Saturday, August 18, 2012

Pussy Riot, poor Phelps, Pot Shops, more

Wisdom Quarterly
Supporters perform in a dirt lot across from the Russian Embassy in DC, Aug. 10, 2012, in a solidarity concert for the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty).
  
KGB killer Vlad Putin killing fish
(SCPR) Pussy Riot, an all-female Russian feminist punk band, is “the latest symbol of young Russian discontent.” Anti-Putin youth of Russia now consider themselves on trial. Pussy Riot functions as a collective, with a rotating cast of characters who wear brightly colored balaclavas to conceal their specific identities.
   
No longer anonymous, three members of the band were sentenced to two additional years in prison Moscow on charges of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” 
  
German supporters (Marcus Brandt/AFP/DPA)
Their conviction was a foregone conclusion. But Putin hinted that the judge should deliver a lenient sentence, such as time served. Instead, the judge made an example of them by attaching two more years for their involvement in making a statement against the government. More
   
Pussy Riot sentenced for "punk prayer"
How long can Russian anger be held back by Putin's repression?

Rule 40 violation could mean loss of medals
Undisputed pool hero risks it all for money. Attempting to cash in on his continuing fame, he did non-Olympic's related advertising. And that is a major violation of the rules, certainly no reason to lose his gold medals, but a violation nonetheless. Only he is not likely to have been the one doing the leaking (outside of the pool). Will it matter? Will it be enough to save his reputation? (SCPR) Michael Phelps could be in hot water -- not the cold bathtub he appears to be in -- for his recent photo shoot with the French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton. Photos of Phelps taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz were leaked on the Internet late last week, violating the International Olympic Committee's controversial Rule 40... More
   
LA Pot Shop Ban Coming Soon 
Cannabis sativa (David McNew/Getty Images)
Before the Los Angeles City Council's unanimous vote last month in favor of the ordinance to BAN all medical marijuana dispensaries, Police Chief Charlie Beck assured council members that shutting down the nearly 1,000 pot shops in the city would be a smooth operation. Beck told the Council that it was his belief that "the vast majority of these establishments will willingly comply." Compliance seemed a long way off Friday. The Patient Care Alliance, which represents 300 pot shops, is suing the city to stop the ban that's due to take effect on September 6, 2012. More
Ryan likes Rage, RATM does not like Ryan
First New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was rebuffed by The Boss. Now another well-know liberal musician has spurned the advances of a right-wing politician-fan. In a brutal Rolling Stone editorial, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello calls Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's recent vice presidential pick, the "embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades."
  
Che Guevara - raging rebel
The band ferociously advocate for unions, immigrants, and social justice. Morello is clearly amused and perplexed at how deeply, in his opinion, Ryan has missed the point of his band: "He can like whatever bands he wants. But his guiding vision of shifting revenue more radically to the 1% is antithetical to the message of Rage," Morello wrote. More
"Strawberry Fields Forever" (classic Beatles)
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