- Let the unification of America begin. With its
president-elect less than two months from taking office, the United States of
America is banding together like never before and….threatening to tear itself
apart before inauguration day ever gets here. For evidence, look no further
than tiny Hampshire College, a liberal arts institution of about 1,400 students.
The school has become a flashpoint for the rising tensions over Candy Peanut in
Chief Donald Trump and his xenophobic, racist, misogynistic ways since the day
after the presidential election, the Massachusetts college sided with students
who lowered the flag to half-staff. The administration said it did so to build
student rapport and facilitate discussion on what the flag represents, but the
decision infuriated some in the Amherst community, where the college is
located. The situation literally and figuratively heated up Nov. 10, when
someone lit the campus’ American flag on fire and there was a push to take the
flag down entirely. However, the following day was Veterans Day and school officials
replaced the burned U.S. flag and flew one full-staff. The yo-yo act continued
the next day when Hampshire trustees voted to lower the banner to half-staff
again as “an expression of grief over the violent deaths being suffered in this
country and globally, including the many U.S. service members who have lost
their lives," President Jonathan Lash said. Lash later admitted he regretted
the college taking that action as it caused some "unintentional
distress" over a traditional expression of mourning, but one week later,
he announced in a Facebook statement that the college had decided on November
18 that no flags, U.S. or otherwise, would fly over campus for the time being.
Students can fly their own flags, but many, like Army veteran and state Rep. John
Velis, are livid at the school and want the flag back up immediately……..
- It’s dangerous being a rock star. Mastodon frontman and
guitarist Brent Hinds is living that harsh reality and it’s going to prevent
him from making money and doing what he loves for a while. Hinds revealed this
week that he broke his leg whilst trying to start his motorcycle, posting an
image on his Instagram showing his leg wrapped in plaster and ice. “Broke my
fucking leg starting my motorcycle goddamnit… lifes a bitch then you die :(,”
Hinds wrote. Due to the injury, Hinds won't be able to go on tour at the end of
this month with supergroup Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, made up of Alice in Chains
singer William DuVall and Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman. It was
to be the band’s first-ever U.S. tour, beginning Nov. 29 in Boston. Because of
the injury, Hinds may have to miss out, although the band hasn’t yet announced whether
the shows will go ahead with Hinds or another musician in his place. The whole
tour could be scrapped and given that Mastodon have also been in the studio in
recent weeks working on their seventh studio album, which is due for release in
2017, Hinds doesn’t necessarily have a window of time where he can reschedule
those early tour dates later on. Of course, in typical rock star fashion, his
Instagram post also featured a woman in her underwear and a barely-there shirt
hanging off her shoulder in the background, so it doesn’t appear life is all
bad for Hinds at present……..
- Take that, founder of the Protestant Reformation. Martin
Luther, the 16th century German theologian who started the movement that permanently
changed the course of the church and religion, is hailed by many as a visionary
and revolutionary within the world of faith, but the church that bears his name
in Norway is distancing itself from him. Norway's state Lutheran Church has
condemned Luther’s anti-Jewish legacy in a statement issued ahead of next
year's 500-year anniversary of the Reformation. In its statement, the Church of
Norway's General Synod said some of Luther's writings were later used in
anti-Semitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany. Granted, Luther existed
well before the Third Reich and couldn’t possibly have known that his work
would be used by a genocidal pack of ass hats in a country that didn’t exist
during his life, but the church noted in its statement that such propaganda was
also spread in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II and therefore, "in
the Reformation anniversary year of 2017, we as a church must clearly distance
ourselves from the anti-Judaism that Luther left behind." For those not up
on their church history, Luther's revolt against the abuses of the Roman
Catholic church began in 1517 and yet with age he became increasingly hostile
toward Jews and called for their persecution. It was an ugly ending for a man
who did a lot of good in his life, but lots of famous thinkers, musicians,
athletes and actors’ work falls off in the latter stages of their careers, so
Luther was merely way ahead of his time……..
- The separation of sport and court is getting more and more
blurred these days. First, a high shool football team in Illinois
unsuccessfully sued to overturn the result of a playoff game it lost due to
officials wrongly applying a penalty at the end of a game. Now, a Euro soccer
hooligan is trying to extort some cash out of the governing body for European
soccer and a referee who allegedly blew a call that somehow entitled him to
compensation. Jose Antonio Campon, an Atletico Madrid fan, has filed a damage
claim in a Spanish court against UEFA and English referee Mark Clattenburg,
arguing that Real Madrid's goal in their 2016 Champions League final victory
over his team should have been disallowed for offside. Why does that entitle
him to $1,758 in compensation? According to the suit, filed in a court in
Leganes, Madrid, the blown call set up Real Madrid winning the game in Milan on
penalties following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes. As Campon sees it, Clattenburg
and his assistants had allowed Sergio Ramos' opening goal to stand when the
defender appeared to be marginally offside.
The lawsuit alleges that the goal "altered the competition,
benefiting one of the two teams." Attorney Carlos Mendez expects a ruling
by the court within a few months. "If you go to the cinema and there is no
sound, you get your money back. This is the same,” Mendez said. No, no it’s
not. This hooligan went to the game, paid to see soccer and he saw soccer in
all of its offense-deficient glory. He got two goals - two more than fans at
most soccer games get to see - flopping, dives, ridiculous goal celebrations,
faked injuries and his fellow drunken hooligans brawling in the stands. In
other words, he got what he paid for, counselor. "There are norms and they
have been violated. That is why we are filing a claim against the employer
[UEFA] and the employee [Clattenburg] as those responsible,” Mendez added. According
to Mendez, he and his client hope to win money they don’t deserve, er, bring
about changes regarding the need of video technology to aid referees through
the suit. The funniest part of the suit is that Campon is seeking just $169 to
pay for his ticket, but $1,588 for “moral damages.” Dismissed with prejudice,
ass hats………
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