Rights Group Demands Vietnamese Probe of Hmong Protest
A leading human rights group is calling on Vietnam to conduct a thorough and public investigation into recent disturbances involving ethnic Hmong in northwestern Dien Bien province.
In a statement issued in New York Tuesday, Human Rights Watch also urges Vietnam to identify everyone who has been arrested in connection with the protest and provide them access to their families and legal counsel.
A spokeswoman for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week that “a number of over-reactive individuals” had been detained in connection with the demonstrations. However, reporters and diplomats have been denied access to the area and reliable details of what happened are not available.
International news media reported early this month that several thousand Hmong Christians had gathered in the province. The Vietnamese government said they came together because they believed a “supernatural being” would come take them to a promised land.
Local government officials confirmed that security forces had been used to disperse the Hmong, and some advocacy groups claimed that a number of them were killed.
In its statement Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said the Vietnamese government “can't just throw a dark shroud over this situation and pretend that everything is back to normal.”
It called for a full investigation into the reasons for the unrest and allegations of excessive violence by authorities. It also called for free access to the area by journalists, diplomats and international agencies.
The Hmong are among several ethnic groups that live in the border regions of China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Many were allied with the United States during its war in Vietnam, earning them the anger of the Vietnamese Communist Party, which took control of the country in 1975. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Hmong fled the country. Some Hmong inside the country and overseas advocacy groups say those still in Vietnam face official discrimination and abuses.
US Senior Diplomat to Visit 4 Southeast Asian Countries
The U.S. State Department has announced that its top official for East Asian and Pacific Affairs will travel to four Southeast Asian countries this week.
The statement issued Monday says Kurt Campbell will depart Tuesday for a visit to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan during a week-long trip.
Campbell is scheduled to meet Thursday with senior officials of Singapore and discuss bilateral and regional issues with government members and political analysts. He then will travel to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, where he will meet with Indonesian and other regional officials to prepare for the ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit.
Campbell's next stop is Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, where he is to hold meetings Saturday with Malaysian officials, academics and business leaders.
The U.S. official arrives in Tokyo Sunday to meet with Japanese officials for talks on bilateral and global issues.
The statement says Campbell's visit to Southeast Asia underscores the U.S. pursuit of an enhanced diplomatic presence in the region.
Japanese news media report that in Tokyo, Campbell is expected to discuss a controversial plan to relocate a U.S. Marine air base on Okinawa to a different part of the island. Three influential U.S. senators have instead proposed integrating the Futenma air base into the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base, also on Okinawa.
Who will guard Durrant?
We don’t have the Lakers, Spurs or the upstart Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals, but we do get an aging and (in some circles) underappreciated superstar gunning for another chance at a title against the league’s scoring champion, Kevin Durant, who also happens to be perhaps the closest thing to Dirk Nowitzki that American basketball has ever produced. We get to watch a passing-oriented club that led the league in assist percentage face an opponent that ranked just 24th in assist rate, in part because of its ridiculous talent and young legs. We get a team that might be ahead of schedule against one that wasn’t on the schedule at all six months ago.
In a Mavericks-Thunder series full of enough subplots to fill two previews, here are some key storylines to watch as the teams prepare to meet for the first time since January:
• Who will guard Durant?
This is single biggest issue in the series. The lack of a perfect answer for Dallas is grounds enough to lean toward a Thunder win. The first name to pop into your head might be Shawn Marion, but the starting small forward was not Dallas’ preferred option on Durant in the teams’ three regular-season meetings (the Mavs went 2-1); Marion defended the scoring champion on only nine of the 48 shot attempts Durant took in the half-court, according to the stat-tracking service Synergy Sports, which catalogs video of every shot.
Marion was not quite quick enough to keep up with Durant off the dribble or when chasing him around screens. Still, Marion brings a quality mix of speed and strength, and he’ll get his chances against Durant, who averaged 29.3 points on 52.4 percent shooting against Dallas in the regular season.
The bulk of the assignment actually went to DeShawn Stevenson, who held Durant to 8-of-20 shooting in half-court situations, per Synergy. This is obviously not ideal for Dallas as Stevenson is a bit player, and the offense functions best when he is on the bench. He also gives up about five inches in height to Durant, who was very comfortable shooting over Stevenson and posting him up. The Mavs often send aggressive help when Durant took Stevenson to the block, and they’ll have to do so in this series.
But who else is there? Jason Kidd was on Russell Westbrook duty in all three matchups, and don’t even mention Peja Stojakovic or Jason Terry. It’s tempting to think about Corey Brewer, a rangy defender nearly as tall as Durant and a capable spot-up three-point shooter if he’s wide open. But Brewer has played a total of 18 minutes in the playoffs, and if he’s cold from the outside, he’s just as much a downgrade on offense as Stevenson. Even so, this could be Brewer’s chance to start earning his money in Dallas.
There is no good answer here – there never is with Durant – but the options are especially unappealing for Dallas, unless Marion can turn back time about five years. The Mavs will send a lot of help in Durant’s direction, and if they can manage to do that in a way that frees up Oklahoma City’s less-accomplished offensive players (its big men), they might be able to overload on Durant without getting burned. Expect Tyson Chandler, one of the league’s great defenders, to rove and jump out on Durant as Memphis’ Marc Gasol did in the conference semis. Gasol isn’t a great defender, but his movement — and the struggles of his mark, Kendrick Perkins — was often enough to blow up the Thunder’s primary option. The Thunder didn’t have the patience or creativity to adapt — until Game 7, when they executed at another level.
Regardless, Dallas’ defense is in for a unique challenge, one that could hamstring its rotations.
• The backcourt battle
James Harden doesn’t start, but he and Westbrook form the Thunder’s crunch-time guard duo, and they represent the most dynamic two-man backcourt the Mavs have faced in the playoffs. There will be no one like Derek Fisher playing 35 minutes a game in this series.
Kidd’s old-man legs have no chance against Westbrook, right? Maybe. But the Mavs limited Westbrook to 14-of-44 shooting (32 percent) in the regular season. Kidd defended Westbrook and went under nearly every pick, daring his counterpart to hit mid-range shots. Kidd obviously can’t contain Westbrook off the dribble, but if he sags back and gets help, the Mavs might be able to at least keep Westbrook away from the rim and in the trickier floater range.
The Blazers successfully bullied Terry for stretches of their first-round series with Dallas, but the Lakers really didn’t have the personnel to do so in the second round. Harden isn’t a back-to-the-basket threat like Brandon Roy, Andre Miller or Nicolas Batum, but he’s strong and quick, and he should be able to take Terry off the dribble. But Terry always seems to get it back — and more — on the other end, and Harden loves to rove off his man on defense. The Grizzlies couldn’t hurt him that way, but Terry can.
The talent level of these two guards will present problems for Dallas. The longer the Harden-Westbrook duo plays, the harder it will be for Mavs coach Rick Carlisle to find extended minutes for J.J. Barea — unless, of course, Barea gets it back on the other end via his beautiful two-man game with Nowitzki. That’s the thing about Dallas: It always seems at a disadvantage in the backcourt, but its system is so sound on both ends that it often comes out ahead anyway.
• The time for zone?
Dallas has played less matchup zone in the playoffs than it did in the regular season, but Carlisle might be ready to unleash it here for longer stretches. The zone could take the sting out of Dallas’ individual matchup disadvantages, and the Mavs are smart about keeping defenders close to an opponent’s best three-point shooters even when they zone up. The Mavs played zone a bit more often than normal against the Thunder, and Durant shot just 2-of-8 against it, according to Synergy. (Hat tip: Sebastian Pruiti.)
The zone comes with its risks: open three-pointers for Durant and Harden, and offensive rebounding chances for Westbrook and the Thunder’s active front line. But it presents a way for Dallas to survive defensively, especially when Barea and Terry are on the court.
• Who will guard Dirk?
Jeff Green got most of this horrid assignment, but he’s gone, and that leaves Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison to deal with the MVP of the playoffs so far. Ibaka played just 13 minutes in Game 7 against the Grizzlies, and he has not been quite right since injuring his knee in Game 2 of that series. Collison might be a better matchup for Nowitzki anyway, since Ibaka is prone to biting on pump fakes — a Dirk speciality.
But as we saw against the Blazers and Lakers, it’s not so much about who guards Nowitzki as it is about how your entire team handles pick-and-rolls where he acts as the screener. The Thunder haven’t been as switch-happy since the Green/Kendrick Perkins trade, but they still fall into that habit now and then, and Nowitzki will kill them if they switch guards onto him.
The other options aren’t appetizing, either. If you tell Nowitzki’s man to stay attached to him, you risk having Barea and Terry turn the corner and get into the paint at will — the very thing that killed the Lakers. If you ask Nowitzki’s man to jump off him for just a second to contain the ball-handler, you’ve given Dirk all the space he needs to pop out for a jumper or roll into open territory.
Either option requires sending help, and Dallas smoked the Lakers by spreading the floor with shooters, watching the defense react and finding the open man. This is where the Durant factor looms large. If Durant’s presence means Dallas must have the Kidd/Stevenson, Kidd/Brewer or Kidd/Marion duos on the court more often, the Mavs won’t have the same level of shooting on the floor they’ve been able to use in the playoffs — and especially against the Lakers, when they appeared impossible to guard.
• Keep the Thunder off the line
Only one team shot more free throws, per field-goal attempt, than the Thunder in the regular season. Oklahoma City’s ability to get to the line might be the most important component of its offense. On the flip side, only two teams allowed fewer free throws per shot attempt than the Mavs, who make you earn your points.
The Mavs won this battle in the regular season, and winning it again now would be a huge step toward the Finals. Dallas held the Thunder to 24 free-throw attempts per game, five below Oklahoma City’s average, and that trend was not the result of the teams playing at a slower-than-normal pace.
• Stop the Thunder’s transition game
The Thunder are among the league’s most lethal fast-break teams. They hurt the Grizzlies by running off both misses and turnovers. Westbrook is a menace on the break, and in the late stages of the Memphis series, he executed the kind of smart kick-out passes to Durant and Harden in transition he needs to make if he’s going to develop into an even better player.
The Mavs have to be careful here. They ranked in the bottom third of the league in points per possession allowed in transition, and they were surprisingly turnover-prone in the regular season. They’ve cleaned up the turnover issue a bit in the postseason, and they don’t crash the offensive glass much, meaning they aren’t going to compromise their transition defense by chasing offensive boards. The Thunder scored even more efficiently than normal in two of three games against Dallas. The Mavs will be in trouble if that trend repeats itself.
• PREDICTION: The Thunder present some difficult matchup problems for the league’s oldest team, but the Mavs have been using smart basketball and a sound system to make up for their lack of explosiveness all season. No team is more comfortable in its own skin. No group of players are more certain of what they want to do and how they will do it on every possession. If the Mavs can take away the easy points — the free throws and fast-break chances — they can win this series. They can do that, and they’ll close it out the road. Mavs in six.
Game 1 of Bulls-Heat draws record viewership on cable TV
The Eastern Conference finals opening game between the Bulls and Heat was the most-viewed NBA game in history on cable television, TNT announced Monday. The network's coverage of the Bulls' 103-92 romp drew 11.1 million total viewers and a 6.2 U.S. household rating, topping TNT's previous record of 10.8 million viewers for Michael Jordan's last All-Star Game, in 2003.
"From the broadcast point of view, particularly [Sunday] night when everybody was so pumped up, this goes back to the Michael Jordan days, just with the PA and the introduction of the lineups, it just gets to you," said TNT's Marv Albert, who called the game. "There aren't many places like this and for a broadcast; it's just perfect. For me, just the sight of Benny The Bull does it. I'm ready after I see Benny."
The telecast of the series opener marked a 56 percent increase in overall viewership (roughly 4 million watchers) from Game 1 of last year's Western Conference final between the Lakers and Suns, and a nearly 43 percent increase in households (7.17 million versus 5.01 million).
TNT's coverage of the 2011 playoffs thus far is up significantly from last year, averaging a 3.1 rating (a 29 percent increase), 4.99 million viewers (33 percent) and 3.63 million households (30 percent).
Turner Sports alternates covering the Eastern and Western Conference finals with ESPN/ABC every year. The latter will televise Game 1 of the Mavericks-Thunder series on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET). TNT's coverage of the Bulls-Heat series continues Wednesday with Game 2 in Chicago (8:30 p.m. ET).
Appeals court backs NFL, lockout remains in place
The NFL's lockout remains in place, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. That means the league likely won't get back to business until at least next month - and maybe much longer than that.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lockout can stay until a full appeal is heard on whether it is legal. That hearing is scheduled for June 3 in St. Louis, before the same panel that issued this 2-1 decision.
The appellate court said it believes the NFL has proven it "likely will suffer some degree of irreparable harm without a stay." The court also cast doubt on the conclusions of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson, who ruled April 25 that the lockout should be lifted to save the players from irreversible damage. The 8th Circuit panel put her decision on hold four days later.
TROTTER: Players have ace up their sleeve
"The league has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits," the appellate court majority wrote.
The decision came as NFL owners and players finished their latest round of court-ordered mediation behind closed doors, a session that lasted more than eight hours. This was the fifth day of talks in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, the first since April 20.
Neither side would elaborate on the discussions, citing the judge's confidentiality order, but they said they planned to resume talks on Tuesday morning. Michael Hausfeld, an attorney for the retired players who joined the antitrust lawsuit against the league, said the players were reviewing a new proposal from the owners.
"It probably is not one that would be acceptable as is, but it clearly opens a dialogue," Hausfeld said.
Beyond that, both sides stuck to their message.
The owners want to stay out of court, blaming the players for preferring litigation. The players claim they're only interested in playing and that the owners are preventing them and fans from enjoying the game.
"We have an opportunity to resolve this matter and get the game back on the field, and that really should be our exclusive focus," NFL lead negotiator Jeff Pash said.
DeMaurice Smith, the head of the NFL Players Association, said the players have prepared for a lockout for two years, suggesting they're not ready to relent in light of Monday's unfavorable ruling.
"Right now our guys are out there working out for free, because they dig the game," Smith said.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking to Buffalo Bills season ticket holders on a conference call, said he thinks there's "still time" to strike a new collective bargaining agreement.
"But time is running short. It's time to get back to the table and get those issues resolved," Goodell said.
NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told The Associated Press he was disappointed with the 8th Circuit's decision.
"The ruling in granting the stay of the injunction means that the NFL owners can continue to not let football be played," he said.
The appellate court said it would make its decision quickly, a "circumstance that should minimize harm to the players during the offseason and allow the case to be resolved well before the scheduled beginning of the 2011 season."
Indeed, with training camps just two months away and the first preseason game set for Aug. 8, there is restlessness around the league to go with all the uncertainty.
"We'd like to make progress, but it'll be hard to do. We have to wait to see what happens June 3," Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said earlier on his way into the federal courthouse for Monday's mediation.
The 8th Circuit's decision to keep the lockout in place could be a signal of how the two sides will fare in the full appeal. The majority opinion, from Judges Steven Colloton and Duane Benton, sided with the NFL. Judge Kermit Bye dissented in favor of the players.
"The district court reasoned that this case does not involve or grow out of a labor dispute because the players no longer are represented by a union," the majority wrote. "We have considerable doubt about this interpretation."
The 8th Circuit has been seen as a more conservative, business-friendly venue for the NFL than the federal courts in Minnesota. Colloton and Benton were both appointed by Republican President George W. Bush; Bye was appointed by President Clinton, a Democrat.
Bye dismissed the conclusions of his fellow judges, just as he did on April 29 in dissenting against a temporary stay. He didn't buy the NFL's argument that it would be unable to "unscramble the egg" -- a reference to the chaos of handling player transactions with no CBA in place.
"The preliminary injunction does not dictate the NFL's free agency rules, or any other conduct in general, outside of the lockout," Bye said.
The majority, however, said both sides will suffer "some degree of irreparable harm no matter how this court resolves the motion for a stay pending appeal," and then criticized Nelson sharply.
"We do not agree, however, with the district court's apparent view that the balance of the equities tilts heavily in favor of the players," the majority wrote. "The district court gave little or no weight to the harm caused to the league by an injunction issued in the midst of an ongoing dispute over terms and conditions of employment."
Still in the courts is a separate but related matter. U.S. District Judge David Doty is determining the fate of some $4 billion in broadcast revenue he previously ruled was unfairly secured by the NFL in the last round of contract extensions with the networks to use as leverage in the form of lockout insurance. The players have asked Doty to put that money in escrow and for more than $707 million in damages, too.
The two sides also met for 16 days earlier this year before talks fell apart March 11 and the lockout began. Boylan presided over four days of mediation last month with no signs of progress.
Goodell, Pash and four team owners -- Rooney, Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals, John Mara of the New York Giants and Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers -- were on hand with their legal team for Monday's session with Boylan.
Smith and three other lawyers for the players were present for their side. Linebacker Ben Leber, one of the players listed as a plaintiff in the still-pending federal antitrust lawsuit against the league, also attended. Hall of Famer Carl Eller and attorneys were there representing the retired players.
Eller helped organize a meeting of 10 fellow retirees over the weekend and another one is scheduled for next week in Chicago with former Bears coach Mike Ditka, sessions portrayed as an effort to unify their push for better benefits, at the NFL's request.
"That's kind of the first hurdle. Something that they want from us and something that we need to do," Eller said.
AP
Sammy moves up 10 places in rank
West Indies captain Darren Sammy moved up 10 places to 29th in the latest Reliance ICC Test Bowling Rankings following his Man-of-the-Match performance in the team’s 40-run win over Pakistan in Guyana over the weekend. Sammy, who had figures of seven for 45 (2-16 & 5-29), earned 129 rating points to move to 460, the best position in his career. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul (187) also made a big gain, jumping from 90th to 58th with his haul of seven for 75 (3-27 & 4-48). The regional team’s highest rated bowler is Jerome Taylor in 16th with 557 points while Dwayne Bravo is 23rd on 515.
With just two wickets, Kemar Roach fell three places to 27th, where he is tied with offspinner Sulieman Benn. Debutant legspinner Devendra Bishoo (81st) entered the top 100 with four wickets for 124 runs. The world’s best bowler is South African quick Dale Steyn on 899 points with the top five rounded out by England offspinner Graeme Swann (793), his fast-bowling teammate James Anderson (776), South African pacer Morne Morkel (751) and Indian Zaheer Khan (748) respectively. In the batting, Shivnarine Chanderpaul moved up one spot to seventh after his knocks of 27 and 36 not out against Pakistan.
Chris Gayle (19th) is West Indies next highest batsman followed by Ramnaresh Sarwan (34th), Brendan Nash (45th) and Dwayne Bravo (48th). Down the list are Narsingh Deonarine (64th), Darren Bravo (70th), Travis Dowlin (70th), Devon Smith (72nd), Adrian Barath (89th) and Lendl Simmons (99th). The number one position is shared between Indian Sachin Tendulkar (883) and South African Jacques Kallis (883) with Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara in third on 882. The fourth to sixth spots are occupied by England’s Jonathan Trott (826) and Alastair Cook (803) and Indian Virender Sehwag (790) respectively. Kallis is also the top allrounder while Dwayne Bravo is West Indies’ best rated player in seventh with Gayle in 10th and Sammy in 25th.
RANKINGS
Batting
1= Sachin Tendulkar (IN) 883
1= Jacques Kallis (SA) 883
3 Kumar Sangakkara (SL) 882
4 Jonathan Trott (ENG) 826
5 Alastair Cook (ENG) 803
6 Virender Sehwag (IND) 790
7 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) 787
8 Mahela Jayawardena (SL) 781
9 VVS Laxman (IND) 774
10 Thilan Samaraweera (SL) 763
34 Ramnaresh Sarwan (WI) 609
45 Brendan Nash (WI) 496
70 Darren Bravo (WI) 349
72 Devon Smith (WI) 348
Bowlers
1 Dale Steyn (SA) 899
2 Graeme Swann (ENG) 793
3 James Anderson (ENG) 776
4 Morne Morkel (SA) 751
5 Zaheer Khan (IND) 748
6 Mitchell Johnson (AUS) 727
7 Harbhajan Singh (IND) 672
8 Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) 648
9 Daniel Vettori (NZ) 623
10 Stuart Broad (ENG) 606
27 Kemar Roach (WI) 480
29 Darren Sammy (WI) 460
58 Ravi Rampaul (WI) 187
81 Devendra Bishoo (WI) 84
Rugby players to honour Hennessy with black armbands
In recognition of Allyson Hennessy, well known as one of T&T’s most enthusiastic rugby supporters, black armbands will be worn by all players in the match against Barbados on Sunday. Leslie Figaro, President of the T&T Rugby Football Union (TTRFU) has declared that the defending 15-a-side Caribbean Champions, T&T, will kick off their title defence in honor of Hennessy who was an avid Carib’s RFC supporter. Hennessy succembed to sepsis and septic shock at the age of 63 earlier this month at the St Clair Medical Clinic. Figaro was among the many mourners at Hennessy’s funeral service which was held at the St Finbar’s RC Church, Diego Martin.
Speaking on her legacy, Figaro said, “Allyson touched many lives. She will be dearly missed. She was a dedicated supporter of Carib’s rugby club, local rugby on the whole and the T&T national rugby teams. Anyone involved in rugby here on the island would know that Allyson rarely missed a Caribs or national team game.”
“She always supported the Enthusiasts Sevens and the many fund raising ventures held by the T&TRFU,” Figaro added. Figaro noted that when he was elected to office at the T&TRFU, Hennessy was one of the first to congratulate him and offer words of advice and encouragement.
“Whenever shehad a concern or did not like something, she would have a quiet word with me. Her observations were never negative orprejudiced by her affiliation with Caribs. I respected her passion foe her country and her positive and happy spirit...” Figaro said. A week after the meeting between T&T and Barbados, the Calypso Warriors will also wear the armbands when they go up against rivals, Guyana at the St. Mary’s Grounds, Serpentine Road.
Rihanna Addresses Twitter Anger over Following Chris Brown
Exes Chris Brown and Rihanna are following each other on Twitter — and the fans aren’t very happy about it.
On Saturday, people began to notice that Brown — who beat his then-girlfriend Rihanna on the night of the Grammy Awards in 2009 — started following Rihanna on the social media website. In turn, she followed him as well.
A fan of Rihanna’s tweeted to her asking if this was a sign of reconciliation and perhaps revisiting a possible romance, Rihanna had a rather harsh reaction, writing, “its f—in twitter, not the alter [sic]! calm down.”
The fan — who claims to be a 14-year-old girl — apologized, forcing Rihanna to issue her own apology.
“Babygirl I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt or offend u! Just needed to make it clear to the Navy [Rihanna's fans' nickname]…xoxo,” tweeted the singer, who then began following the fan on Twitter.
Under his restraining order, which was downgraded in February, Brown is forbidden from annoying, harassing or stalking his ex-girlfriend. Previously, he had been required to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna except at public events.
Cassidy Suspected In One Murder, Two Attempted Murders
Philadelphia rapper Cassidy has been named a suspect in a murder case after he was arrested on a suspected probation violation.
According to reports, Cassidy was arrested this weekend in Hackensack, New Jersey, after Philadelphia police issued an arrest warrant for the rapper.
Investigators claim Cassidy may have been involved in at least one murder, and is a suspect in two other attempted murders.
Police conducted surveillance on a house in Hackensack, New Jersey and followed the rapper to a local convenience store, where he was promptly arrested.
“Without the proper teamwork going on, this could have spiraled out of control quickly," Hackensack Police Leuitenant Timothy Lloyd.
Cassidy, born Barry Reese, is currently awaiting extradition from New Jersey, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 2006, Cassidy was released from prison after serving 8 months in prison for being convicted of involuntary manslaughter, over a wild shootout in West Oak Lane.
Jordin Sparks Says Weight Loss Necessary for Health
After “American Idol” winner Jennifer Hudson dropped the weight, her actions may have started a trend. Another “AI” alum, Jordin Sparks, lost quite a bit and showed off her new bod in a bikini in Twitter photo (above). She shed a healthy 30 pounds.
She shared in a radio interview (“On Air with Ryan Secrest”) that she needed to make her health a priority.
“Instead of just talking about being active, I made it a priority,” she said. “It was one of those things where I was turning 21 and New Year’s was coming and it was like I’m not going to start my resolution on New Years day, I’m going to try to start it early and just stick to it,” she added.
She also mentioned she began losing weight after her break up with her ex (Steph Jones?).