關於 despite the fact that vs despite ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

【老吉士 Old Jesse, iapm 環貿店 Shanghai】Back to Jan 2020, somehow I went to Shanghai & nearby as last minute planning. Despite being late in the season, but with annual Weather fluctuations & Global warming, I ordered some Shanghainese Crab Roe & Meat on bean noodles which turned out still great 🦀. But remember to read the last point below! :
_
🎗️The fresh Shanghai Crab Roe & Tomalley, Meat was so fragrant & tasty, it wasn't remotely funny! 😬🤤😢 Granted I have eaten mediocre ones in Shanghai too b4.
🎗️The 粉皮 Mung Bean noodles used up there is inherently different, compared to the ones served at most Hong Kong shops. I much prefer this type of noodles which are more springy & can be spooned. Ironic thing, & I have said this before, some famous shops in Shanghai use noodles which are Made in Hong Kong but to their spec! So it isn't like these noodles aren't available here.
🎗️Photos 3 & 4 are from HK's 老吉堂. The Noodles are also the texture & type I consider the best for the dish. It just sux that HK shop's Crab flavor is so low, tamed & MSG laddened. Over priced too 🙄
🎗️A lot of people compare 蟹粉粉皮 vs 蟹膏粉皮 these days once again, especially those from Liu Yuan Pavillion 留園雅敘 or 浙江軒. We used to order carefully between these too or say 禿黃油, but I think some eaters for diff dishes can prefer similar to the former, oft cheaper version because it has a sweeter mix of all Crab bits from Meats to corals from Males & Females, all of which contribute a diff profile.
🎗️In fact, some other Crab connoiseur foodies prefer another option called 生拆 公蟹蟹粉粉皮. It is actually picked from raw Crabs 1st, rather than picking from pre Steamed Crabs, & non frozen. 2ndly, despite using only Male Crabs, it utilizes both Male Roes, Milt & also the Meat. This is super hard to come by though, as not many shops are willing to 生拆 them as it is actually much tedious work 喺香港時間等於金錢! Good luck finding & special ordering them in Hong Kong 😋😋😋

Reposting a snippet from my latest blog post, you can read the full article here: http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/2020/07/raeesah-khan-ge-2020-and-being-labeled.html?m=1

I’m posting more about Raeesah Khan today.

First, a disclaimer. I do not dislike the Worker’s Party.

Of all the opposition parties, I think they are the best. I live in Aljunied grc, and they have done a great job so far. I agree with many of the policy suggestions in their manifesto.

For example, redundancy insurance, abolishing the retirement age, or lowering the age of eligibility for BTO flats, which will help singles and our LGBTQ community to get housing just like married couples are.

Previously I mentioned on my ig stories that Raeesah Khan is not suitable to be an MP.

Today I am going to ask some very important questions which I hope both WP and Raeesah will answer.

I refer to this tweet by Raeesah in the photos.

It appears that she is saying her political views can be summed up by

- Angela Davis’ political views
- Intersectional feminism

Many of you may not know about Angela Davis, but she is a far-left activist, who spent her life sympathising with some of the most oppressive communism regimes around.

She literally calls herself a communist, and was a member of the Communism Party in USA. I think there is no need to explain how horrible communism is.

And of course in order to make any non-communist country a communist state, it would involve total revolution, many lives, and replacing it with a totalitarian regime in charge of redistributing wealth back to its citizens.

She is also a prison abolitionist, campaigning for prisons to completely be eradicated. Where to put the murderers, I can’t seem to find a good answer, because it seems she also is against the death penalty.

Angela Davis was a member of the Black Panthers, a brutal communist, anti-semite organization. In 1970, Angela Davis bought the weapons that were used for a shootout during a trial of 3 black inmates accused of killing a white prison guard. All the black men and judge who was held hostage perished in the gunfight, and Davis fled the state. She was eventually caught.

Even though she conspired to commit murder, the jury found her not guilty.

In short, this woman is the antithesis to the Singapore that Mr Lee Kuan Yew wanted.

This tweet of Raeesah Khan’s talking about Angela Davis was posted only a few weeks ago, but surprisingly enough, nobody is talking about it.

Anyone who knows who Angela Davis is should be horror-filled that a candidate running for parliament is a fan of hers, and claims that the reading of her books represents her political views.

Previously I mentioned Raeesah appears to be one of those radical leftists who seem hell bent on bringing the toxic, cancerous identity politics that America is so notorious for into Singapore.

There are racial issues that minorities face in Singapore, of course there is. It is tough to be a minority in any country.

But instead of discussing calmly and logically what new politics can be introduced to solve these problems or what laws need to change, proponents of Identity politics instead try to make a single race the enemy.

When there are enemies, people unite. Political parties using this method will see themselves get votes if they manage to market themselves as the empathetic ones, even if the politics they impose do more evil than good in the long run.

Society is then split into a them vs us, while tribalistic infighting ensue. If you disagree with this method of classifying victims by their skin colour (when in fact so many things determine a person’s privilege, such as looks, height, family wealth, health, both parents around etc etc), you are automatically seen as racist and the bad guy.

Because nobody wants to seem morally corrupt or unsympathetic, they prop up this system.

Instill this sentiment into citizens long enough and resentment builds. The ones constantly told they are being oppressed will start seeing oppression everywhere. They won’t even try to succeed in life, because they are told they are so oppressed they can never make it. They believe their oppressors owe them.

Meanwhile, the majority race starts feeling angry at constantly being called oppressors. Or maybe they are poor and unhappy themselves, but see that resources for help are only made available for minorities but not them. If they were indeed racist before, this makes them even more racist.

What eventually happens is civil war. We cannot have this poison in Singapore.

Raeesah’s has apologised for her posts, but nobody needed to hear whether she is sorry she was being insensitive.

What people need to know is:

Does she still believe our courts are corrupt as she so insinuated? Does she still believe law enforcement unfairly target minorities? If not, what made her change her mind? Her statement does not address any of this.

Worker’s Party claim they did not see those posts of Raeesah’s. Fair enough. But I do not believe they have done such terrible vetting that they have not seen her tweet about Angela Davis which was so recent.

I wish to ask Raeesah Khan, DO YOU DISAVOW ANGELA DAVIS’ POLITICAL VIEWS?

- Do you believe that Singapore, through a brutal revolution and death, can become a communist utopia?

- Do you think that everyone in Singapore should not own private property and should have equal wealth, the very values communism epouses? If so, do you seek to redistribute your multi-millionaire dad's wealth to the poverty-stricken citizens of Singapore?

- Do you agree that it is only with violence and death do we achieve true freedom?

- Do you seek to abolish prisons in Singapore?

- Do you believe in the ideologies of Karl Marx, or Valdamir Lenin?

As for Worker’s Party, why did you field a candidate who holds extreme left-wing views?

Do you agree with her ideologies and think it aligns with yours? DO YOU ENDORSE THESE FAR LEFT VIEWS??

Please answer these questions. I write all these not because I am a PAP lackey, even though obviously people will say I am. Despite what you think, I believe it is healthy to have opposition seats in parliament.

However, I absolutely do not want to see candidates such as Raeesah Khan in our parliament - she brings with her dangerous political views that can topple the peaceful society we built over the years and is completely against everything that Singapore stands for. As it is, the mindless youth of Singapore are already echoing her dangerous ideologies.

I would rather any opposition joker win than her.

【大使館發言人批評意大利國會邀請我作聽證 外交部長反駁斥捍衛言論自由】

感謝意大利國會議員邀請，日前我藉視像通話方式，參與意大利國會外交及人權委員會的聽證會，呼籲意大利支持香港實現民主普選，停止出口衝鋒車予香港警察，亦鼓勵他們參考《香港人權民主法案》醞釀制裁機制。

聽證結束以後，本來當地關注尚算有限，但中國駐意大利使館發言人高調發表聲明批評意大利國會議員「執意與黃之鋒搞視頻通話，為港獨分子撐腰」，就令到香港議題再度進佔輿論版面。

根據「中國外交Bingo紙」，聲明內文中了至少9個關鍵詞，包括斥我「竭力 #顛倒黑白，#美化暴力，詆毁一國兩制……是個徹頭徹尾的港獨 #跳樑小丑」，還有「#極其錯誤、#不負責任」，表示 #強烈不滿、#堅決反對，呼籲有關人士 #尊重主權（？？？），多做有利中意友好與合作事宜，這只反映中國外交系統何等「玻璃心」。

據意大利記者告知，中國駐意大利大使館發言人的取態，導致意大利外交部長及國會議員先後回應，表明捍衛言論自由，反對中國政府阻礙交流；同時，政界與傳媒亦深深體會到中共威權擴張的可怕，相信此舉只會有助香港令國際社會明白，為何與香港同行就是捍衛自由。

作用曾遭中共駐多國使館均曾批評人士，我已對一切批評見怪不怪，也由衷感謝中國外交系統的批評，往往本來聽證會也沒有甚麼關注，但只要大使館發言批評，就令到香港議題再度進佔輿論版面。我會繼續努力，讓世界看見香港，與香港同行。

最後，附上自己的國會發言全文給各位細閱：

Thursday, 28 November 2019
Italy Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Testimony by Joshua Wong

Good afternoon,

May I first express our heartfelt gratitude to the Senate’s generous invitation to give testimony before the honourable Senators and Congressmen, even though I’m not allowed to fly to Italy. The very moment I was rejected by the court to travel, I felt that it was even worse than deciding my sentences in jail as I would not be able to meet with friends in Europe to explain our cause for democracy and freedom.

Implications of Local Election result

As you may aware of Hong Kong’s local election record-high turnout, almost 3 million Hong Kong people, in a community and policy-based election, had cast ballot to express our discontent to the government and huge distrust to the Beijing authorities. Democrats went up to 385 seats, but the largest pro-Beijing party DAB, who owned 119 seats in the last term, had reduced to 21 seats.

The significance of this election to the world is that HK's current political crisis must be resolved by political solution, instead of policing force. The implications of this election are more than the number of seats in the council, but a sharp political message to the world that Hong Kong people stand with fellow protestors, and our resolve to free elections and a thoroughly independent investigation on police brutality. These humble demands are denied by China since 1997.

Civil Liberties Denied

Unfortunately, I have the most frequent encounters of civil liberties deprivation recently. At first, I went protesting against the controversial extradition bill, exercising my freedom to assembly. The government arrested me and charged me of inciting people taking part in an unlawful assembly. Then I went contesting in this local election, yet the government banned me from running for office because of my political stance. I turned to international advocacy, planning to fly to Italy explain to friends in Europe our democratic and peaceful cause. Regrettably, the court thought this Senate hearing is not important and rejected my travel application. Following the court decision, it's clear now I'm deprived of the right to election, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly (not allowed to appear on designated area), and freedom of speech. The civil liberties guaranteed in the constitution are however no longer applicable to me.

The principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ is a fragile ruling philosophy defining China-Hong Kong relations, guaranteeing the global financial city its autonomy. But in the past 22 years, Beijing intervened on many fronts already. Since 2014, Hong Kong’s civil society, particularly student leaders, had become the target of revenge in the past 5 years. I was arrested for 3 times, prosecuted and later imprisoned for my leading role in the Umbrella Movement. My colleague, Nathan Law, the youngest Councillor in HK’s history, was unseated and later imprisoned for the same reason. So this time people learnt from the experience and not to rely on particular ‘leading activists’ in order to prevent them from exposing to political prosecution. Besides, In the past three years, altogether Six elected legislators are disqualified for ridiculous reasons and led to an uninvited constitutional re-interpretation by Beijing.

Most recently in last week, Chinese troops, not only ready to be deployed, they have actually deployed soldiers near university area with an excuse to 'clear the barricades' of the streets. It is important to voice out to the global community, which is an attempt to coerce China's aggressive behavior using international pressure.

Trusted and Self-correcting protestors VS Abusive Police Power

In the past five months, I took a lot of interviews from journalists all over the world who are interested in reporting Hong Kong. They often find it difficult to understand why a social movement can be led without a leader, why protestors’ use of force is tolerated by fellow Hong Kong people and whether there is foreign forces behind this movement. Behind all these questions, I would like to appeal to you two messages:
firstly, the police brutality is far more serious than what is reported. Pregnant women also got beaten by police; young female (who is not a protestor) was gang raped inside the police station and many others

Secondly, there is strong and mutual trust among protestors. Certainly, protestors always have different tactical viewpoints. But there are apparently some principles guiding protestors’ decision-making, to name a few: to achieve the five demands, to prevent casualty, to avoid being arrested and to achieve mass support. These principles are essential, although we have suffered a lot of notorious police brutality in the past five months, making us more determined to fight for the five demands in solidarity.

As I mentioned the above, I realise these features are the important elements when practising democracy - mutual trust, transparency, people’s mandate, checks-and-balance. It is just ironic that Hong Kong is far from practising full democracy and free election under the authoritarian rule of Xi Jinping.

Another Frontier: International Advocacy

International advocacy is another frontier that Hong Kong people are keen on taking part in. It is the reason why I find compelled to travel and explain our cause and demands to the world. Before testifying in this committee, I attended an assembly an hour ago to yield for international support and to express our acknowledgement to advocacy efforts on the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The bill is signed by the US President today to coerce and prevent further human rights violation in Hong Kong. I also wrote to several Italian papers to share the viewpoints of the protestors during this period. To enhance the understanding of Hong Kong and deteriorating human right situation in China is essential for world leaders to make an informed choice in their collaboration with the Chinese authorities too.

Why Italy should care about Hong Kong?

However, I have to say I'm quite disappointed reading the Italy Foreign Minister’s Luigi Di Maio indifferent remarks on the dire human rights situation in Hong Kong. Prolonged police brutality since June this year, what protestors facing are live round bullets. Not to mention the fact that some Italian car factories like IVECO did play a part in the brutality of Hong Kong police by supplying police vehicles. I believe a responsible state like Italy should take the conscience of human dignity into consideration.

In fact, Hong Kong can serve as a story to learn from. We were unaware of the Chinese regime's intention to gain influence and control over our economy in the early years. And our economy now is to some extent too reliant on China, which makes our battle for freedom and democracy harder. Italy should stay alert to the reliance on Chinese economic interests. There's no free lunch in the world.

Many would say I am over worrying or being too skeptical about China. But the truth is China is known for not playing by the rules and has a notorious track record for its human rights violations. The failure of 'One Country Two Systems' in Hong Kong represents the notorious track record of China not honouring the international treaty signed in 1984. Besides, there are hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uighurs have been detained in camps without trial now. Victims have come forth and said they are forced to take medicines that lead to infertility, young female Uighurs are forced into marriage with Chinese officials to exchange for the safety of their families. 30 years ago, the Chinese Government sent tanks against its own people on the 4th June despite the public and global attention. It almost happened last week in two universities lockdown and it is my view that the international pressure had prevented this massacre from happening.

Possible Actions by Italy

Finally, I understand that Business leaders and politicians worry that if they directly confront China on its human rights abuses, it could jeopardize future deals. Yet it is my humble wish Italy will also be truth-ful to the promises the European Union has made. EU have pledged themselves to defend and advocate for human rights in neighboring countries and the world and promised to never directly or indirectly encourage human rights violations. Italy and the rest of the free world should refrain from turning a blind eye to this.

Our position is clear: HK people are defending not only the civil liberties, democratic values and economic freedom of this international city. Standing up against the largest authoritarian regime after the Cold War, we shall continue our fight for democracy lest HK becomes a police state nor an authoritarian state. I appeal to you to stand with the people of Hong Kong.

Thank you.

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- With a strong finish, the Philadelphia 76ers matched the best start in franchise history.

Allen Iverson and Theo Ratliff powered a third-quarter charge and the 76ers remained unbeaten by controlling the second half in a 107-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. At 8-0, the Sixers are the NBA's lone undefeated team. They tied the start of the 1979-80 squad, which featured Julius
Erving, Andrew Toney, Darryl Dawkins and current assistant coach Maurice Cheeks and reached the NBA Finals.

"It should mean a lot to them. I'm proud of my team," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "I'm proud of the fact that we've had some injuries and we had a lot of guys step up and play well. We've played unselfishly, but it's eight games and we have to keep that in mind."

Philadelphia hosts Miami on Friday with a chance to break the club mark. The NBA record for best start is 15-0, shared by the 1949-50 Washington Capitols and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.

"Everybody wants to be the first team that knocks us off," said Iverson. "Everybody wants to be that team. It's going to be tough. We have to really dig in and sneak some wins out of other teams' houses. For right know, I'm just living for the moment and I just hope it continues. I'm glad I'm a part of it."

Iverson scored 22 points, seven during an 18-0 surge that turned a five-point deficit into a 70-57 lead midway through the third period.

The Cavaliers missed eight straight shots during that stretch and Ratliff was a big reason. Saddled by foul trouble in the first half, the 6-10 center had three of his six blocks during the run. Ratliff also scored 15 points.

"He did a good job offensively but just his presence underneath caused them to miss some easy shots and get some 24-second violations," Brown said. "But he's always been that for us.
That's why we need him out on the court. We can't afford for him to get fouls and only play seven minutes in the first half. That's one of the reasons why we had a problem defending in the
first half."

"I was just doing the same old thing that I try to do every time I step out on the court -- to be that intimidating factor as far as when guys try to get easy shots and easy layups," Ratliff
said. "I let them know it's not going to be that easy.

Philadelphia got a big offensive boost from George Lynch, who scored a season-high 23 points and kept his team in the game in the first half. The defensive-minded forward had not scored
more than 10 points in a game this season.

"I like him to do the dirty work," Brown joked. "How many rebounds did he get? Just one defensive rebound so I have something to talk to him about. He did a lot of great things."

"I knew he was going to say that," Lynch said. "I had (Robert) `Tractor' Traylor on me. He's about 300 pounds to my 230 so he's gonna win that battle the majority of the time. ... The
team needed me to score some points the way we were going. I had the hot hand, some open looks and I was able to take advantage of them. I've had those looks all season, it's just I
was making the shots tonight."

Eric Snow contributed 13 and seven assists for Philadelphia, which was outshot and outrebounded but scored 29 points off 22 turnovers by Cleveland.

Former Sixer Clarence Weatherspoon scored 24 points, Robert Traylor added a career-high 17 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 16 for the Cavaliers (6-2). The frontcourt trio thrived while Ratliff was
on the bench with foul trouble but got little help from the perimeter players.

"We let them dictate the play to us," Weatherspoon said. "We never got into a rhythm. They came after us and we just didn't match it. It's hard to come back on a team that has so many
scorers and plays a good half-court defense."

The Cavs have lost their last six meetings with the Sixers.

Cleveland came in an even bigger surprise than Philadelphia, winning six of its first seven games despite having no player averaging more than 14 points or nine rebounds per game. The
Cavs opened the third period with consecutive baskets for a 57-52 lead before the Sixers took control.

Iverson, who has yet to score 30 points in a game this season, made a jumper and layup around a 3-pointer by Lynch, giving Philadelphia the lead for good at 59-57 with 9:39 left.

After a block by Ratliff, Snow set up Ratliff for a dunk and hit a shot. Iverson snaked his way for a three-point play and Snow made two free throws for a 68-57 lead.

Ratliff blocked two more shots and Iverson found Lynch for a dunk that capped the outburst. Iverson scored nine points in the quarter, which ended with Philadelphia holding an 81-71 lead.

Anthony Carter explained his philosophy on scoring as he slipped on his canary yellow sweater vest.


"Points don't mean nothin' to me," the Nuggets guard said. "But I just love getting assists."

Carter did a little scoring and dishing as he helped Denver to a 113-103 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night. He had 11 assists and tied a career high with 21 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter.

The fact that his previous best game also came against the Magic back in 1999 was merely a coincidence. Carter doesn't get particularly fired up to play Orlando.

"It wasn't about Orlando, just about winning," he said.

After the game, Carter's thoughts turned toward teammate Nene. Earlier in the day, Nene took an indefinite leave of absence from the team to take care of a personal medical issue. The team wouldn't comment further on what was wrong with Nene, who missed 22 games earlier this season after surgery on his left thumb.

Carter said he couldn't talk about what was wrong, but planned on calling him later.

"I'm very concerned," he said.

So was Allen Iverson.

"He's family," said Iverson, who had 21 points and 13 assists. "Life is way more important than the game of basketball. We just want him to get his situation straightened and get back to the team as soon as possible. He needs to take care of himself first."

Carmelo Anthony finished with 32 points and reserve forward Linas Kleiza scored 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting, helping Denver beat the Magic for the fifth straight time at home.

However, the Nuggets still have one of their worst all-time winning percentages against Orlando with a 13-25 lifetime mark.

"Overall, we did a great job tonight with sticking in our scheme and doing what we had to do," said Anthony, who also had 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.

Dwight Howard finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, his NBA-leading 33rd double-double of the season. Howard was also whistled for two goaltending calls in the fourth quarter and accidentally knocked in a basket for the Nuggets in the first half.

"It was a tough game," Howard said.

In more ways than one. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thought Howard was being abused down low.

"They were allowed to do a lot of pushing and shoving on him," he said. "When you're Dwight Howard they give the other people ..."

Van Gundy didn't finish his sentence, just left his thought hanging in the air.

"I got a little frustrated toward the end," Van Gundy said.

Orlando entered the game as one of the best road teams in the league, but has now dropped two of its last three away games. The Magic play at Utah on Saturday night, their final stop on a four-game road trip.

Rashard Lewis scored 21 and Maurice Evans added a season-high 15 for the Magic.

"For 3 1/2 quarters, we were in a [heck] of a game and then they made more plays than we did," Van Gundy said.

And Carter led the charge. With just over 5 minutes remaining and the game tied at 98, the Nuggets scored seven straight points to seal the win. Carter had a 3-pointer, steal and an assist during the pivotal run.

"A.C. came up big, but he's been making big plays for us all year," said Iverson, who had five rebounds to give him 3,000 for his career. "It's something we expect. We pretty much expect everyone to make plays. On different nights, it's different guys. Tonight, it was A.C. He did a great job. He got us over the hump."

Game notes
Denver activated F Steven Hunter on Friday, but he didn't get into the game. He's been out since having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Nov. 16. ... Nuggets guard Chucky Atkins underwent successful surgery Friday to repair his strained right groin. He's expected to be out for at least eight weeks. ... Despite the loss, the Magic still have the most road wins in the NBA this season with 16. ... Denver had 32 assists on Friday night. The team is 9-0 this season when it has 30 or more assists.

Allen Iverson scored 37 points in his MVP Season vs. Orlando Magic

One of the most controversial Basketball players of all time, Allen Iverson is one of the most loved and hated figures in Basketball. Born Allen Ezail Iverson in Hampton, Virginia, he grew up very poor to a struggling mother and a father who deserted him. Growing up, he was very athletic, playing football and basketball throughout most of his education prior to college. Iverson began focusing on basketball at his mother's insistence, despite wanting to be a football player. He proved to be a talented basketball player. At Bethel High School in Newport News, he began his high school basketball career. He developed a reputation of talking a lot and being uncoachable. To say he had a rough childhood is quite an understatement. On one of his places of residence, he walked through knee-deep sewage daily. During one summer, he witnessed the death of almost ten of his closest friends. Iverson first came to the national spotlight in 1993 in a controversial incident surrounding violent events at a bowling alley in Newport News. While the events that happened there will never be fully known, the generally accepted story is that some white students got into an argument with Iverson and his friends. The first question surrounding the event is whether he started it or if the white kids started it. Also, the question surrounded whether or not he assaulted a white woman by hitting her over the head with a chair. The prosecution insisted that surveillance tapes undoubtedly showed Iverson was the culprit, but in reality the tapes showed nothing conclusive. Two factors did him in at his hearing; first of all, two white people said they saw him assault the girl. Secondly, the judge was from the very conservative southeast Virginia establishment and did not have any sympathy for Iverson, his background or his talent. Seeing that Iverson requested a bench trial, this was crucial to his case. To add fuel to the fire, Allen Iverson flew in for the weekend from a tournament to be in Virginia for his trial. This played into the prosecution's hands and also upset the judge, both of whom saw this as evidence that Iverson did not respect the law. He was sentenced to a 5 -year jail term. This case sparked a tremendous amount of national attention. The case caught the interest of Bill Cosby and Spike Lee, who would be a fan and advocate of Iverson for many years. People all around the Newport News area started a movement to free Allen Iverson. He spent only four months in jail. Governor Douglas Wilder pardoned him. This move all but ended his political career and sparked another controversy. Wilder was also black, and white voters in Virginia viewed this move in a very racist light. Iverson was viewed now in much of white America as essentially a convicted felon who was out of prison only because a black man was governor of his state. Iverson got out conditionally, however. He had to adhere to a curfew and could not play basketball until he got his high school diploma. He could not accept a scholarship to the University of Kentucky but did get a scholarship once he completed his high school education in a learning center. During this time, he received his nickname, the answer. He was called such because his friends said he was the answer to basketball's conformity so to speak, people that conformed to this family friendly image, such as Charles Barkley, Isiah Thomas and most importantly, Michael Jordan, who was a childhood hero of his. He accepted a scholarship to Georgetown where John Thompson coached him. Thompson became somewhat of a father figure to him, but he was hard to manage, and the two had a workable but very turbulent relationship. Iverson completed only two years of his education where he became the top NBA draft pick in 1996. He was drafted by the ailing Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. Iverson is immersed in hip-hop culture. This made him an incredibly controversial figure in basketball. His clothing looked more like a gangster rappers than it did Michael Jordan's. On the court he seemed to embody the gangster rapper's image. He had an arm covering on one arm when he played, and also was one of the first players to have cornrows; a hairstyle up until that time was popular in prison. To make matters worse, he had an incredibly "in your face" style, which did not sit well with older players like Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and others. Jordan said of him when Jordan's Bulls played Iverson's 76ers, that he had no respect for the game. Despite this, no one denied Iverson's talent. He could hustle the ball, could get around even the tallest players. He became known for his fast drives to the baskets and his ability to fake the ball in a move called the crossover. Spike Lee lost respect for him when he turned down his invitation to star in the film He Got Game (1998). As a very pointed move, Lee cast former collegiate rival Ray Allen in the part. The Sixers found themselves suddenly a respectable team. They acquired a new coach, the unusual Larry Brown. As a player in the ABA almost twenty years ago, Brown was also a young outsider fighting the system. Larry Brown now was a button-down-suit-and-tie coach. The two did not get along well at first; in fact, their relationship at best was serviceable. Brown was always unhappy with Iverson for not showing up to practice. Iverson insisted his game was pure inspiration, and he had little need for practice. The two rarely saw eye to eye. He received a tremendous number of awards in his short career. He was named rookie of the year in 1997, and on more than one occasion, he was an All NBA First Team, NBA All Star, was an All Star MVP, and received perhaps what was his crowning achievement to date when he was NBA MVP in 2001. That year, Iverson led his team to the NBA finals, but had a rough ride against Kobe Bryant and 'Shaquille ONeal's Lakers. They lost the championship in game five of the series. It was still quite an achievement because the Sixers had not been to the finals since Dr. J (Julius Erving) and Moses Malone led them to victory over the Lakers in 1983 in a 4-0 sweep. Iverson has over 20 tattoos. Each tattoo is a symbol of his life. One denotes the name of his group of friends he has known since childhood, Cru Thik, another who says the answer, another who is dedicated to his mom who is a strong presence as Sixers games, and many others. He married his high school sweetheart Tawanna Turner and they have two children.

Won the gold medal at World University Games with the US Team in 1995.

Named Big East Rookie of the Year 1995
Named Big East Defensive Player of the Year 1995, 1996.

1st pick in NBA Draft 1996

Was named MVP of the 2000-01 NBA season.

Attended Georgetown University from 1994 to 1996 where he was coached by the legendary John Thompson.

Drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 96.

Rookie of the Year 1997.
NBA Rookie 1st Team 1997.
Rookie All-star game MVP in 1997.

NBA All Star 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.

All Star Game MVP 2001, 2005.

NBA MVP 2001.(Shortest MVP in MVP history)

All NBA First Team 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005.

In 2001, Led the 76ers to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1983 (lost to the LA Lakers in 5 games).

Played for Georgetown University.

Played Quarterback in HS and led his school to state titles in football and basketball his senior year.

Under lifetime contract with Reebok.

Daughter Tiaura (b. 1995), son Allen II, or "Deuce" (b. 1998).

Led the Bethel High School Bruins (Hampton, Virginia) to the 1993 basketball and football state championship; the then-16 year old played point guard and quarterback.

Released a rap album, Slow Motion, with appearances by his friends Ma$e, Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Kool-G-Rap.

Georgetown University's all-time leading scorer.

Named after his father, Allen Broughton, who left the family and never married Iverson's mother.

Since 1998, he has hosted the Allen Iverson Celebrity Classic to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Lives on the same street as M. Night Shyamalan.

Wife Tawanna, gave birth to their 3rd child, Isaiah Rahsaan Iverson, the baby weighted 7 lbs. and was born at 9:30 A.M. on August 8, 2003.

He founded the Crossover Foundation.

Allen's third child, son Isaiah Rahsaan, was named for Isiah Thomas and the late Rahsaan Langford, Allen Iverson's close friend who was shot to death in October 2001.

Olympic Bronze Medalist (2004 - Basketball).

He and wife Tawanna welcomed their fourth child, daughter Messiah Lauren Iverson on August 16, 2005 at 11:47 AM, weighing 6 lbs, 12 ounces.

Currently playing for the Denver Nuggets