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February 23, 2014

Thousands took to Hong Kong streets today to march for press freedom, in a protest organised by journalists as fears grow that free expression is being compromised. AFP pic.Protesters took to Hong Kong streets today to march for press freedom, in a demonstration organised by journalists as fears grow that free expression is being compromised.

Organisers estimated 6,000 participated in the march though police said the figure was 1,600 many wore blue ribbons as a symbol advocating free expression in the media.

There have been mounting concerns that China seeks to tighten control over the semi-autonomous region and rein in the press.

"Headlines have been edited, interviews were barred, and columnists were fired. Some see these as commercial decisions or even labour disputes.

But we have to see this from the context of tightening control on media in Hong Kong," Shirley Yam, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, said at the rally.

Protesters chanted slogans such as "Free the people. Free Hong Kong. No censorship", as they marched through the streets before arriving at the district of Admiralty where the city's government headquarters are situated.

This month, two international organisations expressed concerns over the status of press freedom in Hong Kong.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said media freedom in Hong Kong was currently "at a low point", citing self-censorship among reporters, financial and physical threats against the media and legislative steps that could hinder investigative reporting.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said Hong Kong's media independence "is now in jeopardy" as China flexes its muscles to stifle critical coverage.

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Jewishness, Orwell, Eugenics & Stolen Foreskins: An Interview With Philosopher Gilad Atzmon – Video

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Jewishness, Orwell, Eugenics Stolen Foreskins: An Interview With Philosopher Gilad Atzmon
Journalist Joshua Blakeney interviewed world-famous saxophonist and philosopher Gilad Atzmon. Atzmon, who describes himself as an ex-Jew and ex-Israeli, addr...

By: Globalization1492

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Jewishness, Orwell, Eugenics & Stolen Foreskins: An Interview With Philosopher Gilad Atzmon - Video

After quick TKO of McMann, who's left for Ronda Rousey? Cris Cyborg

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Updated FEB 23, 2014 4:15a ET

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Cat Zingano is coming off a torn ACL and horrible family tragedy. Alexis Davis struggled to beat Jessica Eye. Julianna Pena is out for who knows how long with a torn knee and hamstring.

There's really only one legitimate contender out there for Ronda Rousey after UFC 170 on Saturday night. Yeah, you know exactly where this is going.

The UFC must book Rousey against Cris Cyborg before the end of 2014. It's the only thing that makes sense. If the UFC is truly committed to women's MMA, it absolutely has to put together the two best female fighters in the world.

"Of course I'm interested in it," Rousey said on FOX Sports 1 after her first-round knockout win over Sara McMann. ... "I'm not going anywhere. She knows where I'm at."

Zingano will probably get the next women's bantamweight title shot. That's fine. She's undefeated as a pro and earned the No. 1 contender slot when she beat Miesha Tate last June.

I'm not going anywhere. She knows where I'm at.

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After quick TKO of McMann, who's left for Ronda Rousey? Cris Cyborg

Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino Calls out Ronda Rousey, Dana White Shoots It Down

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Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino made some waves earlier yesterday when she announced her plan to drop to 135 pounds in order to "retire" Ronda Rousey on Axs TV's Inside MMA. Shortly after Rousey defended her belt from Sara McMann in the UFC 170 main event, she called out the champ. Via Twitter:

While fans and media alike have been clamoring for a Rousey vs. Cyborg superfight for years now, Dana White shot down the notion that the fight would happen anytime soon when asked about Cyborg's statements at the UFC 170 post-fight press conference. Our own Jeremy Botter tweeted the statement:

That said, he did not close the door on it as a possible option down the line:

That, however, may just doom any hopes for the fight.

Cyborg stated, on the advice of her doctor, she was only willing to take three fights at 135 pounds. The UFC, regardless of whether or not the former Strikeforce and current Invicta FC champion makes the weight once or twice, would almost certainly be unwilling to bring aboard Cyborg if they only had her for a short length of time.The potential for Cyborg beatingRousey, earning the belt and immediately vacating it is very real, and something the UFC simply wouldn't be willing to put up with.

Because of that, unless Cyborg is willing to commit to fighting at 135 pounds for an indefinite length of time, she will not get a crack at Rousey, or likely even get a chance in the UFC (unless the promotion suddenly introduces a women's featherweight division, which is incredibly unlikely).

It will be interesting to see if Justino decides to either shed several pounds of muscle to make the cut easier, or if she remains content dominating competition in both MMA and kickboxing.

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Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino Calls out Ronda Rousey, Dana White Shoots It Down

Rousey vs. Cyborg Won't Happen Anytime Soon, so Cease with the Speculation

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Ronda Rousey was victorious at UFC 170 with another first-round stoppage. This time she won by TKO with a beautifully timed knee to the liver that floored No. 3-ranked Sara McMann.

McMann dropped to an all-fours position, and Herb Dean stepped in to save her from further punishment. Almost immediately following the fight, the name Cris "Cyborg" Justino cropped up as a potential challenger for Rousey's belt.

Cyborg herself tweeted post-fight trying to get the fight.

That is complete nonsense, and the MMA community needs to stop helping promote the foolishness.

The fight may happen, but it will not happen anytime soon. Until then, the focus should be on the current UFC bantamweights who are working their way up the ladder.

There are a lot of hurdles for this fight to happen. The firstand biggestis that Justino is not even in the bantamweight division. She is a featherweight, and in spite of her recent commentsto Inside MMA about trying to drop to 135 she has never proven the ability to do so.

All Im promising is that I will give 100 percent to try to get to 135 to make this plan happen. If I do, I will still listen to my doctors advice and fight no more than three times at 135: first to win the Invicta belt, the second time to kick your ass and the third time to kick your ass again so that the world can see it wasnt luck.

You can even have me tested every week up to the fight. That way you will not have an excuse after I kick your ass.

Should she be given Rousey immediately with no proof she can make the weight? Absolutely not. That would damage the UFC brand to do so.

Cyborg has even missed weight at featherweight. She came in seven pounds overweight for her fight against Hitomi Akano back in 2009. She has not missed weight since then, but again, this has all been at featherweight.

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Rousey vs. Cyborg Won't Happen Anytime Soon, so Cease with the Speculation

BOTTOM SHELF: 'Cyborg Soldier:' A Tale of Two Movies

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Written by: Richard Pierce on January 28, 2010.

Way back in 1993, director Sam Firstenberg (American Ninja 1 & 2, American Samurai) decided to take a break from making movies with the word American in the title and do a Terminator style action/science-fiction flick.

The result was Cyborg Cop, starring David Bradley.

Bradley was famous for being the guy who replaced Michael Dudikoff in the popular, and amazingly awesome, American Ninja franchise, a series which Im sure well cover soon.

The following year, hot off Cyborg Cops success (a record seventeen rentals), a sequel came out, again starring David Bradley, called Cyborg Soldier.

Remember: it was 1994. Terminator 2 had just been an enormous success, so making your title Cyborg (Something) or Robo (Something) was an easy way to cash in.

Yo, dude. That movie T2 was totally radical. But have you heard of this new one, Cyborg Pool Cleaning Guy? Sounds tubular!

Cyborg Soldier opens with David Bradleys character, Jack Ryan (ironically the same name of the popular Tom Clancy character), taking out bad guy Starkraven, who is arrested and later turned into a cyborg by the government.

Starkraven escapes, changes his name to Spartacus and sets out with his army of cyborg soldiers (Aha! We have a title!) to destroy Jack.

David Bradley is a great martial artist and one of the better karate-guys-turned-actors of the era. He delivers a solid tough-guy performance, despite the fact that through half the movie, he is wearing a freaking fanny pack!

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BOTTOM SHELF: 'Cyborg Soldier:' A Tale of Two Movies