PC Games » w.cheapmichiganstatejerseys.com/]Cheap Michigan S

WASHINGTON -- If Stephen Harper or Barack Obama plan to do any Olympics-watching next February, theyll be staring at a screen and not from the stands. The Canadian and American leaders both announced Wednesday that they will not be attending the Games, prompting speculation of an international snub over Russias gay-rights record. Harpers office announced the news discreetly, in a late-evening email. The message from the Prime Ministers Office noted that Harper has gone to only one Olympics since he took office, and that lone exception was for obvious reasons. "He normally does not attend (Vancouver was an exception because Canada was the host)," a prime ministerial spokesman said in an email. That news came several hours after the United States delivered a more conspicuous message. For the first time since 2000, the U.S. will not send a president, former president, first lady or vice-president to the Games. Also, the small U.S. delegation for the opening and closing ceremonies will include two openly gay athletes. Those athletes, tennis legend Billie Jean King and hockey player Caitlin Cahow, will be joined by figure skater Brian Boitano, former cabinet secretary Janet Napolitano, a presidential advisor, and the U.S. ambassador to Russia. An Obama spokesman was asked at the daily White House press briefing whether the delegation was intended to make a political point. While he said such a message would not be sent "through this manner," his response also repeatedly referred to "diversity" -- a word Obamas spokesman mentioned seven times in his answers. "This delegation represents the diversity that is the United States," said presidential spokesman Jay Carney. "Every member of that delegation is extremely accomplished, either in government service or in civic activism or, most especially, in sports. So hes very proud of the delegation and the diversity it represents. And he looks forward, as every American does, to the competition and to the effort that American athletes will demonstrate when they compete in Sochi." Obamas spokespeople said his schedule would not allow him to attend. However, Carney also added that the president has been clear that he "finds it offensive, the anti-LGBT legislation in Russia," as well as the harassment caused to those who protest corruption there. Russia has come under fierce criticism for passing national laws banning "gay propaganda." For its part, the Canadian government said its delegation choices will be announced soon. When asked whether they should be interpreted as carrying a human-rights message, Harper spokesman Jason MacDonald replied: "No. Were not in a position to comment on who our representatives will be." France and Germany are among the other countries who will not send their presidents to Sochi for the Games. Earlier this month, IOC President Thomas Bach said Russia would set up public protest zones in Sochi for "people who want to express their opinion or want to demonstrate for or against something." Meanwhile, the IOC approved a letter going out to athletes reminding them to refrain from protests or political gestures during the Sochi Games -- reiterating Rule 50 of the Olympic charter, which forbids demonstrations on Olympic grounds. Bach had previously said hed received assurances from Russian President Vladimir Putin that gays will not be discriminated against in Sochi. On Thursday, Putin reiterated those assurances, saying it is Russias responsibility as host of the Games to ensure equal conditions for all the athletes. "The main thing for us is the good organization of these competitions, the creation of equal terms for all athletes," he told a Moscow news conference. But the Russian law has raised questions about what could happen to athletes who wear pins or badges or carry flags supporting gay rights. The U.S. Olympic Committee made no comment about the sexual orientation of the delegation Wednesday. In a nod to its disapproval of the law, however, the USOC recently revised its non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation. Earlier this year, Obama rejected the idea of a U.S. boycott of the Olympics despite a number of differences with Russia, including the anti-gay law. Wednesdays announcement, however, represented an unmistakable break with recent precedent: In Vancouver, Vice-President Joe Biden led the delegation, and in 2012, first lady Michelle Obama held the honour. The announcement prompted an enthusiastic response from the Human Rights Campaign, which recently sent a letter urging Obama to include gays and lesbians in the U.S. delegation. "Its a positive sign to see openly gay representatives in the delegation," said spokesman Michael Cole-Schwartz. "Hopefully it sends a message to the Russian people and the rest of the world that the United States values the civil and human rights of LGBT people." King made an explicit point about human rights Wednesday, saying she was "deeply honoured" to be named to the delegation. "I am equally proud to stand with the members of the LGBT community in support of all athletes who will be competing in Sochi and I hope these Olympic Games will indeed be a watershed moment for the universal acceptance of all people," she said. King, who won Wimbledon 20 times in singles and doubles categories, will attend the opening ceremony. Starling Marte Jersey . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Customized/. The Detroit Tigers star had microfracture surgery Friday to repair the medial and lateral meniscus in his left knee. "I dont want to say it was a surprise," team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said. Willie Stargell Jersey . Webb birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead, then watched as Choi, who shot a course-record 62 on Saturday to take a share of the third-round lead, pushed a 10-foot putt wide of the hole at 18 to miss the chance for a playoff. Barry Bonds Jersey . -- Colin Kaepernick insists he just happened to pull on a pair of socks with dollar bill prints all over them Wednesday morning -- before he learned he had struck a new fortune with the San Francisco 49ers.PRETORIA, South Africa - More than a year after he killed his girlfriend, Oscar Pistorius is expected to finally answer questions about why he shot Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door when his murder trial resumes this week and his defence lawyers begin presenting the evidence they hope will save the Olympic athlete from going to prison for 25 years to life. Pistorius account that he killed Steenkamp by mistake is going to "stand or fall" with his testimony in court, a legal expert says. Charged with premeditated murder for Steenkamps death, Pistorius and his defence team say he will testify to counter accusations that he intentionally killed Steenkamp by firing four times through the door in his bathroom before dawn on Valentines Day last year, hitting her in the head, arm and hip. Pistorius says he mistook Steenkamp for a dangerous intruder hiding in a toilet cubicle. South Africa has no trial by jury, meaning Judge Thokozile Masipa will pronounce Pistorius guilty or not guilty of murder, and Pistorius has the chance to convince her that he did not intentionally kill the 29-year-old model. But Pistorius testimony also gives prosecutors the chance to cross-examine the celebrated double-amputee runner and scrutinize every aspect of his story. Facing a possible life sentence, his questioning by chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel could be the biggest challenge yet for the 27-year-old Pistorius, a disabled athlete who fought for years to win the right to compete alongside able-bodied runners and made history by running at the 2012 Olympics. Brian Webber, one of Pistorius lawyers, said they had no choice but to put Pistorius on the stand. Legal experts say its a risk Pistorius defence has to take. In a rare comment after the prosecution closed its case, Pistorius said "we have a lot ahead of us." Pistorius often reacted emotionally to details of Steenkamps death in the four weeks of prosecution-led testimony at his trial. He retched loudly and vomited in court when a pathologist described Steenkamps grisly injuries and cried and frequently covered his ears while sittiing in the dock in an apparent attempt to block out graphic testimony.dddddddddddd During his own testimony, he will have to describe in depth his fatal shooting of Steenkamp. "He cant ignore it," Marius du Toit, a criminal defence lawyer and former state prosecutor in South Africa who is observing the trial, said of Pistorius testifying. "He has to get into the box and confirm his version and be open to cross-examination. And this matter is going to stand or fall with that." Defendants in South Africa have the right to remain silent but because he has admitted killing Steenkamp, Pistorius is under pressure to tell the court why he decided to shoot through the door with his 9 mm pistol without knowing — in his version — who was on the other side. Prosecutors charge that Pistorius murdered Steenkamp after a fight and he must dispel their accusations that he intentionally shot her as she hid behind the locked door, legal experts say. Pistorius likely wont be the first witness the defence calls on Monday, but he should take the stand straight after pathologist Prof. Jan Botha gives evidence. Pistorius has not yet spoken publicly about the shooting, only giving his side in a written statement at his bail hearing a year ago and in court documents presented at the start of the trial last month. In those statements, Pistorius claims to have been in a loving relationship with Steenkamp but, in fear for his life, he shot at what he thought was an intruder after hearing a window being opened in his bathroom and then a noise inside the cubicle. Even if he is acquitted of murder, Pistorius faces a negligent killing conviction which can carry a five-year prison sentence. His testimony must show that he acted reasonably when he shot four times from close range. "A reasonable man most probably would not have fired four shots through the door," lawyer and observer du Toit said. "His actions were definitely not reasonable and I think thats his biggest problem." ___ Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP Stitched College Jerseys Cheap UCLA Jerseys NCAA Louisville Cardinals Jerseys North Carolina Jerseys Stitched Kentucky Wildcats Jerseys Stitched Alabama Crimson Tide Jerseys Cheap Basketball Wisconsin Badgers Jerseys Authentic NCAA Jerseys Store Wholesale Basketball NCAA Jerseys Cheap Duke Gear Stitched Alabama Jerseys Stitched Georgia Jerseys Cheap Clemson Jerseys Authentic Authentic Texas Jerseys Wholesale USC Jerseys Stitched Oklahoma Jerseys Stitched Ohio State Jerseys Cheap Notre Dame Gear UCLA Jerseys From China Cheap Louisville Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap North Carolina Jerseys Authentic Cheap Kentucky Jerseys Authentic Wisconsin Jerseys From China Cheap Michigan Gear Cheap Florida Gear Wholesale Arizona State Jerseys Cheap LSU Gear Cheap Auburn Gear Cheap California Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Miami Jerseys Authentic Cheap Michigan State Gear Cheap Tennessee Jerseys Authentic Texas A&M Jerseys From China Authentic Wake Forest Jerseys West Virginia Jerseys From China ' ' '