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March 10, 2012 in Sports

Barry Wilner Associated Press

Teams can begin to negotiate with free agents at 1 p.m. PDT onTuesday.

Peyton Manning is a free man. Drew Brees isnot.

A week after a record 21 players were given franchise tags only Saints star quarterback Brees got an exclusive tag and cant even talk to other teams the NFLs free-agency free-for-all begins. And it will becrazy.

For teams willing to part with two first-round draft picks, such game-changers as Ray Rice, Wes Welker and Matt Forte are available. For those looking just to spend money to acquire new talent, Saints starters Marques Colston and All-Pro guard Carl Nicks are on the market. So is highly touted quarterback Matt Flynn, who doesnt seem to have much future in Green Bay behind AaronRodgers.

And for teams ready to gamble, there is four-time MVPManning.

I have no idea who wants me, what team wants me, how this process works, Manning said after being released by the Indianapolis Colts, who are rebuilding, uncertain about his health after four neck surgeries, and have a $28 million roster bonus remaining in their bank account by cutting Manning. I mean, this is all so new tome.

Manning can even sign before free agency opens Tuesday because he was released. Already, cornerback Stanford Routt took that route, joining the Chiefs for a three-year, $19.6 million deal soon after he was cut byOakland.

See the article here:
Intriguing names dot NFL’s free-agency list - Sat, 10 Mar 2012 PST

The sidewalks are the domain of tourists, prospectors and preachy Park Slope moms. There's no room for cabs, and there's certainly no room for car dealerships to let their products idle. But it's not like common decency stops some dealerships: a tipster sent us the above photos, and asked, "One dealership on the West Side has the habit of parking many of their cars on the sidewalks. Is that legal? Authorized?"

No, it is definitely not legalaccording to the Department Of Transportation, stopping, standing or parking on a sidewalk warrants a $115 fine. But our tipster says he has contacted the DOT several times, and not heard from them about any of his complaints. Along with the sidewalk parking, he's also complained about graffiti on newsstands, missing bus info panels, damaged roofs and shattered glass: "I doubt I will hear from DOT. I [emailed them] over 8 times since last August. [They are] not responding to my requests and at the same time the needed work is being ignored. Do you know why DOT is stone walling me?"

This practice is not unique to NYC either (we've seen Parking Wars!). Another reader told us about his friend's bizarre and scary encounters with a car dealership in Newark last year, where one dealership would park their cars on the sidewalk, forcing him off the sidewalk and into the street while walking.

They brought over this huge tow truck with a huge bed, they loaded up all their cars and took them away. Later that day, my friend was walking from the Newark train station home and they pulled up alongside him in car. And a couple guys from the dealership leaned out and said, "Hey f----t, we're gonna hire a n----r to kill you." After that, he started avoiding them, changing his routes, and he'd always try to walk with other people. And now he doesn't live there anymore.

Go here to see the original:
Will DOT Ever Notice This Illegal Sidewalk Parking?

Photo by Contributed image

Contributed image "WZRD," the first collaborative CD from Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius, mixes hip hop with guitar-driven, rock-based production.

Longtime friends and partners Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius converge under the moniker "WZRD" in their debut collaborative self-titled album, which reveals a new musical direction for Scott Mescudi.

In "WZRD," Cudi jousts his demons and celebrates his triumphs through melodic rhymes, while other times full-out singing to the best of his (limited) abilities. Furthermore, Cudi's lyrical sensitivity and introspection are ever present throughout the album. But the biggest difference in "WZRD" from Cudi and Dot's previous works is Dot's guitar-driven, rock-based production. Cudi always has straddled the lines of hip-hop underdog and emotive rock star, as if in the depths of his conscience RUN-DMC and Aerosmith were battling it out as they did in their '80s hit, "Walk This Way."

Now in "WZRD," Joe Perry kicks the wall in, unplugs the turntables, cranks the gain on his amp up to 11 and lets his Les Paul wail. In the process of creating the album, Dot and Cudi taught themselves electric and bass guitar while extensively studying their favorite rock acts, such as Pink Floyd and The Pixies.

The result of their experimentation is an album chocked full of heavy electric guitar, ambient entrancing vocals and potent thought-provoking lyrics that are a clever byproduct of Cudi's otherwise repressed alter-ego.

"High Off Life" follows the instrumental intro and starts the album off on an exhilarating note with gritty guitar chords, deep pounding drums and Cudi's rousing chorus, "Never thought the day would come for me/When I would be high off life!/ There's so much I haven't seen."

Listeners immediately get the direction Cudi and Dot are headed in and realize that Dot's production genius expands beyond the elements of hip-hop.

Within Cudi's music, drugs and addiction have always been a recurring theme. In "High Off Life," he persuades us he is free and that "O.D.ing off the life" is a sufficient fix, but Dr. Pill finds him reverting to using medication as his therapy. In "Teleport to Me, Jamie," a song to his recent ex, Cudi yearns to be near his then new love: "I can't stand the times when I'm alone at night/And I feel your side of the bed and it's cold/Wide awake, I don't know the time/Cause I'm too busy texting you on my phone."

"WZRD" follows the tradition of their favorite bands, such as Nirvana and Lead Belly, in covering the traditional folk song "Black Girl" in "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." The duo breaks tradition by beefing up the originally somber and acoustic track with echoing electric guitar and Cudi's fervent vocals.

Continue reading here:
Cudi, Dot meld grinding rock, hip hop

The state auditor's office found "gross mismanagement" at a company that provided rural transportation services for the N.C. Department of Transportation and wants it investigated by authorities.

The Cary company 2Plus worked for years without a contract, overcharged the state, and took poor care of DOT-owned vehicles, according to auditors.

The DOT employee who managed the contract, former Public Transportation Division Director Miriam S. Perry, retired last year.

Noting that the contract with 2Plus was the only one Perry personally managed and that the company employed a former DOT worker, auditors said they were sending the report to the State Bureau of Investigation. Calls to Perry and 2Plus were not returned.

Paul F. Morris said he moved to end the state's association with 2Plus when he started work last fall as the department's deputy secretary for transit.

"We ceased operation of the program, we cooperated with the state auditor's office to identify any deficiencies, and we've since been working diligently to implement every action we can to ensure it doesn't happen again," he said. The company stopped operating the program Nov. 30.

According to the audit, 2Plus received $4.3 million in state and federal money over 11 years to operate the van pool.

In those years, the company worked without a contract for the equivalent of about six years, billed the department for $163,272 in various charges that appear "excessive and unreasonable," and didn't properly maintain the DOT-owned vans, according to the audit. One van went 45,000 miles before it got its first oil change, the audit said.

According to the audit, counties, not the state, usually manage rural van pool programs aimed at getting people in rural areas where there is no bus service to jobs. The report said 2Plus was the only van pool operator paid directly through the state transportation department.

Perry faced no discipline, Morris said, because she retired soon after the department learned of the audit and the scope of the problems. When asked, Perry was forthcoming about the situation, he said.

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Auditors: Investigate transport firm that worked for DOT

Raleigh, N.C. The state Department of Transportation provided little oversight as a Cary company operated a vanpool program for low-income workers in rural areas of North Carolina and racked up excessive fees, according to an audit released Thursday.

The auditors' findings have been turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation to determine if any criminal charges are warranted.

The DOT hired 2Plus Inc. in late 2000 to operate a fleet of vans to help low-income people in rural areas commute to work. The program peaked at 34 routes in 2006, but only 10 were still running when the state cut ties with the company two years ago.

The audit found that 2Plus operated the program without a contract for the equivalent of six years because officials in the state Division of Public Transportation failed to execute new contracts after old ones expired. That led to disputes over the purpose of the program, such as 2Plus using some vans to transport South Carolina workers to jobs in North Carolina and non-resident aliens to jobs at Outer Banks hotels, according to the audit.

The absence of a contract also led to "excessive and unreasonable" fees for the program, the audit states. Those included an extra $163,272 to cover personal mileage of volunteer van drivers, temporary rentals when state vans weren't available and insurance deductibles, according to the audit.

"It's just poor management every way you look at it," State Auditor Beth Wood said. "It's just mind-boggling to me. You've got this kind of gross mismanagement, and then I have to turn around and cut nine positions (because of a tight budget)."

Byron York, executive director of 2Plus, said neither the company nor its staff received undue benefits.

"The program has been honest, legitimate. We show where the expenses have been and for what," York said.

The state paid 2Plus $4.3 million through June 2010, and the company says it is still owed $617,404, according to the audit. The state also spent $721,590 on the vans used in the program, the audit states.

The DOT didn't have lease agreements with 2Plus for most of the state-owned vans, the audit states.

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Audit: DOT mismanaged rural vanpool program