Sunday, July 30, 2017

Fish-based revolts, The Killers try to shake Mitt Romney and the Clippers' face-punching ways


- Because #Florida. The Sunshine State is where a man can come home to find something surprising - or something that would be surprising if he lived in any other state. Instead, when Warren Woodard of Longwood, Florida spotted a black bear at his doorstep, it was just another day in the life of America’s wackiest state. Woodard initially thought the animal was snoozing or hurt after he met his wife at the garage and she told him that there was a snoozing bear lying at the door. He initially didn't believe her in the same way so many long-married men think their wife is lying about a large, furry killing machine napping it out near their home, but saw the bear through the front door. Woodard did what anyone living in 2017 would do, namely snap photos with his smartphone before using said phone to call 911. Police responded to the scene and according to this photo-loving homeowner, a second officer who showed up somehow startled the bear because the animal jumped up and ran off. Thr working theory at the Woodard homestead is that the bear may have been attempting to avoid rainy weather and perhaps sleeping near the house provided some shelter from the precipitation. Either that or the bear realized his chance of running into many of Florida’s bat-sh*t insane residents was significantly lower if he simply stayed close to the door of just one of their places of residence…….


- Dear Los Angeles Clippers power forwards…please stop trying to smash people’s faces in with your fists. Maybe new Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari saw the example current star forward Blake Griffin set when Griffin punched a team equipment manager in a fight outside a restaurant, breaking his hand in the process and missing several weeks of action. Gallinari, who signed a four-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers in July, moving from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade agreement, hasn’t even suited up for one of the NBA’s most perennially disappointing teams and already, he’s living up to the Clippers’ tradition of letting people down. The Italian forward suffered a right thumb injury when he landed a punch in a European exhibition game for Italy and though the injury isn't expected to require surgery, Gallinari will miss the Eurobasket tournament. The good news is that he’s expected to be fully recovered for the start of Clippers training camp in September and Clippers doctors are planning to examine the injury soon, but the current prognosis is for a month of rest and rehabilitation on the thumb. Oh, and the other good news is that Gallinari slugged the Netherlands' Jito Kok - whoever the hell he is - in a scuffle, causing the injury that sent him to a local hospital, so he proved he’s tough, or that he’s a short-sighted moron……. 


- How magnanimous of you, Morocco's King Mohammed VI. The African monarch has pardoned some people jailed during a protest movement that has affected an impoverished northern region for months. In announcing his decision, the king denounced politicians and public officials for their "unprecedented irresponsibility." During a speech, King Mo explained that he granted early releases and reduced sentences to 1,178 inmates and other convicts, including an undisclosed number of protesters detained during unauthorized demonstrations in the El Hoceima region and other parts of the country. According to the government’s official mouthpiece/news agency, Mo VI criticized some officials for displaying an "unacceptable attitude" during the protests that have turned into a major grassroots movement, one that was sparked by the death of a fish vendor who was crushed by a garbage compactor while trying to save fish that officials had confiscated in October. It was one of the few revolutions in world history that originated on the strength of scaly sea dwellers and those who sell them on the street, but as this act by the king illustrates, an uprising is an uprising no matter whether it’s about fish, tea, freedom or music. That doesn’t mean Morocco is any less of a restrictive place to live, of course, but at least it proves that the king will excuse some revolts as long as they don’t have any chance of even remotely affecting his ironclad grip on power in the country……


- Well, it’s better than being revealed as one of White Bread Mitt Romney’s favorite bands. That was tough for Las Vegas natives The Killers to live down, so maybe the band that Brandon Flowers built revealing that they have held secret jam sessions with Prince Harry for over a decade is their attempt to make everyone forget about being loved by an extremely square, über-conservative Republican presidential candidate. Killers drummer Ronnie Vanucci Jr. revealed that the prince, who was recently spotted taking in the band’s British Summertime gig, first met up with them after attending a show more than 10 years ago. “He just showed up at a show one time and we got along. I mean, it’s been ten years I guess. There’s been a lot of long nights,” Vanucci said. He noted that some of the prince’s cousins have also come to hang with the band and admitted that he and his bandmates didn’t really know to much about royal protocol. “It’s safe to say we didn’t grow up with the sort of bedazzlement of having a Royal Family or anything, so I wasn’t educated in what it means to know these people first,” Vanucci added. “Maybe that’s what made things cool. It was just like, ‘Hey, man.’” That’s cool, but if it ever comes out that Romney so much as showed up backstage and banged a tambourine once while a single member of The Killers was in attendance, then all of the cool factor from Prince Harry is gone in a heartbeat and it ain’t ever coming back…….

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