Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Della Reese 'Touched By Angel' star and singer, dies aged 86


Della Reese, the actress and singer famous for her role as Tess - the wise angel in television drama 'Touched by an Angel' passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, at her California home on Sunday. A statement released on the family's behalf by Reese's co-star Roma Downey read;

"On behalf of her husband, Franklin Lett, and all her friends and family, I share with you the news that our beloved Della Reese has passed away peacefully at her California home last evening surrounded by love. She was an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and pastor, as well as an award-winning actress and singer.

Queen marks 70th wedding anniversary by making Prince Phillip a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pictured in their Wedding anniversary portrait
The Queen has presented the Duke of Edinburgh with a rare honour as a special anniversary present as they celebrate 70 years of marriage.
As the royal couple reached their milestone platinum wedding anniversary, Elizabeth II appointed Philip a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) for services to the sovereign.
The touching gesture will be seen as the Queen's recognition of the devotion Philip has shown through the decades, supporting her publicly and privately.
Philip, 96, retired from his public role in the summer after years of royal duty alongside the monarch.
He is the longest serving royal consort in British history, and the Queen, the nation's longest reigning monarch, is the first to celebrate a 70th wedding anniversary.
Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by the Queen and bestowed independently of Downing Street.
The monarch presented Philip with the honour at Windsor Castle, where they are marking their anniversary privately.
They are celebrating with close family and friends at a special dinner at the Berkshire residence on Monday evening.

US Air Force pilot killed in Texas plane crash

t-38

A U.S. Air Force training jet crashed Monday near Lake Amistad, Texas, killing the pilot and injuring another, according to officials at Laughlin Air Force Base.

The two-seat, T-38 Talon jet crashed about 4 p.m. Monday, roughly 14 miles northwest of the air base near U.S. 90 in Del Rio, Texas, officials said.

Some eyewitnesses reported seeing a parachute and one pilot descending to the ground, the Del Rio News-Herald reported.

The surviving pilot was transferred to Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio. No names were released until family could be notified, according to a base statement.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Libya says to probe 'slave auction' footage

A demonstrator, standing through the smoke from tear gas, raises his fist during a march against "slavery in Libya" on the Champs-Elysees avenue face antiriot police in Paris on November 18, 2017

Libya will investigate alleged slave trading in the country, the internationally recognised government announced Sunday, following the release of video footage appearing to show migrants being auctioned off.

Chaos-ridden Libya has long been a major transit hub for migrants trying to reach Europe, and many of them have fallen prey to serious abuse in the North African country at the hands of traffickers and others.

US television network CNN aired the footage last week of an apparent live auction in Libya where black men are presented to North African buyers as potential farmhands and sold off for as little as $400.

Woman, 24, who was held captive as an ISIS sex slave, reveals horror at hands of jihadi monsters

 Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney said she was moved to tears when she heard Nadia's story

A WOMAN held captive as an ISIS sex slave has revealed her harrowing story at the hands of the barbarous terror group.

Nadia Murad, 24, was one of 7,000 Yazidi women and girls snatched by hard-line Sunni Muslim fighters in 2014 in northern Iraq.
Five of her eight brothers and and her mother were slaughtered while the younger girls like her were kept as sex slaves, The Times reports.

Murad has now opened up about her horror ordeal in a new book called The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity and My Fight Against the Islamic State published on Tuesday.

She writes: "It never gets easier to tell your story. Each time you speak it, you relive it.

Call Of Duty: WWII reader’s review – Reader’s Feature

Call Of Duty: WWII reader’s review - Reader’s Feature

A reader, and long-time COD fan, offers his verdict on the story campaign, Zombies mode, and multiplayer of WWII. Call Of Duty is a franchise that has certainly had its ups and down the past couple of years, not helped by three year development cycles that has meant the past five titles have been near future or futuristic with 3D movement.

And while many have called the franchise ‘dead’ online, (despite Black Ops III topping 25+ million units last year) the news of a return to its roots this year was met with euphoria all across the community, old and new And with the news, as I’m writing this, that Call Of Duty: WWII has broken the record for the best-selling digital full game on PlayStation 4, and has surpassed $500 million worldwide in it’s opening weekend, it seems it’s been a hit. Although World War 2 isn’t anything new to the franchise, it sure is a refreshing change of pace. A necessary one, and I’m glad to tell you that it’s a great game. Although the campaign isn’t great, the multiplayer sure is.

Having A Pet Dog Leads To Longer, Healthier Life: Study




A team of scientists found that dog owners have lower risks of cardiovascular disease and death. How do dogs protect their humans from untimely disease and death?

Canine Protectors From Cardiovascular Disease And Death
Utilizing data from seven different national registries of 3.4 million individuals in Sweden, a team of Swedish scientists wanted to find out whether dog owners have different disease and death risks compared to non-dog owners. The data they studied included dog ownership registration, which has been mandatory in Sweden since 2001, and hospital records in the national database.

What they found was that having a dog evidently lowers the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and other causes. Generally, they found that having a dog lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease among single-person households, and lowers death risks among the general public.

Their results also showed that people with hunting dogs actually have the lowest risk of cardiovascular diseases compared to other groups. What's more, they found a 33 percent reduction in death risk and 11 percent reduction in myocardial infarction risk among single dog owners compared to single non-owners, something that the authors find quite interesting.

"A very interesting finding in our study was that dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone," said Mwenya Mubanga of the Uppsala University, lead junior author of the study who also points out that perhaps dogs serve as a stand-in family member in single households.

Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Wins Game Of The Year At The Golden Joystick Awards




Nintendo's epic open world adventure, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has won Ultimate Game of The Year at the Golden Joystick Awards, the top prize of the ceremony honoring the best video games to come out in 2017.

The victory comes as no surprise at all, seeing as the game reaped riotous praise and mountains of accolades upon its release. Some even call it a revolutionary title that'll change how open-world elements work in future games, while many argue it's one of the best games in the Zelda series.

Nintendo Won Several Other Awards, Too
Breath of the Wild beats Horizon Zero Dawn and Persona 5, which came in at second and third place, respectively. Besides the top prize, it also came home with Best Audio, Nintendo Game of the Year 2017, and Critics' Choice. Nintendo EPD, responsible for both Breath of the Wild and smash-hit Super Mario Odyssey, was named Best Studio this year.

Car review: Jaguar E-Pace SUV (2017)

Jaguar E-Pace SUV (2017) review

The world domination of the SUV continues apace – or E-Pace, in this instance – with a new Jaguar off-road-alike that slots below the F-Pace both physically and alphabetically.

Rather than stealing sales from the larger car Jag reckons the E-Pace will bring new, younger customers through the door – and there are certainly enough of them; compact crossovers like this made up 40% of global SUV sales in 2016, and that number is only expected to increase.

It was inevitable, therefore, that the E-Pace would come along sooner or later. Premium rivals like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 have been ploughing this particular furrow for years – and even sister-brand Land Rover is at it with the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.

Enough with the farming metaphors, what’s the Jaguar E-Pace like to drive?

Unsurprisingly it sits on the same platform as those JLR relatives (a chassis that can trace its heritage to the previous Ford Mondeo) but the E-Pace is more about sporting performance than off-road ability.
It’s powered exclusively by 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Ingenium engines ranging from a 148bhp diesel to a 296bhp petrol as used in the F-Type, although the latter’s soundtrack is a bit more business-like in the E-Pace.

Jennifer Hudson Files Protective Order Against David Otunga After He Got Physical & Taunted Her With a Gun



The recent split between Jennifer Hudson and David Otunga is about to get really messy. The singer has filed a protective order against Otunga, claiming the former pro wrestler has become “aggressive” and “threatening.” He’s been ordered to stay away from his ex-fiancée and their 8-year-old son.
Stating Otunga exhibited “aggressive, threatening and harassing behavior toward me,” Hudson obtained a protection order against him. “I am now living in fear of further action David might take,” she said.
After nearly 10 years together, the couple reportedly broke up several months ago. However, Otunga remained in the couple’s home (which is owned by Hudson) and provided “residential care” for their son, David Jr., while Hudson constantly traveled for work (like Keyshia Cole and Daniel “Booby” Gibson).

However, with each fighting for full-custody of the 8-year-old, the split has become contentious and a custody battle is brewing. Things came to a head on Wednesday night (Nov. 15) when Otunga became physical after accusing Hudson of dating a producer and getting his son involved in the matter.

Jesse Jackson suffering from Parkinson's


Jesse Jackson suffering from Parkinson's

US civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson his suffering from Parkinson's disease.

In a letter to supporters the 76-year-old said family and friends noticed a change in him about three years ago.

He said he could no longer ignore symptoms of the chronic neurological disorder that causes movement difficulties and had been receiving outpatient care for two years

"Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it," he wrote.

The mental disorder that makes Nigerian leaders loot, — Prof. Franzek, researcher, reveals



BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, Netherlands

Ernst Josef Franzek is among the best mental health doctors in Europe. The German born professor of psychiatry and neurology spoke with Sunday Vanguard in the Netherlands during which he expressed worries over what he described as the neglect of mental health care in Nigeria. He attributed the high number of mental health patients in Nigeria to poverty and lack of care for mothers during birth. He also traced the bad leadership in Nigeria and the high crime rate to mental disorders suffered during birth. While calling on Nigerians to ensure their leaders pass mental test before being elected, he criticised the idea of taking mental health patients to the church and, in the process, subjecting them to torture.

Who is Professor Franzek?

I am a psychiatric doctor. I have worked in the Netherlands for more than 40 years. I was born in Germany and educated in a German university. I was a lecturer at the university but, when I turned 50, I decided to do new things. In the summer, I go into research and now I am into another research and treatment of people who have psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and people who also have problem with drugs: Psychiatric disorder and addiction. At the moment, I am the Project Director of the Organization of Mental Health Brabant, the Netherlands.

Saturday, November 18, 2017

AC/DC guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young dies, aged 64


AC/DC co-founder, guitarist and songwriter Malcolm Young has passed away at the age of 64.

AC/DC perform at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario January 9th, 2009

Malcolm, who revealed he has been suffering with dementia in 2014, died at home surrounded by his family.

"It is with deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of Malcolm Young, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother," his family said in a statement on Facebook today (November 18).

"Malcolm had been suffering from Dementia for several years and passed away peacefully with his family by his bedside."
Malcolm's brother Angus also confirmed the news in a statement released on Facebook, praising Malcolm as a "visionary" who will leave behind an enormous legacy.

"Today it is with deep heartfelt sadness that AC/DC has to announce the passing of Malcolm Young," the post read.

Serena Williams is married! See photos from her and husband Alexis Ohanian's in their beauty and the beast themed wedding

Image result for serena williams and alexis ohanian wedding
After a day of speculation, we finally have a peek inside of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian's fairy tale wedding.

The couple tied the knot on Thursday night at the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans in front of 200 family and friends, including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Anna Wintour and Venus Williams, among others.

The top-secret affair was kept largely off of social media for the first 24 hours, so details of the "Beauty and the Beast"-themed nuptials were scarce. Paparazzi photos from outside the ceremony and reception showed a star-studded crowd -- also including Eva Longoria, LaLa Anthony, Tina Knowles and Caroline Wozniacki -- and inside Serena and Alexis danced their first dance to "Tale As Old As Time." "Be Our Guest" played as guests entered the reception.

Friday, November 17, 2017

15 Black Men Arrested By a Corrupt Cop Are Cleared of All Convictions


Flashing lights on top of police patrol car

One by one, the men told the same story: A Chicago police officer would demand money from them. And if they didn’t pay, they would find themselves in handcuffs with drugs stuffed in their pockets.

A Cook County judge on Thursday threw out the felony drug convictions of 15 black men who all say they were locked up for no other reason except that they refused to pay Ronald Watts.
It was the largest mass exoneration in memory in Chicago. And even in a city where it has become almost routine for police misconduct to lead to overturned convictions, the courthouse had never seen anything like the order issued in front of more than a dozen men whose lives were changed forever by the former sergeant.

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