- Lil Wayne has managed to rhyme his way into some big-time
controversy with his remix of Future’s
“Karate Chop,” a track containing what have been decried as offensive lyrics
concerning murdered civil-rights figure Emmett Till. Epic Records has
yanked Weezy’s allegedly unauthorized remix of the track, which quickly made
its way around the Internet, and tagged its actions with a strongly worded
statement that did its best to undo whatever damage the track may have
affected. “We regret the unauthorized remix version of Future’s ‘Karate Chop,’
which was leaked online and contained hurtful lyrics,” Epic said in its
statement. ”Out of respect for the legacy of Emmett Till and his family
and the support of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. … we are going through
great efforts to take down the unauthorized version.” Although the track’s
reference to Till was only a passing one, having his name attached to lyrics
about pain pills and certain parts of the female anatomy clearly wasn’t what
the label or Till’s family wanted. “Pop a lot of pain pills/Bout to put rims on
my skateboard wheels/Beat that p—y up like Emmett Till,” Lil Wayne raps in the middle
of the song. Callously referring to a murdered civil rights figure who was
slain in 1955 at the age of 14 after being accused of flirting with a white
woman seems like it should be a blatantly obvious bad move, but either Wayne
didn’t know the whole story of Till’s alleged flirtation that prompted the
woman’s husband and half-brother to beat him and shoot him in the
head or he didn’t take it as seriously as the Till family still does, because they
quickly responded once the track leaked by calling it “dishonorable” and “offensive.” “We
found it dishonorable to his name and what his death has meant to us as a
people and as a culture,” said Airickca Gordon-Taylor, cousin of Emmett
Till. ”It was offensive not only to us, but to our ancestors and to women
and to themselves as young, black men. I just couldn’t understand how you could
compare the gateway of life to the brutality and punishment of death.” Well
said………
- Where has Bigfoot been? Supposedly, allegedly, in
Arizona lately. Whether or not you believe this to be true depends on a) how
totally gullible you are and b) how willing you are to cast your lot with a
noted loon like Alex Hearn of the
Arizona Cryptozoological Research Organization. "Everybody has a desire to
know the unexplained and to find the truth," Hearn explained. What that
has to do with someone finding what is allegedly a toenail allegedly belonging
to the elusive and furry creature is unclear, but Hearn certainly seems fired
up by the find. Sure, it may not be the non-smoking, nonexistent gun that
Bigfoot enthusiasts have long rallied around in the form of grainy video from
the 60s was suggested to be the main proof that the creature existed, but it’s
something…..maybe. Hearn believes he has seen the creature in person and
vividly recalled his sighting. "When I saw it, it was lifting branches up
with its arms and walking into the space through the thickets at the side of
the road," he explained. The toenail in question was discovered by a homeowner
outside of Seligman and while a single toenail purportedly from a mythical,
massive creature of unknown origins doesn’t seem like much, those who believe
Bigfoot exists have rallied around the find. "The toenail is proof that
the creature is there. But it's not the definitive proof yet, we still
have work to do," Hearn said of what is now being called "The Toenail
of Bigfoot." Anyone doubting his word should know that he has been
studying and researching the Sasquatch phenomenon for decades, so spar with him
at your own risk….of wasting a lot of time……….
- In the one place in the world where a Jewish place of
worship is perhaps most needed, the only synagogue around is on the verge of
collapse. A
synagogue near the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz is on the brink of
physically collapsing, according to the head of the Auschwitz Jewish Center
Foundation, which maintains the historic building in the southern Polish city
of Oswiecim. "There are already small cracks visible," Tomasz
Kuncewicz said. "A thorough examination found that the ground is unstable
and with heavy rain or something similar, anything can happen." According
to Kuncewicz, the synagogue is on unstable ground and if it is not reinforced
soon, it may crumble. Having the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue collapse
would be doubly bad because it is the only surviving Jewish house of prayer in
the city. Oswiecim was once home to a large Jewish community and became an
international symbol of the Holocaust when Nazi Germany ran its largest and
deadliest concentration camp just two miles from the city center during World
War II. A jaw-dropping 1.5 million people, mostly Jews, were killed at
the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps and the Nazis also tore down virtually every
synagogue they encountered. "Several synagogues were located in the area,
and this was the only one not destroyed by the Nazis," Kuncewicz said. Not
only did the building survive the Nazi occupation, it also made it through
World War I after construction was finished in 1913, although its iterior was
gutted during World War II and it was used to store ammunition. Following the
war, a small group of Jewish survivors restored the building provisionally, but
when that group emigrated to Poland, it once again fell into disuse. It became
a carpet warehouse in the 1970s after the country's communist government
nationalized the building and didn’t return to its original purpose until it
was turned back over to the Jewish community in 1998, nine years after the fall
of the communist regime. Jewish residents of the two rededicated it in 2000 in
an attempt to breathe life into the local Jewish community and it has existed
since then as a place of prayer, as well as a historical site and educational
center that draws 25,000 visitors each year. Keeping it standing will be
expensive and organizers are seeking $300,000 for the renovation effort with
hopes of starting start the repairs this spring………..
- For the latest in livestock health and technology news,
let’s all turn our focus to the uplifting tale of Chris P. Bacon. Bacon is a disabled piglet born
without the use of his back legs. When the pig was born, its owner did not know
how to care for it and considered euthanizing it rather than allow it to live a
truly miserable existence. Instead, that owner approached veterinarian Len
Lucero, who adopted the pig and set about finding a way to help the handicapped
animal get around and lead a happier existence. He took custody of the pig when
it was only a few days old and showing his inner MacGyver, Lucero fashioned a
wheelchair made of K’Nex toy parts and attached it to the then-one-pound pig.
As could be expected from a young, emotionally immature and rebellious pig,
Chris P. Bacon fought against having the device rigged up to his back half. “He
screamed, yelled,” Lucero says. “He didn’t like it at first, but he got used to
it.” Eventually, the pig warmed up to the idea of his special wheelchair and
began moving around quickly, grunting and squeaking as he tested his newfound
mobility. He eventually grew out of his first wheelchair and is nearly too
large to use the replacement model Lucero designed for him, but when he does
outgrow it, he should be large enough to use a permanent device made by
HandicappedPets, a company that provides wheelchairs for disabled animals. His
story has gone viral on YouTube and his handlers have set up Twitter and
Facebook accounts for his fans to send support to their favorite pig. ”I
Love Chris P. Bacon” shirts are also on the way and proceeds from their sales
will be used to fund the pig’s car. “He’s the best-looking pig out there,” said
Cindy Drescher, a veterinary technician who spends every day with Chris P.
Bacon. “He’s going to be more famous than Arnold from ‘Green Acres.’” Well, the
list of famous pigs isn't really that long, so it’s definitely possible………
- Hockey rinks, especially NHL hockey rinks, are places
where toughness prevails. People don’t lace up their skates and pick up their
sticks unless they are willing to play through pain, shrug off bloody noses and
tough out injuries that athletes in other sports may use as a reason to sit out
a few games. Yet even hockey players can’t gut over every last injury and there
are few more vivid reminders of that fact that Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik
Karlsson having his left Achilles’ tendon sliced in half t by a skate blade
late in the second period Wednesday night against Pittsburgh. Karlsson, the Norris
Trophy winner last season as the NHL's top defenseman, was cut by Penguins
forward Matt Cooke's skate blade as the two tangled along the boards. He
entered the game leading NHL defensemen with six goals, scoring three times in
his previous four games, but he’s also going to end the season with those
totals now that he will need surgery to repair his torn tendon. "It's a
tough blow," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "Obviously, the
way he's playing, and how much he means to our team, it feels terrible and I
feel really bad for him." After Cooke’s blade sliced his leg, Karlsson
immediately fell to the ice and was in visible pain. He needed help to make it
back to the bench and seemed to know the injury was a serious one, as he threw his
stick against the boards in frustration before disappearing down the runway. This
incident is not the first time Cooke has been involved in a dangerous play on
the ice, as he has been suspended several times for hits, some involving head
shots that injured opposing players. In 2011, he was suspended for the
Penguins' final 10 regular-season games and the first round of the Stanley Cup
Playoffs after an elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan
McDonagh. "We all know who's involved in it," Senators coach Paul
MacLean said ominously………
No comments:
Post a Comment