MIDDLETOWN A terrifying wildfire exploded Saturday through woodland communities in southern Lake County, forcing thousands to flee their homes and sending four firefighters to the hospital with second-degree burns.
Saturdays raging flames destroyed scores of structures and placed the county, already the stage for four major wildfires this summer, under renewed siege. Some evacuees were cut off from escape routes, while others abandoned their cars to burn on roadways. Hundreds of firefighters streamed into the area to battle the blaze, which grew from 50 acres to more than 10,000 acres in the span of five hours Saturday. It doubled in size again over the next four hours, swelling to 25,000 acres by 10:25p.m.
By 10 p.m., the flames were burning homes, apartments and commercial buildings in Middletown, home to more than 1,300 people. Firefighters made a stand at the towns high school, knocking down a fire that started to burn the main building.
Arkansas Razorbacks Football 2015-16 // Strive For Greatness
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Last seasons Class 7A runner-up, Fayetteville, is a near-unanimous pick as the top team in Arkansas in the preseason Associated Press high school football poll.
The Bulldogs, led by coach Daryl Patton, received 13 of 14 first-place votes in the overall poll and are favored to win their first state championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12.
Two-time defending Class 7A champion Bentonville received the other first-place vote and is second in the poll, followed by Class 6A defending champion Pine Bluff, Fort Smith Northside and North Little Rock. Fort Smith Southside is sixth, followed by Conway, Cabot, Pulaski Academy and Springdale Har-Ber.
Pine Bluff tops the Class 6A poll, followed by Pulaski Academy in 5A, Dardanelle in 4A, Smackover in 3A and three-time defending champion Junction City in 2A.
"Fantastic" Martial! | Manchester United 3 Liverpool 1 | Louis Van Gaal Press Conference
Of course, yeah, he says. When Man United came in for me, there were other clubs - Barcelona, Madrid, Roma, Chelsea - that potentially wanted me. But my whole thinking was: "I want trophies." If I"m looking at it now and all those clubs come in for me now, I"m thinking, Who"s got a better chance of giving me a trophy. Is it Man United? Would you sit there and say Man United have got the best chance of winning me silverware as a player? That"s the question you"ve got to ask yourself. I don"t think Man United are going to win the league this year.
Ferdinand then offers the prediction that City will canter to the Premier League title by at least six points and will also provide the best hope for English clubs in the Champions League. The simple reason, says Ferdinand, is that Manuel Pellegrini how ditched 4-4-2 and is now playing three in the centre.
How Man Utd stars turned on Van Gaal
Don"t play 4-4-2 in the big games, says Ferdinand. You get out numbered in midfield, you"ve not got the personnel to cope with it. People talk about 4-4-2 with Man United but, in our big games we played three in midfield every time.
Van Gaal will probably again start with three in midfield against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday but the similarities with what Ferdinand experienced under Sir Alex Ferguson pretty much end there.
The philosophy is completely different, says Ferdinand. Their philosophy at the moment seems to be, we"ll keep the ball more than you, you won"t have comfortable possession. Us suffocating you with possession is our first form of defence. Man United supporters now have to go away and re-educate themselves on how to watch Man United. Don"t go there expecting to see free-flowing, attacking, gung-ho football. It"s methodical, side to side, wait for an opportunity to come. They suffocate other teams.
"People who are old enough to remember those times, they want fairytales and they"re going to reminisce. The younger generation, they"re not so attached to that and they can move on, but they"re going to want to move on to a style that they like. Everyone"s got different tastes. I think Van Gaal is big enough, strong enough and experienced enough to know that he"s not going to please everyone.
Man Utd vs Liverpool: as it happened
The departure on loan of Adnan Januzaj to Borussia Dortmund reinforces Ferdinands assessment. He is a wonderfully talented kid, says Ferdinand. He is one to take people on and plays with a little bit of fairytale and imagination but if you look at Angel Di Maria, what he said when he left, he had a way of playing and his idea of playing was free-flowing and off the cuff and you can"t do that in a Van Gaal team.
Ferdinand would still have liked the chance last season to play under the Dutchman. I was disappointed that I wasn"t allowed to stay, he says. Speaking to the lads now, they say it"s a great education. It"s different to what they"ve ever know. Everything"s changing other than the groundsman and the chef. I was talking to Nemanja Vidic and we were both saying the change is unreal in terms of the personnel and the transfer policy. We were saying, "If they"d spent 50 million when we were there, we"d have won how much more?
When it is pointed out that his United team did regularly reach the Champions League semi-final or better with less investment, Ferdinand replies: Yeah, that gets on my nerves as well.
Some of the spending, though, has clearly also bemused the former United captain. For all their attacking flair, the last great Ferguson team was built on a defensive foundation of Ferdinand and Vidic that has never truly been replaced.
You think, You"ve spent all that money, where is the centre-half? says Ferdinand. Daley Blind? Hes a fantastic all-round footballer but he"s not a defender. He"s not going to spot danger as quick as a natural defender. He"s indecisive in certain areas, he"s not comfortable, he"s not used to being in certain positions and then the ball is behind and he can"t recover.
Ferdinand also suggests that it was easier for him to arrive in a dressing-room full of so many established greats 13 years ago than it will be now for Anthony Martial. When I went to Man United, it was a great place in terms of protecting players, he says. I went into a changing room with Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Veron. Martial"s coming in now under huge expectations and there"s no-one there, because I think all of them are still there trying to prove themselves other than Rooney really.
Talk of those United legends also prompts another thought. Ferdinand is currently working as a BT Sport pundit but wants to go into coaching and, while Ryan Giggs is Van Gaals assistant, he is adamant that United must never waste that well of newly retired and legendary former players.
It is vitally important that they keep that lifeblood, says Ferdinand. You saw with Liverpool how it messed them up over the years. I think it is an important part of a club"s DNA. New players coming in need to see the history walking around that club. Sir Bobby Charlton is there all the time. That needs to happen with the next generation of players now.
As for his wider Champions League prediction, Ferdinand believes that Chelsea may suffer for not further reinvigorating their squad and still thinks that the mentality at Arsenal will prevent a realistic challenge. Ultimately, he expects Barcelona to again prevail.
The real top, top drawer players are playing for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern, says Ferdinand. They make big differences in the big games and you have to be a special team to stop those players.
Watch PSV v Manchester United on Tuesday 15 September live and exclusive from 7.30pm on BT Sport 2. BT Sport is the new home of European football, with all UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches exclusively live. Visit bt sport.com/europe
Saudi Arabia"s civil defense authority says dozens of people have been killed after a crane collapsed on the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on Sept. 11, 2015.(Photo: 2014 photo by Khalid Mohammed, AP)
Millions of Muslims have made the hajj, the annualpilgrimage to Mecca.But in recent years, the pilgrimage has been marred by tragedies usually the result of a failure of crowd control or the crush of stampedes.
On Friday, just days before the hajj was to begin, tragedy struck again at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia.Ferocious winds caused ahuge construction crane to collapse and crash into the mosque, killing at least 87worshipers. The Saudi Arabia Civil Defense reported that as many as 184people had been injured.
The hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims. It must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of all adult Muslims who are capable of undertaking the journey. The hajj is considered one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world. The date of the hajj is determined by the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar year. This year"s hajj was set to start from Sept. 21-26.
One of the most recentdisastersoccurred onJan. 12, 2006. At least 340 people were killed and 290 injured in a stampede that started when a busload of pilgrims unloaded near a ramp to the Jamaraat Bridge. Pilgrims began tripping over luggage, which resulted in a deadly crush of people rushing to carry out a devil-stoning ritual in the city of Mina, just outside Mecca.. About 2.5 million people from around the world participated in the hajj that year.
In the devil-stoning ritual,Muslim pilgrims fling pebbles at three walls inMina.It is one of a series of ritual acts that must be performed in the hajj. After the 2006incident, the Jamaraat Bridge and the pillars representing the devilwere demolished and reconstructed. A wider, multilevel bridge was built withmassive columns. Each level of the bridge now allows easier and safer access to the columns representing the devil.
Other incidents:
Feb.1, 2004:A stampede at the devil-stoning ritual left 251 pilgrims deadand244 injured.
Feb.11, 2003:Fourteen pilgrims died during the devil-stoning ritual.
March 5, 2001:A stampede at the devil-stoning ritual resulted in the deaths of 35 pilgrims.
April 9, 1998:At least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured on the Jamaraat Bridge.
May 23, 1994: A stampede at the devil-stoning ritual killed at least 270.
July 2, 1990: A stampede inside a pedestrian tunnel leading from Meccaresulted in the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims.
The last known living 9/11 search-and-rescue dog was recently honored with a weekend full of surprises in New York City, where she also celebrated her 16th birthday.
Bretagne the golden retriever and her handler Denise Corliss are a part of Texas Task Force 1, one of the FEMA national urban search-and-rescue programs that responded to Ground Zero to help find survivors and, later, to help recover the lost bodies of victims.
"Responding to the World Trade Center was our first deployment," Corliss told BarkPost, which sponsored their trip and commemoration in the city. "We were there to try and find survivors. When our task force arrived in Ground Zero, I just couldnt believe the magnitude. And then I look down to her, and she seemed stoked and ready to work.
"Towards the end of our mission, it changed from a search mission to a recovery mission. I was just so grateful to have a canine partner that helped me get through it."
Corrliss and Bretagne arrived in New York City last Friday, and they spent the entire weekend being honored and thanked with surprises and gifts from various companies and organizations in the city.
They were treated to a special suite at 1 Hotel Central Park, where Bretagne got a luxury doggie bed, dozens of toys and even room service dining.
Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search-and-rescue dog, was honored for her service and given a 16th birthday celebration on Sept. 4, 2015.
They got to ride in a vintage yellow cab, and when they were taken to Times Square, a huge billboard with Bretagne"s photo lit up.
"NYC welcomes you and your mom," it read. "Thank you for both your services."
Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search-and-rescue dog, was honored for her service and given a 16th birthday celebration on Sept. 4, 2015.
The 16-year-old golden retriever then got a little playtime at the Hudson River Park, where she was presented the "doggie equivalent of the key to the city -- a bone to the city" made by Tiffany and Co.
Along the way, dozens of New Yorkers stopped to pet Bretagne and thank her for her service.
Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search-and-rescue dog, was honored for her service and given a 16th birthday celebration on Sept. 4, 2015.
At the end, she was treated to an "epic" Sweet 16 party, where she received hundreds of gifts and even got her own dog-friendly birthday cake.
Perhaps most special of the gifts was a cobblestone dedicated to Bretagne at the 9/11 memorial plaza by the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
Bretagne, the last known living 9/11 search-and-rescue dog, was honored for her service and given a 16th birthday celebration on Sept. 4, 2015.
Though Bretagne is now retired, she continues to volunteer at school programs that help children learn to read.
Her career in recovery work includes not only her service at Ground Zero, but in other major disaster zones, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
"When we deployed to some of the disasters, what I didnt anticipate is the role that they take on as a therapy dog," Corliss said. "It provides an opportunity for people to have support from a dog and comfort from a dog."
She added, "Ive had several canine partners, but Bretagne is that one dog for me."
The advertisement on social media called for tiny and small specialised cavers and spelunkers with excellent archaeological, palaeontological and excavation skills. And there was a catch: they would work for no pay.
Why wouldnt you apply, with an advert like that? recalled successful applicant Elen Feuerriegel, speaking at the Cradle of Humankind world heritage site in South Africa after scientists claimed the discovery of a new human ancestor. How could you not? It was the thrill of discovery.
There were 57 applicants for the excavation: the six chosen were all women. I suspect that physiology probably played a part, Feuerriegel said. I know for a fact that there were male applicants but we were all within a range of size that was appropriate for getting into this cave, and we also had the caving experience.
The all-female team Hannah Morris, Marina Elliott, Becca Peixotto, Alia Gurtov, Lindsay Eaves and Feuerriegel were drawn from Australia, Canada and the US.
Feuerriegel 5ft 3ins (1.60m), 52kg (8st 4lb) and pretty skinny said: It was really unusual, in terms of teamwork, how well we got on, because you sort of expect there are going to be small clashes of personality at least, but we got on really great.
I think a lot of it had to do with a shared goal and the fact that we were sort of in the public eye. As National Geographic was funding the expedition, there was quite a bit of media attention and I think that helped foster camaraderie among us the shared distaste of being in the limelight all the time.
The 21-day excavation of the Rising Star cave meant crawling for 20 minutes through a narrow underground tunnel, lit only by head torches, to find a chamber containing what expedition leader Lee Berger, who is too big to squeeze in for a look, described as the largest assemblage of fossil human relatives ever discovered in the history of the continent of Africa.
Location of the h**o naledi site
Feuerriegel, who is studying for a PhD in human evolutionary biomechanics at the Australian National University in Canberra, reflected: You could feel the press of rock on either side but, aside from that, it was actually all right getting in with a little bit of wiggling. Its a bit crowded, theres not much room, so we did have to coordinate these yoga poses, the three of us who were down there at any given time to work around each other.
We often had to trade up positions because someones legs would get tired and go numb and theyd have to go and try move delicately over to the next little rocky outcrop in order to get across the remains without crushing anything. There would be a couple standing on the one rock on tiptoes and wed all have to spider-walk out of there.
The women were supposed to work in shifts of three hours but often spent twice as long, and some days you couldnt pry us out, really, with a crowbar. It was absolutely one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I dont really have words to describe how thrilling it is to have been involved in it. It feels like the culmination of so much collective effort.
