- One more and Josh
Hamilton qualifies for a free knee surgery….either that or a free footlong
sandwich. The veteran outfielder, back with the Texas Rangers after a massive
cash grab contract with the Los Angeles Angels that saw him leave Texas to ink
a five-year, $125 million deal only to see his numbers dive as his health
declined, prompting the Angels to trade him back to Texas two years later.
Unfortunately for the 2010 AL MVP, he didn’t rediscover his health in Texas and
now, he’s undergone his 11th knee procedure, having some damaged meniscus
cartilage in his left knee repaired. The arthroscopic procedure on his balky
left knee means Hamilton has zero chance of making the Rangers' opening day
roster even though there were no issues with the surgically repaired ACL in
that knee. It was clear there were issues when Hamilton had left spring
training in Arizona and returned to Houston for the second time in less than a
week to be examined by Dr. Walt Lowe, and even more so now that he’s undergone
a whopping three knee surgeries since he last played in the majors in 2015. The
ratio of knee procedures to games played in a one-year span shouldn’t be 3-0
and at this point, it really doesn’t matter that Hamilton was a five-time
All-Star as an outfielder because it’s going to take six weeks of
rehabilitation before he will be able to start running again. He can continue
learning to play first base all he wants, but if he punches that 12th entry on
his frequent knee surgery customer card before he suits up for the Rangers
again, his chances to ever be a legit big leaguer again will be as shot as his
creaky legs……….
- China has a big leak and now, its oppressive, communist
government is looking to plug the dam. In other words, the country’s policy
ministry says more than 800 people have been arrested in a crackdown on
unlicensed banking operations as authorities try to stop the outpouring of
money from the nation. According to the communists who make the laws, more than
380 underground banks that handled transactions totaling more than 900 billion
yuan ($130 billion) were broken up in the crackdown launched last year and if
you think underground banking sounds like a shady story made up by the
government as its latest excuse to shamelessly trample basic human rights and
freedoms, you could be right. The official story is that communist leaders
allow informal finance to support entrepreneurs, but work hard to terminate any
activity that threatens the state-run banking system, supports crime or helps
people violate foreign exchange controls or other regulations - but mostly the
part about it negatively affecting their interest and ability to keep complete
control over their realm. The reason these (alleged) underground banks
(allegedly) popped up was to help companies and small investors move money out
of China starting in late 2015 amidst widespread fears that the yuan would take
a nosedive, and in response, Beijing tightened foreign exchange controls. Now,
the government is waging its war against freedom on the latest front……..
- JK Rowling knows how to shamelessly pander to her target
demographic. Rowling has seamlessly transitioned from cranking out Harry Potter
novels and corresponding movies to her spin-off franchise of Fantastic Beasts
And Where To Find Them and she’s teasing her adoring masses once more with the
sequel film for that series, sharing a picture of the its script on Twitter.
The second Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them film is due out next
November and the third one two years after that, but perhaps the most exciting
news for the franchise is that after a brief cameo in the first film, Johnny
Depp will become a full-fledged cast member this time around alongside
returning stars Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller and Zoë Kravitz. Rowling knows
she’s taking some heat for her cash grab/decision to turn the Fantastic Beasts
saga into five movies, ensuring maximum earning potential for herself and the
studio - so she has a well-written explanation handy. “I think, when you
realize what story we’re really telling, you’ll understand that it can’t
possibly fit in one movie,” Rowling said. “There’s a natural arc to five. You’ll
see.” Yes, you’ll see when you pay out $15 to see each of those movies, lining
her pockets with money on stop of the dollar-laced linings she already has in
every one of them thanks to the endless string of Harry Potter revenue that
continues to flow in on an annual basis, making her one of the most profitable
authors and writers of all-time…..
- Cue the “Footloose” jokes, summon the spirit of Kevin
Bacon and kick off your Sunday shoes in celebration, because a town bizarrely
stuck in 1950 has finally eliminated a legal anachronism by making dancing
legal in all its tiny confines. Welcome to Henryetta, Oklahoma, where city
leaders have voted to abolish an ordinance on dancing in certain segments of
town. There was an anti-dancing ordinance prohibiting any from busting a move,
teaching someone how to Dougie, doing the Wobble, practicing the Electric Slide
or even flapping to the Chicken Dance at a dance hall within 500 feet of a
church or public school - with a massive $25 fine hanging over anyone who dared
to spit in the face of this ridiculous rule. The agent for change is resident
Joni Insabella, who decided last month to host a dance above her store, which
is within 500 feet of a church. In response, the city’s chamber of commerce
posted on social media about the event, taking the exceedingly childish and
petty step of a Facebook post that labeled Insabella a rule breaker and accused
her of getting special treatment, because of her husband, who's the city's
attorney. "We wanted just a good, clean, fun event. As I said, we know
we're in the Bible Belt. We weren't having alcohol or anything. We just wanted
it to be fun for the community," Insabella said. Wanted is the key word
there, because the event was canceled, but it achieved a greater purpose as Mayor
Jennifer Clason decided review the ordinance. Score one for lady politicians,
as the city's first female mayor recognized the fact that the dance ban
infamously tied her town to "Footloose," which tells the story of a
small town banning dancing and rock music. She admitted that prior to the
cancelled event, she'd never heard of the ordinance preventing dancing and
noted that dances have been held at the city's churches and schools without
repercussions, meaning the city essentially did away with a moronic law that no
one was enforcing anyhow - other than the colossal ass hats at the chamber of
commerce………
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