Saturday, April 30, 2016

Williamsburg hipsters get another edge, Marvel gets another Netflix show and MLB steroid strife

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- After yet another Major league Baseball player tried to spin his suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs by saying he never “knowingly” took anything illegal, at least one of his peers has had enough. In the aftermath of an 80-game suspension for Miami's Dee Gordon, Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander lit up those he believes are polluting the game and ruining its integrity by ‘roiding up. "I think the players, mostly, we're all together. We want a clean game," Verlander said. "And us and the players association have pushed to where it is now. I think a lot of people will think the other way around. No, it's the players pushing. We've pushed the system to where it's at. And we still want it to be [better]. I mean, we have the best testing system in the world right now. Is it good enough? No." Verlander believes there should be both more frequent testing and stiffer penalties for performance-enhancing drug use and is opposed to players who test positive for PEDs shouldn't play. "You shouldn't be allowed to [affect] games while appealing," he posted on his official Twitter account. He later conceded that the quality of testing in MLB is already "as good as it gets," but wants more frequent testing. Verlander also knows that the cheaters will always be one step ahead of the law.  "The problem is the quality of the stuff guys are taking is better than the quality of our tests. They're always a step ahead," Verlander said. "But I think more [testing] and harsher penalties. He didn’t say whether he wants something as extreme as a full-season ban for a first positive test, but pushing through stiffer penalties would be a real fight for MLB………




- It’s the kind of tragic story that could only come from a Third World nation where poverty is so extreme that people literally scavenge garbage dumps as a way of earning a living. It comes to us from Guatemala City, Guatemala, where authorities say that 24 people are listed as missing two days after a massive slope of trash collapsed, killing at least four people. The state of this dump is one common to so many impoverished nations, with many people working informally as garbage pickers. Only a small number of workers were officially registered as present when the collapse occurred, leaving many more potential casualties and injuries among those who rummage through the hot, smelly trash looking for recyclable materials to sell.  About 1,200 registered garbage pickers work at the massive dump, but estimating the number of people who work there unofficially is virtually impossible. City spokesman Carlos Sandoval said that "of the missing people, seven are registered" as garbage pickers, but he couldn’t say much about those who were working without permission at the dump. Hundreds of rescuers are still picking through the garbage dump looking for survivors or bodies in a truly horrific scene in which it’s literally not a joke that the smell of dead bodies will be difficult to pick out amidst the thousands of other foul odors wafting through the air. Such scenes would never happened in world powers where garbage dumps are typically avoided at all costs by anyone who doesn’t have to work there, but that doesn’t mean the developed world should turn a blind eye to this……..




- “Daredevil” has been a huge success for Netflix, which obviously means it’s time for a sequel, prequel or spin-off, right? Of course. The popular streaming service is continuing its partnership with Marvel, ordering of a series based on a previous star of “Daredevil” Season 2, The Punisher. Jon Bernthal played the character in “Daredevil” and is expected to reprise his role for the new series, which will see Steve Lightfoot (Hannibal) act as the show runner. The Punisher, a.k.a. Frank Castle, is a popular antihero who made his Marvel Comics debut in 1974 and has previously been played by actors including Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson. The whole antihero push picked up a ton of steam with the “Deadpool” success story earlier this year and Marvel is likewise gaining plenty of steam with Netflix. When “The Punisher” makes his debut, it will be the sixth Marvel adaptation that's been put together for the platform, following the path walked by Daredevil, Jessica Jones and the still-to-be-launched Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders. At this point, if there is a character in the Marvel universe who has yet to get their story made into its own Netflix series or a movie/show on another platform or by a movie studio, then clearly that character is a colossal failure who lacks the sizzle and charisma necessary to make the jump from the pages of a comic book onto the big screen. This also proves that Netflix users will never have a shortage of shows in which they can see people kicking ass and busting skulls………




- Williamsburg hipsters, you can now tout your beloved neighborhood as having one more thing that the rest of the world doesn’t have. Unfortunately for all of you and your skinny jeans and fitted flannel shirts, what you now have is one of the unhealthiest culinary creations to come out of an oven in a long time. It’s courtesy of Vinnie's Pizzeria at 148 Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, which announced something called “The Pizza Box Pizza” on Twitter this week. Just as it sounds like, this calorie-laden, greasy creation is a pizza box made 100 percent of pizza and it’s available in just one place - until some national pizza chain co-opts the idea and doubles the price while calling it their original idea. "No waste, 100% pizza and 100% delicious," the pizza parlor wrote on its Twitter feed. Owner Sean Berthiaume came up with this revolutionary idea one day when business was a little slow right before the lunch rush. He was bored out of his band and decided to do a little experimenting in the kitchen. He combined that with a truly eco-friendly, hipster-ish irritation with people eating their pizza out of a cheap, greasy cardboard box and then throwing the box away. Then inspiration met innovation and bam, an edible box literally made of pizza. The good news is that anyone who orders the Pizza Box Pizza will get more food and won't have to worry about creating more waste. The bad news is that this overpriced monstrosity will cost people $40 and in order to have it delivered, one will have to put a poor, underpaid delivery guy through an arduous process so vexing that Berthiaume prefers customers ordering the Pizza Box Pizza pick it up at the store. Score one for American obesity……..

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