- The Los Angeles Dodgers are an extremely expensive
failure. Sporting a National
League-record $217 million payroll, they are 19-26 and mired in last place in
the NL West. Manager Don Mattingly knows he won't survive long with a roster
loaded with high-priced talent but short on wins. The pressure was evident
before Wednesday's game, when Mattingly said he wants "a team with talent
that will fight, and compete like a club that doesn't have talent." He
suggested that last year’s team was tougher and got more out of its abilities
and indicated that his team wasn’t trying hard enough. "Part of it is the
mixture of competitiveness. It's not just putting an All-Star team out there
and the All-Star team wins. It's not all grit and no talent that gets there,
and it's not all talent and no grit. It's a mixture of both.” Following those
remarks, some observers suggested that Mattingly was calling out the front
office for the roster it had assembled and that his remarks may have hastened
his departure from L.A. Not so, Dodgers president Stan Kasten said Friday.
"No, and I've said this for a while. I think I've stated things about as
obviously as they can be," Kasten said of rumors that Mattingly is in
imminent danger of losing his job. "I always avoid doing what you would
all mock me for and that is issuing the dreaded vote of confidence. You know
the reaction is when anyone does that. I try not to do that. I do expect this
team to turn it around and, because of that, I expect Donnie to be around a
long time." Kasten also rebuffed the suggestion that his decision not to
pick up Mattingly's 2014 option before the season began -- or to offer him a
contract extension -- was indicative of a lack of faith in the manager. In
addition to calling out his team, Mattingly also benched right fielder Andre
Ethier and the two have not spoken since the benching – according to Ethier.
Mattingly contradicted that claim, saying he talked with Ethier for 20 minutes……..
- Rock out with your F-bombing c*ck out, Ai Weiwei. China’s
most famous dissident is at it again, doing what he does best. His agitation
campaign against his country’s communist government ramped up a notch this week
as Ai released a profanity-laced heavy-metal single based on the 81 days he spent
in detention. The song, which Ai wrote and sung with an assist from Chinese
rocker Zuoxiao Zuzhou, is called “Dumbass.” It is “a wall-to-wall simulation of
the prison cell that Weiwei was detained in,” a spokeswoman for Ai said. The
bad news for anyone who wants to nenjoy some good ol’-fashioned government
bashing in musical form is that the track is in Chinese. When translated into
English, the lyrics include
"**** forgiveness, tolerance be damned, to hell with manners, the
low-life’s invincible," and "The field is full of ****ers, dumbasses
are everywhere." A music video for the track is on YouTube and hearing
profanity in Chinese is typically entertaining, making it worth a watch. Ai
still has plnety to be angry about given his detention and the hefty $2.4
million tax bill later levied against him. Those offenses sparked protests
around the world and a surge in support for Ai throughout China for the
award-winning artist. Even after his release, Ai was placed under house arrest.
For the video, he recreated the cell he was imprisoned in while being under 24-hour
supervision by two military police sergeants, even as he slept and used the
bathroom. “Dumbass” is the first single off his new album “The Divine Comedy,”
which is expected to be released fully in June on Ai’s website and on iTunes.
The rage may not last long, as Ai’s spokeswoman said that the he was working on
a second album that will shift away from the heavy-metal and towards a more
romantic tone. Ah, the tried and true tale of angry political dissident
gone emo……..
- Breathe easier, population-challenged species of Hawaii.
A whopping 35 plants
and three snails native to the state were given endangered species status
Friday in a move that conservationists are hailing as a major coup for the
protection of Hawaiian plants and animals. The move comes as a result of a 2011
federal settlement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center
for Biological Diversity. That agreement to place the species on the endangered
list expedited the protection decisions for hundreds of Hawaii's most threatened
species. Hawaii, a very bio-diverse state, has more endangered species than any
other U.S. state. "We sought protection for many of these species almost a
decade ago, so we're thrilled they're finally getting the help they need,"
said Tierra Curry, a conservation biologist with the Center for Biological
Diversity. Among the creatures and fauna given protected status are two species
of Lanai tree snails and a Newcomb's tree snail. The Newcomb’s snail is only
found on wet cliffs where it feeds on fungus and algae that live on host
plants. Lanai tree snails are up to an inch tall and can live for 20 years
while giving birth to four to six live young per year. Plants were the big
winners in all of this, as a laundry list of geraniums, sunflowers,
bellflowers, vines, shrubs and trees that live in a variety of Hawaiian
environments now have additional protection. There are the hala pepe, popolo,
kookoolau, 'awikiwiki and haha nui, among others, some with only a few
remaining plants living. Certified tree huger and vice-chairwoman of the Sierra
Club of Hawaii Lucienne de Naie believes some of the species will benefit from
immediate protection efforts. "We are especially concerned about the
plants that live in the lowland dry ecosystem, the 'awikiwiki in particular,”
she said. “The [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] must continue to recognize the
biological and cultural importance of this area and protect these irreplaceable
plants from multiple threats." Awesome news, now go hug a snail,
enviro-kook……..
- Never has something so appropriate happened to the reality
karaoke show that spawned legions of equally pathetic imitators. “American
Karaoke” has hung around for far too long and run through a growing list of
“celebrity” judges in need of a jolt of publicity. Now that planning for the
2014 edition of the show is underway and there will reportedly be a full
overhaul of the judging panel, multiple reports have suggested that “American
Karaoke” will become a self-sustaining factory of musical crap by employing
judges who also happen to be former contestants. Nothing has been decided yet,
but one or more members of the panel could be involved and the names linked are
pop music train wrecks such as Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert and
Clay Aiken. Bringing these losers back to the 12-year-old franchise
would be both fitting and the latest attempt by Fox and production companies
FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment to inject life into a show that should have
died about 13 years ago. Last season, the network held off on announcing its
new judging panel until mid-September, seemingly hoping to create an air of
mystery and intrigue but mostly looking unsure and incompetent. One thing that
is certain is that longtime “AK” judge and noted caricature of his own
ridiculous public persona Randy Jackson has moved on to new endeavors that can
only be described as an upgrade because they are not “American Karaoke.”
Jackson said his goodbyes to everyone on their air last season and walked away,
with veteran producer Nigel Lythgoe expected to follow him out the door. Finding
former Karaoke-ers who are bumping around the reality show world (Aiken) or
whose shtick has simply worn out without talent to sustain it (Lambert)
shouldn’t be difficult and with 12 years to pick from, “AK” could use this is a
way to separate itself from its younger reality karaoke show rivals…….
- The life is an Iowa prison guard can be a stressful one.
Even in the Hawkeye State, inmates are no easy lot to deal with. It’s enough to
make a person want to go off the reservation and escape from it all. Roy and Katie
Appleget understand this reality and its way the couple, newly married, are
going green by living off the land. Sure, they’re also looking to make a
statement about economics and the environment while thriving in the great
outdoors, but getting away from it all but living in a tent in a local park is
also a solid way to eliminate some stress from one’s life. The Appleget’s live
in the village of Farmington, which is the oldest village in Van Buren County.
Farmington is a small place – just 650 residents – and most of them live in
(relatively) normal homes. Roy and Katie Appleget do not and have taken up
residents in a park where guests must register. “This is where we live,” Katie
Appleget said. “This is where we sleep at night.” When asked why he and his
wife have elected to eschew everyday utilities and live in nature, Roy Appleget
has a simple answer. “Let’s keep our money instead of giving it to someone
else,” he said. “Let’s pay cash. We’re not homeless. We’re home-free.” For the
past two months, he and his wife have been tent dwellers who also write their
own bare essentials blog, The Middle Class Chronicle, an Internet journal about
doing more with less. “You have to kind of re-think everything as you go,” Roy added.
“It’s been a learning experience for us.” In moving to a tent in the park
(instead of a van DOWN BY THE RIVER), the Appleget’s have left behind monthly
bills topping $1,000 for a monthly deal at the park costing $180. They have
electricity to power their few appliances, but Katie washes clothes by hand and
cooks over an open fire. When winter comes and the weather worsens, they will
move into a camper with plans to build a sustainable home on their own land
some day……..
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