- Riot
Watch! Riot Watch! Nepal may be less than one year removed from a devastating
earthquake that leveled much of the country and left an impoverished nation in
shambles, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is still licking their wounds and
humbly cooperating with the status quo as they all work together to get back on
solid ground. Nope, that’s definitely not true for ethnic
protesters in Nepal who have rejected an amendment made by the parliament in
the new constitution that was hoped to end months of conflict in southern
Nepal. The rage was real after Nepal's Parliament in a late night vote Saturday
approved the first amendment to the constitution with overwhelming support and
it didn’t take long for Laxman Lal Karna of the United Democratic Madhesi Front
to proclaim that the amendment was incomplete and did not address their
concerns. Of course, claims that you don’t like the new amendment are a bit
hollow when members of your party boycott the vote, as Madhesi members did in
this case, but rage in the streets is a nice recovery to refusing to take part
in the democratic process. The mad-as-hell Madhesis in south Nepal have been protesting
for months because they believe the constitution created Nepal's seven states
unfairly with borders that cut through their ancestral homeland. As has been
the source of so many conflicts in so many places over the years, the group is
demanding a larger state, more government representation and more local
autonomy. They’re going to need to amp up their rage if they’re going to
get what they want, but this is a decent start………
- Life
is getting feisty in a hurry on the ATP Tour, where some of the top names in
men’s tennis are firing more than wicked backhands across the net at one
another. One of the best in the game and in the history of the sport got the
latest round of sniping started prior to the Australian Open when he questioned
whether young Australian star Bernard Tomic would finally make good on his
quest to become a top 10 player. Swiss star Roger Federer, a 17-time grand
slam champion who clearly knows what it takes to be a top player, was asked
about Tomic's development on his way to reaching the final of the Brisbane
International. Federer was succinct in breaking down Tomic’s standing in the
game prior to the Australian Open. "He's been good, but then top 10 is
another story," Federer said earlier this month. "The year is not
just one month long or one week long. It's 52 weeks. It's every day. That
(is what) he's been struggling to show, to be quite honest. Many seasons
now in a row we have seen or heard that top 10 is the goal, and he's missed out
on it by a long shot.” After Tomic won in straight sets against fellow
Australian John Millman in the third round, he couldn’t wait to fire a shot
across Federer’s bow. "Yeah, well, he has his predictions," Tomic
said. "I think he's also far away from [Novak] Djokovic as well if he
wants to say that. If he believes I'm very far away from the top 10, I also
believe my prediction that he's nowhere near Novak's tennis right now." Man, that was a bit petty and yet, Tomic said Federer's
criticism was providing him with inspiration. "It also motivates me. I'm
working for that," Tomic said. "When I'm playing well, I'm a
top-eight player in the world. My ranking has to get there.” Oh, so you have
top-10 talent, but the rankings just don’t recognize how good you are….thanks
for clarifying that, Bernie……….
- It’s
been a long time since there was a battle over territory in New Hampshire's White Mountains. But buckle up because
the fight is on over a plan to build a backcountry hut for hikers less than 2
miles into the woods. That plan has pissed off some outdoor lovers who say the
mountains are already overrun by wealthy out-of-staters who ignorantly trample
a fragile part of the world and run everyone else’s outdoor experience. The
Appalachian Mountain Club-proposed building "Sparkling Cascade" would
be a place for hikers to rest, enjoy a hot meal and even have a bunk to crash
on for the night in a section of Crawford Notch. According to the club, their
new structure would be close enough to the main road to draw in folks who might
not ordinarily get into the mountains, including older people, inexperienced
hikers and other nature newbies. It would also be conveniently located e between
two existing huts that are 14 miles apart, allowing a hiker to put together a
hut-to-hut experience at shorter mileage. Despite the tree-hugger objections,
that would be beneficial during the winter, when the conditions in the White
Mountains are especially unpredictable and the days are shorter. Part of the
plan calls for the construction of a trail that would connect to the Appalachian Trail, the
2,189-mile footpath that attracts hundreds of thru-hikers each year traveling
from Georgia to Maine. "We want to
be sure that the connection to the outdoors that we know and love is available
to a wide range of people," said Paul Cunha, the vice president of outdoor
operations for the 140-year-old nonprofit. The Madison Spring hut was the first
built in the area back in 1888 and there are now eight AMC huts in the White
Mountains, but none since the 1960s. Rates range from $60 a night to well above
$100. Sparkling Cascade would accommodate 50 any given night plus crew members,
but that’s only if the club can push through its plans………..
- It’s
the assignment every aspiring musician dreams of when they imagine themselves
as a world-famous rock star. Yes, right up there with being inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, headlining Coachella and winning a Grammy is the
honor of writing a soundtrack for an indie comic
book named 'Murder Ballads,' a task that has fallen to the Black Keys' Dan
Auerbach. The frontman for the two-piece garage rock outfit has been confirmed
to score the comic book - yes, you read that correctly - which will be released
in autumn 2016 via Z2 Comics. According to the publisher, Murder Ballads is a
"rock'n'roll noir story about the music industry and redemption,” with its
protagonist an edgy record label owner named Nate Theodore. In this tale, Theodore
makes a long journey through wintry conditions to escape his troubles and along
the way, he meets Donny and Marvell Frontweathers, who play "a raucous
brand of doom-laden country blues." Ah, sounds so much like Auerbach and
Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. Auerbach will give this graphic novel its
sound, while comics writer and music journalist Gabe Soria will write and Paul
Reinwand will illustrate. Auerbach has already started to assemble a solid
musical cast, having brought on several musician, including the Dirtbombs' Mick
Collins. Asked about what the project will look like, Auerbach said it will be "shorter
than a double LP and longer than eight minutes." He explained that when he
talked to Soria, the writer knew he was “really big into northern Mississippi
music, so I understood the reference points when he was talking to me about
it.” The rocker plans to read the comic and listen to his soundtrack separately
because reading and listening to music with words at the same time would be “like
doing two yo-yos at once,” but plans to enjoy each separately……….
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