- When is a protest not totally awesome? Trick question.
Protests are always awesome, but there are times when they are decidedly less
awesome than others. The scene this weekend in Greece proved this point
emphatically when hundreds of protesters battled with riot police in one of the
Greek capital's main shopping districts. Much like their American fast food
counterparts who have been raging against the machine in search of better pay
and benefits, the Greek workers took to the streets in solidarity against the
extension of shopping hours on Sundays. Approximately 500 protesters, which
included retail employees but also several anarchists, closed access to shops
on a central Athens street and distributed literature protesting the extension
of Sunday shopping and longer opening hours for the shops. This might seem like
an open-and-shut case of a few minimum-wage employees who don’t want their
weekends bogarted by The Man….and it is. Mixing in a few angry anarchists who are
just looking for a reasons to riot always makes for an interesting mix and the
protest did generate some noteworthy highlights in its three-plus hours. When a
large groups of passers-by took issue with the protest and decided to do
something about it, a full-fledged brawl broke out and riot police were called
in. The police dispersed the protesters after initially pushing them back using
pepper spray, which also sent passers-by scrambling to avoid the noxious fumes.
Despite the protest, shop owners claimed business was brisk before and after.
Both left-wing activists and the Greek Orthodox Church oppose the extension of
Sunday shopping for their own specific reasons, but it was nice to see the
various groups come together to lash out at the establishment……….
- No one can take down the Captain, at least not yet. “Captain
America: The Winter Soldier” remained a force atop the weekend box office
earnings list after amassing $41.4 million to hold off a trio of challengers.
So far, the superhero epic has earned $159 million domestically and is $11
million away from earning back its entire budget. “Rio 2” nearly seized the top
spot, but fell just short with $39 million to place second in its debut. Fellow newcomer “Oculus” snagged third
place with a modest $12 million debut, more than doubling its modest budget and
thereby qualifying as one of the biggest successes of the weekend. The news wasn’t
so great for the Kevin Costner/Cleveland Browns mash-up “Draft Day,” which
opened in fourth place and conjured up $9.8 million. That was enough to elbow
past “Divergent,” which dropped two spots to fifth place and added $7.5 million
to its overall total for a four-week haul of $124.9 million. That provided
enough for a narrow margin of victory over the free-falling “Noah,” which
anchored the first half of a God-centric tandem in the next two spots on the
list with $7.4 million in weekend earnings for a three-week bank roll of $84.9
million. “God's Not Dead” powered its way to seventh place with $5.5 million,
giving it a cumulative domestic total of $40.7 million in limited release. Eighth
place went to critical darling “The Grand Budapest Hotel” courtesy of a $4
million weekend that padded the film’s running earnings total to $39.5 million
in six weeks. “Muppets Most Wanted” locked down ninth place thanks to $2.2
million in earnings for the frame and continues to underwhelm with $45.7
million in overall income. “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” completed the top 10
thanks to $1.8 million, giving it $105.2 million in six weeks. “Need for Speed”
(No. 13) lost its spot in the top 10 from last weekend………..
- Winter is still kicking Wisconsin’s ass. Residents may
finally be shedding their winter clothing, putting away their snow shovels and
unthawing their faces from six or so months of freezing weather, but the
effects of the nonstop polar vortex that beset the Badger State in recent
months are far from finished. A longer, colder winter is expected to lead to a
scene straight out of a bad horror movie, according to the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). WDNR officials say the brutal winter
that produced an extended period of ice coverage for lakes and rivers has
caused a decreased oxygen level in those waters because the sunlight cannot
penetrate the ice and snow to reach the underwater plants. What does that mean?
With ice over three feet thick in many areas this winter, WDNR officials expect
there to be a larger-than-normal number of dead fish washing up along shores
throughout the spring. "Shallow lakes with large amounts of aquatic
vegetation and mucky bottoms are prone to this problem,” explained WDNR fisheries
ecologist Paul Cunningham. “They have much lower oxygen capacity to begin with,
and that oxygen is consumed as the plants decay, leaving little for fish and
other aquatic life as the ice cover prevents oxygen from the atmosphere from
reaching the water.” While deceased fish wafting to the shore is a regular
sight in Wisconsin and other places where winter comprises a disturbingly large
chunk of the calendar, officials are asking the public to monitor any bodies of
water near them and report any large numbers of dead creatures in case
something more sinister is afoot and an investigation is need. Once again,
winter is the house guest who won't leave, the illness that refuses to heal and
the gift that you just cannot get rid of for so many in states better suited
for penguins and polar bears than humans, but Wisconsinites could always flee
south……..
- In case there was any confusion, it’s still really great
to be rich. Teenage drunk driver and future societal blight Ethan Couch is
living that dream and the news just keeps on getting better for both he and his
family. Couch
was convicted of intoxication manslaughter for a 2013 crash that killed four
people and injured several others, but he ducked any jail time and was sentenced
to probation with time in a rehab facility because his high-priced attorney
brought in a defense expert who testified that Couch suffered from "affluenza.”
This rare condition allegedly turns rich brats from wealthy families into
ignoramuses who have a sense of entitlement and make bad decisions. How that
makes the crimes they commit not their fault is still a mystery, but the
injustices don’t end there. Not only will Crouch get off über-light with a
gentle tickle on the wrist, he and his family won't even have to dip into their
sizeable wealth in order to pay his stint in rehab. During his most recent
hearing, Couch was informed that his parents will only have to pay a small part
of his bill for rehab at a state hospital. A judge noted that the state-run
facility that will attempt to un-affluenza Couch will cost $715 per day and
despite their immense riches, the court recommended his parents be ordered to
pay a maximum of $1,170 per month - less than two days per month of treatment. Texas
taxpayers will foot the bill for the remaining cost of the care and while
presumably laughing giddily and skipping, the family's attorney said they
respect what the facility recommends and will make the ordered payments. Couch
is currently being treated at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon and
presumably not developing a soul in the process………
- Someone has a unique way of getting ready for the NHL
playoffs, Tampa
Bay Lightning left wing Ryan Malone. Malone, whose team resides in third place
in the Eastern Conference standings, decided that the best way to prepare for
the postseason would be channeling his inner Amy Winehouse – and no, there was
no karaoke version of “Rehab” involved even though rehab might be Malone’s next
stop. No, the veteran forward was arrested early Saturday morning on charges of
driving under the influence and possession of cocaine. As with most people on
the road at 5 a.m., Malone had something coursing through his system that
should not be in the system of a person operating a motor vehicle. According to
Tampa Police Lt. Paul Lusczynski, Malone's breath smelled like alcohol when he
was stopped by an officer early Saturday. That ended up being the lesser of his
evils, as the officer also found 1.3 grams of cocaine in one of Malone's
pockets, according to a police report. In an amazing twist, a man with blow in
his pocket and who appeared intoxicated refused to take field sobriety tests
and blew blood alcohol levels of 0.112 and 0.116 percent in breath tests
administered at the jail. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08 and
NHL general managers consider a player to be a distraction when they have just five
goals and 10 assists in 57 games and are showing up in the back of a squad car
the day before a game. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman acknowledged
Malone’s arrest in a statement and confirmed that the forward would not travel
for the team’s next game in Washington. As for the playoffs, Malone
would not seem to be a big part of the Lightning’s plans at this point……..
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