Argentine goalkeeper Romero joins Man Utd

Source: --Yahoo page

(Reuters) - Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero on a three-year deal, reuniting manager Louis van Gaal with a player who helped bring him a Dutch title but also caused him World Cup heartache.

Related Stories

1. Man United signs Argentina 'keeper Romero on free transfer Associated Press
2. Valdes hits back at Van Gaal in United row Reuters
3. Valdes responds to Gaal 'no play' claimsAFP
4. Victor Valdes time with Manchester United done van Gaal says Associated Press
5. Van Gaal hints United may be interested in Real's Ramos Reuters

The 28-year-old, who played under Van Gaal at Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, joins United as a free agent after leaving Sampdoria at the end of his contract.

"To play for the biggest club in the world is a dream come true for me," he told United's website.

"Louis van Gaal is a fantastic manager and I cannot wait to get started on this new and exciting challenge in my career."

Romero, who has an option for an additional year on his contract, has joined United on their pre-season tour of the United States, where they beat Barcelona 3-1 on Saturday.

"Sergio is a very talented goalkeeper. He was a young keeper during my time at AZ Alkmaar and I am delighted he is joining Manchester United," Van Gaal said.

Romero and his new manager also crossed paths at last year's World Cup, where Argentina eliminated the Van Gaal-coached Netherlands in a semi-final penalty shootout.

"He had a fantastic World Cup last summer in Brazil, although that is something I have put to the back of my mind. He will be a great addition to the team and I am looking forward to working with him once again," Van Gaal added.

Romero's arrival is expected to herald the departure of United's backup Victor Valdes, who was left out of the tour party and told to leave the club due to a row with the manager.

Van Gaal said Valdes had refused to play for United's reserve team, a claim disputed by the Spaniard.

Speculation also continues over the future of first-choice United keeper David De Gea, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, with the La Liga team's defender Sergio Ramos heading to the English side as part of a swap deal.

"I know him (Romero) very well and I think in our situation, if De Gea is going or not going, it is always a threat and we have to take care, make sure that we are prepared and that is why I think it is very good that Sergio Romero is now a Manchester United player," Van Gaal added.

United cap their United States tour on Wednesday against Paris St-Germain, who are reportedly keen on signing the Premier League club's unsettled midfielder Angel Di Maria.

The Argentine did not travel with United on their tour, with Van Gaal admitting he "does not know why".

Romero becomes United's fifth close season signing following the arrivals of Italy defender Matteo Darmian, Dutch forward Memphis Depay, French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin and German skipper Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Satanic Temple holds public sculpture unveiling in Detroit

Statue of Satan unveiled at Satanic temple

By Serena Maria Daniels

DETROIT (Reuters) - A Satanic organization unveiled a controversial bronze Baphomet sculpture in Detroit just before midnight on Saturday, after trying in vain to have it installed near a 10 Commandments monument in Oklahoma.

Due to planned demonstrations, the group, which is opposed to Bible-themed displays on government land, kept the location of the unveiling of its 9-foot-tall monument secret until the last moment, when it emailed the information to ticket holders.

The Satanic Temple unveiled the one-ton statue at an industrial building near the Detroit River just before 11:30 p.m. local time as supporters cheered, "Hail Satan." Some of the hundreds in attendance rushed to pose for photos.

The statue of a winged Baphomet with a human body and a goat's head resembled a design the group previously released. Statues of a boy and a girl stood in poses of adoration on either side.

Jex Blackmore, director of the Satanic Temple Detroit chapter, said temple members planned to transport the sculpture to Arkansas, where earlier this year the governor signed a bill authorizing a 10 Commandments monument on the State Capitol's grounds.

The Temple had unsuccessfully applied to have the statue placed near a 10 Commandments monument installed in 2012 on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds. The Oklahoma Supreme Court recently ruled the 10 Commandments monument violates a section of the state constitution that bans the use of state property for the benefit of a religion.

Lawmakers in the socially conservative state responded with threats to seek the impeachment of the court's justices and pledged to push for changes to the constitution.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, said she will keep the monument in place as the state appeals the decision.

On Saturday, the presentation of Baphomet in Detroit drew protest from local Christians. About 50 people prayed for the city and denounced the monument outside a business where the Satanic Temple previously tried to display the statue before fears of a backlash scuttled the plan.

"The last thing we need in Detroit is having a welcome home party for evil," said Reverend Dave Bullock, a pastor at Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church in Highland Park, Michigan.

READ MORE:http://news.yahoo.com/satanic-temple-holds-public-sculpture-unveiling-detroit-173259288.html

Motorists told not to stop for ducks crossing freeway

 source: July 24, 2015 by David Strege -yahoo page

A mother duck and its ducklings played a real game of Frogger on a freeway in Mounds View, Minnesota, resulting in drivers swerving or slamming their brakes to avoid running them over.

While some might think the ducks were cute, not to mention extremely lucky, the Minnesota State Patrol was not amused.

After video of the event surfaced, the Minnesota State Patrol on Thursday had a message for those drivers: Next time, don’t stop.

“I watched that video and I cringed,” Patrol spokeswoman Lt. Tiffani Nielson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “People should not stop on the freeway for ducks.

“It’s definitely a touchy subject…It’s not very kind, but the risk of a crash is high.”

The video was taken from a Department of Transportation camera along I-35W at Highway 10, showing how the mother duck led its ducklings across the busy freeway, miraculously avoiding getting hit. How they got stuck in the middle of the freeway is unknown.

“I completely understand the connection to a mother duck and her babies, but if there was a crash which resulted in a fatal or serious injury, a driver who stopped for ducks potentially could face a criminal charge,’’ Nielson told the Star Tribune.

Nielson said it becomes the value of a person versus the value of an animal or wildlife and that a person outweighs the value of ducks.

Carrol Henderson, a nongame wildlife program supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, agreed, saying braking and swerving in a situation like that “places lots of drivers at risk.”

“Whether for deer or other creatures like ducks, we all need to look at not placing ourselves at risk in order to save an animal we might otherwise run over,” Henderson told the Star Tribune.

An official for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals agreed to a point but told the Star Tribune that drivers need to be attentive.

“While we would never advise anybody putting themselves or other drivers at risk, there are many situations where it is reasonable and advised to put on the brakes to avoid hitting an animal,” Stephanie Bell of PETA said. “This should almost always be possible if the driver is paying attention.”

Fortunately in this case, the ducks and drivers survived the ordeal unscathed.

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Read more at http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/motorists-told-not-to-stop-for-ducks-crossing-freeway/#3QSsep7AJacuVt22.99

Bobbi Kristina Brown's Death: Stars React on Twitter

Source: Yahoo page

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, died on Sunday, July 26 at the age of 22.

Bobbi Kristina Brown Dead at 22

Soon after the sad news was confirmed, fans, artists, celebrities and more took to Twitter to give their condolences and remember Bobbi Kristina.

Oprah, Missy Elliott and Rosie O'Donnell were just a few of the public figures that paid tribute to her. See their tweets below.

Remembering Bobbi Kristina Brown

 

Reverend Al SharptonVerified account‏@TheRevAl

My prayers are with Cissy Houston, Bobby Brown, and the entire family and love ones of Bobbi Christina. So sad. May God grant her peace.

Jermaine Dupri 

✔@jermainedupri

My heart goes out to bobby brown and the rest of the family

1:17 PM - 26 Jul 2015 · College Park, GA, United States

•  
 
•  134134 Retweets
 
•  196

ErykahBadoula 

• Verified account

@fatbellybella

See me in a fight with a bear? ...Help the bear. Po honey on me. i 

do not have an IG.

OBSERVATION DECK · http://erykah-badu.com

FOLLOWERS

 

1,480,289

  

 

FOLLOWING

 

15,392

Missy Elliott 

✔@MissyElliott

My heart is truly heavy May u rest in peace with your mommy #BobbiKristina sending prayers 2 the Brown/Houston family🏾

1:25 PM - 26 Jul 2015

Oprah Winfrey 

✔@Oprah

Peace at Last! #BobbiKristina

1:45 PM - 26 Jul 2015

Ava DuVernay 

✔@AVAETC

She seemed to be caught in the web of celebrity upon arrival. Twenty two years. A sad end. May the sister have peace now. #BobbiKristina

1:30 PM - 26 Jul 2015

Pepa 

✔@DaRealPepa

#RIPBobbiKristina gone too soon. My thoughts and prayers with @KingBobbyBrown and their family.

1:05 PM - 26 Jul 2015

Keri Hilson 

✔@KeriHilson

Rest In Peace, #BobbiKristina. 🏾

1:04 PM - 26 Jul 2015

Sherri ShepherdVerified account‏@SherriEShepherd

“Motherhood changes you… you don’t live for you, you’re living for your children” Whitney Houston #RIP Bobbi Kristina

Wounded female warrior accepts ESPY in the spirit of Pat Tillman

    

Danielle Green on stage at the ESPY Awards. (AP photo)

WARD CARROLL JULY 21, 2015

Danielle Green learned how to be tough while growing up on the mean streets of Chicago. That outlook served her well during her intercollegiate basketball career at Notre Dame in the late ‘90s where she fought to win and racked up enough points to become the Fighting Irish’s sixteenth leading scorer of all time.

But it wasn’t until Green enlisted in the Army that she was made to discover just how tough she really is. She deployed to Iraq in January of 2004 with the 571st Military Police Company.  Shortly into that tour she was hit by shrapnel from an RPG that exploded next to her while she was pulling sentry duty on a rooftop in Baghdad.

“That pain was like nothing else,” Green said. “It was so painful I wanted to die.”

Green lost her left arm halfway between the wrist and elbow. After extensive surgeries and rehab, she had to face the reality that her military career was over. “I gave all I could give,” she said. “I realized I wanted to serve in a different way.”

Watch:http://www.wearethemighty.com/wounded-female-warrior

She attended graduate school and studied to be a school counselor, and at some point between getting her degree and her job search a friend suggested she focus on helping service members with the issues that surround the move back to civilian life. “That’s my purpose,” she said. “That’s my mission.”

Green now works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a readjustment therapist at the Veterans Center in South Bend, Indiana. “It’s how I can continue serving my fellow veterans,” she said.

Last week Green was honored with the 2015 Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPN’s Espy Awards held in Los Angeles.

Marie Tillman, president and co-founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation and Pat Tillman’s widow, said Green was selected for the award because of her resilience and personal efforts that have made her “a voice and advocate for this generation of veterans.”

“Not all of us are Pat Tillman,” Green said during her acceptance remarks in front of a packed house of sports greats and celebrities broadcast to a national TV audience. “But we can all find ways to serve our community. We can all find ways to support the people around us. We can all find a purpose on this earth larger than ourselves.”

Read more: http://www.wearethemighty.com/wounded-female-warrior-accepts-espy-in-the-spirit-of-pat-tillman-2015-07#ixzz3gmFRz25j

Experience Professional Travel and Tour Services|| Levart tours

Levart tours is a travel and tour management company located in Lagos, Nigeria that is committed  in offering quality standard services at an affordable price to individuals, families, and corporate travels.

We seek to offer our client the best travel solution, which is expertly tailored and personalised to suit your travel needs. We strive to provide you with everything to make your trip memorable, enjoyable and comfortable.

 Levart tours is where you can find a wide variety of quality choices that match your interests, time and budget. We provide you with all the services starting from the commencement of your journey.

Our prevalent experience and expertise within the travel and tour industry justify the capacity we deliver to our clients. Our core strength is our well trained qualified and experienced team efficient to meet the complexities of the travel and tour services and managements

Our wide range of associates from within and outside Nigeria understands the environment, the travel needs and the client service support required to deliver effectively.

Vision

To be the most preferred travel agency of choice in Nigeria with the best client service delivery.

Mission

To establish a professional managed Travel and Tour Company with global best practice and standard through the application of human, technology and processes while reaching clients at an affordable price.

Core Values

• ·         *We value quality service, reliability, transparency, honesty and professionalism which are fuelled by our passion for what we do.
• ·         *The privacy of our clients is recognised and so we take conscious steps to safeguard the privacy of information that we obtain in the course of rendering our services

Our Services

The list of our unique services designed to suit specific travel needs include but not limited to:

- Travel Booking and reservations (Local and International airlines/flights)
- Ticket Issue
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- Religious Tours
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- Multi Lingual Guide
- Excursions and Family Planned Trips
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- Other Travel Logistics

PEOPLE AND CHANGE---Joan Consulting

Joan Consulting faculty focus on human capabilities and develop strategies for the attraction, development, motivation, retention and management of the right people with the right skill sets and right experiences to deliver on the goals of the organisation. Focusing on the HR function, it develops the corresponding HR strategy, programs and plans that enable the HR function and line management — working together — to be able to deliver the strategy for the human capabilities.

Finally, when organisations need to accomplish major change and make it sustainable, the two are integrated to enable people involved with and affected by the change to become engaged, committed and competent in the new way of doing business.

Joan Consulting Faculty ″People and Change team″ serve clients in all industries. Our professionals bring extensive experience and they work collaboratively with clients advising them on:

• organisation design & development
• behavioral change management
• talent management
• optimising the human resources function.
• workforce optimisation

Within these broad categories, our faculty ″the People and Change team″ advise clients on transforming their organisations by:

• align their top teams around their strategy and required performance
• create a vision and case for change
• engage stakeholders
• align the various change levers, particularly HR
• craft communications strategies and plans
• change project and program management
• develop talent/human capital strategies, including identifying and retaining top talent
• improve organisational design and organisation capability development
• encourage cultural change
• create effective performance management
• design delivery models (shared services, outsourcing, etc.)
• establish the organisation design of the HR function
• redesign HR processes and programs
• assess HR technology and strategies
• improve the HR team's effectiveness.

Our faculty board can advise our clients on:

• behavioral change management — accelerating and making sustainable the successful implementation of change by developing strategies that deal with the impact on people created by changes to strategy, structure, processes and technology
• talent development — ensuring that strategies can in fact be implemented by identifying and developing the human capital within an organisation
• organisation design & development — creating effective and efficient organisation designs that deliver the capabilities and performance required by the client's strategic intent
• HR function optimisation — creating an HR function by developing leading delivery models for the implementation of the broader Human Capital strategy.
• Workforce optimisation — includes the workforce analytics required to achieve optimisation of employee cost, capacity, capability, connections and compliance. We deliver further insight by providing strategic and operational workforce planning solutions

For more publications subscribe to www.bit.ly/1HHk5hh

References:
www.businessballs.com › leadership/management
www.mindtools.com › Project Management
peopleandchange.com