- Now that it’s clear Tiger Woods will never, ever break his
record for career major titles won, Jack Nicklaus can relax, kick back…and
recommend that U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson include Woods on this year’s
squad. Woods, who just returned earlier this month from back surgery and barely
made the cut at the British Open, is nonetheless an obvious choice for the man
whose record he once seemed certain to shatter. "Oh, absolutely," Nicklaus said. "I couldn't imagine
[Woods] not being on a Ryder Cup team, unless he does absolutely nothing in
recovering from his game between now and then." Nicklaus happens to be the
course designer for next month's PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville,
Kentucky, as well as the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles in Scotland, so he
should have some good insights on whether Woods can have success at the Ryder
Cup. However, Woods has played just twice since returning from March 31 back
surgery and while he expressed his desire to be on the team following his
69th-place finish on Sunday at the British Open, a lot of guys who don’t
deserve to be there would love to make the team. Watson seems inclined to pick
Woods, but suggested the former No. 1 player in the world needs to show some
form in his two remaining starts -- next week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
and the PGA Championship -- before the FedEx Cup playoffs. Without top-three
finishes in those tournaments, he won't qualify for the playoffs and would face
a month off from PGA Tour golf before the Ryder Cup, which begins Sept. 27.
"If was a captain, I would be hard-pressed. ... I don't care what he does
between now and then. If Tiger wants to play, I would certainly choose
him," Nicklaus said. In that case, it’s a good thing Nicklaus isn’t in
charge……
- Hungary is pissed. Specifically, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is
unhappy because he believes that certain civic groups financed from abroad are
holding back the nation's development. Yes, a conspiracy theory accusing
foreign interests of meddling in Hungarian affairs in some nefarious plot to
restrict its progress. As Orban sees it, "paid political activists"
in the groups are trying to obstruct efforts to increase Hungary's
competitiveness. His government has taken action against these supposed
troublemakers by branding their al civic groups as "leftist.” Oddly
enough, this dispute involves Norway, which Hungary believes is entangled in
the financing aspect of these groups through the Norway Grants program, which provides
money to projects in areas such as environmental protection or social
development in Hungary and other less-developed countries in the European
Union. To the unbiased outsider, it would seem to be just another case of the
kind, easygoing Norwegians doing what they can to help better the lives of
those who share their continent, but Hungary isn't subscribing to that theory.
Instead, Orban delivered his fiery speech Saturday in the Romanian town of
Baile Tusnad, where most residents are ethnic Hungarians and the area even has
a Hungarian name – Tusnadfurdo. The message went out live on Hungarian state
radio and judging by the tone of Orban’s voice, this is a fight that won't be
ending any time soon……..
- Brooklyn teenage metal band Unlocking The Truth are a hot commodity right now, having recently agreed
to a record deal with Sony believed the be in excess of $1 million. The trio –
comprised of 13-year-olds Malcolm Brickhouse, Alec Atkins and
12-year-old Jarad Dawkins – rose to fame after a video of them performing on
the street in Times Square went viral. Brickhouse’s mother served as the
unofficial director for the video as the band performed their song “Monster,”
complete with passersby stopping to drop change into a collection bucket. The
video has garnered more than 1 million views so far and since then, Unlocking
The Truth have become the youngest group ever to perform on the main stage at
Coachella and have also supported Guns N' Roses in Las Vegas and Queens of the
Stone Age. With all of this working in their favor, UTT have also lined up a feature-length
documentary in which they will sign their five-album deal in Los Angeles.
Director Luke Meyer will helm the project and try to exploit a bunch of
teenagers getting their big break in as classy a fashion as possible. "These
three boys are coming of age at the exact moment their band is being introduced
to the entire world. This film is a picture of that unique moment," Meyer
said. According to Meyer and producer Molly Smith, the most striking part of
the story was its message about being yourself and following your dreams,
regardless of the hurdles one must overcome. That sounds like well-polished
Hollywood bullsh*t at its finest, but that doesn’t mean the documentary can't still
be interesting……….
- Life is difficult in Detroit. People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals specialize in making life tougher as well, but the animal-loving
kooks who refuse to eat meat, wear fur or do so much as shoot a dirty look at
anything that might be classified as an animal, but in this case they’re
actually looking to assist something without four legs or a beak. Of late, the
cash-strapped citizens of America’s first-ever city to officially go bankrupt
have seen their water shut off in increasing numbers because they simply cannot
afford to pay their bills. Seeing that harsh reality hit so many, PETA took
notice and is now offering to pay one month’s water bill for 10 Detroit residents – with a
caveat. In order to qualify for the offer, residents must agree to go on a
vegan diet for a month. PETA spokesperson Lindsay Wright explained that a
member of the group has offered to pay one month’s water bill and provide a
basket of healthy and cost-effective vegan food for 10 residents. “We hope that
by introducing people to eating vegan for this month-long pledge that it will
stick with some folks and that they’ll wind up saving on the stress of dealing
with some difficult health conditions and save money on health care costs in
the long run,” Wright said. “At PETA we really see this as a win-win, you know
it’s going to give 10 Detroit residents in need, some immediate help, getting
out from under their water bills plus it’s something that is going to be
helping animals and the environment and of course there are health benefits for
people who participate as well.” The good news for those who aren’t picked by
PETA is that the planned water shutoffs have been suspended for about two weeks
for the Detroit residents to give them time to figure out a payment plan. In
the meantime, PETA can push its belief that a diet high in low-cost vegan foods
such as rice, beans, lentils, and vegetables reduces one’s risk of developing
obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other costly health conditions that
consumers of meat and dairy products are prone to……..
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