Recag/C4_2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Three seniors in the final regular season game of their career on Rudd Field powered the Massachusetts men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over George Washington on senior day Saturday afternoon.
The strong defense that led to UMass’ (6-7-3, 3-1-2 Atlantic 10) improved play as of late showed up again against George Washington (7-5-5, 2-3-2 A-10), led by seniors goalkeeper Jorge Becerra and defender Josh Jess.
Becerra earned his sixth clean sheet of the season for the Minutemen and although he tallied just one save against the Colonials it was a difficult diving stop that kept the score tied early in the first half.
UMass coach Fran O’Leary pointed to that save as a critical moment in the game.
“Today we’ve dominated, but they had one real chance and Jorge made a big save, and that’s what you need your goalkeeper to do. Otherwise they’ve got a goal, they get energy and then we’re on the back foot and we’re deflated,” O’Leary said.
Jess heaped praise on Becerra after the game for the goalkeeper’s recent run, earning back-to-back shutouts and five in the past seven games.
“Unreal. The kid game after game makes a big time save. It’s not just the fact it’s keeping us in the game, those plays give energy, and that’s what people feed off, so it’s big time for us,” Jess said.
Jess’ solid play in the middle of the back line also helped keep George Washington off the scoreboard, limiting the Colonials to just five shots.
Becerra considers Jess and sophomore defender to be two keys to the Minutemen earning shutouts and the team’s playoff prospects.
“They go up for the ball, they get nailed almost every time, and no one really sees, but they’re the toughest guys on the field and for us to make a run in this playoffs, we need them to be strong and I think they’ve hardened a lot since the first game against Syracuse,” Becerra said.
Senior midfielder and captain Ty Goncalves also had a major contribution to the win, delivering a beautiful cross on a free kick to set up the lone goal of the game, a header from midfielder Connor O’Dwyer.
For a team with a lot of young players, the leadership and experience that the three seniors provide UMass has been extremely important.
Oftentimes players can struggle with refocusing on the game after the pregame senior day ceremony, but both Becerra and Jess thought the seniors successfully kept their focus on the game.
“It’s a little tough because you are kind of getting a little emotional and you’re kind of prepared for a game, but then again you have all of these other distractions going around, so you just have to control it mentally, be mentally tough, and I think all of our guys did that,” Becerra said.
Saturday’s victory was the cherry on the top for the senior trio Sunday, bringing the group’s record at Rudd Field against A-10 opponents in the past two years to 6-0-2.
The win was Becerra, Goncalves and Jess’ last chance to show their worth to their home fans, and they delivered once again.
“You can be called a captain, but you’ve got to back it up on the field, you’ve got to back it up in the manner you carry yourself off the field, and they’ve developed as a group and the team holds them in the highest regard,” O’Leary said.
Get inside the mind of a sufferer.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a term most of us are familiar with. However, only those who suffer from the mental illness can actually speak to what it's like to live each day with it.
PTSD is caused after an individual experiences an upsetting, traumatic event. It can last for months or even years — for many, it may never go away. Symptoms are serious and range from nightmares and flashbacks to the event to anxiety and depression.
PTSD isn't something that can be cured (yet), but understanding this condition can definitely help for people who don't have it or don't know anyone who does.
Here are some very honest confessions on what it's like to really live with PTSD.
1. It affects your relationships.
"I wish I could run from my PTSD the way women run when they find out that I have it."
2. It's difficult to be able to trust anyone.
"My trust issues make everything so hard. And I wish I could just forget my past, but my PTSD makes it impossible."
3. It can cause anxiety about having a relationship.
"I have PTSD from sexual assault trauma and I'm worried that because of it I won't ever be able to have a normal relationship."
4. The event that caused it never leaves your mind.
"Living with PTSD is like living the same day over and over forever."
5. It can trigger your fear.
"I hate when my PTSD acts up and I'm suddenly afraid of everyone."
"My PTSD makes me feel alone and unwanted ... which makes me angry at people."
7. It DOESN'T only affect people in the military.
"I have PTSD and when people find out they ask where I served. When I tell them I wasn't in the military they dismiss it like I'm lying."
8. PTSD can distance you from your loved ones.
"I have PTSD and because of the pain it causes I don't want to hurt the ones I love, so I isolate myself to protect them."
9. It can be hard to find someone to talk to who'll be understanding.
"I have PTSD and sometimes I just want to break down and tell someone what happened to me, but no one ever knows what to say. So I hold it in and it's eating away at me."
10. PTSD affects your sleep.
"I have PTSD and have nightmares every night so I avoid sleeping as much as possible."
11. And it affects your view on what life should be like.
"I have PTSD from serving my country. All I want is to go back to Iraq to feel normal again."
12. It makes you feel like you can never win.
"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feels like being trapped in a horror movie that never ends. The monster is immortal."
13. Learning you have PTSD can be one of the toughest parts.
"Today I was diagnosed with PTSD ... feeling more anxious and depressed about it ... not looking forward to the stigma that comes along with it."
14. It makes you feel trapped.
"PTSD has made me a prisoner in my own mind."
15. It affects daily life.
"I have PTSD attacks everyday. It has gotten to the point that I can't leave my house without being triggered."
16. PTSD causes feelings of inferiority.
"Having PTSD makes me feel weak. I survived and i'm fighting every day but there's a part of me that feels like I'm lesser for letting it control me."
17. It can be hard to explain why it affects your life.
"I can't sleep most nights because I have PTSD. I wish I could tell my teacher why I sometimes drift off during his lecture but I just accept the punishment I get."
18. It can be hard to connect.
"People get offended and say they don't know which me they're going to get. I have PTSD ... I don't know what me you will get either."
19. You CAN tell yourself that you'll get better.
"I have PTSD that a doctor has diagnosed me with. I will beat this. I am better than this illness. You can do it too. I promise."
20. Pets can be your saviors.
"I have PTSD. My service dog saved my life. He gives me unconditional love and a reason to live."
The data provided in the US State Department’s annual terrorism report for 2007 points to some interesting if puzzling conclusions. The much publicised document, made available 30 April via the State Department’s website, makes no secret of the fact that Al-Qaeda is back, strong as ever. It also suggests that violence worldwide is nowhere near subsiding, despite President Bush’s repeated assurances regarding the success of his "war on terror".
Will the report inspire serious reflection on the US’s detrimental foreign policy and its role in the current situation?
Let’s look at some of the data. To start with, take Pakistan. Al-Qaeda or Al-Qaeda-inspired attacks in the country more than doubled (from 375 to 877) between 2006 and 2007. These attacks have claimed the lives of 1,335 people, compared to 335 in a previous report. That is a jump of almost 300 per cent.
Then there’s Afghanistan, which was supposedly "liberated" shortly after 11 September 2001. The number of attacks reported there increased a sharp 16 per cent in 2007. Some 1,127 violent incidents killing 1,966 people represent a significant surge in violence compared to 2006’s 1,257 deaths.
There have also been many other violent incidents around the world, including but not limited to North Africa, the terrorist bombings in Algeria in particular.
But this is barely half the story — or 40 per cent of it, if we want to be as specific as the terrorism report. Iraq accounted for 60 per cent of worldwide terrorism fatalities.
Considering the fact that the horrifying violence currently witnessed in Iraq was unheard of prior to the US invasion of 2003, will the Bush administration take a moment to connect the dots? Even a third grader could figure this one out: the US occupation was a major, if not sole factor, in Iraq’s relentless bloodbath. In order to right the wrong in Iraq, the US military should clearly just withdraw, and Bush — or whoever next claims the White House — should stop fabricating pretexts to justify a prolonged mission.
On 1 May 2003, President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. As he stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln a huge banner behind him bore the words "Mission Accomplished". The New York Times then wrote, "the Bush administration is planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months and wants to shrink the American military presence to less than two divisions by the fall."
Instead, more than five years after Bush’s speech, the administration seems determined to maintain a military surge, having added 20,000 soldiers. Making no apologies for the war’s contribution to an increase in terrorist activities, Bush’s officials continue to rationalise the surge as a commonsense response to ongoing violence, conveniently omitting the US’s own part in this violence. The State Department report doesn’t classify any of the thousands of innocent victims killed by US or coalition forces as victims of terrorism.
Russ Travers, deputy director of the Counterterrorism Centre, stated on the day the report was published, "It’s a fair statement that around the globe people are getting increasingly efficient at killing other people." While Travers’ assertion is undoubtedly true, there seems to be no intention of providing any context, no connection drawn to the US’s direct invasions, or indirect but equally devastating role in campaigns of violence, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan.
Asked if he’s bothered about upsetting his family, he said: “I’m not interested in that, it doesn’t bother me at all.
“I don’t really support Coventry, I never have, and I’m here to do a job for Oxford which is what I care a lot about right now.
United have picked up ten points from their last five games, while last Saturday’s dramatic injury-time win over Bradford City helped them climb out of the drop zone.
Graham knows the importance of building on that victory and, with 12th-placed Plymouth Argyle only two points better off, it is a chance to climb the table.
But the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee knows it will be a tough afternoon against a Coventry side pushing for the play-offs following a superb run of five wins from seven games.
Speaking to the Oxford Mail, he said: “It’s really big for us, we’re excited.
“We have momentum coming off the back of the way we won on Saturday.
“But they’re doing really well at the moment, they’ve hit some good form.
Now Selling!!!. Welcome to The Preserve! The Preserve is just moments from Lake Ray Hubbard where you will experience all the advantages of living a comfortable, relaxing lifestyle, near water activities, open spaces, all close to great resturaunts and shopping! The Preserve features quick access to Hwy 30 and George Bush, downtown is just minutes away. Children will attend the highly acclaimed Rockwall Independent School District.
LA MESA – Traditional East County power Helix may be having a down season, but on Wednesday night the Highlanders rose to the occasion. Led by stellar half-court defense, Helix held sixth-ranked Mount Miguel to a season-low total in a 49-42 upset victory.
From the opening tip, Helix (8-7) set the tone with its defense. The Highlanders kept Mount Miguel (14-2) off the board for the first five minutes of the game and led 8-7 after the first quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Mount Miguel went on a 6-0 run to make it 18-17 with 36 seconds left. Helix responded with the final four points of the half, including a Valadez half-court three-pointer at the buzzer.
Helix led 31-26 at the start of the fourth quarter, and with six minutes left the Highlanders had a 37-30 lead when Mount Miguel rallied. The Matadors went on an 8-0 run to take the lead with 3:54 remaining on a three-point play by junior guard Izzy Wagner.
“Mount Miguel is a good team – they’re tough defensively and they don’t back down,” said Helix coach John Singer.
Behind for the first time since the opening quarter, Helix responded with five straight points to build a 42-38 lead with 2:54 to play. Leading by seven in the final minute, the Highlanders sealed the upset win when Valadez stole an inbounds pass that Mount Miguel rolled in attempting to save time.
Valadez scored 16 points to lead Helix to its fifth win in six games. The Highlanders’ seven-point victory over Mount Miguel is one of the most surprising results of the 2011-12 season.
Senior guard Marcus Booker led Mount Miguel with 16 points, and Wagner added 14. The loss was the Matadors’ first to a San Diego team this season.
Despite physical limitations, the late scientist had a singular, stubborn insistence on living life on his own terms.
As a theoretical physicist who specializes in cosmology and gravitation, I naturally had many opportunities to interact with Stephen Hawking before his death. We attended the same physics conferences, where he was always rightfully celebrated as one of the world’s great scientists. He regularly visited the California Institute of Technology, where I work as a researcher. And, in perhaps my greatest contribution to world culture, I helped arrange Stephen’s cameo appearance on The Big Bang Theory.
But to get a glimpse of what Stephen was really like, let me tell you the story of time I picked him up at the airport.
Usually picking someone up at the airport is not a major logistical operation. Stephen, who lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, traveled with a retinue of students and nurses, as well as his custom-made wheelchair and various pieces of medical equipment. But this should have made my job easier, rather than harder: All I was actually asked to do was to meet them upon their arrival and point them toward the special van that had been rented for Stephen’s use. In-and-out job, right?
I should have known better. First, only one person in Stephen’s group, a graduate assistant, was licensed to drive the van, and that assistant was staying in a different hotel than Stephen and the nurses. But Stephen had a rule that the van was to be with him at all times, even if the person who was allowed to drive the van was elsewhere. And he wanted to check into his own hotel room, then proceed to dinner, before the graduate assistant checked into the other hotel. So I was asked to follow the group as they went to the first hotel and then to dinner, at which point I could take the assistant to his hotel and then back to rejoin the group at the restaurant.
All was proceeding more or less according to plan, but after checking into the hotel it was decided that they really should stop for some grocery shopping before heading to dinner. While parked at a local supermarket, a stream of nurses traveled between the van and the store, bringing various samples of tea bags for Stephen to choose from. Stephen, solid Englishman that he was, was very particular about his tea.
Eventually we were on our way to the restaurant. Following behind the van in my car, you could imagine my surprise when the van stopped dead in the middle of the road. It stayed that way for several minutes. This was in 1998, a time before everyone had cellphones, and I didn’t feel like getting out of the car in the midst of onrushing traffic, so I was stuck not understanding what was going on. Ultimately, the van started up again, performed a few turns, and ended up at the right place.
Only later was it explained to me what had happened. Stephen was the only one who actually knew where the restaurant was. At some point while the graduate assistant was driving, a single word of Stephen’s synthesized voice came from the back of the van: “No!” Apparently they had gone too far. It always took Stephen a long time to compose sentences on his computer, but eventually he was able to guide the driver back on course. Long past midnight, hours after they had landed, I was finally able to head to my own bed.
Stephen Hawking, despite an overwhelming physical disability, did not put his fate into the hands of others. He was in control; he was The Decider. None of his extraordinary characteristics—intelligence, charisma, humor, courage—might have amounted to much, if it weren’t for his singular, stubborn insistence on living life on his own terms.
This willfulness came through in his science, as well as in his everyday routine. Stephen gained fame not only through his insight and creativity, but by his willingness to stick his neck out and to swim against the tide. He frequently made bets with this fellow scientists, and very often took a contrarian position just for the fun of it. He bet that black holes didn’t exist and that we would never discover the Higgs boson, both wagers he was happy to eventually concede.
If he was fond of taking bold positions, Stephen was always more than willing to admit when he was wrong.
The existence of Hawking radiation led directly to a puzzle that still preoccupies theoretical physicists today: If the mass and energy that go into a black hole will eventually evaporate away, what happens to the information specifying the precise arrangement of whatever fell in? Ever since the time of Isaac Newton, most physicists have believed that conservation of information is a cherished principle of physics. If, in principle, you knew exactly the state of the universe today, you could predict what the state would be in the future, as well as what it had been in the past. Hawking radiation seems to overturn this idea, as whatever we use to make the black hole gets converted into the same bath of outgoing particles in the end.

Three seniors in the final regular season game of their career on Rudd Field powered the Massachusetts men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over George Washington on senior day Saturday afternoon.

The strong defense that led to UMass’ (6-7-3, 3-1-2 Atlantic 10) improved play as of late showed up again against George Washington (7-5-5, 2-3-2 A-10), led by seniors goalkeeper Jorge Becerra and defender Josh Jess.

Becerra earned his sixth clean sheet of the season for the Minutemen and although he tallied just one save against the Colonials it was a difficult diving stop that kept the score tied early in the first half.

UMass coach Fran O’Leary pointed to that save as a critical moment in the game.

“Today we’ve dominated, but they had one real chance and Jorge made a big save, and that’s what you need your goalkeeper to do. Otherwise they’ve got a goal, they get energy and then we’re on the back foot and we’re deflated,” O’Leary said.

Jess heaped praise on Becerra after the game for the goalkeeper’s recent run, earning back-to-back shutouts and five in the past seven games.

“Unreal. The kid game after game makes a big time save. It’s not just the fact it’s keeping us in the game, those plays give energy, and that’s what people feed off, so it’s big time for us,” Jess said.

Jess’ solid play in the middle of the back line also helped keep George Washington off the scoreboard, limiting the Colonials to just five shots.

Becerra considers Jess and sophomore defender to be two keys to the Minutemen earning shutouts and the team’s playoff prospects.

“They go up for the ball, they get nailed almost every time, and no one really sees, but they’re the toughest guys on the field and for us to make a run in this playoffs, we need them to be strong and I think they’ve hardened a lot since the first game against Syracuse,” Becerra said.

Senior midfielder and captain Ty Goncalves also had a major contribution to the win, delivering a beautiful cross on a free kick to set up the lone goal of the game, a header from midfielder Connor O’Dwyer.

For a team with a lot of young players, the leadership and experience that the three seniors provide UMass has been extremely important.

Oftentimes players can struggle with refocusing on the game after the pregame senior day ceremony, but both Becerra and Jess thought the seniors successfully kept their focus on the game.

“It’s a little tough because you are kind of getting a little emotional and you’re kind of prepared for a game, but then again you have all of these other distractions going around, so you just have to control it mentally, be mentally tough, and I think all of our guys did that,” Becerra said.

Saturday’s victory was the cherry on the top for the senior trio Sunday, bringing the group’s record at Rudd Field against A-10 opponents in the past two years to 6-0-2.

The win was Becerra, Goncalves and Jess’ last chance to show their worth to their home fans, and they delivered once again.

“You can be called a captain, but you’ve got to back it up on the field, you’ve got to back it up in the manner you carry yourself off the field, and they’ve developed as a group and the team holds them in the highest regard,” O’Leary said.

Get inside the mind of a sufferer.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a term most of us are familiar with. However, only those who suffer from the mental illness can actually speak to what it's like to live each day with it.

PTSD is caused after an individual experiences an upsetting, traumatic event. It can last for months or even years — for many, it may never go away. Symptoms are serious and range from nightmares and flashbacks to the event to anxiety and depression.

PTSD isn't something that can be cured (yet), but understanding this condition can definitely help for people who don't have it or don't know anyone who does.

Here are some very honest confessions on what it's like to really live with PTSD.

1. It affects your relationships.

"I wish I could run from my PTSD the way women run when they find out that I have it."

2. It's difficult to be able to trust anyone.

"My trust issues make everything so hard. And I wish I could just forget my past, but my PTSD makes it impossible."

3. It can cause anxiety about having a relationship.

"I have PTSD from sexual assault trauma and I'm worried that because of it I won't ever be able to have a normal relationship."

4. The event that caused it never leaves your mind.

"Living with PTSD is like living the same day over and over forever."

5. It can trigger your fear.

"I hate when my PTSD acts up and I'm suddenly afraid of everyone."

"My PTSD makes me feel alone and unwanted ... which makes me angry at people."

7. It DOESN'T only affect people in the military.

"I have PTSD and when people find out they ask where I served. When I tell them I wasn't in the military they dismiss it like I'm lying."

8. PTSD can distance you from your loved ones.

"I have PTSD and because of the pain it causes I don't want to hurt the ones I love, so I isolate myself to protect them."

9. It can be hard to find someone to talk to who'll be understanding.

"I have PTSD and sometimes I just want to break down and tell someone what happened to me, but no one ever knows what to say. So I hold it in and it's eating away at me."

10. PTSD affects your sleep.

"I have PTSD and have nightmares every night so I avoid sleeping as much as possible."

11. And it affects your view on what life should be like.

"I have PTSD from serving my country. All I want is to go back to Iraq to feel normal again."

12. It makes you feel like you can never win.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder feels like being trapped in a horror movie that never ends. The monster is immortal."

13. Learning you have PTSD can be one of the toughest parts.

"Today I was diagnosed with PTSD ... feeling more anxious and depressed about it ... not looking forward to the stigma that comes along with it."

14. It makes you feel trapped.

"PTSD has made me a prisoner in my own mind."

15. It affects daily life.

"I have PTSD attacks everyday. It has gotten to the point that I can't leave my house without being triggered."

16. PTSD causes feelings of inferiority.

"Having PTSD makes me feel weak. I survived and i'm fighting every day but there's a part of me that feels like I'm lesser for letting it control me."

17. It can be hard to explain why it affects your life.

"I can't sleep most nights because I have PTSD. I wish I could tell my teacher why I sometimes drift off during his lecture but I just accept the punishment I get."

18. It can be hard to connect.

"People get offended and say they don't know which me they're going to get. I have PTSD ... I don't know what me you will get either."

19. You CAN tell yourself that you'll get better.

"I have PTSD that a doctor has diagnosed me with. I will beat this. I am better than this illness. You can do it too. I promise."

20. Pets can be your saviors.

"I have PTSD. My service dog saved my life. He gives me unconditional love and a reason to live."

The data provided in the US State Department’s annual terrorism report for 2007 points to some interesting if puzzling conclusions. The much publicised document, made available 30 April via the State Department’s website, makes no secret of the fact that Al-Qaeda is back, strong as ever. It also suggests that violence worldwide is nowhere near subsiding, despite President Bush’s repeated assurances regarding the success of his "war on terror".

Will the report inspire serious reflection on the US’s detrimental foreign policy and its role in the current situation?

Let’s look at some of the data. To start with, take Pakistan. Al-Qaeda or Al-Qaeda-inspired attacks in the country more than doubled (from 375 to 877) between 2006 and 2007. These attacks have claimed the lives of 1,335 people, compared to 335 in a previous report. That is a jump of almost 300 per cent.

Then there’s Afghanistan, which was supposedly "liberated" shortly after 11 September 2001. The number of attacks reported there increased a sharp 16 per cent in 2007. Some 1,127 violent incidents killing 1,966 people represent a significant surge in violence compared to 2006’s 1,257 deaths.

There have also been many other violent incidents around the world, including but not limited to North Africa, the terrorist bombings in Algeria in particular.

But this is barely half the story — or 40 per cent of it, if we want to be as specific as the terrorism report. Iraq accounted for 60 per cent of worldwide terrorism fatalities.

Considering the fact that the horrifying violence currently witnessed in Iraq was unheard of prior to the US invasion of 2003, will the Bush administration take a moment to connect the dots? Even a third grader could figure this one out: the US occupation was a major, if not sole factor, in Iraq’s relentless bloodbath. In order to right the wrong in Iraq, the US military should clearly just withdraw, and Bush — or whoever next claims the White House — should stop fabricating pretexts to justify a prolonged mission.

On 1 May 2003, President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. As he stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln a huge banner behind him bore the words "Mission Accomplished". The New York Times then wrote, "the Bush administration is planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months and wants to shrink the American military presence to less than two divisions by the fall."

Instead, more than five years after Bush’s speech, the administration seems determined to maintain a military surge, having added 20,000 soldiers. Making no apologies for the war’s contribution to an increase in terrorist activities, Bush’s officials continue to rationalise the surge as a commonsense response to ongoing violence, conveniently omitting the US’s own part in this violence. The State Department report doesn’t classify any of the thousands of innocent victims killed by US or coalition forces as victims of terrorism.

Russ Travers, deputy director of the Counterterrorism Centre, stated on the day the report was published, "It’s a fair statement that around the globe people are getting increasingly efficient at killing other people." While Travers’ assertion is undoubtedly true, there seems to be no intention of providing any context, no connection drawn to the US’s direct invasions, or indirect but equally devastating role in campaigns of violence, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Asked if he’s bothered about upsetting his family, he said: “I’m not interested in that, it doesn’t bother me at all.

“I don’t really support Coventry, I never have, and I’m here to do a job for Oxford which is what I care a lot about right now.

United have picked up ten points from their last five games, while last Saturday’s dramatic injury-time win over Bradford City helped them climb out of the drop zone.

Graham knows the importance of building on that victory and, with 12th-placed Plymouth Argyle only two points better off, it is a chance to climb the table.

But the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee knows it will be a tough afternoon against a Coventry side pushing for the play-offs following a superb run of five wins from seven games.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, he said: “It’s really big for us, we’re excited.

“We have momentum coming off the back of the way we won on Saturday.

“But they’re doing really well at the moment, they’ve hit some good form.

Now Selling!!!. Welcome to The Preserve! The Preserve is just moments from Lake Ray Hubbard where you will experience all the advantages of living a comfortable, relaxing lifestyle, near water activities, open spaces, all close to great resturaunts and shopping! The Preserve features quick access to Hwy 30 and George Bush, downtown is just minutes away. Children will attend the highly acclaimed Rockwall Independent School District.

LA MESA – Traditional East County power Helix may be having a down season, but on Wednesday night the Highlanders rose to the occasion. Led by stellar half-court defense, Helix held sixth-ranked Mount Miguel to a season-low total in a 49-42 upset victory.

From the opening tip, Helix (8-7) set the tone with its defense. The Highlanders kept Mount Miguel (14-2) off the board for the first five minutes of the game and led 8-7 after the first quarter.

Late in the second quarter, Mount Miguel went on a 6-0 run to make it 18-17 with 36 seconds left. Helix responded with the final four points of the half, including a Valadez half-court three-pointer at the buzzer.

Helix led 31-26 at the start of the fourth quarter, and with six minutes left the Highlanders had a 37-30 lead when Mount Miguel rallied. The Matadors went on an 8-0 run to take the lead with 3:54 remaining on a three-point play by junior guard Izzy Wagner.

“Mount Miguel is a good team – they’re tough defensively and they don’t back down,” said Helix coach John Singer.

Behind for the first time since the opening quarter, Helix responded with five straight points to build a 42-38 lead with 2:54 to play. Leading by seven in the final minute, the Highlanders sealed the upset win when Valadez stole an inbounds pass that Mount Miguel rolled in attempting to save time.

Valadez scored 16 points to lead Helix to its fifth win in six games. The Highlanders’ seven-point victory over Mount Miguel is one of the most surprising results of the 2011-12 season.

Senior guard Marcus Booker led Mount Miguel with 16 points, and Wagner added 14. The loss was the Matadors’ first to a San Diego team this season.

Despite physical limitations, the late scientist had a singular, stubborn insistence on living life on his own terms.

As a theoretical physicist who specializes in cosmology and gravitation, I naturally had many opportunities to interact with Stephen Hawking before his death. We attended the same physics conferences, where he was always rightfully celebrated as one of the world’s great scientists. He regularly visited the California Institute of Technology, where I work as a researcher. And, in perhaps my greatest contribution to world culture, I helped arrange Stephen’s cameo appearance on The Big Bang Theory.

But to get a glimpse of what Stephen was really like, let me tell you the story of time I picked him up at the airport.

Usually picking someone up at the airport is not a major logistical operation. Stephen, who lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, traveled with a retinue of students and nurses, as well as his custom-made wheelchair and various pieces of medical equipment. But this should have made my job easier, rather than harder: All I was actually asked to do was to meet them upon their arrival and point them toward the special van that had been rented for Stephen’s use. In-and-out job, right?

I should have known better. First, only one person in Stephen’s group, a graduate assistant, was licensed to drive the van, and that assistant was staying in a different hotel than Stephen and the nurses. But Stephen had a rule that the van was to be with him at all times, even if the person who was allowed to drive the van was elsewhere. And he wanted to check into his own hotel room, then proceed to dinner, before the graduate assistant checked into the other hotel. So I was asked to follow the group as they went to the first hotel and then to dinner, at which point I could take the assistant to his hotel and then back to rejoin the group at the restaurant.

All was proceeding more or less according to plan, but after checking into the hotel it was decided that they really should stop for some grocery shopping before heading to dinner. While parked at a local supermarket, a stream of nurses traveled between the van and the store, bringing various samples of tea bags for Stephen to choose from. Stephen, solid Englishman that he was, was very particular about his tea.

Eventually we were on our way to the restaurant. Following behind the van in my car, you could imagine my surprise when the van stopped dead in the middle of the road. It stayed that way for several minutes. This was in 1998, a time before everyone had cellphones, and I didn’t feel like getting out of the car in the midst of onrushing traffic, so I was stuck not understanding what was going on. Ultimately, the van started up again, performed a few turns, and ended up at the right place.

Only later was it explained to me what had happened. Stephen was the only one who actually knew where the restaurant was. At some point while the graduate assistant was driving, a single word of Stephen’s synthesized voice came from the back of the van: “No!” Apparently they had gone too far. It always took Stephen a long time to compose sentences on his computer, but eventually he was able to guide the driver back on course. Long past midnight, hours after they had landed, I was finally able to head to my own bed.

Stephen Hawking, despite an overwhelming physical disability, did not put his fate into the hands of others. He was in control; he was The Decider. None of his extraordinary characteristics—intelligence, charisma, humor, courage—might have amounted to much, if it weren’t for his singular, stubborn insistence on living life on his own terms.

This willfulness came through in his science, as well as in his everyday routine. Stephen gained fame not only through his insight and creativity, but by his willingness to stick his neck out and to swim against the tide. He frequently made bets with this fellow scientists, and very often took a contrarian position just for the fun of it. He bet that black holes didn’t exist and that we would never discover the Higgs boson, both wagers he was happy to eventually concede.

If he was fond of taking bold positions, Stephen was always more than willing to admit when he was wrong.

The existence of Hawking radiation led directly to a puzzle that still preoccupies theoretical physicists today: If the mass and energy that go into a black hole will eventually evaporate away, what happens to the information specifying the precise arrangement of whatever fell in? Ever since the time of Isaac Newton, most physicists have believed that conservation of information is a cherished principle of physics. If, in principle, you knew exactly the state of the universe today, you could predict what the state would be in the future, as well as what it had been in the past. Hawking radiation seems to overturn this idea, as whatever we use to make the black hole gets converted into the same bath of outgoing particles in the end.