England

The story of Florence Maybrick in the late 19th century fascinated Victorian audiences. Was she a vile poisoner or a Victorian victim? Because she was an American by birth, the case ended up involving the US press as well as the US government, as her lawyers worked frantically to get her sentence either commuted or overturned. The suspect: Name: Florence Elizabeth Chandler Born: September 3, 1862, Mobile, Alabama. Parents: William George Chandler, a banker and one-time mayor of Mobile, and the Baroness von Roques. Background: Florence’s father died when she was a baby. Her mother married twice more, the final time to a German baron. Florence grew up in Europe, educated privately by governesses, spoke French and German fluently. She was pretty, vivacious and sophisticated. The Victim: Name: James Maybrick Born: October 25, 1838, Liverpool England Parents: William and Susanna Maybrick. Profession: Cotton Broker. His business required him to travel regularly to the United States. In 1871, he settled for a time in Norfolk, VA, to establish a branch office of his company. Background: In March of 1880, Florence Chandler met James Maybrick on a ship from New York to Liverpool, England. When the boat docked 8 days later, they were engaged. Florence was 18 and James was 42. The two were an odd couple. While Florence was petite with dark, wavy hair and big blue eyes, James was portly with florid cheeks, typical middle-aged Englishman. Despite their age difference, the couple was wed over a year later on July 27, 1881 at St. James Church, Piccadilly in London. For three years, the couple divided their time between Norfolk and Liverpool before settling permanently in Liverpool. The couple had two children, a son named James Chandler known as “Bobo” and a daughter Gladys Evelyn. They moved into Battlecrease House in a suburb of Liverpool, a huge house that had over twenty rooms. By necessity (Florence wasn’t going to clean those rooms herself!), they employed a gaggle of servants including two maids, a nanny, a nursemaid, a footman etc. Florence had no close friends in Liverpool, although she led an active social life with parties, teas, benefits, and charity dances. Her husband’s family was suspicious of her and her mother, considering them to be adventuresses. Her husband’s ex-fiancée and her two sisters came and went freely from the Maybrick home. Florence had no idea how to deal with servants or how to run a household. She and her mother had led a peripatetic existence in Europe and the United States, never settling anywhere for long, because of their finances. She had no idea how to budget. When her husband was having financial difficulties, he put her on allowance of £7 a week, out of which she had to pay the bills as well as the servants. Florence borrowed money from money lenders in order to pay creditors which left her increasingly in debt. She lived in fear of her husband finding out exactly how much money she owed. After 5 years of marriage, Florence discovered that James not only had a long-term mistress, but they also had several children. As soon as Florence found out about Maybrick’s mistress, she stopped sleeping with him. Lonely and wanting a little romance, Florence began an affair with a businessman named Alfred Brierly but the affair was short-lived. When Maybrick discovered her affair, there was a violent row during which Maybrick assaulted her. Divorce was impossible. While Maybrick would have been able to divorce Florence for her adultery, Florence would have had to prove not only adultery but cruelty, desertion or incest for her to obtain a divorce. Maybrick might have been able to take her children from her, and if he divorced her for adultery, he was not obliged to support her. Death: James Maybrick’s health deteriorated suddenly in April of 1889, and he

Verizon Wireless Enhances 4G LTE Coverage in Greater Boston --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Verizon Wireless: WHO: Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network WHAT: Verizon Wireless recently enhanced fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network coverage in the greater Boston area. 4G LTE empowers Verizon Wireless customers with compatible devices to surf the Web, post status updates and photos, and download files wirelessly at speeds up to 10 times faster than customers on 3G networks. WHERE: Verizon Wireless first debuted its 4G LTE network in Boston and surrounding areas in December 2010 and expanded to 29 MetroWest communities in August 2011. Recently, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network further expanded within the following neigborhoods and communities: Boylston Street Brookline Donnelly Field in Cambridge Cambridgeport Charles River Park Wollaston Park in Dorchester Medford Nahant Park Drive Egleston Square in Roxbury Roxbury Somerville South Boston Theatre District Watertown BACKGROUND: "4G LTE is changing the way customers interact with the world via next generation apps, devices and solutions," commented Dave MacBeth, Executive Director of Network for Verizon Wireless. "By investing in wireless broadband, we're investing in local communities and economies where our customers live, work and play." As of May 20, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network is available to more than 287 million people in 497 markets across the U.S., representing more than 95 percent of the companies' 3G coverage. For a full list of 4G LTE markets please visit: www.verizonwireless.com/lte. The growth of the 4G LTE network has fostered development of new and innovative solutions as diverse as LTE-connected cars and remote medical diagnostic options. One solution recently brought to market is the Verizon 4G LTE Router, which can support wired and Wi-Fi-enabled devices simultaneously, allowing users to take it on vacation or business travel to stay connected. Verizon Wireless customers can also take advantage of HomeFusion? Broadband, a residential Internet solution that uses the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network to bring reliable, high-speed Internet service to customers with limited broadband options. The company also offers a full line of 'smart accessories' across the categories of health and fitness, lifestyle and toys that leverage its leading portfolio of mobile devices and networks. For a full list of smart accessories please visit: www.verizonwireless.com/smartaccessories. In 2012, Verizon Wireless completed $256 million in wireless network enhancements across New England, increasing the company's regional network investment to more than $3.3 billion since its inception in 2000. Verizon Wireless ranked highest among all other national wireless providers in New England, which includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, in the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study(SM), Volume 1, issued March 7. This is the 17th consecutive reporting period that Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the Northeast region. About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 98.9 million retail customers, including 93.2 million retail postpaid customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 73,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. For the latest news and updates about Verizon Wireless, visit our New

The New England Patriots recently signed an undrafted free agent offensive lineman R.J. Mattes, who was an All-Conference player with the North Carolina State Wolfpack last season. It looked like Mattes would fill out one of the last 90 slots on the roster as a depth offensive lineman in training camp, but the Patriots decided to replace him on the 90-man roster with a different offensive lineman in former Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, and, most recently, San Diego Chargers depth offensive tackle Kevin Haslam. Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports What jumps out at people reading about the signing of Haslam is that he is another Rutgers Scarlet Knights alumn, and the Patriots now have eight former Rutgers players on the 90-man roster. Haslam was released by the Chargers on Tuesday and is 26-year-old, former undrafted free agent from the 2010 class. Haslam actually started in three games due to Jared Gaither‘s desire to collect his check with no work (at least, that’s what Chargers fans tell me), and he simply wasn’t very good in any of those starts. There is only a very slim chance of Haslam making the Patriots 53-man roster, but he still does have a chance at capturing the last spot for a tackle on the roster. Mattes was released before he could prove himself to the Patriots, and it will be interesting to see where the rook lands next. You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

The Philadelphia Phillies must be realizing that it is time for a change. With aging veterans who are oft injured, as well as a manager who is in the final year of his deal and an emerging candidate simply waiting in the wings, the Phillies are not going to contend for a playoff berth in 2013. Playing in the National League East behind the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals certainly only complicates matters, and that is why it is time for Philadelphia to continue dealing away some of its more valuable assets. In 2012, it was Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence and Joe Blanton. The Phillies attempted to unload Cliff Lee last season by placing him on waivers, but they were unsuccessful in dealing him after he was claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. But with Roy Halladay most likely out for the rest of this season, as well as a plethora of dinged up struggling players, the time is now for the Phillies to trade Lee, with the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels two teams who would likely make a strong pitch to acquire the 34-year-old southpaw. Granted, it will have to be quite the coup for either team to pull off a deal to obtain Lee. Not because of what it would cost them in return, but because of what it will cost them to add Lee’s salary to their payroll, while also convincing the ace to accept a trade to their squad. He does, after all, have a no-trade clause in his contract, with is only in the third year of a five year deal worth $120 million. Acquiring Lee will not come easily. Nor will it come cheaply. Still, to make a big move in the standings, teams must often make a big move in the transaction wire. Trading for Lee would certainly qualify such a move. The Angels have been throwing around money like drunken yuppies for quite some time now. Two offseasons ago, they signed Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. They missed the playoffs last season. This past offseason, the Angels signed Josh Hamilton. They are in fourth place in their own division, currently eight games below .500 and 10.5 games out of first. Needless to say, things are not going as planned, and part of the problem is the team’s starting pitching. Jered Weaver is expected to return soon, and will make a solid 1-2 punch along with Wilson. Still, the Angels need some more consistent arms in the rotation, as well as the bullpen. They may need to make yet another big splash in order to compete with the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics in the American League West. The Orioles are not in the same boat as the Angels. While they have tried to throw big contracts out to marquee free agents, they have been rather unsuccessful in landing some of the bigger names via trades and free agency. While they have done an outstanding job developing their own home grown talent, especially on offense with the likes of Manny Machado and Matt Wieters, the Orioles are still weak on the mound. While calling up Kevin Gausman for tonight’s game could give Baltimore a boost, the team still needs to upgrade its rotation in order to keep up with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. Trading for Lee would immediately place the Orioles right in the thick of things in terms of postseason contenders. Lee has already told reporters that he wants to win. It does not appear as if that will occur in Philadelphia any time soon. If Lee is going to win, and the Phillies are finally going to realize that they need to rebuild, then a trade is the only resolution to helping both achieve what is in the best interest of both parties. Popular Posts: NFL Rumors: New England Patriots Trade Tom Brady To Jacksonville Jaguars? – by Rob Kelley ( 49880 ) NBA Rumors: Could Minnesota Timberwolves Trade Kevin Love To Boston Celtics? – by Rob Kelley ( 10352 ) NBA Rumors: Could Lakers Trade Dwight Howard To Hawks For Potential Stan Van Gundy Reunion? – by Rob Kelley ( 7835 ) NBA Rumors: Should Boston Celtics Trade Paul Pierce With Knicks Playoffs Sweep Lo

Rio Ferdinand has signed a one-year deal at Manchester United to keep him at the club through until the end of the 2013-14 season. The 34-year-old defender, who announced his retirement from the England national team last week, said  “It has been an incredible journey and I am glad it will continue. I can now fully concentrate on my club career which has worked well for me over the past few years.” David Moyes said: “It is clear for everyone to see that Rio has had one of his best seasons with the club and I think even from the outside you can see what a big character Rio is around the dressing room, so I am delighted he has signed a new contract. I am looking forward to working with him.” Do you think Ferdinand will get much playing time for United next season with Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Nemanja Vidic competing his spaces? Share your insight in the comments section below. Here are today’s Premier League news headlines: Rio Ferdinand signs one-year contract extension at Manchester United — The Guardian Europa League winners could earn Champions League place — BBC Sport BT Sport picks up non-league soccer package in UK — SportsPro Berlin to host 2015 Champions League final, Warsaw gets Europa League — The Guardian Titus Bramble will leave Sunderland but not be fined £80,000 — The Mail Roberto Martínez’s future will be decided next week — The Guardian Liverpool striker Andy Carroll delays over West Ham move — The Independent Monaco preparing €30m offer for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany [L'Equipe] — 101GG Man City face competition from Real Madrid for Isco, according to reports in Spain — Independent Manchester City MLS franchise can help US soccer grow, says Hart – video — The Guardian Liverpool are being linked with a move for Spanish forward Iago Aspas — Liverpool FC Gareth Bale switch to Real Madrid would suit him, declares Sergio Ramos — The Independent Sacked Tony Pulis writes thank you letter to Stoke fans in local paper — Dirty Tackle Manchester City denies club are chasing the signatures of Falcao and Neymar — FOX Soccer Scott Sinclair has to had have his rib removed — The Daily Mail Arsene Wenger urge Thomas Vermaelen to stay and fight for his place — The Telegraph Alan Pardew free to focus on summer plans following meeting with Newcastle hierarchy — Independent Coaches seek urgent help from ruling bodies as they look to German model to boost talent — Telegraph Roy Hodgson’s warning: No anti-IRA songs at Wembley — Evening Standard Roberto Mancini’s voice is deleted from the Manchester Metrolink — The Mail The Daily EPL is your morning guide to the latest Premier League news headlines, so you don’t have to spend an hour or more scanning the Internet. We do all the work for you. Read The Daily EPL on EPL Talk every morning to stay on top of all the news that matters. Rio Ferdinand Signs One-Year Contract Extension at Manchester United: The Daily EPL is a post from EPL Talk - Independent voice of EPL soccer fans since 2005.

My first article in this series, "AFC North Drafting, 2001-2012: An In-Depth Look," compared the AFC North and the New England Patriots to the league average in two areas: how good a job they did choosing players, and how well they developed the talent they drafted. You can click the link above to find out what conclusions I came to. But there are a lot of other questions one can explore with the data I compiled. Today on BTSC: Miller's knee Woodley on conditioning Sanders' contract Hawthorne on crutches One of the things I've always wondered when draft discussions inevitably go to the question of trading up or down is, how much sense does either strategy make? I ran across an article discussing whether in the new era of reasonably-priced rookie contracts Bill Belichick, considered the king of NFL horsetrading, will change his strategy of trading down for more picks and, if anything, trade up for less of them. The author supported the supposition by noting Belichick had actually traded away a couple of picks in the 2012 draft to move up. However, the article was written before this year's draft, and Belichick was back to his normal form, trading down to grab more picks. (Regrettably I didn't bookmark the article, and naturally I can't find it to save my life.) But I think characterizing Belichick in this way is far too broad a brush to paint with. I decided to try and determine how much he trades, and how effective his trading strategies really are. Let's look again at the chart from the previous article, but just with the league average and New England's performance in it: New England's best drafts by far since 2001, compared to the league average, are 2003, 2005, and 2010. (It's probably still too soon to properly evaluate 2010, so I'm going to confine myself to '03 and '05. What I found was mind-boggling. It took me a couple of hours to sort out what happened in the 2003 draft. I expect many teams felt the same sense of "what just happened?" as I did. The Patriots began the draft with the following picks, just for being the Patriots, as it were: Nos. 19, 50, 81, 120, 157, 193, and 234. Of those picks, they actually only used Nos. 120 and 234, and even No. 120 went around the block a few times. Woodley ignoring unnamed teammate's comments Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley isn't listening to alleged comments made by an unnamed teammate this offseason in regards to his conditioning In addition to these seven picks they had acquired the following picks from other teams: No. 14 (traded Drew Bledsoe, QB, to BUF for their '03 1st round pick); No. 140 (part of a 2002 trade with DAL); No. 154 (traded Greg Randell, OT to HOU in 2002); No. 225 (traded Grant Williams to Rams); Nos. 78, 239, and 2004 fourth-round pick (traded Tebucky Jones to NO); and No. 128 (traded Terry Glenn to the Packers in 2002.) They also picked up selections in most of the player trades. The Patriots then began the draft with 14 selections, as follows: Round 1: 14, 19 Round 2: 50 Round 3: 78, 81 Round 4: 120, 128 Round 5: 140, 154, 157 Round 6: 193 Round 7: 225, 234, 239 There were a number of complicated trades, including the one in which the Patriots traded picks Nos. 50 and 120 to the Panthers to move up to No. 45 in the second round, and then traded a bunch of stuff to the Broncos to get No. 120 back. Here's what they ended up with (original picks in brackets—no comp picks): Round 1: [14, 19] 13 Round 2: [50] 36, 45 Round 3: [78, 81] No pick Round 4: [120, 128] 117, 120 Round 5: [140, 154, 157] 164 Round 6: [193] 201 Round 7: [225, 234, 239] 234, 239, 243 This may not look like they did particularly well. They purveyed 14 picks, including two first-round picks, into 10 picks, with almost a third of those being seventh-rounders and only one first-round pick. However, they also got the Raven's 2004 first-round pick, the Dolphin's 2004 second-round pick, and the Redskin's 2004 fourth-round pick. But what makes thi

TEAM TALK Andy Hart offers an interesting - and alternate - perspective on why Brandon Spikes hasn't been at Patriots OTAs. The Hall at Patriot Place will offer free admission to veterans, active service men and women, active police officers, firefighters and EMTs through Memorial Day Weekend. Patriots Today - Talib tackles year 2. (3.30 min. video) LOCAL LINKS Jeff Howe addresses five questions from his OTA checklist. Who will stick out at wide receiver? Christopher Price wonders if the Patriots ridiculous YAC numbers will take a hit without Welker. Nick Underhill addresses his New England Patriots mailbag: Will Tom Brady throw more deep passes next season? Mike Reiss checks in from OTAs at Gillette Stadium with five top takeaways. (4.52 min. video) Mike Reiss focuses on Brandon Bolden and the rest of the Patriots' running backs. Nick Underhill explains Brandon Bolden's absence from Tuesday's OTA was answered with a photo of the RB in a walking boot. Field Yates highlights Tom Brady's call-in to the Dennis & Callahan show this morning. Jerry Spar recaps Tom Brady's appearance on WEEI this morning, touching on his feelings about Wes Welker's departure, and much more. Mike Reiss notes Bill Belichick's claim of Jake Ballard from waivers last year now looks like a brilliant move. Shalise Manza Young tells us the Patriots swap tackles, claiming Kevin Haslam off waivers from the Chargers and releasing R.J. Mattes. Field Yates notes the Patriots projected starters are the sixth oldest among NFL teams. Shalise Manza Young passes along a Forbes report that shows the Saints' Sean Payton is now the highest paid coach in the NFL. Tom E. Curran discusses how the Texans are looking to challenge the AFC elite. Paul Kenyon says the idea of a New England Super bowl is a hit with area business leaders. Mike Rodak shares some quick hits from the owners meetings. Mike Reiss reports Robert Kraft said Tedy Bruschi got 75 or 80 percent of the vote. Erik Frenz counts down the top 25 players in the AFC East: No 10 Dolphins C Mike Pouncey. NATIONAL NEWS James Walker (ESPN) Show and prove: WR Danny Amendola. Brian McIntyre (Yahoo! Sports) Patriots, Cowboys and Rams spent the most guaranteed money on undrafted rookie free agents. Doug Farrar (Yahoo! Sports) Brian Urlacher remembers when Tom Brady 'juked me out of my shoes.' Howard Ulman (AP) Amendola among 9 new receivers on Pats roster. Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) The Rutgers-to-Foxboro pipeline continues to flow. NFL Total Access (NFL.com) Can Patriots rely on Tom Brady to shoulder the load on offense? Heath Evans says Tom Brady can handle the pressure. (2.10 min. video) NFL Total Access (NFL.com) Who needs another ring more: Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Heath Evans and Darren Sharper debate. (2.15 min. video) Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Jaguars sign yet another former Patriot, WR Jeremy Ebert. Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Goodell again doesn't rule out 18-game season. Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) Eight NFL coaches earn salaries topping $6 million. Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) League takes issue with AP column. Jack Bechta (Nat'l Football Post) Getting your foot in the sports door.

By Jim Donaldson A good question, given the considerable talent the Scarlet Knights apparently have had on their roster in recent seasons. The New England Patriots -- aka the State University of New Jersey at Foxboro -- just signed another guy from Rutgers, bringing the number of Scarlet Knights on the roster to eight. As the title of that TV reality show said: Eight is Enough. The latest addition is offensive tackle Kevin Haslam, claimed on waivers from San Diego, where he started three games at the end of last season after being activated off the Chargers' practice squad. Originally signed by Jacksonville as rookie free agent in 2010, Haslam played in five games that year for the Jaguars before spending all of the 2011 season on I.R., after which the Jags waived him. Bill Belichick has been binging on Scarlet Knights lately, picking three in this year's draft -- cornerback Logan Ryan and safety Duron Harmon in the third round, then linebacker Steve Beauharnais in the seventh. He also signed two rookie free agents from Rutgers -- cornerback Brandon Jones and wide receiver Mark Harmon. Other Rutgers players on the roster are starting safety Devin McCourty, a first-round draft choice in 2010, and defensive lineman Justin Francis, who had three sacks in 10 games for the Pats last season as a rookie after going undrafted. For what it's worth, as my pal Bunky Reynolds likes to say, Alabama has won three of the last four national titles, and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is a longtime friend of Belichick's, but the Pats have just one 'Bama player on the roster -- linebacker Dont'a Hightower, drafted in the first round in 2012.

The New England Patriots have claimed offensive tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers from the San Diego Chargers.

England captain Alastair Cook expects a closer contest in the second Test after his side's 170-run victory at Lord's.