Wednesday, January 09, 2013

New "Transformers" trilogy, free Manhattan Wi-Fi and Venezuela's AWOL despot


- Still looking for that shiny, sparkly new coach to replace the one you just fired after two years because he was only 20-12 during that time and made the playoff just once and that surely won't do, success-starved NFL teams? And are you bored with the unappealing leftovers from the college ranks and the list of NFL coordinators waiting to get their big shot now that a few teams have already hired their new coaches? Do I have an opportunity for you. One of the biggest names in coaching, albeit a man who hasn’t walked an NFL sideline since leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006 and who has spent the time since then working as a broadcaster, but Bill Cowher has won a Super Bowl and he is just 55 years old, so there’s value. There should also be renewed interest after Cowher said on Tuesday he wants to coach again at some point. Appearing at a promotional event to hype CBS’ coverage of the Super Bowl, he suggested that he would like to return to coaching at some point in order to fuel his competitive fire. "It would be a challenge," Cowher said. "But I think that's probably why I would get back into it, because of the challenge." Five teams are still looking for a new head coach, including the same Cleveland Browns franchise that Cowher played linebacker for before he was an assistant coach with the team on Marty Schottenheimer's staff. When it was suggested that much has changed in his seven years away from the league and that he might not be able to seamlessly reintegrate himself into today’s NFL, Cowher dismissed that notion. "I did it for 27 years," he said. "You don't just forget things overnight." You heard him, coach-less NFL teams, so start dialing now……..


- Who the hell is running Venezuela right now? Normally that would seem like an absurd question with über-dictator/Fascist Hugo Chavez still officially in power, but with Chavez on an extended hiatus from trampling the rights of his people as he recovers from cancer surgery in Cuba, a few dissenting voices across the island nation are asking that question. Specifically, leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Venezuela are questioning the country’s stability. As they got together for the nonstop rager that is the Venezuelan Bishops Conference, religious leaders suggested Monday that conflicting stances by the government and opposition as Chavez’s scheduled swearing-in looms have destabilized the government. "The nation's political and social stability is at serious risk," said Bishop Diego Padron, the conference's president. On the opposing side of the battle is Venezuela's opposition, which is accusing the government of violating the constitution by proposing to delay Chavez's inauguration for a new term. The ceremony is scheduled to take place Thursday, but the despotic leader is not expected to be able to attend and his critics believe that if he isn't fit to govern, then he should not be inaugurated. "If the president of the republic does not take office (on Jan. 10), the country cannot be left in a power vacuum," said Tomas Guanipa of the opposition Justice First party. Guanipa suggested that Congress head Diosdado Cabello should be temporarily sworn in unyil Chavez can reclaim the post he maintain via a rigged election, er, won legitimately. No one has heard from ol’ Uncle Hugo for more than a month and the government steadfastly refuses to discuss his condition. An air of mystery hangs over the entire situation and for now, Venezuelans will have to live their lives in a state of governmental limbo………


- A lot more money is about to be wasted in Hollywood…and yes, more mountains of money than are typically wasted in America’s most vapid slice of real estate. In fact, the cinematic equivalent of lighting money on fire because it’s fun to watch it burn is about to happen not one more time, but three more times. Yes, director and noted fan of stilted dialogue and subpar acting in poorly written movies Michael Bay has announced that “Transformers 4” will not only be made, but will be the start of a new trilogy. Bay broke the news on his official blog and revealed that Jack Reynor will be taking the lead opposite Mark Wahlberg. : "I just hired a great new actor for Transformers 4 to star against Mark Wahlberg. Jack Reynor, he is an Irish kid that came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket. Pretty ballsy. Seriously who does that?” Bay wrote. “Anyway I spotted him in a great little Irish movie “What Richard Did” [released in the UK on 11 January 2013]. This kid is the real deal.” Bay also tackled rumors that the new film will be a complete reboot of the franchise, saying the next film will take place four years after the events of “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” and the reason for the new cast is because "this Transformers will feel very different than the last three" as they're embarking on a new trilogy. In other words, it’s a complete reboot and the acting in the first three movies was so laughably bad that it’s a good idea to burn those bridges and move on. Casting for the new films is ongoing, with Nicola Peltz rumored to play the female lead as Wahlberg's daughter and Reynor's love interest, but don’t expect to see Shia LaBeouf around. “Transformers 4” is expected to be released in June 2014………


- Now you know why people in Seattle take obedience to crosswalk signs so seriously. Step off the wrong curb at the wrong time and a Metro bus may use your frail human skeleton to test the strength of that bike rack affixed to its front. An unidentified pedestrian found that out the difficult way when he was struck by a bus in downtown Seattle Tuesday morning. According to witnesses, the man appeared to step out in front of the bus, which had the right of way, near the corner of 3rd and Stewart around 7:20 a.m. Amazingly, the pedestrian was able to stand up after the crash, which was forceful enough to break the bicycle rack on the front of the bus, and walk away. His uprightness did not last long as moments later, a call came into Seattle Fire that a seriously injured man bleeding from his head was located outside a Starbucks at Fourth and Pine, according spokesman Kyle Moore. Now that probably wasn’t specific enough because in Seattle, there are probably nine Starbucks within shouting distance of that particular intersection, but emergency personnel were eventually able to locate the well-dressed man, who was taken to Harborview Medical Center to be treated for his injuries. Moore said the man apparently suffered a concussion and wasn't making a lot of sense when firefighters arrived, although he was coherent enough to inform medics he had been hit and dragged by a vehicle downtown. As for the driver, he was arrested for investigation of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash after the initial investigation revealed he exhibited signs of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. The driver was arrested and taken for a blood draw, although Metro officials announced no alcohol was present in his system. The crash remains under investigation…….


- The art lovers and blue-collar residents of one New York City neighborhood are about to reap a technological blessing from having Web search giant Google based in its area. Chelsea, on the west side of Manhattan, is home to a local outpost of Google’s corporate headquarters and because of that, the company will provide free Wi-Fi service to the masses there…along with those who will conveniently drop by Chelsea now that they can get online for free. A joint news conference with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Senator Charles Schumer heralded the arrival of free Wi-Fi and Google executives explained that they intend to keep the tens of thousands of residents, and millions of tourists, in the area connected at all times when they're outdoors. As part of the service, Google will also provide indoor coverage for public housing units in the area. The project is part of a big national push by the tech giant to expand its Internet service offerings to a wider range of people. It recently brought high-speed fiber-optic Internet coverage to the Kansas City area, capable of download speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second. While Chelsea residents won't have a service that is about 200 times faster than an average home broadband connection, free Internet access is always solid. Many computer users across America have been anxiously awaiting the debut of Google’s fiber offerings in their area on account of slow Internet speeds in their area. Google's Wi-Fi boasts speeds of about 5 to 10 Megabits per second, or around the same as a typical home Internet connection. Ben Fried, Google's chief information officer, made it clear that the Manhattan Wi-Fi project is not a predecessor of fiber offerings for the area. "This has no relation to Google Fiber," Fried said. "We're citizens of this community, and we felt that it was important to contribute." Startup costs for the project will be $115,000, according to Google, and it will carry a $45,000 annual maintenance cost. It is an extension of the free Wi-Fi New York currently offers as in 20 parks across its five boroughs, with the new project’s 13-block coverage zone in Chelsea including areas between Gansevoort St. and West 19th Street, from 8th Avenue to 10th Avenue………

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