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5/16/2021
Kobe Bryant enshrined in Hall of Fame
Vanessa Bryant took Michael Jordan’s hand and walked down from the stage, a familiar chant breaking out throughout the arena as she made her way back to her seat.
“Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!” the crowd shouted.
With that, he was officially a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I used to
always avoid praising my husband in public because I felt like he got enough
praise from his fans around the world and someone had to bring him back to
reality,” Vanessa Bryant said. “Right now, I’m sure he’s laughing in heaven
because I’m about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the
most public stages. I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying,
‘Isn’t this some shit?’ He’s still winning.”
Bryant died in January 2020 in a helicopter crash that also killed his daughter Gianna and seven others. Much of Vanessa Bryant’s speech concentrated on his relationship with his family, particularly his four daughters.
“Thank you for being the best husband and father
you could possibly be. Thank you for growing and learning from your own
mistakes,” she said. “Thank you for always trying to be better. Thank you for
never giving up on us. Thank you for all of your hard work. Thank you for our
family. Thank you for our daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri. Thank
you for working so tirelessly to provide for us and for giving us the most
amazing life together. Thank you for waking up at 4am to train, for making it home
to kiss me good morning and for dropping our girls off at school only to go to
practice, come home and pick up our girls from school whenever you could.
“Thank you
for never missing a birthday, a dance recital, a school awards show,
show-and-tell or any games our daughters played in if your schedule permitted.
Thank you for putting your love for our family first. Thank you for bringing so
much joy to our lives and joy to people around the world. Thank you for
inspiring us to be better than we were the day before. Thank you for teaching
me, and all of us, to put someone else’s joy before our own.
“Thank you for being so selfless and loving with a
heart of gold. Thank you for never taking yourself too seriously. Thank you for
your sense of humor. Thank you for your wit. Thank you for never telling me no
and always letting me have my way, most of the time. Thank you for being
patient and easygoing. Thank you for letting me burst your bubble every chance
I got. Thank you for graciously taking all my harsh comebacks. Thank you for
dishing them back.”
Vanessa Bryant ended her speech by congratulating
her husband. “All of your hard work and sacrifice has paid off. You once told
me, if you’re going to bet on someone, bet on yourself. I’m glad you bet on
yourself, you overachiever. You did it. You’re in the Hall of Fame now. You’re
a true champ.
“You’re not just an MVP. You’re an all-time great.
I’m so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe. Bean. Bryant.”
From The Guardian (edited)
Photo credit: Kathy Willens/AP
Portugal record-breaking bridge (video)
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Paralyzed man uses mindwriting
(CNN) A man paralyzed from the neck down for almost a
decade has used his mind to compose whole sentences in real-time.
Scientists implanted two tiny sensors made up of
hair-fine electrodes - 4 x 4 millimeters - into the left side of his brain to
allow him to write his thoughts -- a skill called "mindwriting" by
researchers.
The man was 65 at the time of the study, which was
conducted nine years after he suffered a spinal cord injury in 2007.
Researchers asked him to imagine holding a pen and
paper and then try to write.
The sensors placed in the outer layer of his brain
detected the activity as he mentally visualized the movement. An algorithm then
decoded the motion for each letter, translating it into text which appeared on
a computer screen.
The man -- known only as T5 -- was able to
communicate by text at speeds rivaling those achieved by his able-bodied peers
texting on a smartphone, the team of researchers from Stanford University in
California said.
Using the "brain-to-text" system, T5
typed 90 characters -- or 18 words -- per minute -- more than
double the previous record for typing with such a "brain-computer interface".
An able-bodied person, on average, can type about 23 words per minute on
a smartphone, researchers said.
The findings brings new hope for millions around
the world who have lost the use of their arms and hands or their ability to
speak due to illness or injury, said Jaimie Henderson, professor of
neurosurgery at Stanford, in a statement.
Henderson said the new development could be life
changing for those who have suffered devastating injuries like brain stem
stroke, which afflicted Jean-Dominique Bauby, the author of the book "The
Diving Bell and the Butterfly."
"He was able to write this moving and
beautiful book by selecting characters, one at a time, using eye
movement," Henderson said.
Frank Willett, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research specialist and neuroscientist who worked with
Henderson, said the team worked on the project for around two years and added
that the department has "a long history of developing brain-computer
interfaces to help people with paralysis."
The innovation could one day allow people with
paralysis to rapidly type without using their hands, according to Krishna
Shenoy, an investigator at Stanford who jointly supervised the work with
Henderson.
"Considerable work needs to be done before the
technology is widely available, although the hope is that "it will likely
take at least years, but we hope not decades."
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5/12/2021
5/09/2021
Farmer moves border stone
The boundary between France and Belgium was
inadvertently redrawn by a farmer who found the 200-year-old border stone
marking the divide in an inconvenient location for his tractor.
The Belgian farmer could theoretically face criminal charges after making Belgium bigger by moving the stone that has marked the border since after the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. The Franco-Belgian border, stretching 620km, was formally established under the Treaty of Kortrijk of 1820.
A
local amateur historian taking a walk in forest near to the Belgian village of
Erquelinnes discovered two weeks ago that the stone dating back to 1819 had
been moved 2.29 metres. The farmer’s perimeter fence had also been shifted.
While amused by the enlargement of his
town, David Lavaux, the mayor of Erquelinnes, gently pointed out that the
farmer was legally obliged to move the border stone back.
“It will be best not to create a diplomatic incident. We
have no interest in expanding the town, or the country. He made Belgium bigger and France smaller. It’s not a good idea. I was happy, my town was bigger.
But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn’t agree.
“If the farmer shows goodwill, he won’t
have a problem, we will settle this issue amicably,” Lavaux added with a smile.
If the farmer fails to comply, the issue
could be referred to the Belgian foreign ministry, which might have to summon a
Franco-Belgian border commission, dormant since 1930, to settle the exact
delimitation of the border.
“We should be able to avoid a new border
war,” Aurélie Welonek, the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc, told La Voix du Nord.
Article from The Guardian (edited)
Farmer makes Belgium bigger (audio)
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5/02/2021
Uber car rentals
Washington, DC (CNN) Uber launched car rentals in its app in
the USA on Wednesday, and will launch a valet
service next month in DC to drive them to customers.
The car rental program, called Uber
Rent, will offer in-app bookings from brands like Avis and Hertz.
Prices will be set by the rental
companies, Uber said, and it will take a cut of the bookings, similar to how
traveling booking sites operate.
There has been a shortage of rentals cars in the US after
rental companies sold off much of their idle fleets early in the Covid-19
pandemic.
Uber will initially offer a 10% rebate
on all bookings with Uber Cash, money that can be spent on Uber's app for other
purchases. The company didn't say how long the 10% discount will last.
Its competitor Lyft began offering
car rentals in its app in 2019 and has expanded in 15 states and the District
of Columbia through a partnership with the car rental company Sixt.
Uber's valet service will launch in DC
next month. Uber plans to expand driving cars to customers nationwide later
this year. The price for valet service will be similar to the cost of an
on-demand ride.
Valet drivers will be drawn from anyone
on Uber's platform who is over 25. Tips can be left for Valet drivers.
Rental deliveries will be contactless given social distancing concerns.
Uber will develop authentication methods like using a PIN code to make sure only the customer can access their vehicle. Washington DC, where Uber will launch Uber Valet, has seen an increase in auto thefts this year.
From CNN (edited)
Hearing problems by 2050 (audio)
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World’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge
This new destination isn't for the faint of heart.
On Monday, the world's largest pedestrian suspension bridge will open in Portugal and will offer adventure-seeking visitors
unique views of a surrounding waterfall, gorge and river.
The 516 Arouca bridge gets its name from its length — it's about 516 meters — and is
located 176 meters above the Paiva River.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk the entire length of the bridge, which
is held up by steel cables and also features a see-through metal grid walkway,
allowing guests to really take in all of their surroundings.
Ahead of the official inauguration ceremony on Sunday, local Arouca
residents got a chance to cross the bridge on Thursday.
"I was a little afraid, but it was so worth it," said Hugo
Xavier, one of the first to walk across the bridge. "It was extraordinary,
a unique experience, an adrenaline rush."
The bridge will be open to everybody over the age of 6 and guides will
accompany all visitors.
Local officials and residents hope the new bridge will bring an influx
of visitors to the area as soon as travel is widely permitted
again.
"It is a breath of fresh air for our land because it will attract
more investment, more people," a tour guide told Reuters.
The previous record-holder for the world's longest pedestrian suspension
bridge is Switzerland's Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge. Opening in 2017, the 495-meter-long
bridge offers breathtaking views of the Alps.
Meanwhile, the United States' longest pedestrian suspension bridge is
located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It comes in at just 208 meters.
From People
Traveling to US for Vaccine (audio)
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New Christ statue in Brazil's Encantado (video)
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Italian hermit leaving after 32 years
After more than three decades of calling the
small Italian island of Budelli home, Mauro Morandi is being forced to leave
its pink-sanded shores.
Morandi, 81, has been the caretaker of the
island, off the coast of Sardinia, since 1989. That year, he stopped at
Budelli on his way to the South Pacific when his catamaran broke down and
decided to stay after learning that the caretaker at the time was retiring. The
story has inspired his nickname as Italy's Robinson Crusoe.
Now, Morandi is deciding to leave after five years of being threatened with eviction by local authorities. In 2016, the island's private ownership went bankrupt, and the land eventually became public after back-and-forth between a potential New Zealand buyer and the Italian government.
The situation prompted a Change.org petition for Morandi to be able to stay.
"I have given up the fight," Morandi, who has been living in a former World War II shelter on the island, told reporters . "After 32 years here, I feel very sad to leave. They told me they need to do work on my house and this time it seems to be for real."
The La Maddalena National Park authorities have
plans to turn Budelli island into an environmental education destination.
Morandi won't be moving far, though: he will live on La Maddalena island and said that his day-to-day life won't be too
different.
"I'll be living in the outskirts of the
main town, so will just go there for shopping and the rest of the time keep
myself to myself. My life won't change too much, I'll still see the sea."
"I hope that someone can protect it as
well as I have," he said of his beloved Budelli.
Aricle from People
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