- Does someone in Oklahoma City have bad will toward
Goodwill? Maybe…or maybe people who donate unwanted belongings to the
organization are merely absent-minded and wholly neglectful when it comes to
making sure they don’t mistakenly give away items they may want later…or items
that could possibly explode and take the entire building down with them. Oooh,
or a disgruntled employee might be the one who drops a pair of live munitions
items behind because he or she is unhappy that the powers that be placed them
on an indefinite suspension. Let’s go with option B, given that police had to
conduct a fast evacuation of the Goodwill store on Blackwelder Avenue
around 10:30 a.m. because an employee finds a couple of grenades. Police were
called to the scene after an employee found the first grenade inside a desk and
another worker subsequently found a second grenade inside a warehouse on the
property. Before police could even arrive on the scene, supervisors began
hurrying people out of the building. Initially, supervisors told police the
desk belonged to an employee who had been fired, but they were either lying or
just completely ignorant of who does or does not work for them because they
later doubled back and said the employee is on suspension. "[Goodwill
employees] don't know if this was particularly this individual's item or if
this was something that they found in the warehouse, brought to their
desk," Oklahoma City Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said. Thankfully, the police department’s bomb squad was
called in and used a robot to disable the two grenades on site without
incident. Three hours later, the scene was declared safe and employees were
left with little more than an extra long lunch hour, a quirky “how my bitter
co-worker tried to blow me up” story and paid time to stand around and do
nothing……..
- One of the best guitarists in the history of rock and roll
may be a troubadour no more. Eric Clapton might be the best man with an axe in his hands this side
of Jimi Hendrix – depending upon whom you ask – but the soon-to-be-70-year-old has
announced he is thinking of quitting touring, because he believes life on the
road has become "unbearable" and "unapproachable.” Of course,
most people who are 70 years old find most of life annoying and intolerable,
but Clapton has other reasons. He added that he has "odd ailments"
that may lead to him being forced to stop playing guitar all together, which
would clearly make an actual tour difficult. But fear not, Clapton fans: He
said that he intends to concentrate on studio work at the expense of live
performances. "There are tons of things I'd like to do, but I'm looking at
retirement too," Clapton said. "What I'll allow myself to do, within
reason, is carry on recording in the studio. I don't want to go off the boil to
the point where I'm embarrassing myself." Sounding very much like a
cultural snob, Clatpon explained that part of his disdain for touring is that
America’s influence has extended too far and created an Americanized version
countries that used to be OK doing their own thing. "The road has become
unbearable. It's become unapproachable, because it takes so long to get
anywhere. It's hostile – everywhere: getting in and out of airports, travelling
on planes and in cars,” Clapton whined. Clearly this has nothing to do with the
fact that this rock ‘n roll diva was booed for walking off stage during a gig
at Glasgow's Hydro Arena last week. He later issued a weak apology in which he
blamed a "technical fault" for the for quitting on his own show.
Maybe it is time to give audiences some space and tuck yourself away inside
some dimly lit studio, E……….
- Uh oh, Ukraine. You’ve really stepped in it….by daring to
sign a totally fair, reasonable and historic trade and
economic pact with the European Union. The trade agreement is either really
good or a provocative act that may bring "grave consequences,"
depending upon whom you ask. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called
Friday's agreement the "most important day" for his country since it
became independent from the Soviet Union, while Russia vowed to take off its
chains, turn around its rings and deliver a proverbial beating with a
metaphorical cue ball in a sock. Olexander Motsyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to the
U.S., was unabashed when asked what the deal means to his nation. “It is our
ambition to become a member of the European Union in foreseeable future, the
purpose of which is not just to join the EU, but, most importantly, to build a
free, democratic and prosperous European nation in Ukraine,” Motsyk said. The
response was much different in Russia, where Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory
Karasin was direct and menacing when asked about the pact. "There will
undoubtedly be serious consequences for Ukraine and Moldova's signing,"
Karasin said. Karasin (sadly) didn’t offer any specifics, but it is well known
that Moscow does not favor ties between Ukraine and Europe, fearing it will
lose its influence over its strategic neighbor. Russia chose to ignore the fact
that this deal spared it from EU leaders imposing new sanctions on it for its
continued military presence in the embattled country and decided to be pissed
because it views Ukraine as the birthplace of Russian statehood and of Russian
Orthodox Christianity. Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to weigh in
on the deal, choosing to focus on de-escalating the conflict
to prevent further punishing sanctions. "The most important thing is to
guarantee a long-term cease-fire as a precondition for meaningful talks between
the Kiev authorities and representatives of the southeast (of Ukraine),"
Putin said. Meanwhile, EU leaders gave the Russian government and the rebels in
eastern Ukraine until Monday to take steps to improve the violent situation but
refused to take any potential punishments off the table. If signing a fair
trade agreement is a reason to go, however, then Russia has clearly not learned
any lessons and it’s merely a matter of time before they step over the line
again……..
- Texas Rangers
ace Yu Darvish doesn’t seem to believe that this one counts. Despite Major
League Baseball hitting its annual All-Star Game with that tag line after
ass-hattedly bestowing homefield advantage in the World Series to the league
that wins the exhibition contest following a tie in the 2002 edition of the
game, Darvish doesn’t seem to be under the impression that the All-Star Game matters
at all. The Japanese sensation is a borderline All-Star with a 7-4 record and a
2.62 ERA in 14 starts this season, but don’t expect him to be rushing to
Minneapolis for the contest if he's
selected to the American League All-Star team for the third consecutive season.
Darvish, who doesn’t speak much English and often uses an interpreter, shook
his head "no" several times Thursday when asked whether he'd be
willing to pitch an inning in the All-Star Game if he stays on his current
schedule that would see him make his final start two days before the July 15 in
Minnesota. He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to not jump at the chance to attend
the ASG if selected because he wouldn’t be on schedule to pitch in the game,
but saying you would likely would opt for sightseeing over pitching in
baseball’s annual showcase of the best in the sport is a bit of a dick move.
But Darvish did exactly that, saying through his translator that he'd go
sightseeing while in Minnesota if on the AL squad. On some level, maybe you
give him points for honesty, although maybe if he were really shooting
straight, he would admit that he’d rather just have four days off and chill
rather than take a long flight to Minnesota for a game in which he refuses to
play……..
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