United States Champion Kofi Kingston & Dean Ambrose will fight against one another at WWE Extreme Rules 2013 aired on Sunday May 19, 2013.
Schedule: Date: Sunday May 19, 2013 Time: 8PMET or 5PMPT Venue Scottrade Center City St. Louis, Missouri Kofi Kingston vs Dean Ambrose
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This Sunday at Extreme Rules, ?The Wildcat? will look to repel the challenge of one of the calculating ?Hounds of Justice,? as fearless, high-flying United States Champion Kofi Kingston defends his illustrious title against The Shield?s most erratic and, fittingly, ?extreme? member, Dean Ambrose. After going head-to-head with The Brothers of Destruction in back-to-back weeks on SmackDown ? and using The Shield?s numbers advantage to decimate both the legendary Undertaker and Kane with a pair of vicious post-match assaults ? the volatile Ambrose?s first opportunity at priceless WWE title gold comes against a three-time U.S. Champion who is dangerous and unpredictable in his own right.
Viking Cruises, long a purveyor of cruises along inland rivers in Europe, Russia, Egypt and Asia, has announced its expansion into the arena of ocean cruises. The launch of Viking Ocean Cruises, announced May 17 marks the introduction of the travel industry?s first new cruise line in nearly a decade.
The new cruise line, which will launch in May 2015, will focus on substance over size.
?In the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail,? Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking Cruises, said in a statement announcing the new venture. ?With our new ocean cruises, we are applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to our itinerary.?
Ship design, privileged-access excursions and onboard experiences will make destinations the true focus, he said.
Viking Ocean Cruises will inaugurate its service with its first vessel, the 928-passenger, all-verandah Viking Star. A ?small ship? at slightly over 750 feet in length, the Viking Star is engineered at a scale that allows direct access into most ports, so passengers will have easy and efficient embarkation and debarkation.
Holland America?s ms Volendam, for example, is considered a ?mid-sized? ship. At slightly over 781 feet in length, it carries nearly 1,500 passengers. Royal Caribbean?s Oasis of the Sea and Allure of the Sea, currently the world?s largest cruise ships, are nearly 1,200 feet (three football fields) long and carry 6,000 passengers. That?s more than an aircraft carrier. But I digress.
The Viking Star?s maiden voyages will be in Scandinavia and the Baltic, and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.
Boasting what the company calls ?understated elegance,? the ship has an all-verandah design and offers passengers a choice of five stateroom categories from 270 square feet to 405 square feet. All staterooms have king-size beds, large showers, and LCD televisions in addition to private verandahs.
The Viking Star also offers 14 Explorer Suites, which are two-room suites ranging from 757 square feet to 1,448 square feet. Located at the bow and the aft, Explorer Suites offer sweeping views from wrap-around private verandahs as well as additional amenities and privileges not available in other on-board categories.
Itineraries are curated for maximum time in port, often with late evenings or overnights, allowing guests the option of experiencing local nightlife or taking in evening performances. Ports are selected to appeal to those with an interest in history, art and culture.
Prices area all-inclusive, with every cruise fare including a veranda stateroom, shore excursions in each port of call, all onboard meals, and all port charges and government taxes. Passengers also enjoy many complimentary amenities as part of their fare, including beer and wine with lunch and dinner service, wi-fi, self-service laundry and 24-hour room service?a value of more than $2,400 per couple for an average cruise, according to the company.
The Viking Ocean Cruises approach to ocean cruising will no doubt serve to attract travelers who have been put off by the current state of the cruise industry, including my wife and me.
I have taken only one cruise to date: a repositioning cruise on which I had an outside cabin with a window but no outside space. Although it was only three days, I decided then and there that it was too claustrophobic and that I would not take another cruise unless I could secure at least a verandah suite. Viking Ocean Cruises? approach overcomes that hurdle.
The second facet that has kept us from cruising is the price. Given my self-imposed limitation on our accommodations, we have not been able to find a cruise to a location and at a time we want to travel for less than $1,000 per day per couple. At least when one takes advantage of the early-booking two-for-one special, Viking Ocean Cruises overcomes that hurdle as well.
The shortest cruise ? the 10-day ?Empires of the Mediterranean? from Istanbul to Venice or vice versa ? can currently be booked for a fare as low as US$2,999 per person, or about $6,000 for a 10-day cruise. Of course that doesn?t include tax or airfare, but it does include all the items previously mentioned, which can add a fair amount to the base fare quoted by other cruise lines.
The early-booking fares expire?Jul 31. Go to www.VikingCruises.com/oceans for more details, and ask for EBD (early-booking discount) when booking.
Bon voyage!
Photos courtesy Viking Ocean Cruises Click on photos to view larger sizes images.
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. A rugby player tries on some head gear during Fridays game. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Les fun?railles de Rowan Stringer, d?c?d?e ? l'?ge de 17 ans, lors d'une partie de rugby ? l'?cole, ont eu lieu, le samedi 18 mai 2013, ? Ottawa. CHRIS HOFLEY/OTTAWA SUN/QMI AGENCY
Some of Rowan Stringer's memorabilia sits boxed at her home before a memorial, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Some of Rowan Stringer's memorabilia sits boxed at her home before a memorial, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Gordon Stringer, left, and his wife, Kathleen Stringer, pose with a framed portrait of their daughter, Rowan, Thursday, May 16, 2013, who died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Gordon Stringer, left, and his wife, Kathleen Stringer, pose with a framed portrait of their daughter, Rowan, Thursday, May 16, 2013, who died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Some of Rowan Stringer's memorabilia sits boxed at her home before a memorial, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Copy photo of Rowan Stringer's high school portrait at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Gordon Stringer, left, and his wife, Kathleen Stringer, pose with a framed portrait of their daughter, Rowan, Thursday, May 16, 2013, who died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Copy photo of Rowan Stringer's high school portrait at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
Pictures of Rowan Stringer playing rugby and with her teammates is photographed at her home Thursday, May 16, 2013. Rowan died after a head injury suffered while playing high school rugby last week. Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. Gloucester (red) taking on Grande-Riviere Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas taking on Philemon Wright Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. Gloucester (red) taking on Grande-Riviere Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas (Black and red) taking on Lisgar Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas taking on Philemon Wright Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. A Gloucester rugby player got hurt during the game Friday, Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas taking on Philemon Wright Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. The womens rugby players wore purple in memory of Rowan Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas taking on Philemon Wright Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas (Black and red) taking on Lisgar Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. Gloucester (red) taking on Grande-Riviere Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. Notes written for Rowan's family members. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. The womens rugby players wore purple in memory of Rowan Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. A player from Lisgar tries to get the ball before it went out of bounds Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas (Black and red) taking on Lisgar Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
The Gee Gees 4th Annual Junior Girls High School 7 A-Side Tournament took place at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, On. Friday May 17, 2013. The tournament was dedicated to Rowan Stringer, captain of her rugby team at John McCrae Secondary School in Ottawa, who died in hospital Sunday from suffering a rugby head injury. St. Thomas (Black and red) taking on Lisgar Friday. Tony Caldwell/Ottawa Sun/QMI Agency
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Rowan Stringer was the young girl all of her peers wanted to be like.
With her bubbly personality, her infectious smile and her easygoing approach to life, her friends gravitated towards her like moths to a lamp.
She was bursting with energy, always steaming full speed ahead, ready to jump from one activity to the next.
But what really set her apart was the way she meticulously balanced her life.
She was beautiful, a veritable fashionista in her own right, her father Gordon admits, but sports were always her true passion, the driving force behind her life.
Captain of her rugby team, a seasoned athlete in half a dozen other sports, she wasn?t content unless she was weaving, deking, tackling or checking.
Yet her boisterous, high-octane lifestyle came to a sudden and screeching halt last week when she took her final tackle on the rugby pitch at John McCrae Secondary school.
Landing headfirst into the unforgiving ground ? the second, perhaps even the third such fall in the same week ? the bright light behind her eyes slowly dimmed.
She fell into a coma, her head injury so severe she wouldn?t wake. After four days, her parents knew they wouldn?t truly see their daughter open her eyes ever again, and chose to do what she?d always insisted on ? donating her organs to patients in desperate need.
The knee-jerk reaction to her sudden and tragic death is obvious to many.
Lock up our children after school; forbid them from ever enrolling in contact sports; encase them in protective bubble wrap to let the minds of parents rest easy.
Some school boards are considering outright banning rugby from their sports programs.
Other parents insist extra padding ? even helmets ? should be enforced in all high school sports.
But Gordon and Kathleen Stringer, who this very weekend are putting to rest their beloved daughter ? surrounded by the sports memorabilia she held most dearly ? insist these impulsive decisions must be put aside.
Gordon asserts it?s education that?s lacking in high school sports ? learning the true toll head injuries can have on even the healthiest athletes ? and there needs to be a shift in the way students approach concussions.
As a nurse, Kathleen has seen her fair share of concussion symptoms at work. And with Rowan playing every sport under the sun, they?ve have brushes with concussions even closer to home.
?We were always aware of (concussions), but this one was a bit over the top,? said Gordon, thinking back to the afternoon Rowan was hit.
?Kids just want to shrug it off and keep playing, they hide their symptoms from their coaches.
?That was Rowan, and that was a lot of her friends,? he said. ?They?re kids, they?re teenagers, they feel like they?re invincible, but sometimes they?re not completely ready to go. The adrenalin is going and everything at that time, but they really do have to take care of themselves.?
The school board is reviewing the incident, but the Stringers hope they would never cancel rugby at school.
?That?s not where we want to go with this at all,? he said. ?We?re not pursuing anything like that, that?s the last thing Rowan would have wanted.?
He added this is a real opportunity to teach students about the risks of concussions and open up the lines of communication between them and coaches and their parents.
?But as far as demonizing the sport, that?s something that?s going way, way out of bounds,? he said.
?What happened in Rowan?s case, it was an accident. It was a horrible accident.?
Their daughter was torn away from them, but she?s become a powerful beacon shining her light into the darkest corners of this insidious condition.
?I just want to raise awareness with the athletes, the kids and their friends,? he said. ?There can be serious consequences they have to be aware of, and I hope she can help save the lives of others just like her.?
Sports injury stats
There are 4 million sports-related concussions a year in North America.
15% of kids take longer than a month to recover
About 1 to 20 people die each year from second-impact syndrome across North America
About 10-12% of high school athletes have suffered a concussion
1 in 5 sports-related injuries are brain injuries
18,000 Ontarians suffer a brain injury each year
Brain injuries are the No. 1 killer and disabler of people under 44 in Canada
Repeated concussions could lead to brain degeneration with symptoms similar to Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease
Twitter: @ottawasunmaubry
Do you think more should be done to prevent teen concussions?
All Critics (124) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (115) | Rotten (9)
The harmonies they strike in this reality-inspired charmer are sweetly sublime.
You could drive an Abrams tank through the film's plot holes, but you'll likely be too busy enjoying yourself to bother.
"The Sapphires" feels like a movie you've already seen, but it's nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable, like a pop song that's no less infectious when you know every word.
"The Sapphires" sparkles with sass and Motown soul.
Sapphires is hardly a cinematic diamond mine. But this Commitments-style mashup of music and melodrama manages to entertain without demanding too much of its audience.
The mood is so charming and the music so inspiring that you continually cut it a break.
By-the-numbers in every sense of the word, the film tracks a tried-and-true sort of triumph while featuring renditions of soul classics so bursting with energy and joy you won't care that the originality meter is leaning on empty.
Even when it seems contrived The Sapphires is a feel-good movie in the most positive meaning of that term, thanks to the Motown music and O'Dowd's cheeky charm. Like the Four Tops, I loved every sugar pie, honey bunch moment. I can't help myself.
Unfortunately, it has been turned into a routine and uninspiring movie, following a tired, old formula the entire way.
A surefire crowdpleaser with all the ingredients for the type of little-movie-that-could sleeper success that Harvey Weinstein has nurtured in years and award seasons past.
You've seen this story before, but never pulled off with so much joie de vivre.
They can put a song across just like the Dreamgirls. What's not to like?
Exuberant but fairly formulaic.
Doesn't always mix its anti-prejudice message and its feel-good nostalgia with complete smoothness. But despite some ragged edges it provides a reasonably good time.
Director Wayne Blair -- another veteran of the stage show -- finds his footing during the film's many musical numbers.
Despite the prosaic plot and reserved approach taken by Blair, Briggs, and Thompson, it's tough to get cynical about such a warmhearted picture that strives to tell so uplifting a story.
A movie with enough melody and camaraderie to cover up its lack of originality.
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LONDON (Reuters) - The website and Twitter feed of British newspaper the Financial Times were hacked on Friday, apparently by the "Syrian Electronic Army", a group of online activists who say they support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The group posted links on the newspaper's Twitter feed to a YouTube video, uploaded on Wednesday, which purports to show members of the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front Syrian rebel group executing blindfolded and kneeling members of the Syrian army.
The video could not be independently verified.
Hacking attacks on verified Twitter accounts of media organizations have triggered urgent calls for the micro-blogging website to increase account security, particularly for news outlets.
"Various FT blogs and social media accounts have been compromised by hackers and we are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," a statement from the FT press office said. The paper is owned by Pearson Plc
Twitter was not immediately available for comment.
Stories on the FT's website had their headlines replaced by "Hacked By Syrian Electronic Army" and messages on its Twitter feed read: "Do you want to know the reality of the Syrian 'Rebels?'", followed by a link to the video.
The group has previously targeted the Twitter account of the BBC's weather service, and those of Human Rights Watch and French news service France 24.
In the most disruptive incident so far, someone took control of the Twitter feed of U.S. news agency the Associated Press last month and sent a false tweet about explosions at the White House that caused financial markets to plunge.
(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas, Kate Holton and Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
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Who will take up the title of hero to save there land from the corruption that plages everyone.
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