Martin World News

The trick with Martin World News is not finding stupid stories on news sites, but finding stupid stories that actually have some humor to them.  I give myself an "M" for 'mixed'...

Fox News:  The further adventures of Who Cares?

Headline:

Sarah Palin says she and ex-NHL star are ‘just friends’

Fox News, especially on the weekends, is much like getting your news from People Magazine anymore.  This headline is a good example.  Backstory: Palin allegedly flaunts NYC COVID rules by having a dinner party at a popular restaurant (served outside in a heated tent in near zero temps, mind you). A paparazzi asks the party, which included former Rangers star Ron Duguay, about said alleged flaunting.  Duguay responded in much the way he would have on the ice, asking the photog if he wanted trouble- and (again, allegedly) knocking the camera from his hand.  Predictably, the next day here's a gossip headline about whether the two famous dinner-partiers are an item.  I would be really comfortable at this point, if Fox would give up the pretense and drop the word "news' from their site.  Bonus: 7 out of their 'mini-headline row' are either "entertainment" or "lifestyle".

 

Best part of this story: The restaurant employee who told the photog,  "People come to eat, we are not the border police".

 

 

BBC World: #Metoo, virus division

 

Headline:  Harry and Meghan reveal Spotify Covid row concerns

 

Well, thank God the 'formerly royal' couple have weighed in on the biggest non-controversy of the week.  And it is really indicative of what a waste of time it all is, since the deal for podcasts for the couple's foundation with Spotify so far lists only a year-old "Holiday Special".  I can easily see how that content is going to concern Spotify over the $100 million deal with Rogan, an alleged comedian who is a threat to people too stupid to realize he's an alleged comedian. 

Best part of the story: This quote from the original announcement of their podcast 'series', 12-16-2020:

"The trailer on the Spotify's website features the duke and duchess promoting the deal, with Harry saying: "That's what this project is all about, to bring forward different perspectives and voices that perhaps you haven't heard before and find our common ground." "

Wow, and they packed that all into one holiday special.

 

Moscow Times: But, it was a FICTITIOUS  Nona Gaprindashvili

 

Headline: Georgian Chess Champion’s ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Lawsuit Against Netflix Upheld in Court 

 So allegedly (don't you just love this word?), Netflix did a fictitious show called "Queen's Gambit" about chess at the top level- and somewhere in the series' first season, a character says real life chess champ Nona Gapridashvili "never faced men".  Which is untrue- Nona listed 59 men she has played. Netflix's defense is that the show, of course, is fictitious- and thus, the characters can say whatever they want. Because they precede the show with, “the characters and events depicted in this program are fictitious. No depiction of actual persons or events is intended.”

  The court says that covers the show in general, but not outright lies about real people in particular.  Perhaps, Neil Young, et al, should remove themselves from Netflix as well.

 

Best part about the story: "Born in Soviet Georgia in 1941, Gaprindashvili held the title of women’s world chess champion for 16 years. Contrary to the show’s remark, Gaprindashvili faced plenty of male competitors, once 28 men at the same time." 

And finally..

Daily Mail (and links thereafter):; get ooeht ahr i'll 'it you wit me 'arpoon 

Headline: Irish fishermen vow to carry out 'peaceful protest' to disrupt Russian naval exercise off the island  as Moscow warn their 'reckless act' will put them 'in harms way'

 

Irish fishermen won a victory over the mighty Russian Navy this week.  Russia, in its never-ending pursuit of being a pain in the ass, told Ireland they were going to run "live fire" naval exercises- not within the nation's territorial waters, but in their EU 'economic exclusion zone'...

 

Among the many problems: Russian and NATO subs who will inevitable follow the exercises, and according to one captain, are "concerned that Russian subs could get caught in deep-sea fishing nets and pull down a trawler. He said: ‘We have seen it happen in Ireland, we have seen it happen in Scotland. It makes all fishermen very, very nervous.’ "; also, the fact that the exercises are starting right when the prawn quota fishing opens up in the area, and boats are already standing by. 

 

 Another concern is the effect Russian radar will have on the hake that swim near the ocean floor there... not to mention the subs.So the Irish South And West Fish Producers Association was planning to send three trawlers right into the midst of the 'live fire' area to protest.; Knowing how bullheaded the fishermen would be, the Irish Foreign Minister then got involved:

"This isn't a time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what's happening with and in Ukraine," (Foreign Minister Simon Coveney) said. "The fact that they are choosing to do it on the western borders, if you like, of the EU, off the Irish coast, is something that in our view is simply not welcome.''

 He then wrote a letter to his Russian counterpart, who at last had the maneuvers moved farther out to sea.

Best part of this story: Now we know we don't need to send US troops to Ukraine, just Irish fishermen.