Nonica Datta: You were born in Amritsar. What did you understand about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as a child?
VN Datta: It was horrible… Our house was a 10-minute walk from Jallianwala Bagh at Katra Sher Singh in the walled city of Amritsar. My elder sister told me that she heard the bullets and that my mother began to beat her chest thinking that my father was dead. When I was about six years’ old, I used to walk in the Bagh and observe the bullet marks on the walls. Because of my family memory, I, too, became an indirect witness to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Later, I wrote extensively on the subject. My book, Jallianwala Bagh, appeared in 1969.
ND:Why do you think Brigadier General Reginald Dyer did what he did?
VND: You have to think of the circumstances which led to Dyer’s action. After the victory in World War I, British confidence was at its peak. In addition, Punjab was ruled by the iron hand of Lieutenant Governor, Sir Michael O’Dwyer. He terrorised the troops and peasants. And then came the infamous Rowlatt Bills. There was political unrest in the province.
Dyer did not look upon Jallianwala Bagh massacre as an isolated event, but as an integral part of the Amritsar disturbances. Three days before, on the 10th, the city had been the scene of widespread violence following the arrest of local leaders from Punjab—Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew, Dr Satya Pal, Bugga and Ratto; five Europeans had been murdered; and a lady missionary, Miss Sherwood, had been assaulted. I would say that the assault on Miss Sherwood provided the context for Jallianwala Bagh incident to happen.
As a result, Dyer became furious and determined. He rushed from Jalandhar on 11 April. On 12 April, he moved around the city of Amritsar. On 13 April, from the Hathi Gate, he reached the narrow Jallianwala Bagh. He could not take the machine guns inside. With 50 troops on the platform—25 Gurkhas, 25 Baluchis—he shot about 1,650 bullets, and I calculated around 700 people died. He later told the Disorders Inquiry Committee that he realised his force was small and to hesitate might induce attack.
I believe Dyer’s decision in Jallianwala Bagh was partly influenced by his seeing Amritsar as a possible storm-centre of rebellion and partly by the circumstances of 10 April.
The Punjab Government feared that on the Baisakhi Day a large number of villagers would come to the city and their presence would make the situation sinister. On 12 and 13 April, Dyer issued two orders banning public meetings and processions in Amritsar city. When the massacre took place, martial law had not been introduced and the Brigadier General was not empowered to take charge of the city. But Dyer assumed full control of the situation and ignored the civilian officers. My argument is had he acted in concert with civilian officers, it is possible that the catastrophic episode might have been averted.
As soon as Dyer arrived in the Bagh, he stood on the raised platform and opened fire without warning. Not only this but, he fired continuously even when he could see that people were running for their lives. The Hunter Committee accused him of infringing the principle of minimum force, but failed to explain satisfactorily why he did so, maintaining that Dyer merely exceeded the bounds of his duty.
All these insights were possible because of my discovery of the volumes VI and VII of the Disorders Inquiry Committee (also known as the Hunter Committee) to which Dyer gave an account of his actions. I noticed that the previous volumes, I–V, did not contain the material that these two volumes possessed. These latter volumes included consolidated reports secretly maintained by the British government. I was the first to bring these volumes to the notice of scholars and able to discover hitherto unknown facts.
ND: It is evident that your pioneering work provides an altogether different historical perspective on 1919. Tell us how you would interpret the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
VND: I feel that the massacre was the result of a well-planned conspiracy aimed at bringing together a crowd which could be killed by Dyer. There was no martial law (in Amritsar and Lahore) till 15 April. There were no police present at Jallianwala Bagh. The Deputy Commissioner was absent from the scene. Dyer took no steps to prevent the meeting.
ND: Why do you call the massacre a conspiracy?
VND: In order to understand the massacre, it is necessary to follow the movements of Hans Raj, the chief organiser of the Jallianwala Bagh meeting. At the time of the meeting, when some people began to move away, he urged the crowd to be seated and declared ‘the Government will never fire’. After a while, he waved his handkerchief and Dyer and his Indian troops appeared. When the shooting began, Hans Raj had already left. He was an agent provocateur. He was later spirited away to Mesopotamia and his house in Amritsar was burnt.
ND: Who was in the crowd? Who were the prominent leaders present in the Bagh?
VND: Before the massacre, Jallianwala Bagh was a dumping ground of no political significance. In his testimony to the Disorders Inquiry Committee, Dyer said that the crowd was not innocent but hostile. He claimed it was a planned affair, with an organised mob assembled with the intent of defying authority.
But the crowd was an amorphous lot. Many had come to the city as part of a cattle fair on the Baisakhi festival and had wandered into the Bagh. There was no leader of importance present there. I talked to people who had survived the massacre. I interviewed Rattan Devi, Uttar Kaur and Uttam Devi, who rushed to the Bagh immediately after the firing. Their testimonies formed an essential part of my book, Jallianwala Bagh. I also had long conversations with Dr Kitchlew. Despite his failing health, he gave me valuable information. Hans Raj Mittal, a leading lawyer of Amritsar, told me that the Jallianwala Bagh episode was a conspiracy hatched by Hans Raj.
ND: What is the legacy of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?
VND: After the massacre—as SK Datta, principal of Forman Christian College, Lahore, said—there was a parting of ways between the British and Indians. The massacre paved the way for the ultimate downfall of the British Empire and a new leadership by Gandhi appeared on the national scene.
In my works, I have tried to move away from a nationalist hagiography of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. However, there is no doubt that it proved a great asset to the nationalist cause. 1919 changed the political complexion of Punjab, which could never recover from that military violence.
— This interview is one of a series of interviews with VN Datta conducted by Nonica Datta between July 2018 and April 2019 in New Delhi.


Police say they arrested Milford residents Anthony Penawell, 24, and Tiffany Wolfe, 32, after Penawell assaulted someone in Milford.
Milford Police say they have arrested two people in connection with a May 5 assault witnessed by a child.
Police said they arrested Milford residents Anthony Penawell, 24, and Tiffany Wolfe, 32, after Penawell assaulted someone in a parking lot on North Walnut Street.
The victim reported the incident to police and was transported to Bayhealth Medical Center to be treated for injuries, police said. A child witnessed the assault, police said.
Police arrested Penawell and Wolfe later on May 5. Police said both provided false statements to investigators.
Penawell was charged with second-degree assault, endangering the welfare of a child, providing a false statement to law enforcement and second-degree conspiracy.
Wolfe was charged with second-degree conspiracy and providing a false statement.


Like most everyone who lived in the zip code that designated the Paradise ridge, I’ve been getting solicitations from lawyers inviting me to join the lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric. I haven’t responded to any of those invitations to sue yet, though I’m intrigued by the prospect of being compensated by that company for losses caused by their negligence. Like most PG&E customers, I’ve had issues with them for decades, often recognizing that they were gouging rate payers and that we all were held captive by a “public” utility that was a private enterprise, based on profit and the need to satisfy shareholders with ever greater return on their investments. Those profits came at the expense of people who often couldn’t afford the rate increases that were always being assessed. Then, too, the lock PG&E had on politicians and the Public Utilities Commission made consumers feel powerless because there was only one source of gas and electric power, at least for most people.
In the course of my life, I’ve lived in places where it wasn’t necessary for me to be a customer of PG&E, and I always liked it when I didn’t need to be a client of that monopoly, one I had seen use its power to ensure that it got its way with politicians and those people and entities who were supposed to police how the company conducted itself. For a decade, my electrical needs were met by the Rural Electric Association that served people who lived in the sticks of Plumas County. I liked being served by that outfit and noted the differences between how the REA operated and how PG&E operated. For another six years, we lived in Washington State, in one of the public utility districts in which oversight was more responsibly regulated and monitored. We also lived in Sacramento for a time, and we once again find ourselves living there, now served by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) which seemed before and seems now like a better thing.
I used to write editorials critical of PG&E back in the 80s when I was editing the Green Mountain Gazette up in Quincy. PG&E’s record and reputation was already shady, and though the line workers and repair guys and other front-line service personnel were usually damn good, the guys in the suits were looking out for their jobs and their perks, all of which were dependent on keeping the bottom line high, the operating costs low, and the profit margin higher in service to the shareholders who took precedence over customers. I noted, too, a pattern that PG&E exhibited in being neglectful of public safety concerns, then getting bailed out when the company’s negligence or ineptitude or false economies created a big public liability, with taxpayers getting stuck for the damages done or the losses incurred. Either that, or PG&E would threaten bankruptcy, as they are doing now.
With all that history of antipathy and even hostility toward PG&E, you’d think I’d be anxious to join one of the suits being filed against them. But lawyers are one category of people I am even more wary of than I am of big corporate exploiters of basic human needs. And though I know that class action suits of this kind usually don’t cost the clients anything until or unless the cases filed are successful in court, I am hesitant about getting caught up in a whole lot of paperwork or time-and-energy consuming efforts that may drag on in the courts for years. And, given the power and influence PG&E has demonstrated in getting out of earlier liabilities for a lengthening trail of earlier screw ups, the whole effort could be for naught.
But I surely would love to claim some loot from the people who have charged me excessively for so long for using resources that belong to all of us, the power generated by water that isn’t owned by PG&E. Then, too, PG&E, like the oil companies, is heavily subsidized by taxpayers. And there is no doubt in my mind that the fire that happened on the morning of November 8th could have been avoided with greater care and responsibility on the part of PG&E management who were more concerned about profits than taking care of the business of keen-eyed upkeep, maintenance, and public safety. Any money that might be awarded to fire victims would seem no less than what I and and many others are entitled to for damages that money can’t fix and for suffering that has no price. But I’d take it, not because I am in particular need, but because it seems just to compensate people for injuries inflicted. It seems only right that PG&E should be held responsible and accountable for the harm they’ve done to so many.
The problem is these corporate CEOs always have a way of weaseling out of paying for the harm done. Even now, the honchos at PG&E are being awarded huge bonuses, money in the millions for several of the top guns. If being held responsible for screwing up is “why they get the big bucks,” that sure wouldn’t seem to apply to these people at the top of that reckless and heartless corporation. Will they pay? Hell no. They’re in line for big rewards for their service, not to customers, but to the investors, damn few of whom lived on the Paradise ridge. And I don’t think any of those execs due to get millions in bonuses have been exposed to much fire or rain in their plush mansions. Especially not fires set ablaze by their indifference to upkeep and public safety.


Charlottesville police are investigating a rash of iPod thefts from cars, mostly in the UVA area. According to a release, the iPods have been left in plain view, and the perps are using rocks to smash the windows to grab the popular, easily fenced items. One night recently, six iPods were snatched in this manner.
Police did not elaborate on the emotional toll of these stolen devices and the hours– nay, days and nights!– devoted by owners to personalizing the music on them.
Don't leave your iPod in the car in plain sight, even if the door is locked, and if you have any information, call the police at 977-9041.
Lives ruined? Methinks you're attacking he victim, are you not?
It's probably the same kid busting the Hessian Hills and Canterbury Hills neighborhoods wide open in Albemarle County. He's entered about 40 homes now through unlocked doors and windows when he spots electronics in plain view.


One of Brooklyn's favorite synthy-noisy experimental bands, Parts & Labor, stopped by The A.V. Club to record a cover of Kanye West's "Runaway."
Anyway, for such a divergent sound, Parts & Labor really makes the nine-minute track their own, satisfactorily noisey, weird and epic.
Highlights include B.J. Warsaw belting out the chorus as if he were defending his life, Joe Wong playing the underside of his snare drum, and Tom Martin's slide+EBow atmospherics.
You'd almost think they claimed the original rights to the track. Check it out here and the whole archive of Undercover here.


What time TCN-TEN PASSR depart from तिरुचेंदूर Railway Station?
तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर (56035) departs from तिरुचेंदूर Railway Station at 09:15.
How much time TCN-TEN PASSR take to reach तिरुनलवेली Railway Station?
तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर reach on day 1 to तिरुनलवेली Railway Station. The arrival time of तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर at तिरुनलवेली Railway Station is 11:00.
Distance covered by तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर?
तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर covers 61 km to reach तिरुनलवेली Railway Station at average speed of 35 km/hr. तिरुचेंदूर - तिरुनलवेली पैसेन्जर passes through 12 stations.


By JOSEPH MURAYA, NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 8 – The Council of Governors has now formed a 15-member steering committee to kick-start the process of pushing for a referendum.
The committee will in consultation with a technical committee lead consultation meetings across the country on a 10-point agenda that they say will boost devolution.
In a statement presented by Nyeri Governor Nderitu Gachagua on Friday, the council said their quest for a referendum was meant to strengthen devolution, refuting claims that it was politically motivated.
“The call for a constitutional amendment by the Council of Governors did not start last week. It dates to April 2013 immediately the county governments took over office,” he stated.
Consultation meetings will kick off at the ward level next week.
Among the issues they want addressed include increase of county funds to 45 percent of latest Exchequer accounts, empowerment of the Senate and amendment of 23 laws they say negatively affect devolution.
Gachagua also said that they want separate gazettement of laws between the national and county governments.
Among the Governors in the steering committee include the council’s chairman Isaac Ruto, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and Kiambu Governor William Kabogo.
Others are Peter Munya of Meru, Kivutha Kibwana of Makueni, Nyeri’s Gachagua, Ahmed Abdullahi of Wajir, Jack Ranguma of Kisumu, Salim Mvurya of Kwale and Wycliffe Oparanya of Kakamega County.
They also include David Nkedianye of Kajiado, Kenneth Lusaka of Bungoma, Ali Roba of Mandera, Cleophas Lagat of Nandi and Ukur Yattani of Marsabit County.


Boston Bruins leading scorer David Pastrnak will miss at least two weeks recovering from surgery on a tendon in his left thumb.
General manager Don Sweeney said on Tuesday that Pastrnak was injured when he fell Sunday night after attending a team sponsorship dinner. According to Sweeney, the doctor will re-evaluate the injury and the timetable in two weeks, but Pastrnak is expected to return this season.
Pastrnak, 22, is tied for ninth in the NHL with 66 points and is seventh with 31 goals.
The Bruins entered Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the second-place New York Islanders.


Giving gadgets brains will be a hot theme at the Consumer Electronics Show set to open in Las Vegas, with device makers big and small touting hardware with "smarts."
Whether it's a doorbell or refrigerator, a TV set or a toothbrush, chances are it will be connected to digital assistants powered by artificial intelligence aiming to anticipate needs or desires.
"I think you're going to see the year of smart," said Jack Gold, a technology analyst with J. Gold Associates.
One of the largest trade shows in the world, the January 9-12 CES will attract about 170,000 visitors and 3,900 exhibitors from 150 countries and will showcase innovations in computers, gaming, robotics, vehicle technology, virtual and augmented reality and more.
Gold said gadgets will be increasingly tuned to glean insights about the people using them, with an aim of anticipating what might be desired at any given moment.
"Your device will learn about you and will know your preferences, and it'll then try to get smarter about how to interact with you," he said.
As consumer electronics evolve, an overriding theme has become voice-assisted digital assistants being integrated into more devices, said Stephen Baker of the research firm NPD.
"I think you are going to be overwhelmed by smart homes and voice -- the voice speakers yelling at you in the convention center and up and down the (Las Vegas) Strip will be overwhelming," Baker said of CES.
He said gadget makers will infuse more products and services with virtual aides such as Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Microsoft Cortana.
"What happened is all the appliance and device guys gave up (on making their own isolated smart home systems) and instead are building an ecosystem in which pretty much everybody's devices will talk to Google or Amazon, or eventually Siri," Baker said.
Still, says Gartner analyst Brian Blau, large and small tech firms are locked in battle to be at the heart of smart homes and devices.
"To some degree there is still a war on for the connected home platform," Blau said.
"Communication standards are being worked out, but the other thing is whose allegiance you will commit your home to -- will it be Samsung, LG, Amazon, Google?"
Carolina Milanesi of the consultancy Creative Strategies said major electronics firms like Bosch, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung are looking to showcase how several devices can work together with a connected hub.
"I definitely see the speaker still be key to controlling the connected home," she said.
Bob O'Donnell, analyst and consultant with Technalysis Research, said artificial intelligence also opens the door to "computer vision" used in drones, autonomous cars and robotics which will be showcased at CES.
Major carmakers will be on hand as well as makers of tech platforms for self-driving vehicles such as Intel's Mobileye and chipmaker Nvidia, along with a dozen exhibitors in the autonomous car "marketplace."
CES hosts the debut of a $130,000 electric car from Fisker -- a relaunched startup led by former BMW designed Henrik Fisker whose previous venture went bankrupt -- and one of several challengers to rapidly expanding Tesla.
Although CES ends just days ahead of a major Detroit auto show, O'Donnell said automakers are eager to show their new technology to a wider public.
"It's a place to make a statement about technologies that will have resonance," he said.
"And the vast majority of the new innovations in cars are in fact tech things."
O'Donnell said the success of these new technologies will depend on how well machines can think the way people do.
"We are looking for ways these devices have contextual intelligence," he said.
This would enable a device or assistant to understand multipart questions and develop responses which are adapted to the individual, O'Donnell said.
"The whole idea of understanding context is a big theme in AI, and we'll see a lot of effort to improve the empathy of devices," he said.
O'Donnell said he expects to see "an evolution of the intelligence of those devices," adding that "AI is going to improve the experience of the device even if it doesn't change what they are."
At this year's show, CES will include zones and marketplaces for sports technology, health and wellness, robotics, smart cities, product design and manufacturing and more, and conference panels on many of these topics.
Keynote speakers include Ford Motor Co. chief executive Jim Hackett, Intel's Brian Krzanich and Huawei consumer chief Richard Yu.
Conferences on tech policy will include US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Federal Communications Commission chief Ajit Pai and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.


#CSURams vs. Alabama later today on the airwaves. And we have your pre-game listening with the CSU Insider podcast.
RT AlabamaFTBL: Wake up. It's Gameday.
Random Lake Varsity Volleyball wins the third match with Heritage Christian 25-10, 25-16 #RLRamNation #GORAMS !
#RollTide always but why the hell are we playing a non- conference game during primetime? I really need to see this #ClemvsLou battle!
Random Lake Boys Soccer trails the host Kiel Raiders 2-0 at the half #RLRamNation #GORAMS !
Yes I'm working....don't look like it, but I am...no football until tonight ????
Pulling hard today for some CSU magic. #GoRams and die a Viking death as you slay the Bama Monster.


BT Openreach – the phone and broadband company that we all love to hate – is promising to do better.
Back in June, the UK telecoms giant was told by watchdog Ofcom that it could face fines if it did not meet new targets to repair its extensive UK telephone and broadband network.
Under new rules, BT’s Openreach infrastructure division must fix 70 per cent of faults – in the network used by BT’s own customers, as well as those of rivals – within two working days.
Now PC Pro reports that new BT chief Joe Garner has admitted that customer service is one area where Openreach needs to do significantly better, and as part of his strategy for the infrastructure arm, he’s put customer service at the top of the list.
“I actually think we get the vast majority of things right the first time, probably 60 to 70%, and I think there’s another 20% where we get it a little bit wrong, but we sort of retrieve the position,” he said at a briefing with journalists.
Fingers crossed that the new boy can actually make a genuine difference.
The Nook GlowLight comes to the UK TODAY – here’s our review!


Under the nuclear agreement, Tehran has been allowed to convert heavy 'dumb' rockets into precision-guided RAAD missiles, which the IDF believes will be delivered to its Shiite proxies in Syria, namely Hezbollah.
Under the nuclear agreement Tehran signed with world powers, which allows it to continue its missile program unabated, the Iranian military industry is developing one of its most covert projects: the RAAD anti-tank missile.
The Iranians have been able to reach a breakthrough in converting heavy "dumb" rockets—some old and containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives—into precision-guided missiles. These GPS-guided missiles will serve as an alternative to the inertial navigation rockets that lose of their accuracy the further they fly.
The IDF's working assumption is that these missiles will make their way to Iran's main proxy in the Middle East, Lebanese terror organization Hezbollah, which receives 75 percent of its budget from Tehran.
The development of the new RAAD missile is based on a fairly new approach to developing weapons: being able to manufacture advanced weapons independently from Russia.
An accurate missile, such as the ones being developed in Iran, is one that has a hit radius of no more than several dozens of meters from its designated target.
For the sake of comparison, with the rockets Hezbollah currently has in its arsenal, the terror group would have to fire a barrage of dozens of projectiles towards central Israel to increase the chances of hitting the the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. But only one accurate missile—assuming it is not intercepted—would be needed to achieve the same objective.
However, Western defense officials are not yet convinced Iran has completed development of the new precision-guided missiles.
Meanwhile, a recent airstrike on the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS), attributed to Israel by Arab media, reportedly laid waste to alleged Iranian infrastructure for the production of advanced arms for Hezbollah.
CERS manufactures missiles based on scientific knowhow from North Korea and Iran. The Syrian center also develops chemical weapons and other munitions for Hezbollah, such as S-60 missiles.
At present, Hezbollah's precision-guided weapons arsenal is minor: A handful of accurate attack drones and "suicide drones."
In addition to that, Hezbollah has hundreds of unmanned aircraft, some of them attack drones, without significant flight and precision capabilities, while others are used for the collection of intelligence and for psychological warfare.
It also has between 80,000-100,000 rockets in ranges of 10 to 500 kilometers, but these rockets are not very accurate.
Nevertheless, the Israeli defense establishment views Hezbollah has the biggest threat to Israel at present.
Israeli defense officials believe Hezbollah has changed its approach with regards to future conflicts with Israel: Instead of a drawn-out war of attrition, like the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the Lebanese terror group would prefer a short war, with a strong opening blow, heavy barrages of rockets, and much subterfuge.
This kind of attitude would require a different approach from the IDF, focusing on the maneuvering of small forces, such as companies and platoons, rather than the cumbersome maneuvering of divisions.
But while the Iranians are urging their Lebanese proxy to escalate the situation with Israel, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah doesn't follow Tehran's orders completely, in part because of the bad shape his organization is currently in.
At the same time, Iran is continuing its efforts to increase its influence in Syria. Tehran is arming pro-Iranian forces fighting alongside the Syrian army with a massive airlift of some 100 flights a month.
The Islamic republic also seeks to establish a division in Syria under Hezbollah's command, gathering under one central command the tens of thousands of pro-Iranian fighters operating in the war-torn country. There are currently some 8,000 Hezbollah fighters, 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards troops and some 10,000 Shiite militiamen in Syria.
See all talkbacks "Israel fears Hezbollah will receive precision-guided missiles developed by Iran"


It was 9:30 P.M., and the Mayor was in his office at Gracie Mansion, speaking by commercial radio to the prison ers. His short statement was gamble to win without force the release of 17 hostages held by the prisoners.
Almost precisely two and half hours later, the Mayor stepped from his limousine in front of the Tombs before mid night. There were cheers from inmates leaning out of the prison windows.
He said he was “deeply gratified by the release of the hostages unharmed.” It was for that word that he had been waiting since 9:30 P.M., and it had taken more than two hours to arrive.
Open telephone lines linking his office with the warden's of fice in the Tombs and the Cor rection Commissioner's office across the street from the prison kept him in continuing contact with the tense situation down town.
But until the limousine dash just before midnight, the Mayor, according to his press secretary, Thomas Morgan, did not go outside his residence all day.
He consulted with a variety of city officials during the long day, and at 4 P.M. a “final re view” of the situation was made at a meeting in the new wing of Gracie Mansion.
With the Mayor were Acting Police Commissioner John F. Walsh; George F. McGrath, the Correction Commissioner; Dep uty Mayors Timothy Costello and Richard R. Aurelio; Barry H. Gottehrer, the Mayor's ex ecutive assistant for special community problems, who has been involved with the continu ing prison crisis; Michael J. Dontzin, counsel to the Mayor, and other staff members.
The men to whom the Mayor made his radio appeal were told by the warden— by telephone from his office to the 11th floor of the Tombs—to turn on their radios at 9:30 for the Mayor's message.
The Mayor canceled his scheduled 10:30 P.M. appear ance on the weekly television show “With Mayor Lindsay”; Deputy Mayor Aurelio took his place on the WNEW‐TV pro gram on Channel 5.
The Mayor left his office at last and started toward the Tombs to begin his midnight meeting with the prisoners.
This is Mayor Lindsay speaking to the men on the Tombs’ 11th floor. I want to repeat to you what I said to the whole city yesterday. I will meet personally with your representatives imme diately upon the release by you, unharmed, of all of the hostages.
I am asking you to release the hostages within 30 min utes. Otherwise other courses of action must be taken. As I said to the citizens of this city yesterday, I am aware of your grievances and prob lems. I am prepared to deal with them positively, and to enlist the aid of the courts and the state, but you must understand that this city can not tolerate violence and dis order.
I wish to emphasize that no other course except the immediate release, unharmed, of all of the hostages within 30 minutes is acceptable. Then and only then will I meet with representatives of your group. I urge you to weigh carefully the conse quences of continuing your present course of conduct.
I have a very brief state ment that I wish to make to you and that is that I'm deep ly gratified that the hostages have been released unharmed. I'd like to express my gratifi cation to the superb work of the correction officers and of New York City police.
Now I'm here to hold to the commitment I made that if the hostages were released unharmed, I would meet with a representative group of the prisoners and listen to what they have to say. I shall do that, and then I may have something to say when I've completed that assignment.


A worm capable of using webcams to spy on users is circulating across the Net.
Rbot-GR, the latest variant in the prolific worm series, spreads via network shares, exploiting a number of Microsoft security vulnerabilities to drop a backdoor Trojan horse program on vulnerable machines as it spreads. Once a backdoor program is installed on a victim's PC it's always game over - an attacker can do whatever takes their fancy. But Rbot-GR comes pre-loaded with functionality specifically designed to control webcam and microphones. Other variants of the worm do not come with this "Peeping Tom" routine, according to AV firm Sophos.
"If your computer is infected and you have a webcam plugged in, then everything you do in front of the computer can be seen, and everything you say can be recorded," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "It would be like having a regular Web cam conversation except you wouldn't know you're taking part in it."


At least 28 people were killed Thursday after a bus plunged into a deep gorge in a Himalayan region of northern India popular with tourists, police said.
The accident occurred around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the hill resort of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh state, said police superintendent Soumiya Sambasivan.
"28 people have died and seven are injured. All the bodies have been identified," she said.
The bus was taking around 40 people from Kinnaur district towards Solan when it rolled roughly 200 metres down a gorge to the banks of a river river.
Images from the scene showed emergency workers conducting a rescue operation with the help of local volunteers.
Last week, 16 pilgrims died in a bus crash in neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir state, while in April 44 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh in a similar accident.
India has some of the world's highest traffic fatalities with more than 150,000 deaths annually due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.


The opening of The Northumbria hospital, one of the many notable achievements for Northumbria Healthcare since it became a foundation trust 10 years ago.
Officials and staff at a health trust are have been marking 10 years since it joined the NHS elite and became a foundation trust.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which employs 9,500 staff, achieved the status in August 2006.
And in the following10 years, it has seen its reputation grow nationally while overseen a number of changes and new facilities locally.
Other achievements include one of only five trusts currently rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission; named as one of the country’s ‘top hospitals’ for nine consecutive years; and taking over responsibility for community services in Northumberland.
David Evans, chief executive, said: “Becoming a foundation trust was the first step in our journey to becoming the ‘outstanding’ trust we are today.
Alan Richardson, chairman of Northumbria Healthcare, said: “Being a foundation trust enables us to have a direct link with our local communities through our governors and members and over the last 10 years our Council of Governors has gone from strength to strength.
To become a member visit www.northumbria.nhs.uk/members to complete the online application form or call the foundation membership team on 0191 203 1296.


The third and final phase of the Benefis ED is set to open for patient care on Monday, Jan. 14.
The Benefis Health Systems emergency department is set to open for patient care on Monday, Jan. 14.
The $12.5 million facility took three years to complete starting with design meetings and moving to construction 18 months later.
“First section opened in May, the second section opened in September and the final one will open Monday,” said Dr. Bridget Brennan, Benefis medical director.
According to Scott Schandelson, nurse manager for Benefis Emergency Services, a large chunk of the money — more than $2.5 million — was funded by the community through the Benefis Foundation.
“This last piece will allow us to operationalize the vision we came up with several years ago,” Schandelson said.
The project expanded the total bed population from about 18 to 33. Schandelson said it will give Benefis a completely different ability to care for its patients.
“Just better utilization of resources and better experiences for the patients, but we needed the number of beds to do it,” he said.
The emergency department is adopting a new model of care that emergency departments have used across the country for a couple of years. It should decrease length of stay and wait times.
Brennan and Schandelson said there were no major difficulties, as far as construction goes.
They said the funniest thing they found was walls and stairs that weren’t on blueprints, but instances like this were easy to deal with because of the weekly meeting with construction.
Brennan gave props to the staff after saying they had the brunt of the construction craziness.
“We’ve moved supplies and we’ve moved people, and we’ve been divided at one point,” she said.
Schandelson added that during a time of construction and changes, the staff stepped up.
Let’s get some of the new features of this project the staff of Benefis are extremely proud of.
The building hasn’t had a family room for two years because even prior to breaking ground, Benefis had to re-purpose the room.
“We get to have a family room again which is something our community really needs,” said Schandelson.
They have put new technology in the room, a type of smart board, that allows patients and their family, no matter the distance, to make decisions together.
The board has a high-definition camera and sends a link and invite for those away to join the conversation. This allows them to be able to work around weather conditions and distance.
“The room is also behind double doors. It decreases the noise, so families can remove themselves for a few minutes from the chaos of whatever the situation is.
When Benefis had the opportunity to rebuild, it worked with the Sexual Assault Response Team because the hospital knew it would need space.
“This room was built around all of [local] agencies coming together and saying, ‘We just need something a little bit more if you have the space,' and so we found the space,” he said.
The room is safe and windowless featuring a forensic interview room. The victim or survivor of sexual assault can sit here and tell their story to their nurse privately without having to sit uncomfortably in a bed in stirrups.
“We try to preserve dignity the whole way through and try to decrease traumatization while we’re taking care of the patient,” said Schandelson.
After the interview room, they can move next door to the exam room.
The room has high-end technology, including a $21,000 digital camera provided by donors.
The digital camera has a forensic level filter and special lighting. The images cannot be manipulated.
The clothing of the victim is collected by the staff and all the data is encrypted onto a drive on its own discrete, hack proof network. Then, when and if the survivors choose to prosecute, they can request the password protected CD.
The final touch of the room is the private bathroom.
“When the victim survivor is done, we never had a [private] shower or a place to freshen up or a place to put on clean clothes,” said Schandelson.
Now there is an enclosed bathroom, so the staff doesn’t have to take the patient across the halls. They can stay in the room.
“It’s designed for the patient and the staff,” said Brennan.
The two rooms are stainless steel wrapped and resemble a jail; however, they are designed to keep the patients safe.
Everything is anti-ligature from top to bottom. From room to bathroom.
It’s easily cleanable thanks to the room being “flushable.” The entire room can be hosed down, cleaned and drained.
The lights can be lowered to avoid glares against the steel, and the rooms are video monitored.
The rooms also include their own private bathroom for the convenience of the patients and staff. No more need for escorted trips to the restroom.
“These are people that might be with us for a little while that just had a really bad night, and they want to clean themselves up so that whole shower system is anti-ligature too,” said Schandelson.
The building has never had a garage before.
It holds four ambulances and connects right to the helipads.
There are two helipads outside a set of automatic, double-doors. Now, when people come in, they don’t have to keep moving the helicopter.
The two pads also save money for upkeep and gas.
The garage also includes a separate shower area in case of patients come in with contamination.
The Benefis emergency department is located on the corner of 11th Avenue South and 28th Street South on the Benefis East Campus, open 24 hours a day.


The Hawai’i Police Department reports that Maryann Dowsett F-87 of Kamuela has been located.
The Hawai’i Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Maryann Dowsett an 87-year-old woman from Waimea, Hawaiian Homes Subdivision. Dowsett is part Hawaiian with a light tan complextion with brown eyes, short gray hair, 5 feet 1 inches tall, and weighs 112 pounds.
Dowsett was last seen off of Ainahua Ala Nui Street in the Hawaiian Homes Subdivision Saturday (March 3) at about 11:30 a.m. She was last seen wearing beige jeans, cut off below the knees, white sweater with gray stripes and glitter. She was last wearing blue slip on sneakers. Dowsett frequents Waimea town.
Anyone with information on Dowsett’s whereabouts is asked to call the Hawai’i Police Department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311.


Compare products and prices while you're walking down the aisles with MySimon To Go for your Palm VII. Comparison shop online and offline merchants, without leaving the store. Compare prices on music, books, sporting goods, computers, electronics, and much more with this wireless application.


In the tradition of fine singers everywhere, Vika and Linda Bull let the songwriters create the tunes while they concentrate on interpretation and delivery. Some of the songs on their new album, Love is Mighty Close, such as the Stephen Cummings-penned title track, were already in existence. But others, including Paul Kelly's To Be Good Takes A Long Time (To Be Bad No Time at All), were written especially for the Bull sisters. So how personal is a lyric like that?
``Paul observes us; he knows what we're like,'' Linda Bull says with a mischievous laugh. She says they let it be known they were looking for songs, and before they knew it they had offers from some of Australia's finest: Cummings, Jeff Burstin, Rob Snarski, Barry Palmer and Caroline Kennedy, Cyndi Boste, Chris Wilson, David McCormack, Dan Brodie and David Hosking. ``We said we wanted the songs to have country instrumentation, with violins, mandolins and pedal steel, but other than that there was no theme. We knew once the songs came in, a theme would develop.'' Is there an art to interpreting other people's songs? ``We only listen to them once or twice, to get the gist and the words, and then we do the melody and everything from memory, so we come up with our own version,'' Linda says.
The Bull sisters released the album independently after they were let go by their label, FMR, and Linda says it allowed them more freedom. ``We've always been conscious of budgets and working quickly anyway, because we didn't want to get in debt or waste someone else's opportunity. But this time we borrowed an amount of money from our mum and dad that we knew we could repay, for the recording, rather than from the record company. Now we're not A&Ring for radio, we've just made a record we like very naturally.'' Vika and Linda launch Love is Mighty Close at the Athenaeum Theatre tomorrow night with guest Cyndi Boste. Tickets through Ticketmaster7.
Winter used to be a quiet time for international tours, but no longer. A promoter took advantage of the fact that dozens of quality northern hemisphere bands made it to the Mount Fuji festival in Japan each July and thought he would entice them to Australia for the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay. So this week we get to see bands play material from some of the best albums of recent months. And, out of nowhere, Dr Funkenstein, aka George Clinton, finally plays here for the first time to cap off a huge week. Now it looks likely another excellent northern festival, Livid, will make its way down the coast from Brisbane to Sydney and Melbourne in October this year. Oasis and Jane's Addiction are rumoured to be headliners - expect an announcement next week. But there's more! Seminal late'60s rockers the Dictators will also make it to Australia next month for shows at the Corner and the Tote. Plus, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will hit Melbourne on their respective world tours early next year. Unfortunately, Big Star look too pricey for Meredith, but some other great acts are being considered, and fingers crossed for Brian Wilson in December.
The band formerly known as Shihad, Pacifier have shown with recent single Comfort Me that they've gained a stadium-rock sheen while recording with producer Josh Abraham (Korn, Limp Bizkit) in LA, but they've lost none of their melodic power. But other bands continue to take the mickey out of them for changing their name. First, Frenzal Rhomb claimed they were changing their name to Shihad to capitalise on the band's hard work in the US, and now a band calling themselves Jihad Against America are playing at - wait for it - an Access TV/Food Not Bombs benefit at Pony on Wednesday. A spokesman says the band aren't concerned about their controversial name. ``It's clear a jihad (holy war) has been declared, and the United States are the prime target. We're just stating the obvious.'' You can catch Pacifier with the Butterfly Effect at the Corner tonight and the Armadale Hotel tomorrow.
Chant Down Productions are celebrating Haile Selassie's birthday tomorrow night - Rastas can give praise at the tree he buried in the Botanic Gardens - with a reggae party, Rastafari!, featuring sets from Jesse I, Ras Crucial, Jessie Proverbs, Dreadlock Trinity and Andy Ites, at Deep 11, Queen Street, city.
In gigs tonight, Ed Kuepper and Caroline Kennedy play a dinner and show at the Cornish Arms; Rhubarb play the Evelyn Hotel; Conway Savage and Penny Ikinger play at the Rob Roy Hotel; Casio Nova (Rock God), a comedy routine about the mind of an '80s homekeyboard fetishist, tops a benefit bill at the Gooch in Thornbury; or check out new soul and r'n'b club Rhythm and Soul at 101 Smith Street, Collingwood, featuring live bands (this week it's the Grand Wazoo) followed by funky DJs until dawn.
Tomorrow, Ross Wilson plays a dinner-and-show event at Uncle Neil's Place, Upwey (book on 9754 1177); Silver Ray launch their New Love EP at the Corner Hotel with Dan Kelly; PreShrunk play the Duke of Windsor Hotel in Prahran; Wendy Rule and Monique Brumby play Carlton's Dan O'Connell Hotel; Mirth play Collingwood's Prince Patrick Hotel; and Gata Negra, 99 and Hospital Brothers are at the Tote.
On Sunday, Kerri Simpson plays the Cornish Arms from 4pm with Steve Boyd; the Sand Pebbles, the Spoils and Treetops play the Builders Arms from 7pm; gospel band Heart and Soul and Alex Burns launch their self-titled CD at the Corner Hotel at 6pm; and Gata Negra play the North Melbourne Town Hall Hotel.
On Wednesday, Tim Freedman plays Whitlams songs and signs copies of their new album, Torch The Moon, at Borders' Jam Factory store at 6pm, and HMV in Bourke Street on Thursday, July 25, at 12.30pm; and the Lowriders play the Greyhound Hotel. On Thursday, Jona Byron plays the 9th Ward, city.


“I was frightened the whole time,” Jake said, but he managed to stay calm.
He had learned in Cub Scouts that in an emergency you should call 911 and everyone you know, he said.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew rescued an injured Ryan Pritchard, 41, from the cliff-side tree.
“The danger was that the tree would give away and he would fall to his death,” said CHP officer and paramedic Ben Schmidt.
The daring rescue also entailed the copter crew airlifting Jake to safety.
Jake’s 911 call at 3:10 p.m. alerted authorities that his father was stuck in a tree in the Putah Creek State Wildlife Area. While the coordinates derived from the cellphone call failed to lead the helicopter crew to the pair, a resourceful CHP dispatcher using the family name found a Facebook post where the father identified the trail they would be hiking on Sunday.
A CHP helicopter crew eventually found Jake on the cliff overlooking his father’s precarious position. Meanwhile, another CHP helicopter piloted by CHP officer-pilot Pete Gavitte arrived to start the rescue.
While Gavitte kept the helicopter hovering over the boy, Officer Craig Koyl lowered officer-paramedic Schmidt to pick up the youngster.
Once the boy was hoisted and flown to a nearby landing site, the crew went back for his father. Koyl once again lowered Schmidt, this time into the tree on the cliff side. Schmidt then bandaged and prepared the father for a hoist in a rescue basket.
Schmidt and two firefighter rescuers from Vacaville Fire Protection District who had climbed the cliff side helped secure the patient to the back board. The helicopter then lifted the father and Schmidt to safety.
CHP officer Schmidt said there was concern that the tree might not hold rescuers and the father.
Ryan Pritchard was eventually transported to a nearby hospital by another CHP helicopter. Schmidt said he had head injuries.
Jake’s mother, Selena Pritchard, said Ryan Pritchard, a Natomas resident, remains hospitalized but is recovering.
She said her son was “very calm and collected. I’m pretty proud of him to climb down to get the cellphone,” she said.
The crew that lifted the Pritchards to safety is part of the Golden Gate Division Air Operations unit, based at Napa County Airport. The unit operates two airplanes and two helicopters.
The helicopter is equipped with a rescue hoist that has 165 feet of rescue cable to lift rescuers or patients that can weigh up to 450 pounds into the aircraft.


Japan's auto makers have called on the Government to end the country's voluntary restraints on automobile exports to the United States when the fiscal year ends next March, a Government official said today.
According to the official, the auto makers told the head of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry that the quota, which puts a ceiling of 2.3 million vehicles on exports to the United States for the year ending in March, was no longer necessary. The executives said that the strengthening of the yen against the dollar, which makes Japanese products more expensive in the United States, would prevent them from selling many additional cars on the American market.
In the past year, the yen has risen by more than 35 percent against the dollar. Many Japanese manufacturers have raised prices to make up for the shift in exchange rates, while others have cut profit margins to keep prices steady and maintain their markets.
Japanese exports of cars, trucks and buses to the United States in the first six months of this year rose by 18.4 percent from the corresponding period last year, to 1,706,597 vehicles.
In a separate development, an official of the Nissan Motor Company, Japan's second-largest auto maker after Toyota, said Nissan would start increasing its imports of United States auto parts this month.
The Nissan official, Kenkichi Shibata, said the company would import 20,000 sealed beams a month, to be used in 10,000 trucks, from the GTE Products Corporation of Stamford, Conn. He refused to disclose the value of the parts.
Nissan's American subsidiary uses parts from GTE Products, ''so we know their products are reliable and of good quality,'' Mr. Shibata said.
The United States has long pressed Japanese auto makers to purchase more American-made auto parts. The Japanese, however, traditionally rely on long-term links with their affiliated suppliers, and foreign competitors argue that such close business relationships exclude them from selling in Japan. American sales here amount to less than 1 percent of the auto parts market. END OF QUOTA DOUBTED Top American auto makers expressed doubts yesterday that Japan would accede to the request of its automobile industry that the voluntary export quota be lifted.
The Ford Motor Company said that even with the voluntary restraints, Japanese auto makers had been expanding their share of the American market because of their increasing assembly capacity in this country. The General Motors Corporation declined to comment.
Meanwhile, the United States trade representative's office said that export restraints, voluntary or imposed, were not the answer to the current trade problem with Japan. ''The U.S. has not asked for the restraints and has always maintained that the only answer is for Japan to open its markets to U.S. products,'' said Gary Holmes, a spokesman.


Courtesy photo from the Wasatch Wildlife Watch project, University of Utah A motion-triggered camera recorded this image of a moose in Utah’s central Wasatch Mountains June 23 as part of University of Utah research, led by biology graduate student Austin Green, exploring how recreation affects wildlife. Volunteer teams rigged cameras at 210 sites and recorded 40,000 to 50,000 images of animals during a 15-week study period. Now the team is seeking help from the public to process this tsunami of data.
There has perhaps not been a more important time to hone our understanding of the current state of ecological health and function of the Wasatch Mountains and the wildlife that live here.
The Wasatch sustains 9 million visitors a year, which is about the same as that of the “mighty five” Utah national parks. Currently many planning processes and opportunities to shape the future of the central Wasatch are unfolding, ranging from the Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area legislation, transportation solutions from the recent blue print of the Central Wasatch Mountain Accord, and other national forest planning opportunities.
The greater Salt Lake area is predicted to experience a 40 percent increase in human population in the next 25 years, and with that will come predictable increases in human pressure on this fragile range.
At the same time, and like never before, our state and federal land and wildlife management agencies have their budgets slashed, hiring frozen and staff worked thin. Without proper resources, our public lands and wildlife resources are at serious risk of being degraded and diminished. We need the community’s help to protect our critical natural resources and natural heritage.
Community Scientists (also known as Citizen Scientists) are community members that are trained to collect data. They don’t need a degree or expertise, just dedication. With the data Community Scientists collect, we can positively affect our public lands and wildlife.
Wildlife in the Wasatch Mountains live in one of the most highly-trafficked national forests in the country and next to one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. Yet, we know very little about what Wasatch wildlife need to sustain their populations. This year, a partnership including the University of Utah, Wild Utah Project, Utah Natural History Museum and more than 200 Community Scientists began studying the Wasatch’s wildlife with the goal of learning about critical habitats and movement corridors.
Community Scientists deployed trail cameras and are now helping analyze nearly a million images including moose, elk, mule deer, and cougar. Each image will be used to understand the most important habitats and movement pathways for these animals. The study is designed to help us learn how current human activities and influences in the Wasatch are affecting these habitats and pathways. This will help better inform management of not only our Wasatch wildlife, but also the transportation and other planning solutions that are underway, thus helping these projects avoid impacts to our wildlife.
Without Community Scientists, research like the Wasatch wildlife study is not possible. Leveraging Community Science to collect crucial information on ecological data gaps is a win-win for local stakeholders and land and wildlife management agencies alike. Especially now, as agency budgets are so lean and conservation science is sometimes given short shrift, we think the positive partnerships grounded in volunteer Community Science efforts can help bridge these gaps, fostering positive results for Utah’s natural resources.
We encourage you to be a Community Scientist and help play a role in conserving our natural heritage. Learn more at https://www.wildutahproject.org/citizen-science/ .
Austin Green is a Ph.D. student in the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab at the University of Utah, studying how human activity affects wildlife occurrence and behavior. Allison Jones is a conservation biologist and director of the Wild Utah Project, which is orchestrating the Community Science volunteer effort for the Wasatch trail camera study.


LMN Architects, via city of Seattle.
Real estate company Capstone Partners, developer of the building that will soon become Facebook’s new Seattle engineering center, has filed plans for another building with up to 165,000 square feet of office space immediately adjacent to the newly constructed building.
In fact, planning documents filed with the city explicitly describe the new construction as an “expansion” to the existing Dexter Station building. Facebook leased the majority of the new 353,000 square foot office building — with room for up to 2,000 people — and plans to start moving in next week, shifting from its existing engineering center near Interstate 5 in Seattle.
Construction of the expansion building will start later this year with or without a signed tenant, Mike Hubbard of Capstone Partners told the Puget Sound Business Journal, saying that the developer would “entertain” a deal with Facebook, but the project ultimately won’t rely on a larger lease with the social networking giant.
The Daily Journal of Commerce was first to report on the planned Dexter Station expansion.
Facebook’s growth is part of a larger boom in engineering centers established by Silicon Valley tech giants in the Seattle region. Google, which led the wave, recently announced plans to move its Seattle engineering center, currently in the Fremont neighborhood, to a new campus in South Lake Union, near Amazon’s headquarters.
Capstone’s willingness to proceed with construction with the expansion of Dexter Station without a tenant signals a general confidence in the tech industry’s ability to continue fueling the regional economy.


Amidst the negative feedback that game microtransactions have been getting lately, a lone gamer has come forward to tell the story of how he spent over $10,000 (around P500,000) purchasing digital items in games.
Reddit user Kensgold posted an open letter to Electronic Arts and other video game developers. The letter talked about how he became addicted to in-game purchases at 19 years of age.
According to a report by Kotaku, Kensgold’s bank account registered a total of $13,500.25 (about P676,800) of payments made to places like Steam, Google Play and Blizzard, to name a few.
Kensgold had started out doing microtransactions on mobile games when he was thirteen. He spent money on games like “Clash of Kings”, “Age of Warring Empire”, and the now defunct “The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-Earth”. From there, he transitioned to PC gaming where he played “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” and “Smite” to name a couple.
To fuel his addiction, Kensgold took up two part-time jobs while still in high school. At the height of his addiction, spending $100 dollars for cosmetic items in a game felt so easy. People of this disposition are referred to as “whales” by the gaming community.
Whales typically spend a large amount of real-world money on loot boxes just to raise their chances of getting the in-game item they are aiming for.
At some point, Kensgold had enough and decided to get help. After talking with his therapist, he made the decision to stop playing “Smite” and “CS:GO” completely.
In his open letter, he even publicly refused to buy “Star Wars: Battlefront II” because of the loot boxes, despite giving praise to the developers for creating a visually well-crafted game.
“My problem stems from a deeper issue, my addiction to gambling. This addiction is a personal failing of mine and the reason I can’t in good conscience buy games that offer any loot crate, at all,” he said in the report.


Through a combination of technology and fitness, today's golfers are doing things never seen before. But today's golf trick shot artists are also performing on another level. Fueled by creativity and remarkable hand-eye coordination and motivated by one-upmanship and the ability to go viral, 2017 was an incredible year for bite-sized moments of brilliance that wowed people everywhere. Let's take a look back at some (emphasis on "some") of the trick shots we found most impressive.
And how about this unbelievable bank shot she pulled off?
As the old saying goes, "You can take a man out of being a trick shot artist, but you can't take the trick shot artist out of a man." Or something like that. In any event, thanks to all the imaginative and talented people of the trick shot community. And we look forward to seeing even more of your work in 2018.


This is certainly comforting: US officials have disclosed that Iraqi militants have found a way to hack into US Predator drone aircraft in an effort that is possibly being funded by Iran. The breach could be providing them with information that could help them evade capture by US authorities, and they could be doing it for as little as $25.95.
I wish I was kidding here, but the insurgents have used programs like SkyGrabber — a program that allows for satellite data capture — to obtain access into the drone’s video fees. I guess there’s some good news here: that’s all they’ve apparently been able to access, and officials stress they have not lost control of any aircraft as a result of the break-ins.
Military officials have apparently known about the issue since late last year, when a laptop from a Shiite militant contained drone video feeds. Since then several other laptops have been confiscated with similar data found. Evidence has been found in Afghanistan of hacking as well, indicating our enemies may also be spreading this information. So, where is this loophole that’s allowing people to get in? According to officials, its in the the downlink which has no encryption. They have known about the issue since the 1990s, but never did anything about it because they assumed our enemies wouldn’t know about it.
It’s not immediately clear if anything will be done in the short term. Encrypting data would necessitate that all drones be retrofitted with new hardware, which the government says it is concerned would cause delays. Additionally, encryption could pose issues in sharing data with the military and its allies, they argue.
“There’s a balance between pragmatics and sophistication,” former Air Force Secretary Mike Wynne told the WSJ. Doesn’t provide me much comfort. Any way you look at it, our Predator drones have a serious security hole, which should worry any of us with loved ones over there that these things are supposed to be protecting.
Right on! From what little I’ve read about this story, it sounds like, as usual, IT security was the last thing on the minds of the folks who designed and/or funded the design for this system. Too often, Information Assurance personnel are labeled as “getting in the way of progress.” Also, too often, IA personnel earn that label.
There are several secure schema that could be used to protect these signals and control distribution. The flying supercomputers that these drones are surely have either enough spare processing power or spare capacity for one more FPGA to take such simple precautions. This is live battlefield intel, not PBS.


If candy on your sushi isn't your thing, the Scorpions roll ($12.95) is ready to rock you with avocado, white tuna, salmon and yellowtail tuna, all wrapped in a cucumber peel. This roll offers a fresh twist on a classic roll with the light crispy cucumber peel.
My dinner guest and I ordered the Elvis roll ($12.95) and the Sam I Am roll ($10.95) respectively. The Elvis roll comes with tempura shrimp and cream cheese, which is then deep fried and topped with seasoned crawfish and crunchy tempura flakes.
The flavors hit just the right spot for fried food lovers, and none of the ingredients overpowers the others. The portions are sizable without being too much of a mouthful, which can sometimes be the case with bigger and bolder sushi rolls.
The Sam I Am roll came with tempura shrimp and crab meat, mixed with spicy mayonnaise and topped with avocado and citrus sauce. The crunch from the fried shrimp with the freshness of the avocado makes a fresh satisfying roll with a lightly hot finish.
More traditional rolls, called "classic rock" on the menu, also are available, offering classics such as the California roll ($4.95), the spider roll ($7.95) and the Boston roll ($4.95). Traditional nigiri and sashimi are also available.
Last but not least are the opening acts, the appetizers. Traditional egg rolls ($ 5.95) and crispy crab wontons ($6.95 for five large wontons) are offered, and both were freshly fried and filling.
All and all, if you're in the mood for some sushi with a twist, served in a laid-back environment, Rock-N-Roll Sushi will have you coming back for more.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe interior of Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe Sam I Am roll at Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe exterior of Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe fried crab wontons at Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe menus at Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport are printed on old record gatefolds.
NATE THURMAN/SUN HERALDThe fried egg rolls at Rock-N-Roll Sushi in Gulfport.


Click through for the basics of network forensics and how it can be used to improve network performance at any organization, as identified by WildPackets.
Network forensics is the process of capturing, storing and analyzing activity that takes place on a computer network. While it’s often associated with solving network security breaches, the practice can also help solve far more common network issues, like spikes in utilization, drops in VoIP call quality, identifying rogue activity, and improving both network and application performance.
In this slideshow, WildPackets, provider of network and application performance analysis solutions, explains the basics of network forensics and how it can be used to improve network performance at all organizations.


On Thursday's Velshi and Ruhle on MSNBC, as the entire show was devoted to the school shootings in Florida, host Stephanie Ruhle repeatedly mocked opponents of gun control as she listed nine prominent Republicans on screen who have tweeted condolences for the victims with the MSNBC host noting how much money the NRA has spent supporting each of them.
She went on to declare that a hunter who needs an AR-15 to hit a target must be a "lousy loser" and then seemed to make a veiled hint that those who resist new gun laws are "jerks."
At 11:39 a.m. ET, Ruhle spent two minutes and 48 seconds informing viewers of nine Republicans -- mostly Senators, but also including President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence -- who have benefited from NRA financial support. When she got to Pence, she made a point of noting that he "enacted a number of laws as governor of Indiana, including legislation allowing firearms to be kept in vehicles on school property," as if there were something wrong with that.
Wrapping up that portion of the show, she lamented: "The thoughts and prayers are with the victims -- the dollars and sense are another story."
She soon recalled that Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan had advised against Congress making a "knee-jerk" reaction to the Florida shootings. She then mocked Speaker Ryan and made a veiled reference to "jerks" as she snarked: "So 'knee-jerk,' I don't really know the definition of. I know what 'jerks' are. 'Knee-jerk,' I guess I'm unclear."
A bit later, she brought aboard MSNBC contributor Malcolm Nance and asked him about the AR-15 type of rifle that was used in the attack. The MSNBC host mocked hunters who use the AR-15 as she posed: "Can you walk me through exactly what an AR-15 is? Because for gun enthusiasts out there -- for hunting superstars, you must be some kind of lousy loser hunter if you need an AR-15 to get your target."


Two young mothers fended off home intruders with pepper spray as their young daughter was in the Harlem home. Wale Aliyu reports.
Two women managed to fight off four would-be home invaders who knocked on their Manhattan apartment door around dinnertime one day last month and tried to force their way in, police say.
Surveillance video shows the four suspects walk into the building on West 131st Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard around 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14. They head down a hallway in single file.
Police say one of them knocked on the door of the 23-year-old and 25-year-old victims' apartment. When they opened it, one of the men told the couple wanted to speak with them; he tried to force open the door, cops say.
"I heard them saying to my wife, 'Can we talk?' and I'm like, who is going to knock on someone's door asking if we can talk?" one of the victims said.
The women pushed the door against him to keep him out, but he whipped out an air pistol and fired one shot at the 23-year-old woman, striking her on the elbow. The 25-year-old woman then sprayed him in the face with an unknown chemical substance; he backed out of the doorway and the victims slammed the door.
The four suspects then calmly took the elevator back down and walked out to West 131st Street.
It wasn't until News 4 showed the victims surveillance video of the suspects on Friday that they realized there were four attackers.
"It's crazy because you now show me the video, and I never knew that was four of them," one of the women said, crying. "And it could have been worse for us. We have an autistic daughter."
"This is something I cannot talk about calmly," she said. "Look, this is bad. I have the shakes."
She wondered why her family was targeted, saying, "We're a gay couple? Or could it be they found out it was just three girls living here? I don't know but it's scary."
The family has been left traumatized by the ordeal and are frightened to even leave their home.
"We don't want to go outside. We don't even go outside, if we do, it's in the morning, then we close the door and nothing else, no more."
The couple has lived in the apartment for about three years and have no clue who the men are or why they tried to invade their home. Anyone who recognizes them is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.


There’s good news for UK TV viewers today – the BBC has boosted iPlayer’s hitherto seven-day catch-up window to 30 days.
BBC Director-General Tony Hall first made the announcement almost a year ago to the day, though no concrete date had been given for the move.
Though a handful of shows were already available via iPlayer for more than seven days, the vast majority were limited to a week-long window. From today, however, the British broadcaster will be shifting the viewing and listening window for both iPlayer and its radio-focused cousin iPlayer Radio to a full month.
Launched way back in 2007, there’s little question that BBC iPlayer has set the benchmark for what an online catch-up service should look like in the 21st century. Today, viewers and listeners place more than seven million TV and radio programme requests each day across the country, so by increasing the window to 30 days this can only lead to an increase in viewing (and perhaps binge-watching).
It’s worth noting here that some programmes, including Panorama, Question Time, Click, and Prime Minister’s Questions are available for up to a year, with some shows in BBC Four Collections available for even longer. Conversely, for contractual reasons, some programming will still only be available for less than 30 days, including Crimewatch and Match of the Day (boooo).
“There is a huge demand to make programmes available for longer on BBC iPlayer – as we continue to see people search for their favourite programmes after the seven-day catch up window,” explains Ralph Rivera, Director of Future Media at the BBC.
Given that you can also download content for offline consumption for up to 30 days, today’s move effectively means you currently have 2 months to watch all BBC content (e.g. if you were to download a show on the last day of the initial catch-up window). But unfortunately, this will soon be changing to a flat 30 days from the moment of broadcast, meaning downloads will be brought into line with streaming and the time restrictions will run concurrently.
Perhaps the next big evolution in the BBC iPlayer story will be when it finally launches the commercial BBC Store offering, letting you pay to download and keep shows for good. Though there is still no word on when this will be unveiled.


Lucasfilm was kind enough to provide us with a Q and A with Frank Oz, the man behind Yoda, to discuss his thoughts on the character and bringing him back to "Star Wars: Rebels."
Q. What was your initial reaction to Yoda when you viewed the concept sketches for the character in 1979?
A. When I saw the first sketches they were different from the Yoda we now know. But still, I sensed who he was right away. That rarely happens, but it happened with him.
Q. Do you remember what George Lucas said to you to inspire you to come up with the voice that you chose for Yoda?
A. Actually George didn’t ask me to do the voice. I gave him a voice tape early on but I was told he wanted to try other people doing the voice. Over the year or so while post was going on, I would hear that many men were auditioned for Yoda’s voice. But at the last minute, when I was on my honeymoon in Hawaii with my first wife, I got a call that George would like to use my voice after all. So we shortened the honeymoon and I went to LA to record Yoda for EMPIRE. But to answer your question, I studied old men’s voices.
Q. You reportedly created your own personal backstory for Yoda in 1979 to help you get into character. Is that true? Do you still have those notes?
A. I may have them deep in storage…somewhere. The content was about Yoda’s history. His likes and dislikes. How he came to be on Dagobah. How Jedi behaved hundreds of years ago, etc. And also the notes included what Yoda knew about various people. What he knew about Luke, what he knew about Princess Leia, what he knew about Han Solo, and what he knew about Darth Vader. What he knew about all the characters impacted by the Force. I had asked George early on in the rehearsal period of The Empire Strikes Back, to let me have the whole script instead of having just my scenes. I felt if Yoda was so wise I needed to know what was going on throughout the script so Yoda could sense it all.
Q. You've created so many wonderful characters over the years---how difficult or easy was Yoda compared to others you've created?
A. Creating characters is really not about one person. Yoda was designed by someone, built by someone, costumed by someone, described and had dialogue written by someone (George and Lawrence Kasdan), and directed by Kersh (Director, Irvin Kershner). What I do is take all the elements, plus what’s inside me, and bring them to life with, hopefully, a transformational and transcendent result. That’s what happens with all the characters I’ve originated.
As I said I sensed who Yoda was right away when I saw the sketches, but what was different with Yoda is that he was not performing for an audience. I had to havehim truthful to the script. And the major physical difference was that I had to have three people working him with me - all needing to be in exact sync with each other. That was really the challenging part - but the fun part too.
Q. How does it feel to be reprising the voice of Yoda for Rebels after nearly ten years?
A. It was wonderful to be him again.
Q. How did you like working with Dave Filoni, EP/Supervising Director of Star Wars Rebels?
A. Dave was great. He “got it.” We worked well together.
Q. What is your favorite Yoda line from the Star Wars movies?
A. I don’t really have a favorite. Although I liked reaching for the gravitas when Yoda says to Luke, “You will be. You will be,” after Luke says he’s not scared. I love opposites in characters. At first glance, Yoda is an impish character, but when he speaks of anything having to do with the Force he becomes profoundly serious. That paradox is interesting to me. One doesn’t expect that kind of gravitas from a character that small and impish.
Recognizing it’s time for Ezra to undertake his next important step in Jedi training, Kanan and his apprentice quest for an ancient Jedi Temple on Lothal. Once there, Ezra begins a series of Jedi tests and receives some unexpected guidance from Jedi Master Yoda.
Ezra’s worst fears are revealed and Yoda returns when Star Wars Rebels airs at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT Monday, January 5th on Disney XD.


CHICAGO (AP) — An international phone scam in which callers in India posed as debt collectors bilked millions of dollars out of more than 10,000 U.S. residents by using threats of arrest or even the loss of their jobs, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.
The callers, who apparently coordinated with someone in the U.S., drew on personal data snatched from payday loan websites, Federal Trade Commission official Steven Baker said. Over a two year period, at least 20 million calls may have been placed, with phony collectors typically demanding around $500 but sometimes asking for as much as $2,000.
The investigation of a scam with so many millions of calls flooding in from India was a first of its kind, the FTC's Midwest director said. But Baker added that other similar scams are almost certainly up and running.
"We think this is just the tip of the iceberg," he said.
JanLaree Dejulius, an administrative assistant from Las Vegas, said she agreed to transfer $763 after receiving a call in April 2010 from someone who knew details about her family and that one relative had taken a payday loan. She said she sent the money after the caller claimed he was himself a government official and that someone would come to arrest her at her workplace if she didn't pay up.
"I consider myself savvy, but I fell for it," the 57-year-old said at a news conference in Chicago. "I was intimidated enough not to want to get arrested."
The schemers zeroed in on individuals who they must have understood weren't rich, she said.
"In a nice word: They are scum," she said. "They go after the most vulnerable."
Some victims were so intimidated by the callers — some of whom claimed they were agents of the nonexistent Federal Department of Crime and Prevention — they agreed to pay even though they knew that neither they nor any acquaintances had payday debts, said Baker.
From 2010 to 2012, $5 million was paid in 17,000 transactions to accounts controlled by the alleged fraudsters, Baker said.
Baker said the investigation was complex and many questions were still unanswered, including how callers obtained such a vast amount of payday-loan information. He said the FTC tried but failed to coordinate the investigation with Indian authorities.
Many victims reported the callers had pronounced Indian accents, but others, like Dejulius, say their callers did not have accents. Baker said it is thought, however, that all the bogus debt calls were made from an unknown location in India.
No criminal charges have been filed. But the FTC charged Villa Park, Calif.-based American Credit Crunchers LLC, Ebeeze, LLC and their owner, Varang K. Thaker, with violating the FTC Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act in connection to the alleged scheme.
Thaker allegedly withdrew thousands of dollars paid by victims that ended up in his company accounts, though Baker said it wasn't clear if the overall scheme was directed primarily from California or India.
American Credit Crunchers or Ebeeze in Villa Park, Calif., did not have a current phone listing. There also was no listing for a Varang K. Thaker in the area.
Thaker hasn't responded to the allegations but would have a chance at a federal court hearing set for next week, Baker said.


One year ago, 5.5 million people visited a Journal Register Co. newspaper online.
Now, 11 million of the 19 million people who access a JRC “product” do it online.
The company grew digital revenue 70 percent in the first quarter of 2011 and will do it again in Q2, CEO John Paton said in a recent interview.
Granted, the company went through bankruptcy in 2009, sold off 150 publications and laid off 2,000 employees. “The company that went into bankruptcy is no longer the same company,” Paton said.
Okay. So. A bit leaner, yes. But we’ll be watching this company closely.


Vicinity Centres and SapientNitro Melbourne have come up with an innovative solution to the challenge of finding the perfect gift this Christmas.
It’s called ‘GiftR’ and designed as a fun and interactive digital experience that matches presents with the personality of the person receiving the gift.
Launched this week, the campaign titled ‘GiftR – swipe for the perfect gift’ is designed as a tool for those who enjoy scouting online for the latest and greatest products available. Located on shopping centres’ homepages, ‘GiftR’ asks a series of interest based questions and users can swipe right or left to answer.
The final result is a selection of gift options available at the specific shopping centre, that are based on personality, rather than age or price.
Although Vicinity Centres see a very high volume of traffic to its websites during the Christmas period, the relationship was one way, with customers mostly looking for opening hours and store listings. SapientNitro was tasked with finding a process to add value and relevance for people visiting the site in a fun and creative way, with the goal of helping customers uncover what can be found in the centre.
The new ‘GiftR’ experience is designed to be used on a desktop computer and handheld devices.
“We believe ‘GiftR’ is a fun, emotive and interactive way to put our retailers’ products in front of our customers from any mobile device. This new approach to gifting will help new and existing customers uncover what’s on offer in our centres, and inspire more shopping visits,” Nicole said.
What makes ‘GiftR’ unique is that instead of filtering the results based on cost, age or shop, a complex algorithm determines personality characteristics and used that to select relevant gifts.
‘GiftR’ also includes an incentivised sharing component, in which Vicinity Centres donates $1 to charity The Smith Family, each time a customer shares the ‘GiftR’ tool on Facebook or Twitter.


In a speech in Washington on Thursday, the chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers said that the American middle class has been shrinking since 1970. Princeton University economist Alan Krueger said the American middle class shrank from 50.3 percent of American households in 1970 to 42.2 percent in 2010. Krueger defined the middle class as households with annual incomes within 50 percent of the national median income. Here is a table presented describing his findings.
Later in the speech, Krueger cited well-known studies describing growing income inequality in the United States. His claim about a shrinking middle class, though, appears to be new. While researchers have in the past argued that the middle class is shrinking, both Democratic and Republican administrations have generally steered clear of giving an exact definition of the middle class. Apparently fearing that an exact definition could backfire on them if the economy performs poorly, administrations have vowed to defend the middle class but avoided specifics. Given the central role that the state of the middle class will play in the 2012 presidential campaign, all of that may be different this year. To me, that’s a step forward.
Net net, households are becoming more prosperous.
My study can be found at http://unrepentantcapitalist.blogspot.co m/, see the August 21, 2010 posting.
That’s 2% drop per 10 years. Not good but not alarming.
it appears my original posting got garbled, let me try again.
The data shows that the %’s of lower income households ($100k/yr) has increased.
I’ve studied long term household income data from US Census. The data shows that the % of lower income households ($100k/yr) has increased.
So let’s just put everyone on level ground, shall we? Then we will see exactly what socialism really means. Or perhaps you could look at the European nations which are now having trouble with that theory, that is, level ground, and ask them how they are doing. Our nation was built upon anyone being able to make money, and the small to large companies employ Americans. Let us NOT allow the government to be the largest employer. Otherwise, you will only see and vast majority with hands out for lattes and cigarettes.
The data shows that the income curve has flattened, with the center “hump” in the curve shrinking. In other words, the middle of the distribution is decreasing as a percentage of the population.
It is interesting that, if you place the “lower income” threshold at $100,000. per year, the lower income threshold is about double the US household median income.
Just as a matter of brutal fact, for those of you who are not “lower income”, this country belongs to that lower income group. You have no property rights, no residence rights, no citizenship rights that are not granted by them. Ownership is merely a name on a piece of paper. That name can be changed. Participation in the political system is an “entitlement” just as subject to change as any other “entitlement”.
Caution is advised. Promoting the benefits of allowing a capitalist system would be wise. Disparaging class based remarks are just plain stupid and antagonistic.
This country is not run by, or for the benefit, of organizations.
I don’t like the “sawn-off” graph though. BEWARE THE COLLAPSED AXIS… Vertical bars are NOT in proportion.


ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) After a big game with the bats, the Los Angeles Angels went home worried about one of their most important arms.
Kole Calhoun and Andrelton Simmons each had three of Los Angeles’ 15 hits Tuesday night, but starting pitcher Garrett Richards left in the third inning of a 9-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners because of irritation in his right forearm.
Richards has been plagued by injuries during his career and this was just his second start since coming off the disabled list after being sidelined by a left hamstring strain. He is scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday.
Calhoun and Albert Pujols both homered for the Angels, who have won three of four. Calhoun and Simmons each had two RBIs.
Simmons, seeking his first All-Star appearance as one of five candidates in online balloting for the final AL spot, hit a go-ahead double in a four-run fourth.
Seattle All-Star Mitch Haniger hit a three-run homer in the first for a 3-0 lead against Richards, who allowed three consecutive hits to begin the game. He exited in the third while pitching to Nelson Cruz.
Richards’ velocity was down. After a 92 mph pitch, a trainer and Angels manager Mike Scioscia went to the mound, and the right-hander quickly walked off the field.
Richards gave up three runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings. Noe Ramirez (4-3), Cam Bedrosian, Jose Alvarez, Hansel Robles and Taylor Cole combined to pitch 6 1/3 shutout innings in relief.
Mariners starter Mike Leake (8-6) allowed seven runs – five earned – and 11 hits in four innings. Seattle has lost three of four.
The Angels have hit 16 home runs against Seattle, their most versus any opponent this season.
Mariners: RHP Felix Hernandez (sore back) was placed on the 10-day disabled list and is expected back in the rotation after the All-Star break. He had not been doing any side work between starts because of his back issues.
Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (right adductor strain) threw a bullpen and the Angels hope he can start Thursday. … RHP Nick Tropeano (right shoulder inflammation) is scheduled to make another rehab start Friday at Class A Inland Empire.
Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (9-5, 3.64 ERA) has gone at least six innings in 12 of his last 14 starts. He’s 1-0 with a 3.91 ERA in five career starts against the Angels.
Angels: RHP Jaime Barria (5-5, 3.39) is seeking his first win since June 1. He allowed two runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings in Seattle during his last start, a loss.


For a man who�s a sports fan and loves football immensely, it doesn�t come as a surprise that I was thrilled when our first born was a baby boy.
As a father, you can�t help but dream of gridiron greatness even when your baby still doesn�t possess the motor skills to hold their own head up.
Let�s face it, us men out there want our boys to be football stars.
Whether or not that happens is another story entirely.
I�ve previously stated in this column that I don�t care what Griffin does sports-wise.
I�d much prefer him be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted child and teen than a high-school football standout.
But secretly I root for the latter.
Now that he�s getting old enough to understand what football is, I�ve found myself talking about it more and more with him.
Whether it�s taking him to a game or watching it on TV, Griffin�s becoming increasingly football savvy by the day.
If Griffin eventually plays football for a team, I�m placing my bets that he will be a defensive lineman.
You might be asking yourself what signs I�ve seen to make me proclaim this.
Well, judging by his interest in tackling his daddy whenever we play, I�d say I�m making a good guess.
Even when we go outside to throw the ball, Griffin much rather tackle me than catch the ball.
Recently, Griffin has started to put it all together.
Once seated, he proceeds to go to the other end of his room and take off like some sort of possessed warrior eyeing the goal line on the final play of a game.
His technique is great, head up, arms outstretched as he plows into me.
Better yet, Griffin doesn�t hesitate when running toward me, and he finishes every tackle with 100 percent effort and enthusiasm.
Oh geez, I�m starting to sound like a coach or something.
But hey, I can�t help but be excited at the prospects that await Griffin in the coming years.
What began a few months ago has taken on a life of its own.
Now Griffin makes a mean face and extends his elbow in front of him as he rushes toward me.
While he�s strong and doesn�t let up when he tries to knock me down, I often give way a bit before toppling over to his delight.
But the other night, something changed.
Griffin ran at me full speed, caught me off guard and I fell over � I mean I really fell over.
Needing an injury timeout, Griffin laughed and said, �tackle daddy� and lined up again for another try.
All signs are beginning to point to my son loving football, so of course I�m elated.
But as a father, I can�t help but think what it will be like when he reaches the age when he can actually compete for real.
I wonder how much anxiety I�ll feel before the ball is snapped or what I�ll do if he gets hurt.
I look at other father�s at football games, and I know they go through this gambit of emotions.
I�ve been at games involving serious injuries where kids were brought off fields in stretchers.
Because of this I have to temper my excitement since I know football, although exciting to watch, is a dangerous sport.
Now that I�m thinking more about it, maybe I should start watching golf with Griffin or encourage him to kick a football instead of tackling the person holding on to it.
But who am I fooling, my young lad is destined to be a big bruiser.
Any way, for all you high-school coaches out there, we haven�t made any firm decision on where Griffin will go, so you�ll just have to hope for the best � ha, ha!


Al Jefferson In 2K15: Worst Voiceover Ever?
In NBA 2k15's MyCareer, your hideous create-a-player abomination gets shown the ropes by the top dog on whatever NBA club he ends up playing for. What's awesome about the cut scenes in this mode, is the stunning realism with which your best teammate -- Durant, Carmelo, LeBron, etc. -- lectures you on how to make it in the league.
If, for some reason, you find yourself riding the pine in Charlotte, Al Jefferson will be the one giving you pep talks about life and basketball and the crucial lesson of never accepting voiceover roles unless you can read scripts/emote.


LOS ANGELES – “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is losing momentum quickly at the box office, even with a relatively quiet weekend free of any new blockbuster competition. After an underwhelming launch, the space saga fell 65 percent in weekend two with $29.3 million from North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
“Solo” has now earned $148.9 million domestically, which is still shy of “Rogue One’s” December 2016 opening weekend of $155.1 million and over $135 million short of where “Rogue One” was in its second weekend.
The 65 percent drop off is one of the highest in recent “Star Wars” history, although it is less steep than the second week fall of the franchise’s last film, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which slid 67.5 percent in weekend two this past December – but, that was also after a $220 million debut.
Internationally, “Solo” added $30.3 million, and globally the film has netted $264.2 million.
Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for comScore, thinks that all the media attention given to “Solo’s” less-than-impressive opening weekend numbers could have actually negatively affected its second weekend earnings.
He noted that in comScore’s audience survey, most of the over 1,000 people polled “really liked” the movie.
“Solo’s” tumble brought it even closer to “Deadpool 2,” which is now in its third weekend in theaters and still managed to reel in an estimated $23.3 million to take second place. With a domestic total of $254.7 million and a crowded marketplace with both “Solo” and “Avengers: Infinity War” surrounding it, “Deadpool 2” is still only about $30 million behind where the first film was in its third weekend.
Shailene Woodley’s lost-at-sea drama “Adrift” fared the best of the three newcomers, which included the horror pic “Upgrade” and a Johnny Knoxville comedy “Action Point.” “Adrift,” from STX Entertainment, washed up in third place with $11.5 million, while the others struggled to make a significant impact.
“Upgrade” opened In sixth place with $4.5 million, behind both “Avengers: Infinity War” ($10.4 million) and “Book Club” ($6.8 million), and “Action Point,” which was not screened for critics, landed in ninth place with a dismal $2.3 million.
This weekend also saw a few smaller studio landmarks for Magnolia Pictures, whose Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary “RBG” became its highest grossing film ever with $7.9 million, and Pantelion Films, which scored a similar feat with “Overboard,” which is now up to $45.5 million.
1.“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” $29.3 million ($30.3 million international).
2.”Deadpool 2,” $23.3 million ($41.6 million international).
4.”Avengers: Infinity War,” $10.4 million ($24.3 million international).
5.“Book Club,” $6.8 million ($1.1 million international).
7.”Life of the Party,” $3.5 million.
8.“Breaking In,” $2.8 million ($300,000 international).
10.“Overboard,” $2 million ($1.5 million international).
1. “Deadpool 2,” $41.6 million.
2. “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” $30.3 million.
3. “Avengers: Infinity War,” $24.3 million.
4. “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s Treasure Island,” $23.7 million.
5. “How Long Will I Love U,” $15.8 million.
7. “Happy Little Submarine 20000 Leagues,” $8.9 million.
8. “Sherlock Gnomes,” $3.3 million.
9. “Truth or Dare,” $2.5 million.
10. “A Quiet Place,” $2.4 million.
Published: June 3, 2018, 6:01 p.m.


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A 21-and-older Harry Potter-inspired beer festival is apparating into Indianapolis Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
Witches and wizards 21 and older can taste more than 20 winter, pumpkin and holiday ales, among them “Snape’s Lair of Secret Cider Potions” and “Adult Butter Beer,” at The Sanctuary on Penn, an 1875 church and event venue at 701 N. Pennsylvania St.
Tickets for Friday’s fest are available on the “Harry Potter Inspired Beer Festival” Facebook page for $35 until Feb. 4, when they increase to $40 — assuming there are any left.
Saturday’s event is sold out, but you might be able to score a resale ticket from someone in the event’s Facebook discussion group.
This story originally appeared on IndyStar.com.


Nov. 8, 2016 8:20 p.m.
This should surprise no one. Venezuela today is a lawless thugocracy run by an egomaniac who ignores all the laws and does as he pleases, while his people suffer from his mismanagement and corruption.
The Utahn prisoner is merely a pawn in his game to keep focusing on phantom outside threats to distract public attention from how desperate their situation has become.
None of that helps our guy, but expecting that pleas for rational actions or sympathetic responses to pleas from politicians will do much good is unrealistic.
This is what happens when rulers destroy the rule of law.


The Heat don't plan to re-sign Cooke after his 10-day contract expired Monday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports. The Sioux Falls Skyforce -- Miami's G League affiliate -- has completed its season, allowing the Heat to carry two-way players Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten on the roster for the rest of the season without impacting either player's service time. As a result of those two arrivals, the Heat didn't have much incentive to keep Cooke around as extra insurance off the bench. Cooke didn't see any game action during his week-and-a-half stint with Miami.
Cooke registered 26 points (8-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 8-8 FT), five rebounds, three steals, one assist and one block in the 130-112 loss Tuesday to the Blue. Both Cooke and fellow two-way player Duncan Robinson combined for 62 points, but the duo attempted an outstanding 42 of the team's 87 shots. In 41 games with Sioux Falls, Cooke is averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.6 minutes per game.
The Heat assigned Cooke to the G League's Sioux Falls Skyforce on Tuesday. After reaching a 10-day deal with the Heat on Friday, Cooke has been a spectator for all three of the team's games since he joined the organization. The G League assignment will provide him the opportunity to pick up some meaningful minutes while giving the team brass a better chance to evaluate him in a game setting.
Cooke has signed a 10-day deal with the Heat, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. Cooke has been playing with the Heat's G League affiliate this season, and he appeared in 13 games for the Pelicans last season. When with the Pelicans, he totaled six points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 38 minutes. He'll likely play a minimal role with the Heat and can probably be ignored in almost every fantasy format.
Cooke registered 10 points (3-9 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), seven rebounds and five assists over 25 minutes Friday against Maine. Cooke served as a key contributor off the bench in a victory, pushing his season averages to 9.5 points, 3.2 boards and 2.5 assists over 14 contests. The 24-year-old guard should continue to see a healthy chunk of minutes in the G League as the season continues.