Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Church of England progress, "Game of Thrones" raves and underwater engagements


- Incoming SMU freshman point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is no longer incoming SMU freshman point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. He’s new first-year European professional player Emmanuel Mudiay and his reasons for heading overseas are deliciously murky at best. Mundiay, who some believe could be a No. 1 overall draft pick in the near future, had committed to play for Larry Brown over Kentucky and Kansas. However, his commitment wavered and over the weekend, Mudiay's mother and two brothers informed Brown and members of his staff in a meeting that he intends to play overseas. Mudiay himself hasn’t surfaced to explain himself, further adding to the intrigue, but his brother Stephane passed along quotes purportedly from his hoop savant sibling in which Emmanuel Mudiay stated that he was excited to play at SMU, but saw his mother struggling financially and decided to play for money rather than for free. There are also rumors that he could already have run afoul of the NCAA for the same reason and now, the athletic 6-foot-5 point guard will chase offers from various European teams and decide what interesting foreign locale he wants to enjoy for the next year. "He's the most special point guard I've ever seen at that age," Brown said of his never-was star guard. "He plays the right way, and God has given him incredible gifts. We all know [the NBA is] a point guard's league." Along with a family that is clearly heavily involved in his career, Mudiay will have plenty of help in his search for a team, as Under Armour, which sponsors his high school team, Prime Prep, and also Mudiay's summer team, Mo Williams Elite, is assisting in the quest to find the best temporary landing spot for him………


- College students spend much of their summer doing one of a few activities….traveling, taking a class they dread and want to be able to focus all of their energy on as a summer course, working at that killer internship and…..getting engaged underwater? That last entry on the list isn't for everyone, but University of Florida student Alex Montgomery, it was all part of the plan. Montgomery and his lady love, fellow UF student Lauren Schuhle, were scuba diving in Marathon when the perfect proposal plan came together. Montgomery went to great lengths to stage the entire event, setting up multiple underwater cameras to capture all of the action. The couple, who dated for over a year and a half, have always been a bit unconventional in their relationship and as a result, an odd proposal made perfect sense for the groom-to-be. “Everything Lauren and I do is outside, that’s the kind of couple we are. We like to get out and do adventurous things,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t want to do something status quo. She was so overwhelmed and everything at once. She didn’t cry right away, but she grabbed on to my arm, it was pretty cool and exciting.” Of course, with an underwater proposal, it’s tough to see if a girl is actually crying, so maybe next time find a drier location. The idea of videotaping the proposal was part of a social media-centric plan, as the video was quickly posted online and has drawn plenty of attention on YouTube. The entire family was in on the plot, as the scuba diving trip was a family outing that included planning assistance from several family members in Montgomery being able to bury a treasure chest under the sea containing a laminated flipbook with a message for the love of his life, along with a proposal banner - talking underwater can be difficult - and the ring………..


- Who’s ready to down copious amounts of Ecstasy, wear glowstick jewelry on every possible appendage, cram into some abandoned warehouse that’s 125 degrees inside and get their rave on “Game of Thrones”-style? The time has finally arrived for all tweakers who fit that description thanks to Kristian Nairn, better known as Hodor in HBO’s hit drama “Game of Thrones.” Nairn, an Irish thespian who clearly likes to club it up as often as possible, is cashing in on his quasi-fame from the show by embarking upon a DJ-ing tour that will see him make six stops in a place that always knows how to party and never turns down a good time - Australia. Somehow, Nairn is actually basing the name of his tour on the show that is the sole reason anyone knows his name, calling it the Rave of Thrones tour. The shows will be built around Nairn playing deep house, with a visual warm-up set from the fictional kingdom of Ego based on the popular fantasy show. As with any big event or tour, there needs to be time for a proper build-up and so this little ego trip won't kick off until Aug. 28 in Sydney, with dates in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Darwin, and the last set at Zhivago in Adelaide on Sept. 7. No word yet on which “Thrones” characters could make an appearance, but nothing goes together quite like fictional medieval characters and the most unlistenable, quasi-futuristic music imaginable, so this should be a party no one wants to miss………


- Look at you, Church of England. It’s only taken several centuries, but modest social progress is yours at last. The church has finally resolved one of its longest and most divisive disputes with an overwhelming vote in favor of allowing women to become bishops. The church's national assembly, anachronistically known as the General Synod, achieved the required two-thirds majority in each of its three houses and in total, 351 members of the three houses approved of the move, with 72 backwards-thinking ass hats voting against it and 10 abstaining. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby hailed the result as the completion of a process that started more than 20 years ago with the ordination of women as priests and called for the entire church to unite behind the decision. "As delighted as I am for the outcome of this vote I am also mindful of whose within the church for whom the result will be difficult and a cause of sorrow," Welby said in a statement.  British Prime Minister David Cameron also sought to attach his name to the occasion by calling it a "great day for the Church and for equality." Those who continue to oppose the measure contend that allowing women into such a senior position in the church goes against the Bible. What made this debate so contentious is that the Church of England represents diverse religious groups from conservative evangelicals to supporters of gay marriage and changing the policies of such a group is a sh*t storm of red tape, outrage and outdated beliefs. Two years ago, opposition from lay members torpedoed the same change that just passed and yet, women’s rights groups kept fighting. Back in 1975, the General Synod ruled that there was no fundamental objection to women becoming priests, but it took nearly two decades for the first women to officially be ordained. Now, Welby says he expects the first woman bishop in the Church of England by next year. Score one for long overdue progress……….

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