- Canada, you’re really starting to worry the rest of us.
First, a provincial court judge decided an indigenous woman who screamed out
her hatred of white people before punching a white woman in the face didn’t
commit a hate crime and now, Canadians are assaulting furry friends in the
Great White North when they meet on the road. Rick Nelson, a Canadian former boxer
who was walking his dog over the weekend when he was confronted by a 300-pound
black bear protecting its cub, decided to respond in a decidedly un-Canadian
way - namely by punching the bear in the snout when it got aggressive. Nelson,
who is also a former bear hunter, happened across the animal in Sudbury,
Ontario. His bear-hunting past let him know that most bears are right-handed
(right-pawed?), so he knew to expect a stronger blow if the animal swung from
the right. The animal reared up on its hind legs and readied itself to attack,
so Nelson knew he had to take his opening. “I had the perfect shot to take,” he
said. “I did an underhand and hit it right in the snout.” Faced with a Canadian
who was anything but polite and demure and smarting with a bloodied snout, the
bear decided not to fight and left the scene without further incident. “I’m
really glad that the bear walked away, and I’m really glad I did, too,” Nelson
said. He suffered cuts to his face and shoulder in the process, but that’s a
better result than most end up with when they come face to face with a furry
killer……..
- The NBA and its 30 teams may not be on the same page when
it comes to the current salary cap and financial system that still allows super
teams with multiple superstars to form, but at least everyone is unified when
it comes to keeping time at games. The league, in tandem with official
timekeeper Tissot, unveiled a new shot clock and integrated timing system at
its summer league this week. This new-look shot clock mounted to the backboard
includes the 24-second and game clocks as well as timeouts, making sure that
all 30 NBA teams will use the same system. In order to improve aesthetics, the
new system will also feature the most
transparent piece of glass to date, allowing fans seated within its sight line
a less obstructed view through to the court. Perhaps motivated by increased
scrutiny on referees, league officials wanted a clearer display of numbers,
combined with an integrated system that automatically sends data to scoreboards
and video equipment, to clear the way for more precise calls made by on-site
referees and for those checking those calls at the NBA Replay Center. There are
streamlined fail-safes as well, meaning one system can be replaced by its
backup with the push of a button. There is no border around the new display and
a solid yellow line will flash when the 24-second clock expires. Tissot gets to
plaster its logo on all clocks and will deliver three shot-clock systems to
each NBA arena by September. The 24-second shot clock has been around since the
1954-55 season, when Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone created it to speed
up games. Now, it’s all part of the moneymaking process and a chance to enhance
the fan experience……..
- Speaking of bears….Alaska. Now that bears are in the
middle of their active summer schedule. Alaska's Katmai National Park and
explore.org are teaming up to stream the fourth season of their online reality
show known simply as “Bearcam.” There are HD cameras set up throughout the park
so people who like the idea of seeing bears in their natural habitat without
any chance of getting mauled or eaten, this is a chance to watch hundreds of
bears in action, catching salmon upstream and raising their young. "We
hope people turn to this for inspiration and when they do, they will see
lessons these creatures have for us -- about cohabitation, instinct and
beauty," explore.org founder Charles Annenberg Weingarten said. Among the
offerings in this scintillating summer show is a camera at Brooks Falls, where
the National Park Service says you can "see the biggest, most dominant
bears jockey for position" and "watch mother bears teach their cubs
lessons in survival." In the past, “Bearcam” viewers have witnessed
grizzlies slain and eaten, cubs rescued and cast away and riveting battles over
fishing territories. One big change this season is a feature that allows
viewers to take a snapshot of the live feed and share it, with daily contests
to display the best screen captures. There will also be blog posts, Twitter
sessions and live chats with park rangers. It’s part of the National Park
Service’s 100-year anniversary, leading the agency to team up with explore.org,
a philanthropic media organization, to promote one of its most appealing
natural resources……….
- Ah, conspiracy theory kooks, dogging celebrities and
public figures through their lives…and beyond. Yes, even when a person passes
away, their absence from this life is not enough to silence the kooks on the
fringe who believe that said public figures were involved in some sort of vast
cover-up that fooled the whole world - except for those smart enough to see
through the smoke screen. One of the overarching conspiracy theories that has
persisted for decades centers on the belief that late, great film director
Stanley Kubrick helped direct footage of the so-called "fake" moon
landing some five decades ago. That notion received a wholly unnecessary jolt
in 2012 with the documentary “Room 237,” which addresses how Kubrick's work,
such as “The Shining,” makes reference to the idea that Kubrick aided the U.S.
government in faking the first moon landing in 1969. Now, Kubrick’s daughter
Vivian has addressed the matter on Twitter, writing that she was "too
aware of the dreadful manipulations perpetrated by governments,” but insisting
that her father would be "the very last person EVER to assist the US
Government in such a terrible betrayal of its people.” She wondered on social
media how anyone could “believe that one of the greatest defenders of mankind
would commit such an act of betrayal,” stating the obvious in saying that she -
unlike conspiracy theorists who like to toss around wild speculation - actually
knew the famed director and asked the world to “forgive my harshness when I
state categorically: the so-called 'truth' these malicious cranks persist in
forwarding... is manifestly A GROTESQUE LIE." Calling them cranks is
probably nicer than those tools deserve, but even that won't deter them from
continuing to promote their belief that the moon landing was all one big life fabricated
for reasons that have long since ceased to matter………
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