Video: Explosion at Damascus, Syria

A massive explosion hit a government military research facility and ammunition depot in Damascus, capital of Syria. The Syrian TV, owned by the government, blames the strike on Israel, who did confirm an airstrike on Syria yesterday, but the Syrian Free Army (rebels currently at war with the government) also claimed the attack. The word around twitter is that more explosions are happening at the moment in the area. Local reports also indicate the hearing of sounds of jets before the blast. Hezbollah are claiming a jet has been shot down, Israel hasn’t confirmed.

Some reports in Israel indicate that Syria will declare war in Israel tonight.

Here is a quick recap of the current situation in Syria, according to redditor felagund.

From Dogg To Lion

Snoop Dogg has recently underwent a somewhat spiritual transformation within himself. This transformation made an impact on his career, music, style, and, most impressionably, his name. Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion, and he is a reggae star. His new album and documentary, Reincarnated, has a Bob Marley vibe to it and discusses issues in the world. His single, No Guns Allowed, takes the gun control issue to a whole different level. The song includes his daughter as well as rapper, Drake. Although Snoop Lion’s persona is completely changed, I think a turn-around album is the best thing for his career. Fans will be able to see and appreciate a different side of the young turned old rapper. The album and documentary will allow people to see the shift from young Snoop Dogg to older and wiser Snoop Lion as well as possibly connect with the career choices he has made. I encourage everyone to check out Reincarnated and get informed on social and political matters through the eyes of a role model.

Lil Wayne Makes A Lil Trip To Hospital

The rapper, Lil Wayne, first paid a visit to the hospital in March due to several seizures that resulted in a stay at the ICU. Ever since he was released, he seemed to be doing fine. However, on the night of Tuesday, April 30th, Lil Wayne was admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital due to another seizure. Are these seizures signifying an end to not just the rapper’s career but his life as well? We can only hope his health improves. Until then, Lil Wayne, maybe you should start making a lil more healthy decisions.
Read more at TMZ.

5 year-old boy kills younger sister

Tuesday, in a Kentucky home, a 5 year-old boy was playing with his birthday present, a .22-caliber rifle, shot and killed his 2 year-old sister. The state is ruling it as an accident

For the full story visit: CNN

Kriss Kross rapper dies at 34

Chris Kelly was one half of the 1990s rap duo, Kriss Kross. He was found unresponsive in his home in Atlanta, GA on Wednesday. He was then taken to the Hospital and later pronounced dead. He was 34 years old.

To view full story go to CNN

Kris Kross’ Chris Kelly, left, and Chris Smith reunited in February for a 20th anniversary concert for So So Def Records.

Celtics stay alive against Knicks, 3-2

Down 3-1 in a pivotal Eastern quarterfinals playoff matchup, the Boston Celtics rose to the occasion in their defeat over New York Knicks 92-86. Starting off in a deficit 11-0 in the first quarter, the Celtics  outscored the Knicks 45-28 and held a four-point lead at halftime.

Carmelo Anthony, the NBA’s league leader in first quarter scoring, came out shooting “lights out” in the first half but when the Knicks needed him the most, he could not deliver. Without Anthony’s deliverance, the Knicks went through a 2nd half slump in their ability to score.

As a result of the Knicks inability to score, the Celtics took advantage and capitalized on their opportunities. Without start point guard, Rajon Rondo, this required the Celtics other role players to play more of an active role in the offense. In doing so, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry combined for nearly fifty points to put the Celtics over the edge in a close but desperately needed win to keep their chances of winning a NBA championship alive. Jeff Green led all Celtic scorers with 18 points, Brandon Bass with 17 points, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce each with 16 points and Jason Terry pitching in 17 points of the bench.

The Celtics will need another combined team effort to get another win in the series like they did tonight. On Friday, the Celtics will play game 6 of the series in Boston. The Knicks will need the Anthony as well as its other role players to step up to the challenge. If the Celtics can get a win, they would tie the series 3-3.

All in all, no team in NBA history has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to come back to win the series, but Celtics have these plans on their mind.

 

Brent discusses basketball signing day at Jackson State

More than a month ago, Jackson State University hired its seventh basketball coach, Wayne Brent. Brent, the previous coach of the reigning 5A- state champion Callaway High School Chargers, has many expectations upon him in a quick time frame.

Having been hired  a little over a month ago, Brent missed a major portion of the basketball recruitment season. JSU men’s basketball team has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2007; however, Brent has full confidence that he can change the program and take it to the next level.

When asked by the media about signing day, he responded, ” You definitely want to think the guys you are bringing in can get you over the hump, and can maybe one day win you a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title. My vision for this is a piece here and there. Even if these five guys came in and played right off the bat, and say they started, you still need a sixth or seventh man, role players to take your program to the next level.”

The signing list is a Jackson-heavy recruitment class. Signees include Javeres Brent and Donta Robinson from Provine High School, Marcus Love and Albert Goss from Murrah High School and one of his very on TreShawn Bolden from Callaway High School.

Bolden, a 6-foot-8 forward from Callaway, is arguably the best in class and what Brent feels gives the team some size in the post. Brent talked Bolden into staying and playing here after he received other offers to play college basketball from Auburn, Louisiana Tech, and Illinois State.

Thus, Brent’s countless vision and his ability to get players to buy into the concept of unselfish basketball will determine the success rate of the team in his first year.

 

 

Coachella Lives On

Coachella. It’s one of the west’s largest music festival. Starting in 1999, Coachella attendees have skyrocketed drastically. The stretch of varied artists plays a huge part in drawing in the crowd with genres ranging from indie folk to electronica funk. This year’s giant music festival was weighed down by one issue: the unbearable about of dust. Many Coachella goers, especially the Weekend 2 attendees, complained that the dust problem, caused by the bare grounds from walkers, kept them from watching some acts.
As Coachella becomes more and more popular, many celebrities take part in the festivities associated with the two weekend music party. Stars like Vanessa Hudgens, Hilary Duff, and Paris Hilton all updated their Instagrams daily. The whole main cast of the hit ABC Family television series, Pretty Little Liars, was also in attendance for the event. Even if they didn’t hit up the stages, many celebrities joined the various Coachella pre and post parties.
The music festival wave is hitting America hard and, in my opinion, is here to stay for quite some time.

Above is a video from pearljamfan2012’s youtube channel. This is Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Coachella performance.

New Orleans Jazz Fest Strikes Again!

While Weekend One of New Orleans’ Annual Jazz Music and Arts Festival was a huge success, Weekend Two is anticipated to attract even more of a crowd. John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, and Band of Horses were just some of the main attractions present on the Weekend One stages. Weekend Two is welcoming Maroon 5, Phoenix, and Frank Ocean. The Black Keys as well as Hall & Oates will be returning to the Cajun scene once again for Jazz Fest. Regular performers in the Downtown Hattiesburg scene, Space Capone and Flow Tribe, are also set to be on stage this year. For more information on lineups and tickets, visit the Jazz Fest website. Why not change up your normal weekend plans, and take a stroll through Cajun country while enjoying some of today’s hottest performers?

Tully Ice Harvest Festival

The Tully Ice Harvest Festival takes place on Green Lake in Tully, New York once a year. Tully is located an hour from Syracuse, New York. The Ice Harvest Festival provides a way for the people of Tully and surrounding areas to have access to large amounts of ice. Unfortunately, the 2013 Tully Ice Harvest Festival did not take place due to the weather which caused the ice to be too thin to cut. The ice is often used in keeping items cold rather than making things with it. Gordon Howard of Tully, New York provides insight on the harvesting process. The footage and interview was conducted in February of 2009 by Peter Chen.