Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Bar-roid Bonds' possible MLB return, hooker nuns and Thanksgiving family murder attempts


- Awwwwwkard. It’s always uncomfortable when a successful band that hasn’t made a live appearance in three-plus years announces plans for its first gig since 2012 and one of its members is totally out of the loop about the show. At The Drive-In are in just such a spot after an announcement that they will perform at Ohio's Rock On The Range Festival next year with a line-up including headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch and Bring Me The Horizon. ATDI haven’t been heard from since 2012, when they  reunited for a string of shows, including appearances at Reading and Leeds Festivals and reissued both their 'Relationship Of Command' and 'Acrobatic Tenement' albums. Since then, the band’s members have been busy with their various current bands and their last time together on stage remains a headline set at London's Brixton Academy in August 2012. At that time, members Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler vowed that it would be their final gig and perhaps no one seems to have bought into that promise more than guitarist Jim Ward. Ward was being interviewed last week in relations to an EP he has released with his side project Sleepercar, but the conversation turned to the fact that ATDI was reportedly set to reunite. When asked if he would be a part of that reunion, he appeared caught off guard and was unable to say yes or no, instead asking the interviewer to "let me know what you hear.” Sounds like someone was “accidentally” omitted from that group text………


- Sexy nuns is definitely a thing a lot of guys have an interest in. But sexing up their typical appearance isn’t quite what a bold network of nuns looking to combat sex trafficking and child slavery worldwide have in mind. No, these women of the cloth have ditched their habits to dress like prostitutes and infiltrate brothels worldwide so they can rescue women and children being sold into slavery. The group of 1,100 religious sisters is known as Talitha Kum, which translated from Aramaic means, “Arise child,” - and they are currently toiling in in at least 80 countries to carry out their mission. Their public face is John Studzinski, an investment banker and philanthropist who chairs Talitha Kum, and he said the eventual goal is to expand the effort to a whopping 140 countries. "These sisters do not trust anyone," Studzinski, a vice chairman of The Blackstone Group, said during a speech at the Trust Women Conference on women's rights and trafficking. "They do not trust governments, they do not trust corporations, and they don't trust the local police. In some cases they cannot trust male clergy. They work in brothels. No one knows they are there." According to Studzinski, the group - which was founded in 2014 - goes so far as to dress up as sex workers and walk the streets.  "I'm not trying to be sensational, but I'm trying to underscore the fact this is a world that has lost innocence ... where dark forces are active," he told conference attendees "These are problems caused by poverty and equality, but it goes well beyond that." He later told horror stories, such as a woman forced to have sex with 10 men at the same time. Part of Talitha Kum’s mission is to raise  money to buy children who are sold into slavery by their parents in places like Africa, the Philippines, Brazil and India. It’s a bold mission and one worth supporting in any way possible……….


- Despite the many complaints about his character and integrity, no one ever doubted Bar-roid Bonds’ ability to hit a baseball. Being an (alleged) steroid user may have kept Bonds out of the Hall of Fame so far, but he’s never officially tested positive for ‘roids and never been banned from baseball in any way for the advantages he (allegedly) gained out of a pill, needle, cream or bottle. That means the Miami Marlins’ plans to add him to their coaching staff is not only totally allowed, but possibly a smart idea. Bonds last played in the majors in 2007 and has worked as a special instructor for the San Francisco Giants during spring training the past two seasons. His hitting knowledge would be a great asset for the young Marlins and the only possible catch is that the Marlins already have a hitting coach in Frank Menechino, who has been in that role since 2014 and is expected to return next season, meaning the Marlins could have two hitting coaches if they hire Bonds. That would be unusual, but so is the chance to hire baseball’s (artificially assisted) career home run leader, a man who blasted a (‘roid-powered) 73 homers in 2001 and had a career batting average of .298 over 22 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Giants. Bonds could use some positive publicity in his life after playing baseball, having been indicted in December 2007 for his testimony before a grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and its distribution of illegal performance-enhancing drugs and convicted of the obstruction charge in 2011. An 11-judge 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel overturned the conviction in April, but Bonds has been denied entry into the sport's Hall of Fame by baseball writers largely due to his PED use. This year, he was named on just 36.8 percent of ballots -- less than half the 75 percent needed……….


- Spending time with family on Thanksgiving is a blessing for many, but not everyone is a fan of a day where they see relatives from start to finish. Dealing with annoying uncle Terry or overbearing aunt Janice is enough to push people over the edge, but typically that means angry glares, snarky words or maybe a slammed door as you storm out of the room. What typically does not factor into the equation is a couple of USB cords and a pillow that you and your sister use in an effort to snuff out your mother’s life before she can even enjoy her first cup of coffee for the day. That’s because most people are not Cleveland-area sisters Jennifer Barnes and Joanna Barnes, a pair of adults who decided to act like extremely violent and petty children when they tried to strangle their mother with computer cables on Thanksgiving morning. According to police, this dynamic duo wrapped a pair of USB cables around their 56-year-old mother's neck early in the morning, but failed in their attempt at felony murder when their mom was able to overpower them and escape. Undeterred, one of the sisters allegedly then tried to smother dear old mom with a pillow before fleeing the home. The attack took place in Willowick, east of Cleveland, and Willowick Police Chief Michael Lazor said the mother went to a hospital the next day with neck injuries. The source of the dispute hasn’t been revealed, but here’s hoping it was over something truly worth killing for, such as homemade cranberry sauce versus the canned stuff or who was going to get to carve the turkey that evening at dinner……..

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