- Gym memberships are virtually impossible to escape. Even
dying is typically not enough to escape the clutches of a gym contract, so when
there is a way to use a legitimate workout facility and not commit to paying
thousands of dollars over the course of decades, it’s worth knowing about. Beast
Fit Nation in Portland, Ore. is one such facility and the gym is offering free
workouts for anyone willing to pay it forward. “(It’s) the world’s first free
gym. Everything is free you don’t have to pay me a dollar,” said Sergio Jones,
founder of Beast Fit Nation. “All you have to do is promise me you’ll do three
random acts of kindness after you leave. You will help out somebody else.” That
seems like wishful thinking by an ideological kook, but gym members say they love
the idea and motivate each other in their rugged workouts. They think of
themselves not just as gym members and workout buddies, but as co-inhabitants
of Beast Fit Nation. “After coming here, I do as many random acts of kindness
as possible throughout the day,” said member Brandon Stevens. Jones says the
acts of kindness extend from simple, basic deeds to gestures on a much grander
scale. “You will help your neighbor, pay for the person behind you, call up a
friend you haven’t talked to in a while, tell them you miss them,” Jones said. “Do
something else for somebody else.” By traveling to Beast Fit Nation, which is
located at Southwest 16th Avenue and Southwest Jefferson Street, members
believe they are stepping into a movement to help out others. The gym is
located next to Lincoln High School and many of those who work out with Jones
are members of Beast Fit Nation. Jones’ philosophy has led students to help
each other out and also includes an effort to reach out to other businesses in
the community to seek sponsorships……..
- It’s about effing time. Jim Morrison, although deceased,
has been the Lizard King for decades. How has it taken this long for a scientist
to discover a new species of lizard, earn the right to name it and christen it
in honor of the late Doors frontman? Jason Head, a paleontologist at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and a hard-core Doors fan since college, has finally righted
this wrong. Head discovered an ancient plant-eating lizard that looked like an
iguana but is closer in size to a German shepherd and named it after Morrison.
From here on out, the massive creature will be known as Barbature morissoni.
“Morrison really liked lizards and snakes, and his lyrics and poetry used a lot
of descriptions of ancient places," Head said, "'Barbaturex' means
'bearded king,' and Morrison called himself the Lizard King, so this was
perfect.” The only loser in this scenario is the late gonzo journalist Hunter
S. Thompson, who was Head’s second choice for lizard naming rights. "If
you read 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' he's hallucinating giant
lizards," Head added, "but it wasn't really a contest. It was
definitely Morrison." Befitting a true rock star lime Morrison, the lizard
bearing his name is the largest plant-eating lizard to have ever walked the
Earth. Fossils have been found in Myanmar and they indicate that the lizard flourished
about 45 million years ago in the Eocene Epoch, nearly 26 million years after
dinosaurs became extinct. The Earth was a warmer, more humid place back then
and had much more carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere. A plant-eating
lizard as big as Barbaturex morrisoni could have successfully competed with plant eating mammals for
food, but it could only have flourished in a warmer climate than exists on
Earth today. That explains why, like its namesake, the lizard is also extinct………
- The Atlanta
Hawks are an incredibly consistent component of the NBA landscape. They are
good for 50 wins, a first-round playoff exit and little else. Maybe the front
office is tired of that predictable cycle, or at least one marketing department
employee who is completely ignorant of the league’s free agency rules. That
would go a long way toward explaining why the Hawks sent out a letter to
potential ticket buyers that may have violated the NBA's tampering policy. The
letter names free-agents-to-be Chris Paul and Dwight Howard both scheduled to
become unrestricted free agents on July 1, as players the Hawks will target
this offseason. The letter, printed on team letterhead, includes the headline:
"Hot New Player news: Chris Paul and Dwight Howard," and claims that
player interest in joining the Hawks is "skyrocketing." Sadly, teams
cannot mention specific players who are about to become free agents while those
players are under contract with their current team. Thee NBA's collective
bargaining agreement requires teams to decline comment about potential free
agents prior to the beginning of free agency. Paul and Howard, both currently
residents of Los Angeles, will be the two most sought-after targets once July 1
arrives. Paul has spent the past two seasons with the Clippers and Howard is coming
off a disappointing first season with the Lakers. "The buzz around our
offseason is more than heating up," the Hawks’ letter said. "With massive cap space, 4 draft
picks, and free agency rapidly approaching, we sit in the best position in the
NBA. Player interest is skyrocketing as the possibilities of landing Chris Paul
& Dwight Howard become more and more of a reality.” It went on to provide a
link to a story published last week claiming that Paul was angry with the
Clippers because he had been widely blamed for the firing of coach Vinny Del
Negro. Hawks president Bob Williams was forced to address the letter and called
it an "unfortunate" mistake made by a team ticket representative.
Paul and Howard have talked in the past about joining forces and could conspire
to team up in Atlanta or Dallas next season. As for the Hawks, they’re merely
hoping to break the cycle……..
- See what the idiocy of Miguel hath wrought? One moronic
pop star attempts an ill-advised stage jump at the Billboard Music Awards that morphed into a Hulk Hogan-esque big
leg drop and left a female member of the crowd with potential brain damage and threatening
to sue and suddenly, others are rushing to do the same. Following Miguel’s
ass-hatted effort at last month’s Billboard show, obscure British singer Labrinth
has done his best to replicate the feat and not surprisingly, he too failed
miserably. Labrinth’s failed jump came when he leapt into the audience during a
performance at the University Of Kent's Summer Ball on Saturday. For some odd
reason, members of the small crowd did not rush to catch him and instead
allowed him to tumble to the floor in a heap and start a domino effect that
took out "over 50 people", according to the concert-goer who posted
footage of the incident on YouTube. The video is great because it allows
viewers to experience a brief and entertaining slice of a Labrinth concert
without the actual discomfort and boredom of actually having to attend a
Labrinth concert. Despite the crash and burn, Labrinth was able to shake off
his embarrassing moment and complete his set. He later posted a photo of the incident
on his Instagram account and if that photo doesn’t end up being meme-d to death
the way screen grabs of Miguel’s fall were, it’s going to be a major
disappointment and one of the biggest Internet failures in recent memory.
Making fun of Labrinth’s botched crowd-surfing attempt is also easier to do
because so far, no one has reported any injuries or brain damage from being
stuck by the rapper or one of the many people he knocked down like to many human
bowling pins. While the laugh value is high, here’s hoping this is a trend that
comes to an end quickly. Leave stage diving to legit, experience rock stars who
actually have a clue what they’re doing……..
- This is a new low for Russian sweatshops – literally. Russian
sweatshops have gone underground and not in the metaphorical sense. A literal
and vast secret
underground complex for undocumented migrant workers was discovered beneath a
Moscow street, police in Russia said Wednesday. This sweet setup included a
canteen, movie theater and chicken coop – yes, the always-vital chicken coop.
In the raid of the sweatshop, nearly 200 immigrants, most of them from central
Asia, were arrested. Police burst into their subterranean living space and
callously hauled them off. After the raid, police released video footage
showing the underground complex was almost a complete world of its own.
Amenities such as living quarters, work tables with sewing machines, a cafe,
and even a casino were all there for these mole people. The sweatshop was
located underneath the site of the former Cherkizovsky market, which was one of
the largest in eastern Europe until it was shut down in 2009. Moving directly
under the marketplace makes sense, as the market attracted many immigrant
workers. It was known for trading everything from everything from electrical
goods to clothing and even after it shut down, Moscow continued to attract millions
of migrants from the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. They flee
poverty-stricken nations like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in search
of a better life and send money back home from their jobs abroad. Some of the
underground workers may well be among the 9 million migrant workers who entered
Russia in 2011. Human rights groups say raids like the one on Monday do little
to end the problem of illegal immigration and are “just for show.” The presence
of these migrants also sparks violent clashes with Russian nationalists,
thousands of whom took to the streets in Moscow in December 2010 in the worst
race riots since the fall of the Soviet Union. Going underground is
definitely one way to avoid such conflict……..
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