A Baltimore cop is being sued by a surly kid after he was assaulted while taking a break with his friends during a round of skateboarding on the street. The details of why the cop went ballistic on the kid and proceed to manhandle him aren't exactly clear, but from watching the video of the altercation, it appears that the cop didn't need too much provocation after the 14 year old wouldn't stop addressing him as dude and man and generally just talking back and taunting him.
The sum, six million, which seems a rather ridiculous amount. What's even stranger is the fact that the kids parents only decided to get litigious on the cop 10 months after the incident occurred. There's no doubt that this cop is a bully and has anger issues. He was definitely excessive in his behavior toward the punk and I'll bet this isn't the first time this officer's gone off the rails with his temper. Anger management classes and some desk duty might be the best course of action for this dude.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Ponzi Schemer
As greed goes, no one had seemingly done it better than the fictional character, Gordon Gekko (Wallstreet).
He coined infamous phrases like:
The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.
Well, there is a real life person that would agree whole heartedly with these philosophies and that would be one Bernie Madoff, who headed up an investment securities firm catering to very high profile clients. While Mr. Gekko was into corporate takeovers at any cost, Bernie gained the trust of his investors, many of whom were "personal" friends and conned them out of millions of dollars, which he did very slowly and quite methodically.
Madoff's advisory business had $17.1 billion of assets.
As the supposed lone mastermind behind one of the largest investment fraud schemes, he was finally arrested in NY this week.
Among his prominent victims was Mort Zuckerman, owner of the New York Daily News and US News & World Report, who ran a fund with considerable sums invested. You can usually catch him sitting in on the political round table discussions at the weekend with the McLaughlin group. Something tells me he'll be MIA for a while, cleaning up his financial messes.
Also caught in this bilking was Steven Spielberg. His charity, the Wunderkinder Foundation, was a client.
Our current world economic crisis as it stands really didn't need any more casualties.
I guess there's a reason why greed is listed as the first of the 7 deadly sins.
Good job Bernie!
He coined infamous phrases like:
The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed -- for lack of a better word -- is good.
Greed is right.
Greed works.
Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.
Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind.
Well, there is a real life person that would agree whole heartedly with these philosophies and that would be one Bernie Madoff, who headed up an investment securities firm catering to very high profile clients. While Mr. Gekko was into corporate takeovers at any cost, Bernie gained the trust of his investors, many of whom were "personal" friends and conned them out of millions of dollars, which he did very slowly and quite methodically.
Madoff's advisory business had $17.1 billion of assets.
As the supposed lone mastermind behind one of the largest investment fraud schemes, he was finally arrested in NY this week.
Among his prominent victims was Mort Zuckerman, owner of the New York Daily News and US News & World Report, who ran a fund with considerable sums invested. You can usually catch him sitting in on the political round table discussions at the weekend with the McLaughlin group. Something tells me he'll be MIA for a while, cleaning up his financial messes.
Also caught in this bilking was Steven Spielberg. His charity, the Wunderkinder Foundation, was a client.
Our current world economic crisis as it stands really didn't need any more casualties.
I guess there's a reason why greed is listed as the first of the 7 deadly sins.
Good job Bernie!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Xenophobic Fools
Within a very short period of time a gang of Russian skinheads committed 19 racially motivated murders and 12 assaults on "immigrants".
There are currently over 142 million people living in Russia and many of those citizens are not born nationals. This has many nationalists up in arms, claiming that "foreigners" are taking away their jobs and basic economic rights. This year alone, 86 people were killed in Russia based on "racial grounds".
The skinheads that committed the crimes were bold (or stupid) enough to record them on cellphone cameras and post them on the web.
President Putin was quoted as saying that Russia would crack down on racist violence after human rights leaders complained that the police were actively ignoring these attacks and doing nothing to protect the public.
Exile these guys to Siberia and be done with it!
There are currently over 142 million people living in Russia and many of those citizens are not born nationals. This has many nationalists up in arms, claiming that "foreigners" are taking away their jobs and basic economic rights. This year alone, 86 people were killed in Russia based on "racial grounds".
The skinheads that committed the crimes were bold (or stupid) enough to record them on cellphone cameras and post them on the web.
President Putin was quoted as saying that Russia would crack down on racist violence after human rights leaders complained that the police were actively ignoring these attacks and doing nothing to protect the public.
Exile these guys to Siberia and be done with it!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Barbarians at the gate
I wish I could adequately express my disgust in the human race and wonder what it will take to shake people up to the reality that you can't go around acting like barbarians in this day and age...much less for a damn sale!
Black Friday certainly came in with a bang this year.
How ironic is it that the masses line up outside of retail shops to take advantage of drastically reduced sale prices just after the day they are meant to be giving thanks for what they already have and end up killing innocent people in the process.
Two morons outside of Toys R Us gunned each other down in California and a worker at Wal-Mart in NY was trampled and killed after a mob frenzy took place as they let 2,000 idiots loose into the store. These shoppers were so desperate to score on super low sales that they continued streaming into the store and just stepped over the workers body!
One woman said shoppers were acting like "savages." When officials said to the crowds that they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning..."They kept shopping."
A Wal-Mart spokesperson called the employees death a "tragic situation," but defended itself by saying it added staffers and outside security workers and put up barricades to try to prepare for the crush.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!
Black Friday certainly came in with a bang this year.
How ironic is it that the masses line up outside of retail shops to take advantage of drastically reduced sale prices just after the day they are meant to be giving thanks for what they already have and end up killing innocent people in the process.
Two morons outside of Toys R Us gunned each other down in California and a worker at Wal-Mart in NY was trampled and killed after a mob frenzy took place as they let 2,000 idiots loose into the store. These shoppers were so desperate to score on super low sales that they continued streaming into the store and just stepped over the workers body!
One woman said shoppers were acting like "savages." When officials said to the crowds that they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning..."They kept shopping."
A Wal-Mart spokesperson called the employees death a "tragic situation," but defended itself by saying it added staffers and outside security workers and put up barricades to try to prepare for the crush.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Faithless
The Vatican has finally forgiven John Lennon for declaring that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus.
Lennon made the notorious remark to a London newspaper in 1966.
The claim angered Christians worldwide and led to Beatles' albums being burnt in huge pyres.
But in an article for the Vatican newspaper, the Catholic Church said the remark was a "boast" from a band at the height of their success.
"The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll," Vatican daily Osservatore Romano said.
The article, marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' The White Album, went on to praise the pop band.
"The fact remains that 38 years after breaking up, the songs of the Lennon-McCartney brand have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians," it said.
Lennon made the notorious remark to a London newspaper in 1966.
The claim angered Christians worldwide and led to Beatles' albums being burnt in huge pyres.
But in an article for the Vatican newspaper, the Catholic Church said the remark was a "boast" from a band at the height of their success.
"The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll," Vatican daily Osservatore Romano said.
The article, marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' The White Album, went on to praise the pop band.
"The fact remains that 38 years after breaking up, the songs of the Lennon-McCartney brand have shown an extraordinary resistance to the passage of time, becoming a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians," it said.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Unlike a virgin...
So it's official, Guy Ritchie and Madonna are getting a divorce. They've been together since the year 2000. She's apparently already involved with Alex Rodriguez (Yankees ball player). She's been married once before (to Sean Penn, though if you blinked, you missed it).
I was trolling through the tabloids and here's what I found...
Quotes on Madonna and Guy's Marriage:
Madonna about divorce rumors: "My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study.”
Source: K.C. Baker, "Madonna: 'Not Planning on Getting a Divorce'", People.com, 7/06/08.
Madonna about Guy: "I had to marry a challenge because otherwise I would just get bored. Whatever else Guy is, he's never boring ... We're both there to help each other and challenge each other."
Source: David Sims, "Madonna Reveals 'Sex with Guy Is Incredible'", People.com, 4/02/2008.
Madonna, about marriage expectations and soul mates: "I got married for all the wrong reasons ... My husband did not turn out to be everything I had imagined him to be. I just wanted to end everything...there's no such thing as the perfect soulmate ... Your soul-mate is the person that pushes all your buttons-p****s you off on a regular basis ... It's not easy having a good marriage but I don't want easy. I thank God every day that I married a man who made me think. That's my definition of true love."
Source: Sify.com
Madonna about marriage: "I have a successful marriage. That doesn't mean I don't have my ups and downs, but I have an open and honest relationship, and we work things out. Guy and I understand that we've embarked on a journey together. There's no way our relationship would work if we didn't both think the same way."
Source: People Weekly, April 12, 2004 p82
Madonna about her marriage to Guy Ritchie: "I have two beautiful children and a brilliant, gorgeous husband. I have my work and my faith ... If that's boring to some people, I can't tell you how much I don't care."
Source: Imdb.com
The best quote heard on this subject:
I wonder if Guy Ritchie will get to keep the British accent in the divorce (?)
I was trolling through the tabloids and here's what I found...
Quotes on Madonna and Guy's Marriage:
Madonna about divorce rumors: "My husband and I are not planning on getting a divorce. I know Alex Rodriguez through Guy Oseary, who manages both of us. I brought my kids to a Yankee game. I am not romantically involved in any way with Alex Rodriguez. I have nothing to do with the state of his marriage or what spiritual path he may choose to study.”
Source: K.C. Baker, "Madonna: 'Not Planning on Getting a Divorce'", People.com, 7/06/08.
Madonna about Guy: "I had to marry a challenge because otherwise I would just get bored. Whatever else Guy is, he's never boring ... We're both there to help each other and challenge each other."
Source: David Sims, "Madonna Reveals 'Sex with Guy Is Incredible'", People.com, 4/02/2008.
Madonna, about marriage expectations and soul mates: "I got married for all the wrong reasons ... My husband did not turn out to be everything I had imagined him to be. I just wanted to end everything...there's no such thing as the perfect soulmate ... Your soul-mate is the person that pushes all your buttons-p****s you off on a regular basis ... It's not easy having a good marriage but I don't want easy. I thank God every day that I married a man who made me think. That's my definition of true love."
Source: Sify.com
Madonna about marriage: "I have a successful marriage. That doesn't mean I don't have my ups and downs, but I have an open and honest relationship, and we work things out. Guy and I understand that we've embarked on a journey together. There's no way our relationship would work if we didn't both think the same way."
Source: People Weekly, April 12, 2004 p82
Madonna about her marriage to Guy Ritchie: "I have two beautiful children and a brilliant, gorgeous husband. I have my work and my faith ... If that's boring to some people, I can't tell you how much I don't care."
Source: Imdb.com
The best quote heard on this subject:
I wonder if Guy Ritchie will get to keep the British accent in the divorce (?)
Friday, November 21, 2008
All that glitters is gold!
If you're looking for a treat, get to your nearest download site, plug your headphones in and listen to the brilliant folk/glam rock 70's throwback of Blitzen Trapper (Furr).
This Portland Oregon band are truly a wonder.
Their sound is heavily reminiscent of so many greats - but with a modern twist: Marc Bolan, Neil Young, Dylan, Beatles, Nick Drake, Gilbert O'Sullivan and as you listen to the track Black River Killer, Johnny Cash will come to mind.
Possibly the best album of 2008!
This Portland Oregon band are truly a wonder.
Their sound is heavily reminiscent of so many greats - but with a modern twist: Marc Bolan, Neil Young, Dylan, Beatles, Nick Drake, Gilbert O'Sullivan and as you listen to the track Black River Killer, Johnny Cash will come to mind.
Possibly the best album of 2008!
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