- Boy,
the ladies of Saudi Arabia don’t waste any time. Just three months ago, Saudi
women were allowed to register to vote for the first time and now, more than
900 women are campaigning for public office in the kingdom. It’s another first
in Saudi history as the Dec. 12 municipal election will be the first
opportunity for Saudi women to vote or run for office since a 2011 order by the
now deceased King Abdullah that granted women some opportunities for political
participation in the ultra-conservative Sunni kingdom. Depending on who you
ask, the change is either somewhat important or means nothing at all because women
will only participate in elections at the municipal level and it doesn’t help
matters that at least two women's rights activists announced on Twitter that
they had been disqualified as candidates. The two allegedly banned ladies were Loujain
Hathloul, who was arrested last year for defying a ban on women drivers, and
Nasema al-Sada, and they claimed their names had been left off the final
candidates list. Elections or no elections, Saudi Arabia remains an absolute
monarchy ruled by the Saud family, which governs according to a strict Wahhabi
interpretation of Sunni Islam. It still rocks an informally established
guardianship system over women which affords them few freedoms, of which
driving, traveling and going to school without a male guardian are not a part.
Yes, municipal elections in Saudi Arabia fill half the seats in municipal
councils, but the king selects the other half and let’s just say he’s not
leading the charge for women’s rights…….
- Wow.
Someone is willing to pour lots of money into the cesspool of poverty and
broken dreams that is Detroit? Sure, it’s not in an industry that employs tens
of thousands, thousands or even hundreds of workers and those benefitting only
a select few men who are already relatively wealthy, but give Detroit Tigers
owner Mike Ilitch credit for being willing to spend the money necessary to help
his team reach its elusive goal of winning another World Series. Winning a
world title is a top priority, Ilitch said during a news conference to announce
the club's acquisition of right-handed pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, and throwing
a five-year deal worth $110 million at one of the top pitchers on the
free-agent market. . "It's all I think about," Ilitch said.
"I've been in baseball for a lot of years. I didn't care about spending
money. They (the front office) get the players, and I spend, and I don't worry
about it because they have good judgment." Judgment was in short supply in
assembling a team that produced a disappointing 2015 season full of upheaval, but
Ilitch endorsed the work of new general manager Al Avila and indicated Avila
has the green light to spend at will during free agency. So far that has meant
a pair of trades to acquire closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron
Maybin and now, Zimmerman. "I don't care about the money," Ilitch
said. "I want the best players." He’s so open to spending to win that
Ilitch admitted he'd be open to crossing the luxury tax threshold if that’s
what it takes. If only other Detroit
business owners felt the same way……..
- Being
the cool mom often comes with a price. Sometimes that price is your spouse
giving you an evil look because you just couldn’t say no to letting your
10-year-old daughter have a new iPhone and sometimes, it means being charged
with a misdemeanor count of causing a catastrophe
for (allegedly) driving your daughter and her friends around town so
they can egg various cars and houses. Police in Ogden, Utah allege that
Jennifer Terry did exactly that, ferrying her little brat and other girls
around town to throw eggs at as many as 20 homes in
the Ogden area. According to prosecutors, it caused an estimated $2,350 in
damage to one house's stucco and $3,000 in damage to a car's ignition. That’s
some serious damage from a few Grade-A large eggs, but the best part of this
entire mess is the rationale Terry offered up when it came time to explain why
she did what she did on that fateful night not so long ago. Prosecutors say
Terry told police she did it due to family issues and because she didn't care,
which is both refreshingly honest and one of the worst explanations a person
has ever given for a totally stupid and juvenile crime. Way to set a solid example
for your kid when it comes to blowing off some stress and dealing with the
pressures of life. Hell, giving your daughter an ice cold beer and telling her
to drink away her stress while chillaxin’ on the back porch and firing a pellet
gun at tin cans sitting on the fence posts out back would be a wiser choice
than what Terry did……….
- The
Hook brings you back…to the courtroom so he can sue you over song royalties. Hook
would be former New Order bassist Peter Hook, who is suing his ex-bandmates
for millions of dollars in a dust-up over royalties after leaving the band in
2007. He’s accusing "former friends" Bernard Sumner and Stephen and
Gillian Morris of setting up a new company to handle the band's income, leading
to the “pillaging” of the band’s image and leaving him out of nearly $3 million
in money owed to him. According to Hook’s attorney, Mark Wyeth, his client has
been left with just a "fraction" of what he is owed and is therefore
taking the case to the High Court. "It was as though George Harrison and
Ringo Starr had got together at George’s house one Friday night and had acted
together to divest Paul McCartney of his shareholding in the Beatles, and didn’t
tell Yoko about it either," Wyeth said, adding that the dispute, “is not
about musical direction or musical differences or personality clashes, but
first and foremost about wrongdoers taking control of a company and stripping
it of its property.” What is Hook asking for? That would be restoration of the company’s misappropriated property,
but the attorney representing the band disputes that claim and David Casement
argued that the band had acted entirely reasonable, accusing Hook of using the
case as leverage to rejoin the band. Judge
David Cooke ruled in Hook’s favor in terms of continuing the case, but did urge
both parties to negotiate with one another rather than taking the matter to
trial. As always, no band that lasts for more than a few days can avoid the
inevitable strife over fame, money or who gets first crack at the groupies
after a show………..
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