mimblr.com

Geraldine McDaid spoke with the ‘Journal’s’ Sue Doherty on Wednesday to share some precious memories of her beloved Brian and to tell her why she wants everyone to support marine rescue services.
Geraldine fervently believes that something good must come of the tragedy that struck her family less than two weeks ago.
“This is something I feel I have to do right now. I could wait two years, or ten if God spares me. But how many families might need these rescue services between now and then?
“If I can help just one family, prevent them from going through what I’m going through, then I’ll know that my wee man did not die in vain. Maybe the next time someone’s in trouble, they’ll be able to get there in time. If not, then recover the body. It means so, so much. What they brought back to me is so precious, more than words can say.”
As she recalls the night when Brian was lost, Geraldine is still overwhelmed by the numbers of people who came out to help look for him.
“When we heard, I grabbed the two youngest wains and we ran down to the shore. I saw Brian’s dog, Shelby, where he had had left him tied to a boat. And my heart raised up. I thought, if Shelby’s there, Brian will be there. But he wasn’t.
“It was unbelievable, how when this devastating thing happened, the news spread like wildfire. And people came from everywhere to help. One minute, there was no one, the next minute there were hundreds.
“”I just want to thank those people who came from near and far - the rescue services, friends, family, neighbours, that were out there looking for Brian. They’re brave, brave people, who literally walked on the water. They didn’t give up. They brought me what I wanted - my wain back to me. If they hadn’t, I don’t know, I swear I could have gone into the river after him.”

derryjournal.com

It could be that she does wish to fulfil her vast potential, but she has another wish that conflicts: the wish for oblivion. It’s hard to speak against that wish without sounding like an advertisement for a package holiday. As this world goes, there are ample reasons for wanting to be out of it even if your personal history is a comfort, and I imagine hers has been the opposite. But she knows all this. The proof is in some of her songs. The proof is in her voice. You don’t get to sing like that unless you can give a shape to grief.
Not long before he died last week, Humphrey Lyttelton said that he admired the way Amy Winehouse sang and would have liked to meet her. Some commentators have wondered what he would have said. There’s no telling. He was the prince of joy, and he might have told her that he was glad to have lived out a long life in music. The old Etonian would surely have admitted that he had begun his career in conditions of privilege, as she had not, and that he had always had the gift of happiness, which she plainly hasn’t, or anyway does not have yet.
But he could have added that he only had to listen to a few bars of her singing to realise that she had been given the greatest gift a musician of any kind can have, and that a gift on that scale is not possessed by its owner, but does all the possessing.
Maybe that’s what she’s afraid of. When people say that you have a duty to your talent, they all too often mean that you have a duty to them. But they’re misstating the case. The duty of the greatly talented is to life itself, because what they do is the consecration of life. I could end with something that Pavarotti once told me in his dressing room before I interviewed him. He wouldn’t say it on air, for fear of sounding immodest. He said he knew his gift was from God. But perhaps a better ending would be what Philip Larkin said to the ghost of Sidney Bechet. “On me your voice falls as they say love should, like an enormous yes”. Come on, kiddo. Give us a song.

news.bbc.co.uk

The answer could come this weekend when video game enthusiasts find out whether "Grand Theft Auto IV," expected to set sales records in the gaming world this week, will steal glory and revenue from a different entertainment empire: the movies.
As the hype for "GTA IV" continues to grow and reviews scream perfection, some speculate that the game will put a dent in Marvel Studios’ opening weekend box office for "Iron Man."
"GTA IV" is the ninth incarnation of a video game in which the user acts as a criminal roaming a city. The series has faced criticism for being too violent, because users are allowed to beat, stab, shoot and kill citizens and police officers. "Iron Man" is a movie based on the Marvel comic book superhero who creates an impressive suit of armor to save his life and help save the world.
"GTA IV" was released Tuesday at midnight and is expected to gross about $400 million in the first week.
Edward Woo, a research analyst specializing in media and interactive entertainment at Wedbush Morgan Securities, said the game’s release date and widespread reach could negatively affect opening box office numbers for "Iron Man."
"People on Friday or Saturday might find themselves at home playing this game instead of at the Cineplex," Woo said. " ‘Iron Man’ will still have a pretty good release, but intuitively, I think it’s got be impacted when both share a similar audience and genre."
Because of the time element the game requires of its faithful — between 30 and 40 hours to finish depending on skill level — the question is whether gamers will put down their controllers for a couple of hours and go for a change of scenery.
Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said he isn’t worried.
"It’s crazy to think that young males can’t carve out two hours for ‘Iron Man,’ " he told EW.com. "It’s going to be a great week to be a young guy."

edition.cnn.com

SAN DIEGO: Police were searching for a man who is suspected of robbing banks in Imperial Beach and San Diego yesterday.
The first robbery occurred about 11:45 a.m. at Washington Mutual Bank on Palm Avenue at 13th Street in Imperial Beach. The robber passed a demand note and had a black object in one hand that did not appear to be a gun, sheriff's officials said. He left in a burgundy Ford Explorer.
The robber was described as Latino, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, with short hair. He was wearing a blue-and-white baseball cap, a yellow collared shirt, light-colored or white shoes, and possibly shorts.
The same man is believed to have robbed a nearby Bank of America on Saturn Boulevard in Egger Highlands about 15 minutes later, authorities said.
The robber had a black box that he said contained a bomb. He was given an undisclosed amount of money, police said. –K.D. & P.R.
LA MESA: A man attempted to take the purses of two women in separate incidents on Fletcher Parkway near Jackson Drive in La Mesa on Thursday afternoon, police said.
In both cases, the women resisted and the man walked away empty-handed. The attempted purse snatchings occurred about 6 p.m. and within 15 minutes of each other. No injuries were reported.
The man was described as Latino, 25 to 30 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing about 185 pounds, with short dark hair and possibly a thin mustache. He was seen wearing a dark-blue Chargers jersey and dark shorts and was seen leaving in a dark, newer-model pickup.
Anyone with information is asked to call La Mesa police at (619) 667-1400. –J.L.J.
VISTA: An AM PM minimart on South Santa Fe Avenue was robbed early yesterday by a man who indicated he had a weapon, sheriff's officials said.

signonsandiego.com

In 2003, Emaar held a competition to design the world’s tallest building to be built in Dubai, which Adrian Smith won. Now, his design dominates the Dubai skyline with office and residential space selling for up to $4,000 (Dh14,680) per square feet. However, Emaar this week said the project was four months behind schedule.
Burj Dubai is currently the tallest man-made structure on Earth and will be the tallest building in the world when it is completed next year. As well as being a super-structure, Smith’s skyscraper will have green features such as the capacity to collect enough condensation to fill 20 Olympic-size swimming pools each year, which will be reused throughout the building. Emirates Business spoke to Smith at the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Eighth World Congress, where Burj Dubai took centre stage.
After an initial interview with Mark Amirault at Emaar, I was asked to submit a design. I pretty much knew what I wanted to do with the building and the two-week deadline was not a big challenge. I developed the three-legged structure and when the company saw the design against the others, work started on my project within three months.
To put it in context, four years before this project I designed the Jin Mao Building in Shanghai, China, which was the third tallest at the time. I also worked on the John Hancock Center in Chicago in the 1960s, which is still one of the world’s tallest. I have trained all my life to design buildings like these and have also designed five to six towers that were not built. I had the background and I felt it was what I could do.
I think there are a few reasons why you would want a tall structure. One, to have a landmark that is super tall. Also, Emaar Chairman Mohammed Ali Alabbar said he had 400 acres around the site. When you build a super structure, all the land around it becomes valuable.

business24-7.ae

Michael Todd had a reputation as a fiercely driven “action man”. He was so committed to his job that he once volunteered to be shot publicly with a 50,000-volt Taser stun gun to prove that the device was safe.
Often tipped as a potential commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the most senior post in the service, he was utterly committed to high-visibility street policing and frequently joined his officers on the beat.
On his first day as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, he made an arrest. He made another two weeks ago, detaining a suspected mugger outside a print works in the city.
But Mr Todd’s commitment to his career inevitably involved a degree of personal sacrifice.
During the week, he lived in a flat in Manchester, while his wife, 16-year-old daughter and twin 13-year-old sons remained in Nottinghamshire.
In fact, Mr Todd, 50, had in effect been living apart from his family during the week for several years after moving from Nottinghamshire Police to pursue his career with the Met, Britain’s largest force.
Although the move ultimately propelled his policing career into the highest echelons, it exposed him to a different kind of pressure.
A friend who saw him shortly before he died said: “He seemed as driven as ever. He really loved the job and was utterly committed to it and was an inspiration for a lot of other people.

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