Galway Honours Its Special Olympic Athletes And Coaches
Michelle O’Keane, Simon Lowry, Áine McDermott, Emma Barrett, Matthew Brennan and Katie Dillon were honoured as well as Coaches Gina Naughton, Evelyn Bohan, Michael Spellman and Angela Griffin and were presented with special plaques by Mayor McNeilis and Deputy Mayor Donal Lyons. Others to speak were Director of Special Olympics Connacht Myra Merrick and Jason Craughwell of Galway Sports Partnership. The iconic and historic surroundings of the Meyrick Hotel in Galway played host to a special reception hosted by Mayor of Galway Niall McNeilis for Galway’s six athletes and four coaches who performed with so much honour, distinction and success at the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi. John Mulligan was there and he first spoke to Mayor Of Galway City Cllr Niall McNeilis…Myra Merrick was next to speak to John and they started by going back to the launch of Team Connacht which took place a year ago in the indoor arena of athlone IT.ETwo of the coaches that were honoured were Gina Naughton and Evelyn Bohan. They were next to speak to John.Finally, we hear from one of the athletes who took part in the games in Katie Dillon.The Galway Athletes and Coaches pictured with Mayor Niall McNeilis, Deputy Mayor Donal Lyons and our own John Mulligan at the Mayor’s reception held in the Meryick Hotel in Galway. print WhatsApp Facebook Twitter Email
By Steve KeatingBaking heat, rain and the threat of lightning all forced stoppages in play at the U.S. Open on Sunday but Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki marched on through a day of wild weather and upsets.Former world number one Wozniacki had her fourth round match with Maria Sharapova halted briefly by the heat rule but it was the fifth-seeded French Open champion who wilted under a blazing sun, falling 6-4 2-6 6-2.Later, rain interrupted Federer’s clash with Marcel Granollers before the five-time U.S. Open champion came back from a set down to crush the Spaniard 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-1 and storm into the fourth round.Gilles Simon and Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer sweated it out under a midday sun, the 26th seeded Frenchman posting the first big surprise in the men’s draw with a 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-3 win.A stormy day finished off with another upset on Arthur Ashe Stadium court as 17-year-old Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic swept past ninth-seeded Serb and former world number one Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (6) 6-3.“It was always a dream to play on this court,” said Bencic, who is coached by Martina Hingis’s mother Melanie Molitor.“I watched it as a kid and I always dreamt about playing here.”Next up for Bencic is another giant-killer in China’s Peng Shuai. The doubles specialist eased into the last eight with a 6-3 6-4 win over 14th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova.The departures of Sharapova and Jankovic leave only world number one Serena Williams, Canadian seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard and Wozniacki as the surviving members of the women’s top 10.MARATHON TRAININGWozniacki showed great grit in battling past Sharapova as the punishing conditions turned the match into a battle for survival.A grand slam title is the one major hole in Wozniacki’s considerable resume and the Dane may never have a better opportunity to fill it with the draw having opened up.The 2009 U.S. Open runnerup is training to run the New York marathon later in the year and appeared better equipped to cope with the soaring temperatures and stifling humidity that took the players off court.After play resumed, Wozniacki turned up her own heat on the five-time grand slam winner in the third set.“I think it will help me a lot,” said Wozniacki, who will next face 13th seed Sara Errani, a three-set winner over Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. “Today was a tough battle out there. It was humid. It was hot. I had to change my dress.“That rarely happens. It was just soaked. Definitely (the training) is helping, because I felt fresh out there and I felt like I could keep going.”The Dane captured the decisive break in the third game after a spectacular point in which she raced three times across the baseline to retrieve shots before the Russian netted a backhand volley to fall behind 3-1.Wozniacki broke Sharapova again for good measure in the final game to return to a grand slam quarter-final for the first time since the 2012 Australian Open.Barring Ferrer’s upset, the men’s top 10 seeds remain intact, with sixth seed Tomas Berdych and seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov both advancing.Rising talent Dominic Thiem continued to surprise, following up his second round win over 11th seed Ernests Gulbis by dismantling 19th seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-4 6-2 6-3.The 20-year-old Austrian will have to pull a bigger upset out of his hat in the next round when he meets Berdych, a straight sets winner over Russia’s Teymuraz Gabashvili.Gael Monfils mowed down 12th seed and fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 and will also need to produce something special to overcome Dimitrov, who recovered from a sleepy start to dump Belgian David Goffin 0-6 6-3 6-4 6-1. Results from the U.S. Open Men’s Singles Round 3 matches on Sunday 14-Marin Cilic (Croatia) beat 18-Kevin Anderson (South Africa) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-426-Gilles Simon (France) beat 4-David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-37-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat David Goffin (Belgium) 0-6 6-3 6-4 6-120-Gael Monfils (France) beat 12-Richard Gasquet (France) 6-4 6-2 6-217-Roberto Bautista (Spain) beat Adrian Mannarino (France) 7-5 6-2 6-3Dominic Thiem (Austria) beat 19-Feliciano Lopez (Spain) 6-4 6-2 6-32-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Marcel Granollers (Spain) 4-6 6-1 6-1 6-16-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Teymuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-3 6-2 6-4Results from the U.S. Open Women’s Singles Round 4 matches on Sunday Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) beat 9-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) 7-6(6) 6-310-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) beat 5-Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-4 2-6 6-213-Sara Errani (Italy) beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) 6-3 2-6 6-0Peng Shuai (China) beat 14-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-4
Manchester United made it three wins out three as substitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini gave them a 2-0 victory over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Saturday to send them clear at the top of the Premier League.It had threatened to be a frustrating afternoon for Jose Mourinho’s side, who dominated but failed to find a way past Kasper Schmeichel until Rashford struck in the 70th minute.Last season, United drew 10 games at Old Trafford, often being frustrated by the kind of deep-lying defence that Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare employed but they are now a different proposition.“The difference is the quality of our football, we’re playing better today and if we hadn’t won this match I wouldn’t have anyone to blame,” Mourinho said.“The team is playing very well and I’m very confident. We are comfortable on the ball and dangerous on the counter- attack,” he added.With Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata providing creativity on the wings and Romelu Lukaku a real presence in attack, United were a constant threat and this win showed they have the options from the bench as well.United thought they had gone ahead in the 18th minute when Juan Mata slotted home after Schmeichel parried out a Lukaku drive but the Spaniard was ruled to have been offside.The home side had been firmly on top in the opening 45 minutes but too often turned to hopeful long-range efforts with Paul Pogba, in particular, trying his luck from distance.Seven minutes after the restart they should have gone ahead when Leicester defender Danny Simpson was ruled to have handled in the area but Lukaku’s penalty was superbly saved by Schmeichel, whose father Peter won five league titles for United.Sensing the game beginning to drift towards a draw Mourinho turned to his bench.Rashford can feel himself unfortunate to have been left out for Anthony Martial, who has twice scored from the bench this season, but he responded well.Three minutes after being sent on for Mata the 19-year-old England forward met a Henrikh Mkhitaryan corner with a side-footed finish to put United in front.The win was secured eight minutes from time when another substitute, Jesse Lingard, played the ball in and Fellaini flicked it past Schmeichel.“That’s why need them (the substitutes), because they can change the game,” Pogba said.“Is that a game that we might not have won last season? Yes, for sure. I was a bit scared but we keep pushing this season.”
Controversial Talk Show host Henry P. Costa has announced he is running for Montserrado County District #6 which will soon be vacated by Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe, who has decided to make his home in Tunmanburg, Bomi County, and is preparing to run for the representative seat there.In a video presentation yesterday, Costa said after consulting with his family and numerous friends, he decided to make the proclamation of his decision to accept the avalanche of friends who had petitioned him to run for the position.Though he did not state when and where the petition was made by his friends to run for a representative seat, he stated that while it is possible for him to agitate for change on radio, he realized he could do more when he is involved in making the change as a representative.Speaking passionately and extemporaneously about his family and how he’s been blessed the last five years, Costa said he decided to listen to his friends because “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”“I decided to listen to the voice of the people who have asked me to go into politics,” Costa said. He praised the support he has received from his wife, “who loves Liberia” and his son, Costa Junior.He promised that if he is successful, he will pledge thirty percent of his salary and benefits to the District Development Council of District Number 6 for development purposes. He also pledged to introduce a “Buy Liberian” act at the House, which would require the Government of Liberia to purchase goods and services from Liberian-owned firms that made competitive offers. Noted for his unbending criticism against those he sees as lacking in patriotism in doing the people’s work, Costa has enjoyed a stream of commendations that he foresees as added advantage.He said if he is successful, he continues to run his Costa Show, since he says there is no law that prohibits him – even as a member of the House of Representatives – from hosting the show. Though he does not see any conflict of interest there, if he is successful, there might be opposition from some quarters against him, should he continue to run the show as he runs it now. However, Costa hopes that by running the show as a member of the House, he can “bridge the gap between the Legislature and the people.” Many of those who oppose his strong positions in issues think he cannot eat his cake and have it at the same time, and therefore Costa may open himself for criticism, since he would be branded with the very people he had heaped attacks on in previous years.Costa said he will bring up issues in committee rooms and on the House floor for discussion on his talk show, to get let the people know what is going on. And while that may seem probable, the real challenge is if, when he is crowned as a representative of district six and his colleagues decide to bring him into their fold, whether he will be different. To this, Costa said he will not veer from his critical stance, nor is he expecting to be liked by his prospective colleagues in the House.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
1 Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony has joined Stoke on loan for the rest of the season.The 27-year-old has struggled to make an impact at the Etihad since his £27m move from Swansea in January 2015.He has scored just six goals in 36 appearances and has not featured under new boss Pep Guardiola this season.Bony, a prolific striker for Swansea prior to joining City, will now to look to kickstart his career under Mark Hughes at the Bet365 Stadium. BREAKING | #SCFC delighted to announce the season-long loan signing of @wilfriedbony from @ManCity pic.twitter.com/0I0FO81UDd— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 31, 2016 Wilfried Bony celebrates a Manchester City goal Hughes told the club’s official website: “Bringing Wilfried in was a no-brainer for us to be perfectly honest, because he knows the Premier League and has scored plenty of goals at this level.“He has power, speed and very good physical attributes which will undoubtedly help us, and his technical and finishing skills are outstanding too.“Eighteen months ago he was being bought for a hugely significant amount of money, so we know that we are bringing in a top quality striker.” Stoke have also completed a short-term loan deal for Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant.Grant, 33, will provide competition to Jack Butland and Shay Given.
Every time Ally McCoist lost it on air in 2019, including funny XI reactions RANKED Oxlade-Chamberlain suffers another setback as Klopp confirms serious injury GIVE ASHLEY YOUNG A 10 YEAR CONTRACT. 💉💉💉— Red Devil Bible (@RedDevilBible) February 12, 2019 Di Maria was knocked off balance The winger looked to be in some pain LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS MONEY Ashley Young welcomed former team-mate Angel Di Maria back to Old Trafford by shoving him into the stands during Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.Every touch by the Argentine was met with a chorus of boos from the United faithful, who are yet to forgive him for his hugely disappointing spell in Manchester. Di Maria showing more intent chasing that ball than he did in nine months at Old Trafford.— Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) February 12, 2019 Son ban confirmed as Tottenham fail with appeal to overturn red card REVEALED Young, who was already on a yellow card, leaned into the Argentine, who subsequently crashed into Old Trafford’s mental fencing via an unfortunate concrete drop.The challenge went unpunished, and the game threatened to boil over as the French side took issue with Young’s aggression. no dice Di Maria kicked off the pitch by Ashley Young for the second time since 2014.— Harsha (@VintageMUFC) February 12, 2019 Ronaldo warned Lukaku how hard scoring goals in Serie A would be before Inter move ADVICE 3 huge blow Di Maria, after receiving treatment, decided to give it back to the crowd by pointing to his ear and asking them to raise the volume.As you can expect, United fans on Twitter had little sympathy for the winger.Here are the best Tweets: Young sent Di Maria flying into touch Ashley Young just made himself a United hero right there. Impressive— Fredrik (@F_Edits) February 12, 2019 Which teams do the best on Boxing Day in the Premier League era? That’s the best thing Ashley Young’s done all season! 😅— Manchester United (@ManUnitedWorld) February 12, 2019 REVEALED Ashley Young there with his own version of the Robbie Williams classic, “I’m shoving Angels instead” #ManUtdPSG— Dan Silver (@dansilver_) February 12, 2019 3 Ashley Young body checking Di Maria out of Old Trafford is the best thing I’ve seen all year— ManUtdMindset (@ManUtdMindset) February 12, 2019 Where Ancelotti ranks with every Premier League boss for trophies won And the biggest cheer of the night came when Young sent Di Maria flying into touch with an aggressive shoulder charge.With the ball rolling out of play, both men were racing to get there first, and as they reached the touchline, the full-back made certain Di Maria wasn’t winning the race. BEST OF 3 Forbes list reveals how much Mayweather, Ronaldo and Messi earned this decade Top nine Premier League free transfers of the decade Ashley Young has just put Di Maria in to the Old Trafford side fencing Well worth the new contract— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) February 12, 2019
Bond:$1505 Andrade, Miguel J Bond:No Bond Booking Date:03-29-2018 – 4:29 pm Release Date:03-29-2018 – 10:08 pm Booking Date:08-30-2017 – 8:02 pm Charges:9-26-1-2 Leaving the Scene-Property Dam9-30-5-2 Operating Vehicle While Intox View Profile >>> Booking #:98931 Booking #:98925 Booking Date:03-28-2018 – 10:01 pm Williams, Chynna K McCammon, James A Booking Date:03-27-2018 – 10:16 pm Bond:No Bond Booking Date:03-28-2018 – 4:23 pm View Profile >>> Booking #:98924 Release Date:03-29-2018 – 8:53 am Ronsheim, Jared T Booking #:98928 Inmates released from the Jail within the last 24 hours. Charges:35-38-2-3 Violation Probation/Adult Warr Tungate, Kaylena D Release Date:03-29-2018 – 1:53 pm Booking Date:03-28-2018 – 2:43 am Charges:9-30-5-2 Operating Vehicle While Intox9-30-5-1(c) Operating w/Cont Sub or Matabo in body Booking #:98923 Bond:$705 Booking #:97547 Booking #:98918 Griffin, Steven T View Profile >>> Bond:$355 Booking Date:03-26-2018 – 12:42 pm Charges:35-33-10-1 Rearrest-Adult/Warrant View Profile >>> Johnson, Jewel K Release Date:03-29-2018 – 8:38 am Release Date:03-29-2018 – 2:53 pm Charges:35-42-2-1 (4) Battery to <14 by 18 or older35-46-1-4a Neglect of Dependant Inmates booked into the Jail within the last 24 hours. Release Date:03-29-2018 – 1:23 pm Charges:5-2-12-9 Failure to reg as sex offender Charges:2 Transport Order-Adult Hays, Shawn M Booking #:98930 Charges:16-42-19-18 Poss of Syringe Booking Date:03-28-2018 – 2:55 am Bond:$355 Release Date:03-29-2018 – 9:23 am View Profile>>> View Profile >>> Bond:No Bond View Profile >>> Bond:No Bond View Profile >>>
WHen complete, Cape Town’s Hotel Verdewill feature green technology such as solarpower, geothermal heating and waterrecycling.(Image: Skyscrapercity)MEDIA CONTACTS • Mario DelicioDematech+27 21 794 1464 or +27 82 420 1010Lyndon JafthaAlready known as an innovation hub and renowned for the excellence of its hospitality offerings, Cape Town will soon be the home of the most eco-friendly hotel on the continent.As the COP17 conference draws to a close in Durban, and while the world’s focus is on green issues, the news comes at an appropriate time.The hotel – to be fittingly known as Hotel Verde, or the green hotel in Italian – will be developed by Cape Town-based Dematech, which is currently wrapping up the final approval for the project. Established in 1993, Dematech has almost two decades of experience in technical consulting and procurement.The developer is hoping for completion of the project in early 2013.Convenience and comfort for travellersWith convenience for the traveller a priority, Hotel Verde will be situated in the city’s airport precinct, and will offer an alternative to the well-established Road Lodge, part of the City Lodge hospitality group.Hotel Verde will stand just 500m from Cape Town International Airport.The hotel will offer 146 rooms and will qualify as a three-star, but according to a report on Cape Business News, the services, room sizes and fittings will be comparable to a four-star hotel.For those who are a little low on energy, the hotel will provide an electric car shuttle service to the airport and another into the city. Guests will also be able to rent electric cars to explore Cape Town.Hotel Verde’s developers are seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (Leed) certification, which is controlled by the Green Building Council in the US. The Leed system helps building owners and operators to identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operating and maintenance solutions.And it’s not just good news for the environment – when complete, the hotel will have generated approximately 103 direct jobs and 247 indirect jobs.“The Hotel Verde will prove to travellers that Cape Town is a global leader in its fight to combat climate change and to use the planet’s natural resources more effectively,” said Nils Flatten, CEO of Wesgro, the Western Cape provincial governments investment agency.“It will show just how sophisticated Cape Town’s climate change mitigation and adaption strategies have become,” he added.Once the hotel is complete, its technology is expected to be on a par with the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, in Denmark, named the world’s greenest hotel for 2010.Africa’s greenest hotelHotel Verde will boast cutting-edge energy-efficient technology such as geothermal heating, ventilation and air-conditioning for temperature control, assisted by double glazed windows. Dryers in the laundry will use excess heat from the hotel to dry linen which has come from the low energy and water consumption washing machines.The hotel will run on renewable energy generated by three wind turbines, and will gather extra energy from the sun through a photovoltaic solar panel.To save electricity, public areas such as lifts and toilets will be fitted with motion sensors to control lighting, while the kitchen will feature energy-saving induction stoves and other green appliances including dishwashers.Even the gym equipment will be fitted with power generating devices – these will serve as educationals tool to help guests understand how much work is needed to generate a specified amount of electricity.As an added incentive to green-minded guests, those who use their towels more than once and don’t turn on their air conditioners will receive a credit note upon checking out.The hotel will also encourage guests to become more aware of the need to save energy by holding its own weekly Earth Hour experience, where power will be cut in public areas. To enhance the mood, the hotel’s wood-burning pizza ovens will provide a delicious dinner, eaten by candlelight.And for those who appreciate nature, a jogging trail will be set among a water-wise fynbos garden.
Photo: Qantas The partnership between Australian loyalty giants Qantas Frequent Flyer and Woolworths Rewards has been revamped to deliver bigger benefits.The two companies announced a refresh of their partnership that would increase the conversion rate from Woolworths Rewards to Qantas Frequent Flyer by 15 percent.The conversion to the airline points will now occur when the balance hit 2000 Woolworths points rather than every three months.The Flying Kangaroo says a third of frequent flyers who shop at the retail group have enjoyed holidays in the past 12 months.That’s equivalent to more than 10,000 flights between Australia and the US.It also comes as the airline group recently introduced the biggest changes to its loyalty scheme in 32 years by adding extra reward seats and changing some redemption levels.READ: Winners and losers in Qantas frequent flyer revamp. The latest change means 2000 Woolworths points will now be worth 1000 Qantas points rather than 870 points.The partners say the tie-up will now be simpler, faster and more rewarding.But people who don’t shop regularly at Woolworths but still link the two loyalty schemes may find it takes longer for points to convert. Points below this level will remain in their Woolworth’s account.Opportunities to earn Woolworths points include the supermarkets, Big W, BWS and participating Caltex and Caltex Woolworths co-branded fuel outlets.Qantas and Woolworths are also making it easier for customers to opt-in to convert their points.Qantas customers can now link their accounts and sign up for Woolworths rewards on the Qantas while Woolworths Rewards has introduced a simplified two-click process.Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth said it was important for the program to continually look for ways to add value and improve how members could earn points.“Our partnership with Woolworths is one of the most popular ways for members to earn points, we see them earn literally billions of Qantas Points every year,’’ she said.“Combining the points you earn from everyday things like grocery shopping, credit cards and your power bill is a great way to keep your points balance ticking over.“A third of Frequent Flyers who shop at Woolworths have enjoyed a holiday on points in the past 12 months.”WooliesX managing director Amanda Bardwell said: “The refresh means our members can get even more value from their same everyday shopping at Woolworths, and book their next holiday even faster,”
Don’t you hate it when you click a link only to discover it wasn’t a web page, but a slow-loading PDF instead? Maybe it’s time for publishers to find something to do with those PDFs that makes them a lot more interesting and engaging for their site’s users. A new mashup tool called Adam (Beta) can help. It lets you take static files like PDFs and images and mash them up with web content like HTML and multimedia. Adam then provides you with an embed code so you can display these new remixed files on your web site. About AdamOriginally designed as a solution for e-commerce sites, the service strangely called Adam is not complicated to use. However, the company does estimate that the time it takes from mashup creation to having it live on your web site could be approximately 20 minutes. That’s a little bit longer than just linking to a PDF or even uploading it to a document-hosting service like Scridb or Issuu. Still, the extra time may be worth it because Adam lets you create a truly interactive document by allowing you to add videos, HTML, stylized text, and more to what were previously just plain files. For those familiar with designing web pages, the process may seem familiar. To add content to a document on Adam, you select various “hotspots” in the document and then add the content you want to mashup. This is where you would paste in any text, images, music, or videos you want to appear when the user mouses over that part of the document. The service currently integrates with other content providers including YouTube, flickr, metacafe, Veoh, vimeo, and imeem.The best way to understand what Adam can do, though, is to view some sample of it in action. You can check out a mashed up floor plan or you can see all the content providers in use on one document. Top Reasons to Go With Managed WordPress Hosting Related Posts sarah perez 8 Best WordPress Hosting Solutions on the Market Why Tech Companies Need Simpler Terms of Servic… Adam doesn’t provide anything that a talented web designer can’t already do on their own, but like every service that comes out of the Web 2.0 movement, it’s about letting everyone have access to the tools that previously only skilled professionals knew how to use. If you want to try Adam for yourself, you can sign up here. Tags:#design#Mashups#NYT#Product Reviews#web A Web Developer’s New Best Friend is the AI Wai…