- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s basketball
doesn’t get much run at any point during the season…so if you can add in a
scene with two middle-age coaches nearly coming to blows and one of them
engaging in a make-believe handshake line after the game, it’s a solid way to
draw eyeballs to the league for at least a few moments. Give credit to Siena
coach Jimmy Patsos and Rider coach Kevin Baggett for putting on quite a show
with a little assistance from their players in a game Patsos’ squad won by 10 points
- an outcome no one will remember or care about. The festivities began when a
brawl occurred near the end of the game when Siena's Khalil Richard hit Rider
point guard, Stevie Jordan, underneath the neck during a play. The benches
emptied, Siena's Marquis Wright and Rider's Anthony Durham threw punches and
were ejected and both coaching staffs poured onto the floor theoretically to
calm things down, except that Baggett confronted Siena’s players and Patsos
took issue with that, leading to the two grown men tasked with shepherding
these college athletes to nearly throw hands right then and there. Richard,
Jordan, Patsos and Baggett were all assessed technical fouls in the melee, but
that didn’t exactly calm tensions because after the game, Baggett pulled his
team off the court without going through the traditional handshake line,
prompting a comical display in which Patsos mimicked going through the
handshake line anyway, complete with enthusiastic one-man handshakes as if
Baggett and his players were there. Better still, Patsos insisted he had no
issue with Rider skipping the handshake line. Sadly, the two teams have already
played both of their scheduled games against one another for the season and
unless they meet in the conference tournament, their next round of hostilities
will have to wait until next season……..
- Mistakenly bombing the wrong location and killing dozens
of innocent people: It’s not just an American thing. It’s also a Nigerian
thing, as evidenced by the fact that a Nigerian air force fighter jet on a
mission against Boko Haram extremists mistakenly bombed a refugee camp, killing
more than 100 refugees and aid workers and wounding 200. Both government
officials and representatives of Doctors Without Borders confirmed those
numbers and military commander Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor explained that an
accidental bombardment in the northeastern town of Rann, near the border with
Cameroon, resulted in "some" civilians being killed. On the (not
really) positive side, this is believed to be the first time its military has
acknowledged making such a mistake in this chaotic region where villagers have
in the past reported civilian casualties in the near-daily bombings targeting
the Islamic militants. No points for finally admitting that you murdered innocent
people, even if Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari expressed deep sadness and
regret at "this regrettable operational mistake." Regrettable
operational mistake? That’s the most bureaucratic bullsh*t description possible
in this situation, one made worse by the fact that more than 100 refugees and
aid workers were among the dead. DWB claimed that its team based in Rann
counted at least 52 bodies and was treating 200 wounded, many in critical
condition, and that death toll is expected to rise……..
- If you’re going to turn the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise
into an all-female affair, you might as well toss a few more famous faces into
the mix. With “Ocean’s Eight” set to hit theaters next summer with a
star-studded female cast that includes Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah
Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Anne Hathaway, Awkwafina, Cate Blanchett and Sandra
Bullock, producers added some reality TV name value to the project with “famous
for being famous” half-sisters Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner filming brief
cameos for the film. The duo shot their scenes in New York City, becoming the
latest images to emerge from a production process that has been going on for a
few months now. The only notable male cast inclusion revealed so far has been
late-night host James Corden in a supporting role, but it’s safe to say that at
least a few dudes will pop up throughout the movie, which Gary Ross is
directing from a script he co-wrote, with George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh
serving as producers on the project. Clooney was the linchpin for the three “Ocean’s”
movies of recent vintage and having him as a producer should provide a solid
connection for the new movie, although the three movies in which Clooney
starred in the franchise got progressively worse, so maybe that’s not a good
thing. Either way, shooting started in NYC last fall and should be done before
long. Clooney and Soderbergh are clearly hoping that the legions of mindless reality
TV stooges who devotedly follow the Kardashian clan on basic cable will flock
to see their movie………
- Don’t fear the missile system. It’s only there to keep a
watchful eye on you and make sure you don’t attempt to blow up the pipeline
that your corporate overlords are working so hard to build up and maintain. In
the ongoing showdown between the Dakota Access oil pipeline and Standing Rock
protesters, the latest move comes from the North Dakota Army National Guard,
which has apparently deployed an anti-drone missile system at the site where
tensions are highest. North Dakota Guard spokesman William Prokopyk confirmed
the presence of the Avenger missile system, but insisted that the system was
put in place “strictly in the observation role.” Not surprisingly, he has the
backing of the Morton County Sheriff’s Department, which claims that such systems
“are used strictly for observation of ungoverned encampments to help protect
private property and maintain public safety.” Witnesses spotted the surface-to-air
missile launchers at the site and said they appeared to be guarding the DAPL
drill pad. For the non-weapons enthusiasts out there, the Avenger Air Defense
System is described as a surface-to-air missile system that can defend against
cruise missiles, UAVs, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Sending in such a
system is bound to escalate tensions between the Standing Rock protesters and
authorities, especially given that police already shot down a drone for operating
in a threatening manner and used water cannons on protesters despite frigid
weather. Off site, the legal battle over the project is also raging, as the
Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners asked a judge to stop the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers from launching a full environmental study of the $3.8 billion
pipeline’s disputed crossing of a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota. Add
it all up and you’ve got a real recipe for both literal and metaphorical
explosions in a situation that won't be resolved any time soon…….
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