Saturday, 23 July 2011
Monday, 18 July 2011
Sunday, 19 June 2011
A NEW BAND MUSIC
Inone the 35-year-old took time to make fun of his reputation as a slow player --prompting the website to suggest he'd been transformed from the,"sultan of slow, to the lord of laughs."
"So when friends go from slow golfer, nice guy to 'Wow,' it's like the perfect storm of my image to the videos, it's such a contrast. It's had more effect because of it."
Awkwarddance moves, dubious costumes and with voices as thin as a sheet of paper; thefoursome of Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan are hardlyThe Beatles.
But the band -- who were created by world-ranked 44 Crane -- will not be disappointed if they fail to top the billboard charts because the quartet of PGA Tour players are singing and dancing for charity.
The group's debut track -- which is a throwback to the 1990s boy band heyday of New Kids on the Block, NSync and Backstreet Boys -- has so far proved an internet sensation attracting over a million views on YouTube since it went live on June 13.
In fact, three-times PGA Tour winner Crane, who was the driving force behind Golf Boys, has built a cult social media following over the last 12 months after uploading a host of comedy clips of himself.
And Crane's latest production was designed to take things to the next level. After securing funding from Farmers Insurance, Crane convinced Watson, Fowler and Mahan to make it happen. "We've got costumes, a studio rented and we're going for it. The boy band is coming back," he proudly stated in May.
Farmers Insurance came on board through their involvement with Crane, a player they sponsor and who won the PGA Tour tournament they host in California last year.
"The proceeds will benefit charitable organizations designated by Farmers and Ben Crane,"said company vice president Mark Toohey.
The timing of Golf Boys' debut release, during the 111th U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Maryland, only added to the hype. When the golfing world should be occupied with finding its next major champion, many will be talking about the Golf Boys' video -- and in particular the players' ridiculous outfits.
Watson is shirtless in a pair of denim dungarees; Mahan in skin-tight leopard print pants and an open fur coat. Crane sports what looks like a cut-off wetsuit, while Fowler is resplendent in leather pants and an open leather jacket.
By the time the golf-themed lyrics kick in you begin to wonder how the players managed to keep a straight face long enough to film it. "Chip, putt, you know, what's the big whoop? When I play my game, then I make my mama proud," sings Mahan.
"Smash, bang, you got to hit the ball far. When the crowd goes ooooh, then you hear the oo-da-la-li-la-li," continues Fowler.
Fowler's involvement is particularly amusing when you consider his status as America's pop star golfer elect. The 22-year-old has been labeled "the Jonas brother of golf", on account of his boy-band
Two-times major winner John Daly has been known to pick up a guitar and sing on occasion, and has even written his own material. It's surely only a matter of time before Golf Boys invite him along for a cameo
The video opens with the foursome in stagedboy band pose, before the camera pans in on each of their faces in slow motion.Then the choreographed dancing kicks in, with the players mixing studio moveswith coordinated routines on the golf course.
THE KING OF MOROCO
But the February 20 Movement, demanding deep political reforms, called for a peaceful protest on Sunday in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Tangiers, Marrakesh and Fez, according to the movement’s Facebook page, which has more than 60,000 adherents
The proposals come in the wake of nationwide pro-reform demonstrations that began on February 20, hence the name of the movement, inspired by other popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world.
Protesters say the changes, to be put to a referendum on July 1, do not go far enough.
“Theplan as proposed by the king yesterday does not respond to our demands for atrue separation of powers. We will protest peacefully on Sunday against thisplan,” Najib Chaouki, a member of the movement.
“The national committees (of the movement) have called for a demonstration for a true democratic constitution and a parliamentary monarchy,” he said.
The prime minister, now to be called the “president of the government” will have the power to dissolve parliament however, which was hitherto the monarch’s prerogative.
King Mohammed VI also pledged an independent judiciary and said the prime minister will be able to appoint government officials, including in the public administration and state enterprises, taking over an authority previously held only by the king.
The reference to the king in the constitution as “sacred” would be replaced by the expression: “The integrity of the person of the king should not be violated.”
Many political players welcomed Mohammed VI’s proposals. “Compared to the current constitution, this plan is an important advance,”Saad Eddine Othmani.
“Everything the king promised in his speech of March 9 has been retained.” That speech was the king’s first since the uprisings that toppled the autocratic rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and came less than a month after the protests erupted in Morocco for more social justice and limits on royal powers.
“But is this advance enough? That is what we will discuss today” within the Justice and Development Party, an Islamic opposition party, Othmani said.
The head of the government coalition partner Party of Progress and Socialism, Nabil Benabdallah, also praised the speech.
Protesters say the changes, to be put to a referendum on July 1, do not go far enough
The 47-year-old monarch, who in 1999 took over the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty, currently holds virtually all power in the Muslim north African country, and he is also its top religious authority as the Commander of the Faithful.
Under the new draft constitution, the king will retain this religious role and remain as head of state.
He would also remain head of the army and still appoint ambassadors and diplomats, while retaining the right to name top officials of unspecified “strategic” administrations.
The prime minister, now to be called the “president of the government” will have the power to dissolve parliament however, which was hitherto the monarch’s prerogative
SYRIAN PEOPLE S MIGRATION
How the world is going on, Turkey says some 10,000 have crossed over to its territory but many more are camping on the Syrian side.
The UK on Saturday advised against all travel to Syria and urged its nationals to leave as soon as possible.
Thousands of Syrian people have arrived in the border area over the pastweek, escaping military action in the north.
Residents said the army moved into Bdama, about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Turkish border, early on Saturday morning, firing machine guns and setting fire to buildings.
"They came at 7am to Bdama," said Saria Hammouda, a lawyer living in the border town.
"I counted nine tanks, 10 armoured carriers, 20 jeeps and 10 buses. I saw shabbiha (pro-government fighters) setting fire to two houses," she added.
Rami Abdulrahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told Reuters: "Bdama's residents don't dare take bread to the refugees and the refugees are fearful of arrests if they go into Bdama for food."
Bdama is in the same region as the town of Jisral-Shughour, where a recent army campaign restored government control. its ansadness thing.
The army said it was pursuing "armed groups" who had seized Jisr al-Shughour and killed more than 100 security personnel. Other reports said there had been a mutiny among security forces in the town.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, writing in the pan-Arab London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday, said military action would not quell the momentum for change in Syria.
The regime's "continued brutality may allow [President Assad] to delay the change that is under way in Syria, it will not reverse it," she wrote.
The UN says that at least 1,100 people have died since protests began, butSyrian rights groups put the overall death toll in Syriaat 1,297 civilians and 340 security force members. The people are killing
Activists and witnesses said security forces had opened fire on demonstrators in several locations on Friday, killing at least 19 people.
Syrian state media reported that a policeman had been killed and many others wounded.
Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and buses were used to secure Maarat al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun, both on the road linking Damascus and Aleppo.
Opposition figure Walid al-Bunni said the government's grip on the country was weakening as the protests grew and spread through the country.
The authorities have called on people who fled the fighting to return home, but the town is reported to be almost deserted.
President Bashar al-Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family's 40-yearrule, as unrest that first erupted in March in the south of the country has nowengulfed the north and threatens to spread east towards Syria'sborder with Iraq.
The government crackdown has brought widespreadinternational condemnation. These desestors are going up and people are killingwith red
The UK on Saturday advised against all travel to Syria and urged its nationals to leave as soon as possible.
Thousands of Syrian people have arrived in the border area over the pastweek, escaping military action in the north.
Residents said the army moved into Bdama, about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Turkish border, early on Saturday morning, firing machine guns and setting fire to buildings.
"They came at 7am to Bdama," said Saria Hammouda, a lawyer living in the border town.
"I counted nine tanks, 10 armoured carriers, 20 jeeps and 10 buses. I saw shabbiha (pro-government fighters) setting fire to two houses," she added.
Bdama is in the same region as the town of Jisral-Shughour, where a recent army campaign restored government control. its ansadness thing.
The army said it was pursuing "armed groups" who had seized Jisr al-Shughour and killed more than 100 security personnel. Other reports said there had been a mutiny among security forces in the town.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, writing in the pan-Arab London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper on Saturday, said military action would not quell the momentum for change in Syria.
The regime's "continued brutality may allow [President Assad] to delay the change that is under way in Syria, it will not reverse it," she wrote.
The UN says that at least 1,100 people have died since protests began, butSyrian rights groups put the overall death toll in Syriaat 1,297 civilians and 340 security force members. The people are killing
Activists and witnesses said security forces had opened fire on demonstrators in several locations on Friday, killing at least 19 people.
Syrian state media reported that a policeman had been killed and many others wounded.
Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and buses were used to secure Maarat al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun, both on the road linking Damascus and Aleppo.
Opposition figure Walid al-Bunni said the government's grip on the country was weakening as the protests grew and spread through the country.
The authorities have called on people who fled the fighting to return home, but the town is reported to be almost deserted.
President Bashar al-Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family's 40-yearrule, as unrest that first erupted in March in the south of the country has nowengulfed the north and threatens to spread east towards Syria'sborder with Iraq.
The government crackdown has brought widespreadinternational condemnation. These desestors are going up and people are killingwith red
US IN ANOTHER PROBLEM
In these days Usama is in the news, after His death US is facing another problem. Mr Karzai said that "foreign military and especially the US itself" were involved in peace talks with the group.
Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing nine. Before now, both organisations have been handled by the same UN sanctions committee.
The UN Security Council said it was sending a signal to the Taliban that now is the time to join the political process.
Meanwhile, insurgents attacked two convoys supplying Nato troops in the eastern province of Ghazni, police said. Four Afghan security guards escorting the trucks were Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict.
Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year.
The US is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.
It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.
He gave no details as to whether the discussions involved Taliban officials with US authorities, or a go-between.
Shortly after the announcement, a number of suicide bombers attacked a police station near the finance ministry in the Afghan capital. The interior ministry said there were three bombers, but other officials said there were four.
The Taliban said they carried out the attack.
The Afghan interior ministry said nine people were killed: five civilians, three police officers and one intelligence official. Twelve people - 10 civilians and two police - were also injured. The attack has now ended.
''A group of suicide attackers got inside police district one," Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul's police chie. "We surrounded the area.''
One of the bombers detonated his suicide vest, while two others were shot dead by police. Some reports said a fourth bomber was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces.
The Wood in Kabul says the attack is part of the Taliban strategy to strike at the heart of government.
Paradoxically, he says, the greater the likelihood of peace talks, the more Nato and the Taliban will press their military campaigns in a bid to ensure they go into negotiations with an advantage.
The US has yet to comment on Mr Karzai's statement.
The UK said it supported "Afghan-led efforts to reconcile and reintegrate members of the insurgency who are prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution".
"In view of the death of Osama Bin Laden, it is time for the Taliban/insurgency to positively engage in the political process," said a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said there was currently no prospect for successful peace talks with Taliban.
"The only possibility that could happen is if they as a movement are defeated and there's no prospect of that happening in the near future."
He said the objective of international forces in Afghanistan should be to encourage malleable elements of the Taliban to split away from the hard-core leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, thereby weakening the group.
On Friday, the UN split a sanctions blacklist for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.
Hours later, suicide bombers attacked a Kabul police station, killing nine. Before now, both organisations have been handled by the same UN sanctions committee.
The UN Security Council said it was sending a signal to the Taliban that now is the time to join the political process.
Meanwhile, insurgents attacked two convoys supplying Nato troops in the eastern province of Ghazni, police said. Four Afghan security guards escorting the trucks were Diplomats have previously spoken of preliminary talks being held by both sides in the continuing conflict.
Earlier this month, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said there could be political talks with the Taliban by the end of this year.
The US is due to start withdrawing its 97,000 troops from Afghanistan in July.
It aims to gradually hand over all security operations to Afghan security forces by 2014.
He gave no details as to whether the discussions involved Taliban officials with US authorities, or a go-between.
Shortly after the announcement, a number of suicide bombers attacked a police station near the finance ministry in the Afghan capital. The interior ministry said there were three bombers, but other officials said there were four.
The Taliban said they carried out the attack.
The Afghan interior ministry said nine people were killed: five civilians, three police officers and one intelligence official. Twelve people - 10 civilians and two police - were also injured. The attack has now ended.
''A group of suicide attackers got inside police district one," Mohammad Ayub Salangi, Kabul's police chie. "We surrounded the area.''
One of the bombers detonated his suicide vest, while two others were shot dead by police. Some reports said a fourth bomber was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces.
The Wood in Kabul says the attack is part of the Taliban strategy to strike at the heart of government.
Paradoxically, he says, the greater the likelihood of peace talks, the more Nato and the Taliban will press their military campaigns in a bid to ensure they go into negotiations with an advantage.
The UK said it supported "Afghan-led efforts to reconcile and reintegrate members of the insurgency who are prepared to renounce violence, cut links with terrorist groups, and accept the constitution".
"In view of the death of Osama Bin Laden, it is time for the Taliban/insurgency to positively engage in the political process," said a statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said there was currently no prospect for successful peace talks with Taliban.
"The only possibility that could happen is if they as a movement are defeated and there's no prospect of that happening in the near future."
He said the objective of international forces in Afghanistan should be to encourage malleable elements of the Taliban to split away from the hard-core leadership of Mullah Mohammad Omar, thereby weakening the group.
On Friday, the UN split a sanctions blacklist for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.
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