- Who
the hell could have seen this coming? Groups of eight wannabe pop stars cobbled
together by a reality TV show that creates music in the most horribly
artificial setting possible are ALWAYS incredibly stable and never come apart
quicker than the plot of a $200 million Michael Bay movie. That’s what makes it
so totally stunning that Stereo Kicks, a man band stitched together on the
British incarnation of “X-Factor,” have announced their decision to split after
less than a year together. These eight attention whores began life as solo
artists in the 2014 series of the reality karaoke show and were brought
together as a group by mentor Louis Walsh. The best part of these eight being
assembled like a bad pop music version of Frankenstein’s monster is that they
were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage of the show. Nothing says future
musical world changers quite like being unable to outlast a half-dozen other
wannabe karaoke hacks and getting jammed together as a group and yet, Stereo
Kicks lasted longer than any other of the groups that went as far as they did
on the show. Their legendary run included total failure to sign with a label
and releasing just one single, 'Love Me So,’ which charted at No. 31 in June in
the United Kingdom. This is the sort
of musical loss from which the world doesn’t easily recover, so if everyone
reading this needs to pause, take a deep breath and let some of the hurt out
before continuing, feel free……….
- Is it
important for everyone to actually show up when talks are held with the goal of
ending unrest caused by the president of a
country’s controversial bid for a third term? It seems like it might be a bit
of an issue if government representatives fail to show up for negotiations and
according to the facilitator of talks in Burundi, that’s precisely what
happened. Ugandan Defense Minister
Crypus Kiyonga, who is acting as mediator, announced that the mediation process
had to be adjourned just days ahead of Tuesday's presidential polls. Ever the
optimist, Kiyonga stopped short of saying the talks had collapsed and said the
government should be given a chance to explain itself, so maybe he is the right
man to keep this process going. Then again, earlier United Nations-backed
negotiations between the parties collapsed after the opposition insisted on
President Pierre Nkurunziza's exit, so there’s an even better chance that this
process was doomed from the start because neither side is willing to compromise
and work with the other to achieve a fair and equitable solution. In the meantime,
Burundi continues to be beset by violence that has left more than 100 people
dead and over 144,000 refugees have fled the country since Nkurunziza announced
his bid for a third term in April. One can only hope he wins that vote because clearly,
he’s doing a wonderful job of uniting his country under his bold, visionary
leadership………..
- The
question isn’t whether a Tour de France spectator
yelling "Doper!" and hurling a cup of urine at tour leader Chris
Froome is a bad thing or not, but rather how we can get more of this sort of
thing in cycling’s signature event. Froome may take exception to Stage 14 being
“marred” by some kook who either pissed into a cup or worse still collected
someone else’s urine and held it for hours to throw at a total stranger on a
bike, but he shouldn’t. Before the alleged urine toss, how many people outside
the cycling world were talking about the Tour de France? This thing hasn’t been
relevant in mainstream sports since Lance Armstrong was doping and intimidating
his way to seven titles and his ride at the front of the pack ended a decade
ago. If it takes this sort of incident to return cycling to the top of the
sports news list, so be it. "That's unacceptable on so many levels,"
Froome said . "He just sort of launched this cup toward me." British
rider Stephen Cummings won the race, but it was a harsh day for Froome and his
team. Prior to their top rider being doused with human waste, teammate Richie
Porte said another person, also seemingly a spectator, punched him a few days
earlier on a climb in the Pyrenees. As the leader of the biggest event in one
of the dirtiest sports in the world, Froome has faced pointed questions about
his dominant performance and alleged doping, but "I'm not going to give up the race
because a few guys are shouting insults." Despite dodging an artificial
golden shower and not winning the stage, Froome was able to extend his already
comfortable overall lead and fittingly, remain the holder of the signature
yellow jersey that goes to that leader………
- Is
anyone missing a really, really old gun they accidentally left in the Nevada
desert and never went back for? If so, stop by the
Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming and claim it because right now, it’s merely on
display for the masses after being found in the Great Basin National Park
leaning against a juniper tree in November. The 130-year-old rifle found in the
Nevada desert last year has raised plenty of questions that have yet to be
answered. It’s a Winchester 1873 rifle that was carefully collected and shipped to
the museum, where its weathered wood was stabilized with an alcohol solution. “You
have this gun that no one really knows what happened to it and it gets so much
attention because of that,” said Ashley Hlebinsky, curator at the museum. The
museum clearly went all out when it got the gun, going so far as having a team
of researchers carry the firearm to a local hospital to be X-rayed under the
patient name “Rifle.” Museum workers determined the rifle, which was massed
produced and is billed as the “gun that won the west” was made in 1882, but
they have nothing pointing them in the direction of its original owner. The
gun’s lifter was removed so it was only capable of firing a single shot at once
and trying to determine its origins has been difficult. Wildlife officials have
no record of a fire in the region, which would help them date the gun's
presence at the tree, had it survived the flames. Having the gun shrouded in
mystery is actually better for business for the museum, which has the rifle
preserved and on display, surrounded by 7,000 other guns. Even amongst the
trappings of an NRA enthusiast’s wet dream, Hlebinsky said the Winchester is
the star of the show. “I think a lot of it has to do with the allure and the
mystique,” Hlebinsky said. “Why was it leaning up against that tree, how long
has it been there, who left it and why.” Wouldn’t it be something if this
entire controversy was one cooked up by a small town firearms museum in a slick
effort to get people through its doors……….
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