Tiger matches worst score in a major
ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — This isn’t the kind of record Tiger Woods had in mind at the U.S. Open.Woods went out-of-bounds on his second tee shot of the final round at Merion and closed with a 4-over 74. That gave him his worst 72-hole score as a pro in the U.S. Open, and it tied for his high score in any major.“I did a lot of things right,” Woods said. “Unfortunately, I did a few things wrong, as well.”Woods finished at 13-over 293.His previous high score in a U.S. Open was 290 at The Olympic Club in 1998 and Shinnecock Hills in 2004. Woods shot 294 at Oakland Hills in 1996 as an amateur.Just two days ago, Woods was four shots out of the lead and very much in the hunt to end his five-year drought in the majors. Then, he went 76-74 for his worst weekend in a major championship. Just over two weeks ago, the world’s No. 1 player had won three of his last four events on the PGA Tour and was starting to establish his dominance.But he looked ordinary at Merion.Starting the final round 10 shots behind, Woods made a birdie putt on the opening hole. Instead of a fist pump, he offered only a mild wave. Whatever hopes he had of at least getting his name on the leaderboard ended quickly. Woods pushed his tee shot to the right on the par-5 second hole, over the trees and out-of-bounds. His next tee shot was close to going out-of-bounds, stopping a few yards away in front of a tree. He wound up with a triple bogey.It was his only big number of the week, though his 20 bogeys were startling.“I struggled with the speed all week,” Woods said. “These greens are grainy. It’s one of the older bent grasses — creeping bent. I struggled with the speed, especially right around the hole. Putts were breaking a lot more. I gave it a little more break and then it would hang. That’s kind of the way it was this week.”The 293 matched his high score at any major, last year at the Masters when he tied for 40th.Woods did not mention any pain in his left elbow, though he kept that a mystery throughout the week. He was flexing and shaking his left hand on shots out of the rough early in the week, saying only that it was painful. He later revealed that he first hurt it at The Players Championship last month, which he won. But he didn’t mention the shot or even which round it happened.Merion remained a mystery for Woods throughout the week. For the first time since Olympic in 1998 — the year he was rebuilding his swing — he failed to break par in any of the four rounds at a U.S. Open.“It played tricky. The rough was up,” Woods said. “They were raking the rough up every morning into the grain, and the pins were really tough.”Woods plays again in two weeks at the AT&T National at Congressional, where he is the defending champion. His next major is the British Open at Muirfield, where in 2002 he was going for the calendar Grand Slam until he got caught in a vicious weather pattern of a cold, sideways rain and shot 81 to fall from contention. The final major of the year is at Oak Hill for the PGA Championship, where 10 years ago Woods never shot better than 72 and wound up at 12-over 292.“There’s always a lesson to be learned in every tournament, whether you win or lose,” Woods said. “I’ll look back at the things I did right and the things I did wrong.” Tiger Woods acknowledges the gallery after putting on the 18th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Saturday, June 15, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Tiger Woods hits down the 18th hole during the fourth round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Sunday, June 16, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)Woods matches worst score in a major
The appointments of former Lone Star players as managers for national soccer teams is the right step for their progress, veteran coach Josiah N. Johnson said in a release yesterday.The man known as Masayo, who in the 1960s played alongside midfielder Philip Robinson, George Sackor and Garretson Sackor, appealed to the newly appointed coaches, including James Salinsa Debbah, Kervin Sebwe, Thomas Kojo, Janjay Jacobs, Oliver Makar and Christopher Wreh to reflect on what made them successful as footballers.“They must then apply their experience to their duties,” Masayo said.He reminded the newly appointed coaches that during his playing days, “We did not wait until there was a competition before training for it.”He said, “Two days in every week were chosen for Lone Star training and after each training coaches and players would be taken to dine at a restaurant.”He said test matches were regular and advanced training for coaches and players abroad were provided by the Liberian government, along with the LFA.He noted that the administration of Mr. Musa Hassan Bility means well for Liberian football and hoped that former celebrated star James Salinsa Debbah and the rest of his friends would receive the fullest cooperation from the Liberian government.“Coach Debbah and his colleagues have tremendous tasks to perform and we need to give them our financial and our usual moral support,” Masayo said.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Countless aspirants the world over – in developed and underdeveloped countries – have run for president; applied for the post of the highest office in the land. Some have won and some have lost. What did they tell the people? Did they make promises, medicine or commitments? Promises can be empty. The people can see straight through them. Typically, promises are weak because they stand by themselves in skeletal form without so much as a complete picture, let alone a track record to back them up. Medicine, as associated with politics, is what we call “African Science”. Ritualistic killings make human blood and body parts readily available (for a very handsome price, we might add) to those who are willing and able to fork over the money (and their souls) for power. Medicine can be powerful but short-lived. Neither cash nor soul is refundable. It can conjure the hearts of constituents to vote for a by and large unknown candidate where nary an intelligible word was spoken. Permit us to get graphic here. Believe us, it is necessary. This is Africa. Disbelieve it at your own peril. The female clitoris, extracted during “bush school” activities of the Sande, Poro and other traditional societies, carries potent spiritual powers for which candidates are willing to pay a fortune. The problem is that it may get a candidate elected, but cannot perform for him in the elected position (no pun intended). So after the zoes have wielded their powers on his behalf and he has carried the day, he does not know where to start in said position. He fails to perform on behalf of his people; the spell wears off and he loses their vote of confidence. He serves the rest of his term in infamy and loses any re-election bid – along with the money he made. This constitutes a net loss for country, constituency and the man himself. Was it worth it?But the candidate who makes a commitment to the development of his people and his country with a matching track record – that is the man or woman for the job. A commitment is much more than a skeletal promise. It has meat on its bones. A commitment stands firm. It tells voters HOW said candidate plans to institute needed change. It does not just list the problems or criticize other candidates. It finds and presents solutions to said problems. These are the kinds of leaders we need – leaders who will uncompromisingly stay the course no matter what. That is how Barack Obama won both elections. He focused on solutions.These solutions to the problems affecting people are what we call DEVELOPMENT. From North America to South America, people want development. And what is development? At the national level, development moves the country from where it is to where the people want it to be. At the personal level, development moves people from where they are to where they want to be. Now at the technical level, development may mean different things to different groups of people. In America, it might mean moving the country from dependence on Arab oil to renewable sources of energy. In South America it might mean fighting corruption. And yes, fighting corruption is absolutely an essential part of development. In Liberia, it might mean all of the above and then some – fixing the education system; prioritizing self-sufficiency in food; electricity and running water; roads networks that bring down the cost of transportation and goods, especially food. At the personal level in Liberia, people want to see their lives improve. They don’t want to see government or candidates play political soccer with their problems. They want to see the issues that affect them on a day-to-day basis prioritized. They want access to clean water. They want access to toilets. They want open sewage running by their houses closed. They want garbage cleared – all of the above so their children do not get sick. They want affordable healthcare. They want to see tangible development that they can be proud of. People’s demands are not unreasonable. They know that Rome was not built in a day. But they can tell whether progress is being made or not. Even one tangible, sustainable improvement is better than none. That being said, however, they will absolutely follow the numbers and judge the LEVEL and QUALITY of development accordingly. So for example, if US$16 billion worth of aid came into the country over 10 years and all we have to show is Fendell, Tubman Boulevard and a few relatively inexpensive building projects, then of course the people are pissed off!As 2017 approaches, let us put aside the gimmicks. The people want development. That is all they’ve ever asked for, and it is the surest way to win their hearts.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Amended Cyber Crime Bill…puts whistleblower legislation in jeopardy…passed amid fiery exchangeAfter a massive outcry sparked by the sedition clause, Government amended two clauses and on Friday returned the Cyber Crime Bill of 2016 to the National Assembly, but, according to the Opposition, the words may have changed, but the Bill still threatens civil liberties.The debate over the Cyber Crime Bill began with Attorney General Basil Williams, in whose name it is being presented, touting the importance of the Bill. He cited the development of the Internet component of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector, which provides criminals with avenues to perpetrate crime.He noted that it was feared that Guyana, due to the absence of cybercrime legislation, would become a safe haven for such criminals. The Minister also related that following public consultations on the Bill, amendments were made to the legislation.“Public consultations on the Bill were held at the Pegasus Hotel on March 16, 2016. Suggestions and comments were made by stakeholders, including the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Guyana Revenue Authority, Rights of the Child Commission, Global Technology, Red Thread and Guyana Bar Association; were considered, and necessary changes effected to the Bill.”UnimpressedBut the parliamentary Opposition was unimpressed, especially as it contended that Clause 18’s amendments can be used by the Government to stamp out dissidents and thus, remained as dangerous as ever. Successive Opposition speakers took the Government to task for Clause 18. The Opposition’s point person on security, Clement Rohee, expressed concern over the fact that Clause 18 (1a) allows for criminal penalties for anyone who “advocates the use, without authority of law, of force as a means of accomplishing a governmental change within Guyana”.“The language in the amendment is aimed at misleading us into believing that the Government has softened up or removed the offending clauses, when this is certainly not the case. The Minister told us of consultations, but what he failed to tell us was what came out of those consultations.”“The Bill places tremendous power in the hands of the Government. The Attorney General, the Ministers of Information, Communications and Public Security… the offending clauses places tremendous authority in the hands of these Ministers. Reference has been made in the public domain in the context of sedition,” he said.Rohee expressed fears that persons who are disaffected by the Government and decide to stage protests will be targeted and jailed using this very clause. It is a contention backed up by his colleague, Nigel Dharamlall, who questioned why the Government was so fearful of criticism.“Why is the Government so fearful of persons in the public expressing their views?” he asked. “We have a repressive bill, which the Government without conscience wants passed … a law which increases surveillance on people. Civil society has an integral role to play in this. This bill affects human rights.” Opposition Member of Parliament Harry Gill noted that the Government continuously presented flawed bills to the National Assembly, with the Cyber Crime Bill being the latest. He cited the fact that Clause 18 (1e) criminalises persons who “excite or attempts to excite ethnic division among the people of Guyana or hostility or ill-will against any person or class of persons on the ground of race”.Attack on free speechIn a strong condemnation of the amendments, Opposition parliamentarian, Dr Frank Anthony stressed that except for superficial changes to the Bill meant to pacify critics, the intent of the law still remained one that suppresses free speech.“Did they go far enough? Because they dropped the word sedition and a few words here and there, but the substance of what can be done by this provision still remains… the fact remains that the Guyanese people are still going to be short-changed. One of the beauties of the Internet is that it allows for freedom of speech. And while that freedom is not unlimited, there must be an extraordinary reason why it should be breached.”“The imposition of Article 18 is an apparent attempt to muzzle the citizens of this country! The way they have defined the definition is that the Government offended by a citizen’s remarks get to decide what constitutes that disaffection and then apply its subjective interpretation to punish the offending citizens with five years’ imprisonment. It is a naked attack against our rights to freedom of expression.”Upon his return, Williams stressed the need for the Bill to be passed. Referring to the need for protection from the “barbarians at the gate”, the Attorney General noted that the Bill was a strong measure against terrorism. The Bill was eventually passed, with Williams moving to adopt the report of the Special Select Committee. The BillLaid in the National Assembly since 2016, the Cyber Crime Bill had catered for, inter alia: illegal access to a computer system; illegal interception; illegal data interference; illegal acquisition of data; illegal system interference; unauthorised receiving or granting of access to computer data; computer-related forgery; computer-related fraud; offences affecting critical infrastructure; identity-related offences; child pornography; child luring, and violation of privacy among a slew of other offences.Previously, section 18 (1a) of the Bill had stated that persons commit an offence of sedition when they “attempt to bring into hatred or excite disaffection towards the Government”.Section 18 (1) now states that “A person commits an offence if the person, whether in or out of Guyana, intentionally publishes, transmits or circulates by use of a computer system, a statement or words, either spoken or written, a text, video, image, sign, visible representation or other thing that (a) advocates the use without authority of law of force as a means of accomplishing a governmental change within Guyana.”The amended section goes on to state that the law also criminalises anyone who “incites, counsels, urges, induces, aids or abets any person to commit, participate in the commission of or to conspire with another person to commit treason under section 314 or 317 of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act.”Breaking this law, according to the amended section, carries a penalty on conviction on indictment of imprisonment for five years.Meanwhile, the amended Clause nine of the Cyber Crime Bill states: “A person commits an offence who, through authorised or unauthorised means, obtains or accesses electronic data which (c) is stored on a computer system and is protected against unauthorised access.”The penalty on summary conviction is a fine of $3 million and imprisonment of three years, while conviction on indictment earns the accused a fine of $8 million and five years’ imprisonment. (Jarryl Bryan)
The house won a Canadian Green Building Award on June 6th at the annual Canadian Green Building Council’s National Conference in Toronto. FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The city of Fort St. John is inviting the public to tour the passive house from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Saturday, June 18th.The public is invited to come and tour the home that is 90% energy efficient.The city describes the passive house as:“Put simply, a passive house is a house that is almost air tight, gets most of its heating from the sun and has such an insulated building enclosure/envelope (floor, walls, roof , windows and doors) that it only requires a small amount energy to heat and cool – which it gets from solar panels. With so little to spend on heating and electrical costs a passive house is affordable housing. But with the superior air quality and the quiet (thick walls, doors and windows block out noise) it is also a luxury home. It is truly luxury affordable housing.”- Advertisement -Mayor Lori Ackerman says the city is proud to show off the award winning structure.“We welcome the opportunity to show off our award winning project to the community so that everyone can learn how to make their current homes – or their future passive house construction – energy efficient and more comfortable.”Advertisement
0Shares0000Shanghai SIPG’s Brazilian doctor Eduardo Santos has been dubbed a “miracle worker” but his methods have also been questioned © AFP / Johannes EISELESHANGHAI, China, Mar 30 – It was the 2015 Champions League and Paris Saint-Germain’s chances took a hit even before their daunting quarter-final against Barcelona with the news that central defender David Luiz faced several weeks out.The Brazilian international looked sure to miss both legs against the eventual European champions with a serious hamstring tear. Luiz contacted his fellow Brazilian Eduardo Santos, then employed by Zenit St. Petersburg, and flew off to Russia in a desperate bid to keep his Champions League hopes alive.With Santos’s medical intervention, Luiz stunned observers by recovering in just a few days to play 69 minutes as a substitute in the first leg and the whole second leg.PSG were beaten 5-1 on aggregate, but Santos was dubbed “miracle doctor” in French media.Santos, 38, now head of the medical department at Shanghai SIPG in the Chinese Super League (CSL), blushes at the nickname.But it helped forge his reputation among many of the world’s top footballers as the go-to man for getting back to fitness in rapid time — and keeping them there.A list of some of the stars to have sought his help would make a very decent five-a-side team: Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes; Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala with Luiz in defence; Mousa Demeble of Tottenham in midfield; Radamel Falcao of Monaco in attack.– Fixing Hulk –“What we do is not a miracle,” Santos told AFP at the training ground of SIPG, who broke the Asian transfer record last year to buy attacking midfielder Oscar for 60 million euros from Chelsea and also boast another Brazilian star, the formidable forward Hulk.“I do science, and of course the results that I have are really, really good. Normally in football, most of the injuries happen in the hamstring muscle. But at SIPG, we don’t have these kinds of injuries.”SIPG had a noticeable lack of injuries last season in coming second in the CSL under Andre Villas-Boas, since replaced by another Portuguese coach, Vitor Pereira.“We give a coach a very good headache because he can choose whoever he wants to play, there’s no injuries,” Santos said.Yet Santos’s spectacular results have left some fellow professionals in doubt.“I’m a scientist and base my work on what has been published,” the French doctor Jean-Pierre de Mondenard told France Football magazine.“If he (Santos) wants to remove any doubt, he has to stop all the mystery because when there’s mystery, there’s suspicion.”Santos, who was with Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands before moving to Zenit and then SIPG in September 2016, laughs off attempts to glean more details about what makes him so successful.But he said good communication between the coaching and medical teams is critical.He described how they stopped the bulldozer-like Hulk getting injured.Hulk, Santos and former Chelsea and Tottenham manager Villas-Boas were at Zenit at the time. All three would later move to SIPG.“At that time Hulk was getting a lot of injuries, a lot of problems,” Santos said.“When you look at Hulk, you think, ‘Wow, he’s a very strong player.’“But he has weak muscles, his hamstrings were very poor, he doesn’t have any kind of power in his hamstrings.“He had a lot of power in his quadriceps (front of the thighs), but in the hamstrings — zero.“So we started balancing his muscles because we made a personal evaluation of him, we found the problem, we made the programme of rehabilitation and preventive work.“And from there? No problems anymore.”– Adopting Chinese methods –David Luiz is one of the stars to have been treated by Eduardo Santos © AFP / Johannes EISELESantos said he left Zenit in 2016 after SIPG stumped up one million euros for him, in what was effectively a transfer much like when a player switches clubs.Prising Santos away for that kind of money is testament to his reputation, and Chinese football’s growing financial clout.Santos — who can treat players from other sides if called upon — has a medical team of eight at SIPG and wanted all his staff to be Chinese, partly because he was eager to learn new expertise from them.He is a convert to the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine, particularly acupuncture.“In my programme of rehabilitation I mix the Western way with the things that we use here in Asia because of course I cannot come here to China and ask the Chinese players that are used to being treated with Chinese medicine since they are really young to just, ‘Come on, forget what you do.’“I don’t like that.”Santos says he has resisted offers to work for major European clubs because he has freedom at “open-minded” SIPG.And he said that at some big European teams, not enough importance is given to the medical side.“For me, it’s very, very strange. They need to invest money in the medical team, not just buy the best machines in the world, they need to invest in the humans that are working there.“And have a coach that listens to them.”0Shares0000(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)
Manchester United legend Steve Bruce believes the Red Devils can cope without David de Gea if the goalkeeper moves to Real Madrid, thanks to the form of summer signing Sergio Romero.The Spanish number one has long been linked with a move back to his homeland with European champions Real, though talk of the deal has cooled with the clubs seemingly at a standoff over a fee for the Red Devils’ two-time player of the year.De Gea – currently exiled from first-team affairs over the speculation – is keen on the switch and has turned down a new contract at Old Trafford, meaning he could leave for free next summer if a deal can’t be finalised before the September 1 deadline.If he does go, many have questioned if Louis van Gaal can find an adequate replacement in time, with Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris one of the players linked.But, with United yet to concede a goal in their first three Premier League games, Bruce believes Argentina No.1 Romero – a free signing earlier this summer – has proven himself capable.“Romero has been fabulous,” he told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast. “United haven’t conceded a goal in the league yet, he’s done great.“It [the De Gea saga] has dragged on.“For their player of the year for the past two seasons not to be in goal seems a bit ridiculous really.“I suppose [his proposed move to Real Madrid] will be happen before Tuesday.“The boy has one year left on his contract and obviously Manchester United want a decent fee for him, otherwise he’s not going.“There seems to be a bit of a stalemate, it’s not an ideal situation, but with the resources the club have and the goalkeeper they’ve got at the moment, they’ll be fine.”
More than 265,000 people in numerous communities were warned to leave their homes, at least 250,000 residents in San Diego County alone. “It’s probably closer to 300,000,” Roberts said. More than 200,000 reverse 911 calls – calls from county officials to residents – were made, alerting people to evacuate, he said. Among them were hundreds of patients who were moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes, many still in their hospital gowns and wheelchairs. Some carried their medical records in plastic bags. About 80 miles to the northeast, in the mountainous Lake Arrowhead area, a two-front fire destroyed 133 homes in the same mountain resort community where hundreds were lost four years earlier. Air tankers that had been grounded because of high winds were back in the air fighting those fires by early evening. One of the planes was a converted DC-10 airliner, the largest air tanker in existence. It quickly went to work laying down a huge curtain of flame retardant. Meanwhile, in Orange County, a 1,049-inmate jail was evacuated because of heavy smoke. The prisoners were taken by bus to other lockups. That fire was believed to have been set by an arsonist. A blaze threatening the homes of the rich in Malibu might have been caused by downed power lines. Malibu residents forced to evacuate included Mel Gibson, Victoria Principal and Kelsey Grammer, none of whom lost homes, according to their publicists. As it was four years ago, some of the worst damage was in San Diego County, where one fatality was attributed to a blaze near the Mexican border. Late Monday, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Thomas Varshock, 52, of Tecate, a town on the U.S. side of the border southeast of San Diego. His body was found Sunday afternoon, although no other details were made available. “Its a tragic time for California,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in the oceanside city, where a church, homes and a mansion resembling a medieval castle were destroyed over the weekend. Later Monday, Schwarzenegger toured San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, home to the NFL’s Chargers, where about 10,000 evacuees had spent the day huddled on the bleachers, staring at muted TV news reports. Others gathered in the parking lot with their pets, which were banned from the stadium. The governor arrived to a more festive evening atmosphere, with live music and mountains of catered food. The crowd hooted and hollered as he passed through, and Schwarzenegger later declared that the people of this makeshift city “are very happy.” Meanwhile, burning embers ignited spot fires in the neighboring wealthy suburb of Rancho Santa Fe, north of San Diego. The embers started fires in lemon orchards and smoke choked the air around gated mansions. South of the city, in Chula Vista, authorities issued yet more orders to leave. The blazes in San Diego County and elsewhere erupted one after another. Several new fires started Monday, while others merged. Parts of seven Southern California counties were ablaze. All San Diego police officers and detectives were ordered to return to work to help move people to safety and handle other fire-related emergencies. Firefighters complained that their efforts to stop the flames were delayed when they were confronted by people who refused to leave their homes. Tom Sollie, 49, ignored evacuation orders in the city’s Rancho Bernardo area to help his neighbors spray roofs on his street with water. His home was untouched, but he watched a neighbor’s house reduced to nothing but the remnants of a brick chimney. “The house went up like a Roman candle,” Sollie said. He added: “If we weren’t here, the whole neighborhood would go up. There just aren’t enough fire trucks around.” As flames, thick smoke and choking ash filled the air around northern San Diego County’s Lake Hodges, Stan Smith ignored orders to leave, staying behind to help rescue his neighbor Ken Morris’ horses. “It’s hard to leave all your belongings and take off, and the bad thing is you can’t get back in once you leave,” Smith said. Besides, said Smith, “Lots of times the fire doesn’t ever come. It’s come really close before. I’ve seen it so bad you couldn’t even hear yourself talk over the flames and ash blowing everywhere.” Black smoke blanketed much of northern San Diego and nearby suburbs as flames hopscotched around homes in Rancho Bernardo, a community with a large number of elderly people, destroying one of every 10 homes on one busy street. Highways, canals and other features normally act as firebreaks. But the towering flames and flying embers rendered them useless this time. Dozens of motorists gathered on an Interstate 15 overpass in San Diego to watch flames race up a hillside and engulf at least a half-dozen homes. Witnesses said they watched flames jump west over the 10-lane freeway. “The flames were like 100 feet high and it moved up the hill in seconds. It was at the bottom, it was in the middle, and then it was at the top,” said Steve Jarrett, who helped a friend evacuate his home in nearby Escondido. Fire near the San Diego Wild Animal Park led authorities to move condors, a cheetah, snakes and other animals to the fire-resistant veterinary hospital on the grounds of the park. The large animals, such as elephants, rhinos and antelope, were left in irrigated enclosures. The world-famous San Diego Zoo was not immediately threatened. In Fallbrook, northeast of San Diego, a quick-moving fire that began Monday forced thousands to flee. Marine officials at neighboring Camp Pendleton opened the base to residents fleeing the flames. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! The news got worse as the day wore on: Soon after nightfall, fire officials announced that 500 homes and 100 commercial properties had been destroyed by a fire in northern San Diego County that exploded to 145,000 acres, said Roxanne Provaznik, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry. That fire injured eight people, including seven firefighters, and was spreading unchecked. Firefighters – who lost valuable time trying to persuade some stubborn homeowners to leave – were almost completely overwhelmed as gale-force winds gusting to 70mph scattered embers onto dry brush, spawning multiple fires in the same area. California officials pleaded for help from fire departments in other states. “It was nuclear winter. It was like Armageddon. It looked like the end of the world,” Mitch Mendler, a San Diego firefighter, said as he and his crew stopped at a shopping center parking lot to refill their water truck from a hydrant near a restaurant. At least 14 fires were burning in Southern California. From San Diego to Malibu, more than 150 miles up the Pacific coast, authorities said that at least 655 homes and 168 businesses or other structures had been destroyed. “We have literally the perfect firestorm going on,” said San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts. “We’re a long ways from containment if there is such a thing, given these winds.” By Allison Hoffman and Gillian Flaccus THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO – Hundreds of homes were reduced to ashes Monday as wildfires blown by fierce desert winds raced across a huge swath of Southern California extending from Malibu to the Mexican border, forcing more than a quarter of a million people to flee. At least one person was killed and dozens injured by more than a dozen blazes that formed a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange covering at least 240,000 acres, the equivalent of 374 square miles of the drought-stricken region. 
A NUMBER of women argued and fought in a pub after watching Donegal win last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, a court has heard.The incident took place on August 26 last year as patrons of the Shamrock Bar in Ballybofey watched the game.Before Letterkenny District Court today Clarissa Cairns, from Townparks, Convoy, pleaded guilty to assault, being threatening and abusive in a public place and being drunk in a public place. Inspector Michael Harrison told the court that the entire incident was captured on CCTV images in the pub and involved a row between several women.He said the footage showed 19-year-old Cairns dancing in the vicinity of two other women on the dance floor of the pub.Cairns could then be seen running out to the smoking area of the bar where the offence took place.“The camera captures the defendant arguing with another female and a row develops. Miss Cairns is involved in that row,” said Inspector Harrison.“It involves a whole pile of girls fighting with each other; it seems to go on for quite a while,” he said.Defence solicitor Donagh Cleary said Ms Cairns made a statement to Gardai saying she was very drunk on the evening in question and later apologised to all concerned.“She apologised for stuff she wasn’t certain she did do,” said Mr Cleary.Inspector Harrison added: “There was a huge amount of alcohol taken.”Mr Cleary said his client deeply regretted the incident.She was hoping to embark on a career in healthcare and had just returned from a holiday in Seville, Spain, run by the Wider Horizons Project.Judge Paul Kelly said he would give Cairns “an opportunity” as this was her first offence.He told Cairns: “When you take part in this sort of behaviour you will find it difficult to travel to other countries in future.”He ordered her to make a €150 donation to charity.The Shamrock Bar has since closed.ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL BRAWL IN DONEGAL PUB LANDS WOMAN IN COURT was last modified: September 9th, 2013 by John2Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Tags:All-Ireland semi-finalbrawlcastlefinndonegalShamrock Bar
A DONEGAL woman axed from her job as a Special Needs Assistant because of Government cuts has revealed that she’s been told she will have to wait SIX MONTH for her miserly €4k redundancy.The expert worker was laid off three months ago after an assessment found she was no longer needed in a school in the county.But when she tried to get her pay-off, she was told to “join the queue.” She told donegaldaily.com: “I couldn’t believe how I lost my job, but I don’t want to give my name because it is no reflection on the school where I worked for the past three years.“The staff are totally dedicated to the children. But some mandarin with a clipboard decided after a few hours in the school that I was surplus to requirements.“I am one of the cutbacks at the frontline. However I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.”The special needs expert told donegaldaily that she was totally shocked. “I just assumed that I would get a lump sum a month after leaving my post but when it didn’t arrive I made lots of phone calls and eventually got through to the department dealing with my redundancy,” she said.“I was told that it could take up to six months because that was how long the backlog was. I don’t blame the woman I was dealing with. She and her colleagues clearly don’t have the resources, but it left me shocked and I think it is a disgrace that here in Donegal we have politicians on big fat cosy salaries who will defend this sort of nonsense.“I wanted to speak out so that people know what is happening to ordinary workers like me – dumped from a place where I was needed and then not given any compensation on time for the hours and dedication I put in. It’s sickening.”DONEGALDAILY.COM – REPORTING YOUR STORIES. SEND YOURS TO INFO@DONEGALDAILY.COM.© 2011 donegaldaily.com, all Rights Reserved The copying, republication or redistribution of donegaldaily.com Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited by law.Follow us on www.twitter.com/donegaldailyFollow us on www.facebook.com/donegaldailySell anything on www.donegaldailyclassifieds.com http://www.derryjournal.com/news/local/asa_rap_for_river_media_1_2126066SHOCK AS AXED DONEGAL SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANT TOLD: ‘WAIT SIX MONTHS FOR PAY-OFF’ was last modified: November 18th, 2011 by BrendaShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Tags:SHOCK AS AXED DONEGAL SPECIAL NEEDS ASSISTANT TOLD: ‘WAIT SIXSNA