- While the good people of Human Rights Watch could be
exactly right when they claim that security forces in Kenya have forcibly
disappeared at least 34 people over the past two years during
"abusive" counterterrorism operations in the capital and the northeastern
part of the country, that’s merely the start of the story. Being right about
that sort of claim doesn’t do much unless someone can exact some sort of
change, which the rights group isn't really accomplishing when it urges Kenyan
authorities to investigate the disappearances and the deaths of detainees in
the northeast. The disconnect between the words of a report which cite cases
where suspects arrested over alleged ties with the Somalia-based Islamic
extremist group al-Shabab have disappeared is alarming, so action on its claims
would be welcome. Charles Owino, a
Kenyan police spokesman, said a police oversight committee would carry out an
independent investigation into the allegations, yet rampant corruption and
government abuse of power could easily thwart those efforts as well as Owino’s
promise that any police officer found culpable would face trial. Kenyan police
have been under scrutiny in recent weeks over the killings of a rights lawyer
and two others whose bodies were found dumped in a river last month. Their
questionable ethics and performances are one of many concerns in the
impoverished African nation, yet any time you have police who are abusing power
or are outright corrupt, it has to go at the top of the list of what ails your
nation……..
- Jack White has gone from iconic garage rock band frontman
to weird, dark record label owner who champions obscure causes like vinyl
records and his own weird fashion sense. Now that he’s a solo artist most of
the two and a member of a couple of super groups in his free time from running
Third Man Records, White appears to have set his sights on the great beyond,
potentially looking to become the first person to play a vinyl record in space.
Speculation about those efforts has picked up speed after the musician's Third
Man Records released a teaser clip for a mysterious upcoming event. Four years
ago, the former White Stripes frontman astronaut Buzz Aldrin that he was
working on a "secret project" to get one of the songs on his Third
Man Records label to be the "first vinyl record played in outer space.”
White explained that in order to make it happen, he was planning "to
launch a balloon that carries a vinyl record player. And figure out a way to
drop the needle with all that turbulence up there and ensure that it will still
play.” It seemed like a lot of effort for something that wouldn’t exactly make
him a ton of money, but a video posted to the Third Man Records Facebook page
this week claimed the company would "make vinyl history again" on
July 30. The theme of the video is what stood out, as it parodies the Star Wars
opening with a gold vinyl record spinning in space. Oh, and the record is shown
to be Carl Sagan's 'A Glorious Dawn', released on 7" by Third Man in 2009,
so the space references are piled high and deep on this one………
- Sometimes, even though a person is a very, very bad
individual, it’s still tough not to have a perverse admiration for them. So
while two men and a woman were arrested in connection to a string of Iredell
County (N.C.) break-ins and stealing is wrong, it’s definitely a ‘wow’ moment
when you learn that one of the men
arrested has been charged with over 100 felony offenses and 35 misdemeanors
prior to his most recent arrest. This fool, John Gatton, has been convicted of
31 of the felony charges after the Iredell County Sheriff's Office started
investigating the string of break-ins on June 10, when someone broke into a
home on Seedhouse Road in Statesville. In the ensuing weeks, officers responded
to several over break-ins, where prescription medication, guns, and electronics
were also stolen. Connecting the crimes to one another wasn’t difficult after
the same vehicle was spotted by a man who found someone breaking into his house
on Society Road. According to deputies, the information he gave matched the
description of Gatton, who was wanted on a parole violation and had warrants
out for his arrest. Also arrested in connection to some of the break-ins were
Dustin Belcher and Christina Wyatt. Wyatt, guilty of many things but especially
associating with a moron, was charged with identity theft, a parole violation
and providing false information. But it’s Gatton who is the real criminal
standout here, having allegedly committed over 60 felony offenses since his
release from police custody about six months ago. Ten felonies a month - two to
three a week - is a breakneck pace that could literally include breaking
someone’s neck. Police believe there could be additional arrests in the case,
but no one is going to match Gatton’s felony proficiency………
- The Major League Baseball Badass of the Year award may
have just been locked up by an unusual candidate. Pittsburgh Pirates rookie
Jameson Taillon is firmly in the lead and probably won't be run down by anyone,
not after he was struck in the head by a line drive against the Brewers, but
went on to pitch six innings in a 3-2 Pittsburgh win. He had a pitch lined off
his head by Milwaukee's Hernan Perez with
one out in the second inning, a shot right back to Taillon that hit the
rookie hurler in the back of the head and rolled out into left field. That
would end the night for most people, but Taillon remained on the ground for
several minutes while being tended to by medical staff before being cleared to
stay in the game. "I saw it coming at me, turned from it and remember
going down," Taillon said. "I could feel it on my head a little bit,
but I remained conscious. I saw where the play went. I answered all the
questions they asked me. I wanted to get up quicker than I was able to. I
remember it pretty clearly." Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle noted that he
felt worst for Taillon's parents watching on television, but in the end he
decided to trust the recommendation of the medical staff that Taillon was OK to
continue. "This is one area that I'm not really comfortable with," he
said. "I have to trust our people. They do know what they're doing, how to
follow protocol to test the player and the things to do." Despite nearly
getting his skull broken, Taillon went on and was only removed after throwing
65 pitches in his first start since being placed on the disabled list on June
28 with right-shoulder fatigue. He admitted that he “definitely had some
adrenaline after” being hit, but given what he went through, a surge of
adrenaline is a minor detail……….
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