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FOOTBALL: Ex-Manchester United FC Player Chicharito: I could be the most underrated striker in Europe

You don't score 13 Bundesliga goals in 16 appearances if you're not a good striker. And Bayer Leverkusen forward Chicharito clearly thinks he IS a good striker, if his latest Tweet is to be believed.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal and Manchester United in the summer, the Mexican forward has flourished since being sold to Leverkusen and is currently fourth in the scoring charts in Germany's top-flight.
And now, after being awarded a third Bundesliga player of the month in a row, Chicharito has suggested that he could well be football's most underrated striker...!

source: goal.com

MUSIC: Rihanna Is Now In Fifth Place For The Most Top Ten Hits

Rihanna now has the fifth most top ten hits of any artist

Rihanna performs at the 2015 We Can Survive Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP)

Thanks to the immediate success of her latest single, “Work”, Rihanna now has the fifth most top ten hits of any artist . She is tied in that position with three other artists:Elton John, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson. That’s pretty good company to be in, no matter the list. “Work”, which features Drake, is her twenty seventh top ten.

If she charts one more top ten hit—which is highly likely, considering she just released an album, and she’s not yet thirty—she will move past Elton, Mariah, and Janet and tie with Stevie Wonder. The artists with more top ten hits than Wonder are Michael Jackson (29), the Beatles (34), Elvis Presley (36), and Madonna, who leads the ranking with an astounding 38 top ten singles.

“Work” debuted at number nine this week after a very short period of eligibility. It was able to accrue millions of streams and 126,000 paid downloads in just over one day. Thesong appeared with little warning in the early hours of January 27th, and the single’s corresponding album, ANTI, dropped less than a day later (with no official warning).

“Work” is not only the singer’s twenty seventh top ten, it is her fiftieth entry on the Hot 100 overall. That’s an impressive record, as it shows that more than half of her singles that make it to the ranking end up in the highest reaches of the chart.

SOURCE:FORBES

USA POLITICS: Trump Hits Cruz for 'Fraud'

Less than 48 hours after an Iowa caucus defeat, Donald Trump is calling for a do-over. The New York business man accused the Ted Cruz campaign of fraudulent activities during the Iowa caucuses, after controversial voter mailers and reports that Cruz staffers lied to caucus goers by indicating Dr. Ben Carson was dropping out in order to gain votes for Cruz. Cruz has since called for the firing of those people and apologized.

Trump took to Twitter to air his grievances against what he called Cruz's "fraud" and in subsequent tweets made the case for why he believed "a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."

Cruz won Iowa with 28 percent of the vote with Trump finishing second at 24 percent. Trump, who was polling just ahead of Cruz in the days before the Iowa caucus, has argued that his second place finish was actually a success, especially when he was warned early on that he "would be lucky" to make the top 10 there, he told crowds in Milford, NH Monday night. "We did really well," Trump assured his supporters. But despite touting his success, it seems Trump is still trying to tear his rivals' wins down.

Related: How to Watch the New Hampshire Democratic Debate on Thursday

Responding to Trump's tweets, Cruz spokesperson Rick Tyler said, "reality has hit the reality star. Since Iowa, no one is talking about Donald Trump. That's why he's popping off on Twitter. There are Twitter addiction therapy groups, and he should check in with his local chapter."

And Cruz responded with his own Tweet:

source:nbcnews.com

5 Marriage Firsts Every Couple Experiences

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Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose

Friends seem to come out of the woodwork when you get engaged, offering everything from congratulations to questions about the when, where, and how of your wedding. One type of friend who could be more eager than most? A friend with a wedding-related talent (photography, makeup, invitation design, you name it).
But what if, for whatever reason, you've decided to hire someone else to provide a service for your wedding instead? Our experts let you know how to tell a friend you won't be hiring them for your big day.

Friendors can be a great asset to your wedding if the friend in question is a real pro with serious talent and a portfolio to prove it. But the situation can get sticky if you feel like your friendship might be at risk if you decide to go a different direction. If this friend of yours is close enough to make the guest list, you've got a built-in excuse. All it takes is a simple "I really want you to be able to enjoy the day and celebrate with us instead of working," and you should be in the clear.

If your friend may not make the guest list, it can be harder to explain that you'll be hiring someone else -- and even harder to make that choice if they're offering you a deal. Be sure to do the same due diligence you'd do for a vendor in a purely professional relationship, looking at their website or portfolio and getting references from past clients. Do they do great work that's simply to modern/rustic/formal/out there for your taste? Kindly tell them that it's not the style you're looking for -- but be sure to praise their talents all the while!

A friend who's offering a service that isn't their full-time profession is probably not one you want to test out on your wedding day. Even if you're still on the hunt for the professional you're hoping to work with, a little white lie that you're negotiating a contract with someone else should be enough to get you off the hook.

source: thehuffingtonpost

Is Africa Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

For a people who did not truly observe a change in previous revolutions, the fourth world is not one to be heralded with pomp and pleasantry. So despite Davos being a centre for such discuss, the fourth industrial revolution means nothing more than pure nomenclature to three quarters of the African race.
It's just a name, a desire, a hope and a profound advancement of the west and a big conversation we would like to hash-tag to our local institutions at least so it trends not so much so it is deployed. Our struggle with bringing an understanding of the SDGs is enough mind work and then making it come alive in our conversations, communities, countries and continent is the business we want our noses in not the fourth industrial revolution! We will have all the time to get to the fourth industrial revolution well that is if you are all patient enough.

Well maybe because we do not know...we can't truly appreciate the revolution. The fourth industrial revolution means simply; Africans need to take a stand to improve on education in order to keep its people informed, literacy and economy. It means that climate change, access to education and youth unemployment are serious issues that must be addressed on a local and global level. It means that there is a vacuum for the youth and a lot of opportunity and need to learn better and more constructively. It means we cannot afford to stay complacent at the state of our classrooms while we wonder why the west would hire our best minds after educating them.

The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to climate change in Africa; Global warming endangers our health, jeopardizes our national security, and threatens other basic human needs. Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. With the fourth industrial revolution will come electric cars and trucks use electricity as fuel, producing fewer emissions than their conventional counterparts. When the electricity comes from renewable sources, all-electric vehicles produce zero emissions to drive.

The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to education; Let's throw out the blackboards and contribute to installing white boards, let's bring apps that can teach our educated children how to read and how to write. Even though the world is more global than ever before, most of our daily contact still takes place locally starting in the classrooms be it formal or informal. It means our young people have to be given relevant skill in addition to know-how. They must be allowed to bring creativity into their lessons and also take the same out of their education for the sake of the challenges that will come with the workforce ahead.

These are just a few things we can look out for, what more do you think will change for Africa? We are on the border of a Fourth Industrial Revolution that will fundamentally change the way we work and live in the coming decades but what exactly does it mean to Africa? How does this conversation affect the lives of the old farmer in Abak Itenge or the unemployed youth in Accra? To begin with, understanding it, using it intelligently, will require a massive educational revolution because technological change has always been disruptive.

Is Africa ready for the fourth technology revolution?

source: thehuffingtonpost

Mom's Drawing Of 'What's On Her Mind' Is Resonating With Parents Everywhere

Parents' lives are hectic. So a drawing of what might be going on in a mom's mind at any time would understandably look a bit busy.

Reddit user bpwwhirl recently uploaded a photo with the caption: "Asked my wife to draw me a picture of what is on her mind. This is her response."

The drawing is a swirling maze of thoughts, worries, questions and more, covering a myriad of topics: bills, student debt, kids, dirt under a refrigerator and even a presidential candidate.

And judging by the comment thread, the illustrative drawing is resonating with a wide audience.

"As a wife and mom, I can confirm this is accurate," one commenter wrote.

source:huffingtonpost

CTE: Cuba Gooding Jr. Thinks O.J. Simpson May Have CTE

After spending weeks portraying one of the most notorious football players of all time, Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. says he believes O.J. Simpson may suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Gooding, who plays the former football star in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," speculated about Simpson's mental state in a conversation with HuffPost Live on Monday.

"I believe that after O.J. passes, if we have the opportunity to dissect his brain, we will find the CTE concussion syndrome," Gooding told host Alex Miranda.

The degenerative disease, which was highlighted in the film "Concussion," is found among those who have suffered repetitive head trauma. CTE is linked with mood changes, memory loss and "explosive" behavior and has become a significant topic of conversation among pro football players, especially with posthumous CTE diagnoses for athletes like Frank Gifford.

"If you look at [Simpson's] professional career, he broke records in high school, he broke records in college winning the Heisman Trophy," Gooding said. "He rushed for 2,000 yards in one season, and only six other players have done that in today's NFL, which is 16 games per season. He did it in 14 games. The abuse his brain must have taken to achieve these things, there has to be something to be said."

Gooding isn't the only one to theorize that Simpson suffered brain damage throughout his famed football career. Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist who first discovered the illness among football players, told People magazine last week that it's likely Simpson could have CTE. In fact, he "would bet [his] medical license on it."

source: huffingtonpost

TECHNOLOGY: Microsoft Has Some Crazy Ideas About How We're Going to Use HoloLens to Watch Sports

Have you resigned yourself to the fact that in the future, you’ll be required to strap on a headset or facemask of some kind just to enjoy basic entertainment? Well, if that future looks as awesome as this HoloLens concept video for the future of football, my face is ready.

In advance of the Super Bowl, NFL sponsor Microsoft has released a new concept video showcasing how HoloLens might change the way watch football in the near future.

You can read more about the concept video over on the Microsoft Blog, but for your convenience and enlightenment, here’s a breakdown of what it appears Microsoft thinks you should be able to do at some crazy day in the future.

Ah yes of course, a room full of all of your friends, and everybody is wearing $3000 HoloLens headsets. Suddenly the game isn’t confined to just the television—you can watch a much larger view of the entire stadium.

Here we see the mandatory fantasy football application for the technology. As you’re watching the game, information and stats pop up, and you can interact with them in simple gestures.

With a simple pinching motion, this fellow causes a football player hologram to burst through the wall. Haven’t you always wanted that?

A 3D hologram describing the stadium’s location and weather conditions can also appear right in the middle of the living room floor.

Probably the coolest possible applications are the instant replay concepts. Imagine turning your coffee table into a 3D hologram of a replay. A fancy slider allows you to reach out and change your position on the timeline.

Anyway, concept videos are always exciting, and rarely reflect an immediately attainable reality. Remember the amazing Google Glass concept video a few years ago? Look how that turned out.

What’s significant here is that for the first time Microsoft is turning its attention to consumer uses for the technology. Until now, it’s basically been a developer product—the same developer version that’s shipping in the next few months. Realistically, the ideas in this concept are years from reality, but on the upside I never thought watching football could be more fun.

source: gizmodo

SOMALIA: Somali commercial plane makes emergency landing after an onboard explosion

A Daallo Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Mogadishu, Somalia today after an onboard explosion shortly after take-off. The Airbus flight D3159 was traveling from Somalia to Djibouti when passengers heard a loud bang before seeing flames.

At least two people were reported injured by the explosion which blew a large hole through the side of the aircraft.No explanation has been given for the cause of the explosion, but police are reportedly treating it as "suspicious.

source:lindaikejisblog

NIGERIA: Nigerian Airforce destroy Terrorists(Boko Haram) base

The Logistic base of Boko Haram members has been destroyed by a Nigerian Air Force’s Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The Airforce in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ayodele Famuyiwa and released today, said that UAV was on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission when it came across sect members gathering at Garin Moloma, somewhere very close to the Sambisa Forest.
“At the time of the UAV attack, the location, though under surveillance for quite a while, had a large gathering of Boko Haram Terrorists and vehicles. The multiple explosions and huge fire ball from the location, as can be seen from the enclosed video of the UAV strike, strongly suggests that it may be either an ammunition/fuel storage or weapons/technical workshop. This strike is thus a major setback for the Boko Haram Sect, and a major plus for the fight against insurgency by own troops,” the statement read

source:lindaikejisblog