During the week of the NFL?s Rookie Symposium, where life lessons are taught to the incoming class of rookies, there hasn?t been a shortage of conversation.
But the conversation keeps coming back to one guy, Aaron Hernandez.
Troy Vincent, the NFL?s senior vice president of player engagement, said it?s a topic that?s impossible to avoid.
?You know, there?s this pink elephant in the room .?.?. the Hernandez situation,? Vincent told players, via Rick Maese of the Washington Post. ?The media has every right to ask you a question about that situation. And you have every right not to engage in that conversation. It is what it is. ?
As part of the opening session for NFC rookies Wednesday night, a group of second-year players were on hand to tell the new guys about the transition. But the topic of Hernandez was never far away.
?A lot of people are afraid of the words, ?Oh man, you different,??? Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said. ?You damn right I?m different. You damn right I?m different. I got a lot more money in my pocket, and a lot more sense. That?s the way you got to go about it.
?If you just turn on your TV to ESPN, this is a brotherhood. This is a brotherhood. One of our brothers in trouble right now. It really hurts me, man. But one of our brothers is in trouble right now because he didn?t want to be different. You got to make a choice right now. .?.?.
?You?re not the same dude you was when you grew up. You different now. That doesn?t mean you can?t hang out with your boys, do things you used to do with your boys. You still do those, but you got to be smart about it, smart about your decisions, man.?
At that point the room of rookies fell silent.
With the Hernandez situation unfolding in front of them ? along with former Browns linebacker Ausar Walcott being arrested for attempted murder and Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent going back to jail for failing drug tests while awaiting trial for killing a teammate in a drunk driving crash ??the league doesn?t need many words.
They have examples, hopefully too many of them for the point to be missed.
Time Team saw a team of experts travel the country to investigate archaeological sites
Mick Aston, a former resident academic on Channel 4's Time Team, has died at the age of 66.
He appeared on the show, which sees experts carry out archaeological digs, from its inception in 1994 until 2011.
Professor Aston lived in Somerset and taught at a number of UK universities.
Time Team's official Twitter account tweeted: "It is with a very heavy heart that we've been informed that our dear colleague Mick Aston has passed away. Our thoughts are with his family."
The exact circumstances of the death of Prof Aston, who was born and raised in Oldbury, in the West Midlands, and was known on the show for his colourful jumpers and unruly white hair, are not yet known.
'Unique man'
Close friend and former Time Team colleague Phil Harding said he had received the news from Prof Aston's son, James Aston.
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He had incredible knowledge and an effortless way of making archaeology accessible to people?
End QuotePhil HardingTime Team archaeologist
Mr Harding, 62, said that although Prof Aston had suffered health problems, his death had come as a shock.
"It just seems so incredible, like a bad dream, but unfortunately this is no dream," he said.
The archaeologist said Prof Aston was a "unique man" who "everybody loved".
"He just had a way with people. I cannot believe there was anybody who disliked him, he just had such a relaxed way," he said
"He had incredible knowledge and an effortless way of making archaeology accessible to people."
Channel 4's head of factual programming, Ralph Lee, told the BBC: "We are terribly saddened to hear about the death of Professor Mick Aston.
"He was a brilliant communicator and his important contributions to Time Team over the years have played a key role in making archaeology so popular."
Francis Pryor, who also worked on Time Team, said Prof Aston had been a "remarkable archaeologist who could really dig".
Professor Pryor said: "I will remember him fondly - [he] was a warm, loving, nice man.
"He did very good work on original British towns... and he was an authority on monastic church archaeology and early medieval archaeology."
'Passionate believer'
Prof Aston had appeared as the senior archaeologist in 19 series of the programme, in which specialists carry out an archaeological dig in the space of three days.
"In fact he was partly responsible for its creation after telling Tim Taylor, series producer, that it would be possible to evaluate a site in only three days," a biography on the Time Team website says.
It says he had worked in archaeology for more than 40 years, adding: "Mick had a childhood love of archaeology, despite his school's best attempts to dissuade him."
It adds that Prof Aston was a "passionate believer in communicating archaeology to the public".
Prof Aston studied geography with a subsidiary in archaeology at Birmingham University.
He joined the University of Bristol in 1979, organising and promoting lifelong learning and continuing education in archaeology.
'Dumbed down'
From 1996 to 2004, he was professor of landscape archaeology at the university, later becoming an emeritus professor in the same subject.
The university says on its website that alongside Time Team, Prof Aston worked on a major research project that investigated the origins of the English village at Shapwick, Somerset, and researched monastic and landscape archaeology throughout Europe.
He was also an honorary visiting professor at Exeter, Durham and Worcester universities, and had published a number of books relating to archaeology.
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He loved Time Team and it would be very fitting that they could do one more dig at a location Mick would have loved?
End QuoteLee BradyTime Team fan
In July 2012, he received a lifetime achievement award at the British Archaeological Awards, a showcase for the best in UK archaeology.
Mark Horton, professor in archaeology at the university, said at the time that Prof Aston had made "the past accessible to all".
In February 2012, Prof Aston, writing in the Western Daily Press, explained his decision to quit Time Team a year earlier, saying it was because Channel 4 had altered its format and the show had been "dumbed down".
"There is a lot less archaeological content and a lot more pratting about. I was the archaeological consultant but they decided to get rid of half the archaeological team, without consulting me," he wrote.
Time Team fan Lee Brady, who set up a tribute group on social-networking site Facebook, said: "The Time Team crew and Channel 4 should commission a 'one-off' special dig in memory of Mick.
"He loved Time Team and it would be very fitting that they could do one more dig at a location Mick would have loved."
In October last year Channel 4 announced that the 20th series of Time Team would be the show's last.
The final series aired earlier this year but a number of special episodes are planned for next year.
Economic recovery is pressuring automakers to boost car sales and grab market share. They're likely to offer cash discounts, low-interest financing, and other auto deals this summer. ?
By Kelli B. Grant,?CNBC.com / June 21, 2013
A low-interest rate banner hangs on the side of an unsold Toyota Corolla at a dealership in Lakewood, Colo., in 2010. Pressure is building on carmakers to once again offer cash discounts and other incentives to boost summer car sales.
David Zalubowski/AP/File
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After a few years of late-starting, lackluster deals, the summer auto sale may be back in full force.
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Light vehicle sales were up 8.2 percent in May compared to the previous year, according to research firm Autodata Corp. Sales year-to-date are 7.3 percent higher than in 2012. That demand, paired with fairly lean inventory on lots, should have put automakers in the driver's seat as it did last year?which led to cash discounts, financing deals and other offers staying fairly flat.
But the recovering economy has put automakers under some pressure this year to keep up the momentum by increasing sales and gaining market share, said Lincoln Merrihew, vice president of transportation at market research firm Compete. "That can get pretty tough," he said.
At an American International Automobile Dealers Association meeting in May, executives for brands including?Kia?and?Hyundai?predicted a competitive summer with incentives that could limit profitability.
The Omni is a new virtual reality gaming device that launched a funding campaign today on Kickstarter?and, in a matter of hours, more than doubled its goal of $150,000. At the time of writing, the funding total is at more than $370,000. There are still 48 days left to go too, and the hope is that units will start shipping in January 2014.
It?s a person-sized platform with a low friction, grooved base that allows users to walk or run in place. That real life movement translates directly into any keyboard-compatible game. Used in tandem with the Oculus Rift?and motion controllers like the Razer Hydra, it potentially offers a previously unseen degree of realistic virtual reality gaming. It also boasts health benefits, offering a more active way to game than sitting around holding a mouse or controller. It is also fully adjustable and breaks down like exercise equipment for easy transport or storage.
Contributions of different amounts will get you various hardware and software packages, including the Omni base, the upper stand, and a special belt and pair of shoes. The highest possible donation?$10,000?buys two fully customized Omnis, an office visit, and dinner with the team, plus a seemingly unlimited number of belts and shoes. There is already one backer at this level.
?We are in the midst of a revolution in virtual reality,? the Kickstarter page reads. ?Moving naturally in virtual reality creates an unprecedented sense of immersion that cannot be experienced sitting down. That?s why we developed the Omni.?
MILTON ? Effective immediately, The Florida Department of Health in Santa Rosa County (DOH-Santa Rosa) is closing its Environmental Health Building at 5505 Stewart Street.? The move will consolidate public health services under one roof and decrease expenses, making additional funds available for support of the Department of Health?s mission in Santa Rosa County.
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?Over the past several years, the Environmental Health staff has decreased from 13 positions to five and the building is more space than they need.? The staff can easily be absorbed into the main building without adversely affecting services,? said Sandra L. Park-O?Hara, A.R.N.P., DOH-Santa Rosa Administrator.? The vacant building will be returned to the county.? ??
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Environmental Health services will continue to be available at the new location during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.? Staff can be reached at 983-5275.? ?????
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For additional information on the Environmental Health program in Santa Rosa County, visit our website at healthysantarosa.com.
