Humanitarian disaster unfolds in Haiti By Jacques Guillon in Gonaives, Haiti September 10, 2008 10:01am
Humanitarian disaster unfolds in Haiti
By Jacques Guillon in Gonaives, Haiti
September 10, 2008 10:01am
HAITI'S third largest city is at the centre of a humanitarian disaster after being hit hard by four major storms in less than a month.
Supplies slowly trickling into waterlogged Gonaives, but they were nowhere near the amount needed for flood victims who have gone for days without food or clean water.
The UN Mission in Haiti said 101 bodies have been found in Gonaives, the Haitian city hardest hit by Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike, since yesterday.
Four major storms, two of them hurricanes, have struck Haiti in less than four weeks.
More than 600 Haitians have died and the disaster is still unfolding due to the challenge of delivering aid in the impoverished and waterlogged Caribbean country.
"If we don't find a way to deliver massive humanitarian aid, we will see fights and riots that will kill more people than the cyclone did," warned UN spokeswoman Vicky Delore-Ndjeuga.
Gonaives was flooded when Tropical Storm Hanna lashed the low-lying northern city surrounded by deforested hillsides at the beginning of the month.
Across Haiti, 800,000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian aide, almost half children, according to a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva.
In Gonaives, a mob ambushed a truck carrying emergency food.
The Argentine UN peacekeepers protecting the vehicle were overwhelmed by women and young children who tore into the food supplies on the spot.
The distribution drop-off was poorly planned, said a humanitarian worker, who declined to give his name.
"People are desperate, the situation is explosive," he said.
The city normally has a population of 300,000, of whom some 80,000 are living in shelters.
Many are making do sleeping on rooftops, with their animals, their bicycles and their furniture, waiting for the water level to drop.
When heavy rain from Tropical Storm Jeanne triggered floods and landslides that killed 3000 in Gonaives four years ago, it took at least three weeks for the situation to stablise.
French secretary of state for cooperation Alain Joyandet toured the city's mud-choked roads aboard a UN truck today.
Stopping at the city's cathedral - surrounded by a lake of reeking dark water - he was confronted by a crowd of anxious locals.
"We're hungry and nobody knows a thing," cried one of the refugees.
"The bridge and the road must be fixed," another said.
Mr Joyandet promised aide from France and Europe.
Seen from a helicopter, nearly half of the corn and rice crop in the region around Gonaives was under water, which bodes badly for a country that can barely feed its own people.
Meanwhile, UN officials established an air bridge between the capital Port-au-Prince and Gonaives, 150km to the north, to reach the 250,000 people in need of help in the region.
Some 64 tonnes of emergency supplies had already been flown to the region on 46 helicopter flights over the past days, UN Mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe said.
The UN military spokesman in Haiti, Colonel Damir Milinovic, said the operations would continue.
"All the MINUSTAH's military elements have been mobilised to offer security to the distribution of humanitarian aid and security for the convoys that transport the aid," Col Milinovic said.
USAIN LIGHTNING THUNDER BOLT CREATE SHOCKWAVES: SMASHES 100 M FIELD AND WORLD RECORD IN A STUNNING 9.69 SECONDS
BEIJING (Reuters) - Jamaica celebrated Usain "Lightning" Bolt's double sprint Olympic victory and set their sights on yet more track glory in China on Thursday.
lt was again the toast of his Caribbean homeland with a blistering 200 metres win at the end of Wednesday's action that broke American sprinter Michael Johnson's 1996 world record.
Added to his earlier 100m victory, that made Bolt the first man since America's Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the double and cemented Jamaica's reputation for speed as well as reggae.
"I'm Number One," the joyous athlete mouthed at cameras, thumping his chest and blowing kisses at the 91,000 Bird's Nest crowd. They sang "Happy Birthday" to Bolt, who is 22 on Thursday.
In a remarkable double disqualification causing debate into the early hours, Americans Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix came fourth and fifth after Bolt but took silver and bronze when two athletes ahead were disqualified for running out of lanes.
The Jamaican, variously dubbed the "U-Bolt" and "Insane Usain", may now return to the track and try for a third gold in the 4x100m men's relay on Friday.
Before then, the limelight turns to Jamaica's similarly high-achieving women in Thursday's 200m showdown.
Jamaican women have already swept the 100m medals.
The joint silver medallists from that race, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, plus defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, will lead the Jamaican charge in the 200m at 7.30 p.m. (1130 GMT) on Day 12 of the Games in the Bird's Nest.
In a Jamaica versus U.S. speed showdown, world champion Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker are the ones hoping to regain sprinting pride for the sport's traditional superpower.
Campbell-Brown was relishing the chance to bring more gold home. "Over the years, Jamaica is very strong, and I think everyone is just working very hard," she said.
Also looming on Thursday is the 110 metres hurdles final, which was shaping into one of the high points of the Games but is now deflated by the absence of China's Liu Xiang.
The Olympic champion limped off injured during a heat, leaving Chinese fans in tears and clearing the way for Cuban world record-holder Dayron Robles.
"I'm very calm. I'll win the gold medal," he said.
CHINESE POWER
The Chinese can at least console themselves with a look at the gold medal table, where they have built up a seemingly unassailable lead of 45. The hosts' new sporting superpower status mirrors their growing global economic and political clout.
On a packed day of athletics, Americans Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merrit go head-to-head in the 400m on Thursday too.
The decathlon starts with 100 metres rounds, where Czech world record holder and Olympic champion Roman Sebrle will test his battered body once again in athletics' most gruelling event.
He was speared in the shoulder by a javelin in early 2007.
Away from the track, beach volleyball has been a hit in China, with the tanned players, scantily-clad entertainers and rock music drawing crowds in a carnival atmosphere.
Defending champions and triple world title holders Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States take on China's top team in the women's final.
U.S. women also figure in the soccer final against Brazil, hoping to repeat their victory against the South Americans in Athens four years ago.
"We're pumped. Bring it on," said midfielder Heather O'Reilly.
Bombarded with criticisms over pollution and human rights in the Games run-up, China's Communist government must be delighted with the near-total focus on sport since the Olympics started.
While the hosts will probably be remembered for fantastic organisation and an overall medals win, there is no doubt which individuals will be forever associated with Beijing 2008: Jamaica's Bolt and American swimmer Michael Phelps.
Bolt refused to be drawn into comparisons with Phelps, who won an unprecedented eight golds at the Games. "I'm on the track, he's in the water, so we can't compare that pretty much, but he's a great athlete and I congratulate him," Bolt told reporters.
With Phelps having achieved what nobody has done before -- eight golds in one Games and 14 Olympic golds in his career -- the world has been wondering just what makes such a man.
Unfortunately for mere mortals, such success depends largely on natural brilliance as well as all the years of training, according to his coach and mentor Bob Bowman. He described first seeing Phelps's unmatched swimming ability at the age of 11.
"I'd never seen anything like it and when I went home that night I couldn't sleep I was so excited," he said.
"But of course I didn't tell him that."
The rest, as we now know, is history.
JAMAICAN SHOES..Here comes the Hot Steppas
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How’s running your own label going? Hard work
harder than I thought. I haven’t run a label for a few years and it’s getting harder and harder to sell music these days. American exports, selling to HMV, it’s hard because surviving purely on grass roots sales isn’t quite enough. But all in all it’s been enjoyable, we’ve got some great releases coming up. We’ve got the Detonators – John Collins who produced Ghost Town’s band. He’s credited by many as producing the first ever UK dub track, called Lift Off, which was on the flip side to a hit by Victor Romeo Evans called At The Club, bit of a lovers track. The Specials heard that and asked him to produce Ghost Town. But John’s instrumental side was the Detonators and he made this album that came out in ‘79, and he did things like building his own drum machine because none were available at the time. I mean Dennis Bovell was probably doing dub first but this had an electro vibe that was like nothing else.
Usain Bolt - The Worlds Fastest Man - Video Footage Check Out This Video....
Usain Bolt - World's Fastest Man !!
More Video Footage.....
Who Is Shelly-Ann Fraser
Shelly-Ann Fraser is no fly by night athlete. Just a reminder she was the starter on the 4x100 relay Jamaican team that won Silver at the World championship 2007. The critics need to come and study the system in Jamaica.
It starts at the Basic Schools, then it moves to Prep and Primary School Championships, Public High School Championships.
Boys and Girls Championship as it is now called is one of the biggest events on the Calendar in Jamaica. Th 4 day athletics gala comes after athletes have to run at various championships across the island, Eastern Champs, Western Champs, Gibson Relays, Hugo Chambers just to name a few. The athletes that meet qualifying times then make it to the gala event at the National Stadium in Kingston Jamaica. The Stadium is normally full the capacity as old students and new students enjoy fierce rivalry in the stands as much as the track.
Then there is the Caribbean Championship referred to as the Carifta Games where to the top athletes of the
It is the system, it is the rich tradition, it is the experience.It is nothing new for years we have been turning out top class athletes especially in the sprints for many years.
The coaches have been for a long time qualified. We even have a college geared towards Physical education. Now we have taken it a step further particularly supported by the University of Technology byt developing he training programs so athletes can opt to stay in Jamaica and train.
It is Jamaica's time to shine a little brighter as we have always been shining
written by: JohnDoe - Spanish Town Jamaica
BIG SHIP MUSIC INC. & RIDDIMS MARKETING INC.
Broward County, FL - An evening of elegance unfolds as County Line Chiropractic Centers present Reggae Symphony featuring Reggae pioneer John Holt and Grammy nominated, Reggae Ambassador Freddie McGregor on April 20, 2008 7pm at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Backed by Lloyd Parkes' We the People Band and the New York Symphony Reggae Strings (comprised of some of the most notable musicians from Jamaica, New York and Florida), John Holt and Freddie McGregor will perform chart topping hits like The Tide is High, Mr. Bojangles, Love You to Want Me, I Was Born a Winner, Big Ship, Push Come to Shove and many more!
Ital Recipes
Ital is a term used by Rastas, derived from "vital", which means a natural and healthy way of life. One aspect of Ital is the Ital food: because the body is a temple, you should not eat unpure food. Also you must take care of your body, cause it is Jah creation. Body is the Chapel. Ital is generally a vegan diet, even if some Rastas eat fish. Some prohibit salt, some not. In all cases, Ital prohibits pork, preservatives, chemical ingredients. Ingredients have to be the most natural possible.
In Jamaica, Ital cooking is most often inspired from Indian and African cooking. But lot of recipes can be "Italized" if prepared only with vegetables and natural ingredients.
Here are some. You can also contribute to this page by sending us your own recipes.
Enjoy!
The Kornerstore
RECIPES Ital Foods-Ital Stew
Ital Stew (taken from http://www.reggaefestivalguide.com)
RECIPES Ital Foods-Ital Maffé
Ital Maffé
(For 1 person)
This sauce is inspired from a Senegalese dish.
Cut 1 1/2 big onion and heat in vegetable oil until it become transparent and lightly brown, but not burned. Add one squashed clove garlic, 3 teaspoon of peanut butter, 3 teaspoon of tomato purée and some water to dilute. add pepper, a very little paprika. Add done sweet potato, carrots, turnip, yam...
Serve with rice. You can also add fried tofu in the sauce.
RECIPES Ital Foods-Ital Curry
Ital Curry (1 person)
Cut one half of a big carrot in very little cube (about 5mm) Cut half of a turnip in cubes too. Slice one big onion and put all in a frying pan with vegetable oil till vegetables are done. Add one or two smashed clove garlic, curry, pepper, Sliced ginger, some raisins. Add coconut milk (about 1 1/2 glass) and heat till the sauce become creamy.
Serve with rice and peanuts.
RECIPES - Ital Foods Ital Soup
Ital soup
(excerpt from the Rasta Cookbook)
A substantial soup that will satisfy the largest of appetites; a true “Ital” feast which requires only fresh fruit juice to complete the meal.
Ingredients:
1 lb (450 g) yam
½ (225 g) sweet potato
1 lb (450 g) pumpkin
1 lb (450 g) callaloo
½ small cabbage
½ lb (225 g) carrots
1 cho cho
1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 medium-sized tomatoes
3 spring onions
2 pts (1100 ml) water
First prepare the vegetables. Peel the yam, sweet potato and pumpkin and cut into large die, removing the seeds from the pumpkin. Carefully wash the callaloo, trimming away any thick stems and chop. Coarsely chop the cabbage having carefully discarded the outer leaves, peel and slice the carrots.
Peel the cho cho, cut it length ways into quarters and remove the heart. Roughly dice the cho cho and green pepper, peel and chop the tomatoes and slice the spring onions. Place the pumpkin and root vegetables in a large saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
Add to the pan the callaloo, cabbage, cho cho, pepper and finally the chopped tomatoes and spring onions. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and simmer for twenty minutes more until cooked.
Serves 4-6
RECIPES - Ital Foods Chinese Style Tofu
Chinese Style Tofu (1 person)
Cut half of a carrot in small matches. Slice 1 big onion. Slice 2 or 3 medium mushrooms (shitake ones). Slice some Bamboo.
Put in frying pan with some vegetable oil, till all begins to brown lightly, add tofu cubes, soya sauce, pepper.
When hot, serve with rice or chinese pastas.
RECIPES - Ital Foods Crispy Raw Vegetable Summer Rolls
Crispy Raw Vegetable Summer Rolls
(Ras Ansel and Queen Lily contribution)
4 ounces dried rice noodles, softened with water, in 2 inch lengths
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 1/2 shredded cucumber
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
3 tbsp. peanuts (crumbled/crushed well!)
1 tbsp. soy
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-10 rice pancake wrappers (7-8")
In a large bowl, toss together noodles, carrots, cukes, cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk the peanuts, soy, ginger, and garlic until smooth, then add to veg mix and toss. Soften the rice pancake in warm water (double them up!!!), and then wrap the veg mix like a spring roll. Fry until golden in veg oil, then refrigerate and enjoy!
RECIPES - Ital Foods Lentil salad
Lentil salad (1 person)
Prepare a sauce with hot pepper, according to your taste, black pepper, lime juice and vegetable oil. Chop finely 1 shallot, chop 1 tomato, chop some cucumber in little cubes. Cook 1 part of brown lentils and wait until cold. Blend all ingredients.
RECIPES - Ital Foods Irie Salad
Irie salad
Prepare 3 corn cob (maize).
Make 1 medium sweet potato boil until done and then cut it in cubes.
Slice one big onion, 3 green onions. Chop 2 green apples in little cubes, about 1 cm. Prepare a sauce with arachid oil, lime juice, pepper. Blend all the ingredients and sauce into a dish. A little curry can also be added.
RECIPES Mandarin Pancakes
Mandarin Pancakes (submitted by Robert)
3 1/2 flour
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cold water
1/2 cup sesame oil Oil as needed for greasing Preparation:
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.make a well in the center and add the boiling water, a little at a time, incorporating the flour by stirring it into the water with a wooden spoon or chopsticks.
Cover bowl and let sit for 5-minutes, then add the cold water, mixing well.
Turn the flour mixture out and work with your fingers to blend until a dough is formed. Cover with a dampened towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
Remove dough to a board and knead for 10 to 12 minutes or until smooth.
Divide dough into 4-equal portions. Roll each part into a rod, then divide each dough rod into 10 equal pieces.
Grease an area of the kneading board about 10 inches square with oil to prevent sticking. Flatten each piece of dough into a 2-inch round and brush evenly with sesame oil on the surface. Place another round on top, forming a 2-layered round. Roll into a thin pancake about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Grease the board with more oil if needed.
Roll 2 pancakes, then proceed with the cooking. Continue to roll and cook, 2 pancakes at a time, until all the dough is used up. Cooking:
Set a griddle (or heavy skillet) over medium heat. Pan-fry each pancake for 1 minute or until the surface bubbles and brown spots appear on the bottom side. Turn to brown on other side for about another 30 seconds.
Remove pancake and pull the 2 layers apart while hot. Stack pancakes on a platter and cover with a lightly dampened cloth.
Finish pan-frying the remaining pancakes.
WE REMEMBER BERNIE MAC: Comedian/actor dies at 50 Bernie Mac (1957-2008)
*It's a sad day in the entertainment world.
Chicago comedian Bernie Mac has died at age 50. "Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles. No other details were immediately available and the family asked that their privacy be respected. Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005.
He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which Smith said was not related to the disease. Ironically, it was just just last weekend that rumors flew around that he had passed away. Unfortunately that rumor became reality this morning. Bernie Mac was also in te news recently when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama. Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language.
The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign. Mac started his comedy career at age 8, with a standup performance at a church dinner. In 1977, at age 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in Chicago. His film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans movie "Mo' Money" in 1992. Mac went on to star in the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney and his turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who?" — a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 1967 classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" — topped the box office. Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers." The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.
The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool." The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer. In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church. In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood — eating bologna for dinner — and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing. Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up. "Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed." (taken from: www.eurweb.com)
Ashanti And Goapele heat up the stage at Heineken Red Star Soul Concert. Ashanti
Wednesday night, the "Heineken Red Star Soul Concert" series officially set it off at the sexy hot-spot Boulevard3 in Los Angeles.
The green carpet came up short, but, offered up celebrity stunners: actress Megan Good; actress Elise Neal; retired-NFL player Marcellus Wiley; reality-personality Shante Broadus and a rare appearance by soul singer Jon B.
Once inside, DJ Cassidy spun old school hip-hop tunes that you wouldn't dare stand still to. Keeping it moving, host Kenny Burns (BET -"Black Poker Stars Invitation") and Danella (BET-Red Carpet) introduced producer/songwriter Mark Batson as the recipient of the Heineken Independent Achievers' Award.
Well-deserved, this award celebrates individuals who demonstrate the hustle, integrity and drive to succeed while helping others along the way. Batson has worked with Alicia Keys, James Blunt and Anthony Hamilton.
Bay area songstress Goapele, took to the stage and whipped up a sweet serenade of neo-soul sounds. The crowd swayed and sang as she closed her set with one of my favorites, "Closer."
Goapole
After a brief intermission, Ashanti moved into position styled in fitting black spandex pants and patent leather stilettos. No lip-synching at this joint, after a few shout-outs and directions for audio improvements - no fault of her own - Ashanti commanded the stage as the R&B princess we have affectionately crowned her. The confetti soared through the air while she belted out various classic hits such as "Foolish" and "Happy," to current cuts off her new album, "The Declaration." I went, I saw, I sang, I danced and had a great time.
Ashanti proved to be a crowd pleaser Wednesday night at Boulevard3 in Hollywood
The Heineken Independent Achiever award recipients are hand-selected by a distinguished committee consisting of current Motown Records president Sylvia Rhone; former Motown president: music industry veteran and neo-soul pioneer Kedar Massenburg; five-time Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox; "Lifestyle Specialist" and former vice president of A&R at Roc-A-Fella Records, Kenny Burns; and founder of Atlanta's FunkJazz Kafe and past Independent Achiever Award recipient, Jason Orr.
This is a great cause to celebrate and the 2008 Heineken Red Star Soul experience is coming to a city near you. The schedule for the following cities includes (artist lineup subject to change):
Aug. 13: Dallas (Gilley's, Raheem DeVaughn and Bryan-Michael Cox)
Aug. 20: Atlanta (Opera, Lyfe Jennings and Bryan-Michael Cox)
Aug. 27: Chicago (House of Blues, Dwele and Chrisette Michelle)
Sept. 4: Detroit (Fillmore, Dwele and Estelle)
Sept. 10: Cleveland (House of Blues, Lyfe Jennings and Bilal)
Sept. 17: Washington, D.C. (Ibiza, Raheem DeVaughn and Chrisette Michelle)
Sept. 24: Philadelphia (World Cafe Live, Musiq Soulchild and Estelle)
Oct. 1: New York (Mansion, Keyshia Cole and Raheem DeVaughn)
For more information about the Heineken Independent Achiever Award, selection committee members and each recipient, log on to www.heinekenredstarsoul.com
Tanisha Williams is a Southern California based writer. She is also the the publisher of Renaissance Women Magazine (www.renaissancewomenmag.com).
(taken from: www.eurweb.com)
Bernie Mac - May his Soul Rest In Peace!! Mini Biography
Date of Birth
5 October 1957, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Date of Death
9 August 2008, Chicago, Illinois, USA (complications from pneumonia)
Birth Name
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough
Nickname
Mac-Man
Height
6' 3" (1.91 m)
Mini Biography
Bernard Jeffrey McCollough was born in Chicago in 1957. He grew up in Chicago, in a rougher neighborhood than most others, with a large family living under one roof. This situation provided him with a great insight into his comedy, as his family, and the situations surrounding them would be what dominated his comedy. Mac worked in the Regal Theater, and performed in Chicago parks in his younger days. He became a professional comedian in 1977, at the age of 19. He refused to change his image for television and films, and therefore was not very well known for most of the eighties. In 1992 he made his film debut with a small part with Mo' Money (1992). This started a plethora of small parts in a string of movies, mostly comedies, including Who's the Man? (1993), House Party 3 (1994) and The Walking Dead (1995). 1995 proved to be a turning point in his career. He did an HBO Special called "Midnight Mac" (1995), and took a part as Pastor Clever in the Chris Tucker comedy Friday (1995). Bernie Mac developed a cult following due to the movie and had many small parts since. In 1996 he starred in the memorable Spike Lee movie Get on the Bus (1996), and was very funny in Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). About this time he had a recurring role in the TV series "Moesha" (1996). Bernie Mac's star was slowly rising from this point. His next couple of movie parts were more substantial, including How to Be a Player (1997) and The Players Club (1998). In 1999 Bernie Mac got his most high profile part up to that point in the film Life (1999/I) starring Eddie Murphy.
The new century started a new era for the brash Chicago comedian. He was a featured comedian in The Original Kings of Comedy (2000). This performance made him more of a household name, and led to many more major parts. In 2001 he played Martin Lawrence's uncle in What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) and later that year, was in the star studded remake of Ocean's Eleven (2001). However his biggest success was "The Bernie Mac Show" (2001), which debuted in 2001 to instant acclaim.
Bernie Mac was a comedian that refused to change his image for Hollywood and said that his life in Chicago was who he was and there was nothing that could change that. He was a mature comedian who was very intelligent and very engaging in his TV, movie and stand-up appearances.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Scott msa0510@mail.ecu.edu.
Started his career in stand-up comedy in 1977. His first professional comedy gig was at The Cotton Club in Chicago. He was so broke, he had to borrow a suit from his brother.
His daughter, Je'Niece Childress, was born in 1978. She has a master's degree in mental health counseling and has been married since 2002. She also had a daughter who was born in 2007.
His mother and his only two siblings, his brothers, passed away before he did. His mother died from breast cancer during his sophomore year of high school.
He used to be a boxer.
His character on "The Bernie Mac Show" (2001), was ranked #47 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue].
Is mentioned in Christina Aguilera's single Dirrty.
February 2005 - revealed that he had suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease, since 1983. He said it had no effect on his daily life.
Is seen getting a pedicure in both Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Bad Santa (2003).
Was a Chicago White Sox fan.
Sampled on Prince's song "Pope" from his appearance on Russel Simmon's Def Comedy Jam. Prince's song can be found on his 1993 album "The Hits".
Was hospitalized with pneumonia on August 1, 2008. Rumors of his deterioration, as well as false rumors of his death from the disease, spread widely, although his publicist Danica Smith insisted that he would make a full recovery. Sadly, Mac had actually taken a turn for the worse and died August 9, 2008 from complications from pneumonia.
U.S. men and women both fumble in relays
United States' Darvis Patton, right, and Tyson Gay, left, dropping the baton in the men's 4x100-meter relay at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)
U.S. men and women both fumble in relays _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
BEIJING: The U.S. men and women both dropped the baton in the Olympic 4x100-meter relays Thursday and failed to advance out of the first round in the Beijing Olympics.
First, men's anchor Tyson Gay, part of the American team that won the relay at last year's world championships, did not get the baton from third-leg runner Darvis Patton.
About 25 minutes later, women's anchor Lauryn Williams fumbled her exchange with Torri Edwards, their baton dropping to the ground. At the 2004 Olympics, Williams started running too early and missed a handoff from Marion Jones in the final.
"If people want to assess the blame to me, that's OK. I mean, I can take whatever it is that people are going to dish out," Williams said. "We had good chemistry. The hand was back there. She was there. I don't know what happened."
Unlike the men, who stopped racing, Williams scrambled back on the wet track to pick up the baton and finish the lap. The United States was the last of eight teams in the heat to cross the finish, in a time of 48.95 seconds. Belgium finished first in 42.92.
Jamaica, continuing its strong showing at the Bird's Nest, won the other preliminary women's heat in 42.24.
Earlier, when Gay reached back for his exchange, he never got a grasp of the baton, which tumbled.
Afterward, Gay and Patton both took the blame.
Gay, who also failed to reach the final in the individual 100, said he felt the baton and "then I went to grab it and there was nothing. It's kind of the way it's been happening to me this Olympics."
He said he never before dropped a baton in a relay and that he and Patton practiced all week without missing a handoff.
"That's Tyson Gay. He's a humble guy," Patton said. "But I know it's my job to get the guy the baton, and I didn't do that."
Trinidad and Tobago won the heat. Only four of the eight teams managed to make it all the way around the one-lap race without a problem in a light rain.
Jamaica won the second heat, with former 100 world record-holder Asafa Powell running the anchor leg. Usain Bolt, who broke the world records in the 100 and 200 while winning those gold medals, was given the night off but is expected to run in Friday's relay final.
Gold winner Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica Beijing Unifies Jamaica
In a time when Jamaica has been stigmatized by the world as the country with the most crime and the most aggressive anti-gay society, the world still shed its love for the Jamaican contingency at this year’s staging of the Olympics.
Here in Kingston, Jamaica, crime has literally come to a halt and for the first time in four years locals have been spreading the love amongst themselves.
Cars, carts and people have donned the Jamaican colours in pride, forgetting their present problems of economic hardship to enjoy the euphoric experience that has become contagious throughout the small island nation of 2.8 million people.
Asafa Powell became our white elephant, but the youngster Usain Bolt sealed his place in world history copping the coveted 100 meter and 200 meter title in record time.
Gold winner Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica, left, and silver medalistsKerron Stewart and
Sherone Simpson pose with the Jamaican flag after their spring sweep. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Shelly-ann Fraser and Melaine Walker, products of Kingston's inner-city community, have given children of the ghetto a sliver of hope and a glimmer of prosperity that is sure to fuel the champions of the future.
Beyond the dominance of the Jamaicans on the track, the inspiration and social unification that this particular staging of the Olympics has created for the small island is probably something we will never see again for another four years.
In Kingston, merely hours after the blistering performances by the Jamaican track contingency, a barrage of songs dedicated to the Olympic squad have hit the streets.
From Coco-Tea , widely recognized for his Obama tribute, to Dancehall gangsta Mavado popularly known for his loyalty to the Gully Side, The Jamaican Olympic team have motivated a nation and united a people, despite its limited longevity.
Word on the street confirms, the most ruthless Kingston town gunmen has vacationed his tool of trade for the moment.
Shocking, even the gun in Jamaica has taken a holiday, simply because of national pride, proving that any glimmer of hope can create peace in what is considered one of the world’s most volatile countries.
RECIPES - Ital Foods Rasta Pasta
Rasta Pasta
By Jinx and Jefferson Morgan
3 tbsps olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
2 yellow and/or red peppers, cored, seeded and cut in lengthwise julienne slices
1 pound fettuccini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups cooked drained black beans
2 cups cooked broccoli floweretes (just the top portion of small broccoli)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tspns fresh chopped oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
Vegan Parmesan (optional)
Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté garlic, onions and peppers just until limp. Add drained, cooked black beans. Cook fettuccini in rapidly boiling water just until cooked. Drain and toss with olive oil. Combine cooked pasta with pepper mixture, broccoli and seasonings. Sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This can be served hot or at room temperature as a salad or main dish.Yield: 6 to 8 servings
