The Verve was formed in 1990 in Wigan England.  The band originally consisted of Richard Ashcroft as the lead vocalist, Nick McCabe on guitar, Simon Jones on bass, and Peter Salisbury on drums. Later, they were joined by Simon Tong, a guitarist and keyboardist. Known for their powerful performances and profound lyrical content, The Verve quickly made a name for themselves in the British music scene. The Verve released a total of four studio albums during their career. Their debut album, A Storm in Heaven, was released in 1993 and did moderately well, reaching number 27 on the UK Albums The post Complete List Of The Verve Albums And Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Imagine if every sound you heard was 30% more acute—that’s what it’s like to be a dog when fireworks start going off. Because of the festive nature of fireworks, many dogs don’t get exposure to them during their critical learning windows as a puppy. By the time they start going off on the 4th of […] The post Tips and Products to Help Your Dog Handle the Fireworks This Fourth of July appeared first on Good News Network.

The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision Friday holding that the government may punish the homeless by fines or imprisonment for trespassing or camping on public property.   In 2013, the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, had a population of roughly 38,000 and as many as 600 homeless individuals on any given day. Many of these homeless individuals clustered in encampments that all too frequently serve as a hotbed of disease, addiction, and rampant crime committed by and against the encampment dwellers.    In the case now known as City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, the city responded by enforcing its “camping ban” ordinance, which barred the use of blankets, pillows, and cardboard boxes while sleeping within the city. Violators were subject to a $295 civil fine for initial violations, which could escalate to $1,250 and 30 days in jail for repeat offenders convicted on charges of criminal trespass. Similar ordinances, of course, have been adopted by many cities and localities throughout the country.     A lawsuit was promptly filed on behalf of a group of homeless individuals challenging the ordinance. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined enforcement of the law, holding that it would violate the cruel and unusual punishments clause of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution—“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”—to fine someone for sleeping on public property if no bed is available at a secular shelter. In so ruling, the 9th Circuit relied on two earlier Supreme Court decisions—Robinson v. California (1962), which held that a state can’t criminalize the status of being a narcotics addict, and Powell v. Texas (1968), which held that a state may outlaw public drunkenness. These rulings, in the 9th Circuit’s view, barred the government from punishing someone for involuntary conduct, which sleeping ultimately is.  Writing for the majority in the Supreme Court decision issued Friday, Justice Neil Gorsuch resoundingly and rightfully rejected the lower court’s results-oriented interpretation of the high court’s precedents. Gorsuch held that the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public lands doesn’t qualify as “cruel and unusual punishment” and that public camping ordinances “are nothing like the law at issue in Robinson.” Gorsuch noted that status is not the issue since it “makes no difference whether the charged defendant is currently a person experiencing homelessness, a backpacker on vacation, or a student who abandons his dorm room to camp out in protest on the lawn of a municipal building.”  Further, Gorsuch opined, the ordinance punished conduct, not status, and therefore was fully consistent with the high court’s opinion in the Powell case. Moreover, he stated, the Constitution’s cruel and unusual punishments clause focuses on the question of “what ‘method or kind of punishment’ a government may impose after a criminal conviction, not on the question whether a government may criminalize particular behavior in the first place or how it may go about securing a conviction for that offense.”  While stating that there was no need to reconsider the Supreme Court’s decision in the Robinson case, Gorsuch noted that the court at the time “expressly recognized the ‘broad power’ States enjoy over the substance of their criminal laws.” Additionally, Gorsuch noted, the penalties that Grants Pass adopted to prevent homeless encampments weren’t “cruel” because they weren’t remotely similar to the hideously painful punishments—such as drawing and quartering—that the Framers of the Constitution knew. Nor were those penalties “unusual,” he wrote, but rather laws of this ilk are “commonplace.” Justice Clarence Thomas would have gone further, writing in a concurring opinion that, in his view, the Robinson case was wrongly decided and should be overturned. In Thomas’s view, the high court’s holding in Robinson that the Constitution prohibits enforcement of laws that criminalize somebody’s status “conflicts with the plain text and history of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause.” Quoting from an earlier opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia, Thomas opined that for too long and on too many occasions, the Supreme Court has “proclaimed itself sole arbiter of our Nation’s moral standards.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented. Sotomayor decried what in her view was the court’s abdication of “its role in safeguarding constitutional liberties for the most vulnerable among us.” Sotomayor stated: “It is possible to acknowledge and balance the issues facing local governments, the humanity and dignity of homeless people, and our constitutional principles. Instead, the majority focuses almost exclusively on the needs of local governments and leaves the most vulnerable in our society with an impossible choice: Either stay awake or be arrested.” But in writing this, Sotomayor failed to offer any textual or historical analysis for this seemingly new constitutional right to camp on public lands, at least in the absence of adequate available public housing. Dealing with homelessness is a difficult and longstanding problem with real consequences for public safety, government budgets, and humanitarian considerations. As Gorsuch recognized in Friday’s opinion, the issue of how to address homelessness “is complex” and the causes of homelessness “are many.”  Although we all may be sympathetic to the plight of the homeless, the Eighth Amendment doesn’t give federal judges primary responsibility “for assessing those causes and devising those responses,” Gorsuch wrote. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Grants Pass case returns this problem to the political process, which is precisely where it belongs. The post Supreme Court Decides Legislatures, Not Judges, Should Address Homelessness appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Privilege Protesting Its Loss in Israel During War for Survival

On a bright morning near Pelican Point, Namibia, a young Benguela Dolphin found itself in a dire situation, stranded on the sandy shore. This unexpected event quickly turned into a heartwarming tale of rescue and survival. The episode began when a member of Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) was returning from a routine kayaking tour and... The post Man’s heart breaks spotting baby dolphin stranded on beach and he refuses to walk away appeared first on Animal Channel.

On a bright morning near Pelican Point, Namibia, a young Benguela Dolphin found itself in a dire situation, stranded on the sandy shore. This unexpected event quickly turned into a heartwarming tale of rescue and survival. The episode began when a member of Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) was returning from a routine kayaking tour and... The post Man spots baby dolphin stranded on beach and his next move scores 5M views appeared first on Animal Channel.

Terrie Drewry’s life changed dramatically five years ago when she lost her favorite donkey, Diesel. During a peaceful hike, Diesel got spooked by a mountain lion and bolted into the wilderness, leaving Terrie devastated. Despite an exhaustive search that lasted several months, and a brief glimmer of hope when Diesel was spotted on a trail... The post Hunter spots herd of elk but among them is ‘imposter’ that’s now leader of herd appeared first on Animal Channel.

A first-person-shooter game called Concord was criticized for being overly progressive after developers showcased a few of the game's characters, revealing that their preferred pronouns were shown on the character select screen.Firewalk Studios director Kim Kreines showcased the game at Playstation's State of Play event, which provided news and announcements from the video game platform.After the studio showed at least four of the game's characters, gamers noticed that along with the characters' names and roles, their preferred pronouns were also given.As That Park Place reported, one of the characters is an obese woman named Emari who has "she/her" pronouns. Another character named Lark has "undecided" in the location where the other characters' pronouns are. 'That moment is such a tiny slice of everything that we've been working on for years and years.'Another morbidly obese character named Daw was later revealed with "he/him" pronouns. There was even a robot with "he/him" pronouns.Kreines reportedly stated that "every character brings their own unique personality, skills, and wide-ranging perspectives to the crew.""PlayStation's new hero 5V5 PVP Shooter Concord is full of diverse character designs & they even have their pronouns listed below their name ... Who is this game for exactly?" a YouTuber wrote on X.Another gamer with a significant following had a humorous but critical reaction to the game that received a lot of attention."Concord is a new progressive and modern shooter for Pc & Playstation. It features five black women, four aliens, three robots, and one white man. It's incredibly diverse and non-heteronormative. Plus, it has pronouns. Are you excited?"After mockery and backlash made its way around the internet, Kreines was asked by Videogames Chronicle about the negative reactions to the game trailer."Yeah, that trailer. That moment is such a tiny slice of everything that we've been working on for years and years. We're excited for the game and for the IP, for the game to be in people's hands, the IP to be in people's minds.""You'll start to fall in love with the depth of the characters. That's something that you learn week to week. Their personalities will unfold, their relationships will unfold for you, their backstories. None of that is something that you can get in a tiny little slice of it."Game designer Mark Kern pointed out that the company's career page notably describes itself as a "collaborative, inclusive, and respectful team."It was also discovered that the game's lead character designer, Jon Weisnewski, has made incredibly progressive statements about race in the United States in recent years on Facebook.He responded to a game programmer who said that "thinking that all white people are unconsciously racist is the same as thinking that all black people are unconsciously lazy."Weisnewski said in 2020 that was "an over simplification.""The sentiment being expressed is that whites must acknowledge their privileged position, and then actively work for equality. It will be hard and confronting work, but if we don't we’re complicit. And complicity allows systemic racism to persist."He also pushed the idea that being against racism is not enough but that whites need to "help others pursue equality and justice" by using their privilege.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

One crucial generality that most shoplifters have learned in the past several years is that they can pull off retail theft with no resistance from anybody at the scene.Blaze News has reported numerous stories noting that very scenario. For example, this past Easter Sunday — of all days — a group of looters were caught on video taking whatever they pleased from a Walgreens store in San Francisco, and absolutely no resistance was offered.'You better put that down before I knock you out.'Adding a little twist to what's become a commonplace crime in the city is that a producer from local TV news station KPIX recorded the mass shoplifting on his cell phone while he was out with his girlfriend, KPIX-TV reported."It was just like an ambush, basically," the producer, who didn't want to be named, told the station in regard to the afternoon ransacking inside the store on 9th and Market Streets. "It took me about three seconds to pull my phone out ... and they just had no care at all."Sometimes, however, upstanding people reach their breaking point and decide enough is enough.Here's a look at 10 times sick-of-it-all customers witnessing retail theft happening before their eyes stepped up and put a stop to it.Spunky older woman blocks 'a**hole' shoplifter, yanks off his ski mask, and yells 'enough of this bulls**t' as he exits empty-handedGlobal News reported that the Jan. 29, 2022, incident at a Walmart in Campbell River — about four hours northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia — began when a man followed the suspected shoplifter heading for the store exit. The man — who apparently was recording video of the heist — asked the apparent shoplifter if he was planning on paying for the items that filled his cart. You can view a news report about the incident here."Yeah," the alleged shoplifter — who was wearing a ski mask — replied. As the suspect grabbed his bike and wheeled it toward the open door, he told a gray-haired woman who arrived there before him "excuse me."She shouted at him, “Excuse me!” and blocked his path with her shopping cart. With that, the woman got angry and began pulling off the man's apparent disguise — ordering him to "take that f***in' mask off, asshole!" — and hollering that she's seen "enough of this bulls**t!”The crook put up no fight as the woman pulled his ski mask all the way off, and the man who was recording the incident on video — and perhaps the woman as well — pulled the shopping cart back into the store's lobby. "F*** off, asshole!" the woman exclaimed. "Get out!" The man recording the video told him, "Take your s**t and go."The woman then yelled it's "you assholes" who "jack up the price for everybody else ... it’s about time they got caught!” The alleged shoplifter left with only his backpack.Furious customer body-slams, wrestles shoplifting duo outside Walgreens: 'I am way bigger than you, and I will f*** you up!'A northern California Walgreens customer told KGO-TV he witnessed a male putting bottles of pills into a backpack on March 19, 2022, and decided it was time to act. "I said [to myself], 'This is a time you can make an impact, make this happen,'" the customer — who requested the station use only his first name, Kevin — told the station.Kevin handed his cell phone to another person in the Alameda store and asked that person to record what was about to happen, the station said. You can view cellphone video of what occurred here. Video shows Kevin on top of the suspected shoplifter, who's dressed in a grey hoodie, and the suspect yells out, "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" and Kevin can be heard hollering for bystanders to call police."I am way bigger than you, and I will f*** you up!" Kevin growls at the suspect. "I am placing you under citizen's arrest!" He also tells the suspected shoplifter that prices are going up because of crooks like him.KGO said after more than a two-minute struggle, the suspect begins yelling out to a friend, after which a male dressed in blue soon walks up to the scene and gets directly involved."He came behind me and tried to get me in a headlock," Kevin told KGO in regard to the second assailant, adding that "I picked him up by the groin and threw him to the ground." Things ended with the suspects running to their nearby getaway car, the station said.Police told KGO the stolen merchandise was recovered — but the store didn't seek prosecution.Walmart shopper tackles purportedly drunk shoplifter who crashed into parked car just moments priorAn employee of a Walmart in Federal Way, Washington, tried to stop a male from leaving the store with unpaid merchandise on March 30, 2021, after which the suspect told the worker to "back up" and continued toward the exit, apparently refusing to put down the merchandise.But a customer approached the suspect and demanded, "You better put that down before I knock you out." The suspect refused to comply, and the unidentified shopper kicked the merchandise from the suspect's hands. The suspect tried to swing at the Good Samaritan, who quickly took the suspect to the ground and subdued him. A Walmart employee intervened as the customer climbed off the suspect's back, and the apparently dazed suspect was able to climb to his feet.Authorities arrested 29-year-old Troy K. Robinson on charges of DUI, hit and run, and attempted theft in the third degree, the Daily Mail reported, adding that Federal Way Police Commander Kurt Schwan said, "Robinson had entered the business and was attempting to shoplift when confronted by store employees."Robinson, according to Schwan, reportedly "threatened to assault anyone who touched him ... that is when a 21-year-old male community member stepped in and confronted Robinson ... when officers arrived, they located Robinson in the parking lot and detained him." You can view a news report about the incident here.Good Samaritan customer all done playing, brutally throws apparent TJ Maxx shoplifter into security gate after physical struggle over bagsThe customer became involved when two women tried to exit a T.J. Maxx in Mira Loma, California, while carrying armfuls of merchandise, KABC-TV reported, adding that a witness said the altercation occurred about 1:30 p.m. April 30, 2023. You can view a video report about the incident here.While one of the women got out of the store before the Good Samaritan could step into action, her apparent partner in crime — who was trailing behind — wasn't so lucky. The man got between the second woman and the store's exit and grabbed the bags she was toting as she attempted to get away — and she hit the much larger man in the face twice. Eventually, the alleged shoplifter was able to get away — but without the two bags she apparently tried to take, KABC said, adding that while law enforcement made a report, no arrest took place at the time.Frustrated Target shopper steps in to stop thief, rips bin from his hands: 'Stop that s**t, man! Get a f***ing job!'Video shows 28-year-old Samuel Balcorta of San Francisco carrying a bin of stolen items through the exit doors of a Bay Area Target on March 16, 2022, when an unarmed shopper approached him, ripped the bin from his hands, and yelled, "Stop that s**t, man! Get a f***ing job!" You can view video of the confrontation here.Colma police said the shopper who intervened soon after called police, which led to Balcorta's arrest. It was later revealed that Balcorta was out on bail for a prior felony charge at the time of the incident, and this time he was booked on burglary and grand theft charges as well as an additional felony charge for committing a felony while out on bail.Crook likely assumes he pulled off jewelry heist — until plucky patrons pin perp to pavementA male dressed in a suit walked into Marina Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona, around 11:40 a.m. Sept. 1, 2023, and then allegedly snatched a tray of expensive items and tried to flee the store. But two patrons thwarted the deed. Police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Troy Bell."On his way out the door, he encountered two brave men who were entering the jeweler's and tried to stop him,” police said in a news release, according to the Daily Independent. "The three reportedly got into a fight which ultimately resulted in Bell being detained by the two men, and some other helpers."An onlooker captured video, which you can view here, of the bystanders chasing and eventually pinning the alleged robber to the ground. Within minutes, police arrived and made the arrest; Bell was charged with shoplifting, assault, and failure to provide a truthful name. All of the jewelry, said to be worth thousands of dollars, was recovered.Jiu-jitsu black belt takes down alleged violent thief in Chicago 7-Eleven — then livestreams himself pinning male to floor until cops arriveIdriz Redzovic, a third-degree Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, took down an alleged violent thief in a Chicago 7-Eleven on June 16, 2022 — and then took out his cell phone and began recording live video of him pinning the man to the floor until police arrived, WFLD-TV reported. You can view a news report about the incident here.Redzovic — who runs Supreme Academy of Jiu-Jitsu in Lincoln Park — went to the 7-Eleven on Ashland and Lawrence to buy Slurpees for his kids, the station said. But the black belt with 22 years of self-defense training noticed a man harassing people outside the store, WFLD noted."He comes up to me and says, ‘What are you looking at?'" Redzovic recalled to the station. "In my training I tell people to take a step back, hands up, don’t engage unless you feel safe."Redzovic told WFLD he continued to watch the man, who soon made his way into the store and then appeared to attack an employee — a moment that was caught on surveillance video. Then it was game over."Once I saw him actually connect and hit the employee in his head, I jumped in, grabbed him like I do in training here, put him down, flattened him like a pancake, and then I tied him up like a pretzel in a position called ‘Gift Wrap’ or ‘Twisting Arm Control,’" Redzovic recounted to the station.Redzovic then took out his cell phone and began livestreaming himself keeping the man subdued — for 18 minutes, WFLD said. Arriving officers arrested 30-year-old Christopher Cruz and charged him with two misdemeanor counts of retail theft and battery, the station said.Marine Corps veteran calmly disarms gun-toting, would-be store robber in seconds — and sends his accomplices running for their livesThe veteran remained calm when a trio of would-be robbers — one of them armed — stormed into a Chevron gas station convenience store in Yuma County, Arizona, on the morning of Oct. 20, 2021, KSAZ-TV reported. As one of the suspects flashed a handgun and pointed it at the cashier, the veteran quickly grabbed the weapon and twisted the suspect's arm, appearing to drive the suspect to the ground. Two other suspects who entered the store behind their armed partner fled the scene in shock and fear. One can be seen falling to the ground before running away as if his life depended on it. The veteran was able to pin down the previously armed suspect until deputies arrived. (=You can view a news report about the incident — which includes surveillance video from the store — here.The suspect was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center for armed robbery and aggravated assault. The other two suspects reportedly got away and were still on the loose at the time of the report. When sheriff's deputies asked the veteran how he was able to take control of the situation, he reportedly replied, "The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around." Six days later, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office presented the veteran — James Kilcer — with its Citizens Valor Award for his actions. Kilcer wore a "Make America Great Again" hat and a "Let's Go Brandon" T-shirt to the ceremony. As readers of Blaze News know by now, "Let's Go Brandon" is a subtle variation of the chant "F*** Joe Biden," which had just started to gain popularity at the time after an NBC reporter incorrectly insisted that fans in the stands at a NASCAR race were chanting the former rather than the latter.Theft from Alabama Tractor Supply store skids to a halt as armed customer blows out getaway car's tire: 'Everyone is walking around with guns in Theodore'Two men attempted a broad-daylight theft from an Alabama Tractor Supply store on Black Friday 2022 — Nov. 25 — but some customers weren't having a bit of it, including one who pulled out his gun and blew out at least one tire on the getaway vehicle.Witnesses said the two men were trying to steal merchandise from a Tractor Supply Co. location in Theodore on Friday morning, WPMI-TV reported. Theodore is about 15 minutes southwest of Mobile. Ryan Maxie and his fiancée, Katie Clark, were in the store's parking lot when they heard shots after two men loaded up a shopping cart with unpaid merchandise, WPMI said.Witnesses told the station a customer pulled one of the suspects, Toby Priest, out of the getaway SUV. The other suspect, Troy Brown, was able to take off in the vehicle — but was stopped when a different customer shot out at least one of the vehicle's tires, WPMI said. Police soon found the getaway SUV abandoned on Highway 90 at the Interstate 10 entrance — with at least one flat tire, the station said.Brown and Priest were booked into Mobile Metro Jail and were being charged with third-degree felony theft, the station said. Maxie shared some advice for crooks who try their luck in his neck of the woods, WPMI noted: "Everyone is walking around with guns in Theodore." You can view a news video about the incident here.Customer — as he's holding six-pack of Miller Lite — fires gun at armed robber in store and ends threat Surveillance video shows a man dressed in black and wearing a black face mask enter the Stone Lake Marathon Mini Mart in Cassopolis, Michigan, on July 27, 2023. Police said the suspect announced himself to the clerk by saying, "You know why I’m here."A customer appeared to be going to the register with a six-pack of Miller Lite just as the suspect went behind the counter to reportedly threaten the store clerk. However, the customer holding the beer took out his gun — for which he has a valid concealed carry permit — and shot the would-be robber. The customer fired three shots, then moved to the side of the counter and shot three more times. He then fired a seventh shot at the suspected thief. The customer reportedly shot the suspect in the arm, back, and face — and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. You can view a video report about the incident here.While the suspected would-be robber didn't have a gun, police said he did threaten the clerk with a box cutter. The suspect was identified in court records as 35-year-old Cordelius Anthony Martin; he was released from a hospital on Aug. 16 and charged with armed robbery. Martin — reportedly a three-time felon, meaning he could face up to life in prison for the attempted robbery — was being held on a $100,000 bond.The store clerk told WOOD-TV that the armed customer "saved my life."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The former school district police chief who oversaw the failed response to the May 24, 2022, elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has been indicted on 10 counts of felony child endangerment. An 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School and slaughtered 19 children and two teachers in adjoining classrooms 111 and 112. It was not until 77 minutes after police first arrived on the scene that U.S. Border Patrol neutralized the shooter. In the meantime, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department Chief Pete Arredondo ostensibly worked against an effective solution and wasted precious time down the hall. The Department of Justice's 600-page January report on law enforcement's response to the shooting concluded that Arredondo, the de facto incident commander on the day of the incident, "had the necessary authority, training, and tools" but did not ultimately "provide appropriate leadership, command, and control, including not establishing an incident command structure nor directing entry into classrooms 111 and 112." Extra to ordering officers not to enter the classrooms where the shooter was located, Arredondo dropped his radios at the time of arrival, treated the incident "as a barricaded subject scenario and not as an active shooter situation," and waited for SWAT to arrive. The DOJ's report made clear that rather than "push forward immediately and continuously toward the threat until entry was made into classrooms 111/112 and the threat was eliminated," Arredondo and those with him retreated after the initial burst of gunfire. The Texas House of Representatives' 2022 interim report similarly indicated that while in the position to act, Arredondo impotently "remained in the hallway where he lacked reliable communication with other elements of law enforcement, and he was unable to effectively implement staging or command and control of the situation." The Ulvalde Leader-News reported that Arredondo's indictment this week accused him of "intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, and with criminal negligence" placing 10 children in imminent danger of bodily injury or death by failing to identify the situation as an active shooter incident despite hearing gunshots in the classroom. The indictment further indicated that upon learning children had been injured, Arredondo elected to direct officers to evacuate the wing before confronting the shooter; failed to ascertain whether the door to classroom 111 was even locked; and failed to "timely provide keys and breaching tools to enter classrooms 111 and 112," reported NBC News. The DOJ's report had noted the likelihood that the door was unlocked. Shortly after turning himself in to the Uvalde County Jail Thursday, Arredondo was released on bail. The Uvalde Police Department noted that it had not been contacted by the district attorney's office regarding any of its staff and presently had no comment on the matter. The Austin American-Statesman reported that a grand jury also indicted former UCISD officer Adrian Gonzales. Arredondo and Gonzales each face up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!