Monday, August 11, 2014

French soccer riots, Colorado v. teen ganja use and Foo Fighters cheat on a new album


- Who’s down for some quality Swedish-French political scandal? Step right up if you’re interested in some Grade-A scandal material courtesy of a relatively unknown Swedish politician surrounded by rumors of being the secret son of Francois Mitterrand who has finally decided to own the truth. Hravne Forsne, a 25-year-old running for Parliament, has remained silent on claims that the late French president is his father, but he decided that running for parliament and needing a publicity boost was a wonderful reason to finally man up and tell the truth. "That's how it is: Francois Mitterrand was my father,” Forsne said. His own mother has been in on the snow job as well, saying two years ago that she had an affair with the French president, who died of cancer in 1996, but she declined to discuss her son at the time. Even Forsne himself seems to hold mixed emotions about it all and when he was asked to follow up on his admission, he was quick to decline comment and proclaim that, "I don't want to answer any questions." Not wanting to answer questions is the surest way to keep those questions from going away and if he’s as savvy as he seems to be, perhaps Forsne is playing this perfectly to keep his name in the news. Unlike his alleged old man, a Socialist, Forsne represents Sweden's conservative party. He and his daddy issues are clearly aiming for a much bigger place on the Swedish political scene and in a world where nothing sells quite like scandal, this could be just the ticket to prosperity………


- There is good news and there is bad news for Foo Fighters fans. The good news is that Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and crew have confirmed the details – including a release date – for their new album “Sonic Highways.” The eighth studio album from one of the biggest rock bands in the world will drop on Nov. 10 and as previously announced, it was recorded in eight different cities across the United States. The bad news is closely tied to the good news, as the album is a mere eight tracks long. Simply put, one song was recorded in each city and as a result, the album will be a total rip-off for fans because Foo Fighters can't be bothered to give them even a bare-bones, 10-track album that any band worth its salt should be able to crank out. The release of the album may be the coolest part of the process, as vinyl copies of the project will be sold in an assortment of nine different covers including eight variants each themed for one of the cities in which the album was recorded: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Unfortunately for fans, the album cover they receive will be totally random and should they want an album cover from their specific city, they’re going to have to a) keep buying copies until they get what they want or b) trade with another fan who has their desired album cover. "This album is instantly recognizable as a Foo Fighters record, but there's something deeper and more musical to it. I think that these cities and these people influenced us to stretch out and explore new territory, without losing our sound,” Grohl said of the release, while producer Butch Vig labeled it “epic.” All eight tracks had better be to make up for the fact that there are only eight of them……….


- Officials in the state of Colorado and the city of Denver could really afford to chill out, bro. A state that was the first to legalize ganja for recreational use should not be launching a new ad campaign aimed at discouraging teen marijuana use and hitting it with the tag line “Who will be their guinea pigs?” That preposterous message is the heart of a new campaign featuring several nine-foot-tall human-sized rat cages unveiled on Monday. The fundamental tenet of the campaign is simple: Because so much is still unknown about pot’s effects on kids’ brains, teens who do smoke it become unwitting research subjects. It’s a totally lame idea and one that ignores the sheer awesomeness of getting baked and losing all motivation to achieve in life before graduating high school. The $2 million “Don’t Be a Lab Rat” campaign of lies derives its funding from legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies and it also includes TV commercials suggesting that smoking chron impairs mental function in teens’ still-developing brains and could cause long-term mental problems. As the alarmists behind this terrible idea for a campaign see it, anyone younger than 25 who burns the hippie lettuce is gambling on losing IQ points. “While much still needs to be learned about the effect marijuana has on the brain, enough information is available to cause concern in terms of the negative effects marijuana can have on the developing brains of teenagers,” Dr. Larry Wolk, the executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said in a statement. “The core premise of the ‘Don’t Be a Lab Rat’ campaign acknowledges that more research is necessary.” Yes, more research is necessary and who better to participate in that research than teenagers and young adults eager to get high and do nothing……..


- French soccer fans don’t take long to get in top form. The new season of soccer in their pastry-loving nation of surrenderers had barely commenced before a massive section of fans decided that rioting was much more important than the actual game they came to see. The chaos unfolded before and after a French Ligue 1 match between Olympique Marseille and Bastia, with dozens of Bastia fans allegedly attacking police officers who were on patrol outside of the stadium. In typical soccer fan fashion, the hooligans attacked the officers by throwing rocks at them along with numerous types of explosive devices. Any good soccer fan knows that you don’t show up for the season opener armed with all manner of illegal explosives to use against the cops, so credit to the fans who made it happen. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a written statement that eight riot and paramilitary officers were taken to hospital for treatment after the rioting close to the Furiani Stadium, the home ground of Bastia. The minister proclaimed that the government “strongly condemns the deliberate violence” and added that federal and local authorities need to handle the situation and CCTV video will be studied to find those who are responsible. However, his calls for  “an end to this violent behavior, especially towards security forces who must be respected” sounded incredibly naïve coming from a man whose country is home to regular thuggery by soccer fans and should expect it at this point. Hell, Bastia was forced to play several home matches in other locations during the 2012-13 campaign because of fan violence. It’s who these fools are, it’s how they roll and they’re not changing any time soon. Now would be an optimal time to either embrace their act or alter your response……..

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