By Rosie Toy

Special to SJ Sunday

The mood was somber as we stood in silence on the deck of the Balmoral as Capt. Bamberg sounded the ships bell at 11:40 pm on April 14 in the North Atlantic waters.

In silence, passengers some crying stood in the cold, night air above the ill-fated Titanic as she lay in her watery grave two miles below us.

At this very spot, 100 years ago, the once-magnificent vessel side-swiped an iceberg, tearing deadly gashes down her starboard side. For the next agonizing 160 minutes, the beautifully elegant Ship of Dreams slowly filled with bone-chilling water, until she slipped into darkness at 2:20 am, taking more than 1,500 souls to their...May 19th, 2012 by Admin | No Comments »

A large majority of students are missing out on learning in the
classroom by not playing video games, a teacher says.

Educational video game advocate Edwin McRae told TV ONEs
Breakfast today that video games can encourage maximum student
engagement in class.

McRae, an English teacher at Garin College in Nelson, told
Breakfast that approximately 70% of Kiwi kids learn...May 19th, 2012 by Admin | No Comments »

Atlanta (CNN) — From his Toyota Land Cruiser, Kent Alexander couldnt stop clicking his camera.

Endless stretches of windswept sand clashed with the vibrant blues, reds and yellows of the billowing dresses of the women. Alexander, the general counsel for the humanitarian agency CARE, felt he was riding through pages of National Geographic magazine.

The harshness of the terrain and its cruel consequences for the people of the Sahel became apparent when Alexander stopped and visited villages with a CARE delegation. He saw women walking three miles with pails to fetch water, diamond droplets in the drought-stricken land.

In the Sahel, a region that runs south of the Sahara...May 18th, 2012 by Admin | Comments Off

• Team USAs Matthew Anderson (1) skies over Canadas Justin Duff during the finals of the mens Olympic volleyball qualifying tournament at the Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State. At left is the USAs David Lee (4), Donald Suxho (7) and Russell Holmes (12). The USA won 28-26, 25-18, 25-20 and qualified for its eighth consecutive Olympic Games.

• The USAs Reid Priddy tries to spike through a wall of Canadian blockers — Dallas Soonias (7), Steve Brinkman (11) and Nicholas Cundy (2). Priddy had 12 spikes during the match.

• Reid Priddy dives to try to save the ball after a block.

• The USAs Russell Holmes hangs in the air to hit a spike.

• Donald...May 18th, 2012 by Admin | Comments Off

Ben Foster has warned Arsenal that West Brom are fired up to beat them to give Roy Hodgson the perfect send off.

Hodgson takes charge of his final Baggies’ game tomorrow before leaving to take charge of England.

Hodgson has again impressively guided Albion to mid-table safety ahead of Arsenal’s visit.

The third-placed Gunners have everything to play for as they need to win to be sure of making the Champions League.

They departed the northwest coast of France two months ago 26 crew members each aboard two historic French Navy schooners headed to North America.

With relatively calm seas, a chef well-versed in French cuisine and plenty of technological updates to the World War II-era ships, the boats made an easy voyage to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. On Sunday, the public got the chance to tour them.

The schooners made the journey as part of the bicentennial of the War of 1812. The Etoile, or Star, and the Belle Poule, or Beautiful Chicken, left Brest, France, on March 8. The boats stopped in the Caribbean and Florida, participated in a tall...May 17th, 2012 by Admin | Comments Off

Australian retail sales stay subdued, RBA meets

SYDNEY: Australian retail sales grew at a snail?s pace in February as consumers spent less on clothing, household goods and eating out, a long-running trend that will only add to industry calls for another cut in interest rates.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) holds its April policy meeting on Tuesday and while economists doubt it will cut the 4.25 percent cash rate this time, many do expect an easing to 4.0 percent come May.

?The figures show sales are just dribbling along, as they have been for six months now, so there?s no big surprise there,? said Brian Redican, a senior economist at Macquarie.

?Going by the RBA?s...May 16th, 2012 by Admin | Comments Off

The iPad and other tablets are amazing gadgets with so many capabilities. There are apps that are revolutionizing medicine, science, art, music and business. But lets be honest: We really love the games.

With tens of thousands of games to choose from, however, it can be hard to separate the winners from the losers. And with game prices ranging from $1 to yikes! you definitely dont want to buy before you try without some trusted guidance.

Thats why Im here for you. My Top 8 games will give you hours of entertainment at home and on the road.

World of Goo($5, iOS; Android) – This fantastic physics puzzler has long been one of the most downloaded games because of its unique...May 16th, 2012 by Admin | Comments Off

Saxophonist Chris West, left, and members of his group, from left, Derrek Phillips, drums, Oscar Utterstrom, trombone, and bassist Jerry Navarro perform at Jazzfest, May 7, 2011. Other band member not pictured is pianist Mason Embry. / John A. Gillis/DNJ

FORCED to his knees and pleading for his life, the suspected spy stood little chance as his fate was captured on film by al-Qaida. Seconds later, the screen goes blank, a rifle shot rings out and chants of Allahu akbar! – God is great – fill the room. The same fate awaited two others.