Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Former Grenadian publisher dies

October 30

The media fraternity in Grenada was this week mourning the passing of Graham Stroude, who died earlier this week.

Stroude of Mardigras, St. George's, died at his home in Brooklyn, NY on Sunday October 29 at the age of 80.

He was the Publisher of the National Review Newspaper in Brooklyn.

The viewing of Graham Stroude will take place on Sunday November 4 from 4-6 p.m. to follow by a church service at Union United Methodist Church, 121 New York Avenue, between Bergen & Dean Streets in Brooklyn.

Burial will take place in Grenada on Thursday November 8.

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Grenadian passed away

Pawtucket - Jason A. Campbell, 33, passed away unexpectedly, Sunday, October 28, 2007.

Born in Grenada, West Indies, he was a beloved son of James and Theresa (John) Campbell of Pawtucket.

Jay resided in Boston before moving to Pawtucket in 1987. He was a tractor trailer driver.

Jay respected the young as well as the old and touched many hearts during his lifetime.

He always went above and beyond to help anyone in need, never expecting anything in return.

Besides his loving parents he leaves one daughter, Janiya Campbell of Providence and one brother, Shaun Campbell of Pawtucket.

Services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in Epworth United Methodist Church, 915 Newport Ave., Pawtucket.

Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery, Pawtucket. VISITATION Friday 5- 8 p.m. at WILLIAM W. TRIPP Funeral Home, 1008 Newport Ave., Pawtucket.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory to Epworth United Methodist Church, 915 Newport Ave., Pawtucket, RI 02861 would be appreciated. www.trippfuneralhome.com

©The Pawtucket Times 2007

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Joseph should be a candidate for league MVP

Frank Dell'Apa, Special to ESPNsoccernet

In 1989, current New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol was named Player of the Year in England by the Football Writers Association. There were no statistics to justify the award, no publicity campaign to support Nicol's candidacy. Nicol was considered the epitome of a footballer, Liverpool had a successful season, and that was that.

But "that" is unlikely to happen here.

Keith Nordstrom/WireImage

New England's Shalrie Joseph is a dominating presence in midfield.

In the MLS, the promotion of players is stats-based. There are so many numbers on the league's weekly press releases, you can get confused looking at them. Most of those statistics are irrelevant and hardly any of them are used to tell a story. Obviously, goal scoring is an exception. Goals reflect the effectiveness of forwards, and there are ratings and rewards for them. But for every other player, there are no numbers that can give an accurate account of their effectiveness.

So, though Shalrie Joseph -- one of Nicol's Revolution players -- should be a candidate for the league's Most Valuable Player award, there is little chance of his winning it.

Two years ago, Joseph was named the Revolution's MVP (by team vote). But his teammate, Taylor Twellman, won the league's MVP honor (by media vote), and Joseph was not among the finalists. That was a first. That year, the Revolution probably had MLS' best team when the voting was conducted, so the easy choice for MVP was Twellman, since he was the team's top scorer. Twellman, though, probably should have won the MVP award in 2002, when his goal scoring carried the Revolution to the MLS Cup; by '05, the Revolution were a much more well-rounded team.

Now, the Revolution have been established among MLS' perennial contenders. And Joseph is unique among MLS performers in terms of his value to the team.

There is probably no other player in the league who can cover as many roles as Joseph.

Joseph dictates the rhythm of play and wants everything played through him in his holding midfielder role. Joseph is comfortable with the ball and is a commanding presence, and this allows him to play quickly and keep the ball on the ground. Joseph also can play a well-weighted long ball, but it is this predilection to keep the ball on the ground that makes the Revolution attack effective.

The Revolution also depend on Joseph to defend against corners and set pieces, to drop into the back line when the opposition resorts to launching long balls, to defend against the opponent's best player in the midfield. Joseph is a scoring threat on corners and also takes penalty kicks. Call him the team's Most Versatile Player.

But there is no way of quantifying how a midfielder handles pressure, no measure of his effectiveness in ball distribution, no way of determining whether he is making the best decisions.

And that is the essence of soccer.

There are so many intangibles about the game. And the seamless nature of soccer makes it impossible to program situations. Players simply have to be plugged into the myriad of possible consequences of any action and be prepared for anything at any time. Nobody can tell a player where to go or what his next move should be -- he simply has to follow his instincts. Joseph is a lesson in these basics of soccer; he gets to the right place at the right time and he does something decisive.

Joseph is the essential footballer. This is not to say Joseph is perfect; his shooting from distance is erratic at best, and he seldom finishes chances in the air. But he kicks up the competitive level a notch and makes everyone around him better.

"Shalrie is the most respected defensive midfielder in the league," Revolution defender Jay Heaps said. "He wins balls and sprays the ball around; he takes on so much responsibility. I know guys on the other team fear him, because he can change a game by just being physical. He has a great sense of leadership out there, he is a vocal leader, he is involved in the group and he's not just out there for himself. He's competitive and he competes for the team, and that's why he is a successful player in the MLS."

Joseph was dissatisfied with his MLS contract status almost since Day One -- he played for the minimum salary in 2003 and earned less than $500,000 in five seasons, only recently signing a new contract that will pay him a salary in the top 10 players in the league. But, while Joseph talked of hoping to be traded or moving to Europe (Celtic made a $1 million-plus transfer bid for Joseph), he did not grouse or pout or seem hung up on past injustices or mistakes.

"I've been around a long time," Nicol said, "and I don't remember seeing a player who had gone through having a chance to go, then not move on, and going through all the other stuff -- but on Saturday he has given it all to the team and his teammates. He wants to stay and win a championship. Every game he's in, it's professional pride. He wants the team to win."

Frank Dell'Apa is a soccer columnist for The Boston Globe and ESPN.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Regional Journalists invited to participate in World Bank-sponsored Teleconference

Group Meets at The World Bank to Address Key Issues Impacting the Caribbean and its Diaspora

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 16, 2007 -- Restrictive press laws, access to information and resources, more visibility for issues that impact the Caribbean and its global Diaspora are just few of the agenda items to be discussed at a seminal meeting hosted by The World Bank and the National Association of Caribbean-American Journalists.

For the first time in history, journalists in the Caribbean and the United States will convene to strategize on ways to address sparse coverage of Caribbean issues in the U.S. media and its implications for the Caribbean region. The meeting will be held at The World Bank headquarters at 1818 H Street in Washington D.C.

Several distinguished journalists outside of the D.C. area will attend via video- and teleconferencing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 1. The two-hour session is scheduled to begin promptly at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m.

So far, confirmed participants include Executive Vice President of Diversity, NBC Universal, Paula Madison; Founder of National Association of Black Journalists and lead anchor at WJLA-TV, ABC 7 in Washington, D.C., Maureen Bunyan; President of International Center for Journalists, Joyce Barnathan; Communications Director of the Knight Center for Journalism, Marc Fest; General Secretary of Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Patrick Cozier; Executive Member of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers, Michael Bascombe; President of CVM, TV, David McBean; General Manager of The Jamaica Gleaner, North America Edition, Sandra Moore; and Ambassador of Grenada and Dean of the caucus of Caribbean ambassadors Denis Antoine.

Journalists and community leaders who wish to participate must RSVP by e-mail to nacaj@nacaj.org by Oct. 26. There are no exceptions.

The National Association of Caribbean-American Journalists, or NACAJ, is a nonprofit organization founded in June 2007 to advocate for journalists, journalism professors, public relations professionals and students. NACAJ aims to offer members support and recognition, networking opportunities with the Caribbean region and its Diaspora and as a clearing house for ongoing journalism jobs and training opportunities. Membership is open to natives of the Caribbean, their descendants and others in and outside the U.S.

For more information, e-mail nacaj@nacaj.org, or call NACAJ President Ann-Marie Adams (202) 413-0171.

Surprise Guest Muhammad Ali Inspires Athletes, Captures Spirit of Event

AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007 Opening Ceremony

Blends City’s Passion for Sport and Celebration of Excellence

Surprise Guest Muhammad Ali Inspires Athletes, Captures Spirit of Event

CHICAGO (October 22, 2007) – The AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007 proudly kicked-off this afternoon at the Chicago Theatre.

Closing historic State Street for an athlete procession to the ceremony, thousands of Chicagoans warmly embraced nearly 700 boxers from approximately 120 countries who have come to Chicago looking for the chance to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The eleven-day event, which will be the largest world boxing championships in history, will take place from October 23 – November 3 at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.

“The Opening Ceremony captured how truly honored we feel to host these premier competitors from all across the world and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Jack Sandner, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007.

Surprise guest-of-honor, Muhammad Ali, brought fans to their feet as he graced the Opening Ceremony with his presence. More than 40 years after he wowed the world with his gold medal performance at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Ali’s presence gave the world-class competitors at tonight’s ceremony a glimpse of what greatness can create.

“Muhammad Ali personifies the values that the Olympic Movement stands for; commitment, excellence and a devotion to making the world a better place,” said Sandner. “We could not be more pleased that he took the time to share some of his magic with those attending and competing at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007.”

The top eight finishers in nine of the 11 weight classes and the top four in the heavy and super heavyweight divisions in Chicago will earn a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games.

The field is loaded with 27 World Championship medal winners from the 2005 AIBA World Championships in Mianyang City, China, expected to compete.

Also, competing are eight Olympic medalists from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including gold medalists Manus Boomjumnong of Thailand and Alexey Tishchenko of Russia.

The AIBA World Boxing Championships are held every two years.