Thursday, May 07, 2015

Bryan Adams still cuts like a knife, Pizza Hut stops a hostage crisis and Belarus v. slackers


- Get off your lazy ass, Belarus. Your authoritarian government has put up with enough of your sloth-like tendencies and The Man isn't going to tolerate your idleness any longer. As per a new law passed this week by parliament, folks who work less than half the year will have to pay the government for their laziness. Tha’ts right, if you don’t care enough to work for at least 183 days, the government is going to turn youinto even more of its b*tch than you already are. The parliament passed the proposal by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko mandating that work-capable people who work less than 183 days a year to pay a yearly fine of $250. This will obviously spawn a cottage industry of doctors and scam artists looking for loopholes and ways to have themselves or people willing to pay for their help declared unfit to work. There are exceptions for disabled people, pension recipients and people with young children, so adopting a small child or just having a kid for the sake of not having to work – hey there, American welfare recipients! – are also viable options. A statement from the parliament, where the measure passed by a vote of 100-2, said "it's necessary to stimulate citizens who are capable of work and ensure they fulfill their constitutional obligation to take part in financing state expenditures." Labor Minister Marianna Shchetkina tried to soften the blow by informing parliament that the measure would be temporary and was needed because Belarus' economy is faltering in the wake of economic troubles in neighboring Russia. Motivations aside, it’s clear that this is a show of force by a government with a lot to lose………


- There isn't a top receiver or defensive back in the NFL who will openly admit that there is anyone faster or physically freakier than them in the league. It’s simply hardwired into these dudes’ DNA to believe that their quicks are quicker than anyone else and in part, that helps them do their job on the field. That makes Minnesota Vikings receiver merely the latest to proclaim himself the NFL's fastest player. Wallace, who was a major disappointment in Miami after signing a five-year, $60 million contract in 2013, is now balling in the frozen wasteland that is Minnesota but seems to have brought his confidence to the Land of 10,000 Lakes with him. "Without a doubt, I'm the fastest player in the NFL," Wallace said.. "If somebody feels foggy about that, we can [race]. I'm never going to back down from competition.'' Being willing to race anyone in the league to prove your speed supremacy is the ultimate false bravado because there is zero chance anyone is ever hopping a plane to actually take part in that race. Wallace lied and said his personal best in the 40-yard dash is 4.21 seconds, which would be faster than the best time ever posted at the NFL scouting combine. That mark belong to the amazing disappearing former NFL rushing leader Chris Johnson (4.24 in 2008). Arguably the best part of Wallace’s tale is that he clocked a time of 4.33 in the 40 at the 2009 combine, so as he’s aged he somehow managed to shave .12 seconds off his time. "I've run a lot of routes and I've got a lot of miles on my legs, but I still feel that there's nobody who can run with me,'' Wallace added. "I might have slowed down a little but I could still run 4.25.'' Bro, how do you “maybe slow down a little” from a 4.33 40-yard dash and get to running a 4.25? That makes no sense, but playing in Minnesota after being swapped from Miami can't be a lot of fun, so if claiming you’re the fastest man in the NFL makes you feel better about yourself, so be it…………


- It seems Pizza Hut has a new market opening up to its pepperoni-ringed enterprise. Sure, it can sell all of the overpriced pizzas, calzones and cheesy garlic bread it wants, but there could be real money in serving as a clandestine facilitator for the reporting of hostage situations in domestic settings. Their inspiration in this endeavor is Highlands County (Florida) resident Cheryl Treadway, who used an online Pizza Hut ordering form to send a covert message claiming her boyfriend was holding she and her children hostage. Treadway sent a secret message asking for help in an online pizza order to the Pizza Hut in Avon Park Monday afternoon. A red flag was raised immediately because let’s face it, no one is ordering a pizza in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, and when Treadway asked for employees to call 911 in the comments section of the order form, the employees did what minimum wage earners ordinarily never do and sprung into action. The employees alerted police and when deputies arrived at the home, Treadway opened the door and told police that her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson, had a knife. The fact that this kook had a knife and was allegedly holding his lady and her children hostage but allowed her to order a pizza and answer the door when police arrived suggest that he may not be a top-notch criminal, so after deputies escorted Treadway and a child to safety, Nickerson was arrested. Two other children in the home were not harmed, according to Highlands County Sheriff’s Lt. Curtis Ludden. Nickerson was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon without intent to kill, battery, false imprisonment and obstructing justice by depriving communication to law enforcement. After allegedly holding Treadway all day until she convinced him to let her order pizza on her smartphone……….


- This one cuts. It cuts like a freaking knife. Right into the soul of perfect musical kismets where all things awesome and long overdue reside. Ryan Adams, indie rock veteran and icon for the fringes of the mainstream musical world, has often been confused with hacky Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. Their music shares little in common, but 13 years ago, an audience member attending a Ryan Adams show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville yelled a request for Bryan Adams’ well-known track “Summer of ’69.” That request went unfulfilled and Ryan Adams later said that such hecklers were "a bunch of f*cking c*cks." "They come to my shows just to provoke me. I had to go into therapy because of whole Bryan Adams 'Summer Of ’69' thing," he said at the time. Yet time and age have allowed him to gain some perspective on the matter and 13 years later, he returned to the Ryman and played the song he claims to despide. It was a wonderful moment of music coming full circle and in response to that gesture, Bryan Adams has promised to cover a Ryan Adams track in return. "Ryan [Adams] wrote to me to tell me the day before that he was going to do it," he said. "I think it was some sort of cathartic release for him to return to that venue and play that song, as you probably know the story there. So I think in some ways, he has been haunted by the song somewhat, which is a shame because it’s a really great song. Anyway, I’m happy he did it. He’s a great artist. And sure I’d sing one of his songs. I’m not sure which one, though.” It’s a great moment for Bryan Adams, who hasn’t been relevant in a couple of decades and could use anything that will get his name out there again, even for a fleeting moment………..

No comments: