Why did Lebron James Wear a Black Face Mask?

Lebron James wearing a black face mask against New York Knicks

Q1: Why did Lebron James wear a mask?
or
Q2: Why does Lebron James wear a black face mask?

A1: Lebron James wore a face mask so he could protect his broken nose.
or
A2: Lebron James wears a black face mask to protect his broken nose.

Lebron James broke his nose in the game Miami played against Oklahoma City Thunder. Miami beat them 103-81 on the road.

Q: Who broke Lebron James' nose?

A: Serge Ibaka broke Lebron James nose when Lebron went up to dunk the basketball in the Miami Heat vs.Oklahoma Thunder game.

Lebron James Must Wear a Mask to Play Basketball

Because of the broken nose, Lebron James was not able to play in the Miami road game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, February 24, 2014. In order for him to resume playing basketball, he would have to wear a mask to protect his broken nose from further injury.

Then, Lebron James tried wearing a mask during basketball practice and said it was "uncomfortable" - this is to be expected. Many basketball players that have to start wearing masks or goggles have to adjust their game play to get comfortable with the new protective gear. Other examples: Amare Stoudamire, Kobe Bryant, and Richard Hamilton.

However, this isn't the first mask for Lebron James. In 2005, Lebron James had to wear a mask when playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is because of a broken cheek bone.

Lebron James Looks like a Superhero in his Black Face Mask

Lebron James joked that he wants to wear a black face mask like the villain Bane in the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Lebron James said: "I've been talking to Marvel Comics for the last couple of days, and DC Comics, to try and come up with one of the greatest masks of all time...so we'll see what happens."

With Lebron James new black face mask, he helped the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks 108-82 on Thursday, February 27, 2014.

Lebron James Decides to Wear a Mask to Protect his Identity and Play Basketball

So now do you understand why Lebron James must "wear a face mask" to protect his true identity on the basketball court?

It is really to protect his nose, but there isn't anything wrong to look good while working on the basketball court.

Chris Bosh poses in Lebron's black face mask, saying "I'm Batman" (Instagram)

Update 03-01-14: Lebron James is no longer allowed to wear his custom black mask, according to a USA Today article. The NBA has decreed that Lebron James must put away his custom black mask and wear a league-approved mask. Lebron James will comply before Saturday night's game against the Orlando Magic.

Lebron James black mask collage posted to Instagram

Terrence Davidson Upset that Nicki Minaj Stole His Wigs

Three poses of Nicki Minaj wearing pink wig

Terrence Davidson isn't happy with Nicki Minaj and her wig selection. In fact, he's pissed. That's because she stole his wigs, and he's out $30 million, or so he claims.

Lawyer: Nicki Minaj Stole Terrence Davidson's 'Intellectual Property'

According to Terrence Davidson's lawyer, Nicki Minaj stole his intellectual property - his custom-designed wigs - without promoting them, as she agreed to. She was supposed to market her own line of Terrence Davidson wigs. Instead, she just put it on and walked away from their business partnership.

Terrence Davidson Files 'Wig' Lawsuit Against Nicki Minaj

Terrence Davidson has now filed a federal lawsuit against Nicki Minaj. This lawsuit is for lost profits that would have arisen from Nicki Minaj's promotion of Terrence Davidson wigs. Terrence Davidson is being represented by Christopher Chestnut. Mr. Chestnut believes that Nicki Minaj owes Terrence Davidson $30 million.

Now $30 million is a lot of money, do you really think that he would have sold that many wigs?

A biig problem for Nicki Minaj's case is that she cut ties with him after discussions about doing a reality show and launching into the sale of his wigs. She ended communications with him, but then began selling the designs to his wigs to the public without his permission. That sounds pretty low down.

Nicki Minaj is Known for her Wigs

Some people may thing that this lawsuit is outrageous and frivolous. But one must note that Nicki Minaj is known for her wigs, whether it be the bright pink one, or the bizarre ones. Even when she was a judge for American Idol, she wore a different wig every night, and her persona stole the spotlight from Mariah Carey.

Now, if Nicki Minaj wants a wig, then Nicki Minaj gets a wig. 

Here are some more valid questions to ask:

Was Nicki Minaj justified in her actions against Terrence Davidson? 

Do you believe the Nicki Minaj used her celeb status to get wigs and then flaked out on Terrence Davidson?

Do you really have to steal when you make all of that money?

Nicki Minaj with blonde hair

Image credit: 
Image 1:  Flickr Creative Commons; by  Mons†erFromPovo
Image 2: Flickr Creative Commons; by  Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back FX-7 Medical Droid Sells for $12,900

by: Z. Love

Star Wars Empire Strikes Back FX-7 Medical Droid

A Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back action figure sold for over 100 times the asking price at an auction. The toy is a FX-7 medical droid, and you might be surprised at how much this insignificant this droid really is.

Near-Mint Condition FX-7 Medical Droid Sells for Almost $13k

The Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back toy was a near-mint condition 1980 FX-7 (Medical Droid) by Palitoy brand toys. The final price at auction came to $12,900.00 USD. The actual starting (asking) price was only $93.00 USD.

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back Medical Droid has 16 Seconds of Screen Time

This FX-7 medical droid appears on the Hoth medical station in the movie, Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. The droid gets about 16 seconds of screen time. That 16 seconds is now worth $12,900.00 USD at auction.

FX-7 Medical droid in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

The FX-7 medical droid is seen in the movie scene where Luke Skywalker is wearing a diaper and submerged in a water tank (see above), while being fed oxygen, much like scenes from Marvel Comics where Wolverine is in a holding tank in the Weapon X program. Luke Skywalker is revived thanks to the FX-7 medical droid. So some people may argue that the FX-7 played a significant contribution to the Light side of the force in reviving Luke Skywalker.

Close up of FX-7 medical droid

Star Wars Background on the FX-7 Medical Droid

The FX-7 Medical Droid was positioned in the Rebels mystery Echo Base on the ice planet of Hoth. The FX-7 medical droid supported both Human and droid doctors in the Echo Base therapeutic lab. The droids capability to utilize its twenty retractable controller arms at the same time demonstrated functional to an understaffed medicinal straight. After the unfortunate loss of the Yavin Base, the Alliance utilized any antiquated supplies they could discover. This droid was classed as old fashioned, yet demonstrated still useful for its advanced medicinal, diagnostic, and procedural programming. In spite of the fact that this droid was fit for speech, its discourse synthesizer card was absent, making it not able to communicate.

FX-7 Medical Droid working on a human

H&R Block Online Software Dependent Glitch for Alabama Income Tax Filers

H&R Block Tax Software glitch for AL tax return filers

Alabama Income Tax Filers: If you use H&R Block online software to file your taxes, be aware - there is a glitch in the software when it carries your federal information over to the state tab. Your state tax return will not be accurate if this glitch is present.

I Found a 'Dependent Glitch' in the H&R Block Online Tax Software

I noticed that the information for my dependent was missing after I printed my Alabama tax return. For some reason it did not import the dependent data from the Federal tab to the state tab. I tried everything possible to add this data, but there was no ability to add a dependent on the state tab (see screenshot below).

Screenshot of AL dependent page of online tax software

After I Discovered the Glitch, I Called H&R Block Customer Support

I called H&R Block customer support. The lady on the phone couldn't figure it out either. She then had me go to the live chat support from the website. He couldn't figure it out, either. Then this guy transferred me over to technical support. He spent at least an hour researching why my dependent information did not carry over to the state return. He came up with a guess why the glitch happened, but it his guess not correct. He thought it didn't carry over because of Alabama's Tax law, but that was not the case.

In the time it took for him to research the problem, I manually did my Alabama tax return using the AL40 with calculations, available on the state website.

Resolution to H&R Block Online Tax Software 'Dependent Glitch'

What I ended up doing was getting a refund of ($36.99) for my AL state portion of the H&R Block online software, and I manually did my AL state return. The technical support guy said what you seem to hear a lot when there is a problem: "I've never seen that glitch happen before. So I am going to give you a refund on your state return."

It did happen, and is a good reason why you should always review your tax information before sending it in, even if you feel confident in the tax software. Tax software can have glitches in it.

I am glad that H&R Block was willing to give me a refund, after all, I am not going to pay for them to give me the wrong data on my individual income tax return.

This was a valuable lesson for me in using tax software, and how I am going to be extra careful in examining my returns in the future when filing my taxes.

5 Signs You Are Being Spied On

It's good to know when you are being followed, and even better to know when you are being spied on. Go through the tell-tale signs below to really know if you are being spied on.

Binoculars. credit: Wikimedia Commons; by Airman Ricardo J. Reyes

Maybe you are asking yourself, "Am I being spied on?" and if so, check out the tell-tale signs that there is a spy operation going on in your neighborhood.

It is important that you stay very observant of your surroundings, so you can answer the following questions.

1. There is a Suspicious Van in the Neighborhood Sitting Outside Your Home

A white van; credit: James163 on Pixabay

Do you see an unmarked vehicle sitting in close proximity to your home?

The odds that you are being surveilled greatly increase if it stays there over a 24-hour period. Be sure you are watching from a window or vantage point where they cannot see you. 

Is there someone who is staring at your home, watching for your every movement?

The person might be holding binoculars.

Be sure to alert someone else of your suspicions, such as a family member or a friend, just in case you disappear suddenly and without notice. 

Take a picture with your phone and send that image to your confidant.

If no crime has been committed, there is not much the police can do, but you need to collect as much evidence as possible, which is why it is good to keep a family member or friend informed.

2. If you leave your home, does the van leave when you leave?

Pay close attention to notice if you are being followed closely by a someone. Additionally, they wouldn't need to follow you if they have already placed a GPS tracker on your vehicle, such as an Apple airtag.

In that scenario, you should be concerned about your home. 

Do you have a video doorbell camera so you can see if anyone is on your property?

3. When you return home, is the driver still in the van? 

You want to know the whereabouts of the person that you are suspicious about. Keep your family member or friend updated on the situation.

Make sure you get inside your home safely. Take a look around. Does anything look out-of-place?

If you don't feel safe alone in your home, call a family member or friend to come over and check out the situation.

4. Keep Your Friends Close, and Keep the Spies Even Closer

If you suspect you are being spied on, you need to ensure your own safety, but you also need to move smart. 

There are things you can do to let a spy know that you see them. 

An example: Send a delivery to the person in the vehicle.

This is just an example, but if you pay for something, you could have the driver first "check" with the person in the van, such as, "I may be sitting in the van outside my house. If I am not there, you can bring it to the front door."

Delivery person; credit: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

The most important thing is that you stay safely inside your home, yet this will let the person spying on you know that you know what's going on. 

In this situation, you will need to stay vigilant until you can contact the police if you feel that your safety is in jeopardy, or if the spy breaks any laws.

5. What if You are a Tourist Being Spied on?

Everything up to this point has assumed that someone is spying on you in your neighborhood, but what if you are a tourist in an unknown place, and you suspect someone is following you on foot? 

In this scenario, the rules have changed. You are in an unknown place, unfamiliar with your surroundings, and you are desperately hoping that you have a little luck on your side.

Being followed by a spy

If you think you are being followed by a person on foot, take precautions.

• If you think someone is following too closely, stop or pause to allow them to pass. But be prepared, this is the time that a fight will break out. If the spy bumps into you, he either picked your pocket, or he placed a bug on you. Now he can trail you via a tracking device.
• If you suspect an interaction in close proximity. pre-empt the person by asking them if they have the time. Let the person know that you see them and notice them.
• If you are walking in public, take a right, then another right, a left, and then a right. If the spy is still behind you, then continue on to the nearest police precinct. Be prepared to wait a while. A good spy is patient, and has nothing better to do than to follow you around indefinitely.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The original article, "5 Signs You Are Being Spied On" was originally published on Hubpages on 4/19/2012. This blog post has been updated.

This was written for entertainment purposes only, using tongue-in-cheek humor for your reading pleasure.

What do you think?  (Share your thoughts in the comments)