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General Discussion / Do we even have a Minister or Ministry of National Security?
« on: January 14, 2017, 12:49:37 AM »
Every facking day I read the newspaper and is crime after crime after crime! Where is Dr Rowley? I thought things were supposed to get better! Why are people not marching? Why are we not holding the Gov't responsible? But they teaching the Gov't Minister Kids to handle weapons (or so they say when the mark buss).
Someone's 16 yr old daughter was found strangled! (latest fackery)
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20170113/news/school-girl-found-dead
Someone's 16 yr old daughter was found strangled! (latest fackery)
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20170113/news/school-girl-found-dead
5
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Anyone Watching Fauda?
« on: December 07, 2016, 07:03:47 AM »
"Fauda" (Arabic for 'Chaos') depicts the two-sided story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Real liking this one.
Real liking this one.
6
General Discussion / Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro dies aged 90
« on: November 26, 2016, 06:25:13 AM »
HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary leader who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Friday. He was 90.
A towering figure of the second half of the 20th Century, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that had struggled against colonial rule.
He had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later.
Wearing a green military uniform, a somber Raul Castro, 85, appeared on state television on Friday night to announce his brother's death.
"At 10.29 at night, the chief commander of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, died," he said, without giving a cause of death.
"Ever onward, to victory," he said, using the slogan of the Cuban revolution.
Tributes came in from allies, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who said "revolutionaries of the world must follow his legacy."
Although Raul Castro always glorified his older brother, he has changed Cuba since taking over by introducing market-style economic reforms and agreeing with the United States in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties and end decades of hostility.
Fidel Castro offered only lukewarm support for the deal, raising questions about whether he approved of ending hostilities with his longtime enemy. Some analysts believed his mere presence kept Raul from moving further and faster, while others saw him as either quietly supportive or increasingly irrelevant.
He did not meet Barack Obama when he visited Havana earlier this year, the first time a U.S. president had stepped foot on Cuban soil since 1928.
Days later, Castro wrote a scathing newspaper column condemning Obama's "honey-coated" words and reminding Cubans of the many U.S. efforts to overthrow and weaken the Communist government.
The news of Castro's death spread slowly among Friday night revelers on the streets of Havana. One famous club that was still open when word came in quickly closed.
Some residents reacted with sadness to the news.
"I'm very upset. Whatever you want to say, he is a public figure that the whole world respected and loved," said Havana student Sariel Valdespino.
But in Miami, where many exiles from Castro's Communist government live, a large crowd waving Cuban flags cheered, danced and banged on pots and pans.
Castro's body will be cremated, according to his wishes. Cuba declared nine days of mourning, during which time the ashes will be taken to different parts of the country. A burial ceremony will be held on Dec. 4.
The bearded Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years with a mix of charisma and iron will, creating a one-party state and becoming a central figure in the Cold War.
He was demonized by the United States and its allies but admired by many leftists around the world, especially socialist revolutionaries in Latin America and Africa.
Nelson Mandela, once freed from prison in 1990, repeatedly thanked Castro for his firm efforts in helping to weaken apartheid.
In April, in a rare public appearance at the Communist Party conference, Fidel Castro shocked party apparatchiks by referring to his own imminent mortality.
"Soon I will be like all the rest. Our turn comes to all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain," he said.
Castro was last seen by ordinary Cubans in photos showing him engaged in conversation with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang earlier this month.
Transforming Cuba from a playground for rich Americans into a symbol of resistance to Washington, Castro crossed swords with 10 U.S. presidents while in power, and outlasted nine of them.
He fended off a CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as well as countless assassination attempts.
His alliance with Moscow helped trigger the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a 13-day showdown with the United States that brought the world the closest it has been to nuclear war.
Wearing green military fatigues and chomping on cigars for many of his years in power, Castro was famous for long, fist-pounding speeches filled with blistering rhetoric, often aimed at the United States.
Source: https://ca.yahoo.com/news/fidel-castro-dead-cuban-television-053901930.html
A towering figure of the second half of the 20th Century, Castro stuck to his ideology beyond the collapse of Soviet communism and remained widely respected in parts of the world that had struggled against colonial rule.
He had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later.
Wearing a green military uniform, a somber Raul Castro, 85, appeared on state television on Friday night to announce his brother's death.
"At 10.29 at night, the chief commander of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, died," he said, without giving a cause of death.
"Ever onward, to victory," he said, using the slogan of the Cuban revolution.
Tributes came in from allies, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who said "revolutionaries of the world must follow his legacy."
Although Raul Castro always glorified his older brother, he has changed Cuba since taking over by introducing market-style economic reforms and agreeing with the United States in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties and end decades of hostility.
Fidel Castro offered only lukewarm support for the deal, raising questions about whether he approved of ending hostilities with his longtime enemy. Some analysts believed his mere presence kept Raul from moving further and faster, while others saw him as either quietly supportive or increasingly irrelevant.
He did not meet Barack Obama when he visited Havana earlier this year, the first time a U.S. president had stepped foot on Cuban soil since 1928.
Days later, Castro wrote a scathing newspaper column condemning Obama's "honey-coated" words and reminding Cubans of the many U.S. efforts to overthrow and weaken the Communist government.
The news of Castro's death spread slowly among Friday night revelers on the streets of Havana. One famous club that was still open when word came in quickly closed.
Some residents reacted with sadness to the news.
"I'm very upset. Whatever you want to say, he is a public figure that the whole world respected and loved," said Havana student Sariel Valdespino.
But in Miami, where many exiles from Castro's Communist government live, a large crowd waving Cuban flags cheered, danced and banged on pots and pans.
Castro's body will be cremated, according to his wishes. Cuba declared nine days of mourning, during which time the ashes will be taken to different parts of the country. A burial ceremony will be held on Dec. 4.
The bearded Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years with a mix of charisma and iron will, creating a one-party state and becoming a central figure in the Cold War.
He was demonized by the United States and its allies but admired by many leftists around the world, especially socialist revolutionaries in Latin America and Africa.
Nelson Mandela, once freed from prison in 1990, repeatedly thanked Castro for his firm efforts in helping to weaken apartheid.
In April, in a rare public appearance at the Communist Party conference, Fidel Castro shocked party apparatchiks by referring to his own imminent mortality.
"Soon I will be like all the rest. Our turn comes to all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain," he said.
Castro was last seen by ordinary Cubans in photos showing him engaged in conversation with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang earlier this month.
Transforming Cuba from a playground for rich Americans into a symbol of resistance to Washington, Castro crossed swords with 10 U.S. presidents while in power, and outlasted nine of them.
He fended off a CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as well as countless assassination attempts.
His alliance with Moscow helped trigger the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a 13-day showdown with the United States that brought the world the closest it has been to nuclear war.
Wearing green military fatigues and chomping on cigars for many of his years in power, Castro was famous for long, fist-pounding speeches filled with blistering rhetoric, often aimed at the United States.
Source: https://ca.yahoo.com/news/fidel-castro-dead-cuban-television-053901930.html
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Other Sports / Akeem Stewart Wins GOLD!
« on: September 09, 2016, 09:32:29 PM »
Congrats to Akeem Stewart for winning Paralympic Gold in the javelin F44 category with a world record throw.
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Entertainment & Culture Discussion / 2017 Soca
« on: August 29, 2016, 07:36:41 PM »
Seems the season start?
Iwer George - Take Ah Bathe
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/FPo59ezlNVU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/FPo59ezlNVU</a>
Iwer George - Take Ah Bathe
9
General Discussion / VB - Turkey
« on: July 18, 2016, 10:03:58 PM »
Anyone know if VB is still based in Turkey and of he's safe and accounted for?
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General Discussion / Philando Castile + Alton Sterling
« on: July 07, 2016, 04:57:58 PM »
absolutely sickening.
558 people to date this year (we only in July) killed by police in the US.
Please don't watch the Castile video if you've not already done so. You wont be the same for a while.
558 people to date this year (we only in July) killed by police in the US.
Please don't watch the Castile video if you've not already done so. You wont be the same for a while.
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Entertainment & Culture Discussion / Multisymptom - Sonita (London Future Remix)
« on: June 23, 2016, 02:07:56 PM »
Meh bredrin now release this..
Multisymptom - Sonita (London Future Remix)
https://youtu.be/nSofbAiwhaQ
If any of you heading to Tomorowland in Belgium, he'll be performing.
Multisymptom - Sonita (London Future Remix)
https://youtu.be/nSofbAiwhaQ
If any of you heading to Tomorowland in Belgium, he'll be performing.
14
Jokes / Trust/ Overacted?
« on: June 06, 2016, 10:08:53 PM »There comes a time when a woman just has to trust her husband... For example... A wife comes home late at night and quietly opens the door to her bedroom.
From under the blanket
She sees four legs instead of two. She reaches for a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she can. Leaving the covered bodies groaning, she goes to the kitchen to have a drink.
As she enters, she sees her husband there, reading a magazine. "Hi, sweetheart," he says. "Your parents have come to visit us, so I let them stay in our bedroom. Did you say hello?"
15
General Discussion / KIMBO SLICE Dead at 42
« on: June 06, 2016, 10:02:04 PM »
Kimbo -- real name Kevin Ferguson
"One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport."
"Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. HIs loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo's friends, fans and teammates."
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2016/06/06/kimbo-slice-dead-dies/
"One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport."
"Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. HIs loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo's friends, fans and teammates."
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2016/06/06/kimbo-slice-dead-dies/
16
Jokes / new antidepressant for lesbians
« on: June 04, 2016, 07:53:35 PM »
Have you all heard about the new antidepressant for lesbians?
It's called Trycoxagain
It's called Trycoxagain
17
Other Sports / Muhammad Ali, simply 'The Greatest', dead at 74
« on: June 03, 2016, 10:55:05 PM »
Muhammad Ali, the eloquent, colorful, controversial and brilliant three-time heavyweight boxing champion who was known as much for his social conscience and staunch opposition to the Vietnam War as for his dazzling boxing skills, died Friday.
He was 74.
Once the most outrageous trash talker in sports, he was largely muted for the last quarter century of his life, quieted by a battle with Parkinson's Disease.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Ky., Ali learned to box after his bicycle was stolen when he was 12 years old. When young Clay vowed to "whoop the behind" of the thief, a local police officer encouraged him to learn to box to channel his energy.
He would go on to become known as "The Greatest," and at his peak in the 1970s was among the most recognizable faces on Earth.
He was known for his tendency to recite poems while making predictions about his fights – "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see." – as well as for giving opponents often unflattering nicknames. He referred to Sonny Liston as "the big ugly bear," George Chuvalo as "The Washerwoman," Floyd Patterson as "The Rabbit" and Earnie Shavers as "The Acorn."
But his most controversial, and some would say cruel, nicknames were reserved for his fiercest rival, Joe Frazier. He first dubbed Frazier "Uncle Tom" and then later called him "The Gorilla."
When Ali prepared to meet Frazier for a third time in Manila, Philippines, on Oct. 1, 1975, he frequently carried a toy rubber gorilla with him. At one news conference, he pulled the gorilla out of his pocket and began punching it as he said, "It's going to be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla when I get the gorilla in Manila."
Frazier, though, took it personally and harbored a decades-long grudge.
"It sure did bother him," Gene Kilroy, Ali's friend for more than 50 years, told Yahoo Sports.
Kilroy said Ali was simply promoting the fights and meant no harm, and said Ali regretted the impact his words had upon Frazier.
"I used to tell Ali, 'Someday, me, you and Joe are going to be three old men sitting in the park laughing about all that [expletive],' " Kilroy recalled. "And Ali said, 'That would be great!' I talked to Joe and Joe said, 'No, [expletive] him. I don't want to be with him.' But he loosened up later and they mended fences.
Not long before Frazier's death in 2011, he attended an autograph signing and memorabilia show in Las Vegas. Frazier grabbed a copy of an old Sports Illustrated magazine that had a photo of the two fighters and promoter Don King on the cover.
"Man," he said, sounding wistful, "we gave the people some memories, me and Ali."
Ali was at the peak of his professional powers after knocking out Zora Folley in New York on March 22, 1967. He battered Folley throughout and stopped him in the seventh.
After the bout, Folley shared his thoughts with Sports Illustrated.
"The right hands Ali hit me with just had no business landing – but they did. They came from nowhere," Folley said. "… He's smart. The trickiest fighter I've seen. He's had 29 fights and acts like he's had a hundred. He could write the book on boxing, and anyone that fights him should be made to read it first."
But Ali's boxing career came to a screeching halt after that fight. He'd refused induction into the U.S. Army because he stated he was a conscientious objector.
Ali had converted to Islam in 1964 after the first of his two wins over Liston, and changed his name from Cassius Clay. He said Islam was a religion of peace and that he had no desire to engage in combat with those who'd done him or his family no harm.
This all went down at the height of the civil rights movement.
"Shoot them for what?" Ali asked in an interview after he refused induction. "They never called me nigger. They never lynched me. They never put dogs on me. They didn't rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. What do I want to shoot them for, for what? Why do I want to go shoot them, poor little people and babies and children and women? How can I shoot them? Just take me to jail."
He went on trial in Houston on June 20, 1967. The jury deliberated for only 21 minutes before finding him guilty. He was fined $10,000, faced five years in jail and had his passport taken.
He was stripped of the crown and deprived from making a living, but he wasn't silenced. Ali would go on a lecture circuit, speaking at colleges for as little as $1,500 and as much as $10,000.
He desperately needed the money because he wasn't making a lot after being stripped and he was paying an expensive team of attorneys.
Always conscious of his image, Ali joked in one interview that he couldn't allow people to see his car.
"I didn't want people to see the world heavyweight champion driving a Volkswagen, while all them guys were driving their Cadillacs," he said.
At first, there was a lot of tension in the crowds, as opposition to the war had only just started. Gradually, though, Ali swung the crowds to his point of view as the country's opinion of the situation in Vietnam turned dramatically.
Ali said that on one series of lectures he was set to make $1,500 a speech for talking to students at Canisius, Farleigh Dickinson and C.W. Post. He opened his wife's piggy bank and found, he said, $135, which he needed to buy gas and food for his trip.
Kilroy said that whenever Ali was paid, the first thing he did was find a Western Union.
"Whenever he'd get paid, he'd go send some money to his mother and father so they were OK and then he sent what was left to his wife and kids," Kilroy said.
Despite his financial difficulties, Ali never lost the courage of his convictions. At one of his speeches, he insisted he had no regrets.
While many tried to convince him of the errors of his ways, he remained steadfast and resolute. He told the crowd that sticking for his beliefs led him to come out on top.
"There have been many questions put to me about why I refused to be inducted into the United States Army," Ali said in the speech to students. "Especially, as some have pointed out, as many have pointed out, when not taking the step I will lose so much. I would like to say to the press and those people who think I lost so much by not taking the step, I would like to say I didn't lose a thing up until this very moment. One thing, I have gained a lot. Number one, I have gained a peace of mind. I have gained a peace of heart. I now know I am content with almighty God himself, whose name is Allah. I have also gained the respect of everyone who is here today.
"I have not only gained the respect of everyone who is here today, but worldwide. I have gained respect [from] people all over the world. By taking the step, I would have satisfied a few people who are pushing the war. Even if the wealth of America was given to me for taking the step, the friendship of all of the people who support the war, this would still be nothing [that would] content [me] internally."
The Supreme Court would reverse Ali's conviction in 1971 by an 8-0 vote. But by then, Ali was already back in the ring.
He actually returned from exile in 1970. Georgia didn't have an athletic commission and so he wasn't banned there. He faced Jerry Quarry on Oct. 26 in Atlanta, a fight Ali won via a third-round stoppage.
After one more fight, a knockout of Oscar Bonavena in the 15th round, Ali was ready to face the undefeated Frazier.
According to boxing promoter Bob Arum, the fight nearly took place in Las Vegas, with then-Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt endorsing the fight.
"The bad luck was [when arranging the fight] we stayed at the Desert Inn," Arum told Yahoo Sports.
The Desert Inn was owned by Moe Dalitz, a one-time bootlegger and racketeer who was the most powerful figure in Las Vegas. He was also a reputed mobster.
Dalitz didn't care for Ali because he didn't serve in the war.
He saw Arum and Conrad eating breakfast and asked Conrad why they were there. Dalitz went crazy, Arum said.
"He said, 'I don't want that [expletive] draft dodger in this town,' " Arum said. " 'It's not good for the town.' "
And so the biggest fight in history went not to Las Vegas but to New York a few months later.
It was an epic night that featured scores of celebrities in the crowd. Frank Sinatra was a ringside photographer. Burt Lancaster did color commentary.
It was an outstanding fight, but Frazier's pressure carried the day. He floored Ali in the 15th round with one of the most famous and perfectly executed left hooks in boxing history, sealing the fight.
But Ali would have his days against Frazier, defeating him twice, in a non-title bout on Jan. 28, 1974, in New York, and for the heavyweight title in Manila on Oct. 1, 1975. That was a fight for the ages, remembered as one of a handful of the best in boxing history.
Ali won by 14th-round stoppage when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, asked referee Carlos Padilla to stop the fight. There has long been question about whether Angelo Dundee, then Ali's trainer, would have allowed Ali to go out for the 15th had Futch not stopped it.
In his brilliant 2001 book, "Ghosts of Manila," Mark Kram wrote, "After the press conference, Joe retired to a private villa for rest. He had been sleeping for a couple of hours when George Benton entered with a visitor. The room was dark. 'Who is it?' Joe asked, lifting his head. 'I can't see. Can't see. Turn the lights on.' A light was turned on and he still could not see. Like Ali, he lay there with his veins empty, crushed by a will that had carried him so far and now surely too far. His eyes were iron gates torn up by an explosive. 'Man, I hit him with punches that bring down the walls of a city. What held him up?' He lowered his head for some abstract forgiveness. 'Goddamn it, when somebody going to understand? It wasn't justa fight. It was me and him. Not a fight.' "
Ali wasn't nearly the same fighter after that. He'd taken a fearsome pounding in his second career, after his return from exile. His three fights with Frazier, his 1974 fight with George Foreman in Africa and his 1980 bout with Larry Holmes were particularly brutal.
Ali's win over Foreman became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle," fought in then what was called Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He employed his famous "Rope-A-Dope" strategy in that fight. Foreman was a fearsome opponent at the time, the hardest hitter in boxing with a 40-0 record and 39 knockouts.
There were many sportswriters and boxing experts of the day who feared for Ali, such was Foreman's reputation at the time.
"I thought I was going to go in there and just go out and go, 'Boom, boom, boom,' and hit him and get him out of there and then go home," Foreman told Yahoo Sports in 2014. "That was my mistake. This was Muhammad Ali. He was 'The Greatest,' and they called him that because he was, but he was also the smartest. He knew what to do. And he did a great job of it."
Ali no longer had the foot speed or the elusiveness to dance away from Foreman as he'd done with Liston a decade earlier. Instead, he figured out the best strategy was to lay back against the ropes, lean back as far as he could, cover his face with his gloves and as much of his body as he could with his arms and let Foreman pound at him.
Foreman obliged and threw crunching, punishing shots. Ali took them and waited until Foreman became so tired he could no longer raise his arms. When he couldn't, Ali struck back and knocked out Foreman in the eighth round in the most remarkable upset of his career.
"It was my honor to get beaten up by that man," Foreman said, chuckling, in 2014. "I hated him at the time, because I didn't understand. But we grew to love each other. I love him like a brother."
Ali slowed down even more after the win over Frazier and never again looked like the electric, blazing-fast athlete he'd been years earlier.
"Nobody would have beaten Ali prior to the three-and-a-half years he lost [objecting to the Vietnam War]," Arum, who has promoted boxing for 50 years, told Yahoo Sports. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, could have come close to him. He was as fast and as elusive as Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard, and he was a heavyweight. His punching power was way better than people gave him credit for, but you never saw it a lot in those days because he was up on his toes moving."
After the Frazier fight, Ali became a personality as much as an athlete. He appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" in 1976 during the Ford-Carter presidential race. He was asked whom he favored, and he declined to answer, saying he didn't know enough and didn't want to influence people who followed him and would vote for whomever he would say.
He officially retired from boxing in 1981 after a unanimous decision loss to Trevor Berbick, ending his career with a 55-5 record. He remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having won titles in 1964, '74 and '78.
As he aged, Ali began to think of his role in the world and what he could do to improve it. And he talked on "Face the Nation" about his desire to do charitable acts.
"We only have so many hours a day to do what we have to do, so many years to live, and in those years, we sleep about eight hours a day," Ali sad. "We travel. We watch television. If a man is 50 years old, he's lucky if he's actually had 20 years to actually live. So I would like to do the best I can for humanity.
"I'm blessed by God to be recognized as the most famous face on the Earth today. And I cannot think of nothing better than helping God's creatures or helping poverty or good causes where I can use my name to do so."
In a 1975 interview with Playboy that was released around the time of his third fight with Frazier, he spoke of how his view of the world had changed.
He said it was his responsibility to take advantage of his notoriety by helping his fellow man.
"You listen up and maybe I'll make you as famous as I made Howard Cosell," he said in the Playboy interview. "Wars on nations are fought to change maps, but wars on poverty are fought to map change. The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
"These are words of wisdom, so pay attention, Mr. Playboy. The man who has no imagination stands on the Earth. He has no wings, he cannot fly. When we are right, no one remembers, but when we are wrong, no one forgets."
Kilroy, King and Arum said they knew of many charitable acts Ali had done. Kilroy said Ali, who was the most popular athlete in the world for years and commanded attention everywhere he went, would always be willing to do charitable acts, but said he didn't want cameras or reporters around because he didn't want anyone to think he was doing it for the publicity.
In 1973, for example, Ali learned that a home for elderly Jewish people was going to close because it was out of money.
"I'll never forget that night," Kilroy said. "It was a cold January night and we saw it on the news. Ali really paid attention to it and you could tell it bothered him, that all these people were going to be put out. They had nowhere to go. He told me to find out where it was, so I called the TV station and got the address.
"We drove over there and walked in and some guy comes up to me. I said, 'We're looking for the man in charge. Where is he?' And the guy says, 'I am. What do you want?' And Ali tells him he wants to help. He wrote him a check for $200,000 and tells him to put it in the bank that night. And then he writes another check for $200,000 and tells him to wait four days, because he has to get home and put some more money in the bank to cover the check."
In 1990, shortly before the first Gulf War between the U.S. and Iraq, he flew to Baghdad to speak with Saddam Hussein to secure the release of 15 U.S. hostages.
Hussein agreed to release the hostages.
For the rest of his life Ali worked to promote the cause of peace and charity. In December 2015, he condemned ISIS and took a shot at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (without mentioning Trump's name) when Trump suggested temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the U.S.
After the terrorist shootings in San Bernardino, Ali released a statement through his publicist. The headline said, "Statement From Muhammad Ali Regarding Presidential Candidates Proposing to Ban Muslim Immigration to the United States."
"I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino or anywhere else in the world," Ali said in the statement. "True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.
"We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.
"Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."
It's the last major public statement Muhammad Ali ever made.
Source : Yahoo.com
He was 74.
Once the most outrageous trash talker in sports, he was largely muted for the last quarter century of his life, quieted by a battle with Parkinson's Disease.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on Jan. 17, 1942, in Louisville, Ky., Ali learned to box after his bicycle was stolen when he was 12 years old. When young Clay vowed to "whoop the behind" of the thief, a local police officer encouraged him to learn to box to channel his energy.
He would go on to become known as "The Greatest," and at his peak in the 1970s was among the most recognizable faces on Earth.
He was known for his tendency to recite poems while making predictions about his fights – "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see." – as well as for giving opponents often unflattering nicknames. He referred to Sonny Liston as "the big ugly bear," George Chuvalo as "The Washerwoman," Floyd Patterson as "The Rabbit" and Earnie Shavers as "The Acorn."
But his most controversial, and some would say cruel, nicknames were reserved for his fiercest rival, Joe Frazier. He first dubbed Frazier "Uncle Tom" and then later called him "The Gorilla."
When Ali prepared to meet Frazier for a third time in Manila, Philippines, on Oct. 1, 1975, he frequently carried a toy rubber gorilla with him. At one news conference, he pulled the gorilla out of his pocket and began punching it as he said, "It's going to be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla when I get the gorilla in Manila."
Frazier, though, took it personally and harbored a decades-long grudge.
"It sure did bother him," Gene Kilroy, Ali's friend for more than 50 years, told Yahoo Sports.
Kilroy said Ali was simply promoting the fights and meant no harm, and said Ali regretted the impact his words had upon Frazier.
"I used to tell Ali, 'Someday, me, you and Joe are going to be three old men sitting in the park laughing about all that [expletive],' " Kilroy recalled. "And Ali said, 'That would be great!' I talked to Joe and Joe said, 'No, [expletive] him. I don't want to be with him.' But he loosened up later and they mended fences.
Not long before Frazier's death in 2011, he attended an autograph signing and memorabilia show in Las Vegas. Frazier grabbed a copy of an old Sports Illustrated magazine that had a photo of the two fighters and promoter Don King on the cover.
"Man," he said, sounding wistful, "we gave the people some memories, me and Ali."
Ali was at the peak of his professional powers after knocking out Zora Folley in New York on March 22, 1967. He battered Folley throughout and stopped him in the seventh.
After the bout, Folley shared his thoughts with Sports Illustrated.
"The right hands Ali hit me with just had no business landing – but they did. They came from nowhere," Folley said. "… He's smart. The trickiest fighter I've seen. He's had 29 fights and acts like he's had a hundred. He could write the book on boxing, and anyone that fights him should be made to read it first."
But Ali's boxing career came to a screeching halt after that fight. He'd refused induction into the U.S. Army because he stated he was a conscientious objector.
Ali had converted to Islam in 1964 after the first of his two wins over Liston, and changed his name from Cassius Clay. He said Islam was a religion of peace and that he had no desire to engage in combat with those who'd done him or his family no harm.
This all went down at the height of the civil rights movement.
"Shoot them for what?" Ali asked in an interview after he refused induction. "They never called me nigger. They never lynched me. They never put dogs on me. They didn't rob me of my nationality, rape and kill my mother and father. What do I want to shoot them for, for what? Why do I want to go shoot them, poor little people and babies and children and women? How can I shoot them? Just take me to jail."
He went on trial in Houston on June 20, 1967. The jury deliberated for only 21 minutes before finding him guilty. He was fined $10,000, faced five years in jail and had his passport taken.
He was stripped of the crown and deprived from making a living, but he wasn't silenced. Ali would go on a lecture circuit, speaking at colleges for as little as $1,500 and as much as $10,000.
He desperately needed the money because he wasn't making a lot after being stripped and he was paying an expensive team of attorneys.
Always conscious of his image, Ali joked in one interview that he couldn't allow people to see his car.
"I didn't want people to see the world heavyweight champion driving a Volkswagen, while all them guys were driving their Cadillacs," he said.
At first, there was a lot of tension in the crowds, as opposition to the war had only just started. Gradually, though, Ali swung the crowds to his point of view as the country's opinion of the situation in Vietnam turned dramatically.
Ali said that on one series of lectures he was set to make $1,500 a speech for talking to students at Canisius, Farleigh Dickinson and C.W. Post. He opened his wife's piggy bank and found, he said, $135, which he needed to buy gas and food for his trip.
Kilroy said that whenever Ali was paid, the first thing he did was find a Western Union.
"Whenever he'd get paid, he'd go send some money to his mother and father so they were OK and then he sent what was left to his wife and kids," Kilroy said.
Despite his financial difficulties, Ali never lost the courage of his convictions. At one of his speeches, he insisted he had no regrets.
While many tried to convince him of the errors of his ways, he remained steadfast and resolute. He told the crowd that sticking for his beliefs led him to come out on top.
"There have been many questions put to me about why I refused to be inducted into the United States Army," Ali said in the speech to students. "Especially, as some have pointed out, as many have pointed out, when not taking the step I will lose so much. I would like to say to the press and those people who think I lost so much by not taking the step, I would like to say I didn't lose a thing up until this very moment. One thing, I have gained a lot. Number one, I have gained a peace of mind. I have gained a peace of heart. I now know I am content with almighty God himself, whose name is Allah. I have also gained the respect of everyone who is here today.
"I have not only gained the respect of everyone who is here today, but worldwide. I have gained respect [from] people all over the world. By taking the step, I would have satisfied a few people who are pushing the war. Even if the wealth of America was given to me for taking the step, the friendship of all of the people who support the war, this would still be nothing [that would] content [me] internally."
The Supreme Court would reverse Ali's conviction in 1971 by an 8-0 vote. But by then, Ali was already back in the ring.
He actually returned from exile in 1970. Georgia didn't have an athletic commission and so he wasn't banned there. He faced Jerry Quarry on Oct. 26 in Atlanta, a fight Ali won via a third-round stoppage.
After one more fight, a knockout of Oscar Bonavena in the 15th round, Ali was ready to face the undefeated Frazier.
According to boxing promoter Bob Arum, the fight nearly took place in Las Vegas, with then-Nevada Governor Paul Laxalt endorsing the fight.
"The bad luck was [when arranging the fight] we stayed at the Desert Inn," Arum told Yahoo Sports.
The Desert Inn was owned by Moe Dalitz, a one-time bootlegger and racketeer who was the most powerful figure in Las Vegas. He was also a reputed mobster.
Dalitz didn't care for Ali because he didn't serve in the war.
He saw Arum and Conrad eating breakfast and asked Conrad why they were there. Dalitz went crazy, Arum said.
"He said, 'I don't want that [expletive] draft dodger in this town,' " Arum said. " 'It's not good for the town.' "
And so the biggest fight in history went not to Las Vegas but to New York a few months later.
It was an epic night that featured scores of celebrities in the crowd. Frank Sinatra was a ringside photographer. Burt Lancaster did color commentary.
It was an outstanding fight, but Frazier's pressure carried the day. He floored Ali in the 15th round with one of the most famous and perfectly executed left hooks in boxing history, sealing the fight.
But Ali would have his days against Frazier, defeating him twice, in a non-title bout on Jan. 28, 1974, in New York, and for the heavyweight title in Manila on Oct. 1, 1975. That was a fight for the ages, remembered as one of a handful of the best in boxing history.
Ali won by 14th-round stoppage when Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, asked referee Carlos Padilla to stop the fight. There has long been question about whether Angelo Dundee, then Ali's trainer, would have allowed Ali to go out for the 15th had Futch not stopped it.
In his brilliant 2001 book, "Ghosts of Manila," Mark Kram wrote, "After the press conference, Joe retired to a private villa for rest. He had been sleeping for a couple of hours when George Benton entered with a visitor. The room was dark. 'Who is it?' Joe asked, lifting his head. 'I can't see. Can't see. Turn the lights on.' A light was turned on and he still could not see. Like Ali, he lay there with his veins empty, crushed by a will that had carried him so far and now surely too far. His eyes were iron gates torn up by an explosive. 'Man, I hit him with punches that bring down the walls of a city. What held him up?' He lowered his head for some abstract forgiveness. 'Goddamn it, when somebody going to understand? It wasn't justa fight. It was me and him. Not a fight.' "
Ali wasn't nearly the same fighter after that. He'd taken a fearsome pounding in his second career, after his return from exile. His three fights with Frazier, his 1974 fight with George Foreman in Africa and his 1980 bout with Larry Holmes were particularly brutal.
Ali's win over Foreman became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle," fought in then what was called Zaire and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He employed his famous "Rope-A-Dope" strategy in that fight. Foreman was a fearsome opponent at the time, the hardest hitter in boxing with a 40-0 record and 39 knockouts.
There were many sportswriters and boxing experts of the day who feared for Ali, such was Foreman's reputation at the time.
"I thought I was going to go in there and just go out and go, 'Boom, boom, boom,' and hit him and get him out of there and then go home," Foreman told Yahoo Sports in 2014. "That was my mistake. This was Muhammad Ali. He was 'The Greatest,' and they called him that because he was, but he was also the smartest. He knew what to do. And he did a great job of it."
Ali no longer had the foot speed or the elusiveness to dance away from Foreman as he'd done with Liston a decade earlier. Instead, he figured out the best strategy was to lay back against the ropes, lean back as far as he could, cover his face with his gloves and as much of his body as he could with his arms and let Foreman pound at him.
Foreman obliged and threw crunching, punishing shots. Ali took them and waited until Foreman became so tired he could no longer raise his arms. When he couldn't, Ali struck back and knocked out Foreman in the eighth round in the most remarkable upset of his career.
"It was my honor to get beaten up by that man," Foreman said, chuckling, in 2014. "I hated him at the time, because I didn't understand. But we grew to love each other. I love him like a brother."
Ali slowed down even more after the win over Frazier and never again looked like the electric, blazing-fast athlete he'd been years earlier.
"Nobody would have beaten Ali prior to the three-and-a-half years he lost [objecting to the Vietnam War]," Arum, who has promoted boxing for 50 years, told Yahoo Sports. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, could have come close to him. He was as fast and as elusive as Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard, and he was a heavyweight. His punching power was way better than people gave him credit for, but you never saw it a lot in those days because he was up on his toes moving."
After the Frazier fight, Ali became a personality as much as an athlete. He appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation" in 1976 during the Ford-Carter presidential race. He was asked whom he favored, and he declined to answer, saying he didn't know enough and didn't want to influence people who followed him and would vote for whomever he would say.
He officially retired from boxing in 1981 after a unanimous decision loss to Trevor Berbick, ending his career with a 55-5 record. He remains the only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, having won titles in 1964, '74 and '78.
As he aged, Ali began to think of his role in the world and what he could do to improve it. And he talked on "Face the Nation" about his desire to do charitable acts.
"We only have so many hours a day to do what we have to do, so many years to live, and in those years, we sleep about eight hours a day," Ali sad. "We travel. We watch television. If a man is 50 years old, he's lucky if he's actually had 20 years to actually live. So I would like to do the best I can for humanity.
"I'm blessed by God to be recognized as the most famous face on the Earth today. And I cannot think of nothing better than helping God's creatures or helping poverty or good causes where I can use my name to do so."
In a 1975 interview with Playboy that was released around the time of his third fight with Frazier, he spoke of how his view of the world had changed.
He said it was his responsibility to take advantage of his notoriety by helping his fellow man.
"You listen up and maybe I'll make you as famous as I made Howard Cosell," he said in the Playboy interview. "Wars on nations are fought to change maps, but wars on poverty are fought to map change. The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
"These are words of wisdom, so pay attention, Mr. Playboy. The man who has no imagination stands on the Earth. He has no wings, he cannot fly. When we are right, no one remembers, but when we are wrong, no one forgets."
Kilroy, King and Arum said they knew of many charitable acts Ali had done. Kilroy said Ali, who was the most popular athlete in the world for years and commanded attention everywhere he went, would always be willing to do charitable acts, but said he didn't want cameras or reporters around because he didn't want anyone to think he was doing it for the publicity.
In 1973, for example, Ali learned that a home for elderly Jewish people was going to close because it was out of money.
"I'll never forget that night," Kilroy said. "It was a cold January night and we saw it on the news. Ali really paid attention to it and you could tell it bothered him, that all these people were going to be put out. They had nowhere to go. He told me to find out where it was, so I called the TV station and got the address.
"We drove over there and walked in and some guy comes up to me. I said, 'We're looking for the man in charge. Where is he?' And the guy says, 'I am. What do you want?' And Ali tells him he wants to help. He wrote him a check for $200,000 and tells him to put it in the bank that night. And then he writes another check for $200,000 and tells him to wait four days, because he has to get home and put some more money in the bank to cover the check."
In 1990, shortly before the first Gulf War between the U.S. and Iraq, he flew to Baghdad to speak with Saddam Hussein to secure the release of 15 U.S. hostages.
Hussein agreed to release the hostages.
For the rest of his life Ali worked to promote the cause of peace and charity. In December 2015, he condemned ISIS and took a shot at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (without mentioning Trump's name) when Trump suggested temporarily banning all Muslims from entering the U.S.
After the terrorist shootings in San Bernardino, Ali released a statement through his publicist. The headline said, "Statement From Muhammad Ali Regarding Presidential Candidates Proposing to Ban Muslim Immigration to the United States."
"I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino or anywhere else in the world," Ali said in the statement. "True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so-called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion.
"We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody.
"Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is."
It's the last major public statement Muhammad Ali ever made.
Source : Yahoo.com
18
General Discussion / The U.S. has the most powerful cyberweapons on Earth.
« on: March 27, 2016, 08:34:46 AM »
America’s secret arsenal. It’s one of the biggest secrets in the government: The U.S. has the most powerful cyberweapons on Earth. So what are they? And when will we use them?
To this day it remains one of the most sophisticated and mysterious offensive operations ever launched: Stuxnet, the computer virus specifically engineered to attack Iran's nuclear reactors. Discovered in 2010 and now widely believed to be a collaboration between the U.S. and Israel, its existence raised an urgent question: Just what is the U.S. government doing to attack its opponents in the cyber-realm?
Stuxnet's origins have never been officially acknowledged, and the extent of American meddling in malware is still unknown. But for the past few years there’s been something new developing within the U.S. military that has taken "cyber" from a theoretical idea to a deliberate—if secretive—part of U.S. policy. The first ripple came in January 2013, when the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was significantly expanding its cybersecurity forces across all the service branches. By that October, the U.S. Army had launched two teams of technical experts dedicated purely to the cyber realm. Just a year later, the number was up to 10.
The growth has been snowballing. Last year, the secretary of the Army created a new branch for cyber—the first new Army branch since Special Forces was created in 1987. By October of this year, there were 32 teams, coordinated out of a new joint force headquarters for cyber opened last year in Fort Gordon, Georgia. By next summer, the Army expects to have 41.
What's going on? The growth points to one of the most cutting-edge, but also obscure, realms of American military activity: its cyber strategy, and especially its strategy for cyber offense. The United States already has, most observers believe, the most powerful cyberattack capabilities in the world. Much less clear is just what its capacities actually are—and when the Department of Defense believes it should use them.
Continue Reading [somewhat long] http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/12/defense-department-cyber-offense-strategy-000331
To this day it remains one of the most sophisticated and mysterious offensive operations ever launched: Stuxnet, the computer virus specifically engineered to attack Iran's nuclear reactors. Discovered in 2010 and now widely believed to be a collaboration between the U.S. and Israel, its existence raised an urgent question: Just what is the U.S. government doing to attack its opponents in the cyber-realm?
Stuxnet's origins have never been officially acknowledged, and the extent of American meddling in malware is still unknown. But for the past few years there’s been something new developing within the U.S. military that has taken "cyber" from a theoretical idea to a deliberate—if secretive—part of U.S. policy. The first ripple came in January 2013, when the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was significantly expanding its cybersecurity forces across all the service branches. By that October, the U.S. Army had launched two teams of technical experts dedicated purely to the cyber realm. Just a year later, the number was up to 10.
The growth has been snowballing. Last year, the secretary of the Army created a new branch for cyber—the first new Army branch since Special Forces was created in 1987. By October of this year, there were 32 teams, coordinated out of a new joint force headquarters for cyber opened last year in Fort Gordon, Georgia. By next summer, the Army expects to have 41.
What's going on? The growth points to one of the most cutting-edge, but also obscure, realms of American military activity: its cyber strategy, and especially its strategy for cyber offense. The United States already has, most observers believe, the most powerful cyberattack capabilities in the world. Much less clear is just what its capacities actually are—and when the Department of Defense believes it should use them.
Continue Reading [somewhat long] http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/12/defense-department-cyber-offense-strategy-000331
19
Cricket Anyone / Australia vs India 2016: 3rd T20, Highlights
« on: January 31, 2016, 08:21:02 PM »20
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / The Man in the High Castle
« on: November 26, 2015, 09:37:31 AM »
Not sure if anyone read "The Man in the High Castle" - Philip K. Dick.(Set in 1962, fifteen years after an alternate ending to World War II in which the war lasted until 1947, the novel concerns intrigues between the victorious Axis Powers—Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany—as they rule over the former United States, as well as daily life under the resulting totalitarian rule.)
Amazon made it into a series (video).. The adaptation is not bad, except it`s very slow (probably purposely to have other seasons).
Amazon made it into a series (video).. The adaptation is not bad, except it`s very slow (probably purposely to have other seasons).
21
General Discussion / Riemann Hypothesis Solved?
« on: November 17, 2015, 10:31:11 PM »
Source: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/nigerian-professor-claims-solved-156-150444611.html
Nigerian Professor Claims To Have Solved 156-Year-Old Maths Problem, Which Carries $1Million Prize
Has the the Riemann Hypothesis – perhaps math’s most famous problem, which gone unsolved for 156 years – finally been cracked?
A Nigerian professor claims to have found the answer – and now could be in line to win a $1million (£658,000) prize.
Academic Dr Opeyemi Enoch, above, from the Federal University of Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) in Nigeria, says he was persuaded by his students to tackle it.
The hypothesis, which was proposed by mathematician Bernard Riemann in 1859, concerns the distribution of prime numbers.
It one of seven Millennium Problems in Mathematics, puzzles chosen by The Clay Mathematics Institute that carries a prize of £658,000 if solved.
But Enoch, who claims to have made the breakthrough in 2010, says it was the challenge itself, not the money, that made him devote his time to it.
“The motivation was because my students trusted that the solution could come from me – not because the financial reward and that was why I started trying to solve the problem in the first place,” he told the BBC.
“Dr Enoch first investigated and then established the claims of Riemann,” said a statement from FUOYE.
“He went on to consider and to correct the misconceptions that were communicated by mathematicians in the past generations, thus paving way for his solutions and proofs to be established.
"He also showed how other problems of this kind can be formulated and obtained the matrix that Hilbert and Poly predicted will give these undiscovered solutions. He revealed how these solutions are applicable in cryptography, quantum information science and in quantum computers.”
However, the professor revealed that he has faced some bizarre criticism: “[Some people asked] if this man can solve the Riemann problem…why should he not be able to provide solutions to Nigeria’s problems?“ Dr Enoch said.
“Some guys celebrated it, some criticised it – saying what has that got to do with putting food on the tables of Nigerians.”
The Clay Mathematics Institute is yet to confirm that the problem has been solved.
Nigerian Professor Claims To Have Solved 156-Year-Old Maths Problem, Which Carries $1Million Prize
Has the the Riemann Hypothesis – perhaps math’s most famous problem, which gone unsolved for 156 years – finally been cracked?
A Nigerian professor claims to have found the answer – and now could be in line to win a $1million (£658,000) prize.
Academic Dr Opeyemi Enoch, above, from the Federal University of Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) in Nigeria, says he was persuaded by his students to tackle it.
The hypothesis, which was proposed by mathematician Bernard Riemann in 1859, concerns the distribution of prime numbers.
It one of seven Millennium Problems in Mathematics, puzzles chosen by The Clay Mathematics Institute that carries a prize of £658,000 if solved.
But Enoch, who claims to have made the breakthrough in 2010, says it was the challenge itself, not the money, that made him devote his time to it.
“The motivation was because my students trusted that the solution could come from me – not because the financial reward and that was why I started trying to solve the problem in the first place,” he told the BBC.
“Dr Enoch first investigated and then established the claims of Riemann,” said a statement from FUOYE.
“He went on to consider and to correct the misconceptions that were communicated by mathematicians in the past generations, thus paving way for his solutions and proofs to be established.
"He also showed how other problems of this kind can be formulated and obtained the matrix that Hilbert and Poly predicted will give these undiscovered solutions. He revealed how these solutions are applicable in cryptography, quantum information science and in quantum computers.”
However, the professor revealed that he has faced some bizarre criticism: “[Some people asked] if this man can solve the Riemann problem…why should he not be able to provide solutions to Nigeria’s problems?“ Dr Enoch said.
“Some guys celebrated it, some criticised it – saying what has that got to do with putting food on the tables of Nigerians.”
The Clay Mathematics Institute is yet to confirm that the problem has been solved.
22
Other Sports / Rousey vs Holm
« on: November 14, 2015, 11:55:16 PM »
Rousey just got her ass handed to her 
. She gone on all bad bad.. even chatting up meh boi Mayweather.
Hope she's ok though!
. She gone on all bad bad.. even chatting up meh boi Mayweather. Hope she's ok though!
23
General Discussion / Paris attacks: 60 reported killed, hostage situation ongoing
« on: November 13, 2015, 04:49:15 PM »
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/13/world/paris-shooting/index.html
(CNN)[Latest developments, posted at 5:45 p.m. ET]
-- At least 60 people have died in the attacks, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
-- United States security officials are communicating through secure conference calls, sources tell CNN. The assistant to the president for Homeland Security has briefed President Barack Obama on the situation. The president is about to speak.
-- At least six shootings took place in Paris and three explosions took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis late Friday, CNN affiliate BFMTV said. Two or three gunmen entered the Bataclan concert hall while opening fire on law enforcement, BFMTV reported. A source earlier told CNN there were six to eight hostage takers, citing a person they were talking to inside the venue.
-- Paris police tell CNN there were three attacks. Attackers reportedly used AK-47 automatic weapons.
-- CNN's Jim Bittermann, who is based in Paris, reports a producer who is at the Bataclan tells him that police are firing at a rooftop position near the venue.
-- President Francois Hollande was evacuated at halftime of the France-Germany soccer match.
-- Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are holding a crisis meeting at the Interior Ministry to address the attacks in Paris and the explosions in Saint-Denis, according to BFMTV.
-- Counterterrorism officials around the United States have convened secure conference calls to try to gather information and to assess whether there is any indication of threats in the U.S, according to two U.S. counterterrorism officials. There is nothing to indicate any threat to U.S. cities so far. Immediate suspicion for the events in Paris falls to so-called returnees -- people who have traveled to Syria and Iraq and have returned, the officials said.
[Original story, published 4:48 p.m. ET]
At least 18 people were killed in shootings in central Paris late Friday, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
Multiple attacks in Paris
6 photos: Multiple attacks in Paris
The network reported there was a hostage situation at one of the three sites where shootings took place. BFMTV said the ongoing hostage situation was at a theater named Bataclan.
There was a lockdown at the Stade de France due to possible explosions, according to French media. President Francois Hollande was at the stadium, watching France playing world champions Germany in a friendly soccer match, but he left to go to the Interior Ministry.
Police were outside the scene of one of the shootings, a restaurant in the 10th District.
Lylia Melkonian, a reporter for France 2, told CNN the neighborhood has many restaurants that were packed with patrons. Melkonian said authorities were evacuating the area.
A witness told BFMTV that firefighters were on the scene to treat the injured.
In early January of this year, two gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 and wounding 11.
Said and Cherif Kouachi wanted to punish the magazine for the publication of cartoons that they believed mocked the Prophet Mohammed. The Kouachi brothers two days later were shot and killed in a standoff with police in Dammartin-en-Goele.
Amedy Coulibaly, an associate of Said and Cherif Kouachi, attacked a Jewish grocery store in Paris, taking more than a dozen people hostage and killing four. Coulibaly had killed a policewoman the day before, on January 8. Coulibaly was killed when police stormed the kosher market.
(CNN)[Latest developments, posted at 5:45 p.m. ET]
-- At least 60 people have died in the attacks, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
-- United States security officials are communicating through secure conference calls, sources tell CNN. The assistant to the president for Homeland Security has briefed President Barack Obama on the situation. The president is about to speak.
-- At least six shootings took place in Paris and three explosions took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis late Friday, CNN affiliate BFMTV said. Two or three gunmen entered the Bataclan concert hall while opening fire on law enforcement, BFMTV reported. A source earlier told CNN there were six to eight hostage takers, citing a person they were talking to inside the venue.
-- Paris police tell CNN there were three attacks. Attackers reportedly used AK-47 automatic weapons.
-- CNN's Jim Bittermann, who is based in Paris, reports a producer who is at the Bataclan tells him that police are firing at a rooftop position near the venue.
-- President Francois Hollande was evacuated at halftime of the France-Germany soccer match.
-- Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are holding a crisis meeting at the Interior Ministry to address the attacks in Paris and the explosions in Saint-Denis, according to BFMTV.
-- Counterterrorism officials around the United States have convened secure conference calls to try to gather information and to assess whether there is any indication of threats in the U.S, according to two U.S. counterterrorism officials. There is nothing to indicate any threat to U.S. cities so far. Immediate suspicion for the events in Paris falls to so-called returnees -- people who have traveled to Syria and Iraq and have returned, the officials said.
[Original story, published 4:48 p.m. ET]
At least 18 people were killed in shootings in central Paris late Friday, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.
Multiple attacks in Paris
6 photos: Multiple attacks in Paris
The network reported there was a hostage situation at one of the three sites where shootings took place. BFMTV said the ongoing hostage situation was at a theater named Bataclan.
There was a lockdown at the Stade de France due to possible explosions, according to French media. President Francois Hollande was at the stadium, watching France playing world champions Germany in a friendly soccer match, but he left to go to the Interior Ministry.
Police were outside the scene of one of the shootings, a restaurant in the 10th District.
Lylia Melkonian, a reporter for France 2, told CNN the neighborhood has many restaurants that were packed with patrons. Melkonian said authorities were evacuating the area.
A witness told BFMTV that firefighters were on the scene to treat the injured.
In early January of this year, two gunmen attacked the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 and wounding 11.
Said and Cherif Kouachi wanted to punish the magazine for the publication of cartoons that they believed mocked the Prophet Mohammed. The Kouachi brothers two days later were shot and killed in a standoff with police in Dammartin-en-Goele.
Amedy Coulibaly, an associate of Said and Cherif Kouachi, attacked a Jewish grocery store in Paris, taking more than a dozen people hostage and killing four. Coulibaly had killed a policewoman the day before, on January 8. Coulibaly was killed when police stormed the kosher market.
24
General Discussion / The Benefits of Breadfruit: How This Caribbean Crop Can Improve Your Health
« on: August 27, 2015, 06:06:27 PM »
The Benefits of Breadfruit: How This Caribbean Crop Can Improve Your Health
On his recent visit to Trinidad and Tobago for Emancipation Day, Julius Garvey, son of legendary activist Marcus Garvey, emphasized the need to boost agriculture as an effective method for restructuring post-Colonial economies. The younger Garvey also insisted that focusing more on healthy crops would improve sustainability around the world. He spoke to an audience gathered for the trans-Atlantic trade forum, organized by the Emancipation Support Committee.
Garvey, who is Jamaican, stated that “we undervalue ourselves and we don’t take advantage of what we have.” He also noted that the Caribbean has a wealth of foods and a variety of produce that is not available in other parts of the world. He gave the breadfruit as an example. Garvey stated that he grew up with a breadfruit tree in the backyard, and that the plant is very versatile. Breadfruit can be roasted, fried and boiled, and can even be used to make fries and chips, just like a potato. If the breadfruit were used more in Caribbean countries, the need to import Irish potatoes (which mostly come from Idaho) could be eliminated, Garvey proposed.
Garvey also stated that breadfruit has a number of health benefits. Since it can be ground into flour, breadfruit can be used to make pastries, pastas and breads. This would reduce the need to import wheat, which could save a considerable amount of money. Garvey, who is a vascular surgeon, also stated that breadfruit has a lower glycemic index than wheat, making it beneficial for those who suffer from diabetes and hypertension. Consuming breadfruit is also suitable for those who need to follow a gluten-free diet, can help to reduce heart attacks and strokes and helps to combat obesity.
Garvey reiterated that agriculture played a huge role in the social vision his father had for the world. He encouraged the people of Trinidad and Tobago to “big up” their “agriculture and food industry as a significant area of business development and trade.”
In addition to the financial and more well-known health benefits that Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago would reap from consuming more breadfruit, the plant also supplies the body with considerable energy. Breadfruit contains 60 grams of carbohydrates, making it a favorite among endurance athletes. Breadfruit is also rich in antioxidants, which strengthens the immune system and helps the body fight infections. The fiber in breadfruit is essential for healthy digestion, eating toasted breadfruit is an effective natural remedy for a toothache.
These are just some of the reasons that breadfruit should play a bigger role in the agricultural economy and could be a welcomed addition to kitchens around the world. Breadfruit is sold in the U.S. at most conventional and specialty grocery stores.
Source: http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/08/24/benefits-breadfruit-caribbean-crop-can-improve-health/
On his recent visit to Trinidad and Tobago for Emancipation Day, Julius Garvey, son of legendary activist Marcus Garvey, emphasized the need to boost agriculture as an effective method for restructuring post-Colonial economies. The younger Garvey also insisted that focusing more on healthy crops would improve sustainability around the world. He spoke to an audience gathered for the trans-Atlantic trade forum, organized by the Emancipation Support Committee.
Garvey, who is Jamaican, stated that “we undervalue ourselves and we don’t take advantage of what we have.” He also noted that the Caribbean has a wealth of foods and a variety of produce that is not available in other parts of the world. He gave the breadfruit as an example. Garvey stated that he grew up with a breadfruit tree in the backyard, and that the plant is very versatile. Breadfruit can be roasted, fried and boiled, and can even be used to make fries and chips, just like a potato. If the breadfruit were used more in Caribbean countries, the need to import Irish potatoes (which mostly come from Idaho) could be eliminated, Garvey proposed.
Garvey also stated that breadfruit has a number of health benefits. Since it can be ground into flour, breadfruit can be used to make pastries, pastas and breads. This would reduce the need to import wheat, which could save a considerable amount of money. Garvey, who is a vascular surgeon, also stated that breadfruit has a lower glycemic index than wheat, making it beneficial for those who suffer from diabetes and hypertension. Consuming breadfruit is also suitable for those who need to follow a gluten-free diet, can help to reduce heart attacks and strokes and helps to combat obesity.
Garvey reiterated that agriculture played a huge role in the social vision his father had for the world. He encouraged the people of Trinidad and Tobago to “big up” their “agriculture and food industry as a significant area of business development and trade.”
In addition to the financial and more well-known health benefits that Caribbean countries like Trinidad and Tobago would reap from consuming more breadfruit, the plant also supplies the body with considerable energy. Breadfruit contains 60 grams of carbohydrates, making it a favorite among endurance athletes. Breadfruit is also rich in antioxidants, which strengthens the immune system and helps the body fight infections. The fiber in breadfruit is essential for healthy digestion, eating toasted breadfruit is an effective natural remedy for a toothache.
These are just some of the reasons that breadfruit should play a bigger role in the agricultural economy and could be a welcomed addition to kitchens around the world. Breadfruit is sold in the U.S. at most conventional and specialty grocery stores.
Source: http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/08/24/benefits-breadfruit-caribbean-crop-can-improve-health/
25
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / INTO THE BADLANDS
« on: August 18, 2015, 06:38:16 PM »
This one looks interesting - new from aMC Not sure if it will last past season 1.. but the trailer is intriguing
https://youtu.be/XH40EowbTz8
https://youtu.be/XH40EowbTz8
26
Entertainment & Culture Discussion / 2016 Soca!
« on: August 14, 2015, 09:04:14 PM »
Seems the season started!
Young Voice - Bashment
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/l7ZsUuEadPw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/l7ZsUuEadPw</a>
Young Voice - Bashment
28
Football / 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Thread.
« on: December 17, 2014, 08:25:51 AM »
CONCACAF releases host city list for 2015 Gold Cup knockout rounds
NEW YORK -- The knockout rounds of next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia as well as East Rutherford, New Jersey. Part of the tournament will also be played in Canada for the first time.
The United States will open its title defense in the 12-nation championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean on July 7 at Frisco, Texas, CONCACAF announced Tuesday.
The Americans, who are in Group A, play three days later at Foxborough, Massachusetts, and close their first round July 13 at Kansas City, Kansas.
Costa Rica will be in Group B and open July 9 at Carson, California, then play three days later at Houston and July 14 at Toronto.
- CONCACAF Power Rankings: Costa Rica surprise No. 1
In Group C, Mexico starts July 9 at Chicago, plays three days later at Glendale, Arizona, and then July 15 at Charlotte, North Carolina.
The site of the final is to be announced next year. The tournament also includes Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. The final spot will be determined by a playoff between French Guyana and Honduras on March 25 and 29.
The U.S. won the 2013 title and if it wins next year's tournament will qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. If another nation wins the 2015 Gold Cup, it would meet the Americans in a playoff for the Confederations Cup berth.
Source: http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/story/2203066/concacaf-gold-cup-concacaf-releases-host-cities-list-for-2015-gold-cup
NEW YORK -- The knockout rounds of next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia as well as East Rutherford, New Jersey. Part of the tournament will also be played in Canada for the first time.
The United States will open its title defense in the 12-nation championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean on July 7 at Frisco, Texas, CONCACAF announced Tuesday.
The Americans, who are in Group A, play three days later at Foxborough, Massachusetts, and close their first round July 13 at Kansas City, Kansas.
Costa Rica will be in Group B and open July 9 at Carson, California, then play three days later at Houston and July 14 at Toronto.
- CONCACAF Power Rankings: Costa Rica surprise No. 1
In Group C, Mexico starts July 9 at Chicago, plays three days later at Glendale, Arizona, and then July 15 at Charlotte, North Carolina.
The site of the final is to be announced next year. The tournament also includes Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. The final spot will be determined by a playoff between French Guyana and Honduras on March 25 and 29.
The U.S. won the 2013 title and if it wins next year's tournament will qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. If another nation wins the 2015 Gold Cup, it would meet the Americans in a playoff for the Confederations Cup berth.
Source: http://www.espnfc.us/united-states/story/2203066/concacaf-gold-cup-concacaf-releases-host-cities-list-for-2015-gold-cup
29
General Discussion / AMES: From A Dot On The Map
« on: November 15, 2014, 05:37:08 PM »
Short Film on Self-Belief, Inspiration and Legacy.
30
Jokes / lost all interest in sex
« on: November 05, 2014, 02:18:29 PM »
A recent article in the Trinidad Guardian reported that a
woman, Anne Maynard, has sued POS General Hospital,
saying that after her husband had surgery there, he lost all interest in sex..
A hospital spokesman replied:
"Mr. Maynard was admitted for cataract surgery. All we did was correct his eyesight .
woman, Anne Maynard, has sued POS General Hospital,
saying that after her husband had surgery there, he lost all interest in sex..
A hospital spokesman replied:
"Mr. Maynard was admitted for cataract surgery. All we did was correct his eyesight .