Sunday, May 29, 2011

Ke Nako

For a while, I've been meaning to post my documentary Ke Nako (It's Time!) on here for you all to view. But I had to save it in a smaller file to meet You Tube's limitations. I've finally been able to post it. Let me know what you think.

For those who are unaware, Ke Nako is a documentary about South Africa's journey from a dark history in apartheid, to hosting the first African-held FIFA World Cup in just 16 years since its first democratically-held elections. While in Cape Town and Johannesburg, I was fortunate to meet and interview several dignitaries like Alf Kumalo, Pitika Ntuli and Noor Ibrahim. None of these men were granting interviews at the time. Nor were they allowing cameras into their respective museums and exhibitions. Except mine. It was important for me to tell a story worth justifying the rare opportunity I'd been given. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, Archbishop Desmond Tutu's daughter, and Thabo Mxotwa, a Robben Island Museum tour guide, also helped tell the basis of this documentary.

I encourage your comments, opinions and criticism.




Here's also a link to a story I wrote about a soldier's experience with apartheid. I didn't have a video camera with me at the time, but here is his story in print: Remembering apartheid: A soldier's story

Ola Afolabi


Ola Afolabi









Lou Ambers




Lou Ambers new

Manny Pacquiao


Manny Pacquiao





























































Manny Pacquiao

Friday, May 27, 2011

vitali klitschko

world heavyweight boxing champion 2011 :: vitali klitschko 2011

world heavyweight boxing champion 2011 :: vitali klitschko 2011

world heavyweight boxing champion 2011 :: vitali klitschko 2011

world heavyweight boxing champion 2011 :: vitali klitschko 2011

world heavyweight boxing champion 2011 :: vitali klitschko 2011

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Larry Holmes ko

Larry Holmes ko
Larry Holmes ko
Larry Holmes ko
Larry Holmes ko
Larry Holmes ko
Larry Holmes ko

What are your regrets?

While vacationing in London, my friends Lola and Obehi and I took a four day trip to Barcelona. It was a first visit to Spain for all of us and we made what I feel is the best decision to rent a car, and get a hotel in Malgrat del Mar, about an hour or less away from Barcelona. The town is a friendly tourist spot right by the beach and with close proximity to all Barcelona offers. Lots of tourists opt for sponsored bus tours into the city, but we felt independent enough to tackle the roadways and signs without a reasonable working knowledge of the Spanish language. Don't ask me how we did it, but we managed to take entirely different routes each time we went to and from Barcelona.

La Sagrada Familia.


We were welcomed by two good looking men at the concierge of our hotel, the Luna Club, a four-star hotel that's just 300m from the beach. We were justifiably tired when we arrived, so we didn't really appreciate the friendly nature of Mamadou until our last night in Spain when he and Said, a Moroccan, treated us to a pitcher of sangria while everyone else was seemingly asleep.


Mamadou on our last night.

Then he shared his story. A promising soccer player from Senegal who played with a first division Belgian club. Then suffered a career-ending knee injury. He relocated to France, before settling in Spain. Every where I go, I always seem to be drawn to people connected to some sport or the other. Many of them have stories like Mamadou's: a once promising athletic career now abandoned for a variety of reasons. Just like me.

Growing up in a family of athletes, playing sports came naturally to me. You name it, I played it. Well, OK, maybe not everything. But just about every major sport I played. I fostered dreams of setting a world record as the fastest female track & field athlete in the world. But after I graduated high school as a sports prefect, I gave up on everything. I still loved competing, but there just weren't concrete avenues to continue to pursue my dreams. By the time I moved to the U.S. I was a slightly overweight has-been who focused entirely on getting an education worth making my parents proud. I still have regrets about not continuing as a competitive athlete. And my regrets have a funny way of coming to light. I don't enjoy running on a track anymore (I run on a treadmill) because I feel like a failure. It's usually followed by a sense of remorse, and before you know it, I'm walking off the track well short of meeting my goal because I've mentally battered myself over the purpose of running.

Unlike Mamadou, there's nothing physically stopping me from resuming this athletic career if I choose to embrace the difficult rigors of getting back in ideal shape. But I somehow allow my regrets get the best of me. But when I asked Mamadou if he regrets losing out on the possibility of making millions, he hardly hesistated in responding no with a smiling face. There's a lot to be said about that. And even more to be learned. I got into sports journalism as a way to marry my past in sports to my future and I have no regrets about what I've accomplished so far. It's time for me to let go of my regret over never becoming a professional athlete, and like Mamadou, break into a smile when I think of how lucky I am to still remain in close contact with this industry.

Anyone care to share regrets you've had time letting go of?

I'll leave you with one of the many videos I shot while in Spain. For those of you expecting something close to my award-winning videos, let me issue this disclaimer. The videos were shot on my small Sony digital camera with 7.2 pixels, so they are not of the best quality. But they do the job. I'll share more stories from my adventures in Spain as I sift through pictures.


I nearly died in London.

OK, I may be exaggerating a bit, but then again, maybe not.

My near death experience occurred in the London Underground. I want to say it was on the Jubilee line, but that could be because it was my most frequently used Underground train route. But it's not important. Here's what is.

I'm sitting in the train across from my friend Lola and her friend when we get into a conversation about the recent death of the world's most hated man: Osama bin Laden. Lola asks my view on how he died and if he should have been taken into custody. Without hesistation I blurt out, 'Of course not. Why would we keep him alive under my tax-paying dollars?' The fact that my significantly small tax contributions do absolutely nothing for the economy has nothing to do with it. I was exercising my freedom of expression as an American, and like many Americans who watched the Twin Towers crumble before our eyes, still smarting from the audacity of bin Laden and his cohorts to take so many innocent lives.

Yeah right!

This older man--and I hate to profile him-- who looked and dressed like he could be from the Middle East, sitting next to me barely waits for the words to come tumbling out my mouth when he starts yelling at me to be careful what I say especially in the Underground. "I guess you won't care if someone brings out a gun and shoots you dead right here," he says after I tell him I don't care what anyone thinks about my opinion. He quickly issued a disclaimer saying he wasn't disagreeing with me, but felt obligated to let me know an Osama fanatic could be in the same train and shoot me in retaliation after overhearing my comments. Hmmm...

He got off at the next start, leaving me wondering how close I may have come to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack, even as Lola and her friend laughed him off. I joined them in laughing for a second, but the realization of how possible the scenario was dawned on me. London is known for its heavy reliance on the use of the Underground, which makes the subway system a prime target for terrorist activities. Throughout my vacation, and especially in my last week there, officers heavily manned all transportation portals in the wake of bin Laden's death. So it's quite possible for this unknown man's words to become prophetic. I don't know why anyone would bother with lil' ol' me, but I still cringe at my close brush with death.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Bemo

Desak-desakan sambil beradu lutut penumpang lain akibat jarak bangku yang sempit.Suara mesin berisik ditambah asap yang memerihkan mata.Inilah kondisi yang biasa dialami penumpang setia bemo.Tapi siapa sangka, dengan kondisi sedikit tak nyaman itu angkutan yang satu ini masih dibutuhkan warga.

Bemo adalah singkatan dari becak motor dan merupakan kendaraan bermotor roda tiga yang biasanya digunakan sebagai angkutan umum di Indonesia.Bemo sendiri mulai dipergunakan di Jakarta pada awal tahun 1962.

Kendaraan yang pada tahun 1971 diresmikan untuk mengantikan becak ini, sebenarnya telah dilarang untuk beroperasi di Jakarta sejak tahun 2003. Namun hingga kini masih ada beberapa yang masih beroperasi.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Spreading the spirit of 1Malaysia by walking round the clock

By K. ASHRAF KAMMED
ashkam@thestar.com.my


PORT KLANG: Social activist A. Prakash did it once and in the process set a record.



Now the 39-year-old wants to break his own Malaysian record for the longest non-stop walk by walking 324km from Pandamaran to the SUK building in Ipoh from May 21 to May 23.



Prakash’s last record-breaking walk was in 2009, when he walked for 270km continuously within 24 hours from the Pandamaran Sports Complex in Port Klang to Gopeng Perak from July 17 until July 19.



Prakash wants his latest record-breaking at­­tempt to inspire the younger generation to be involved in healthy activities.



He has been training in his slippers for two hours daily by walking 8km in the morning and at night.



Prakash said he expected his record-breaking attempt to be more challenging due to the weather apart from the continuous walk without any sleep.



“In the previous walk I experienced short-term memory loss three times due to fatigue.



“It happened all of a sudden and I could not remember what I was doing at the time. But come rain or shine, my journey must go on,” he said.



Prakash said he would only have two pieces of roti canai before starting his walk and along the way he would consume only vegetarian food and lots of liquid.



Praksah said he wanted to spread the spirit of 1Malaysia as a means to unify everyone while raising funds for the needy.



“Lately, we have seen that our society is fragmented. This is not good at all as it would only be our loss. We should instead be united and develop the country together.



“I hope to do my part by promoting the 1Malaysia spirit to everyone out there,” said Prakash yesterday.



Representatives from the Klang Barisan Nasional Youths, Klang Rela and the Persatuan Kebajikan India Malaysia would be escorting him in nine cars and three motorcycles.



The convoy, carrying donation boxes for the public to contribute to the needy, will be passing Jalan Tengku Kelana, Kapar, Kuala Selangor, Tanjong Karang, Sabak Bernam, Teluk Intan, Sungai Manik, Tapah, Langkap, Kampar, Gopeng, Simpang Pulai and Ipoh using the old road.



Prakash will be flagged off at 10.30am by Klang Barisan Nasional coordinator Datuk Teh Kim Poo, Klang MCA Youth chief Dr Ching Eu Boon and Klang Umno division chief Datuk Mazly Noor Abdul Latif at the Pandamaran 1Malaysia Service Centre on Saturday.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Recap: Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham

Andre Ward Defeats Arthur Abraham

Photos Courtesy of Showtime Boxing


By Randy De La O

Andre Ward is starting to grow on me. I haven't exactly been a real big fan of the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament but Ward has been catching my interest. His wins over Alan Greene and Sakio Bika last year, and then this past weekend's big win against Arthur Abraham has him breaking away from the pack. He will be facing the winner of Carl Froch vs Glen Johnson, who will be fighting June 4, 2011. The fight took place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, just minutes from Downtown Los Angeles. The fight was shown on Showtime Boxing.

Abraham came out aggressively, with a "Peek-A-Boo" style defense and seemed to be getting off to a good start. Ward seemed unable to penetrate Abraham's tight defense, still he kept pumping the jab, while trying to figure out a way in. In the fourth round Ward found his range and with the uppercut and body shots started to get inside Abraham's defense. Once he was in, Ward took control of the fight and gave what has to be the best performance of his career, alternately slugging and boxing, and fighting southpaw at times, and doing all of it welll. It was a championship perrformance by Ward, who seems to be improving and gaining confidence with every fight. Abraham for his part, never stopped trying. He just could not keep up with Ward. By the middle rounds Abraham was tired and frustrated and it showed. Ward won by 12 round decision.

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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears




"He got as much out of himself as there was to give, and maybe more, and you can't ask any more of any man, including yourself" - Larry Merchant



By Randy De La O

I was privileged, recently, to view a video of the new documentary "Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears". Joe Frazier's story has been told time and time again. The story is familiar to us by now. Yet director Mike Todd still managed to give us a fresh perspective on Frazier's life and career. Narrated by Joe's eldest son, Marvis Frazier, along with testimonials from family, friends and boxing personalities, including George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins and Larry Merchant, who share some candid memories. However, this is much more than a "This is Your Life" documentary. It is more like a well crafted, tightly woven tapestry that comes together to form a beautifully clear picture of it's subject, in this case "Smokin' Joe" Frazier, former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

The film begins with Frazier singing a reworked song made famous by Frank Sinatra, "My Way" and he was indeed doing it his way, as only "Smokin' Joe" can, a little slow perhaps and a little off key but with a passion and heart that has defined Joe Frazier to his legion of fans and admirers. The common belief is that Joe Frazier has been left bitter on the issue of Muhammad Ali, maybe at one time, but this peek into his current life says otherwise. If anything Frazier seems content with his place in boxing history, he is content with what he knows. So is his family. Joe Frazier is truly loved by his family, friends and fans and the film seems to answer that question "is it better to be popular or well liked?" As this film shows, being well liked, or loved, in this case,  travels a lot deeper than popularity. I believe this is where Frazier draws his contentment and satisfaction. Frazier seems to relish the attention and enjoys talking about the 1971 "Fight of the Century", a fight he won by unanimous decision.

Marvis Frazier, who wears his love for his famous father on his sleeves, has become, in a sense, the defender and protector of his father's legacy. The bond between father and son is at the core of the film. A brief look back at Marvis Frazier's fight with Larry Holmes was somewhat emotional and we see Joe's pain, immediately after the fight. Both Frazier's have continually given back to the community both in the rural south where Joe was born and in Philadelphia where he lives today. In the south he is remembered as a local boy made good who has never forgotten where he came from and in Philadelphia, a town known for the ferocious gym wars and tough fighters,  where he is heralded as the epitome of a "Philly Fighter". There are a couple of other clips, including Ali vs Frazier I and Frazier vs Foreman I, but the film focuses more on the Joe Frazier of today. This is the story that is being told

Growing up in the South, and later Philadelphia, Frazier experienced the full gamut of the black experience in America, contrary to the way he was portrayed by Muhammad Ali during their well covered rivalry. Joe, a proud man and more importantly, a proud black man has stayed close to his roots; family, friends and community. He has done so as the owner and operator of the Joe Frazier Gym, along with his son Marvis. Much of this documentary was filmed in the gym. Sadly, the gym was closed earlier this year for financial reasons. Still, that doesn't take away from what Frazier has accomplished over the years, nor can we ever count the number of young men that have been helped along the way, whether they became fighters or just good citizens.

There are some scenes in the film where an elderly Frazier is seen working the bag and shadowboxing in the ring.  If you look closely, into his eyes, you can still see the fire burning inside. That wry smile and knowing look gives the impression that Muhammad Ali is still on the receiving end of his punches, thus the look of satisfaction on his face. I cannot say with 100% certainty, that Joe Frazier has exorcised the bitter memories of his rivalry with Ali, nor can I say that he has truly forgiven him for the cruel words that cut Joe deeply. All I can say for sure is, that Joe Frazier has learned to deal with it, and is living life "His Way" and on his terms.

If you are a fight fan, especially if you are a life long fan of Smokin' Joe Frazier, as I am, than you will be moved by this film, and in the long run, isn't that what art is all about?

Written and Directed by: Mike Todd
Produced by: Geseth Garcia, Mike Todd & Louise Rosen
Director of Photography: Quenell Jones
Narrated by: Marvis Frazier

Joe Frazier Film on Facebook

PKFZ suit: 26 ex-PKA board members dragged in

Malaysiakini

Kuek Ser Kuang Keng

May 14, 11 1:43pm




Port Klang Authority (PKA) may have decided not to sue its former board members over the huge losses of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, but former general manager OC Phang intends to drag the board into her legal suit.



Phang's solicitors have filed third party notices against 26 board members during her tenure, including former PKA chairpersons Ting Chew Peh, Yap Pian Hon and Chor Chee Heung, demanding they be brought into PKA's lawsuit against her.
Currently, Yap is Selangor BN publicity chief and Chor is the housing and local government minister.



azlanIn 2009, after initiating investigation into the PKFZ scandal, PKA had sued Phang for breach of duties during her tenure from 1997 to 2008.



While the case was still being heard at Shah Alam High Court, Phang filed the third party notices at the same court on May 5.



"The notices were filed against the board members for their contribution, in respect of the claim made against her by PKA for damages for alleged breach of duties, in relation to actions and decisions made as member of PKA," her counsel K Lavinia told Malaysiakini yesterday when contacted.



Phang was also a board member during her tenure as general manager.



"She claimed that these 26 individuals are also liable for contribution towards the claim, and costs claimed by PKA, as they were members at the material time between 1997 and 2008," Lavinia added.



In other words, should Phang lose the suit she wants all board members to equally share the costs that the court grants PKA .



'12 days to reply'



Lavinia said notices to 11 of the 26 board members have already been served, and they have to reply within 12 days.



PKA received fire for its present board's decision not to act against its former officials over PKFZ's losses.



The decision was made in a meeting on Mac 22 when the PKA board voted 5-2 against taking legal action on the previous board members despite its legal advisor's suggestion the contrary.



Besides a civil suit by PKA, Phang is also being charged with criminal breach of trust and for making false claims over the PKFZ scandal.



Following this, two former transport ministers - Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy - were charged for cheating over the project.



The PKFZ controversy arose after it was revealed that the development cost of the massive 400-hectare integrated cargo distribution hub spiralled from RM1.9 billion to RM4.6 billion.