More of them...

From top to bottom: Brent, Darren, Antony Gallo, Troy, Brandon.

Arkansas man wakes up...19 years later!!

Terry Wallis was barely 17 years old when he was hospitalized after a car accident back in 1984.
The car had plunged into a creek and his driver friend was unfortunately killed.
It's a well known fact that although patients in such a vegetative state can't move a finger in most cases their brains are still fully functional and they may exhibit some reactions such as cry,laugh or grimace.
In Terry's case, doctors believe his unbelievable recovery was partially due to weekend trips with family and friends which might have helped him remember certain things.
His first word was "Mom".
His 19 year old daughter was born shortly after the accident.

Witchcraft "legalized" in Zimbabwe...Ironically not same sex practices.

The Zimbabwean government has lifted a centuries-old ban on witchcraft which first appeared back in colonial times when the hunting and burning of witches was rampant in Europe.
Of course like many other indigenous peoples, Zimbabweans have always believed in the supernatural and from day one they have believed the ban to be absurd since most of them are superstitious to an extent.
This comes as no surprise though. With the most notorious homophobe as its head of state, the government has long been known for using minimal issues as scapegoats to avoid dealing with the country's declining economy and so forth.

Europe's own "alien immigration" turns deadly...Again.

For decades now Europe has faced an issue that requires more than just national guards and the likes on its borders with Africa. Sub-saharan Africans trying to get on the other side by way of sea-crossing techniques so dangerous that many of them have perished. That and the fact that Spanish guards (Spain being the closest to Africa) don't hesitate to shoot at sight at any one they see trying to climb the tall fences installed by the authorities.
So over the week end another boat carrying as many as 18 people sank off Morocco and two men fell off the 6 metres high fences on both sides of the fence and died instantly.
A few weeks ago another boat was discovered off the coasts of Trinidad & Tobago with everybody on board dead. Some had written good bye letters to their families explaining that they were dying of starvation and dehydration.
Unbelievable!

Tax exemption for baby items: Europe.

As absurd as it may sound, the European Commission is split on whether or not young parents or old for that matter, should be exempted from paying taxes on babies' nappies.
Some say they're not medical items and they should not be exempted and others say Europe's low birth rates are a concern that should be tackled vividly and using tax exemption as an incentive should be implemented. Tough one!

Profiling hottie David Odonkor.

Born Feburary 21st,1984 in Bunde,Germany,to a Ghanaian father and a German mother, Odonkor is a forward who happens to be very flexible that he can play left ,right and center.
Having had a knee injury and surgery,David is still a good prospect for the future of German soccer. Standing 5'9 tall and weighing just 163 lbs, Odonkor is just one delicious bundle of joy.

Profiling Henrik Larsson.

Born September 20,1971 in Helsingborg, Sweden and of a Cape Verdian father and a Swedish mother, Larsson has played for such prestigious teams as Scotish Celtics and Barcelona.
He won the Golden Boot in 2001 for being Europe's most prolific goal scorer, with 35 league goals. A few months ago Henrik announced his decision to leave his current club F.C. Barcelona and return to Sweden which he represented at the World Cup.
An outspoken militant of anti-racism, Larsson stands about 5'10 tall and weighs 171 lbs of yummie-ness!!

After months of televised political unrest,massacres and the likes, Bush still "unaware" of the proceedings in Sudan's peace agreement!!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stumbled upon an article online about how "misinformed" Bush is when it comes to the Darfur conflict. In a World where England's defeat to Portugal, that of Brazil to France and Beckham's resignation as England's captain are histerically "mourned" and where even the remotest town south of Chile knows the scores of the games the minute they happen, I find it unbelievably disturbing that the most powerful man on the planet is actually getting the wrong information in regards to the dying peoples of the world.
Does that mean he doesn't read? Or watch the news on tv? Okay maybe he's way too busy to do his own research online. That I can actually understand. But for people to have been agonizing for years in what is now unanimously called the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis and to still be using such excuses as "my informants are not that well informed" is not laughable but alarming.

Profiling England's Aaron Lennon

Aaron Justin Lennon is a winger for Tottenham Hotspur and now for England's national team for the World Cup. At age 16 and 129 days he became the youngest player for Leeds United.
He was named man of the match several times after playing against Belarus and then Trinidad & Tobago and there have been some suggestions about him replacing Beckham on the right side of midfield. Born on April 16th,1987 Aaron stands only 5'5 and weighs about 140 lbs. I could care less about his height and weight though, the boy is still hotness!!

Profiling two soccer players today...

Lilian Thuram was born on January 1st,1972 in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe and With the French national team, Thuram helped win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He is currently considered one of the best defenders in the world. He plays for Juventus FC(Milan,Italy) and is also known for being a vivid activist in matters of race relations as he's been time and again subjected to racial slurs from some european fans.
He's about 5'10 and weighs around 160 lbs. I wish I had a sexy creole word for him but I'll just go with " très chaud "!

Like his teamate Thuram (Juventus FC), Fabio Canavarro is an excellent Italian player. Although not very tall for a central defender, Fabio is so good that he's the 2006 captain of Italy. Born on September 13, 1973 in Naples, Fabio stands 5'9 tall and only weighs 165 lbs. So much for this bel ragazzo.

BET's Humanitarian Award goes to Harry Belafonte and the Lifetime Achievement Award to Chaka Khan.

I have always been a fan of Chaka Khan. Two of her songs that really give me the chills are Through the fire and Sweet thing. I also love I'm every woman but somehow I prefer the Whitney Houston version.
Having said that, I also have to mention a newfound respect for Harry Belafonte that I acquired tonite after watching BET's awards show. Honesty I had never thought that he was that much involved in humanitarian matters.
I have also been "mad" at BET for a few years now that most of the time I just skip through channels without even checking what might be on BET. And this, ever since they fired Tavis Smiley.
But tonight, BET just managed to win a few points from me by honoring two of the best (in my humble opinion) that Afro-America has given birth to.
Harry Belafonte stressed out how "un-fixed" these issues still are: two million men in jail, HIV/AIDS, famine and diseases in Africa and the rest of the third world,etc.
I felt moved and touched by his speech.
I honestly feel like BET could and should do much more than it's currently doing in terms of what our struggles as a people are, but in all fairness, they did well in honoring these two as their contribution is unparalleled.
Kudos BET!!

Profiling Ashley Cole.

England and Arsenal defender Ashley was born in England on December 20,1980 and is of half Barbadian descent. He's been at Arsenal since his teenage years but signed as a pro soccer player on February 25,2000. He usually plays left wing and has helped his team win some of the biggest championships including the UEFA Champions league that Arsenal won to Barcelona this year.
The caramel skinned left winger is about 5'9 and only weighs 147 lbs. Although I like my boys tall and athletic, Ashley just happens to be one petite glass of hot chocolate.H-O-T!!
I will have to move on to the next hottest player though because this babe is totally engaged and soon to be married to Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy. I ain't mad at you,girl!!

Somali man jailed in Sweden on female genital mutilation charges.

Swedish citizen Ali Elmi Hayow of Somali origin was sentenced to spend four years in prison for forcing his daughter to be circumsized back in 2001. He was also convicted of failing to obtain an approval from his ex-wife prior to making the trip with their children.
The little girl's lawyer were adamant that the father held her down while two other people were performing the operation, despite the dangers involved in the risky practice.

Female genital mutilation is widespread across the world but especially in Africa where the practice goes as far back as ancient Egypt. And it pre-dates Islam in most countries. Although the practice is now banned in most African countries, some traditions just never die.
The practice consists of removing the clitoris, stitching up the "lips" and leaving a small hole just to allow urine and menstrual blood to flow through. It is believed that the practice is meant to keep women chaste and faithful to their husband and some believe that it's also a way of giving maximum pleasure to the husband due to a tightened vagina.

It is estimated that 130 million women have under gone FGM in Africa, the Middle East and some Asian countries, and some 3 million women and girls are mutilated each year, according to the World Health Organisation.

Pride Toronto.

Profiling Patrick Vieira.

Senegalese-born but of Cape Verdian origin, Patrick Vieira is one of France's top assets. The chocolate skinned midfielder was born in Dakar on June 23rd,1976. He and his family moved to Paris when he was 8 and debuted at the age of 17 with AS Cannes and captained the team only two years later. He has played for such prestigious teams as AC Milan, Arsenal, Juventus and now France's national team for the World Cup.
The tall, dark and handsome Vieira is 6'4 tall and weighs 182 lbs.
Good Lord!

'Breast ironing' widespread in traditional Cameroon.

I was shocked to read in the news that in some rural areas in Cameroon, overly possessive mothers and aunties actually try to prevent their daughters and nieces from giving in to the advances of young boys or grown men who see them as potential sexual partners.
So young girls who hit puberty early and start developping breasts and other female attributes will be seen as easy targets for men, and their breasts will be literally "hacked off" using some un-orthodox methods.
In some cases young girls will mutilate themselves with such horrific practices just to fit in. Or to avoid going through it forcibly by members of their family.
The most widely used instrument to flatten the breasts is a wooden pestle, used for pounding tubers in the kitchen. Heated bananas and coconut shells are also used.

There are some good news though. Although the practice is widespread, it's actually punishable by law. That is only if the matter is reported within months. Which means that if the young girl is intimidated by their torturer and has to wait until she heals, the authorities may not do anything about it. However with a doctor's report they can always file some sort of complaint.
Also some teenage girls have gotten together and formed the "Association of Aunties" to launch a campain with the main focus of exposing the practice and it's potential permanent damages.

What a world!!

Profiling David Trézéguet...

I've made it a lifelong...I mean a World Cup-long commitment to profile those players that I find to be H-O-T. And in my opinion David Trézéguet is one of the hottest...I will make sure to post the top 20 hottest players by the end of the Championship.
"Dave" (yeah, it's that personal), was born on October 15,1977 in Rouen, France to a French mother and a French-Argentinian father, who was a pro football player himself.
Trézéguet won the 1998 World Cup with France, and scored the golden goal against Italy to give the French the2000 European Championship. He also played for France in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. Trézéguet was named one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
He stands at 6'1 and weighs about 165 lbs of pure FINE-NESS... Yeah, uh-huh!!

Dictator threatens...Again!

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe warned opposition movements who are planning to boycott a national day of prayer the President is expected to attend, that they are "dicing with death if they went ahead with a planned wave of street protests."

The country is suffering an unprecedented economic crisis and the President camp is explaining it away as a "result of a Western plot by those opposed to his seizure of white-owned farms."
Yeah they're actually serious.

Ola papi...Ribeiro Adriano...

Yeah that's about all the spanish I can pull off for now. Okay,Okay...I know I said Malouda was one of the hottest soccer players for this World Cup but I didn't say he was the hottest!! Don't get it twisted now! Ribeiro Adriano IS!! Holly Mother of...Adriano! F-I-N-E. His full name is Leite Ribeiro Adriano and was born on a sunny (can you prove me otherwise?) Wednesday, February 17,1982 in Rio de Janeiro. He weighs about 189 lbs, stands at 6'2 and experts consider him the best player raised in Brazil in the last decade, that is since the appearance of Ronaldo. His body is chiseled in the long hours spent in a Milan gymnasium, you know since his day job is to play for Inter de Milan (Italy). As for his boots (size 43)...Well, let's just say that they give me chills...I've added a couple of pictures of him just for my own "well being".

I made a discovery today...Ozwald Boateng!

Believe it or not, I had never heard of O.B before today! And then as I sat home watching TV5...Yeah, one of my fave channels. Anyways...So this show comes on...Called D.
It's a Montreal-based fashion television show. And I see this tall ,lean black designer with an African last name and a british accent. The next thing I see, Ryan Seacrest, Jamie Foxx and the likes praising him. So I decided to google his ass and it turns out he used to be this great Creative Director at Givenchy. And now he's doing wonders to the straight male british populace and is coming to North America to take over thanks to Queer Eye For the Straight Guy or something like that.And it seems he once was named one of the Top 100 Great Black Britons. Sounds painful but hey...All the power to them.I checked out his designs...Oh my god...Dude can sew...Holly!!