WebProNews

Author: Val Powell

  • Sharyl Attkisson Resigns From CBS News

    CBS News’ investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson has resigned, and the announcement was made in a tweet. According to a spokesperson for CBS, Attkisson is leaving the network to pursue other endeavors.

    For months, rumors have been circulating about Attkisson’s differences with the network. Last year, CBS News reported that the correspondent’s investigative pieces on Benghazi did not make The CBS Evening News with more regularity.

    Attkisson has been highly praised by conservatives for her aggressive reporting on Benghazi issues. She has also been having friction with the network, as she sees the network to be biased towards liberals. A CBS News source also said that Attkisson felt that she was being kept from the evening news due to political considerations. Some of her work on stories, such as “Operation Fast and Furious,” Benghazi, and Obamacare did not make it on The CBS Evening News, but were placed on the CBS News website.

    The investigative correspondent also made headlines when she declared that her computers have been hacked, and she said that it may be connected to her investigative work on the government. The network later confirmed that Attkisson’s computers were tampered with, but there was no mention of the ones responsible for the breach of privacy.

    According to reports, Attkisson is currently working on a book called Stonewalled: One Reporter’s Fight for Truth in Obama’s Washington that will be out in November. On her Twitter account, she has been prolific in expressing the means that Obama administration officials go through to get information on matters, such as the Benghazi attacks.

    Despite the ongoing clash between the correspondent and the news network, Attkisson said that her resignation from the network was amicable. In a statement, she said that it has been a great privilege working for CBS News and that she is sincerely grateful for the opportunities she has had with them.

    Sonya McNair, the spokesperson for CBS News, says that the news network appreciates the contributions that Attkisson has made, and that they wish her well.

    Image via Sharyl Attkisson, Twitter

  • Michele Bachmann: LGBT Activists Have Bullied Americans

    Congresswoman Michele Bachmann claims that gays have bullied the Americans into voting against Senate Bill 1062. During the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, the Republican representative of Minnesota’s sixth district was interviewed by conservative radio host Lars Larson. She said that the bill’s downfall showed how LGBT activists have “bullied” politicians and voters into vetoing SB 1062.

    According to Bachmann, there’s nothing about gays in the bill, and that the gay community have bullied the American people and intimidated politicians. She believes that politicians fear the gay community, who “think they get to dictate the agenda everywhere.” She thinks it has all gotten “a little tiresome.”

    Listen to Michele Bachamann on Lars Larson radio show

    SB 1062 would have denied gays service from establishments and businesses based on religious beliefs. If signed into law, the bill would have provided business owners facing discrimination lawsuits with a legal defense, and say that they had acted based on their religious beliefs. The bill was vetoed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in February. Among the politicians who recommended it to be turned down are 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake.

    Earlier this month, Bachmann expressed her opposition to Brewer’s decision. She said that she was sorry Brewer vetoed the bill, because she believes that “tolerance is a two-way street,” and added that the rights of people who have sincerely held religious beliefs should be respected, which means that the vetoing of the bill proved that there is an intolerance against them.

    Bachmann believes that liberals, activist judges and President Obama have ignored the constitution. She describes the president as “lawless, violating the Constitution with every executive order.”

    In 2006, Bachmann opposed an anti-bullying legislation, telling the Minnesota Legislature that such a bill would be a waste of time. “There have always been bullies,” she said, and added, “Will we be expecting boys to be girls?” Five years later, she dismissed the issue that bullying in schools targeted gay students, saying that it was not a federal concern.

     Michele Bachmann On Gays

    Image via YouTube

  • Phil Jackson Seriously Considering Offer To Join New York Knicks’ Front Office

    An important league source reports that former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson is close to accepting an important position at the New York Knicks’ front office. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says that the exact job title remains unclear, but that it would entail “more than just consulting” responsibilities.

    The addition of the Hall of Fame head coach to the struggling New York team might finally turn the tables for them.

    The struggling Knicks team has been pursuing the Hall of Fame head coach for a while, in hopes of recovering from their dismal standing in the current season. According the same source, while there is no final answer from Jackson as of yet, the Knicks “have a sense of what’s going to happen” – and that is Jackson deciding to join the team.

    New York Daily News’ Frank Isola reported that Jackson recently met with New York Knicks owner James Dolan to discuss a potential union with the franchise. Dolan initially approached the idea of a coaching gig for Jackson, but Jackson did not seem keen on the idea of going back to the sideline at his age of 68.

    Jackson has not coached in the NBA since 2011, but rumor has it that the coaching legend is interested in going back to the basketball world. News of Jackson possibly joining the Knicks surfaced in 2012, when Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times reported that the team made a $50 million offer for Jackson to coach for four years. ESPN’s Smith reinforced those rumors when he reported that New York Knicks President and General Manager Steve Mills had met with Jackson to introduce the possibility of him taking over the coaching position in New York City.

    Jackson is expected to give an official answer within the next few days. Although he has been clear about not coaching the team, Knicks guard J.R. Smith thinks that his involvement in the team’s basketball operations will benefit them greatly.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Katie Couric Debuts As Global News Anchor For Yahoo News On Friday

    Television journalist and talk show host Katie Couric’s debut with Yahoo news is scheduled for Friday. Her first guest will be the former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg.

    Couric was appointed as the Global Anchor for Yahoo News, and she officially announced the news to the public via a Tumblr post. Yahoo News is an affiliate of ABC News, which Couric has been part of since the fall of 2011. Couric’s daytime talk show with ABC entitled Couric will be ending in June, and so the journalist has been slowly broadening her role with Yahoo News.

    Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s Chief Executive, handpicked Couric as one of the top journalists to join Yahoo along with Megan Liberman, Matt Bai, and David Pogue. The aggressive media push is Yahoo’s way of expanding the reach of their Web portal. Couric also joined Mayer at the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas last January, where Yahoo revealed new online magazines that are geared towards technology and food.

    Last January, Couric had a test run in a segment where she interviewed Robert Gates, the former Defense Secretary. Couric’s interview will be Bloomberg’s first guesting after he was appointed by the United Nations as the Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change.

    Yahoo is pushing Couric to make use of resources, such as Tumblr and Flickr to reach audiences. Subjects and questions for interviews will be based on viewer submissions that Couric and her team receives.

    Couric consulted users on the questions to ask Bloomberg during the interview. She is also open to accepting videos or images that users may want Bloomberg to see. In a blog post, Couric wrote, “What would you ask Michael Bloomberg?”

    Couric’s interview with Bloomberg will be recorded in advance and premieres on Yahoo’s 8 a.m. news digest.

    Image via YouTube

  • Syrian Nuns Freed By Kidnappers After Three Months

    Syrian insurgents have finally released the 13 nuns and three attendants who were kidnapped from a Greek Orthodox monastery in November.

    The release of the Syrian nuns was part of a hostage swap. In return for the nuns’ release, rebel fighters also released a group of women and some children. The Syrian government appeared to confirm rumors that the government has been detaining children and women who are relatives of those who are suspected of fighting for the opposition.

    The release of the nuns was full of suspense up to the last minute. The nuns, clad in black, travelled to a pro-rebel town called Arsal in order to be received by the Lebanese officials. Government supporters and reporters waited for several hours at the border without a single nun in sight. On Monday morning, the nuns finally appeared at the border.

    Mother Pelagia Sayaf, who heads the Mar Taqla monastery, says that they were treated very well and were never harassed during the three-month ordeal. She also said that the insurgents did not force them to remove their crosses.

    Many media outlets did not acknowledge that an exchange took place at the border. They only focused on the release of the nuns. However, Hadi Abdullah of the Syrian opposition caught the events that transpired at the border on video. The video showed the rebels releasing the nuns in exchange for at least two children and a group of women that the Syrian government was said to be detaining.

    The swap that happened was rare and unforeseen, as peace talks in Geneva for the two sides to give a list of the prisoners they are holding were not successful.

    The nuns were taken to Damascus where they prayed before travelling to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate located in Old Damascus, where they will be staying.

    Nuns back in Syria

    http://youtu.be/4FUjgC68RXs

    Image via YouTube

  • Edward Snowden Appears At SXSW; Calls For Better Online Security Measures

    In a rare public appearance, fugitive and National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden addressed the audience of the SXSW conference regarding Internet privacy and surveillance.

    The conference, which was held on Monday in Austin, Texas, put the controversial U.S. intelligence leaker through via Google Hangouts all the way from Russia, where Snowden currently resides. The U.S. Constitution backdrop gave a touch of patriotism to his emphatic speech, which discussed a variety of topics that revolved around the importance of encryption software in people’s private communications.

    Declaring that the NSA was “setting fire to the future of the Internet”, Snowden urged the techie-dominated audience to be more vigilant in “fighting the fire”. Snowden also called for the proactive participation of public advocates from the tech community who will make sure that mass surveillance problems are acknowledged and resolved accordingly.

    The annual event, which lasted an hour, was hosted by Snowden’s lawyer and director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, Ben Wizner. It also featured the comments and opinion of ACLU’s security and privacy researcher Christopher Soghoian who said that services must be secure from the get-go. This means that developers have to be better at anticipating security issues as opposed to simply coming up with ways to deal with them later on.

    Soghoian added that several technology companies have made vast improvements on their security functions ever since Snowden leaked highly classified information on the U.S. government’s spy programs last year. Despite these developments, Soghoian maintained that the advertising-based models of these companies require the collection of user data, which is eventually accessed by the government.

    Snowden concluded his speech by negating rumors that the NSA has broken into popular encryption standards and saying that “encryption does work”. He also declared that he would do what he did again “regardless of what happens” to him because he believed that the U.S. Constitution “was being violated on a massive scale”.

    Watch Snowden speak at SXSW

    Image via YouTube

  • Lena Dunham Says Sorry For Molestation Joke Via Twitter

    Girls director and actress Lena Dunham made a joke about sexual molestation on Sunday night that didn’t quite sit well with fans.

    Dunham made the joke in response to a tweet she received commenting on her performance on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live. Dunham was invited to host the show, and in a segment—a sketch about Adam and Eve—she appeared nude. In a Twitter post, a user told Dunham that she doesn’t always have to do away with clothes all the time. Her response was a joke about a molesting uncle.

    Oops.

    A barrage of angry tweets came in, criticizing Dunham for the petty way she tackled the sensitive subject.

    Dunham immediately took down the tweet and apologized, admitting that she went too far, that her joke wasn’t so great and that she “should know better.” Her excuse for the gaffe was that she was really sleepy.

    One user said in reply that Dunham herself wouldn’t stay mum in similar situations, noting that if anyone else came up with the joke and cited sleepiness as an excuse, Dunham wouldn’t have simply let it go. “Not if they were a fifty year old man,” the actress said in return. The 27-year-old actress added that “joke flexibility” is something women can have a lot, “Ya gotta get by in this world.”

    Dunham deleted the molestation tweet because she had been seeing a lot of different kinds of Twitter rage, she said, and realized that the long-running Saturday show had a bigger audience than what she was accustomed to. For the last of her back-to-back tweets, she posted, “Sleep well and thanks for an amazing weekend.”

    Last year, Dunham won two Golden Globes for Girls and also won the Gracie Allen Awards as Outstanding Director. She had been nominated eight times for the Emmy Awards, and holds the honor of being the first woman to be named Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series by the Directors Guild.

    Lena Dunham In The Nude. Funny!

    Image via YouTube

  • Kim Yo-Jong, Sister Of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Makes First Official Appearance On Election Day

    Election Day was a family affair for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Along with his escort of party and military officials, Kim Jong-un brought along his younger sister Kim Yo-jong to the polling station for the socialist nation’s quinquennial elections.

    The state-run television network showed images of Kim Yo-jong trailing her brother’s group en route to the polling station at the capital’s Kim Il-sung University of Politics. Another image showed Kim Yo-jong in the act of casting her ballot.

    This may be Kim Yo-jong’s official debut, but it is not the first time she has been in public with her brother. In 2011, she was present at the funeral of her father and former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, which was televised. Kim Yo-jong has also been seen accompanying her brother during his local and overseas trips.

    Kim Yo-jong, who is believed to be 26 years old, is the youngest sister of the current North Korean dictator and the youngest daughter of the late Kim Jong-il. During her recent appearance, she donned a black suit and skirt, and was listed as a senior government official, although the exact position was not specified.

    In 2012, Kim Yo-jong was seen on television riding a white steed with her aunt and Kim Jong-il’s sister Kim Kyong-hui. The elder female Kim, who has the rank of a four-star general, was very active in North Korean politics before she reportedly fell ill.

    North Korea’s state-run news agency KCNA reported a unanimous victory with zero abstention for Kim Jong-un. The agency claims that “all voters of the constituency participated in the voting process” and that 100 percent of them chose Kim Jong-un. The North Korean ballot contained only one name – Kim Jong-un’s – and voters were required to write down “Yes” or “No” on the paper.

    Image via South China Morning Post

  • Tiger Woods Still Plagued By Bad Back

    Tiger Woods Still Plagued By Bad Back

    Tiger Woods has faced numerous challenges on the green before, but nothing of this (painful) scale. At the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Doral, Florida, all it took was one swing at the sixth hole in the last round before Woods’ back injury acted up—again.

    It wasn’t the first time Woods’ back injury gave him problems. He had to withdraw from the Honda Classic a week earlier. He was 13 holes into the final round when his back spasms flared up and he couldn’t continue.

    At Doral, Woods stood with one foot outside of the hazard and the other in a fairway bunker and hit an 8-iron. That swing must have triggered and aggravated his back problem, because from there on, he grimaced and was clearly uncomfortable in his movements until the end of the round.

    Woods’ pain was clear to see, as he often winced after drives and looked uneasy as he stood over putts. However, unlike his round at the Honda Classic, he did not consider withdrawing at all. “We’ve done all the protocols,” Woods said, referring to his back spasms, adding that “it’s just a matter of keeping everything aligned.”

    He managed to finish 6-over-par 78, statistically his worst ever at Doral. It put him on a shared spot on 25th place. He wasn’t able to make a single birdie either, the eighth time in his entire PGA Tour career.

    The day before, Woods did exceptionally well, enough to post a tournament-best 6-under 66. He felt sore after that round, but it was nothing compared to his condition on Sunday.  It’s tougher, Woods says, on certain days when his injury simply flares up.

    For Woods, he just needs to keep things steady. He said he was happy that his back got better after the previous week. He is scheduled to go to Bay Hill in two weeks to defend his title in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Before then, Woods said that it would be good to have a week off and “get some treatment.”

    Tiger Woods falls to his knees in pain at the Barclays

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘Cosmos’ Reboot Features Unlikely Tandem Of Neil DeGrasse Tyson And Seth MacFarlane

    ‘Cosmos’ Reboot Features Unlikely Tandem Of Neil DeGrasse Tyson And Seth MacFarlane

    Cosmos: A Personal Voyage was a 13-part TV series that first appeared on television in 1980. The series tackled a wide range of scientific topics including Carl Sagan’s perspective of our existence in the universe and the origin of life.

    On March 9, a reboot of Cosmos entitled Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey premiered with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The series is produced by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy. MacFarlane decided to enter the project after a meeting with Tyson. McFarlane was interested to know if Tyson was doing a scientific project that he could be part of. Tyson then encouraged MacFarlane to back a project by Ann Druyan, Sagan’s widow, on a remake of Cosmos. MacFarlane got on board and produced the series together with Druyan, and Brannon Braga, the producer of Star Trek.

    In an interview with National Geographic, Tyson said that now is a good time to recreate Sagan’s Cosmos, as there have been a lot of changes in the last 34 years. Since the program’s last airing, thousands of new planets have been discovered.

    Tyson also said that the reboot features a new way of storytelling through cinematic that may provide emotional fulfillment for viewers. He also said that the purpose of the show is not to educate viewers about the latest scientific discoveries, but to tell the stories that will allow viewers to understand how science is the center of our lives.

    The reboot follows the structure of the original show, but there are some notable differences that make Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey blunter. The premiere ended with Tyson explaining his personal connection to Sagan, and how he was dazzled by the late astronomer’s compassion and intelligence.

    According to Tyson, he wants viewers to walk away from watching the show realizing “how far we have come and how wonderful is this world of ours.”

    The 13-part series airs on Fox and the National Geographic Channel.

    Neil Degrasse Tyson Talks About ‘Cosmos’

    Image via YouTube

  • Joran Van Der Sloot To Be Extradited To The U.S. In 2038

    The Peruvian government has agreed to transfer Joran van der Sloot, a Dutch national, to the U.S. after he has served his sentence on a murder conviction in Peru, which will end in 2038. The news was published in one of Peru’s official gazette.

    Van der Sloot is currently serving his sentence in Peru after he was convicted of robbing and murdering Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez, a 21-year old Peruvian student that he met in 2010. In 2012, van der Sloot was given a 28-year sentence in prison for the murder charge, just 2 years less than the maximum sentence.

    In the United States, Van der Sloot was indicted on accounts of extortion and wire fraud related to the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway. United States authorities have accused Van der Sloot of extorting $25,000 from the mother of Holloway. He said that he would give valuable information on the whereabouts of her missing daughter in exchange for the money. The incident happened in 2010, just before Van der Sloot went to Peru.

    Holloway, an Alabama-native, disappeared on May 30, 2005 and she was last seen leaving, Carlos’n Charlie’s, a bar in Aruba, with three men. One of them is said to be Van der Sloot. Holloway was on a trip to the Caribbean with 100 of her classmates to celebrate their high school graduation. Nobody was ever convicted for the crime and Holloway’s body was never found. She was declared dead in 2012 by a judge.

    Investigators believe that Van der Sloot killed Ramirez after she found something related to the disappearance of Holloway on his computer. The murder happened exactly five years after Holloway’s disappearance.

    Van der Sloot has confessed to robbing Ramirez and killing her. He also used the victim’s vehicle in order to leave the country. After the incident, he flew to Chile and was apprehended by the authorities a few days after he arrived.

    Joran van der Sloot sentencing

    Image via YouTube

  • Rick Perry’s CPAC Speech Urges Rebellion

    On the second day of the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) held last Friday, Texas Governor Rick Perry’s speech was well received by the crowd with lots of applause and whistles.

    In his speech, the Governor praised his fellow Republicans, Governors Rick Scott of Florida, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, and Nikki Haley of South Carolina.

    He opened his speech by quoting Thomas Jefferson who once said, “A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing.” He then went on and enumerated the things that the government should focus on, such as providing a forceful foreign policy, and defending the country. He continued to say, “And what the heck, deliver the mail, preferably on time and on Saturdays,” which roused the crowed into a frenzy.

    Perry also reiterated his rally against blue states, which is what he has been doing in his jobs tour in other states. The Governor proposed a simple solution to all the problems stating, “It’s time for a little rebellion on the battlefield of ideas.”

    Others say that Perry’s speech is a showing of what can be expected in his presidential bid in 2016. In his speech, he also told his supporters that they don’t have to accept recent history and the presidency just needs to be changed, an obvious stab against President Obama.

    At the peak of his speech, the Governor’s voice soared as he said that the future of the nation lies in the hands of his fellow conservatives. He ended his speech by saying that his supporters are the ones who represent the renewed hope that the country can be great once again.

    Perry has stated the big contrast between the blue-state and the red-state governors and the crowds agreed, showing their support for the governor with loud applause that got louder as the speech ended.

    Watch Rick Perry Soundbites. Hilarious!

    Image via YouTube 

  • Jennifer Beals Lands Lead Role In Kyra Sedgwick-Produced TNT Drama

    Actress Jennifer Beals is set to star of the TNT pilot of the supernatural medical drama, Proof. Produced by acclaimed actress Kyra Sedgwick, the show’s plot revolves around Beals’ character Dr. Kathryn Russo, a brilliant but somewhat jaded female surgeon with a bit of a rough edge. Her attitude is heavily influenced by the devastating death of her teenage son and her strained relationship with her only daughter. In the wake of her son’s death, Russo begins investigating cases concerning reincarnations, haunting, out-of-body experiences, and other supernatural phenomena.

    The pilot will be penned by Rob Bragin of Murphy Brown and Greek fame, and directed by The West Wing director Alex Graves. The show’s theme seeks “proof” and answers to one of life’s most mysterious questions about death – does the human experience truly end with death or is there something else beyond it?

    The The L Word star has been busy lately with other projects aside from Proof. She recently appeared in the Fox crime drama television series Chicago Code. She also served as co-creator and executive producer of HBO’s hour-long series Laughs Unlimited along with Oren Moverman, Adena Chawke, Lauren Schuler Doner, and Tony Swofford.

    Beals was in her teens when she first gained Hollywood’s attention. In 1983, she played the role of Alex Owens in the romantic drama film Flashdance. She earned a Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award for her performance in the movie. The 50-year-old actress went on to starr in 50 films as well as the popular Showtime TV series The L Word in which she played the role of Bette Porter.

    Apart from acting, Beals is also a photographer who has held several exhibits that showcased her work. A strong advocate of gay and women’s rights, Beals is also a practicing Buddhist and an active triathlete.

    Flashdance: Jennifer Beals’ Breakout Role

    http://youtu.be/0z39mhyAt9g

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Joakim Noah Leads Bulls In Overtime Win Over Heat

    Joakim Noah scored 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 blocks for the Chicago Bulls in Sunday’s game versus Miami Heat. Noah filled up his team’s stats and led them through an overtime victory with a final score of 95-88.

    The Miami Heat are the two-time defending champions and have eliminated the Bulls twice during the last three seasons, making Sunday’s game a special treat for the center. Noah is on his seventh year in the league and has just made the All-Star team for the second consecutive year.

    Noah says his hate for the Heat isn’t personal, and stems more from wanting what the other team has: “I want a championship,” he says, and he knows that to get there, his team has to beat the Heat first. “I want everyone who wears a Bulls jersey to work. We’re going for one thing. That’s the championship,” he says with conviction.

    Noah took the reins with the absence of Derrick Rose, who is sitting out the season to recover from his knee surgery. Rose was the team’s dominant scorer, and without him, the Bulls have had to win games by playing good defense, something that Noah says they work on every day.

    “Defense is all about repetition, having trust in your teammates,” he says. He gives credit to the Bulls’ coach Tom Thibodeau for his drilling in the defensive aspect of the game.

    The Bulls have a lot of strong opponents to face in the coming weeks, including the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Noah keeps his eye on the prize—the championship. “One day, I want to party in Chicago and I want to see what that feels like.”

    Shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who scored 16 points during the game and guarded the Heat’s star player LeBron James, was all praises for his teammate, saying that Noah was a great leader who “puts the team on his back every night.”

    Joakim Noah’s Top 10

    Image via Facebook

  • Patrick Reed Triumphs At WGC-Cadillac Championship In Doral

    The reign of Tiger Woods as the youngest World Golf Championships tournament winner has finally come to an end, thanks to Patrick Reed. The 23-year old Texan native won by one shot over Jamie Donaldson and Bubba Watson.

    Donning a red shirt and black pants, Reed also managed to make history on Sunday by scoring a 4-under-par 284, which tied 1985 winner Mark Mc Cumber’s score at the Doral-Eastern Tournament. The Doral course, which is otherwise known as the “Blue Monster”, is notoriously difficult to play on and only three players at the tournament were under par.

    Reed was feeling confident as he took the lead at the first-round finish on Friday. He continued the good showing on Sunday’s championship, advanced his lead with two birdies, and played it safe off the final tee in an effort to ensure the win.

    In an interview after his victory, Reed said that Tiger Woods was best player he saw as a child, and that he wore the same color combination – red and black. They both showed on Sunday wearing red shirts and black pants, although Reed outshone Woods when he increased his lead to four shots at one point in the game and made two bogeys later on to secure a 4 under. Bubba Watson finished at 3 under along with Donaldson, while Dustin Johnson and Richard Sterne ended in a tie for fourth place at even-par.

    The Doral tournament was Reed’s first WGC event. In 2012, he was ranked 586th in the world golf rankings, but is now up to number 20. He is third in the FedEx Cup rankings and has a strong chance of making it to the U.S Ryder Cup team.

    A confident Reed also said that he believes that he is “one of the hardest workers out there” and that his effort “definitely shows” in his game.

     

    Image via YouTube

  • Ted Turner Hospitalized In Buenos Aires

    Robert Edward Turner III, more commonly known as philanthropist and cable TV network CNN founder Ted Turner, has been hospitalized in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

    The 75-year-old media tycoon owns property in the Patagonia region of Argentina. On Friday morning, Turner went to the nearby San Carlos Sanatorium in the city of Bariloche, complaining of acute abdominal pain. He then took a jet and set off for Buenos Aires to receive treatment at the Argentine Institute for Diagnosis and Treatment in Barrio Norte. He is currently under observation, and Argentine media sources say Turner will have to undergo an operation for appendicitis.

    Phillip Evans, the spokesman for Turner Enterprises, confirmed in a statement that Turner has been admitted for observation, but they will not provide further details on Turner’s personal health, in view of the company’s policy.

    Born in Ohio, Turner and his family moved to Georgia when he was nine, and he attended a private prep school for boys in Tennessee. Turner went on to study the Classics and later on Economics at Brown University. When he was 24, he became the president and CEO of the Turner Advertising Company after his father’s death. He expanded the business, purchasing an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 and establishing the Turner Broadcasting System. He created the Cable News Network or CNN ten years later, and it became the world’s first 24-hour cable news channel.

    Turner’s media empire includes MGM, Turner Entertainment Co., Turner Network Television, Turner Classic Movies, and the Cartoon Network. He also created the Turner Foundation, which concentrated on giving grants for environmental conservation. He was the man behind the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, and most of his assets are devoted to environmental causes. He now focuses on charity and green initiatives, with many projects dealing with the fight against climate change.

    Turner was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1991, the first time a media figure was given the honor. He was also inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in the same year.

    Image via YouTube

  • LA Marathon: Amane Gobena of Ethiopia Wins

    Amane Gobena, 31, won the L.A. Marathon that was held last Sunday. Gobena clocked in at 2:27:37 and received the $25,000 prize for the women’s race. She also finished 41 seconds ahead of Gebo Burka, a fellow Ethiopian, which added $50,000 to her winnings for the event’s gender challenge where the women started 17 minutes and 41 seconds ahead of the men.

    The L.A. Marathon was the second marathon that Gobena ran in a span of two months. The first one was in Dubai last January 25, wherein she finished at 6th place. The race in Dubai left Gobena determined to win the L.A. Marathon and the challenge bonus prize.

    In an interview, Gobena said that the $75,000 prize was going towards a house that she is currently building. Burka, on the other hand, got $25,000 and dedicated his first win to his recently born son.

    In the 29-year history of the L.A. Marathon, this is the second time that the Ethiopians garnered a sweep. The first sweep was in 2011 when Buzunesh Deba and Markos Geneti won for the women and men’s race. Gobena also mentioned in an interview that she encouraged other Ethiopians to “come forward” and do their best in the race.

    This year’s L.A. Marathon had over 25,000 contestants who ran the course starting from the Dodger Stadium all the way to Santa Monica. The first ones to leave the starting line were the athletes in wheelchairs, followed by the elite women, and then the men.

    Joshua George won the event for the men’s wheelchair race, clocking in at 1:33:11, and Susannah Sarconi won the women’s race event finishing at 1:54:54. Each of them received $2,500.

    Of the 25,000 runners that participated in the race, around a thousand of them needed medical attention due to the heat that was recorded to be in the 70s by the time the race was finished.

    Ethiopian runners

    http://youtu.be/1U9ERaF0J0k

    Image via Twitter

  • Biggie Smalls Remembered 17 Years After His Death

    Fans all over the world remembered Biggie Smalls, also known in the music world as The Notorious B.I.G., on the 17th anniversary of his death on Sunday. The rapper had just left a Vibe magazine-hosted event on March 9, 1997 in a GMC Suburban SUV with his crew. They were waiting for the red light to turn when a black sedan, a Chevrolet Impala SS, drove up next to them. The Impala’s driver fired repeatedly at the SUV. According to the autopsy released in December 2012, Biggie was hit four times; one hit his vital organs and became the cause of death. The assailant is unknown.

    Fans of the hip-hop artist took to Twitter to offer their tributes. One fan posted, “Exactly 17 years ago the world lost a genius.” Another tweeted, “R.I.P. Biggie Smalls. You’ll always be one of the greatest!”

    The rapper was born Christopher George Latore Wallace on May 21, 1972 in St. Mary’s Hospital in New York and was raised in Brooklyn. His parents were Jamaican; his mother Voletta taught preschool and his father George worked as a welder. He was their only child. When Wallace was two years old his father left the family, and his mother struggled through two jobs. Wallace attended the Queen of All Saint Middle School where he excelled, especially in his English subjects. When he was 10 he was nicknamed “Big” because of his size.

    Biggie Freestyle At Age 17

    http://youtu.be/zCcROGKl89Y

    During his teenage years he dabbled in rapping but also got himself involved in crime, getting arrested twice on various charges, including dealing crack cocaine. A year after his release, he made a demo tape, which was consequently promoted by DJ Mister Cee. The demos were heard by the editor of The Source magazine’s editor, and Wallace, as Biggie Smalls, was featured in the magazine’s Unsigned Hype column. One thing led to another, and soon enough, Biggie Smalls and later on, The Notorious B.I.G., rose to fame. His album Ready to Die sold millions and achieved Platinum status four times. He was 24 when he died.

    ‘Juicy’: The Hit That Made Biggie Famous

    Image via YouTube

  • Quvenzhané Wallis Is ‘Annie’; Official Trailer Released

    Oscar-nominated child actress Quvenzhané Wallis shines as the famous film orphan in the teaser trailer of Annie, which was finally unveiled on Wednesday. The highly anticipated film is due to hit theaters on Christmas Day.

    Fans of the hit musical Annie who have been waiting for the 2014 remake can finally stop holding their breath. The trailer of the hip-hop influenced film version features scenes of Wallis with co-stars Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. Diaz plays the role of ruthless and alcoholic Miss Hannigan, while Foxx plays the role of Will Stacks, a character based on the Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks of the Broadway musical and 1982 film.

    While the new Annie has a very similar plot to the original movie, it tells a story that is set in a more modern period and a different locale. Audiences are expected to relate more to the updated setting, which features a bustling New York City and a reference to the social media giant, Facebook. The iconic song and dance numbers, however, are very much present in the film.

    The remake, which is co-produced by two of the biggest names in hip-hop, Jay Z and Will Smith, was initially set to feature Smith’s daughter Willow as Annie. Wallis entered the picture when Willow dropped out of the project in 2013 when director Will Gluck was chosen as the film’s director.

    Wallis first turned heads in Hollywood when she starred in the dramatic film Beasts of the Southern Wild as the lead character Hushpuppy. She was nominated in the 2012 Academy Awards for this role, currently making her the youngest Oscar nominee for Best Actress. It was also Wallis’ first major acting job, in which she was said to have lied about her age during the audition. Wallis also starred in the 2013 historical film 12 Years a Slave, which won Best Picture in the 2014 Academy Awards.

    Annie: Official Trailer

    http://youtu.be/luUwSE3M1yk

    Image via YouTube

  • Mass. Upskirting Photos Ruled Legal; Lawmakers Vote to Ban

    The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts on ruled it legal to take photos underneath a person’s clothing, known as “upskirting.” The high court said on Wednesday that the practice did not violate the law, because the “Peeping Tom” statute only applies to those who are nude or are partially nude.

    In 2010, Michael Robertson was arrested and accused of using his cell phone to record videos and take photos up the dresses and skirts of women on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trolley. He was charged with two counts of photographing a person in a state of partial nudity. Citing the law, Robertson’s lawyers noted that the female subway riders were not “nude or partially nude” and were also not in a place where privacy was expected, like bathrooms and dressing rooms.

    Legal expert Anne Bremner said the ruling exposes a legal loophole, commenting that the existing stature talks about nudity and not privacy. Similarly, Sunny Hostin, a legal analyst for CNN, remarked that the law has not caught up to technology and upskirting is an assault to a person’s right to privacy. She added that the spirit of the law should be about privacy.

    The ruling has prompted one prosecutor to call for a revision of the state law. Daniel Conley, District Attorney for Suffolk Country, stated that every person has a right to privacy beneath the clothes he or she wears, and that if the law does not protect that right, then the Legislature must act fast and adjust the law.

    A day after the legality of upskirting was upheld, lawmakers voted to ban photos of women and children’s “sexual or intimate parts” taken in secret. Senate President Therese Murray remarked that the practice is sexual harassment. She added that women and children should be free to go to public places “without feeling like they are not protected by the law.” The vote awaits Governor Deval Patrick’s signature.

    House Speaker Robert DeLeo stated that they acted to bring the statutes of Massachusetts “up-to-date with technology.” Other states, such as Washington, Florida, and New York have passed laws criminalizing upskirting, stressing that women have an expectation of privacy under clothing.

    Image via YouTube

  • Dr. Frank Jobe: Sports Medicine Pioneer Passes Away At 88

    Renowned American orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe has died, according to an official statement made by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. He had been hospitalized in Santa Monica shortly before his death due to an unnamed illness. Jobe was 88 years old and a team physician for the Dodgers for 50 seasons.

    Dr. Jobe is credited for creating and developing the Tommy John surgery – a breakthrough in the field of surgery in which a tendon from any part of the body is transplanted to a damaged ulnar collateral ligament or UCL in the medial elbow. Dr. Jobe performed this procedure for the first time in 1974 on major league pitcher Tommy John; hence the name.

    Prior to the surgery, athletes who suffered from a ruptured UCL had no means of repairing it, but the Tommy John surgery completely changed that. Tommy John spent an entire year recovering from the surgery and went on to win 164 games in a span of 14 years afterwards.

    Not only did Dr. Jobe invent the Tommy John surgery, but he also refined it and trained numerous orthopedic surgeons. It is now one of the most common baseball-related surgical procedures among collegiate and professional athletes.

    Before joining the Dodgers medical team, Dr. Jobe was a consultant and active practitioner at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, which specializes in sports medicine. He was team physician for 40 years before being appointed as special advisor to the chairman of the Dodgers in 2008.

    Dr. Jobe has been recommended to be a nominee in the National Baseball Hall of Fame even though he never played the game. An official campaign to have Dr. Jobe inducted into the Hall of Fame was launched in August 2012 and last year, the organization honored him informally in March 2013.

    Apart from his massive contribution to sports medicine, Dr. Jobe also served in World War II as an army medic. He also wrote more than 100 medical publications and received Honorary Doctorates from Japan and the United States.

    Image via Twitter