- Ecuador is not big on tolerance these days. Then again,
tolerance has always been tough to come by in the Central American nation. The
latest instance of government oppression came early this week, when prominent
physician Carlos Figueroa was detained near Quito and sent to prison to serve a
six-month sentence for defaming President Rafael Correa. In dealing with Third
World despots, defaming typically means uttering anything other than
sycophantic, effusive praise with 1 percent truth and 99 percent utter fluffy
fiction, so Figueroa likely didn’t do much of anything to deserve his fate…..or
did he? Figueroa, opposition congressman Clever Jimenez and his adviser
Fernando Villavicencio were convicted in April of defaming Correa by accusing
him of crimes against humanity in ordering the military to use force to free
him from a besieged hospital during a 2010 police uprising, claims that appear
to be true and yet, can never under any circumstances be uttered aloud any
place Correa has jurisdiction. The arrest was confirmed on the Interior
Ministry's Twitter account, as was the fact that Jimenez and Villavicencio were
sentenced to 18 months in prison. The arrests will only fuel the arguments of
the many human rights groups who have decried the government’s treatment of its
citizens and questioned the independence of Ecuador's judiciary, accusing
Correa of stacking the courts with loyalists. Arresting and pushing through
convictions for those who disagree with you is rarely a good way to convince
people that you’re easy going and relaxed, so Ecuadorians may want to practice
restraint going forward if they want to stay free and alive………
- “The Simpsons” are the longest-running show on television
and yet, that’s not the best news for the adult cartoon that spawned all other
adult cartoons. No, the true good news is that fans of the show will soon be
able to watch every single episode of its 25 eventful seasons on demand. Thank
cable network FXX for that, as it struck a deal last year
obtain the exclusive cable network rights to the series and plans to use that
leverage to launch “Simpsons World,” a new way of getting on-demand Simpsons content. For the first
time in this or any other universe, viewers can access every episode of
the series via their computer or other networked devices. Authenticated FX
subscribers will have instant access on iPhone, iPad, Xbox One, Xbox 360,
Android phones and tablets, Smart TVs and other assorted set-top devices,
meaning anyone with an Internet connection can not only watch entire episodes,
but also search for specific quotes, curate their own personalized playlists,
and share their favorite show clips and quotes. Non-subscribers will be limited
to shorter clips, but can still get their fix of the show. Up til now, Simpsons
content has been limited in the digital world and Hulu carries only a library
of classic Simpsons clips plus the
series’ eight most recent episodes. “I don’t want to over-promise, but this
website can provide you with affordable health care,” executive producer Al
Jean said. In addition to this revolutionary development, FXX will stage the
ultimate Simpsons marathon next month, showing all 25 seasons and 522 episodes
of the show in order, earning the distinction as the longest-running marathon
in television history………
- Big ups to whichever hero pulled the ultimate large-scale
prank in Manhattan over the weekend. The New York Police Department is
flummoxed by this prank, which makes it all the better. For those who don’t
know, there were two large American flags flying atop the Brooklyn Bridge. The key word there
is “were,” because those flags are gonzo and in their place are two flags that
have been bleached white. John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence for
the NYPD, confirmed that surveillance video shows a group of five people
crossing the bridge around 3:10 a.m. From there, what happened is something of
a mystery. See, approximately 15 minutes after the fivesome crossed the bridge,
the lights on the nearest tower along the bridge went out. At 3:30, the light
that illuminates the American flag on the tower also went out, but it wasn’t
until the sun rose the next day that construction workers noticed the American
flags had been replaced by white flags. Showing they don’t have much of a sense
of humor, police removed the white flags just before noon from poles on the
stone supports that hold cables above the bridge. According to Miller, the
20-foot by 11-foot flags were bleached American flags and a closer look
revealed what appeared to be the faintest traces of strs and stripes on them.
Police are still attempting to put the pieces together, but their current
theory is that the vandals/heroes used what appeared to be large aluminum pans
that had been affixed as covers, secured with zip ties, and that they appeared
to have some climbing experience and possibly had done bridge work, perhaps
even on the Brooklyn Bridge. “At this time no connection to terrorism or
politics. This could be someone's art project or someone's statement. We're
just not clear what that statement is," Miller said. And maybe that’s the
whole point……….
- The stars of the United States’ men’s national team are
cashing in on their 15 minutes of World Cup fame as best they can, be it in
contracts to hawk new products, standing ovations from their loyal Major League
Soccer fans upon their return to action……or getting more respect from their
European Club team after scoring a goal in the world’s largest soccer
tournament. For the young star who scored the lone U.S. goal in its 2-1,
tournament-ending loss to Belgium, the benefits are tangible and immediate. Teenager Julian
Green, who plays for perennial German Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich, is
capitalizing on his strong Cup effort in the eyes of coach Pep Guardiola, who
expects the American standout t to remain with the German champions for the
2014-15 season instead of being loaned out in search of more playing time.
"It's never easy to be with a big club in the first [-team] squad, but he
deserves to try to keep going here and play with us," Guardiola said. "I
think today he's going to stay -- we're going to see in the preseason -- but I
know him. He's always training well, he's a good guy and my first idea is that
he's going to stay for the rest of the season." Green, who made just one
appearance for Bayern's senior team last season, who was born in Tampa but grew
up in Germany. Just as he made only one appearance for Bayern last season, he
played in only the Belgium game at the World Cup and yet, here he is gaining
traction with one of the dominant franchises in European professional soccer –
once he recovers from a minor knee ailment, that is. "He will not be on
the field for the next two or three days," Guardiola said. "But I
hope he is fit and he can play as much as possible." The 19-year-old Green
has been named to the club's squad for friendlies in Harrison, New Jersey (July
31 vs. Guadalajara), and Portland, Oregon (Aug. 6 against the MLS All-Stars)
and will look to accrue the one thing he doesn’t yet have on the soccer field
at the highest level – experience……….
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