Jehovah's Witness Church Release Statement Over Prince's Death, Says He 'Found Fulfillment Sharing His Faith With Others'

 

The Jehovah’s Witness Church has released a statement following the untimely death of Prince, who officially converted to the religion in 2003.

“We are saddened to hear about the death of Prince Rogers Nelson, who was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2003,” the church said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

The church said that Prince “found fulfillment as a Witness and in sharing his faith with others." 

The statement added: "We do not have any details regarding his medical condition or the cause of his death. Our thoughts are with his family and friends, particularly his fellow worshippers in the Saint Louis Park congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Minnesota. We hope that all find comfort in the Bible’s promise of a future time when death, pain, and tears will be no more.—Revelation 21:3, 4."

Behind Prince’s Paisley Park home on Audubon Road, the Jehovah’s Witness Church was seen with the lights off in the days after his death. Orange cones had been set up to prevent people from entering the building driveway.

Prince's conversion to the Jehovah’s Witness religion actually started, in a roundabout way, with Graham Central Station, the funk group started by Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham after his tenure in that band.

News of Prince’s conversion circulated in 2001 (the Associated Press was the first large outlet to report it, apparently based off an interview Prince gave to Gotham magazine), but people seemed to have a hard time believing the man who wrote songs like "Jack U Off” and “Sexy MF” was now a devout Jehovah’s Witness until October of 2003.

On Oct. 5, 2003, a couple in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, opened their door at 2 p.m. to find Prince standing on their doorstep, Bible in hand. Needless to say, they were shocked. Compounding their surprise: They were Jewish, it was Yom Kippur and the Vikings were playing.

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“My first thought is, ‘Cool, cool, cool. He wants to use my house for a set,’” the woman, identified only as Rochelle, recalled to the paper. “Then they [Prince was accompanied by Graham on this particular outing] start in on this Jehovah’s Witnesses stuff.”

“They stayed for about 25 minutes," Rochelle continued. "Left us a pamphlet.”

Inside 'Game of Thrones' Season 6: Readying the Characters for Battle---------- Benji Wilson

Inside 'Game of Thrones' Season 6: Readying the Characters for Battle

Benji Wilson

Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) Lannister in ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 6

Towards the end of the first season of Game of Thrones, back in 2011, a note came through to the costume department from HBO execs.

“I was in trouble,” says costume designer Caroline Hill, “because the costumes were too clean. Studio complained.”

Not many shows get down and dirty like Game of Thrones. Much of the series takes place outdoors, on horseback, soaked in blood and rain, next to sooty hearths or in dank dungeons. Life in medieval Westeros would have been a soiled, stinky mess.

And so these days, at Game of Thrones’ HQ in Belfast, Northern Ireland, there is a department called “Breakdown.” Between the armory where they make the real plate and chainmail, not far from the sewing room where all of the regalia is crafted by hand, but just before the marquee where every one of the 6,000 extras is fitted, there is a department dedicated to making things look worse.

“Everything goes for breakdown. Even the beautiful dresses for the nobles,” says Hill, as we walk past Lena Headey’s delicate penance robe from last year, encrusted with tiny stars and just enough mud. “They didn’t have dry cleaners then.”

n the breakdown room, seven people are charged with making everything look impeccably blemished. When Yahoo TV visits, they are gathered 'round a table, dry brushing in texture and artfully slashing pants. On the walls are shelves of light reactive dyes and “antiquing fluid.” One breakdown artist is adding a frosting of spray-on snow to a battered shirt. She herself wears a T-shirt with, “You Know Shite All Jon Snow” on the back, upgrading one of the series’ best-known catchphrases with a dash of the local Irish vernacular

Revisit Season 1′s costumes

The problem with breakdown, as Hill concedes as we walk through to the tent containing the racks and racks of extras’ costumes, is that you can’t come in at the end of a good days’ battling and throw your blood-and-mud spattered cloak in the wash.

“We have to preserve the breakdown. We have to preserve the dirt,” she says. Which means that, yes… “We don’t wash the costumes, per se.”

Given that this year Thrones has shot everywhere from the dry heat of Girona, Spain, to the boglands of Northern Ireland, those costumes have taken a battering. As a result, the extras tent, complete with piles of helmets, tabards, and pelts, has the distinctive odor of wet dog.

“The Game of Thrones extras are the best extras I’ve ever worked with,” says Hill, who when we meet is preparing costumes for a scene the next day which will use 300 supporting artists. “They come back year in, year out and they are extremely loyal: if they are a Lannister, they stay a Lannister. They won’t be a Stark!” she says. “The conditions we have to put them through: Rain, snow, cold… they put plastic bags on their feet to stay dry. They all have their own T-shirts and leggings underneath — that gets washed. If it’s been raining all day, we have a ‘dry’ team who come in every night, spray the costumes with alcohol and dry them out. Ninety percent of the time, it’s dry the next day.”

Which means 10% of the time, the extras are wearing wet clothes. It can’t be pleasant to work wearing what is essentially a musty, sodden wrap. But Owen Teale, who plays Ser Alliser Thorne, says that the costumes set the right mood.

Ser Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) in Season 4

“That set in Northern Ireland, Castle Black, it’s in a quarry. And it f–king rains and rains. Once you’re in the quarry, you can’t get to your comforts as an actor — to the caravans, to the food wagon… they just keep you in there,” he says. “When it rains, it takes two people to put the cloak on me. It’s an enormous thing, strapped on, and once it gets wet, it probably weighs my own weight again, which is about 15 stone. So it’s a bleak, horrible situation, often standing up to my ankles in water. But it helps me go to the right place for Ser Alliser. This is what the world of the show is like: I [look at] everyone on set and think, ‘Lucky you… you bastards.’”

Teale, of course, was the man who killed Jon Snow — and thus set in motion one of the most pendulous cliffhangers in TV history. On our visit to Belfast late last year, there was, not surprisingly, a general omerta among the crew about Snow’s demise or otherwise. Still, I couldn’t help but scour for clues.

Huawei P9 Lite forgets it hasn't been announced, goes on sale

Vlad, 

Huawei Android

The P9 Lite is currently Huawei's worst kept secret. For whatever reason, the Chinese company decided not to unveil it alongside the P9 and P9 Plus, yet it's been spotted in many places recently. We've seen it offered by a Romanian retailer, and then we got some info about its pricing in Belgium.
Now the Huawei P9 Lite has been listed by a German online retailer, in three color versions. You can pick one up sans contract for €299, or you can grab a plan from a carrier alongside it and pay as little as €4.95 upfront.
The listing also mentions some of the phone's specs. The P9 Lite has a 1080p touchscreen, 16GB of expandable storage, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, and it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Huawei's EMUI 4.1 on top. Its dimensions are 146.8 x 72.6 x 7.5 mm, and it weighs 147g.
According to past leaks and rumors, the P9 Lite's screen should be 5.2" in size, and the handset will be powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 650 chipset, aided by 2GB of RAM. A 5 MP selfie camera and a 3,000 mAh battery should also be present.

Sony rumored to launch Xperia M Ultra with 6-inch display, 23MP/16MP camera combo

Himanshu,

Sony Android Rumors

According to a new rumor out of China, Sony will launch a new smartphone dubbed Xperia M Ultra. Specs-wise, the device is said to be powered by Snapdragon 652 chipset, and sport a 6-inch full HD display.
The device will have 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory, and pack in a large 4,280mAh battery. The camera department will be handled by a 23MP rear unit and a 16MP selfie shooter. It is also said to feature a USB Type-C port and a fingerprint sensor.
Aside from the the Xperia M Ultra, the Japanese company is also rumored to launch the successor to last year's Xperia C5 Ultra - allegedly dubbed Xperia C6 Ultra. Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed, so take it with a pinch of salt.

Report: Barcelona submit giant offer to sign PSG midfielder

Report: Barcelona submit giant offer to sign PSG midfielder

By Renato Goncalves

Clive Rose/Getty Images

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Barcelona is looking for new players to bring in to Catalonia this summer, and apparently they have just made a huge bid for one.

According to a report from Italian outlet La Reppublica, the Catalan giants have made a giant €60 million formal offer to Paris Saint-Germain for the permanent signing of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, which would be one of the most expensive transfers in Barcelona history.

The Italian international has been constantly linked with a move away from the French millionaires, and his name has been linked with the Blaugrana in many occasions. Verratti is a fantastic central midfielder with world-class abilities to defend and attack, and his passing and vision stand out for a player in his position. Many Barça fans believe the player is the perfect replacement for Barça legend Xavi Hernández, and would be a key addition to Luis Enrique's side.

Also according to La Reppublica's report, president Josep Maria Bartomeu is in charge of the negotiations himself, and he is willing to raise the offer if PSG increase their asking price. Even though the Catalan giants have good depth in midfield, they could lose Arda Turan to China and would replace him with the Italian star.

What do you think, Blaugranes? Would you be on board with Verratti joining Barça?

Legendary Artist Prince Found Dead at 57 Seth Abramovitch

Legendary Artist Prince Found Dead at 57

Seth Abramovitch

The Hollywood Reporter

April 21, 2016

Prince, a dizzylingly prolific multi-instrumentalist and virtuosic performer, was found dead at his home and recording studio in Minnesota early on Thursday, his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 57. 

Deputies are on scene at Paisley Park in Chanhassen conducting a death investigation currently, authorities said. No further details were immediately available and the cause of death is not being released at this time.

The performer was born Prince Rogers Nelson June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minn.

He released his debut album, For You, in 1978, followed by Prince (1979), Dirty Mind (1980) and Controversy (1981). All of them traded in his trademark sound - deep synth funk grooves with provocatively sexual lyrics and heart-piercing ballads sung in pure falsetto.

His mainstream breakthrough came with back-to-back albums with his backing band the Revolution: In 1982, 1999 launched several pop and dance floor hits onto the charts, including “Little Red Corvette” and the title song, a post-apocalyptic party anthem.

Two years later he released the album - a soundtrack, actually, to his movie-starring debut - that would launch him into the same superstar stratosphere of other 1980s pop titans like Michael Jackson and Madonna.

The soundtrack was 1984’s Purple Rain, a searing musical backdrop to a semi-autobiographical tale of “The Kid,” a Minneapolis rocker from an abusive family. The album launched five singles, two of which - “When Doves Cry” and Let’s Go Crazy" - went to Number 1 on the Billboard chart. The title ballad reached Number 2 and has gone on to become one of the most recognizable rock anthems in history. The soundtrack itself is frequently cited on music critics’ polls as being one of the best of all time, and Prince won an Oscar for original score in 1985.

Man United Ease Past Shrewsbury, Set Up West Ham Clash, culled from COMPLETE SPORTS

Man United Ease Past Shrewsbury, Set Up West Ham Clash

Manchester United have booked a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after defeating League One side Shrewsbury Town 3-0 Monday night.
Louis van Gaal’s team will now face Victor Moses and Emmanuel Eenike’s West Ham in the quarter-finals in March.

Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard were the scorers for United.
Memphis Depay had Manchester United’s first chance in the 10th minute but his effort was well saved by Jayson Leutwiler.
United continued to dominate their hosts but couldn’t find a way past their crowded defence.
Depay came close in the 26th minute from a free-kick which unfortunately hit Anthony Martial and went over the bar.
Two minutes later Abu Ogogo heads off the line after Leutwiler partially saved Martial’s shot.
Then in the 37th minute, United’s pressure eventually paid through Chris Smalling off a Morgan Schnerderlin assist.
And in two minutes added time in the first half, Juan Mata added a second from a well taken free-kick which went over the wall, with Leutwiler rooted to the spot.
Prior to the commencement of the second half, United handed Joe Riley his debut, as he replaced Cameron Borth-wick Jackson.
On 54 minutes, Martial beat his marker but couldn’t connect his header on goal, missing from five yards.
Lingard got on the score sheet in the 61st minute after meeting a fine Ander Herrera’s cross.
In the 74th minute, substitute Will Keane, saw his left-foot strike come off the post after being fed by Depay.
Three minutes later Keane went off injured, leaving United to play the rest of the game with 10 men after using all three substitution.
In the 87th minute, Ogogo finds himself unmarked inside United’s six-yard box but headed wide.
United will now host West Ham in the last eight of the FA Cup.

Luis Enrique ready to dazzle Arsenal with magic trio On February 22, 20169:41 pmIn SportsComments 87 Shares 2111 Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has warned Arsenal they will be left spell-bound when he unleashes his bewitching forwards in the Champions League on Tuesday. Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Enrique’s side head to the Emirates Stadium for the last 16 first leg on a 32-match unbeaten run in all competitions and with their front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar having scored 91 goals between them this season. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger labelled Barcelona as “not far from perfect” this week, calling the three-pronged attack a collection of “top, top class” players. And Enrique, looking to lead the Champions League holders to a sixth European Cup crown, says he only has to say the magic words to get the best from his star names. “I tell them ‘abracadabra’ and the magic sparks – that is all I do!” Enrique told reporters on Monday. “I always work really hard and I always had the chance to have plenty of good strikers in my squad, it is quite simple, quite easy. “In some situations you don’t even have to wish what you would like them to do, they already do it. We have to work hard so our midfielders can give them the ball. “We all have the same targets and we know how difficult it is to achieve those targets. I’m delighted with those three and also with the squad. “I have three great players, they are the chosen ones, they are eager to win and every two or three days they have new motivation. I see them training and I’m delighted to be their manager.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/enrique-ready-to-dazzle-arsenal-with-magic-trio/