- Governments aren't so different no matter where in the
world they may rule. Take the historic, charming and colorful city of
Edinburgh, Scotland, where a milestone has been reached after three long years
of plodding along past its deadline and well over its budget. Way back in 2010,
the city was supposed to cut the ribbon on a new, state-of-the art tram system to
carry paying passengers through Edinburgh. Because government projects never
get done on time or under budget, this train wreck – or tram wreck – of an
endeavor was nowhere close to completion in 2010. Instead, it spiraled out of
control thanks to rising costs and feuding between the city and contractors. What
was supposed to take three years instead took six and what was supposed to cost
about $650 million instead clocked in at a bloated $1.3 billion, leaving many
locals both angry that they didn’t have a tram system to ride through
Edinburgh’s hilly, fog-cloaked streets and pissed that their government and its
contractors were unable to finish an extensive network that was to connect most
of the city. But at long last, the project is done – even if it has been scaled
down to a basic, 9-mile line between airport and city center. After waiting
three years for their chance to take a ride on the tram line, passengers lined
up for their first trip on Saturday as they marked the return of trams to
Edinburgh after almost 60 years. Passengers chatted and enjoyed the ride, with
many cheering as the first of the trams set off across town……..
- Not many sports fans are paying a lot of attention to
Major League Baseball right now, but the sport is building some solid story
lines for the brief window after the NBA and NHL seasons end and before the NFL
kicks off its season this fall. One such story line runs directly from Boston
to Tampa and its path is traced by the trail of flame behind Tampa Bay Rays ace
David Price’s fastballs directly into the torsos of multiple Red Sox batters.
The drama was high on Friday night as Price took the mound at Fenway Park and proceeded
to dot Boston slugger David Ortiz
with a 94 mph fastball on the first pitch the lefty threw to the Red Sox
slugger since he hit two homers off him in Game 2 of the AL Division Series
last October. That pitch to the body didn’t sit well with Ortiz, who said he
has lost all respect for the Rays ace. "It's a war," Ortiz
said after the Red Sox rallied for a 3-2, 10-inning win over Tampa Bay.
"It's on. Next time I see him, he better put his gloves on. I have no
respect for him anymore." Using a war analogy is always a terrible idea in
any part of life except actual combat, but Ortiz has a penchant for overstating
his opinions. Price talked around postgame questions about whether he had hit
Ortiz intentionally, but Ortiz claimed he spoke with Price by phone after the
playoffs last October and thought that any lingering issues between the two had
been resolved. "I had a lot of respect for the guy, man," Ortiz said.
"It is over now. I have no more respect for him. Last year, we kicked his
butt in the playoffs and he went off talking crap about everyone. We go to talk
on the phone after we kind of straightened things out. He was upset, and then I
let him know how I felt. Later on he called me and apologized because he knew
he was wrong.” Before wrapping up his rant, the three-time World Series
champion accused Price of “acting like a little girl out there” and “acting
like a little b*tch” because he gave up a few home runs. These two teams meet
several more times this season, so stay tuned…….
- Look at Google, talking junk to underperforming Internet
service provides just like its rival Netflix. Google is joining the part of
tech giants lamenting ISP’s inability to provide customers with the ability to
stream YouTube in HD at a respectable speed. Google’s push is centered behind a
tool called Video Quality Report, which is designed to measure speed quality of
various ISPs in the United States. It measures stream quality and also monitors
buffering frequency, an issue that usually happens with slow connections. "Nothing
ruins the experience of watching a YouTube video like Magic of Rahat more than
seeing the dreaded buffering wheel, which is why we're always working to make
videos play smoothly in the best quality possible," YouTube product
manager Jay Akkad wrote in a post on Google's blog. "And when you can't
see what you want, when you want, it's important you know why." The goal
for Google is to rate ISPs as HD verified if their network connection is
capable of streaming a 720p and higher video with issues. If an ISP can only
muster a 360p video stream, they will be rated as standard definition verified.
For those who cannot even meet that low standard, Google will bestow its lowest
rating. The report is based on the minimum speed available 90 percent of the
last 30-day period and it only includes providers who offer services in the
United States, as opposed to Netflix, which provides data for IPS in several
countries. Other countries could be added as the report’s scope grows and maybe
Netflix can assist in this respect, as the two companies have built stronger
bonds since Netflix was strong-armed by Comcast recently in a business
transaction………
- Who doesn’t want to see a 350-pound Fatsel Rose come off a
flatscreen TV and directly into their face? That dream/nightmare is alive and
well thanks to Guns N’ Roses plans to release a 3D concert film titled “Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live from the
Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas.” Sadly, this surefire suck-fest will not
be hitting a multiplex or IMAX theater near you and will instead be released on
July 1 via Blu-ray and DVD. The concert featured in the film occurred on Nov.
21, 2012 and as the name would suggest, the show took place at the Hard Rock
Casino in Las Vegas, while the bastardized current version of what remains of
GNR – now better known as Axl Rose and whatever four dudes he can find to
perform alongside his pompous, gravy-filled ass these days – was touring to
promote the 25th anniversary of the iconic “Appetite for Destruction” album
that most of them had absolutely no part in. The tour took place four years
after the ill-fated, oft-postponed “Chinese Democracy” album that continues to
be one of the biggest metal album disappointments in the past decade and
probably longer. GNR has done concert movies before, but this will be its first
official one since 1992’s “Use Your Illusion” project. Hilariously, the DVD
includes several cover songs in lieu of more GNR material, including Bob
Dylan's “Knockin' On Heaven's Door,” Neil Young's “Don't Let It Bring You Down,”
The Who's “The Seeker” and Pink Floyd's “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2.” The
DVD will drop in the aftermath of rumors that Rose is retiring from music even
as his band remains in residency at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. The band
has dismissed those rumors and it makes sense, given that the odds of Rose
dying of an obesity-related malady are much higher than any chance he willingly
walks away from a spotlight……..
- Thank God this didn’t happen in Wisconsin. Wisconsinites
love their dairy products to the point that fried cheese curds are an
acceptable plate addition for any meal at any time of day, so hearing that a
truck carrying 34,000 pounds of cheese went up in flames would be a recipe
for disaster in the Badger State. Either the good people of the state would
grab their forks and run to the scene to try to save the cheese or they would
go looking to tar and feather the person responsible for wasting so much
precious dairy product. As is, the great cheese truck fire of 2014 took place
in Richmond, Vt., on I-89N just north of exit 11. According to local police,
the truck was toting more than 17 tons of cheese when it went up in flames.
Officers believe the fire was caused by a mechanical failure of the trailer's
brakes and the good news – aside from delivering a resounding victory for
lactose-intolerant people everywhere – is that the driver was not seriously injured,
although he was transported to Fletcher Allen Healthcare for minor injuries
sustained when he tried to disconnect the truck from the burning trailer. The
trailer and all of its cheese were a total loss and while insurance can take
care of that hit somewhat, there are nachos and sandwiches across America that
may never recover. The burning cheese truck delayed traffic for about an hour
and while the smell of burnt cheese can be appetizing under the right
circumstances, odds are that delayed drivers were none too amused……..
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