No ‘Van’ in Dutch after almost two decades
The suspension of captain Robin van Persie from World Cup’s Group B decider against Chile led the Netherlands to play an international without a player whose surname began with ‘Van’ for the first time in almost two decades.The last time it happened was in 1996 in a friendly against China. Van Persie was suspended after being booked in the opening two wins over Spain and Australia.
The last time the Netherlands played in the World Cup finals without a ‘Van’ they lost a group match in 1994 in Orlando to neighbors Belgium, for whom Franky van der Elst lined up on the other side. Injury before the tournament in Brazil kept Rafael van der Vaart out of the Dutch squad as well.
Dutch football is littered with venerable footballing ‘Vans’ — Marco van Basten, Edwin van der Sar, Giovanni van and Bronckhorst in recent times and the likes of Willem van Hanegem and the Van der Kerkhof brothers, who played in past World Cups.
(Reuters)
lost dog found in forest after two years
A Golden Retriever that got separated from its owners during a camping trip in California’s Tahoe National Forest was reunited with its family and doing well after apparently surviving on its own for nearly two years in the wilderness, the family said.
Erin and Nathan Braun were on a camping trip in October 2012 when the dog, Murphy, went missing. Twenty months later, a camper at the French Meadows Reservoir, not more than five miles from where the Brauns lost Murphy, spotted the pet and alerted the family.
After several unsuccessful days of trying the Brauns decided to leave her bed and several items of their own clothing with the camper, hoping Murphy would pick up their scent and return to the area.
It worked, and a week later the Brauns were notified that the camper had coaxed Murphy onto a leash after finding her sleeping on the clothing left for her.Murphy is on the road to recovery, thin and frail but happy to be home.
(Reuters)
70-year-old woman thwarts teens’ carjacking attempt
Three teenagers in Seattle, Washington attempted to steal a car in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon, but they were stymied by something they didn’t anticipate: A manual transmission.
As reported, Nancy Fredrickson was pulling garage sale items she just bought out of her trunk, when three teenage boys approached her. The 70-year-old woman told KOMO 4 News, “He goes, ‘I want your keys’ and I thought it was a joke!”
Fredrickson quickly realised that it was serious when she saw a gun pointed at her face. She dropped her keys on the ground when one of the young men repeated himself. Nancy is a martial arts black belt and studied the discipline for 25 years. She stood frozen. “You learn that if someone is trying, the best thing you can do is to be still,” she told KOMO. “And it’s not easy for me to be still at times, but in that situation yes.”
(Yahoo News)
Chinese official sacked over online photograph
An official in eastern China has been sacked after a picture of him being given a piggyback across a flooded path during a search for missing children went viral online, sparking outrage.
He was caught on camera on Saturday during a search for three children who had fallen into a swollen river, Xinhua added. “Wang, vice director of a government office, was about to cross a flooded path when Ding, a low level clerk, offered him the ride. The inappropriate act had a negative social impact and tarnished the image of party officials”, the report said.
last year, an official in neighboring province was fired after pictures of him being carried across flood waters by a villager went online.China’s ruling Communist Party has been engaged in a sweeping crackdown on official corruption, excess and abuse of power. Greater access to the Internet has given Chinese people a forum to publicise such cases.
(Reuters)
Nothing can stop this delivery boy
A little thing like a flooded creek was not enough to keep an Alaska restaurant owner from delivering Thai ribs and fried rice to stranded customers over the weekend.Anuson “Knott” Poolsawat, owner of Knott’s Take Out in North Pole, forded the swollen waters of Clear Creek to reach two customers stuck along the Richardson Highway.
The customers were completing a multi-day drive Saturday night up the Alaska Highway when they called in their order to the restaurant.As they approached, they learned a sinkhole had developed from heavy rain near the creek. The state Department of Transportation closed the bridge.Poolsawat hiked up his shorts and waded through the creek and delivered their order.
Poolsawat had already done them a favour by staying open late, laiti said. The delivery was beyond expectations.
(AP)