Friday, September 09, 2016

Yosemite land grabs, from NFL tight end to real-life "The Hangover" character and getting to punch Ben Affleck


- We’ve all had this problem: You have a Nazi swastika stamp sitting around, you can't really find a good use for it and when you finally do identify a good place to implement it, the government comes breathing down your neck, telling you you’re in big trouble. Despite it being such a common problem, there really is no universally accepted solution, which is what makes it so disconcerting that a prison warden in Ecuador is under intense scrutiny after it was discovered that security guards were marking visitors to the penitentiary with hand stamps featuring the Nazi swastika. There are a lot of amazing angles to this story, including the fact that the warden thought this could happen and no one was going to tweet, Snapchat, Instagram or text a photo of their Nazi hand stamp after visiting the prison. When the images finally did leak out, Ecuador's government immediately condemned the practice and the public launched into an uproar. The Justice Ministry in a statement said the warden of the prison in the capital Quito had been disciplined for negligence and the head of security fired for using the symbol of the Third Reich the same way the bouncer at the club uses his glowing hand stamp to make sure that no underage patrons are served while getting freaky at the foam party. These prison visitor stamps featured the emblem of the Nazi Party with an eagle atop a swastika and the year 1939, but now the prison is going to have to find another symbol representing a genocidal, dictatorial regime that tried to exterminate an entire race of people………


- Joe Manganiello is about to do what a whole lot of movie fans have dreamed of doing ever since DC Entertainment made the über-controversial decision to cast Ben Affleck as Batman. Affleck’s casting despite not even remotely resembling what fans imagine when they think of a superhero caused a lot of hate, a lot of threats of fans refusing to see any movie in which he appeared as the Caped Crusader and more than a few mocking articles, but as far as anyone knows, none of those angry people actually got to punch Affleck in the face. Henry Cavill got to do it in “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and now, Manganiello will get the privilege as he plays Batman’s nemesis Deathstroke in Affleck’s forthcoming film. DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns confirmed the addition of Manganiello, best known as Sofia Vergara’s sometimes arm-candy and for his roles in “True Blood,” “Magic Mike” and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Affleck is taking his Batman-ing to the next level by directing and starring in the next Batman movie. He recently posted a short clip of Manganiello in his Deathstroke costume on Twitter, The Deathstroke character has been played by many actors since he first appeared in comic book form in 1980. He didn’t encounter Batman until a 1991 comic, but as an assassin with superhuman strength, speed and agility, he’s a great addition to DC Comics’ “Justice League,” currently shooting in London. The film is set for release in 2018, so this one is going to take a while to hammer out……..


- Nice land grab, Yosemite National Park. The famed national park will grow by an additional 400 acres of wetlands and meadow habitat on its western boundary, taking over a massive new chunk of California real estate in the largest planned expansion for the park in nearly 70 years. The group Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco-based conservation outfit, purchased the land, known as Ackerson Meadow, from private owners for $2.3 million earlier this year. That move rankled residents of Tuolumne County, who wanted the land to stay private so their cattle would have a place to graze. Instead, the park gets a shiny new addition encompassing forests and meadows that blossom with wildflowers.  Trust for Public Land donated the estate to Yosemite National Park this week, handing over a home to several types of wildlife, including songbirds and black bears. Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher described the move as a "generous donation" that will "preserve critical meadow habitat,” hailing a gift made possible through a partnership with the National Park Service, the Trust for Public Land and the Yosemite Conservancy, which provides grants to the park in order to preserve it. "This meadow is a remarkable gift to the American people, coming at a historic time as we celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service," Neubacher said in a statement. The last time the park added this much land, the year was 1949 and those angry about it weren't fortunate enough to have an outlet like social media platforms where they could go and b*tch about it……..


- Bruce Miller: From NFL tight end to real life “The Hangover” character in a single night. Miller, who was a member of the San Francisco 49ers as of a week or so ago, is now facing seven felonies and a misdemeanor stemming from a hell of an evening out. He has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon and seven other charges after a stretch of bad behavior that began when he was thrown out of a restaurant downtown for beefing with fellow patrons over a sandwich that definitely did not belong to him, then capping the night by throwing hands with a 70-year-old man and his son at the Marriott Hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf because they had the temerity to insist that their hotel room - which they had paid for and were staying in - actually belonged to him. It all began when Miller entered Tommy’s Joynt and allegedly sat looking at the buffet for 20 minutes. At that point, something inside him - alcohol? - snapped and he initiated an argument with other diners over a sandwich they had and which he wanted. The customers reportedly handled the matter with good humor and Miller was thrown out of the historic restaurant. It’s at that point he apparently headed in the direction of the Marriott, where he knocked on the door of the aforementioned 70-year-old man, who made the mistake of opening the door. An argument ensued with the drunken Miller and when the man’s adult son, who was staying in the next room, heard an argument he made another fatal mistake by telling Miller he was in error. Miller attacked the son, the father stepped in to help and both ended up getting a knuckle sandwich for their efforts. Police responded to reports of an intoxicated man raising hell and Miller was eventually booked on aggravated assault and elder abuse charges. The only positive from the night for Miller is that he clearly won every fight he started, as he did not have any scratches or other signs of a fight on him. The bad news is that he no longer has a job in the NFL and he’s going to face a decent amount of time in jail………

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