Wounded Syrians pour into Turkey after bombing

Wounded Syrians streamed across the Turkish border seeking first aid Wednesday after a car bombing in a border town that's become a battleground in the fight between Syrian rebel factions.

The blast in the Syrian town of Jarablus shook windows about a kilometer away in the Turkish village of Karkamis, said Selami Yilmaz, a Karkamis resident.

"We don't even have enough ambulances to keep up with how many wounded are coming across," Yilmaz told CNN. He said he has lent his car to authorities to help get the wounded to hospitals.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the car bomb exploded near a cultural center controlled by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. That al Qaeda-linked force has taken control of much of northern Syria amid that country's bloody civil war. The Syrian Observatory said heavy clashes were still going on in Jarablus.

ISIS, which has also taken control of parts of western Iraq, has attempted to impose strict Islamic law in towns where it holds sway. Rebel troops who had been battling forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched an effort to push back the Islamists two weeks ago, but that offensive appears to have faltered after hundreds of deaths on both sides, observers report.

Yilmaz said the Free Syrian Army, the leading Western-backed rebel force, has been losing ground in Jarablus. Dozens of its fighters have fled amid intense fighting, while wounded FSA troops have been pouring across the border into Turkey for treatment.

Palestinian refugees starving to death in Syrian camp

Human rights groups reported 183 deaths across Syria on Tuesday alone, all but 40 of them combatants on one side or the other. Heavy fighting between ISIS and rebel factions was under way around Aleppo, Syria's largest city, as well as the ISIS-held city of Raqqa and the border town of Saraqeb, where a Belgian man who had become the regional ISIS "emir" was among the dead, the Syrian Observatory reported.

The group also said ISIS executed two civilians from a Kurdish village last week after they left their homes to buy bread in a nearby city. Their bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs "and marks from torture evident on their bodies," the London-based organization reported.

CNN cannot independently verify daily death tolls, but the United Nations has said more than 100,000 people have been killed in Syria since the revolt against al-Assad began in 2011.

U.S. announces $380 million in humanitarian assistance for Syria

Jose Mourinho, Quietly Making Chelsea the Premier League's Dominant Force Again

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Love him or hate him—and I'm in the love him camp—Jose Mourinho has changed. He's a more humble manager the second time around at Chelsea. You'll see him chatting to other coaches, and he's avoiding picking the fights he used to.

It's almost as if he's not that sure of himself. The Special One is having to prove his credentials all over again, but this time things are not all on his terms. Roman Abramovich gave him carte blanche in his first spell at Stamford Bridge; the Chelsea owner has his requirements now.
Mourinho has quietly adapted to the task. He's gone back to what makes him comfortable—focusing on defensive strength and attacking on the counter, and with great success too. When you look at the team he's putting out, Chelsea have the best back five in the Premier League.
They have the most consistent goalkeeper in Petr Cech, whose exceptional work this season had almost gone unnoticed before he eclipsed Peter Bonetti's club record with his 209th clean sheet against Hull, as per the Express.

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John Terry remains England's best central defender, by some distance. It will be Roy Hodgson's loss that Terry won't be at the World Cup this summer. Terry also manages to get the best out of Gary Cahill, who is not the same player without his veteran partner alongside him.
Credit must go to Arsenal's excellent central pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker, but I would put Terry and Cahill above them. Arsenal remain vulnerable occasionally, as they proved in their 6-3 defeat to Manchester City, while I can't see Chelsea succumbing to a similar defensive collapse. 
Chelsea's fullbacks, Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole, complete their impressive back five. People who are writing Cole off are preposterous. He's still one of the best left-backs in the world, though Aleksander Kolarov at Manchester City is providing strong competition for the title of best in the Premier League.
It's a strong defence, more often than not, that wins you a title. Perhaps Mourinho needed to convince himself, and Abramovich for that matter, that to win trophies he needed to get things sorted at the back first. He's not just laid a foundation for a challenge this season; he's laid one for the next two or three seasons.

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Long-term, Chelsea are the Premier League team I would fear most. What Manchester City are doing is incredible, and both Arsenal and Liverpool have made fine progress, but Mourinho's Chelsea are looking like a genuine force again. He has them playing to his tried and tested formula, and it's working.

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Mourinho is now unbeaten in 70 Premier League home games as Chelsea manager. What's even more remarkable, is the fact his team are better equipped to win away from home than they are at Stamford Bridge.
Ultimately I think he wants to play 4-3-3, and signing Nemanja Matic will allow him to do that. Matic will give him flexibility in terms of formation and better, smarter protection in front of back four. His intelligence in possession will spark Chelsea's fluidity going forward as well, especially in transition. I can also see Mourinho opt for a false nine with Eden Hazard, Oscar and even Juan Mata in that role, as he did with Andre Schurrle in the second half against Aston Villa, earlier in the season.
The next three weeks are obviously huge. Chelsea play both Manchester clubs, starting with United on Sunday, and it's hard to see them losing both games and winning the title. It's often not how many games you lose, but when you lose them.
Mourinho's influence will be to the fore. We talk about the way he shields his players from the glare, but in putting himself out there to the media he's also laying down the gauntlet to his squad. He's showing them how to lead. Sir Alex Ferguson did it and Antonio Conte does it. All the great managers do.
At the start of the season I picked City to win the title, with Chelsea second. Mourinho's team might be under-the-radar a little, but I can see them proving me wrong.
Mourinho has been going about his business more quietly than usual, but he's building a Chelsea team that will be soon be the loudest in the land again.

Jesse Jackson Jr. Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison; Wife Sandi Gets 12

Jesse Jackson Jr. has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for misusing nearly $750,000 in campaign funds.
His wife, Sandi Jackson, has received a 12 months sentence.
The Jacksons reportedly spent campaign money on entertainment and pop culture memorabilia, luxury items, and other frivolous expenses.

Jackson, the son of the civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, has requested to serve his time at a federal prison near Washington, D.C. His wife, Sandra, was also sentenced Wednesday to one year in prison. She has pleaded guilty to a related charge of filing false tax returns.
Jackson made an emotional plea to the judge Wednesday, wiping his eyes and blowing his nose as he asked the judge for some leniency. He apologized to his constituents and his family.
“If probation is not available to her, give me her time,” Jackson said, referring to his wife. He said he needed to be “as far away from everybody for a while that I could be.”

Ranking the Top 5 NBA Players at Every Position: Melo Moves Up at Small Forward

The best of the best at each position aren't free from the NBA's unfortunate rash of injuries.
Just look at how many prominent players from each of the five spots in the lineup have fallen victim:

• Point guard: Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, Eric Bledsoe
• Shooting guard: Kobe Bryant, Tyreke Evans
• Small forward: Shawn Marion, Danilo Gallinari, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
• Power forward: Ryan Anderson
• Center: Marc Gasol (though he recently returned), Nikola Vucevic

Ouch. Literally.
The ranks are thin, especially at point guard, but plenty of standouts still deserve some serious recognition for their on-court contributions. It's worth noting, though, that these are reactive rankings in which recent performance matters a lot.
Chris Paul is still the best point guard in basketball, but that doesn't matter here. He hasn't played recently, which means he hasn't contributed anything to the Los Angeles Clippers' efforts. Therefore, he isn't able to keep up with the guys who are playing well right now.
Just keep that in mind as we run through the countdowns and see how everyone has shifted since the last edition. Due to injuries and recent performances, we have no fewer than a handful of players making the jump from unranked to a featured spot.

Why the black man will never tell you he wants commitment

The long-held belief that black women are starved creatures who continue to be overlooked when it comes to love is sickening. It doesn’t matter if they are successful or average, pretty or standard, the idea that women are just sitting around waiting to be selected by a man who has his pick of the litter is the universal presentation that we see when it comes to African American relationships. In just about all aspects of life this philosophy is present. Like the time that ABC Nightline featured a report on why so many successful black women were single. Or the many movies that reinforce the notion that black women are either desperate for a relationship and are the last choice for a life long partner.
The long anticipated information that just needed a bit of confirmation from a scientific source is finally here. According to a recent report released by NPR, The Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and Harvard University, when it comes to dating, black men are looking for long-term, committed relationships more than black women. Researchers theorize that financial concerns may be responsible for this trend. A  “Colorlines” article cites that:
 ”black women are more concerned with the financial stability of their partners than Latinas or white women. And since black women are outpacing black men on a host of metrics that might determine their financial prospects — black women are more likely to attend and graduate college and receive advanced degrees…they may be less likely to see much financial upside in pairing up compared to black men.”
For years I have been arguing with some of my closest male friends about dating in the black community. As a black woman, I’d passionately argue with them about the real reasons why these stereotypes remained prevalent, and most importantly how damaging they are to future relationships between African American men and women. But there was one thing missing from my argument. Scientific proof as my friends, and possibly the rest of the world have a need for everything (regardless of how much it makes sense), to be backed by research from white coats. Now I can finally go in in hopes of them opening their minds to my perspective on the subject.
Black women who are successful have certain traits and characteristics. They are strong, won’t settle for anything and know that the key to getting what you want in life is not in having expectations, but by having standards. The problem is that WE are the only ones that know it. Why? Because most of the population continues to perpetuate the stereotype that black women are waiting around for a man to “choose” them.
The report revealed the opposite of what most of the population believed. That black women are desirable, long-life partners for black men. Beyond that, black men want to be in committed relationships with black women MORE than they do. Black women are the ones who are hesitant, NOT black men. What seems to be happening here is that black men and black women have not only sought validation and comfort from entities outside of one another, but have put their trust into these outside forms as well. Some black men feel validated when they mess around with many women. Having children with multiple women solidifies the “manhood” of some black men, and establishes them as an “alpha” male. Black women no longer have trust in the black man as an economic contributor, loving husband or responsible father therefore closing herself off to those who do and do not meet her expectations. It’s not JUST because your man is a ho that there are more black single mothers than married ones. It isn’t JUST because that woman is a gold digger that she won’t date or build a future with you.
If you listen to the way African American men and women talk about each other, you would think that they were sworn enemies. “N-words ain’t s***.” “Trust no hoes.” How can we even begin to establish loving unions with these types of opinions about each other? The root of the problem is not economic fears, cheating, etc. These are merely symptoms of the true root distrust which ultimately leads to lack of communication and division among both parties. Actions don’t mirror actual feelings and words that could put an end to the demise of loving relationships are never spoken. Essentially, the black man and the black woman have been pitted against each other.
No one is the enemy when it comes to black men and women in the context of relationships. There’s just a lot of hurt people in the world and we all know that hurt people hurt people. I challenge you to relate to and communicate with each other openly and honestly about your feelings and desires. Stop viewing everyone as the enemy just because you’ve come across a few that are no good. Then maybe, just maybe, we won’t need researchers to tell us what we already know about ourselves.

Cops beat deaf man for 7 minutes because he didn’t respond to them

An Oklahoma man was beat for seven minutes by police because he did not respond to their yelling. 64-year-old Pearl Pearson, a deaf diabetic driver who lives in Oklahoma City was hospitalized as a result of the Jan. 3rd incident. 
From The Free Thought Project:

The following is the story according to Pearl Pearson and family of what happened that night: At this time, only limited details can be provided since this case is under investigation.

1. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol pulled Pearl over late in the evening on January 3, 2014. Pearl pulled over as he should.
2. Pearl’s driver’s license indicates he is Deaf. He also has a placard in his driver’s door that says, “Driver is deaf”.
3. Pearl pulled over and rolled down his window, expecting an officer to ask for this identification. An officer struck him in the face before Pearl had the chance to do anything.  As you can see, he was struck multiple times.
4. An interpreter was never provided while Pearl was under the care of law enforcement.  Not during the booking, hospital, or time at the jail  was an interpreter provided, even through Pearl requested one.
5. Pearl was left wondering “why” the the entire time.  He has no clue why  he was beat. Pearl and his family are still not sure, but are ready for some answers.
6. Pearl’s own son is a police officer, as was his son-in-law, who is now a deputy sheriff.  He respects law enforcement and knows how to respond when pulled over.  There is no reason for someone like Pearl to be hurt like this by those who are meant to protect and serve.

The two officers involved in the seven minute altercation were identified as Eric Foster and Kelton Hayes. Both officers have been suspended with pay while the investigation into the incident continues.
No words for actions like these.

Secrets to Arsenal's Success on the Road This Season

Arsenal are the road warriors of the English Premier League. The table-toppers have claimed 25 of their 47 points this season away from home.

The recent 2-1 win over Aston Villa was Arsenal's eighth road victory of the campaign. Their success away from the confines of the Emirates Stadium is built on a few key factors.
The first is a solid base at the back. In Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, the Gunners boast the best centre-back partnership in the EPL and possibly all of European football right now.
Neither one is the catalyst for the other's success, although Mertesacker can lay claim to being the most dominant central defender in the EPL.
The real secret to the success of the Mertesacker-Koscielny partnership is the comfort level between the two. When one steps out, the other drops in to cover. They consistently act as a unit.
Winning away from home demands defensive solidity and Mertesacker and Koscielny have become a guarantee of that.

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Per Mertesacker gives Arsenal the solid base to help them win anywhere.

With things taken care of at the back, the next secret to Arsenal's road form allows the Gunners to seize control. It comes from the naturally fearless philosophy of manager Arsene Wenger.
As Sky Sports' commentators noted during Monday night's win over Villa, Wenger doesn't believe being away from home should make any difference in how his side controls the ball.
Where most managers may adopt a cautious approach to away fixtures, particularly during the early stages, Wenger has always insisted his team plays its usual, possession-hogging game.
Over the years that insistence may have gotten the Frenchman and his team in some trouble. But it is also a point of pride that Arsenal will go to any stadium and begin owning the ball.
In road games, that seizes the initiative and applies further pressure to the home team. The hosts are expected by their own fans to take the game to any visitor.
That expectation serves as a massive boost to a team like Arsenal. Wenger is used to seeing opponents come to the Emirates Stadium with a stifling mentality.
Visitors to the red half of North London will routinely pack the midfield and crowd numbers behind the ball. Their first thought is always to destroy, rather than create.
Wenger must have lost count of how many teams embodying negativity have stolen points from Arsenal's home. But he can take comfort knowing that away from that home, Arsenal will be afforded more space.
This is something he pointed out to Arsenal.com toward the end of last season:

We have been strong away from home and we had a good stability.
How do you explain that? I believe that at home at the beginning of the season, we played with some fear.
Away from home we played with more freedom and expressed more our game and maybe as well because the home teams attack more against us than they do at the Emirates. Away from home we have had a good season.

When teams respond to the rallying cry of their home fans and pour forward, they play right into what Arsenal do best. They become vulnerable to the kind of quick-counter, combination play that defines Wenger's brand of attacking football.
Fulham were the first to feel the wrath of Arsenal's counter attacking prowess this season. The Gunners scored twice on the break to seal a 3-1 win at Craven Cottage in late-August 2013.
Swansea City were also humbled by a pair intricately plotted counter moves that helped Arsenal leave the Liberty Stadium 2-1 winners at the end of September.

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Manager Arsene Wenger knows the likes of Mesut Ozil will have more room to play away from home.

Improved play on the break has been one of the defining features of Arsenal's away success. Proficiency on the counter usually demands pace, which is one of the reasons injured speedster Theo Walcott will be missed.
But in truth, there is variety to the way Arsenal break. Bullish centre-forward Olivier Giroud's ability to hold up the ball provides a natural outlet any time Arsenal steal possession in their own half.
Giroud's talent for linking well with others, always one of the best features of his game, at the tip of triangles has created a plethora of goals for these Gunners.
When Arsenal counter it is not necessarily the speed of their runners that exposes teams, but the pace of their ideas and passing. Villa found that out to their cost on Monday night.
Less than a minute after Arsenal had opened the scoring, Villains midfield man Fabian Delph was robbed by Jack Wilshere. The young England international wasted no time lofting a chipped pass to Giroud, who had made a smart run, peeling off to the left corner of the box.
Giroud's first touch was excellent, and compensated for some clumsy subsequent contact with the ball, before he smashed a thumping shot across goal and into the bottom right corner.

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Arsenal are ruthlessly efficient on the counter this season.

The whole action was as swift as it was emphatic. Wilshere won possession, passed to Giroud, who controlled the ball and fired it into the net.
The goal was the very best of Arsenal this season. There was tenacity out of possession to go and hunt the ball back. That was followed by a quick decision and quality execution to match the idea.
Those efforts were rewarded by a confident finish. That is Arsenal in a nutshell this season.
Speaking of that confident finish, it revealed another secret to why Arsenal are such a tough nut to crack on the road. This is a much more ruthless group of players when chances come their way.
Take the first goal against Villa as a prime example. Mesut Ozil played a brilliant through pass, his only meaningful contribution of the night, to release left-back Nacho Monreal.
The Spaniard played the ball across the box to Wilshere, who took a touch and nudged the ball into the corner of the net.
That was it. Three decisive touches, two smart passes and a classy finish produced a goal. That is just how Wenger's best teams have always done it.
Opponents now cede possession to Arsenal at their peril. By contrast, the Gunners are now more willing to surrender the ball once they have a lead.
While Arsenal shouldn't make a habit of the downright sluggish fare they produced in the second half at Villa Park, they are certainly more adept at holding a lead and seeing out a win.
Part of that stems from a willingness to drop numbers behind the ball, rather than over-committing for more goals. It is a balancing act and it can be dangerous, as it very nearly was against Villa.

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Arsenal pack numbers behind the ball to protect a lead, rather than chasing extra goals.

But the difference is that two seasons ago Arsenal would have lost their lead. They would have drawn or even been beaten by Villa. This team doesn't loosen a grip on three points so easily.
They didn't at St. James's Park, when they beat Newcastle United 1-0 on December 29th. The trick was repeated against Villa.
It is a trend most vividly portrayed in Wenger's substitutions, which are blatantly defensive whenever Arsenal hold even a slight advantage.
Arsenal, long the staunch proponents of football's beautiful side, now have a knack for winning ugly.
Finally, one secret to Arsenal's away day glories that often goes unnoticed is the lift provided by playing away from the Emirates.
I have sat many times in that stadium and experienced the sometimes toxic backlash of home fans toward a club that has gone so long without a trophy.
It often feels like there is an expectation of failure from sections of the stands. It is perhaps an understandable feeling after nearly a decade of near-misses, late-game collapses and failures on the big stage.
But it is also easy to believe how the simmering wrath from the stands transmits to the players. Particularly in big games, Arsenal can be ultra-cagey at home.

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The Emirates Stadium crowd has not been slow or shy about venting frustration.

They often play a restricted game, where the fear of making a mistake and raising the ire of the terraces is tangible. When on the road, the Gunners are noticeably more bold. It makes a huge difference.
Wenger noted this trend in an interview with Arsenal.com from October 2012, when he noted: “Maybe [we’ve] played with less freedom at home - with a bit more pressure."
Arsenal are the visiting team nobody wants to welcome because they have the defensive base that can help them survive anywhere. They are also now more willing to go pragmatic and value negation over creation.
But that doesn't mean Wenger's men won't still dominate possession on opposition turf. When they have the ball they will play freely and use it with a ruthless efficiency lacking in previous years.
When they don't have possession, home teams are only one mistake away from being undone by a lightning-fast counter.
While Manchester City and Chelsea appear more dominant, Arsenal's ability to plunder the most spoils on the road could be the decisive factor in this title race.