- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! This is actually a preemptive edition
of everyone’s favorite overview of social dissidence ‘round the world, but if
it pays off, it’s going to be well worth it. Let’s start with an
opposition leader in Congo calling for demonstrations after lawmakers passed a
measure requiring a census before presidential elections scheduled for 2016.
The objective observer would see right through this feeble attempt to prolong
the president's time in office and shoot it down for the sham it is, but
thankfully there were enough presidential puppets in the legislature to ram
that bill through even though the vote was boycotted by many opposition
lawmakers. Thankfully Vital Kamhere, president of the opposition Union for the
Congolese Nation, had the kahones to speak out against the law and said he is
hoping for a large turnout Monday against the measure, which is to be
considered by the Senate. The fact that this vote took place late on a Saturday
night tells you plenty about the integrity of the bill and those who support
it. Kamhere and his cohorts have said logistical challenges for the census mean
next year's election would need to be delayed and that would play right into
the hands of President Joseph Kabila, who assumed office in 2001 and is prohibited
by the constitution from seeking office again. Oh, and his sycophantic
supporters logically claim that the census measure has been needlessly
politicized. Add it all up and it’s about damn time someone grabbed the nearest
jagged rock, shard of rotting wood or flammable object and took to the streets
to raise hell in the name of just governance……….
- If you were among those who tried to get a ticket for a
showing of “American Sniper” and found yourself turned away because they were
sold out, this news will make a lot of sense. Clint Eastwood’s latest
directorial effort was a smash hit in its wide-release debut, scoring a
record-breaking January opening with $90.2 million after three weeks of
über-limited release. That was more than every other movie in the top 20
combined and pushed “The Wedding Ringer” to second in its own debut with a
solid $21 million. They were joined at the top of the earnings list by fellow
newcomer “Paddington,” which snagged $19.3 million for the frame and ranked a
distant third. That was enough to muscle Liam Neeson and “Taken 3” down to
fourth place after a winning debut, as the action flick earned $14.1 million
and has taken in $63 million domestically so far. “Selma” also tumbled down
three spots and placed fifth with $8.3 million, giving the Martin Luther King
Jr. biopic $25.9 million in domestic money after four weeks of release. Sixth
place went to “The Imitation Game,” earner of $7.2 million for the weekend and
owner of $50.8 million in movie money since it hit theaters eight weeks ago.
Next on the list was “Into the Woods,” down four spots from last weekend at
seventh place, but with a respectable $114.3 million in one month of work. “The
Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies” snagged eighth place with just $4.9 million, but
its overall haul of $244.5 million is still among the best in recent months. One
of the weekend’s biggest falls hit “Unbroken,” which dropped from fifth to
ninth after banking $4.2 million to up its total dollar amount to $108.6
million. The last new movie of the weekend was the bomb-tastic “Blackhat,”
which averaged a mere $1,570 per theater for a weak-ass total of $4 million
against a $70 million budget. “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” (No.
11), “Annie” (No. 12) and “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” (No. 13) all
dropped out of the top 10 from last weekend……..
- It’s one of the quintessential questions facing anyone
with more wealth than most Third World countries: What the hell do I do with
all of my money after I buy a dozen sports cars, four homes around the world,
three private jets and a professional sports franchise? For Oracle
co-founder Larry Ellison, the answer is using some of the cash he scrounged up
from between the cushions of the couch on his private jet No. 2 to establish a
wildlife breeding and rehabilitation center in Northern California that will
focus on helping endangered insects, reptiles and amphibians thrive. One of the
world's richest men has promised to underwrite the plainly named Conservation
Center for Wildlife Care through his Lawrence Ellison Foundation, with the hope
of treating all manner of wild animals and focusing on local species that
typically don't get much attention, including the San Francisco garter snake,
the Pacific giant salamander and the vanishing Lange's metalmark butterfly. Peninsula
Humane Society President Ken White refused to disclose the size of Ellison’s
donation, but estimates put the cost of the projected facility around $50
million. It will be run by the Humane Society, which will also pay for staffing
and maintenance. Ellison "has been very kind to this organization,"
White said. "There's not enough money for any charitable causes, and
there's even less for those involving animals. And among those causes, ones
benefiting local wildlife are at the bottom." Perhaps Ellison is buoyed by
the energy from his team winning the last two America's Cups as the best hired
guns representing a rich dude and a country they may not even be from in a
sailing race that no one cares about, or maybe life on the Hawaiian island of
Lanai that he bought three years ago is just that damn good. Either way,
Ellison has brought his philanthropic dollars home to America after years of
being heavily involved with gorilla conservation in Africa and more recently supporting
efforts to protect elephants from ivory poachers. Motives aside, it’s a nice
gesture and one that makes for a nice bit of PR boosting as well………
- Robert Allenby is an Australian and a well-liked member of
the PGA Tour and as such, deserves better treatment. The four-time
PGA tour winner is at the heart of one of the more bizarre tales of trouble
involving a professional athlete and it all starts with him at a wine bar in
Waikiki on Friday after missing the cut in a PGA event. From there, the tale
goes sideways in a hurry. According to authorities, Allenby was robbed, beaten
and later found dumped some six miles from the bar. He sustained significant
facial injuries in the reported attack and was also separated from his wallet,
smartphone, cash and credit cards. In the aftermath of the incident, a photo
popped up on social media showing Allenby with major lacerations to his
forehead and nose. Police confirmed that a robbery case has been filed relating
to a professional golfer, but refused to identify Allenby as that golfer. One
of his friends confirmed that Allenby was in bad shape but was assisting police
as best he could, while Allenby's caddy Mick Middlemo, who was also with
Allenby at the bar, claimed he was not with the golfer at the time of his
abduction. According to Middlemo, Allenby woke up groggy and with no memory of
what had happened to him. He was found in a nearby park by a retired serviceman
and taken back to the hotel. Maybe the one silver lining in all of this is that
the Melbourne native can forget about missing the cut at the Sony Open, use
some down time to work on his game and return to the tour in a few weeks with a
fresh outlook on the world………..
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