Article Archive: April 2009    

4/30/2009 3:57 PM

Supreme Court To Hear Dog Fighting Case This Fall

Pennsylvania documentary filmmaker Robert Stevens was arrested after producing videos of pit bulls in graphic dog fighting scenes, in violation of the 1999 Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act, which bans the creation, sale or possession of material that depicts animal cruelty.

4/30/2009 3:55 PM

Tina Meier Receives Humanitarian Award

You know that we're hot under the collar over illegal surveillance. But when it comes to parenting, it's a whole different story: and Tina Meier, the mother of 13-year-old Megan who killed herself in 2006 after being bullied by a neighbor on MySpace, wants parents out there to know that they need to keep track of their children's online activity, too, not just where they go and what they do.

4/30/2009 3:52 PM

Chrysler Bankruptcy Protection Revealed

Well, experts said this day would come. Automaker Chrysler (remember our beef with them two years ago, for outsourcing?...guess that didn't go so well) announced today that they are filing for bankruptcy protection, and simultaneously entering into agreements with Italian auto company Fiat. Chrysler's status on Wiki has been updated to: Fate: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

4/30/2009 3:49 PM

Straw Poll Picks Romney, Jindal, Paul and Palin

The CPAC Straw Poll results for this year? 20%, the most of any candidate, voted for former Governor Mitt Romney. Coming in second was LA Governor Bobby Jindal. And, tied for third, Texas Congressman Ron Paul and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

4/30/2009 3:45 PM

Random Trivia: What Does Obama Mean In Japanese?

Didn't know this, either, but for some reason Google Trends is volcanic with this question today, so you know we had to get the scoop for you. What does Obama mean in Japanese?

4/30/2009 3:45 PM

You Deserve A Halle Break Today

Now, you know we've got to show off Halle Berry because she's from our home city of Cleveland, Ohio...and the 42-year old mother is looking the epitome of F-I-E-R-C-E! Halle went solo to this week's screening of X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, and Ryan Reynolds, in LA.

4/29/2009 4:47 PM

JPMorgan Gets Bailout Money, Sends Jobs To India

Case in point, JPMorgan Chase. So far, we taxpayers have delivered $25 billion to this financial institution. They are promised $50 million over the course of 3 years. To show their gratitude to the American People for the sizable donation, JPMorgan recently announced a new program of job creation. Wow! This is great! The problem is JPMorgan is sending the jobs to India.

4/29/2009 4:45 PM

North Korea Starting Second Nuclear Project

What in the world...? Yesterday North Korea announced that they are beginning a second nuclear project, a uranium enrichment program, unless the United Nations lifts the sanctions against them. Their first was in 2006, against a written agreement not to pursue nuclear ambitions (American official claim the missile failed and blew up 40 seconds after blastoff; North Korean claims disagree).

4/29/2009 4:43 PM

Obama's Low-Flying Jet Terrifies Ground Zero

This is the kind of story that makes you shake your head in disbelief. For a federal government photo opportunity - and if you've ever checked out the White House's website (which has been newly redesigned after President Barack Obama's inauguration, by the way, made spiffier) - Obama's Boeing 747 escorted by two fighter jets zipped down over Manhattan at 10:00 am Monday.

4/29/2009 4:41 PM

Madonna Does Not Have The Swine Flu

Speaking of the swine flu, no, Madonna does not have it. Spammers will think of everything, and their latest anecdote is that her Madge-esty has the swine flu. So if you get a message saying Madonna caught swine flu in the subject line, delete it without opening it.

4/29/2009 4:39 PM

What Do You Think Of The New FCC Ruling?

Don't worry, I'm just being facetious with the accompanying photo. But it doesn't look like Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer will be on TV anytime soon. We are curious to know what you think of the recent Supreme Court ruling. As you may have heard, the Court ruled this week that the FCC has the power to crack down on profanity (yes, you may have no idea what the standup comedian is saying when you watch Comedy Central from now on). The vote was 5-4 in favor of allowing big fines for fleeting expletives.

4/29/2009 4:32 PM

Mia Farrow's Hunger Strike For Darfur

Mia Farrow - famous actress, humanitarian, former fashion model and ex-wife of Frank Sinatra and Woody Allen - is tired of sitting around doing nothing about the crisis in Darfur. Beginning on Monday, the 64-year old icon is beginning to fast. For at least 21 days, Farrow says she will drink water only.

4/28/2009 2:28 PM

The Swine Flu Returns

The swine flu frenzy - akin to ghosts of mass media's overboard past such as the Avian bird flu, mad cow disease, E-coli, Y2K (see illustration) - is an influenza, but though hospitals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, New Zealand and Israel have all reported cases of the swine flu, its 'outbreak' has caused only mild symptoms.

4/28/2009 2:25 PM

Sean Hannity Says He'll Be Waterboarded For Charity

Sean Hannity of FOX's Hannity & Colmes has perhaps put his foot where his mouth ought to be, and during an interview with Charles Grodin (though it seemed, to be honest, that Grodin was the one conducting the interview) consented to be waterboarded.

4/28/2009 2:23 PM

Momtrepreneur Hopes To Make It To Mom, Inc.

We recently posted an article about how Kelly Ripa landed a new upcoming series on TLC, where real life mothers will be featured coming up with products, finding a manufacturer, and marketing their wares.

4/28/2009 2:20 PM

Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes Remembrance Month

A remembrance month celebrating the life of Lisa Left Eye Lopes, formerly of the girl group TLC alongside Tionne T-Boz Watkins and Rozonda Chilli Thomas, so that others can post comments and reflect. We're happy to oblige.

4/28/2009 2:18 PM

Eminem Parodies Celebs In 'We Made You'

Awesome Bret Michaels impression! We're a fan of the first Amendment, so we like to check in now and again on what Marshall Mathers aka Eminem is up to. Okay, he may be vulgar and outlandish, but sometimes he has quite a point. Sometimes.

4/28/2009 2:17 PM

Angelina Jolie Wraps In Synthetic Fur

You may have already seen this photo, since everything the Jolie-Pitt's do is splashed all over magazines and television, so much so that we see the outfits they will wear in upcoming films like a year before the movies come out.

4/23/2009 1:56 PM

Let's Hold Banks Accountable

Last year alone, commercial banks made over $50 billion from consumers for overdraft fees and insufficient funds / negative balance charges - their number one source of income. In February of 2007, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D - NY) introduced H.R. 946 to Congress, the Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act, which would have extended the protections of the Truth in Lending Act to overdraft protection programs, services and fees. prohibiting the systematic manipulation in the posting of debits and fees.

4/23/2009 1:54 PM

Dick Cheney Calls Interrogations 'Success'

Former Vice President Dick Cheney gave an interview to FOX News (who else?) regarding the recently declassified internal CIA memos that reveal harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding that many consider to be torture.

4/23/2009 1:53 PM

GM Summer Shutdown?

Finally someone at General Motors may have realized that they're making too many freaking cars! In November of '08 we reported that despite GM's sales having dropped 45% (now up to 48.8%), they were still producing more than 7 vehicles per minute (at least 284,000 more per year than reasonably needed). With the state of the economy, people are buying less automobiles, and there's no reason to continue inflated production when there aren't enough buyers for the vehicles being manufactured.

4/23/2009 1:51 PM

Supreme Court Rules On Searching Cars

This week, the Supreme Court of Arizona reversed the decision, ruling in favor of the fourth Amendment: Gant was not asked by the officers if they could search his vehicle, and the State Supreme Court found the search unreasonable because the search was not justified by either the interest of officer safety nor the interest of preserving evidence.

4/23/2009 1:50 PM

Quote of the Day: The Fate of Seal Pups

Paul McCartney after signing his full support to the petition to ban the cruel trade in seal products, organized by the Humane Society International UK and Respect for Animals.

4/22/2009 8:00 AM

Federal Court Halts Arctic Drilling Leases

Although, at that time, the George W. Bush administration did proceed to auction off these leases in the Arctic off of Alaska's coast, a federal Court of Appeals panel in Washington has just ruled that the Interior Department did not properly assess the environmental impact of these leases.

4/22/2009 7:58 AM

Judge Tells Rod Blagojevich No On Costa Rica

First the victory for Arctic wildlife, now this...you People are changing the world all over the place! Last we posted an article (Why Do We Give TV Shows to Criminals?) and mentioned that it was up to Judge James B. Zagel whether or not freshly impeached Former Governor Rod Blagojevich could bend the rules and fly to Costa Rica to make $80k / week on a celebrity reality show in the midst of his corruption trial. (We included the Honorable Judge's contact info, of course.)

4/22/2009 7:56 AM

Happy Earth Day 2009

To read up on ways to celebrate Earth Day, including helping to create a billion acts of Green, Making the No Coal Call, helping to bring healthy food to our schools, and others, just visit earthday.net or earthday.gov.

4/22/2009 7:55 AM

Queen Of Mean Not So Mean

Leona Helmsley, once dubbed the Queen of Mean, is still giving, nearly two years after her death at the age of 87. Although, for the pooches, it's not as much as intended.

4/22/2009 7:53 AM

Sprint Saga Part III

Thank you for contacting Sprint, he writes. I understand your frustration and discomfort regarding civil liberties and the basic tenets of human freedom.

4/22/2009 7:52 AM

Quote Of The Day: The Capitol's Expanding

The reason I did it is I see Washington [D.C.] as the only growing place in the United States. They're going to own the banks; they're going to own the car companies; they're going to own everything. -Donald Trump

4/20/2009 5:17 PM

FBI Advises On Work At Home Scams

You know the type: in fact, I can pull one from my inbox right now without searching hard. Let's see...wow! It is actually the first item in my email, entitled 'Want to leave the thankless job in the dust and earn 6figures [SIC] instead?'

4/20/2009 5:13 PM

Sprint Addresses Privacy Issues With Little Professionalism

First the Sprint customer service rep announced that he had forwarded my concern to the appropriate department, and that as soon as my concern was received it would be addressed.

4/20/2009 5:11 PM

Sarah Palin Isn't Done With Wolves

Over just a few days in March, 66 wolves were killed in Alaska, either shot down by helicopters or planes with aerial gunners. Alaska's recent Board of Game meeting concluded with the approval of using gas bombs to kill wolves and their pups hiding in their dens. Under Governor Sarah Palin's administration, record numbers of these animals are facing death by deadly snares, poison gas, and gunfire.

4/20/2009 5:08 PM

Holy Smokes, It's 420

Whatever your relationship or lack thereof to cannabis, you likely know that today is 420, the counterculture holiday of marijuana, if just by what's on TV. G4TV is showing a marathon of reefer-related comedies, starting with Half-Baked and going onward all night.

4/20/2009 5:07 PM

Quote Of The Day: We Still Write Checks

Ron White in his latest standup, Behavioral Problems, which is out now on DVD and just premiered on Comedy Central.

4/17/2009 6:21 PM

Why Are We Giving TV Shows To Criminals?

T.I., Michael Vick, Rod Blagojevic...Remember the Son of Sam law, designed to prevent criminals from profiting from their crimes by, for example, selling their stories to publishers? It looks like the laws need to be updated to address an era of reality junkies.

4/17/2009 6:19 PM

CIA Not Responsible For Torture, Culprit Still Unknown?

The Barack Obama Administration has released the long-awaited CIA memos that reveal interrogation techniques that some call harsh, and others (including the ACLU) call torture.

4/17/2009 6:17 PM

Quote Of The Day: Napolitano Vs. Reno?

Author Charles Clemans, after Napolitano apologized for offending U.S. military veterans through a report that called their return a reintegration challenge.

4/17/2009 6:15 PM

April Is Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Month

Every ten seconds in America an animal is abused. Every ten seconds! April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month.

4/17/2009 6:13 PM

Does This Mean We Have To Twitter Now?

When I first heard the word 'twitter,' I thought it was some new brainchild of the makers of Blackberry, or our friends at AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. I shelved it in my mental To Look Up Eventually list, like parents mutter 'LMAO' to themselves to decode when they get around to it.

4/17/2009 6:11 PM

Wild, Wild Horses...Let Them Roam

Under the law, wild horses are protected by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. But citing escalating costs and budget cuts, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is actually spending millions of American taxpayer dollars each year to 'manage herds' by holding about 10,000 of these beautiful animals nose to rear in holding pens.

4/17/2009 6:11 PM

Check The Rivers For Tea

Nationwide numbers show around 1 million people participated in tea parties this week across America, in all 50 states and about 700 cities, more than we originally predicted.

4/15/2009 9:49 AM

If There's A Spy Among Us, Its Definitely Electronic

The geniuses at wireless phone company Sprint may have outdone themselves by producing a new advertisement that could leave more people feeling uneasy than intrigued. The commercial reveals that over 200,000 people are currently sending an e-mail containing the words 'miracle banana diet.' Two million people are sending a text message during a business meeting, with their most popular subject being diapers.

4/15/2009 9:46 AM

Public Supports Demjanjuk Staying In US

Too often, people surprise us with their capacity for cruelty. But let it not be said that sympathy - and kindness - are not a part of the American spirit. In Ohio, at least, those polled have consistently disagreed that John Demjanjuk, the accused Nazi camp guard, should be deported from Cleveland, Ohio to face court proceedings in Germany. To the tune of about 67%. This astonished us.

4/15/2009 9:43 AM

Combat Climate Change On Leo DiCaprio's Arm

Not a bad way to go green, is it? Madonna isn't the only celebrity turning to auction giant eBay to raise money for a good cause. Leonardo DiCaprio has his own outlet through Global Green USA, a US affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev's Green Cross International, of which Leo is a board member. Joining in on the action, Gwyneth Paltrow is auctioning off a wardrobe full of Jimmy Choo, Valentino and Roger Vivier to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation, and Ellen DeGeneres is putting up for bid 25 items per week through May 8th whose proceeds will go to The Humane Society.

4/15/2009 9:40 AM

Tax Day, Bloody Tax Day

There are at least 6,552 news articles this morning about tax protests. From Santa Maria, California to San Angelo, Texas, to Columbus, Ohio, Long Island, New York, and Concord, New Hampshire, there are rallies scheduled (and massively organized over the web, we might add) all across the country of people protesting the payment of their income taxes.

4/15/2009 9:39 AM

Kelly Ripa To Hit Reality TV As Mom, Inc.

Kelly Ripa is teaming up with HSN, TLC, and Milojo Productions (her production company co-owned with husband Mark Consuelos) for a new reality TV show called Mom, Inc., to premiere next winter.

4/15/2009 9:37 AM

It's Save The Seals Time Again

We may sound like a broken record, begging you to help put a stop to the massive seal hunts time and time again. But for once there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

4/15/2009 9:36 AM

Quote Of The Day: A Wee Bit Of Revolution

And it's kinda awkward, you know, because he [was] the most unpopular President in the history of President's, and that's the one I get my photograph taken with...'Cause that photograph, you know it's going to happen: I have a son, he's seven years old, he's going to grow up, he's going to see a photograph of me and George W. Bush, Craig Ferguson jokes.

4/14/2009 4:16 PM

Trouble At The Airport

At the Fort Myers airport in sunny Florida recently, I took off my shoes, put my purse and carryon bag into gray tubs on the conveyer belt along with my sandals and flight itinerary, and took two steps forward through the metal detector with my hands up and a goofy smile at the security guard beckoning me forward.

4/14/2009 4:14 PM

GOP Wants To Know What You Think Of Them

The Republican National Committee is sending out a 2009 State of the Republican Party Survey to the American public, wanting to know what you think of the current GOP and how they can improve on a multitude of issues.

4/14/2009 4:13 PM

Madonna Auctions Off Sticky Sweets And Treats

In an effort to raise money for The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, her Madge-esty Madonna is auctioning off items that include workouts, spa days, signed books, a private tour and more.

4/14/2009 4:11 PM

4,500 Children Will Die Today From Water-Related Illnesses

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick.

4/14/2009 4:10 PM

Presidential Puppy Is All Decked Out

President Barack Obama finally put the puppy curiosity to rest by releasing a photograph of the family's new dog, a 6 month old Portuguese water dog that ten-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha named Bo.

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