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The prostate is a small gland that only men have. It is normally about the size of a walnut. The prostate is located underneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Because the prostate is close to the rectum, it can be felt by a doctor during a digital rectal exam (the part of a routine physical exam where the doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into a man's anus). The prostate makes and stores fluid that is part of semen, and this fluid is released from a man's penis during ejaculation. The prostate is signaled to do its job by the male hormone testosterone, which can influence the behavior of the prostate gland and prostate cancer. Nerves to the penis, which are important in producing and maintaining an erection, run very close to the prostate. The prostate completely encircles the tube that carriers urine from the bladder to the penis, called the urethra. If the prostate enlarges, it can block the flow of urine from the bladder, making it difficult for a man to urinate.
Prostate cancer happens when cells in the prostate begin to grow out of control and can then escape out of the prostate to invade nearby tissues or spread throughout the body. Usually, prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer that does not progress outside of the prostate gland at the time of diagnosis. However, sometimes it will grow quickly and spread to nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, pea-sized pieces of tissue that filter and clean lymph, a clear liquid waste product. If prostate cancer has spread to your lymph nodes when it is diagnosed, it means that there is higher chance that it has spread to other areas of the body as well. If and when prostate cancer cells gain access to the bloodstream, they can deposit in various bones throughout the body, at which point the prostate cancer is said to have metastasized to the bones. This can occur if one has a variant of prostate cancer that is not slow-growing, but rather faster-growing and more aggressive in its behavior.
Every man is at risk for prostate cancer as he ages. Although prostate cancer can strike younger men, the risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age, and more than 70% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over the age of 65. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States, after non-melanoma skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimated 217,730 new cases of prostate cancer and 32,000 deaths from prostate cancer in the year 2010 in the United States.
Although there are several known risk factors for getting prostate cancer, no one knows exactly why one man gets it and another doesn't. Some of the most important risk factors for prostate cancer include age, ethnicity, genetics and diet. Age is generally considered the most important risk factor for prostate cancer. The incidence of prostate cancer rises quickly after the age of 60, and the majority of men will have some form of prostate cancer after the age of 80. One of the sayings about prostate cancer is that older men (over the age of 80) are more likely to die with prostate cancer than from prostate cancer. This saying means that many older men have low-volume, slower-growing prostate cancer disease that is not going to affect life expectancy because the cancer will take a very long time to grow and become clinically important. However, this saying is only a generalization; sometimes prostate cancer can grow quickly even in older patients.
Another important risk factor for prostate cancer is ethnicity. No one knows exactly why, but prostate cancer is more common in African-American and Latino men than Caucasian men. African-American men have a 1.6 fold higher chance of getting and dying from prostate cancer than Caucasian men. Asian and Native American men have the lowest chances of getting prostate cancer. Some doctors believe that genetic differences are important in explaining the different rates of prostate cancer between different ethnic groups; however, there is some evidence that differences in diets may be the cause. When Asian men move to Western countries like the United States, their chances of getting prostate cancer rise. Men who live in the United States and Northern Europe have the highest rates of prostate cancer, while men who live in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia all have much lower chances of developing prostate cancer.
There is some evidence that a man's diet may affect his risk of developing prostate cancer. The most common dietary culprit implicated in raising prostate cancer risk is a high fat diet, particularly a diet high in animal fats. Also, a few studies have suggested that a diet low in vegetables causes an increased risk of prostate cancer. There are a few foods that have been implicated in decreasing prostate cancer risk: a diet high in tomatoes (lycopene) has been suggested as well as diet high in omega-3-fatty acids (oils found in fish like salmon and mackerel). Doctors and scientists aren't in full agreement as to the usefulness of eating these foods when it comes to decreasing prostate cancer risk. Diets high in selenium, vitamin D, and soy have all been suggested to decrease prostate cancer risk; but these are currently under study and data from large trials is needed before firm recommendations can be given about their use for this purpose.
A family history of prostate cancer increases a man's chances of developing the disease. This increase shows itself when a man has either a father or brothers (or both) with prostate cancer, and is even greater when his relatives develop prostate cancer at a young age. A variety of different genetic factors are currently being researched. Variations and mutations in certain genes may be responsible for some increases in prostate cancer rates in families. Men who carry mutations in genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2 (these are genes implicated in breast and ovarian cancer in women) may have a 2 to 5 fold increase in prostate cancer risk. Men with high levels of testosterone or a hormone known as IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) seem to be at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer as well.
Because prostate cancer is a common disease and often has a very slow growing course, there is a lot of interest in trying to prevent prostate cancer with drugs, foods, or nutrients. Even a compound that could slow the progression of the disease could potentially decrease mortality. Right now, the best way to try and prevent prostate cancer is to modify the risk factors for prostate cancer that you have control over. You may want to try to eat a low fat diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables. Although certain foods, vitamins and minerals have been suggested to decrease your chances for getting prostate cancer, doctors still need more data before any particular food or supplement can be endorsed for preventing prostate cancer. Currently, there are studies looking at selenium, lycopene, vitamin A and other retinoids, vitamin D, vitamin E, and soy for prostate cancer prevention.
There is also interest in preventing prostate cancer by using drugs. We know that hormones like testosterone can cause prostate cancers to grow and develop, so there are experiments looking at drugs that can decrease the levels of testosterone in the prostate to attempt to stop prostate cancer from forming and growing. Drugs like Flutamide and Finasteride work in this manner, and they are currently under investigation for prostate cancer prevention, but are not routinely recommended as chemoprevention. Another way to decrease testosterone in the prostate is to decrease the total amount of testosterone in the body. Drugs that decrease total body testosterone have a whole host of undesirable side effects (drugs that do this are currently used to treat men who have already developed prostate cancer and will be discussed later in the treatment section), so they aren't nearly as good choices for prostate cancer prevention
Whether or not men should be screened for prostate cancer is an intensely debated issue. We know that prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, so intuitively it would make sense that we could reduce mortality from prostate cancer by picking it up early so it could be treated before it spreads. However, in order for a screening test to be fully embraced, we need to prove that picking up a disease early actually does help reduce the number of deaths. Right now, there are no good data showing that screening for prostate cancer reduces deaths from prostate cancer. There are currently very large trials in progress to see which populations of men will benefit most.
Currently, there are two methods that physicians use to screen for prostate cancer. One of them is called a digital rectal exam (DRE). A digital rectal exam is done in your primary care physician's office. Because your prostate is so close to your rectum, your doctor can feel it by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into your anus. Your doctor can feel if there are lumps, asymmetries, or if your prostate is enlarged. A digital rectal exam is uncomfortable, but not painful. It is a useful test, but it is not perfect because some small cancers can be missed and only the bottom and sides of the prostate can be examined in this manner. Although it isn't a perfect test, it becomes more useful when it is combined with another test called a PSA.
A PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is a blood test that looks for this specific protein that is only made in the body by the prostate gland. Normal prostate tissue makes some background , but prostate cancer usually makes much more, and keeps making it, such that the PSA level keeps rising. By checking to see if your PSA is elevated, your doctor can screen you for prostate cancer. The PSA test isn't perfect either, because some tumors won't elevate the PSA, while some other processes (like benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis) can cause it to be falsely elevated. However, the higher your PSA is, the more likely the elevation is to be caused by a prostate cancer. The cut-off that your doctor usually uses is 4.0 ng/ml, meaning that anything below 4.0 ng/ml is considered likely normal and anything above it is abnormal and may warrant a prostate biopsy. If your PSA is elevated, or you have an abnormal digital rectal exam, then you need to get further evaluation; however, this doesn't necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. The only way to know for sure whether or not you have cancer is to get a sample of your prostate via a biopsy.
Both a digital rectal exam and a PSA blood level are simple, non-invasive tests. Most physicians recommend screening for prostate cancer with these tests in men with a life expectance of 10 years or more. However, some doctors don't think screening for prostate cancer is worth doing. One of the downsides is that you may go through an extensive workup and treatment for a disease that never would have shortened your life. We know that some prostate cancers are very slow growing (often taking more than 10 years to become significant), so if your life expectancy is less than 10 years it may not be worthwhile to go through the process of screening, biopsy and treatment. The treatment options for prostate cancer are not completely benign, and all of them have the potential for side effects. However, it is difficult for physicians to determine which prostate cancers will progress versus those that will remain indolent in any individual patient. Another argument against prostate cancer screening is that it has never been proven to save lives in studies of large populations in both the United States and Europe. However, many doctors think that newer treatments for early stage prostate cancers may make this argument obsolete. Data from large trials currently being carried out should help to settle this argument in the near future.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men make an informed decision on whether or not they should be screened after discussing with their physician the risks and benefits of screening. Screening is not recommended in men without symptoms of prostate cancer if they have a life expectancy of less than ten years. American Cancer Society recommends that men who choose to be tested start getting annual PSAs and digital rectal exams starting at age 50, unless they are high-risk (meaning they have a family history of prostate cancer or are African-American), who should begin screening at age 45. However, they mention that screening should only be carried out if your life expectancy is greater than 10 years, so men in their 80s and 90s (especially if they have other serious medical problems) should probably not be screened. The most important thing is to discuss the issue with your doctor. Decisions about screening should be individualized and reached after hearing about the potential benefits and harms of screening, biopsy and treatment.
Most early prostate cancers are detected with PSA tests or digital rectal exams before they cause any symptoms. However, more advanced prostate cancers can cause a variety of symptoms including:
All of these symptoms can be caused by a variety of things besides prostate cancer, so experiencing them doesn't necessarily mean you have prostate cancer. When older men have problems urinating, it is usually caused by process called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which is not prostate cancer. If you experience any of these symptoms, you need to see your doctor for evaluation.
If you have symptoms suspicious for a prostate-related problem, your doctor will do a digital rectal exam and a PSA blood test. If either of those two tests are abnormal, then most likely your doctor will recommend that you receive a prostate biopsy. Also, your doctor may want to get a biopsy if there is an abnormal result on a screening PSA or routine digital rectal exam. A biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have cancer, because it allows your doctors to get cells that can be examined under a microscope. The most common way that a biopsy is done is with a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). A transrectal ultrasound is a thin cylinder that emits sound waves and monitors them when they bounce off of tissue. It is inserted into your rectum, and allows your doctor to view your prostate and choose where to remove tissue from. Any suspicious areas are biopsied, plus some tissue will be removed from all of the different parts of the prostate (to make sure they don't miss any cancers that may be small and growing in one particular area). The procedure is done while you are awake, with the help of some numbing medicine. Unfortunately, a transrectal ultrasound isn't a perfect tool because even though many samples are taken, it can occasionally miss the area of the cancer. If this happens, and your PSA remains elevated, you may need to have the procedure repeated.
Once the tissue is removed, a doctor known as a pathologist will review the specimen. The pathologist can tell if it is cancer or not; and if it is cancerous, then the pathologist will characterize it by what type of prostate cancer it is and how abnormal it looks (known as the grade). The vast majority of all prostate cancers (at least 95%) are a subtype known as adenocarcinoma, but occasionally they can be small cell carcinomas or lymphomas (two rare types of prostate cancer that are treated differently than the more standard adenocarcinomas). The pathologist then characterizes how much the cancer looks like normal prostate tissue, and this is known as the grade of the tumor. Pathologists often use a scale when they grade prostate tumors known as the Gleason score. The Gleason score runs from 2 to 10, with 2 being a very normal looking tumor and 10 being a very abnormal looking tumor. Generally, the more abnormal the tumor looks, the more aggressive it is. We characterize grades on a scale because, together with staging, it gives us a way to offer a prognosis and it often guides our choice of therapy.
Prostate cancer is divided into four different stages to help guide our treatments and offer information about the chances for a cure. This staging is done in a limited fashion before surgery taking into account whether or not the tumor can be felt on digital rectal exam and the results of any imaging modalities; it is done definitively after a surgical procedure that removes lymph nodes and allows a pathologist to examine them for signs of cancer. The staging system is somewhat complex, but here is a simplified version of it:
Although the clinical stage is important, the pathological stage is a more accurate predictor of the extent of your cancer because it actually examines the prostate and the lymph nodes in the area. If your stage, grade, and/or PSA are high enough, you may be referred for other tests before treatment to look for spread to other parts of your body. Tests like CT scans (a 3-D x-ray) or MRIs (like a CT scan but done with magnets) can examine the prostate and localized lymph nodes. Some patients are referred for a bone scan, which is a test using a radioactive tracer to look for metastasis to any of your bones. Another test that you may be referred for is called a ProstaScint scan, which uses a radioactive tracer that can localize prostate cancer cells within either bones or lymph nodes. Finally, if your doctors are very worried about spread to lymph nodes, they may choose to perform a surgical lymph node sampling before proceeding with any definitive treatment.
There are many different ways to treat prostate cancer, and you will most likely be consulting multiple types of doctors before making a final decision. Physicians are not always in agreement as to the way to proceed because there haven't been enough large trials that compare the different treatment modalities. For prostate cancer, it is important that you get a second opinion and you should talk to both urologists and radiation oncologists to hear about the benefits and risks of surgery, hormonal therapy and radiation in your particular case. If your prostate cancer has already spread at the time of diagnosis, you will also need a medical oncologist to talk about chemotherapy. The most important thing is to discuss your options and make a decision that suits your lifestyle, beliefs and values.
Surgery is a common form of treatment for men with prostate cancer. Surgery attempts to cure prostate cancer by removing the entire prostate and getting all of the cancer out of the body. An attempt at a surgical cure for prostate cancer is usually done with early stage prostate cancers, but sometimes surgery will be used to relieve symptoms in advanced stage prostate cancers. Surgery for prostate cancer is generally felt to be equivalent to radiation for prostate cancer in terms of survival, especially in early stage, low to intermediate grade cancers. The decision to have surgery versus radiation is often made on the basis of the patient's age and health status; the two different approaches have different side effect profiles depending on the patient's age.
The most common surgical procedure for prostate cancer is known as a radical prostatectomy. Radical prostatectomy means that the entire prostate gland is removed from around the tube that connects the bladder to the penis (the urethra). This surgery can be done in two different ways, the retropubic approach and the perineal approach. The retropubic approach means that incision in made in the lower abdomen, while the perineal approach means that the incision is made between the scrotum and the anus. Often times during a retropubic approach, the surgeon will remove some lymph nodes in the area and have them quickly examined by a pathologist for signs of cancer. If the nodes have cancer, then the surgeon will not to proceed with the operation. This is the major reason a retropubic approach is used in most surgeries today.
Radical prostatectomies are very safe surgeries with few life threatening complications; however, there is a significant risk for other side effects. Both urinary incontinence (not being able to hold in your urine) and impotence (inability to achieve and maintain an erection) are commonly associated with this procedure. Sometimes, particularly with lower grade and smaller cancers, a nerve sparing prostatectomy can be performed. This type of prostatectomy can decrease the chance that you will be impotent after the procedure. However, there is always a risk and not every patient is a candidate for a nerve sparing prostatectomy. The risk for impotency and incontinence increases with age; this is why younger men are often recommended to have surgery while older men are recommended to have radiation. The skill of your particular surgeon influences your chances of having these side effects during a radical prostatectomy.
Another surgical approach, which is being used more and more commonly is the robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RAP). As with non-robotic prostatectomy techniques, the entire prostate is removed. To perform the procedure, several tiny incisions are made in the patient's abdomen and long, thin laparoscopic instruments are inserted and attached to the robot. The robot moves the instruments according to the instruction of the urologist who is seated at the robotic console. Therefore, the surgeon is controlling the movement of the robot the whole time. The rationale for this approach is that the slender arms of the robot can reach places and turn at angles that a surgeon's hand cannot. RAP has some advantages over traditional prostatectomy techniques, which include decreased blood loss and shorter hospitalization and recovery, but is more costly, and also carries the risks of impotence and incontinence. Because RAP is relatively new, we do not know yet if cancer cure rates with RAP are equivalent to traditional radical prostatectomy. Of course, as with all surgical techniques, success will depend in part on the skill and experience of the surgeon.
Talk to your surgeon about their complication rates before your operation. With surgery, urinary incontinence and impotence are often most severe right after the operation and generally get better with time. There are things that your doctors can recommend to help you with either of these problems. Talk to your urologist about your options.
Prostate cancer commonly is treated with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high energy rays (similar to x-rays) to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is another option besides surgery for early stage prostate cancer; and when advanced stage prostate cancer needs to be treated, it is usually done with radiation therapy. Radiation helps avoid surgery in patients who are too ill to risk having anaesthesia. Radiation is usually offered to older patients in the case of early stage prostate cancer because of its side effect profile may be more favorable than surgery in the elderly. Radiation can have impotence rates similar to surgery, but the risk of urinary incontinence is very low. Impotence develops months to years after the radiation treatment, unlike with surgery, which tends to have the side effects occur immediately. Other side effects from radiation include bladder irritation, which can cause urinary frequency and urgency as well as bladder pain, and diarrhea or rectal bleeding. Your radiation oncologist tries to limit the amount of radiation to other organs, but often the bladder and rectum can get some dosage because they are in such close proximity to the prostate.
Radiation therapy for prostate cancer either comes from an external source (external beam radiation) or an internal source where small radioactive seeds are implanted into the patient's prostate (brachytherapy). External beam radiation therapy requires patients to come in 5 days a week for up 6-9 weeks to a radiation therapy treatment center. The treatment takes just a few minutes, and it is painless. Brachytherapy is done as a one-time insertion, in the operating room. Brachytherapy cannot be done in all patients and is usually reserved for early stage prostate cancers. Your radiation oncologist can answer questions about the utility, process, and side effects of both of these types of radiation therapy in your particular case.
Another form of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer uses protons rather than x-rays to kill tumor cells. Protons are the positively charged components within the nucleus of an atom. They are used to deliver radiation because they deposit most of their cell-killing energy within the tumor site (in this case, the prostate gland), thus delivering less dose to the tissues where the proton beams entered, and virtually no dose beyond the area being treated (so-called "exit dose"). Because of the potential to decrease dose deposition within normal tissues, many researchers are interested in learning whether treatment with protons has fewer and/or less severe long-term side effects compared to standard x-ray radiation treatments. Protons may have a theoretical advantage, but so far there is little evidence to "prove" that they superior. In fact not even surgery and radiation have been compared head to head, let alone proton radiation and x-ray radiation. To determine which treatment is best, large numbers of men would have to participate in a randomized trial, and be followed for several years to determine outcomes. Even though there are many challenges to carrying out this kind of study, the investigations into proton therapy continue to move forward. Lean more about proton therapy in this Proton Therapy: the Basics article.
Both normal prostate tissue and prostate cancers depend on male sex hormones, called androgens, to grow and replicate. Testosterone is an androgen very important to the prostate gland. Men make androgens in their testicles. One of the ways to treat prostate cancer is to remove androgens from the body, thus making the cancer shrink and then grow more slowly. There are a few different ways to remove androgens: you can remove a man's testicles (called an orchiectomy), you can give a man medications that block the production of androgens (called LHRH agonists), you can give a man drugs that block androgen receptors (called anti-androgens) or you can give a man estrogens. Different methods of deceasing androgens are often used in the same patient: using LHRH agonists with anti-androgens can achieve what is known as a total androgen blockade. Hormone therapy can also be used in conjunction with other treatments, especially in the case of advanced stage prostate cancer being treated with radiation therapy. In that case, hormonal therapy is often given before the radiation and this is known as neoadjuvant hormonal therapy. Another use for hormones is in patients who present with metastatic disease. After a while, all prostate cancers will become resistant to hormonal therapy. However, this often takes many years and hormonal therapy can buy a lot of time in patients with extensive disease or patients who choose not to undergo surgery or radiation.
There are a number of side effects associated with hormonal therapy. Hormonal therapy will almost universally cause impotence and the loss of your sex drive. It can also cause breast enlargement, hot flashes, and muscle and bone loss (osteoporosis). There are some things your doctors can prescribe to help with bone loss and hot flashes, but little can be done about loss of libido and impotence.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs that go throughout the entire body. Chemotherapy is prescribed by medical oncologists, who are experts at choosing appropriate regimens for particular patients. Chemotherapy for prostate cancer is generally only reserved for very advanced cancers that are no longer responsive to hormonal therapy. There are a number of chemotherapy drugs that can be used for prostate cancer, and they are often used in combinations. A common chemotherapy regimen is Mitoxantrone with Coritcosteroids; and other regimens that are becoming increasingly popular use a drug called Estramustane with drugs called Taxanes (paclitaxel). The use of chemotherapy in prostate cancer is currently being studied and men who get chemotherapy are encouraged to talk to their doctors about experimental trials. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the different regimens that your medical oncologist will discuss with you. Based on your own health, your personal values and wishes, and side effects you may wish to avoid, you can work with your doctors to come up with the best regimen for your lifestyle
Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) was approved in 2010 as a treatment of metastatic prostate cancer when the cancer longer responds to hormonal treatments. It is a form of immunotherapy that involves harvesting a specific type of the patient's own white blood cell and combining the cells with a protein called prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) found on prostate cancer cells, in order to activate the white blood cells. The cells are then given back to the patient about 3 days later, in a process similar to a blood transfusion. A treatment is given 3 times, with about 2 weeks in between each dose. This drug can increase survival by a few months, in men who are in good health. Possible side effects include fever, nausea, and headaches.
Cryosurgery is a somewhat experimental approach to treating prostate cancer whereby probes with liquid nitrogen are implanted into the prostate and then the tissue is frozen. This freezing kills the cancer cells, and it can be repeated multiple times if needed. However, data to date has shown that cryosurgery is not as effective as radiation and surgery for treating prostate cancer. Cryosurgery also has a variety of side effects including urinary incontinence and impotence.
Some patients choose to receive no therapy for their prostate cancer in the hopes that it will grow very slowly. By avoiding any therapy, they avoid the side effects that come along with surgery, radiation, or hormones. Active surveillance is appropriate for older men with small, low-grade tumors, and slowly rising PSAs, and multiple other medical problems. Active surveillance can be considered in patients who have a life expectancy less than 10 years as long as the cancer isn't large or of a high grade. Men who choose to undergo watchful waiting should have PSAs and digital rectal exams done every 3-6 months, and need to be re-biopsied at some point to make sure the grade hasn't become less favorable. However, it is never really clear what change in clinical status should institute treatment. Also, if the tumor has progressed, they may no longer be eligible for curative therapy.
Once a patient has been treated for prostate cancer, they need to be closely followed for a recurrence. At first, you will have follow-up visits fairly often. The longer you are free of disease, the less often you will have to go for checkups. Your doctor will tell you when he or she wants follow-up visits, PSAs and x-rays or scans depending on your case. Your doctor will also probably do digital rectal exams regularly during your office visits. It is very important that you let your doctor know about any symptoms you are experiencing and that you keep all of your follow-up appointments.
Clinical trials are extremely important in furthering our knowledge of this disease. It is through clinical trials that we know what we do today, and many exciting new therapies are currently being tested. Talk to your doctor about participating in clinical trials in your area.
This article is meant to give you a better understanding of prostate cancer. Use this knowledge when meeting with your physician, making treatment decisions, and continuing your search for information. You can learn more about prostate cancer on OncoLink through the related links to the left.


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Flights to Amsterdam bring you to a maze of quaint canals lined houseboats, mansions and galleries.
Things to do
On your Amsterdam holiday, hire a bicycle to explore the side-streets and canals in the arty Jordaan neighbourhood. Specialist shops and quirky galleries hide away down small-scale streets, and there's always a cosy brown café to rest weary legs.
Amsterdammers love their markets. At the vibrant Waterlooplein flea market, join them to browse for vintage clothes or jewellery. With over 300 stands, you're bound to find that perfect souvenir from your Amsterdam trip.
Stepping off their flights to Amsterdam, visitors can find traditional neighbourhood eetcafes, bistro-like eateries, in De Pijp neighbourhood. Fill up on hearty dishes like crunchy bitterballen meatballs and hutspot stew, washed down with refreshing witbier.
Amsterdam's nightlife is as laid-back or raucous as you want. On your Amsterdam trip, join music lovers at the landmark Melkweg, a former dairy factory close to Leidseplein with spaces for live music, from local jazz bands to big-name international acts.
When to go
KLM has frequent flights to Amsterdam. Book a holiday to experience the orange-clad festivities at April's Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) or the classical music-filled Grachtenfestival in August.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Biggest Loser: 30-Day Power X-Train DVD
Price: $14.98
- Additional Details
- Format: DVD
- Rating: Not Rated
- Number of Discs: 1
- Run Time: 101 Minutes
- Region: 1
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
- Studio: Lions Gate
- DVD Release Date: December 4, 2012
- Audio: ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo [CC]
- Director: Cal Pozo
- Cast: Bob Harper
- Genre: Exercise
- Color: Color
- Includes:
Maximum Results Program
Custom Workout Option
Music Only Option - Release Date: 2012
Workouts Include:
Warm Up (5 minutes)
Get moving and prepare your body for an intense Cross Training workout designed to burn fat, tighten and tone.
Metabolic Circuit (15 minutes)
Keep your heart rate up with metabolic circuit training workout as you alternate between strength and cardio movements. This non-stop, no recovery workout is sure to burn mega calories.
Power Training (15 minutes)
A total body workout designed to build strength, speed and powerful muscles with core moves and plyometrics.
All About Reps (15 minutes)
Build strength and drop inches with this fast- paced cross training program that utilizes cardio bursts and muscle toning.
Cool Down (5 minutes)
Slow your heart rate and sooth tight muscles through deep stretches. Weights recommended.


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Great Gençlerbirligi smoke-out | Stadium regulars worry about going cold turkey
Ankara, Turkey | Few recent news items have reminded us of late Beat poet and Bob Dylan confidant Allen Ginsberg's live performance of "Put Down Your Cigarette Rag (Don't Smoke)" at the Duke University Gross Chemistry building sometime in 1979. But postings in the soccer "blogosphere"—specifically, at "The Round Ball in Ankara"—concerning new anti-smoking initiatives under consideration by Turkish parliament triggered a memory of Ginsberg trilling lyrics accompanied by his hurdy-gurdy.
You pay your two bucks for a deathly pack
Trust your bad luck and smoke in the sack.
Journalist Chris Wade of "The Round Ball," like Ginsberg, meditates on smoking's joys and seduction and wonder whether authorities should be intruding on the practice, especially in football stadiums. Under the legislation approved by the parliament's Justice Commission, smoking would be permissible in segregated zones: not unlike such set-asides in airports, where anxious travelers puff away the jitters before taking wing. Wade protests that the idea would seriously affect two joys of Turkish life: Tekel 2000 cigarettes and football, and especially the two together. "The highlight of the week," Wade writes, "is when I can combine" cigarettes, football and Efes beer.
[B]ut soon I think I may have to emigrate to somewhere civilized like Tajikistan if I am to experience true happiness…. [Co-blogger and pseudonymous] Eski Kanka Jim and myself would have died from heart attacks years ago if we weren't allowed to have a smoke after Ankaragücü or Gençlerbirligi stuffed up yet another point-blank shot on goal.
Now for the practical details. Apparently they are going to set up smoking areas in stadiums. Well, good luck to them trying to corral the vast majority of spectators into crappy seats. Talk about an invitation to riot.
The English-language Turkish Daily News reports on the culturally entrenched nature of smoking, dating to the 17th-century introduction of the hookah, or water pipes, into Ottoman coffee houses. Half of Turkey's adults smoke, 11.7 percent of school kids. In the United States, in comparison, sales of cigarettes have hit an all-time low (378 billion in 2005). Twenty-four percent of U.S. adults are smokers.
But, as Ginsberg made clear in song, there are more than enough vices to go around.


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The Global Intelligence Files
On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.
[OS] Fw: Pool report #2
Released on 2012-10-12 10:00 GMT
Email-ID | 2180275 |
Date | 2011-11-12 20:53:26 |
From | email@example.com |
To | email@example.com |
List-Name | email@example.com |
From: Meckler, Laura [mailto:email@example.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 02:48 PM
To: Lewin, Jesse
Subject: Pool report #2
President Obama said the TPP will boost the economies of participating nations and will help achieve his goal of doubling US exports. "With nearly 500 million consumers between us, there is so much more we can do together."
He said the TPP can serve as a model for future trade agreements, including issues not addressed in previous deals including market regulations, creating opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, and including "high standards" for worker rights and the environment.
"I'm confident we can get this done," he concluded. "Together we can boost exports and create more goods available for our consumers, create new jobs. Compete, win in the markets of the future."
He began talking at about 9:20 am and spoke for just over 3 minutes.
Tables were arranged in a U shape, with Obama seated at the center of middle table, with Ron Kirk to his left.
Obama was the only one to speak. When he was done, he chatted with leaders for a few moments before lining up for a photo with the leaders of the nine participating nations. Obama was in center, with the leaders of Chile and
Brunei on either side. Julia Gillard was on end.
We are waiting to depart the Hale Koa hotel, where the TPP meeting took place, en route CEO summit.
Laura Meckler
The Wall Street Journal
202 262 1586, cell
The White House . 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW . Washington DC 20500 .


text:
One thing I Love about Phat-Beefy Ass is you can bury your face in the Dude's Butt, Lick his hole & grab on his Ass-cheeks at the same time.
Don't we all need a Bud that will let us Service his Butthole? What you do behind closed doors with your Bud is always private
College Freshman know they have to spread their Cheeks and give up their Shithole in order to Pledge
My Massage Therapist would get a Big Tip if he did this..
I can never get enough of Licking a Dude's Hairy Crack..Such a fucking turn-on
Stocky Dudes with Phat Butts are so Sexy...Can't help But Eat out their Phat Butts then slide your Dick in and Fuck them while their thick Legs are spread Eagle. Nothing like Pounding a Nice Phat White Butt..


text:
Material: Microfiber
Brand: Carlos Falchi
Origin: Imported
In the early 1970s, accessories designer Carlos Falchi was just another boy from Brazil living in New York City. Then he landed a job at the legendary New York hangout Max's Kansas City, and his unconventional home-sewn handbags caught the attention of cool kids Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. Today, Falchi's design studio on New York City's W. 39th Street still hand-produces minimalist clutch purses, oversize hobo and tote bags, and deconstructed satchels from exotic alligator, crocodile, and python skins and premium leathers. As vivid and colorful as their rock-and-roll forebears, Falchi's quintessentially New York bags are popular with celebs such as Madonna and Jessica Simpson, and even had a cameo in Sex and the City.


text:
(Attica, OH) Underground Utilities Night will feature the Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Attica Late Models running for $1,000 to win this coming Friday, July 13th, 2007. ARP Late Models will each qualify 1 lap around the 1/3-mile clay oval. Also in action will be the 305 Sprints and always exciting Dirt Trucks!
ARP Late Model A-Main Payout:1st - $1,000; 2nd - $600; 3rd - $400; 4th - 325; 5th - $250; 6th - $200; 7th - $175; 8th - $150; 9th - $130; 10th - $120; 11th - $110; 12th thru 20th - $100Total Purse: $4,360
Total Purse: $800
Attica Late Models Rules Apply:• Aluminum motors are allowed, but cars must add 100 pounds of weight. The centerline of the weight must be located no further back than the center of the middle exhaust ports. All weight must be properly secured. • Big Block aluminum motors are allowed with no additional weight required.• There is no tire rule or no weight rule for the entire car


text:
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 13, 2013, at Ruleville Central High School. Burial will follow at I John in Doddsville with pastor Lillie Jackson officiating.
Visitation will be from 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 12, 2013, at Byas Funeral Home in Ruleville and from 4-6 p.m. at Holy Trinity in Doddsville.
He is survived by his wife, Bessie Ratliff of Doddsville; sons, Robert Ratliff Jr., Christopher, Randy, Jonathan and Daricus Ratliff; daughers, Dorothy Pearl Higgins, Brenda Gomilla, Sadie Sims, Rolanda M. Whitney and Debra Ratliff; 14 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.


text:
Ohio State Buckeyes Gear
Ohio State Buckeyes Kids
Ohio State Buckeyes Kids Youth
(96 items)
Product ID: 875636
Main Content
Order now, receive no later than Thursday, February 5th. Some limitations apply.
With college season so close, your young Ohio State fan is itching to watch the Buckeyes. Your young fan can prepare for the season in OSU style with this Tri-Force jacket from Nike. With an embroidered team logo on the left chest and a contrast-colored sewn-on stripe across the chest and down the sleeves, this lightweight jacket will provide your youngster with a perfect game day look! This spirited jacket will make the wait for the first Bucks game feel so much shorter.
- 100% Polyester fabric
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- Imported
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- Quality embroidery
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Buckeyes Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game
or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are
received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items
are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite
number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text:
Easton XL1 Youth Baseball Bat: YB14X1
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text:
Shedding Baggage on Kilimanjaro
Kara Richardson Whitely talks about conquering Kili as a plus-sized hiker.
Kara Richardson Whitely talks about conquering Kili as a plus-sized hiker.
Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could become even more protected, with another 12.8 million acres designated as wilderness.
Investigate the triggers of a recent Wasatch slide by studying a snow pit with the Utah Avalanche Center.
The mountaineer is the first to conquer the peak alone in January.
The slide occurred near the Big Four Ice Caves.
We couldn't have made up these strange-but-true peak names if we tried.
Someone's getting coal in his stocking this year.
The latest defense bill gives the park system its largest expansion in decades.
It's not every day that the Grand Canyon gets filled up with clouds.
It's now the most expensive photograph in the world.
The ice on this Slovakian lake is as clear as glass.
Copyright ©2010 Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. an Active Interest Media company Subscribe to Backpacker Magazine Contact Backpacker Subscription Services Advertise with Backpacker Terms of Use / Privacy Policy Sign Up For Our Newsletters


text: 5 incredible......only way to describe it.Posted: 15/10/2011growing up with an older sister who loved take that,Ive had them in my face as far back as I can remember.after seeing the comeback and subsequent tours on DVD I've wanted to see them live! Finally got tickets to the progress tour! Straight to the point...this show was incredible.I wouldn't say it had the complete theatrical presence of 'the circus' but it was the best concert I've ever been to! This blu ray is going to a must buy for me at Christmas! any women out there with a guy who has a playstation 3,spend a little more for the blu ray & educate him on the best band in the world! This is coming from a 25 year old guy:)


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What video-games are you looking forward to this year?
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Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 139
Location: Somewhere in New Zealand, hiding
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:34 am
Post subject: What video-games are you looking forward to this year?
A little late with this topic, being late Jan and all, but what video games are you looking forward to this year? Please dont mention any Blizzard game no matter how much you are willing to trade your soul for it, since we all know Blizzard doesnt keep to the same mortal time-keeping standards as the rest of us.
Persoanllay I'd
to say Im looking forward to FF 13, but since its release date has just jumped back 8 months, and even then its iffy, I'm going to peg that one as a late 2010 release.
I guess right now all I really want is the PAL release of Persona 4, and the translated add-on for Valkyria Chronicales. After that I'll take any RPG going thankyou.
If it's not on fire, it's a software problem
Asa Dub (Forums Mk1) = Green. Grimwatch = Greenwitch = Green
Coach of the Maulers 'n' Brawlers Blood Bowl team - winner of the "Most casualties inflicted on opponents" award for T.A.G 2008, mwahaha...
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 2141
Location: England
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:45 am
Post subject:
Empire Total War!
Empire Total War! ^_^
My favourite style of army, they're introducing sea combat for the first time, the biggest campaign map, the graphics have been overhauled.
There are some major niggles with the Total War series to date, mainly the inability to rearrange unit cards properly, the completely retarded unit AI and the lack of zone of control/slow recruitment speeds. (Seriously old Roman Emperors could raise armies of thousands relatively quickly and you expect me to believe I'm limited to raising a few hundred in a half year?) With luck they've redone some of these things, the rest will have to be left to mods I guess.
Still I'll be a buying of it, those are mainly niggles and it doesn't spoil the game too much. That and I want to paint the world red with blood again ^_^
Dragon Age.
OMG Bioware is making something that looks like it might be a decent oldschool hardcore RPG in the vein of Baldur's Gate. SQUEEEAGE. It has been way way too long since Nem's been able to get a decent RPG game under his belt.
Uh... That's pretty much it now I think of it. Maybe Maffia 2 if it's out this year.
Never forget,
We stroll along the roof of hell
Gazing at flowers.
- Issa
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Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 258
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:47 am
Post subject:
FEAR 2 coming up next month. Played the demo, looks like it's improved on the first, so very excited. Only 'horror' game Squee really likes...
Dragon Age, definitely.
Bioshock 2. Squee's iffy on whether a sequel can live up to the first one, given the nature of what made the first game great. If they just follow the same gameplay formula, it'll still be a really good game, but just doubt they can match the story and--more importantly--the metagame aspect of the first.
On a completely different note...Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Puzzle Quest was ingenious (throw the addictive Bejeweled onto an RPG adventure just works somehow). Haven't really seen much about galactrix, but hopefully they'll come up with something fun and addictive like Puzzle Quest was. Though Squee'll likely wait until it comes out for portable platforms, as that's where PQ truly shined.
Other than that, this year's lineup is kinda lackluster other than Blizzard's games (which are more likely to be 2010). Even then, Squee's only really interested in SC2, and then only for nostalgia and the quality of Blizz games....Not much of a strategy gamer. Next year actually has a wealth of games that Squee is looking forward to more. Including ones that are more likely to be pushed back to next year.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 650
Location: Cardiff, UK
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:16 am
Post subject:
Obligatory plug for my current major extracurricular project:
Battle for Wesnoth 1.6
Keeper of Tristram's rings, and Felucca's very expressive ears.
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Joined: 27 Dec 2006
Posts: 889
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:04 pm
Post subject:
Well, if I'm not allowed to mention
, then I really don't have much to say (partypooper).
Keeper of Nanashi's Vambraces and the Amethyst Trees.
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Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 225
Location: Tennessee Tri-cities
Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:46 pm
Post subject:
I'm looking forward to Gears 2 on PC, since I lack an exs bawks. Other games I'm looking forward too, GunZ: The Duel 2, because I'm a huge GunZ nut. Umm... what else... *hits up Gamespy for info*
Ah yes, Red Alert 3's expansion is coming around soon, and I have a soft spot for the C&C series being the very first RTS I got into. And the cheesy acting is too awesome to ignore.
Dragon Age should be bleedin' awesome, as I have yet to play a game from Bioware that dropped below 'much better than average'.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, as I've always been a Star Wars nut in spite of the butchering of the franchise that the recent movies were.
I really should look into getting the first F.E.A.R. so I can form an opinion about the upcoming sequel.
And Riddick. Yes, I said it. Vin Diesel in Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. I'm sorry, ladies, but his sexiness belongs to me. Yar. ;3
Aliens: Colonial Marines. I've always been a fan of the Aliens and Predator series, though this is Aliens-only. Oh well. My lifelong dream of hunting the Brood Mother with a wicked shiv and a auto-tracking plasma beam will have to wait until after this one.
Red Faction 3. I need say no more. ^_^
Wolfenstein. Same as RF3, I need say no more than the title.
Diablo 3. It's a possibility that it will be here this year, and I'll let myself be lead along by Blizzard's bait for now.
The game that makes me wish wholeheartedly that I had a console this year: Resident Evil 5. >.<
Batman: Arkham Asylum. It looks like it's gonna be good, something rare for a game with an established superhero as the protagonist.
Last, but definitely anything but least, Half-Life 2: Episode 3. I could gush for days about it, but I'll just settle for Gordon Freeman > all (except Bruce Lee).
Now Playing: Rage Against The Machine - Ashes In The Fall
This be Claen'tor, signing off.
Red is my colour. I live for it. Though it wears horribly on me. D;
I like to post my music. It's a habit. Be nice. ;_;
'People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.'
-Soren Kierkegaard
Dubbed Clan by Asa
Claen'tor = Claen = Clan
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 566
Location: Right behind you.
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:14 am
Post subject:
Diablo 3 is my big excitement. Though now that I know there's a Riddick video game coming out, I might have to scream and fall over that one as well... and Claen'tor, I will fight you for his sexiness. You're talking to the girl that has all night Riddick a'thons with her friends.
If you're reading this, you haven't quite made it to the next post.
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Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 225
Location: Tennessee Tri-cities
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:27 am
Post subject:
I'll be right back. *poofs, then returns a short time later draped in ammo belts, a heavy machine gun, rocket launcher, .44 magnum, bowie knife, etc.* It's on now! D:<
Now Playing: Avenged Sevenfold - M.I.A.
This be Claen'tor, signing off.
Red is my colour. I live for it. Though it wears horribly on me. D;
I like to post my music. It's a habit. Be nice. ;_;
'People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.'
-Soren Kierkegaard
Dubbed Clan by Asa
Claen'tor = Claen = Clan
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 566
Location: Right behind you.
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:31 am
Post subject:
P'fft, nuts. The true Riddick fangirl requires only a teacup! *holds hers out menacingly*
I'm currently on Fable II, which I waited forever for and have been a bit disappointed by...
If you're reading this, you haven't quite made it to the next post.
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Joined: 11 Apr 2008
Posts: 139
Location: Somewhere in New Zealand, hiding
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:24 am
Post subject:
I'd forgotten about Bioshock 2. I keep forgetting its not a new game anymore, since I only played it about 2 months ago.
And if you really,
must, then scream out your devotion to the Blizz franchises. I still say that you'll be kidding yourself to expect to see either of them
year, but would be deleriously happy to be proven wrong. On the other hand, Blizzard and Bioware both may take ages to release a game, but its almost always worth the wait, and generally shows the polish of a refined product, rather than the junk certain other producers turn out.
If it's not on fire, it's a software problem
Asa Dub (Forums Mk1) = Green. Grimwatch = Greenwitch = Green
Coach of the Maulers 'n' Brawlers Blood Bowl team - winner of the "Most casualties inflicted on opponents" award for T.A.G 2008, mwahaha...
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Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 218
Location: 2010 Olympics (Please enjoy them, b/c I am paying for them).
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:35 am
Post subject:
Definitely Star Wars: the Old Republic. My social life will suffer so much when that comes out.
Bioshock 2? That should be interesting.
My printer thinks it's some kinda guitar hero because it won't stop jamming.
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Joined: 09 Jul 2008
Posts: 1800
Location: The boring part of Washington
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 11:56 am
Post subject:
Kotor3? I... *sob* I'm so happy....
...In accordance with the prophesy.
TheBSDude, dubbed 'BS' by Asa and nicknamed 'Thebes.'
Keeper of the Tristam, The Amazing Non-Emo Vampire!(tm) and a Massive List of Webcomics.
"I'm like a ninja with no hopes or dreams." --Wally of
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Joined: 05 Sep 2008
Posts: 592
Location: Up in the Clouds
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 1:52 pm
Post subject:
@ Squee - Galactrix is seriously cool, the fiance and I snagged the demo for both PC and 360 versions and were sad by how quickly we reached the demo's level cap. There's still the RPG element of going to different places for different quests and battling various enemies via puzzle, with "spells" and extra weapons to make things interesting. The biggest change is the puzzle itself, which is now hexagonal in shape and the pieces slide in from all four diagonal directions, rather than just down from the top, plus there's more "skull" values than the original 1 and 5.
We're probably gonna snag it for both the 360 and the DS when it comes out ^_^
I do commissions!
Interested? Let me know! :D
My deviantART page
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 566
Location: Right behind you.
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:56 pm
Post subject:
Hey, if there's a Kotor 3, I'm changing that to my major excitement.
If you're reading this, you haven't quite made it to the next post.
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Joined: 23 Mar 2008
Posts: 258
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:02 pm
Post subject:
There's no KOTOR3, it's a KOTOR MMO. Which, frankly, disappoints Squee, but it has a ton of potential since Bioware's doing it. We'll see if Bioware's first venture into MMO is as good as Blizzard's was though...However, it definitely WON'T be out this year Squee is sure.
Also, it's fairly likely that SC2 at least (probably not Diablo3) will be out the last quarter of this year...Just from what Squee has seen, the development effort is far more progressed than most announced games. Easy to be wrong with these companies though
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Africa | Showing Mugabe the red card proves a difficult trick
Harare, Zimbabwe | For nearly 10 years political opponents have tried to send off President Robert Mugabe, but he still has not left the pitch.
Drawing on the range of football metaphor in the Zimbabwean political process, the Movement for Democratic Change shortly after its founding in 1999 initiated a red-card campaign to retire the 84-year-old strongman, who has led the state since independence in 1980. Voters have another opportunity to reject Mugabe on Saturday at parliamentary and presidential elections.
Supporters of Movement for Democratic Change candidate Tsvangirai flash the omnipresent red cards at a stadium rally. (© 2008 MDC)
At stadium rallies over the past month, backers of MDC presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai have waved the palm-sized cards, reading "Send Mugabe and Zanu PF Off!" in reference to the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front. Since the run-up to 2000 elections, when the party surprised Mugabe by winning 57 of 120 parliamentary seats, former union leader Tsvangirai and other MDC speakers have riffed on the red-card idea. Tsvangirai invokes the "red sand of Africa" as part of his rhetorical flourishes. Red is the color of MDC—a reference to the pan-ethnic, multilingual state envisioned following long periods of tribal division.
At Rufaro Stadium in Harare on 18 Jun 2000—the site of Mugabe's independence declaration—Tsvangirai offered supporters the open-handed "change" salute, a mimicking of the match referee's gesture when sending a player to the showers. He told 45,000 at the stadium:
The MDC has the people of Zimbabwe behind it—we are knocking on the doors of parliament. We are walking up its corridors. We are saying away with corruption—away.
No more petrol or paraffin queues—no more.
No more hunger or crying—no more.
No more beatings and house burnings—no more.
The spirit of democratic resistance lives in our hearts.Chinonzi regedza ndechirimumaoka chirimumoyo chirimuninga.
The people of Zimbabwe say to Robert Mugabe—we showed you the yellow card at the time of the referendum, and now today Robert Mugabe we are showing you the red card.
Get off the field Robert Mugabe—your time is over.
Get off the field ZanuPF—your time has gone.
Come liberation—come.
Come freedom—come.
Later that day, he expanded the metaphor:
The MDC is a non-racial party. Zimbabweans are a collective, we have a common history—we share the future. Our strength comes from our cultural and ethnic diversity. The red sand of Africa flows through our veins. Every group is part of the national team—every goal we score is a goal for the nation. No team has only one kind of player—it has many different kinds of players, together those differences make them powerful. Together. We are tired of sitting on the sidelines; of being expelled to the bin. We are tired of the world laughing at the old team as they fall over the ball.
We are Zimbabwe. One people. One nation. One team.
Over the years, the rhetoric and accompanying gestures have evolved, but football as referent remains intact. At a rally in Masvingo earlier in March, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa demonstrated a new signal of party unity—"a new way of giving Mugabe the red card": "With thousands rotating their two second fingers," reports ZimDaily, "one finger on top of another, a sign synonymous with soccer coaches just before substituting a player, the new MDC action psyched up the masses in Mucheke" stadium (Spiwe Ncube, "Zanu (PF) Panics, Lies, after Shock Crowds at Tsvangirai Rally," Mar 17). The vital importance of football stadia to political life in Zimbabwe, and in much of the developing world, became evident in publicity related to the Mucheke event. Government-backed media reported the crowd of 25,000 as early gatherers for a 3 p.m. football match. But independent ZimDaily countered that its news team arrived at 10 a.m. "to a full stadium, both in the terraces and in the football pitch. … Some of the supporters, hanging precariously from nearby trees hoping for a bird's eye view of the presidential candidate … waved red cards."
Mugabe's edginess about such symbolism became apparent before 2005 elections, when the color red was banned on Zimbabwean TV. Guests on a weekly HIV/AIDS discussion show were told to remove red AIDS ribbons before filming (Basildon Peta, "Mugabe Bans Red Cards from TV in Further Curbs on Opposition," The Independent, 14 Jul 04). Despite current polls showing Tsvangirai with a plurality of support, opposition parties fear that such manipulation and vote-rigging will ensure perpetuation of Mugabe's desultory reign.
Football at Victoria Falls, 16 Sept 06. Former Zimbabwe FA chief executive Mashingaidze says, "We are a football giant that is in slumber." (© 2006 Amodiovalerio Verde)
Tsvangirai and others charge that, in Mugabe, Zimbabweans have traded earlier colonial oppression for a domesticated variety. Reaching to the heritage of the "Great Zimbabwe" of around 1100 CE, opponents say that Mugabe has set rural and urban, Ndebele and Shona against each other, resulting in a nation in "shut down mode" (Julius Dawu, "Mugabe's Waterloo," Worldpress.org, Mar 20). Hyperinflation stands at more than 100,000 percent. Unemployment is 80 percent. An estimated 3,500 die weekly from HIV/AIDS-related illness, with average life expectancy at 34 for women, 37 for men. A few years ago, Mugabe introduced an ox-drawn ambulance program for rural areas.
Some 25 percent of 13 million inhabitants have fled the country, due in part to Mugabe's land-reclamation schemes that have displaced hundreds of thousands of political opponents, primarily in cities (see 29 Sept 05). Plots of reclaimed land were offered to Zimbabwe's national football team in 2005 following a successful string of results, including the COSAFA Cup title.
But, for the most part, Zimbabwe's international and professional football structures have suffered along with the other institutions. The Pioneer Column of Cecil Rhodes's British South African Company brought football and rugby to the area beginning in 1890, although locals likely did not play until mineworkers took the game to Southern Rhodesia. Township clubs, such as Highlanders of Bulawayo, formed by grandchildren of Ndebele king Lobengula, were established in the 1920s and '30s. Football has expressed racial, regional and political differences. Highlanders, for example, has maintained close ties to South African football. Its supporters created songs, according to Richard Giulianotti, to commemorate post-independence massacres against the Sindebele-speaking population in Matabeleland, when perhaps more than 20,000 died in the mid-1980s.
ZANU-PF works to control the mechanisms of the national football association. ZIFA chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya, who ascended to the country's top football job after Jonathan Mashingaidze was fired for alleged involvement in a World Cup ticket scam, last year became a provincial party leader in ZANU-PF and publicly backs Mugabe (Darlington Majonga, "Zifa Boss Gets into Zanu PF Structures," Zimbabwe Independent, 18 May 07). But the ruling party still looks on uncomfortably at large stadium gatherings. When MDC supporters made the open-hand salute at a home match versus South Africa in July 2000, police reacted with tear gas. Thirteen died in a resulting stampede.
Last week, police canceled organized football in the country until Apr 4, fearing pre-election violence.
The open-handed salute, delivered from an ambulance, was Tsvangirai's first public gesture following 48 hours of police assaults last year. He was left with one eye swollen shut and a suture on the side of his head. Such persistence has helped fuel the enthusiasm at his stadium rallies, where one chronicler said the intensity was such that "I felt a power drill was penetrating the ground beneath my feet."
Much more quietly, those left destitute during Mugabe's rule—such as Maria, a former hair salon owner now working as a prostitute in a Zambian border town—also ask for change. She saw her niece, a TB sufferer, die for want of food and blankets; for the burial, family members had to break down a clothes wardrobe in order to construct a coffin. Asked for her message to Mugabe, Maria backs the message of the red card: "Please just retire."
Richard Giulianotti, "Between Colonialism, Independence, and Globalization: Football in Zimbabwe," in Football in Africa: Conflict, Conciliation, and Community, ed. Gary Armstrong and Richard Giulianotti (New York: Palgrave, 2004), 80–99.


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