- Riot
Watch! Riot Watch! This is less of a riot and more of a labor uprising, but a
revolt is a revolt and this one involves drivers for Spanish
rail company Renfe. The strike — the first of four planned this month — kicked
off September by forcing Renfe to cancel around a quarter of its commuter and
long distance trains, causing a small travel disruption in a large nation where
getting from Valencia to Barcelona or Madrid to San Sebastian becomes much
easier when you can hope a train and zip along for a few hours rather than
having to get behind the wheel yourself. The force behind the strike is the
Semaf union and with other strikes planned this month, the union might want to
look at the fact that its kickoff event for the month had little apparent
affect as a government demand to have some 70 percent of services operating
during rush hour kept the trains running mostly as normal. There were no major
delays, although a sizeable uptick in traffic in cities like Madrid suggested
many people decided to use alternative forms of transportation. The union
decided to call for the strike after talks with Renfe over staffing and working
conditions broke down last month and while demanding better working conditions
and lessening demands on employees is a trite and clichéd reason to strike, any
time employees want to rise up against The Man and make their voice heard, it’s
a good thing. Just know that lame strikes hurt your chances of gaining
attention or respect for future work stoppages, Spanish train driver union
members……….
- Who’s
ready for another “last” goodbye from some of the most iconic heavy metal
rockers of all-time? Black Sabbath have been claiming they’re ready to wrap up
their five-decade run for years now, but this time they really mean it -
really. They’ve announced plans for their final
farewell tour, which is in and of itself something of an oxymoron. To give it
the feel of actual finality, they’ve titled it “The End” and as with all things
that need to end and end as soon as possible, this tour will begin in Nebraska
in January before moving on to some place much better - namely Australia and
New Zealand in April. Black Sabbath proclaimed their big news in a video
announcement that explained in long-winded fashion, “'It's
the beginning of the end. It started nearly five decades ago with a crack of
thunder, a distant bell ringing and then that monstrous riff that shook the
earth. The heaviest rock sound ever heard. In that moment heavy metal was born,
created by a young band from Birmingham, England barely out of their teens.”
From there, the monologue brands Sabbath “the greatest metal band of all time”
and informs the world that Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler will now
write the final chapter in their tale, beginning Jan. 20. The band promised
mesmerizing production value, but doesn’t spell out who will be playing drums
for this traveling rock and roll circus. Tommy Clueftos has played with Ozzy's
solo group, but former Rage Against The Machine man Brad Wilk played on played
on the band's reunion album following a falling out between original drummer
Bill Ward. But hell, if fans will pay top dollar to see this tour, then the
band probably doesn’t give a damn who hits the high hats………..
- When
life hands you lemons - or you pick them up yourself in the form of one too
many hard lemonades before getting behind the wheel - then act like a spoiled,
smartass b’otch and respond the only way you know how. Such is the life of
Texas State student Tara Monroe, who had herself a bad night a few months ago
and responded as only a college student can to that adversity. Monroe attended
a Waka Flocka Flame concert and like virtually everyone leaving that show, she
was under the influence of some sort of legal or illegal substance.
Unfortunately for her, she was stopped by police on her way home and the industrial
engineering major said her license was automatically suspendedafter refusing a
breathalyzer test. Refusing that test is always a wise move because it’s
considered the same as failing the test, so Monroe lost her license and when
her father drove to Kingwood to deal with the mess his daughter had created, he
ripped her vehicle and left her with a bike to get around campus. Let’s just
say Monroe was not impressed. “Riding a bike around campus sucks,” she said.
“Like really sucks.” Seriously? Because a hell of a lot of people on a hell of
a lot of college campuses ride bikes and they’re not all lames who can't afford
cars. But a bike wouldn’t suit Monroe and because she was convicted of driving
while intoxicated, her options were limited. Instead of using pedal power, she
decided to be a total smartass and went Craigslist shopping for a fill-in whip.
What she settled on was a battery-powered Barbie Jeep - and no, not an actual
Jeep tricked out in Barbie style, but an actual plastic, toy Jeep. She bought
it for $60 from a young girl named Charlene. “When we drove up to buy it
Charlene asked where the little one was to test drive it to which I replied, ‘I
am the little one,'” Monroe said. And what a priceless moment that must have
been……….
- Welcome
to the club, Dwight Howard. No, not any sort of club for the best players or
even the best big men in the NBA because at this point in his career, a balky
back and the inescapable impediments of time have slowed him down and taken him
back a step from the player he used to be. No, the club to which Howard gained
admittance this week was the one that includes athletes and celebrities who
have attempted to board a flight toting a gun. Christian Slater has done it,
former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shawn Rogers did it and now, so has
the Houston Rockets big man. Howard was detained at George Bush
Intercontinental Airport for having a handgun in his carry-on bag because, you
know, sometimes you just robotically toss your Glock into your backpack for the
trip home and don’t even think about it being illegal to have it on a plane. Houston
Police Department spokesperson Kese Smith confirmed that Howard was stopped at
Terminal E at 7 a.m. when Transportation Security Administration officials
discovered a pistol in the bottom of a carry-on bag. To his limited credit,
Howard didn’t reach for a scapegoat and admitted that the gun was his. After
being detained by law enforcement officials he was allowed to give the handgun
to an associate and continue on his way. The Houston District Attorney's office
was contacted after Howard was detained and declined to press any criminal
charges against him, so Dwight should consider himself extremely fortunate.
Smith stated the obvious in Texas, saying guns are periodically found at both
of Houston's main airports, Bush and William P. Hobby -- 77 were discovered in
the past year -- and typically charges aren't filed and arrests aren't made.
Right, because it’s Texas and having a gun on your hip is like having a
smartphone in your hand or your wallet in your back pocket for the rest of
America. Texas allows folks to carry a concealed handgun with the proper
license and a law passed this year will allow those in Texas with a
conceal-carry license to openly carry starting Jan. 1, 2016. Just for
Dwight, though, it’s important to note that you still won't be able to pack
heat on a cross-country flight……….
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