- If the first arrest doesn’t do it, give it the ol’ college
try, eh Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas? Thomas, who was a key member of
Oklahoma's defense a year ago, starting 11 games and finishing with 46 tackles
and five interceptions to earn All-Big 12 second-team honors, was arrested over
the holiday weekend and could face charges of interference, public intoxication
and assault and battery. The Cleveland County Sheriff's office in Oklahoma
noted that police were called to a Norman bar after a fight and when the
arresting officer arrived on the scene Thomas was running away. Yes, because if
you can run a 4.5 40-yard dash and cover a speedy wide receiver stride for
stride, then you can definitely outrun the police in their cars and with their
radios. However, Thomas wasn’t able to elude the law like he mike deke a
pursuing receiver trying to chase him down as he streaks into the end zone with
an intercepted pass, putting six points on the scoreboard for his team. No,
after a foot chase, Thomas was eventually caught and arrested. Believe it or
not, the arresting officer determined that Thomas had "slurred speech,”
the odor of alcohol coming from his person and admitted to having "6
shots." That last part might be due some credit because this idiot is the
first person in recorded history to admit to the amount of alcohol he probably
consumed before doing something stupid. And hey, it’s tough to blame Thomas for
thinking he could get away with it; he was arrested in December for failure to
appear in court for a traffic violation and has been suspended twice for
undisclosed team violations during his time with the program, but still has his
scholarship, so at this point he has to be feeling damn near bulletproof……..
- Ah, the tried-and-true father-son court appearance to
fight the prying eyes and litigious hands of Big Brother. Nothing bonds two men
quite like heading to court for a showdown with the Federal Aviation
Administration over whether the agency can force them to disclose information
about drones shown in two YouTube videos firing a gun and deploying a flame
thrower in their backyard. That’s a mouthful to say, but it’s what happens when
Austin Haughwout of Clinton and his father, Bret Haughwout, refuse to comply
with subpoenas issued by the U.S. attorney's office on behalf of the FAA,
saying the subpoenas violate their constitutional right to be free from
unreasonable searches and seizures and questioning the agency's authority to
regulate recreational drones. The issue of drones is taking flight around the
country and this week, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Meyer will hold a hearing on
whether the Haughwouts have to comply with the subpoenas. What happens at that
hearing in New Haven is expected to have national significance because it could
set a precedent on how much authority the FAA has over recreational drone use.
The facts of the case are online for all to see, as Austin Haughwout uploaded
the videos to his YouTube channel last year. The most popular of the videos,
viewed more than 3.7 million times, shows a flying drone equipped with a
handgun firing rounds. It’s six times more popular than one that shows a flying
drone with a flamethrower lighting up a spit-roasting Thanksgiving turkey. Yes,
because dropping your turkey into a vat of boiling oil is so tired and played.
Father and son are refusing to bow down to Assistant U.S. Attorney John Larson,
whose side argues that the subpoenas were issued in connection with an
investigation being conducted for the legitimate purpose of ensuring the safe
operation of "aircraft" and under the FAA's authority to investigate
potential violations of its regulations banning people from operating aircraft
in a careless or reckless manner. Game on………
- How popular are superhero movies these days? So popular
that A-list actresses are openly pining for starring roles in superhero movies
that studios don’t even plan on making. Enter “Pitch Perfect” star Anna
Kendrick, who is geeked about the idea of taking on the role of one of Marvel’s
lesser known superheroes – Squirrel Girl. Keep in mind that Marvel has no plans
for Squirrel Girl film, so Kendrick gushing about the chance to play the hero
on screen is kind of totally out of the blue. “My brother sent me a Squirrel
Girl comic because he thinks I should [play her],” Kendrick said. “I don’t know
what Squirrel Girl does other than be half squirrel, but I could be half
squirrel.” Props to Kendrick’s brother for thinking of his sister as a
half-squirrel hero, because that is some bizarre logic. For those who don’t follow
obscure, rodent-based Marvel heroes, Squirrel Girl has scored some major wins
in her hero career, taking down major supervillains such as Dr. Doom and
Thanos. This half-bushy-tailed-rat lady possesses superhuman strength, senses,
razor-sharp claws and, naturally, the ability to communicate with squirrels. Many
Twitter users have expressed support for the idea of Kendrick as Squirrel Girl,
including some who have done disturbingly intricate Photoshop jobs of her in
the role. The ball, er, nut is in your court, Marvel……….
- That was a slam dunk, eh Polish President Andrzej Duda? Duda,
who spoke during commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of a post-war
massacre of Jews in Kielce, made sure he was on the right side of history this
time when he strongly condemned all forms of racism, xenophobia and
anti-Semitism, saying there is no room in today's Poland for those forms of
prejudice. Those comments were a bit different from that one time he won the
presidency after a remark in a debate that seemed aimed at winning the support
of anti-Semitic voters. Perhaps sensing that he would be unwise to continue in
that line of thought once he was actually in charge, he’s reversed field in
recent months, strongly condemning anti-Semitism and xenophobia several times.
Seeing as Poland was home to Europe's largest Jewish community before the
Holocaust, Jewish leaders have not been big fans of these mixed messages on
matters of prejudice since the election last year that brought the right-wing
Law and Justice party to power. When you have party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski,
who is staunchly anti-migrant and accused refugees during the campaign of
carrying "parasites" to Europe, having your president firmly on the
right side of the battle against bigotry is kind of a big deal. Whoever wrote
Duda’s speech for the ceremony did a solid job of driving that point home, so
here’s hoping the president remembers to stick with that approach going forward……..
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