JIM NORDCROFT’S WISCONSIN USA NOVEMBER 2012
Cool picture: Election Inspector Jim Nodcroft unfurls the American flag to hang it up outside the Smelser Town in Georgetown, Wisconsin – Getty Images – AFP -File, Photo: Mark Hirsch.
Obama has taken Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan‘s home state Wisconsin. Election USA is all on. The event is all over the New Zealand TV too in TV specials of elections news coverage. Obama also has Pennsylvania and the northwestern swingstate of Northhampshire.
Obama’s Midwestern strategic line of defence is holding up with Wisconsin won for Obama, the first of a trio of Obama firewall states, also including Iowa and Ohio. Michigan is also Obama’s too where Romney’s dad George was born.
In brief, Obama has won the reliably Democratic Northeast. Mitt secured the conservative base on the backdrop of a weak economy and high unemployment. Critical battlegrounds are coming in, Virginia, Ohio and Florida being three of those.
We’re all watching Ohio.
Humor: Just aired on NZ TV is this kooky owl ad by SNL comic actor, Will Ferrell.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 7.11.12~
DID CHRIS CAIRNS TREAT PLAYERS LIKE ABUSED PRISONERS? CRICKET SCANDALS OF THE PAST
Match-fixing is another way of saying ‘entitlement or highly manipulative greed addiction behavior’ in sport, business, politics etc.
In Will Ferrell cricket look-a-like news, the courtroom saga of Chris Cairns “match-fixing allegations trial” playe out in a London courtroom has taken some spurious twists with allegations that Cairns was involved in abusive behavior. Chris’ accusers infer as a ‘match-fixer’ he was a cruel manipulative schmuck.
The story reads like a really bad employment relations case or a bad political pantomime utilizing actors who had no idea what they were signing up for or getting into before the sick game began. Worst of all, the game (if the case is true) decieved stakeholders paying to see a game they thought was being played fairly.
The latest: “The Defence in the Chris Cairns-led libel case has sensationally claimed that for players he captained in the Indian Cricket League, it was like “living in an orphan home being abused”. (Not the best-penned ‘captain’s paragraph’ of a cricket resume then).
Ronald Thwaites, QC, who is representing the former Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi, alleged that the ex-Black Cap told members of the Changridah Lions that if they did not fix matches, he would make them the “waterboy”. (Okay, Cairns is looking more like Adam Sandler than Will Ferrell on that one).
He added that the 41-year-old was part of a “diabolical scheme that involved blackmailing young players”.
Cairns is suing Modi over a 2010 tweet claiming he was axed from the ICL over match fixing.
Mr Thwaites said “a plot was hatched”, between Cairns and his vice-captain Dinesh Mongia in their approach to Indian players to get them to fix matches.
“He has adopted a pattern of behaviour that appears several times in this case. Mongia would soften them up and then the claimant would approach them and sound them out.
“It would make it harder to prove match fixing against the main man.”
Sneaky.
Howard Beer also maintains he had been fired due to infighting with Cairns and the team’s strength and conditioning coach. But Mr Thwaites, QC, claimed: “He’s a witness who has come out of the cupboards. He’s revealed himself as willing to speak on the subject. There will be a statement by the close of play today taken from Mr Sandhu provided to the court.”
“Some of the Indian players idolised him, he was their hero… it shows what kind of man he is, aggressive, assertive, someone you wouldn’t want to tell that his $700,000 contract was over and expect him to walk away.”
Match-fixing in sport is not really sport. It’s something entirely different. It’s a fantasy get rich quick scheme (for a few) dressed up in sporting props with sports actors. It’s sort of like Wall Street on a bad day. The issue of ‘monetary gain’ aside – people involved in ‘match-fixing’ are often incredibly inhumane. They’re just ‘clearly not very well’ people.
This story is interesting because it also resembles many political deals in the process of ‘democracy’ all around the world – new politicians can’t even move on issues they believe in because the ‘game’ is always a ‘set up.’ Or, they buy into the game too over time.
The Chris Cairns story should appear in a book titled Excuse me but is my greed habit getting in the way of a good cricket game? (& other such “match-fixing stories”). The patterns and tactics of ‘match-fixing’ is also the dark tale of Colonization’s not so glam side. Territories being planned out twenty years down the track, are still using these methods.
The wider context of principled fair play – that this story as court room theater is airing – makes everyone involved in bringing this tale – quite brave.
–Again, always the entertainer in both a good light or when playing a corrupt thug or bullying villain to give new sports stars a fair break in an all too rigged game, doesn’t Cairns look like a younger version of Hollywood actor Will Ferrell?
Photo credit: AP.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 15.3.12~
WATER BABIES AS CELEBRITIES OF US ALL
1 bilion people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. Yet we are made up of 63% H2O as people. I think true celebrity is about whose moving water flows in the world. It’s as simple as something like that.
Nicole Richie is one of the brightest stars that does all year round. She’s our girl. Click on pic to learn more about what we can do through initiatives like Global Water.
To make clean water flow in dry places where it needs to be the most, let’s do it. Thanks. Love you all.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 12.23.10~
THE OTHER GUYS MOVIE POSTER
You know, it’s actually good to see Will Ferrell get a box office #1 again. Here’s the poster. Action-comedies are up.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 8.8.10~
WILL FERREL AND FAMILY GO FOR BREAKFAST
Will Ferrell may have had the most crap year at the box office, even being named America’s most overrated film star of the year, in terms of ROI with movie tickets sales for each dollar he got paid to act… BUT his family still love him.
Awww, how sweet. Will 42, and wife Viveca Paulin journeyed with son Magnus, 5, and Mattias, 2, out for a family breakfast at Chelsea Market, Saturday. Brekkie was then followed by family exercise with a wee stroll through the Meatpacking District. That’s what life is all about. Family as well as fame. Balance.
[Source: Tree Hugger]
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 11.29.09~
THE TEN MOST OVERPAID ACTORS IN HOLLYWOOD
Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell should top this list, for playing ‘Hollywood guys’ who are ‘qualified’ to find America’s next top singing talent.
(Jokes) but Forbes Magazine has released their list of the ten most overpaid actors in the Hollywood film industry for 2009. The findings are based on what actors got paid by studios and what they returned per dollar back to the studio via the box office.
The findings weed out the older talent posturing themselves as big stars and make room for the newbies like the Efrons, Lautners, Pattinsons of Hollywood’s rising stars.
Here’s the list of most overpaid actors:
1. Will Ferrell ($3.29)
2. Ewan McGregor ($3.75)
(more…)
