Rohit Sharma stands out as the most successful skipper in IPL’s 10 year old history, having led Mumbai Indians to three title wins.However, the Mumbai stylist picked up the tricks of the trade along the way, having played under Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh for MI and under MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for India.Rohit, however, is an out-and-out team man. He wants to score runs and lead by example. This IPL season, he is back as opener and Rohit is a happy man – he enjoyed batting at the top of the order and loves setting the tone for the innings.The defending champions lost to Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener but they will have the chance to set things right and on course later tonight when they take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad.Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Rohit:It has been a long season for you. The home season followed by the South African tour where you played across formats, the Sri Lanka tri-series and now the IPL. How has the body been coping?Rohit Sharma: We are managing. It has been a long season but a very successful one. So I have no complaints about my body. It’s always good to have success, home and away.But going forward it’s a challenge for any cricketer. We play so much cricket these days. That’s where recovery and things like that come in. One has to manage one’s body really well. So far, Indian cricketers have dealt well. There haven’t been complaints about too much cricket for the body. We have had rest. At some stage, when people do realize that body needs some rest, we have gone to the management and told them that we need rest and we have got it. We also have a great bench strength which helps the team as well.advertisementNow that you are regularly engaging in leadership roles, do you go about compartmentalizing captaincy and batting?RS: As a professional athlete, we have the challenge of managing multiple things when you take the field; whether it’s the burden of captaincy or going out there and performing or managing your players. I have done it in the past. So for me, it’s about doing the same things again and again.Talking about leadership, I am a batsman first who has to go and win games by performing with the bat. Then the leadership comes in. Both have to go hand in hand to give the franchise the success we are looking for.You have played a lot for India under MS Dhoni and now under Virat Kohli. What have you learnt from them about captaincy?RS: I have played under many captains. You are always learning so long as you are playing. Whether it’s captaincy or batting. I am no different. I have been speaking to people on how to take things forward and all those things have been really helping me.You must be happy opening the batting again?RS: Yes, I am happy opening again in IPL. That’s where I have batted for the national team for the last five-six years. That’s where I enjoy playing. I think looking at the composition of our squad we have a great balance now. It allows me to bat up the order and am very happy with the way things are going.Your thoughts and expectations from this year’s IPL..RS: I will be looking forward to the next few weeks because they will be important. We are on the run now, playing home and away. We have some exciting players this year. You had a glimpse of Mayank Markande the other day and we have a few others in store which people will look at. One loss does not define any team. What’s most important is to enjoy yourself, it’s a new squad, new faces and we have to stick together and move forward.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) announced with S Pen support
Samsung has been quietly refreshing some of its tablets over the last few weeks. Last month, the company announced the Galaxy Tab S5e and the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019). This week, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019), which is essentially a smaller version of the budget Galaxy Tab A 10.1. It gets a similar design language, but the USP is it comes with S Pen support.The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) sports an 8-inch LCD display with a 1920×1200 resolution. It is powered by an octa-core Exynos 7904 chipset, which is the same SoC inside the 10.1 Galaxy Tab A model. This is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which is expandable up to 512GB via a microSD card.The new Galaxy Tab A 8.0 houses a 4,200mAh battery, measures 201.5 x 122.4 x 8.9 mm and weighs 325 grams. The primary camera gets an 8-megapixel sensor with autofocus, and a 5MP selfie camera. The tablet comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB 2.0. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC and GPS.The highlight of the Android tablet is that it supports Samsung’s S Pen. The S Pen looks similar to the Galaxy Note 8’s S Pen rather than the redesigned S Pen that was launched last year with the Galaxy Note 9. This means the S Pen for the Tab A 8.0 (2019) does not get its own Bluetooth LE that could allow you to work with the stylus like a remote for taking pictures or for powerpoint presentations.The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is yet to get an official pricing from Samsung, but you can expect to be cheaper than the Galaxy A 10.1 (2019) that costs 210 Euros (Rs 17,000 approximately). As for the launch markets, it seems the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 will be available in the UK, New Zealand Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam. There is no word yet on when these refreshed tablets will come to India.advertisement
POLICE SERVE MORNING COFFEE TO DRIVERS
DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAD A FREE CUP OF COFFEE WITH A POLICE OFFICER WEDNESDAY MORNING AT SIOUX CITY’S MCDONALD’S LOCATIONS.SERGEANT MIKE MANTHORNE AND OTHER OFFICERS WERE WAITING AT THE DRIVE THROUGH LANES AT 6TH AND LEWIS BOULEVARD TO HAND OUT A CUP OF JOE AND HAVE A QUICK CHAT:Audio Playerhttp://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/COFFEE4.mp300:0000:0000:00Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.OC……….ENJOYING THEMSELVES. :11SGT, MANTHORNE SAYS DRIVERS WERE SURPRISED WHEN THEY PULLED IN AND FOUND A POLICE OFFICER WAITING WITH THE COFFEE:Audio Playerhttp://kscj.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/COFFEE5.mp300:0000:0000:00Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.OC…….IT’S A GOOD THING. :07THE EVENT TOOK PLACE FROM 7AM UNTIL 9AM.
Geraint Thomas needs staying power to become Grand Tour champion
Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Share on Twitter Share on Messenger features Tour de France 2018 Froome questions persist despite Wada’s statement on handling of case Team Ineos The Observer Jeremy Whittle Reuse this content Share on Facebook Cycling history is also full of entertaining tales of team workers turning on their leaders, and Team Sky has been far from immune to such conflict. The years 2011-13 were marked by a tussle for No 1 status between Froome and Bradley Wiggins, which had an impact on the 2012 Tour in particular, where Mark Cavendish made it three leaders vying for support.Last year there were intriguing scenes when Mikel Landa appeared to be “going rogue”in the Pyrenees; it is no surprise that Landa has moved on – amusingly into another situation with ample potential for conflict – to join Movistar.There remains a chance that Thomas might move into the yellow jersey on Sunday’s stage through the cobbles of the Hell of the North to Roubaix, where almost anything can happen and probably will.The current leader, Greg Van Avermaet, has a strong pedigree here, having won the Paris-Roubaix one-day Classic in 2017, but Thomas first showed himself in the Tour in a similar stage in 2010.However, the final decision over who is the Sky No 1 is likely to come in the Alps or later, as Thomas himself said on Friday, and whatever that may entail for internal politics it is in the team’s interests to keep their opponents guessing.Whether this Tour ends up with Thomas on the podium, way down in the standings or nursing yet another broken bone, he has had an inspirational influence on cycling in his homeland in the last 10 years. In 2007 he became only the second Welshman to finish the Tour; this year, as before, he has been joined in Team Sky’s Tour lineup by his neighbour, the Classics specialist Luke Rowe, who has become an essential wingman to Froome. Share on Pinterest Support The Guardian Geraint Thomas Read more Share on WhatsApp Topics Read more … we have a small favour to ask. More people, like you, are reading and supporting the Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. And unlike many news organisations, we made the choice to keep our reporting open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay.The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.We hope you will consider supporting us today. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Share on LinkedIn Cycling Tour de France: Dylan Groenewegen sprints to stage seven victory The case for Thomas as a potential Tour leader is not as clear-cut as might be imagined, even following his run of wins in major stage races such as the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour of the Alps and Paris‑Nice. He has never finished higher than 15th in a three-week Tour and in 2015, when he held fourth overall with three days remaining, he suffered a spectacular off day.The million‑dollar question is whether he can maintain a challenge in the Tour for the full three weeks or whether his potential is only as a winner of week-long stage races. The counter-argument is simple: in every Tour he rode up to 2017 Thomas was expending energy on the flat stages to support Froome, and the effort told on him late in the race. Thomas himself made the point in 2015. “From day one I was never worrying about myself,” he said after that year’s Tour. “I was always thinking about Froomey. So it definitely gave me the confidence that, if I focus on it 100% as a back-up GC rider, behind Froomey, and be protected myself, I’ll have a real good goal.”As well as questions over his stamina there is a suspicion that Thomas is accident prone, something he denied in a Guardian interview last year after he had crashed out of both the Grand Tours he had targeted.He has suffered at least eight major falls in the past five years, and they have cost him the chance to show his paces in races such as Paris‑Roubaix as well as the Tour and the Giro d’Italia.His argument that these tend to be racing incidents rather than carelessness has some foundation but racing incidents are not shared out equally and cycling history is littered with riders with an unfortunate propensity to get mixed up in them for whatever reason. Share via Email Since you’re here… From the moment Geraint Thomas signed a contract extension for 2018 with Team Sky speculation began on how the squad would handle the Welshman’s ambitions in the Tour de France, given that a first option on leadership would always be given to Chris Froome. That issue has bubbled away in the background over the last nine months but it should come to a head this week.As the Tour ended its first week in Chartres on Friday the potential for some sticky moments around the Team Sky dinner table was obvious, as Thomas had handled the opening days with the aplomb of a potential winner. He was within an ace of taking the yellow jersey, only six seconds behind the Belgian Greg Van Avermaet, and had opened up a 59-second lead on his nominal leader, Froome.On day one, in a particularly chaotic phase of racing, Froome was forced off the road after trying to get through a gap in the peloton which did not exist. Thomas, meanwhile, was one of an elite group to avoid trouble. The Welshman added to the 51seconds he gained there by targeting bonus seconds on offer at the newly instituted sprints late in the stages, and in Thursday’s first true test for the favourites at Mûr‑de‑Bretagne, he finished five seconds ahead of Froome. Tour de France Wales has been punching well above its weight in cycling in recent years, with Owain Doull joining the duo at Sky last year, while last week it was revealed that the climber Steve Williams will join Vincenzo Nibali’s Bahrein-Merida team later this season, giving Wales five cyclists in the World Tour together with Scott Davies at Dimension-Data.Coming up fast behind the quartet is a national under-23 team packed with promising youngsters. The potential for the future there is obvious; the immediate question is whether Wales’s finest can realise his personal potential in the next fortnight.
Shipping Duo Fined for Dumping Waste in Great Barrier Reef
zoom Two shipping companies and their masters were found guilty for two separate marine pollution incidents within the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said.Tokyo based Perses Maritima Ltd and the master of its Japan registered vehicle carrier Asteria Leader were found guilty on May 18 in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on one charge each of illegally discharging garbage under the Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983.A routine Port State Control inspection conducted by an AMSA marine surveyor at Fisherman Island in the Port of Brisbane revealed a record of the discharge of 0.03m3 of food waste within the Great Barrier Reef on October 8, 2014. Perses Maritima Ltd was fined $5000 for the illegal discharge and the master of the ship was fined $500.Hong Kong based company Seaspan Corporation and the master of its Hong Kong registered container ship CSCL Brisbane were found guilty of illegally discharging garbage on August 6 last year within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The illegal discharge was also discovered by an AMSA marine surveyor during a routine PSC inspection at Fisherman Island.It was also found that the ship’s passage plan did not take into account the required marine environmental protection measures as per the safety of navigation requirements prescribed by the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) international convention. Seaspan Corporation was fined $6000 for the illegal discharge and the master was fined $600, AMSA added.AMSA Chief Executive Officer Mick Kinley said it was disappointing ships were failing to adhere to the measures in place to protect sensitive marine areas, such as the Great Barrier Reef.But the discovery of the illegal discharges showed Australia’s PSC regime was both rigorous and effective, Kinley said.“Australia has a robust PSC regime, which is designed to ensure ship owners and their masters are adhering to the rules and regulations to prevent marine areas from being polluted,” Kinley said. “These prosecutions highlight to the shipping community if they flout the regulations they can be caught and subsequently prosecuted.”
Ravi Shankar Prasad seeks to achieve more synergy in IT communications
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad (64), who has won his first election by defeating Shatrughan Sinha and wrested the high profile Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat, been appointed as the new minister for telecommunications, while he retains the IT and law ministries in the second innings of the Modi government. According to ministry sources, he is likely to assume charges on Monday.Prasad, who has been instrumental in delivering the Modi government’s key programmes — Digital India and Make in India — with multi-crore investments from top manufacturing companies from across the world, has been awarded for his hard work and long-term visions to make India a hub of digital economy. Also Read – SC declines Oil Min request to stay sharing of documentsAs the new telecom minister, Prasad’s top priorities may be to tap the potential of reaching $1 trillion size of digital economy by 2025, to nurse the industry back to health, besides laying the ground for the deploying 5G technology in India amid a push to drive the country into the digital age. Setting up of judicial service commission would also be his top priorities. Taking the data protection bill to Parliament at earliest and notifying the proposed amendments to the intermediary guidelines would be Prasad’s top priorities. Also Read – World suffering ‘synchronized slowdown’, says new IMF chief”I am very grateful to the PM for entrusting me once again with such responsibility. In IT, we will try to quickly get the data protection bill to the Parliament and also, notifying the intermediary guidelines,” Prasad told reporters on Friday, soon after his portfolio was made public by the government. With Prasad getting back communications ministry, the officials of the Department of Post and Department of Telecommunications have pinned hope that all the stalled projects would be rolled out. The projects like India Post Payment Bank, consolidation of rural post offices, tapping the e-commerce potential, strengthening of mail delivery services, etc would get a boost. The credit goes to Prasad for providing a industry-friendly environment to mobile manufacturing industry as the country is having 268 mobile and ancillary manufacturing units in India, which was just two in 2014, when Prasad was given the charge of Telecom Minister. During his stint as telecom minister, the most successful spectrum auction in India that fetched Rs 1.10 lakh crore of revenue was conducted. Policies such as spectrum trading, spectrum sharing, spectrum liberalisation, defence band identification, virtual network operator, full mobile number portability and policy for sharing of active and passive telecom infrastructure was cleared to pave way for massive foreign investments. Having been familiar with a plethora of issues in the telecom sector during his earlier tenure from May 2014 till July 2016, Prasad would also consider keeping the revival of BSNL and MTNL on top of his agenda list. However, other issues will also need immediate attention. To begin with, the critical issues of reviewing of levies and fees such as license fee, spectrum usage charges (SUC) and defining what does the government mean by adjusted gross revenue (AGR), will have to be taken up, said industry executives. These issues have also been highlighted in the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), the fast implementation of which will also be a key milestone for the new government to achieve.
Winnipeg man gets 1 million prize after Jets star scores five goals
WINNIPEG — A five-goal performance by the Winnipeg Jets’ Patrik Laine on the weekend has netted a Winnipeg man a $1 million prize.Retail grocer Sobeys automatically draws names of customers before NHL games involving teams in Western Canada, and that person can win $1 million if a single player on the team scores five goals.Laine did just that Saturday night against St. Louis, becoming the 57th player in National Hockey League history to score five or more goals in one game.The Sobeys twitter account posted a message that a Christopher Hayley of Winnipeg was the lucky winner.Laine is 20 years old and the Jets say he is the only third player in NHL history to score five goals in a game before his 21st birthday.The Canadian Press
Beyonce And Jay Z On The Run For Charity
Beyonce will join her husband Jay Z for an awesome new North American concert tour, with some of the proceeds going to charity.For tour dates, click here.“On The Run: Beyonce and JAY Z,” in partnership with #BeyGOOD, will donate $1 from every ticket purchased to the Shawn Carter Foundation to support students. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from each Chase Lounge VIP Ticket Package will also be donated to The Shawn Carter Foundation.The mission of the Shawn Carter Foundation is to help individuals facing socio-economic hardships further their education at institutions of higher learning. Students served by the Shawn Carter Foundation represent diverse backgrounds, and face significant barriers to success such as teen pregnancy, homelessness, poverty, former incarceration, sexual and domestic abuse, and gang membership. The Foundation supports these students on the run to greatness through its scholarship fund, annual college tours, study abroad experiences, counseling initiatives, and holiday toy and meal drives. For more information visit www.shawncartersf.com.Launched in 2013, #BeyGOOD inspires people everywhere to be kind, be charitable and get involved in their local communities. To date, over 2 million fans have joined in to raise awareness and resources for causes important to them. For more information about the charities they support visit, www.Beyonce.com/BeyGood and follow them on Twitter.
Canadas racism problem InFocus
APTN InFocus with Cheryl McKenzie:The dialogue continues after MacLean’s magazine outs Canada for its racism problem.It went further by naming Winnipeg as the most racist city in the country.In this edition our guests share their perspective on how racism emerged on this land and how Canada may have nurtured its growth.
HRCSL conducts inquiries on incident involving Uva CM and principal
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) today conducted inquiries on the incident where the Chief Minister of the Uva Province Chamara Sampath Dassanayake had allegedly forced a principal from a school in Badulla to kneel before him.The inquiries were conducted for over 10 hours and statements were recorded from several people over the incident, including the school principal. The Chief Minister had rejected the allegations. The Chief Minister had reportedly summoned the principal of Tamil Girls’ Maha Vidyalaya, Badulla to his residence and made her kneel on the floor because she had refused to enroll a student recommended by him. Dassanayake also stepped down as the provincial Minister of Education pending ongoing investigations against him. (Colombo Gazette)Report by Indika Sri Aravinda
Police release surveillance video in Beckles murder
The family of an Etobicoke man gunned down on his front porch late last month issued an emotional plea to his killers today – to turn themselves in. Edith Beckles described her 46 year old son Donald, as her “hands and feet”. A good, God-fearing and loving man, who did not deserve to die. Police concur, saying Donald Beckles was an innocent man. As their investigation continues, police released some surveillance footage taken in the neighbourhood on the night of the shooting. It shows his attackers arriving and then leaving the scene of the crime. Police say Beckles was hearing-impaired, and likely had no idea that the gunmen were approaching, before they shot and killed him. What they are certain of, however. is that Beckles had no connection, to those who killed him. “Make no mistake, Donald Beckles was an innocent man” said Detective Murray Barnes with the Toronto Police Homicide Unit “he had no ties or affiliation with any gang, nor did he have any issues with the police.” Beckles was standing on the porch of his home in the Jamestown community of Etobicoke, when a black sedan turned the corner, and stopped. Two gunmen got out, and made their way through the shadows to Beckles, gunned him down, and ran back to the car; speeding off, moments later. Today, Toronto Police released a videotape of that event, and called for the residents of the Jamestown community, to speak up. “I know that there are a number of members of the community who know exactly who these two suspects are.”Today, there was also an impassioned plea from Donald Beckles mother, who described her son as a gift from God. She begged his killers to repent. “If this is their first senseless act of taking a life, I pray that this is their last. There is a better path to travel in this walk of life.”Investigators say they are well into the case, but are missing a vital piece: information, and co-operation, from a community that is wary – and sometimes hostile – to police. “The killers of Donald Beckles do not deserve the protection of community silence” said Detective Barnes. Toronto Police are calling on anyone that may have information in the case to step forward, either by calling the homicide squad directly, or through the use of Crimestoppers.A vigil for Donald Beckles and his family, is scheduled for Saturday evening, outside the Beckles home at 163 Jamestown Crescent in Etobicoke.
UNESCO chief voices concern over attacks on democracy in Nepal
Joining a chorus of United Nations officials calling for action to stem violence in Nepal, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today voiced concern about the increasing attacks against democracy and freedom of expression in the country.“The announcements that more than fifty journalists and publishers have been attacked, beaten up and arrested by the Nepalese Army and the Armed Police Forces represent attacks on freedom of expression, which UNESCO has a mission to defend,” said Koïchiro Matsuura in a statement released in Paris.In recent weeks, national and international media as well as human rights organizations and journalists’ associations have reported extensively on how media professionals all over Nepal have been harassed and arrested for no other reason than reporting on the ongoing public meetings and demonstrations, according to UNESCO. The agency recently took part in a visit to the country by the International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission, which produced a critical report about the conditions for press freedom in Nepal. Mr. Matsuura warned that hard-earned democratic progress in the country faces a “serious risk” of being destroyed. He strongly encouraged the authorities in Nepal “to re-establish the conditions for free and independent media in the country.” The statement by the UNESCO chief echoes similar concerns voiced by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as well as other officials from the world body, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights and a number of humanitarian agencies, calling for a return to stability, protection of human rights, and safe passage for relief aid convoys.
EPA chief takes full responsibility for Colorado mine spill says it pains
by Michael Biesecker, The Associated Press Posted Aug 11, 2015 2:50 pm MDT Last Updated Aug 11, 2015 at 5:50 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email EPA chief takes full responsibility for Colorado mine spill, says it ‘pains me’ Ben Brown, with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, takes a pH level reading from a probe in the San Juan River, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, in Montezuma Creek, Utah. A spill containing lead and arsenic from the abandoned Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colo., leaked into the Animas River, which flows into the San Juan River in southern Utah, on Aug. 5. The spill was caused by a mining and safety team working for the EPA. (AP Photo/Matt York) WASHINGTON – The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday her department takes full responsibility for spilling 3 million gallons of mining waste that turned a southwest Colorado river an unnatural shade of orange, adding it “pains me to no end.”Gina McCarthy made the comments as her agency comes under increased scrutiny after federal and contract workers accidentally unleashed the spill last week while inspecting the abandoned Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado.The contaminated water that flowed into a tributary of the Animas and San Juan rivers contained high levels of arsenic, lead and other potentially toxic heavy metals. McCarthy expressed regret that the spill occurred and said her agency has “added responsibility here.”“It is really a tragic and very unfortunate incident, and EPA is taking responsibility to ensure that that spill is cleaned up,” McCarthy said. “I am absolutely, deeply sorry that this ever happened.”McCarthy is scheduled to travel to affected communities in Colorado and New Mexico on Wednesday, nearly one week after the spill.The accident comes at a sensitive time for the EPA, a frequent and favourite target of conservatives and pro-business groups. McCarthy spoke Tuesday as part of an event on the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, which mandates steep greenhouse gas emission cuts from U.S. power plants.State and local officials in the areas affected by the spill have characterized EPA’s initial response as too slow and too small. It took about 24 hours to first notify some downstream communities of the accident and the agency originally underestimated the volume of the spill.The plume of pollution has since flowed at least 100 miles downstream to New Mexico, where towns and cities have been forced to close their intake valves to protect public water supplies.Sen. Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said Tuesday he is closely monitoring EPA’s spill response.“This has and will continue to lead to significant economic damage to local businesses, farmers, tribes and residents,” said Inhofe, R-Okla. “I will work within the committee and with my colleagues in Congress to ensure the EPA is held accountable to this grave incident and that those impacted are provided the necessary support to move forward.”McCarthy pledged a thorough review of the EPA’s role in the disaster, but said her current focus is on properly managing the response. So far, there have been no reported cases of anyone’s health being harmed by the spilled heavy metals, she said.“It takes time to review and analyze data, so I understand people’s frustration, but we have our researchers and our scientists working around the clock,” McCarthy said. “Our commitment is to get this right and make sure we are protecting public health.”___Follow Associated Press writer Michael Biesecker at http://Twitter.com/mbieseck
Humanities Spirit of Brock winner a committed volunteer
Watch the Wednesday morning convocation ceremony below: Kaitlyn Daw was able to take her experience at Brock University as a volunteer and turn it into a career.After volunteering and working across campus during her studies at Brock, Daw was hired as the Communications and Events Facilitator at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Niagara.“The experience and skills I gained through my involvement in student clubs, volunteering on campus, and working with the student body through student governance, have given me opportunities I didn’t know existed beyond Brock,” Daw said.Kaitlyn DawAs an honours student and accomplished graduate, Daw received a number of awards while at Brock University, including the President’s Surgite Award and the undergraduate student Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock award, which was presented to her during convocation Wednesday. She is among 3,513 students graduating from Brock University this week.While maintaining an A grade as an English major, Daw demonstrated inspiring leadership as an executive of the Brock Eco Club, the Brock University Students’ Union and the English Students’ Association.Asked to give students some advice from a graduate, she said: “Always keep your eyes open to the plethora of opportunities available on and off campus, and take advantage of the free resources and support offered by the Career Services department, and above all, follow your passion.”During the Faculty of Humanities convocation Wednesday morning, the graduate student Spirit of Brock award went to Malisa Kurtz, the first graduate of the PhD program in Interdisciplinary Humanities.Kurtz takes her academic interests off campus, both among her peers with the interdisciplinary student reading group she founded, and with members of the community as a Go-Girl mentor for middle school girls in St Catharines. Sharing knowledge is a hallmark of Kurtz’s activities, as demonstrated in her organizational role in the interdisciplinary “Thinking Through Deleuze” conference, which brought together over 100 international participants.Graduate student Malisa Kurtz receives the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock award from chair John Suk during convocation Wednesday.The Spirit of Brock award is given to students who demonstrate leadership, innovation, courage, inspiration and community involvement.Humanities Dean’s medals went to Matthew Ludwig and Marissa Guetter.The Excellence in Teaching award recipient was English Language and Literature Professor Tim Conley who focuses on international modernism and contemporary literature. He has taught a wide array of courses, from first-year literature to second- and third-year courses in theory, short fiction, modernism and poetics, to senior and graduate courses on topics such as James Joyce, jazz and literature, and surrealist narratives.Conley maximizes the free exchange of ideas, encouraging students to make their own discoveries and to engage with difference. Above all, he urges them to have fun doing so.As one former student explained: “His teaching style gives his students a sense of intellectual agency: he never contents himself with providing hard-and-fast interpretations for them to memorize and parrot back in essays and exams, but rather, invites his students to explore various possibilities in analyzing literary texts, and to draw their own conclusions.”Humanities Dean Carol Merriam presents English Professor Tim Conley with the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.Another student appreciates his humour: “His technique of infusing humour. . . makes me eager to come to class as I am able to laugh alongside my learning.”Chancellor Shirley Cheechoo addressed students during the ceremony and urged them to move forward in their lives with hope and gratitude. President and Vice-Chancellor Jack Lightstone joked with the students in his speech and congratulated them and their families.An honorary doctorate was presented to Satish Tripathi, an internationally recognized educator who is the president of the University at Buffalo.Brock’s Spring Convocation continues Thursday with the Goodman School of Business and then wraps up with the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Friday.
Great Gift Neat Desktop Scanner Kofax Software
Someday you’ll have a paperless office and home. In the meantime, get a sheetfed scanner to organize your bills and receipts. (Flatbed scanners are cheaper but life is too short to open the lid, place a document face down, press scan, open the lid …) The NeatDesk scanner, $350 direct, looks great on your desk and has slots for business cards, receipts, and documents. It comes with NeatWorks software that does a fine job organizing and understanding receipts for your expenses and business accounting. For highest quality scanning of general documents, including forms printed on colored paper, add Kofax Desktop software, $49 direct. Finally you’ll be able to read a blue-ink-on-pink-paper receipt. For road warriors, the NeatReceipts mobile scanner is cheaper at $150 direct, but overall the NeatDesk solution does more and takes less time. Here are five gifts of gear most anyone would be happy to have. – BH Sonos Multi-Room Music SystemCellphone, iPod Booster BatteryApple or Lenovo Replacement Keyboard HP or Synology Home File Server Neat Desktop Scanner, Kofax Software
Rodent infestation in cemeteries in Northern Greece
A rodent infestation in cemeteries in the Kalamaria region in Thessaloniki has seen a local prosecutor order a preliminary investigation into the problem following complaints made by the union of funeral homes, ekathimerini.com reports.There has reportedly been a substantial rise in the number of mice, rats and cockroaches seen in the cemeteries which authorities says is compromising public health.The Municipality of Kalamaria in the city of Thessaloniki is also the site of the Mikra British Cemetery. It operated from 1917 to 1920 and houses 1,810 Commonwealth graves of World War 1 and another 147 war graves from other nationalities. Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Forget doping Olympic Athletes are now shooting electricity into their brains
I run the body electric?At the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio at least five athletes will be competing using a strange and unproven technology, transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS. The (ahem) brainchild of San Francisco-based Halo Neuroscience, tDCS shoots a 1.5 to 2 milliamp current to the brain’s motor cortex with the idea that it will boost the neurons there, making them more easily fired and the athlete that much faster and stronger. The headset also resembles a pair of Beats headphones, so you can be stylish while zapping your grey matter.If this sounds absurd to you, you’re not alone. tDCS has not been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency as of yet because it’s unclear if it even works. Halo Neuroscience hasn’t published its findings in peer-reviewed research journals, although they claim they intend to.Still, athletes, faced with an anti-doping ban on tons of performance-enhancing drugs, are looking for anything they can in order to improve their performance and are trying it out. According to Halo a 100-meter sprinter from Sierra Leone named Hafsatu Kamara set a personal record after using the device, and there are three Americans that have trained with the device.Halo CEO Daniel Chao states that after repeated use of the device your neurons will stay on point and continue to fire faster, meaning that we won’t see athletes shocking themselves right before a race. “It’s a training device, not a day-of-performance device,” he told IEEE Spectrum.Olympians aren’t the only people that could benefit from it if it does turn out to work. Just last week U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Halo’s tDCS would be tried out as the first of 15 programs in its Defense Innovation Unit Experimental, which tests out innovative technology for military special operations teams.For now we’ll just have to wait and see if the athletes perform superhuman skills next week and best their previous records, and wonder how much longer it will be before we all give up and just send robots to the Olympics.
Multnomah deputies body recovered from Columbia River
Multnomah County deputies patrolling Columbia River recovered a body from the water on Friday morning.The deputies responded about 9:40 a.m. to reports of a body in the waters of North Portland Harbor, near its east end, according to a Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office press release.They found and pulled a man’s body from the river, according to the sheriff’s office.The deceased man was not identified.Deputies plan to turn over the body to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office.No other details were immediately available.
Tuchel Neymar is one of the best players in Europe
Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel hailed hat-trick hero Neymar for another stellar performance in Wednesday night’s 6-1 win over Red Star Belgrade in the Champions LeagueThe in-form Brazilian’s treble helped inspire PSG to bounce back from their losing start with a convincing win at the Parc Des Princes, in what was largely a one-sided contest.Neymar scored a quick brace to set PSG on their way before completing his hat-trick late in the game after Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe also found the net.“Neymar is one of the best players in Europe. We have several of the best in our team – not just Neymar,” Tuchel told reporters.“We’ve won lots of games because we have the best players, but also because we were the best team. That’s very important.“When you’re in good spirits, it’s easier to stay relaxed. It’s the same with Neymar. He’s confident in his form and his game – and you can see that.“He’s very good at the moment. He’s nearly at 100 per cent of his form and physically as well.”Despite Neymar’s great form though, Tuchel was quick to praise the other members of his squad.
PSG ultras sent a warning letter to Neymar Manuel R. Medina – September 14, 2019 Brazilian superstar Neymar might play today his first game of the season for Paris Saint-Germain and the team’s ultras have warned him.“We’ve improved our intensity in every game and you saw that tonight. We scored lots of goals after winning the second ball or losing the ball. It’s nothing when you just have possession. We want to play with intensity as well and close down spaces.”He added: “We watched lots of videos of Crvena Zvezda and saw they can defend with a lot of aggression and organisation.“It’s difficult for other teams to score. They hadn’t lost for 34 games. You might think it was easy, but it’s never easy.”PSG are now third in Group C with three points and will next face Lyon on Sunday at home in the Ligue 1.Un large succès marqué par une intensité technique et tactique de tous les instants. Et un triplé de @neymarjr ! #PSGFKCZ🔴🔵 #AllezParis pic.twitter.com/NrcGrbxH64— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) October 3, 2018
Two in hospital shootings on Tuesday
Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsAppBahamas, March 16, 2017 – Nassau – Two more shootings, and two more men in hospital recuperating after the incidents on Tuesday. In the more serious shooting, a man was standing on East Bay Street when a fight broke out, shots were fired and he was struck by a bullet. Police say the man was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition. #MagneticMediaNews#EastBayStreetshooting Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsApp Related Items:#EastBayStreetshooting, #magneticmedianews