Achli blog

Juan Martin del Potro advances in Key Biscayne

Juan Martin del Potro won yet another match in his return from a right wrist injury, beating Ricardo Mello 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open.

Del Potro, the Argentine star who won the 2009 U.S. Open, was limited to three events last year because of the injury. He has jumped from 257th to 51st in the world this year, winning the Delray Beach International last month and reaching the semifinals in San Jose, Memphis and Indian Wells.

"I'm still improving match by match," said del Potro, 18-5 this year. "It's a good signal for my future, for my comeback, and for recovering my game."

He'll face Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round.

"I feel tired, but I'm really glad with my success between San Jose and today, and I have more energy to stay alive in this tournament," del Potro said. "I really like playing here in Miami. Many South American people come to see the tournament, so we feel really well."

In a night match, James Blake rallied to edge Michael Russell 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3).

Blake spent most of last year nursing shoulder and right knee injuries, and ended the season ranked out of the top 100 for the first time since 2001. Ranked 177th, he got into the main draw as a wild card.

"It's important just because people can see the desire is still there," Blake said. "It's still going to take some time for me to get my form back. Tonight was very encouraging because I wasn't playing my absolute best tennis but I still got a win."

Kevin Anderson also advanced, beating Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 6-3.

In women's first-round play, former world No. 1 Dinara Safina beat Jelena Dokic 6-4, 6-4.

Safina missed three months last year because of a back injury.

"Slowly, I am starting to get some matches behind me," Safina said. "I'm still far from being at my best, but we are working day by day and with each win it helps me to get closer to where I want to be."

Bethanie Mattek-Sands celebrated her 26th birthday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sofia Arvidsson, setting up a match against top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki.

Mattek Sands lost the one time she played Wozniacki, in the 2009 Italian Open.

"It's a good challenge for me and I like challenges," Mattek-Sands said. "You just got to go into the match knowing you're not going to get free points. For me, I'll stick to my same game plan. I'm going to play aggressive."

Kimiko Date-Krumm, at 40 the oldest player in the women's singles draw, beat Zuzana Ondraskova 6-4, 6-3.

IEEE Approves Next WiMax Standard

s largest mobile WiMax provider, has tested that technology.

Sprint Nextel, majority owner of Clearwire, , which it said might offer 128M bps to 360M bps. But with Clearwire strapped for cash to further expand its network, many observers have raised questions about the future technology directions of both companies.

Earlier this year, representatives of many of the world's biggest handset makers , which they said would increase transfer speeds to 1G bps.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at . Stephen's e-mail address is

Toy Industry Foundation to Collect Thousands of Plush, Toys and Games at Toy Fair 2011

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2011 – K.I.D.S. to Distribute Toys to Deserving Children Nationwide

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The(TIF), in partnership with Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), will cap off the 108th American International Toy Fair with a toy drive through , the Foundation's signature program.

The collection will kick-off today (Wednesday, February 16th) when Toy Fair closes. At 4 p.m., 100 volunteers will scour the show floors at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to gather exhibitors' samples of plush, toys and games which will benefit children in need.

"We're pleased to partner with K.I.D.S. again this year, for our 8th annual Toy Bank collection at Toy Fair," said Jean Butler, Executive Director, Toy Industry Foundation. "Thanks to the generosity of exhibitors and the help of countless volunteers, we can continue to spread the joy of toys and play to deserving children nationwide. Our goal for 2011 is to have 25% of exhibitors participate in this philanthropic event."

Each year, more than 200 exhibitors contribute to the annual Toy Drive; on average, 25,000 pieces, valued at approximately $250,000, are collected from the aisles at Toy Fair. In 2010, donating companies represented 33 states and eight countries.

Donated products collected at Toy Fair 2011 will benefit TIF's partnerships with Ronald McDonald House Charities, the My Stuff Bags Foundation and Boys and Girls Clubs of America Military Services. Products will also be distributed nationwide through K.I.D.S. to the Toy Bank network of charity recipients, including Museo del Barrio, Christ Tabernacle of Glendale, World Vision, The New York Foundling, New Alternatives for Children, Children of Promise, Bronxworks, Newark Now and Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.

"We are delighted to be collaborating once again with the Toy Industry Foundation to put smiles on children's faces," said Dr. Janice Weinman, President of K.I.D.S. "This is such a great opportunity for manufacturers to give back to the kids who need our help the most."

The Toy Industry Foundation works year-round to bring the 'tools of play' to kids who are living in poverty, recovering from abuse or crisis, suffering from chronic illness, or living with the stress of having a parent in the military. TIF's Toy Bank facilitates this mission by collecting newly manufactured toys from members of the toy industry and distributing them through local charities serving children in difficult situations.

ABOUT TOY INDUSTRY FOUNDATION ()While other organizations provide food, shelter and support services to children and their families, the Toy Industry Foundation sees to it that these children have toys and opportunities to play in an attempt to restore both fun and a sense of normalcy to their lives. The Foundation currently fulfills its mission through core programs including The Toy Bank, public education initiatives, and grants to organizations whose missions are in line with that of the Toy Industry Foundation.

ABOUT K.I.D.S

Celebrating 25 years in service, K.I.D.S. has provided over 65 million underprivileged and disaster-struck children with close to one billion dollars of NEW clothing, toys, basic necessities, juvenile products, books and much more. The donations of new products are distributed through an established network of nearly 1,000 local community social service agencies in the U.S. and abroad. K.I.D.S.' efforts reach youth, age 0-18, who are challenged by poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, low literacy, military family service, major illness, incarcerated family members and disaster survival. More information about donating new products and supporting our work is available online at .

SOURCEToy Industry Foundation

Saq .Roadkill (including Breakfast remix) (ELEL054) .Life .The Score .Feel the Hope

Walker leads No. 13 UConn over No. 9 Georgetown

HARTFORD, Conn. – Kemba Walker had 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead No. 13 Connecticut to a 78-70 victory over No. 9 Georgetown on Wednesday night, snapping the Hoyas' eight-game winning streak.

Jamal Coombs-McDaniel had 23 points in his second straight big game for the Huskies (20-5, 8-5 Big East), who had lost three of their last five, including two at home.

Chris Wright had 19 points for the Hoyas (20-6, 9-5), who went on their winning streak after starting conference play 1-4.

Walker had a highlight reel full of incredible drives to the basket, with the 6-foot-1 junior going under, around and sometimes it seemed through bigger defenders.

Georgetown's last lead was at 70-69 on a basket by Austin Freeman with 4:01 left. But that was the Hoyas' last field goal of the game as the Huskies closed on a 9-0 run with Walker scoring the first three points of it.

The game was a matchup of two of the top candidates for conference player of the year in Walker, who is second in the league in scoring at 22.8, and Freeman, who is third with an 18.5 average. This one went to Walker in a walkaway.

It wasn't just the points Walker scored, it was how he scored them.

With 13 minutes to play, he was covered by 6-10 Henry Sims on a switch. Walker faked a move to get Sims to one side and threw the ball hard off the backboard, jumped into the lane ahead of everybody else, grabbed the rebound and tossed it in from about 4 feet to make it 53-46.

The sellout crowd of 16,294 at the XL Center was suddenly alive because of Walker and he didn't let them down.

A minute later he drove through two defenders and flipped the ball in to give the Huskies a 57-48 lead.

His third amazing move came with 8 minutes left, just after a technical foul was called against Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun.

Walker went past the basket, turned, and with his back to the rim, flipped the ball over and in for a 63-57 lead. Each of the moves had the crowd going crazier, but the Hoyas stayed within striking range and took the lead on Freeman's basket after a give-and-go for their last lead and field goal. Georgetown missed its last seven shots and saw its longest winning streak since an 11-game run in 2006-07 end.

Freeman finished with 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting, including missing all four of his 3-point attempts. Wright finished 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.

Coombs-McDaniel is on a two-game run nobody could have expected. On Sunday, he had 25 points in a win over Providence, 14 above his career high entering the game. Even with that he came in averaging 5.4 points, and had his 23 on 8-for-11 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.

Walker had a triple-double earlier this season against UMBC.

Borders files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection

NEW YORK – Bookseller Borders, which helped pioneer superstores that put countless mom-and-pop bookshops out of business, filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday, sunk by crushing debt and sluggishness in adapting to a rapidly changing industry.

The 40-year-old company plans to close about 200 of its 642 stores over the next few weeks. All of the stores closed will be superstores, Borders spokeswoman Mary Davis said. The company also operates smaller Waldenbooks and Borders Express stores.

Clearance sales could begin as early as this weekend, according to documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. Borders said it is losing about $2 million a day at the stores it plans to close.

Cautious consumer spending, negotiations with vendors and a lack of liquidity made it clear Borders "does not have the capital resources it needs to be a viable competitor," Borders Group Inc. President Mike Edwards said in a written statement.

Borders plans to operate normally and honor gift cards and its loyalty program as it reorganizes.

The company will receive $505 million in debtor-in-possession financing from GE Capital and others to help it reorganize.

According to the Chapter 11 filing, Borders had $1.28 billion in assets and $1.29 billion in debts as of Dec. 25.

It owes tens of millions of dollars to publishers, including $41.1 million to Penguin Putnam, $36.9 million to Hachette Book Group, $33.8 million to Simon & Schuster and $33.5 million to Random House.

It's significant that Borders could not reach an agreement with creditors and file a "prepackaged bankruptcy." Said Nejat Seyhun, a bankruptcy expert at the University of Michigan.

It could be a sign that creditors do not believe Borders will be a "viable operation going forward," Seyhun said.

Activist investor William Ackman, whose Pershing Square Management Co. has a nearly 15 percent stake in the company, also stands to be a big loser. Shareholders are often wiped out in a reorganization.

He offered to finance a $16-per-share Borders-led takeover bid for rival Barnes & Noble in December, but nothing materialized.

The filing was expected, but it is far from clear if it will be enough to save the company.

"They are going to have to be an entirely different company than the one that went into bankruptcy protection if they want to emerge successfully," said Jim McTevia, managing partner of turnaround firm McTevia & Associates in Bingham Farms, Mich.

It has been a long fall for the Ann Arbor, Mich., company, which 15 years ago appeared to be the future of bookselling.

Big-box bookstores have struggled as competition has become increasingly tough as books become available in more locations, from Costco to Walmart, online sales grow and electronic books gain in popularity.

Borders also suffered from a series of errors: failing to catch onto the growing importance of the Web and electronic books, not reacting quickly enough to declining music and DVD sales, and hiring four CEOs in 5 years without book-selling experience.

"Books and content just became so available at so many other locations, online and offline, the 'grow, rinse, repeat' mindset just wouldn't work anymore," said Michael Norris, senior trade analyst at Simba Information.

In addition, Americans are simply buying fewer books. Sales fell nearly 5 percent in 2010 to 717.8 million from 751.7 million last year, according to Nielsen, which tracks about 70 percent of book sales but doesn't include Walmart stores.

For book lovers who like to shop in stores, the news was worrisome.

"It's just really sad to hear that happening," said Monika Barera, 50, shopping Wednesday at a Borders store in its hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich. The downtown store she was shopping at isn't closing, but four others in Michigan are. "I just hope they can find a way through."

At its peak in 2003, Borders operated 1,249 Borders and Waldenbooks stores. Now it operates barely half that. Its annual revenue has fallen by about $1 billion since 2006, the last year it reported a profit.

Borders' rival Barnes & Noble, which has 29.8 percent of the book market compared with Borders' 14.3 percent according to IBIS World, has done better by adapting to e-commerce and electronic books more quickly and keeping management stable.

Tom and Louis Borders opened their first store in 1971, selling used books in Ann Arbor, Mich. At the time the brothers were mostly interested in offering other bookstores a system they'd developed for managing inventory.

But in 1973, the store moved to a larger location and starting selling new books. The brothers decided to focus on opening more bookstores.

The birth of the superstore was still a decade away. The Waldenbooks and B. Dalton mall chains, with small, 2,000-square-foot stores and 20,000 to 50,000 titles, were growing rapidly.

Against this backdrop, Borders opened its second location in 1986. From there, the company opened one or two bookstores a year; the pace eventually increased to 40 a year.

The new superstores, in contrast to mall chains, ran 10,000 to 15,000 square feet and offered between 100,000 and 200,000 titles and enticements to linger like comfortable chairs and attractive lighting.

Kmart Corp. saw the potential and acquired Borders in 1992, forming a book unit with Waldenbooks. It then spun the bookstores off as a separate company in 1995, the same year a company called Amazon.com started selling books online.

Analysts say a key error for Borders came in 2001, when it contracted out its e-commerce business to Amazon.com.

"Termites don't team with Orkin," said Simba Information's Norris. "Amazon had no incentive whatsoever to promote Borders. ... It really marked the beginning of the end."

That relationship lasted until 2006. By then, Borders lagged far behind Barnes & Noble, which had been selling books online since 1997.

By the time Borders' current CEO, financier Bennett LeBow, came aboard in May 2010 after investing $25 million into the company, the ship was listing badly.

Fordham University marking professor Al Greco said Borders can operate with fewer stores, but the same challenges remain, Greco said.

"This is not a good day for book retailers, book readers and book publishers," Greco said. "It's a serious problem that a major chain that did a nice job for many years could not survive."

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Associated Press Writers David Runk in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Edward White in Detroit contributed to this story.