Daily Archives: November 15, 2021

This week NBA had more brawls than it usually does in a year. And as the brawls increase, competition increases so does the entertainment.

NBA has barely seen brawls since the start of last decade maybe because of stricter rules or the fact that players are much friendlier with the opponents than they ever used to be. It looks like that is going to change this season.

On Thursday, the match between the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers suddenly turned into a wrestling event after Pacers center Myles Turner made a sensational block on his counterpart Rudy Gobert.

While going down Rudy pulled Myles with him and they both ended up on the ground and when they both got up, they started a brawl. In a matter of seconds, players from both teams started getting involved and referees intervened to break it up.

Also read: Kendrick Perkins applauds Heat and Jazz superstars after they win Conference Players of the Week awards

At the end of the biggest brawl (by ejections) of this NBA season, 4 players found themselves out of the game. Three from the Jazz and one from the Pacers.

Rudy Gobert doesnt feel so. The Frenchman after the game said he did not feel threatened by Turner at any point, while Turner blamed Gobert for forcing him down by pulling his shorts after the block, which was Turners second block on the 3-time Defensive player of the year.

Turner said,I thought it was a dirty play, when [Gobert] pulled my shorts, I wasnt about to have that, so I had to stand up for myself in that situation.

It barely looked like a fight with both the players tackling each other. Gobert felt the same. He said,If I dont feel threatened, Im not going to throw a punch. And I didnt feel threatened. I am not going to do it on the basketball court, if someone wants to fight, Im easy to reach.

Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier Scary Terry felt the same, that it is not fighting, its wrestling.

It wasnt a WWE show in Denver on Monday. The fight could have turned to an even bigger brawl had Markieff Morris been looking that an anger-possessed seven-footer is about to knock off his head. But he had his back turned. Since that incident, there has been a Twitter war between the Morris Brothers and Jokic Brothers threatening each other.

Also read: 3x DPOY Rudy Gobert doesnt mind having a drug test, after uploading buffed up photos of himself on Instagram

There will be extra excited to watch NBA games this season with players irrespective of fines and suspensions not holding back to standing up to the bullying on the court. Lets see whether we will have this fake wrestling or some real swinging like the famous Malice at the Palace.

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"If somebody wants to fight, I'm easy to reach": Utah Jazz superstar Rudy Gobert calls out players who are... - The Sportsrush

The pandemic graph finally seems to have come down. And this has raised a million hopes in a million hearts of a million people all over the world, hoping for flights to resume, airports to reopen, people to reunite with their families and for others to get away from families they were stuck with through the lockdowns. In short, for life to return to normalcy.

I am, of course, one of them. I needed to travel to India from the UAE, but thought it was better to wait for some guinea pigs to travel before me. Because frankly, traveling has become a challenge ever since the virus was born. Travel rules and restrictions have this tendency to change overnight like a womans mind. And different countries have different requirements. By the time weve wrapped our heads around the whole rigmarole its apparently stale news and we need to begin all over again. And looking at the number of documents to upload before traveling, I was beginning to feel its easier taking a 10 minute trip to space rather than the 3 hour trip from Abu Dhabi to Mangalore, but of course, its better to verify this little bit with Branson & Co., not having been to space myself yet!

And as if all these are not enough deterrents to make one reluctant to take a trip, one is also forced to listen to dozens of warnings from some well-meaning friends and one skeptical husband who spoke darkly about a 3rd wave and asked questions like what-will-you-do-if-the-airports-shut-down-again-without-warning and more along these mournful lines.

In the meanwhile, some noisy news anchors informed us about the return of Air India to the Tatas and this was a bit of cheerful news in some dreary times. It gives me hope that the British might return the Kohinoor back to India too, some day along with at least one or two of those absconding Indian billionaires who are hiding, (no scratch that), who are living it up in Britain.

Anyway, I took this as a sign from above for the simple reason that only Air India operates flights between Abu Dhabi and Mangalore and I promptly booked myself on the next available flight. I was a nervous wreck on the actual travel date, what with waiting for the PCR test result, downloading appropriate apps, uploading appropriate documents along with trying to find the suitcase, which was finally located hiding beneath a thick layer of dust.

At the airport, suitably attired in battle gear with mask, face shield, gloves and sanitisers dangling from my belt like swords ready to be drawn at the slightest hint of a virus attack, I asked for a window seat and the guy at the counter looked at me as if I was asking him for an elephant to carry me to India. He studied the computer screen intently and informed me loftily that a window seat would be a bit difficult to get but he would do some jugaad and allot me one, out of the goodness of his heart. I thanked him profusely almost falling at his feet, but it transpired later that the guy was lying through his teeth. The flight was empty and the few travelers who had braved the challenge like me had not only window seats but the aisle seats as well and the seat in between too, in short each of us had a row of seats to ourselves and plenty to spare. The entire 3 hour ride to India was covered with all of us stretched out luxuriously across our seats to the accompaniment of the soft drone of the aircraft and the loud snores of my fellow passengers. We returned to India like kings, for this flight at least, which makes me dream of better days to come for our much-maligned carrier. Heres hoping that the gracious Maharajah will return to his rightful place and former glory.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The return of the Maharajah - The Times of India Blog

Alum Cheriss May went to Howard Universitys 2016 homecoming game dressed to impress in a fresh new school sweatshirt. During halftime, the Golden Delight dance team from North Carolina A&T State University, Howards opponent, took the field. It had been raining, and the ground was muddy and wet, May said. I laid down on the sideline, and when they came out to perform, I remember clicking, knowing I had something special. I messed up my clothes, but it was worth it. PHOTO BY CHERISS MAY/NDEMAY MEDIA GROUP

Jan. 6 started out like any other day for Washington D.C.-based photographer and Howard University adjunct professor Cheriss May. On assignment for Getty to cover the ceremonial Electoral College vote count for president inside the U.S. Capitol, May remembers the morning began quietly but security was high.

I thought that the Capitol was the safest place in this country, and [Jan. 6] turned all of that upside down for me, said May, who had also been at the Capitol during the height of the George Floyd protests, when building security was at its peak.

Folkus is an ongoing series created with Getty Images that features Black photographers who put the focus on folks like us.

May was barricaded for hours inside Congressman Jim Clyburns office while insurrectionists ran amok. May tried to get word out to her loved ones but she couldnt get a cellphone signal. I felt like my life was in danger. I felt trapped, she said. May remembers kneeling on the floor, camera by her side, as unidentified people tried to break in. This happened three times. The final time, the doors opened to FBI and Capitol police with guns drawn.

My life flashed before my eyes three times that day, May said. I didnt know if I was going to make it out of there. What has helped me is the work. It helps me to live through it and to move forward. This is my passion and my purpose. To have that gives me strength.

Long before May understood she was a visual storyteller, she fell in love with the power of photography to create connection and foster community. After studying advertising and graphic design at Howard University, May worked in features and sports for several newspapers before making the leap to professional photography in 2010. Over the past decade, she has worked as a portrait and editorial photographer, chronicling scenes of contemporary Black life with an artists eye and a warriors heart. In Mays hands, the camera becomes a tool to uplift, inspire, and speak truth to power.

These 10 photographs from Mays career archives bring together luminaries then-President Barack Obama and then-first lady Michelle Obama, U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and actor Chadwick Boseman alongside survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Frederick Douglass living descendants, protesters and activists. I wanted to start with joy and end with joy, May said of her collection. There are so many things in between those moments that is our life: pain, death, legacy, possibility, and the audacity of hope.

I was about 8 years old when I got my first taste of racism. My parents wanted to give us better opportunities, so we moved from Kansas City, Missouri, to a suburb called Lees Summit. We were the only Black family on our street. I remember one afternoon in grade school, my brother, who was 4, and I were coming home on the school bus. He was asleep and one of the kids said, Look at the little monkey sleep. Other kids joined in laughing and continued with hateful remarks, and throwing around the n-word.

When we got off the bus, I told my parents what happened. They sat us down and told us about racism, and how, Youre going to experience this again, but dont let it stop you from pursuing your dreams. Know that you belong there just as much as the other kids. Its a conversation shared by other Black families. This is how the world is. Its not going to be kind. Its going to be hateful even, but dont let that deter you from what you need to do. My parents instilled in my brother and myself the confidence to rise above, have a strong sense of self and know that whatever we put our minds to we could do.

My mother was a high school business teacher. She was also the yearbook advisor, so she had a camera and let me play with it. I remember being so excited to take pictures and see how they looked. I would show up at all the family functions with a camera and pose people and photograph the scene. I would get them developed, bring the prints to the next family function, and spread them out on the table. Everyone would look through them and pick them up, laughing and pointing. I liked that kind of togetherness that brought out happiness and joy.

My family saw my strong interest in photography and were very supportive and encouraging. Every Christmas, they would upgrade my camera. I dont even know how good my photos were back then but to them I was one of the best photographers. They would pour into me and give me compliments. All that positive feedback and reinforcement helped me to think, I can really do this!

I was taking pictures at an event and a male photographer pushed me out of the way. Fred came over and lit into him, Hey, man, dont do that. Afterward we exchanged numbers and stayed in touch. Fred started mentoring me without me having to ask. He would drop nuggets of wisdom all the time: tell me protocol and etiquette working in political spaces. Fred was mentored by photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks, who gave him advice that he in turn passed on to me, like, You belong there as much as any other photographer. Stand your ground. Do what youre there to do. Keep on going. Dont let anybody push you around.

Early on Fred told me, Always look for a different perspective. That really stuck with me. Things can be very repetitive at press conferences, especially if youre covering the same person. Fred helped me think about finding ways to say or show something different within that sameness.

Fred also shared opportunities. One time, he told me he had a trip coming up to South Africa to be the photographer for a Black press tour, but had a conflict and couldnt go. He asked me if I wanted to be the photographer. At the time I was working as a graphic designer for a newspaper, and I said yes without even checking my schedule. Its one of those things I felt in my spirit. I made up my mind that if they said no I was going to resign. It was a bold decision because I wasnt thinking about how I was going to pay my bills but they ended up saying yes.

I come from a family of educators and entrepreneurs. I was raised with that entrepreneurial spirit, so it wasnt that scary to step out on my own. It was something unknown, where I didnt know if it would work out, but I stepped out on faith and had to try. I had a support network of family and friends who were very encouraging. One of my best friends told me, This is your time. You can do it. Having so many people in your corner cheering you on, you start to believe it yourself.

As a child, I was always enamored with patterns, colors, and fonts. How they all worked together it caught my eye. When I take pictures, Im looking at those same things. When I got into photography full time, I would think about the story, but also how I would lay it out on the page. I play with negative space a lot. One of the reasons is I am thinking about someone reading the photo who can place themselves in that space to create a connection or a conversation with the person in the picture.

Kansas City will always be home. That was my start, but D.C. is special. Its the perfect intersection of culture, history and politics. This is the city where whatever your interest or culture is, you can find it. Howard instilled in me a confidence to know that I come from a beautiful legacy and it is my responsibility to do those things that my ancestors fought and died for me to do.

With that great responsibility comes a love and pride to be able to open those doors and help create opportunities for those that come after me and to be able to enter spaces where traditionally you wouldnt see a Black woman doing the work. I always think about in doing that I am creating space for others to come after me so that its not foreign when they get there.

It was something that will be with me forever. I will never forget that day. The morning was very quiet. Security was high. My friends and family were sending messages saying, Please be careful and I told them, Im fine. Im going to be inside the Capitol. Nothing ever happens here. I said that with such confidence and clarity.

I was in the balcony overlooking Statuary Hall where former Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Senate and staff just walked through leaving the House Chamber. I was uploading my photos when I heard some commotion below. I looked over the balcony to see Capitol Police scurrying about, piling up bike racks to block the hallway. I thought they were doing that out of an abundance of caution. Then I saw one of the officers draw a gun and closed my laptop.

Two of Congressman Clyburns staffers brought me into his office. They pulled out the furniture to barricade the doors, and at that point it hit me that this was really serious. All the lights were turned off, the TV was muted and everyone was quiet. We could hear them in [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosis office, hollering and cheering. People came to the doors of the office and tried to get in on three different occasions. I had my cameras with me and was standing in direct line of the door. Then I thought let me move to the side in case something happens and they start shooting through the door. I remember taking out my phone like, Should I make a note for my family in case they find my phone?

We were there for over two hours. Someone yelled at us on the third attempt to open the door but didnt identify themselves, so we didnt know it was the police. I told them to put their ID under the door. I got on my knees with my cameras in my hands because I was going to start taking pictures as soon as whoever it was came through the door. They breached the door and came in with their guns drawn. They yelled at us to put our hands up, then checked our IDs. After checking everyone, they led us out through back stairways to the tunnels of the Capitol to an office building where we waited for a few hours for the all clear to leave. It seemed like the longest day ever.

The very next day, I had an assignment to take a portrait of [former U.S. Rep.] Gabby Giffords. It was so apropos because I was with someone who by all means should not be alive. She is a picture of resilience and what it means to keep moving forward. We talked about what happened the day before and she hugged me, rubbed my back, looked at me, and said, Move ahead.

Cheriss May is passionate about visual storytelling. Her work centers on the intersection of race, culture and politics. She documented the Electoral College vote for president inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Although traumatic, May continued to work. She finds strength telling the stories of people passionate in what they do, resilient in the face of challenges.

Photo of Cheriss by Gorden Campbell | Story text by Miss Rosen

Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer focusing on art, photography, and culture. Her work has been published in Time, Vogue, Artsy, Aperture, and Dazed, among others.

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Photographer Cheriss May finds new perspectives in the sameness - The Undefeated

The current Love Island host took the time to honour Caroline on what would have been her 42nd birthday. Caroline tragically took her own life last year aged 40.

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Laura Whitmore posts tribute to Caroline Flack on presenters birthday

Laura Whitmore has paid tribute to Caroline Flack on what would have been the late TV presenters 42nd birthday.

The 36-year-old Irish television host and influencer had a close working partnership with Caroline who tragically took her own life in 2020 at the age of 40-years-old.

Laura had been standing in for Caroline as the host of Love Island while the original host took time out of the spotlight to address personal issues before tragically ending her own life in February last year.

Friends and family of the star have been honouring her on what would have ben her 42nd birthday on Tuesday with Laura paying tribute via social media.

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Taking to Instagram Stories, Laura shared a drawing of Caroline along with the message be kind a phrase that the star promoted during her life.

Adding a message to the post, Laura wrote: Happy heavenly birthday Flack.

Still doesnt feel real youre not here.

She added: Hope were doing you proud, alongside a red heart emoji.

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Laura also shared footage of herself dancing with Caroline as the pair threw shapes and giggled together to the tune of Ameries song One Thing.

Uploading the short video clip to her Instagram Stories, Laura added another red heart emoji alongside the video clip.

A string of other celebrities including Keith Lemon, Dawn OPorter and Lou Teasdale also paid tribute to Caroline on her birthday.

Fellow presenter Dawn, 42, shared a photo of Caroline at a fashion even alongside a caption reading: Happy birthday you plum.

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Keith Lemon who is the character created by 48-year-old Leigh Francis meanwhile simply penned: Appy birfday Flack! Miss you x while sharing the same illustration that Laura Whitmore had shared.

While hair stylist Lou, 38, shared a collection of photographs on her own Instagram along with the caption: Happy birthday beautiful, I miss you every day.

Lou had been caring for Caroline moments before she took her own life with the TV host committing suicide when her friend had gone to a shop.

When Lou returned to Carolines North London home and found she was unable to open the door, she called the stars father who then found her body inside.

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Caroline took her life in the wake of news that she would face prosecution and a court case relating to an alleged attack on her former tennis player boyfriend Lewis Burton in December 2019.

Coroner Mary Hassell recorded Carolines death as a suicide and linked it directly to her looming court battle while speaking at an inquest into her death last year.

Mary said: The key decision for me to make is whether Caroline took her own life. I have to be satisfied she acted in a way so as to cause her death, and secondly that she intended to cause her death.

In Caroline's case I am entirely satisfied she intended to cause her own death. She hanged herself. She had only one expectation - her own death. There's no doubt in my mind at all.

She continued: Caroline had fluctuating mental ill health, she had had struggles in the past. She had had difficulties.

In spite of the fact she may have led - to some - a charmed life, actually the more famous she got the more some of these difficulties increased - she had to deal with the media in a way most of us don't.

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It was played out in the national press - and that was incredibly difficult for her. She faced the prospect of not working in the job she loved, losing a great deal.

I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity - it would all come down upon her. To me, that's it in essence.

* Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how youre feeling, or if youre worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org

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Laura Whitmore wishes Caroline Flack a 'happy heavenly birthday' in touching tribute - The Mirror