Fatal Road Crashes Involving Marijuana Double After Washington Legalizes Drug, New Report Finds
Forbes.com 31 May 2016Family First Comment: Whoops! This slams the claim that ‘marijuana never killed anyone’!Fatal crashes involving drivers who recently used marijuana doubled in Washington after the state legalized the drug, but legal limits for marijuana use among drivers are arbitrary and unsupported by science.Those are the main findings of two new studies that looked at the impact of marijuana on driving safety released earlier this month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a nonprofit research and education association.One report examined fatal crashes before and after marijuana was legalized in Washington, one of the first two states to permit the drug’s recreational use in late 2012.The researchers found that the percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes who recently used marijuana more than doubled from eight to 17 percent between 2013 and 2014.One in six drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2014 had recently used marijuana, which is the most recent data available, the group said.“The significant increase in fatal crashes involving marijuana is alarming,” Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive of the AAA Foundation, said in a statement. “Washington serves as an eye-opening case study for what other states may experience with road safety after legalizing the drug.”READ MORE: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2016/05/31/fatal-road-crashes-involving-marijuana-double-after-washington-legalizes-drug-new-report-finds/#1c2cd2cf20c1
Loading… “And we knew the ban and all this talk, and it was important for me to try to improve the squad and with the players that we are bringing in, it feels that way. read also:No excuse for Lampard at Chelsea after spending spree “But we need to be careful of getting too far ahead of ourselves because we need to give time to players to come in and adapt, to the way I want us to play and to their team-mates, but I think the moves we are making our positive, so I am excited and then it is up to us to get our heads down and work very hard.” FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail分享 Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was coy on how quickly he expects his new signings to integrate. The Blues have added the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, and Ben Chilwell, with Kai Havertz also expecting to join. But Lampard does not want to put too much pressure on his new recruits, as he admits so many signings will take time to gel together. “We have an idea to try to add to improve, as you should do at a club of our level, and we know that has not been absolutely possible for us,” Lampard told the club’s website.Advertisement
Promoted ContentBest & Worst Celebrity Endorsed Games Ever Made10 Risky Jobs Some Women DoYou’ve Only Seen Such Colorful Hairdos In A Handful Of AnimeBirds Enjoy Living In A Gallery Space Created For Them5 Of The World’s Most Unique Theme Parks7 Black Hole Facts That Will Change Your View Of The Universe10 Legendary Movies To Learn History FromTop 10 Must-Know Facts About Ivanka Trump5 Of The World’s Most Unique Theme Parks11 Most Immersive Game To Play On Your Table TopThe Very Last Bitcoin Will Be Mined Around 2140. Read MoreTop 10 Most Romantic Nations In The World
New Delhi: Virat Kohli gave the cricketing world yet another display of his brilliance by smashing his 25th century on day 3 of the Perth Test against Australia on Sunday. The Indian skipper reached the landmark with a straight drive off Mitchell Starc to the long off fence. Following his milestone, he gestured to the crowd that his bat does all the talking as India continued to make good progress against Australia on a wicket still offering assistance to the bowlers. However, this was Kohli’s sixth century in Australia, equalling the mark set by Sachin Tendulkar. While Tendulkar took 38 innings to achieve this feat, Kohli has done it in just 19 innings.During the Adelaide Test, he became the fourth Indian batsman after Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid to score 1000 runs in Tests in Australia, getting there in just nine Tests. The knock also ended a rather lean run against the Australians, where he had managed scores of just 0,13,12,15,6,3 and 34 in the last four Tests. Among Indian batsmen, Kohli now stands third in the all-time list of centuries in Tests against Australia, behind Tendulkar’s 11 and Sunil Gavaskar’s mark of eight centuries.Read More | Live cricket score India vs Australia 2nd Test: Kohli hits 25th tonThe Indian skipper had signalled his intent on day 2 itself when he came out to bat after India were wobbling at 8/2. He displayed compact defence and got off the mark in style when he drove Josh Hazlewood straight down the ground for a magnificent boundary. He continued to target Hazlewood by slamming three boundaries in one over off Hazlewood. When the Australian bowlers bowled immaculate lines and lengths and dried up the scoring, Kohli displayed tremendous patience and discipline as he made steady progress and shared partnerships with Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.Read More | Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team undone by too much greenWhen it comes to centuries in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia), Kohli has the second-most number of Test centuries with 11, behind Tendulkar’s tally of 17. However, what makes Kohli stand-out is that the current Indian skipper has hit these centuries in just 27 games while Tendulkar took 63 innings.Kohli has always enjoyed himself in Tests in Australia. In the 2011/12 series, Kohli was the only batsman to hit a century when he smashed 116 in the fourth and final Test in Adelaide. In the 2014/15 series, Kohli smashed four centuries, including two in both innings of the Adelaide Test as he ended the series with 692 runs at an average of 86. However, this century has put India on the cusp of something special as they look to break their Test jinx against Australia. For all the Latest Sports News News, Cricket News News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The WTA says it is calling off clay-court tournaments in Stuttgart, Istanbul and Prague, adding those to a list of events previously canceled.Each of those three tournaments was scheduled to begin in April.The tour says a decision will be made “in the week ahead” about the rest of the European clay-court circuit.The next Grand Slam tournament is the French Open, which is scheduled to begin in Paris on May 24.___ 1:20 p.m.The NHRA drag racing series has suspended its season 30 days with the intention to resume events April 17-19 in Houston.An event at Las Vegas has been postponed with no new date announced.“We made this decision with heavy hearts as we see the effects this pandemic is having on the world,” NHRA said in a statement. “We are all in this complicated uncertain and rapidly changing situation together, and we encourage everyone to look out for each other.”Other motorsports such as NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One already pulled the plug on racing. Associated Press Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and his family have partnered with Gila River Arena to pay part-time and hourly arena employees scheduled to work the team’s final eight home games. All part-time and hourly team employees will be paid through April 4.The Coyotes also will pay part-time Tucson Roadrunners employees affected by the suspension of the American Hockey League.The NHL announced last week it would pause the 2019-20 season in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Coyotes defenseman Aaron Ness became the NHL’s first known player to be tested for COVID-19 after experiencing flu-like symptoms last week. His agent, Neil Sheehy, said Monday that Ness tested negative for the virus.___ The Greek Olympic committee says the Olympic flame handover ceremony for the Tokyo Games will take place without spectators in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak.The committee says the accreditation cards that had been issued for Thursday’s ceremony at the stadium in Athens where the first modern Olympics were held in 1896 would not be valid.The body’s headquarters will also remain closed from Monday until further notice.The committee canceled the remainder of the Olympic torch relay last week after crowds gathered in southern Greece to watch part of the torch relay in Sparta, where the torch was carried by actor Gerard Butler.Greek health authorities have warned people to stay home, and have shut down everything from restaurants, bars and cafes to public organized beaches, ski resorts, hair salons and movie theaters, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The FIVB says it is in contact with the IOC about “potentially revising the beach volleyball qualification system” for the Tokyo Olympics.As of Monday, four of the last nine points-rich four- and five-star events have been postponed or canceled.___12:20 p.m.NHL players have been told they can return home and self-isolate there until the end of March while hockey is on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic. 12:45 p.m.The Penn Relays, one of the oldest and largest track meets in the nation, has been canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic.The Penn Relays were scheduled for April 23-25 and had been held uninterrupted since 1895. The event celebrated its 125th consecutive running last year. The Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania says it will attempt to host a substitute track meet at a later date in late May or early June. The new event wouldn’t meet the standard Penn Relays format. The three-day event would shorten into a one-day event for youth, high school and open runners.The Penn Relays has adapted to worldwide conditions in the past. The meet was altered in 1917 and 1918 when several colleges, including most Ivy League institutions, curtailed their track programs during World War I. During World War II, travel restrictions reduced participation and spectator attendance while gas rationing was in effect in 1943 and 1944.___ 12:40 p.m.A staff member of Canucks Sports & Entertainment has tested positive for COVID-19.Trent Carroll, chief operating officer of the Vancouver Canucks’ parent company, said the diagnosed individual was in self-quarantine and feeling better. The organization closed its offices Monday and employees were preparing to work from home “wherever possible.”“We are receiving guidance from the health authorities on next steps,” Carroll said. 11:25 a.m.The leader of the IOC’s coordination commission for the Tokyo Olympics says there is no May deadline to cancel the games and he remains confident the event will go ahead despite sports coming to a virtual standstill globally amid the coronavirus outbreak.John Coates, who will have to go into government-mandated self-isolation when he returns to Australia this week from Olympic business in Europe, told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper: “It’s all proceeding to start on the 24th of July.”Former IOC vice president Dick Pound said in an interview with The Associated Press last month that the end of May loomed as a possible deadline for the IOC to make a call on the Tokyo Olympics.But Coates, an IOC vice president and head of the Australian Olympic Committee, told the Sydney paper in a telephone interview from Switzerland that the IOC didn’t recognize the deadline and he thought Pound had backed away from it, too. 10:10 a.m.A second team has withdrawn from the Kontinental Hockey League playoffs because of the coronavirus outbreak.The KHL is widely considered to be the strongest hockey league outside the NHL and is one of the few major sports organizations still operating in Europe.There are now six teams remaining in an eight-club conference semifinal bracket.Finnish club Jokerit withdrew Saturday citing concern for the health of its players and staff. Now Barys Astana says it is withdrawing after authorities in Kazakhstan banned sports events and restricted entry to the country. Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditThe Latest on the coronavirus outbreak’s effect on sports around the world (all times local):1:35 p.m.The Arizona Coyotes will pay all part-time arena and team employees through the end of the previously scheduled NHL season. The league is to meet Tuesday to discuss its response to the coronavirus outbreak. However, CSKA said it was no longer able to host Sunday’s game against Zenit after restrictions on mass gatherings in Moscow were tightened.CSKA says it will discuss potential rescheduling and refunds for spectators later.The Russian league was the largest European soccer competition still operational over the weekend, with more than 33,000 fans attending a game between Zenit and Ural Yekaterinburg on Saturday.One large banner at the match read: “We’re all infected with soccer and will die for Zenit.”___ Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials say they are holding off on postponing the month of May activities that conclude with the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.The Indy 500 draws crowds in excess of 300,000.“We are aware of the CDC’s interim guidance suggesting the postponement of events involving more than 50 people over the next eight weeks,” the speedway said in a statement released before 6 a.m. local time.“Our priority is to do our part in protecting the public health while still conducting the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge as scheduled on May 24. This continues to be a dynamic situation which we are monitoring constantly in coordination with federal, state, local and public health officials.”___ 2:10 p.m.The German soccer league has extended its suspension through at least April 2.The extension covers the next round of games and the upcoming international break.League CEO Christian Seifert says “it doesn’t mean that we assume we can play from April 3.”Seifert adds that some clubs could face potential financial collapse and put “tens of thousands of jobs” at risk without funding from TV broadcasts and sponsors.
The Latest: Coyotes owner, arena to pay part-time employees Canucks Sports & Entertainment, formerly known as Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, owns the NHL Canucks and Rogers Arena, among other properties.___12:30 p.m.The international beach volleyball tour has postponed two more events, clearing the schedule of everything until May 6.The FIVB says a three-star event that was supposed to take place this week in Gold Coast, Australia, and a four-star tournament next week in Cancun, Mexico, have been postponed because of travel restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The events are crucial for athletes trying to qualify for the Summer Olympics, with more points available at the higher-rated tournaments. March 16, 2020 Fourteen members of the team were also placed in quarantine for 14 days after coming into close contact with the person who tested positive for the virus. McLaren chief executive Zak Brown says they are in “good spirits.”McLaren says the rest of the team has returned to Britain but will not go to the team’s headquarters for two weeks as a precaution.With the first four races postponed, the F1 season will not resume until May at the earliest.___11 a.m. Paderborn player Luca Kilian has tested positive for the coronavirus. Three players in the second division also have the virus.Germany was the last of Europe’s top five leagues to suspend games.The German soccer federation says that games in the top two women’s divisions and the women’s cup will be suspended through April 19.___2:05 p.m. British horse racing will take place without spectators and with restrictions on the number of attendees.The British Horseracing Authority says “the intention is for scheduled race meetings to take place wherever possible.” It adds that “decisions may have to be made to cancel meetings.”BHA chief executive Nick Rust says the racing industry is “following the government’s advice to strike a balance between protecting public health and maintaining business activity.”More than 250,000 people attended the four-day Cheltenham Festival last week.No decision has been made on whether the Grand National Steeplechase will go ahead at Aintree next month. More Britons bet on that race than any other. This signals a significant update on the league’s potential timeline to resume the season. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced last week the season was on pause and did not provide more specifics on how long that would last.Players had previously been told to remain in their team’s city and await further direction. The new directive comes in the aftermath of the CDC’s recommendation the U.S. not hold gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks.___3:30 p.m.The Russian soccer league has taken a step closer to shutting down after CSKA Moscow canceled its upcoming game with Zenit St. Petersburg. All six of the remaining teams are based in Russia, where various cities and regions have imposed their own restrictions. Spartak Moscow and Dynamo Moscow played in an empty arena on Wednesday.The KHL said Saturday it was “in consultation with clubs and all relevant authorities to diligently manage the impact” of the virus outbreak.The KHL has not commented on the withdrawals and its website still lists those teams as competing. The next scheduled games between teams which have not withdrawn are Wednesday.___9:55 a.m. The federation’s announcement was in line with a government decision to have sports matches played in empty stadiums and only if organizers took responsibility.Speaking Monday in parliament, famously soccer-mad Prime Minister Viktor Orban said it would be even better if matches were not played at all.___1:30 p.m.The women’s professional tennis tour has suspended all competition until May 2 because of the coronavirus outbreak. ___1:55 p.m.The Hungarian soccer federation has temporarily suspended all of its competitions.Federation spokesman Jeno Sipos says clubs have been asked to forego training sessions and make it possible for players and staff members to stay home.Sipos says in a video posted on the federation’s Facebook page “we hope we are contributing to stopping the spread of the epidemic.” Coates says “it’s never been the IOC’s position. It was Dick’s idea. There is four months to go.”___11:10 a.m.McLaren says the team member who tested positive for coronavirus at the Australian Grand Prix “is recovering well” and that his “symptoms have gone.”The British team pulled out of the season-opening Formula One race on Thursday because of the positive test. The race was canceled on Friday. Greece currently has 331 confirmed cases and four deaths.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports,Tampa Bay Lightning advance to face Dallas Stars in Stanley Cup finals, beating New York Islanders 2-1 in OT in Game 6
PHOTO CAPTION; Davina Bennett (c), Miss Jamaica Universe 2017, with (l-r) Lindell Douglas, Lawnda Jackson, Miss Jamaica Florida 2018, Danaisia Dyer, 1st Runner-up Miss Jamaica Diaspora 2017, and Cheryl Levy Miss Jamaica Universe Davina Bennett passes through South Florida on her way to the Miss Universe pageant on November 26.by Tanya RagbeerLast week 21-year-old Davina Bennett, Miss Jamaica Universe 2017, stopped off in South Florida on her way to compete in the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. The finals of the pageants will be held on Sunday, November 26.The guest of Cheryl Levy, producer of the Miss Jamaica Diaspora Pageant, Davina was offered a brief tour of South Florida, including a visit to the City of Lauderhill, and a meeting with Jamaica’s Consul General to the Southern USA, Franz Hall.“We work very closely with the Miss Universe Pageant in Jamaica,” explained Levy, “our winner will be going to Jamaica for the Miss Jamaica Universe Pageant.”Crowned on August 26Davina who stands at 5’ 9” was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe on August 26th at the grand coronation ceremony held at Kingston’s Pegasus Hotel.She’s a former Pulse model who walked the runway of London Fashion Week, and a 2nd year marketing student at the University of the West Indies. She told CNW she entered the Jamaican contest as she felt ‘unaccomplished,’ and wanted to “reach a wider platform.”Afro hair-styleDavina sports a 70’s style afro. She said, she didn’t plan the hair style but after her grandmother passed she had cut her hair and decided to let it go Afro. “It has become my greatest asset. I’m just gonna keep growing it.” She said she is trying to “empower other females to embrace their natural hair.”Davina admitted being very excited to represent Jamaica in the Miss Universe pageant. “It’s a new adventure, definitely one of the biggest impacts in my life. I’m a bit nervous. but nerves are good,” she said with confidence.Hard preparationShe prepared hard for the Miss Jamaica, and continues doing so for the Miss Universe pageant. This includes plenty gym time, speech training, sleepless nights… talking and motivating herself with her personal mantra, “just finish; execute and finish.”Advocate for the deafShe has adopted the mission to provide a platform for the deaf. She has been touring Jamaica promote the Davina Bennett Foundation for the Deaf to “bring awareness to the deaf by getting the exposure from the Miss Universe Pageant.”She currently coaches Jamaica’s first deaf model, who was her inspiration behind starting a foundation to help the deaf “who need the opportunity, or someone, to stand up for them.”Davina was born in Mitchell Town, Clarendon, and attended Clarendon College where she said she learned a lot of “core values and morals.”Offering a message for the Jamaican Diaspora, Davina said, “Tell everybody to embrace themselves. Just be confident, know you’re worthy, you’re beautiful and you’re good enough.”Jamaica has never won Miss Universe In the Miss Universe pageant, Jamaica has secured 6 top ten finalists: Sandra Foster in 1989, Kimberley Mais in 1991, Nicole Haughton in 1999 and Christine Straw in 2004. Two of the six placed in the top five: Yendi Phillips was 1st Runner-up in 2010, and in 2014 Kaci Fennell placed 4th Runner-up.
StumbleUpon Submit Erik Nyman joins EveryMatrix as US lead August 6, 2020 Share Related Articles Industry platform and software supplier EveryMatrix has moved to expand the virtual sports content for its CasinoEngine product agreeing a new partnership with Golden Race.The partnership will see Golden Race’s high definition virtual sports portfolio added to the CasinoEngine platform, allowing for EveryMatrix’s customers to have a deeper selection of VS game titles.Golden Race CEO, Martin Wachter was pleased to see his firm join the CasinoEngine platform, which currently services 60 gaming vendors delivering 5,000 games to multi-market customers.“Our partnership with EveryMatrix is an exciting opportunity to deliver our content to an ever-growing number of operators. We are determined to make a buzz in the industry and take the casino revolution to a whole new level!” commented Wachter.EveryMatrix product team stated that a review of Golden Race VS games had left them impressed by the quality of graphics and real-time motion, which would deliver a superior VS inventory for its client partners.Ebbe Groes, EveryMatrix CEO, backed Golden Race as new VS partner: “We believe Golden Race will enhance and enlarge our business prospects by attracting more and more operators who are looking for top-class virtual sports content. There is a growing demand for this type of entertainment in the online gaming industry and we are constantly looking for excellent providers of virtual sports betting products.” EveryMatrix ups CasinoEngine gamification tools with CompetitionLabs June 29, 2020 EveryMatrix joins European Lotteries Association as associate member July 10, 2020 Share
Share Share Flutter moves to refine merger benefits against 2020 trading realities August 27, 2020 Related Articles FTSE100 betting group Paddy Power Betfair Plc (PPB) has confirmed the appointment of Jonathan Hill as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO).Hill the current CFO of senior citizens’ financial services firm Saga Plc, is set to join PPB’s corporate leadership team this autumn, replacing long-term group finance lead Alex Gersh who this March confirmed his departure from PPB’s executive team.A + 20-year corporate finance executive, Hill has held senior executive roles at FTSE listed firms; Bovis Homes, British Gas and TUI Travel.Hill is the latest appointment by PPB’s new Group Chief Executive Peter Jackson, who took official charge of the FTSE betting enterprise in January announcing a restructure to the firm’s executive management framework.Peter Jackson commented on the appointment of Hill: “We’re delighted that Jonathan is joining us. He brings substantial strategic and operational finance experience in consumer businesses and I am confident he will make a significant contribution to Paddy Power Betfair’s future success.”In PPB’s 2017 results update, Peter Jackson stated that his new leadership team would prioritise ‘returning Paddy Power to growth’, combined with the continued expansion of PPB products and services in new markets outside of the UK and Ireland.Jonathan Hill commented on joining PBB leadership: “I am excited to be joining a business with great brands, differentiated products and substantial international scale. There are many opportunities to drive shareholder value and I look forward to being part of the team to deliver this”. Submit StumbleUpon Alex Gersh returns to betting as Sportradar CFO July 13, 2020 FSB selects Glenn Elliott as new COO August 12, 2020
Newsroom GuidelinesNews TipsContact UsReport an Error LeBron James might be done commenting on the matter, but the issue could come before fans attending the season-opener between the Lakers and Clippers on Tuesday at Staples Center, where activists plan to hand out free T-shirts displaying support for the Hong Kong protests.A GoFundMe fundraiser online — “Give Away Hong Kong T-Shirts, NBA Opening Night” — set up Oct. 7 by an NBA fan in Northern California raised nearly $42,994 in a fewer than two days.That amount will pay for more than 10,000 shirts, according to organizer “Sun Lared” (the pseudonym that the fan is using on the GoFundMe page), who stopped taking contributions as the fund drive approached $43,000.The Clippers, who will be the home team Tuesday, also have a T-shirt giveaway planned, with all fans in attendance expected to receive a free “L.A. Our Way” shirt and LED wristband. The international firestorm involving the NBA and China began Oct. 4, when Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong. That sparked outrage in China, where the Lakers would play a pair of exhibition games with the Brooklyn Nets. Nearly two weeks later, reverberations continue as the league and its players navigate a range of interests.In an online voice call earlier this month, “Lared” said that although he has friends and family in Hong Kong and is sympathetic toward the protest movement there, he’s accepting that there are varying viewpoints about the unrest.It’s his opposition to censorship that inspired him to run with an idea he saw online about making the T-shirts. A similar GoFundMe campaign in Canada was capped after it raised more than $34,000 for a T-shirt giveaway at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on opening night.Gabriel Law is among the supporters of Lared’s T-shirt giveaway in Southern California. After learning of the project, he got in touch with “Lared” and is helping with plans to store, transport and distribute all those T-shirts to L.A. Live. It will be a complicated but fulfilling endeavor, said Law,“This touches on really central American values, freedom of speech,” Law said by phone last week. “I’m here in the U.S., but I’m starting to sense I can’t do certain things because someone in another country us doesn’t want me to do it. Where do we draw the line?
“I think the NBA, unfortunately, has crossed the line in that case. China is a huge market, no one’s going to deny that, but if you look at global trade, this is a new kind of problem.”Law, who is active with Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles, a nonprofit formed in 1990 to promote democratic development in Hong Kong, said he was somewhat surprised by how quickly the money was raised, but not by the amount.“People in Hong Kong have raised millions of U.S. dollars for the past three, four months to advertise in newspapers, they’ve raised money to put up billboards around the world, so as soon as they know of this, they are going to support it,” he said.Despite reports of a fan being escorted out of preseason game in Philadelphia for saying “Free Hong Kong,” and a pro-Hong Kong sign (held by fans in “Free Hong Kong” shirts) being confiscated at a preseason game in Washington D.C., Law said he didn’t anticipate any trouble at Staples Center once they get the shirts there.“Are security guards going to kick us out?” Law asked. “We don’t think so, because we’ll be on public land. What if police kick us out? That should not be a problem because we are not selling things.”Furthermore, Law said, “we encourage the fans to put on the shirts. If five people put on the shirts, then they have a chance to be kicked out. If 500 people put on the shirts, they cannot kick everyone out. Five thousand? That, for sure, is a message for the world to see. And that’s our hope.”
MORE: Get the latest NCAA odds & betting advice at Sports InsiderCollege football championship for 2020 seasonClemson +225Alabama +350Ohio State +450LSU +600Georgia +800Florida +1400Auburn +2000Notre Dame +2500Oklahoma +2500Texas +2500Michigan +3300Oregon +3300Penn State +3300Texas A&M +4000Florida State +5000Wisconsin +5000Oklahoma State +6600Tennessee +6600USC +6600Iowa State +10000Kentucky +10000Miami (FL) +10000Minnesota +10000Nebraska +10000Utah +10000Washington +10000Iowa +15000BYU +50000Clemson is the early favoriteClemson is the favorite to win the national championship mainly because the Tigers are returning the frontrunner to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy in Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has been sensational in his first two years as a collegiate quarterback, and he is the odds-on favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Additionally, the Tigers will get deeper after Dabo Swinney signed the No. 1 rated recruiting class in the country, but Clemson has another big advantage over the rest of the contenders too.Unlike the rest of the major contenders, there is no one of note to contend with Clemson in the ACC.Alabama, LSU, and Auburn are in the loaded SEC West, and Ohio State must deal with Penn State and Michigan in the Big Ten East. Clemson’s toughest conference test will be Florida State in all likelihood, but the Seminoles probably won’t be much of a match for the Tigers in the first year of the Mike Norvell era. Notre Dame and South Carolina could provide a challenge in non-conference play, but the Tigers are likely to be favored by at least a touchdown in both games, making it very likely this team goes 11-1 or 12-0 in the regular season.MORE: SN’s way-too-early top 25 for 2020 seasonAlabama has questions, but don’t count Tide outAlabama failed to make it to the national championship for the first time since the 2014 season this year, as everything went wrong for the Crimson Tide. Star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a devastating season-ending injury, and the defensive front seven couldn’t overcome attrition and injury. Despite those mishaps, Alabama went 11-2 and finished the season in the top ten of the AP Poll, and the Crimson Tide are expected to reload rather than rebuild this offseason.Tagovailoa and Alabama’s most talented receiving corps in school history are set to depart, but the defense will be as good as ever after the underclassmen saw plenty of experience in 2019. Mac Jones played well in relief of Tagovailoa at the end of the season, so the Crimson Tide don’t have to answer as many questions as you might think in 2020. The LSU Tigers won their fourth national championship in school history on Monday night in New Orleans.Joe Burrow and the Tigers capped off one of the greatest seasons in recent college football history with a ring, but despite their dominance throughout the year, the Bayou Bengals are not one of the three favorites to win the national championship next year per the college football futures odds. Instead, the Clemson Tigers are favored to avenge their defeat at the hands of LSU by winning their third national championship in five years. Ohio State faces difficult scheduleThe Buckeyes didn’t miss a beat in their first season under Ryan Day. Day ensured that there was a smooth transition out of the Urban Meyer era by leading Ohio State to an undefeated record, and the Buckeyes continue to be the predominant recruiting power in the Big Ten as well. Justin Fields is the second favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after a sensational first year in Columbus, but the defensive line will finally need to be rebuilt after losing Nick Bosa and Chase Young in consecutive seasons. Ohio State has a tricky schedule in 2020. The Buckeyes will travel to Eugene to take on Oregon in the second week of the season, and they must go on the road to face Michigan State and Penn State in consecutive weeks in mid-October after hosting Iowa. That stretch will likely mean at least one loss for Ohio State, so it may be difficult for the Buckeyes to get back to the CFP.Don’t bank on an LSU repeatThe reigning national champions were one of the most overpowering teams we have seen in modern college football history, but LSU must replace a lot of firepower in 2020. Joe Burrow will be playing on Sundays, and other stars like Grant Delpit, Kristian Fulton, Justin Jefferson, and K’Lavon Chaisson might have played their last game in purple and gold on Monday night. As long as passing game coordinator Joe Brady remains in the box, LSU will be a contender though, and Baton Rouge could be the destination for coveted quarterbacks in the transfer portal.
In one of the Liberian government’s most impressive moves, the Liberia Maritime Authority and other related agencies joined together to reclaim the beaches and waterways of communities around Monrovia. The project got underway in 2010 and despite many challenges it has been able to sustain nearly 1,900 Liberians in the slum communities where it was established.Today, the beaches in New Kru Town, West Point, ELWA and Mamba Point are visited by families and their healthy environments provide children with places to enjoy their weekends.The effort to reclaim those beaches came at a high cost. All things considered, the continuation of the project is one of the most effective means to develop areas of interest to boost the tourism industry as well as empower Liberians from the lower rungs of society’s ladder.That brings me to my recent visit to the Blue Lake in Tubmanburg, Bomi County (Sunday, April 27). Driving through Tubmanburg on a Sunday afternoon, smiling faces of Bomi County residents greeted us, and just a short time later, we meandered towards the location of the once popular Blue Lake. Though Tubmanburg is a city crying for development, for there were broken-down homes and mud houses visible here and there, the people seemed contented of their lot. The road from Monrovia to Tubmanburg was direct and in good condition; with the exception of some pot holes that we found from time to time that are crying for attention.We moved from the TOTAL Gas Station in the center of the city and our vehicle crawled towards our destination, passing by the former Police Barracks. The large tract of land was being guarded by a couple of police officers, who sat lazily at their post. The road to Blue Lake was rough, and due to how low our vehicle was, Jonathan Armah Baxter thought it wise to avoid any potential damage to the vehicle. Therefore, I joined the accompanying bus with members of the APM Terminals Limited soccer team. In about four minutes, our bus arrived on the hill and to our right I saw the beautiful landscape of the Blue Lake below. Beyond it, overlooking the lake were three dilapidated structures that residents said were used to manage the lake before the civil-war.Out of the bus, we strolled down to the lake, and met four young men who said they were the caretakers of the Blue Lake. The men were Kaffa MacKay, Ezekiel Jacob, Mohammed Sow and Johnson Brown.Mackay said, “Many people come to see the lake, and there is a boat that they take them across the lake.” The trip, he said, cost US$5 for non-Liberians and if they are Liberians, “They pay L$50 and sometimes L$100 per trip. Visitors don’t visit the lake like before,” he said.The caretakers said though they are not paid monthly, “We are paid after we collect money from visitors.”The beautiful landscape, with its green surroundings, impressed several of the footballers who wondered if the city’s authorities have any future plan to develop the Blue Lake to benefit the cityThough many of the footballers expressed surprise over the poor conditions surrounding the Lake, the fact that there were four caretakers present during our visit indicated that Tubmanburg city has plans for its development.But the surprise was that the Liberian civil-war, which has been the reason for many lapses in infrastructural development, was once again the reason I learned, Tubmanburg and its interested areas have been left to rot since 2006.But the most shocking news is that Bomi County is the home of President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf and House Speaker Alex Tyler, two of the county’s leading citizens whose influence should be enough to promote the county’s development.The lack of infrastructure and what seemed like deliberate neglect of the city does not speak well of our leaders who have their origins in Tubmanburg. That also brings about the question of the so-called County Development Fund and how much is used to revive Tubmanburg, a city that once hosted the Liberian Mining Company, (LMC) that earned millions of US dollars from the bowels of Tubmanburg.That legacy speaks volumes of the apathy that many Liberians have shown towards their counties of origin and act as an example of the lack of interest some have in the places of their birth.Jonathan Armah Baxter expressed disgust with a county that produced many soccer stars like Albert Nah, Mark Fino, Armah Baxter, Pete Roberts, Morris George, Raymond Godfrey to name a few; yet, can no longer uphold the legacy of its history.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)