MOBILE, Alabama: William Moody, better known to wrestling fans as Paul Bearer, the pasty-faced, urn-carrying manager for performers The Undertaker and Kane, has died, the WWE said. He was 58.
A spokesman for the wrestling company said Moody’s family notified the WWE of his death on Tuesday. No cause was released.
After stints in various independent wrestling promotions, Moody joined the WWE in 1990 and quickly became associated with The Undertaker.
The WWE said in a statement that Moody, “went on to become a memorable part of WWE over the course of the next 20 years.”
In the WWE plotline, Paul Bearer later managed Undertaker’s on-screen half-brother Kane. He also managed the bad-guy character Mick “Mankind” Foley.
His contorted facial expressions made him one of the sports-entertainment company’s more popular personalities for more than a decade.
In the outlandish world of pro wrestling, Paul Bearer was once placed in a glass casket and buried in concrete. In his final WWE appearance last year, Paul Bearer was locked in a freezer by Randy Orton and left there tied up even after he was found by Kane.
That was Moody’s life in the WWE. And it was a business he loved for nearly 40 years. Many of his colleagues paid tribute to him on Wednesday on Twitter.
“Rest in peace, Paul Bearer. You will never be forgotten. There will never be another,” wrote wrestler Triple H.
Moody was a perfect fit as a macabre mortician. When he joined the WWE, he ditched the blond hair and Percy Pringle name he forged in the 1980s for jet black locks complete with powdered white face.
In the act, Paul Bearer’s urn had some unexplained power that protected the Undertaker, allowing his protege to escape unscathed from every leg drop and big boot to the face.
Pro wrestling manager William Moody dies
Pro wrestling manager William Moody dies
Nigerian Dambe boxing goes global — amulets and charms included
- The Dambe World Series kicked off in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday in the latest evolution of a sport that traces its roots back centuries among west Africa’s Hausa speakers
ABUJA: The first strikes in Dambe are thrown before the boxers even leave their house.
Fighters don charms and amulets, dye their fist or even score their arm with a razor, inserting traditional medicine before it scars over — all guaranteed to protect them in the ring or deliver a knock-out punch.
Combined with prayers from “mallams,” or spiritual guides, they are unstoppable — not just in Nigeria, but increasingly around the world.
The Dambe World Series kicked off in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday in the latest evolution of a sport that traces its roots back centuries among west Africa’s Hausa speakers.
“Instead of trying to Westernize it, or instead of trying to make it something else, for us the goal is to professionalize it,” said Maxwell Kalu, founder of the West African Fighting Championship, the group organizing the tournament.
At the same time, a key goal is also “opening the door in terms of inviting people to compete in Nigeria.”
Held on the ground of the national stadium and broadcast by DAZN, a British sports streaming service, the tournament is a far cry from the social tradition said to have been organized by 10th-century Hausa butchers.
“This one is big, I’m very happy,” said Abdullahi “Coronavirus” Ali, a 20-year-old who has been fighting since he was a child. “The audience is growing every day.”
As Coronavirus — nicknamed for his ferocious punches — spoke to AFP, two amateur fighters worked the ring behind him, in a pre-tournament exhibition match in Dei Dei, a working-class Abuja exurb.
Chickens pecked under the rickety wooden stands while cigarette smoke wafted above the crowd.
In Dambe, in lieu of a glove, the fighters each have one fist tightly bound in rope — their striking arm. The other hand reaches out, feeling the space between the opponents and looking for something to grab or parry before the fighting arm whips forward as if from a loaded spring.
Amid the blows, one fighter lost his balance and fell — a “kill.” The round was over.
Dambe might have once seemed destined to be confined to the margins in places like Dei Dei as Abuja’s elite paved over anything standing in the way of modern skyscrapers and highways.
But slowly, the government has taken more interest in preserving and promoting the sport, as have private groups like the WAFC.
With the advent of YouTube and Instagram, Dambe now attracts fans across the world, with one promoter telling BBC in 2017 that 60 percent of his viewers were outside Nigeria.
The sport has also grown at home.
In 2018, a Dambe match in the southern city of Lagos drew spectators curious about their northern countrymen’s pastime — and excited to see it in a proper stadium.
Earlier this month, athletes from across the continent descended on the megacity for the African Knockout Championship, a Western-style mixed martial arts tournament.
But Kalu envisions the opposite: foreigners making their way to witness a distinctively Nigerian way of fighting.
Professionalization also brings the opportunity to bring in safety protocols and stable salaries to the otherwise unregulated sport.
“If I get married, I won’t allow my children to do it,” said Usman Abubakar, 20, his fist dyed a dark henna color and arm replete with charmed scars, recalling an injury to the chest that saw him sit out for two years.
Saturday’s fighters were competing to represent Nigeria in what is envisioned as a multi-stage, international series.
Boxers took to a sand-filled ring under stadium lights, with matches interspersed with musical acts and commercial breaks.
“Coronavirus” and his opponent danced around each other, sweat glistening, looking for an opening. He landed a blow, sending a tensed crowd into cheers as spectators overcame their urge to wince in shared pain.
“It’s somehow scary, but I do enjoy it,” said Joy Beatrice, a 30-year-old forestry officer in the stands.
Last year, supported by the WAFC, British national Luke Leyland traveled from Liverpool to compete in a Dambe match — reportedly the first white fighter to ever do so.
He was “destroyed,” according to one local media report, though he wrote positively of the experience.
Nigerian fighters remain cool on the idea of sharing the spoils of victory.
Asked what would happen if non-Nigerians started competing, “Coronavirus,” Abubakar and a third fighter, Anas Hamisu, were all excited at the prospect of more people embracing their sport.
But they also all shared the same prediction: the Nigerians would win.
Roosters banned in north Lebanese village over loud squawking
- Municipal chief tells Arab News keeping the birds as pets where they may cause a nuisance is now illegal
- Decision was made after many villagers also complained of mess, bad odors
BEIRUT: Keeping pet roosters between houses in the northern Lebanese village of Bednayel has been banned after a municipal decision.
Earlier this week, Salaheddine Al-Ayoubi, the municipality chief of Bednayel, in Al-Koura region, issued the decision banning villagers from keeping roosters to maintain public order and prevent loud noises during the daytime.
“It is illegal to (keep) pet roosters between village houses because they squawk loudly and cause mess and awful smell … not only roosters, but also chicken or any other animal that causes public disorder. Tens of residents complained of roosters’ crowing during daytime and due to that I issued the decision,” Al-Ayoubi told Arab News on Saturday.
The decision caused a social media frenzy and triggered uproar amongst internet users, most of whom criticized Al-Ayoubi.
In his decision, which granted villagers a 10-day deadline to get rid of roosters or any other animal that causes noisiness or disorder, Al-Ayoubi said that it was taken in the best interests of Bednayel’s residents, and was meant to maintain public order.
Elaborating further, the municipality chief explained: “Unfortunately, many villagers misinterpreted the decision. Some questioned how their chicken could lay eggs without roosters. Well, chickens do lay eggs without the need of roosters.”
He added the decision did not single out the issue of owning roosters, but it also discussed several other factors which have been causing public nuisance.
“I did not prevent them from owning roosters … whoever wants to keep a rooster, could do so but not between the houses. Tens of residents have complained of the loud crowing at any time during the day. That is not acceptable … so they are free to have roosters away from the houses and not between them,” he told Arab News.
Al-Ayoubi pointed out that anyone who owns a pet must take all necessary measures to prevent any disturbance to residents, such as maintaining cleanliness, limiting noise, and not allowing animals to roam without supervision.
The decision also prohibits driving motorcycles with loud or modified noises and any motorcycle that violates the regulations will be impounded and its driver fined.
“The municipality will take the appropriate legal action against violators,” he added.
Fans bid teary farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan before their return to China
- Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals
- Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites
SHIRAHAMA, Japan: Thousands of fans bid a teary farewell Friday to a family of four giant pandas at a zoo in Japan’s coastal town of Shirahama as the animals made their last public appearance before their return to China.
Around 3,000 visitors flocked to the Adventure World theme park to get a last glimpse of the beloved animals. Many rushed straight to the panda exhibit zone, calling out the names of their favorites.
Although the 24-year-old mother Rauhin and her three daughters — Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin — were all born and raised at the park, they remain on loan from China and must now be returned.
Once they return to China, Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo will be the only pandas left in Japan.
More than 1,000 people, many wearing panda-themed attire, queued outside the entrance of the theme park hours before it opened while some camped outside the night before.
Junko Ikeda, who came from the neighboring prefecture of Nara, slept in her camper van Thursday night to secure a parking spot for the pandas’ send-off.
“I still can’t believe they are all leaving,” Ikeda said.
Giant pandas are native to southwestern China and serve as an unofficial national mascot. Beijing lends them to other countries as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over them and any cubs they produce.
Born in 2000, Rauhin had seven other cubs with Eimei, a male panda sent from China in 1994. Eimei returned home two years ago.
Despite strained political ties between Japan and China, giant pandas are hugely popular in Japan.
“We feel comforted just by looking at pandas,” said zoo director Koji Imazu.
Imazu said the departure of the four pandas marks the end of the zoo’s 30-year joint project with China. He thanked Chinese specialists for sharing their expertise with the Japanese staff and said the zoo will be ready for a new arrival at any time.
“Of course we all miss them, but I hope you could wish them good health when they go to China,” Imazu said.
In Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said giant pandas are “friendly ambassadors” conveying the goodwill of the Chinese people.
Guo said that China and Japan have collaborated on panda conservation and research since 2000, and that China is ready to further strengthen international cooperation, including with Japan.
Rauhin and her daughters will be flown to China on Saturday where they will join other pandas at a facility in Sichuan province near their original habitat. There, the three young ones will find partners.
These Canadian rocks may be the oldest on Earth
NEW YORK: Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on Earth from a rock formation in Canada.
The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt has long been known for its ancient rocks — plains of streaked gray stone on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Quebec. But researchers disagree on exactly how old they are.
Work from two decades ago suggested the rocks could be 4.3 billion years old, placing them in the earliest period of Earth’s history. But other scientists using a different dating method contested the finding, arguing that long-ago contaminants were skewing the rocks’ age and that they were actually slightly younger at 3.8 billion years old.
In the new study, researchers sampled a different section of rock from the belt and estimated its age using the previous two dating techniques — measuring how one radioactive element decays into another over time. The result: The rocks were about 4.16 billion years old.
The different methods “gave exactly the same age,” said study author Jonathan O’Neil with the University of Ottawa.
The new research was published Thursday in the journal Science.
Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of dust and gas soon after the solar system existed. Primordial rocks often get melted and recycled by Earth’s moving tectonic plates, making them extremely rare on the surface today. Scientists have uncovered 4 billion-year-old rocks from another formation in Canada called the Acasta Gneiss Complex, but the Nuvvuagittuq rocks could be even older.
Studying rocks from Earth’s earliest history could give a glimpse into how the planet may have looked — how its roiling magma oceans gave way to tectonic plates — and even how life got started.
“To have a sample of what was going on on Earth way back then is really valuable,” said Mark Reagan with the University of Iowa, who studies volcanic rocks and lava and was not involved with the new study.
The rock formation is on tribal Inukjuak lands and the local Inuit community has temporarily restricted scientists from taking samples from the site due to damage from previous visits.
After some geologists visited the site, large chunks of rock were missing and the community noticed pieces for sale online, said Tommy Pallizer, who manages the land with the Pituvik Landholding Corp. The Inuit community wants to work with scientists to set up a provincial park that would protect the land while allowing researchers to study it.
“There’s a lot of interest for these rocks, which we understand,” said Pallizer, a member of the community. “We just don’t want any more damage.”
Anna Wintour steps down as US Vogue editor after nearly 40 years
- She will continue to hold senior roles at the group and remain Vogue’s global editorial director
NEW YORK: Magazine legend Anna Wintour stepped down as editor of US Vogue on Thursday after 37 years during which she was often hailed as the single most influential figure in the fashion world.
Wintour, 75, was famous for making Vogue's front covers an authoritative statement on contemporary fashion, and for her total control over the glamorous pages inside.
She will no longer run day-to-day editing of the fashion bible, but magazine group owner Conde Nast was quick to scotch suggestions of retirement.
She will continue to hold senior roles at the group and remain Vogue's global editorial director.
British-born Wintour came to public renown as the inspiration for "The Devil Wears Prada," a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, for which Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination for her role as tyrannical magazine editor Miranda Priestly.
Wintour announced at a staff meeting in New York that US Vogue would seek a new head of editorial content.
In remarks reported by the New York Times, she called it "a "pivotal decision" but stressed she would not be moving out of her office.
"I'll be turning all my attention to global leadership and working with our team of brilliant editors around the world."
Wintour was made a British dame in 2017 and in February this year became a companion of honour -- an elite recognition.
At the ceremony in London in February, Wintour removed her trademark sunglasses to receive the award and said she had told King Charles III that she had no plans to stop working.
Wintour, who was raised in the UK by a British father and an American mother, reigned over Vogue in the heyday of glossy magazines.
US Vogue was a staid title when she took it over in 1988 and transformed it into a powerhouse that set trends -- and often make or break designers, celebrities and brands.
She took the title to a global audience, with huge budgets to spend on models, design, photographs and journalism funded by lavish advertisements and high subscription rates.
Vogue remains fashion's flagship magazine but, like many print publications, has struggled to adapt to the digital era.
Known to some as "Nuclear Wintour" for her decisive leadership, such as axing work without discussion, she was also a fixture in the front row at catwalk shows with her unchanging bob haircut.
A 2015 documentary "The September Issue" about the monthly magazine featured her ice queen image and steely ambition but also revealed a warmer human side.
Wintour has for many years also run the Met Gala, an extravagant Manhattan charity event that attracts an A-list of dressed-up stars from the worlds of fashion, film, politics and sports.
She is a fanatical tennis player and fan -- frequently appearing at Grand Slam finals -- and a major fundraiser for Democrat politicians including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top US honor, before leaving office in January.
As Conde Nast's chief content officer, she will continue to oversee publications including Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Conde Nast Traveler and Glamour.
For many years, Wintour declined to comment on "The Devil Wears Prada," which was written by one of her former assistants, Lauren Weisberger.
But when it was turned into a musical and opened in London in 2024, she told the BBC that it was "for the audience and for the people I work with to decide if there are any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly."
Explaining her sunglasses, she told the outlet that "they help me see and they help me not see. They help me be seen and not be seen. They are a prop, I would say."
