Rotary Club moves ahead in TCI
Providenciales Rotary Club of reports it has had a busy month. Various projects are in the pipeline or completed. The eye glass project is underway with 102 students to be tested on Wednesday, March 20th, at the IanthePratt Primary School.
Eleven of those students will be provided eye glasses free of charge by the Rotary Club and Dr. Julian Petrucci of Menzies Medical. Students at Enid Capron Primary School will be tested next week on Wednesday, February 27th starting at 9am. Dr. Julian has kindly donated his time and expertise in the testing of the students and will continue in North and Middle Caicos on March 6th and at the Oseta Jolly Primary School on March 13th.
The Rotary Club is also responsible for the placement of reflectors on all 16 of the speed bumps in Blue Hills giving motorists warning of the speed bumps all along Blue Hills Road. On Saturday February 23rd at 6am the Rotary Club will be carrying out a clean-up in 5 Cays and will place garbage bins along the road throughout the settlement to help in the task of keeping 5 Cays clean. The Rotary Club holds bingo every Sunday at Club Pillows starting at 8pm to raise funds for the various community projects the club undertakes each year.
The Club says it would like to thank the community for its support in helping Rotarians to continue doing their good works locally, regionally and globally.
Captain Bravo ready to lead from front
Dwayne Bravo is looking to lead from the front when he takes the West Indies team into battle against Zimbabwe in the opening contest of the three-match One-Day International Series.
The match signals the start of the International Home Series 2013 and also marks a return of international cricket to the Grenada National Stadium after four years. First ball today is 09:30hrs (8:30 am Jamaica Time).
Bravo said the team’s preparations over the last two days have been good and Windies fans can expect a focused and energised home side when they face the visitors.
We have focused on what we have to do to win games for West Indies. We have young and exciting players in our team and we are looking forward to these matches. I am happy to be captaining the West Indies team and I see it as an honour to do this job. I will bring the energy and will look to lead from the front and inspire the team to win,” Bravo said.
“We’re calling all the fans in Grenada to come out and enjoy three good matches as we look to play some good cricket and bring some entertainment to our supporters. We enjoy playing for our fans. We haven’t played here for a while so it’s good to be back and everyone is looking forward to what’s in store.”
The livewire allrounder was all smiles as he spoke to members of the local and international media on Thursday afternoon when he unveiled the sparkling series trophy with Zimbabwe skipper Brendan Taylor. The 29-year-old Bravo is now in his 10th year representing West Indies and takes over as ODI skipper in the absence of Darren Sammy.
The Windies last played in the Spice Isle back in 2009 during a Test Series against Bangladesh, and their return is being eagerly anticipated on the island. Newly-elected Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell has also announced a Public Holiday on Friday following Tuesday’s General Elections.
“This is a brand new series for us and we are playing at home. We are coming up against an opposition that is hungry for success and this will be a good series. It is good to be playing in front our home fans, who we know will support us. There is a Public Holiday on Friday and we expect a good turn-out. We just want to do our part, play well, be consistent and come out on top,” Bravo said.
“We have to give respect to the Zimbabwe team. They are a good team. The last time they came here they were leading the ODI series at one stage and we had to fight back to defeat them. We have to remember that. They have some good players in their set-up.”
WEST INDIES SQUAD – Dwayne Bravo (Captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan.
T&T athlete charged with indecent assault
Marathon runner Cantius Thomas has appeared in court charged with indecent assault. Thomas, 46, of Gonzales Circular Road, Belmont, pleaded not guilty to the charge that March 11, 2012, at Lady Chancellor Hill, Maraval, he indecently assaulted a woman.
Represented by attorney Christian Chandler, Thomas stood with his eyes downcast when the matter was called on Wednesday before Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor in the Port-of-Spain Seventh Court.
With no objections to bail from Sgt Wayne Mohammed, Chandler appealed for reasonable bail for Thomas, who has no prior convictions or pending matters. Revealing to the court Thomas had been employed as a utility technician at the National Flour Mills for the past ten years, Chandler said his achievements in his sporting career were testament to his commitment and dedication to sports, as he had represented T&T regionally and internationally.
Chandler told the court that Thomas, a member of the Once-A-Week Running Club, was a “humble” man. He appealed for reasonable bail or a cash alternative. Ordering Thomas to refrain from communicating with the victim, Baboolal-Gafoor set bail at $25,000 with a surety. He will reappear on March 20.
Woods & McIlory ousted
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods knocked out in the first round of the Match Play Championship? Not many would have given that a snowball's chance in the desert.
Almost as surprising as the freakish snowstorm on Dove Mountain was the sight of golf's two biggest stars heading to the airport, only the second time in the 15-year history of this wild tournament that No. 1 and No. 2 didn't last more than a day.
Shane Lowry of Ireland chipped in twice and drilled a fairway metal to 3 feet to seize control, and then knocked out McIlroy with a bunker shot to 4 feet to save par on the final hole. Just as the shock was wearing off, Charles Howell III came up with kind of shots he's used to seeing Woods make in the clutch -- a wedge that stopped inches from the cup on the 15th hole, and a 25-foot birdie on the 16th that carried him to a 2-and-1 victory.
"It's definitely a day I'm going to remember," said Lowry, the third player in the last four years to eliminate the No. 1 seed in the opening round.
"I had nothing to lose," Howell said.
The biggest loser Thursday might have been NBC Sports, which lost the two biggest draws.
Not even Phil Mickelson can save the day. He's not playing this year.
Howell had not faced Woods in match play since he was 17 and lost to him in the third round of the 1996 U.S. Amateur. He said he had never beaten him even in the dozens of casual games they played over the years at Isleworth before Woods moved away to south Florida.
What a time to change that losing streak.
Howell, who qualified for this World Golf Championship for the first time in five years, played a fabulous round in cold conditions. They matched scores 10 times in 14 holes before Howell came through with back-to-back birdies.
"In this format, match play is crazy," Howell said. "He's Tiger Woods. I was lucky to hang in there."
The final matches were played in near darkness, and they could have stopped after 15 holes. Woods wanted to play on, even though Howell had the momentum. Woods was 2 under for the day, and neither of them made a bogey.
"We both played well," Woods said. "He made a couple of more birdies than I did. He played well, and he's advancing."
McIlroy, the No. 1 player in the world, built a 2-up lead early in the match until Lowry rallied and grabbed the momentum by chipping in for birdie on the par-5 11th to avoid falling behind, chipping in from behind the 12th green for birdie and then ripping a fairway metal to within a few feet for a conceded eagle on the 13th to go 2 up.
Lowry missed a short par putt on the 14th, only for McIlroy to give away the next hole with a tee shot into the desert and a bunker shot that flew over the 15th green and into a cactus. But the two-time major champion hung tough, coming up with a clutch birdie on the 16th to stay in the game.
McIlroy nearly holed his bunker on the 18th, and Lowry followed with a steady shot out to 4 feet and calmly sank the putt.
"Deep down, I knew I could beat him," Lowry said. "There's a reason I'm here, and this is match play."
Kobe Bryant confident in Lakers
Kobe Bryant evidently is confident the Los Angeles Lakers will make the playoffs -- and be a factor when they get there.
Bryant said in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he is certain the struggling Lakers will make the playoffs. The 15-time All-Star also claimed he has "no fear" of any potential postseason opponent in the competitive Western Conference.
"It's not a question of if we make the playoffs. We will," Bryant told Sports Illustrated. "And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone -- Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver ... whoever. I have zero nervousness about that."
The Lakers (26-29) have won six of their last nine games, including Wednesday's 113-99 victory over the Boston Celtics. But despite the recent hot streak, Los Angeles trails the Houston Rockets by 3½ games for the eighth spot in the conference standings.
Bryant, the NBA's fourth-leading scorer at 26.6 points per game, cited a loss earlier this month to the Miami Heat as one of the sources of his confidence.
The Lakers dropped a 107-97 decision in Miami on Feb. 10 to conclude a seven-game road trip. Despite the loss, Bryant told Sports Illustrated the Lakers showed positive signs in the contest.
"We will make the playoffs," he said. "And we will compete. And part of the reason I have that confidence is the Miami game. We had control of the game. That was no fluke. We were playing very, very well. We were reading the defense, making the extra pass.
"OK, they have two great players [LeBron James and Dwyane Wade] who scored eight straight buckets and took control of the game. But we were right there. We can do it."
The Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night, opening an eight-game stretch in which five of their opponents have losing records.
Drake’s Closer To Another Chart Record With 30th Top 10 R&B/Hip-Hop Hit
YMCMB rapper-singer Drake edged closer to breaking another Billboard chart record this week when his latest single “Started From The Bottom” jumped from 19-3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This is Drake’s 30th appearance on the chart’s top ten trailing only Lil Wayne (34) and R. Kelly (32).
Drake already owns the record for the most #1′s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for a rapper. He took the title from Jay-Z last August as a guest on 2 Chain’z “No Lie.” It was the tenth time Drake topped the chart – 7 as a featured artist. His first single to break into the top ten and reach number one was 2009′s “Best I Ever I Had.”
The Toronto based artist also passed Diddy on the list for most #1 rap songs last February. His collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “Make Me Proud,” became his 11th single to reach number 1 on Billboard’s Rap chart.
“Started From The Bottom” will appear in the number two spot of the March 2 edition of Billboard’s rap chart behind Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “The Heist.”
Drake also appears at #3 on the same chart for A$AP Rocky’s “Fu**in’ Problem” and at #4 along with Lil Wayne and Future for “Love Me.” Psy’s “Gangnam Style” comes in at #5, and “I’m Different,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” “All Gold Everything,” “Feel This Moment,” and “I Cry” round out the top ten.
The rest of the top ten for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart: ”Thrift Shop” (1), “Suit & Tie” (2), “Girl On Fire” (4), “Fu**in’ Problems” (5), “Love Me” (6), “Diamonds” (7), “Pour It Up” (8), “Adorn” (9), and “I’m Different” (10).
“Started From The Bottom” is the first single off Drake’s upcoming third album Nothing Was The Same.
Who will win an Oscars?
Award-winning set designer Derek McLane tells BBC News about the challenge of creating the Oscars stage set.
The name Derek McLane may not be familiar to many outside Broadway but this award-winning set designer is about to showcase the biggest project of his career in Hollywood on Sunday.
Having worked with Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron on the Broadway show How to Succeed in Business starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2011 - he got the call from the duo offering him the Oscars job.
"It's quite humbling and terrifying at times as well as completely exciting. It's a show with such an enormous tradition... that I want to honour," he says.
The nominees for the 2013 Academy Awards have been revealed in Los Angeles, with Lincoln, Life Of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook among the main nominees.
Find out who is in the running for an Oscar below.
Best film
- Amour
- Argo
- Beasts Of The Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Lincoln
- Life Of Pi
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Zero Dark Thirty
Best actress
- Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
- Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
- Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
- Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Best actor
- Daniel Day Lewis - Lincoln
- Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
- Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
- Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
- Denzel Washington - Flight
Best director
- Michael Haneke - Amour
- Ang Lee - Life of Pi
- David O Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
- Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
- Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best supporting actor
- Alan Arkin - Argo
- Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
- Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
- Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
- Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Best supporting actress
- Amy Adams - The Master
- Sally Field - Lincoln
- Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
- Helen Hunt - The Sessions
- Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Best foreign film
- Amour
- No
- War witch
- A Royal Affair
- Kon-Tiki
Best animated film
- Brave
- Frankenweenie
- Paranorman
- Pirates! Band of Misfits (UK title: Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists)
- Wreck-it Ralph
Best documentary film
- 5 Broken Cameras
- The Gatekeepers
- How To Survive A Plague
- The Invisible War
- Searching For Sugarman
Music (original song)
- Before My Time (Chasing Ice) - Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
- Everybody Needs A Best Friend (Ted) - Music by Walter Murphy, Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
- Pi's lullaby (Life Of Pi) - Music by Mychael Danna, Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
- Skyfall (Skyfall) - Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
- Suddenly (Les Miserables) - Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Music (original score)
- Anna Karenina - Dario Marianelli
- Argo - Alexandre Desplat
- Life Of Pi - Mychael Danna
- Lincoln - John Williams
- Skyfall - Thomas Newman
Adapted screenplay
- Argo - Chris Terrio
- Beasts Of The Southern Wild - Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin
- Life Of Pi - David Magee
- Lincoln - Tony Kushner
- Silver Linings Playbook - David O Russell
Original screenplay
- Amour - Michael Haneke
- Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino
- Flight - John Gatins
- Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
- Zero Dark Thirty - Mark Boal
Cinematography
- Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey
- Django Unchained - Robert Richardson
- Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda
- Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski
- Skyfall - Roger Deakins
Costume Design
- Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran
- Les Miserables - Paco Delgado
- Lincoln - Joanna Johnston
- Mirror Mirror - Eiko Ishioka
- Snow White and the Huntsman - Colleen Atwood
Best documentary short subject
- Inocente
- Kings Point
- Mondays at Racine
- Open Heart
- Redemption
Film editing
- Argo - William Goldenberg
- Life of Pi - Tim Squyres
- Lincoln - Michael Kahn
- Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
- Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
Make-up and Hairstyling
- Hitchcock - Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
- Les Miserables - Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Production Design
- Anna Karenina - Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
- Les Miserables - Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson
- Life Of Pi - David Gropman and Anna Pinnock
- Lincoln - Rick Carter and Jim Erickson
Short film (animated)
- Adam and the Dog
- Fresh Guacamole
- Head Over Heels
- Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare
- Paperman
Short film (live action)
- Asad
- Buzkashi Boys
- Curfew
- Death of a Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
- Henry
Sound editing
- Argo - Erik Aadahl and Ethan van der Ryn
- Django Unchained - Wylie Stateman
- Life Of Pi - Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
- Skyfall - Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
- Zero Dark Thirty - Paul NJ Ottosson
Sound mixing
- Argo - John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
- Les Miserables - Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
- Life Of Pi - Ron Bartlett, DM Hemphill and Drew Kunin
- Lincoln - Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
- Skyfall - Scott Millan, Greg P Russell and Stuart Wilson
Visual effects
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R Christopher White
- Life Of Pi - Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R Elliott
- Marvel's The Avengers (UK title: Marvel's Avengers Assemble) - Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
- Prometheus - Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
- Snow White and the Huntsman - Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson
Tyler leads 2013 Songwriters Hall of Fame
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are among the latest inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Celebrating 70s and 80s rock 'n' roll, the class of 2013 will be enrolled at a ceremony on 13 June in New York.
Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner, who wrote hits Jukebox Hero and Cold As Ice, and songwriters for Tina Turner and The Eagles are also on the list.
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates composers and lyricists and has over 300 inductees.
Songwriters including Holly Knight, who penned Pat Benatar's Love Is A Battlefield and The Best for Tina Turner, will also be honoured.
Perry and Tyler have been a song-writing team for around 40 years, having penned hits Sweet Emotion, Dream On and Livin' On The Edge.
The American rock band released their 15th studio album last year and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
JD Souther and Tony Hatch will also be honoured at the event. Souther worked with The Eagles, spawning several of their hits including Heartache Tonight, Victim of Love and New Kid In Town.
While British composer Hatch worked with Petula Clark on the international chart-topping hits Downtown and My Love in 1964 and 1965. He also co-wrote the theme tune to Australian soap Neighbours.
Ja Rule leaves prison but taken back into custody
Ja Rule has left prison in New York, but was taken straight into custody over a tax evasion case, a sentence he was serving at the same time.
The rapper had been doing time for gun possession.
He had been given two years for that offence and had completed most of the sentence before being released.
US authorities escorted the 36-year-old out of jail, although it is not yet clear whether he will have to serve more time in the tax case.
Ja Rule still has to serve some of a 28-month sentence he was carrying out at the same time for not paying his taxes.
He had been in protective custody because of his celebrity status.
According to his lawyer, Stacey Richman, the musician wants to get back to work as soon as possible to start making the £1.1m he has been ordered to pay back in taxes.
"Many people are looking forward to experiencing his talent again," added Richman.
She described him as a "devoted father" who was looking forward to his daughter's graduation.
Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, had a Grammy nomination for his 2002 album Pain is Love and has also starred in films including The Fast and the Furious and Scary Movie 3.
He went to prison in June 2011 and was given the earliest release date possible, said state correction spokeswoman Linda Foglia.
In the gun case, New York City police said they had found a loaded .40-calibre semiautomatic gun in a rear door of Ja Rule's $250,000 (£163,000) luxury car after it was stopped for speeding.
He pleaded guilty to that offence in 2010.
In March 2011 Ja Rule admitted that he had failed to pay taxes on more than $3m (£1.9m) he earned between 2004 and 2006.
"I in no way attempted to deceive the government or do anything illegal," he told the judge at the time.
"I was a young man who made a lot of money. I didn't know how to deal with these finances and I didn't have people to guide me, so I made mistakes."
Nas to headline Glastonbury stage
Nas will headline the newly-named Silver Hayes area at this year's Glastonbury Festival in Somerset.
The US rapper is one of the artists named to perform in the field formerly known as the Dance Village.
It will include the 7,000-capacity Sonic tent for dance-oriented headliners.
Disclosure, Hot Natured, David Rodigan, Sub Focus, Aluna George, Eats Everything, Rudimental and The Congos will also play in the dance area.
Nas, 39, has had five number one albums in the US with his last record, Life Is Good, making it to number eight on the UK album chart in 2012.
Silver Hayes, named after one of the oldest meadows at Worthy Farm, will also feature the Wow Stage for underground artists and the Gully, a new installation featuring an open air stage and a street of sound systems and stalls featuring new DJs, MCs and live music.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis said: "I've always thought that the closest parallel with Glastonbury is Notting Hill Carnival, and the buzz around this rebirth is exactly what we were looking for, both musically and visually.
"There's going to be a lot of incredible music from all around the world."
Festival founder Michael Eavis added: "Malcolm (Haynes, Dance Village co-ordinator) turned up with an after hours rave truck in the 1980s and he's been going hard at it ever since.
"Now he's conjured up a new vision for one of the most beautiful areas of the farm, which will be brilliant."
A full line-up for the other stages and sound systems will be revealed in April.
No headliners have been announced although it's been reported that the Rolling Stones, Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and Arctic Monkeys may be on the bill.
Alt-J confirmed they would be playing the festival at Wednesday's Brit Awards.
The event takes place between 26-30 June after a year off in 2012.