| Super Bowl Snap Judgments
My own personal list of NFL players who can produce those simultaneously is probably a lot shorter than you might think. You could count them on two hands. I actually find myself agreeing with what Moss says most times, and there's something about the way he phrases things that consistently makes me laugh. Like the way he famously summed up Minnesota's humiliating 41-0 loss to the Giants in the 2000 NFC title game: "Man, 41 to doughnut. I don't know if I've ever been a part of something like 41 to doughnut.'' So with Tuesday being Super Bowl media day, I naturally made a bee-line to Moss's podium at the beginning of the Patriots' hour-long interview session. This was a moment nearly 10 years in the making for Moss, and I couldn't wait to hear his perspective on his long, strange trip to the NFL's grandest stage.
The A-to-Zep of a band who rocked heaven ... and hell
Jimmy Page was a black magic fan who collected the works of Satanist Crowley. Rumours spread that all four band members had signed a pact with the devil - and when listening to 'Stairway to Heaven', you could hear the chant: 'Here's to my sweet Satan.' But only if you played the track backwards. As you would. B is for Bonzo
John 'Bonzo' Bonham was the Brummie builder-turned-drummer who provided the relentless, thunderous backbeat that drove Led Zeppelin. He was also the band's drunken joker. During an early gig, Bonham ran on stage and stripped off while a rival band, the Jeff Beck Group, was playing. He only escaped arrest after roadies rugby tackled him and hid him from police in a locked dressing room. .
The Don handed test reprieve
It looks like Sir Donald Bradman will remain a part of Australia's citizenship test. New figures show that 93 per cent of immigrants who take Australia's controversial new citizenship test pass it on their first or subsequent attempts. The test was introduced by the previous federal government and tests the applicants' knowledge of Australian history, culture and values, and includes questions about cricket great Sir Donald Bradman, one of former prime minister John Howard's heroes. Immigration Minister Chris Evans has ordered a review of the test, to be completed in April, and says the Bradman questions will be among those under scrutiny. But he says while there is a bit of a bias in the sporting section to the 1930s, 40s and 50s, he thinks a question about Bradman is a reasonable thing to put in.
Noose hung from bridge disturbs drivers
On the national holiday celebrating slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., someone Monday hung a noose from a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 780 in Vallejo, several drivers told the Times-Herald. Glen Cove resident Bee Dalton said she was driving westbound on I-780 about 7:55 a.m. when she saw the noose hanging directly above the right-hand lane. It was about 3 to 4 feet above the pavement, she said. "It was very disturbing considering we're supposed to be living in a a diverse community," she said. By the time a friend of Dalton's drove by at 9:30 a.m., the rope noose had been taken down, she said. Another commuter saw the noose hanging from the over-crossing at about 7:15 a.m. "It's just sad. It really is," Dalton said. Vallejo teen Charles Richardson, 15, was walking on the pedestrian bridge about 10 a.m.
Around the Bend: 01.18 - 01.24
FOOTBALL LEAGUE: The city of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department is offering registration for its Men's 8-on-8 Flag Football League from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at City Hall, 3rd Floor, Parks & Recreation Department, 1201 Leopard St; 4 to 8 p.m. at the Corpus Christi Gym, 3202 Cabaniss Parkway, next to the Cabaniss baseball field on Saratoga Blvd.; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ben Garza Gym, 1815 Howard St. Men (18 and older) are eligible to participate in this 6-week league, which will begin in late January. Cost: $300. Information: 826-3588. THEATER: The comedy "Shirley Valentine" will be performed at the Rialto Theater, 327 S. Commercial St., Aransas Pass, through Jan. 26. One matinee luncheon will be presented at 1 p.m. Saturday. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR Biography
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is a journalist and broadcaster from Ghana who reports for NPR News on issues and developments related to West Africa. She spent her early years in Ghana, Italy, Britain, and Kenya. Quist-Arcton has lived and worked in the U.K., France, Ivory Coast, U.S., South Africa, and most recently Senegal, traveling all over Africa as a journalist, broadcaster, commentator, and host. After completing high school in Britain, she took a degree in French studies with international relations and Spanish at the London School of Economics (LSE) and went on to study radio journalism at the Polytechnic of Central London, with two internships at the BBC. Quist-Arcton joined the BBC in 1985, working at a number of regional radio stations all over Britain, moving two years later to the renowned BBC World Service at Bush House in London, as a producer/host in the African Service.
'First Sunday' puts Ice Cube into holy mess
Cube found Talbert's script hilarious with an uplifting message about forgiveness and redemption. ''It's right in our wheelhouse,'' he said. ''David made it a Friday and a Barbershop mixed into one.'' Making First Sunday was an enjoyable experience for Cube. The key was to get out of the way of the comedians and let them do what they do best. His job, he said, was to try to stay straight-faced on camera. It wasn't easy in the presence of Morgan and Williams, who are prone to make people laugh. Cube also was impressed with their professionalism. ''Tracy not only came up with his character's back story, he also came in with LeeJohn's attitude,'' he said. ''I still feel like I've known him since the first grade. He's got the charm thing going.'' Though he isn't a churchgoer in real life, Cube had some initial concerns about his character brandishing a gun in the chapel, fearing it might turn off some moviegoers.
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