- The equality movement is coming to the silver screen. With
the tsunami of superhero movies drowning the cinematic world and no shortage of
comic book icons waiting to be transformed into movie heroes, not everyone is
happy with what DC Comics, Marvel and their ilk have brought to bear. Count Marvel executive
producer Victoria Alonso among those who are demanding change in order to
better represent women’s ability to unleash their totally made up and not the
least bit realistic abilities on CGI-ed worlds. Alonso, delivering the keynote
speech to the Visual Effects Society Production Summit in Hollywood, joined the
chorus of people demanding both more women in the visual effects industry and
more female-centric superhero movies. "You've got to get the girls in
here, boys. It's better when it's 50-50,” Alonso said. "This a tough road
for women, not because it is a world of men, but because it takes a certain
amount of time to be in a supervisory position, and by that time you are having
to make a decision about having children or not. Which means you have to take a
break. So as you take this with you, please remember that it's OK to allow the
ladies in. They’re smart, they’re talented. They bring a balance that you
need." She was later asked why Marvel hadn't joined the femi-Nazi parade
by scheduling or releasing a movie built around a female superhero and replied,
"If it were up to me, it would be today.” Hey Vicky…..maybe give a
standalone movie to Scarlett Johansson's “Avengers” character Black Widow
because everything superhero turns to gold these days………..
- Panama: It’s not just canals and bitchin’ hats anymore. There
is also (allegedly) rampant judicial and governmental corruption going on,
depending on whose story you believe. What we know at present is that a Supreme Court justice close to former President Ricardo
Martinelli has been suspended over charges of corruption. What we don’t know is
whether Judge Alejandro Moncada bought two luxury apartments incompatible with
his $10,000-a-month salary and valued at over $1.7 million by legal means
because he’s a fiscal wizard or if he did so by unethical means. The judge has
been battling accusations for weeks that he profited from his ties to
Martinelli, but it wasn’t until a top aide leaked documents showing the alleged
misdeeds that any action was taken. Moncada is now the target of a legislative
probe and as one might be inclined to do when a man is allegedly the sort of
fellow who might take huge bribes and may have accrued a massive net worth due
to his general lack of integrity, the court overseeing the case ordered the
judge to turn over his passport and remain confined to his residence. Most
legal experts have called the case a watershed in Panama's fight against
corruption, but if you believe Moncada, he is innocent of any wrongdoing and
has become nothing more than the scapegoat in a textbook case of wrongful political
persecution. Should he be booted from his gig, it would be the first time since
democracy was restored in Panama in the 1990s that a high court judge has been
removed from the bench………
- It isn't college football season if scholarship athletes
aren't ending up in inappropriate places with a massive buzz courtesy of loads
of cheap alcohol. This week’s entry belongs to a pair of Oklahoma State football players
arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly falling asleep at the wheel in
the drive-thru of a fast-food restaurant. Anyone want to guess the odds of redshirt
sophomore receiver Jhajuan Seales and true freshman cornerback Juwan Offray
sitting in a running vehicle passed out at 4 a.m. in the drive-thru at the local
Whataburger if they were sober? According to the police report, Seales was
allegedly asleep at the wheel with his foot on the brake while Offray was in
the passenger seat when the law rolled up on the scene and roused them.
Officers indicated that Seales and Offray "seemed very lethargic and
confused" after they were awakened and one officer reported a "strong
odor associated with an alcoholic beverage coming from the car." No way,
guys. The only real shocker here is that the two players were only drunk and
not high as well. An arrest for public intoxication wasn’t enough for Offray,
who was also cited for hampering an officer after reportedly giving a false
name initially before admitting his real name at the Stillwater jail following
his arrest. Maybe the duo were drinking and fast-fooding away their sorrows
after the Cowboys were curb-stomped 42-9 by TCU on Saturday, but their team
shouldn’t exactly miss the fifth-leading receiver – Seales - on the roster and
a backup cornerback who has recorded a whopping three tackles in 2014………
- Who’s up for alleged government corruption, Part Two? This
case is domestic, with speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and state Republican
Party leader Mike Hubbard in possession of a shiny new indictment by a grand
jury and charges on 23 counts, including using his office for personal gain and
soliciting things of value. Hubbard reported to the Lee County Jail and
booked, which means he’s now staring down a maximum penalty of two to 20 years
in prison and up to $30,000 in fines for each count. It’s a far cry from
his bold charge leading an historic Republican takeover of the state legislature
during the 2010 election. The laundry list of charges is impressive, including:
four counts of using of his office as Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party
for personal gain; one count of voting for legislation with a conflict of
interest; 11 counts of soliciting or receiving a thing of value from a lobbyist
or principal; two counts of using his office as a member of the Alabama House
of Representatives for personal gain; four Counts of lobbying an executive
department or agency for a fee and one count of using state equipment,
materials for private gain. Read that list and drink in the 23 class-B felonies, which stem from
Hubbard allegedly soliciting favors from individuals such as former Alabama Gov.
Bob Riley, Business Council of Alabama CEO Billy Canary, Hoar Construction CEO
Rob Burton, Great Southern Wood CEO Jimmy Rane and former Sterne Agee CEO James
Holbrook. In response to the charges against his client, Hubbard's lawyer, Mark
White, issued a vague and extremely legalistic retort. "We'll be ready to
fire back," White said. How very cryptic of you, counselor……..
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