Mora on Anthony Bonsante. --I didn't understand all the anger towards Anthony Bonsante in going against the grain and choosing his own opponent a couple of weeks back on 'The Contender'.
Boxing is the most individual of sports, and in essence 'reality television' is about making decisions that are the best for yourself. Bonsante may have not won any brownie points from his West teammates, but then, boxing isn't a team sport. He did the absolute right thing in selecting an opponent he felt he could defeat.
He might make a good manager one day.
Do you think there aren't a few guys who regret voting Pete Manfredo back on, instead of a Jonathan Reid?--
Mora on Real Sports. --Did anyone see the 10th anniversary of 'Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel' on HBO? If you haven't, make sure you check it out. 'Real Sports' is simply one of the best things on the airwaves, episode after episode.
Along with 'Deadwood', 'The Sopranos' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', it still makes HBO worthwhile.
Now if they could just do a few good fights now and then.--
Mora on Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor. --I've never seen a proposed fight be on the brink of being consummated and falling apart all at the same time quite like Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor.
From what I hear, HBO can't make any decisions on the rest of their summer schedule until a final verdict is reached on that July 16th date.--
Mora on The Contender Storyline. --Going back to 'The Contender', it's great that all these guys are fighting for their families and loved ones, but that repetitive storyline is getting a bit tiresome.
Can't we just have a guy who's fighting for the money, car, drugs and fame? And also because it beats having a real job?
Y'know, like a lot of other boxers?--
Keep it real, Sergio. Keep it real.
The Contender Sergio Mora Has Come a Long Way from East LA
It was while sparring with fringe welterweight contender Danny Perez last year, in preparation for his own bout against Les Ralston (which was telecast on NBC May 15, 2005), that Sergio Mora would hear about open auditions for a new boxing reality show--The Contender.
At the time, the 11-0 boxer from East Los Angeles didn't give much thought to participating in the show. But after finding interest in his services from promoters still lukewarm after outboxing Ralston on national television, he gained a new perspective.
"I decided, 'Y'know what, I might as well try this 'Contender' thing. I'm undefeated and I'm unsigned,'" recalled Mora.
'The Contender' would have open tryouts throughout various gyms across the land, supervised by Prentiss Byrd and Frank Stallone. It was a nationwide search - taking over two months - to find 16 'contenders' in the middleweight division.
"They narrowed down 6,000 to 300 to 40," explained Mora of the process. "The 40 were the critical 40 and then to the elite 20."
Making the Cut And from there, a special presentation was given to those who made the final cut. "16 of the 20 got a necklace, personally handed from Sylvester Stallone, saying you made the show."
And just like that, his life has been forever altered by being one of 16 boxers fighting for a grand prize of one million dollars, with two finalists duking it out at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in May.
"It's definitely a life changing event," he agrees. "It's going to be forever encapsulated in show business and not only business, in boxing, on a reality show, that's unheard of. And for me to be a part of that is an amazing experience."
Now the boxing 'survivor' lives in a fishbowl, with all of America voyeur to his life.
Mora Boxes Celebrity "The first week or so it's really annoying and they film you doing the dumbest stuff," Mora says with a smile and a shake of the head. "Obviously they're not going to edit that way. I mean, I'm making a sandwich and they're taping me. I'm going to sleep and they really don't want to miss anything."
But get this, "The first week was really weird," said Mora, who then added, "then I actually missed them."
Really?
"I got back home and no one was following me and I actually missed that experience."
Reality TV Anything But Real Critics of reality television gripe that it's anything but reality. And oftentimes they are correct. Many times what shows portray is a highly manipulated and edited version of what the producers want the audience to see. But in watching the shows, Mora swears that what's being shown on 'The Contender' every Sunday night on NBC is an accurate depiction of what he went through.
"That's what's amazing about 'reality TV'. I say, 'They can't do that, they have to be told what to do, what to say or how to act,' and it's not like that; reality is really reality," he insists. "We don't get pushed to do this or to say that, we do it on our own accord.
"And that's why it developed into being such a great experience and it's ethically sound because 'The Contender' is actually a legitimate boxing show."
But this being 'reality television', boxing is just part of the story. Oftentimes, it's just the backdrop used by the storytellers. By putting 16 boxers - who would eventually face each other in the near future - friendships and conflict are bound to occur in this pugilistic Petri dish.
Early on, Ishe Smith became a polarizing figure with the way he handled his rivalry with Ahmed Kaddour, who he eventually vanquished.
"To actually live with them, it was a different experience and to know how they are every hour of every day was great," says Mora, who grew close to Jesse Brinkley and Alfonso Gomez, while having prior relationships with Smith and Peter Manfredo from their amateur days.
"As far as me having any rancor towards any other boxers, there was this one particular guy and you'll see it in the upcoming shows."
16 Boxers, Two Teams The show's format divided the 16 boxers into two eight-man teams representing the east and west. After going through a physical challenge - which is designed more to appease sponsors than anything else - the winning side gets to select the fight on that week's episode, pitting a fighter from the west coast against the east coast.
A few weeks back, Mora would face Philadelphian Najai Turpin, defeating Turpin over five rounds. With that win, Mora would advance to the second round of the show. For Turpin, it would be the last prizefight of his career. In February, Turpin took his own life with a gun shot to his own head.
Critics Blame The Contender for Untimely Dealth of Najai Turpin Some critics contend that Turpin, based on his background and psychological make-up, should not have been allowed on the program. Some have gone as far as to blame 'The Contender' for his untimely death.
"Critics are always going to be critics and they weren't there to know the guy," said Mora.
Other boxers such as Miguel Espino tell tales of how Turpin would sleep isolated in the closet with a knife in his hand, hearkening back to his days in Philadelphia. One thing is for certain, Turpin was a loner.
"We really didn't know the guy, either. And I don't think it was 'The Contender' that had anything to do with his death. Najai was a really introverted person. He was the type of person you never really got to know."
Mora does admit that he had an inkling that Turpin did have some deep seeded problems that extended well beyond the ring.
"But boxing was his outlet and obviously it was a devastating loss for him," Mora says. "But as you see when he left the show, he left content, knowing that he gave everything he could and I respect him for that as a warrior. I think he respected himself. And if he would've been alive to see what he did on television, the opportunities would've been endless."
Mora Has Come a Long Way from East LA He's come a long way from being a young man who lived in East Los Angeles, where he was raised by his single mother in a small apartment alongside his three brothers. As a youngster, Mora had aspirations of being the first in his family to graduate from college - actually taking college courses after high school.
He didn't begin boxing until the ripe age of 15, participating in what he calls 'barbecue boxing', where the local ruffians would engage in semi-organized prizefights, where the money brought by the contestants was used to fund the prize money and the meat.
Ahh, nothing like carne asada and uppercuts.
Eventually he would go onto more organized boxing, hooking up with his trainer Dean Campos - whom he credits with his unorthodox style of fighting - and a Montebello police officer, John Montelongo.
By the late 90's, Mora was a fixture around the Southern California gym scene, sparring with the likes of Terry Norris, Oba Carr, David Kamau, and even Oscar De La Hoya, as they prepped for their bouts.
Mora Earned Berth in 2000 Olympic Trials Mora would eventually be ranked as high as the number two fighter in the United States and earned a berth in the 2000 Olympic Trials, where he lost a decision to eventual bronze medalist Jermain Taylor.
As he began his pro career in 2000, he would build his record at such venues as the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, to the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, to the Compaq Center in San Jose, to the De Paul Athletic Center in Chicago.
While Taylor would build his career with the strong push of HBO, Mora would toil in anonymity. But that isn't the case anymore, since Mora now has a high profile of his own.
But this is just the beginning if he wants to really make a mark on the game, which means he's had to get back to work, something he says wasn't easy.
Mora Spars With Antonio Margarito "Yeah," he admits, "because this is obviously a TV show, it's Hollywood, it really is. They're doing it to make a TV show, first, boxing, second. Since we had to put our boxing business in the back, it was kind of a grind getting back into it."
When this article was written, Mora was serving as one of the main sparring partners for Antonio Margarito as he prepared for his April 23rd date against Kermit Cintron. The work was vigorous and far from the bright lights of network television.
"But it's nothing that we're not familiar with and nothing we can't just do. We love what we do and this is our job."
Are Contenders Exploited? Mora vehemently disagrees with the notion that any of the participants were somehow exploited.
"Exploited? How?" he asks, incredulously. "This is the best thing that could have happened to all of us. I say maybe 90-percent of us there were glad we were on the show - whether we won or lost. First of all," he explained, "we got seen by eight million people, that's more than any pay-per-view fight in history. And for us to be portrayed in certain characters, like I'm the 'Poetic Warrior', that's great."
Each fighter that appeared on the show is receiving a weekly stipend as the show airs.
"Financially we're doing better now that our careers stagnated, not fighting," he points out. "We're actually getting financially supported better than when we fight, by promoters. This is the best thing that could have happened to us as fighters and hopefully a remedy for boxing."
As you see Mora working at various gyms from Hollywood to El Monte, it's clear that his profile has been raised. As he finishes up his day's work, sparring against the likes of a Kingsley Ikeke or an Antonio Margarito, he is asked to pose for photos or sign a few autographs at the conclusion of his workouts. This wasn't happening a few months ago.
"Oh, yeah, definitely, I get recognized and it feels really good," he says. "Kids are the ones that really come up to you with no shame and ask for your autograph on a picture or a shirt, hats or whatever. Certain guys around the neighborhood in East LA, they recognize you from afar and give you that 'vato look'. But it's all respect and love. I'm loving the attention and I'm loving the experience."
For the NBC boxing event May 15, 2004 at the DePaul Athletic Center, Chicago, IL, USA featuring undefeated middleweights Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora versus Les “Lightnin’” Ralston of Buffalo, NY, both fighters came in looking to capitalize on the nation-wide exposure. But it would be Mora who would walk away with the victory in this interesting 8 round match-up of contrasting styles. Mora won by unanimous decision as two judges ruled it 78-74 and one scored it 79-73.
Ralston (13-1-0, 7 KOs), a five time New York golden Glove champion, is admittedly not a brawler, but more of a boxer/puncher. Mora, who improved to 12-0-0 with 3 KOs, was the quicker of the two and showed a propensity for throwing and trying to land the big punch.
The fight was not lacking for action as both fighters exhibited the skills that brought them to this point. Mora, a Los Angeles native, was quick to punch and his confidence was matched by his aggressiveness. So aggressive was Mora that he opened a cut over the eye of Ralston due to a head butt that referee Gerald Scott failed to pick up on in round four.
Ralston showed some resiliency, as he was able to take the hard-hitting punches of Mora without going down. Unfortunately, Mora’s hand speed kept Ralston at bay and unable to throw many punches in Mora’s direction, despite the pleas from Ralston’s corner.
The only round Ralston seemed to dominate was round six, where Mora’s aggressive nature took a back seat to his complaints to the ref of Ralston’s punches to the back of the head. Ralston had been doing most of his professional work against non-descript opponents in South Carolina and was clearly outgunned by Mora.
Does The Contender Sergio Mora Spar With The 48 Laws of Power?
The Contender Sergio Mora talked about this book on the NBC reality series, The Contender, with a copy of it in hand. Hmmmmm? Like the Contender Joey Gilbert, did Sergio Mora read it, too, and take tips from it to counterpunch the aspirations of Ishe Smith, Ahmed Kaddour and other second-round contenders? Did its philosophy guide their rise to the second round? What's the secret within the pages of this book? Who next will fall victim to its knowledge? Can I use it to gain power and win in my own life? Here's just a jab of thoughts from the book:
Law 1: Never Outshine the Master
Law 2: Conceal Your Intentions
Law 3: Always Say Less Than Necessary
Law 4: So Much Depends on Reputation--Guard It With Your Life
Law 5: Court Attention At All Cost
Follow the link below to take a deeper peek inside The 48 Laws of Power.
Book The Contender Joey Gilbert Used to Manipulate The Contenders--48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Did The Contender Joey Gilbert have a plan to manipulate the other boxers on The Contender? How did the 48 Laws of Power guide Joey Gilbert during The Contender? Below is how Barnes & Noble describes the 48 Laws for people who want to be on top.
48 Laws of Power
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention—grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded—or been victimized by—power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
"It's The Rules for suits... . Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun—tzu better watch his back." —New York magazine
"Beguiling ... literate ... fascinating ... a wry primer for people who desperately want to be on top." —People
FROM THE CRITICS
Hardy Green
The 48 Laws of Power seems to have been packaged more than published. . . . The moral advice adds up to a grim portrait of a ruthless, duplicitous universe. -- Business Week
Newsweek
This season's most talked about all-purpose personal strategy guide and philosophical compendium.
Publishers Weekly
Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's The Prince, espousing principles such as: everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the authors counter, saying "honesty is indeed a power strategy," and "genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power." Amoral or immoral, this compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will entertain the rest. Elffers' layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red at the margins. Each law, with such elusive titles as "Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy," "Get Others To Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit," "Conceal Your Intentions," is demonstrated in four ways--using it correctly, failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Illustrations are drawn from the courts of modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and devious strategies culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable reading, yet by the book's conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum.
Library Journal
Uses examples from history to deliver 48 laws for the power-hungry, e.g., Law 1: "Never outshine the master." Designed by Elffers, a noted book packager.
Library Journal
Uses examples from history to deliver 48 laws for the power-hungry, e.g., Law 1: "Never outshine the master." Designed by Elffers, a noted book packager.
A reviewer, young and ahead, April 21, 2005, 5 out of 5 stars
Its been three years.
I first read this book three years ago, and I still read it every now and then. it has changed my life, im better garded and better informed than ever. I'm also always having them for lunch before they have me for dinner. my favorite ever ....
A reviewer, for the people, April 8, 2005, 1 out of 5 stars
not true POWER...
this is manipulation, control, and self-serving force... follow and lose your own soul... its value may be in showing some of the tactics the soulless may use to control and manipulate... so in this it gives wisdom and protection to the naive, but I would not follow it... thus becoming another dog in a dog eat dog world...
Ronnie B (mert7734@aol.com), a conscious man now, March 28, 2005, 5 out of 5 stars
eyes for the blind
I have only read 24 laws, but I find it an ideal tool for everyday life as well as encounters that you may face when dealing with people from all social levels or backgrounds,It reveals the little mind-games people play, know that I'am armed with this information it is very hard to pull the wool over my eyes, study from this book do not read it!
esbalfour, A reviewer, March 10, 2005, 4 out of 5 stars
Well kept secret
I consider this book to be a well kept secret. Guard it with your life and be very carefull who you recommend it to. This book is not for those with weak hearts and weak stomachs and it's definitely not for those who abuse power either. Get rid of the notion that 'winning isn't everything', because it is. The way I see it, why let someone else have what could be your's. If you're ready to seriously play the game of power, then you'd better know the rules.
Also recommended: Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts
rolf dobelli (rolfdobelli@getabstract.com), A reviewer, December 2, 2004, 5 out of 5 stars
A Must Read!
This book is amoral, hauntingly true and indispensable. It should be on the bookshelf of anyone who aspires to any level of success in any organization or profession. It should not gather dust but should be read regularly, according to a plan — one law a day, for example, absorbed slowly and contemplated deeply. Author Robert Greene draws on a rich variety of sources including books so threatening that they were banned by the ancient Chinese. He cites the memoirs of Machiavelli, various con men and many others who swept aside what ought to be in order to focus on what is. It might seem that anyone who follows all of these laws in their rich, narrative detail will turn out to be a very unpleasant person. That's probably not true. We suspect, in contrast, that the person who masters the laws of power will be extremely pleasant, with winning ways and a knack for likeability, yet awe-inspiring and in control — though not always obviously so. Doesn't that sound tempting?
The Contender Joey Gilbert loves a great cappuccino, Italian and Mexican foods, smart physical training at a private gym, and unique personal care at the salon or the hotel. Check out some of his favorites.
First, A Brief Bio Born in Chicago, Illinois Joey moved West as a young boy were he had a idyllic childhood...on a family ranch in RENO, NV. His father is a Navy Flight Surgeon, attached to a Marine Reconnaissance unit currently serving in Afghanistan; his mother is a caring Italian-Catholic mother and also a nurse. His sister is his nutritionist, strength coach, endurance trainer and a key asset to his success. The family revolves around the men and Joey and his father are the heroes.
Joey began his boxing training later than most while attending college at University of Nevada - Reno (UNR). He served as the team captain and won four NCAA Regional Championships and three NCAA National Championships. Joey had quite the college career beyond boxing - he earned a BA in English Literature and minors in Political Science and Italian Studies, served in student government and was an active member in his fraternity (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) and the community.
Upon graduating from UNR, Joey enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard and finished as the Top Academic Graduate. After spending a full year with the Nevada Air National Guard, he was placed on Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) while he earned a degree of higher education at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He is licensed to practice law in Nevada, holds the IRR status until 2007 and is currently applying to serve out the remainder of his term as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) Officer in either Reserve component of the Air Force or Navy.
Joey has a perfect 8-0 Pro record and won't let up until he achieves his goals - to be the Junior Middleweight World Champion and to be a positive example for the sport of boxing.
Joey's Favorite Resturant
Luciano's on Virginia (775) 322-7373 Address: 719 S Virginia St Reno, NV 89501
The owner is from Bologna, Italy, and he is a good friend of mine. I have celebrated almost all of my birthdays, graduations, and special events at his restaurant. I often will go to see Luciano in the morning to just talk and have a cappuccino with him while he prepares the restaurant for the day. Overall, it is just great Italian food, a wonderful owner, and a lively atmosphere.
Joey's Favorite Bar & Grill
Hacienda Restaurant & Bar (775) 746-2228 Address: 10580 N Mccarran Blvd Ste 102 Reno, NV 89503
The Hacienda is both a great Mexican restaurant and often (on Wednesday nights) a lively night time spot. Christian, the owner, and his management, Tony, Miguel, and the cook, Walter always take care of their guests. The food is authentic and the service is always great. Christian is at the restaurant 24/7 and is always stressed out and fun to mess around with. Most importantly, on Wednesday nights, Hacienda puts on "Chicks and Salsa", which is a night of inexpensive drinks, food, and the LADIES get in FREE. Also, Reno's most popular entertainment company "EJ Presents, LLC", puts on the show, so it is a great time and everyone usually rolls through for at least a drink or two.
Joey's Favorite Fitness Center
Framework Personal Training (775) 826-5756 Address: 6135 Lakeside Dr Reno, NV 89511
Framework, owned by Paul Fisher, is a private training gym that is a well equipped very clean lively place to work out. Most importantly, Framework is the type of private fitness center that utilizes a variety of different training and fitness techniques aimed at getting you the results you want. Framework is not a "body-builders" gym, but is more focused and dedicated towards overall improvement in personal health and a well balanced diet. Calculating and planning a specific diet unique to each client, allows Framework to offer its clients something that most fitness centers do not. At Framework, core strength and a strong immune system are considered more important than bulking up or trying some crazy rapid weight-loss system that doesn't provide the desired result. Finally, all of the trainers at Framework are incredibly knowledgeable and true professionals. They are properly educated and experienced in the health and wellness industry. The personal trainers at Framework dedicate themselves to you and give 110% while you are working out. They push you and you will notice a difference immediately.
Joey's Favorite Salon
Salon Infiniti & Day Spa (775) 825-5520 Address: 294 E Moana Ln Ste 5 Reno, NV 89502
This salon is a lively place where they really take care of you and insist that you are comfortable and at ease while you wait (if you wait) for your session to begin. Most importantly, the reason why I choose to have my haircut here about every ten days is because of how extremely gorgeous my girl Tena is; I mean, she is not just beautiful, she is HOT and she always wears the cutest, yet sexy outfits. Tena does incredible work and is very thorough and professional and she takes the time to see that I am completely satisfied with my haircut. She doesn't rush through the appointment and uses all the different types of salon equipment to fade, shape, and layer my hair the way I like it. She is extremely intelligent and great to talk to about anything and understands the crazy demands I have placed on myself due to my unique lifestyle. BTW: I get manicures there a few times a month. I love having my nails and hands done. My hands always hurt from boxing and bad circulation (cold), and I love the massage at the end. Most importantly, because I am Italian and I talk with my hands, I think it is essential for them to be well groomed.
Joey's Favorite Hotel
Eldorado Hotel & Casino (775) 786-5700 Address: 345 N Virginia St Reno, NV 89501
I might be sounding a bit redundant, but Reno is a growing city and has a lot to offer, but some places remain to be the best and provide the best service. The Eldorado Hotel & Casino is probably the best property in Reno for all your entertainment and lodging needs. The hotel is clean, spacious, and the rooms are comfortable and quiet. They have an amazing buffet and I personally love their mushroom ravioli. The Eldorado has a number of restaurants inside it as well as probably the number one brewery in Northern Nevada�Brew Brothers has live music, great food, outstanding beers to choose from, and Timmy (one of the managers) is a total stud and always takes care of the boys. Most importantly, what makes the Eldorado so unique is that the service is unparalleled to any other hotel and it is not surprising to see one of the owners (the Carano boys) personally attending to one of the Eldorado's customers. It is a family run business and a meeting place for just about everyone in town, of every (legal) age.
The Contender Final Four, 4 to Move Closer to Million Dollar Prize
The Contender Final Four. The rules have changed. It's every man for himself; the team effort is over. Weekly challenge winner gains power to choose his opponent, or to be the match maker.
The Final Four
1 - Sergio Mora was born in a tiny apartment in East LA where he lived with his mother and three brothers until just a few weeks ago. At 24, he and his older brother have finally moved out... to the apartment downstairs. He is the first to admit that his family lives in the ghetto but bristles at being lumped into the East LA stereotype. Although he grew up without a father, his respect for his mother and the desire for a better life turned him to sports instead of gangs. As a teenager, Sergio knocked out many of his friends just "goofing around" in the street. He started boxing at the age of fourteen and is currently undefeated as a Pro. When he isn't training, he works with kids at a neighborhood youth gym built to give boys and girls an alternative to gangs. Sergio trains at the same gym and the signage on the front bears his picture and nickname: "the Latin Snake." Sergio's dream is to make enough money boxing to allow his mother to quit her job working at a warehouse and send her traveling the world ... without his brothers. View the Sergio Mora Career Record.
2 - Alfonso Gomez was 10 years old his family moved from Mexico to the United States, and he's been boxing ever since. Mr. Gomez took over Alfonso's training after a month of watching another trainer teach his son an amateur style of boxing. Having been a boxer himself, Alfonso's father preferred a pro style and taught Alfonso the 'Mexican Style of boxing.' Alfonso only takes orders from his father, and will ignore almost everyone else, particularly when it comes to training - he won't undo what he and his father have been working on for fourteen years. Alfonso graduated high school with an 80-10 amateur record and decided to go Pro. He also wanted to get a B.A. degree which meant a move from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The 17-year old was going to move out alone, but his parents wouldn't let that happen. They sold their business and home and moved their three sons to Tustin, California. The entire family has made huge sacrifices to ensure their Alfonso has everything he needs to become a champion. Alfonso wants to give all that they've given back to them and sees this competition as an opportunity to get him closer to his goal. He is confident that he's going to win, and so is his family. Alfonso fought and lost to Ishe Smith in 2001. View the Alfonso Gomez Career Record. 3 - Peter Manfredo, Jr. is a happy-go-lucky kid who turns into Godzilla in the ring. He has lived his entire life in his father's gym and has more than the average perspective on the business of boxing and the potential to make a great living at it. His father complains that he started boxing too late in his life to have made any real money. However, Peter Jr. seems to be doing just fine. He has an SUV, and bought some land to build a house for his high school sweetheart-turned wife Yamika and their baby daughter.
Peter is affable, likes to laugh and is generally a happy guy but does not take criticism well. He knows the world of boxing, his place in it and is confident in his chances in this competition. Peter Senior is deathly afraid that the shows trainer will screw-up what he took a lifetime to build with his son. He is very confident that Jr. is the Contender.
4 - Jesse Brinkley is a loud and lovable country boy. He is the class clown - all about fun, all the time. He has an abundance of energy and a great sense of humor, even about himself. Jesse loves to have an audience laughing at his jokes.
He learned how to fight from Rocky movies and a heavy bag his stepfather hung in his garage. He soon developed a tough-guy reputation and quickly began knocking out all the kids in small-town Yerington. His amateur career was very brief, as he hated fighting with headgear, disliked the amateur point-scoring system, and just wanted the chance to knock guys out.
Jesse's dream is to fight DeLaHoya, but if that doesn't happen he would be just as happy living out in the desert, hunting, fishing, and drinking beer for the rest of his life. We'll see how this country boy fares in the big city.
Jesse lives with his long-term girlfriend, Coleen, and their two children, Steyr and Denaya.
Sergio Mora was born in a tiny apartment in East LA where he lived with his mother and three brothers until just a few weeks ago. At 24, he and his older brother have finally moved out... to the apartment downstairs. He is the first to admit that his family lives in the ghetto but bristles at being lumped into the East LA stereotype. Although he grew up without a father, his respect for his mother and the desire for a better life turned him to sports instead of gangs.
As a teenager, Sergio knocked out many of his friends just "goofing around" in the street. He started boxing at the age of fourteen and is currently undefeated as a Pro. When he isn't training, he works with kids at a neighborhood youth gym built to give boys and girls an alternative to gangs. Sergio trains at the same gym and the signage on the front bears his picture and nickname: "the Latin Snake." Sergio's dream is to make enough money boxing to allow his mother to quit her job working at a warehouse and send her traveling the world ... without his brothers.
Jesse Brinkley is a loud and lovable country boy. He is the class clown - all about fun, all the time. He has an abundance of energy and a great sense of humor, even about himself. Jesse loves to have an audience laughing at his jokes.
He learned how to fight from Rocky movies and a heavy bag his stepfather hung in his garage. He soon developed a tough-guy reputation and quickly began knocking out all the kids in small-town Yerington. His amateur career was very brief, as he hated fighting with headgear, disliked the amateur point-scoring system, and just wanted the chance to knock guys out.
Jesse's dream is to fight DeLaHoya, but if that doesn't happen he would be just as happy living out in the desert, hunting, fishing, and drinking beer for the rest of his life. We'll see how this country boy fares in the big city.
Jesse lives with his long-term girlfriend, Coleen, and their two children, Steyr and Denaya.
Ishe Smith loves God, his family, and boxing... in that order. He was born and raised in North Las Vegas by a single mom and lives his life with integrity. He has had great success in his undefeated boxing career, but has been taken advantage of by promoters and agents along the way and recently had to declare bankruptcy. His strength is his wife, LaToya, his 2 year old son Ishe Jr., and his faith. He is gentle and loving with his family, and respectful and humble with everyone else. He is an usher in his church every Sunday.
LaToya is to Ishe as Adrian is to Rocky. She won't let him give up on his boxing dream, even though they now have to live with her parents. She believes in him, inspires him, and sees his boxing skill as his gift from God.
Ishe's mission on The Contender is to restore the integrity of the sport he loves and to provide for his family. Ishe trains with religious zeal and keeps meticulous journals and logbooks of everything he does during the day. He doesn't drink, smoke, or go to strip clubs. He doesn't respect fighters that don't train hard, and deems them a detriment to the sport. He can talk tough with any one and considers that part of the sport. Ishe will not suffer fools. He has trained with superstar boxers, including Fernando Vargas, and feels he can hold his own against anyone...he just needs an honest chance.
Anthony Bonsante is a hard-working, honest and sincere single father who is fiercely committed to his two kids, Brittany, 10, and Derek, 8. His blue collar work ethic is so strong you get the impression he will fight until he's half-dead to win this competition for his kids. They give him the strength to fight harder, even when exhausted and in pain, and he thinks about his kids if he's ever in trouble in the ring. When not training or working, Anthony enjoys spending time with his kids and his family in Crosby, MN, hunting and fishing.
Anthony works the overnight shift as a K-Mart Manager and has found it difficult to juggle his family responsibilities, his job and his boxing career. He's proud to be an honest working man and a good father, and those values mean more to him than money or success. Anthony dedicates this experience to his two kids (who are also young boxers in training).
Anthony fought and lost to Peter Manfredo in 2004 and is hungry for a shot to settle the score.
Alfonso Gomez was 10 years old his family moved from Mexico to the United States, and he's been boxing ever since. Mr. Gomez took over Alfonso's training after a month of watching another trainer teach his son an amateur style of boxing. Having been a boxer himself, Alfonso's father preferred a pro style and taught Alfonso the 'Mexican Style of boxing.' Alfonso only takes orders from his father, and will ignore almost everyone else, particularly when it comes to training - he won't undo what he and his father have been working on for fourteen years.
Alfonso graduated high school with an 80-10 amateur record and decided to go Pro. He also wanted to get a B.A. degree which meant a move from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The 17-year old was going to move out alone, but his parents wouldn't let that happen. They sold their business and home and moved their three sons to Tustin, California. The entire family has made huge sacrifices to ensure their Alfonso has everything he needs to become a champion. Alfonso wants to give all that they've given back to them and sees this competition as an opportunity to get him closer to his goal. He is confident that he's going to win, and so is his family.
Ahmed Kaddour was born in Lebanon and raised in Denmark. Kaddour had a very successful Pro career as a European boxer until he was noticed by a US promoter/manager who signed him up and brought him to Houston. To date, Ahmed has a perfect pro record at 18-0. His amateur record was 81-1 and he claims he was robbed in his only loss ... fighting a local fighter in Germany.
Ahmed lives with (and is supported by) his girlfriend, Brandy, a very beautiful 20-something television host who is moving to LA to expand her career. Ahmed will follow her to LA as Hollywood is his "destiny." His peers even call him "Hollywood", and he embraces this nickname because he feels that he IS Hollywood personified.
Good looking yet extremely vain, Ahmed plans to be a top model and movie star as well as a world champion boxer. He thinks his opponents don't take him seriously because he is "so pretty." He claims the truth is that the reason he's so pretty is because no one can hit him. Count on Ahmed to stir the pot and create some controversy with his cocky and flashy look and personality.
Peter Manfredo, Jr. is a happy-go-lucky kid who turns into Godzilla in the ring. He has lived his entire life in his father's gym and has more than the average perspective on the business of boxing and the potential to make a great living at it. His father complains that he started boxing too late in his life to have made any real money. However, Peter Jr. seems to be doing just fine. He has an SUV, and bought some land to build a house for his high school sweetheart-turned wife Yamika and their baby daughter.
Peter is affable, likes to laugh and is generally a happy guy but does not take criticism well. He knows the world of boxing, his place in it and is confident in his chances in this competition. Peter Senior is deathly afraid that the shows trainer will screw-up what he took a lifetime to build with his son. He is very confident that Jr. is the Contender.
You don't necessarily picture Pamela Anderson in something like 'Frasier,' but that's what we're hoping for--said show creator Steve Levitan--The show is actually really smart.
Stacked, the new Fox sitcom starring Pamela Anderson was rushed in to the mid-season schedule despite the sudden defection of co-star Tom Everett Scott. The title of the show can be thought of as a cheap play on Anderson's fabulous, balloon-sized breasts. But here's the pitch:
Anderson stars as Skyler, a babe-and-a-half who wanders into a book store--that's right a bookstore--called Stacked-- get it? Pam is in search of a book that will help her dump her jerk of a boyfriend Eddie. Basically she caught the rude rocker in bed with two other babes.
"When I was with them, I was only thinking of you -- and another you," Eddie tries to explain later. Is Pamela Anderson embarking on some career resuscitation? No, rather, she's mocking her own tabloid inflated image in a comedy. Smart move for Anderson? We will see. "It's a bit of a stretch," joked Anderson. "But it's fun to kind of poke fun at yourself." (And who wouldn't want to poke Anderson in any way they could. Sorry. Just couldn't resist.) "Her character is loosely based on her, but an un-famous version of Pamela Anderson," said creator Steve Levitan. "And we get to take lots of liberties." Here's an example: in a recent episode Anderson's character laments her bad choices in boyfriends. At a bar one evening, two guys were hitting on her, she says. Guy No. 1 was kind and considerate and had a good job, guy No. 2 was "drunk, covered in tattoos and licking my face." "Guess which one I leave with?" "And that's true," said Levitan. "That's how she met [exhusband] Tommy Lee. He came up to her and licked her face." Levitan constructed the show around Anderson, 37, who through her failed marriage to rocker Lee and near marriage to Kid Rock, has become a tabloid staple and the poster girl for bad relationships. But, said Levitan, "Stacked" is not a down-market comedy. "I think people have certain expectations that this is going to be something really kitschy," said Levitan. "You don't necessarily picture Pamela Anderson in something like 'Frasier,' but that's what we're hoping for. The show is actually really smart. "Pamela Anderson [may be] the thing that attracts people to the show," he continued, "but then let's surprise them with something that is really smart and sophisticated." When Anderson was approached for the show, she said, "I thought I would have to give [the writers] a lot of stories. But I didn't have to give them anything because everybody already knows everything about my life." And, she said, that's just fine. "I'm just glad I'm doing a real show and not a reality show," said Anderson. "To me, the people who watch reality shows are the same people who read the supermarket tabloids. "It's so great to have a real job," she added, "and work with real writers and real actors."
The production of "Stacked" has gone through a period of disarray. Tom Everett Scott was originally cast as the one of the brothers who owns the bookstore. After shooting the pilot and nearly finishing rehearsals on the series' second episode, he was replaced by comedian Elon Gold. Apparently, the tall, dark and handsome Scott was not right as a high-strung bookworm. "It was a total professional decision," said Anderson. "I was really worried about Tom, but I found out that it happens a lot. Lisa Kudrow got fired from 'Frasier.'" "Tom is a wonderful actor," added Levitan, "but he was not what I had in mind for [the part]. He was a little too laid back. [The character] needs to be an uptight, neurotic intellectual, and I think that Elon can portray that in a way that's much closer to what I had envisioned." Brian Scolaro plays Stuart, Gavin's tubby brother and fellow book clerk who goes ga-ga over Skyler. When the blond bombshell complains that she needs a self help book because she's always falling for bad boys, Mr. Comedy Relief sucks in his gut and says, "My name is Stuart and I can be found under dangerous men." "So can I," says Skyler, "that's why I need the book." The pilot is loaded with sniggling sex jokes and loaded lines meant to draw parallels to Anderson's checkered past. "I seem to have a thing for guys in a band... and actors... and pro athletes... and circus performers," Skyler moans. Katrina (Marissa Jaret Winoker), the store's java-slinging Yetti, has no sympathy. "I'm into guys who are one naked girl away from realizing that they're gay." Winokur won a Tony Award for playing the size-challenged teen Tracy Turnblad in the smash Broadway musical Hairspray. She currently can be seen in the film "Fever Pitch." Christopher Lloyd plays tweedy bookstore regular Harold, a retired Cal Tech physics professor and professional curmudgeon. He huffs and yells and wanders into frame with scientific aplomb. You don't have to be a Cal Tech prof to know that Stacked isn't rocket science. But Anderson, despite her physical excesses, shows remarkable restraint as a comedienne. It's as if she wears a comedy minimizer. The Double DD dialogue is obvious and predictable, but, like Anderson's immense hooters, impossible to resist. Since the show can also be enjoyed with the sound off, it is win-win. Stacked isn't perfect. There's too much yelling and over-the-top acting. Everything takes place on the one bookstore set, which could get old quick. There's that old "where do they go from here" problem (Skyler winds up working at the bookstore, natch. As she says, "This would be the perfect place to stop meeting hot guys.") Still, you have to love a show that implants laughter -- or laughs at implants. With implants.
Born in Chicago, Illinois Joey moved West as a young boy were he had a idyllic childhood...on a family ranch in RENO, NV. His father is a Navy Flight Surgeon, attached to a Marine Reconnaissance unit currently serving in Afghanistan; his mother is a caring Italian-Catholic mother and also a nurse. His sister is his nutritionist, strength coach, endurance trainer and a key asset to his success. The family revolves around the men and Joey and his father are the heroes.
Joey began his boxing training later than most while attending college at University of Nevada - Reno (UNR). He served as the team captain and won four NCAA Regional Championships and three NCAA National Championships. Joey had quite the college career beyond boxing - he earned a BA in English Literature and minors in Political Science and Italian Studies, served in student government and was an active member in his fraternity (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) and the community.
Upon graduating from UNR, Joey enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard and finished as the Top Academic Graduate. After spending a full year with the Nevada Air National Guard, he was placed on Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) while he earned a degree of higher education at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego. He is licensed to practice law in Nevada, holds the IRR status until 2007 and is currently applying to serve out the remainder of his term as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) Officer in either Reserve component of the Air Force or Navy.
Joey has a perfect 8-0 Pro record and won't let up until he achieves his goals - to be the Junior Middleweight World Champion and to be a positive example for the sport of boxing.
Jimmy Lange, the Contender, is one of ten kids from a very close, loving, catholic, blue collar/working class family. He is married, has twin sons and is expecting a baby girl in a few months.
His dad has been his manager and has advanced Jimmy this far by getting him the best. He trains in Florida under Buddy McGirt and at one time was trained by a former trainer of Ray Leonard. He prays with a priest before every fight and his priest, Father Cilinski, has only missed two fights in Jimmy's entire career.
Jimmy is very articulate and very passionate about "saving boxing" from the deserved bad rap and corruption. He's aware of the fighters coming and knows he can do well but appears anxious. Jimmy has the highest IQ of the group.
Will you survive the end of days? Frightened by Revelations. Try taking and overview via an outline that may guide you to a deeper exploration and understanding of this fascinating book of the Bible. In some ways what follows here is a map, a spiritual guide. Here's one from James Akin.
According to James Akin, an author's interpretation of the entire book can hinge on his outline. If an outline has not been successfully defended, it can leave a question mark over the whole work.
Akin wanted to avoid this problem. Instead of simply presenting an outline and hoping the reader agrees with it, he wants to interpret an outline in the reader's presence so he can see his reasoning.
“Because of this approach,” Akin writes, “we will not be starting at the beginning of the book and walking through it. Instead, we will jump around, noting its literary features, and showing how these influence the outline.”
This non-linear approach may be less tedious. To make it easier, Akin suggests that the following article be read with opened Bible. That will let the reader see the features of the text referred to without interruptions to give long, repetitious quotations.
Are You Ready for The End of Days?
I. John's Commission
In Revelation 1:19 John is given a three-fold commission: he is told to write, "the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things." (NASB)
Everyone seems to be agreed on what the three sections refer to. "The things which you have seen" refers essentially to the contents of chapter one (really 1:9-20 because John did not "see" the introductory material of 1:1 to 8.) "The things which are" refers to chapters two and three. And "the things which shall take place after these things" refers to everything else in the book. The commission divides the book into three sections: chapters one, chapters two and three, and chapters four through twenty-two.
I agree with this interpretation. However if we stop here and say that this is the book's basic outline and we need go no further, then I feel we will be adopting an overly simple view of the book's contents. Additional time is needed to look at its structures before we announce that John's commission expresses the book's most basic outline. We need to first look at Revelation's literary structures and then harmonize them with John's three-fold commission.
II. The Four Heptads
If we want to study the book's literary forms, the place to begin is obvious. Revelation contains four very visible, very prominent structures: the seven letters, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. These blocks of text are obviously there. The only problem that faces us is how to define where they begin and end.
Initially, I want to define each one as starting with the first item in the heptad and ending with the last clear effect of the seventh item in the heptad. For instance, the first trumpet is sounded in 8:7, and though the seventh trumpet is sounded in 11:15, its effects do not die down until 11:19. That would make the trumpet cycle 8:7-11:19.
Using this definition would divide the text as follows:
One of the things I noticed when I was trying to define the heptads is that each set of seven is prefaced by a certain amount of preparatory material. Each of the heptads has a "preparation--execution" pattern. Before the execution of each heptad, something is introduced which is necessary for the execution stage. Before John receives the seven letters, he sees Jesus who dictates the letters. Before the seven seals, John sees the scroll on which the seven seals are fixed. Before the trumpets are sounded, John sees the seven angels who are then given the trumpets. And before the seven bowls, John tells us he sees "seven angels with seven last plagues".
If one was to say the preparation stages start with the introduction of this necessary element and end with the verse just before the first execution, the prep-stages are as follows: 1:10-20 (letters), 5:1-14 (seals), 8:2-6 (trumpets), and 15:1-16:1 (bowls). However, I think a couple of changes that need to be made. In the preparation for the letters, John hears Jesus' voice in 1:10, but that is not the first verse in the context. The verse before it, verse 9, sets us up for verse 10 and is the obvious beginning to the narrative con text. Therefore I want to say the prep-stage for the letters is 1:9-20. Later, I will expand another one of the preparation periods, but my reasons for doing so will not become clear for some time.
This is quite a bit better than we had before. We made a significant dent in the unclassified material. We can make another one in short order.
III. Revelation's Opening and Closing
Now that we have isolated the borders of the seven letters block, the nature of the first eight verses of chapter one is clear: they are introductory material. Rev. 1:1-8 is the introduction to the book. We also find at the end of the book several verses which serve as its closing. The exact start of the closing is harder to pin down, but it is my view that the closing starts at Rev. 22:12. My reasons will become clear shortly.
We have now reduced the unclassified material to just three blocks of text: chapter 4, chapters 12-14, and chapters 17-22. How are we to deal with this material?
IV. The Two Cities of Revelation
The last of the blocks engulfs six chapters. This material was a problem to me for some time. I wasn't sure what to do with it. It was too large for me to feel comfortable saying it's all one big section. But it didn't have the kind of obvious, visible, rigid structures that the four great heptads did. After considering this section for a while, I began to perceive certain parallels within it.
For a start, the section contains two obviously antithetical cities, one at the beginning and one at the end: the Whore of Babylon and the Bride of Christ. In addition, both of these cities is introduced the same way. One of the seven bowl angels appears and takes John to see the city. The two city accounts also end the same way. After John has seen the city, he tries to worship the angel and is told not to. Then the angel makes one more comment to him (19.10c and 22.10f) and disappears from the text. After this John does not see the angel (or the city) anymore.
This gives us two, more readily discernable sections. Each is defined by the presence of a bowl angel. This makes our outline:
Introduction 1:1-8 1. Seven Letters 1:9-3:22 2. Seven Seals 5:1-8:1 3. Seven Trumpets 8:2-11:19 4. Seven Bowls 15:1-16:21 5. The Whore of Babylon 17:1-19:10 6. The Bride of Christ 21:9-22:11 Conclusion 22:12-21
One can see now why I started the concluding material at verse 12 of chapter 22--because the angel from the Bride section is still present at verse 11. He disappears, and in verse 12 Jesus begins a statement which starts the closing section of the book.
We have also reduced the third unclassified block to a much more manageable size.
V. The Seven Sights
Once when I was reading this section--19:11-21:8-- I noticed it contained a recurring literary formula: "I saw." This phrase occurs ten times in this section, but the last six occurrences are grouped in pairs. The upshot of that is the text is divided into seven narrative sections, each introduced by the phrase "I saw." The last three sections are introduced by a double "I saw." These seven sections begin at 19:11, 19:17, 19:19, 20:1, 20:4, 20:11, and 21:1.
And looking at what John tells us he saw is instructive:
1. "I saw" Jesus and "the armies of heaven" 2. "I saw an angel standing in the sun" 3. "I saw the beast and the kings... and their armies" 4. "I saw an angel coming down out of heaven" 5. "I saw thrones on which were seated..."/"I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded" 6. "I saw a great white throne"/"I saw the dead" 7. "I saw a new heaven and a new earth"/ "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem" (all NIV)
In the first one John sees a leader and his army. In the second, he sees an angel. In the third, he sees a leader and his army. In the fourth, he sees an angel. In the fifth he sees thrones and one group of the dead (martyrs). In the sixth he sees a throne and another group of the dead (non- martyrs). In the last section he sees the new creation and the new Jerusalem.
The pattern John is seeing is leader--angel--leader--an gel--thrones--throne--new creation. This section has an A-B-A-B-C-C-x rhyme scheme.
(We also ought to add that a judgment takes place at each of the throne blocks: the unnamed ones who were seated on the thrones "had been given authority to judge" and when John saw the unnamed One sitting on His throne, the books were opened and "the dead were judged"--more parallelism).
Because of the recurring literary formula, the seven blocks of text, and the symmetrical relationship between these seven blocks (via their rhyme scheme), we have good evidence that this material constitutes a distinct section on its own and that it is not a part of either of the two city sections which surround it. In fact, not only is it a section, but it appears to be an additional heptad, the "seven sights", if you will.
We can thus revise our outline to:
Introduction 1:1-8 1. Seven Letters 1:9-3:22 2. Seven Seals 5:1-8:1 3. Seven Trumpets 8:2-11:19 4. Seven Bowls 15:1-16:21 5. The Whore of Babylon 17:1-19:10 6. Seven Sights 19:11-21:8 7. The Bride of Christ 21:9-22:11 Conclusion 22:12-21
Unclassified material: 4:1-11 and 12:1-14:20
Now we only have two unclassified sections left: chapter 4 and chapters 12-14. I want to deal with the latter first.
VI. The Seven Signs?
It is obvious that these three chapters, 12, 13, and 14, are part of neither the trumpet material nor the bowl mate rial which surrounds them. That being the case, they must either form one single section, or should be split into two or more smaller sections. To find out which is the case we can look at this material in terms of form and content. While it lacks the obvious, unifying content of the Whore and the Bride sections, and while it lacks the obvious, unifying form of the seven sights, I still feel its their ultimate unity can be demonstrated.
First, we will look at form, but we will start with the final chapter (ch. 14) and work our way backwards.
Chapter 14 contains three main blocks of text. The first of these is the Lamb and the 144,000 on Mt. Zion (vv. 1-5). Following this, three angels make announcements (vv. 6-14). And finally there are two harvests (vv. 15-20). Chapter 13 contains only two blocks of text. The first of these introduces the beast from the sea (vv. 1-10) and the second introduces the beast from the earth (vv. 11-18). Thus, in these two chapters, we have five blocks: 1) the beast from the earth, 2) the beast from the sea, 3) the Lamb and the 144,000, 4) the three angels, 5) the two harvests.
The "I saw" literary formula is also present in this mate rial. It appears in front of three of them (numbers 1, 2, and 4). It does not appear in front of the other two (numbers 3 and 5), but an equivalent phrase, "I looked", does.
Given the presence of these five blocks and of the "I saw" and "I looked" phrases, it is possible this material might turn out to be another heptad. The possibility of this is strengthened when you realize that the only time the dragon and the two beasts appear on-camera are in this material and in the seven sights. In order to find out whether this mate rial is another heptad, we need to look at chapter 12. If chapter 12 divides into two parts, it is.
At least at first glance, chapter 12 does not appear to divide into two parts. There are no clear, radical shifts in content which we could use to draw a line and say, "Everything on one side of this mark belongs in one group and everything on the other side belongs in another." The best division of content that one could make is (1) the war of the dragon against the child (vv. 1-12) and (2) the war of the dragon against the woman (vv. 13-16; this leaves v.17 out). I am not comfortable with this. Though the dragon does change the object of his designs, I don't feel at ease saying this a real dividing line. These events could well be taken as two happenings in a single section rather than two separate sections.
If we can't divide chapter 12 by its content, can we divide it by its form? Again, it does not look promising at first glance. The "I saw" and "I looked" phrases do not occur in this chapter. There is, however, one phrase which might provide the kind of division we are inquiring about. At the beginning of chapter 12, John tells us that "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven" (12:1). Shortly thereafter he tells us "another sign appeared in heaven" (12:3). I would suggest then that the appearance of the woman and the appearance of the dragon may be the final two units of a heptad. If so, the seven signs would be:
1) the woman clothed in the sun (12:1) 2) the dragon (12:3) 3) the beast from the sea (13:1) 4) the beast from the earth (13:11) 5) the Lamb and the 144,000 (14:1) 6) the three angels (14:6) 7) the two harvests (14:14)
Now, I am much less sure of this than anything I have said so far. The proposed woman section is much shorter than the dragon section (being only two verses long), and if the two happenings were not explicitly introduced by the text as separate signs, we would not make this kind of division. I am fully confident of the divisions of chapter 13 and 14. These are certain on the grounds of both form and content. But the division of chapter 12 is ambiguous, though it finds support in the explicit naming of the woman and the dragon as two separate signs.
Because of the ambiguity over chapter 12, however, I would like additional support before I say that this material is definitely all one section.
Chapter 12 begins with the woman who is obviously Israel (either ethnic or spiritual, possibly both). She gives birth to Christ, and the dragon attacks him. The child is caught up to heaven however, and when the dragon tries to follow, he is repelled by the hosts of heaven. Having been frustrated in his attack on the child, he begins to attack the child's mother but is frustrated again. He then prepares to make war on the woman's "other children", who must be either ethnic Jews of some sort or spiritual Jews (as in Rom. 2:28f and Eph. 2:12, 19) or both. The middle and the latter are probable given Rev. 12:17.
To help him in the battle, the dragon then gets two allies (chapter 13), the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth. The war these three make against the woman's children is described as the two allies are introduced.
Then we see the Lamb standing on Mt. Zion with the 144,000, and they sing. Up to this point we have been hearing about the war the dragon wages. Now a different note is brought in, one of the other side's triumph. The sign of the Lamb and the 144,000 is surely a sign of victory. You might interpret it either to mean that the 144,000 are now in heaven and that is why they are victorious, or you might say it is an anticipation of the final victory which is realized in the seven sights of ch.s 19-21. In either case, it is a note of triumph which is in keeping with the development of the war theme from chapters 12 and 13.
If this sign is not an anticipation of God's final victory, the next one certainly is. Before that victory comes, God sends three angels who bring messages. The first announces the gospel and tells the people of "every nation, tribe, language, and people" to worship God. The second announces the coming doom of Babylon (incidentally, this is the first time the Whore is mentioned). Finally, an angel appears who proclaims the doom of anyone who allies himself with the beast and warns them away from giving in during the persecution (the war). This material is also a development of the war theme.
Finally we are shown two harvests. While the meaning of the first is debatable, the meaning of the second is not. It is a harvest of judgment, for we are told that the grapes that are reaped are thrown into the winepress of God's wrath, which is trampled, making blood flow out of the winepress. This may be an anticipation of the final victory, or it may be the final victory itself, presented as a single symbol. If so, chapters 12-14 cover virtually the entire period of the book of Revelation.
In view of all this, it is apparent that the theme being unfolded in these chapters is the war the dragon wages against Christ and his followers. Chapter 12 tells us the origins and early history of the war. Chapter 13 tells us of the two allies of the dragon and how they wage the war on the saints. Chapter 14 opens with a note of victory which is followed by three proclamations: first, the gospel, second, the doom of Babylon, and third the doom of anyone who succumbs to the persecution and gives in to the dragon. Finally, the earth is harvested--twice--and the grapes of the second vine's harvest are throne into the winepress of God's wrath.
In these chapters a shift takes place: first the dragon attacks (ch.s 12-13), then God responds (ch. 14). Both of these, however, are development of the war theme which is expanded in the seven sights of chapters 19-21. I therefore think it is safe to say chapters 12-14 are a single section, united by a common theme. The best outline I have for the material, in spite of the chapter 12 problem, is the seven-fold one I suggested earlier. But even if you cut the pie differently, this material is a unity and so can be entered into our outline as a single section.
Introduction 1:1-8 1. Seven Letters 1:9-3:22 2. Seven Seals 5:1-8:1 3. Seven Trumpets 8:2-11:19 4. Seven Signs 12:1-14:20 5. Seven Bowls 15:1-16:21 6. The Whore of Babylon 17:1-19:10 7. Seven Sights 19:11-21:8 8. The Bride of Christ 21:9-22:11 Conclusion 22:12-21
Unclassified material: 4:1-11
VII. The Vision of Heaven
We have now eliminated all the unclassified material but chapter 4. That chapter is obviously a unity and does not break down into different sections. But is part of one of the sections it borders, or does it stand on its own?
The fact that it is so brief (being only eleven verses long) argues that we should include it under one or the other. It simply does not have the stature of the other sections. All the commentators of which I am aware treat chapters 4 and 5 as a unity. Since we know that chapter 5 is the preparation for the seals, should we then say that chapter 4 is just a sort of extended preparation?
There is an obvious unity between the two chapters. The latter opens with John seeing the scroll "in the right hand of him who sat on the throne." This phrase would be hard to interpret without chapter 4, which introduces the throne and the One who sits on it.
The only reason I would even hesitate to lump the two together has to do with chapter 4's function in the book. By taking us into heaven and showing us what is happening before the judgment begins, it sets the stage for all that takes place in heaven. Since Lamb opens the seals in heaven, chapter 4 definitely introduces them. But the trumpets and bowls also take place in heaven as well. Should we count it as a separate section which introduces all three judgment-heptads?
I do not believe so. We must say the scene of heaven sets the stage for all three cycles in some sense, but that does not mean it is a distinct section all its own. In view of its extreme brevity and its obvious unity with chapter 5, I believe the best thing to do is to say chapter 4 as an extended introduction to the seals cycle, which also introduces the trumpets and bowls. Earlier, I said I would revise the preparation stage of a second cycle. This is why.
VIII. Revelation's General Outline
We have now eliminated all the unclassified material and can present the general outline we have been working to develop:
Introduction 1:1-8 1. Seven Letters 1:9-3:22 2. Seven Seals 4:1-8:1 3. Seven Trumpets 8:2-11:19 4. Seven Signs 12:1-14:20 5. Seven Bowls 15:1-16:21 6. The Whore of Babylon 17:1-19:10 7. Seven Sights 19:11-21:8 8. The Bride of Christ 21:9-22:11 Conclusion 22:12-21
Basically speaking, Revelation has an eight-fold outline, and six of the folds appear to be heptadic. We might ask, in view of this, whether the remaining two--the city sections-- are heptadic as well.
If they are, I can't find it. The only two clear events which would be elements of the heptad are the approach of the angel and John's attempt to worship the angel. Between these two there would have to be five more units and I don't have a way to divide the text which is not arbitrary. Until such a method might emerge we must resist the temptation (ever pre sent) to impose sevens on the book. I am already a little uncomfortable with the division of the seven signs.
Nevertheless, I am sure that this is the correct general outline for the book. I arrived at it by trying to stick very close to the text. Others have arrived at the same thing. According to D. Guthrie, A. Yarbro Collins has arrived at an outline which is the same as mine, except the sections are labeled differently [The Relevance of John's Apocalypse, 25].
I also find confirmation for the outline in a very interesting symmetry which I discovered among the sections.
IX. A Subtle Symmetry
After perceiving the eight basic blocks of text, one questions that naturally arose was why they are arranged the way they are. Why, for instance, at the end of the trumpet cycle do we suddenly jump backwards in time and start looking at the birth of Christ? Why don't we just go straight on into the bowls instead of having the interlude?
I set to thinking about the various sections and how they relate to each other. One thing I have noticed is that the sections come in pairs. This is obvious in the case of the two city sections. The Whore and the Bride are obviously parallel. It is also clear in what I have been calling the seven signs and the seven sights. Both deal with the conflict on earth. In chapters 12-14, we see the conflict begin, and in chapters 19-21, we see the conflict end. The cast of characters in these two sections is also the same.
Though it is less obvious, the four major heptads also come in pairs. The letters and the seals, for instance, are both executed by Jesus. Jesus dictates the letters; Jesus opens the seals. The second two heptads, however, are not executed by Jesus but by angels. Angels blow the trumpets; angels pour out the bowls. Not only is there this pairing between their executors, there is pairing between the things executed. Letters and seals are both literary items. Trumpets and bowls are both liturgical items that were used in Jewish temple worship.
Therefore, it seems that the eight sections fall into four pairs:
A: Jesus, literary (letters and seals) B: angels, liturgical (trumpets and bowls) C: the earthly conflict (signs and sights) D: a great city (the Whore and the Bride)
The symmetry between the eight sections goes deeper than this, however; though it is a little harder to see at first.
1. Seven Letters A 2. Seven Seals A 3. Seven Trumpets B 4. Seven Signs C 5. Seven Bowls B 6. The Whore of Babylon D 7. Seven Sights C 8. The Bride of Christ D
Now right here this does not display a great deal of symmetry. The most you can make of it from just a surface glance is the presence of a B-C-B pattern and a D-C-D pattern following an A-A. That is some kind of symmetry, but not a very satisfying one. I believe, however, that there is a deeper one to be found.
It is obvious that four of the sections have an explicit seven-ness. We are told that there are 7 churches. We are told that there are 7 seals. We are told that there are 7 trumpets. And we are told that there are 7 bowls. The seven-ness is explicit. That is not the case with the other four sections. They are either non-explicit seven or they are not sevens at all.
If we represent the explicit heptad passages by the letter S and the others by the letter T, we find that the overall structure of the book is a chiast:
S. Seven Letters S. Seven Seals S. Seven Trumpets T. Seven Signs S. Seven Bowls T. The Whore of Babylon T. Seven Sights T. The Bride of Christ
It has an S-S-S-T / S-T-T-T pattern. This also cracks the strange A-A-B-C-B-D-C-D pattern we saw earlier. If we group all of the S-passages together we find that their order is A-A-B-B, while if we group all the T-passages together their order turns out to be C-D-C-D.
In essence we could say that Revelation has an S-leg with an A-A-B-B pattern and a T-leg with a C-D-C-D pattern. The two legs are then propped together so they form a chiast with a twist at the point of intersection, giving the overall chiast an S-S-S-T / S-T-T-T form
The apparent presence of this symmetry in the order of the sections supports the idea that the eight-fold structure I have suggested is correct. I did not perceive this symmetry until after I had already broken the book into the eight blocks; only then I discovered that they have this special relationship among themselves.
One other note: the letter section serves as the introduction to the rest of the book, which is composed of seven sections. Given that, you may ask whether the book is a single great heptad with a preparation stage. I don't know whether this suggestion is right or not, especially in light of overall the symmetry. It is a possible understanding of the book's structure, but one I am nervous around.
X. John's Two Commissions
How are we to relate all this to the three-fold commission John was given in chapter one? John was told to write 1) the things which he had seen, 2) the things which are, and 3) the things which shall be after these things.
"The things which he are" is the execution of the seven letters. The "things which [John had] seen" covers most of chapter one, which is the preparation for the seven letters. Before the letters can be dictated, the one who dictates them appears to John and commission him to write them down. There fore, "the things which you have seen" and "the things which are" represent the two parts of the letter cycle which deals with the present reality of the churches at the time John is writing. "The things which shall be after these things" is the rest of the book, the other seven sections, which deal with later events.
John receives a second commission in chapter 10. In 10:11, he is told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings" (NIV). This "second prophecy" is usually thought to be the contents of the book from chapter 12 onward. It might, however, be the contents of the book from the very next verse onward. We can investigate this by consulting the concordance.
Upon looked up all the relevant words, I found that though it is present earlier in the text the "international theme" suddenly leaps to prominence following 10:11. The word people, used to indicate an ethnic group, along with its plural, occurs six times in the book, but only two of these uses occur before 10:11. Nation and its plural occur twenty- four times in the book, but only three of these occur before 10:11. Language and languages occur eight times, and only two are before 10:11. Eliminating the phrase "King of kings", the word kings occurs fifteen times in the book, only two of which are before 10:11 (the singular of this word is never used in reference to a merely human king). Lastly, there is the word tribe and its plural. Though not mentioned in 10:11, this word is elsewhere associated with the international theme. Of its six occurrences that are not in reference to a Jewish tribe, three are before 10:11.
If you total up the words of the international theme, you find that of fifty-nine word uses, only eleven occur before 10:11, which means that eighty percent of the international theme is to be found at 10:11 or after.
Forty-four occurrences come after 10:11, and are distributed among the remaining sections of the book. Here is how they break down: remainder of the trumpets (6), seven signs (10), seven trumpets (6), the Whore of Babylon (13), seven sights (5), the Bride of Christ (4). There are a lot in the Whore section because the kings of the earth are talked about. Surprisingly, there are a number of occurrences in the remainder of the trumpet section during which the second commission is given. This might make one want to say the second prophecy begins immediately, and not at the beginning of chapter 12.
EXCURSUS: Other Structures
The 4/3 Split
As I read the book of Revelation, I began noticing some of the heptads seem to fall into groups of four and three. Usually the group of four would come first. There would be four elements in series, then a shift of some kind would take place, then there would be another three.
For instance, there is a recurring statement which appears in each of the seven letters: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Each of the letters also contains a promise, which is always right next to the exhortation to hear. It was by looking at this relationship that I first found the 4/3 split. What I discovered was that in the first three letters (Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum), the exhortation to hear comes before the promise, while in the last four letters (Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) the exhortation to hear comes after the promise.
After I saw this, I began to notice the 4/3 split in other heptads. In the seals it is obvious: we first have the four horsemen of the Apocalypse followed by three seals without horsemen. It is also present in the trumpets. First we have four judgments followed by three special judgments: "the three woes."
It also appears to be present in the seven sights.
The first four sights are introduced by the formula "I saw", but the last three are introduced by a double use: "I saw"/"I saw". The 4/3 split appears to occur in the "seven signs" as well. The first four signs are single entities who are introduced: the woman, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The last three are not single entities but composite groups and events: the Lamb and the 144,000, three angels with warnings, and two harvests.
However, the 4/3 split does not appear to be present in the bowl cycle. At least I have not found it if it is there. This is strange since it appears to occur in all the other heptads, but we must not force it onto a text where it does not occur.
The 6/7 Split
While I have never seen anyone mention the 4/3 split, the 6/7 split is regularly discussed in commentaries on the book of Revelation.
In at least two of the heptads (the seals and the trumpets), you move through the first six elements relatively quickly, but then there is a sudden parenthesis before you go on to the seventh.
In the seal cycle, you run through the first six seals in chapter 6, then a parenthesis which takes up all of chapter 7 occurs, then in the first verse of chapter 8, the last seal is opened. In this case, the parenthesis contains two elements: the sealing of the 144,000 and the multitude in white robes.
In the trumpet cycle, something very similar happens. One proceeds through the first six trumpets, which take up the rest of chapter 8 and all of chapter 9. Then you come to the parenthesis which fills chapter 10 and most of chapter 11. At the end of 11, you get the sounding of the seventh trumpet. As before, the parenthesis contains two elements: the eating of the scroll (chapter 10) and the measuring of the temple (chapter 11), which discusses the two witnesses.
There does not appear to be a 6/7 split in the bowls, though you might see the discussion of the three evil spirits as a parenthesis. One fact that argues against this, however, is that if there were a bowl parenthesis, it would have only one element in it. It would also seem a little short compared to the other two, which are a chapter or two long.
The premiere of Revelations was spiritually nourishing for NBC on Wednesday, giving the peacock its highest marks in the 9 p.m. hour in six months despite heightened competition from an hour-long edition of American Idol on Fox. Revelation airs again tonight--Sunday.
"Revelations," a limited-run series, aims to tap into the interest in "Da Vinci Code" by revolving around a Harvard professor and a nun who team up to search for signs of the apocalypse. The episode delivered 15.6 million viewers and a 5.2 rating/13 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Fox still won the hour handily with "Idol" (25 million, 10.8/26), but "Revelations" registered a 44% improvement over NBC's average in the time slot this season in the key demo with "The West Wing." "Revelations" built significantly on its 8 p.m. lead-in from a special edition of "Dateline NBC" (10.8 million, 3.4/10) that explored some of the same end-of-days themes as featured in the drama series.
Meanwhile, Fox got its new Pamela Anderson comedy "Stacked" off to a respectable start. UPN also had a big night with "America's Next Top Model."
The combo of the "Revelations" debut and the extra-long "Idol" took a toll on the 9 p.m. competition. ABC's "Alias" yielded a modest 7.7 million viewers and a 3.1/8 in adults 18-49, which was on par demographically speaking with its lead-in from a repeat of 8 p.m.'s "Lost" (10.4 million, 3.3/10). CBS' 9-10 p.m. comedies "The King of Queens" (7.7 million, 2.4/6) and "Yes, Dear" (7.3 million, 2.4/6) also were hammered by the divine intervention from Fox and NBC.
NBC's momentum extended to the 10 p.m. hour with "Law & Order" (16.9 million, 5.3/14) easily beating CBS' "CSI: NY" (11 million, 3.8/10) by its largest margin of the season to date with its highest numbers since its season premiere in September. ABC's detective drama "Eyes" (6.1 million, 2.4/6) trailed its rivals in the hour.
Fox also took the wraps off a mid-season entry Wednesday. "Stacked" (8.3 million, 3.8/10) didn't pop a huge number at 8:30 p.m., but it did take a bounce from its lead-in, "The Simple Life: Interns" (6.5 million, 2.9/9).
UPN's 8 p.m. anchor "Top Model" (5.5 million, 2.5/7) delivered its highest tally of this incarnation of the catwalk competition series; in its second half-hour, "Top Model" climbed to 6 million viewers and a 2.8/8 in 18-49.
For the night, Fox dominated in viewers (16.2 million) and adults 18-49 (7.1/19). NBC was No. 2 in both measures (14.4 million, 4.6/12).
Revelations, The Ominous NBC Series -- Is The End of Days at Hand?
Could the end of days be near? Is this a voyage into a new spiritual frontier for TV programming, or just a return trip?
An online companion and biblical reference for the NBC series is here: Revelations the last book of the New Testament.
The NBC Series
COULD THE END OF DAYS BE NEAR? -- From executive producer Gavin Polone ("Panic Room") and writer/creator David Seltzer ("The Omen") comes "Revelations," a six-hour event series starring Bill Pullman ("Independence Day") as Harvard professor Dr. Richard Massey, an astrophysicist who is certain that all worldly events can be explained by Science. In the series premiere, Dr. Massey is dealing with the tragic murder of his 12-year-old daughter by a maniacal murderer, Isaiah Haden (Michael Massee, "24"), who was captured and imprisoned.
After a strange course of events, Massey is challenged by a nun, Sister Josepha Montafiore (Natascha McElhone, "Solaris"), who leads him on a journey through the unfamiliar world of faith. Drawn together by personal tragedy, these unlikely partners -- one who worships God and one who worships Science -- are propelled into a deepening mystery, finding evidence that the world, as predicted by The Book of Revelation, has reached The End of Days. Also starring, Chelsey and Brittney Coyle, Tobin Bell and John Rhys-Davies. TV-14
More Details
(RNS) Omnium finis imminet. The end is here.
So warns NBC's miniseries "Revelations," based on the similarly named book of the Bible.
Critics are calling it Hollywood's latest attempt to hop on the religion bandwagon. But an influential professor of popular culture says putting the Bible in prime time is a rerun of an old TV strategy.
The six-part series by writer/creator David Seltzer of "The Omen" debuts just two weeks after Pope John Paul II's death and chronicles the religious conflict between a man of science and a woman of God with the impending end of the world as backdrop.
The series, which will fill in for "The West Wing" this spring, stars Bill Pullman of "Independence Day" and Natascha McElhone of "Solaris."
In "Revelations," astrophysicist Dr. Richard Massey (Pullman), whose daughter has been murdered by Satanists, and Sister Josepha Montafiore (McElhone), who is convinced Christ has been reborn, team up to save the world from apocalypse.
"All the signs and symbols are currently in place for the end of days," says Montafiore, who is trying desperately to convince Massey, a nonbeliever, that the Bible's prophecies are real.
With NBC keeping open the possibility of "Revelations" returning as a regular series, it seems religion is becoming more marketable than ever. Popular culture has already embraced movies like "The Passion of the Christ," other TV series such as "Joan of Arcadia" and books like the wildly successful "Left Behind" series.
But is this a voyage into a new spiritual frontier for TV programming or a return trip?
In the early days of television, networks hired vice presidents of religious programming to oversee the development of multidenominational shows, notes Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y. Talk shows like "Life is Worth Living" hosted by Bishop Fulton Sheen competed successfully with other popular programs.
During the 1970s, Thompson said, "religion became verboten for a long time" because the networks decided to forego topics of politics and religion in order to retain larger viewing audiences.
"Prime time was completely unrelated to what was going on in the news at 11 p.m.," Thompson said, referring to the absence of political shows in popular programming during the Vietnam War.
But with the advent of cable in the 1980s, audience retention was less an issue and shows like "Highway to Heaven" and later "Touched by an Angel" found their way back to primetime.
Still, these weekly series were more "feel good" television than sophisticated theological analysis.
"So many Americans go to church on Christmas and Easter," Thompson said, "but they don't want to go for the rest of the year. I'm not sure they would want to watch a series that really dealt with religious issues."
Jerry B. Jenkins, co-author of the "Left Behind" book series that also deals with biblical end times, described "Revelations" as "a mishmash of myth, silliness and misrepresentations of scripture (that) seems to draw from everywhere and nowhere."
Jenkins and co-author Tim LaHaye have sparked their own controversy with their novel series that has sold more than 60 million copies because of what some see as an "us against them" take on the apocalypse. It has yet to be seen whether "Revelations" will do the same.
According to LaHaye, who is the "scripture expert" of the duo, "man has to be ready to die and spend his eternity somewhere." The "Left Behind" series makes it clear that all but Christians will be spending their afterlives somewhere other than heaven.
"There are some wonderful people ... that you almost think deserve heaven," LaHaye told Fox's Bill O'Reilly in a recent interview. "But God said there's only one way, and that's by receiving his son, Jesus Christ."
Thompson described the book of Revelation as "ripe fodder" for both the miniseries and books like LaHaye's because "it's so hard to kind of get to the bottom of, which means you can really take a lot of liberties."
An online companion and biblical reference for the NBC series is here: Revelations the last book of the New Testament.
Look what a keyword search on "NBC Revelation" returned. Coincident of Provident? Here's an excerpt.
The Sword of Islam is being unsheathed for its final and most deadly time. The world has come to a crossroad in the history of human civilizations, civilizations that now have one last chance to stop what may be an irreversible slide into oblivion. This oblivion is looming clear as the malevolent genie of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons) or WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) that have been let out of the uncorked bottle of historical human horrors. The bottle has been unstopped by frenzied, dictatorial Islamic governments and numerous power seeking Islamic splinter groups that are now unleashing their special brand of terror upon the civilized world.
When many of us were growing up during the 50's to the 90's, the threat was, "The Russians are coming." Most will remember a time during the early 80's, just prior to the Regan administration in the United States, when there were serious news reports that Soviet submarines had created a nuclear ring surrounding continental North America. All that was left to do was to call America to surrender or face possible extinction. "Better Red than Dead," was the responding cry from many parts of our communities.
But these were kinder and gentler times in the world's history. MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) worked well in keeping the balance between civilized, rational minds that had a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. It served the world well with almost a half century of relative peace. Perhaps unhappily for the world those times have come and gone. The fanaticism of misguided religions zeal has seized the reigns of destruction.
"Man's ingenuity in splitting atoms; creating extraordinary chemical agents that can kill with a pin drop; brewing and blending diseases that are intended to not only kill but also to resist cures - are now upon us. From the laboratories of America, Russia and China, etc. have come the most destructive substances which seem to rival God's plagues of old. From the brilliant minds who mixed these witches' brews, the "stuff" traveled to the primitive nations and dictators with wild dreams of world conquest who welcomed these demonic gifts." (Winston Mid East Analysis & Commentary - October 12, 2002)
There is little doubt left. Nations like Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lybia, Algeria, Sudan, Pakistan and Iraq either have dictatorial governments or major opposition groups within, that eagerly pursue violent Islamic ends. According to www.terrorismfiles.org, most of these nations have either used or are in advanced research and development of NBC.
Iran is listed as being in the "Developmental" stages of Nuclear and Biological weapons with recorded "Deployment" of Chemical weapons (in 1984-88). Libya is listed as doing research for Nuclear, a question for "Development" of Biological weapons and as "Deployed" for Chemical (in 1987). Syria is listed as "Research" for Nuclear, "Development?" for Biological and "Deployed" for Chemical. Egypt is listed as "Research" for Nuclear, "Development?" for Biological and "Stockpiled - Used" (in 1963-67). Iraq is listed as "Weaponized" for Nuclear, "Stockpiled?" for Biological and "Stockpiled - Used" for Chemical (in 1983, 1987-88).
Sudan is a special case. Since 1989 the opposition and some surrounding nations like Uganda have repeatedly accused the Sudanese government of producing chemical weapons with the help of Iraq and Iran. They have also been accused of actually using mustard gas in attacks on civilians and opposition forces in the Nuba mountains region of Sudan.
Apart from the above nations, the web site names 15 known Islamic terrorist organizations, along with two individuals - Usama Bin Laden and Ramzi Yousef. Bin Laden has been connected with the 9-11 destruction of the World Trade Center while Yousef has been indicted as a result of the first World Trade Center attempt in 1993.
All of the above information is unclassified and can be checked from normal news sources over the past dozen years. It clearly underlines the current and future threat. It clearly links the issue with radical Islam.
To complicate this issue, we have to recognize that there are many foolish nations who have a vested interest in selling equipment to these rogue nations. Included on this sorry list would be France, Russia and China - aided and abetted by a rather partisan United Nations. All have a special, vested interest in Iraq's oil supplies. Much of the recent posturing over the fate of Iraq appears to be centered around not whether Iraq should be contained but around the preservation of special interests once the conflict is over.
However, while all this political, religious and financial intrigue dominates the issue, very few are pondering the fate of a dead planet if they do not begin to gather back the devastating powers that have been unleashed. It has to begin somewhere and, according to State Department thinking, it might as well begin with Iraq. So, perhaps "President Bush is correct in asking the world community if they wish to participate in saving the planet and themselves. Most have already spoken and made their self-interests plain. They cannot see beyond these self-interests and thus, must be ignored." (Winston Commentary)
[ .... ]
Americans are partly to blame - along with a long list of other countries who have been trading with Iraq for many years - mostly arms for oil. Iraq is only the first in a long list of willing, hostile regimes who - with available resources and for the sake of Islam - might be willing to risk all through the use of WMD's. So, Iraq was a natural first target for disarmament.
Many countries have been involved in the arming of Iraq. This underscores the bleatings of France, Germany, Italy and China regarding the current need to impose further "regime change" on the country. There are many vested, economic interests. Most center around oil production. The U.S., especially, has been valiantly trying to establish another oil source (other than the difficult to deal with Saudi Arabian). For many years Saddam was seen as the solution. With the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, it became obvious he was not.
This perhaps accounts for the speculation of many who hold to the more conspiratorial view of world history, that American investment in Iraq was somehow underhanded and paralleled a sort of "Iraq-gate" conspiracy. They are probably wrong in this. The current situation in Iraq is probably more a case of "the best laid plans of mice and men." The best spin that might be given to the dilemma is that there is a war now happening between the West and radical Islamic forces for control of the world. Iraq, for the moment is the frontline.
The real question that remains unanswered will be what the Middle East Region will look like once this single conflict is over? And, what will this mean for Israel? Will Israel survive as a tiny nation in the midst of this massive power struggle for world domination? There are emerging two interesting views that could be summarized by saying that Israel will either survive and thrive or will end up being betrayed by the international movement - which will cost the nation its identity. Either scenario will spell the end of the world as we know it.
First. The U.S. and their allies, in order to maintain economic and oil interests in Islamic lands, could throw the growling dog of Islamic fervor the bone of the Nation of Israel in the hope that Islamic favor be gained and therefore international peace and security achieved. Or, once the Iraq conflict begins, Syria seizes on an opportunity to launch a massive assault against the north of Israel. This, combined with special Israel attacks from Iraq could cause the destruction of Israel.
There are a number of variations on this theme that can be pondered the most obvious being the establishment of a "Palestinian State." This would surely mean the slow destruction of the State of Israel as Palestinian sovereignty would include the arming of another militant Islamic State with associated WMD's and all the other horrors of this reality. This would only provide the western nations with a fleeting solution as the war is not a single front, or single issue conflict. The end game is world domination.
There is a chilling prophecy that underscores the possibility of Arab treachery against their Israeli brothers. "You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth...nor wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble...." (Obadiah 12-14)
According to Bible prophecy, it must be concluded that a collapse of the Nation of Israel would immediately bring about divine intervention - meaning the second coming of Jesus Christ to rescue the nation and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
Second. Israel will find an opportunity to expand and secure her borders out of the confusion of war. If global peace is to be achieved by the Masonic State Department and its internationalist allies, Israel has to be secure and at peace as a symbol of world domination by the west. There is already in place a plan for an "International House of Prayer for all Nations" in Jerusalem as part of the western, Masonic plan.
There is already a plan in place for the re-designing of the map of the Middle East. This will ultimately involve the possible transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan and the transfer of Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt. Jordan, for its trouble, has been guaranteed a piece of Iraq. It will also surely involve the expansion of the norther border of Israel into Syria.
This second scenario, in any case, will only create an interim period and a slight delay in the final solution - which is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. The Bible prophecy referred to above is clear about the future outcome. "The day of the Lord is near for all nations...But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance....Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the Kingdom will be the Lord's. (Obadiah 15-21)
Source: The Revelation, The Newsletter of the Future
Najai Turpin Suicide, Real TV, The Contender Fans Still Wonder Why
In these days after the real life tragedy of Najai Turpin, his fans, his loved ones, and the rest of us are left with little to explain his suicide.
Philadelphia. Reality television--as real as it porports to be--will always glow in the shawdow of true life with all its unscripted drama lingering just beyond the frame of the cameras. We know that in the hours before dawn on February 14, 2005, Najai "Nitro" Turpin, a 23-year-old, boxer sat with a battered dream, his girlfriend--the mother of his 2-year-old daughter--in a Chevy Lumina parked outside the West Philly gym where he trained. But will we ever know what drove Najai to put the barrell of a gun to his head, squeeze the trigger, and end his own brief life three weeks before the first episode of The Contender aired. Najai would not live to see that first episode air coast to coast, nor see in a later episode the national broadcast of his second career defeat.
In these days after his real life tragedy, his fans, his loved ones and rest of us are left with little to explain Najai's suicide.
Why did he do it--Hyphthesis I: Contractual Anxiety
Turpin's trainer-manager, Percy "Buster" Custus, proposed to the Philadelphia Daily News that the boxer might have felt hamstrung by contractual restrictions, which kept him from boxing until after the series finale airs on 24 May 2005.
"Fighters want to fight," Custus told the paper. "He was frustrated because he was, like, training for nothing. He had no motivation." (If we had to rate this reason on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is most likely, I'd give it a 1.5.)
As one of the conditions for being on the show, each of the sixteen Contender rivals had to agree to eschew fighting professionally until after the final episode of the series aired. Such a restriction protects the show's week-by-week element of uncertainty, in that if a former Contender contestant were seen in the ring before such date, it would be easy to work out he must have been one of the fourteen hopefuls already eliminated over the course of the competition.
Why did he do it--Hypothesis II: Separation Anxiety
Newsday offered another possible reason for Turpin's taking of his own life. "It was widely reported that Turpin had a custody dispute with the mother of his 2-year-old daughter."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, perhaps supporting the common man hypothesis, put forth that the fighter killed himself over child custody woes. According to Custus, shortly before the suicide, Turpin had abruptly left a training camp in the Poconos and returned home to Philadelphia, saying he missed his family.
The Associated Press quoted Stallone as saying of Turpin: "When he was with his child, you saw the child in him come out." Contender Executive Producer Mark Burnett told the New York Daily News, "The big thing haunting him was always his child."
Why did he do it, Hypothesis III: Elimination Anxiety
One further hypothesis emerges in rumor, the notion that the 23-year-old fighter committed suicide because he was eliminated before reaching the final in the TV series.
Now, although at first blush this would seem the most intuitive and satisfying explanation, it doesn't fit with what is known about The Contender:
First, with the exception of the final bout to take place in May 2005, all the filming that went into the series was concluded by the fall of 2004. If Turpin had taken being knocked out of the competition that badly, why would he wait three months or more to end his life, as opposed to acting on that urge within days or weeks of what he would have had to perceive as unendurable humiliation?
Second, the show's producers have made comments indicating they plan to provide an undercard for the May 24, 2005 concluding fight, and that Turpin stood an excellent chance of being voted onto it by the audience:
"The reason we'd been paying these people every week to train is that a large number will be fighting again," Mark Burnett has confirmed to the Daily News .
"Actually, what made this tragedy worse is that everybody loved Najai. Even though he was a ferocious fighter, he was a cuddly teddy bear. He would have very, very likely been chosen to fight again."
Third, Executive Producer Mark Burnett has discussed with the media potential plans to use some of the 2004 roster of Contender hopefuls again, possibly in an American versus European boxers version of the show.
Thus, if Turpin had regarded his being bested by one of the other fighters as something he could not live with, would he not also see that either the undercard or the proposed gloved hands across the waters remake would offer plenty of opportunity for salvaging his self concept?
What did he do it--Hypothesis IV: Nothing to Live for Anxiety
Although filming for the series ended in the fall of 2004, the pain, and perhaps the shame of Turpin defeat would not be widely known until March 2005. Turpin took his life on St. Valentine's Day--is that a clue?--with the mother of his child at his side, less than a month before the first episode of The Contender aired on 7 March 2005.
From the day that Kevin and I met, there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together-- Spears said in a statement.--I feel that last year, the tabloids ran my life, and I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened....
Britney Spears is delving into reality television, thanks to a deal she recently inked with UPN, according to a spokesperson for the network. Spears and husband Kevin Federline will star in their own unscripted, as-yet-untitled series, which will document the couple's relationship, from the earliest stages of their courtship to their engagement and ultimately, their stroll down the aisle. We guess we will just have to wait and see it the recent happy announcement will alter previous plans. After all, who doesn't now know that that the pop princess is pregnant! Nothing upstages real tv like real life itself.
UPN won a fierce bidding war to secure the rights to the six-episode series, which the network plans to roll out in May, before the current season comes to a close, according to UPN.
With the series, Spears says she'll be able to contradict the tabloid media's misguided portrayal of her private life.
"From the day that Kevin and I met, there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together," Spears said in a statement. "I feel that last year, the tabloids ran my life, and I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened, rather than all the stories, which have been misconstrued by journalists in the past. As I mentioned before, I am now going to be expressing my personal life through art".
Spears blasted several tabloids last week in a letter posted her Web site. In the missive, she characterized recent speculation that she's pregnant and her marriage was in trouble as unfair, and condemned the tabloids as duplicitous, since they never come clean about their own shortcomings. Well, her April 12th announcement of her pregnancy put rumors to rest, didn't it?
Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for UPN, said the lion's share of the show's content will consist of video footage Spears and Federline shot themselves. In essence, the couple will serve as the program's hosts, and will walk the audience through the story of them. There will be five half-hour episodes capped off with an hour-long finale, which will center around their September 18, 2004, nuptials. We will see if the preganancy affects the produciton plans.
The couple had cameras rolling as they gallivanted across Europe and even while they were making wedding-day plans, and the series is expected to include footage from those tapes. As interesting an romantic as those images may be, audiences will still crave more about Britney's little bun in the diva oven.
Ostroff feels the story of Spears and Federline's relationship is so riveting that "even if it were a fictitious story, it would be interesting. The fact that it's about one of the biggest stars out there makes it all the more fascinating." We're thinking a Britney sonogram will be breaking news worldwide. What do you think.
Federline, who along with Spears will get an executive-producing credit, said in a statement that the show is "a documentation of love." No official premiere date has been set, but it's likely the series will debut in late May, during the tail end of sweeps. Congratulation, Britney and Kevin. Best wishes for a healthy happy child
Britney Spears Pregnant, Kevin Federline to Be Dad Again
Days ago pop princess Britney Spears slammed magazines for fueling rumors that she and hubby Kevin Federline are expecting. Well, today Ms. Spears confirmed that she IS pregnant.
Britney Spears has revealed what might be Hollywood's worst-kept secret: She's expecting her first child. In a posting on her Web site, Spears told fans that she and husband, Kevin Federline, were expecting their first child together. Her publicist, Sonia Muckle, confirmed the singer's pregnancy Tuesday but refused to provide additional details.
``The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together,'' the singer said. ``There are reports that I was in the hospital this weekend, and Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.''
The couple were married in September. Magazines and tabloids have speculated for weeks that Spears, 23, was pregnant, documenting her expanding waistline and fuller figure, but she remained mum on the subject.
However, she has previously expressed a desire to start a family. In an interview with People magazine last fall, she said: ``I want to be a young mom. I can see us as parents.''
While this will be Spears' first foray into parenthood, Federline, 27, has two children with his ex-girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson. Spears and Federline met last year when he was a backup dancer on her tour - and Jackson was pregnant with their son.
Spears wed Federline just eight months after ending a 55-hour Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend, Jason Alexander. Her second marriage has provided endless fodder for tabloids, which have speculated that the union is in trouble - prompting an angry outburst from Spears on her Web site last month.
Yet the couple have hardly hid from the limelight - last week, the pair announced they would document their courtship in a new reality series on UPN. The network promised ``exclusive, never-before-seen private home videos'' of their ``personal love story.''
Spears' impending motherhood may be the ultimate indicator that the former teen princess is all grown up. Spears was cast as an innocent with a bit of sex appeal when she made her debut at 16 with the multiplatinum `` ... Baby, One More Time'' and became a youth icon. As she grew older, her image got sexier, and more vampish.
Her last album was a greatest hits collection, which has sold nearly 1 million copies.
Al Lucas, Arena Football League Player, Dead at 26
Television replays showed Lucas bending down during a first-quarter kickoff return to make a tackle. The Dragons' ball carrier and a blocker tumbled over his head and back, with the blocker's leg appearing to hit Lucas in the head. Lucas did not move after falling to the ground.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Former NFL defensive lineman Al Lucas died Sunday from a presumed spinal cord injury sustained while trying to make a tackle for the Los Angeles Avengers during an Arena Football League game, the team said.
Lucas was taken to California Hospital and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, team physician Dr. Luga Podesta said in a statement.
A call to a California Hospital spokesman was not returned.
"It is with great sadness that we confirm the passing of Al Lucas. At this time, the thoughts and prayers of the entire Avenger organization are with his wife and family," team owner and chief executive officer Casey Wasserman said in a statement.
The 26-year-old Lucas was injured during a first-quarter kickoff return against the New York Dragons.
Television replays showed Lucas bending down to make a tackle. The Dragons' ball carrier and a blocker tumbled over his head and back, with the blocker's leg appearing to hit Lucas in the head. Lucas did not move after falling to the ground.
The 6-foot-1, 300-pound lineman played two seasons (2000-01) for the Carolina Panthers, making 49 1/2 tackles in 20 games. He attended Troy State from 1996-99 and won the Buck Buchanan Award his senior season as the top defensive player in Division I-AA. In 43 games at Troy State he had 255 tackles and 11 1/2 sacks.
He was selected to the Arena League's All-Rookie team in 2003 while playing for Tampa Bay.
"Al Lucas played arena football with passion and integrity. The entire AFL family extends its deepest sympathies to Al's wife and family as well as his friends, family and teammates," commissioner David Baker said in a statement.
Lucas was married to De-Shonda Lucas and had a daughter, Mariah.
Several NFL players have died shortly after games, though no one has been declared dead on the field.
Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes died of a heart attack during a game on Oct. 24, 1971. Hughes entered the game late in the fourth quarter and ran a deep route over the middle. As he headed back to the huddle, he collapsed. Team doctor Richard Thompson tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Hughes on the field and the game was finished in silence.
In 1963, Kansas City rookie running back Stone Johnson died 10 days after he broke his neck in an exhibition game against the Houston Oilers. In the game played at Wichita, Kan., Johnson was hurt while blocking on a kickoff return.
In 1960, New York Titans tackle Howard Glenn injured his neck during a play in the first half and died soon afterward.
Washington Redskins tackle Dave Sparks and Chicago Cardinals tackle Stan Mauldin died of heart attacks after games. Sparks died in 1954 three hours after a game, while Mauldin collapsed in the locker room in 1948.
Two college football players died from neck-related injuries in the past 15 years. Mississippi defensive back Chucky Mullins died from injuries sustained on Oct. 28, 1989. Mullins was paralyzed when he broke his neck tackling Vanderbilt tailback Brad Gaines and died 18 months later on May 6, 1991, in a Memphis, Tenn., hospital.
Washington defensive back Curtis Williams was injured exactly 11 years later attempting to tackle Stanford running back Kerry Carter. He was paralyzed from the neck down and died May 6, 2002.
NAACP chair says ‘gay rights are civil rights’ -- Julian Bond receives Equality Virginia award
By EARTHA MELZER. -- Dr. Julian Bond, chair of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was awarded Equality Virginia’s Equality Commonwealth Award in Richmond on April 2 and delivered a speech affirming gay rights as civil rights.
The theme of the evening was “ordinary rights, an extraordinary night.”
“African Americans ... were the only Americans who were enslaved for two centuries, but we were far from the only Americans suffering discrimination then and now,” Bond said. “Sexual disposition parallels race. I was born this way. I have no choice. I wouldn’t change it if I could. Sexuality is unchangeable.”
With more than 1,200 in attendance, organizers said that this event was the largest gathering of gay men and lesbians and their supporters in Virginia in memory.
Acknowledging that compared to some other areas of Virginia, Richmond is seen as hostile to gay and lesbian rights, Molly McClintock, of Equality Virginia said, “We are in Richmond because the fight is in Richmond.”
The capitol of the Confederacy that fought for the right to hold slaves, Richmond is shaping up as the site of a major battle over whether the state will be allowed to discriminate against gays. Equality Virginia said that in a survey comparing gay-friendly laws in the 50 states and D.C., Virginia ranked 49, behind only Alabama and Oklahoma.
Virginia’s Marriage Affirmation Act, passed last year, prohibits any “civil union, partnership contract or arrangement between persons of the same sex.” Equality Virginia and other civil rights groups maintain that the law is unconstitutional and damaging but it has not yet been fully challenged in court. Virginia legislators have passed a first draft of a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
At last week’s event, gay men and lesbians from across Virginia celebrated their growing political strength and three recent hard won victories in advancing equal treatment under the law. This year in the Virginia Legislature, bills to ban adoption by gay and lesbian parents and to prohibit Gay-Straight Student Alliance groups were defeated and legislation allowing companies to offer health insurance to same-sex partners was approved.
Bond emphasized the role Virginia has played in establishing civil rights precedents. It was a challenge to Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law banning inter-racial marriage that led to the Supreme Court decision in Loving vs. Virginia in 1967. This decision struck down the laws that prohibited inter-racial marriage in 16 states and established marriage as one of the “basic civil rights of man.” Bond said that this decision cleared the way for him to marry his wife, Pat Horowitz, in Virginia.
“Many gays, many lesbians, worked side by side with me in the civil rights movement. Am I supposed to tell them now thanks for risking their lives and their limbs to help me win my rights but that they are excluded because of the circumstances of their birth?” Bond said. “Not a chance.”
“The lessons of the civil rights movement of yesterday … is that sometimes the simplest of ordinary everyday acts, of taking a seat on a bus, of sitting down at a lunch counter, of applying for a marriage license, sometimes these can have extraordinary consequences, can change our world,” Bond said.
Bond’s speech drew a warm response from the crowd, which was overwhelmingly white.
According to a National Gay & Lesbian Task Force report based on 2000 census data, African Americans make up 13 percent of the population of the United States, and 14 percent of same-sex couples have at least one African-American member.
The Task Force report also stated that the median annual income for black same-sex couples is much lower than that of white same-sex couples. Black female couples earn $40,000 while white female couples earn $60,000 and black male couples earn $45,000 while white male couples earn $69,000.
Opening a dialogue According to Meredith Moise, a field organizer for Equality Maryland, the relatively low visibility of black gays and lesbians is a factor in the same-sex marriage debate, which has pitted the Coalition of African-American Pastors, sponsored by the conservative Traditional Values Coalition, against others working for marriage equality.
“Because the traditional black church is involved in so many things, some ministers are still catching up to the issue [of marriage equality], the right has been cultivating these relationships with the black community for 10 or 15 years,” Moise said.
“The rise of the faith-based initiative also gives pastors incentives to fall in line with Bush policy and people don’t necessarily make the connection between this new childcare center they just got and what they are hearing from the pulpit,” Moise said. “We need to start the dialogue with the African-American community about homosexuality. Black gays and lesbians are hard-working people. We deal with survival issues, so gay and lesbian issues are not on the radar and when it gets to the radar all we have to go on is what we get from the pulpit.”
“Many black gays and lesbians are not out,” Moise said, “because we would rather be with our family than cast out in this racist world.”
Senator John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke), who received the Equality Public Servant Award, described the struggle for gay rights within a historical context, reminding the audience of the progress this country has made since the time when only white men with real estate could vote.
“Liberty flourishes in an educated society,” Edwards said, “We need to teach basic citizenship.” The audience responded with heavy applause and shouts of “Run for governor! Run for governor!”
William G. Kogol was awarded the Equality Community Award for his work on the recently passed legislation that allows Virginia companies to offer domestic partnership benefits. He spoke on navigating the tension between the business and social conservative wings of the Republican Party.
Virginia Governor Mark Warner and his wife Lisa Collis took the stage briefly and urged Equality Virginia members to vote in upcoming elections.
The spiritual testament of John Paul II, released originally in Polish, translated into Italian and then into English by the Vatican
Assassination, Abdication and Thanks--A Last mestament
Pope John Paul II, weighed down by illness and age, considered resigning as he turned 80 in 2000, according to his last will and testament published April 7, 2005. The pope also wrote of tormented times for himself and the church and left instructions for his notes to be burned.
The document, written in several entries over 22 years, provides extraordinary insight into this pope's thinking in the twilight of his life as he reflected about death and his legacy, and as he prayed for the ``necessary strength'' to continue his mission.
The testament of 6.3.1979 (and successive additions)
"Totus Tuus ego sum"
In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
"Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (cf. Mt 24, 42) - these words remind me of the last call, which will happen at the moment the Lord wishes. I desire to follow Him, and I desire that everything making up part of my earthly life should prepare me for this moment. I do not know when the moment will come, but like everything else, I place it too in the hands of the Mother of my Master: Totus Tuus. In the same maternal Hands I leave everything and everyone with whom my life and vocation have linked me. In these Hands I leave, above all, the Church, as well as my Nation and all humanity. I thank everyone. Of everyone I ask forgiveness. I also ask for prayer, that the Mercy of God may appear greater than my weakness and unworthiness.
During the spiritual exercises I re-read the testament of the Holy Father Paul VI. That reading prompted me to write this testament.
I leave no property behind me of which it is necessary to dispose. As for the everyday objects that were of use to me, I ask they be distributed as seems appropriate. My personal notes are to be burned. I ask that this be attended to by Fr. Stanislaw, whom I thank for his collaboration and help, so prolonged over the years and so understanding. As for all other thanks, I leave them in my heart before God Himself, because it is difficult to express them.
As for the funeral, I repeat the same dispositions as were given by the Holy Father Paul VI. (Here is a note in the margin: burial in the bare earth, not in a sarcophagus, 13.3.92).
"apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud Eum redemptio"
John Paul pp. II
Rome, 6.III.1979 After my death I ask for Masses and prayers. 5.III.1990
Undated sheet of paper
I express my profound trust that, despite all my weakness, the Lord will grant me all the grace necessary to face according to His will any task, trial or suffering that He will ask of His servant, in the course of his life. I also trust that He will never allow me - through some attitude of mine: words, deeds or omissions - to betray my obligations in this holy Petrine See.
24.II - 1.III.1980
Also during these spiritual exercises, I have reflected on the truth of the Priesthood of Christ in the perspective of that Transit that for each of us is the moment of our own death. For us the Resurrection of Christ is an eloquent (added above: decisive) sign of departing from this world - to be born in the next, in the future world.
I have read, then, the copy of my testament from last year, also written during the spiritual exercises - I compared it with the testament of my great predecessor and Father, Paul VI, with that sublime witness to death of a Christian and a Pope - and I have renewed within me an awareness of the questions to which the copy of 6.III.1979 refers, prepared by me (in a somewhat provisional way).
Today I wish to add only this: that each of us must bear in mind the prospect of death. And must be ready to present himself before the Lord and Judge - Who is at the same time Redeemer and Father. I too continually take this into consideration, entrusting that decisive moment to the Mother of Christ and of the Church - to the Mother of my hope.
The times in which we live are unutterably difficult and disturbed. The path of the Church has also become difficult and tense, a characteristic trial of these times - both for the Faithful and for Pastors. In some Countries (as, for example, in those about which I read during the spiritual exercises), the Church is undergoing a period of such persecution as to be in no way lesser than that of early centuries, indeed it surpasses them in its degree of cruelty and hatred. "Sanguis martyrum - semen christianorum.". And apart from this - many people die innocently even in this Country in which we are living.
Once again, I wish to entrust myself totally to the Lord's grace. He Himself will decide when and how I must end my earthly life and pastoral ministry. In life and in death, Totus Tuus in Mary Immaculate. Accepting that death, even now, I hope that Christ will give me the grace for the final passage, in other words (my) Easter. I also hope that He makes (that death) useful for this more important cause that I seek to serve: the salvation of men and women, the safeguarding of the human family and, in that, of all nations and all peoples (among them, I particularly address my earthly Homeland), and useful for the people with whom He particularly entrusted me, for the question of the Church, for the glory of God Himself.
I do not wish to add anything to what I wrote a year ago - only to express this readiness and, at the same time, this trust, to which the current spiritual exercises have again disposed me.
John Paul II
Totus Tuus ego sum
5.III.1982
In the course of this year's spiritual exercises I have read (a number of times) the text of the testament of 6.III.1979. Although I still consider it provisional (not definitive), I leave it in the form in which it exists. I change nothing (for now), and neither do I add anything, as concerns the dispositions contained therein.
The attempt upon my life on 13.V.1981 in some way confirmed the accuracy of the words written during the period of the spiritual exercises of 1980 (24.II - 1.III).
All the more deeply I now feel that I am totally in the Hands of God - and I remain continually at the disposal of my Lord, entrusting myself to Him in His Immaculate Mother (Totus Tuus)
John Paul pp.II
5.III.82
In connection with the last sentence in my testament of 6.III.1979 ("concerning the site / that is, the site of the funeral / let the College of Cardinals and Compatriots decide") - I will make it clear that I have in mind: the metropolitan of Krakow or the General Council of the Episcopate of Poland - In the meantime I ask the College of Cardinals to satisfy, as far as possible, any demands of the above-mentioned.
1.III.1985 (during the spiritual exercises) Again - as regards the expression "College of Cardinals and Compatriots": the "College of Cardinals" has no obligation to consult "Compatriots" on this subject, however it can do so, if for some reason it feels it is right to do so.
JPII
Spiritual exercise of the Jubilee Year 2000 (12-18.III) (for my testament)
1. When, on October 16, 1978 the conclave of cardinals chose John Paul II, the primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski told me: "The duty of the new Pope will be to introduce the Church into the Third Millennium." I don't know if I am repeating this sentence exactly, but at least this was the sense of what I heard at the time. This was said by the Man who entered history as the primate of the Millennium. A great primate. I was a witness to his mission, to his total entrustment. To his battles. To his victory. "Victory, when it comes, will be a victory through Mary" - The primate of the Millennium used to repeat these words of his predecessor, Cardinal August Hlond.
In this way I was prepared in some manner for the duty that presented itself to me on October 16, 1978. As I write these words, the Jubilee Year 2000 is already a reality. The night of December 24, 1999 the symbolic Door of the Great Jubilee in the Basilica of St. Peter's was opened, then that of St. John Lateran, then St. Mary Major - on New Year's, and on January 19 the Door of the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls. This last event, given its ecumenical character, has remained impressed in my memory in a special way.
2. As the Jubilee Year progressed, day by day the 20th century closes behind us and the 21st century opens. According to the plans of Divine Providence I was allowed to live in the difficult century that is retreating into the past, and now, in the year in which my life reaches 80 years ('octogesima adveniens'), it is time to ask oneself if it is not the time to repeat with the biblical Simeone 'nunc dimittis'.
On May 13, 1981, the day of the attack on the Pope during the general audience in St. Peter's Square, Divine Providence saved me in a miraculous way from death. The One Who is the Only Lord of life and death Himself prolonged my life, in a certain way He gave it to me again. From that moment it belonged to Him even more. I hope He will help me to recognize up to what point I must continue this service to which I was called on October 16, 1978. I ask him to call me back when He Himself wishes. 'In life and in death we belong to the Lord ... we are the Lord's. I also hope that, as long as I am called to fulfil the Petrine service in the Church, the Mercy of God will give me the necessary strength for this service.
3. As I do every year during spiritual exercises I read my testament from 6-III-1979. I continue to maintain the dispositions contained in this text. What then, and even during successive spiritual exercises, has been added constitutes a reflection of the difficult and tense general situation which marked the Eighties. From autumn of the year 1989 this situation changed. The last decade of the century was free of the previous tensions; that does not mean that it did not bring with it new problems and difficulties. In a special way may Divine Providence be praised for this, that the period of the so-called 'cold war' ended without violent nuclear conflict, the danger of which weighed on the world in the preceding period.
4. Being on the threshold of the third millennium "in medio Ecclesiae" I wish once again to express gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of Vatican Council II, to which, together with the entire Church - and above all the entire episcopacy - I feel indebted. I am convinced that for a long time to come the new generations will draw upon the riches that this Council of the 20th century gave us. As a bishop who participated in this conciliar event from the first to the last day, I wish to entrust this great patrimony to all those who are and who will be called in the future to realize it. For my part I thank the eternal Pastor Who allowed me to serve this very great cause during the course of all the years of my pontificate.
"In medio Ecclesiae".... from the first years of my service as a bishop - precisely thanks to the Council - I was able to experience the fraternal communion of the Episcopacy. As a priest of the archdiocese of Krakow I experienced the fraternal communion among priests - and the Council opened a new dimension to this experience.
5. How many people should I list! Probably the Lord God has called to Himself the majority of them - as to those who are still on this side, may the words of this testament recall them, everyone and everywhere, wherever they are.
During the more than 20 years that I am fulfilling the Petrine service "in medio Ecclesiae" I have experienced the benevolence and even more the fecund collaboration of so many cardinals, archbishops and bishops, so many priests, so many consecrated persons - brothers and sisters - and, lastly, so very, very many lay persons, within the Curia, in the vicariate of the diocese of Rome, as well as outside these milieux.
How can I not embrace with grateful memory all the bishops of the world whom I have met in "ad limina Apostolorum" visits! How can I not recall so many non-Catholic Christian brothers! And the rabbi of Rome and so many representatives of non -Christian religions! And how many representatives of the world of culture, science, politics, and of the means of social communication!
6. As the end of my life approaches I return with my memory to the beginning, to my parents, to my brother, to the sister (I never knew because she died before my birth), to the parish in Wadowice, where I was baptized, to that city I love, to my peers, friends from elementary school, high school and the university, up to the time of the occupation when I was a worker, and then in the parish of Niegowic, then St. Florian's in Krakow, to the pastoral ministry of academics, to the milieu of....to all milieux....to Krakow and to Rome....to the people who were entrusted to me in a special way by the Lord.
To all I want to say just one thing: "May God reward you."
"In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum." A.D. 17.III.2000
Comedy Central Comedian Mitch Hedberg Dead at 37, Drug Use No Secret Says Mom
The audience thinks I'm stoned all the time--the comedian said.... And I have to write my material that way ... so sometimes, when they come up to me after a show and ask me to join them, I just tell them I'm an undercover cop.
ST. PAUL -- Mitch Hedberg, a Minnesota-born comedian who worked in nightclubs, college campuses, television and film in a wide-ranging career, and who struggled with drugs and alcohol, died in New Jersey, his family said. He was 37.
Hedberg died Wednesday in a hotel room in Livingston, N.J. Pending the medical examiner's report, the cause of death appears to be heart failure, said his mother, Mary Hedberg. She said her son was born with a heart defect and frequently felt anxious about his condition.
Mary Hedberg said speculation that her son's death was drug-related was gossip.
"We don't know that for a fact," she said, but added, "it's not a secret Mitch used drugs. Whether that played a role in his death or not, we don't know."
Jokes about Hedberg's drug use were a staple of his act and he took a hiatus from performing for several months after a May 2003 arrest in Austin, Texas, for felony possession of heroin.
The comic — who bore an uncanny resemblance to Rush frontman Geddy Lee and once explained the reason his was not a household name was because most of his fans lived in apartments — spent much of his career straddling that fine line between cult status and relatively larger stardom. Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hedberg was known for his disheveled hippie look, his relaxed, almost sedate stage manner, and his dawdling delivery — his face forever concealed behind a pair of shades and a wall of floppy bangs.
After graduating from Harding High School, he rose through the ranks at Minneapolis' Acme Comedy Co. and caught his big break through a Comedy Central special.
Much like Steven Wright, Hedberg was a master of the sharp-as-glass-shards one-liner ("Rice is great when you're hungry and want 2,000 of something"; "I would imagine if you understood Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy"; "When someone hands you a flier, it's like they're saying, 'Here, you throw this away.' ") His comical, almost-too-obvious observations about life's subtle peculiarities inspired Time magazine to declare the stand-up comic "the next Seinfeld" in 2000.
A frequent guest on Howard Stern's morning radio show and "Late Show With David Letterman," Hedberg's résumé also included several television and film roles, including appearances on FOX's "That '70s Show," the NBC comedy series "Ed," and the animated shows "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" and "Home Movies."
Hedberg also lent his voice to Comedy Central's "Crank Yankers," played the Eagles' road manager in the film "Almost Famous" and wrote, directed, produced and starred in the 1999 independent film "Los Enchiladas!" The film centered on a small Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis, where Hedberg's character, a drifter, was working as a cook until he suddenly found himself in charge of the joint after the manager attacked a customer and the chef left for a better job.
Hedberg's first television appearance came on MTV's stand-up series "Comikaze," a gig he landed by personally pitching his act to the program's talent coordinator. In 1997, he won the grand prize at the Seattle Comedy Competition. Years of headlining club tours followed, and Hedberg eventually secured a development deal with FOX to create a sitcom, though that project never came to fruition. In 2003, Comedy Central Records issued his albums Mitch All Together and Strategic Grill Locations, and sponsored a tour with Hedberg, Lewis Black of "The Daily Show" Dave Attell of "Insomniac."
"He had a heart of gold," his mother, Mary Hedberg, told the Pioneer Press. "He was a brilliant comic and a wonderful person."
Hedberg joked often about drug abuse, but in a recent interview, he said he'd given up smoking marijuana several years ago. "For 10 years, it was amazing, but then I had to give it up because it didn't feel as good," he said. "The audience thinks I'm stoned all the time and I have to write my material that way ... so sometimes, when they come up to me after a show and ask me to join them, I just tell them I'm an undercover cop."
According to an article published in the Los Angeles Times in 2003, Hedberg spent two and a half days in jail, and six weeks in a hospital bed, following his arrest in May of that year for felony heroin possession. But Hedberg said he was arrested for "possession of paraphernalia and pills and things like that. My actual bust was minor. I got a misdemeanor. People used that bust to try and prove that I was busted for having, like, a kilo of heroin on me."
A posting on Comedy Central's Web site reads, "Tragically, Mitch Hedberg passed away this week. Mitch was a beloved member of the Comedy Central family, and we join fans in our sadness. He will be missed."
Comedy Central, Stand-Up Comedian Mitch Hedberg Dead at 37, Mom Says Heart Defect
It's not a secret Mitch used drugs--Mary Hedberg, his mom said. --Whether that played a role in his death or not, we don't know,she said.
Mitch Hedberg, 37, a stand-up comedian who channeled his shyness into an act of offbeat musings, earning him a nationwide following and repeated appearances on the "Late Show with David Letterman," died March 30 in a hotel room in Livingston, N.J.
Pending the medical examiner's report, the cause of death appears to be a heart ailment, said his mother, Mary Hedberg. She said that her son, who struggled with drugs and alcohol, was born with a heart defect and frequently was anxious about his condition.
Hedberg said speculation that her son's death was drug-related was gossip. "It's not a secret Mitch used drugs. Whether that played a role in his death or not, we don't know," she said.
Mr. Hedberg made jokes about his drug use a staple of his act. He took a hiatus from performing for several months after he was arrested in May 2003 in Austin for felony possession of heroin.
Mr. Hedberg recently had completed a 44-city tour and was between dates on the East Coast. With his wife and opening act, Lynn Shawcroft, he toured constantly, most at home with an itinerant comedian's lifestyle.
Mr. Hedberg delivered absurdist, random observations in a spacey staccato. His long, dirty blond hair harkened to the image of a 1970s stoner.
His beatnik approach to the life of a stand-up contributed to his popularity among younger comedy fans. His act married a timid, slacker drawl with jokes that understated the absurdities of life in a consumer culture. The jokes came one after the other, with no apparent segues.
"Rice is great when you're hungry and want 2,000 of something," went one joke.
"I tried to walk into a Target, but I missed," went another.
His rambling, non-sequitur style often drew comparisons to Steven Wright, but Mr. Hedberg disagreed.
"If I made potato chips and put them in a can, people would say I was ripping off Pringles," he said. "But what if I put them in a bag?"
When casting directors chose him for productions, such as the film "Almost Famous" in 2000, it was sometimes to take advantage of his retro-1970s look.
In 1999, after Mr. Hedberg drew raves at the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, Time magazine suggested that he could become the next Jerry Seinfeld. Television deals followed, although Mr. Hedberg never got his own sitcom. He wrote and directed the feature film "Los Enchiladas!" in 1999.
Mr. Hedberg was born in St. Paul, Minn. He overcame stage fright to become a comedian after high school, when he was living in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and working as a restaurant cook.
On the road doing low-paying gigs, he would sleep in the back of a pickup. Eventually, he moved to Seattle and became more established, although he still worked as a cook.
Besides his mother and his wife, he is survived by his father, Arnie, and two sisters.
Hedberg had recently completed a 44-city theater tour. He had a role in the movie "Almost Famous" and wrote and directed "Los Enchiladas!"
The life and mystery of Najai Turpin continues. Here is an earlier article about the tragic champion.
By DAN GELSTON. PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Plucked from a tough neighborhood in Philadelphia, Najai Turpin tried to emulate the "Rocky" story and rise from unknown boxer to inspirational star fighter.
Turpin even jogged the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as an homage to the fictional fighter for Sylvester Stallone's boxing reality show, "The Contender."
The footage got an earlier-than-expected premiere, played as part of a continuous highlight reel at Turpin's funeral.
Days after police say Turpin, 23, shot himself in the head in a parked car outside the gym where he trained, those closest to him remained baffled about why he took his life. Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard and NBC executives were among the mourners who packed a Baptist church on Friday.
The footage got an earlier-than-expected premiere, played as part of a continuous highlight reel at Turpin's funeral.
Days after police say Turpin, 23, shot himself in the head in a parked car outside the gym where he trained, those closest to him remained baffled about why he took his life. Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard and NBC executives were among the mourners who packed a Baptist church on Friday.
"He was a very mysterious man," said Stallone, who developed the boxing series with reality TV mogul Mark Burnett. "He was very quiet, very shy. You never knew what was on his mind."
Stallone and Leonard, one of the hosts of the TV show, paused at the open casket, where a pair of yellow boxing gloves rested atop his coffin.
Karen Conyers knew Turpin - or "Nitro" to his friends - since he was 8 and recalled how excited he was about earning a shot at stardom.
"It was somebody from the hood that made it," she said. "He was going to be big and famous. He was like somebody that came from the projects and was going to look out for everybody in the projects."
Turpin had a 13-1 record and had won a city Recreation Department title in Philadelphia before being picked for "The Contender." He seemed to have a happy home life with his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter.
"When you see the show, you'll see he was so full of life," Stallone said. "When he was with his daughter and his girlfriend, he was so open, so expressive."
None of it seemed to match with a man who committed suicide only weeks before his big break that could have kick-started his career.
"The Contender," which follows the lives of 16 boxers competing for a million-dollar prize, began taping six months ago and is scheduled to debut March 7.
The episodes involving Turpin had already been taped, and footage showed Turpin smiling and sparring. One of the executive producers said he saw no signs of trouble from the young fighter.
"He was a tough kid. Everybody was afraid to fight him," said Jeff Wald. "He was perceived to be on one of the tougher guys."
Something, though, changed for Turpin when he returned home. Turpin's sister, Launita, said she had noticed a difference in her brother's attitude, that he had been staying out late and partying while slacking off in his training.
She told the Philadelphia Daily News this week that her brother often complained of being too tired to train.
Life back in the housing projects was nothing like the high life he had been living.
"This ain't no Hollywood show. This here is the real thing," said pastor Tokunbo Adelekan, who mixed the Book of Job with an LL Cool J rap in his eulogy.
Burnett said there were signs that Turpin's rough surroundings had taken a toll: He wouldn't sleep in his bed while the series was taping because he was used to sleeping under his bed or in his closet for fear of bullets or burglars.
NBC started a trust fund for the boxer's daughter, and viewers can contribute. Stallone said he never could have imagined this ending for Turpin.
"He said, 'I have greatness. I feel greatness for me,'" he said.
An Interview with NBC The Contender, Najai Turpin, Who Died by Suicide
On May 10, 2004 the late NBC Contender, Najai Turpin, was a Philadelphia based fighter with a record of 10-1 with 8 KO's. Terry Resnick, of WithinTheRing, had a chance to talk to Najai about his his one loss and his forthcoming bout against Leroy Fountain.
TR: What brought you to the sport of boxing?
NT: I was getting in trouble, yeah and when it came to the gym it took me a different way. Gave me something to do instead of the streets. TR: Who are some of the toughest guys you've sparred with? NT: Mack. Kermit Cintron. Kasim Ouma. Rock Allen. TR: In the Dante Craig fight, I understand that you were really taking it to him in the first round, but you ended up not getting the decision. It was a tough loss, how do you rebound from a fight like that, not so much physically, but mentally? And how do you use it as a motivating force going forward? NT: It was like a punishment, man, because I wasn’t doing everything I was supposed to do. I wasn’t taking the game serious. Now I take it serious and everybody that comes in my way I gotta punish them for that mistake I made with Dante Craig. TR: When you say you weren’t taking it serious, were you saying more so not training and being 100% focused in and out of the ring as opposed to the fight itself? NT: Yes. That’s exactly right. TR: Would you look for a rematch with Dante Craig if you could get it? NT: I would take a rematch any day. I would fight him tomorrow. TR: In your ten wins you have 8 knockouts. What do you consider your best punch? NT: Not one in particular. I just overwhelm my opponents. TR: So your style of fighting is to bring the heat and eventually take your guy out? NT: Yes.
TR: What fighters did you look up to as you were growing up? NT: I liked Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler. Mostly Sugar Ray Leonard.
TR: If you could pick one fighter right now that you would really like to fight, who would that be?
NT: Any of the world champions. I’ll fight any of them.
TR: You’re fighting Leroy Fountain next week. I know he’s 7 and 0. Do you know much about him as a fighter?
NT: I know nothing about him. I’m just going to do my thing.
On May 14, 2004, Najai "Nitro" Turpin won his bout with Leroy "The Best Kept Secret" Fountain in New Alhambra, Philadelphia, PA. On August 27, 2004, Sergio Mora defeated Turpin in a bout televised as part of NBC's The Contender. Turpin's career record: 11-2 with 8 KO's.
NBC The Contender - Hollywood Responds to Enormous Reach of Internet
Our great attributes are interactive,-- said Semel, the former co-CEO of Warner Bros.--We have huge audiences who themselves are the programmer.
Analysts suggest a profound shift may be at work, with Yahoo using its enormous reach to force Hollywood studios, among other video creators, to produce programming with the Internet in mind.
Yahoo can offer up a worldwide audience of more than 300 million - a number that some analysts say could reach 1 billion by the end of the decade.
"Those are numbers that are sufficient to make the likes of Rupert Murdoch salivate and turn green with envy," said David Garrity, an Internet and media analyst with Caris & Co., referring to the man whose News Corp. owns the Fox network and other media outlets.
Yahoo has already forged partnerships to webcast content from other media. It showed the entire debut episode of the Showtime series "Fat Actress," starring Kirstie Alley, at the same time the episode was broadcast on cable.
It also features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the Mark Burnett-produced NBC shows "The Apprentice" and "The Contender," and offers material from JibJab, the two guys who created the animated short cartoon that lampooned presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry.
America Online has similarly broadcast the first episode of the WB Television series "Jack & Bobby" and features exclusive musical performances in its "Sessions AOL" series.
Yahoo chairman and chief executive Terry Semel said recently that 75 percent of users access the portal using high-speed connections, making it possible to stream video of all sorts, including content by individual users.
"Our great attributes are interactive," said Semel, the former co-CEO of Warner Bros. "We have huge audiences who themselves are the programmer."
Among other moves, Yahoo recently signed a deal to buy Canadian photo-sharing startup Flickr Inc., which lets people upload digital photos, publish photos in their blogs and share digital photo albums. Another recently launched Yahoo site lets users search for writings, lyrics, photos and other content authored by people who want others to use their ideas as the basis for new creations - the so-called "Creative Commons." Then there's the newly announced social networking service, Yahoo 360.
It all speaks to Yahoo executives' excitement about "micropublishing" - letting the portal's users create content attractive to fellow users that will encourage people to hang around in Yahoo's virtual world.
It's a vision shared by others who see a future where people aren't just passive viewers of content but participate in creating the "TV shows" of tomorrow.
One company built on the concept is Brightcove, a startup that envisions a day when "Internet Television" offers thousands of channels of content, some produced by traditional TV companies and much produced by individuals as the cost of digital cameras and editing tools drops.
Yahoo fueled speculation that it might try to produce its own original content when it hired former ABC primetime program chief Lloyd Braun in November to run its media group and moved all its content units under one new roof into the former MGM headquarters in Santa Monica.
Yahoo executives insist they don't suffer from Hollywood envy or the desire to take the multimillion-dollar gambles regularly taken by studios.
"When I wanted to move our media companies all into one place, and hire ... creative executives, the intent was not for them to either make movies or start making big television productions," Semel told the investors conference.
"It would be ridiculous and it's not what Yahoo is going to do," he said.
Lauren Rich Fine, an analyst at Merrill Lynch, says Yahoo is attractive to investors for its diversified revenue stream from paid search, advertising and social networking ventures. It simply doesn't aspire to the business model of the traditional Hollywood studio, where only six out of 10 movies make back their investment.
Yahoo says it's in the earliest stages of developing its entertainment strategy and thus would not make an executive available to discuss it with The Associated Press.
But the company has made it clear that one of Braun's mandates is to find new ways for Yahoo's music, games, news, sports, kids and other divisions to draw more visitors.
Moving content off the computer onto cell phones, portable media players and other devices is likely a key goal, many in the industry believe.
"The video experience online and on wireless devices is getting much better," said Bernard Gershon, senior vice president, ABC News Digital Media Group. "People's willingness to pay to access some of that content is definitely improving, and content creators, like us, are actually looking at this medium as a way to produce new and different content."
But it remains too early to tell exactly what direction companies like Yahoo and rivals AOL, MSN and Real Networks will take.
Ultimately, whether Yahoo morphs into an online TV network or produces its own content its strategy all boils down to keeping visitors within Yahoo's virtual walls as much as possible.
Said Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Janco Partners Inc.: "The more content and interesting things they put there, the longer they keep you there, the more opportunities they have to monetize you through advertising."
His last message was to the youth and the young people around the world, he said "I came for you, now it's you who have come to me. I thank you". He died on the first Sabbath after Easter Sunday.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, May 18, 1920 - April 2, 2005, was Pope, Bishop of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church from October 16, 1978 until his death.
John Paul II was chosen for the papacy on October 16, 1978 becoming the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first of Slavic origin in the history of the Church. He crusaded against communism, unbridled capatalism and political oppression. He stood firmly against abortion and defended the Church's more traditional approach to human sexuality.
His more than 100 trips abroad attracted enormous crowds (among them some of the largest ever assembled in human history). With these trips, John Paul covered a distance far greater than that traveled by all other popes combined. They have been seen as an outward sign of the efforts at global bridge-building between nations and between religions that have been central to his pontificate.
Pope John Paul II beatified and canonized far more persons than any previous pope. It is reported that as of October 2004, he had beatified 1,340 people. Whether he had canonized more saints than all his predecessors put together, as is sometimes claimed, is difficult to prove, as the records of many early canonizations are incomplete, missing or inaccurate. On March 14, 2004, his pontificate overtook Leo XIII's as the third longest pontificate in the history of the Papacy (after Pius IX and St. Peter. The length of his reign is in marked contrast with that of his predecessor Pope John Paul I, who died suddenly after only 33 days in office (and in whose memory John Paul II named himself).
Pope John Paul II died after a long fight against Parkinson's Disease, amongst other illnesses, on April 2, 2005. His funeral is expected to take place on Wednesday April 6, 2005. His last message was to the youth and the young people around the world, he said "I came for you, now it's you who have come to me. I thank you". He died on the first Sabbath after Easter Sunday.
Here are some Random Thoughts from Sergio Mora.
"I decided, 'Y'know what, I might as well try this 'Contender' thing. I'm undefeated and I'm unsigned,'" recalled Mora.
When this article was written, Mora was serving as one of the main sparring partners for 
Ralston (13-1-0, 7 KOs), a five time New York golden Glove champion, is admittedly not a brawler, but more of a boxer/puncher. Mora, who improved to 12-0-0 with 3 KOs, was the quicker of the two and showed a propensity for throwing and trying to land the big punch.
Stacked, the new Fox sitcom starring Pamela Anderson was rushed in to the mid-season schedule despite the sudden defection of co-star Tom Everett Scott. The title of the show can be thought of as a cheap play on Anderson's fabulous, balloon-sized breasts. But here's the pitch:
Britney Spears is delving into reality television, thanks to a deal she recently inked with UPN, according to a spokesperson for the network. Spears and husband Kevin Federline will star in their own unscripted, as-yet-untitled series, which will document the couple's relationship, from the earliest stages of their courtship to their engagement and ultimately, their stroll down the aisle. We guess we will just have to wait and see it the recent happy announcement will alter previous plans. After all, who doesn't now know that that the pop princess is pregnant! Nothing upstages real tv like real life itself.
ST. PAUL -- Mitch Hedberg, a Minnesota-born comedian who worked in nightclubs, college campuses, television and film in a wide-ranging career, and who struggled with drugs and alcohol, died in New Jersey, his family said. He was 37. 
Mitch Hedberg, 37, a stand-up comedian who channeled his shyness into an act of offbeat musings, earning him a nationwide following and repeated appearances on the "Late Show with David Letterman," died March 30 in a hotel room in Livingston, N.J. 
His Holiness Pope John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyła, May 18, 1920 - April 2, 2005, was Pope, Bishop of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church from October 16, 1978 until his death.