HOUSTON - After competing in 14 rounds with 53 total spellers from 42 Texas counties, Shourav Dasari, a Spring resident and seventh-grader at McCullough Jr. High in Conroe ISD, and Nihar Janga, an Austin resident and fifth-grader at River Ridge Elementary in Leander ISD, were awarded co-champion titles from the 2016 Houston Public Media Spelling Bee.
The two spellers will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 22-27 in Washington, D.C., with an all-expenses-paid trip to "Bee Week."
"Guaguanche" was the winning word for Shourav and "snotziekte" was the winning word for Nihar in the Houston bee, the nations second largest local spelling bee. The bee went on for more than four hours and was broadcast live.
"Im excited and proud to represent Houston,"Shourav said. "I hope I can do my best in Washington, D.C."
This is Shourav"s second year competing at the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee. He tied for third place in 2014.
"Im very proud of myself," Nihar said. "I learned a lot of new spellings and I learned that if I put my mind to it, work really hard and not get distracted, I can achieve success."
This is Nihar"s second year at the bee. He came in third place in 2015.
This will be the first year that both compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Shourav will be speller No. 233 at the Scripps National Spelling Bee and Nihar No. 232. They will join hundreds of contestant spellers from across the country at the 89th national bee, aiming for the victory and prizes worth more than $30,000. The bee will broadcast live nationally on ESPN during "Bee Week."
Participating spellers in Houston included 25 girls and 28 boys ranging in age from 9 to 14 years old and grades third through eighth, representing 1,130 schools in Texas.
"We are so proud of all the students that competed in our spelling bee today theyve all worked so hard to get here," said Lisa Trapani Shumate, associate vice president and general manager of Houston Public Media. "Its an honor to conduct and televise this highly competitive academic competition that showcases so many of their talents beyond vocabulary and grammar."
Backhoe Loader | Car Wash | Videos for Kids One dead after backhoe collides with motorcycle in Pickens County
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Motorcyclist dies in collision with backhoe
One person died when a backhoe collided with a motorcycle in Pickens County.
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SC Highway Patrol(Photo: SCHP)
One person died when a motorcycle collided with a backhoe in Pickens County, the Highway Patrol said.
The Coroner"s Office identified Angel Mesa, 26, of Poplar Springs Drive inEasley, as the driver of the motorcycle who died.
The wreck happened about 5:50 p.m. Sunday on Old Easley Bridge Road, about a mile east of Easley, Cpl. Bill Rhyne said.
The backhoe was headed west on Old Easley Bridge Road and the motorcyclewas headed east when the backhoe turned in front of the motorcycle, Rhyne said. The motorcycle struck the backhoe, and the motorcyclist was ejected, Rhyne said.
The driver of the motorcycle was not wearing a helmet and died at the scene, authorities said. Mesa died of blunt force trauma to the head, the Coroner"s Office said.
The operator of the backhoe was not injured, Rhyne said.
UNC Men"s Basketball: Syracuse Postgame PC - Final Four
Houston Syracuse felt it again. The will and belief that will forever be the hallmark of the 2016 Syracuse basketball team roared to life midway through the second half against North Carolina.
» Box score | SU schedule | NCAA Tournament bracket
The Orange, which trailed by as many as 17 points, pulled within seven. Its press, so effective against Virginia, forced multiple turnovers. Its offense, stagnant for much of the night, ignited briefly.
And when Syracuse fans at NRG Stadium roared until Roy Williams called a timeout it all felt so familiar. And then it all ended just as quickly.
North Carolina point guard Marcus Paige calmly pulled up from behind the 3-point line and launched the effort that ended Syracuse"s season, providing the first opponent in the NCAA Tournament that could match the Orange"s willpower.
It was the first shot the Tar Heels made from behind the 3-point line after 12 consecutive misses to start the game, and it ensured that seven points was as close as the Orange would come late in an 83-66 season-ending loss to North Carolina
"At this point of the year it"s now or never, and when you hit shots like that, those are definitely daggers," Syracuse freshman Frank Howard said. "He"s a big-shot maker and he hit a big shot and that killed us."
Syracuse had fallen behind 57-40 with just 12 minutes and 28 seconds left in its season, the type of deficit that has marked the end for most teams facing top-seeded North Carolina. The Orange, as it has throughout the postseason, mounted one final push.
Trevor Cooney hit a 3-pointer, then stole the ball at the top of the 2-3 zone and finished a breakaway dunk. The Orange forced another turnover, Tyler Lydon blocked a shot and Malachi Richardson scored five straight points, capping a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer.
North Carolina had missed every shot it had taken from behind the arc, excelling by pounding the ball into the post. But 22 seconds after Richardson whipped Syracuse into a frenzy, with 9:26 remaining in Syracuse"s season, Paige pulled up in front of the 2-3 zone and fired the shot that would finally prove too much for the Orange to overcome.
"Every time we thought we were going to go on a little run they had an answer for it," Syracuse freshman Tyler Lydon said. "It was just that type of night."
Against a Syracuse team that has overcome so much this season, it was fitting that it met its match in Paige. The leading 3-point shooter in UNC history, Paige likely could have gone pro as a sophomore, but returned to school and watched his draft stock drop.
He hasn"t shot the ball well this year and, despite being revered, he hadn"t guided the powerhouse Tar Heels past the Sweet 16 until this season.
"You know, at that moment, I wanted somebody in a North Carolina uniform to make it," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "If I (take) time to reflect, it couldn"t be more appropriate that it was Marcus Paige that did that because he"s just been sensational all year long."
UNC Men"s Basketball: Team Returns to Hotel After Syracuse Win at Final Four in Houston
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Pratyusha Banerjee"s Boyfriend Rahul Raj Absconds with Her Phone
Though the investigation is still on and it is too early to arrive at any confirmation over the suicide ofTV actor Pratuyusha Banerjee, let"s assume she was true to her words on her last WhatsApp status that read: Marke bhi muh na tuzse modana(even after death won"t be turning my face away from you).
Unfortunately, it came just days after model Priyanka Kapoor from Delhi ended her life after facingdomestic violence at the hands of her abusive husband. As a teenager, I witnessed my mother"s junior at office burning herself alive in hercar after three years of an abusive marriage.
Last year an established Delhi doctor, Priya Vedi ended her life and blamed her gay husband in her last Facebook update. Then, of course, there was Bollywood actor Jiah Khan"s death, which has been the subject of debate in many circles.
Also read: What drove Pratyusha Banerjee to commit suicide
The saddening thing inall these cases is that theseladies were financially independent, go-getters in their professional lives, and yet, somehow, crippled in their personal lives.
What makes successful women so vulnerable in relationships? Is moving on harder for them as compared to common people?
A recent Hollywood film, The Intern also revolves around the same concept. After discovering about her husband"s extra-marital affair, ayoung womanentrepreneur (Anne Hathaway) even considers throwing away her career-thesuccessful business that she has built, to save her marriage and win back her husband.
Are these women guilt-riddenthat they"ve given all their efforts to their career and not so much to their partners/husbands/family? Is this feeling so overwhelmingthatany blow totheir personal life becomes unbearable?
Also read - Jiah Khan suicide: How acting is risky business in this era
Or is it the fact the men don"t date or marry ambitious women too often?Is it because these women haveinvested so much emotionally (given their all)onthe only man they lose their heart to?
Is it a fear that they might not get anyone else - better or worse beingimmaterial? Do they fear that no other man would be able to deal with their independence, ambition and freedom?
I once read Zoya Akhtar"s article in which she laughed away at the question on marriage stating that Indian men can"t handle successful women. She chose to be single because she thought a man wouldonly make her life miserable. She doesn"t want her life and creativity to be troubled for any unworthy man.
Provided the two extremes, I think not having the right man in your life is much less of a predicament than ending your life for the wrong one.
A few days or years spent with a worthless fellow is no reason to feel that you were not meant for love, or vice versa.A relationshipis not an investment or a business that you spent so much on, and it must churn results fast.
Another sad part is that resorting to such extreme steps shatters many young people who look up to these ladies as role models.
Again coming back to The Intern, Anne Hathaway"s character actually admits the reason she wants to save her marriage is because she doesn"t want to be lying lonely in the graveyard. I"m convinced she"s speaking for a lot of successful women, if not all.
Perhaps the fact that they are so terribly short of time for personal life, coupled with the scarcity of men who want to be with "ambitious" and "independent"women causes severe emotional turbulence.
Love is important, but not as critical as life. Fill your void with more worries, if nothing else. No matter what it takes, live on ladies.
Don"t think love makes you what you are; you make love look good.
YouTube introduces "Snoopa Vision" allowing you to watch videos with Snoop Dogg
April FoolsDay 2016 is upon us, which means Google has a few pranks to roll out across its various platforms. Last year, Google Maps became a giant Pac-Man game then there were the times itlaunched Google Nose and Gmail Blue. For 2016, its attempts at good humor were mostly wellrecievedexcept for the newly implemented Mic Dropfeature on Gmail. From Google Cardboard Plastic to SnoopaVisiontoGoogle Maps Disco, heres what Google launched Friday.
YouTube SnoopaVision
A great YouTube video is always made better with a friend, which is why SnoopaVisionis great for YouTube. The YouTube April Fools Day 2016 prank combines 360-degree videos and Snoop Dogg for a Mystery Science Theater 3000 experience. Users can watch Snoop Dogg provide commentary on a host of videos from the Double Rainbow Song to Webcam 101 for Seniors.
Google Cardboard Plastic
Its Google Cardboard, but now in a hard plastic shell. Many have already made the witty observation that the piece of useless plastic is basically Google Glass. While virtual reality may be all the rage in 2016, Google wants to bring the reality back to reality with Google Cardboard Plastic.
Google Maps Goes Disco
Theres a funky version of Google Maps available for April Fools Day. Pegmannow has a fancy disco outfit when users visit him in Street View. Theres also a special treat within the Google Maps app where Pegman shows off his sweet dance moves.
Google Photo Emoji Search
Emojis have revolutionized how people communicate so it only makes sense to use these icons to search for other photos. The new feature uses the same recognition technology Google uses to identify photos, but instead of words users can use emojis.
Google Smart Reply With Emoji
Googles making it even easier to respond to texts with Smart Reply with emoji. Predictive emoji responses are something that could be a future feature, which could be great or scary depending on ones age.
Google realBooks
eBooks are a thing, but people still like buying books. Google decided to make realBooks, an android device for one singular eBook. Its a digital book perfect for putting on a bookshelf.
Self-Driving Bikes In The Netherlands
Google self-driving bikes removeall the physical elements of actually riding a bicycle. That means the bike drives itself and uses Google Maps and a GPS to take you to your next destination. Without having to worry about where to go, a person can be more productive.
Google Japan Flick Input
Touchscreens have eliminated some of the joy of a tactile response when using a keyboard or, go even further back in time, a typewriter. The Flick input lets users type out messages on an upgradedkeyboard that combines the best of the digital and physical words.
Google Searchable Socks
Every person has a few stray socks around the house. With Google Search for your socks, mismatched pairs could be a thing of the past in Australia.
Google X Moonshot
Google hired Richard Hendricks, he of Pied Piper fame from the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley, for their biggest moonshot yet. Hendricks is trying to use his expertise in compression to cut down the time it takes to talk and listen. From conversations to cows, its a world dominated by compression.
Asuka celebrates winning the NXT Women"s Title from Bayley: NXT TakeOver: Dallas on WWE Network
Csonkas NXT Takeover: Dallas Review 4.01.16
OFFICIAL RESULTS NXT Tag Team Title Match: American Alpha defeated Champions The Revival @ 15:13 via pin to become the NEW Champions! [****] Austin Aries defeated Baron Corbin @ 10:45 via pin [**] Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Sami Zayn @ 18:55 via pin [*****] NXT Womens Title Match: Asuka defeated Champion Bayley @ 15:25 via technical submission to become the NEW champion! [***] NXT Title Match: Champion Finn Balor defeated Samoa Joe @ 16:22 via pin [****]
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Revival vs. American Alpha: The Revival has had high quality outings on the last two shows, and American Alpha has also been very good so I hope for good things here. I can see why some may complain; they worked a formula, a southern tag style that many man not like, but they did it very well. They did have a couple of small rough patches, but they worked through them well and did not allow it to become a problem. I thought that the heat on Gable was well done, as the Revival have gotten that aspect down very well and make the most of their old school tag vibe that just works perfectly for them. They traded near falls late (Gables constant desperation pin attempts were great), it broke down and then American Alpha hit grand amplitude and won the titles. Very strong work form all four, and they certainly made the most of their time. The crowd was with them and they wanted the title change so this was well received. This was a great way to kick off the show, and I would have no issue watching these guys feud for a while if they are going to deliver like this. I know that American Alpha is the sexy team to many, but the Revival have been great and deserve the praise.
Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin: NXT has been slowly bringing Corbin along, and he has improved and his give no f***s/I hate Indie guys gimmick is enjoyable. Aries is a quality guy, and if Corbin is going to shine, Aries is a good guy to give him. Aries got his run early, attacking at the bell and then hitting the double sledge to the floor. We got some walk and brawl, but when they got back into the ring Corbin cut off Aries with the stungun. Corbin then took the heat, it was slow and the crowd slowly died as he worked this extended heat. The longer that Corbin had control, the more momentum they lost and they never really got it back. I didnt expect a MOTY contender from this match, but I hoped for more and thought that the crowd would be behind Aries more; unfortunately they just did not care and neither did I. It just didnt click for me on any level, it wasnt bad, but it wasnt good either. Aries countered the end of days and scored the win with the roll up. I do like the story of the guy that hates the Indie guys that are coming in and taking spots, and this will continue so I hope that they can improve in their next meeting.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn: This is such a highly anticipated match; you have Zayns farewell along with Nakamuras WWE debut al in one match. Both men will want to send a message, Zayn a thank you to the NXT crowd and a reminder that hes awesome and Nakamura wants to let the WWE Universe and office know that the buzz is real. Nakamura was on screen for roughly three-minutes and may already be the most charismatic guy in the company. The beginning was simple, but effective as they played off of the crowd and allowed their charisma and selling to carry things early. And they should have because when you can barely do anything and the crowd goes ape s**t, you play off of that all you can. So from there, they did a very good job of slowly escalating the action while still playing off of the crowd, which was into just about everything that they did. I felt that Nakamura was able to show off a lot of his game to new fans, and the fans in attendance knew the stuff because they reacted so well to it. Even though this match didnt have a big story or a traditional heel/face dynamic, Zayn was able to do the things he does so well, the things that allow the fans to get into his matches and just root for him. The gasps from the crowd as Nakamura was destroying him with knees to the head were evidence of that. The fire from both guys and the reaction from the crowd as they went toe to toe with strikes was so great, and Nakamuras nose even got busted up. It became a battle of who wanted it more, and they did a great job down the stretch of teasing the near falls before they got to the near fall scenarios. The counters to the signature stuff were also so good. The thing that shocked me, and trust me I know how good these guys are, is that they worked together like they have been working the loop for years. But there are times when you can stick two awesome workers in the ring, give them the time and the finish and magic simply happens. And that is what happened here. These guys could have stopped and held the crowd up for all the monies they had to continue the match and they would have given it to them. Nakamura finally hit the kinshasha, and that was the end to that beautiful match. This lived up to my expectations and more; Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay set the tone earlier in the day with an amazing effort, and this just nudged them out of the top spot. You could not have asked for a better match to debut Nakamura to WWE fans or for Zayn to say good-bye to NXT.
Great post match with Zayn pulling himself to his feet and the two embracing.
NXT Womens Championship Match: Champion Bayley vs. Asuka: There is a great dynamic here with Bayley as the never quit champion, and Asuka as the silent killer that destroyed previous foes. I think that overall they had a high quality, and well-worked match as far as the work went. I liked a lot of what they were doing, how they got thee and felt both worked very hard to make it work. S they neared the end, I dug the anger Bayley showed. She shows emotion, she shows fire but she rarely gets mad. Bayley also digging deep to escape the submissions and go for roll ups and such to survive and retain was also well done and made sense. Asuka tried for the Asuka lock, Bayley fought, but Asuka spun her and pulled her to the mat and Bayley fought, got to her feet but was pulled back down and while she fought, Bayley passed out and we have a new champion. Bayley is the hero, she should not have tapped, so this was the way to go. I really liked this, it was very good, but just not great; it was missing something to put it over the top for me. I hope for a rematch, because while this was very good, I feel they can do even better.
NXT Championship Match: Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe : Nice to see Balor stole Ambroses official Terry Funk Chainsaw for his entrance. They went right at it at the bell, and in the mellay, Joe got seriously busted open. The ref would check on him, repeatedly, and Joe just wanted to fight and even screamed like a f*****g savage at one point as he beat Balors a*s. Joe came off as a man processed here, working with an intensity and speed that I have not seen in a long time and it was completely awesome to see. The crowd hated them checking on Joe, and Joe looked as if he wanted to kill these medical attendants. I can see why people hate this, and I do as well. I am completely fine with WWE not wanting guys to blade, I am all for that, but if a guy gets busted open naturally, let the match continue. It rarely happens, and it does add to the drama. I cannot compliment Joe enough here, seeing the Joe of old just lighting someone up with so much fire brings back so many good memories. These two had a great gameplan, they worked very well together and Balors fire up and comeback down the stretch was great. The good thing I will say is that blood and stoppages actually played well into the match, because while it was frustrating, Joes momentum was constantly stopped and it allowed Balor to recover. Also, in real life, the more you bleed, the weaker you get and with Joe going full tilt, I can buy the way he lost because he became weak, Balor had rest periods and it felt legit like a fight in a way (love the Hart vs. Austin finish). All things considered, I enjoyed the match a lot and the performers really made the best of a bad situation. This was the Samoa Joe everyone remembers and loved.
