- The nightmare is over, Venezuela. No, not the nightmare of
living under the iron fist of a totalitarian, repressive socialist regime that
stifles dissent and reeks of corruption; that lives on and probably will for a
long, long time. But one of the nightmares the regime has imposed on its
people, electricity rationing that began more than two months ago because a
drought had caused low water levels at the hydroelectric dam that provides most
of the country's power, has ended. Venezuelan President/dictator Nicolas Maduro
says he is lifting the restrictions, announcing that beginning Monday the
government will no longer cut off electricity to much of the country for four
hours a day. The power cuts have impacted nearly everyone, as only the capital
of Caracas and four other states had been spared from the power cuts that were
instituted April 25. The government’s official story about the lifting of the
rationing system is that a resumption of rain has improved the water level
behind the Guri dam, which produces 60 percent of Venezuela's electricity. As
part of the restrictions, the government also instituted a two-day work week
for civil workers to conserve power they might use on the job, but the reality
was that the workers weren't exactly staying home burning candles for light and
keeping all of their electronic devices turned off. A normal work week was
restored on June 14 and power cuts were suspended on the weekend, and now it’s
back to normal for a country where shortages of basic food and hygiene items are
still common things……….
- It’s been a decade since legendary metal rockers Tool have
released an album and although their drought hasn’t reached the farcical levels
Guns N’ Roses hit in Fat-sel Rose’s long quest to release “Chinese Democracy,”
the metal world is anxiously awaiting Maynard James Keenan and his bandmates’
next release. Keenan recently addressed longstanding rumors of a new album from
the quartet, which would be the first full-length album since “10,000 Days”
some 10 years ago. "We’ve found a common ground,” Keenan said. “We just
can’t seem to move forward.” Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne is a friend of the
band and he claims to be one of the few who has heard material that could be on
the new album. According to Osborne, the results are staggeringly long, as in
the shortest song on the album so far is 12 minutes. The road back to existence
as a living, breathing band has taken some time for Tool, who played their
first live show of 2015 dressed as members of Led Zeppelin for Halloween. Keenan
has been busy promoting his other band, Puscifer, but playing the Monster Mash
festival in Tempe, Arizona on Oct. 31 was a sign that there might be life in
Tool after all. A rousing cover of Led Zeppelin's 'No Quarter' was one of the
highlights of the night, just as finally getting a new album from their
long-dormant favorite band would be the highlight of the musical year for most
fans……..
- The quest for full access to ganja whenever and wherever
you feel like it is alive and well in California. In other words, a
ballot initiative legalizing the adult recreational use of marijuana got more
than enough signatures to place it on the November ballot, reviving an issue
that voters considered in 2010 when a pot legalization measure was defeated by
a 7-percent margin. Will 53 percent of voters be against legalization again? Silicon
Valley philanthropist Sean Parker hopes not; he helped fund the signature drive
with support from Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Democratic Party and
the NAACP. The fight over Proposition 19 was led by political consultant Tim
Rosales, who believes that the new initiative has loopholes including some that
allow convicted drug felons to legally sell pot. According to Rosales, the tax
revenue generated by regulating the sale of marijuana would be eaten up by the
cost of enforcing the scheme and policing black market sales. Arguing that the
change wouldn’t benefit the state’s economy and that California would actually
lose money in the process is bound to sway some votes, but supporters say that
those on their side of the issue are seeking social justice, not profits.
Supporters of the measure have already raised nearly $4 million. Those against
it, namely law enforcement, hospitals and drug policy groups, are trying to
position themselves as taking the high ground by using facts and not funding to
fight against an idea they view as straight-up wrong for their state………..
- Although many people make jokes at golfers’ expense on
account of many of them not looking much like athletes and their sport not
being all that physically demanding. But whether people think golf is a
legitimate sport or not, the PGA Tour drug tests its members and expects them
to stay clear of performance-enhancing drugs that would allow them to drive the
ball further, recover from injuries quicker and muscle the ball out of the
rough with 24-inch biceps. That includes Steven Bowditch, who had himself a day
at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Bowditch, not among the best players in
the field, had racked up five-straight rounds with scores above 80 entering the
second round of the event. His streak of futility dated back to the
WGC-Cadillac Championship, but he snapped it with a 2-over par 72 in the second
round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He didn’t have much time to enjoy
his feat of being not as far below average as usual because shortly after his
round, he was ushered away by a tour official and told to pee in a cup. The
tour’s supposedly random drug testing hasn’t always seemed so random to those
being tested, as many have been taken in for testing after posting their best
rounds in recent memory. But Bowditch found humor in the situation and tweeted
a photo of the form he signed informing him of the test. He posted a tweet that
read, “Not even the Tour can believe I
broke 80.” Props for finding humor in something that’s tremendously awkward,
uncomfortable and weird even on its very best day………
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