This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

When the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker dropped earlier this year, it left fans with a whole lot of questions. First and foremost: was that really the voice of Emperor Palpatine laughing villainously? The arch-villain of the original trilogy was killed in an act of redemption by Darth Vader in 1983's Return of the Jedi, and while Ian McDiarmid reprised the role in the prequels, he was presumed dead for good in the current timeline.

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Of course, maybe that was naive. This is, after all, a fictional universe in which clones and glowy blue Force Ghosts exist. Palpatine wastes no time in making an entrance in The Rise of Skywalker, and while he remains somewhat frustratingly vague about how he is still walking and talking and cackling after all these years, he drops enough details for the viewer to be able to infer what happened.

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities, some considered to be unnatural," leers Palpatine, taunting Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and echoing a line he first uttered in Revenge of the Sith. While plenty of fans have scoured all memory of the prequels from their minds, some of Palpatine's dialogue from those movies is pertinent here. In a key scene with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Palpatine recounts "the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise," a Sith Lord who just so happened to be his master.

As the story tells it, through studying the forbidden secrets of the dark side, Darth Plaguis found a way to conquer death and achieve immortality. How he was able to do this exactly, whether through mysticism or technology, is unclear. But it stands to reason that he would have passed this secret onto his student Palpatine, who was fast ascending from Senator to Emperor, as a means of ensuring the Sith's stranglehold on the galaxy.

It is suggested that this secret involves the "dark science" of cloning, in a line of dialogue by Beaumont Kin (Dominic Monaghan), and that theory certainly holds up against everything else we know about Palpatine. In Attack of the Clones, he seemed very interested indeed in the possibilities of cloning technology, and he has been known to deploy it on at least one occasion. Many fans had already speculated that Supreme Leader Snoke, the antagonist of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, was somehow connected to Palpatine, and they were correct. Snoke was a puppetor a clone, to be exactwhich Palpatine used to control the First Order after his "death," leaving him free to continue his own dark designs in the shadows of Exegol.

Another explanation ties back to a key plot point in The Rise of Skywalker: the Jedi ability to heal somebody via a transfer of energy (or regenerate oneself by stealing the life force from others, as Palpatine does to Rey and Ben).

So, long story short, Palpatine survived being thrown down a pit and the explosion of the second Death Star by either sucking the life out of the nearest stormtrooper and hotfooting it out of there in a ship, or he backed up his consciousness in a clone of himself. Either way, you'd think he'd have invested in some skincare over the last 30 years or so man is looking gross.

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Explaining How the Hell Palpatine Is Still Alive in 'The Rise of Skywalker' - menshealth.com

by CricTrackerAuthor

Published - Dec 23, 2019 6:00 pm Updated - Dec 23, 2019 9:03 pm

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There are some dates that proceed to etch themselves in the folklore for the coming years. Year-by-year we celebrate the memories relate to these days, reminisce about the good times, social media gets flooded with hashtags while writers churn out editorials in a bid to recreate and relive that entire saga.

If we talk about Indian cricket, there are a lot of dates that have impinged themselves in immortality, and no matter how many years or centuries pass away, theyll continue to be remembered or talked about.

One of those dates is 24th December. This was the very date on which Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned out for the first time for the Men in Blue. The former Indian captain, who went on to win almost every single trophy there is in International or franchise cricket, MS Dhoni is celebrating his 15th anniversary as an Indian cricketer today. And, on this occasion, the champion cricketer revealed as to what he told himself ahead of his India debut way back in 2004.

I slept very well, I still remember that day. I was not under a lot of pressure, just wanted to be myself. What I told myself was that I have done really well in all the matches that I have played so far for my state team and India A team that I represented. I have to be myself whatever the situation may be. I have to go in and be expressive on the field, Dhoni said in a video shared by Chennai Super Kings.

Dhonis debut game came in the series opener between Bangladesh and India in the winter of 2004. And, not only did his maiden outing with the bat [where he was run-out for a first-ball duck] but also the overall series [India lost their first-ever ODI to Bangladesh in that series] didnt turn out to be a fairytale affair for the champion cricketer.

However, the then skipper Sourav Ganguly persisted with Dhoni, and in the home series against Pakistan promoted him to the No.3 spot. Dhoni grabbed the opportunity with both hands by shellacking 148 in the second ODI at Vizag, the rest, as they say, is history.

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MS Dhoni reveals the advice he gave himself ahead of his debut game against Bangladesh - CricTracker

How to deal with times of intense change? Let Anna Karina show you the way to a life beyond language and moral certainty.

Anna Karina was a Danish-French actress who burst onto the independent French scene just as a bunch of critics broke free of classical aesthetics and invoked a decisively new sensibility. It was called The New Wave, with a bunch of masculine heroes like Godard and Truffaut. Karina was an icon of the era.

Billions of words have probably been written about this, which few of us are equipped to understand. Let's just say that it broke free of wartime trauma, and allowed us to feel a different way of being alive. Fluid, spontaneous, guiltless, young and very, very cool.

Anna Karina was a living, breathing embodiment of that freedom, based on consummate skill in the relationship with her body.

She was fated to die young on a motor scooter or old, of cancer. She made it to 79 and died on December 14.

She worked mostly for Godard, her husband in the early sixties, though she was important in more traditional cinema as well. One of her most delicious scenes comes from Bande a Part, in which the narrative broke open with a dance scene which is full of insouciant joy.

Art is the dream to which we must surrender.

And we have this untranslated clip of the shoot. Bear with the Alpha Godard in the middle.

And a New Yorker article from Richard Brophy discussing the scene.

While the cineastes like to concentrate on the distilled essence of their sense of self in the people, the clothes, the streets and the offhand disintegration of narrative, I love the way these films took advantage of new lighter equipment, with better blimps and faster film. They were made by very skilful people.

Here is cinematographer Raoul Coutard, who shot the dance scene, talking about Alphaville. [There is more on youtube if you get sucked in.]

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Karina, Christmas and the immortality of grace - ArtsHub

SHOUT IT OUT: THE ISLEY BROTHERS

It has been six, count em, six decades since the Isley Brothers achieved pop immortality with Shout, the wedding-dance staple that put them on the global map in 1959. Ronald Isley can barely believe it. Everything we do now, its not like starting all over again, but its just such a great thing, the legendary singer and Shout co-writer said by phone recently. The crowds are incredible, all the sellouts. And the people, its just fantastic to make them see and feel everything that were doing. The Isley Brothers have put together one of the most influential careers of all time, shaping everyone from the Beatles (whose cover of Twist and Shout was inspired by theirs) to Kendrick Lamar (who put Isley on To Pimp a Butterfly), Jimi Hendrix (their onetime guitarist) and the Notorious B.I.G. (who sampled Between the Sheets on Big Poppa). Isley and his brother Ernie are the only brothers left in the band, but theyre still drawing crowds of all ages eager to hear hits like That Lady, Fight the Power and Its Your Thing. Even Shout can still get them all up and dancing. $35 and up. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. (727) 893-7832. themahaffey.com.

A fun footnote in Tampa Bays musical history: In 1973, the Grateful Dead played a concert at Curtis Hixon Hall; 20 years later the show became the first release in their Dicks Picks line of official bootlegs. The album featured stereo recordings of favorites like Truckin and Hes Gone, plus a rare cover of Blind Willie Johnsons Nobodys Fault But Mine. Earlier this spring, longtime local Dead cover band Uncle Johns Band served up tasty selections from the show at the Gasparilla Music Festival in Curtis Hixon Park, near where the Dead stood in 1973. Now, in a holiday treat for fans, theyll revive the concept in St. Petersburg in an attempt to play the whole show, start to finish. $20. 8 p.m. Friday. Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 822-3590. mypalladium.org.

You cant talk Tampa death metal without talking Morbid Angel. Along with Obituary, Deicide and later Cannibal Corpse, theyve been slinging sludgy brutality out of the 813 since the early 80s. The lineup around reclusive guitarist and songwriter Trey Azagthoth has changed over the years longtime singer-bassist David Vincent, influential drummer Pete Sandoval and Hate Eternals Erik Rutan are all long gone but theyre still in demand around the globe. Theyre headlining this falls USA Sickness Tour alongside Swedish death metal lords Watain and New York group Incantation, both respected veterans in their own right. $25 and up. 7 p.m. Friday. Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Tampa. (813) 248-9500. theorpheum.com.

The Outlaws are in the discussion for biggest Tampa Bay band of all time, rising to Southern rock hero status in the 70s and 80s on the strength of their hits Green Grass and High Tides and There Goes Another Love Song. Over the last few years, theyve started a successful local tradition with their annual Green Grass and Yuletide Jam shows, where Henry Paul, Monte Yoho and friends blast out hits by the Outlaws, Blackhawk and other projects. This year theyve expanded it to a two-night stand, with special guests Firefall (You Are the Woman) opening both nights. $39.50 and up. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. (727) 791-7400. atthecap.com.

If you like your holiday parties with a little bit of edge, this is the show for you. Psychobilly punk survivor the Reverend Horton Heat returns to St. Petersburg for the 2019 edition of his Hortons Holiday Hayride tour, mixing spiky Christmas tunes in alongside his own popular tunes. Hell be joined by a bundle of similarly retro-minded acts, including the Blasters Dave Alvin, ska-punk vets Voodoo Glow Skulls and Japanese surf-rockers the 5.6.7.8s, arguably best known as that house band from the massacre scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1. Put a little peppermint in your Pomade, slick it back and duck-walk this way. $27.50 and up. 7 p.m. Saturday. Jannus Live, 200 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg. (727) 565-0550. jannuslive.com.

Tampa label and promo honchos New Granada have a lot of reasons to amplify this years annual Christmas night concert. For one thing, its the 25th edition. (Maybe a cover of Silver Bells is in order?) For another, its been an epic year for Pohgoh (pronounced pogo), the band featuring New Granadas Keith Ulrey on drums and his wife, Susie Ulrey, writing songs and singing. Since releasing their long-awaited comeback album Secret Club last year, Pohgoh have gone on tour with Jawbreaker and Mineral and even played shows in Japan. New Granadas got another much-anticipated album coming next year by local faves DieAlps!, and theyll play this show, too. So will the aptly titled Wreath, featuring veterans of punk outfits like Awkward Age and Vacancy. $10. 7 p.m. Wednesday. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Tampa. (813) 241-8600. facebook.com/crowbarlive.

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This weekends best Tampa Bay concerts: Isley Brothers, local favorites - Tampa Bay Times

Ever since its new trailer was shown off at The Game Awards, Amazons upcoming massively multiplayer online game New World has been back in the news again. The basis of the title, and one that helps it differentiate itself from other MMOs on the market, is that players are able to create settlements throughout the game world.

This can potentially lead to massive 50-versus-50 multiplayer battles, as well as potential uprisings if players feel they are being treated poorly by leadership. Naturally, worries have arisen that the game could be glamorizing the topic of colonization, a horrible act that has shaped history.Thankfully, some key story decisions have kept the title from falling down such a rabbit hole.

An important aspect of colonization, and what separates it from just creating a settlement in an uninhabited area, is taking control of land away from indigenous people. Obviously, any attempt at making the player seem like a hero while committing such atrocities would be in poor taste.

However, that isnt the case in New World, whose fantasy setting stems from a collapsed society filled with corrupted explorers. The in-game enemies have all been corrupted by a magic that also grants immortality, and they are former settlers themselves.

They have been detached from their humanity thanks to greed and are now more monster than man. Furthermore, director Scot Lane has explained to Eurogamer that the games Aeternum island is an entirely fictional setting and that it has nothing to do with America and its history.

Its worth noting that there have been games based around the idea of colonization in the past. Most notable are Sid Meiers Colonization and its Civilization IV remake, which has the player building a worldwide power using an army from England, France, The Netherlands, or Spain. Of course, these turn-based strategy games are based on history and largely get a pass on the issue to some degree because acting like colonization hasnt had a huge impact on history is just as dangerous as celebrating it.

We cant erase problematic elements from history, and if a game wants to explore such a time period, then it should be able to. Ultimately, players have the moral authority to play as they please or even abstain entirely from the experience should they not want to participate.

Players in New World will be given the opportunity to do better than their corrupt predecessors. The allure of magic still stands, and there will be plenty of tests of players own greed along the way. Those that start a settlement will be able to enforce tax rates and even come up with plans to grow their colony. Higher tax rates can be appreciated if they go to good causes (such as building fortified walls and more advanced shops), but they can also alienate those struggling financially.

More tyrannical players will quickly learn that there is a penalty for their actions, as players can choose to support an invading faction during a war if they prefer their way of life. Much like a good leader in real life, those that control a settlement will have to listen to their inhabitants and make sure their needs are being met if they want to continue having a high place in society.

While the player-versus-player multiplayer is optional in New World, it gets at the games core theme of cooperation. In order to create a successful settlement, players will need to support each other and work together for a goal that is greater than one persons wants and desires. Its about coming together and doing the right thing. Its entirely possible, if quite unlikely, that New World could wind up being a peaceful game with different settlements that are willing to work together and help out others as they battle the corrupted.

Its more likely that the world will be ravaged by nonstop war caused by greed, similar to our current world, but the option is there for players to be better. How the world ends up will ultimately be decided by its players, and thats what makes New World such an intriguing spin on MMOs.

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Amazon Games' New World MMO Isn't About Colonization, but About Greed and Cooperation - The Escapist

Anyone by Charles Soule will make you desire and fear the world it builds in equal measure.

At its best, science fiction serves as both a social commentary and a cautionary tale. A good sci-fi story immerses you in a world that looks just familiar enough that you can place yourself in it, while exploring a fundamental change that makes it unrecognizable.

Charles Soule has been acclaimed for his science fiction work in novels and comics alike, so its no surprise that hes mastered the craft. Although I had not picked up any of his works previously, if any of them are penned with the storytelling prowess of Anyone, consider me very interested.

Anyone is centered around an intriguing technology called the Flash. The Flash allows you to temporarily transfer your consciousness into another body. You can hang out in that body for a while, and then when youre ready, Flash back to your own.

While at first glance the Flash seems like a logistical nightmare and like something that would be immediately abused to the point of madness, the people of Anyone have actually managed to make it work for them. The climate crisis has been all but eradicated with fewer planes in the sky and cars on the road, entertainment has been revolutionized, and of course, the elite can achieve virtual immortality by continually Flashing into younger hosts.

The book also makes some great observations about empathy, discrimination, prejudice, and inclusion that I didnt expect. As the Flash continues to impress the books characters, Anyone keeps pace by mesmerizing the reader with its capabilities and potential. What would happen to racism, homophobia, and sexism if you couldnt tell who someone is just by looking at them? This book does its best to answer that in a thought-provoking way.

Anyone takes place over two different timelines, and theyre both a wild ride. Its rare that a book can engage me equally in two storylines as different as those in this book. Yes, both storylines are centered around the Flash, but the stories come at it from completely different angles.

One storyline follows Gabby White, who somewhat accidentally invents the tech that allows the Flash to be realized. This storyline is all big dreams, family dynamics, espionage, and corporate greed. The way it unfolds allows you to dream alongside Gabby, while simultaneously agonizing over her decisions and circumstances.

The second storyline takes place 25 years after the first, in a world where the Flash has been fully integrated into society. With Annami, we fully explore the capabilities of the Flash, including the salacious and less than legal side of things. Were also forced to ask ourselves some tough ethical questions about power and the greater good.

Both storylines are interesting, engaging, and packed with action and mystery! Soule has told two amazing stories with Anyone, intertwining them seamlessly. And theyre definitely intertwined. As the story goes on, you realize just how important Gabbys story is to Annamis, and vice versa.

As much as the book is a cautionary tale about this particular kind of technology, its also a commentary on how quickly weve adapted to other technology in our lives, without really stopping to think about the consequences. We have sacrificed a lot for convenience, and Anyone takes a different approach to showcasing that than Ive seen before.

Pick up a copy of Anyone if youre interested in jumping into this intriguing, thoughtfully crafted world. Fans of sci-fi will be enthralled by the technology, fans of drama will love the corporate edge, and fans of stories will be with these characters from the first page to the last.

Pick up your own copy of Anyone by Charles Soule now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore. Dont forget to add the book to your Goodreads shelf!

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'Anyone' book review: You'll tear through this sci-fi story in a 'Flash' - Hypable

The final chapter in the nine film Skywalker saga has premiered, andStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerhad a tall order to fill. It needed to neatly tie up the plot points of eight previous films, give the legions of Star Wars fans what they wanted, and respectfully send off the franchise that visionary George Lucas created whenStar Warsdebuted in 1977.

RELATED:Obi-Wan Kenobi: 5 Things Fans Want To See In The Disney+ Series (& 5 They Don't)

While it does a credible job of expanding on the thematic elements from the eight previous films, it is its duty to do right by the original trilogy fans are most concerned with. Both heroes and villains found themselves playthings at the mercy of the ultimate puppet master, Emperor Palpatine, a character which neatly threads the films together. As certain mysteries were revealed, from the origins of Rey's parents to the origins of Supreme Leader Snoke, their telling created more. Here are 10 Original Trilogy storylines that were never resolved.

InReturn of the Jedi,Palpatine tries to bait Luke in the same way he tries to bate Rey inStar Wars:The Rise of Skywalker."I am defenseless," he croons, gesturing to Luke and his lightsaber. "Strike me down with all of your hatred, then your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete".

RELATED:Star Wars: 10 Greatest Emperor Palpatine Moments To Get You Excited For His Return

When addressing Rey, he makes it clear that when she does the same, he'll transfer his essence (and the essence of all the Sith) into her and rule as Empress. Was this Palpatine's plan for immortality all along? A common practice of the Sith involved apprentices slaying their masters to gain their power, but perhaps discerning masters did the same to their apprentices.

InStar Wars:The Rise of Skywalker,we hear Anakin Skywalker's voice floating to Rey telling her to "bring Balance to the Force" like he did. Was this really accomplished by the time of the events ofReturn of the Jedi,when he passed away?

Darth Vader couldn't allow Luke Skywalkerto be killed by the Emperor. After destroying the Emperor and saving his son, his body was too weakened. Despite Luke's effort to save him he passed away, but redeemed himself in the end by becoming one with the Force. Was this bringing about balance, and didStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkernegate his sacrifice?

When last we saw General Calrissian, he had just valiantly helped the Rebel Alliance deliver the final blow to the Empire by destroying the second Death Star inReturn of the Jedi.After that, it was presumed he could have returned to Cloud City because Imperial occupation would be ending.

RELATED:Star Wars: 10 Greatest Lando Calrissian Moments To Get You Excited For His Return

When we run into Lando in Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker,we don't really know what he was doing.Yes, there were missions with Luke trying to track down the coordinates for Exegol, but Luke became a recluse on Ahch-To for some time, so why did Lando remain on Pasaana? Was he forgotten there, perpetually on his last assignment?

We know from watching the original trilogy that the Imperial Fleet was vast. Destroying two Death Stars wouldn't be enough to cripple it because there were thousands of Star Destroyers, garrisons, bases, and troops occupying every part of the known galaxy.

Where did the Imperial loyalists go? Some would become part ofthe First Order, but others became part of the Final Order, a separate force operated by officers sporting a Sith crest.Why did Palpatine shield himself from the First Order, put his puppet Snoke in charge, and then work on a separate faction? If the Final Order is able to build planet-destroying ships, why allow the First Order to waste time constructing Starkiller Base?

In one of the most emotionally stirring scenes in the entire original trilogy, Darth Vader picks up Emperor Palpatine and throws him down a reactor shaft when he realizes his son might die at the Emperor's hand. Palpatine's jagged black form is seen and heard screaming down into a kinetic abyss of lightning.

When next we meet the great galactic puppet master in Star Wars:The Rise of Skywalker, he's clinging to life, supported by a series of tubes that seem to keep his sagging flesh upright. How are we supposed to believe Palpatine survived what was most certainly his death? Or is this simply another clone? Palpatinewassearching for the path to immortality along with Darth Plagueis.

InThe Empire Strikes Back,Luke loses his lightsaber when he loses his handin the climactic duel with Vaderon Cloud City. His lightsaber (with hand still attached) goes sailing into space, yet somehow got retrieved by Maz Kanata, who kept it safe for Rey.

Star Wars: The Force Awakensmay have concluded where the lightsaber had gone, but when pressed, Kanata simply said that thehowportion was a "story for another time".Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerwas evidently never going to be that time, so we'll never know.

Darth Vader marvels at Luke Skywalker's ability to construct a new lightsaber inReturn of the Jedi,pushing the Proud Papa moment a step further by laying on the thick praise, "Indeed you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen". There are no canon explanations of how Luke found a green kyber crystal, only that he constructed his saber from parts in Ol' Ben's hut.

RELATED:Star Wars: Every Major Lightsaber Color (And What They Mean)

This mirrors the confusing fact that Rey also appears to randomly have constructed her own yellow-bladed saber at the conclusion ofThe Rise of Skywalker. Kyber crystals are difficult to find (especially yellow ones), which is one of the reasons why it was considered a part of the completion of a Jedi's training to find one and construction their Jedi weapon.

In the original trilogy, Luke is visited by three Force ghosts. One is Obi-Wan Kenobi (most prominently) and the others are Yoda and Anakin Skywalker (after he's redeemed). Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda's bodies became one with the Force, but Anakin's body was physically burned on a funeral pyre.

InStar Wars:The Rise of Skywalker,Rey is visited by Luke and Leia. Yet in the Emperor's throne room on Exegol, we hear the spirits of Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu, Jedi who retained their physical bodies when they passed yet seem able to communicate after death. There is never any clear indication of why some Jedi are able to manifest, despite the presence (or lack) of a corpse.

As Obi-Wan Kenobi's Force ghost famously told Luke, he couldn't "interfere" with Luke's confrontation with Darth Vader on Cloud City. It wasn'tspecificallystated whether or not this was a choice of Ol' Ben's because he disapproved of Luke's impulsive actions, or because as a Force ghost he literally couldn't be of much help.

However, as we see inStar Wars:The Rise of Skywalker,Luke's Force ghost can interact with the corporeal realm, going so far as to hold the lightsaber Rey chucks into the blazes of Kylo Ren's smoldering fighter. And he plenty "interferes" by levitating his X-Wing out of the sea surrounding Ahch-To so Rey has a getaway vehicle.

From the timeStar Warspremiered in 1977 and the world's most lovable droid duo lit up the screen, there's always been a bit of mystery around R2-D2. He's got a lot of personality for a little droid, and some fans have wondered if that isn't because his memory has never been wiped.

The real question is, how was Luke always able to understand him in the original trilogy? Rey is a scavenger and might be familiar with droid language, so her communication with BB-8 isn't as surprising, but Luke has always been able to instinctively know what R2 says, the same way Anakin did in the prequel trilogy.

NEXT:Star Wars Rise of Skywalker: 5 Most Surprising Moments (& 5 We Saw Coming)

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: 10 Original Trilogy Storylines That Were Never Resolved - Screen Rant

Sometimes the internet can take you down some odd rabbit holes. In researching why this Xavier team has struggled so much in getting rolling from deep, I stumbled across another team that also struggled from behind the arc. This team also never got going from deep, relied heavily on one sharpshooting guard, and was loaded with the talent that would eventually go on a deep run. That team was Skip Prossers last, the 2000-01 Xavier Musketeers.

The 2000-01 Musketeers were playing a slightly different game from todays Xavier squad. For starters, that team was shooting from a three point that had yet to move back twice and was still the same one that a high schooler would shoot from now. That team shot 30.3%, 1% better than this years squad, against an Atlantic 10 schedule as well. The teams in the A10 that year managed to be ranked nationally a grand total of seven times. None were ranked at the end of the year, only Xavier and conference champ St. Joes were ranked in multiple weeks.

The roots of Xaviers first Elite Eight team were there in Skips boys. Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato were the starting guards. In Chalmers and David West, the team had two players who would go on to play in the NBA. Sato was also drafted by the Spurs but never appeared. Kevin Frey, Mo Mcafee, Alvin Brown, and Lloyd Price filled out a roster laced with names familiar to Xavier fans. Price and Sato were both top 100 recruits and a fourth player would go on to be drafted in the NBA but not appear. (And huge Xavier fan credit if you know who that was).

Those names may have been familiar, but they didnt shoot themselves into immortality that year. Sato led the team with a perfectly reasonable 37.4% mark from behind the arc as a freshman. Romain took exactly six threes per game and far and away led the team for volume. That fourth player who was drafted into the NBA from the 2001 squad? That would be David Young and he was second on the team in three point shooting at 32.3%. Lionel Chalmers was the only other player to make more than 30% of his three point attempts, and he only shot 30.2%.

After that, it was grim. Mcafee hoisted nearly five threes a game despite making just 26.5%, Kevin Frey took at least two pops a game and made 25.8%, and Lloyd Price, who never did really find his shooting stroke, made just 25%. After those six, no one made a three. Alvin Brown tried three that didnt go, West missed one, and James Baronas missed his only attempt. But for the sharpshooting of Sato, the roster that Skip Prosser put together was actually far worse than this years team. Without Romain, the Musketeers shot 27.3% behind the arc that season. That is, in one word, awful.

What does this tell us about this years team? Not much of anything, really. It is a reminder that things are never quite as bad as they seem and have likely been this bad before. Its also a reminder that David Young existed. More than any of that, its a fun look back into Xaviers history. Now back to your coverage of the season in progress.

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Xavier has shot the three this poorly before - Banners On The Parkway

The Rock has finally, officially announced his retirement from the squared circle and so it is now safe to look back on his career as a whole. A man who experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows in perhaps the quickest time of anyone, and he had plenty of both. This can also be said of his Wrestlemania matches, achieving moments of unsurpassed immortality and turning in a couple of stinkers as well.

As with his movie career, The Rock is usually fun to watch but sometimes even he can't save things. So let's see which Wrestlemania matches of his were Fast 5 and which ones were The Toothfairy.

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The classic nobody saw com.... oh, it's over? Well, nevermind. The Rock tearing off his pants to reveal his ring gear was cool. There were a few minutes of quality banter, 6 seconds of unblemished action, and a hot crowd.

This one has not aged well. Michael Cole 3 minutes in declares it the greatest main event in Wrestlemania history and it's that type of overblown hype that sums this entire thing up. Watching all these matches close together you see The Rock's badly degraded ring prowess and John Cena's inability to make up the difference. Age comes for everyone and despite his immaculate physique, Rock is either not in 'ring-shape' or has severe 'ring-rust'. Lengthy, boring headlocks, bearhugs (a lying down bearhug at that), and slow plodding action sucks the crowd right down almost from the bell.

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Only Cena's perpetual divisive relationship with the fans keeps them involved when things mildly pick up in the latter stages. Cena's mockery of an STF takes up most of the endgame until a quick flurry of action and finisher spams closes things out. Cole was also in career-low form with the over-praising here. Only crowd volume and bells and whistles can bamboozle this effort into seeming more than what it sadly was. 4/10

The Rock's, or Rocky Maivia's in this case, first Wrestlemania match isn't much to write home about. Hints of the soon-to-be ubiquitous 'Rocky Sucks' chants can be heard every few minutes. Weirdly, a 4-man commentary booth of Vince, JR, The King, and Honky Tonk Man flooded the audio side of things with mostly distracting bickering. Rocky has one of the most hilariously bad punch wind-ups in wrestling history that does his father's version no justice.

RELATED:WWE: Ranking Every 2019 PPVs Main Event From Worst To Best

Vince praises Rocky's heritage ironically while his cousin Rikishi is portraying The Sultan right next to him. Finally, it ended on a terrible roll-up that made everyone involved look bad. The biggest cheer this got was the post-match beatdown of The Sheik by Rocky and his dad..... Rocky. 5/10

Once In A Lifetime 2: Electrifying Rapadoo! Well, it holds up better than the first. Rock is clearly in better ring shape for this one and now that they've got the first one out of the way there's some good callbacks and more advanced grappling here. The best parts come when Cena realizes the crowd isn't on his side and he plays it up.

You also can't tell that The Rock detached his abdominal muscles from his hip bones and that's got to count for something. An improved effort and thankfully so for The Rock. His last proper match and not a bad one. 6/10

A hot match with a fast start had Rock and Shamrock brawling up and down the entryway. Once back in the ring Shamrock took out a ref, took a sickening chairshot to the skull, then proceeded to wreck shop. The match ended abruptly with Shamrock tapping The Rock out to his Ankle Lock, but that was far from the end.

For the second year in a row, the post-match outclassed the bell-to-bell action, as Shamrock rampaged through The Nation members, referees, and The Rock a second time leaving him bloody and battered. Unfortunately, it got the match overturned so Rock could keep the Intercontinental championship, but it net-improved the overall rating. 6.5/10

The 'McMahon in every corner' situation that ultimately worked against this match's quality. Big Show is rushed out of the match as if he wasn't needed at all, Mick Foley gets a good moment to shine but is similarly ousted. It was all quite good up to there, but it overloads badly in the endgame.

RELATED: 5 WWE Stars That Will Become Main Eventers in the 2020s (& 5 That Will Fall Off)

Rock and Triple H, amid the looming McMahon shenanigans (hereafter named the all too common 'McManigans'), can't bring it all together. Noteworthy, but because of the complete mess of an ending and big expectations, ultimately disappointing. 6.5/10

Rock teamed with Mick Foley to take on 3/4 of Evolution and it was a lot of fun. A flurry of action from beginning to end, punctuated with hilarious moments from Flair and Rock having something of a 'charisma fight' in between everything else makes it well worth a re-watch.

The ending comes rather abruptly and would lead to the equally good match between Foley and Orton at Backlash, but this fills it's spot on the card well. 7.5/10

The Rock and Austin complete their trilogy with The Rock finally getting to defeat Austin at Wrestlemania. His Hollywood Rock persona now fully realized, he preened his way to the victory while also slyly giving Austin a great match to end his career on. It wasn't quite as good as the others but those are incredibly high bars to hit. The best parts involved Rock indulging in his Hollywood bravado mid-match, stealing Austin's vest and mocking the crowd throughout.

A finisher-fest closed it out and if you look closely you can see it in both Rock and Austin's demeanors that they knew this was their last go-round, Rock as a full-timer and Austin to this day. 7.5/10

The first match of his Wrestlemania trilogy with Stone Cold Steve Austin and it's great stuff. Nobody matched these guys when it came to living their parts and every second they're in the ring together, it's magic. Rock wouldn't even let Austin perform his pre-match ritual without getting in his face, and that heightened everything before the bell even rang.

The match's best element is its constant uptempo pace. It never lets you relax, only taking a short chinlock in the middle almost like a strangely classy intermission. Besides that, it's a wild brawling first half followed by a hardcore feast with just the right amount of McManigans on top to bring it home. 9/10

Still hailed as the 'best' Wrestlemania of all time and a main event that ensures it will always be in that discussion. The Rock and Stone Cold went at it for the second time and used that for all it was worth.

RELATED: The 5 Best Wrestling News Stories In 2019 (& The 5 Worst)

Callbacks to their first match, to other Wrestlemania matches like Austin's classic with Bret Hart, to the sudden No Disqualification wrinkle all played major parts in this brilliant contest. The McMahon-centric ending may not have been to everyone's liking but it made sense in the grand scheme of things. A momentous sophomore effort from these two. 9/10

For years the talk was all about Hollywood Hogan and Stone Cold coming together, or Goldberg and Stone Cold, but we should've known better. The Rock's now-cemented world-class charisma against Hogan's magnetic presence came together and blew the roof off the Toronto Skydome. Sticklers who cite the lack of technical wrestling hold little sway against the magnitude of Rock and Hogan merely trading stares as the stadium rumbles around them.

Peak JR on commentary provided near-perfect accompaniment to a match that ended exactly when it should've. Hogan's return to Wrestlemania provoked a proper 'Once In A Lifetime' reaction and their reversal of the heel/face dynamic on the fly proved masterful. 9.5/10

NEXT:5 Superstars Who Should Face The Fiend (& 5 Who Shouldn't)

Tags:wrestlemania,The Rock

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Every WrestleMania Match Of The Rock, Ranked From Worst To Best - TheSportster

BN Goswamy

The sun may at times be hidden from us behind the clouds, but that makes no difference to the sun itself. Its own brilliance can never be obscured. Likewise, primordial wisdom and compassion are always present within every sentient being, even when hidden by clouds of hatred, obsession, pride, jealousy, and first and foremost, ignorance. Matthhieu Ricard

Fearful am I to fear itself, with my necklace made of a string of heads, and dancing furiously on a solar disk. Black am I and terrible, a crossed vajra on my head, my body smeared with ashes, and my mouths sending forth the sound HUM. But my inner nature is tranquil, and holding Nairatmya in loving embrace. I am possessed of tranquil bliss. From the Hevajra Tantra

Nepal, 19th century

The piece that I write here has at its base I need to state this sheer ignorance, an inability to reach those levels of thought that lie clearly beyond our, at least my, understanding.

To be certain, mysteries abound, and one finds oneself, almost all the time, at the very periphery, the outermost edge, of comprehension, when it comes to things that are come upon sometimes in our myths or art or philosophy, as in life itself. I, for instance, never cease to be puzzled when it comes to the world of gods and demons as it is treated in our texts. I have lectured sometimes upon the theme, at least as far as represented in our art, but never without confessing that I understand remarkably little of what I am speaking on.

Take the case, as an example, of the birth, those primordial happenings, of beings of all description as detailed in a section of one of the Puranas, the Bhagavata. The great sage, Kashyapa, we read, had many wives and from each of them he fathered many, many children. From the womb of Aditi were born adityas, the shining ones: gods like Surya, Vishnu, Varuna, Agni, among others; Diti, on the other hand, gave birth to daityas, demons, like Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, Kalanemi; Danu, another wife, gave birth to danavas, demons of a different order; to Muni were born apsaras or female angels; Vinata gave birth to the divine bird called Garuda, while of Kadru were born nagas or snakes. Thus it goes on. One registers from this that gods and demons, birds and snakes, were all step-siblings. Stories then keep unfolding in the texts; rivalries develop; enmities between them surface; accommodations are made; demons meditate upon gods and appease them to gain boons of power or immortality and, having gained those, turn upon them.

Tibet, 18th century

To take a couple of random examples. Hiranyakashipu, one reads, performs great tapas, meditating upon the god Brahma and receives, at the end of it, the boon of virtual immortality, for he, the god decrees, will never perish either in the day or in the night; on the earth or in the sky; at the hands neither of man nor of beast. This fills the demon with a sense of unbridled power, leading to his unleashing untold terrors upon his subjects, subduing them, including his own son, the devout Prahlada, completely to his demonic will. Till of course, as the absorbing tale goes, the great god, Vishnu, incarnates himself as Narasimha who is neither man nor beast, who appears at the time of dusk which is neither day nor night, and who seizes the demon and tears him apart, laying him flat on his knees which are neither the earth nor the sky.

Ravana, the mighty lord of Lanka, similarly performs intense tapas and goes through unheard-of austerities, in the worship of the great god Shiva, to seek his blessings.

However, when Shiva, greatly pleased by the demon kings devotion, blesses him and confers upon him the boon of immeasurable strength, he sets out to test his own powers by shaking, with his bare hands, the great mountain, Kailasha, which is the lofty abode of Shiva. It is another matter that Shiva brings everything under control by simply pressing the shaking mountain down with his toe, thus restoring things back to stability. The tales, as told in the texts, are delightful in themselves, but can easily lead to great puzzlement, for natural questions occur: why, for instance, could the all-knowing gods not have anticipated the evil intent of the demons and denied them the blessings they were seeking? Just one of a myriad questions, born of our avidya, of our inability to penetrate, even peer through, mysteries?

Rubins personal collection, New York

There are times when one reads of the gods themselves taking on frightening aspects. Nowhere does one see this more than in Himalayan art or thought that had its base in regions like Tibet or Nepal or Bhutan. Those infinitely gentle, serene images of the Buddha, or Bodhisattvas, which one so adores, mingle there with images of what have often been called demonic divines that people the world of Vajrayana Buddhism. With their roots in tantra, and their extension to Bon, the indigenous religion of Tibet, one moves into the world of wrathful deities and dangerous protectors: Mahakala and Rakta Yama, Ekjati and Vaishravana, Hevajra and Vajrabhairava. When one sees the thang-kas those paintings on cloth or silk, with their roots going back to a thousand years or more and which are still being made one knows that they serve as aids to meditational practices, and more often than not one gets drawn into their fantastic naturalism, their agitated line and dramatic colour. Psychedelic colour contrasts deep reds glimmering out of a black background, or a black figure silhouetted by an orange backdrop of flames are everywhere. Exaggerated, bulging eyes, gaping mouths, protruding fangs and pointed tongues, crowd the surfaces. Knives and swords, clubs and fetters, lie about, or whirl around in agitated fashion.

There is, in these images, and these practices, a central paradox: that of wrathful compassion. No outsider can really come to terms with this world, but again and again we are reassured in these words which come from the Tibetan Book of the Dead: They (these images) rise manifestly before you, having emerged from within your own brain! Do not fear them! Do not be terrified! Do not hate them! Recognise them as an image of your own awareness. He is your own Archetype Deity, so do not panic! In fact, they are really Lord Vairochana (Buddha) Father and Mother, so do not be afraid! The very moment you recognise them, you will be liberated!

As I said at the beginning: mysteries abound.

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Of uncommon appearances - The Tribune

Gabriel Rochelle, Path of the Spirit Published 2:29 a.m. MT Dec. 15, 2019

Fr. Gabe Rochelle(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Its here again: the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and, thus, the longest night as well. For obvious reasons, particularly in northern countries, the winter solstice attracted rituals the way a crunchy crust attracts your dog. It is a natural connection. You need some respite from the darkest night of the year, so you light fires. Hence yule logs and bonfires; whats not to like about fire and light and warmth? While youre at it, have a mug of hot chocolate or an ancient drink like mead to warm the cockles of your heart. Gather with others to eat, drink and be warm. Maybe the feasting associated with winter solstice is the natural companion to keeping your ovens on to warm the house.

Not everyone in olden times celebrated the solstices and equinoxes. We know that the Celts celebrate the four corners of the year as fire festivals: these occur on Feb. 1, May 1, Oct. 31, and Aug.1. Their Celtic names are Imbolc, Beltaine, Lammas and Samhain. As with some of the festivals in Christianity and Judaism, the deep origins of such major festivals doubtless revolved originally around agricultural events.

Those who research such matters think that solstice and equinox celebrations originated with the ancestors of the Germans. They may go back in pre-history to Neolithic times, but they are not indigenous to Celtic cultures. Within their orbit, however, falls what we call Christmas and Easter as well, but thats another matter.

Contemporary Christmas is less about Christianity than it is about celebrating winters demise and the onset of the light, hence its a great time to come together in family and community and a wonderful time for gift giving. Most of the stuff wrapped around Christmas comes from our pagan past. Evergreens, ivy, holly, mistletoe? All those symbolic plants and trees originated in pagan ideas about immortality, healing, fertility, and protection of your home. Those ideas came naturally: mistletoe, for example, lives on trees that have ended their growth cycle and gone into winter dress. Because it seems to live between heaven and earth and without sustenance, it was considered magical. Evergreen trees stay green and are not deciduous, so they have been considered a symbol of immortality. Why not bring one into your house as a symbol?

The notion that Christmas is an overlap on a Roman festival called Saturnalia was proposed by Sir James Frazier in The Golden Bough, the first major exploration in the embryonic field of comparative religion, which was published in 1890. The flaws in his proposal have become evident over the years, however, perhaps even from the beginning. Some questions are obvious. Why did the early Christian movement pay little or no attention to the birth of Jesus? Why did Christian writers propose dates earlier in the year, in May or August? Why did early Christian thinkers write with disdain about festivals commemorating the birth of the gods? Constantine the Great made Christianity the legitimate religion of the Roman Empire around 315. Prior to this, there is no indication of Christians co-opting pagan festivals to suit their needs.

So, the reverse of Fraziers view may be true: Emperor Aurelian created the festival of the invincible sun (sol Invictus) somewhere around 275. Did he institute this festival as a counter to the day Christians were beginning to commemorate as the birthday of Jesus? This is what many historians now think. We may never be able to unravel the picture completely, but theres enough here to set aside Fraziers proposal. Meanwhile, celebrate the holidays in whatever way you find appropriate. You need a winter break!

Fr. Gabriel Rochelle is pastor of St Anthony of the Desert Orthodox Mission, Las Cruces. The church web site is http://www.stanthonylc.org. We welcome visitors.

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Deck us all with boughs of holly - Las Cruces Sun-News

The original Gucci Blooms success inspired the house to create additional variations alongside legendary nose Alberto Morillas, includingGucci Bloom Acqua di Fiori, a joyous and youthful eau de toilette, Gucci Bloom Nettare di Fiori, which honed in on femininity with a woodsy twist, and Gucci Bloom Gocce di Fiori, which celebrates the refreshing nature of spring raindrops. Each one explores its floral notes a little deeper to transcend stereotypes and craft the olfactory experiences of our wildest dreams.

Now, the latest addition to the Gucci Bloom family has quite literally hit god tier. Inspired by the sustenance that is storied to have given the Greek gods immortality, Gucci Bloom Ambrosia di Fiori is an intense experience designed to help wearers express the boldest versions of themselves, arriving just in time to celebrate the excitement of a new decade. Eschewing the traditional construction of top, heart, and base notes to instead open fully at once, the new creation employs flowers including jasmine bud, tuberose, and damascena rose for a truly noble experience.

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Gucci Bloom Ambrosia di Fiori is a Garden That Lasts All Year - L'Officiel - L'Officiel

Wassail, one of the oldest holiday drinks, is named after the Anglo-Saxon phrase waes hael or good health. Wassail was originally made with mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar.

Did you know yuletide caroling began 1,000 years before Christmas existed? Or how about the fact that mistletoe was used to represent immortality long before the holiday reached Europe? And before there was eggnog, the medieval English drank wassail made from mulled ale.

Maria Kennedy, an instructor of folklore at Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswicks Department of American Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, has researched the European holiday traditions that predate and became an inseparable part of Christmas.

She shared her insights with Rutgers Today.

What is the origin of Christmas caroling?

The act of going from house to house during the darkest time of the year to spread hope through song has its origins throughout Europe and takes many forms including the British tradition of Wassail and Mumming, and the Slavic tradition of Koliada, which began before 998 B.C. In many traditions, people would go door to door and ask for permission to perform. They would recite poetry, sing and sometimes perform a skit. The idea was that these acts would bring about good fortune to influence a future harvest.Many of these visiting ritualswere incorporated in the celebration of Christmas and are still performed in modern Ukraine as well as throughout Europe and across the United States.

Why do we associate Christmas with eggnog?

Holiday beverages like eggnog, mulled wine and hot cider often include cinnamon, cloves and/or other spices. In medieval England, these spices were of high value and would have been traded for other goods. They were a sign of wealth, so bringing them out for celebration was equivalent to bringing out the best wine for guests. Drinks with eggs and cream may seem strange to palates today, but these were also common in medieval England.

The ancestor of these drinks is wassail, named after the Anglo-Saxon phrase waes hael or good health. Wassail was originally made with mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar. It was served in huge bowls made of wood, pewter, porcelain, and silver. The act of wassailing would begin on the 12thday of Christmas Jan. 5 or Jan. 6 and included bonfires in the orchards, shooting guns to scare away bad spirits, caroling and pouring hot cider into the roots of trees for a good harvest the following year.

Where did mistletoe and evergreen trees become part of the holiday?

Mistletoe, an evergreen shrub, was used in celebrations dating back to the ancient Druids Celtic religious leaders some 2,000 years ago. Mistletoe represented immortality because it continued to grow in the darkest time of the year and bore white berries when everything else had died. Hanging its sprigs over doorways and windows was supposed to keep the evil spirits of disease from entering a house. Farmers found it easiest to remove parasitic mistletoe from apple trees in winter when the branches were barren.

The decorating of evergreen trees is a German custom that began in the 16thcentury and was popularized in England and America during the reign of Queen Victoria after she married Prince Albert in 1840. Albert would decorate the trees at Windsor Castle with wax candles and sweets. By the 1860s, hundreds of Christmas trees were sold in Covent Garden and eventually the trend made its way into American tradition. Originally, trees would be decorated with oranges stuck with cloves, cinnamon sticks and pine cones. Sometimes, the nut would be removed from a walnut shell and replaced by a small gift or candy before being hung on a tree.

Why is Christmas celebrated in December?

The winter solstice on Dec. 21 or 22 is the longest night of the year, but marks the return of the sun when the days will get longer. Its considered a time of hope.

In pre-industrial Europe, you would have harvested all of your crops and then had three to six months of cold and dark, without the ability to grow food. Many people would slaughter some of their livestock because they would not be able to feed them through the winter, so this is when feasts would happen.

Neither the Bible nor history give a date for Jesus birth, though it was more likely closer to spring. But, because the solstice was already such a celebrated time of year in pre-Christian traditions, Christians came to use it to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

For media inquiries, please contact Cynthia Medina at c.medina@rutgers.edu

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The Surprising History of Christmas Traditions - Rutgers Today

Editors note: Frisco Lone Stars Marvin Mims broke the state record for career receiving yards in the second half of the teams state semifinal against Denton Ryan. You can see the play where he broke the record here.

FRISCO History wouldnt be within Marvin Mims grasp if he hadnt already had a taste of it.

To get to this point, earshot from the states record for most receiving yards in a high school career, Mims had to have an unprecedented senior year. No one in the country had ever broken the 2,500-yard receiving mark in one season until the Frisco Lone Star senior did it last week.

His historic season has brought him here, 66 yards away from breaking the career record, an honor that former Burnet and Texas receiver Jordan Shipley has held for the last 16 years, according to Dave Campbells Texas Footballs record book.

Mims is right on Shipleys tail, but someone else is closer.

Rockwall senior Jaxon Smith-Njigba has an eight-yard lead on Mims as both receivers get set to play this weekend in the state semifinals. Their games will start 30 minutes apart from each other on Saturday, meaning both might pass Shipley before simultaneously racing each other for a spot at the top of Texas high school football history.

This didnt happen by accident. Its not a coincidence that these two childhood friends are both on the verge of breaking a record thats withstood the influx of pass-happy offenses and 7on7 until now. It took a perfect storm of circumstance to create this scenario, and two special players in the eye of it for it to become an imminent reality.

It doesnt even seem real, does it? asked Rockwall head coach Rodney Webb. Its too good to be true, this whole story.

You could start this story on the basketball court. Thats where these two met.

At first, Mims didnt like Smith-Njigba. Mims has always been competitive, so when he and his AAU teammates kept running into Smith-Njigba at the championship game of tournaments back in about fifth grade it stoked his competitive fire.

I had to see him every weekend, Mims said. I mean, we always battled it out.

Soon after, the battle between the two stopped. Smith-Njigba joined Mims AAU team for the next couple of years. Being teammates instead of opponents didnt change how they played, though. They both brought a fearless football player mentality to the court, said Southlake Carroll tight end Blake Smith, a Texas A&M pledge who played AAU basketball with them.

Its a competitive drive they have in each of themselves, Smith said. Especially those two.

Thats something they have in common. Theyre both confident players, who take single-man coverage not as an insult, but as an opportunity to showcase their abilities. They both also felt the need to after this offseason.

Mims noticed this offseason when he dropped in the national recruiting rankings, going from four stars to three, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He also wasnt invited to The Opening, a combine and national showcase for the top recruits in the country, an event that happened in his backyard at The Ford Center in Frisco. Smith-Njigba arguably had the best showing at The Opening, but he was only invited because someone else dropped out and they needed to fill the space. Its cliche for athletes to say they have doubters, but both point to those examples as proof and motivation.

To a certain extent I didnt really care about it, because it was a personal shot at me, said Mims, an Oklahoma pledge who has since become a four-star recruit, once again. But at the same time I was focused on this team.

Thats because Mims knew his team had the potential to be this good. And the truth is both Mims and Smith-Njigba probably wouldnt be on the precipice of history without their teammates.

Webb, the president of the Texas high school coaches association, said a lot has to go into breaking a career receiving record, especially here. A player has to stay healthy, has to have a good quarterback and an offensive line protecting that quarterback, has to play in an offense conducive to passing success and has to be on a team thats good enough to go deep in the playoffs. Special receivers have come through Texas in the last 16 years, but theres a reason Shipleys record has held.

It looks like a very individual he-did-it type of award, Smith-Njigba, an Ohio State pledge, said, but it's really not without the help of others.

So many things could have derailed their pursuits, but nearly-perfect circumstance has led them to the doorstep of state immortality, something that was unimaginable to both until it was within their grasp. On Saturday, nearly simultaneously, both will have the chance to catch history. So let the race begin.

Heres where Mims and Smith-Njigba stack up in the states history for receiving statistics, according to Dave Campbells Texas Footballs record book.

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How childhood friends and star WRs Marvin Mims and Jaxon Smith-Njigba wound up on the doorstep of Texas football immortality - The Dallas Morning News

Novak Djokovic has hailed Andy Murray as an inspirational warrior after learning the full extent of his injury nightmare from the recent Resurfacing documentary.

The Amazon Prime Video movie, which features an interview with Djokovic, covers Murrays two-year battle with his hip injury, in absolutely brutal detail.

Djokovic and Murray are just a week apart in age and have competed against each other since they were 12-years-old, so are very well-acquainted with each other.

However, Djokovic himself has only just seen the documentary, and he says what it chronicles is a remarkable feat of mental strength.

Ive seen his documentary about four, five days and it was tough to watch to be honest, as a tennis player, and as someone that knows him for a long time, said Djokovic.

To see what he has been through, I think it was a great insight into his last couple of years and the struggles he had, mental, emotional, physical.

RELATED:Sporting immortality does not come easy Andy Murray: Resurfacing provides a unique portrait of an icon

Just amazing warrior that he is in life really, to be able not to give up after everything that has happened and all the recovery and preparations and trying to heal and play a couple of matches in the whole season.

And still after everything hes been through in his career and having family at home, not give up on that and have support of the close ones, its really impressive and inspiring.

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'What Andy Murray has done is really inspirational,' says long-term rival Novak Djokovic - Tennis365

Nobody understands Hegel, but we all pretty much live by his ideas. Like most good philosophy, his dialectic gave expression to something everybody intuitively knew, recognizing the fundamental truth that contradiction is present in all things, and all things only exist because of their inherent contradictions.

David Bomberg knew this, so its perhaps unsurprising that the radical, working-class painter, who, in the catalogue to his first solo show in 1914, wrote, I hate the Fat Man of the Renaissance, also spent hours in front of Michelangelos Entombment (c.1500) and Sandro Botticellis Portrait of a Young Man (c.148085).

The latter appears next to a chalk self-portrait Bomberg made in 191314 in Young Bomberg and the Old Masters, an exhibition at Londons National Gallery. While the shirt Bomberg wears is a direct copy of that worn by the young man in Botticellis painting, his use of angular, Euclidean lines drives straight through the Renaissance masters smoky sfumato. Bomberg both dismantles Botticellis painting and makes it live again; advances beyond it into the future, but also confirms its immortality.

In Ju-Jitsu (1913), two sparring fighters are suspended in a pixelated superposition. Each figure is a jumble of pointy triangles, creating an aggressive, confrontational feel, which is enhanced by the blocks of red and blue paint that distinguish them. But on an abstract level, their geometric interlocking gives an overarching sense of active harmony. Without losing their individual assertion, the figures are involved in a collective expression, an overall pictorial eloquence that includes the viewer in its reach.

A preparatory sketch for Ju Jitsu (1912) is shown alongside the finished painting. With more meat and muscle, the figures appear more human but dont interlock quite as well, making their geometric language less convincing. In the final work, the reduction of the figures into block shapes both highlights and undoes their conflict.

Besides the Botticelli portrait and a painting attributed to the Studio of El Greco, the Old Masters in this exhibition are strangely absent. By foregrounding Bomberg, the show highlights the young artists great achievement. Through the medium of paint, he was able to close the rhetorical gap between vs. and us.

'Young Bomberg and the Old Masters' continues at the National Gallery, London, UK, until 1 March 2020.

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'I Hate the Fat Man of the Renaissance': Young Bomberg and the Old Masters Review - frieze.com

In January, an estimated 120 million people gathered at the confluence of three holy rivers in India: the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati. The occasion was the Kumbh Mela, a historic Hindu pilgrimage that occurs just once every 12 years. It is widely considered to be the largest gathering of humans on the planet (and can even be seen from space).

The scale is really something that cant be capturedit has to be experienced, the filmmaker Jeremy Snell told me. He tried anyway, and the results are astounding. Earlier this year, Snell traveled to Prayagraj and Varanasi, in India, to film Pilgrims, an immersive short documentary that depicts the Kumbh Mela in striking 16-mm film. My approach was to look for faces and scenes that exemplified an enactment of faith, Snell said.

According to Hindu tradition, drops of the nectar of immortality fell from an urn (or kumbh) during a fight between Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe, and a group of demons, forming a pool where the three rivers meet. The Kumbh Mela is marked by a ritual dip in these sacred watersan act that is said to cleanse sins and emancipate followers from the earthly sufferings of the Hindu cycle of birth and death. Festival attendees hail from all aspects of Hindu religious life, from militant ascetics to sadhus, or holy men who remain naked year-round. (For some monks, the pilgrimage is their only reprieve from a life of isolation.) Overall, the festival is a celebration of Hindu community and tradition. At the center of the immense pop-up tent city is a marketplace offering spiritual lectures and blessings from Indias most revered gurus. For this years event, more than 200 miles of new roads were built to accommodate pilgrims traveling from all over India, although many also arrive by boat, carrying their belongings balanced on their head.

Snell said he will never forget the surreal feeling of waking up before dawn in the tent city. The hums and sounds of millions of people are propelling all around you, he said. The energy was palpable and never-ending. For a few days, Snell was able to hire a translator, which enabled him to have personal encounters with pilgrims along the river banks. One day, he met a Hindu ascetic in a boat floating on the Ganges. I asked him why he chose the isolated, lonely life of a holy man, Snell recalled. He told me how he was a career man when his wife and child died during childbirth. He had no family left, so his only answer to the pain was to surrender himself to a life of spiritual discipline.

Pilgrims unfolds entirely wordlessly; its compelling imagery communicates the depth of the spiritual and anthropological experience. Watching thousands dip in and out of the water at sunrise may be the most mesmerizing thing Ill ever see, Snell said. When humans are in search of something beyond themselves, there is a sense of openness and eagerness that is hard to miss. It was an incredibly humbling and eye-opening journey.

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The Largest Gathering of Humans on the Planet - The Atlantic

The old axiom was that newspapers are the first draft of history. That's not true anymore. Websites carry the first draft. So there I sat in the press box of TD Garden in Boston on June 12, ready for history.

My colleague Jim Thomas would be writing the game story on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Blues and Bruins for the next morning's Post-Dispatch. My job was to write the story that would go online at STLtoday.com immediately after the game ended. (And then after that, to write a sidebar for the website as well.)

The Blues' loss in Game 6 had afforded me the rare luxury of having three days to think about what I was going to write, and I had written both Blues win and Blues lose stories the night before and had them saved in my computer. I would then adapt those as needed, adding details from the game, for the website.

So on one file in my computer I had a story that began like this:

At last, Blues are first!

BOSTON The 2018-19 Blues, a team once given up for dead, on Wednesday achieved hockey immortality.

The Blues completed the longest road back in hockey history with a x-x win over the Bruins at TD Garden, giving the franchise its first Stanley Cup in its 52-year existence. And they did it an unprecedented way, coming back from having the fewest points in the league on Jan. 3 to being a dominant team the final half of the season.

And I also had one that began like this:

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Party's over. Blues lose Game 7 to Bruins

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Writing St. Louis sports history, win or lose, on deadline, as Blues try to take the Cup - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Netflix shocked many when it announced its ambitious plan to create a live-action adaptation of Neil Gaimans masterpiece, The Sandman. But exactly how much of a contribution will Neil Gaiman make to the upcoming series?

The Sandman is undoubtedly one of the most beloved comic series of all time, and has for many years has been deemed unfilmable. The critically-acclaimed series follows the adventures of Dream, who is the personification of dreams. He goes by many names: Sandman, Morpheus, the Dream King, Shaper, Oneiros, and more. Dream is one of the seven beings in an anthropomorphic family known as the Endless. Other members include Death, Destiny, Destruction, Desire, Despair, and Delirium (formerly Delight).

In the first volume, Dream is mistakenly captured by Roderick Burgess, from the Order of the Ancient Mysteries, who intended to capture his older sister Death to achieve immortality. In fear of penalty, Burgess keeps Dream imprisoned for 72 years. When Dream finally escapes, he faces the perilous challenge of reclaiming his totems of power: his helm, a ruby, and a pouch of sand.

This is merely the first of 10 incredible volumes. At bottom, The Sandman is a story about stories, interwoven with classic retellings of legend and myth in which Dream takes a starring role.Its so visually imaginative, and it goes on so many fascinating digressions, that someone would have be very brave to take it on.

Neil Gaiman has signed on to serve as an executive producer/writer on the Netflix series, alongsideDavid S. Goyer (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight). Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) will act as showrunner. It remains to be seen if Gaiman will have any further involvement in the production, but he gave us a clue on Twitter:

So how involved is he?More involved than with American Gods. Less than with Good Omens.

This is a pretty interesting answer. Gaiman was incredibly involved in the production of Good Omens, which proved to be a worldwide success. The six-part mini-series was adapted by BBC and Amazon from the book of the same name Gaiman wrote with Terry Pratchett. Gaiman wrote both the screenplay for all six episodes and acted as showrunner. It would be difficult to be any more involved in a show than Neil Gaiman was withGood Omens.

American Gods, meanwhile, is adapted from Gaimans well-known novel of the same name. Gaiman worked as an executive producer on seasons one and two and has only cowritten one episode: the season 2 premiere.American Godsis another highly rated TV show and is set to return for a third season Starz next year.

Neil Gaimans work tends to translate well to television, and when the man himself is involved, it only seem to get better. It will be exciting to see howThe Sandmanworks on TV, knowing that there have been failed attempts to adapt it in the past. With Gaiman involved quite heavily, it looks like it already has ahuge head start!

Gaiman also recently revealed that the show he will bring the timeline for the main story forward. Morpheus will escape imprisonment closer to our time, compared to 1988 in the comics.

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Exactly how involved is Neil Gaiman with Netflixs Sandman show? - Winter Is Coming

This ComplimentarySSIR Live! Program Will Explore:

Nonprofits often appeal to donors compassion to inspire giving. In reality, individuals give formany other reasons, including giving for tax benefits, or because donors admire the social entrepreneur leading a particular organization. Others may choose to give to enhance their real or perceived social statusachieving immortality by having their name on a buildingwhich has become a boon for hospitals, universities, libraries, and museums.

Emerging research in the philanthropic sector raises concerns that donor empathy as a primary cause of giving may be declining, driven by donor burnout, and overtaken by more narcissistic reasons. Is this an actual trend, manifesting across all donor segments? And if so, what might this mean for the foundations of civil society and philanthropy? This complimentarySSIR Live! webinar will explore motivations for giving, changes over time in charitable giving, and possible generational differences in approaches to philanthropy.

Sara Konrath from Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University will be joined by Virginia B Clark, assistant secretary emerita for advancement, Smithsonian Institution and Of Counsel for Marts and Lundy Inc. and theywill discuss what this research potentially means for nonprofits, foundations, fundraisers and those committed to social good. To provide greater context before joining the webinar, we encourage you to read a recently published article by authors from the Lilly School inStanford Social Innovation Review,Eight Myths of US Philanthropy.

Expert Speakers:Sara Konrath is an associate professor of philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She is also the director of the interdisciplinary program on Empathy and Altruism Research (iPEAR). She received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan in 2007. Konrath has published dozens of papers in top scientific journals, writes a popular Psychology Today blog, and her research has been featured in national and international media.Virginia B Clark is the assistant secretary emerita for advancement, Smithsonian Institution and Of Counsel for Marts & Lundy Inc. Virginia joined Marts & Lundy Inc. in 2019 after serving over 35 years in development leadership positions in higher education and cultural organizations.Her commitment in supporting the profession and interest in business and her communities has led her to serve onboards of various organizationsincluding CASE, WXPN, Morris Arboretum, and Haverford Trust. She currently serves on the boards of the Eisenhower Fellowships, Salem University, Wings Neck Trust and on the Leadership Council of the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

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For Good or For Ego? Changing Motivations for Philanthropy and Their Impact on Funding - Stanford Social Innovation Review