- Oh, how it warms my heart when a community can come together, take a stand and speak out against The Man when a family is about to be evicted from their house just before Christmas. Normally, protests and uprisings are about major issues affecting thousands and even millions of people, but on the rare occasion a protest can be about an issue affecting a select few people. Such is the case in Springfield, Mass., where an angry uprising by a local community group may have helped save a Springfield family from being on the streets this holiday. The No One Leaves Project rode to the rescue after Noelia Ramos was laid off an didn’t have the money to continue paying her mortgage. When the bank foreclosed, it set Thursday, Dec. 23 as the unfortunate foreclosure date. Ramos and her family faced the very real prospect of being booted from their home two days before Christmas, but members of the No One Leaves Project showed up and spoke out against the bank’s decision. Faced with a public fight and the ugly task of evicting a family and putting them out on the streets at Christmas, the bank relented and postponed the bankruptcy auction until Jan. 25. But like any good activist group, the No One Leaves Project isn’t satisfied with just pushing back the date of the auction. “We know that this is not the end, we will be back on the 25th. This is only the beginning of our struggle to keep Noelia safe and to keep our communities stable,” No One Leaves Project member Miriam Kudler-Flam said. She and other members of the group plan to return for additional protests once the re-scheduled auction date nears. Protest on, No One Leaves Project, protest on………
- Any coach loves seeing a competitive, fighting spirit in his team. You want guys who will go to battle, scrap and claw for every point, yard, run or goal. Having said that, channeling that fight into on-field aggression is probably the best way to go, advice that would have been good to share with Mississippi State basketball players Renardo Sidney and Elgin Bailey before they brawled with one another in the stands just a few minutes before tipoff of the consolation game between tournament host Hawaii and Utah at the Diamond Head Classic tournament in Honolulu. Ironically enough, in a game held at the Stan Sheriff Center, sheriff’s deputies and arena security had to intervene and pull these two away from one another. Sidney was seen being escorted away by arena ushers and Honolulu police, but no arrests were made. Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury refused comment until he "finds out all the facts," so it’s not known who initiated the physicality. Regardless, these two clowns should both share equal blame because there is just no good reason for fighting with a teammate in the stands before a game. Players get into scuffles behind closed doors in the locker room from time to time, but how these two had so little self control that one of them said something, insulted the other’s girlfriend, knocked the other’s iPhone to the ground or did whatever sparked the fight and that led to an all-out brawl is beyond reason. Bailey was reportedly sent back to the team hotel, while Sidney remained at the arena. "It's disappointing. Still gathering information, but it's not how we want our school represented," MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a text message. What? Teammates throwing actual haymakers isn’t what you want to represent Mississippi State basketball? It’s easy to see where Sidney might be a little frustrated, as he was a highly touted McDonald's All-American out of Fairfax (Los Angeles) High, had to sit out last season while awaiting clearance from the NCAA and has appeared in just two games this season. Earlier this week, he was suspended by Stansbury for "conduct detrimental to the team" and was benched for the first-round loss to Washington State on Wednesday. Way to class things up, Renardo. I hope you and your pal E. Bailey have a wonderful time playing together for the next few seasons………
- God love cheesy promotional stunts by companies looking to generate buzz for the next big thing. Seeing the brilliant ideas that these marketing Mensas come up with in order to launch their new car, cereal, electronic gadget or household appliance always makes you laugh……and wonder how so many stupid people attain high-paying corporate jobs. I’m not sure that the plan for Google to celebrate the release of its new Nexus S smartphone is one of the dumbest I’ve heard in the past few months, but it’s certainly unique. To commemorate the launch of the phone (but mostly to generate publicity in away way possible even if it has nothing to do with the product itself), Google employees constructed seven hobbyist-style air balloons, each containing a phone, and sent them into orbit. Google staffer Zi Wang chronicled the promotional stunt on the company’s blog and wrote that the project was intended to help test some of the hardware sensors in the phone. Uh huh, sure it wasn’t. But hey, if you can attempt to justify goofing off of engaging in typical marketing employee lameness by invoking he name of science, go for it. Or the balloon release could be tied in to negotiations Google has undertaken with a UK satellite manufacturer about contributing the core technology in the Nexus S to help build small satellites, according to multiple reports. "The phone is powerful enough," Wang said in a recent interview. Google claims it recovered all seven capsules from the test run and after testing the phones from inside the balloons, found that they all stopped functioning at 60,000 feet -- nearly twice as high as most planes fly. One of the phones reached a height of 100,000 feet, which equates to more than 20 miles up in the air. According to data provided by Google, the phones began working again on their descent and the company posted several videos on YouTube to detail the entire project……….
- High-class thievery is always exciting. Whether it’s valuable art, jewels or other trinkets of which rich people are so fond, the idea of someone going all Ocean’s Eleven and heisting something worth millions of dollars just rises about the normal fray of common, everyday theft. That’s what makes the case of a stolen 300-year-old violin worth $1.88 million from a London-based musician so thrilling. Police still haven’t located the violin, but they arrested three suspects Wednesday in connection with the theft of the 1696 Stradivarius. Police said the violin was stolen near a train station in central London earlier this month under circumstances that have not been made public because the owner wishes to remain anonymous. She reportedly noticed her black, rectangular violin case was taken and called police. Along with the expensive instrument, the thief also made off with a Peccatte bow, valued at $97,400, and another bow, made by the School of Bazin, valued at more than $7,800, police said. "These items hold enormous sentimental and professional value for the victim, but although they are extremely valuable, it would be difficult to sell them on as they are so rare and distinctive that they will be easily recognized as stolen property," said Detective Inspector Andy Rose. "We are continuing to follow a number of leads as part of our investigation into this theft, have spoken with a number of people who were at Euston station." Stradivarius violins were made by the world's most celebrated violin maker, Antonio Stradivari, in the 1600s, and are extremely valuable because just 600 of the instruments, of which Stradivari made approximately 1,116, are still in existence. Stradivari also made violas, cellos, mandolins and guitars, but is best known for his violins. During the 18th century, he was the unquestioned maestro in Europe when it came to making instruments and his pieces were coveted by royalty, aristocracy, church dignitaries and top musicians because of the extraordinary sound they produced. He made his last violin in 1737 at age 92 and died shortly thereafter. I’m guessing that those historical details were not entirely lost on the kooks who stole this particular violin. Perhaps John Michael Maughan and his two teen cohorts from North London can shed some light on the thief’s identity, as they are the three suspects police nabbed late Wednesday. The teens were released after appearing in West London Magistrates Court on Thursday, but Maughan was detained for further questioning. Here’s hoping that the instrument is returned safely to its owner, but not before this exciting story plays out and shows once again why high-class theft is the best kind of theft……..
- When reality television cast members are treated in the truly disrespectful, disdainful fashion they deserve, it brings a ray of sunshine to the heart of each and every person in this world with an actual soul and an IQ above 57 (thus excluding all current or past reality TV cast members). People like Lisa Vanderpump (Her real name? I say no), one of the cast members of "Real Houseskanks of Beverly Hills," walk around like they are actual, talented celebrities worthy of attention and recognition. If that recognition comes at the hands of some rich lush at the famous Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel and that rich lush is talking all manner of smack to Vanderpump and her husband, so be it. The alleged incident happened early Friday morning as Vanderpump was sitting in a booth with her husband Ken and L.A. news reporter Robert Kovacik and two other people when a man at a nearby table began harassing them with verbal taunts. She described the man as "extremely drunk" and shouting, "I've seen the show. You're wearing a lot more make-up now, and your eyes are darker and smokier." Oh no, not that. He didn’t just say her eyes are darker and smokier in person, did he? Who was this, some aspiring screenwriter or fired Hallmark greeting card employee? But the belligerent bar patron didn’t stop there and went on screaming. "What are you doing sitting with old people?"
he bellowed before allegedly walking over to her booth and continued his smack talking. At that point, Kovacik supposedly stood up and said, "Please stop." Clearly not a fan of Kovacik’s journalistic efforts, the man clocked him with a swift jab to the face before shoving Ken Vanderpump to the ground, injuring him in the process. Oddly enough, when Beverly Hills police arrived, Kovacik said he did not want to press charges. He will reportedly have stitches done to sew up his busted lip, but because neither he nor Ken Vanderpump wanted to press charges, the attacker was not arrested. "I hope Robert presses charges. The man was outrageous,” Lisa Vanderpump fumed. Yeah, we’re all very sorry that you and your crew received exactly the sort of attention and treatment that you all so richly deserve……….
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