March turned the cliché on its ear this year: It came in like (an overcooked) lamb and went out like a (very wet) lion.
This was the warmest March on record at Camp Mabry, Austin’s main weather station, just edging out March 1907, Lower Colorado River Authority meteorologist Bob Rose said. The record average of 68.6 degrees in spring’s first month followed a winter that was also the warmest on record.
Put another way: "It has been the warmest first three months start to the year on record," Rose said. "And not just by a little, but by a lot."
The record at Camp Mabry for the warmest first three months of the year had been 61.5 degrees, also set in 1907. The average temperature for the first three months of this year was 63 degrees at Mabry. At Austin’s other weather-monitoring station, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the average three-month temperature this year has been 61.9 degrees, surpassing 1990’s previous airport record of 59.6 degrees.
It’s not like a few spikes drove the temperature to an usually high average, either.
"The high and low temperature have just been persistently warmer than normal," Rose said. "Aside from the one record high minimum temperature set on March 1, there have been no other record temperatures set this month."
The warm temperatures did bring brief periods of heightened wildfire concern, a risk exacerbated by high winds and people dumb enough to throw cigarette butts out the window. But this year’s rainfall has mostly spared Central Texas from the drought threat that higher-than-normal temperatures create.
Thus far, 10.1 inches of rain have fallen this year at Camp Mabry, up from the norm of 7.2, with 12.1 inches at Austin-Bergstrom, up from the norm of 7.3. That includes the storms that hit in March and contributed to the 3.3 inches that fell last month at Austin-Bergstrom, about 20 percent more than usual. And it includes, of course, the rains earlier in the month that caused the cancellation of both the Zilker Kite Festival’s original weekend and its rescheduled date.
Because of the vagaries of rainfall patterns, Camp Mabry actually saw about 10 percent less rain than normal.
March also saw forecasters issue increasingly urgent warnings about inclement and possibly dangerous weather. Spring is traditionally the time when Central Texas experiences the most heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding.
So far, so good, for the most part — though on Sunday, storms ripped through Central Texas, dropping more than an inch of rain across the Austin area, leaving uprooted trees and roof damage, shattering the glass panels of the Oasis restaurant and creating a funnel cloud over Lake Travis that witnesses say ripped the roof off of a Point Venture home.


In an interview on The Ellen Show, Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles tells Ellen about how he almost quit professional football due to problems in his life. Super Bowl LII saw the Philadelphia Eagles crowned the champions after some brave moves in the game. The New England Patriots were favourites to lift the trophy for the second time running but the Eagles remained focused enough to outplay the Patriots when it mattered.
The New England team won last year’s Super Bowl at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, February 5, 2017. The Patriots won the game in remarkable fashion, after trailing the Atlanta Falcons by 25 points in the third quarter. The Patriots surprisingly overturned the deficit, winning the game by 34-28 in overtime.
In the interview, Ellen tells Foles she was rooting for the Eagles, who were the underdogs and her excitement after the game. Ellen also commended the gutsy moves of the Eagles during the game. The Eagles quarterback responded by telling her about the need for those brave moves because of the pedigree of the Patriots. The Super Bowl MVP disclosed to Ellen how he talked with Coach Doug Pederson about the “Philly Special” before the game. The MVP asked Pederson for permission and the coach gave the nod, the play was carried out and it worked.
The ‘Philly Special’ trick play is a fourth-down, 1-yard touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton to quarterback Nick Foles. Foles is credited with making the call, the touchdown and making history according to a tweet from Inside The NFL. The video footage of Foles asking Coach Pederson to run the trick play and calling out “Philly Philly,” to his team will be a part of Super Bowl history.
The quarterback talked about his childhood dream of playing in the Super Bowl and the surreal feeling of being in the game on The Ellen Show as reported by the Inquirer Daily News Philly. He also talked about having time to reflect on the game with his family and not being able to sleep for three days.
Ellen reminded the MVP about some interviews he did after the game, where he talks about his failures in life. The Super Bowl champion told Ellen about his desire to stop playing because of his loss of passion for the game two years ago. The Eagles quarterback spoke to Ellen about facing his fears after spending some time away from football. Foles talked about how his failures made him stronger, a clip of the interview is available on Ellen’s YouTube channel.


LUMBERTON, NC (WMBF) – The Lumberton Police Department is looking for witnesses to a hit-and-run.
Police said around 8:21 a.m. Saturday, there was a crash at the intersection of Roberts Avenue and Walnut Street where two vehicles collided. They said one was a black 2011 Chevy Camaro and the second was a dark-colored 1999 Ford pick-up truck pulling a trailer hauling a piece of equipment.
A caller reported the accident to Lumberton Communications and stated the driver of the black Camaro had run from the scene. The caller described the person as a black male wearing a large gold necklace.
Lumberton police would like the caller to contact officer Jordan Campbell at 910-671-3845. Also, anyone who witnessed the accident or saw the man leave the scene is also asked to contact officer Campbell.


China should not be made a "scapegoat" for the collapse of the UK's steel industry, Sir Vince Cable has said, accusing the Treasury of holding back with financial assistance that could help relieve pressures.
The Liberal Democrat former business secretary said David Cameron should urge action from Beijing to curb production and noted there was a technical question to be examined over whether China was guilty of illegal "dumping".
But he insisted there had been "endless problems with steel" unrelated to China while he was in government that ministers had some power to alleviate.
There is a technical issue about dumping which is a legal question that you have to prove they are selling below cost.
But the bigger issue is that they have massive excess capacity because they are trying to rebalance their economy.
What we should be saying to the president - and I hope Mr Cameron makes this point - is: if you want to be world economic citizens - and they clearly do as a superpower - you really have to take account of the rest of the world and you've got to restructure your own steel industry and lay off some of your own capacity.
That would take some of the pressure off us. But you can't make the Chinese the scapegoat."
Sir Vince added he had endless problems with steel when he was in the government, before this China problem erupted, because energy costs were too high.
He says got the European Commission gave permission to compensate, but he understands The Treasury is sitting on the money.
The commission last year cleared a UK plan to compensate certain energy-intensive industries - including steel - for higher costs resulting from its carbon price floor under state aid rules.
Sir Vince said Chinese investment was welcome - so long as it helped British suppliers.
I would welcome Chinese investment in the nuclear power industry - you have got to have safeguards. But you'd insist that the Chinese develop a supply chain here of British producers.
If they want to invest in these new railways, well great, providing they give an undertaking they'll get a lot of their stuff from the rail factories in Derby and Durham.
That's why you have the industrial strategy we had under the coalition. I don't know what's happened to it since."
Business secretary Vince Cable says Hitachi moving its global headquarters from Japan to London is great news for the North East, where the company's train building factory will be based.
Business Secretary is back in the region today and will visit BEL Valves in Newcastle to see for himself the on-going success of the engineering and manufacturing business.
The company recently received Regional Growth Fund support for its investment plans which will double its production capacity.
A month after Redcar's blast furnace was relit, there's been another boost for steelmaking on Teesside.
The region has been awarded more than £7 million of Government funding - some of which will be put into the chemical industry at the nearby Wilton site.
Vince Cable MP visited the steelworks today and said the share at the blast furnace will go towards training staff and securing jobs.
Business Sectretary, Vince Cable, is visiting Teesside steel plant, SSI, to announce a grant supporting 1800 jobs.
The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, is visiting the SSI steel plant on Teesside today.
He's expected to announce a £1.4 million pound grant to support the company in training it's 1,800 employees.
The blast furnace at the Redcar plant was re-lit last month after being mothballed in 2010, with the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.
The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, is visiting the SSI steel plant on Teesside later today. He will announce a £1.4million pound grant which will be used to train 1,800 employees. The blast furnace was re-lit last month after being mothballed in 2010 with the loss of almost 1,000 jobs.
A North East company has been given millions of pounds to try to develop more fuel-efficient lorries and trucks.


THE Macedonian defender will meet his new Hawthorns team-mate for the first time when the pair go toe-to-toe at Hampden tomorrow night.
GORAN POPOV wants to destroy Scotland – then cadge a cheeky lift back to West Brom with vanquished Tartan Army rival James Morrison.
Popov signed for West Brom at the end of last month but hasn’t met his new Baggies colleagues as he instantly headed off to report for international duty after penning his season-long loan deal from Dynamo Kiev.
The 27-year-old can’t wait to get started in the Premiership but before he locks horns with the cream of England, Popov has Scotland to deal with as his side look to shatter Craig Levein’s team.
West Brom midfielder Morrison will again have a pivotal role at Hampden and Popov said: “I know James is an important player for Scotland and I look forward to playing against him.
“I didn’t see him on transfer deadline day. The squad was training on the Friday morning and then went home to rest ahead of the match against Everton while I arrived in the evening.
“So this will be the first time I have actually met him and I hope we can become friends at West Brom.
“It would be good if we could travel back down to England again after the match but first we have to be on opposite sides and do the best for our countries.
“From speaking to people at West Brom I have discovered how popular a player Morrison is. They think a lot of him and his performances and goals were very important last season.
Popov, however, knows that despite misfiring against Serbia, Levein’s team have other attacking weapons. He added: “It’s not just about Morrison as Scotland have a lot of players in the Premiership.
“If we don’t play well in Glasgow then we will get nothing. We have to be strong and clever.
“I know how difficult it will be against Scotland, but we have a new coach and a new belief about the squad.
“We know Scotland will be favourites but that doesn’t always count for too much in football.
The full-back almost helped his side shock top seeds Croatia on Friday night in Zagreb and Macedonia were desperately unlucky to lose to Nikica Jelavic’s late winner.
And Popov said: “This group has so many good teams in it and every country can win against each other so it will stay interesting until the very end.


New Labour has a well deserved reputation for “burying bad news”. During budget week earlier this month the government released its report into health inequalities in Britain since 1997. Its damning verdict was that life expectancy and child mortality for poorer people has got worse since Labour came to power.
Babies born to poor families today have a 17 percent higher than average chance of dying, compared to 13 percent a decade ago. The life expectancy gap between men living in the poorest areas and the average male is now 2 percent wider.
One of New Labour’s constant ideological mantras is that class is no longer the central divide and that everyone has the opportunity to shine in today’s Britain. This report is a reminder that social class remains the key, not just to how people live – but also to how they die.


Abuja — A bill for an Act for the establishment of National Tea and Coffee Development Council to develop commercial cultivation of the produce in the country has passed second reading in Senate.
The Bill was first read in the Upper Chamber in April, 2017 and it seeks to enhance growth, production and marketing of tea and coffee to boost agriculture and enhance revenue generation.
Also, if the Bill is finally passed into law, it will reduce the overdependence on oil export earnings so as to further exploit the country's vast agricultural potentials.
Leading the debate at plenary yesterday, the sponsor of the Bill, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf (Taraba Central) argued that some parts of the country especially in the Mambilla Plateau, have the endowement with suitable climate and soil condition that could be harnessed for large cultivation of tea and coffee but are yet to be utilised.
According to Yusuf, governments have not made any major impact in terms of active involvement and participation in tea and coffee growth.
He noted that "the Bill has tremendous benefits on the local tea and coffee producing areas, employment generation and by extension development of productive sectors such as tourism and wildlife conservation."
Concurring the views, Senators Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South) and Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North) noted most beverages consumed in the country are imported which is capital intensive considering the current exchange rate hence the importance of the Bill.


Like other multinationals, Kimberly-Clark’s results have been depressed in recent quarters by currency impacts from the strong U.S. dollar. Last year, net sales declined by 5.7 percent to $18.6 billion even as organic sales globally showed 5 percent growth. Operating profit declined by 36 percent. First-quarter results were similarly affected, though the company recorded a profit of $560 million, up 15 percent.
Falk, 58, has been at the helm of Kimberly-Clark since 2003, guiding its expansion around the globe. The company relocated its headquarters to North Texas from Wisconsin in the 1980s, and has about 200 employees at its corporate office.
The Star-Telegram recently caught up with Falk to discuss the global business. Here are excerpts from the interview.
People say, “Gosh, that diaper works so great, you can’t possibly make it better.” But our job is to have the next two or three years of great ideas in the pipeline So we’re constantly working on new materials that fit better, absorb better, that move better with the child. … As long as we’ve been making diapers, we still have diapers that leak occasionally. So we’re constantly trying to get the diaper that’s never going to leak. We’ll probably never going to get there, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to stop trying.
Today in the U.S., the diaper category is about $4 billion, and the adult incontinence market is about $1 billion. On the other hand, Japan is maybe what the future looks like for some markets, which has had a low birth rate for a while and an aging population. Today in Japan, the adult incontinence category is bigger than the disposable diaper category. You go into a grocery store and see a 40-foot incontinence section and a 30-foot diaper section.
In the last quarter, we had double-digit growth in the U.S. and double-digit growth in developing and emerging markets. It’s still an underpenetrated category in the U.S., and it’s growing as more people turn 65 every day and we’re all living a little longer.
We’ve probably been in China in some fashion for more than 20 years, and I’d say for at least the first half of that time, we probably didn’t know what we were doing. We made every mistake you could make going into a market and not understanding the consumer. … Early on we were thinking that the Chinese consumers didn’t have very much money, so we made a very low-cost product for them. Actually, in hindsight, if you don’t have much money, then the products that you buy have to work really, really well. If you’re a low-income mom and you’re only going to use one diaper per day, that diaper has to last all night. .
For us, it’s less of an issue because we make much of what we sell in each market. So we make all of the products for U.S. consumers here in the U.S., we make products for our Chinese consumers in China. You can’t ship bathroom tissue or diapers very far because they’re bulky and they fill up a truck pretty quickly. … On the other hand, I do think that freer trade and open markets is generally good for business.
I was in the initial move in August of 1985. I was a junior financial guy. I think we only moved 50 people here from Wisconsin and hired about 50 people locally. It’s been a terrific city for us. It’s a good city to travel out of, you’re two and a half hours from anyplace in North America. And there’s great international connections to be able to get wherever we need to go around the world.


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Henry McPherson Jr., who was an adviser to President Lyndon B. Johnson, has died. He was 82.
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Texas said McPherson died Thursday. The library said McPherson had cancer.
McPherson served as special assistant and special counsel to Johnson. He influenced the president on a range of policies from civil rights to bombing in Vietnam. He helped write Johnson's 1968 speech announcing a halt in bombing in Vietnam and that Johnson would not run for re-election.
After working for Johnson, McPherson worked as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, D.C. He wrote a 1972 memoir, "A Political Education," recalling his experience in government and the Johnson presidency.


Allen remains unsigned after the first four weeks of the 2019 league year, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.
Allen finished the regular season with 41 carries for 110 yards and three scores while adding 35 catches on 43 targets for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Allen (coach's decision) is not active for Saturday night's contest against the Chargers.
Analysis: It's a bit surprising to see Allen not active for Saturday's pivotal game, but it's quite clear Ty Montgomery has ascended into the third-string role behind Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon.
Allen did not play an offensive snap against the Falcons.
Analysis: Ty Montgomery's ascent has now neutralized Allen's presence in the Baltimore offense. Since the bye week, Allen's snap counts check in at five, one and zero on offense. Allen still sees time on special teams, but any sort of fantasy-relevant role is seemingly out the window.
Allen had a two-yard carry on his lone offensive snap in Sunday's 34-17 win over the Raiders.
Analysis: Ty Montgomery seems to have taken Allen's role as the de facto pass-catching back out of the Baltimore backfield. The former Packer played 28 offensive snaps and had 11 touches from scrimmage compared to Allen's one snap. Allen now profiles as the No.4 back in the Baltimore offense when Alex Collins is active, and with Lamar Jackson absorbing a fair share of carries, there simply aren't enough touches to go around for the former USC Trojan.
Allen carried the ball once for a 2-yard gain during Sunday's 24-21 win over Cincinnati.
Allen took one carry for six yards and caught five passes for eight yards in a 23-16 loss to the Steelers on Sunday.
Analysis: Ty Montgomery was inactive for his first game as a member of the Ravens, but he should be ready to push Allen for playing time on passing downs after a Week 10 bye. Allen has produced just 5.6 yards per catch this season and 6.3 per catch for his career, lacking the speed or elusiveness to take advantage of his reliable hands. The Ravens presumably hope to reduce his role over the final seven weeks of the season.
Allen caught three of five targets for 18 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 36-21 loss to Carolina.
Allen had three carries for three yards and added three catches on three targets for 21 yards Sunday against the Saints.
Allen finished with one yard on one carry and hauled in all three of his targets for 18 yards Sunday in the Ravens' 21-0 win over the Titans. He played 28 of the team's 75 offensive snaps (37 percent).
Allen rushed eight times for 34 yards and caught six of eight targets for 44 yards, but he lost a fumble in Sunday's 12-9 overtime loss to Cleveland.
Analysis: Fellow Ravens running back Alex Collins has been taking heat for fumbling issues recently, but it was Allen's turn to cough up the ball this time. While Allen finished with 14 touches to Collins' 13, Collins had 12 carries to Allen's eight. This split reflected their usage all season, so a similar workload can be expected against the Titans in Week 6.
Allen had 10 carries for 30 yards and added two catches for 17 yards Sunday against the Steelers.
Analysis: It was Allen's second-lowest snap count of the season and yet Allen saw his heaviest rushing workload of the year. He saw plenty of work after Alex Collins' costly goal-line fumble, but Allen's passing game work was scaled down a bit as well. Allen reliably plays roughly half of Baltimore's offensive snaps on a given week and that role stands to continue Sunday in Cleveland.
Allen had six carries for just seven yards but had a rushing touchdown to go with three catches for 19 yards and another touchdown Sunday against the Broncos.
Analysis: Once again, the efficiency was lacking but the opportunity -- particularly in the red zone -- was there for Allen. He has a rushing touchdown in every game this season and has seen no less than nine touches in any game. Still, he's averaging a poor 2.0 yards per carry -- a number inflated by his 4.3 YPC mark from Week 1. Allen remains a touchdown-dependent asset that has some utility in deeper PPR formats, but Alex Collins will keep his rushing opportunities to a minimum.
Allen had six carries for eight yards and a touchdown Thursday against the Bengals and added five grabs for 36 yards on seven targets.
Allen took four carries for 17 yards and added five receptions for 15 yards on six targets in Sunday's win over the Bills.
Analysis: Allen actually had the most snaps of any Baltimore back Sunday, but his production was limited. He averaged under 3.0 yards per target and managed just 32 total yards on nine touches. He stands to see regular playing time on passing downs, but his high usage Sunday likely has more to do with the score and outcome than it does with him challenging Alex Collins for carries. Allen and the Ravens will take on the Bengals in Week 2.
Allen gained three yards on one carry and 11 yards on two receptions in Thursday's preseason game against the Rams.
Allen isn't in uniform for Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Bears, freelance NFL writer Jeff Zrebiec reports.
Analysis: Lead runner Alex Collins and Kenneth Dixon (hamstring) also are sitting out, leaving the backfield to UDFAs Gus Edwards, Mark Thompson and De'Lance Turner. Once the first-team offense gets extended run during the preseason, expect Allen to work behind Collins while Dixon continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
Allen slots in as the Ravens' No. 2 running back behind Alex Collins, Sarah Ellison of the team's official site reports.
Allen needs to fend off competition from Kenneth Dixon, NFL.com's Michael Fabiano reports.
Allen finished the season with 153 carries for 591 yards and four touchdowns to go with 46 catches for 250 yards on 60 targets.
Allen had eight carries for 37 yards Saturday against the Colts and added a 10-yard reception in the contest.
Analysis: Allen's workload was scaled back to an extent Saturday, but he was still effective with the opportunities he did get. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry, bumping his season average up to 3.7. Allen tends to see extended work in games where the Ravens seize control, so with Baltimore checking in as heavy home favorites against the Bengals in Week 17, he could see a workload similar to what he received against the Browns in Week 15.
Allen took 13 carries for 70 yards and caught one of three targets for four yards in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Browns.
Analysis: Allen handled Baltimore's final 10 carries of the contest, serving as the back of choice once the team had a healthy lead and valued ball security over gaining yards. Alex Collins managed just 19 yards on 12 carries and 33 yards on five catches, but he's otherwise been fantastic in recent weeks, leaving no question about his status as the lead back. A Week 16 matchup with the Colts could shape up favorably for both Allen and Collins, as the Ravens will be heavily favored to win.
Allen had six carries for 25 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's loss to the Steelers and added two receptions for 32 yards.
Allen had seven carries for 22 yards to go with one catch for four yards in Sunday's win over the Lions.
Allen rushed for 15 yards and a touchdown on five carries and added a two-yard catch during Monday's 23-16 win over Houston.
Allen had three carries for eight yards and caught his only target for a nine-yard gain in Sunday's 23-0 win over the packers.
Allen caught seven of eight targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Titans and added seven carries for 21 yards.
Analysis: Alex Collins remains the lead back on standard downs, but Allen re-emerged as a go-to target out of the backfield on passing downs Sunday after making just one reception in his previous outing. Allen's seven receptions were one shy of tying a season-high and his touchdown grab was his first since Week 2. Baltimore is heading into the bye week and considering that Danny Woodhead could be healthy by the time the Ravens return to action, Allen could see a scaled-back role moving forward.
Carolina Panthers safety Mike Adams intercepts Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.
Baltimore Ravens running back Buck Allen makes a defender miss on a first down catch for 17 yards.
Check out the highlights from the Week 5 match up between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.


Apple has a new patent application published by the USPTO (via AppleInsider) that makes it easier to remember who you’re texting. This could help alleviate the incredibly painful SMS fails where you send a message to the wrong person, occasionally with catastrophic results. The system works using contact pictures employed in the background of text conversations as a big, glaring visual cue telling you exactly who’s receiving your communiqué.
The system would put the contact picture of the person you’re conversing with in the background of your message window, with your actual conversation overlaid on top. For group chats, the system suggests using multiple contact pictures for the backdrop, either arranged Brady Bunch style in a grid, or in a cycling carousel, or with various visual cues like showing some grayed out and one in color to indicate which one sent the last received message.
If there aren’t any images associated with a contact, the system could employ generic male or female avatars to at least give you some kind of cue. Also, the patent goes on to describe how this might be made available to other, third-party apps via API, too.
Text message fails aren’t as easy to fall into as DM fails, really, but they do still happen and they can still have disastrous effects. Apple’s patent seems like it could mess up the clean UI approach they’re going for, but it also includes provisions to make the images shown more subtle, like opacity changes, instead of just garish full color wallpapers. Like most Apple patents, it’s not likely to make its way to shipping product anytime soon, but it’s another example of the company’s targeted small UX changes in core phone experiences.


KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Sudan's Darfur region has become more dangerous since the May peace pact with more aid workers killed in the past two weeks than in the past two years.
"The level of violence being faced by humanitarian workers in Darfur is unprecedented," Manuel da Silva, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Sudan said in a statement.
Ambushes and hijackings have increased and efforts to help people in refugee camps were suspended after three aid workers were beaten to death by a mob in the Zalinge area, the United Nations reported.
The government and one faction of the Sudanese Liberation Movement signed a peace agreement in May. But another faction refused to sign.
"Since the signing of the agreement, Darfur has become increasingly tense and violent, which has led to the tragic deaths of far too many civilians and aid workers," Oxfam's Paul Smith-Lomas was quoted as saying by the BBC. "A full and comprehensive cease fire must be implemented immediately."


The latest addition to our Reviews section is by Tiffany Nichols on César Aira’s Conversations, translated by Katherine Silver and out from New Directions.
After a wild World Cup of Literature ride, what better way to wind down or frustrations or victorious cries than to talk about them (or bite each other over them)? And because I lack the attention span to get all existential and tie the title of Conversations to something deep and meaningful—and because I happen to have a bit more self dignity than usual today: just look at the brightly colored word bubbles bleeding into each other. Aren’t you mesmerized?


The F-35A is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter. It will replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, which have been the primary fighter aircraft for more than 20 years, and bring with it an enhanced capability to survive in the advanced threat environment in which it was designed to operate. With its aerodynamic performance and advanced integrated avionics, the F-35A will provide next-generation stealth, enhanced situational awareness, and reduced vulnerability for the United States and allied nations.


Our day in Umm al Kheir started with a common flying checkpoint, set up by the Israeli forces in Zif. Our mini-bus driver didn’t want to pass this control so we got out of the car and walked through the control and then waited for our friend from the village to pick us up. We had some spare time and observed the soldiers controlling nearly every vehicle trying to pass and wrote down their plate-numbers.
After we got picked up we tried to enter the village, which is only accessible through one road. This road is directly next to the illegal settlement Karmel and therefore entirely under the control of the Israeli forces. An Israeli police-car was stationed directly at the entrance to the village to stop and control every passing car, so we made a u-turn to avoid yet another control and contact with the police and instead waited until the police had left to enter Umm al Kheir.
Umm al Kheir is located in the South Hebron Hills in the south east of Yatta. The village is divided in different parts: on one side there is the bedouin village Umm al Kheir and a bit further the village itself with the mosque and around 1300 inhabitants. We visited the bedouin part of Umm al Kheir. This part of the village is located directly next to the settlement: the playground for the children is surrounded by fences which separates the settlement from the village, the main road through the village leads directly into the settlement and is frequently used by settlers. The whole life in this beautiful piece of land is dominated by their settler-neighbours: except of one house in the village, every house has several times been demolished and is constantly threatened by demolition by the Israeli forces. The location directly next to settlement and in Area C is reason enough for the Israeli administration to reject building permits and thus ignore the villagers trying to live their everyday lives (The vast majority of building permits in Area C for Palestinians are denied).
Umm al Kheir is not connected to any water or electricity supply system, and the Israeli government refuses those services for the village. Meanwhile the settlement directly adjacent to the village has electricity 24 hours a day. Umm al Kheir on the other hand is dark in the night, just lit by the light shining from the settlement and the chicken-farm on the other side. The Israeli administration build a mast system to ensure the power supply for the chicken-farm directly through the village. This power cable, cutting through the village, highlights even more how communities in the South Hebron Hills and anywhere else in Area C are humiliated by the Israeli forces and deliberately left alone in their fight for dignity and their basic needs such as water or electricity.
But Bedouins are strong people and so the people of Umm al Kheir remain to their land, raise their children, find love and happiness. A solar panel installation was installed to ensure at least the basic electrical needs. This plant was build on the only house in Umm al Kheir, which is, according to the Israeli administration not ‘illegal’ and thus not under threat of demolition.
The inhabitants, left without shelter after a demolition, rebuild their houses after a demolition. There is a community centre, a playground and even a library in this tiny village. Everything is build without a permission and was demolished several times but the will to fight for the land and their existence is bigger than the bulldozers.
We met unbelievable warmhearted people, made new friends and had a delicious Iftar, made by the local women. Because of the bedouin hospitality we felt directly at home and enjoyed strolling around between the sheep and discovering which plants are growing in the garden.
But as mentioned before, Umm al Kheir is threatened by house demolitions, as every house has an outstanding demolition order. The army keeps coming to the village, taking pictures of the shelters. Also camera drones, controlled by settlers are appearing regularly to record any possible changes. Umm al Kheir fears demolition after the end of Ramadan and has requested protective presence in the village. We already spent a night there with a team, as are other groups such as CPT.
This is not just about a few houses, this is about homes and the existence and Umm al Kheir, which shares its fate with so many small villages around the whole occupied West bank, which suffers under the Israeli occupation.


Whatever its other merits, the new home for the Texas Rangers will come with a retractable roof, meaning that future generations will have only to wonder what it was like for Rangers fans — not to mention actual Rangers — to spend an August afternoon in the wicked heat of Arlington, desperately trying to enjoy a game of baseball despite elements better suited to the smelting of iron ore.
The first ideas of what this stadium might look like were revealed Thursday, along with the choice of architect, Dallas-based HKS, the firm responsible for the Rangers' present facility as well as its domed neighbor, the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.
The defining feature of the firm's woozy initial renderings is a monumental arcade — imagine a misplaced and overgrown Roman aqueduct — enclosing the ballpark beyond its outfield walls. Hopefully this feature will disappear in future iterations, though a "retro" design seems inevitable.
A model of the new Texas Rangers ballpark to be built by HKS.
HKS's models of what the new Texas Rangers ballpark seating will look like when designed. The difference between the new (left) and existing (right) seating structure is that the seating configuration gives the fan a more intimate feel to the game by putting them closer to the field.
HKS Executive Vice President Bryan Trubey shows the differences between the current Texas Rangers ballpark, left, and what the new stadium will look like during a press conference at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
A HKS artist rendering of what the new Texas Rangers ballpark may look like when designed.
Blame aesthetically conservative ownership for this decision; The principal architect on the project, Bryan Trubey, has a record of building works that celebrate their technical sophistication in crisp modern geometries. He was the lead designer on AT&T Stadium, and also the new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, a prismatic structure with an asymmetric glass roof.
While Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, ancient battle-axes with few amenities, are favorites with fans, owners have preferred, since the 1990s, more luxurious quarters, albeit in historicist clothing, with expanded luxury seating and plenty of space for merchandising. The new Rangers ballpark will be designed to liberate every last penny from the paying clientele, nevermind that Arlington taxpayers have agreed to pony up $500 million in bond funding for the project.
It will sit adjacent to Texas Live, an entertainment and retail development modeled on L.A. Live, a similar complex next to the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. The bet, and it is a very big and very risky bet, is that the new ballpark can help drive and sustain a year-round entertainment district in suburban Arlington, which is quite a different animal from Los Angeles. Call it faith-based planning.
Dallasites who had hoped the team might relocate to (and help revitalize) downtown are out of luck, still forced to drive to a ballpark with no significant public transit for a team that plays (at least) 81 home games a year.
For Arlington, it's a lot to pay for civic pride. But at least those who come to regret the cost will be able to do so in comfort.


MILWAUKIE -- The Milwaukie Rotary Club has donated $4,500 to Partners for Healthy Students, a newly formed non-profit organization raising funds for a new Milwaukie High Health and Wellness Center.
A group of parents, students, school staff and community members have worked to raise funds for the school-based health center for three years according to a press release from the North Clackamas School District.
Project leader and assistant principal at Milwaukie High, Michael Ralls, said every donation helps and that the group hopes to provide every student with the care he or she needs.
"We are so grateful for this generous contribution," Ralls said. "Every contribution that comes in takes this project forward to the day when we can provide every student with easy access to needed care for physical, dental, and mental health. The end result will be increased academic achievement."
So far the project has raised $105,000 which includes grants from Clackamas County and the Ann & Bill Swindells Charitable Trust.
Outside In is the project's medical sponsor and already provides Milwaukie High and New Urban High School students with medical services one day a week on their school campuses.


Jonas Gutierrez has already put the disappointment of a missed opportunity behind him as he plots victory over West Brom.
The Magpies will attempt to reach the 30-point target manager Alan Pardew has set them for Christmas when the Baggies arrive on Tyneside on Wednesday evening. They would have been significantly closer to that landmark in their season had they made the most of the chances they created against Swansea on Saturday as they were held to a goalless draw.
Gutierrez, who came within inches of what would have been a winner shortly before the break at St James' Park, said: "We created a lot of chances. We kept the ball and had possession, but that's football."
He added: "Sometimes you create one chance and you score and you win, and sometimes like today, you create many chances and you draw. That's football and we have to focus on the next game.
"We tried to keep the ball, have possession and press high. We did it for 60, 65 minutes of the game, but couldn't score.
"That gave Swansea confidence and in the last 15 minutes, it was another game. Anything could have happened and anyone could have scored."
Pardew could not fault the efforts of his players, although he was less than impressed with referee Lee Mason's decision to hand midfielder Yohan Cabaye a fifth booking of the season, which will sideline him on Wednesday, after previously adopting a lenient approach.
He said: "We are in good fettle for the next game, and that's what you have got to be.
"We haven't been beaten, we have got a clean sheet, played reasonably well. We are disappointed we haven't won, disappointed to lose Yohan to that booking.
"We are frustrated, but hopefully we are armed by that on Wednesday night and we win."


James Charles Calls Ariana Grande the "Rudest Celebrity"
According to YouTube star James Charles, Ariana Grande is the "rudest celebrity."
The CoverGirl spokesperson slammed the Dangerous Woman singer in his most recent makeup tutorial video (also featuring YouTube stars Shane Dawson and Ryland), claiming Grande was rude for unfollowing him on social media last year.
In 2017, Charles attended one of Grande's concerts in Los Angeles. The pop star subsequently took notice of the vlogger after he shared a handful of videos and photos from the show on his Instagram Story.
She reportedly DMed him, thanking him for attending the show, and followed Charles on social media. However, their mutual relationship on social media was short-lived, as Grande quickly unfollowed Charles after fans pointed out his scandalous racist behavior.
In February 2017, Charles came under fire for being insensitive about his trip to South Africa, in which he tweeted, "I can't believe we're going to Africa today, omg what if we get Ebola?" In a tone-deaf apology tweet, he then referred to the continent of Africa as a country.
"[Ariana followed me] right after all my scandals started happening, so I was getting a bunch of really angry tweets from her fans that were really mad that she had followed me," Charles explains in the video, above.
After Charles realized Grande had unfollowed him "literally three hours after she had followed [him] in the first place," he messaged her, asking what he did wrong.
Grande then allegedly told Charles she didn't want to "disappoint" her fans by associating with him following his racial controversy, prompting the makeup artist to respond with a "strongly worded message" about the singer allowing her fans to "bully" him.
"'It really sucked that I was getting bullied by her fans and instead of ignoring it and building a friendship, she listened to them and unfollowed [me], which is saying that's okay to do...That was a disappointing interaction," he shared.
Though Charles says he ultimately had a "crappy experience with her," he "doesn't really have hard feelings about it."
As for Grande? The multi-platinum selling, Grammy-nominated artist has yet to respond to Charles' claims—she's probably too busy putting the touches on her forthcoming highly anticipated fourth studio album.


In the Sector-48 car snatching incident, the Chandigarh police on Monday traced the vehicle, and have also identified persons involved in the robbery.
During investigation, it was learnt that owing to some money dispute with complainant Parvinder Pal Singh Midda, the prime suspect, Mintu, a Patiala jail inmate, had asked his accomplices, Manjot Singh and Germanjeet Singh, to rob Mahindra XUV 500.
Police said accused Manjot Singh, resident of SAS Nagar, and Germanjeet Singh, resident of Amritsar, Punjab, would be arrested soon, and to further probe the case, the production warrant of Mintu, lodged in the Patiala jail, would also be procured.
Confirming that Mintu is the mastermind behind the robbery, police said his accomplices had executed the plan. The robbed car was traced near Chandigarh, whereas during the investigation, it was also learnt that the accused had taken the XUV to Ludhiana.
Navdeep Brar, assistant superintendent of police, south, said, "The accused have been identified, and police teams have been sent to different suspected areas to nab the accused. The traced car will be taken into custody soon."
On Friday afternoon, a city-based financer had alleged a group of unidentified miscreants robbed his car at gun point from his residence in Sector 48, leaving him and his housekeeper injured. He had also claimed that he had lent around Rs 10-15 lakh to a SAS Nagar-based resident, Manish Tandon alias Monty, who was recently arrested for betting during the Indian Premier League.
The complainant had also stated to police that since he was asking Monty to return his money, and had complained to police about his involvement in betting, Monty had sent his men to threaten him.


Stylish 3 BR/2 Bth w/ separate living rm and a kitchen-great room featuring high ceilings, fireplace and sliders to back patio. Master suite includes elevated ceilings, dual sinks, dual walk in closets and sliders to rear patio/yard. Large green trees soar above rear wall for privacy & shade. Nearby is the sought after Chandler Traditional Academy/Liberty and lovely community parks. See Documents for improvements list. + SS appliances added 4/2/19.


Dr. Seuss would be proud of this one.
A Scene from "The Lorax."
Plot Summary: Follows the journey of a boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
Rated PG for brief mild language.


A STUDENT at one of Melbourne’s most prestigious schools has been suspended for creating a hit list aimed at classmates, with the incident reported to police.
A STUDENT at one of Melbourne’s most prestigious schools has been suspended for creating a hit list aimed at classmates.
Police were called in earlier this month after Melbourne Grammar School uncovered the “negative list”.
The list targeted other senior school students for their sexuality, intelligence and appearance.
It has been reported the “HITLIST 2018” listed one student with the description: “I don’t think I’ll be able to kill him he never shows up anyway”.
The Herald Sun has obtained a copy of the disturbing hit list which names 30 of the student’s would-be ‘targets’.
It is broken down into three categories and provides a reason for each person appearing on the list.
One person was listed because he was “possible competition (and) might kill me first”.
Headmaster Roy Kelley said the boy had been suspended.
“We regard this incident as a very serious matter,” he said.
The school also reported the incident to Victoria Police but spokeswoman Belinda Batty said “no offence has been detected at this stage”.
Melbourne Grammar School is one of the state’s most prestigious boys’ schools and charges close to $33,000 for year 12.
Mr Kelley said the school was providing “counselling support as required” to all students involved.


Ninety percent of a child’s brain develops by age 4. We also know that between about six months and age three, a child in an upper-income home hears 34 million words, in a middle-income home the number drops to 19.5 million words, and in a low-income home the number drops further to 9.5 million. Researchers have determined that exposure to vocabulary use is predictive of a child’s language skills and academic success; this means that the opportunity gap has already begun in a child’s first year of life.
So why then does Maryland wait until kindergarten — age 5 — before guaranteeing publicly supported education for all our children?
For most children from upper-income families, building the foundation begins during pregnancy with good nutrition, and early and regular prenatal care. For many of these children, a language-rich environment and multiple and varied learning opportunities at home and in the community are givens throughout their early years.
In lower income families, parents who are not provided concrete assistance in times of need have insufficient social supports and limited access to the latest research in child development. By age five, the period of building a strong foundation for school success has passed for many of their children, who will unnecessarily begin life behind their middle and upper class peers.
Gaps in nurturing care and guided learning opportunities during the first years of life have a profound impact. They lead to opportunity gaps throughout the school years and a wage gap later in life. An adult’s poor health outcomes, substance abuse, mental health problems and criminal activity can often be traced to missing these crucial supports and opportunities during his or her first five years.
And quality pre-kindergarten programs available in elementary schools and in other community-based early care and education settings for every 4 year old.
There is no silver bullet; we need the full array of supports. The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (the Kirwan Commission) is considering these services, including providing free or low-cost pre-K for everyone, which is critical, but shouldn’t be the end of the young child effort. For the older students, members are studying a comprehensive approach that includes a more robust vocational pipeline, career ladders and higher pay for teachers; community schools for serving students in concentrated poverty; after-school programs and other extended learning and enrichment opportunities; higher academic standards for both students and teachers; greater transparency; and meaningful accountability measures.
The irony of the commission’s intense focus on children from pre-K to 12th grade is that learning and teaching will be more difficult and more expensive if Maryland students start from behind because we don’t do what is necessary to support their growth and development during the earliest years.
The first step toward excellence in education for the next generation of Maryland children will begin with the Kirwan’s Commission’s report and whether it reflects the proven facts about a child’s physical and cognitive development, especially in those first few years. We know what works. But will we decide to do it?
We cannot continue losing the potential talents of so many children who could boost the cultural richness, quality of life, and workforce of our state. Parents, grandparents and employers are looking for results. Children are looking for us adults to do what’s right.
David W. Hornbeck is a former Maryland state superintendent of schools and a former superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia. His email is dhornbeck1@comcast.net.


BANGOR, Maine. (WABI)- Hundreds of folks stopped into the Bangor Blue Seal Feeds to get the chance to hold baby goats.
The farm store hosted a baby goat day.
A local goat farmer brought in his baby goats and was able to educate folks about them.
We're told today's goal was to teach kids and adults about agriculture and farming.
"Agriculture is going downhill every day in the state of Maine. You ride by what used to be big farms and now they are condominiums. So I think it is important just to have the kids to understand where their product comes from, where the milk comes from, where cheese comes from. Not necessarily all from goats but just to get a little bit of farming back into the world."
Bangor Blue Seal Feeds hopes to host more events like this one in the future.


Once again, Cape is a "recovery play" after another disappointing profit warning.
"non-mechanical" maintenance services to energy and mining projects, issued its third profit warning last week – this time caused by a slowdown of work in Australia.
The news came shortly after the new chief executive, Joe Oatley, took the helm. Mr Oatley is a former chief executive of oil and gas engineer Hamworthy and he took up his position at the end of June. The current non-executive chairman of the group is Tim Eggar, a former energy minister in John Major's government.
Following a tour of the group's operations, Mr Oatley concluded that both revenue and margins in its Australian operations will fall short of previous expectations.
This followed a warning in May when the group took a £14m hit after it revealed a large project it was working on in Algeria would make a loss. This was down to delays in construction at a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant to which it had a contract to supply insulation material.
The issue in Australia is different, however. Essentially, fewer contacts are being awarded than expected and, because the group has relatively high fixed costs this will have a disproportionately large impact on margins. The news prompted a 35pc slump in the share price, hitting a 3-year low.
Cape has immediately started a review of the structure of the business in Australia and started a cost-reduction plan. Trading conditions declined dramatically in Australia and Cape has failed to replace the completed work on the Pluto LNG plant in Western Australia. That contract completed in the first quarter of this year.
Australia appeared to be a key driver of future profits, as a number of large energy and mining projects are being built there. However, soaring costs are now a significant issue in the country, which has seen its currency rise from 50c to the dollar in 2005 to $1.05 now. Cape's Australian resource customers get their revenues in US dollars but their costs are in Australian dollars.
It is now possible we will see some writedowns of assets in the Asia-Pacific region and some restructuring costs. Cape also said that margins were under pressure in the Middle East, with the UK being the best performing unit.
So, are there any positives? Investors can now hope that Mr Oatley has managed to get all of Cape's skeletons out of the cupboard. His review has not uncovered problems with any other contract apart from the Algerian debacle.
Also, guidance looks like it will now be more conservative. This is good news as it gives the company room to beat expectations in the future.
Questor last said buy the shares on May 2 when they were at 417p. They are now at less than half of that level, so this warning is obviously terribly disappointing. The shares are now trading on an earnings multiple of 7 falling to 4.8 next year, based on revised forecast.
The company is paying a dividend – last year it was 14p. If the payment is held, this would be a prospective yield of 7.2pc.
Therefore, Questor now rates the shares a hold. However, investors seeking a recovery play may wish to consider the shares for the more speculative part of their portfolio.


DJ Frankie Knuckles in London in 2007.
Frankie Knuckles died in 2014, but he still casts a long shadow over dance music in Chicago and around the world. That much will be evident when a gaggle of top-shelf DJs and singers gathers to pay tribute to him Sunday at Metro and Smart Bar to raise funds for his nonprofit educational and cultural organization, the Frankie Knuckles Foundation.
Knuckles is first among equals when it comes to house music, the sound that he nurtured in Chicago clubs such as the Warehouse and Power Plant after disco faltered in the late '70s and early '80s.
"People love Frankie so much because so many people fight over house music — (they argue about) who was first. But a lot of people put it to Frankie, because he was such a humble and talented person," says Michael Serafini, who will be among the DJs spinning at the Knuckles tribute with David Morales, Louis Vega, Terry Hunter, Derrick Carter and others. "Frankie was never into competition (for recognition). He was always welcoming."
A longtime Chicago DJ and owner of the revered Gramaphone Records shop on Clark Street, Serafini often worked together with Knuckles in the last decade and saw firsthand the impact he had on dance culture. "He was part of that generation of house music that jumped from being on small labels to being released on major labels like Virgin and Jive. It was a period that saw house grow from a local phenomenon to something much bigger."
DJ Michael Serafini works the turntable. He will be among the DJs spinning at the Frankie Knuckles tribute on Sunday at Metro.
Knuckles came out of the New York disco scene in the '70s and he became known as "the godfather of house" after moving to Chicago and working the turntables at the West Side club the Warehouse. He would extend mixes of soul and R&B records and turn them into dance tracks, introduce new singles being produced by fledgling house artists and incorporate drum machines to emphasize the beat. His sets were revered for the way they built momentum and created drama, and held packed dance floors in thrall from Saturday night till dawn and beyond Sunday morning.
He also played a key role as a tastemaker, de facto talent scout, and producer, working with artists such as Jamie Principle and remixing records by Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Depeche Mode. His major-label albums incorporated the lush orchestrations he favored as a DJ.
It was an era of dance music that changed Serafini's life. He grew up on the South Side in the '80s and was introduced to house music by the Hot Mix 5 DJs on WBMX radio and saw luminaries such as Ron Hardy spin at his high school, Brother Rice.
"When I started to realize I was gay, I wanted music that represented me, and that was house," he says. "That music came from black and gay culture and it embraced being different. It said it was OK to be that way."
A tribute honoring Frankie Knuckles, known as the godfather of house music, may have found a new Chicago home.
At the time, house was simply viewed as popular music in Chicago. It only exploded internationally when locally produced records and DJs became favorites in Europe in the late '80s and early '90s.
"Deejaying wasn't looked at as an art form or career," he says. "You did it when you were young and moved on."
A second wave of Chicago DJs emerged in the '90s that carried the music forward. As a teen, Serafini was hanging out at clubs such as the Prime 'n' Tender in Summit, Ill., and the North Side juice bar Medusa's, then graduated to the mega dance clubs in his 20s.
"There were two golden eras: the '80s and '90s, and the '90s were my generation, 21-plus people going to clubs like Shelter and hearing Cajmere, Ron Trent, Mark Farina, DJ Sneak. … There would be 2000 people in a club, and you're hearing (Cajmere's) 'Percolator' for the first time. People followed those DJs religiously."
In the last decade, dance music has grown from club music to a multibillion-dollar industry. In addition to running Gramaphone, Serafini is in demand as a DJ around the world.
"It's very strange to me, because (in 25 years) I went from my mother telling me to give up my stupid little hobby to being flown to London to DJ," he says. But he's skeptical about the large-scale festivals and stadium events that have given dance music unprecedented popularity in North America.
"I think it's a blip, reflective of a generation — a computer generation of young kids," he says. "The music at those festivals, it's not the same. Even Frankie playing at those events is not the same as the Frankie of the old days when he'd really build a set and take you somewhere, a journey. (At festivals) a lot of these DJs play for an hour, and it's hard to understand a DJ's musical point of view in an hour. Deejaying was about a personal connection, aurally. The music now is all about energy."
The scale of big dance events compels DJs to act more as cheerleaders than as musical guides. At the Chicago clubs of the '80s and '90s "it was not about staring at a DJ, arm waving and waiting for what's next. It was about dancing and interacting. That's what was famous about Frankie's parties throughout history. When you went to the Warehouse, you'd see this mix of people ... black and white and Latino. It sounds cheesy, but house music was music for everybody. Anyone can make it, and anyone can dance to it."


The disk storage market in Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia) grew by 22.5% in revenue to $418.
The disk storage market in Central and Eastern Europe (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia) grew by 22.5% in revenue to $418.10 mln in 2003 and is expected to expand a further 17.5% in 2004. According to IDC, unit shipments rose by 12.8%, while terabyte capacity surged by 27.7% last year. As storage technology continues to improve, the rate of memory growth will exceed that of shipment growth. This year, while IDC expects shipments to increase by just under 21%, terabyte capacity will rise 31.5%.
Direct attached storage (DAS) dominated the disk storage market in Central and Eastern Europe last year, accounting for more than 55% of total disk storage revenue and over 74% of capacity. This figure includes DAS for both internal and external systems, with internal DAS accounting for more than three times as much capacity but only around 19% more revenue. In contrast, external storage systems - such as storage area networks (SANs), network attached storage (NAS), and external DAS - represented 69.2% of disk storage revenue in 2003 but only 41.4% of capacity in 2003.


The Fresno State football team’s game against Colorado on Saturday has been postponed due to flooding in Boulder.
A makeup date has not been set.
“Even though the weather is improving, Boulder is still designated as a national emergency site,” Colorado Chancellor Phillip P. DiStefano said in a release.
Fresno State and Colorado were set to compete on Saturday at Folsom Field at 11 a.m. PT. Releases sent out on Thursday afternoon from both universities said that the field was unaffected by the flood and remained in playing condition, with the only flood-related issue being the parking lots surrounding the stadium.
The Bulldogs and the Buffaloes entered the postponed matchup undefeated at 2-0. Both teams are set to start their respective conference schedules. Colorado begins Pac-12 play at Oregon State on Sept. 28.
Fresno State hosts Boise State (1-1) on Friday.


Digital audio tape (DAT), liquid crystal color TV (LCTV), portable video camcorders, and digital video cassette recorders (VCRs) were some of the much-discussed items at the International Winter Consumer Electronics Show, which ended here yesterday. This twice-yearly ritual of the Electronics Industries Association (EIA), representing the $30 billion audio, video, and home information products industries, also presented new variations on old themes: more ``surround sound'' audio and audio-visual home entertainment consoles; smaller, slimmer, and sturdier compact disc players; more designer colors in everything from ``boomboxes'' (portable stereos) to typewriters and telephones; and an unprecedented range of options in digital stereo equipement, and remote-control television.
To sample the newest equipment, 100,000 people spent four days here examining 1,400 exhibits. Since the show was so large - spread over many halls and various hotels - and the number of exhibitors so extensive, the directory was the size of a thick paperback. The show included a vast array of slick, microphoned presentations, fast-talking public-relations representatives, and stacks of brochures from which to sort out claims.
Price. Recorders are expected to cost between $1,200 to $2,000. Even at the low end, that's more than CD players when they first hit the market, after which they saw only slow growth until prices came down below $500. Price of tape was anticipated to be high, as well.
Marketing. No manufacturer has said when components and tapes will be available, though Sony's Al Gordon said the evolution of CDs started the same way: in exhibitions, about two years prior to market placement.
Copyright laws. CD manufacturers are reportedly concerned that DAT recorders could become cheaper than CD players, or that owners could pirate digital sound off the airwaves. The Audio Recording Rights Coalition was here trying to coalesce industry support against such measures. ``There's no doubt the record industry will inspire one or more restrictive proposals this congressional year, much in the way they wanted royalties on taping of LPs off the air,'' said Allan Schlosser, communications director of EIA. The latest tactic, Mr. Schlosser and others point out, is the proposed placement of a microchip device on both audio and video recordings that will prevent duplication.
``Direct-view'' (as opposed to projection) large-screen, color televisions - increasingly seen in 30-, 31-, and 35-inch models - were shown by a number of makers. A 31-inch model from Panasonic, for example, was priced at about $2,000 and will be in stores next summer. Mitsubishi's $3,500 35-inch was considered extremely crisp and clear for its large size.
The new digital VCRs, which enable a viewer to watch up to four different screens at once or scan channels while tuned in to one channel.
Perreaux audio equipment. Exhibitors remarked about this New Zealand manufacturer's exceptional design of basic tuners as well as stunning digital sound produced on Signet SL-100 speakers.
Samsung's 4-mm camcorder was one of the most-mentioned innovations in the video section. The firm has added a new recording format to the 1-inch, -inch, and 8-mm versions already available.
The Fisher VTMK-30 television, with which owners can superimpose messages, telephone numbers, and important dates onto the TV screen while watching a program.
Other industry firsts include the Konica Color 7 copier, which reproduces any color of an original in one step. A complete wet lab inside the console produces the copy in 5 minutes. Ninety more are possible in 60 minutes. And Houston Tracker Systems has released its ``microprocessor controlled integrated receiver/descrambler'' for satellite antenna dishes. The device performs all the functions (decoding, antennae positioning, and receiving) previously done by three separate devices.
In his keynote speech, incoming EIA vice-president Frank Myers presented a manufacturer's perspective on the dizzying growth in formats for recording and playback - a picture of belt-tightening, executive turnovers, and company mergers as the industry tries to cope with the rapidly changing market.
Boosted by a sales surge in the last quarter of the year, both volume and gross revenues were up. Anticipating more competition from home modernization and auto industries in 1987, Myers said manufacturers must figure out ways to make profits keep pace with sales volume. That volume is expected to increase to $35 billion at the retail level this year.
Sen. Strom Thurmond (R) of South Carolina spoke briefly, noting that decisions of the new Congress will have great bearing on the future of recording devices of all types.
One approach that is being rethought in the consumer electronics field is the distinction between office and home equipment. In 1986, more than 23 million homes contained some sort of office, and 10,000 small businesses came into being each month. An increasing number of suppliers are aiming squarely at this home-office, small-business market for telephones, telephone systems, computers, printers, modems, calculators, photocopiers (including new, portable, hand-held models for less than $500), answering machines, and facsimile machines.


Game of Thrones makes motherhood powerful and dangerous.
As the series nears its endgame, there are few women with children left to raise.
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister and Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones, which returns for its final season on Sunday, has always been obsessed with the question of power—how you get it, how you wield it, how you hold onto it. And even in the violent patriarchy of Thrones, which kind of makes our own medieval times look like a Renaissance faire, a tremendous amount of that power is wielded by mothers.
Because Westeros is a primogeniture society where heirs—and daughters who marry heirs in order to cement alliances—are essential, having a child is one of the central ways women gain power. The way mothers end up using that power, and how those decisions reverberate for them and their children, has been a riveting and troubling theme for seven seasons because no amount of power, no willingness to do terrible things, actually keeps anyone’s children safe. Thrones amplifies the central tension of parenthood, which is that children make you both stronger and weaker. There’s the strength of knowing you’d do anything to protect your child; there’s the vulnerability of knowing that no matter what, you cannot guarantee their safety.
When the show begins, Cersei Lannister is the queen of Westeros, married to King Robert Baratheon, and the most powerful woman in the Seven Kingdoms. But that power is precarious, because her children, passed off as the true heirs to Robert’s throne, are actually the product of an affair with her twin brother, Jaime. In cuckolding the king, Cersei creates a huge risk for the ones she loves the most—her children would be killed if the truth came out—but the deception sharpens her sense of danger, making her ruthless and brutal. She has Robert killed, then outmaneuvers Ned Stark, the hand of the king, and has him beheaded.
And Olenna has imagined a lot. When her granddaughter Margaery is betrothed to Cersei’s son Joffrey, who becomes king after Robert dies, Olenna goes on a quiet fact-finding mission about her future grandson-in-law. The results are so monstrous she arranges to have him poisoned at his own wedding. For a while, the move pays off—Margaery becomes engaged to Cersei’s younger son Tommen, the new king, who has the benefit of being sweet, pliable, and not a sociopath.
But as with all things in Thrones, this act ricochets in unanticipated ways. Cersei goes into full apocalyptic mode, battling Margaery for control of Tommen, and when she loses that battle she blows up the Sept of Baelor, killing Margaery, Margaery’s brother and father, and about a thousand other people. This act, meant in her mind to save her last child and preserve her influence over him, results in Tommen’s suicide. With nothing left to lose, Cersei takes the Iron Throne for herself.
If this is some hideous comment about work-life balance, I’m not amused, but I don’t think that’s the point. Mothers on Thrones go to any length to keep their children safe, including murdering other people’s children. But in the end, they face what all parents face: the knowledge that nothing you do can fully protect your child from the world.
As the final season opens, the two most powerful characters on the show are Cersei and Daenerys Targaryen, the “Mother of Dragons,” who is invading Westeros to regain her birthright. As different as they are as rulers, Cersei and Dany have one uncomfortable similarity—the path to power for both of them is littered with loss. Cersei’s three children are dead (her daughter, Myrcella, is killed before Tommen’s suicide), and Daenerys becomes the Mother of Dragons by hatching three dragon eggs in the pyre that burned her dead husband—after losing both him and their newborn son.
In a winner-take-all system like Westeros’, power often comes at an unspeakable cost. It isn’t an accident that Gilly, the wildling who seeks refuge with Sam Tarly of the Night’s Watch, is the only mother left in the show’s cast of characters who hasn’t lost a child. She’s brave and resourceful, of course; she also has the least political power and is removed from the central action in King’s Landing.
There’s also a subtler conclusion to draw. Cersei and Daenerys have both shown they can survive unthinkable loss, and that gives them legitimacy as leaders, a price men in power are not asked to pay. And even when they are—Jaime has, no less than Cersei, lost all three of his children—it’s not treated as crucial to their characters. It reminded me of the research suggesting a disproportionate number of female politicians are breast cancer survivors because it confers respect on a level equivalent to a war wound. It seems that in both Westeros and our own society, the bar for women to reach leadership positions is disturbingly high.
In a winner-take-all system like Westeros’, power often comes at an unspeakable cost.
Game of Thrones’ showrunners have shot multiple finales for the series, so it’s anyone’s guess how it will end. What we do know is that Cersei is pregnant again and—with the disclaimer that trying to predict what happens on Thrones is usually a fool’s game—the show has heavily foreshadowed a pregnancy for Daenerys. Perhaps the question of how to wield power in order to keep your family safe will finally be answered.
Daenerys has taken her army up north to fight the white walkers, who threaten all of Westeros. Cersei has given her word that she will help them, but she plans to betray them instead and finish off whatever remnants are left after the battle. Daenerys represents what you could refer to as the geopolitical stability camp: You cannot have safety and prosperity for your own house if you don’t try to ensure it for everyone. Cersei’s model is Lannisters First: She doesn’t care if it all burns down as long as her family survives.
Cersei ran this play before, and it didn’t end well for her. But she won’t change. Her love for her children is the one pure, incorruptible thing about her, the engine of her ruthlessness and a deep vulnerability. She’s not alone. Practically every mother on Thrones does things to protect their children—like Catelyn Stark taking Tyrion Lannister prisoner to safeguard Bran (mistakenly), or Olenna poisoning Joffrey, or Ellaria Sand of Dorne plotting to overthrow Cersei—that end in catastrophe. Escalation usually does. In an odd way, Thrones is like a bleak extended metaphor for overparenting: No one, no matter how powerful, can shape the world to fit their child. The more you try, the more it ends in ashes.


SLAVEN BILIC has gone all-out in West Ham's push for a Champions League spot by naming an attacking side at West Brom.
The Premier League clash at The Hawthorns will see the Hammers jump back above Manchester United into fifth place with a victory.
But the Baggies will be determined to put in another dogged display having picked up a hard-earned point at Tottenham on Monday.
Bilic named both strikers Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho in his side, while Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini also feature.
Winger Michail Antonio starts at right-back to offer a powerful outlet going forward, meaning the Hammers are unchanged from their 3-1 win over Watford 10 days ago.
Meanwhile, Tony Pulis named striker Saido Berahino on the bench having missed the Spurs clash altogether, and Jonathan Leko makes just his third Premier League appearance for the Baggies too.


Tradewind Recruitment are currently looking for an Exams Officer for a full time, long term role within a large secondary school based in Salford. The school creates a safe, stimulating and supportive environment for its students, making it an exciting place to work and study in.
Ideal candidates will have Exams Officer experience. You must be very organised, with excellent time-management skills. In addition, you must be an excellent communicator, with exceptional organisational skills.
The school is based in Salford, with excellent public transport links and ample parking is available.


The team logos for the Plano West Wolves and the Allen Eagles.
ALLEN - Scoring touchdowns on six of its seven first-half possessions, Allen rolled to a 42-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 63-7 win over Plano West to complete a perfect run through District 9-6A Thursday at Eagle Stadium. Allen concluded its sixth consecutive undefeated regular season.
Allen (10-0, 7-0 in 9-6A) - the top-ranked team in The Dallas Morning News' Class 6A area poll and the Associated Press state poll - has won 65 consecutive regular-season games and 55 straight district contests. Allen will host the loser of Friday's District 10-6A game between Rowlett and Sachse in a Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff next Friday at Eagle Stadium. Plano West (0-10, 0-7 in 9-6A) ended its second straight winless campaign, extending its current losing streak to 26 games.
A fumble recovery by Jaden Healy set up Allen's first score, an 11-yard touchdown pass from Grant Tisdale to Bryson Green with 9:38 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff Allen's Saivon Gordon recovered a loose ball at the Plano West 2-yard line and Grant Robinson ran it in for a touchdown on the next play. Tisdale, an Ole Miss commit, was 3 for 4 for 26 yards passing in one quarter of action while Robinson added a 4-yard touchdown run to extend Allen's lead to 21-0 with 1:31 left in the first quarter.
Backup quarterback Raylen Sharpe accounted for 152 total yards in two quarters of playtime with four touchdowns, rushing for three scores. Allen's defense had 12 tackles for losses, three by Richmon McCullough. Roy Sheckles added an interception on the final play of the first half for Allen while teammate Caulin Prince added a fumble recovery.


She wore many hats: A hotelier, animal lover — and the first female mayor of West Palm Beach. Helen Wilkes died Wednesday. She was 88.
"She was a really beautiful lady with a big heart," said her husband, Hector Rodriguez. "She wanted to help everybody."
Mrs. Wilkes came to West Palm Beach form Fort Valley, Ga. as a young nurse.
According to a Sun Sentinel article published in 1988, Mrs. Wilkes moved to Florida in 1952. She took a job as a registered nurse at St. Mary's Hospital, earning $175 a month. After saving up, she invested $3,500 in a house in Lake Park, which she converted into a nine-bed nursing home.
She told a reporter, "For seven years, I worked without a day off. I had a dream and I wanted to fulfill it."
When she sold the Helen Wilkes Nursing Home for $3.36 million in the late 80s, it had grown to 85 beds.
The nursing home wasn't the only real estate investment Mrs. Wilkes made. In the 1970s, she purchased a troubled-hotel in West Palm Beach. She renovated the hotel and renamed it the Helen Wilkes Residence Hotel, which operated until it was razed in 2005.
Mrs. Wilkes is most known for her service on the West Palm Beach City Commission. Wilkes served on the dais from 1976 through 1988. She became the city's first female mayor in 1978.
A Sun Sentinel article depicting Mrs. Wilkes' time in office recounts her greatest accomplishments, which include creating the city's first crime watch patrol and working with the city's first black mayor, Eva Mack, to bridge the city's black and white communities.
During her last meeting in office, developers, city officials and commissioners agreed that they clashed with Mrs. Wilkes on various topics, but they all respected her.
"She cared about her town," Rodriguez said.
Mrs. Wilkes also cared about animals. She served as vice president of the nonprofit Animal Support Kindness and Kinship and had two dogs, Miss Chi Chi and Baby.
Rodriguez said he and Mrs. Wilkes had a beautiful life together. He said they traveled and enjoyed spending time at their house in the mountains.
"We enjoyed every minute of our life," he said. "She was go, go, go all the time. She never said 'No' to anything."
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Wilkes is survived by her many nieces and nephews.
A visitation will take place from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at Quattlebaum Funeral, Cremation and Event Center, 5411 Okeechobee Blvd. A celebration of Mrs. Wilkes' life will begin at 2.
Instead of flowers, the family asks donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 5201 Blue Lagoon Dr., Miami, FL 33126. Suite #650.


The victim of an illegal Security Intelligence Service breakin, whose legal case has sparked two amendments to the Security Intelligence Service Act is throughly unimpressed by the latest version of the SIS Amendment (no 2) Bill expected to be debated and passed in Parliament this week.
“Having read the latest version of the bill, it’s clear the SIS has not been reined in by any of the recent legislative amendments. Quite the opposite - these law changes are designed to expand, not limit, the powers of the SIS. Try as she might to reassure people that critics of APEC will not be subject to SIS snooping, Jenny Shipley cannot hide the fact that both amendment bills have been rushed through explicitly in order to legitimate further SIS break-ins before September’s Leaders Summit. And it was the Prime Minister herself, and various National, Labour, and ACT MPs who first linked the perceived need to legalise SIS break-ins to APEC in parliamentary debates and in the media, not me, GATT Watchdog, the APEC Monitoring Group or our allies. When the APEC circus ends, the law will remain – with the SIS above the law,” said Aziz Choudry.
“The tweaking of the definition of “security” to distinguish between perceived “domestic” and “foreign” or “foreign-influenced” threats does nothing to tighten up the controversial “economic and international wellbeing” wording which many organisations have roundly condemned”.
Mr Choudry is unimpressed by a “sweetener” amendment to the reporting requirements of the SIS suggested in the bill which is expected to be debated and get its third reading in Parliament this week.
“This revised bill does not address concerns about the SIS’s role in surveilling people and organisations engaged in lawful political activities. Along with its companion amendment, it is a further affront to basic civil and political rights and another step down the road of criminalising dissent”, he said.


Nicole Arteaga posted on Facebook about her encounter at an Arizona Walgreens.
A Walgreens pharmacist in Arizona denied miscarriage medicine to a pregnant mom who was told by her doctor that she was going to lose the baby.
Nicole Arteaga was two months into her pregnancy when she was told that the baby’s development had stopped and would end in a miscarriage, she wrote in a social media post on Friday. She was given the choice of prescription medication or a hospital procedure to terminate the pregnancy, and she chose to go to a drugstore in Peoria.
“I stood at the mercy of this pharmacist explaining my situation in front of my 7-year-old, and five customers standing behind only to be denied because of his ethical beliefs,” she said.
She said she has endured the pain of a miscarriage before.
Arteaga later received an email that her prescription was ready at a location across town. She said she picked it up from the other Walgreens without incident.
She filed a complaint with the Arizona Board of Pharmacy.
Walgreens said in a statement it apologized for the way the situation was handled.


It might be too late in the day now, but anger in the city centre salons has gone from simmering to boiling point at the permission granted to the St James Centre plans.
A petition has raised hundreds of signatures and their views articulated by newspaper articles and letters from the likes of David Black, the former chair of the Southside Association and publisher Hugh Andrew.
The decisions are further examples of wanton civic vandalism; the sky, it would seem, is falling in.
Black has rehashed his argument that World Heritage status is a waste of time because it does not stop the kind of developments he doesn’t like, which is a very particular way of looking at it.
What these critics are failing to do is examine the reasons for their failure or in any way apply the analysis to which they subject the decisions to their own processes. If so many decisions are so obviously wrong then why do opponents keep losing? The black-and-white-hat, goodies-and-baddies script which seems to be in vogue is far too simplistic to be credible.
The argument seems to be that rapacious capitalists can spend a fortune cajoling stupid councillors into doing what they want while the poor, resourceless conservation lobby is powerless.
This is the same conservation lobby backed by some of the wealthiest people in Scotland to whom no door is closed. The scenario simply doesn’t hold water.
What happened when the original 17-storey Haymarket hotel plan was revealed? Some very influential people got together and strangled the project at birth. What is happening with the Royal High School? Millions of pounds are being made available for an alternative to the luxury hotel plan.
Former Standard Life chief executive and Royal Bank of Scotland director Sir Sandy Crombie is president of the Cockburn Association, Edinburgh’s heritage watchdog since Victorian times, and Supreme Court judge Lord Brodie is its chair. They are not easy people to ignore should they chose to flex their considerable muscle.
At the heart of it must be the approach of the heritage and environment lobby and criticism of the World Heritage status must also imply criticism of Edinburgh World Heritage, the charity established to monitor and comment on anything which might affect the city’s Unesco status.
Yet it seems to be more open to discussion and compromise – it supported the concept of the controversial ribbon design for the St James hotel, for example – which may be part of the problem as far as heritage militants are concerned.
The Cockburn Association, however, seems to escape criticism, perhaps because of the influential figures at the top.
It still presents itself as a respected organisation promoting balanced and considered views, yet this week its director Marion Williams went on the offensive over a plan to demolish the derelict Imperial Grain silo at Leith Docks, a hideous eyesore by any stretch of the imagination.
Owner Forth Ports’ understandably wants to get rid of an ugly building for which it has no use, yet Williams says the potential economic benefits of removing the granary are no justification for “losing a building of remarkable merit”.
I suspect most locals would agree the only remarkable thing about it is that anyone would seek its preservation.
It may be that the mistake in the first place was Historic Scotland granting listed building status to an industrial structure which has long outlived its sole purpose, but that doesn’t justify saddling the city with a crumbling eyesore for the rest of time.
Williams’s criticism centres on the principle of developing the site for commercial gain, which fits into a broader agenda which now seems to be firmly anti-business and anti-growth.
A sign of the association’s direction could be the place on its council now taken by Pam Barnes, who led the opposition to Edinburgh Accies’ redevelopment of their Raeburn Place ground, and is mother of Rosy Barnes who headed the campaign against Craighouse.
That’s fine if you happen to share that sort of opinion or if the Cockburn Association wishes to join Jeremy Corbyn on the political spectrum, but that’s not the image they present.
Some influential figures sympathetic to the cause of responsible conservation are now beginning to question the relevance of the Cockburn Association because of the shrill, blinkered and aggressive approach it increasingly takes even where the issues are far from clear cut.
That Edinburgh is an extremely sensitive city is beyond doubt but it is also a place which has always been driven by commerce and any organisations which believe in constructive progress need to take both into account.
A heritage and environment watchdog whose opinions are respected and heeded is an essential part of the development process, but while the Cockburn Association still gets a hearing its recent track record suggests few are listening.
The Cockburn Association’s positions are drawn up by its cases committee which, it claims, “gives constructive comment... with considerable care and attention.” It needs to live up to that ideal or be ignored.
Whether the city is facing a crisis is a matter of opinion, not one I particularly share, but defeat after defeat suggests one is now gripping the heritage lobby and maybe those involved need a gilt-framed Georgian mirror in which to take a long hard look at themselves.
As the old cliché goes, one definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
• The Mactaggart & Mickel development at Gilmerton was granted on appeal because of non-determination by Edinburgh council, not after a refusal as I said last week. Happy to set the record straight.
I won’t be alone in wondering what an Executive Director: Place actually does for a living, but we’re getting one anyway.
This is the new title for a job which is basically to run most of the difficult things in Edinburgh apart from schools and social services – all the stuff which needs a fine eye for detail – while the chief executive gets on with “bigger picture” stuff.
So the Executive Director: Place is actually in charge of the bins, transport and planning in what used to be known as communities when it was run by Mark Turley, the man scapegoated for the Mortonhall baby ashes scandal.
The new man is Paul Lawrence, above, from Stockport Council, described as a “regeneration guru” who as their Corporate Director, Services to Place will be one of the few who actually understands what the new title means.
This is not to be confused with the Executive Director: Plaice who will be charged with improving council catering, or the Executive Director: Palace who will be refitting the new management suite on Market Street.
In the spirit of modernisation and positive messaging, I am told the redefinition of other senior responsibilities is also under discussion and the director for children and families will be known as Executive Director: Happiness, the economic development chief will become Executive Director: Growth, while health and social care will be run by the Executive Director: Vigour.
The new titles don’t tell you what the people actually do, but that’s not the point. It’s to convey the multi-disciplined nature of the roles and serves as a constant reminder of the ultimate goals each department seeks to achieve.
There are different types of consultation exercises. There are ones where the consulter genuinely doesn’t know what’s for the best and wants to find out what people think.
Then there are those when a decision has already been made but the organisation still needs to go through the motions.
Into the latter category I suspect will fall the city council’s consultation on extending city centre parking charges to later in the evening and on Sundays.
Sunday charging in particular will just be a revenue earner pure and simple, so the real question is how much and what will the council do with the money?


The San Jose Sharks took one on the chin Monday night at SAP Center, suffering a 7-3 loss to their Pacific division rival, the Vegas Golden Knights.
The showdown was billed as a hard-hitting matchup and boy, it didn’t disappoint. Unfortunately, things did not swing in the home team’s favor.
Struggles without Joe Pavelski: San Jose was without their captain for the first time this season, as was sidelined with an undisclosed injury. With their top goal-scorer out, the Sharks needed all their skaters to step up to the challenge and make up for his absence. While they scored three good-looking goals -- two of those markers coming from Logan Couture -- and made a really nice push late in the game, not enough of their grade-A chances found the back of the net.
The Sharks also got into a lot of penalty trouble. Vegas is the type of team that is really good at making their opponents pay for making little mistakes, and they were able to wear San Jose down by sending them to the penalty box six times in the first two periods alone.
Knights survive without Marc-Andre Fleury: San Jose had an opportunity to jump on Vegas with their star netminder out of the lineup. Fleury has unmistakably been the Knights’ best player all season, and a big reason why the Sharks got shut out in their first trip to T-Mobile Arena earlier this season. But backup goaltender Malcolm Subban stood his ground and was able to minimize the damage San Jose tried to create.
Subban also had a lot of help in front of him. Vegas was very good creating barriers around him and clogging up the lanes, making even the Sharks’ best efforts moot.
Was this an accurate playoff preview? Not exactly. Remember, both teams are missing key players because of injury. So Monday’s game probably wasn’t the best example of how these teams could matchup up if they end up playing each other in Round 1.
That being said, we got a pretty darn good look at how contentious a playoff series between these two teams would be. The Golden Knights have quickly become one of the Sharks’ biggest rivals, and all games between the two teams have gotten vicious. (Heck, Micheal Haley tried to pull Ryan Reaves off the bench to fight, for pete’s sake.) If these two teams meet up in the postseason -- a time when the refs typically let more hits slide -- it could end up being a blood bath.


The toll — and legacy — of the Great War.
Today, we celebrate Memorial Day. In the light of this commemoration, we might once again consider World War I and its legacy. As chroniclers of the period have noted, in addition to our political inheritance from the Great War — including the present-day Middle East — that war yielded one of the highest death tolls in history. It also yielded some extraordinary British poetry, even as many of its creators would number among the dead. To bring that war out of the shadow of forgetfulness in which it is sometimes shrouded and to help recall the lost promise of almost an entire generation, Guy Cuthbertson’s biography Wilfred Owen is to be highly recommended. Cuthbertson provides a fresh and insightful portrait of one of the most famous British war poets and corrects some false impressions that have become attached to him.
As war broke out across Europe, in the luminous, still summer of 1914, England mobilized its equally luminous youth. During the course of the war, the British Empire deployed approximately 5.4 million men to fight on the Western Front.
Wilfred Owen was one of them — and he was also one of that small but notable group of British soldier-poets whose artistry and bravery improbably coalesced and came to fruition in the trenches of Europe. In addition to Owen, this group included Robert Graves, Siegfried Sassoon, and Isaac Rosenberg. In this sympathetic biography, the author describes Wilfred Owen’s development from a child in a lower-middle-class family in Edwardian England into a modern poet who would win the admiration and friendship of those well beyond his modest roots.
Little about young Wilfred Owen hinted at the soldier-poet he would become. Cuthbertson tells us that, growing up, Owen was very much a “mama’s boy” and not a particularly inspired student. His classroom performance was mostly without distinction, and he was unable to obtain the scholarship he would have needed to attend university. Owen would not live to be much older than a university student, for he was killed in action at age 25, a week before the Armistice was declared. Indeed, news of his death was delivered to his family in Shrewsbury even as the bells were ringing throughout Great Britain in celebration of the war’s end on Armistice Day itself.
Shrewsbury was one of several somewhat provincial towns that Owen’s family lived in during his childhood, whose confines helped form him and from which, according to Cuthbertson, he wanted to flee. In fact, in 1913 Owen moved to Bordeaux, France, where he taught English and gained some independence from his family and social milieu. Ultimately, with the Great War already well underway, he returned to England and, eventually, in October 1915, he joined the 28th Battalion of the London Regiment, an Officers’ Training Corps known as the Artists’ Rifles, and was commissioned a second lieutenant. Cuthbertson reminds us that, in late and post-Edwardian England, membership in the officer class was a status much more easily attained in wartime than in peacetime for young men such as Wilfred Owen — those of humble roots and without a university degree. Indeed, throughout the biography, Cuthbertson underscores Owen’s unrealized hopes of attending a great university, particularly Oxford, and this sense of having been excluded from a coveted rite of passage available to many of his literary peers is a critical leitmotif of Owen’s brief life. Nevertheless, Owen would arguably go on to write better poetry than many of his university-educated peers.
In the century since his death, Wilfred Owen’s poetry has been rightly celebrated, if sometimes mischaracterized as purely pacifist poetry.
In the century since his death, Wilfred Owen’s poetry has been rightly celebrated, if sometimes mischaracterized as purely pacifist poetry. Cuthbertson effectively addresses such mischaracterization.
He also explores the role of Siegfried Sassoon, whom Owen met at Craiglockhart War Hospital, an army hospital where soldiers were treated for shell shock. Sassoon was older, better educated, and already possessed of an established reputation as both soldier and poet. Owen clearly benefited from his friendship, advice, and intelligence, but, according to Cuthbertson, Owen also retained his artistic independence. Sassoon himself downplayed his role in Owen’s literary achievements, recalling that he only encouraged him to write with “compassionate and challenging realism,” but a realism that Sassoon acknowledged was already present in Owen’s own letters written to his mother before he and Sassoon met.
Finally, in Cuthbertson’s telling, one is moved by this humble outsider — an unlikely poet and an unlikely soldier, who would distinguish himself as both. Cuthbertson reminds us that Owen “once fancied having ‘my dead name’ in Westminster Abbey, ‘High in the heart of London unsurpassed / By time for ever . . . ’ ” He would not be buried at Westminster Abbey, but his poetry won him a place there nevertheless: He is one of 16 World War I poets commemorated at Westminster in what is known as Poets’ Corner. As the biographer notes, Wilfred Owen the soldier was buried in the “humbler, more rustic” Communal Cemetery in Ors, France. He rests there with so many of Britain’s war-dead, those who were killed fighting in France when they were young, a hundred years ago.
— Sydney Leach is an attorney who writes from Virginia.