Astronaut Suni Williams and AstrobeeObituary - Ruth Icenogle McCann
Emma Navarro emerged victorious in the battle of billionaire heiresses at the Garden Cup 2024, in front of nearly 20,000 spectators. While Jessica Pegula put up a brave fight at Madison Square Garden, she lost the contest narrowly, largely due to a new strategy. Pegula opted to play more drop shots than she normally does. However, that strategy backfired as she missed most of them, ultimately losing the first set in a tiebreaker. After the first set, Pegula told Tennis Channel that she was trying to copy Carlos Alcaraz, who was to play after her, against Ben Shelton at the same event. Pegula could not be faulted for attempting drop shots frequently since it was an exhibition match. However, the question remains whether she is preparing for the 2025 season with these drop shots. One cannot rule it out, as the US Open 2024 finalist will face stiff competition from the likes of Navarro, a resurgent Coco Gauff, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina for the upcoming season. It is interesting to see Alcaraz having a profound impact on someone like Pegula, who is nearly 10 years older than him. But this is not the first instance of Pegula showing her admiration for Alcaraz, as she is indeed a huge fan of his. When Pegula had to watch Alcaraz play at Olympics without a seat At the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, Pegula took a selfie that went viral on social media, and it’s easy to see why. She was at Stade Roland-Garros cheering for the American team. The duo of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek took on Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in the men’s doubles quarterfinals. Despite Pegula being a part of the American contingent and the daughter of a billionaire, she failed to get a proper seat for that match. But she was sporty enough to post about it, bringing the enthusiast out of her. At the US Open 2023, Pegula was in awe of Alcaraz, admitting that the level of entertainment and excitement he provided to fans was difficult for her to replicate when playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium after him. One thing is for certain. If Pegula takes some tips from Alcaraz on how to play the drop shot more effectively, among other things, she could become a serious contender for Grand Slams in 2025.None
Top Australian shares to buy right now with $5,000NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday expressed anguish over not being allowed to learn Hindi in Tamil Nadu as a student and was even mocked on the streets for attempting to learn the language. The Minister's reply to the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha digressed to the language issue when some Opposition members tried to corner Sitharaman over her Hindi. Recalling her experience as a student in Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman shared her experience when learning Hindi and Sanskrit was looked down upon in the southern state. "I speak from my lived experience in Tamil Nadu when even going to learn Hindi, aside from my school, I was mocked on the streets. And I was mocked saying -- oh you want to learn Hindi. You live in Tamil Nadu... and you want to learn Hindi, North India's bhasha (language). These are the words ringing in my ears... "Learning Hindi and Sanskrit are perceived as learning some other foreign language and words that they used are people who have come over to this land. Is Tamil Nadu not part of India? So what's wrong in my learning Hindi," she said in the Lower House. Sitharaman, who was born in Madurai, lamented that she was called 'vandheri' (a Tamil word loosely meaning outsider in a negative sense). "They called us vandheri. Is it not part of a political strategy there?" she wondered. The Minister said that she was denied her "fundamental right" to learn the language of her choice. "I have lived experience of Tamil Nadu imposing on me not to learn Hindi. Is that not imposition on me?," Sitharaman asked. "It's alright to say we don't want imposition of Hindi. We don't want to impose Hindi but why did they impose on me not to learn Hindi? I want to ask this," Sitharaman said. The Minister also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken Tamil language to the UN. "Tell me one prime minister who has taken Tamil to the UN...Narendra Modi. Tell me one PM who quotes Tamil repeatedly...because he respects that language. Tell me one PM with whom DMK has been in alliance, where the PM quoted Tamil. That is the respect we give to the sentiments of all of us Tamils," she said.(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done! Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list. Smartphones for the family T-Mobile is running a hot deal right now. Get four new smartphones at T-Mobile — this includes Samsung Galaxy S24 and other eligible devices — and four lines for just $100/month . It doesn't get better than that! These new Galaxy phones are tech-tastic, too, with features like AI, Circle to Search with Google, which can be used to help solve math problems and translate entire pages of text in a different language, and Note Assist with Galaxy AI, which lets you focus on capturing your notes and then Note Assist will summarize, format and even translate them for you. High tech spiral notebook for students We've got to admit, this is pretty cool. The Rocketbook looks (a bit) like a regular spiral, paper notebook. Here's the high tech twist: You can take notes, capture ideas, brainstorm, draw — whatever you do on paper — on the pad, and the Rocketbook digitizes your doodles and saves to the cloud device of your choice. Then you simply wipe the pad clean and it's good to go. Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at your favorite online retailer. Wrist-worthy smartwatches for athletes (or those who want to be) Everyone loves smartwatches (if you're not already tracking your sleep and heart rate, where have you been?) and the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm & 45mm) takes it to the next level with features for athletes or anyone who may be setting fitness goals for the coming year. The watch has workout prompts like Real Time Guidance — audio and haptic cues for when to sprint, cool down or maintain pace. It gives you the ability to program your workouts and even monitors your cadence and stride. It also has Offline Maps, with driving navigation, search and maps. Here's the deal of the century: Get it for free at T-Mobile when adding a qualifying watch line. Cute wireless keyboard for people who are all thumbs Who else is annoyed by typing email or texts or social posts on a smartphone? The Logitech Multi-Device Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard solves that problem with style! It comes in sweet colors like lavender, it's wireless, it's small and portable, and it works with just about any device. Pop it into your backpack or purse and you'll never have to thumb-out a message again. Speakers perfect for hosting and giving Have a music lover in your life or need the perfect hosting gift? T-Mobile has you covered. For a limited time, you can get the JBL Clip 5 for free when you pick up a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9 . The JBL Clip 5 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for those on the go and the Onyx Studio 9's sleek design and booming sound will take care of all your holiday hosting needs. For more tech-tastic holiday gift inspiration, check out T-Mobile's holiday gift guide at t-mobile.com/devices/tech-gifts .Last week you learned about Troy telegrapher Silas Watson Ford, who discovered the first Devonian era fossils in Troy’s Beman Park. A second Trojan, George M. Phelps didn’t discover any fossils but he did make a mark as an inventor in the telegraph industry. Born in Watervliet, then West Troy, in 1820, he apprenticed as [...]