- Is this really a big problem for the NFL? What with making sure players aren't decapitating one another on the field, making sure they aren't ‘roiding and HGH-ing or driving drunk off of it and with the other myriad issues on Roger Goodell’s desk daily, should the league really be that upset with a player flipping a middle finger…..to his own team? Apparently so, judging by the $10,000 fine Goodell hit Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk with Friday for the obscene gesture he made during play Sunday against the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field. Hawk barreled in from his linebacker position and sacked Rams quarterback Sam Bradford in the second quarter. He jumped up, looked toward his bench and flipped them the bird. Why? Hawk explained that the gesture had been a "running joke" between teammates and that it "wasn't meant to get out there, for people to see." He even apologized for the gesture after the game, but that wasn’t enough for the squares in the league office. "It was a joke, and I kind of got caught up in the emotion of the game," Hawk said Sunday. "I definitely apologize if any kids or anyone else saw it. I have a daughter myself, so I wouldn't want her doing that. I got excited and I got caught up in the game. It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won't do it again." That’s too bad, because it was actually pretty funny. The NFL is so intent on making sure players don’t taunt opponents and start fights on the field, but should there really be an issue if a player wants to say “Eff you” to his own team? Of course, the issue blew drastically out of proportion due to the social media world and before halftime, screen shots circulating and the NFL was backed into a corner. Do nothing and appear like a league with a sense of humor that isn't totally uptight or discipline Hawk and try to seem like a league that both promotes brutal on-field violence but doesn’t want kids to see a gesture they see (or make) on a daily basis anyhow…………
- Do you believe them or not? The Spanish separatist group ETA claims it has gotten out of the “shoot ‘em, kill ‘em, blow ‘em up” game, but they’ve sold that story before. The group, classified as a terrorist organization by many nations including the United States, announced its "definitive cease of armed action" Thursday and called for dialogue with the Spanish government. That appeal was quickly rejected and many Spaniards are taking the announcement with a measured, wait-and-see attitude. "There seems to be a sort of restrained euphoria," said Pedro Ontoso, deputy director of El Correo, a major Basque newspaper. In the Basque region of northern Spain, ETA violence has been a regular phenomenon and the group’s explosive reach has extended across most of Spain for 43 years, with a slew shootings and bombings by ETA members leaving 829 people dead. In the past, ETA has raised hopes with announcements of cease-fires, even ones it called permanent, only to dash those hopes in a giant ball of flame. A truce in 2006 ended after a mere six months with a massive car bombing that killed two people. Yet somehow, many Spanish leaders believe this time will be different and that ETA will be able to operate on a strictly political level, sans bombs and bullets. Its goal of an independent Basque state remains, but perhaps that goal can be pursued without explosions and extortion demands. Cynics might argue that ETA was running out of options, as its ranks have been decimated by arrests in recent years and declining grass roots support among Basque nationalists who reluctantly accepted ETA’s involvement in the push toward the goal of independence. ETA has been losing its killing touch of late and hasn’t killed anyone in Spain in two years. Estimates put its numbers as low as 50 fights and the group isn't likely to gain more now that its political supporters have renounced in a monumental, much-debated policy shift. Going away is a solid play for now regardless of the ultimate plan, marking ETA’s 11th cease-fire since emerging in the late 1960s. Hopefully U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and other international figures don’t try to take too much credit for the abandoning of violence after urging ETA to lay down its arms. But in true ETA fashion, the group refused to apologize to its victims, said nothing about giving up its weapons and reiterated that Basques have a right to decide their own future. Perhaps stepping quietly into the shadows and allowing a similar, new party called Amaiur to make its push for the time being is wise. For now, ETA’s primary focus seems to be better treatement for the estimated 700 ETA prisoners scattered around Spanish jails and in France, perhaps some kind of concession, like moving them to the Basque region itself to be closer to their families. We’ll see you back and blowing sh*t up some time down the road, ETA…………
- Vote Republican Phil Mitsch for state senate, voters in Camden County, N.J.! Sure, Mitsch is considered a long shot in heavily Democratic Camden County, but this is a man with great ideas and the sort of wisdom and insight to make the daily lives of every New Jersey resident. Those ideas may have nothing to do with jobs, the economy, education or health care, but that doesn’t mean they are not epic. Just take Mitsch’s recent tweet about, um, bedroom etiquette as a prime example. With divorce rates across the U.S. skyrocketing and relationships facing more challenges than ever, Mitsch has an awesome idea. "Women, you increase your odds of keeping your men by being faithful, a lady in the living room and a whore in the bedroom," he tweeted. Well said, P. Mitsch. Usher said it first and now the aspiring state senator is merely repeating it: Be a lady in the street (or living room) and a freak in the bed. Whore it up for your man and keep him interested. It just makes good sense and to be fair, Mitch shouldn’t even need to tweet this obvious advice because women should already know it and know it well. Sadly, Mitsch is already backing off his wise words, apologizing and saying he didn't mean to offend women. Offend them how? By suggesting that the way for a woman to keep her man is to be a "whore in the bedroom?" Just out of curiosity, what defense did Mitsch use for his tweet? Did he claim that his account was hacked, that someone on his staff posted it without his knowledge or that he merely retweeted a post from someone else? His defense was that the comments were a version of advice given by others, including women. In typical lowbrow fashion, Democrats pounced on the mini-controversy to hammer Mitsch and attempt to boost their own pathetic campaigns. The state GOP has also withdrawn support, showing a total lack of testicular fortitude by doing so……….
- When a studio isn't promoting a new movie as heavily as one of its stars would like, that star has a few options. They can request a meeting with studio executives and politely ask them what the issue is and why more money isn't being put into pimping their film. Another option is waiting patiently for the film’s release, hoping it catches on by word of mouth and allowing the process to run its natural course. Of course, there is also the option The Three Musketeers star Milla Jovovich chose in taking on Summit Entertainment, which is responsible for releasing the family-friendly remake of the classic Alexandre Dumas tale. Jovovich elected to go semi-nuclear on the studio via Twitter, blasting away with the following: "I think 'summit' hve swept '3 Musketeers', a grt family adventure film, under the rug in the US. Shame on them. SHAME ON YOU 'SUMMIT.' That was the first salvo, followed by a shot across the bow of another upcoming Summit film, the Twilight sequel Breaking Dawn. "Are 'summit' promoting it as a family adventure movie? Or are they resting on their laurels from 'twilight' n making no effort? Let me know!" To be fair, hunky teen vampires definitely appeal to everyone and not just hormonally charged teenage girls who like the sight of shirtless Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. In director Paul W.S. Anderson's new Musketeers, Jovovich stars alongside a cast that includes Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz and Logan Lerrman. She plays Milady de Winter and the movie is officially in theaters in the U.S. as of today after doing underwhelming business in limited release in parts of Europe and South Korea in September. With a $75 million budget, it does seem curious that Summit wouldn’t make a more concerted effort to promote it and at least try to break even. Going guerrilla Twitter warfare on your own studio is one way to generate more publicity for the film, so perhaps Jovovich is much savvier than she is being given credit for……….
- God bless you, science. Of late, there have not been nearly enough reminders of your unparalleled talent for “discovering” and re-affirming the blatantly obvious by wasting millions of dollars on “research.” Specifically, big ups to the time- and money-wasters responsible for the Health and Retirement Study. Study author Dawn Alley, an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and her team should be exceptionally proud for unearthing the nugget that the stress and financial strain that come with financial struggles can also harm your physical and psychological health. In other words, defaulting on your mortgage and staring at massive credit card bills you are unable to pay makes you unhappy and in some cases, depressed. Researchers examined data collected in 2006 and 2008 and clearly had no trouble finding 2,500 Americans to participate in the study. During that time, Alley and her team could have stopped 3,500 people on the street and probably found 2,500 or more who qualified for the research. They did restrict themselves to Americans older than age 50 and asked these individuals questions about overall health, psychological health, income and whether they had fallen two months or more behind on their mortgage payment. Respondents who reported that they had fallen behind on their mortgage between 2006 and 2008 reported more depressive symptoms, more food insecurity and were more likely to say they weren't taking prescription medications as prescribed because of cost - shocker. "People are making unhealthy trade-offs when they're trying to make their mortgage," Alley said. "We think it's a very serious issue." It is a serious issue, but it’s one that WE ALL FREAKING KNEW ABOUT. After all, what isn't depressing about being deeply in debt, in danger of losing your home, facing daily calls from creditors and bill collectors and still needing to feed, clothe and support your family? Just look at the data on home foreclosures, which began to rise with the collapse of the housing bubble and the financial crisis. By the time 2009 rolled around, 2.2 percent of all U.S. homes, or more than 2.8 million properties, were in some stage of delinquency, according to background information in the study. Those over age 50 were prime targets for the study because they comprised about one-quarter of defaults and foreclosures, Alley said. She and her team also researchers controlled for demographic factors, health behaviors, chronic diseases, debt and income in the study. Of the study’s participants, 22 percent of those who were delinquent on their mortgage developed elevated depressive symptoms over the two-year period compared to 3 percent of the non-delinquent. About 28 percent of those who were behind on their mortgage payments reported food insecurity, i.e. worrying about not having enough to eat and 32 percent did not take medications as prescribed. "Depression, not taking medications and not spending enough money on nutritious food can exacerbate conditions you already have," Alley said. Again, THANK YOU CAPTAIN OBVIOUS. To be knocked on your ass all over again by these shocking revelations, procure a copy of the Oct. 20 online edition of the American Journal of Public Health and read up…………
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