Former UFC and “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson died on Monday after complications from heart failure.TMZ first reported the news that Ferguson — best known by his in-ring persona as Kimbo Slice — had been taken to the hospital near his home in Coral Springs, Fla. in critical condition. Ferguson’s promoters at Bellator Fighting Championships confirmed his death on Monday. “We are all shocked and saddened by the devastating and untimely loss of Kimbo Slice, a beloved member of the Bellator family. One of the most popular MMA fighters ever, Kimbo was a charismatic, larger-than-life personality that transcended the sport,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a statement. “Outside of the cage he was a friendly, gentle giant and a devoted family man. His loss leaves us all with extremely heavy hearts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Ferguson family and all of Kimbo’s friends, fans, and teammates.According to multiple sources, Ferguson died at the hospital despite doctors working to revive the 42-year old fighter after he arrived. Ferguson rose to fame after a series of street fights went viral on YouTube and his celebrity eventually transitioned into a career in mixed martial arts.Ferguson fought on several major cards including a bout against James Thompson in 2008, which was the first major MMA show to air on network television.Following his stint with Elite XC, Ferguson signed with the UFC where he became part of the cast of “The Ultimate Fighter” season 10.Ferguson fell in his opening matchup to current UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson in one of the most watched fights in the history of the long-running reality show.Ferguson then went 1-1 in his next two fights with the UFC before being released from the promotion in 2010. Following news of his death, UFC officials released a statement about the former street fighter turned Octagon veteran.“UFC is saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Ferguson, known to fans around the world as Kimbo Slice,” UFC officials said. “Slice will forever be a part of UFC history as a contestant on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2009, and for having fought twice inside the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter Finale and UFC 113. “He carried himself as a true professional during his time in our organization. While he will never be forgotten for his fighting style and transcendent image, Slice will also be remembered for his warm personality and commitment to his family and friends. UFC offers its sincere condolences to Slice’s family, friends and teammates at American Top Team.”Following his stint with the UFC, Ferguson then pursued a professional boxing career for a brief time before returning to MMA where he signed with Bellator.Ferguson performed there for two more fights before he was booked for a rematch with Thompson this summer prior to his passing. (Foxsports.com).Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) read more

Drew Christensen attended Texas. His sister, Dawn, picked USC. They’ve been razzing each other for weeks. “We knew if it turned out SC and Texas, cost is no matter – we’ll be here,” said Drew Christensen, 44, a Las Vegas attorney. The Christensens were among the thousands Tuesday wandering a few blocks of Colorado Boulevard closed for a pregame street fair, a sea of cardinal and gold among burnt orange and white. Musical stages were erected at Fair Oaks and Pasadena avenues. A jewelry boutique and a used-music store were selling licensed Trojan and Longhorn clothing. Bars hung banners welcoming football fans. But not everyone was pumped for pigskin. The influx of out-of-towners jammed city streets, turning a visit to Pasadena into a test of patience. “L.A. traffic is horrible anyway,” said Melissa Merkley, a bride-to-be from Burbank who spent 25 minutes trying to park for a meeting at a bridal boutique. The game also is creating paradoxical sentiments for some fans of the Trojans’ crosstown rival, the UCLA Bruins, whose football team calls the Rose Bowl home. Latiffe Amado, a 2005 UCLA grad, said she is rooting for USC – but only grudgingly. “What can we do?” Amado said as she shopped in Pasadena. “I’d feel like more of a traitor rooting for Texas.” In the Arroyo Seco, tailgate parties had already begun and should be in full swing by this morning. Will Jones, 30, of Alhambra arrived Monday with a group of friends and a rented RV. “If I could do this for a living, I would,” said Jones, a USC alumnus and auditor for Los Angeles County who took a week’s vacation to prepare for – and recover from – Rose Bowl celebrations. Many, though, are still praying they’ll see the game in person. Before arriving in Southern California, Meadows tried to buy a much-coveted face-value ticket but refused to pay $2,000 for one offered online. So he spent $290 on airfare and persuaded three friends to roll the dice with him. Meadows spent Tuesday, his 44th birthday, begging for admission to the big game. “I’m ready to spend $600 or $700,” he said. “Now if I get them at face value, that’d be a good birthday gift.” Staff writer Susan Abram contributed to this report. Brad A. Greenberg, (818) 713-3634brad.greenberg@dailynews.com 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! PASADENA – Bill Meadows traveled from Lexington, Ky., without a ticket to tonight’s big game. So, he stood Tuesday at an intersection in the Arroyo Seco holding a white sign with red letters: “I NEED ROSE BOWL TICKETS.” Meadows isn’t an alumnus of the University of Southern California or the University of Texas, the two teams competing in college football’s national championship. He’s just a typical die-hard sports fan who wanted to witness the Southern California spectacle that is this year’s Rose Bowl. “I’m taking a shot, baby,” he said. “This is the biggest game in the history of college football.” AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORECoach Doc Rivers a “fan” from way back of Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson For football fans, it doesn’t get much better than watching the No. 1 Trojans vie for their third straight championship against the No. 2 Longhorns, who last won a national title in 1970. But getting into the Rose Bowl is no first-down scamper. It’s fourth and long. Fans are playing hooky and paying thousands of dollars to flood Pasadena’s streets and fill the sold-out stadium’s 100,000-plus seats. “There are things more important than sports, but (tonight) you probably wouldn’t be able to convince me of that,” said Paul Stone, a newspaperman from Tyler, Texas, who flew out with his wife. USC and Texas are playing for football immortality. The Trojans start two Heisman Trophy winners – Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush – and Texas quarterback Vince Young was a Heisman finalist. Both teams’ offenses are among the most explosive ever assembled. But also on the line are Christensen-family bragging rights. read more

Donegal County Council has reacted angrily to reports that it hosted a conference in a five star hotel.Solis Lough Eske CastleA conference was held at the Solis Lough Eske hotel recently by the council on the SailWest Initiative, now branded as Malin Waters.But the council today issued a press release denying that it wasted money on hosting the conference. The council says that proper procurement procedures were followed which resulted in awarding the conference to the Donegal Town hotel.The following is a statement issued by Donegal County Council today in relation to these reports.“Since 2007, Donegal County Council has led out on the SailWest Initiative, now branded as Malin Waters, which is a €7 million EU Transnational project to develop and promote the potential of marine tourism as a driver of economic growth.“In addition to infrastructure, branding and marketing, this project included the hosting of a major international conference, which could have been hosted in any of the partner jurisdictions including Scotland, Northern Ireland and Donegal. “Donegal as lead partner was glad to be in a position to host this conference and in line with required EU Procurement requirements, the successful venue for this conference was Solis Lough Eske Hotel, Donegal Town.“Donegal County Council has worked with various hotels in all parts of the county over the years in respect of various conferences and events and the Council will continue to do so in the future, in order to develop and promote the county’s tourism industry by supporting hotels in the county and in recognising this sector as a vital part of the local economy. “The County is fortunate to have a stock of hotels that reflect very positively the quality of the accommodation and hospitality sector and the Solis Hotel, Donegal Town, in the context of this conference, delivered a superb experience of quality and service at the event to the many International, National and local attendees.“Donegal County Council is disappointed with the direction and tone of the report itself and the comments and insinuations put forward by Donegal News in relation to this event. For instance, no Donegal County Council staff or members stayed in the Solis Lough Eske Hotel. “Donegal County Council did pay, as part of conference costs, for 4 bednights for international speakers who attended the conference. A further 17 rooms were booked by attendees at the conference who covered their own costs. Further visitors to the conference stayed in other hotels in the area, visited restaurants and had a positive economic impact during their attendance at the event. “The Council will continue to work in collaboration with all 20 transnational project partners on the SailWest Initiative so as to continue to realise the potential of the marine tourism sector as a driver for economic growth in this region. “Furthermore, the Council will continue to maximise all opportunities available to it by proactively developing initiatives and projects to support the economic, cultural and social development of the County.”COUNTY COUNCIL SLAMS REPORTS THEY WASTED CASH ON FIVE STAR CONFERENCE was last modified: September 20th, 2013 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Tags:Malin WatersSolis Lough Eske Castle read more

10 David De Gea (£4m) – 21.1% – De Gea’s United future looks more concrete this summer with Real Madrid’s interest cooling, and he’s always in with a shout to win the Golden Glove come the end of the season. 20 20 11 Wayne Rooney (£3m) – 20.8% – Rooney, despite being in his latter years, remains a popular pick and a return to Everton could be the jumpstart his career needed after fading at United. 20 18 Michael Keane (£4m) – 15.6% – An Everton new boy makes the top 20, with Keane really catching the eye last season by leading Burnley to survival. 20 20 20 Cesar Azpilicueta (£5m) – 15% – The man they call ‘Dave’ at Chelsea is a firm favourite of Antonio Conte and no defender scored more fantasy football points last season. 13 Eric Bailly (£4.5m) – 19.8% – Bailly took to the Premier League like a duck to water last season and can get even better under Mourinho again this time around. 20 14 Mohamed Salah (£4m) – 19.3% – Liverpool’s new boy is as pacy as they come and will be out to prove the doubters wrong after failing to make an impression at Chelsea three years ago. 20 20 9 Philippe Coutinho (£6m) – 22.1% – Liverpool’s talisman looks like having a more central role this season, which resulted in three goals and two assists in just two games at the back end of last term. 15 Victor Lindelof (£4m) – 19.1% – The Manchester United new boy is likely to start alongside Eric Bailly in a pretty watertight defensive unit under Jose Mourinho. 20 2 Harry Kane (£8m) – 45.8% – Dream Team managers evidently haven’t been deterred by Kane’s value this season – he’s the most expensive player – and his 29 goals in the Premier League last season prove why. 12 Sergio Aguero (£7m) – 20% – Despite uncertainty about his future Aguero is a fantasy football machine and only Alexis Sanchez (348) scored more points on Dream Team than the Argentine’s 307 last season. 20 16 Kyle Walker (£4.5m) – 17.8% – The most expensive English player of all-time is still a popular pick and will be a guaranteed starter at City after Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna left the club. Fantasy Football game Dream Team is now LIVE.Sign up to play here, and read on for some top tips…Fantasy football is back and raring to go ahead of the Premier League’s return when Arsenal and Leicester kick things off on August 11.Hundreds of thousands of you have already signed up to play Dream Team this season – and it’s easy to see why with a massive £750k prize pot at stake despite entry to play being entirely FREE.But which players have been picked the most in the first few weeks before the season gets underway at the Emirates?Here are the top 20 most selected fantasy football players so far…WANT TO PLAY FANTASY FOOTBALL? CLICK HERE 20 20 20 3 Dele Alli (£6m) – 31.3% – No midfielder scored more league goals in Europe’s top five leagues last season – so Alli’s popularity is a given. 7 Eden Hazard (£7m) – 22.5% – Hazard won over fantasy football players again last season with some glittering displays after a torrid year the campaign before. 20 20 20 20 6 Jordan Pickford (£3m) – 22.7% – Everton’s new £30m signing is also the most picked goalkeeper on Dream Team so far, with nearly a quarter of managers going for Pickford between the sticks. 20 20 17 Kevin De Bruyne (£6m) – 17.3% – Arguably the most eye-catching player to watch in the Premier League on his day, nobody registered more assists in the top flight than De Bruyne last season. 1. Romelu Lukaku (£6m) – 60.2% – The Manchester United new boy is quite considerably the most picked player on Dream Team so far, with over half of managers plumping for the £75m man. 4 Paul Pogba (£6m) – 29.9% – Pogba is a Star Man machine and a WhoScored (our ratings providers) algorithm favourite and will likely settle even more in his second season back in England. 19 Alexis Sanchez (£7.5m) – 15.3% – The top Dream Team points scorer is comparatively quite far down the rankings, perhaps because his future at Arsenal is shrouded in doubt. 5 Alexandre Lacazette (£5m) – 29.2% – Arguably the biggest new face on the game, Lacazette’s prolific scoring rate in France has convinced nearly a third of managers that he’s the man for their attack. 8 Gabriel Jesus (£5m) – 22.4% – Perhaps the best bargain on the game, Jesus looks likely to keep Sergio Aguero out of Manchester City’s starting line up after seven goals and four assists from just eight starts last season. 20 read more

Rangers have lost their Europa League match against Young Boys.The Ibrox side failed to hold on to their lead during the Group G clash at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf in Switzerland on Thursday night, losing 2-1. Battle: Rangers lost their lead. SNSThe Light Blues went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to Alfredo Morelos in the 44th minute, however the Young Boys equalised five minutes into the second-half through Roger Assale.Christian Fassnacht then sealed the deal with a second goal for the Swiss Super League champs in stoppage time. Hundreds of Rangers fans attended the game, despite the club’s decision not to take up their ticket allocation.Supporters: Rangers fans travelled to Bern for the game. SNSRangers announced in August that they would not request tickets for the match after receiving two UEFA charges over offensive singing.However, a group of supporters travelled to Bern for the game and were seated together in the same section of the ground.Gerrard admitted his side only had themselves to blame for the goals they conceded but felt they should have been awarded a spot-kick before the added-time winner.  He said: “Football can be cruel at times. We’ve got ourselves to blame. I think we’ve gifted Young Boys a victory tonight. “Big moments in the game have gone against us. I think if we had VAR tonight they would have had a second yellow with [Frederik] Sorensen because Alfredo gets a yellow card for exactly the same incident. So that never went for us. “The keeper has made a world-class save at 1-1, we could have taken the lead from that. “And we’ve not got a blatant penalty as well with Alfredo. “The human eye should get that one right but the reason why VAR is coming into the game is just for situations like that so you can go back and check. “I’ve seen the first view of it and it’s as blatant as you like. It’s a clear penalty at a very important time of the match. “That could have been a massive turning point. But we have to take this on the chin, it is what it is, there is no VAR so there is no point moaning about it. “But big decisions and big moments went against us tonight so it’s quite a stinging one. “Then for their second goal, again, we haven’t been outplayed, we haven’t faced a moment of brilliance. We’ve gifted them a second goal. “So we’ve shown naivety in terms of game management and individual errors have cost us.”All four teams in Group G now have three points apiece after Feyenoord beat Porto in the pool’s other game.Rangers will next play Porto in the competition on October 24. read more

When Twitter removed the chronological order of tweets in the timeline, lots of users complained.I know. I was one of them.And to this day, I long for the simpler times of Twitter. When tweets from people and organizations I followed were in chronological order. So I was thrilled when Andy Baio tweeted that you could get your tweets back in chronological order in your Twitter timeline. This ✨magical link✨ shows your Twitter timeline in true chronological order—without retweets, liked tweets, or any algorithm nonsense. (On mobile? Click “Latest.”) Enjoy! https://t.co/Q6h6pV20wV— Andy Baio (@waxpancake) August 17, 2018Woohoo! If you’re only seeing the shortened version of the search, here is the full link:https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&q=filter%3Afollows%20-filter%3Areplies&src=typdWhat You Need to KnowWant something easier to remember and type? Erin Sparling set up his Real Twitter domain to point directly to the search.Note: in mobile, you’ll need to select Latest to make sure you get the timeline displayed in chronological order.Added bonus?You get tweets in chronological order, with no retweets or likes showing up in your timeline.But, if you want native retweets to be included in your chronological timeline, use this search:https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=filter%3Afollows%20-filter%3Areplies%20include%3AnativeretweetsDouble bonus?Set this up as a saved stream or column in Tweetdeck or Hootsuite.Triple bonus?Some people are reporting no ads are displayed. In ConclusionIf like me, you’re frustrated with a non-chronological Twitter timeline with constant ads, use this search filter to get your cleaner Twitter timeline back in chronological order. Isn’t that a nice tip to start your week? Andy Baio and Erin Sparling, you’ve made a lot of Twitter users very happy. Thank you! Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading…RelatedHow To Find Your First TweetOriginally published March 20, 2014, updated with new info on March 26, 2019 Happy birthday Twitter! In celebration of its eighth birthday, Twitter created the First Tweets site that allows you to find your first tweet. Not only can you find your first tweet, you can enter any Twitter username…In “Social media”How to Use Pinboard to Search Your Twitter LikesAs I was reading my Twitter stream this morning, Nathan Smith’s tweet caught my attention. Oh, right. I forgot that Pinboard allows for searching one’s own fav’d tweets. Duh. Problem solved. Still wish Twitter did that itself. :)— Nathan Smith (@nathansmith) June 26, 2017 I agree, Nathan. It makes no…In “Social media”Why is Twitter Displaying the Wrong Image for Your Post?This morning I updated one of my older posts, How to Find the Original Source for an Image, with a new featured image. I wanted a fresher look for the post, so I used one of my own photos and included a different treatment for the post headline in the…In “Social media” read more

10 June 2003Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks last week opened a R7-million pineapple processing plant in East London.Collondale Cannery is one of only two pineapple processing factories in South Africa, and has installed a plant with a new evaporator specifically imported for processing pineapple juice concentrate.South Africa accounts for six percent of the world’s pineapple production. The world market is dominated by Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Kenya.South African pineapples are traditionally less sweet and more acidic than those of its competitors. However, a blend between South African pineapple concentrate and that of the country’s competitors results in a sweeter product, but with the distinctive pineapple taste unique to the South African product.The new plant illustrates the value of investment in production capacity for export sales and job creation. The new Collondale plant incorporates the latest technology that will enable the company to up its production of pineapple juice concentrate by 50 percent. All of this will be exported, generating sales of R7-million per annum.As a result, the company can now run a full seven production lines from its factory and employ 55 additional people.The Eastern Cape benefits from the growing and processing of pineapples in the region because it is a labour-intensive venture. Collondale currently employs 297 people.Source: Department of Trade and Industry read more

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has declared his admiration for Hull City counterpart Marco Silva before the sides clash in the Premier League on Saturday.”I know this manager when he was in Greece (with Olympiakos) and playing Champions League football and I was in Bayern Munich,” Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.”He is doing an outstanding job because it was absolutely at the bottom and he makes some great results.”I like the way they play. I liked the way they played when we were there and now they have players with a lot of talent in the way they want to play. It’s offensive, not just long balls.”They play with a lot of quality.”Guardiola added that City will put all their energy into securing a place in next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four.”The situation is clear — eight games left and we need to qualify for the top four and that is our target for the end of the season,” he said.”I was expecting from the beginning of the season to fight for the Premier League until the end… we are a little bit disappointed, but I am quite happy with the way we made good things in this season.”City have not lost to Hull at home since 1930 when they were beaten 2-1 in an FA Cup tie. read more

I think they were right to identify telemarketing as a business that is facing extinction but are being overly optimistic as to how long the industry will continue to be even moderately relevant. It is time to move on and reduce our spending on interruption marketing. Originally published Oct 1, 2007 11:09:00 AM, updated October 20 2016 Here’s what the article had to say about the telemarketing business: “. The article talks about various industries that are going through a major transformation and are at risk of being obsolete in 10 years. A few types of businesses facing extinction: record stores, camera film manufacturers, coin-operated arcades…and telemarketing. 10 Businesses Facing Extinction in 10 Years Ask youself this question: How many people do you think are still answering their phones and responding positively to telemarketing offers? I personally think the number is small. Vanishingly small. Why? Because people are using email, instant messaging and other online channels for communicating more and more. And, the phone people *do* answer is not their regular phone number — but their mobile number. I *never* answer my home phone number. If you’re important enough to me, you have my mobile number. And mobile numbers (thankfully) are exempt from automated telemarketing calls. Topics: Telemarketing is about having a bunch of people that don’t understand your business calling people that don’t care offering them products and services that are mostly irrelevant and unlikely to resonate. “The good news for people who hate telemarketing calls is that the industry may finally be dying; the bad news is that it may take a while.” Marketing Trends I came across an interesting article on Entrepreneur magazine’s website titled ” Don’t forget to share this post! AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to MessengerMessengerShare to SlackSlack read more

Save Topics: Originally published Jan 8, 2015 12:00:00 PM, updated February 01 2017 Yes, it feels good to feel comfortable saying hello — and even sitting down for lunch — with your fellow coworkers. But did you know it can also make you better at your job?Having friends at work directly correlates with engagement and productivity at the office. According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, strong social connections at the office can make you more productive, and can even make you feel more passionate about your work and less likely to quit — and these are only a handful of the potential benefits.Why should you care about making friends at work? Check out this infographic from Officevibe, which shows how building social ties with coworkers can help everyone work better.Save Office Politics Don’t forget to share this post! AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to Email AppEmail AppShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to MessengerMessengerShare to SlackSlack read more