Fake Tickets Pour Cold Water on Lottery Fever (Photos)

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27 February 2017, 15:44

Two men check lottery tickets for authenticity Monday morning in Chanthaburi province.

CHANTHABURI — A rash of fake lottery tickets earlier this month in several provinces prompted a surge of distrust that has vendors seeking to repair confidence two days before the next big draw.

Four people were arrested mid-month in Nakhon Pathom for selling nearly 700 fake tickets, news of which soon had police checking tickets for authenticity there and in other provinces, including Nong Khai and Khon Kaen, where sales fell.

Two days before the next numbers are called, vendors at Chanthaburi’s Sui Market, where most tickets in the province are sold, said Monday that not only were buyers undeterred, but sales had increased.

“They found fake lottery tickets in Nakhon Pathom and Khon Kaen provinces, but that hasn’t affected our ticket sales badly,” said Rapee Naksuriyan, one of the market’s hundreds of ticket vendors.

201702271231134 20160711155856 e1488184671357 — Rapee Naksuriyan at her lottery ticket stall Monday morning at Sui Market in Chanthaburi province.

Rapee said the crisis of confidence had a silver lining for regular vendors.

“We’re selling even more tickets because repeat customers trust their regular ticket sellers, especially if they sell at the same place,” Rapee said. “Every ticket I sell here comes straight from the Government Lottery Office. No fakes.”

On Feb. 16, the day of the lottery results of the last round, police arrested four people for selling 693 fake lottery tickets in Wat Sawang Arom in Nakhon Pathom.

The four arrests on Feb. 16 came after two disgruntled 70-year-old women realized they had been conned into buying fake tickets and called in the cops.

Forged lottery tickets periodically appear to cause suspicion and panic among regular gamblers who have elevated the lottery to a national pastime.

201702271231133 20160711155856 e1488184662313 — Customers peruse lottery tickets at Rapee Naksuriyan’s stall.

As news of the fakes spread faster than lucky numbers from a magic tree, vendors elsewhere complained their sales took a hit.

“Sales aren’t so good this round. Some walk over and ask if my tickets are fake,” said Suthep Petchsuk, a 53-year-old vendor in Khon Kaen province. “I guarantee mine are 100 percent real! I’ll even tell you how to spot fakes, which is by dipping tickets in water to see if the ink runs.”

Even at Sui Market, concerned customers were seen checking the authenticity of tickets by holding then up to the light to search for the Vayukapaksa bird watermark, similar to that used by the Finance Ministry or Krung Thai Bank logo. Authentic tickets must also be printed with waterproof ink, have unique barcodes and be made of paper that doesn’t tear or dissolve when wet.

201702161316472 20090121143059 e1488184632884 — Pornpaween Keawwongwan, 70, and Suwimon Srisa-ard, 70, complain about fake tickets on Feb. 16 to Nakhon Pathom police.

201702161316473 20090121143059 e1488184642616 — Water causes the ink to run on fake lottery tickets purchased by two senior women in Nakhon Pathom province.

201702161000031 20161102133616 e1488184616178 — A stand for lottery ticket sellers Feb. 16 on Maliwan Road in Khon Kaen.

201702161000166 20161102133616 e1488184624483 — Customers check the numbers Feb. 16 at a lottery ticket market in Khon Kaen province.

201702160900491 20050312155220 e1488184597454 — A police officer checks lottery tickets on Feb. 16 in Nong Khai.

Krabi Coal Protesters Vow Return if Gov’t Breaks Promise

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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27 February 2017, 15:10

Five leaders of Save Andaman from Coal group are freed on Feb. 19 in front of the Government House where their fellow protesters were assembled for a third day.

Update: The military government Monday evening made public documents showing it scrapped the original project review as promised and will conduct a new, more inclusive impact assessment.

KRABI — Environmental activists in Krabi plan to resume their protest in Bangkok if the military government breaks its promise to scrap the review process for a coal plant near their idyllic beaches.

A week after returning home confident in victory, the group Save Andaman from Coal said Monday it had yet to see the government’s make good on its promise to restart the approval process, a promise the government says was open to interpretation.

The group is now demanding that a written order be issued by Tuesday scrapping the project’s original environmental impact report.

“If the government still refuses to express its sincerity, the Save Andaman from Coal network will return to protest,” it said in a statement. “As we told the commander of the 1st Army Area during negotiations, if the government does not keep its promise, he will have to pay our travel costs to come back.”

Read: Anti-Coal Activists Return to Krabi Confident of Victory

A three-day protest in front of the Government House ended Feb. 19 after activist leaders were released after being held overnight. A deal was struck for the hundreds of demonstrators to return home to Krabi province. In return, the government said it would throw out the original review that was its basis to move forward stalled plans to build the 800-megawatt plant.

The site for the plant is not far from the natural scenery that Krabi’s tourism industry relies upon. Protesters said it was ill-advised and faulted the review for not taking their input. Members of the ruling junta have said it’s the only way to meet the region’s power needs.

Protest leader Prasitthichai Nunual said that if the assessment was done accurately and without interference, he’s confident the plant would not be approved.

The group said Monday that agencies involved in the project were still revising the original study. Because their compromise was only formalized verbally by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, it wants to see a written order to make it effective.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Tuesday that the Ministry of Energy had responded to the prime minister’s promise to improve the review process by making it more inclusive.

He said the compromise might have had different interpretations, but the result would be the same.

Sansern said whether the government was “revising” the plan or “resetting” it to zero, as the activists insist, the meaning is the same.

Anti-Coal Activists Return to Krabi Confident of Victory

Coal Plant Protest Leaders Arrested

Gov’t Gives Green Light to Krabi Coal Plant, Activists Vow Resistance (Photos)

Krabi Coal Opponents Allege Gov’t Astroturfing

On Way to New Life in Khao Yai, Bear Falls to Death

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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27 February 2017, 11:52

A helicopter transports a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Photo: Richard Lake / U.S. National Park Service

BANGKOK — After nearly a decade being rehabilitated for a life in the wild, a bear set to be freed in Khao Yai National Park two weeks ago never made it.

She fell out of the helicopter taking her there and died.

It was actually Feb. 11 that the 80-kilogram bear’s new life was cut short by the unexpected plunge, but park officials only announced the incident Saturday. An investigation has been launched to find out how it happened, according to the regional park agency director. He defended the use of the helicopter, saying this was the agency’s first airborne gaffe.

“This never happened before. It’s the first time a mistake like this happened,” said Wirach Chutupanaporn, head of Prachinburi’s wildlife conservation agency. “We have to figure out the lesson, what went wrong, so that we don’t have this kind of mistake again.”

He said the inquiry will take up to 30 days.

Wirach also hinted that no official would be punished, even if the investigation faults human error, because such accountability would be demotivating.

“This is not about finding who’s in the wrong. Everyone had a desire to accomplish their mission,” Wirach said. “If we tell people that when there’s a mistake and someone is made guilty over it, there won’t be people with the courage to carry out missions.”

According to park officials, the bear was confiscated from someone keeping it illegally about a decade ago. She is an Asiatic black bear, a species considered “vulnerable.”

The bear, who was unnamed, spent 10 years in wildlife rehabilitation with the goal of being released back into the wild. When that day came on Feb. 11, a vet drugged the animal, rangers strapped it into a net, and a helicopter flew it into the heart of Khao Yai National Park.

But something went wrong along the way, and the bear fell to her death. Although media reports suggest the bear might have awakened and struggled during the flight, Wirach said they were wrong. He said the vet and rangers involved were experienced in transporting live animals.

“This is not true. They aren’t amateurs,” Wirach said. “We don’t do shoddy work.”

He said it’s common for the park department to transport dangerous animals by helicopter over dense patches of jungles where other choices of travel are impossible.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the head of National Park Department said he was surprised to only learn about the incident from media reports. He said that after signing approval for the bear to be transported on Feb. 11, the officials in charge of the operation never notified him of the bear’s death.

“I just found out after the incident was reported in the news,” Thanya Nethithammakul said, adding that he has already reprimanded Wirach for the incident.

Man United Wins League Cup as Ibrahimovic Nets Brace

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 11:30

United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrate with the trophy after winning the English League Cup final soccer match between Manchester United and Southampton FC, Sunday at Wembley stadium in London. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press

LONDON — Zlatan Ibrahimovic powered in a late header to win the League Cup for Manchester United on Sunday, sealing a 3-2 victory over Southampton after a two-goal lead was thrown away by Jose Mourinho’s side.

It was Ibrahimovic’s second goal in the final after putting United ahead from a free kick, taking the 35-year-old Swede’s tally to 26 goals in an incredible first season at United where his performances have more than lived up to the swagger.

That bravado was flaunted on the Wembley Stadium pitch amid the celebrations.

Asked by a television reporter if something special was unfolding at United, Ibrahimovic replied: “I came. That’s special.”

The free summer transfer window recruit ensured Mourinho became the first manager in United history to win a trophy in his first season, adding to his three League Cup triumphs with Chelsea.

“(It) is quite a sense of relief,” Mourinho said.

United’s fragile defense, though, nearly contrived to throw away the chance of glory. Although Jesse Lingard extended United’s lead in the 38th minute, Southampton fought back with goals either side of halftime from Manolo Gabbiadini. But as Southampton pushed for its first major trophy since beating United in the 1976 FA Cup trophy, Ibrahimovic produced the bullet header in the 87th minute from Ander Herrera’s cross.

Now Ibrahimovic has won a major trophy in a fifth country after honors in France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

Although Wayne Rooney went up to collect the trophy as captain, that was his only role at Wembley. The 31-year-old forward was forced to watch from the bench as his older teammate produced an ageless, match-winning contribution.

“This is what I came for, I came to win and I am winning,” Ibrahimovic said. “I have to keep going because the more I win, the more satisfied I get.”

The striker didn’t cost United any transfer fee when he joined in the summer transfer window as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. He sought another final challenge, even in the twilight of his career, rather than an easy-pay day in an inferior league.

“You appreciate winning more the older you get, it’s all about winning and collecting trophies,” he said. “This is my 32nd trophy. Wherever I have been, I have won.”

It was Southampton which had the ball in the net first, though. Gabbiadini beat goalkeeper David de Gea in the 11th minute only for referee Andre Mariner to harshly penalize Ryan Bertrand for being offside when the Southampton defender wasn’t interfering with play.

Compounding the frustration was Ibrahimovic putting United in front eight minutes later by curling a free kick around the defensive wall past outstretching goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

United at the back, though, was living dangerously, and allowing far too much space for Southampton to push for the equalizer. De Gea sprang into action to block a low shot from James Ward-Prowse and he used his legs to deny Dusan Tadic.

United leading by one goal wasn’t reflecting this contest, but Southampton fell further behind from another lapse.

Lingard was given so much time and space that he could take a touch to control Marcos Rojo’s pass before slotting past Forster. Adding to strikes in the FA Cup final and Community Shield in 2016, Lingard now has three goals in three Wembley appearances.

Game over? Southampton had other ideas, sensing United’s fragile defense was ripe for exploiting. And in first-half stoppage time, Gabbiadini produced the goal he had been denied earlier in the final.

Rojo was exposed again at left back as Ward-Prowse whipped in a cross that was met by Gabbiadini, who put the ball through De Gea’s legs.

United’s halftime response was to replace Juan Mata and place Michael Carrick as the shield in front of its defense.

But the Southampton goal threat persisted after the break, with Nathan Redmond’s volley turned wide by De Gea and Claude Puel’s team leveled from the resulting corner. Gabbiadini swiveled past Smalling to strike low into the net to make it five goals in three games since joining from Napoli.

There would be no hat trick as Gabbiadini was substituted and watched from the bench as Ibrahimovic had the final say as extra time was looming.

“(Puel) has reason to be really sad and disappointed because he did a fantastic work, his team did fantastic, his team deserved extra time,” Mourinho said. “To lose in minute 87 with very little time to try to react, as they did in the first half, is a little bit unfair on them.”

But it is United now on course for a treble, still in contention for the FA Cup and Europa League.

The bigger target, though, is returning to the Champions League through winning the Europa League or by finishing in the Premier League’s top four. United is currently sixth.

Story: Rob Harris

Former NASA Mathematician, 98, Gets Her Moment at Oscars

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 10:39

From left, Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer pose with Katherine Johnson, seated, backstage at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo: Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — She said only “thank you,” but it was one of the more moving moments of Sunday’s Oscars ceremony.

Katherine Johnson, 98, the former NASA mathematician played by Taraji P. Henson in the movie “Hidden Figures,” was brought on stage to thunderous applause. She was introduced by Henson, Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer, who all star in the film as female black mathematicians who helped put NASA ahead in the space race against the Soviet Union. “Hidden Figures” was nominated for best picture.

The 98-year-old Johnson wore a blue dress and was brought out in a wheelchair during Sunday’s ceremony.

Here’s a List of Winners at the 89th Academy Awards

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 10:33

Alex Hibbert, left, and Mahershala Ali in a scene from the film, "Moonlight." The film is a poetic coming-of-age tale told across three chapters about a young gay black kid growing up in a poor, drug-ridden neighborhood of Miami. (David Bornfriend/A24 via AP)

LOS ANGELES — List of winners for the 89th annual Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Best Picture: “Moonlight”

Actor: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea.”

Actress: Emma Stone, “La La Land.”

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight.”

Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, “Fences.”

Directing: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land.”

Foreign Language Film: “The Salesman,” Iran.

Adapted Screenplay: “Moonlight,” screenplay by Barry Jenkins, story by Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea.”

Production Design: “La La Land,” Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco.

Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, “La La Land.”

Sound Mixing: “Hacksaw Ridge,” Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace.

Sound Editing: “Arrival,” Sylvain Bellemare.

Original Score: “La La Land,” Justin Hurwitz.

Original Song: “City of Stars” from “La La Land,” music by Justin Hurwitz, lyric by Ben Pasek and Justin Paul.

Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

Documentary (short subject): “The White Helmets,” Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara.

Documentary Feature: “O.J.: Made in America,” Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow.

Film Editing: “Hacksaw Ridge,” John Gilbert.

Makeup and Hairstyling: “Suicide Squad,” Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson.

Animated Feature Film: “Zootopia,” Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer.

Animated Short Film: “Piper,” Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer.

Live Action Short Film: “Sing,” Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy.

Visual Effects: “The Jungle Book,” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon.

Nokia 3310 Returns As Samsung Delays Flagship Phone Launch

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 10:32

Arto Nummela, Chief Executive Officer at HMD Global, shows the new re-launched Nokia 3310 phone, ahead of Monday's opening of the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / Associated Press

NEW YORK — Samsung’s product showcase Sunday is notable for what’s missing: a new flagship phone.

Instead, Samsung is spotlighting new Android and Windows tablets after delaying the Galaxy S8 smartphone – an indirect casualty of the unprecedented September recall of the fire-prone Note 7 phone. The new tablets will carry the Galaxy brand and come with many of the Note 7’s features, including the S Pen stylus and screens with rich colors.

Consumers will have to wait at least a few weeks longer for details on Samsung’s next major smartphone. That’s partly so that Samsung wouldn’t have to share the stage with its smartphone rivals at the Mobile World Congress trade show, which begins Monday in Barcelona, Spain. The delay also gives Samsung more time to make sure it has done everything right, given that any minor bug will surely draw outsized attention.

“The microscope is going to be firmly on Samsung,” said Geoff Blaber, an analyst with the research firm CCS Insight.

About the Tablets

Samsung said the new tablets will go through extensive safety checks put in place after dozens of Note 7 phone overheated and in some cases exploded. Those incidents prompted aviation authorities to ban them on flights; Samsung eventually killed the product.

Samsung now wants everyone to focus on its tablets’ most notable features:

– The new Galaxy Tab S3, running Google’s Android system, will have a glass back and metal frame, borrowing designs from Samsung’s smartphones. The screen technology, called AMOLED, offers richer colors and purer blacks than standard LCD screens. The display will support high-dynamic range, a feature that promises brighter whites, darker blacks and a wider range of colors – at least for the handful of video titles produced with that capability.

– For those wanting a laptop replacement, Samsung is releasing the Galaxy Book with Microsoft’s Windows 10 and more powerful processors from Intel. Only the 12-inch version will get AMOLED, though; the 10-inch Galaxy Book will use LCD. Both models come with a keyboard attachment, something sold as an optional accessory for the S3. The Galaxy Book is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface devices.

All models come with Samsung’s S Pen and include standard features from the Note phones, such as taking on-screen notes when the phone is locked. But unlike the Note, these tablets lack spring-loaded cavities for storing the stylus.

Prices and release dates haven’t been announced.

Samsung also said that its Gear VR virtual-reality headset will now come with a hand-held controller, matching Google’s Daydream View offering.

Phone Competition

The absence of a new Samsung phone gives rivals a chance to shine.

LG, for instance, is pushing a G6 phone that is slightly smaller than the Note 7 but matches the doomed phone’s 5.7-inch screen size. LG is also matching major rivals in offering water and dust resistance, though in doing so, it got rid of an ability to replace the battery with a spare – a feature LG had long cited to set itself apart from rivals.

LG also redesigned the insides to separate the two main sources of heat – the main processor and the display driver – while doubling the separation between the battery’s positive and negative chambers. The fact that these under-the-hood improvements are getting any mention at all shows the climate all phone makers are navigating after the Note 7 fires.

Meanwhile, Motorola has a new version of its mid-range Moto G phone, while Chinese smartphone maker TCL is unveiling a BlackBerry Android phone with a physical keyboard after BlackBerry gave up on making hardware itself. And the classic Nokia 3310 phone from the year 2000 is coming back; although it’s not a smartphone, the device is popular for its durability.

It’ll be tough, though, for any company to stand out as innovation in smartphones slows down.

The challenges are underscored by the fact that only Apple appears to have benefited from Samsung’s troubles. According to research firm IDC, worldwide iPhone shipments grew 5 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with the previous year. That’s about the same as what Samsung lost.

Even after the Note 7 recall, many consumers decided to stay with Samsung, analysts say. Switching to the iPhone means learning a new operating system and buying new apps, while Google couldn’t produce enough of a promising Android contender, the Pixel, to meet demand.

Samsung’s Next Phone

Samsung took a USD $5.3 billion hit on its earnings in recalling millions of Note 7 phones. Its reputation also took a hit – but not necessarily permanently.

“In the process of addressing the situation, I think Samsung buys back some of the good will with consumers,” said Ramon Llamas, an analyst with IDC. “What people want is an assurance that it doesn’t happen again.”

This could mean being more conservative in the S8 features, though it also needs some breakout features to restore excitement in the brand. Llamas said that could come through software features, such as S Voice, a voice assistant rivaling Apple’s Siri, or Samsung Flow, a way for multiple devices to work together. The new tablets will come with Samsung Flow so that you can make phone calls and answer texts using the tablet as a bridge to a phone sitting on the table or in your pocket.

Blaber said Samsung was smart in delaying the launch of the S8, as it needs a smooth rollout to recover.

Story: Anick Jesdanun

‘The Salesman’ Wins Best Foreign Film Oscar, Director Skips Ceremony

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 10:16

LOS ANGELES — Iran’s “The Salesman” has won the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

It is the second win in the category for writer-director Asghar Farhadi, who previously won for 2011’s “A Separation.” He boycotted the Oscars in protest of the travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

In a statement read on his behalf, Farhadi wrote that filmmakers create empathy between others, and that is more needed today than ever.

“The Salesman” is a thriller about a married couple’s attempts to find peace and justice in Tehran after the wife is attacked in her apartment.

A political context larger than that of films themselves swept Iran’s “The Salesman” into the limelight and effectively solidified its win in the best foreign language category at the Oscars on Sunday. Iranian astronaut Anousheh Ansari accepted the award on behalf of director Asghar Farhadi, who was absent from the ceremony in protest of Donald Trump’s travel ban.

“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” Ansari read in a statement. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.”

Firouz Naderi, a former NASA director, and an Iranian, stood beside Ansari as she read Farhadi’s words.

It’s the second Oscar for director Farhadi, and Iran, who previously won in the same category for “A Separation” in 2012, but the context surrounding this win is stunningly different.

Farhadi’s film, about a couple performing Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” was barely even in the conversation a few months ago, overshadowed by Maren Ade’s popular German comedy “Toni Erdmann,” but became a rallying cry for immigrant rights after President Donald Trump’s seven country travel ban.

The ban not only led to Farhadi announcing that he would not attend the awards in protest of the ban, targeted toward predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, but also to an unprecedented show of solidary between the six nominated directors in the foreign language category. Two days before the Oscars, the six directors issued a joint statement decrying the climate of “fanaticism” in the United States. They said that no matter who won, the award would be dedicated to people working to foster “unity and understanding.”

“Dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘enemies’ categories creates fear,” Ansari continued in Farhadi’s statement, which concluded with a passionate defense of the power of film to create empathy “between us and others, an empathy that we need today.”

“The Salesman” won over the early favorite, “Toni Erdmann,” which in already in the early stages of development for an English language remake starring Jack Nicholson and Kristen Wii, Sweden’s “A Man Called Ove,” Denmark’s “Land of Mine,” and Australia’s “Tanna.”

Bill Paxton, ‘Aliens’ and ‘Titanic’ Actor, 61

By

Associated Press

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27 February 2017, 09:18

Bill Paxton arrives at the Critics' Choice Television Awards on May 31, 2015, at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Richard Shotwell / Invision/ Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Bill Paxton, a prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as “Apollo 13” and “Titanic” while also cherishing his work in “One False Move” and other low-budget movies and in the HBO series “Big Love,” has died from complications due to surgery. He was 61.

A family representative issued a statement Sunday on the death but provided no further details.

Paxton, a Fort Worth, Texas, native, appeared in dozens of movies and television shows and seemed to be around when history was made both on and off screen. As a boy, he was in the crowd that welcomed President John F. Kennedy in Texas on the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, hours before Kennedy was killed in Dallas. As a young man, he worked in the art department for “B” movie king Roger Corman, who helped launch the careers of numerous actors and filmmakers.

Paxton’s movie credits included some of the signature works of the past 40 years, from “Titanic” and “Apollo 13” to “The Terminator and “Aliens.” Television fans knew him for his role as a polygamist, with three wives who expected the best from him, in the HBO series “Big Love,” for which he received three Golden Globe nominations.

“Bill Paxton was a big-hearted, thoughtful and honorable person,” his “Big Love” co-star Chloe Sevigny said in a statement. “He always had a smile on his face and could entertain any room with his wonderful stories of his many amazing years in Hollywood.”

Paxton was currently starring in the CBS drama “Training Day,” which premiered Feb. 2. The network has not yet announced whether it will continue to air the completed episodes.

Paxton is survived by his wife of 30 years, Louise Newbury, and their two children. His first marriage, to Kelly Rowan, ended in divorce.

Nearly 200 storm chasers paid tribute Sunday to the late actor by spelling out his initials using GPS coordinates on a map depicting the heart of Tornado Alley. The effort was to honor the leading man in the disaster movie “Twister,” which inspired a generation of storm chasers.

Paxton’s death adds a sad note to Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremonies. Paxton was never nominated but appeared in several Oscar-winning movies and was beloved and respected throughout Hollywood and beyond.

“On this Oscar Sunday, watch ‘One False Move’ or ‘A Simple Plan’ to see this lovely leading man, at his finest,” Paxton’s friend Rob Lowe tweeted.

Paxton brought a reliably human dimension to big-budget action adventures and science fiction. He was, sci-fi fans like to point out, the only actor killed by a Predator, a Terminator and an Alien. But Paxton, famously genial and approachable, defined his career less by his marquee status than as a character actor whose regular Joes appeared across the likes of “One False Move,” ”A Simple Plan” and “Nightcrawler.”

“I’m a frustrated romantic actor,” he told The Associated Press in 2006. “I wanted to play the Bud part in ‘Splendor in the Grass,’ I wanted to play Romeo — the great, unrequited, tragic love stories. I’ve gotten to mix it up a bit with the ladies but the romance has been a subplot, running from the tornado or whatever.”

“I feel like I’m a regionalist and a populist who’s never fit in among the intellectuals,” he added. “I think there’s where the heart of American art is. My greatest roles have been in regional films, whether it was ‘One False Move’ or ‘Frailty’ or ‘Simple Plan’ or ‘Traveler.'”

Paxton often spoke warmly of his upbringing, and how his father exposed him early to movies and the stage. His father, John Paxton, also shared his son’s knack for being around famous people. A childhood neighbor was the artist Thomas Hart Benton. John Paxton later belonged to the same golfing club as the great Ben Hogan, whom Bill Paxton got to know growing up.

One of the industry’s busiest actors, Paxton once said the hardest part of his career wasn’t the work itself, but the time in between.

“You know all the time I’ve been in this business which is a long, long time now, I go from having incredible days like shooting the part of Sam Houston and then all of a sudden I’m home and I’m out of work and it’s two o’clock in the afternoon, I’m in my boxer shorts watching Turner Classic Movies,” he told the AP in 2015. “And all I can tell you is, thank God for Turner Classic Movies and Robert Osborne.”

Story: Lindsey Bahr

Amy Yang Wins LPGA Thailand by 5 Strokes

By

Associated Press

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26 February 2017, 20:17

Amy Yang of South Korea poses with her trophy for photographers during the award ceremony after winning the LPGA Thailand golf tournament Sunday in Pattaya. Photo: Nuttapong Meelung / Associated Press

CHONBURI — Amy Yang rarely wavered with a big lead during the final round of the Thailand LPGA tournament, shooting a 4-under 68 to win by five strokes Sunday.

Due to rain delays, Yang was forced to play her final five holes of the third round on Sunday morning, and she led by five strokes after 54 holes.

Later in the day, the 2015 Thailand champion saw her lead reduced to three shots on several occasions, but the South Korean held on to post a record 22-under 266 on the Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.

The previous tournament record of 21 under was held by Suzann Pettersen in 2007 and Ai Miyazato in 2010.

Yang, who won for the third time on the LPGA Tour, made a 15-foot putt on the 14th for par, then drove the green on the par-4 15th.

“I knew I had to make it, and I did,” Yang said of her par putt on 14.

She missed her eagle attempt at 15, but made a three-foot putt for birdie to increase her lead to four shots with three to play. From there, her lead was safe and she birdied the 18th for good measure.

So Yeon Ryu, the 2011 U.S. Women’s Open champion, matched Yang with a 68 to finish second.

Lexi Thompson had the best round of the day, a 67, to finish tied for fourth, nine strokes behind, and level with fellow American Danielle Kang, who shot 68.

The tournament featured 18 of the top 20 players in the world, including top-ranked Lydia Ko of New Zealand, who shot a closing 68 and was tied for eighth, 11 strokes behind.

“I am beyond happy, I had so many early wakeup calls this week,” said Yang, who had to play 31 holes on Saturday and 23 on Sunday. “I had to stay patient out there.”

Yang carded 10 birdies, one eagle and only one bogey over her second and partial third rounds on Saturday.

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