UA guard Tim Ambrose looks to help stop Syracuse tonight at the Carrier Dome

The University at Albany Men’s basketball team will look to stop Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim from getting his 800th win tonight at the Carrier Dome. The Great Danes play on opening night of Division I basketball at the 2K Sports Classic to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.

While Syracuse is ranked number 25 in the nation through the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, they have yet to win a game so far this pre-season including an embarrassing loss to Division II school Le Moyne College. Although UAlbany has played Syracuse five times since becoming a Division I school in 1999, they have never won.

UAlbany went 15-16 last season, including an end of the year loss to America East rival Binghamton at home during the AEast tournament.

I have spent a lot of time devoted to UAlbany basketball, specifically with the women’s team, but I have had the pleasure of seeing the men practice and hear Coach Brown in action. Coach Brown is no joke. The real deal when it comes to using all of his most talented players at the right times. He stresses pressure and always has a quick team. The lack of size that some of his past teams have had always make up for in speed. They can out-run any team in the America East and that is how they win games.

Tonight, Albany will face a team that has been consistently dominant in the Big East. They have big name players and a coach who has led numerous teams to the NCAA Tournament, including winning the Tournament with Carmello Anthony.

UAlbany will have to be strong in the paint and quick in order to stay with Syracuse in this game. Something Coach Brown’s team is taught every day in practice. It should be an interesting game if Albany can do that. If not, expect a blow-out.

The game airs on ESPNU tonight at 8pm.

The auction will took place at the 204-year-old Freemans Auction House. Anne Henry, vice president of the auction house, valued the artwork at $500,000 to $750,000 with many pieces being estimated at $10,000 a piece. The grand total of the artwork came to $1.35 million, which left a not-so-deep hole in the $250 billion dent left Lehman owes creditors.

Image credited from googleimages.com

All of the artwork that was brought to the auction was sold, with the majority being offered without a minimum price.

Alasadair  Nichol, Freemans vice chair and auctioneer said that there was a certain amount of trophy hunnting. “What’s not to like? It’s nice bedroom art, presented nicely, ready to go on the walls. People lapped it up.”

Many claimed it was like owning a piece of history whether it be good or bad. It truly is a piece of financial history with prices fair and estimates low.

With the fail of the Lehman brother’s this auction was a good way to cleanse their bad name.

“This is the only bank they let fail, but if they let JP Morgan, or anyone else fail, this is the bankruptcy process. It’s good. It’s cleansing,” said New York collector Alex Bressler.

Photo attributed from usatoday.com

Forget the keys, just make sure to grab your iPhone and you’re good to go. The latest application to hit the iPhone allows you to lock and unlock a car and even start the engine.

Zipcar, the Cambridge, Mass.-based car-sharing service, launched a new app that allows you to locate and reserve one if it’s vehicles, unlock it and also drive it off the lot using the iPhone’s touch-screen. The app also displays available cars that are based on the user’s current location, sorting them by type, model, and time availability.

While many different brands of cars today offer an alternative to using a key to start an engine, Zipcar’s app is the first to control the operation of a car. Many advances in technology allow a car to be started just by having the key in your pocket, but this is the first technological advance that can start a car through an iPhone app.

According to Luke Schneider, Zipcar’s chief technology officer, almost one-third of their members have an iPhone and something like this is what those customers have been asking for.

Zipcar operates in 13 major cities and 120 university campuses, mostly working in large urban areas. Members pay a $50 annual fee plus around $7 per hour to rent a car, including gas and insurance. A reservation can be made through the iPhone app and as soon as the transaction is completed a map and directions will appear providing the customer with the nearest location of a Zipcar lot.

One the member arrives to pick up their car they can find it by using the iPhone to honk a “virtual horn”, which sets off the real horn on the reserved Zipcar. Once the member swipes their membership card, which is located on over the dashboard, the iPhone can be used to unlock the car doors and finally turn on the engine.

Schneider said this was made possible by using basic cellular technology.

“The app uses the same wireless network that keeps the Zipcar fleet connected,” says Schneider.

The app is free and requires iPhone OS 3.0, and works on both iPohone and iPod touch devices.

While this app was set out to make Zipcar rentals easier for customers with the iPhone, it is also considered to be brilliant branding for the business industry. Zipcar is already a low-hassle car rental service but with this new merge in technology the brand has taken a step-up on its competitors.

Photo attributed from News.com.au

Residents of Sydney are experiencing some unusual weather yesterday morning with visiblity at 200 meters at Brisbane airport due to one of the worst dust storms to hit New South Wales and southern Queensland in Australia. Residents of NSW and Queensland awoke to “Armageddon” like scenes with orange skies and limited visablity as well as severe winds and unseasonably warm temperatures. The weather bureau has issued a gale warning, a warning issued by the local authority about the existence of winds of gale force. This warning is to inform mariners to take extra pre-caution while out at sea. The state Emergency Services said it had 175 requests for assistance across the state due to the storms last night.

This dust storm has pushed air pollution levels to 1500 times their normal levels which is now the highest on record. Dr. John Leys, principal research scientist with the NSW Department of Climate Change and Water stated that the dust storm has dumped up to 75 thousand tons of dust per hour into the Tasman Sea at a rate of 1500km on its way to Sydney.

One Twitter post reads: “Fire alarm in apartment won’t shut up. Argh! I slept through it too. Sky is red also. Slightly freaking me out. Back to bed.”

Photo attributed from News.com.au

The NSW Department of Education has asked that all students are kept inside today, cancelling all physical education activities. As well as the Department of Education issuing all schools to keep an eye on students with asthma or respiratory problems, the ambulance for Sydney have issued a respiratory warning which claims that everyone with the same problems are highly recommended to stay indoors.

It is said that this unusual spring weather is due to gale-force winds from further inland picking up the red dust covering Sydney where years of drought have left the earth completely dry.

Photo Attributed from News.com.au

Photo Attributed from News.com.au

Now that the storm has passed The Daily Telegraph reports that the weather forced appromximately 27 thousand people to take the day off from work.

The Sydney Business Chamber said the storm couldn’t have come at a worse time.  Chamber spokesman Chris Taylor said, “Obviously businesses aren’t doing their best at the moment, particularly in NSW, but these things don’t help.”

With morning flights in Sydney disrupting air-traffic the effects will be felt for weeks to come.  

This little dustball may have only lasted a short time, but will affect Sydney for a while. It is said to have been one of, if not the worst of all time and led to other strange behavior in the atmosphere such as small earthquakes and hail storms.

Photo attributed from News.com.au

 Above: A spoof of Kanye West at the MTV VMAs poking fun at the dust storm.

Photo attributed from fibcool.com

Rome is considered to be one of the most popular tourist destinations throughout Europe. Whether it is because of the many ancient attractions that lay buried throughout Rome or simply because of the over-friendly people and scrumptious gelato. One will never truly know. But what I do know is that one particular landmark sets itself apart from the Patheon, the Forum and even the Vatican. The Colosseum is the greatest ampitheatre of ancient times and is probably the most impressive building of the Roman Empire. 

Construction of the Colosseum began in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 allowing enough seating for 70 thousand spectators who could enter throughout over 80 entrances. Below ground level was where all animals where kept in cages and other mechanical devices that would be used to hoist the animals into the middle of the arena. The games that would take place in the Colosseum were a sign of power and prestige. A quick way for the Emperor to gain popularity.  These games were faught between wild animals such as lions and humans. Usually the humans were slaves, criminals, or prioners of war and would fight to the death of either the animal or themselves. The creation was immaculate and would soon become the center of free entertainment for all Roman citizens.

In 847 an earthquake tore the upper part on the southern side of the Colosseum down. Parts of the fallen off pieces were later used for the construction of later monuments, including the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Today, what we see of the Colosseum is considered “the skeleton” of the greatest arena in the ancient world. But one can only imagine what it looked like in it’s prime. Picture it all white, covered in travertine stone slabs. It must have been quite the sight to see.

The Colosseum has since become declared a sacred monument dedicated to the Passion of Christ by Benedict XIV after being threatened to get torn down. A cross now stands on a pedestal as a symbol of the sufferings of all Christian martyrs.

Image attributed from Kenrick Parish

Another epic Roman piece of architecure and art is the Sistine Chapel. It is without a doubt one of the most prestigious art treasures of all time and is literally priceless to anyone that steps foot inside. From the pavement to the ceiling everything about the Sistine Chapel is extraordinary.

The ceiling, possibly the greatest piece of art know to this day was completely finished by Michelangelo, a rare expectation of any artist at the time. Usually an assistant helped with any large scale artwork, but Michelangelo went against all odds and completed this miracle all by himself.

The Sistine Chapel accustoms its name from that of Pope Sixtus IV, who is the pope that commissioned it. It was built in order to give the cardinals a place to meet when electing a new pope.

Photo attributed from Norman Walsh

If you ever get the chance to travel to Rome definitely make sure you throw a coin behind your left shoulder in the Trevi Fountain, climb the Spanish Steps, and visit the Vatican. But be sure to put the Colosseum on top of your lists. You won’t be dissapointed. Trust me.

No other city comes close to Rome. Once known as caput mundi (the capital of the world) it literally only takes one visit to fall in love with the Eternal City.

For almost three years now the super popular video game known as “Rockband” has put Duck Hunt and Super Mario to shame. The game has put a whole new twist on the way video games are played making them much more interactive and fun for people of all ages.

Personally, I have never been into video games. I was never allowed to have them as a child and growing up I never thought twice about owning a system. Although the games can be very appealing, especially the sports ones, I was never interested in spending the money. If I went to a friends house who happened to own a system I would occasionally play but I would never run out to buy my own the next day. Sure they are fun, but I would much rather be outside than sitting around playing video games all day.

Growing up and never being  into video games, I always labeled people that did play them lazy. I personified them as not doing anything else except advancing to another level.

I remember when the game Halo came out and people in my high school telling stories of how they had stayed up all night playing it, just trying to beat it before they had to come to school in the morning. I thought to myself that these people were the epitome of lazy.

Now I know you probably think you know where I’m going with this. But you’re wrong. O.K. yes I do own a video game system now but still, you’re wrong.

This past Christmas my mother offered to buy me a Wii. I was hesitant at first because I thought it was a joke. But she was serious. I guess now that I’m 22 and in my prime years for video games (yeah, right) she thought it would be a good time to buy one. But Wii is not your typical video game system if you have ever played. Wii sports is the most interactive game on the market and needless to say I break a sweat every time I play Wii Tennis. Not only because I am competitive and never want to lose, but also because it is an intense game if you allow yourself to get into it. As opposed to playing any sports game on XBox or PlayStation, in Wii tennis it is actually like playing a mini-tennis match.

After I realized that having a Wii can be fun and not make me feel like such a lazy bum at the same time, I decided to purchase the popular game Guitar Hero. I had played it before at a friend’s house and it proved to be another game where you can stand up and move more body limbs than just your fingers.

I played it quite often during the winter and began to get pretty good at it. It proved to be a fun game to play with friends on cold winter nights when there was nothing better to do than sit inside and stay warm. But when summer came around I never touched my Wii. I looked at it the other day and decided to dust it off because it hasn’t been used in so long. But now that Fall is approaching I’m beginning to think that my days of playing the Wii again are right around the corner.

And what better timing than now for The Beatles: Rockband to hit the shelves. I can now play the songs that my all time favorite band played? Are you kidding me? That makes me smile just thinking about it. Back in the day when I was younger, and yes occasionally I still do, I used to bust out my drumsticks and pretend I was Ringo Starr. Now I can actually play along with the real Ringo Starr…or at least the virtual version of him.

The Beatles: Rockband simply put is more than just a video game. It is like being thrown into practically every club, stadium, or venue that The Bealtes ever played in and experiencing Beatlemania all over again. Harmonix, the Music System which helped create Rockband has done it again. They have completely re-done the guitar, drum, and mic interface and also have put together an outstanding combination of animations, venues, and special effects.

It is an experience I myself as a casual video game player am so excited to go out and buy. This is my equivalent to Halo. You bet I will be up all night playing this game rocking out to every cord John Lennon, George Harrison, and Sir Paul McCartney strummed and every beat that Ringo Starr hit.

An American Female. Winning. The U.S. Open. Usually this sentence would involve one of two names. Serena Williams or Venus Williams. But this time around it’s a fresh new face with a name hardly anyone recognized a mere week ago. Her name is Melanie Oudin and right now she is dominating the United States Open. One of the most electric and thrilling sporting events of the year.

The tennis world has nicknamed her “Little Miss Upset” and that is hardly an understatement. She has already dismissed Number 4 seed Elena Dementieva, Number 29 seeded Maria Sharapova, and her latest victim Number 13 seed Nadia Petrova. The only thing those three women have in common besides being all ranked players and arguably some of the top women’s players on the tour, is that they are all Russian. And ironically enough next up for Oudin could be Number 6 ranked Svetlana Kutznetsova. Another Russian.

As Oudin makes her way through the women’s draw she has become one of the most energetic and entertaining players to watch. The unseeded 17-year old is the youngest American woman to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open since eventual champion (and now ranked Number 2 in the world) Serena Williams in 1999.

“This is really good for American tennis,” said Oudin, “I’m so happy to be in my first Grand Slam quarterfinal.”

That statement couldn’t be any more true at this time in the sport of Women’s tennis. The WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) has been struggling for quite some time to find its dominance in the sport which has been mostly dominated by Russians over the last 3-4 years. With Serena and Venus Williams stealing the sport’s spotlight, maybe it’s time for a new face and Oudin is just the girl.

 Her passion on the court has brought the final Grand Slam Tournament of the year to life and has been compared to the likes of Rafael Nadal because of the fight in her eyes. Nadal plays every point as though it is his last and so does Oudin. It is a compliment to be compared to such an athlete as Nadal.

Although she only stretches to a tiny 5-feet, 6-inches (small for a dominant tennis player) she makes up for it in speed and mental toughness. With the word “Believe” emblazoned on her pink and yellow sneakers I think she will keep doing just that. She has brought the open to life and can hopefully challenge the very dominant (and also my favorite athlete in the world) Serena Williams if they get the chance to play.

“I love how she’s a real big fighter and she never gives up,” Williams, who won her first major at the age of 17 a decade ago in New York at the U.S. Open, said.

And with the media all over her every move, literally, she has kept her cool and stayed calm throughout.

“The only thing that’s different is more people know who I am. That’s it. Everything else is exactly the same. I’m still the same person. I want to keep doing the same thing.”

With that attitude she will be a winner no matter how well she ends up doing on the tennis court. As long as she can just believe.