- Africa, you have company. While the world’s poorest
continent still leads the way in corruption, it appears that Asia is making
some headway when it comes to governing solely by bribery. According to a report by Transparency International, more
than 900 million people in 16 Asian Pacific countries are experiencing bribery
and corruption, an unfortunate bit of news at a time when many governments in
the Asia Pacific region are preparing their plans to meet the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While SDGs have the aim of establishing
priorities for development by 2030 and reducing all forms of bribery and
corruption, it appears the goals for many Asian nations are the polar opposite.
According to the report, India has the highest rate of bribery among the 16
Asia Pacific countries (69 percent of respondents had paid a bribe for public
services), with Vietnam hot on its tail at 65 percent. The laggard in terms of
corruption is clearly Japan, which posted survey results showing only 0.2
percent of the respondents having paid bribes. All in all, TI found that more
than 25 percent of the total people surveyed have paid a bribe to access public
services, with bribing police for favorable treatment the most common. The
worst part of the report is that 38
percent of the poorest people who were surveyed claimed that they had paid a
bribe and that means those who can least afford it are the ones getting
squeezed by bribe takers. Men and women were found to be equally likely to pay
bribe money, including in China, where three-quarters of those surveyed
corruption has definitely increased over the last three years. Not a proud
moment for you or your alleged fight against evil, Asia………
- The transition from music to acting goes better for some
than others….not everyone can be Ice Cube. But it’s been relatively smooth for
pop singer Janelle Monáe, who has received plenty of praise for her
performances in “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures” and is now reportedly a target
for a prime role in “Deadpool 2,” which is already promising to be one of the
most over-promoted films of the decade. Monáe is rumored to be anted to play
Domino, a role that would have her filling the part of a mutant with excellent
marksmanship skills who often works as a mercenary. Domino made her Marvel
Comics debut in 1992, but has never appeared on the big screen before. A Marvel
hero or mutant of any repute who hasn’t yet received their own movie or at
least had a cameo in one of Marvel’s 8 billion superhero movies (numbers
approximate) is a rare find these days, but if Monáe lands the role, she’ll
have a chance to share screen time with Marvel’s most R-rated hero, though the
exact timeline for “Deadpool 2” is a question mark at this point. It was
previously thought that the project would start shooting by now, but the new
target date seems to be May, several months later than expected. But hey, there
was that completely pointless (outside of shameless self-promotion) cameo
Reynolds turned in for the start of the new Wolverine-based film “Logan,” so
that will have to tide Deadpool fans over for now………
- Even thieves need refreshment every now and then. Thus,
police in South Carolina were able to quickly close their investigation into a
string of vandalisms that hit Charleston around midnight. Police responded to a
report of vandalism and found shattered glass at eight buildings on the street
and four more on a street nearby and within half an hour, they were able to
crack the case when they found one Robert Corbit Hodges nearby. They happened
upon a drunken, bleeding and gelato-toting Hodges and wouldn’t you know it, that
carton of gelato was from Burbages Grocery, one of the businesses that had
reported being burglarized. Within minutes, Hodges was arrested on charges of
second-degree burglary and public intoxication. What’s sad is that from the
sound of this, dude was basically the same as many of us on a weeknight,
getting drunk and trying to drown the sorrows of his day (or life) at the
bottom of a bottle and like a lot of drunk folks, he went in search of some
extremely unhealthy food to pair with his booze. Hodges only flaw was breaking
into closed businesses in search of that grub instead of doing what most people
do, which is roll up on their local Taco Bell and order copious amounts of the
quasi-food that populates that fast food chain’s menu. Had he merely paired a
Mexican pizza, eight-layer burrito of quesadilla taco with his alcohol, he
could have stumbled home at the end of the night with nothing more than regrets
and a stomach filled with barely digestible ingredients……..
- There are few reasons to go see the Brooklyn Nets play
this season. The Nets have gutted their roster of all legit assets, they have
the NBA’s worst record and now that they’re just a quick subway ride from
downtown Manhattan, there are so many better options for fans than paying top
dollar to watch a terrible basketball team. So what’s a down-and-out team to
do? How about seize on the legacy and name value of one of their borough’s
fallen sons for a special night to celebrate him/cash in on his fame? In other
words, on the weekend of the 20th anniversary of the death of The Notorious
B.I.G., the Brooklyn Nets will hold a "Biggie Night" to try to draw
in fans who otherwise wouldn’t want to see an 11-52 team get its latest
beatdown from an Association foe. Biggie Night will take place when the Nets
host their cross-city rival New York Knicks, honoring Brooklyn's most iconic
rapper on the almost-anniversary of him being shot and killed on March 9, 1997.
The Nets plan to pay tribute to Biggie with pregame and halftime ceremonies
with the rapper’s longtime friend Sean "Diddy" Combs and Wallace's
mother, Voletta Wallace, in attendance. The Nets have also invited Wallace's
children -- T'Yanna and CJ Wallace, Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow -- to attend. In
one sense, it’s a logical fit because Notorious B.I.G.'s music has been a
fixture at Nets games since the franchise moved to Brooklyn in 2012 and the
team’s home arena, Barclays Center, also hosted the first-ever Bad Boy Reunion
Tour last year when Puff Daddy headlined the sold-out event that started with a
celebration of Wallace's 44th birthday in Brooklyn. "We infuse Brooklyn
wherever possible," Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports and
Entertainment. "The architecture of the building speaks to the borough --
85 percent of our employees are from Brooklyn.” Yes, and very few basketball
fans in the borough give a damn about you because you’re terrible on an annual
basis……..
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