- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Zimbabwean police created one of
the most ironic situations possible this week when they decided that the best
way to tackle the issue of allegations of police brutality and abuse of power
is to fire tear gas, water cannons and gunshots to stop hundreds of youths
protesting against police brutality in the capital, Harare. It was an inspiring
uprising as protestors battled police in running battles downtown, with bold
rebels attacking a supermarket owned by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko,
looking to strike a blow for good by striking out at vegetables and bread, with
police fighting back by firing water cannons and gunshots into the air after a
group of rioters bum-rushed the supermarket. Another group of these rebels
deployed a time-honored riot tradition by sitting fire to a vehicle belonging
to state-run broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, creating a chaotic
scene with flames wafting up to the sky as water was shot through the air and
police did their best to prove that they don’t engage in brutality by brutally
beating down rioters and witnesses. The uprising was organized by the main
opposition MDC-T party, whose youth wing put the event together to denounce
what they described as worsening police brutality against political and civil
rights activists. Sensing how out of hand things were getting, police were
deployed heavily outside Parliament and on the main streets in late afternoon,
forcing shop owners to abandon their business. Quite a day in Zimbabwe, where
in case you’re wondering, aging despot Bob Mugabe remains in power……..
- If only we had taken a break. According to Pixies singer
Black Francis, the iconic punk rock band could have stayed together if they’d
had chance to take some time off before they split up in 1993. They ultimately
reunited in 2004, but Francis admits he does sympathize with bassist Kim Deal,
who felt pushed out of contributing songs to the band despite writing their hit
‘Gigantic.’ Deal left to focus on another very successful project, The
Breeders, in 2013, when the Pixies were recording their first reunion album,
‘Indie Cindy.’ “Kim and I just didn’t get along well after a time. She always
had her own ambitions and became comfortable in a leadership role in her other
band,” Francis said, alluding to the Breeders. “It must have been hard for her
to be in a band where some other guy was always pulling at the reins. We would
have survived if we could have just stopped the train and taken a f*cking
vacation. The people around us who were older should have seen that.” A few
random tours took place after the initial reunion, but Deal exited for good in
2013 and bailed on a project Francis doesn’t exactly seem thrilled with.
“‘Indie Cindy’ was transitional at best. It was the most honest move we could
make, like ‘We lost an arm, but here we are, still trying to do it,” he said of
the project. Coincidentally, Pixies will release a new album, “Head Carrier,”
on Sept. 30 and will tour in November, while The Breeders are recording a new
album for which Courtney Barnett has contributed backing vocals……..
- Idiots abound, America. They’re easier to identify these
days because a lot of them are wearing bright red hats supporting a certain
presidential candidate, but there is the occasional ass hat who feels like an
ugly hate promoting the bastard offspring of an oversized tangerine and the fur
of a dead beaver simply isn't enough. In this case, the ass hat is named Sean
and he now bears one of the ugliest marks of shame a man can have, one that is
embarrassing now but will be infinitely more so after the first Tuesday in
November. Sean recently got inked up by Joshua Dunlap, owner of Sun Coast
Tattoos in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the likeness of one Donald Trump. The
tat took 13 hours of work - more time than Trump has spent researching foreign
policy and world issues in his entire life, it seems - and 20 different colors
of ink, a number about 19 higher than the number of races Trump seems to appeal
to. Asked why he chose to permanently
ink Trump on his body even though the reality TV star and businessman will
almost certainly lose the presidential election, Sean said it was ‘ the first
time in my life I have had a choice.” That seems like a dubious statement
whether it’s referring simply to politics or life in general, but Sean has more
to say on the issue. "I can vote for another career politician or a
citizen, a businessman, someone who knows problems and is known for solving
problems,” he added. Yet he insists all of the feedback he’s heard on his
tattoo has been positive and insisted that even when Trump loses, he has no
plans to remove the tattoo. Way to show your full, unwavering dedication to the
worst presidential candidate in American history, Sean-O……….
- NHL goalies who want to look cooler and move better will
have to wait a while longer. The league has been working on reducing the size
of equipment worn by National Hockey League goaltenders and like all decisions
involving large, bureaucratic organizations, it’s taking much longer than it
should. In fact, at this point, those involved are wondering whether it will
take another full calendar year to complete the downsizing. Way back at the
annual meeting of NHL general managers in Florida last March, both the league
and the National Hockey League Players' Association expressed hope that
streamlined goaltending equipment would be ready for introduction this fall.
It’s part of an effort to level the playing field for goaltenders and boost
scoring in the process - i.e. make the game more appealing to fans. With the
aim of having the new attire produced by four designated manufacturers and be
ready for the start of the World Cup of Hockey training camps on Labor Day
weekend, everyone set out to make the magic happen. Sadly, it’s been a major
fail so far, as only one manufacturer has provided updated equipment and no one
believes it will d be ready for the start of the NHL regular season on Oct. 12.
"It is a little frustrating because it's not like we started this six
months ago," New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider said. "We had
this discussion 18 months ago at the competition committee of 2015. Sure enough
here we are with a month to go before camp opens and nobody knows.” Much of the
problem seems to be the manufacturers figuring out how to produce the downsized
equipment, especially the chest protector which has a number of interconnected
parts that must all work in unison. The pants and chest protector are the main
areas targeted for reduction, as goaltenders' pads were downsized several
seasons ago to ensure that some goaltenders aren't getting an unfair
competitive advantage with oversized gear. Taking the next step in the process
is clearly taking much longer than it should………
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