- Of all the reasons to hate Kelly Clarkson’s music, the one many fans seem to be rallying around (several years too late) is, ironically enough, a reason that has nothing to do with the cookie-cutter pop garbage Clarkson churns out. No, a chunk of Clarkson’s fans are angry because she has dared to share who she supports in the ever-changing Republican presidential campaign derby. Fans who have followed Clarkson since her “American Karaoke” days are now jumping ship because of Clarkson’s Twitter endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. They have taken to Twitter to proclaim that they have listened to Clarkson’s hits like……um…..uh……that one song with the words and the notes…..for the last time. The offending tweet Clarkson sent out wasn’t profane, overly political or even effusive in its praise of Paul. "I love Ron Paul,” Clarkson tweeted. “I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't." Some of Clarkson’s Twitter followers immediately demanded that she retract her statement, but she would not. Despite tweets with messages like “Soz Kelly, not your fan anymore” and “Oh Jebus Kelly Clarkson is a Ron Paul fan. My love for you has taken a severe hit, Kelly...” and even more idiotic remarks, Clarkson is standing by her fellow Texan. Some of the outrage is tied to Paul’s links to a series of newsletters published in the 1980s and ’90s that included racist and homophobic remarks. An organization Paul was associated with published the newsletters, but he has disavowed any connection to the messages themselves. Not that it matters at all, but why does the former “American Karaoke-er” like Ron Paul? Clarkson explained she supports Paul’s idea for limited government. “I am really sorry if I have offended anyone. Obviously that was not my intent. I do not support racism. I support gay rights, straight rights, women's rights, men's rights, white/black/purple/orange rights,” she tweeted in response to her critics. “I like Ron Paul because he believes in less government and letting the people (all of us) make the decisions and mold our country. That is all.” Truly, truly a discouraging situation. That anyone cares what some irrelevant, crappy pop singer thinks about a political candidate is truly heartbreaking…………
- Samoa, I see what you’re doing and I like it. Scratch that, I LOVE it. There are days when a person wakes up, doesn’t want to be there and doesn’t want to show up for life. Unfortunately, they don’t have a choice and the day happens whether they like it or not. But on the tiny South Pacific island nation, skipping a day is less of a pipe dream and more of a reality. Unlike every other country in the world, Samoa didn’t have a Friday. As soon as the clock struck midnight Thursday, the country skipped over Friday and moved 24 hours ahead -- straight into Saturday, Dec. 31. Why? To align Samoa’s time zone with key trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region by shifting west of the international date line. The dateline was drawn by mapmakers and is not mandated by any international body, but runs roughly through the 180-degree line of longitude with various zigzags to accommodate the choices of Pacific nations on how to align their calendars. It separates one calendar day from the next and for years, Samoa has been on the opposite side of the line from its top trading partners. In June, the Samoan government passed a law to move Samoa west of the international date line and the move became official at the end of the day Thursday. Samoans gathered around a main clock tower in the capital of Apia to mark the historic moment and sirens and fireworks hailed the country’s jump across the timeline. Samoa's 186,000 citizens, and the 1,500 in the three-atoll United Nations dependency of Tokelau, will also be the first in the world to ring in the new year, rather than the last. The move is something of a slap in the face to the United States, as it was a group of U.S. traders persuaded local Samoans to align their islands' time with nearby U.S.-controlled American Samoa and the U.S. to assist their trading with California back in 1892. Being aligned with neighboring Australia and New Zealand is more important to Samoa these days, as many Samoans move away to one of those two countries. "We've got to remember that over 90 percent of our people emigrate to New Zealand and Australia. That's why it is absolutely vital to make this change," Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi explained. The idea of skipping days you don’t like is actually a good pull from this situation as well. Who wouldn’t be down with the idea of glossing over an unwanted, dreary Monday every now and then? Thanks for the inspiration, Samoa…………
- Karma can kick your ass, eh Verizon? As being the first carrier in the world to widely roll out LTE 4G technology, Verizon has seemed pretty proud of itself. So proud, in fact, that comp any executives decided to smack customers with a $2 fee for paying their bill via a one-time payment on the carrier’s website. , “[A] new $2 payment convenience fee will be instituted for customers who make single bill payments online or by telephone,” an official statement on the Verizon website read. A company has to be rocking a pretty big pair of corporate kahones to assess that kind of fee and not blink. But even as it looks to stick it to customers who don’t pay by the methods it prefers, Verizon is getting a healthy dose of trouble from its 4G network. Significant service outages have plagued the network outages throughout 2011. Verizon VP of network engineering Mike Haberman blamed relative immaturity of LTE as the reason for the company’s 4G struggles. “Being the pioneers, we’re going to experience some growing pains,” Haberman said. “These issues we’ve been experiencing are certainly regrettable but they were unforeseeable.” Ah, the old “paint yourself as a visionary to cover your failings” ploy, never gets old. What does get old is 4G network outages, which Verizon customers have experienced three times in December alone to go with a major failure in April. Haberman pointed to bugs with Verizon’s service delivery core, also known as the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), as the cause. To Verizon’s credit, issues causing 4G outages have not reoccurred once a specific case has been dealt with. In an attempt to further mitigate the problems, the company is also begin segmenting its LTE network by geographic location so that issues don’t affect the network nationally. There is still that damn $2 convenience fee to be dealt with, though……….
- The ganja might be fake, but the problem is becoming very real and extremely vexing for the American military. According to the Pentagon, U.S. troops are increasingly using an easy-to-get herbal mix called "Spice," which simulates a marijuana high and can cause hallucinations that last for days. Military officials are concerned enough that they've launched an aggressive testing program that has already has led to the investigation of more than 1,100 suspected users, according to military figures. Synthetic chron is readily available on the Internet and has become an issue of contention around the country. Now that it is affecting servicemen and women, Pentagon officials are confronting the issue as well. “You can just imagine the work that we do in a military environment," said Mark Ridley, deputy director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. “You need to be in your right mind when you do a job. That's why the Navy has always taken a zero tolerance policy toward drugs." It seems like a fair point, really. When a person commits to the military, he or she does so knowing sacrifices must be made. Individual free will in many cases, safety and time spent with family are all on the chopping block, right alongside one’s ability to get baked and enjoy the stoner (or synthetic stoner) lifestyle. Sailors, pilots and soldiers don’t have the luxury of taking a few bong rips and lying on their couch for hours on end with plenty of Cheetos and Pop Tarts nearby. To put the problem in perspective, a mere 29 Marines and sailors were investigated for Spice two years ago. Contrast that with more than 700 such cases this year and it’s clear the issue is growing. Those found guilty of using Spice forced out of the military. The Air Force and Army are seeing a rise in Spice cases as well, with 497 Air Force members punished this year and 119 soldiers treated by the Army for the effects of the synthetic drug. Spice is made up of exotic plants from Asia like Blue Lotus and Bay Bean, which have leaves coated with chemicals that mimic the effects of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Depending on the plant, their byproducts can be anywhere from five to 200 times more potent. Up until this year, there was no way to detect spice on typical urine tests for drugs. Unfortunately for synth-stoners, the Drug Enforcement Administration put a one-year emergency ban on five chemicals found in the drug and a test was developed for Spice. It is a dangerous substance because the potency and composition vary from batch to batch. Spice use was responsible for the dismissal of 28 sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and 49 sailors on the USS Carl Vinson. Time to find the next alternative high or a new career, Spice-loving military members……….
- Kickers aren’t considered real football players. They trot onto the field a few times a day to drop kick or place kick the ball for a point or three, or for field position, and the rest of the time they stand idly by while the real athletes do their work. With their minimal role, kickers are also wise to not cause any disruptions or distractions for their team. Someone should convey that to the kickers for Virginia Tech because they’ve been a major headache for coach Frank Beamer and his team in the space between the end of the regular season and the Hokies’ appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Michigan Tuesday night. Regular kicker Cody Journell was suspended last week after being arrested for his alleged involvement in a home invasion, putting the kicking job in the hands of Tyler Weiss. Weiss held on to the gig for all of a week, but fumbled it away when he failed to be present for a 1 a.m. bed check Thursday at the team’s hotel in New Orleans. Weiss was sent home immediately, booked on a flight to Roanoke, Va. His absence may not be a massive setback for Virginia Tech, as he missed his only field goal try this season, a 29-yard attempt. Still, placing the kicking duties entirely in the hands of kickoff specialist Justin Myer, who missed both of his field goal tries -- from 57 and 53 yards -- this season can’t leave Beamer and his staff beaming with confidence. The coach didn’t mince words about Weiss’ discipline. "We had curfew. We talked about it a lot. (Weiss) didn't make it and we're going to send him home," Beamer said of the decision. "My kickers are not bad guys. They just made bad decisions.” They may not be bad guys, but they aren’t very bright. They just need to hope that Tuesday’s game doesn’t come down to a clutch field goal for a Virginia Tech win that sails wide right as Michigan players pour onto the field in jubilation…………
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