Joe Kirk Fulton, Texas Tech?s first Masked Rider, died Thursday at 81, the school confirmed.
In the 1954 Gator Bowl against Auburn, Fulton led the Red Raiders onto the field aboard a horse named Blackie. Loud cheers followed a few moments of stunned silence, according to accounts at the time. Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday in Lubbock at the Legacy Center, 1500 14th St.
?When I think of Joe Kirk Fulton, I think of one of the greatest traditions in all of college football,? former Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. ?I don?t think anybody realized when he made that ride in 1954, how important of a tradition the Masked Rider and horse would become for Texas Tech.?
Google announced on Wednesday that it would soon offer free Wi-Fi connections to all 7,000 Starbucks stores in the US.
Beginning in August, Google's Wi-Fi network will roll out in Starbucks stores over the next 18 months. Google said you would be able to browse the web 10x faster than before, while those who live in a Google Fiber city will get 100x faster speeds.
In a bid to make Internet more accessible, Google said it has long invested in making the web widely available, such as launching Google Fiber in certain areas, and the company will clearly continue this trend by providing Wi-Fi at Starbucks.
Read: Google Fiber's awesome Internet speeds coming to Austin, Texas next
The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is partnering with Level 3 Communications to offer the service, which is more robust than the T1 connections previously provided at Starbucks stores by AT&T. AT&T will supply Starbucks with other services, but customers can only access the Web through Google and Level 3.
"The free Internet connection at Starbucks has become an important part of many communities over the years, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, or for students without Internet at home who do their homework at Starbucks," wrote Google on its blog. "We appreciate your patience if it?s still a little while before we get to your favorite Starbucks?you?ll know your new network is ready to go when you can log in to the 'Google Starbucks' SSID.
Read: Starbucks now taking contactless payments
Starbucks has offered free Wi-Fi in the US since July 2010, although it originally allowed customers to web surf if they paid $3.99 for two hours of access.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? The Columbus police department says it has closed the case against Ohio State running back and leading-scorer Carlos Hyde because the alleged female assault victim did not wish to pursue charges.
Hyde had been suspended from all team activities in the wake of the incident, which occurred July 20 at a downtown bar. Ohio State did not immediately offer comment on whether he will be reinstated to the team.
Spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner said as far as the police department is concerned, the case is officially closed. He said the alleged victim was interviewed on Saturday and said she did not want to continue with the case against the senior from Naples, Fla., who led the Buckeyes with 17 touchdowns and 102 points as the Buckeyes went 12-0 last season.
If you hate knowing the end of the story before you even begin, then I apologize for the title of this post. But I?m so excited to report that our 10 year old Caleb won our latest game of?Risk Legacy that I just had to put it in the title.
Now, on to the fun?
After a few weeks of scout camps and weekends away, my boys and I were finally able to get Risk Legacy back to the table last night.
As a refresher, the victors from our first 3 games have gone in birth order ? though not by any planning on our part ? Dad, Trevor, and Jaden. And although I?ve tried to help Caleb get in a win by trying to work together, he always turns the tables and attacks me. (Always fun to go after dad.) I had even told Trevor and Jaden that since this game will live on, we need to make sure Caleb wins a game and gets a chance to sign the board.
But what happened last night didn?t occur because of ?letting him win?.
As much as Caleb planned what faction he?d pick to play the roll of the dice left him choosing his faction and starting location last. The only saving grace for him was that because he had yet to win a game, he?d start with a victory point token while the rest of us would start with a missile token. As a reminder, each Headquarters (HQ) you control is also a victory point ? so Caleb would start with 2 victory points ? half way to victory already.
The game/battle begins Jaden got to pick first and chose the Enclave of the Bear faction and placed his HQ in Eastern Australia. Trevor selected next and picked the Die Mechaniker faction and started again in South Africa but this time it was in a city he had founded previously ? Shelvax. I then chose the Saharan Republic faction and started in Limonada in Central America ? the first major city founded in our game. Caleb was left with 2 factions to choose from and picked Khan Industries and started in Iceland.
Jaden took his time coming out of Australia and slowing growing into Asia while the rest of us battled elsewhere.
Trevor moves North to go after Caleb.
On his first turn, Trevor placed a Mercenary scar in his HQ territory ? giving him an additional troop in that territory at the end of every turn. He then quickly took control of the Africa continent/region for even more troops on following turns.
And even though I was once again planning to work with Caleb to move in on his older brothers, Caleb turns and takes me out of Greenland just so I wouldn?t take control of North America for extra troops. So right from the start again I was asking if he really wanted to win because we could team up and take out the others. So much for that plan.
And before you know it, Caleb gets spread thin and Trevor comes from below and takes out his HQ which bumps Caleb down to just 1 victory point and Trevor up to 2.
Battles rage on Like in most games of Risk, region bonuses are battled fiercely. There?s also plenty?of temporary alliances being called out to go after whoever is in the apparent lead ? trying to get folks to gang up.
After taking Caleb?s HQ, on his next turn Trevor?turned in a number of resource cards to get a ton of troops and?took over Borganzii (South America region named by Jaden after his victory last time). But I wasn?t interested in seeing Trevor get even more troops every turn by controlling 2 regions, so I had to fight South and move in on him to take control of the region. Not that I was sad to do so.
Meanwhile Caleb fought back in Iceland and took his HQ back from Trevor ? getting him back to 2 VP and 3 resource cards. With 4 resource cards he could simply buy another VP and get close to winning.
Trevor was then getting attacked on both sides ? from me on the West and Jaden on the East ? and didn?t know which way to attack out. He tried to make a deal with Caleb to go after Jaden, but Caleb declined.
Soon Trevor?s down to 6 countries, Caleb?s down to 7, Jaden is one territory shy of controlling Asia, and I had control of 1 region and am just shy of controlling 2 more.
Trevor tried to battle back into North Africa, but instead ended up losing 6 troops and called off the attack. While he looked pretty dejected, he wasn?t about to give up.
Then I made my move into South Africa and took Trevor?s HQ!
I was then in control of 2 territories with mercenaries and was very happy with my prospects and could see my way to victory. After all, if Caleb wasn?t intent on winning, then I might as well go for the gold.
Home Stretch and Victory
Dad?s taking control.
Caleb then knocked Trevor out of Western Europe and even though he now controlled Europe, he was spread very thin. Jaden tried to knock Trevor out of the one territory Jaden needed for control of Asia, but just couldn?t roll well enough. On Trevor?s turn he simply built up his forces in one territory for defense and didn?t attack anywhere.
I then unleashed my forces on Trevor?s remaining spots in Africa and whittled him down to just one territory left ? almost knocking him out of the game. But he had enough troops in his remaining territory that I figured I didn?t need to press on.
After all, I now had 4 resources cards and on my next turn would turn them in for a victory point. Then I?d also get a ton of forces since I controlled so many territories, cities, and continents/regions that I could move in on Caleb?s HQ for the final victory!
Moves his HQ and heads South!
Of course, things don?t always go as hoped?
In a sudden twist of fate, Caleb turned the tables. Even though he only had a couple troops in Iceland at his HQ, he controlled the region and got extra troops. But first he turned in 4 resource cards, and gained his 3rd victory point.
Then his used his special faction ability to move his HQ to an adjacent territory he controlled ? Greenland. (I might add that this was an ability I added to that faction when I was knocked out during game #2.)
Storming through to victory!
He also used his other faction ability to add an additional troop to his HQ territory.
With all those troops, he set his sights and stormed through North America to take out my lightly guarded HQ in Central America and win the game!
What a move!
I was quite surprised.
Although I shouldn?t be surprised because he?s quite the astute gamer.
All 4 of us have now won a game. Game on!
I?ve also never been so happy to lose a game. It was a legitimate victory and he got a big high-five from me, the defeated.
He ever so proudly took the pen and signed his name to the game board as Victor #4!
Opening another packet ? Sweet!
With the end of the game also came the chance to open another secret packet!
Caleb gets the honors of opening the next packet.
But first, Caleb chose to found a major city in Iceland and called it, of all things, John.
For ?holding on? Trevor and Jaden both chose to found minor cities: Trevor founded a city he called Kyle in the Middle East (the only territory he controlled at the end) while?Jaden founded Belgizhaar in Yakutsk. With those final 2 minor cities being founded we got to open the thickest visible packet inside the Risk Legacy box lid ? the one once all 9 minor cities are founded.
And what a great packet it was!
- Minor SPOILER ALERT - There?s been a spot on the board where the resource cards go that simply says ?Events?. So we knew something cool was eventually coming. Well, this packet has it. A stack of new cards now come into play. The new cards introduced include Draft cards, Event cards, new Scar cards, and Evolution cards with new starting rules!
New rules!
While we won?t go into details of these cards, we definitely want to mention the function of Evolution cards.?The 3 Evolution cards each had stickers on them that get placed in the rule book and change the rules of play. These first 3 rule changes in this packet affect the start of each game. So from here on out the game will begin in a new way.
Cool stuff! - End SPOILER -
Wow. I know that was a long write up and a lot to read. And it sure isn?t as fun reading about a game as it is playing it. But it if sounds like fun to you, then go grab a copy of Risk Legacy for your family or friends!
Too bad I?m heading off on another business trip this week, because we?re all excited to play again.
Ben McLemore has tremendous natural talent, both physically and fundamentally. But sometimes he can't always channel it.
McLemore has to learn how to shake off misses. We've seen them snowball or cause him to get passive. When things go awry, McLemore tends to press or over-think.?
During his summer league debut, McLemore missed 19 shots on 4-of-23 shooting. Against North Carolina in the NCAA tournament, he shot 0-of-9 from the floor before getting benched.
When McLemore's confidence is intact, he could go off for 30 on any given night. But when it's shattered, he's capable of throwing up a dud or disappearing.
It will take time, but McLemore has to figure out how to stay effective when his jumper stops falling. He'll never remain consistent with "keep shooting" and "stop shooting" as his only two solutions.
And in the NBA, consistency determines your value.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. ? The road troubles just keep on coming for the LA Galaxy.
LA dropped their third straight road match on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids in a plodding game at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park. The Galaxy have struggled mightily away from home this season, ironically, their last road win came at StubHub Center against Chivas USA.
The last time that LA won a road game not played in Carson? Back on May 15 against the Philadelphia Union, some two months and 12 MLS Regular Season games ago. In their defeat to Colorado, LA exhibited the traits that have plagued them this season conceding on set pieces and struggling to create chances without several key players.
Following the match defender Todd Dunivant admitted that the Galaxy simply ?lost fair and square? to the Rapids, but was quick to mention that they must get better away from home.
?I think we have to start getting a better mentality of getting points on the road. We have to be a little smarter,? said Dunivant. ?Again, we're not pushing ourselves out of position or anything like that. It's just a mentality we have to get back to of trying to get a point first and foremost.?
While late goals have been a recurring problem for LA this year, against Colorado, it was an early goal in the second half that truly did them in. Just minutes into the second half, Dillon Powers broke through the center of the Galaxy defense off a pass from Edson Buddle then nudged past Sean Franklin for a shot that beat LA ?keeper Carlo Cudicini.
Following Powers? goal, LA created little going forward as they failed to truly test the Colorado defense until a pair of chances for Gyasi Zardes in stoppage time.
?It bothers us because we knew there was a second 45 [minutes]. You talk about going out and not giving up a goal in the first fifteen and that's where we gave up another goal a few minutes into the second half. That kind of put us behind the ball,? said Franklin. ?It's frustrating knowing how well we played in the first half and they got a goal like that at the end of the first half. It's unacceptable. Our team's better than that. We've just got to bounce back when we get the chance to play again.?
As they look to fix this problem, the message is clear: LA must learn to close out halves once again.
?We've got to get back to being satisfied with a draw even on the road. It's tough to run especially here with this altitude,? said DeLaGarza. ?We've got to have a better road mentality. It's as simple as that.?
Upon the conclusion of the Guinness International Championship Cup in two weeks, LA will continue their road swing with an away match against FC Dallas on Saturday, Aug. 11. While the cure for the road blues remains elusive, LA?s head coach was none too concerned about his club?s difficulties away from StubHub Center.
?I don?t really care,? said Bruce Arena. ?That?s not a factor at this point.?
As LA heads into final stretch of the season, they?ll need to tighten up on this issue to prevent it from becoming a factor that could hinder them come postseason time.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
Good personal finance skills are especially vital in times of economic difficulty; every dollar counts when the economy is uncertain. You will find that even though you cannot always be rich, figuring out a comfortable way to live within your means is still possible. You can get great information from the article below.
Success starts with managing money well. Profits should be protected and capital invested. Investing your current profits to grow them is a good idea, but you have to have good money management skills to make that work. Set a strict program on what profits are kept and what profits are reallocated into capital for your business.
Success in business can be directly related to money management. You should invest your capital and protect your profits. Carefully asses the risk of reinvesting profit to grow your net worth and see if it makes sense in terms of the return you want from your investment. You should always have a standard set for what you plan to keep as profit, and what you will reallocate into capital.
TIP! Honesty and trust are key attributes to look for when you are shopping for a broker. Make sure they have excellent references, and make sure they are open and honest with you.
Documenting each purchase you make daily can allow you to learn where your money is going. If you put your notes in an obscure location, though, it may be too easy to forget about it. Try to put up a whiteboard in the office or bedroom that you can list your expenses on. You will look at it every day and be reminded of what you need to do.
Keep a mini-envelope with you when you go out. Use the envelope to stash receipts, business cards, and other small pieces of paper you want to save. You?ll need these later for your records. Try comparing credit card statements to see if they contain double charges.
Be patient if you want to retain control over your personal finances. It is very commonplace for people to purchase the latest electronic gadget the first day it is released to the public. However, if you take a step back and wait for a bit, the price will likely drop. This way, you will have extra money to spend on other things.
One way to improve your finances is to refuse to pay full price for anything. Stop loyal purchasing of certain brands and buy whatever you have a coupon for. If a coupon for a brand you?ve never tried makes it less expensive than your usual brand, be both adventurous and frugal and try the new brand.
TIP! If a credit repair company guarantees a better credit score, run away screaming. A lot of agencies will make general claims about their capability in repairing your history.
When you travel by air frequently, be sure to be a member of some type of frequent flier program. Most credit cards have some sort of rewards program that allows you to redeem points for cash or gifts. Frequent flyer miles can also be redeemed for all kinds of rewards, including totally or partially discounted hotel rates.
Try using free checking accounts. You can try banks in your area or even a credit union.
The best way to avoid messing up your personal finances with dangerous credit card debt, is to stay out of the hole in the first place. If you are about to whip out the plastic, say ?Hold it!? and take a minute to rethink things. Try to figure out how much time it is going to take to pay it off. Unless it?s an essential item, don?t buy more on credit than you can afford to pay off at the end of the month.
Avoid getting into further debt to save your finances. Though certain debts are hard to avoid, including those for home and education expenses, it is important to stay away from incurring expensive, unnecessary debt such as credit card debt. The less you borrow, the more you save yourself from paying high interest and high fees.
You could still live quite comfortably without being considered as rich. You need to develop a strong will to live within your means to avoid headaches involving personal finances.
