- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Greece is a powderkeg of explosive issues right now, on the brink of economic collapse as the world watches anxiously. The embattled government is weighing a new round of austerity measures designed to keep the troubled Greek economy solvent and the public is divided on whether or not the measures are a good idea. Those dissenting viewpoints were on display Thursday out in front of the Greek parliament, where groups of rival protestors did battle to make their voice heard on a tough new package of austerity measures due to be approved later in the evening. Police were on the scene to watch hundreds of black-clad youths hurl stones and gas bombs at demonstrators from PAME, a communist-affiliated labor group. The black-attired rioters were just the infusion of energy the lifeless event needed, as a crowd of more than 60,000 was bland, boring and peaceful until the disturbance in front of the luxury hotels lining Syntagma Square. For a while it appeared as if all the rage was exhausted Wednesday when groups of young protesters fought police at the start of a 48-hour general strike against the package of cuts and tax hikes required by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Rather than appreciate the fact that young people were taking an active role in democracy and politics, police insisted on brawling and the situation quickly escalated. That gave rise to Thursday’s showdown, after which at least six injured participants could be seen receiving treatment from volunteer first aid workers. Any influence the demonstrations might have on the passage of the austerity measures has never been predicated to be substantial and sure enough, deputies passed the plan late on Thursday after the bill passed a first vote on Wednesday. Ahead of Thursday’s vote, administration officials lobbied for the measures’ passages. "You have to approve the law, with all its clauses," Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told lawmakers. "This is not a game." Opposition members hinted at a willingness to pass the bill, but vowed it would be the last time they supported additional austerity measures. "I will vote in favor, but this is the last time -- I am struggling with my conscience," said Vasso Papandreou, a member of PASOK. Those words are not likely to sit well with many Greeks, who have balked at the mix of public sector pay and pension cuts and tax hikes. Unions representing around half the Greek workforce have gone on strike and their sudden surplus of free time brought more than 100,000 people to the streets on Wednesday. Both the EU and IMF are easy targets for their rage, but the Greek government is more reachable and thus the first option. That government is in a difficult position, trapped between international lenders demanding tougher action and growing public anger at the cuts. An angry public should be that much angrier after the passage of a bill that will implement an average wage cut of about 20 percent for public sector workers, bringing total income losses since the crisis started two years ago to about 40 percent………….
- Kate Bush is either a brilliant promoter or extremely clueless when it comes to how she pimps her new albums. Bush, a British pop singer who is a vegetarian and has been extremely outspoken about fur coats, created controversy recently among her fans over a series of images taken to promote her forthcoming album '50 Words For Snow.’ The images show Bush wearing what appears to be a fur cut, which is odd because she once said, "I don't wear fur coats. I haven't got one. I don't own one and I don't believe in wearing them."
But rest assured Bush fans (all five of you), the fur coat was not real. “We have recently taken some photos and I just want to pre-empt any concerns there might be as I'm sure most of you will feel the same way as I do about wearing real fur. All the fur in these photos is synthetic. Best wishes, Kate,” a message on her website read. So did she don the faux fur intentionally to create some buzz? After all, this album is her second LP this year and it will be a bit of a jam job for fans to buy because it features just seven tracks. Bush isn't saying, but she did recently unveil the first single - 'Wild Man' - from the album, which is 65 minutes long and has each song set against the background of constant falling snow. It is due out Nov. 21 and has now officially received more attention than it would have if Bush had not shown up in an (allegedly) fake fur coat in some meaningless promotional photos………..
- Most of us may not know what exactly it means, but any time the term “quantum levitation” is used, excitement enters the equation. Thank researchers at the school of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University for the sudden surge of scientific buzz, for it is they who have created a track around which a superconductor can float, thanks to the phenomenon of “quantum levitation.” Not to go all Bill Nye the Science Guy on everyone, but the levitation effect is explained by the Meissner effect. What the bleep is the Meissner effect? It describes how, when a material makes the transition from its normal to its superconducting state, it actively excludes magnetic fields from its interior, leaving behind a thin layer on its surface. A material in this superconducting state — which involves very low temperatures - is extremely diamagnetic, meaning that when a magnetic field is externally applied, it will create an equally opposing magnetic field, locking it in place. Still following or do you need a break because your brain is starting to hurt? Researchers were able to use a material called yttrium barium copper oxide in the experiment, turning it into a superconductor by exposure to liquid nitrogen. The material then becomes one of the highest-temperature superconductors. A video from the study shows a puck of yttrium barium copper oxide cooled by liquid nitrogen repelling the magnets embedded on a handheld device. Another portion of the video shows that the angle of the magnet can be locked in a magnetic field and near the clip’s end, the puck zooms around a circular track of magnets, in the same way that high-speed trains do. What should you take from all of this? That quantum levitation exists and merely by using those words, you sound smarter……….
- Halloween is fast approaching and the controversy over the imagery used to promote the day and businesses that are based on it have spiked, especially in the eastern United States. Less than a week after a mini-uproar on Pittsburgh’s North Side because of billboards for a local haunted house featuring an image of a silhouette being hanged, Brooklyn has become the site of a pitched battle also based on Halloween imagery. Community leaders became enraged after an unknown individual or group hung a Halloween scarecrow from a tree on a side street. Police were called to the scene and because the black scarecrow was hanging from a tree that was on public property, officers removed it to alleviate the controversy. City councilman Charles Barron blasted the display as "grotesque" and held an angry press conference Wednesday afternoon with other leaders of the city’s black community. "The scarecrow is offensive and reprehensible not only to the Black Community, but to all those who have a history of persecution and, or have been victimized by lynch mobs," Barron's office said in a statement. Barron is clearly not a fan of Halloween, nor aware of the fact that hangings and “grotesque” violence and violent images are a part of the day - which is NOT an actual holiday. Because no one knows who put the scarecrow up and no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for the display, the truth about what message it was intended to send may never be known. But Barron and his angry mob got the chance to hold a press conference, shake their fists in angry indignation and pretend like this is anything more than much ado about nothing…………
- University of Georgia football has been a disappointment off the field this season. The Bulldogs, who stand at 5-2 this season and are tied for first place in the SEC East, have failed to produce their usual slew of arrests and run-ins with the law that have become a trademark of coach Mark Richt’s tenure in Athens. Richt, who is unquestionably in jeopardy of losing his job if the Bulldogs have a subpar season, has managed to keep his football felons, er, players off the police blotter but that doesn’t mean they are well-behaved and under control at all times. Georgia nose guard Kwame Geathers and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham were both at the center of a sh*t storm after Saturday’s matchup with SEC doormat Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin complained to Grantham about Williams' conduct during the game - won 33-28 by Georgia - after Geathers and Vanderbilt center Logan Stewart both were flagged for personal fouls at the 13:09 mark of the fourth quarter. The two coaches got into a heard argument after the game when Franklin angrily confronted Grantham, who responded by shouting and pointing a finger in Franklin's face before the two were separated by a law enforcement officer and players. Neither coach will be disciplined by the SEC for the showdown, but Geathers will be suspended for the first 30 minutes of Georgia's Oct. 29 game against Florida. Very severe punishment, SEC. Way to swing the judicial hammer there, making a player sit out for a whole half. Right, because one quarter of sitting would have been too lenient and making a guy sit for three quarters would have been excessive. Geathers will be able to get some solid advice on how to handle the situation from in the form of safety Shawn Williams, a fellow starter who will also have to sit the first half against UF after the conference dinged him for a hit that was not penalized, launching himself into Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews' head in the middle of the field on a play where Chris Boyd caught a 23-yard pass down the sideline to the Georgia 13 late in the third quarter. His offense seemed relatively mild after Geathers responded to an illegal block by Stewart by diving on top of the Commodores' center and punching him. "For the most part, everybody's blood gets hot and things happen that everybody's not too proud of and we reflect and correct and we move on, so that's what we're doing," Richt said Wednesday. Moving on to the next arrest or suspension, eh coach……………
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