The Solomon Islanders who saved John F Kenedy

One of two Solomon Islanders who saved the life of John F Kennedy during the war in the Pacific died on Saturday at the age of 93. Eroni Kumana never forgot the man who would become US president and regarded him as his "honorary chief". "Words can't really describe what a remarkable man he was," says local historian and dive school owner Danny Kennedy, an American now living in the Solomon Islands - and no relation to JFK. "Every time we saw him, he was just the most animated, energetic little guy - bouncing around with all this energy, even at 93 years old. But I still don't think he ever realised what a brave guy he was." Kumana's grandson, Rellysdom Malakana, says: "He did not feel like he was someone special. But people from overseas, people from America, they are the ones who told my grandfather that he was a special man - that he was the hero who rescued John F Kennedy." In the early hours of 2 August 1943 several US Navy "patrol torpedo" boats were positioned off the coast of the Solomon Islands - then known as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate - not far from Papua New Guinea. Their mission was to intercept a convoy of Japanese ships that were regularly transporting soldiers further south to join the fight against US forces in the Pacific. In command of one of them, PT-109, was Lt John F Kennedy - a 26-year-old from Massachusetts who had joined the navy two years earlier.

Lt John F. Kennedy aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific, 1943 Kennedy aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific, 1943 United States Navy identification card for John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's United States Navy identification card As the Japanese ships came into view - the US boats fired their torpedoes, but none hit their target. The American boats that ran out of ammunition were sent back to base, but PT-109 was one of those that stayed behind.

Archive reports from the JFK Library in Boston describe the night as having an "inky blackness" - there was no moonlight, making the task of spotting the enemy ships all the more difficult. At 02:30 a Japanese destroyer, travelling at high speed, rammed into Kennedy's boat, ripping a hole in its side. Kennedy and most of his men were thrown into the water by the force of the impact - two were killed in the collision and one was badly burned. The survivors spent a few hours on or around the wreck of the wooden boat, then swam three-and-a-half miles to the nearest island. Accounts from the time say Kennedy towed one of his injured crewmates along, swimming with the strap of his lifejacket between his teeth. For two days the men stayed on this small unoccupied island, living off coconuts - but the prospect of a rescue was looking increasingly remote and food was running out. Hoping to improve their chances of rescue and in the search of fresh water, Kennedy took his crew back into the ocean, undertaking a gruelling swim to a larger island further south. It was this decision that most likely saved the men's lives and led to their eventual rescue. John F. Kennedy (far right) and crewmen of the PT-109 Kennedy (far right) and the crewmen of the PT-109 in 1943 On 5 August, Kennedy and his colleague George Ross left the other men on this new island and set out again in search of food and water. As they made their way along the beach on another nearby island, they spotted two men in a canoe - it was Kumana and his friend Biuku Gasa. At first, the two Solomon Islanders were frightened of Kennedy and Ross, says Kumana's grandson, Malakana. "They saw these people and they thought they were Japanese - so they paddled away in their canoe. Fortunately they came across the rest of Kennedy's crew mates at the other island, who told them they were from America." In an interview in 2002 with the National Geographic, Kumana himself recalled the moment he met the survivors: "Some of them cried and some of them came and shook our hands. When Kennedy saw us… he ran and embraced us." Kumana and Gasa worked with the Coastwatchers, a network of agents based across the Pacific islands during WWII, tasked with keeping an eye on the enemy and reporting back to Allied forces. Kennedy knew he somehow needed to get a message back to base if a rescue was to be organised, so he wrote a message on a coconut: Coconut with engraved message Kennedy used the coconut as a paperweight on his desk in the Oval Office NAURO ISL COMMANDER NATIVE KNOWS POSIT HE CAN PILOT 11 ALIVE NEED SMALL BOAT KENNEDY Kumana and Gasa, took the coconut, got into their small, dugout canoe and at great risk to themselves took to the sea. Their destination was another island, 35 miles (55km) away, where an allied Australian Coastwatcher was stationed - but to get there they had to paddle through waters patrolled by Japanese ships. The Japanese were notorious for using the locals as "target practice" says Danny Kennedy - and if they had been caught with such a message it could have been a death sentence. But Kumana and Gasa passed on the message successfully and a rescue mission was launched for the injured, exhausted and hungry US sailors, who many assumed were already dead. The events of that week in August 1943 were to have a profound impact on the life of Kennedy - he was a hailed a hero for his efforts in saving the lives of his crew and was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart. His actions in the war are seen as central to his success in the 1960 presidential election. "It was a crucial moment in his life," says Tom Putnam, director of the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. "But he was always somewhat self-deprecating about being called a hero. People used to ask him how he became a war hero, and he would reply: 'It was involuntary. They sank my boat.'" Biuku Gasa in 2003 with the bust of John F. Kennedy presented to him by the Kennedy family Biuku Gasa in 2003 with the bust of John F. Kennedy presented to him by the Kennedy family Despite Kennedy's rise through the ranks of American political life, he didn't forget about Kumana and Gasa. Kumana's grandson Malakana says the two men were invited to Kennedy's inauguration, but were "not allowed" to go. "My grandfather told me it was because they didn't speak English, they were told to stay away and another person replaced them," he says. Danny Kennedy understands it was a British colonial officer in the Solomon Islands at the time who decided the men didn't speak English well enough and another Solomon Islands scout was sent to Washington DC in their place. Although the three men were never to meet again, there are records of letters exchanged between Kennedy and Gasa in Kennedy's first year as president - they were translated by a Methodist minister from New Zealand. A letter written from Biuku Gasa to President Kennedy in 1961 The original letter from Biuku Gasa to President Kennedy in 1961 The translation of Gasa's letter The translation of Gasa's letter President Kennedy's response to Biuku Gasa President Kennedy's response to Biuku Gasa In Kumana's interview in 2002, he spoke of the moment he heard that Kennedy had been assassinated, "My sadness was great," he said. "I would never meet him [again]." But Kumana and Gasa did meet one member of the Kennedy family again. Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy and nephew of President Kennedy travelled to the Solomon Islands in 2002. Danny Kennedy, Dick Kerasy (Commanding officer of PT 105), Eroni Kumana and Max Kennedy From left: Danny Kennedy, Dick Keresey (Commanding officer of PT 105), Eroni Kumana and Max Kennedy "It's a custom in the Solomon Islands to cry openly," says Danny Kennedy. "When Kumana and Gasa saw Max, both of them broke out in tears and there was a big hugging session for quite some time. It was quite an emotional event. They dug out canoes, they paddled together and I think they really enjoyed their time with Max." Shell money placed on Kennedy's grave in Arlington Gasa passed away in 2005. In 2008, Kumana wanted to pay his respects to Kennedy. He asked that a prized piece of bakia or "shell money", a traditional form of currency made of giant clam shells, be sent to the US as a tribute. "It had been passed down from generation to generation in Kumana's family and it was always given to the chief," says Putnam. "Kumana said since President Kennedy was his chief, he wanted it to be placed on his grave." At a private ceremony in Arlington cemetery, members of the Kennedy family carried out his wish. Kumana and Gasa may have never made it to the US to see Kennedy again, but the memory of those two men lives on there - in the engraved coconut husk and shell money tribute that are both now on display at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. In the Solomon Islands, Kennedy is also remembered - the small island where he and his men initially swam to is now called Kennedy island and a shrine, created by Kumana, now stands as a memorial to the president he once rescued.

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Microsoft and Samsung in royalties row

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Microsoft is suing Samsung for threatening to stop paying royalties to the software giant for patents behind the Android operating system. The two companies came to a deal in September 2011 to cross-license each other’s patent portfolios and Samsung wound up paying Microsoft royalties on a series of patents. Analyst Rick Sherlund of Nomura Securities has estimated royalties on its Android patents bring Microsoft nearly $2bn a year. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, says more than 25 companies are licensing the patents, including Samsung, Acer and ZTE, covering about 80% of the Android-based smartphones sold in the US. In a blog post Microsoft’s deputy general counsel said Samsung Electronics decided to breach its contract after Microsoft announced in September that it was acquiring Nokia’s devices business. After initially refusing to pay royalties in the second year of the deal, Samsung made a late payment in November but did not add on interest, according to a redacted copy of the complaint filed in federal court in New York and provided by Microsoft. The complaint also alleged that Samsung has asked South Korean competition authorities to change the contract to reduce or eliminate its payments to Microsoft. Samsung said in a statement: “We will review the complaint in detail and determine appropriate measures in response.”

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Berkeley And MIT Make Glasses Obsolete With New Display Technology

The day when you will no longer need your glasses to watch TV is looming, thanks to some very clever people at MIT and Berkeley. Researchers have developed new display technology that corrects vision problems and adjusts the image to suit the users’ poor eyesight. The technology works by using algorithms that alter an image based on a person’s glasses prescription, combined with a light filter set in front of the display. The algorithm alters the light from each individual pixel and passes it through a small hole in the filter, so when each ray of light hits the retina, it creates a sharper image. LG Unveils Display That Can Be Rolled Up Like A Piece Of Paper Jay McGregorJay McGregor Contributor Nokia Unveils Impressive Foldable Displays Jay McGregorJay McGregor Contributor Sharp To Launch New Display Technology That Can Be Made Into Any Shape Jay McGregorJay McGregor Contributor The idea is that the technology will predict how the users’ eyes will distort whatever is on screen and correct it beforehand (which your glasses normally do), so the image appears clear to your eyes. Soon you'll be able to ditch your glasses when you sit down for some TV. Photo by Lauren Lewis Soon you’ll be able to ditch your glasses when you sit down for some TV. Photo by Lauren Lewis Soon you’ll be able to ditch your glasses when you sit down for some TV. Photo by Lauren Lewis Researchers tested out the technology on an Apple iPod Touch, which they attached the plastic light filter and an acrylic slab to. They then used a DSLR camera’s focus options to simulate far-sightedness and short-sightedness. Similar technology is being developed elsewhere but the researchers claim that their technology doesn’t result in a dramatic loss in image contrast. This system reportedly achieves better contrast and resolution. The research team hopes that the technology will be both commercially useful but also have positive health implications. Leading the project, Professor Brian Barsky of the University of California said : “We now live in a world where displays are ubiquitous, and being able to interact with displays is taken for granted. “People with higher order aberrations often have irregularities in the shape of the cornea, and this irregular shape makes it very difficult to have a contact lens that will fit. In some cases, this can be a barrier to holding certain jobs because many workers need to look at a screen as part of their work. This research could transform their lives, and I am passionate about that potential. The research team hope that they will be able to refine the technology and slim it down to a piece of plastic that can be stuck onto any existing display, while software could be adapted to different operating systems. However this is all still a few years off, and there are major hurdles to overcome. Not least that fact that it won’t work if multiple sets of eyes are looking at the screen and the users have to stay in one position for it to work. Display Revolution Samsung, LG and Nokia are all pumping money into display research. We’ve already seen demos of changing, borderless and foldable displays this year – with more expected at IFA in September and CES next year. LG recently announced earlier this month a rollable plastic OLEd displays and an 18-inch transparent OLED display. LG hopes that it will be able to combine the two new technologies and launch a TV that’s both rollable and transparent by 2017. Byung Kang, senior vice president of LG, said “ We are confident that by 2017 we will successfully develop an Ultra HD flexible and transparent OLED panel of more than 60 inches, which will have transmittance of more than 40% and a curvature radius of 100R”.

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