- There’s nothing more entertaining in the world of soccer
right now than Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The pony-tailed Swedish
star is halfway through his fourth decade on this planet and at time when a
professional athlete should steadily be trending downward, yet he’s maintaining
an extremely high level of performance - and his play on the field isn't bad
either. A guy who famously said he didn’t bother getting his wife a birthday
present because “she already has Zlatan” has heard all of the haters saying
he’s too old for a move to England when he made the switch to the Premier
League prior to this season, joining United on a free transfer during the
summer. He’s been great for Jose Mourinho's team this season, scoring 17 goals
so far -- 12 in the Premier League. Never one to stop running his mouth, he’s
not going to do so now. "It gives me a lot of energy, trust me,"
Ibrahimovic said. "A lot of energy, because they get paid to talk sh*t and
I get paid to play with my feet -- that's how I enjoy it. I had a fantastic
year. At PSG it was amazing, and I came to United and my first six months here
have been more than amazing. I came to the Premier League and everyone thought
it would not be possible but, like always, I make them eat their balls.” Umm,
eat their balls? Not really an expression that makes a lot of sense, but sure. As
long as Zlatan continues to be the narcissistic gift that keeps on giving, who
really cares how old he is………
- Because we’re Dubai, dammit, that’s why. That’s the
obvious defense any time the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates does
anything excessive and reeking of opulence, which is pretty much all the time.
It’s why the sheikhdom is home to the world's tallest skyscraper, manmade
islands and various other types of artificial magnificence and it’s why Dubai's
ruler has announced that it will build a new 1,400-berth marina and massive
lighthouse along its coast. Is Dubai the sort of place where crusty, salty
mariners will haul in their catch or look to dock their ship after months of hard
work at sea? Hell no, but that doesn’t matter. The harbor is planned to be over
20 million square feet and will include a cruise ship port and terminal and the
sprawling project will also include a 443-foot-tall lighthouse. Meraas, a
developer backed by Sheikh Mohammed, will build the harbor and lighthouse between
Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residence neighborhood and the man-made Palm Jumeirah
archipelago. If you're going to build a wholly unnecessary, over-the-top
project with a lighthouse and harbor, then there’s no better place to build it
than beside a manmade archipelago and fittingly in a place that remains lavish
despite a recent downturn caused by low
crude prices, authorities offered no cost estimates for the project. Keep
spending until it feels better, as always, is the way of Dubai………
- Side projects are a way of life for Black Keys frontman Dan
Auerbach. He released his first solo record, ‘Keep It Hid,’ in 2009 and also
put out an album with his band The Arcs called ‘Yours, Dreamily’ in 2015, which
means he’s done nearly as much work on his own and as a producer as he has with
the Keys in recent years. So it makes sense that this year, he will release his
second solo album. According to Auerbach, the new record is heavily influenced
by his adopted hometown of Nashville and is “a whole history of everything I
love about music.” That sounds like an ambitious projects and befitting one
steered by Nashville, the as-yet-untitled album also features appearances from
guitarist Duane Eddy, Cash’s bassist Dave Roe and drummer Gene Christman and
pianist Bobby Wood, who both played with Dusty Springfield and Elvis Presley.
Auerbach, whose gritty, bluesy voice and style have defined much of how the
Black Keys are perceived, recorded the album at Easy Eye Sound studio, which he
owns, and co-wrote the project with country musician John Prine and David
“Fergie” Ferguson, who worked as a sound engineer for Johnny Cash. In other
words, it might be fair to expect a certain amount of country music influence
on this one. For now, expanding his musical empire and building his brand
rather than channeling energy into the band that got him to this point seems to
be the priority………
- Knowing what you want is a good thing - usually. But when
you want is for the African-American chef you recruited from the country club you
own in Southern California to cook "black people food" — not
"white people food" — at your rural Nevada dude ranch and wild horse
sanctuary, that’s not as good. That’s what Madeleine Pickens, the wealthy
philanthropist and ex-wife of Oklahoma energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens,
allegedly wanted chef Armand Appling to do, according to a federal lawsuit
accusing her of racial discrimination. Appling claims that Pickens told him
fried chicken, BBQ ribs and corn bread would be perfect for the tourists who
pay nearly $2,000 a night to stay in plush cottages, ride horses and take Wild
West "safaris" on ATVs at her Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort.
The reason for the lawsuit is that Appling says he was fired 2014 in
retaliation for complaining about a hostile work environment. The story about “black
people food” represents what Appling says were Pickens' commonplace stereotypical
references at the Elko County ranch stretching across 900 square miles on the
edge of the Ruby Mountains about 50 miles west of the Utah line. Pickens, who
is white, is also accused of instructing Appling to terminate two other black
kitchen staffers — one she referred to as her "bull" or
"ox" and another who had "too much personality." Those remarks
would be concerning enough, but Pickens also allegedly told her chef that those
employees didn't "look like people
we have working at the country club" and didn't "fit the image"
of the staff she wanted at the ranch. Pickens’ team of legal eagles aren't exactly
killing it in the early stages because one of their arguments is that even if
all the allegations are true, none of her comments were racially motivated. At
worst, Pickens' remarks "reflect a non-racial personality conflict and
amount to discourtesy, rudeness or lack of sensitivity," those legal Mensas
wrote in recent court filings. Not really a convincing case, counselors, even
though U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said during a hearing in Reno last week
that Appling's lawyers have failed so far to prove the sort of racial hostility
needed to win such a civil rights claim. Sadly, the judge dismissed the
original lawsuit that was filed in February but she gave Appling’s legal team until
Jan. 13 to refile an amended complaint seeking unspecified damages from
Pickens' nonprofit, Save America's Mustangs………
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