Getting journalists out of Afghanistan (audio)

 

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Sudoku creator has died

 TOKYO — Maki Kaji, the creator of the popular numbers puzzle Sudoku whose life's work was spreading the joy of puzzles, died last week, his Japanese company said Tuesday.

Kaji was 69.  He was chief executive at his puzzle company, Nikoli Co.until July and died at his home in Mitaka, a city in the Tokyo metro area. Kaji is survived by his wife Naomi and two daughters.

Known as the "Godfather of Sudoku," Kaji created the puzzle to be easy for those who didn't want to think too hard. Its name is made up of the Japanese characters for "number" and "single," and players place the numbers 1 through 9 in rows, columns and blocks without repeating them.

Ironically, it wasn't until 2004 when Sudoku became a global hit, after a fan from New Zealand got it published in the British newspaper The Times. Two years later, Japan rediscovered its own puzzle as a "gyakuyunyu," or "reimport."

Maki traveled to more than 30 countries spreading his enjoyment of puzzles. Sudoku championships have drawn some 200 million people in 100 countries over the years, according to Tokyo-based Nikoli.

Sudoku was never trademarked except within Japan, driving its overseas craze, Nikoli said.

"Kaji-san came up with the name Sudoku and was loved by puzzle fans from all over the world. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts for the patronage you have shown throughout his life," the company said in a statement.

Originally, Sudoku was called "Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru," which translates to, "Numbers should be single, a bachelor." In recent years, Sudoku, believed to be the world's most popular pencil puzzle, has come out in digital versions.

Born in the main northern island of Hokkaido, Maki started Japan's first puzzle magazine after dropping out of Keio University in Tokyo. He founded Nikoli in 1983, and came up with Sudoku about the same time.

Yoshinao Anpuku, who succeeded Kaji as Nikoli's chief executive, said Kaji made friends easily and had a "unique and playful approach toward life."

"Our mission is to pursue Maki's vision and possibilities," Anpuku said.

Nikoli has provided original puzzles to more than 100 media companies, 10 of them foreign ones.

Major Japanese newspaper Mainichi in its obituary credited Kaji for starting the puzzle sections at bookstores, as well as introducing the word "Sudoku" into the Oxford English dictionary.

Final round during the Philadelphia Inquirer Sudoku National Championship in Philadelphia

From NPR 

A safety feature to eliminate drunk driving (video)

 

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Kabul Airport in Chaos

Video: People run on tarmac of Kabul international airport as a US military aircraft attempts to take off. pic.twitter.com/9qA36HS0WQ

— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 16, 2021

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Mediterranean wildfires (video)

 

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MIT Professor goes viral

Karen Cunningham knew it would be difficult to balance her newborn baby with her research duties as a biology graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

The Cunninghams live in student housing, and the on-campus day-care center was shut down during the pandemic. They didn’t have relatives living nearby who could help.

Steve Cunningham taught his middle-school math classes online and could usually care for Katie while his wife was doing research in the lab, but there were times when he had to attend meetings.

Fortunately for the Cunninghams, somebody stepped up in early May to help.

Karen Cunningham’s biology lab professor, Troy Littleton, thought perhaps Katie could spend some time in the lab, so he asked the other nine graduate students who work with Cunningham whether they’d like to help him buy a travel crib for her.

 “When we have new fathers or mothers in the lab, we usually have a baby shower and everyone pitches in on a gift,” Littleton said. “We couldn’t have a shower for Karen due to the pandemic, but we all agreed that a portable crib would be the perfect gift.”

 “Child care in any profession is a challenge, but in science, it can even be more challenging,” said Littleton, 54, who has an adult son and has taught at MIT for 21 years. “Experiments don’t always fit a 9-to-5 schedule. It just made sense for Karen to bring Katie in.”

On May 7, Littleton posted a photo of his new office arrangement on Twitter, along with a caption:

“My favorite new equipment purchase for the lab — a travel crib to go in my office so my graduate student can bring her 9-month old little girl to work when necessary and I get to play with her while her mom gets some work done,” he wrote. “Win-win!!”

Littleton said he was shocked the next time he checked Twitter.

 “I’ve posted probably 70 tweets in my entire life,” he said. “I put this one out on Friday, and when I came back on Monday, it had 9 million views. I was really glad that it sparked a discussion about how to create more family-friendly working environments.”

Lack of affordable child care, closed schools and lost jobs during the pandemic have helped to expose a frustrating problem faced more often by women than men, Littleton said.

“A graduate student on my team makes about $40,000 a year,” he added. “When 50 percent of that salary goes toward housing and 80 percent toward child care, the math simply doesn’t add up.”

Karen Cunningham said she’d like to see more subsidized day-care options for graduate students who choose to have children.

Steve Cunningham agrees and said he’s thrilled that his wife and her professor have helped start a conversation about some of the systemic issues that new mothers face in the workplace.

“The barriers against having babies early in a career in academia contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of leadership in science, and we really need to fix that as a community,” he said. “If we lose the women from science, we’re losing half of our best scientists.”

Professor Littleton enjoys interacting with Katie when her mother brings her to the office.

 “She’s a little ball of energy who points to everything and says, ‘Dat!’ ” he said. “Nobody is disturbed if she cries a bit, and everyone likes to play with her. Having a baby around is a good thing.”

Katie isn’t allowed in certain areas of the lab and is never left alone.

She shows a curiosity that might be useful in the field of science someday, her mother said.

“She’s very happy, independent and active, and she’s interested in the world,” Karen Cunningham said. “I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”

From The Washington Post (edited)

Messi and the business of soccer (audio)

 

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Viewing Van Gogh thru digital technology (video)

 

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Leonardo da Vinci's descendants

 

Decades-long research into Leonardo da Vinci's remains has revealed how many people currently alive can claim to be descendants of the family of the Renaissance genius and "Mona Lisa" painter: It's 14.

The findings, published in the journal Human Evolution last month, comes from a new genealogical tree going through 21 generations and four branches.

The research is part of the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project, which aims to confirm remains thought to be his and to "better understand his extraordinary talents and visual acuity through genetic associations."

The researchers behind the study wrote these results are "eagerly awaited from an historical viewpoint," as they will help academics to "scientifically explore the roots of his genius, to find information on his physical prowess and on his possibly precocious aging, on his being left-handed and his health and possible hereditary sicknesses, and to explain certain peculiar sensory perceptions, like his extraordinary visual quality and synesthesia."

Researchers gathered data from historical documents in public and private archives, and direct accounts by descendants of Leonardo's family members.

While the study provided little information about the living descendants, in order to protect their privacy, project researchers Agnese Sabato and Alessandro Vezzosi told CNN that the individuals vary in age from 1 to 85.

"There are very young children and retirees who previously carried out various activities: employees of both public and private bodies, surveyors (and) traders," the pair said over email, adding: "For us, they are all extraordinary people ... from a human point of view. They live in Tuscany. However, the research continues on other branches and in other countries."

As Leonardo is not known to have had any children, Sabato and Vezzosi focused their research on the artist's father and his descendents. They looked at "thousands of unpublished documents," as well as reexamined evidence that was "known but not understood," they wrote.

"Our original question was: Is it possible that there are no biological heirs from the descendants of the numerous sons of Ser Piero, Leonardo's father?" they said, adding: "We have always tried to investigate the story of Leonardo the man, as well as Leonardo the artist, to explain the reasons for his genius. Now, with the help of science, we hope that we can add some significant answers."

Born in 1452, Leonardo is known for his paintings "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper." Leonardo also dedicated his time to science, math, architecture, design, engineering, geology, cartography, sculpting and drawing.

His artwork continues to elicit hefty payments from collectors.

Last year, an online bidder paid $98,000 to attend the annual examination of the Mona Lisa, when the Louvre museum in Paris takes the painting out of its case for inspection.

Earlier this month, a new auction record was set when a tiny sketch of a bear sold for more than $12 million.

Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Image

From CNN

UNESCO and "al fresco" chats

It’s a nightly summer ritual across much of Spain: as the heat of the day eases off, chairs are pulled out to the street for an alfresco chat. Now  Algar, an enterprising village in Cádiz province in Andalucia, southern Spain, with a population of 1,400 people,  is seeking to have the tradition recognised by the United Nations as a cultural treasure. which is located The aim is to protect the centuries-old custom from thethreat of social media and television, said José Carlos Sánchez, the mayor of Algar.

Sánchez recently applied to have the custom added to Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage, hoping it will be able to earn a spot in a catalogue that ranges from the art of Neapolitan pizza making to sauna culture in Finland and a grass mowing competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Each time extended families and neighbours in the pueblo blanco – or white town – take to their front steps, he sees it as an effort to safeguard the tradition. “But it’s not what it was,” said Sánchez. “So we want to return to having everyone outside of their doors alfresco instead of scrolling through Facebook or watching television inside their homes.”

Sánchez, who regularly spends summer evenings on the doorstep of his 82-year-old mother’s house, is quick to list off the many benefits of what is known as charlas al fresco, from the energy savings of turning off the air conditioning for a few hours to the sense of community forged as neighbours share the day’s gossip or comment on the latest news stories.

The nightly chats also offer a sort of psychological release. “Residents come out to the street and instead of feeling that they’re alone, what they get is a therapy session,” said the 38-year-old. “They share their stories or the problems they’re going through and the neighbours try to help.”

Residents in the small village have reacted warmly to his bid for world heritage status, he said. “So far I haven’t received any criticism, it’s been very positive.” He’s waiting to hear back about next steps but he expects it to be a slow process, one that could take years.

In the meantime, however, the town is facing an unexpected upside: media coverage is pouring in from across the country.

“In Madrid they’re getting to know Algar. In Barcelona too. And in so many other regions,” he said. “So we’re providing free publicity to the municipality.”

Photo credit Luis Davilla/Getty Images

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A small Spanish town and its outdoor chats (audio)

 

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Emirates Airline: on top of the world (video)

The Emirates Airlines commercial was filmed at 829.8 meters at the top of the largest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, with the help of Prime Productions AMG, based in Dubai.

The whole purpose of the 30-second commercial was to celebrate a decision by the United Kingdom to reopen travel with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

At the beginning of the clip, a woman is seen wearing the Emirates uniform holding several signs that she passes little by little to finish giving a message: “Moving the United Arab Emirates to the Amber list of the United Kingdom has made us feel at the top of the world. Fly Emirates. Fly better”. At the end, the camera zooms out and takes a shot of the spectacular view of Dubai.

And despite what many may think, this commercial did not use any kind of green screen or special effects. As Emirates Airlines showed with another video about the process, it was the result of rigorous planning, training, testing and safety protocols.

A casting call was put out to Emirates’ very own cabin crew team and although there were some willing and capable candidates, the airline ended up hiring a professional skydiving instructor, Nicole Smith-Ludvik, ensure the highest levels of safety.

The filming began at sunrise to capture the light of the golden hour. It took the team an hour and 15 minutes to climb from the 160th floor of the Burj Khalifa to the top. The filming lasted approximately 5 hours, 

Nicole wore a safety harness under her Emirates uniform, which was attached to a platform and was attached directly to the pinnacle.

A single drone was used to film the entire sequence.

“We are always looking to defy the norm and push the limits at Emirates. We do it every day through our innovative services, our best product and of course, through our advertising. The calm and confident cabin crew seen in the advertisement is an embodiment of our front-line team, serving travelers and ensuring their safety. We are proud to be among the privileged few who have been allowed to film atop the Burj Khalifa and even more proud to be able to showcase our beautiful city, Dubai, ”said Sir Tim Clark , President of Emirates Airline.

Nicole Smith-Ludvik is a stuntwoman, parachutist, traveler, hiker and yoga instructor. She shared the clip on Instagram and said. “This is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing and exciting stunts I have ever done. A big thank you to Emirates Airlines for their creative marketing idea! It was a pleasure to be part of the team”.

 

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The star of the Waldorf-Astoria

Jimmy Elidrissi was 19 when he left his native Morocco for the United States, alone and barely able to speak English but full of ambition. He knew that as an immigrant he could never grow up to become president, but he found a job in New York where, he said, he got to meet nine of them.

He became a bellhop at the Waldorf Astoria, where he remained until Jan. 31, 2017, a month before that storied Park Avenue hotel closed for a six-year gut renovation. On the day he retired after 51 years, he was its longest-serving employee and probably the longest-serving living bellhop in Manhattan, according to his union, the Hotel Trades Council.

Mr. Elidrissi died at 74 on July 6 at a hospital in Queens, where he lived. The cause was pancreatic cancer, his daughter Rajaa Elidrissi said.

“When I started, bellmen and bellhops were called ‘boys,’ but that’s not OK any more,” Mr. Elidrissi told Condé Nast Traveler in 2015. “Also, we had to call all guests ‘Madame’ and ‘Sir,’ even if we knew their names. You know why? Because if the guest came in with their spouse and we already knew their names, the spouses would get suspicious as to why they’d been here already.”

After he was hired in 1966, Mr. Elidrissi saw much change. The bellhops’ uniforms evolved. The Waldorf’s landmark 47-story building, for decades the world’s tallest hotel, underwent several makeovers. Even the hyphen connecting the two family names — a vestige of the entente between the descendants of William Waldorf Astor and of John Jacob Astor that had led to the hotel’s creation — vanished. But the white-glove grandeur that defined the hotel and made it the signature Manhattan way-station for presidents, princes and celebrities remained unchanged, he said.

“When it comes to service, the clientele doesn’t matter, whether it’s a former president or a new couple staying for the first time,” Mr. Elidrissi said. “It’s your responsibility to have the same level of impeccable service for everyone.”

Jallali Elidrissi was born on Aug. 25, 1946, in Temara, just south of Rabat on the Atlantic coast, to Fatima Abbou, a homemaker, and Ahmed Elidrissi, a fruit and bread vendor. He had a high school education in Morocco and took some college classes at night after he arrived in the United States on a work visa early in 1966.

In addition to his daughter Rajaa, an associate producer for the news website Vox, he is survived by another daughter, Fouzia Michel, a patient advocate, from his first marriage to Khadija Elidrissi, which ended in divorce; his wife, Souad (Azmi) Elidrissi, whom he married in 1991; and a granddaughter. A son, Aziz, died in an accident while serving in the Marines in 2007.

“He loved acting and music, but knew it would be hard for him to have a career path in that as an immigrant in the ’60s,” Rajaa Elidrissi said of her father. “He also had to send remittances to his family in Morocco. He sought out help from a Catholic Charities organization, and they helped him out with finding the Waldorf.”

He was hired at the hotel on April 21, 1966, at $1.23 an hour (about $10.50 in today’s money) and started by rotating through various jobs. He asked for a tryout as a bellman. “Almost 50 years later, there I remain,” he said in 2015.

He was such a fixture at the Waldorf, his daughter said, that he played a bellhop as an extra — no rehearsals necessary — in several films, including “The Out-of-Towners” (1970), with Jack Lemmon; “Scent of a Woman” (1992), with Al Pacino; and “Analyze This” (1999), with Robert De Niro.

After he retired, Mr. Elidrissi intended to write a tell-some book. It was to include, he said, his reflections, however brief, on every president he had met, from Lyndon B. Johnson to Barack Obama. “He started writing stories down, and I would transcribe them, but we didn’t get to finish,” his daughter Rajaa said. He had plenty to tell.

Such as when Lucille Ball demanded breakfast at 5 a.m., or when Eddie Fisher ordered 40 sandwiches for friends after a late-night supper club performance, or when Jerry Lewis checked in at 3 a.m. and ran down a corridor ringing the bells of rooms as he passed.

He remembered encountering Ronald Reagan during the 1980 presidential campaign against Jimmy Carter.

“‘Here you go, Mr. President,’” he recalled saying in greeting the candidate, “and he goes, ‘No, no, don’t call me that yet!’ So I say, ‘Look, Mr. President, you’re going to win and when you win send me something for my son.’ Later that year, he sent us a signed picture made out to my son.”

When Reagan returned to the hotel years after leaving office, he greeted Mr. Elidrissi by saying, “‘You’re still here, Jim!’”

Mr. Elidrissi’s rule about chatting with the rich and famous was simple: “I treat them like any other guest. I’m friendly, I talk to you, and we connect right away.”

That was just the way Mr. Elidrissi expected to be treated when he was a guest, say, at his favorite neighborhood diner in Elmhurst, Queens. “I like tomato juice, and the guys know that,” he said. “They welcome me back. It’s the best kind of service.”

Article from The New York Times

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Messi is leaving Barcelona after 17 seasons (audio)

 

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Tourists rescued from burning resorts

 

• Each paragraph has ONE mistake. Spot and correct it

1  Vacationers have evacuated from beaches by rescue boats in Turkey after wildfires threatened hotels in the Aegean resort of Bodrum.

2.       Coastguard vessels was joined by private boats  to bring the tourists to safety, according to Turkish media on Saturday. Videos posted online showed people wheeling their suitcases along the road while smoke from forest fires billowed into the sky.

3.       Six people have died and more than 500 needed hospital treatment in Turkey’s Mediterranean towns from fires that have raged across the country since Wednesday, burning down forests and tourist destiny.

4.       A severe heatwave has swept across south-eastern Europe, with temperatures rising above 40C in any places.

5.       Wildfires have also broken out in Greece and Italy. Four villages were evacuated in the mountains around Patras in western Greece, unless in Sicily 150 people were taken to safety from the seaside around Catania.

6.       In Turkey, more than 100 Russian tourists have been evacuated from Bodrum and relocated to new hotels. In one video of the Bodrum fire filmed from the sea, a man helping with the evacuations was stunned at the speed of the fire, saying: “This is unbelievable, just unbelievable. How did this fire came this fast in five minutes?”

7.       Bekir Pakdemirli, the agriculture minister, said 91 of the 101 fires who broke out amid strong winds and scorching heat have been brought under control. Neighborhoods affected by the fire in five provinces were declared disaster zones.

8.       President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited some affected areas in Saturday, inspecting the damage from a helicopter.

9.       He said the amount of planes fighting the fires had been increased from 6 to 13, including aircraft from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

10.   Erdogan said one of the fires there had being started by children.

11.   In Greece the Civil Protection Agency urged people in four villages near Patras to leave. Otherwise local media reports said some villagers had stayed and were trying to fight the fires with garden hoses.

12.   The wildfires also affects the Sicilian provinces of Palermo, Syracuse and Messina.

13.   Italy’s civil protection authorities have received 558 requests to help in fight fires this season, one-third in the past week alone. That makes it the fourth most severe fire season since 2007.

Article from The Guardian (edited)

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