Jimmy Valvano - Still Inspiring Us

The Jimmy V Men's Basketball Classic is the culmination of ESPN's "V Week," an annual event that raises money for cancer research. The week of festivities, and the tournament, are named after Jim Valvano, the legendary NC State coach.

Jimmy Valvano was a fighter. His coaching led to two National Championships. He always inspired his players to be at their very best. Winning NCAA tournaments for State was nothing short of a miracle. Their coach was emphatic about his team, and it's ability to do anything. All they needed to do was just put their minds to it. As seasons passed, Jim kept coaching North Carolina State basketball, but during his tenure, he contracted cancer. Jim Valvano was about to have the fight of his life.

He passed away in 1993 of cancer after delivering a touching, memorable speech at the ESPY Awards.
The inaugural Classic tipped off in 1995.

Here's a portion of Valvano's famous speech: "I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm," to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.

"I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I want to say it again. Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever"

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.” Jimmy Valvano.

25 Years of AIDS awareness posters on Show.

 "Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Awareness Posters, 1985-2010" at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.


Selecting 153 posters from 44 countries from more than 3,000 choices, the college has brought together a representative sampling of styles, messages and strategies that let viewers understand the challenges artists faced. To qualify, posters had to about prevention or tolerance.


In the show's single most wrenching and controversial poster, emaciated and dying AIDS sufferer David Kirby is embraced by his father in a photo that became part of a United Colors of Benetton advertising campaign.

Mexican Poster

In China where AIDS is not well understood in vast rural areas, a one-word, one-image poster simple states "Stop AIDS."

And in several African countries like Kenya and Tanzania where gender equality is not yet established, posters show women asserting the need for condoms.

A South Korean poster

Some images require virtually no literacy like a 2007 Mexican poster depicting a colorfully dressed doll in the posture of death with a downturned mouth, black crosses for eyes and AIDS scrawled on a heart-shaped cap.

It is sobering to think that 25 years on this tragic disease is still endemic in parts of the world, and we seen to have lost the will to fight it. 

Warriors in Pink

NBC's 'The Biggest Loser' Teams Up  Ford  Warriors In Pink.

A great new incentive.
 

Sport and Weight Loss working together for the Fight against Breast Cancer.

Ford Warriors in Pink is enlisting a new team of Warriors in the fight against breast cancer by joining with the hit NBC reality show "The Biggest Loser" to show that the fight to get healthy and stay healthy requires the same Warrior spirit as the fight against breast cancer.

"Ford Warriors in Pink and ‘The Biggest Loser’ share common goal to empower people to take control of their health," said Connie Fontaine, Luxury and Nontraditional Marketing Communications manager for Ford Motor Company. "This is a show that creates Warriors, and we are proud to have the support of NBC and 'The Biggest Loser’ to help raise awareness and work towards a cure for breast cancer."

"The Biggest Loser" all-star trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper with show host Alison Sweeney will do their bit by appearing in a national print and broadcast campaign that will hit newsstands and airwaves in November reminding everyone that breast cancer affects us all 365 days a year. The campaign encourages fans to support the cause and rally together in true Warrior fashion by logging on to www.fordcares.com and donning Ford Warriors in Pink gear. 100 percent of net proceeds from the gear goes to Susan G. Komen for the Cure all year long.

"With all major health challenges, it is Warrior-like strength that helps people overcome their challenges," said Chad Bennett, VP of Brand Development and Production for Reveille. "By working with Ford Warriors in Pink, 'The Biggest Loser' is able to again raise awareness around overall wellness and encourage its fans to live a healthy lifestyle."

Ford limited edition Warriors in Pink apparel and accessories are created for women, men and children and feature important symbols signifying the message of hope, strength and unity in the commitment to the fight against breast cancer. Ford commitment runs well beyond raising funds. The company is committed to making a difference 365 days a year by educating women that early detection saves lives,and encouraging them to become informed and visit their doctor regularly.  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Reviews

The long goodbye for the most successful film series of the century thus far begins with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Deathly Hallows opens boldly. "These are dark times, there's no denying," intones Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy, acknowledging the fact that archvillian Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his Death Eaters, having dispatched Dumbledore at the end of the previous installment, are on the verge of a complete takeover.

To find out more you will have to watch the film

So first - check out the reviews - they are mostly positive -  

Entertainment Weekly: “I don’t know which had the greater effect: my real melancholy at the thought of looming finality, or the elegance of this necessarily dark and serious penultimate film, in which characters/actors we have watched since childhood are now resourceful young adults. But I do know I felt a swell of love and awe wash over me from the very first wickedly creepy scene until the profoundly moving last one.”

Washington Post: “‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1′ can’t be anything but unsatisfying. As the first part of the last movie in a 10-year franchise that has taken on almost theological meaning for a generation of readers and filmgoers, it’s meant to leave audiences wanting more. It’s half of a really good movie, full of the enchantment, emotion and incident for which the Potter series has become so fanatically cherished.”

New York Times: “The movie, in other words, belongs solidly to Mr. Radcliffe, Mr. Grint and Ms. Watson, who have grown into nimble actors, capable of nuances of feeling that would do their elders proud. One of the great pleasures of this penultimate ‘Potter’ movie is the anticipation of stellar post-’Potter’ careers for all three of them.”

Florida Times-Union: “In this next-to-last installment in the routinely splendid Potter franchise, the title is the only thing clunky. Some of the previous six films, as fine as they are, have tended to meander; a lot of things happen in them, but the plot barely budges.

“Not here: This story rushes ahead as it takes our young heroes across a desolate Britain that’s almost post-apocalyptic, so pervasive is the dark work of Voldemort.”

Vancouver Sun: “What should have been the breathless first half of the Harry Potter finale wraps with the promise of a stirring exit, but David Yates’s initial navigation of the Deathly Hallows odyssey runs into a few structural squalls. Yates does a pretty good job with the heavy lifting, but there’s not much poetry to this clean-and-jerk exercise that brings the story of the boy wizard one step closer to its ultimate conclusion.”

NDTV Movies: “This is the dreariest Harry Potter movie yet but what’s more problematic is, that it’s also the most arcane. Viewers who haven’t read the books or seen all the previous films will be lost in the complex plot, which involves the search for Horcruxes which are objects into which Voldemort has hidden parts of his soul and the search for the Deathly Hallows, three objects which make the person who possesses them death-proof.”

Eva Longoria divorce reports false

 

Who knows how the Eva Longoria divorce rumors got started, but a rep for Eva Longria has squashed them, noting that the Tony Parker and Eva Longoria divorce stories are all false. 

 According to a representative for Longoria, Tony did not file for divorce and does not have a lawyer.

The Eva Longoria divorce rumor appears to be traceable to TMZ, who reported earlier today that Tony Parker filed documents in Texas.  Oops. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t check your sources 

It seems that the Eva Longoria divorce rumor is false.

The shocking news spread online on Tuesday but the "Desperate Housewives" star's aides are insisting the report is "absolutely false."

The reports suggested basketball player Tony filed for divorce in Texas on Monday.        

The couple wed in France in 2007.

Oprah reunites Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford 37 years after 'The Way We Were'

Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford together again.  This is the first interview the pair have given together since making the film 37 years ago.

Oprah hadn't told Barbra that she was planning on bringing Redford out, and the 68-year-old singer was delighted to see him and after giving each other a warm hug, the pair sat down to talk to Oprah.

When Barbra asked Redford why they had never done an interview in all the years since they made the film, he joked: 'Because I never thought I'd get a word in.'

'True,' responded Barbra.
Redford said he has no regrets about not making a sequel.
He said: I just felt certain things should be left alone, and this was one of them.'

Barbra and Redford played star-crossed lovers Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner in the 1973 box office hit 'The Way We Were'.

The movie earned Barbra a Best Actress Oscar nomination, as well as winning the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Tamara Drewe - shades of Thomas Hardy

"Tamara Drewe" 
The film is loosely based on Thomas Hardy’s book“Far from the Madding Crowd” about the effect of a beautiful woman and the men who desire her, and is adapted from a graphic novel by Posy Simmonds.

Tamara, a posh girl raised in a Dorset manor and remembered by the locals as a neurotic girl with a massive nose, has moved to London, where she gets her nose bobbed. She returns to her childhood home, after becoming a successful London newspaper columnist, with a gorgeously remodeled nose and suddenly she excites the attention of men to whom she once was invisible.

The film stars Gemma Arterton as the title figure who drives men wild and women to fits of envy when she returns to Dorset to sell the family house. She becomes the talk of Ewedown, her village, where all the creatures are in rut.
Tamara dazzles former boyfriend, strapping Andy Cobb(Luke Evans),once the Drewe stable boy, who still fancies the girl he seduced as a teenager, and brainy Nicholas Hardiment (Roger Allam), a famous crime writer and serial philanderer, who has Tamara in his sights, much to the dismay of Beth his long-suffering wife and muse whom he scarcely bothers to hide his infidelities from. Beth (Tamsin Greig) runs a writer's retreat in their home, for which she makes mouthwatering meals and desserts, and gives a notable performance as a sad-eyed and betrayed wife.
However London rock god Ben Sergeant (Dominic Cooper) gets in first with Tamara, much to the dismay of some local teenagers who worship him and resent Tamara for coming on the scene and stealing him.

“Tamara Drewe" glides from slapstick to subtle personal drama, moves on to romance and sorrow, and bounces back to buoyant optimism, and has a dry, ironic fondness for even the worst of its characters. The characters scheme against one another and act cruelly, but the crimes they commit are all in the name of love.

Not everyone lives happily ever after, but almost everybody gets what he or she deserves. This film is about as satisfying as it gets.

Missile Launch California - a real mystery!

Missile Launch California

The controversy created by a video that shows what seems to be a missile launch around the California coast has been “unexplained” so far.  Neither the U.S. civilian government nor its military are have offered any explanations, a Pentagon spokesperson told the media on Tuesday.

Of course the hullabaloo could be all for nothing if it’s proven that it is no more than an airplane’s contrail. (condensation trails’) or vapour trails are artificial clouds that are the visible trails of condensed water vapour made by the exhaust of aircraft engines.

The federal government has not brushed off the issue but their statements show that they do not see it as a threat to national and international security.

An “expert” (sounds like a very gullible expert to me!)  revealed that there’s a possibility that the missile launched off the southern California coast is USA military’s way of showing power while President Obama is busy visiting Asia. The expert also believes that it came from a submarine submerged below the Pacific Ocean near the golden state. 

It's spectacular...... It takes people's breath away"

The event was captured on video taken from a news helicopter from a major television network.

Was the military testing some new weapons off the California coast? The Pentagon says that there was no testing going on in the area by any of the local military bases. The United States government is not really sure what the flying object was, or who may have launched it into the air last night. The United States Defense Department, and others, have said that the object did not appear to be a military type projectile.

There was some speculation that it was some kind of exercise by the Navy, however, a Navy spokesperson denies that there were any military exercises being conducted in that area.

Latest News Stories. So Just Who is Cassie Scerbo?

Cassie Scerbo is a blond bombshell and seems to have captured America’s heart.

Cassie Scerbo was earlier famous for being famous, but now the girl is trending for the latest season of ‘Make It Or Break It’. Scerbo has also landed a new boyfriend - Doug Reinhardt - a desirable catch.

The 21-year-old actress is loving  all the attention showered on her,and  showed off her hot figure in a frothy strapless dress when arriving at the Decades Denim launch party in Beverly Hills recently. The party was presented by Angelique Soave and Cameron Silver.

The actress is now working on the latest season of Make It Or Break It, and is pretty excited about it. She gave the details of the season to the paparazzi that supposedly lapped it up

Cassie shared with us, “That is actually a movie musical, and a short film with some comedy in it. I play a psychotic character, again (laughs), but it was more crazy girlfriend-type of character. It was great to be able to sing and dance again because I was in a group called Slumber Party Girls before. It was great.”

She is also Doug Reinhardt’s latest flame and girlfriend. Reinhardt was previously with Paris Hilton before the hot reality TV star broke up with the hotel heiress and fell for Cassie Scerbo. The duo met at an event aptly titled Locks of Love at Hollywood’s Mondrian hotel and a whirlwind romance has followed.

Latest News Stories - New York City Marathon Results

Edison Peña was able to complete Sunday’s New York marathon using the same courage and will power that allowed him to survive two months in a mine. One of the 33 miners who were rescued last month in Chile, accomplish his goal of running the New York marathon and he did it in five hours, 40 minutes and 51 seconds.
On the men side -the race was won by Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam and on the ladies’ side Kenyan athlete Edna Kiplagat was named the victor.

Gebremariam, who was running his first marathon in the big apple, managed to beat Kenyans Emmanuel Mutai and Moses Kigen Kipkosgei in the 26 miles race in the unofficial time of 2 h 08 min 13 sec. The Ethiopian, 26, is the first competitor since 1983 to win the contest in his first attempt.

The world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, had to drop out of the race after running 15 miles due to a bad knee injury.

On the women's side, Edna Kiplagat, 31, finished the 26 miles in the unofficial time of 2 h 28m,  but one story of the day was what American Shalane Flanagan did in her first ever marathon.

The Olympian distance runner Shalane placed second behind Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, and ahead of another Kenyan Mary Keitany, earning a $110,000 for her efforts. Flanagan finished just 20 seconds behind Kiplagat, nearly becoming the first American woman to win the event since 1977.

 But the story of the day was another competitor who had never run the New York City Marathon -  Edison Peña, one of 33 Chilean miners who spent two months underground.

Draped in his country's flag, Chilean miner Edison Pena crossed the finish line in under five hours and received a rousing ovation from the crowd.

In the Wheelchair Division the top 3 men were as follows. First man in was David Weir of Great Britain who won in a time of 1:37:39 followed in second by Masazumi Soejima and third Kurt Fearnley. In the women’s it was the USA’s Tatyana McFadden who won in 2:02:22, followed by Christina Ripp and in third place Amanda McGrory.

In the Handcycle division it was Dane Pilon of the USA who came first followed by Arkadiusz Skrzypinski and third place going to Joel Jeannot. 

Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. this morning.

Latest News Stories
Did you remember?


Autumn’s chill is in the air as nature reminds us it’s time for most Americans to turn the clock back.
Officially the change to standard time occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday. Most folks will set their clocks Saturday night.
Remember, it’s fall back an hour.
If you woke up this morning and seemed to be out of ‘synch’ with everyone else, you forgot to change your clocks and you’ll be an hour early on Sunday for church, golf or whatever. Residents of Hawaii, most of Arizona and some U.S. territories don’t have to change since they did not observe daylight-saving time.
Public safety officials say this is also a good time to put a new battery in the smoke alarm, no matter where you live.
Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, giving us an extra hour of sleep when we turn our clocks back one hour on Saturday night.
The American Red Cross recommends you also use this as an opportunity to check your smoke alarms and get prepared for fall and winter by checking your emergency preparedness supplies – a step that could save you time during an emergency.
When you turn your clocks back one hour, take the time to check the batteries in your smoke alarms and make sure the alarms work by pushing the test button. Replace the batteries at least once a year and check your carbon monoxide detectors, too.
Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. local time the second Sunday in March.

The mysterious death of storm-chaser Matt Hughes: Did daredevil TV star commit suicide? Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326676/Storm-chaser-Matt-Hughes-dies-Did-daredevil-TV-star-commit-suicide.

Latest News Stories.


The mysterious death of storm-chaser Matt Hughes: Did daredevil TV star commit suicide?
Aaron Blaser, a meterologist who had worked with Hughes for many years, said

'While the professional side of Matt was going fine, his personal life was nothing but.

'I won't go into specifics here, but there was never any illegal activity, but an accumulation of issues at home were mounting, and he kept it to himself until the end.'

He went on: 'His friends, and I, will never know what he was truly thinking, will never know if there was something we could've done, will never know if anything could've been done.'

Blaser said around 500 people had attended Blaser's funeral which was held in Whichita.

A Kansas native, Hughes's highly dangerous hobby had propelled him to stardom.

It is estimated he had seen around 100 tornadoes in the 15 years he had been following storms.

Wednesday's episode of the Discovery series Storm Chasers was entitled Dedication and featured his final assignment.

Latest News Stories

Matt Hughes - He lived an extreme life. He died a shocking death.

There was unexpected news folded into last night’s episode of the Discovery Channel reality show, “Storm Chasers.”

After watching meteorologist Matt Hughes triumphantly track down a tornado in the fourth episode of the season, viewers learned that Hughes had passed away in Wichita, Kansas, on May 26.

Matt Hughes, one of the meteorologist stars of Discovery's Storm Chasers, passed away on May 26 in Wichita, Kans., "due to an injury unrelated to his chasing activities," the cable channel said in a statement today. He was 30.

"Everyone involved in Storm Chasers mourn[s] the loss of their friend and colleague," the network's statement said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Matt's family, and we ask fans to kindly respect their privacy."

According to local authorities, Hughes committed suicide months ago.                                    

 "The cause of death was hanging," Amanda Matthews, spokeswoman for Cedgwick County Forensic Science Center, confirmed.                                                                                          

"[First Responders] did an external exam and the indivudal was resuscitated. I don't have info of length of stay in hospital but autopsy date was May 27."

Local police received a call about a suicide attempt at Hughes' residence and found him still alive and breathing. He was transported to a nearby hospital but died nearly two weeks later.

In a June 7 blog post on Wichita's KAKE-TV site, colleague and pal Aaron Blaser recounted what happened.                                                                                 

"I spent quite a bit of time bouncing from work to the hospital and back again...hoping for the best, comforting others, but several days later, after serious complications arose, I knew we were going to lose him," Blaser wrote. "What a lot of us didn't know was that he suffered from depression."

He added that a funeral had been held that was attended by 500 people.

During his final appearance on the show, Hughes took the reins on what would be his "best  tornado intercept ever," said team leader Sean Casey.

Hughes is survived by his wife, Kendra, and two young sons, Hunter and Collin, and Discovery has set up a memorial fund to benefit the family.

Latest News Stories: Latest News Stories.

Latest News Stories: Latest News Stories.: "The 44th CMA Awards Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host Country Music's Biggest Night. The 44th CMA Awards will be on November 10, 2010. ..."

Latest News Stories.

The 44th CMA Awards

Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host Country Music's Biggest Night.

The 44th CMA Awards will be on November 10, 2010. Various artists will be there for the 

country music awards being held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It will be aired live in ABC.

With his 2010 nominations, Brad Paisley becomes the third-most nominated artist in CMA 

Awards history, with 52 career nods.

Kelly Clarkson will sing ‘Don’t You Want to Stay’ a duet with Jason Aldean. Kelly Clarkson is a Country music artist and was an American Idol winner. She had her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, released in 2009. She also sang the National Anthem in the World Series of Baseball game of the Texas Rangers VS San Francisco Giants.

Jason Aldean has eleven singles that topped Billboard Country music charts. He has his fourth album being released by November 2, 2010 in New York City.

TAGS: CMA AWARDS, JASON ALDEAN, KELLY CLARKSON

Surf champion Andy Irons dies Wednesday, November 03, 2010 » 11:51am | The surfing world is mourning with shock news of three-time world champion Andy Irons' death at age 32. Irons was forced to withdraw from round one of the current Rip Curl Pro Search world championship tour event in Puerto Rico with illness over the weekend, and then flew out of the island. The American died during a stop over, believed to be in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday on his way back home to Kauai, Hawaii where he was to seek treatment. It's believed Irons was battling a severe case of dengue fever, a debilitating viral disease. Surfers and event organisers at the Rip Curl Search in Puerto Rico were devastated after receiving the news. Irons was a popular surfer on tour, who won the world title three times in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and for many years was the main rival to nine-times world champion Kelly Slater. He had 20 world tour event wins and is the only surfer to have won at every location on the ASP tour. He is survived by his wife Lyndie Dupuis. A statement was released from Irons' family via the ASP World Tour. 'The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii's Andy Irons has died,' the statement read. 'Andy was a beloved husband and a true champion. Irons, 32, withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness and passed away during a lay over en route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. 'At this time the family sincerely thanks his friends and fans for their support and asks that the community respect their privacy. The family also asks not to be contacted so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss.' Rip Curl event organisers were planning to meet shortly to determine whether they should cancel the remainder of the competition or continue on in Irons' honour. 'We're still getting our key people together so there's nothing to really discuss at the moment,' said event manager, Brooke Farris. 'We haven't made any announcement as such.' Australian former world champion Mark Occhilupo was left shatterd by the news, describing Irons as one of his best friends. '(Australian surfer) Joel (Parkinson) rang me this morning ... and I just broke down, I went to my wife and couldn't stop crying,' the 1999 world champion told Fox Sports. 'It's just really, really heart-wrenching ... I'm devastated. 'He was such a vibrant, lovely person to be around.' Go to News home  Go to News Nation Most recent Highest rated First to last 5 per page10 per page15 per page20 per page40 per page There are no comments yet. Add your own comment (HTML is not allowed) Login You need to be signed in to leave comments 2000 characters remaining Ads by Google Weight Loss W/out Dieting Featured on A Current Affair. Over 100 Kg lost. See Actual Photos. GabrielMethod.com.au/Dieting How to speed up your PC : Scan PC registry to speed up Windows XP instantly, your PC will… RegistryonWindows.com How Much Did it Sell for? Suburb Sales Reports last 12 months Sale Price, Date, Size. View Sample MYRP.com.au/_Suburb_Sales_History