June 9, 2019

How Bob Marley's Daughter Saved Jamaican Women's Soccer

One afternoon in 2014, Cedella Marley, Bob's eldest daughter with his wife Rita, was handed a flier by her son, Skip, after he came home from school. The flier was from Skip's soccer coach, and it asked parents to consider donating money to resurrect Jamaica's women's soccer team.

Cedella was startled. She lives outside Miami but is still royalty in Jamaica, leading Tuff Gong, the record label her father started, as well as the foundation named for him. She made some calls. Turned out, the women's soccer team hadn't existed for much of the previous four years because the country's soccer federation cut the funding.

snip

Cedella bristled. Was it a soccer thing? she asked. Nope. The men's team, known as the Reggae Boyz, had its funding fully intact.

snip

When the federation defunded the team a second time in 2016, Cedella -- unbowed -- simply redoubled her efforts, pushing for a complete culture change within Jamaican women's soccer. First, she persuaded Alessandra Lo Savio, a co-founder of the Alacran Foundation, which does arts philanthropy work in Jamaica and elsewhere, to become a major contributor. Then she identified Hue Menzies, who gave up a career in corporate finance to become a full-time soccer coach, to lead the re-formed team.

There was nothing in the Jamaican soccer federation budget for a women's-team head coach, of course. That meant Menzies -- who runs a very successful youth soccer club near Orlando -- would have to be a volunteer. He didn't hesitate.

link
https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/3867379/how-bob-marleys-daughter-saved-jamaican-womens-soccer

I put this here because it's as much about Cedella Marley and Women in sports as it is about sports

June 8, 2019

'Free hugs' and margarita machine in office? Navy probing claims against war college leader

NEWPORT, R.I. — The military is investigating the president of the U.S. Naval War College amid allegations that he spent excessively, abused his hiring authority and otherwise behaved inappropriately, including keeping a margarita machine in his office.

snip

Dozens of emails and other documents obtained by the AP show the college has struggled to make payroll under Harley's leadership and spent about $725,000 annually on raises while facing an annual shortfall of $5 million or more.


Harley has also sent a series of emails to hundreds of students, faculty and staff that raised eyebrows, including offers of "free hugs" and games of Twister in his office.


In an interview with the AP last month, Harley blamed the fiscal strain on the Navy not fully funding new missions the college has taken on. And he said the emails merely reflected his lighthearted leadership style.

link
https://qconline.com/news/national/free-hugs-and-margarita-machine-in-office-navy-probing-claims/article_34c0bd5b-5662-5245-93bf-3862675381e8.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest

June 5, 2019

My next trip to Ireland, I will certainly be bypassing Doonbeg

The village of Doonbeg in County Clare has erected US flags and plans to cheer if the president speaks to them
The 262 people live in a village with a douche golf course
According to one local, Sean O' Donnell, "Trump is a straight shooter." and "Tells it like it is."
I think he forgot the -n't after is

Change the name of the town to Gasbag

June 5, 2019

Wildlife Photographers Receiving Expert Help (Pic Heavy)

This Is What Happens When You Do It Wrong

You lose your camera

May 29, 2019

Yes, I think this is hysterical or Your day couldn't be worse than his

Cameron Wilson shot himself in the crotch.
Funny, maybe. But there is so much more

He had his girlfriend drive him to a friend's house to drop off the gun because Mr Wilson is a 13 time convicted felon.
So having a gun is illegal.
Why he didn't go to the hospital and have his girlfriend drop it off after he was there, IDK

As doctors were performing surgery, a balloon containing marijuana fell out of his anus
But, there is even more

Chelan County sheriff’s detectives were notified that Wilson had suffered a gunshot wound and then responded to the hospital. They searched the car and found a bag of methamphetamine inside a pair of blood-stained jeans he’d taken off before entering the hospital.
They didn't arrest him there, they just issued an arrest warrant.
Which makes this even more fun because...

He turned himself in to the police and while they were conducting a strip search, another balloon of marijuana fell out of his ass
And the fun continues

While in the correctional facility awaiting trial, he called his girl friend and told her not to cooperate with authorities.
And surprise, they were listening to the conversation and charged him with four counts of witness tampering

He's being held on 110,000 bail and has pleaded not guilty to every charge

In case you doubt...

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/trouble-snowballs-for-man-who-shot-himself/article_bc761e90-7c07-11e9-9a2e-87ca3ce75ad3.html?fbclid=IwAR0RUy86gjxc6kXuYxfN4kaaIuyvKXGSF_1H82WrpgS1qbbp-yrth18BdKQ

May 27, 2019

The Soviet (Sovreign) Citizen Movement in Russia

Konstantin Vyatkin has never acknowledged the Soviet collapse.

"For the past 28 years I've tried to live in this country called Russia," he says. "But in my heart I still live there, in the Soviet Union."

The words may sound banal in a country where two-thirds of the population professes nostalgia for the former empire, motivated by economic concerns and the absence of a welfare state.

But Vyatkin does not simply miss the Soviet Union -- he actively denies its breakup, and claims to obey only its laws. And now a vibrant cottage industry is helping legitimize his discontent.


https://www.rferl.org/a/flouting-law-in-nostalgia-s-name-russia-s-growing-movement-of-soviet-citizens-/29962523.html

May 27, 2019

Romanian Court Confirms Corruption Verdict Against Ruling Party's Leader

Source: RFE/RL

A court in Romania has rejected an appeal by Liviu Dragnea, the controversial leader of the country’s ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), against his 2018 conviction on corruption charges.

At last year’s trial, Dragnea received a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence after being convicted of using his influence to procure fake public jobs for two women who were working for the PSD at the time.

According to reports, he is now expected to begin serving his prison sentence immediately.

The jailing of Dragnea will remove from public life the man who has been a key figure in the PSD's push for controversial judicial reforms that critics say has damaged the independence of the courts.

Read more: https://www.rferl.org/a/romanian-court-to-rule-on-appeal-against-corruption-verdict-by-ruling-party-s-leader/29964885.html

May 24, 2019

EU elections updates: Dutch Labour party wins surprise victory

Dutch social democrats trump populists

The Labour party of European Commissioner Frans Timmermans on Thursday won a surprise victory in a Dutch election for European Parliament, an exit poll showed, easily beating a Eurosceptic challenger who had been topping the polls.

The leading social democrat candidate to head the EU Commission, Timmermans propelled his pro-European party to an upset win, taking more than 18% of the vote.

snip

The upstart far right Forum for Democracy of nationalist Thierry Baudet, which had been neck and neck in polls alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservatives, finished third at 11%, the exit poll showed.

Labour doubled its 2014 showing and beat opinion polls, most of which showed it finishing third at best.
https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/23/britain-and-netherlands-kick-off-eu-elections-votes

May 14, 2019

Emperor Naruhito, his first foreign leader visit: the harbinger of doom or it can only go up

Emperor Naruhito, the new Emperor of Japan will, on May 25th meet his first foreign leader since his enthronement, U.S. President Donald Trump.
It begs the question for me, "Is this a sign that his time as Emperor is doomed, or is it that it can only go up from here?"

(Imagine if Duerte and Bolisanaro were the next two in line to visit)

May 11, 2019

Heidi Heitkamp (ND) has been busy. Good thing

Former Senator Heitkamp is part of a group called 'The One Country Project'. The Project is to bring Democratic policies and ideas to rural voters in states like North Dakota.
The idea is to sell progressive ideas in conservative terms: economic and social
I don't know if it'll work, but I joined in the hope that it will at least make a dent
I had issues with Sen Heitkamp on several issues, but I also donated a lot of money to her campaign in hopes...
I donated the max to Manchin's campaign as well. My guess is he will become a part of this.
Former IN Sen Donnelly has

What I like about this project from what I've read is it doesn't appear to be something that is designed to appease rural voters by attacking Democratic politicians. It appears to be trying to demonstrate to rural voters how our ideas really do benefit them more than republikkan ones do

It's worth a shot