- This is new. The world at-large is pissed at Russia, sure,
but mostly it’s because the Russians are attempting to take over Ukraine, annex
it and restart the U.S.S.R. while simultaneously denying that they are
attempting to take over Ukraine, annex it and restart the U.S.S.R. Maybe the
communists are trying to throw the planet off the scent of what they’re doing
in Ukraine by doing something equally douche-y – albeit on a smaller scale – in
a different tiny nation it used to own. Estonia is that nation and it summoned
Russia's ambassador on Friday to demand an explanation regarding what it
described as the abduction of a security official near its joint border. That’s
right…it’s accusing Russia of kidnapping one of its security officials. It
doesn’t speak well of a nation when one of its SECURITY OFFICERS is kidnapped,
but Estonia found itself in no position to deny what had happened after Russia
announced it had detained an Estonia security officer in its northwest Pskov
region, where Russian officials allege he was carrying out an undercover
operation. State-run news outlets in Russia reported the detention and
Estonia quickly countered with its own version of the story, further escalating
tensions between the two nations. Maybe Estonia was feeling a bit too secure
after U.S. President Barack Obama visited and promised to protect the Baltic
nation against Russian aggression, or maybe Russia heard that promise and moved
quickly to deliver a giant eff-you to its American friends. Estonian Foreign
Minister Urmas Paet addressed the abduction of the Internal Security Service
official by unidentified individuals from Russia, near the Luhamaa border
checkpoint, calling it a "very disturbing incident." Russia identified
the detainee/kidnappee as Eston Kohver, who allegedly had a handgun, a big wad of
in cash, equipment for covert audio recording and materials indicative of an
intelligence mission. Whatever you say, comrades……….
- It’s going to get a whole lot worse for the Texas
Longhorns before it gets better. That sounds ominous after UT absorbed a 41-7
ass-kicking at the hands of the Stormin’ Mormons of BYU on Saturday, but
getting its ass kicked by a road underdog clearly is only the start of the
suffering. Part of the reason Texas struggled in its opener and was then
drilled by the Cougars this week is because new head coach Charlie Strong has
been swinging a big freaking axe since he got to Austin, booting player after
player from the roster for violating the simply, clear and yet oh, so difficult
rules of conduct he established for the program. Rules like no drugs, no
academic misconduct and no criminal activity have been too much for Joe
Bergeron, Jalen Overstreet, Chevoski Collins, Kendall Sanders, Montrel Meander,
Leroy Scott and Chet Moss and you can now add redshirt freshman linebacker
Deoundrei Davis to that list. Davis was kicked off the team the day before the
BYU game, becoming the eighth player dismissed by Strong since March. His loss
isn't a major setback, as the second-year linebacker was not practicing with
the team while rehabbing from knee issues and did not play in a game at Texas.
However, even a former top recruit who sat out last season while recovering
from a torn ACL suffered during his senior year at Cypress (Texas) Woods
getting his eviction notice is another black eye for a UT team that doesn’t
need any further embarrassments. In addition to the eight dismissed players,
four more -- tackle Desmond Harrison , tackle Kennedy Estelle ,
receiver/running back Daje Johnson
and safety Josh Turner --
were suspended for the BYU game. The real surprise isn't that the Longhorns
lost, but rather than they had enough players to field a team……….
- California’s drought drama continues, but its effects are
being felt much differently by at least one family in the city of Rancho Cordova.
One might imagine that in a time of über-limited rainfall, the local
municipality would be urging its residents to conserve H2O and be as judicious
as possible when it comes to any water usage that isn't for cooking or bathing.
That’s what the Shcherbanyuk family mistakenly believed and now, they’re facing the
looming menace of an angry city government threatening to do bad things to
them. The Shcherbanyuks thought they were doing the right thing by watering
their lawn about once a month, but they learned differently last week when they
received a notice from the city that their brown grass at their home on Cap Rock Way as an eyesore that
needed to be remedied. What the family clearly did not know is that the city of
Rancho Cordova has no mandatory water restrictions. “We were actually pretty
surprised because we’re in a pretty serious drought in California,” Yaro
Shcherbanyuk said. City officials left a notice in the family’s mailbox
informing the Shcherbanyuk clan that they must water their lawn by Sept. 29…or
else. “Our goal is that they maintain their yards to a minimum level so that
they don’t die,” city spokesperson Kerry Simpson said. According to
Simpson, homeowners are encouraged to conserve water, but not to the detriment
of their home’s value. Brown front yards covered in dead grass, it seems, are a
bad look for Rancho Cordova. Part of the reason the notice was sent out is that
city officials reported complaints from neighbors who narced out the Shcherbanyuks.
Hey neighbors, snitches get stitches………
- If the top 10 movies at the box office this weekend look
familiar, it’s because all of them are returning films that were in similar
spots one weekend ago. Nine of the top 10 were on the list last time around and
the lone change was a film that has been out for nearly two months. “Guardians
of the Galaxy” topped the list for the third straight frame, adding a meager
$10.1 million to up its domestic total to $294.5 million through six weeks. It
was the only movie to crack eight figures for the weekend, with “Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles” slotting second at just $6.5 million. In five weeks, the
mutant-fueled action flick has banked $174.6 million and counting. “If I Stay”
stayed in third place for the second week in a row with $5.8 million and with
its modest $11 million budget, its $39.6 million domestic take in three weeks
is impressive. “Let’s Be Cops” rose one spot to fourth with its $5.4 million
effort and has earned an amazing and slightly inexplicable $66.5 million in one
month of release. Pierce Brosnan’s new geezer spy movie “The November Man” made
a mere $4.2 million in its second weekend, raising its domestic total to $17.8
million thus far. “As Above/So Below” scared its way to $3.8 million this time
around and with $15.5 million in two weeks of wide release, it has performed at
a mediocre level at best. Seventh place went to “When the Game Stands Tall,”
owner of $3.7 million in weekend earnings and $23.5 million overall. On its
heels was “The Giver,” which has quietly trudged along for four weeks and
churned out $37.8 million after taking in $3.6 million for the weekend. The
ninth spot was property of “The Hundred-Foot Journey” and its $3.2 million haul. In five
weeks, the quirky drama has charmed its way to $45.6 million. “Lucy” jumped
back into the top 10 in the final spot with $2 million and stands at $121.2
million in overall domestic earnings. The spot it stole belonged to “The
Expendables 3” (No. 12) last weekend………
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