Exploring Mesurado River, Liberia

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December 30, 2022

Mesurado River, also known locally as Du-River, is a major river that flows through the capital city of the west African Republic of Liberia, Monrovia, into the Atlantic Ocean.

The beginning of the river is measured to be some 30 meters (98 feet) above the sea, and it has a total length of about 25 kilometers (16 miles).

The main source of the Mesurado is located just east of Monrovia in the area known as Sinda Town, and it is always under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean’s tide, where at high tide, the river is dammed up, making it a large lagoon which is perfect for a transportation of people and goods throughout the city.

As the transportation is a major problem in Monrovia, there are always traffic congestion from people who are trying to move from one to another part of the capital, and all of these difficulties have led the Liberians to use the Mesurado River as a crossing point to easily get across, not just to the slum community of West Point, but other parts as well.

As the Government of Liberia was advised to protect the mangrove area, nowadays, parts of the Mesurado River have been declared a nature reserve of great importance, parts mostly located in the lower reaches of the confluence with the Saint Paul River.

In this part is located also the historic Gabriel Tucker Bridge which is a major link between the islands that comprise the capital.

How It Started: Colors Of Christmas

By

Angel Gimalo

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December 30, 2022

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There are several colors which are traditionally associated with Christmas. Why do we have them and what do the colors represent?

Most the colors and their meanings come from the western/northern European traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it’s dark and cold.

Green
Christmas Holly
Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter wouldn’t last forever!

The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals.

In many parts of Europe during the middle ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who couldn’t read. The ‘Paradise Tree’ in the garden of eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it.

Now the most common use of green at Christmas are Christmas Trees.

Red

Red is also the color of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross.

Red is also the color of Bishops robes. These would have been worn by St. Nicholas.

Gold
A gold five pointed star
Gold is the color of the Sun and light – both very important in the dark winter. And both red and gold are the colors of fire that you need to keep you warm.

Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by the wise men and traditionally it’s the color used to show the star that the wise men followed.

Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a ‘warmer’ color.

White
A Snowflake
White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white!

White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees. The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass, when Christians remember that Jesus died for them.

Blue
The color blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold! So it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important.

Blue can also represent the color of the sky and heaven.

Purple
During Advent, purple and sometimes blue is used in most churches for the color of the altar cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church red is used for advent).

How It Is Celebrated: Christmas In Nigeria

By

Angel Gimalo

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December 30, 2022

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Christmas in Nigeria is a family event, a time when lots of family members come together to celebrate and have fun.

Most families, that live in cities, travel to the villages where their grandparents and older relatives live.

Many different languages are spoken in Nigeria.

In Hausa Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘barka dà Kirsìmatì’; in Yoruba it’s ‘E ku odun, e ku iye’dun’; in Fulani it’s ‘Jabbama be salla Kirismati’; in Igbo (Ibo) ‘E keresimesi Oma’; in Ibibio ‘Idara ukapade isua’ and it’s Edo it’s ‘Iselogbe’.

Many families will throw Christmas parties that will last all night long on Christmas Eve!

Many also attend Christmas Eve Service.

Then, on Christmas Morning, they go to church to give thanks to God.

Homes and streets are often decorated. Most homes will have an artificial Christmas tree.

Children love to play with firecrackers at Christmas.

The church choir may visit the church congregation in their homes to sing Christmas carols to them.

Christmas cards are sent to friends and family members. Presents are exchanged amongst family members.

In addition to serving turkey, a traditional Christmas meal in Nigeria may include beef, goat, sheep, ram or chicken.

Other dishes might included pounded yam, jollof rice, fried rice, vegetable salad and some type of stew.

Once Upon A Time – December 30 – 1922 – Creation Of The USSR Formally Is Proclaimed In Moscow

By

Angel Gimalo

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December 30, 2022

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1460 Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield (Northern England), Duke of York killed and his forces soundly defeated by forces for King Henry VI

1703 Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die

1922 Creation of the USSR formally proclaimed in Moscow from the Bolshoi Theatre, Soviet Union organized as a federation of Russian SFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR and Transcaucasian SSR

1924 Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society

1950 Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia become Independent states within the French Union

Today in Film & TV
1953 The first ever NTSC color television sets go on sale for about USD at $1,175 each from RCA.

1968 Frank Sinatra first records “My Way” with lyrics were written by Paul Anka and based on the French song “Comme d’habitude”

Today in Sport
1939 Bradman scores 267 South Australia v Vic, world record 34th double cricket century

1907 Abraham Mills’ Mills Committee declares baseball was invented in 1839 by future American Civil War general Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York; widely disproven, now known as ‘the Doubleday myth’

1853 Dinner party held inside life-sized model of an Iguanodon (ornithopod dinosaur), created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in South London

Famous Weddings
1816 English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (24) marries 2nd wife writer “Frankenstein” Mary Godwin (19) and daughter of early feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft

1852 Future US President Rutherford B. Hayes (30) weds teetotaler and abolitionist Lucy Webb (21)

1857 Confederate army cavalry battalion commander John S. Mosby (24) weds Pauline Clarke in Nashville

Holy Site Where Jesus Healed Blind Man Will Be Opened To The Public In Jerusalem

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 30, 2022

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A historic biblical site believed to be where Jesus healed a blind man and Jewish pilgrims took ritual baths for purity will be fully excavated for the first time and opened to the general public.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation announced the initiation of the excavation of the Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem in a Tuesday announcement.

“The Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a site of historic, national, and international significance. After many years of expectation, we will soon begin uncovering this important site and make it accessible to the millions of visitors and tourists who visit Jerusalem every year,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said in a statement.

Visitors will be allowed to view the excavation of the historic site. Within a few months, tourists can access the entire pool, traveling in the footsteps of the pilgrims that purified themselves at the pool on their journey to the Holy Temple. The tourist route will begin at the southernmost point of the City of David and end at the Western Wall.

The pool was reportedly constructed 2,700 years ago, in the eighth century B.C., during the reign of King Hezekiah, who is credited with having “brought water to the city” in 2 Kings 20:20.

It served as a reservoir for collecting water from the Gihon Spring, delivering water to the city through an underground tunnel.

“Due to its importance, the Pool of Siloam was renovated and expanded in the late Second Temple period, some 2,000 years ago,” the IAA’s announcement reads.

“It is believed that at this time the pool served as a ‘mikveh’, a ritual bath, for the thousands of pilgrims who converged at the Pool of Siloam before ascending via the City of David to the Temple.”

In John 9:1-7, the pool is mentioned as the site where Jesus healed a man born blind and restored his vision. The verse describes Jesus spitting on the ground, making mud with his saliva, and placing it on the man’s eyes.

“‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing,” the verse reads.

According to IAA’s announcement, a group of British-American archaeologists uncovered some of the pool’s steps in the 1890s, and British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon excavated the Pool of Siloam in the 1960s.

Movies, Music And TV Helped Pelé To Even More Stardom

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 30, 2022

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Whether or not Pelé scored almost 1,300 goals in his professional soccer career, all of his biographers agree that the three-time World Cup champion wrote more than 100 songs and appeared in TV Shows and documentaries.

He was also in the movies, notably in the World War II film “Victory,” and was one of the stars of a Brazilian comedy that brought more than 3.6 million people to the theaters in the South American nation.

Pelé, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died Thursday with cancer at a hospital in Sao Paulo. He was 82.

Pelé’s success on the soccer field made him a sports icon, but he added to that with many performances as an actor and singer.

MOVIES

“King Pelé” (O Rei Pelé, 1962)

Pelé‘s first big-screen moment came in a movie directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen in the same year he won his second World Cup title. The narrative starts at Pelé’s native city of Tres Coracoes, talks about his move to the Sao Paulo countryside city of Bauru and then on to Santos, where he becomes a global star.

“Victory” (1981)

Directed by John Huston, it was the movie Pelé said he had most fun doing. He played Cpl. Luis Fernandes, a soldier from Trinidad.

The plot involves prisoners of war preparing to face a German team in Nazi-occupied Paris amid their attempt to escape. At the time with the New York Cosmos, Pelé had the chance play with very different teammates — actors Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.

“If I had to give myself a grade as an actor it would be a 10,” Pelé jokingly said in several interviews after “Victory.”

He also told friends that the original script had Stallone in position to score the winning goal with a bicycle kick, but the American actor did not have the skills to do it, so he was placed as a goalkeeper instead. Former England captain Bobby Moore is also in the film, along with several other professional soccer players.

“Victory,” known as “Escape to Victory” in many places, made almost $28 million at the box office.

“The Clumsies and the King of Soccer” (Os Trapalhões e o Rei do Futebol, 1986)

This was an association between two of Brazil’s most popular brands at the time — a recently retired Pelé and a Three Stooges-like group of comedians who were widely popular for their TV program Os Trapalhões (The Clumsies). The movie’s opening was three days before the 1986 World Cup final in which Argentina, led by Diego Maradona, beat Germany 3-2. It took millions to the cinema in Brazil that year.

Pelé played the role of a sports reporter named Nascimento who replaced the injured goalkeeper of a team named Independência Futebol Clube and scored the winning goal of a match with a goal kick.

Pelé also took part in documentaries, including “This is Pelé” (1974), “Pelé Eterno” (2004) and “Cine Pelé” (2011).

Pelé: A Sports Star And Cultural Icon

By

Koko Lawrence

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December 30, 2022

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Pelé will be famous for 15 centuries. The Brazilian soccer star said Andy Warhol told him that. It was a twist on something else the American artist is widely credited with saying, that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Warhol made the soccer star’s portrait in 1977, and Pelé took great pride in turning his sports fame into decades of global affection and renown.

For most Brazilians Pelé was a cultural and social phenomenon. He was the country’s statesman without an office, a role he played since age 17. He usually took quiet political positions, if any.

“Pelé always knew his place,” his former assistant Pepito Fornos said. “If it was a meeting with Queen Elizabeth, Pope John Paul II, Bono Vox or just a kid he met on the street, everyone treated him with reverence. He was the same boy from the countryside, but when he shared a table with people he was quickly the center.”

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, globally known as Pelé, died Thursday at a Sao Paulo hospital. Throughout his career and afterward, he walked a fine line between his fame and taking on social problems.

Still, the star marveled the world one last time on the sport’s biggest stage. Brazil’s and Pelé’s third World Cup title came when Medici was torturing adversaries, had closed congress and had put a gag on the nation’s top court.

Pelé and every other Brazil player received a Volkswagen from an ally of the dictator upon arrival from Mexico. None of the footballers refused the gift, but the star player was most vehemently critiqued due to his hero status.

“At that moment I did not want to be Pelé,” he said. “We knew a lot of things that were going on in the country.”

Pelé retired from the national team in 1971, left his boyhood club Santos three years later and moved to the United States to play for the New York Cosmos after being lured by then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. During those years, he spoke about love, caring for children and stopping wars.

The Brazilian finished his professional soccer career in 1977 and returned to his country soon after, as democracy was returning.

Pelé became more politically vocal in retirement. He criticized Ricardo Teixeira, then head of the Brazilian soccer confederation and son-in-law of then-FIFA President João Havelange (1916-2016). He was banned from the draw for the 1994 World Cup, attending it as a pundit for TV Globo.

In 1995, Pelé became sports minister in the center-right administration of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso but spent seven years in the job maintaining a relatively low public profile.

For decades, Pelé‘s meeting and greeting leaders around the world landed great results for him and his allies. He was one of the key figures of Rio de Janeiro’s winning bid team to host the 2016 Olympics, when he was center stage again at an International Olympic Committee meeting in 2009. Pelé’s old foe Havelange was in his team again.

“Everyone came to see Pelé and then the others had a chance to speak to them too,” former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in an interview after Rio’s victory over Chicago, Tokyo and Madrid. “And who could blame the delegates? I would have wanted the same.”

Pelé later struggled with mobility problems he blamed on failed hip surgery, and made his final major appearance on a wheelchair at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Argentina’s Diego Maradona kissed his head in front of the cameras. Russian President Vladimir Putin — who this year received a letter from Pelé asking him to stop the invasion of Ukraine — helped carry him around.

“Years ago, I promised to myself that, as long as I can, I will always raise my voice in favor of peace,” Pelé said in the letter dated June 1st.

Liverpool Ready To Splash Cash On Chukwueze

By

Emenike Agu

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December 29, 2022

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After pulling off the first big move of the winter transfer window so far with the signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven, English Premier League giants Liverpool are preparing to splash the cash again, this time on Nigeria international, Samuel Chukwueze.

Gakpo is scheduled to undergo his medical with Liverpool as he prepares to put pen to paper on a six-year contract after leaving PSV in a £45million transfer.

Despite having one of the strongest attacking line up in their ranks, the Reds are still in the market to shop for more qualities and according to a Spanish publication, infos-sport, the Jurgen Klopp-led side are now ready to splash the cash on Chukwueze, a player who has been on the club’s radar for a long time.

“After pulling off the first big move of the winter transfer window with the signing of Cody Gakpo, the Liverpool Reds are preparing to hit the trail of another centre-forward. The one now targeted by Liverpool is none other than Samuel Chukwueze,” the website wrote.

The Super Eagles forward look to have found a new lease of life in Spain following the arrival of former Barcelona coach Quique Setien as a new manager of the Yellow Submarines following the departure of Unai Emery, who recently joined Premier League side Aston Villa and the Nigerian is currently estimated at around €50m.

Chukwueze has scored five goals and registered six assists in 23 appearances across all competitions this season.

16 Clubs Boycott Abridged Npfl Draw In Abuja

By

Emenike Agu

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December 29, 2022

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…as club owners insist on regular season

The contentious draw of the 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League season was conducted on Wednesday in Abuja, with only four clubs 3SC, Remo Stars, Niger Tornadoes and newly promoted Doma United in attendance, while the 16 others, who preferred the full league, were absent in protest over the format of the league

While the draw signaled the readiness of the Interim Management Committee to proceed with the abridged format of the league, the decision of the IMC to adopt format for the 2022/23 season didn’t go down well with most of the clubs, with the Club Owners Association, the umbrella body of the 20 NPFL clubs, rejecting the abridged league.

Secretary of the Club Owners Association, Alloy Chukwuemeka, confirmed to The PUNCH that only four clubs attended the ceremony, while the 16 others, who boycotted the event, showed that the club owners maintained their position on the format of the league.

He also said that the proposed meeting of the club owners for Asaba, the Delta State capital, didn’t hold on Wednesday in order to seek ways of reaching a compromise over the much-debated format.

Our meeting in Asaba didn’t hold because we wanted to embrace peace,” Chukwuemeka said. “I think all of us are working together, because it is all about coming together on a roundtable so that we can fashion a way forward. The progress of football is the main thing, it is not about interest.

“We hope in the coming days, we will all come together with the IMC and NFF so we can forge ahead on a common front. Without that, the club owners stand is on a straight league and we showcased it today (Wednesday) by not attending the draw. And the voting we did earlier came out as well, 16-4,” Chukwuemeka said

At the event held in Abuja, the 20 clubs were divided into two groups of 10 teams each with the league set to commence January 8, 2023 and end in May 2023, as projected by the IMC.

Group A of the abridged league has Kwara United, Nasarawa United, last season’s runners-up Plateau United, newly promoted Gombe United and Bendel Insurance, as well as El Kanemi Warriors.

Eight-time champions Enyimba, 2021 champions Akwa United, Shooting Stars and Remo Stars complete the teams in Group A.

In Group B, champions Rivers United are joined by Niger Tornadoes, newly promoted Doma United and Bayelsa United, Wikki Tourists, Lobi Stars, Abia Warriors, Dakkada FC, Enugu Rangers and Sunshine Stars.

Match-day one fixtures in both groups were also released and that will see Rivers begin their title defense in Group B against Lobi.

According to the proposal of the IMC, a Super Six play-offs of the top three teams from each group will be played to determine the eventual champions of the season, while the winners will earn a sum of N100m, just as each club will receive a N10m take-off grant before the start of the season.

Some NPFL clubs, including those in attendance and those that were absent, have posted the draw updates on their various social media accounts.

Shooting Stars of Ibadan posted an official confirmation of the draw on Twitter.

“We have been drawn in Group A alongside Nasarawa United, Enyimba, Akwa United, Bendel Insurance, Plateau United, Gombe United, Kwara United, Remo Stars, Elkanemi Warriors.

“We head for the Tin City Jos for the league opener against Plateau Utd on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023,” the club tweeted after the draw.

Enyimba also posted a photo of two of its players after the draw with the caption, “Name a job that brings more joy. We’re waiting! #Elephant.”

Tornadoes, Remo and Dakkada also posted the draw ceremony on their social media handles.

Stakeholders are of the opinion that most government-owned clubs kicked against the abridged league because it would not allow them milk their governments financially based on the number of matches they have to play in the season: 38 matches for full season compared to 18 matches they will play in the abridged format.

“These governments clubs are not ready for the real business of football. As you can see, none of the government clubs are talking about sponsors for their clubs,” a top league source said.

Meanwhile, IMC chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, again emphasised on the need for the clubs to abide by regulations guiding the league.

“Clubs have been informed to shun every act of violence during the course of the league.

“Any club which engages in violent conduct will not be sanctioned with N500,000.00 as was the case in the past, but three points will be deducted as punishment. We know what it means to have three points deducted from points already earned by a club in the league,” he said.

Joshua Plans Next Step In Title Race

By

Emenike Agu

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December 29, 2022

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Anthony Joshua has admitted he is ‘out of the championship title race’ as he plans his next step in the heavyweight division.

“AJ” last fought in August, suffering a second straight decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk while failing to regain the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.

Joshua was then offered a shot at the WBC belt by Tyson Fury, but the Britons could not come to an agreement over what would have been the biggest heavyweight fight of this generation. Fury instead boxed Derek Chisora for a third time, beating his compatriot via TKO to stay undefeated.

Joshua, 33, has meanwhile been linked with a potential rematch against Dillian Whyte, whom AJ lost to as an amateur but knocked out in a 2015 professional contest.

“I like to see my name constantly mentioned among other fighters,” Joshua told UK Media this week.

“The opportunities are always there for me, there are big opportunities to fight.

“I’ll fight whoever’s ready; I’m ready and we’ll get cracking in the new year. I want to be consistent, be fit to fight, and everything comes off the back of that.

“I’m dying for the world championship, 100 per cent. That’s all my heart and soul is leading towards, [but] I lost a fight this year which took me out of the championship title race.

“When you’re constantly fighting for championships after championships, you’re constantly in the race for a long time. When I lost, I was finally out of the race, and overcoming that was a new beginning […] realising that this isn’t my norm anymore. It’s challenging to overcome that.

“I’ve always been a competitor, a challenge to me is just another obstacle that I can get over, and for some, I feel like it’s easier to knock them down and keep them down.”