad knows that. (It’s why we still believe Ron Paul won’t pursue a third party bid this fall.)

In making clear that he is publicly behind Romney, Rand Paul is sending a very clear signal: I’m a good soldier for the GOP.

Make no mistake: The Republican party establishment will never embrace Rand Paul as one of their own — nor would he want them to. But, it is possible that Paul playing the role of loyal Republican in the 2012 election could well neutralize some of the fears the party regulars have about the prospects of him carrying their standard at some point down the line.

The lesson? Sometimes — actually almost always — in politics there’s more than meets the eye.

Obama Makes Memorial Day Address At ANC

At Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day 2012 was a day of comfort, solace and messages filled with the reminder of sacrifice by Family members left behind due to the scourge of war. At the annual memorial amphitheater observance, President Barack Obama addressed the loved ones of deceased servicemembers, the bereaved and those present to honor American military patriots.

Following the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns by Obama and Joint Base Headquarters-National Capital Region and Military District of Washington Commander Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, the assembled speakers addressed the audience on specific subjects. The president, along with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, spoke of Family, those who died and those who survived the conflicts in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Today, we come together, as Americans, to pray, to reflect, and to remember these heroes. But tomorrow, this hallowed place will once again belong to a smaller group of visitors who make their way through the gates and across these fields in the heat and in the cold, in the rain and the snow, following a well-worn path to a certain spot and kneeling in front of a familiar headstone,” the president said of those who daily visit deceased Family members at ANC.Obama received his largest ovation when he vowed not to abandon surviving veterans and their entitlements.

“To all our men and women in uniform who are here today, know this: The patriots who rest beneath these hills were fighting for many things for their Families, for their flag but above all, they were fighting for you,” Obama said. “As long as I'm president, we will make sure you and your loved ones receive the benefits you've earned and the respect you deserve. America will be there for you.”

Before Obama's address, Pannetta saluted servicemembers who lost their lives during the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan and made special mention of the Vietnam veteran on the half-century anniversary of the beginning of American involvement in the Southeast Asia conflict.

“As we have for the past 10 Memorial Days, today we still gather at a time of war,” Panetta said. “Today the American people remember the more than 6,400 heroes who have died in defense of our nation since September 11th. Today we will also pay tribute to the 58,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen who died in Vietnam on this 50th anniversary of that war. They and their Families have paid a price beyond measure. But because of their sacrifice, we are free and we are secure. We are safer because they were willing to put their lives on the line.”

First to speak at the 144th ANC Memorial Day observance was Dempsey. He reached out to veterans, Family members of fallen servicemembers and the youth that will soon carry the torch of remembrance, and he offered an idea to help the healing. Dempsey championed that fellow Americans should continue to position themselves shoulder-to-shoulder with grieving Americans who have been tragically touched by recent military fatalities and older countrymen who still are inflicted by flashbacks of the fallen who gave their last measure of devotion in either Europe, North Africa, Asia or the South Pacific.

“The memory is ours,” Dempsey said. “On Memorial Day, we honor that memory with heart-felt ceremonies across this land. The pageantry is a manifestation of the sacred bond of trust between the military Family and our larger American Family. But what really counts is that we nurture that bond with those who are still here and how we can turn that memory into action. Today, we stand behind Families that will never be whole again.”

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall provided significant support at the event. The 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) provided troops and escorts during the 90-degree holiday heat. The Presidential Salute Battery of TOG rendered the 21-gun salute upon the arrival of the president.

A pre-event concert was performed by The U.S. Army Band, “Pershing's Own,” and the group supplied the music during the observance. Master Sgt. Allyn Van Patten of TUSAB was the program's bugler while Sgt. Maj. Myles Overton handled the special percussion duties.

During the ceremony, The U.S. Army Band musical trio of Master Sgt. Michael Ford, Sgt. 1st Class Leigh Ann Hinton and Staff Sgt. Andre McRae combined their voices to perform the song ”Last Full Measure of Devotion”.

The ceremony's wreath bearer was Sgt. 1st Class Chad Stackpole, sergeant of the guard, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).