Riot Watch! in South Africa, a college football team without helmets and something I'm glad to see go away

- Ah, the excitement and optimism that come with the start of a new college football season. Of course, that optimism tends to dissipate if a team can’t actually start the season because it has neither helmets nor pads. Such is the plight of St. Paul's College, a Division II school in Virginia forced to cancel its 2009 season opener because it doesn't have the necessary equipment. The contest against West Virginia Wesleyan, scheduled for this afternoon, had the plug pulled and West Virginia Wesleyan will be invoking a clause in its contract with St. Paul’s that calls for an undisclosed financial penalty in the event of such a cancellation. St. Paul's AD Leroy Bacote called WVW athletic director Ken Tyler, who was "flabbergasted" over the decision. When he asked how the St. Paul’s team had been practicing without the equipment, he was told the players did calisthenics in shorts and T-shirts. But Bacote couldn’t guarantee that the pads and helmets would arrive in time for kickoff. Rather than have West Virginia Wesleyan make the 341-mile trip to play the game in South Hill, Va., Bacote called less than 24 hours before the scheduled start and dropped this knowledge on Tyler. Now this is just me, but if I’m running a college football team, regardless of division, I’m ordering the helmets and pads well before the start of the season. Yes, budgets are tight, especially at the D-II level, but you can’t tell me that you have money now that you didn’t have three months ago, when you should have ordered the helmets and pads. This is on the administration at St. Paul’s, which now not only suffers the embarrassment of having to cancel a game that was supposed to be its home opener, but also to pay a significant chunk of change to West Virginia Wesleyan for the mistake. I shouldn’t have to say this, but I’ll go ahead and remind the St. Paul’s athletic department to order the equipment for all winter and spring sports if they haven’t already done that. Bats, balls, sticks, hurdles and other needed equipment should be on its way to campus as soon as possible so as to avoid further canceled games and egg on your faces…….

- Here’s something I like to see. For once, the government is looking to bring the hammer down on a group that we all hate and wish would go away. And no, I’m not talking about those responsible for putting American Karaoke on TV each fall for Fox. No, I’m referring to those ubar-annoying businesses that try to push products on consumers with automated and unsolicited calls. How many times have you picked up the phone, waited through a few seconds of awkward silence and then heard an automated message begin playing, trying to sell you something you neither want nor need? Now, businesses that engage in this troubling practice will face fines of up to $16,000 per call, courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission. “American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. Agreed and agreed. There will be a few unfortunate exemptions to this new law - calls from politicians, public service announcements and "informational" calls - and we can work on those later, but for now I’ll take what I can get. However, the FCC is still depending on you and I to help them out by reporting questionable robocalls to its complaint Web site or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP. "If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," Leibowitz said. Great, so we have to rely on a government bureaucracy to chase down offending parties and make them pay. Oh, and big ups to the government for finally getting around to dropping this ban on pre-recorded calls, consumers can always sign up for the federal "do not call" registry. Should you still want to receive these robocalls (and who doesn’t), you can always give permission for companies to still besiege you with these automated annoyances……….

- I don’t make a habit out of hanging out at art museums and with good reason. They’re eerily quiet, they tend to be filled with super-serious art types who take art far too seriously and they tend not to appreciate it when you bring in your own nachos and Mountain Dew big gulp while you browse the exhibits. However, I may have to reconsider my policy if more art museums have incidents take place like the one that went down at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Wednesday. Kathleen "K.C." Neill, a lesser-known model, was arrested for posing nude for a photographer in front of visitors inside the arms and armor department. As you might expect, I don’t have a beef with this. Admittedly, the arms and armor department tends to be BORING and in need of some excitement, so you have to applaud Neill and her photographer, Zach Hyman, for providing that excitement. The police don’t have enough of a sense of humor, adventure or fun to see it that way. They busted Neill and she now faces a charge of public lewdness. Her attorney, Donald Schechter, rightly says to call what the model and were doing obscenity "is ridiculous." It was art, it was entertainment, and more importantly, it was a model taking her clothes off for free in a public place. I am sure that everyone - especially parents visiting the museum with their children - appreciated the display and those kids will remember it for a long, long time. Besides, what kind of horrible parent subjects their child to a visit to the art museum? Booooooring. As for Hyman, this incident is hardly a surprise for him. Of late, he’s been drawing attention for taking snapshots of nude models on the New York subway system. His explanation is that says he's inspired by nude paintings (what guy isn't?), and his work is not pornographic. I do also have to rap the Met for cowering on this issue and not supporting the work of the very sort of artists whose works it allegedly endeavors to promote and showcase. But instead of supporting Neill and Hyman, the museum issued a statement which read: "As a nonprofit institution on city-owned land, the Met, like all other individual and institutional citizens, is subject to municipal laws, rules, and regulations." Thanks for nothing, Met and NYPD, you’ve ruined the fun once again………

- Rockers Oasis have long been one of music’s most combustible acts. Lead singer Liam Gallagher is notoriously arrogant, pompous and self-righteous, so being in a band with the guy has to be challenging at times, even for his brother. The band has had its rocky moments over the past 18 years, but perhaps none rockier than yesterday. On the band’s website, lead guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher announced that he has quit Oasis. "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight," Gallagher wrote. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” Wow. Dude isn't even hiding behind the “creative differences” excuse that artists usually offer up for this type of decision. He’s coming right out and saying that his brother is such an a-hole that he can’t possibly go on working with him. The announcement is especially potent because it comes on the eve of several major festival performances for Oasis, meaning those gigs will have their plug pulled at the last moment. It’s a disappointing day for those of us who are Oasis fans and enjoyed their albums, including their most recent album, "Dig Out Your Soul," reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 last October (and no, those Billboard lists still aren’t worth a crap). Liam Gallagher founded Oasis in 1991 with Paul Arthurs, Paul McGuigan and Tony McCaroll. Noel joined shortly thereafter and took over as Oasis' lead songwriter. Arthurs and McGuigan have since departed, making the Gallagher brothers the longest-standing members of the band. Other current band members include guitarist/keyboardist Colin Archer, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Chris Sharrock. "Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows," Noel Gallagher wrote in reference to the band’s festival dates. No word has been given on the band’s future, although it’s hard to imagine Liam Gallagher’s massive ego allowing his band to crash and burn because his brother left and blamed it on him. I’m not sure how I would feel about Oasis without one of the brothers Gallagher, but hopefully I won't have to. Maybe there is some hope of a reconciliation, you just never know……..

- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! I love it when a simple protest over workers’ wages turns into a violent clash between the little guy and The Man. Such was the case in Cape Town, South Africa when thousands of angry soldiers showed up to protest what they feel are unfair wages. Things escalated quickly and got out of hand when police clashed with more than 1,000 soldiers who tried to enter the presidential grounds. The showdown took place at the Union Buildings — the official seat of the South African government that also houses the president’s offices — and was organized by the South African National Defense Union (SANDU). It was quite a scene, with an estimated 1,200 soldiers marching on the lawns of the Union Buildings. Hundreds of them scaled the gates of the compound, which is when police completely and totally overreacted by responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. They demanded that the soldiers vacate the premises, and when they wouldn’t, out came the tear gas and rubber bullets. What, no water canons and truncheons? But hey, those overreactions meant that an all-out brawl took place and in the melee, both sides sustained injuries. Sure, the soldiers eventually wussed out and left late in the afternoon after police warned they would use additional force, but not every protest can end in a bloody, cataclysmic mess. No thanks for this great riot will go out to Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, who condemned the demonstration and said that soldiers took part in an illegal protest that had not been approved by South Africa’s military. Umm, hello? That’s the whole point of a riot/protest, to stick it to The Man and be disobedient. Big ups to all of the soldiers who spat in the face of authority and made their voice heard, you guys rock……..