- Look at you, Estonia! Finally getting around to establishing a law about human trafficking is a big day for a nation, especially when every other freaking country in the European Union has such a law on the books. That legal anomaly is about to change courtesy of a vote Wednesday by Estonian lawmakers in response to concerns expressed by the United States. Estonia’s problem stems from the fact that prostitution is legal within its borders, but forced prostitution is not. Making a distinction between the two is made more difficult by current laws and activists argue that the current penal code does not recognize sexual exploitation of a minor or forced labor as crimes. The proposed measures would make human trafficking a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. "Despite previous commitments to pass an anti-trafficking law, the (Estonian) government and Parliament have failed to enact" such a law, said Michelle Schohn, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Estonia (yes, the U.S. has an embassy in Estonia). "Estonia is therefore the only country within the European Union to lack this legislation." Along with the vague laws, trafficking offenders in the Baltic state are rarely sentenced to prison. Last year, the U.S. State Department placed Estonia on its trafficking watchlist alongside nations such as Belarus and Russia. Keeping that kind of company was a stinging blow for the country of 1.3 million people considering its close ties to Washington and high level of sensitivity to its image abroad. In a rush to avoid being watchlisted for another year, the Estonian Justice Ministry has fast-tracked legislation to meet an April deadline, "It should make their job easier and give a better understanding of the issue," said Andres Anvelt, a lawmaker in the opposition Social Democratic Party. Anvelt admitted that in cases of complicated legislation, Estonia often needs "pressure from abroad" to expedite passage. That didn’t sit well with advocacy groups fighting against prostitution and human trafficking. Some mocked the legislature for passing the bill solely to appease the U.S. and not to benefit victims of such crimes. Whatever it takes, apparently……….
- Let the wretched excess flow. Two of the most bombastic, “sex, drugs and rock and roll”-loving bands of the past several decades are hitting the road together this summer and washed-up groupies around the United States have to be fired up. KISS and Motley Crüe came together at Los Angeles’ famed Roosevelt Hotel to announce "The Tour," a joint summer package that kicks off July 20th in Bristow, Va. and runs through September 23rd in Hartford, Conn. KISS, as it should when toruing with a troubled hair metal band with a fraction of its success, will close each show but both bands will play about 90 minutes per show. With more than 60 combined years on the road, both bands will likely see their partying slowed a notch or two but there should still be a fair amount of liquor drunk and wenches frolicked with. "You will scream your head off until it’s no longer on your shoulder and then you’ll feel great. You’ll be drenched, exhausted, and completely satisfied without ever having anyone touch your [expletive]," Gene Simmons proclaimed. The two bands last shared a stage nearly 30 years ago, when Motley Crüe opened five dates for KISS. In the interim, Tommy Lee and Co. have become rock stars in their own right but are still KISS fans, as demonstrated in an interview exchange between Lee and KISS drummer Eric Singer. "Are you guys gonna play 'Firehouse'?'" Lee asked. When told the answer was yes, he was ecstatic. "I [expletive] love that song," he said. The tour should play well with rock fans who are tired of over-produced pop garbage choking the life from the airwaves, as Simmons opened a can on those pop tarts during the press conference. "We're sick and tired of girls getting up there with dancers and karaoke tapes in back of them. No fake [expletive]. Leave that to the Rhianna, Smhianna and anyone who ends their name with an 'A,’" he taunted. "Come out, we’ll blow [expletive] up, go home and [expletive] your girlfriend, that’s it." Never let it be said that Gene Simmons has forgotten how to promote a tour………..
- Flight has always fascinated man. The basic mechanics of flying and finding a way to fly faster, farther and in more streamlined vehicles has been a consistent quest of inquiring minds and Dutch engineer Jarno Smeets claims he has just taken the quest for fight to a whole new level. Smeets, backed by a YouTube video that may or may not be totally fake, claims to have achieved birdlike flight with a set of man-made wings in a video that has gone viral. In a video filmed in a park in the Hague on March 18, Smeets can be seen using his arms to flap the wings as he appears to successfully achieve take-off, flight and landing. “I have always dreamed about this. But after eight months of hard work, research and testing it all paid off,” Smeets said on his YouTube page. As he tells the story, he based his bird-like contraption on sketches from his grandfather and on his website, Smeets shows sketches detailing the project’s development. As the story goes, prior to time spent studying at the University of Coventry in England, he worked with neuromechanics expert Bert Otten to create a design based on the mechanics used in robotic prosthetics to give his muscles extra strength. Because his own body strength was only capable of providing 5 percent of the necessary power for flight, Smeets explained, he fitted extra motors to the wing suit. In the video, Smeets is shown landing after his 60-second flight and he seems extremely fired up about what he has accomplished. “At one moment you see the ground moving away, and then suddenly you’re free, a really intense feeling of freedom. The true feeling of flying. A f**king magical moment. The best feeling I have felt in my life,” he declared. As with any improbably accomplishment announced via YouTube, comments on the video quickly turned nasty and many users began decrying the video as fake. One viewer noted the sudden appearance of sunglasses on the person adjusting Smeets' camera before take off as proof that the video is heavily edited and thoroughly fake. However, optimists have argued that no one would go to such lengths and expenses just for a few minutes of YouTube fame. Unless, of course, the video is the first part of a much-larger plan……………
- The Memphis Grizzlies are gunning for a high seed in the upcoming Western Conference playoffs. However, the Grizz don’t have enough weapons to win a firefight with the Thunder, Spurs or Lakers and they need to bolster their cache. Okay, so maybe those gun references aren’t a solid idea now that Memphis has signed the locker room gunslinger himself, former Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic guard Gilbert Arenas, but the jokes certainly are fun. Arenas, who famously placed three guns on a table in front of then-Wizards teammate Jarvaris Crittenton in the locker room and told Crittenton to pick one so they could settle a gambling dispute from the team plane, has signed with the Grizzlies for the remainder of the season. With just over one month to go before the playoffs, the Grizzles are the fifth seed and just got star forward Zach Randolph back in the lineup after missing most of the season with a knee injury. They are the same team that knocked the Spurs out of the playoffs and nearly reached the Western Conference finals, but they will have a difficult time replicating that success against the West’s top contenders. That’s where Arenas comes in. He worked out for the team Tuesday morning and signed a deal for the rest of this season. He showed up in good shape and reportedly shot the ball well during the workout. For 20-plus games of work, he will earn a prorated veteran’s minimum contract that will pay him about $300,000. Arenas was cut by the Magic prior to the season when the team used the amnesty clause included in the league’s new labor agreement that allowed each team to waive one player and pay off the remainder of his contract without having that money count against its salary cap total. He was once a dynamic scorer known for playing with immense swagger and being entertaining off the court as well, but was wretchedly bad for the Magic last season, shooting 34.4 percent on the year. Perhaps a year off and plenty of time to get in shape for a handful of games was exactly what the man once known as Agent Zero needed to keep his career from ending up as the basketball equivalent of his nickname…………
- Dear state lawmakers in New Hampshire: Whatever you do, do NOT f**k with Rep. Kyle Tasker, R-Northwood, for any reason. Whether it’s a debate on the floor of the legislature over a proposed bill or a dispute during a committee meeting, think twice (or three times) before crossing Tasker. That approach seems wise after Tasker dropped his gun on the floor of a state building Tuesday as he was about to attend a hearing. He later said he was settling into his seat during a hearing of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee when a concealed handgun under his jacket popped out of its holster and fell to the floor. While the gun didn’t go (they have a safety for a reason), the sight of a gun falling to the floor caused a mini-panic in the room. "I did not latch the retention device on my firearm quite properly, and when I sat down abruptly, it hit the floor," Tasker said, explaining that he had just given blood and was a little lightheaded at the time. And yes, New Hampshire is such a badass state that even going to give blood is a dangerous enough endeavor to require one to pack heat. You never know when a dispute will break out who gets the last peanut butter cookie on the tray for donors after they finishing giving a second chance at life to a person in need through their gift of blood. Other lawmakers carry concealed weapons to the state house as well, taking advantage of the Republican-controlled legislature’s decision last year to lift a ban on carrying firearms in the building. Not only do guns help protect a person in the event of a violent attack, but they also come in handy when looking to add some emphasis to your point in a heated legislative debate…………
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