- China
owns so much of America’s national debt, it’s only fair that the United States
give something back. It’s not something good or desirable, but it’s still
something - and that something is totally frivolous and ridiculous lawsuits
that are both a drain on the legal system and a general blight on society. At
the head of that line is a man suing actress Zhao
Wei on the grounds that she stared at him too intensely through his TV set. This
ass hat may or may not realize that it was a two-dimensional representation of
Wei “staring” at him without actually being able to see him at all through the
one-way medium known as television, but thanks to regulations making it more difficult for
courts to reject lawsuits which took effect May 1, this farce is going forward in fine fashion.
Already, the changes have led to an increase of 29 percent in lawsuits
nationwide in the past month, ballooning to more than 1 million cases,
according to the Supreme People's Court. The registration system requires
courts to accept legitimate lawsuits when they are filed or clearly state the
reasons for rejecting them, but even then citizens have a foolishly given right
to appeal the decisions. China used to have the right idea - a rarity - by
making it difficult to have a lawsuit against the government accepted. Now,
according to the government, authorities are determined to put an end to
obstructive behavior by courts and officials meddling in cases. Enter the Shanghai
Pudong New District Court, which received a case against Wei, one of China's
biggest and richest movie stars. She once starred in director John Woo's
"Red Cliff” and soon, she might be starring on the witness stand thanks to
her role in the prime-time TV show
"Tiger Mom" which debuted in May. According to the plaintiff, Wei’s
stare caused him "spiritual damage." Ironically, this dude is
damaged, but it clearly occurred long before he ever watched that show……..
- Pay
you more, you say, rock icon Paul Weller? Technically, Weller said that there
is "not enough money in the world" to persuade him to participate in
a reunion tour for The Jam, the successful band with which he parted ways in
1982. That’s what he said, but what famous people mean when they say such
things about their old band or team is, “Pay me more money and then I’m in.” "I’m
not a nostalgic person," Weller said,. "Not enough money in the world
to do that. I like now. I like today. I don’t want to spend my time trying to
recapture something that can’t be recaptured." Yes, but that’s missing the
point entirely. Band reunions are never about nostalgia or reclaiming the past,
at least not for the bands themselves. Fans may cling dogmatically to the past
because their lives were better back when their favorite band was in its prime, but the bands who reunite to record a
quickie album or go on tour around the country 20 years after breaking up don’t
do so because they’re enamored with what they used to be. No, they do it
because they’re enamored with cash - cold, hard cash. Weller can dismiss the
possibility of reuniting his old band and stand behind his 12th solo album,
“Saturn’s Pattern,” which dropped last month, but there is no escaping the fact
that if you put a big enough pile of cash in front of him, he’ll be back on
stage with The Jam before you can say, “Sound check.” The man who claims that
he’s written "three perfect songs" during his career would happily
play scores of those imperfect tunes if fans are willing to pay $400 for
artist’s circle seats………
- There
are service dogs and then there are service dogs. Figo, a golden retriever whose job is guiding Brewster, N.Y.
resident Audrey Stone through her days, is the sort of service dog that all
disabled or physically challenged people in the world wish they had and he
showed it this week when he hurled himself in front of a school bus to try to protect
Stone as the pair crossed a road. Figo and Stone were crossing the street when
they encountered a speeding school bus that didn’t see them in time to stop.
The result was a violent crash that injured both of them and left fur stuck to
the bus' front wheel, but it could clearly have been much worse. According to Brewster
Police Chief John Del Gardo, Stone suffered a broken ankle, elbow and ribs and was
hospitalized at a facility in Danbury, Connecticut. Figo underwent surgery and
has a leg splint, so he will remain at a veterinary hospital until Stone is
able to care for him. The bus driver, who may want to find a different
profession before the fall semester begins, claimed that he did not see Stone
or her dog and was issued a summons for failing to yield to a pedestrian. The
good news for Stone and Figo is that the viral nature of this story and the
fact that people often love dogs more than they love other human beings means
the giftd, support and love will likely be pouring in for both pooch and owner
for the immediate future. Ship those rawhides and squeaky toys to Brewster,
folks, because a hero could use some cheering up……..
- Last
year, David Wilson’s story was a depressing one - or it would have been had
Wilson refused to allow it to go down a sad path. Wilson was the New York
Giants' first-round pick in 2012, but
after a series of neck injuries, he was forced to walk away from the game before
the 2014 season because of one final injury that put his long-term health in
jeopardy. He memorably wept during a press conference to announce his premature
retirement, but insisted he wasn’t crying because he was sad about having to
retire from football. . "I got to
live my dream," Wilson said in explaining what he called tears of joy. "I'll
set another dream, and be great at that." And with that, he strolled out
of the spotlight and began the next chapter of his life, scarcely to be heard
from in the next 12 months. But finally, Wilson has reemerged and as
promised, he’s doing something else awesome with his life. He will make his pro
track debut on Saturday at the adidas Grand Prix in Randall's Island, N.Y.,
competing in the triple jump. Late last year, Wilson suggested that he had
hopes of competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics. His track background is strong,
as he was a national champion in high school in the triple jump and placed
sixth in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships in 2011 for Virginia Tech,
where he also ran relays. Those track feats came while he was also a standout
running back for the Hokies and now that he is done with football and is just
three years removed from college, there is no better time for a man who
promised everyone he wouldn't dwell on
the negative to bring his latest dream to life………
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