Sunday, August 31, 2014

Barista strippers, delusional Redskins and Riot Watch! Pakistan


- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Pakistan has been on edge for some time now, but the sh*t got real-er over the weekend as protestors challenged police with an attempted bum-rushing of the prime minister's official residence and the adjacent parliament building in Islamabad on Saturday. The uprising was massive in number and plentiful in rage as nearly 125 people were injured in the clashes between police and demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, with police charging at the crowd with batons drawn, tear gas canisters a-firin’ and rubber bullets flying.  Thousands of protestors took part in the demonstration, which resulted in clouds of white smoke and mass chaos. Give the ladies credit for leading the way on this one, as they comprised a huge chunk of the crowd carrying hammers and iron rods, breaking down a fence outside the parliament building and clearing the way for hundreds of people to enter the lawns and parking area. Islamabad police chief Khalid Khattak described the protestors as armed with large hammers, wire cutters and axes and made the outlandish accusation that they also had a crane at their disposal. According to the chief, police were eventually able to clear most of the protesters from the parliament building's parking area and lawns. "Now only women and children are there, and they can take shelter there as long as they want,” he said. Following the riot, nearly 125 people -- including women, children and police officers -- were admitted to two government hospitals in the Pakistani capital. Their wounds came courtesy of tear gas shells, batons and rubber bullets, according to medical personnel on the scene. Credit protest leaders Imran Khan and anti-government cleric Tahirul Qadri, for starting the tidal wave of trouble that led to this riveting display, which is hopefully a harbinger of rage to come………


- Anyone who feels like maybe they’re getting too large a dose of Taylor Swift and her sugary sweet image in their life may want to avoid NBC and its ever-expanding menu of reality karaoke programming this fall. Swift, whose country-pop opuses are both radio-friendly and largely devoid of anything other than autobiographical ramblings on the drama and details of her famous person life, will reportedly be an adviser on the upcoming seventh season of “The Voice.” If the rumors are true, Swift will play the same role Chris Martin held last year, advising contestants on all teams. She has reportedly already filmed her segments for the show and not surprisingly, sources close to the series said she had a positive, encouraging rapport with the would-be karaoke-ers she advised. Her addition is part of an overt strategy to distract viewers from the overall pathetic-ness of the wannabe karaoke-ers on the show by surrounding them with boatloads of famous peole with varying levels of actual musical talent. Swift clearly has some skills, as does Alicia Keys and previously announced advisor Stevie Wonder. However, noted hacks like Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani fall on the wrong side of not totally sucking musically and Pharrell Williams is unquestionably stylish and cool, but not exactly reinventing the wheel with innovate sounds musically. The new season will also feature appearances from Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, who is there because he’s married to Stefani and married guys get dragged into lots of sh*t they otherwise wouldn’t touch. Added star power and all, the new season of “The Voice” premieres Sept. 22 at 8 p.m……….


- The phrase “ringleader of a Washington state prostitution scheme peddling coffee and half-naked women” isn't used often enough. Carmela Panico is doing her part to change that and the world should be thanking her for it. According to police in Everett, Wash., Panico brewed up big bucks through various convoluted scams and laundered more than $2 million and promoted prostitution at her coffee stands. The money passed through fine, upstanding establishments that both served caffeinated beverages and featured stripper poles to put a new twist on an old favorite. Patrons of fine establishments such as Java Juggs Espresso in Everett served up more than just overpriced cappuccinos and surveillance footage captured in 2011 show baristas pole dancing and Panico letting customers stuff cash into her breasts at Java Juggs. With a name like Java Juggs, it’s difficult to imagine anything unsavory going on, but perhaps not from Panico, who used to work with Talents West, an entertainment business that had ties to the Colacurcio crime family who owned strip clubs in Seattle. Talents West was he target of racketeering raids in 2008 and Pancino merely took their sleazeball act and added to it by hiring baristas with stripper or escort experience and fined the women if they didn’t wear high heels, maintain a tan or wear makeup. Mix in some quality money laundering and clearly, this is a criminal enterprise with both class and plenty of ass. Even if their mocha latte was bland or their chai tea too sweet, it’s a shame that Java Juggs won't be around to meet the coffee needs to the Evergreen State in the years ahead……….


- Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall and free safety Ryan Clark may be supportive teammates, but they’re also idiots if they actually believe the words they’re saying/tweeting. Both players felt the need to lash out in support of teammate Brandon Meriweather, whose appeal of a two-game suspension for illegal hits was denied by the NFL. Meriweather is a serial offender in terms of illegal hits and has basically said that he has no intention of cleaning up his act and ceasing with his incessant desire to scramble the brains of opposing receivers rather than simply make a good tackle and bring them to the ground. His most recent offense was an über-violent hit on Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith in a preseason game and the league hit him with a fine and a two-game suspension for the blow. Knowing that his kill shot was illegal, Meriweather still appealed and that appeal was a failure. He will miss the first two games of the regular season, marking the sixth time he has been penalized by the NFL for a hit. Hall took to Twitter to have his guy’s back, calling the appeal process "a joke” and adding, “Preseason sucks. They want to act like that. I'll be damn if I play another preseason game. For what? Get suspended for a meaningless game. How do you convince a person that says you wrong from the get go. The appeal process Is a joke. Guilty until I feel like you're innocent...” Clark chimed in too, sarcastically noting that, “Game for $1,000 dollars that won't count on you record can cost you two regular season games & pay! Yep, makes total sense!!” It does make sense, R., if you understand that a hit like that concusses a player or possibly ends his career just as much as the same hit during a regular-season game does. Tell your pal to stop trying to decapitate receivers and he won't have any issues with fines or suspensions……….

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