Alastair Cook backs Kevin Pietersen

And Cook, whose side have retained the Ashes at 2-0 up with two to play ahead of the fourth Test in Chester-le-Street starting Friday, had no problems with Pietersen's use of social media.

"When you get called a cheat I think you quite rightly want to clear your name pretty quickly when you haven't done anything wrong," Cook said on Thursday.The opening batsman added: "Players have been putting tape on their bats for years. I just think the actual story is a load of rubbish in terms of why people are putting tape on their bats. Fibreglass tape on their bats,A quality paper cutter or paper bestluggagetag can make your company's presentation stand out. that's been going on for years. That's just to protect the bat to make it last longer. I think that whole story we have to rubbish it because it is rubbish."

Nine said the International Cricket Council (ICC) general manager of cricket, Geoff Allardice, would be investigating the matter in Chester-le-Street.However, the ICC insisted Allardice was coming over solely to speak to the teams regarding their concerns over the Decision Review System, a source of repeated controversy this series, and said it was not investigating any alleged attempts by players to "cheat" Hot Spot.

During the Ashes some nicks have not shown up on Hot Spot, with the system's inventor,You must not use the skylanterns without being trained. Warren Brennan, admitting the technology can struggle to pick up edges from fast bowling."That's what we've found really strange, some clear nicks that haven't shown up on Hot Spot," said Cook. "We just can't quite work out why it's happening. But like all these things there are always big evolutions and hopefully the technology can get it right.

"At the end of the day we're just trying to get more decisions right so the umpires have less impact on the game and you're talking about hundreds and 'five-fors' rather than decisions made by the umpire or the third umpire."Meanwhile Cook insisted the fact England had retained the Ashes in 14 days had not diminished their hunger to win the series. "We want to go on and win the series. The way the lads are, the way we are as a team and the way (England coach) Andy Flower operates, there will be no let up of the standards we set ourselves," said Cook.

And Cook said the fact Australia upped their game in the drawn third Test at Old Trafford would help England guard against complacency. "We start from scratch. We keep saying what a good side Australia are and Old Trafford showed that."Cook, the only England batsman to have scored 25 Test hundreds, dominated the 2010/11 Ashes with 766 runs at an average of 127.66 and three centuries with a best of 235 not out.

However, the 28-year-old left-hander has found runs harder to come by this series with Cook having so far managed a meagre 145 runs in three Tests at 24.16 with two fifties and a best of 62."Form is one of those things that is a bit of a mystery,The marbletiles is not only critical to professional photographers." he said. "I don't feel as if I'm doing too much wrong; obviously I'd like a lot more time out in the middle and some runs, but I can only back the fact that I've done it in the past and hopefully I can do it again in the future.

The drawn third Test at Old Trafford left England an unassailable 2-0 up in the series with two to play and meant they had retained the Ashes.

It took England just 14 days to hold on to the urn this time around the quickest theyve settled an Ashes series in their favour since the end of the Second World War.Our top picks for the cableties and gear,However, England coach Andy Flower was far from satisfied.I suppose it is (a great achievement). But for me its all about winning this series, so it is still alive with two Tests to go, he said.

In Manchester, Australia produced a much-improved performance with England collapsing to 27 for three on Mondays final day before rain ensured a draw.

It is a tale filled with shocking admissions of funky campaign contributions, allegations charging a political big-shot with switched allegiances from one presidential candidate to another in return for a fat check, and an open admission of what a high profile campaign manager really thinks about his bosswho just so happens to be the Minority Leader in the United States Senate.

In other words, it is one those great American political stories we simply cannot resist.You've probably seen cellphonecases at some point.Our story begins on December 28,2011 when an Indiana State Senator named Kent Sorenson, who had been serving as Rep. Michele Bachmanns Iowa campaign chairman, abruptly pulled his support for Bachmanns presidential candidacy, resigned his position as campaign chairman and immediately threw his support to Rep. Ron Paul.
Read the full products at http://austpay.com/.

Carolina Mattress Guild grows with innovation

THOMASVILLE | Neal and Kathy Grigg started Carolina Mattress Guild with five employees in a 5,000-square-foot space 20 years ago in High Point.

Today the mattress maker employs about 85 people at its 68,000-square-foot headquarters on Interstate 85 Business Loop in Thomasville, with 65 of those individuals in production and the remainder in sales, administration or driving trucks. A second facility in Orlando, Fla., which opened in 2009, employs another 15 people. The local plant produces 85 models of mattresses while the Orlando facility makes 65.

With Neal's executive experience at Leggett & Platt, which makes bed springs, and Kathy's eye for design, the business quickly grew. The Griggs moved the operation to Thomasville in 1993 for more space and opened the current headquarters in December 2000. But within five weeks of opening their new facility, a spark from welding work in the production area set off a blaze that quickly engulfed the factory filled with fabric and foam.

“We saw firsthand what happens when foam burns — all the black, acrid smoke,” Kathy said, noting the facility was gutted due to the high amount of smoke and water damage. No one was injured.

For several months they leased some temporary production space in High Point, ran administrative operations out of some trailers parked in front of the headquarters and were back on their feet by the High Point Market in April 2001.

Kathy said the fire was hard on everyone, but she proudly noted it led the company to become the first manufacturer in the U.S. to make a flame-retardant mattress in 2003, which is now standard and required by law.

Execs say bedding poised for growth after market

Bedding producers showing at the High Point Market said the mattress industry has recovered from a downturn earlier this year and is poised for growth in the months to come.

     And those producers are hoping that business they picked up in High Point will help spark solid gains on retail sales floors. Recent retail reports are positive, they say.

     The latest figures from the International Sleep Products Assn. show the bedding industry mired in an unexpected downturn, with unit sales slumping 3% in February and registering a 0.1% decline for the first two months. The dollar value of bedding shipments, on the other hand, grew 4.9% in February and is up 4.1% for the year.

     Those ISPA figures, released on the eve of the High Point Market, reported the first monthly decline in units in four months, fueling fears that bedding's rebound could be short-lived.

     But bedding producers showing here noted that the industry is up against strong comparables from the first quarter last year, and faced significant challenges with bad weather in key markets earlier this year. And, more importantly, they said business in March was good.

      "When you factor in March, the industry will be up," said Jim Nation, president of Five Star Mattress. "We were up strongly in March."
     "I bet that March was positive for the industry," said Gary Fazio, CEO of Simmons. "It was a good month for many retailers."

     Noting that the average unit price is up 4.2% through February, according to the ISPA sample of leading producers, Fazio said retailers are selling a better mix of beds and better beds - good signs for growth this year.
     Serta President Bob Sherman said he believes the industry shook off its slow start in March.

     "I think the industry had a good first quarter," he said. "I'm guessing that sales were up 6% to 7% in the first quarter, with units up 1% to 2%."

     "March has been good," said Dan Hige, president of International Bedding. "It was a better month than I had expected. The feeling at retail was more upbeat than downbeat."

     Some producers said their business this year hasn't shown the declines seen in the ISPA figures.

     "We've seen unit and dollar increases for the last 10 months," said Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions.  "I'm still very optimistic about business. We are going to keep doing what we are doing."

     Added Jamie Diamonstein, president of Paramount Sleep: "We are not seeing downturns in our business. Consumers are definitely buying again."

     Therapedic President Gerry Borreggine put the industry's ups and downs in context.

     "We haven't experienced a legitimate recovery," he said. "A one-month unit decline in February doesn't indicate we are in a recession. Business has been sporadic and inconsistent in the recovery. It's a compromised recovery."

     Bedding execs said they see a number of positives this year, including the return of consumers interested in higher end goods. Those consumers are buying better beds, helping boost sales tickets, the execs said.