- Riot
Watch! Riot Watch! Kosovo’s government and its people don’t seem to be on the
same page right now and there is no clearer, more vivid illustration of this
fact than Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa proclaiming that his cabinet is
determined to continue EU-mediated talks with Serbia despite violent opposition
protests that have only grown in venom and intensity in recent days. The
opposition has gone directly at Mustafa in the form of hurling both tear gas
canisters and eggs at Mustafa at the Parliament, proving that while they want
to bring tears to his eyes, they also want to provide protein for the target of
their ire. The opposition has demanded that the government withdraw from its
deals with Serbia on giving more powers to the Serb-dominated areas and on
border demarcation with Montenegro. A defiant Mustafa responded by calling on
the opposition to renounce "ultimatum demands" and join efforts in
Kosovo's state-building process. That seems a bit delusional given the vitriol
being spewed by those on the other side of this fight, but then again, getting
everyone on the same page hasn’t really been Kosovo’s modus operandi ever since
it unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Serbia still refuses to
recognize Kosovo as a nation even though most leading European countries as
well as the United States have exchanged diplomats with Kosovo. How can a
nation possibly hope to be legitimate on the global stage if it has such
internal dissent and cannot convince a large chunk of the country to get on
board with the government’s vision for the future………
- There
are fans, critics and Internet trolls who study the most minute details of hit
TV shows far too intensely. They break down fictional events on scripted shows
as if they were real, speculate about what certain characters will do next
season and obsess over the true meaning of events and words that are completely
made-up and meaningless. As it turns out, sometimes those items of minutiae can
have actual meaning beyond a sound stage and HBO’s hit drama “Homeland” proves
that point. Enter graffiti artists Heba
Amin, Caram Kapp and Stone, who were hired to decorate the set of the hit series
by painting Arabic script on the walls of a fictional Syrian refugee camp to
add "authenticity" to a scene. It seemed like a smart touch by
producers and it might have been if they’d had the foresight to ask what was
being painted or perhaps had someone who could read Arabic examine the tags
painted on the walls once the artists were done. Instead, the artists got over by
hiding subversive messages accusing the show of racism and a few viewers with
sharp eyes caught the communication. "Given the series' reputation, we
were not easily convinced, until we considered what a moment of intervention
could relay about our own and many others’ political discontent with the
series. It was our moment to make our point by subverting the message using the
show itself,” the artists said in a statement. "The content of what was
written on the walls... was of no concern. “Homeland” has taken heat in
previous seasons based on its alleged negative portrayal of Muslims and the
Middle East as a whole and Amin said he and his cohorts believe the show “perpetuates
dangerous stereotypes by diminishing an entire region into a farce.” Next time,
read the graffiti before you put it on air, HBO……….
- And
many Christians wonder why the world has a negative view of them as a whole. While
it’s obvious that a small number of delusional kooks can spoil the image of an
entire group, it’s hard to argue in favor of a particular faith when you have a
group of zealots turning counseling session on the spiritual state of two
brothers into a fatal beatdown that left one brother in the morgue and another
hospitalized. Let’s check in at Word of Life Christian Church in New Hartford,
New York, where Lucas Leonard and his 17-year-old brother Christopher were
having a few issues in their relationship. Why their church felt the need to
get violently involved is unclear, but the congregation held what New Hartford
Police Chief Michael Inserra called a "counseling session" for the
two brothers. The ringleaders for this circus of carnage was the brothers’
parents, Bruce T. Leonard and Deborah R. Leonard, who now face one count each
of first-degree manslaughter, a Class B felony, for Lucas’ death after being
violently beaten by church members. Take it away, Chief Inserra. "Both
brothers were continually subjected to physical punishment over the course of
several hours in the hopes that each would confess to prior sins and ask for
forgiveness," he said. Right, because that always works. Four other church
members were charged with second-degree assault, also a felony, while Lucas
Leonard was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead with multiple
contusions from blunt force trauma to the torso and extremities. His younger
brother was hospitalized in serious condition after suffering blunt force
trauma injuries as well following the Sunday night service at the church, which
is located about 250 miles north of New York City. It’s awesome that people who
would say they’re all about the love of Christ didn’t stop pummeling a young
man until they realized he had stopped breathing. Oh, and those involved also initially
told police that Lucas Leonard had been shot and officers only learned of the
assaults after interviewing church members. Go ahead and find a Bible passage
to justify this mess, you ass hats………
- Buffalo
Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins is bitter and his ego is hurting. The No. 4
overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft has been sidelined since suffering a calf
injury in the first quarter of the Bills' Sept. 27 win over the Miami Dolphins,
but not being able to help his team on the field hasn’t kept the dreadlocked deep
threat from throwing haymakers at it. Watkins believes the team doesn’t throw
him the ball enough and admitted that he and his agent told the team that they
were making him "look bad.” Sounding very much like a typical diva
receiver, Watkins laid out his case for more targets in the passing game. "I need the ball at least 10 times -- I
need 10 targets -- and I'll be fine with however many yards I get,"
Watkins said. "And that's what I addressed in talking with my agent. We
reached out to a couple people and tried to pull some string like, 'Hey, I need
my targets. You came up to draft me and I'm not getting targets -- that's a
problem.'” That last part was an allusion to the Bills trading the No. 9
overall pick in 2014 and their 2015 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to
move up five spots to select Watkins. "'You're making me look bad, and
you're making yourself look bad. Why not make both of us look good?'"
Watkins added. Further underscoring tensions between the two sides, Watkins
insisted he wants to return to the field Sunday, but coach Rex Ryan reiterated that
it's not Watkins' decision to make. Watkins chooses to ignore the fact that he
was targeted 10 times in the two games before his injury, tied with Percy
Harvin and Charles Clay as the most on the team. Apparently the offense needs
to revolve completely around Sammy Watkins or else he’s not going to be
happy…………
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