- Maybe he’s just good…and lucky? That’s the story Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan is selling amidst reports that he is one of
Africa's richest presidents, worth $100 million. RichestLifestyle.com published
the list and baed on its reaction to Jonathan’s threats to sue the site, maybe
its editors and writers should have done more work to research and backstop
their story before putting it online. No sooner than Jonathan said he would sue
the site, his name was removed from the list of nine African leaders ranging in
supposed wealth from President Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola at $20 billion
to Zimbabwe's President/despot Robert Mugabe at $10 million. A statement Friday
from presidential adviser Reuben Abati condemned the "attempt to
unjustifiably portray the president as a corrupt leader." Woah, woah,
woah. Saying a man who runs an incredibly poor nation is worth $100 million is
not the same as accusing him of being corrupt. There are plenty of leigitmate
ways for a man to accrue a nine-figure net worth when most of the people he
govers are subsisting on the equivalent of a few dollars a day at best. Abati
added that Jonathan's worth is "a very, very far cry" from $100
million and that he has regularly declared his assets as required by law. That
last claim is dubious because Jonathan has been criticized regularly for not
publicly declaring his worth. As part of the statement, Jonathan demanded a
retraction and unreserved apology or else he will take legal action in and
outside Nigeria. RichestLifestyle.com should probably give him what he wants because
fighting a legal war with a man worth $100 million can be a real nightmare……….
- He may be only 5-foot-2, but Iggy Pop has revealed he will play a
serial killer in “The Sandman,” the next film from legendary Italian horror
director Dario Argento. The pint-sized punk rock icon may not have the
intimidating physique to pull off your typical serial killer, but he’s
definitely crazy enough to do so. Argento, the auteur behind horror flicks like
“Suspiria” and “Tenebrae” is trying to raise $250,000 towards the cost of
shooting the film through an IndieGogo crowdfunding
campaign and using Iggy Pop’s star power as a draw. In a video posted to
YouTube, the musician makes the case for the movie. "To make a Christmas
movie with the master, with Dario Argento… That would be a dream come true. The
master of Italian horror... The man whose strange, beautiful and terrifying
films have always fascinated and thrilled me,” Pop said. "If I could play
the Sandman for Dario, it would make my life complete. And I hope I haven't
just written my own epitaph." According to Argento, the film was written
for him as a tribute to his movies and should not be confused with a
forthcoming adaptation of the Neil Gaiman graphic novel. "It begins on
Christmas Day," he said. "On this Christmas when a child witnesses
his mother murdered by a serial killer." In the sort of twist a horror
movie director should bring to the table, Argento explained that he’s tired of
Christmas movies build around “goodness, beauty, snowflakes, sleds pulled by
reindeer” and wants “a Christmas movie where there is also strength, violence,
horror." The film’s story is that of a young student in the city who
struggles to forget his childhood trauma at the hands of the serial killer
known as The Sandman. The killer took the life of Nathan’s mother and when he
kills a neighbor living across the hall, Nathan must face his past and decide
whether to fight back………..
- Wisconsin is known for certain foods and beverages…and let’s
just say that anything involving fruit is generally not among them. Fried
cheese curds, yes. Beer, beer and more beer, no doubt. But raisins? Not so
much. But this being Wisconsin, a raisin isn't exactly a raisin. In this case,
they are Candy Raisins, an iconic gummy candy that has been in southeastern Wisconsin for about
80 years. They were a dietary staple for people like Delafield resident John
Barker, for whom the sweet treats are a reminder of his childhood. “I’ve
been loving those candies since I was just a little kid. I can remember riding
my bike up to the golf course and going to the vending machine and grabbing a
bag and just loving it,” Barker said. Barker’s love of Candy Raisins took a hit
in 2008, when the candy was discontinued. Faced with the reality of a losing a
food he loved, Barker took action. “I thought for sure someone else was going
to continue making these things and I thought no big deal and then after a few
years passed I said, ‘I want them back,’” Barker added. Rather than lament the
loss of Candy Raisins, Barker built and founded Lake Country Candies and
spent a year and a half perfecting the recipe before returning them to the
market. Doing so was difficult because even those who love Candy Raisins,
describing their taste is tough even for those who love them. They are
essentially the empty shell of what a raisin used to be. “I’ve heard people say
they taste like honey, ginger, lilac, perfume, soap, but they all seem to love
it,” Barker said. He eventually settled on the right recipe, named his product
Raisin Tops and has them back on store shelves around southeastern Wisconsin……..
- The wave of former top NBA draft picks exiting the
Association for browner pastures is picking up momentum and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA
draft is now on board. A week after Darko Milicic, the third pick in the 2003
draft, quit basketball because no one wanted him, er, because he wanted to
pursue a professional kickboxing career, former Kansas State standout Michael
Beasley is on his way out of the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies have waived Beasley,
who had signed a non-guaranteed contract with the team last month, and it took
him less than a day to shift his basketball career halfway across the world.
The troubled forward with drug and mental issues signed a one-year deal with
the Shanghai Sharks of the China Basketball Association. He follows other
troubled American stars like Stephon Marbury who have crossed the Pacific Ocean
to keep their hoop dreams alive and will play for a team owned by former
Houston Rockets star Yao Ming. None of this is a career trajectory observers
expected for a guy who was hailed as the best player in college basketball
after a stellar freshman season at Kansas State, but Beasley has bounced around
to three teams and owns career averages of 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3
assists and 24.9 minutes, so his star has been fading for a long time now and
being relegated to the China Basketball Association is nothing more than
confirmation that he has officially reached rock bottom and may never make it
back to the NBA in any sort of relevant capacity……….
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