STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

I WENT to see Straight Outta Compton last night at The Zone in Rosebank and it left me amazed at how far rap music has come.

Now, probably someone is wondering how a movie that was released on August 14th, 2015 can still be in theaters, two months later. Well, apparently the movie only premiered here in South Africa on October 2.

Though I have been looking forward to seeing this movie, I will admit that it far exceeded my expectations. I don't really have a favorite part. But if this counts, my favorite part of the movie is the whole first 40 minutes. It was funny, sad, entertaining, inspiring and brought back old memories. Every music scene in the movie hit hard in the theaters, the bass and just the way it was filmed was amazing.

Straight Outta Compton is definitely up there among the best  biographical drama films ever produced. This movie should and must definitely win an Oscar!

Also, I never thought this movie would be great to watch or even draw me closer to  Eazy E. Watching Straight Outta Compton really made me feel for this guy. It referred many times to the fact that he admitted he wasn't smart or anything like that; which makes sense as to why he never knew about HIV or AIDS.

The movie is also more or less about the hardships that surround trying to start something that has never been done before. Seeing what these rap pioneers went through and looking at what has become of rap music today just makes me wanna cry.

Man I don't know where I'm going with this, but If you have not seen this movie yet, you are missing out. This is hands down a classic. Go see it, you won't be disappointed!

DIEGO COSTA SHOULD BE GIVEN A RETROSPECT BAN

I HATE the feeling of being angry, especially when it is about something I have no control over. But I'm still livid about Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. My anger is not so much about the loss itself. It is about that ugly son of bitch, Diego Costa.

If you watched the lunchtime kick off, you will probably agree with me that Costa is a horrible excuse for a football player. He is a disgrace.  For the record, I don't doubt Costa's abilities as a player. I think he is a good player. But he is a good player who always treads a fine line and he went way beyond it in yesterday's match. Costa's aggressive behaviour has no place in football.

Also, though it is no surprise, it still infuriates me that Jose Mourinho can defend his player's appalling behaviour. There's one thing worse than a bad loser and that's a bad winner.

How can Mourinho claim, "He played the game like it should have been played."???Chelsea are bullies who are full of themselves, from the top all the way down. Danny Baker quite brilliantly likened the Club to a chav that wins the lottery, he was spot on.

Mourinho cannot say Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger, should stop 'crying' after every Chelsea defeat when he is the one who cries and blames everyone but himself when his team loses. Mourinho is on record blaming referees, his own players and his own team doctors in the wake of Chelsea defeats. Jose is the biggest hypocrite of all time and an enemy of football who's never spoken a word about football worth remembering.

Anyway, I came here to talk about is Costa and not his bullish and arrogant coach. The FA should review the situations involving Costa throughout the game not just the ones involving Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel. By the letter of the law, he should've had 8 yellow cards and 2 red and I could've missed some. How the referee Mike Dean missed all of those, yet picked up on two tiny infringements by Santi Cazorla and sent him off, I have no idea.

I should also mention about Gabriel's naivety. It was naive for Garbriel to stick his studs up against Costa in full view of the referee. I understand he was irked, but that was plain dumb. Costa enjoy getting under the the skin of opponent players and Garbriel fell for it hook, line and sinker.

The Premier League should throw the book at Diego Costa.

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11

FOURTEEN years ago today, thousands of innocent people lost their lives in the US terror attacks.

As someone once put it, "on that terrible day, a nation became a neighborhood, all Americans (if not the whole world) became New Yorkers."

I will never forget that day, where I was, who I was with or how I felt. Rest in peace to the innocent people that lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

My thoughts and prayers are with all victims and their families, friends and loved ones and the thousands who continue to suffer from illnesses caused by the toxic smoke and debris at Ground Zero.

Remember, this is not a day to entertain conspiracy theories or wallop in Islamophobia. Do not generalize. Empathize and employ a broader thought process.

Also, if there is a lesson to learn from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.

‪#‎NeverForget911‬

REMEMBERING PRINCESS DIANA

TODAY marks exactly 18 years since the death of Diana the Princess of Wales. On Sunday August 31, 1997, Diana, her companion Dodi al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a car crash in Paris, France while trying to escape the paparazzi.

Lady Diana's tragic death not only shocked the UK but the world at large. I was only 17 when this tragedy happened but I still remember that day so vividly like it was yesterday. I had just arrived home that fateful Sunday afternoon when my baby sister broke the news to me. When I heard the news, it was as though time had stopped. I could not believe the sadness and pain I went through in that moment. It was like receiving the death of a very close relative or friend.

But perhaps this could be the reason Diana was referred to as the People's Princess. Her sympathy and kindness were always sincere and people reciprocated her feelings. Lady Di's life in many ways resembled the fairy­tale about but it is worth mentioning that Diana did a lot of charity work. She personally visited the terminally ill in many countries of the world, led a campaign in animal protection, against AIDS and inhuman weapons, in particular, against anti­personnel land mines.

Princess Diana was one of the first high profile people to be photographed embracing HIV/AIDS patients, helping to remove the stigma attached to the disease. Her tireless work with AIDS organisations and children's charities leaves a lasting legacy, while the Diana Memorial Fund set up in her memory has raised 100 million pounds to date.

HEAL THE WORLD

TODAY the late King Of Pop Michael Jackson would have celebrated his 57th birthday.

I'm not sure about you folks, but my all time favourite MJ song is Heal the World from his 1991 hit album, Dangerous.

In my view, this song encompasses everything. Musically, it is beautiful and I don't think there is a songwriter alive who doesn't wish they had written this song. The lyrics are amazing. It's perfect and I will speak for many when I say the message in this song is how we want the world to be.

Happy Birthday MJ. May your legacy live on.

Maya Angelou: Poet Extraordinaire!

ANYONE who has been inspired, challenged, and sustained by the written word will agree with me that the death of celebrated US author, poet, actress, philanthropist and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, 86, is a sad development.

Maya Angelou was indeed an epitome of a phenomenal woman. She won three Grammys, spoke six languages and was the second poet in history to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration.

But what really stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not necessarily what she has done or written or spoken, it’s how she lived her life.

By the time she reached 40 she had been a professional dancer, prostitute, madam, lecturer, activist, singer and editor. She had worked with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, lived in Ghana and Egypt, toured Europe with a dance troupe and settled in pretty much every region of the United States.

We all can learn a lot from the life of this absolutely wonderful, inspirational woman. She taught self strength, honesty, love, respect, belief and moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace.

Maya was an iconic figure of faith, perseverance, fortitude, and peace. Literary giant. Advocate of women and all equality. Maya is not just the United State's jewel, she is the world's precious soul.

Maya Angelou once wrote, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

We'll certainly never forget how you made us feel, Maya.

Rest in peace Dr. Maya Angelou. We all know however, that great people don't die. They live through their words from generation to generation.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Zambia.

The Amazing Story Of Stephen Sutton

THE name Stephen Sutton may not ring a bell to most fellow citizens.

Stephen was a British blogger and charity activist known for his blog "Stephen's Story" and his Teenage Cancer Trust charity for the aid of teenagers with cancer.

Stephen, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, England, was first diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 15, and was told in December 2012 that his condition was incurable.

Stephen passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Wednesday May 14, 2014 aged 19.

The most amazing thing about Stephen's story is how this young man courageously faced his illness.

Sutton, who initially set himself a target of trying to raise £10000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, raised more than £3m for charity after his story was publicised.

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have supported his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust since he posted a picture of himself in hospital in April with a goodbye message as he thought he was nearing death. Among them was Prime Minister David Cameron.

Stephen did not only manage to inspire a nation to donate to a good cause but also made millions of people around the world to appreciate and make the most of their lives, to be positive and brave in the face of adversity.

This young man also taught the world that life isn't about how long we are here but what we do with the time that we get. Whilst his life was far too short, he achieved some tremendous goals than most of us can achieve in a dozen lifetimes.

What an amazing person this young lad was. He was indeed a true inspiration and if more people had his wonderful attitude to life, then this world would be an infinitely better place.

Stephen has done so much to help with the fight against cancer and to bring to the attention of so many people, young and old that this disease has no respect for age, gender or creed.

His attitude towards his life and his illness has inspired not just me, but many, many people around the world to look at their lives in a different way.

The courage and grace shown by this young man in the face of a battle he knew he was never gonna win is inspiring and should both give hope to those in need and bring shame to those of us who are forever complaining about our lot in life.

To Stephen I say, thank you for making such an impact and for being you. You were, are and will continue to be an inspiration to millions.

You'll always be remembered as a brilliant human being and a complete and utter legend who made a difference.

May Stephen's gentle soul rest in peace and his family be comforted in the knowledge that he has truly made a difference to this world.

To you the reader I say, Stephens race is run but we must continue in the hope that just a little of his strength and generosity rubs off on us all so that we can learn to help others as he has done.

Perhaps then we might all leave behind a small addition to Stephen's wonderful legacy.

Rest in peace Stephen, your legacy will be carried on by those who have been inspired by your story.