- Does any NFL player more desperately want the lockout to end than Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant? Yes, every NFLer will have bills to pay and no game checks coming in if the season is pushed back or canceled due to the work stoppage and many of those players have families to feed, car payments to take care of and mortgages to pay. However, none of them are in the sort of legal and financial trouble young Mr. Bryant currently finds himself in. Once the lockout ends, he's scheduled to receive a $1 million roster bonus. He needs that money because in between the end of last season and the start of the coming one - whenever that may be - Bryant will have faced and hopefully settled nearly $1 million worth of lawsuits from jewelers who claim he owes them for merchandise purchased but never paid for. Earlier this year, Bryant settled a lawsuit filed by a New York-based jeweler who said Bryant owed him $246,000 for purchases. That lawsuit was small potatoes compared to the $600,000 million suit from a Colleyville, Tex. jeweler and ticket broker who alleges that Bryant owes him more than $600,000 for jewelry, tickets and personal loans. Eleow Hunt disputes Bryant’s claim that the lawsuit has been settled, a claim Bryant made in an interview he conducted during an appearance Saturday at a department store in Tulsa, Okla. "I have a handle on it and it's done," Bryant stated. "It's in the past and I'm ready to go ahead from here." Through his attorney, Eleow rejected Bryany’s claim and insisted the suit is still pending. Attorney Beth Ann Blackwood was adamant that the case has not been settled and is merely on hold while Bryant's attorney -- Texas State Senator Royce West -- is in special session in Austin. The lawsuit accuses Bryant of failing to repay loans given to him by Hunt while Bryant was a sophomore at Oklahoma State. He supposedly promised to repay the loans and his debts for merchandise received when he signed either an NFL or promotional contract, whichever came first. All told, Bryant and adviser David Wells signed 17 receipts from January 2009 to July 2010, the lawsuit said. Maybe Bryant doesn’t understand the legal meaning of the term “settled,” but until the plaintiff has payment and the court has accepted the settlement, the case isn't done. Knowing that, ending the lockout so Bryant can get his $1 million check and settle his debts is another addition to the list of reasons for the NFLPA (decertified or not) to resolve the labor unrest……….
- Controlled leak or actual accident? In an age where companies and corporations are über-careful about everything they communicate to the world, it’s difficult to believe that the announcement that appeared on Micrsoft’s website just hours before the keynote at the Electronic Entertainment Expo was an error by some website manager. The post sent a tidal wave of excitement sweeping across the globe for gamer dorks, who learned that Halo 4 is "on the way." On its EEE site, Microsoft made and then quickly took down this proclamation, which nonetheless confirmed the existence of the fifth installment in the Halo franchise, as well as other expected games, including Dance Central 2, Kinect Star Wars, and Kinect Sports 2. While it stood, the Halo post described the news as something "millions of Halo fans have waited for." Unlike so many press releases and corporate blog posts, that’s probably not much of an exaggeration. Judging by the legions of nerds who emerge from basements across the United States every time a major video game is released - Call of Duty, Halo, World of Warcraft - and expose their pale, pasty skin and never-kissed-a-girl selves to the sun’s harsh rays for the first time in weeks, there probably are millions of losers out there desperately awaiting the chance to throw away hundreds of hours of their lives with the latest version of their favorite game. One difference for the new Halo, whenever it debuts, will be its source. Franchise creator Bungie exited after Halo: Reach was released and Halo 4 will likely be developed as a joint venture between Microsoft and 343 Industries. In addition to hailing the impending arrival of the new game, the updated site also mentioned a remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved that will be released for the tenth anniversary of the first Halo game's November 2001 launch. There is the distinct possibility that this “leak” was no leak at all and instead was intentionally done to steal some buzz from the ongoing Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference. Keynote speeches for the two events were scheduled just half an hour apart, so a well-placed leak would be fitting if not expected by either side………….
- When the words “Nigeria” and “scam” come up in the same sentence, the first connotation to pop into the mind of anyone who has used the Internet for more than two seconds is obvious: those bogus email scams in which a supposed Nigerian price has come into a massive inheritance but needs YOUR $5,000 loan to access that inheritance, which he will then share with you. But don’t pigeonhole Nigeria when it comes to scandals because the country and its people are much more versatile than that. Take for example the tale of outgoing House of Representatives speaker Dimeji Bankole, one of Nigeria's most powerful politicians, who was arrested Monday over allegations he misappropriated tens of millions of dollars of government funds - charges he has denied. Bankole was taken into custody after a four-hour stand-off at his home in the capital, Abuja. The arrest by anti-corruption police came just one week after President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn into office and promised to tackle Nigeria's endemic corruption. Most analysts believe Bankole’s case will be a barometer of Jonathan’s commitment to that promise because Bankole is seen as a close ally of the president. The arrest comes after weeks of speculation in local and national media that Bankole would be detained and charged. According to a spokesman for Nigeria's anti-corruption body, authorities moved on Bankole because the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission received information that he was planning to flee the country. Fleeing over the weekend would have been fitting because like all of the country’s other lawmakers, Bankole’s term of office expired on Friday. A new parliament was sworn in Monday and after losing his seat in April's elections, Bankole will not be part of it. The EFCC said in a statement that Bankole was wanted for questioning over a series of allegations that center around securing a $65 million loan he then distributed to senior figures in parliament. He had admitted the loan’s existence but maintained that he did not gain personally. Through his spokesman, Bankole denied that he was planning to leave the country or had resisted arrest. Losing a seat in Nigerian parliament is a good reason to be down and/or consider fleeing the country, as many legislators earn in excess of $1 million a year due to free-flowing oil money and a general lack of discipline for those accepting bribes…………
- Central Park is one of the best - or the best, depending on who you ask - places to visit in Manhattan. Some people go there to walk, run, bike or rollerblade, others go to hang out and relax, some go to enjoy a respite from the concrete jungle of New York City and others visit for the park’s famously eclectic culture. Part of that culture is the litany of musicians who call the park home during the day, playing all manner of instruments in the hopes of earning a small monetary contribution from passersby. Those musicians have been left with far fewer options for places to perform thanks to a new crackdown on noise in certain spots around the park. The New York City Parks Department said noise complaints prompted the new rules, which prohibit music and other loud noises places like Strawberry Fields, where music lovers go to honor the memory of John Lennon. An NYCPD spokesman issued the following statement on the new rules: “Parks are one of the few places you can come and hear the soothing sounds of nature: bird songs, falling water, the wind in the leaves, human conversation. With over 95 percent of the park available for musicians, we are setting aside less than five percent for those who come to the park for peace and quiet.” When you throw in the 95/5 figures, the decision seems temporarily more reasonable - at least on the surface. The quiet zone signs appeared on May 23 and unlike the city’s new smoking ban, which actually will improve the quality of life in Manhattan if enforced as written, officers quickly began enforcing the law. Tickets were dispersed to violators immediately and have led to uncomfortable incidents for violators like William Donovan, who said he was playing his guitar a week ago when five Parks officers surrounded him, demanding identification before ticketing him for disobeying an officer. Donovan and other “persecuted” musicians have since began to fight back against The Man and their unofficial protest kicked into high gear Sunday with performances in each of the designated quiet zones around the park. The demonstrations featured nonstop noise in the form of guitars being strummed, horns blown and even harps plucked in all eight of the quiet zones. One zone, at Bethesda Fountain Terrace, is known amongst park musicians for its impressive acoustics. In another zone, park officials are working on plans to open a 75-table food court and serve alcohol in a space usually occupied by unkempt, slightly dirty, aspiring musicians looking to ply their trade. All in all, it’s an ugly problem with no perfect solution and no definitive right or wrong. Some park visitors love the music and consider it part of the ambiance, while others appreciate the ban because they want peace and quiet when they go to Central Park and have a difficult time finding it in the vast majority of its immense acreage. Still, it’s hard not to admire the musicians who showed up Sunday to play their instruments and directly defy The Man trying to hold them down…………
- Lil Wayne fans, it’s time to be disappointed again. In fact, that’s all it’s time for right now as it pertains to your favorite artist because it definitely isn't time for the overrated rapper’s new album to drop. For the second time, the release of 'Tha Carter IV' has been delayed and the album will now be released in August. The project was originally scheduled to drop on May 16 but was pushed back because Lil Wayne didn’t feel it was ready. The rescheduled release date was ambiguously slated for the end of June, but the album will now be put out on August 29 to give Wayne more time to work on material. With a highly anticipated album from one of his label’s biggest artist pushed back a total of three months, Young Money president Mack Maine did his best to spin the delays as a positive. Maine said Wayne's "perfectionist" streak was to blame. "He's still perfecting a few things, he's a perfectionist... changing a few lines," Maine said. Although the album won't be out for nearly three more months, it is known to feature guest spots from Cash Money Records artists Drake and Nicki Minaj. As he makes the necessary revisions to the album, Wayne should have all the energy and momentum he needs, according to co-chief of Cash Money Records and executive producer Bryan 'Birdman' Williams, who claimed earlier this year that Wayne's spell in prison over gun charges last year gave him the "energy" he needed to record the album. Whenever it finally drops, the project will be the first for Wayne since 2010's 'I Am Not A Human Being.’ One fact that is certain about the reason for the delays: It has nothing to do with settling on a great name for the album. “Tha Carter IV” follows “Tha Carter,” “Tha Carter II” and “Tha Carter III” in a growing line of unimaginatively titled albums from Weezy…………
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