OURstory: George Poage, First Black Olympic Medal Winner

On this date in 1904, George Poage became the first Black Olympic medal winner. Poage won a bronze medal in the third Olympic games in St. Louis, Missouri.

George Poage grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In high school, he ran in track meets, winning in various competitions. After graduating in 1899, he began attending the University of Wisconsin. This is photo of the 1903 University of Wisconsin track team. Poage is on the bottom row to the left.

In 1904, Poage competed in the Olympic games. Four hundred ninety-six athletes from eleven countries competed. Poage won two bronze medals, one for the 200-meter hurdle and the other for the 400-meter hurdle.

We need to tell OURstory more often. We won't hear about people like George Poage if we simply listen to his-story.

Choose (2011)

"Choose something else."

* On DVD/In Demand now.

Choose is the story of sexy Fiona; a sexy girl who is doing her sexy best to stay sexy while she gets her college degree... which will also be sexy once it belongs to her. Her dad is Kevin Pollak, who used to be a good actor but is now a sheriff in some sleepy college town. Sheriff Pollack's wife/Fiona's mother committed suicide a few months back, and they are still trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Aaaw, such a compelling plot so far, no?



I'd love to help her pick up her pieces... Zing!

Their town is beset of late by a bizarre string of murders in which victims have to choose their fate; which one lives, your mom or your dad?; which can you live without, your eyes or your beauty?; which would you rather watch, a Channing Tatum movie or a video featuring an adorable puppy starving to death? We pick the puppy. And we LOVE puppies.



So detective dad is on the case to find Scar Lip (the killer's name, even though he's never called that in the movie) before he can force any other innocent victims to make a choice. Of course this all has to do with sexy Fiona in some way, and being a cops daughter she begins to dig into the mystery of Scar Lip and his choices, uncovering some shocking things about herself and her family, and everyone who is dying, and Scar Lip and other things too, I'm sure. You get the point.



Yes, the choices are timed.

For the most part, Choose is a run of the mill Torture Porn/Slasher flick. It's got some decent deaths and gory scenes sprinkled throughout, though none of it inspires any feelings of excitement or awe. Where it really loses ground though is in the lame script and the lackluster story. Some of the dialogue was so bad that they even stole the old "How do you like them apples" bit from Good Will Hunting... and it came off as laughable here.



At least Katheryn Winnick was nice to stare at for 90 minutes, give or take. She's got a great face (eyes especially) and some rockin' boobs (yes, I just said that.) She's a decent actress too. So, despite her character being a moron and doing some "It's in the script" type of things, she was the bright spot of the movie.



We likey.

The worst part of the whole affair was the ending(s): After the first ending, which I thought capped off a mediocre movie adequately enough, even though the twist was bland and we saw it coming from about 35-45 minutes away, we're treated to ending number 2; you know, the other twist ending that's supposed to make you gasp but really just makes you shake your head in disbelief? What was that? Totally out of left field and made no sense on a few different levels. *ENDING SPOILERS* After proving to be so tough, why was Fiona so terrified by the old man? I mean she just made short work of Funk Lip, so why the screaming fear? Also, what did the old man have to do with anything, and why did he show up so randomly and at exactly the right time? *END of END SPOILERS* Rubbish.



From what we understand, the director of Choose made a choice himself to have his name removed from the finished product, because he didn't like some of the tampering that was done to his movie. After seeing the pure shit that this movie ended with, we don't blame him.



At least some of the gore was interesting.

The Master Says- D Choose is a slightly below average slasher flick that tries to hard to be a new franchise, rather than trying hard to be a good movie. It's not truly awful; it would have garnered a middle of the road "C" grade had it not been for the awful mess at the end. Still, the fact remains that it's not very good and aside from some decent bloody moments and the sexy hotness of the Winnick girl, there's not much else going on here.



Final Thoughts- We adore Katheryn Winnick. Look at her... what's not to adore?

Lawsuit Filed in the Taser-Killing of Allen Kephart

A wrongful death lawsuit was filed in San Bernardino Superior Court by Alfred and Carol Kephart in the death of their son, Allen, who was killed after an encounter with local deputies in Lake Arrowhead, Calif. The lawsuit alleges Allen Kephart's civil rights were violated after being ordered out of his car at gunpoint, thrown face first to the ground and electrocuted repeatedly in the upper back, neck and head. [SOURCE]





Although the San Bernardino County Sheriff's department maintains that the encounter began when Kephart ran a stop sign, the suit says the encounter began when Kephart honked at Deputy Ismael Diaz after Diaz pulled in front of Kephart at an intersection. According to the suit, Diaz was angered and turned on his police vehicle lights attempting to pull Kephart over.

The suit names the County of San Bernardino, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Ismael Diaz, Deputy Michael Gardea and Sergeant Bryan Lane as defendants.

Domenico Modugno, the first Italian cantautore. Famous for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)"

Domenico Modugno (9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)". He is considered the first Italian cantautore.

 Modugno was born in Polignano a Mare, province of Bari (Puglia).
From a young age he wanted to become an actor and in 1951, after his military service, he enrolled in an acting school. While still studying he had a role in a cinematographic version of Filumena Marturano by Eduardo De Filippo as well as some other films.
In 1935 his father moved to San Pietro Vernotico, in the Province of Brindisi (where his parents are buried). Here Domenico attended primary school and learned San Piertro Vernotico's dialect, which belongs to the linguistic area of Lecce's dialect, which is similar to Sicilian. He attended secondary school in Lecce.

In 1957 his song "Lazzarella," sung by Aurelio Fierro, came second in the Festival della Canzone Napoletana, bringing him his first taste of popularity.
In 1958 Modugno took part in Antonio Aniante's comedy La Rosa di Zolfo at the Festival della Prosa in Venice. The turning point of his career came in that year, when he also participated in the Sanremo Music Festival, presenting, together with Johnny Dorelli, the song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu." Co-authored by Modugno and Franco Migliacci, the song won the contest and became an enormous success worldwide, including the United States. It received two Grammy Awards^[1] with sales above 22 million copies, and represented Italy in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest, where it came in third.
In 1959, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival for the second time in a row, with "Piove" (also known as "Ciao, ciao bambina"), and received second place in 1960 with "Libero." This was a successful period of time for Modugno who again represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1959. Later his hit song "Io" was sung by Elvis Presley in English with the title "Ask Me."

In 1962, Modugno won the Sanremo Music Festival a third time with "Addio..., addio...." Four years later, he again represented Italy at Eurovision with "Dio, come ti amo." Jack Jones recorded it in English for his 1967 album, Our Song, under the title, "Oh How Much I Love You".
Modugno was an actor in 44 movies (such as Appuntamento a Ischia), and was a film producer of two (Tutto e' musica of 1963 was his own biographical production).
The 1970s kept Modugno's voice and mind busy in more classic music genres and profiles, as a singer and as a musician, adapting poetry, acting on television and in lead singing roles of modern operas.
In 1986, Modugno entered the political arena as a member of the Italian Radical Party and was elected congressman for Turin in June 1987. In this last stage of his life, he was active in social issues, fighting against inhuman conditions of patients in the Agrigento psychiatric hospital.
Domenico Modugno died from a heart attack in Lampedusa, Italy, in August 1994 in his home by the sea. His son Massimo is following his footsteps as a successful singer.

Yeh Dooriyan

Unseen Amy Jackson Hot Photos

Anna Out Of Hospital, To Leave For Ralegan Siddhi

New Delhi: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare was discharged from Medanta Medicity on Wednesday. Anna was discharged from the Gurgaon hospital where he was recuperating since he broke his 13-day fast against graft on Sunday.
The Lokpal activist will leave for Pune on Wednesday night itself from where he will go to his hometown Ralegan Siddhi on Thursday where a grand welcome awaits him. Anna spent four days in hospital and doctors had earlier said Anna's health is improving.
His blood pressure was down to 140/90, his pulse rate was 80 and his temperature was also normal.
Dr Naresh Trehan, who's hospital Anna was being treated at, said that the 74-year old's organs were performing reasonably okay and that he was slowly putting on some weight.
Anna had lost over seven kilos in 13 days of fasting.

Dravid's T20 Debut And Retirement On Same Day

New Delhi: Jim Laker's 19 wickets in one Test is a perpetual cricket record and on Wednesday India's Rahul Dravid may follow suit with a debut and retirement from Twenty20 internationals (T20I) on the same day.

India's struggling batting dwindled further on the eve of their only Twenty20 game against England, when a concussed Gautam Gambhir was ruled out. And with just seven fit batsmen available, Dravid's T20I debut is imminent.

But that's only one part of the news. The other half is that in all probability it will also be Dravid's last T20I, as the 38-year-old debutant is expected to retire from the format on the same day.

Dravid, a Test specialist who ironically has scored India's second fastest ODI fifty, would have never expected to play T20s and ODIs on the England tour. But 'The Wall' will stand tall to answer the call of duty, with the squad falling by the wayside due to injuries.

The T20 swansong will precede Dravid's decision to retire from ODIs after the series against England. He announced that decision on the same day selectors surprised him with an ODI call-up.

"In the short term, I am committed because now I have been picked for the series, but in the long term, I think it is best for me and Indian cricket that I focus on Test cricket," Dravid had said then.

Dravid, though never part of India's T20 setup, has featured in all four editions of the cash-rich Indian Premier League. So to say he is completely alien to the design won't be appropriate. And he gave a glimpse of that in the warm-up game against Leicestershire, where he scored 29 off 31 balls.

But at the age of 38, even if he plays a swashbuckling innings on Wednesday, it will be wrong to judge that India missed out by sidelining Dravid for so long. By doing that, those who praised the Fab Four's decision to leave T20 to youngsters will appear foolhardy.

Rather a honest admission will be that 'Team Man' Dravid is currently indispensable for India in Test cricket. Debut and retirement on the same day may be unique, but not something any cricketer cherishes. Dravid is doing this for India, like he has done a number of times.

India's Ideal Xi For T20 Clash Vs Eng

New Delhi: Team India was decimated in the Test series versus England and looked as clueless as new born babies with the cricket bats. After the hammering of a lifetime in Tests, Team India has fought back strongly in three tour matches but the real action begins on Wednesday Old Trafford, Manchester.

The upcoming T20 against England provides an opportunity for the Men in Blue to redeem themselves. The team management should carefully select the playing eleven for this match keeping one eye at the upcoming ODI series.

Injuries to Gambhir and Sehwag, has forced the team management to give veteran Rahul Dravid a chance to make his debut in the T20 format at 38 and surprisingly he would call it a day in the shorter format after making his debut. It wouldn’t be surprising if The Wall decides to shed his normal approach and be more aggressive in his batting style.

Selectors should also find this the right match to give opportunities to rookies such as Varun Aaron and Ajinkya Rahane so that they can show off their much talked about skills.

With Virat Kohli tailor made for the shorter format of the game he is a sure shot to bat at No 4. With aggression in batting and fielding it will surely provide much needed energy and enthusiasm to the whole team who's morale is definitely low. Suresh Raina could also find this match as a perfect platform to get back in business after a disastrous outing in the Test series.

Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma will be one of the key members in the middle order. He has the ability to play an anchor role in the middle and has the ability to shift gear at any given time. The Mumbai Indian batsman is touted as one of the best talents for the future.

In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, MS Dhoni will surely go with R Ashwin and the young off-spinner is one of the vital weapons for Team India. He has the ability to pick wickets and at the same time he is gutsy enough to try variations and can put the breaks on the scoring rate.

With the in-form Praveen Kumar almost a certainty in India's playing eleven, the visitors could use Vinay Kumar as the supporting act from the other end.

Velayutham Movie Stills