Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Mark Sanchez in denial, Riot Watch! Seattle and Venezuela tries to fire a despot


- It’s cute that Venezuela's opposition believes that it’s going to accomplish anything by giving electoral authorities petitions signed by 1.8 million voters seeking President Nicolas Maduro's removal in a nationwide referendum. According to a statement released by the opposition in the wake of its petition delivery, it decided to deliver the petitions early in the day without notifying news media to avoid potential clashes with Maduro's supporters. Well that’s awfully cynical, assuming that an oppressive despot’s supporters would respond unfavorably to you trying to remove their guy from power. It’s unclear whether the opposition really did collect nine times the required number of signatures in under a week and it will be up to the National Electoral Council to verify the signatures. If the council does so, it would trigger a second petition drive and yes, that is totally bass-ackwards. But in Venezuela’s convoluted system, if that standard is reached, then 20 percent of the electorate — that's almost 4 million people — would have to sign before a referendum could be scheduled on removing Maduro before his term ends in 2019. There are plenty of justifiable reasons to evict this ass hat from office, not the least of which is the fact that he’s the handpicked successor of the late despot Hugo Chavez. Maduro's approval rating has plummeted amid economic woes and recent polls suggest two-thirds of Venezuelans want him out, which means there is a -7.4-percent chance he’s going anywhere…………


- The public does not like an effort to bring feminist power to one of the most iconic cinematic evil-fighting teams of all-time. This summer's “Ghostbusters” reboot is a new take on the 1984 original and by new, take that to mean overhauling and remaking a movie that didn’t need overhauled or remade in order to turn its cast entirely female. Maybe the whole Ghostbusters concept is just tired, maybe the movie world has moved on to newer, shinier and more exciting sci-fi world or maybe the film itself just isn't very good despite having big names in the form of Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy alongside newcomers Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, but whatever the cause, those who have seen the trailer for the film really, really hate it. The trailer has literally become the most disliked movie trailer in YouTube's short history and even ranks 23rd on the list of most disliked videos overall. It’s not quite at the level of Justin Biebers’ insufferable “Baby,” which remains the most disliked YouTube clip in history with over 6 million thumbs down, but it’s gaining ground quickly. The trailer has been viewed 29.2 million times and has received more than 604,000 thumbs-down ratings from viewers, while so far, a mere 208,000 and change have indicated that they like the trailer. The idea that any attention at all for a new movie is positive ahead of its release will clearly be tested here and with plenty of other big-time films set to hit theaters this summer, there will be many alternatives to this possible dumpster fire of a film for those looking to catch a legit big-screen offering in the months ahead……..


- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! It’s the rare domestic edition of everyone’s favorite overview of social dissidence ‘round the globe and it comes to us from an extremely unlikely location. Seattle, the epicenter of one of the first two states to legalize marijuana for recreational use and therefore a place that should have a rich, creamy and extremely mellow center, was the scene of über-violent May Day protests as demonstrator lit fireworks and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police. May Day is an annual global event in which workers around the planet rise up to demand various improvements in their pay and work conditions and for the most part, it’s peaceful. It definitely was not in Seattle and after a peaceful (i.e. boring) march was held earlier in the day, nine people were arrested and five officers were injured in violent clashes whose exact cause wasn’t immediately known, but whose tangible impact was exceedingly clear. One officer sustained a facial laceration, another was bitten and a third was hit by a Molotov cocktail but not burned even though Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said her officers underwent "enhanced crowd management training" and had planned for the May Day unrest. "It is unfortunate and deeply regrettable that in a city that goes to incredible lengths to respect First Amendment rights, there are some who disregard our values and engage in senseless acts of violence and property destruction," Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement about the riot. Wrong perspective, Eddie. Appreciate the fact that your citizens’ senses aren’t so dulled by their daily dose of the dank that they’re unable to rise up and demand whatever the hell these demonstrators were rioting for………


- Mark Sanchez may play for the Denver Broncos, but he seems to be living more in Denial than in the Mile High City. Sanchez was traded from Philadelphia to Denver earlier this offseason to theoretically be the starter for the Broncos - as it turned out, as long as they couldn’t find someone/anyone better than him, which isn't hard to do. Since acquiring the master of the Butt Fumble, the Broncos have spent pretty much every waking moment trying to sign or trade for someone to play ahead of him. They may have finally found that special someone at the NFL draft on Thursday, trading up to the 26th pick in the first round to select Memphis signal caller Paxton Lynch. They made their move right as the Sanchize was appearing at a team draft party and had to watch as his successor was selected. Yet in the aftermath of the pick, Sanchez is trying to put a positive scent on this football turd sandwich that is his next failed stop in a disappointing career by claiming that the Broncos' selection of Lynch is an affirmation that he is on track to be the starting quarterback for the defending Super Bowl champions. "Absolutely, that's the message I've received," Sanchez said. "I'm thrilled with this opportunity." What the hell message are you getting, Mark? The team trying to trade for Colin Kaepernick, pursuing free agent Robert Griffin III and then trading up to pick Lynch is sending a positive message to you the same way your girlfriend throwing all your possessions out the window and onto the lawn is a sign that she wants to spend the rest of her life with you. It’s swell that Sanchez was one of the first Broncos to reach out to Lynch, but the only way he’s going to be reaching out once the season starts is to get him some water when he comes to the sideline during timeouts……..

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