WebProNews

Author: Lacy Langley

  • Philippines Earthquake: Death Toll Now at 85

    The death toll from a deadly earthquake that struck the Philippines at 8:12 am local time, has risen from an initial count of 6 to 85 dead. The quake hit near Balilihan, a town of about 18,000 people on Bohol, at a depth of 12 miles, the United States Geological Survey reported. The town lies across a strait about 37 miles from Cebu island, where the majority of fatalities were reported. Efforts are hampered, as would be expected, by power outages and communications damage, according to Sky News.

    Neil Sanchez, the head of Cebu’s disaster management office, said: “Communication lines are quite difficult here. “Even the disaster risk reduction management office has been damaged. We had to move elsewhere.”

    Watch as it actually happens:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwIY_eBHXeI

    Residents, as well as tourists, reported that there was extensive damage to historical and modern buildings, including a major university. They also reported several road outages, as many had been simply ripped apart.

    The earthquake was a rude awakening for some. Janet Maribao, a receptionist on Cebu, said: “I was fast asleep when suddenly I woke up because my bed was shaking. I was so shocked, I could do nothing but hide under the bed.”

    The initial earthquake was then followed by at least four jarring aftershocks, each measuring at more than a 5.0 magnitude.

    The Philippines is precariously located in the legendary Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of islands that are prone to quakes and volcanic eruptions, which in turn, can produce some serious tsunamis. However, as of yet, there has been no tsunami warning issued by the Tsunami Warning Center.

    85 lives lost is hard to swallow, no matter what the disaster is, but this earthquake, thankfully, hasn’t come close to the deadliest recorded natural disaster in the Philippines. That event occurred in 1976, when a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake devastated the Moro Gulf on the southern island of Mindanao. A shocking 5,000 to 8,000 people were killed, according to official estimates.

    This has been a tough weekend for The Philippines, which endured Typhoon Nari on Saturday. Nari hit the North coast, killing 13 people so far.

    Image via youtube

  • Schwarzenegger and Stallone Talk Rejected Roles

    Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are in a new movie together, “Escape Plan”, which premieres on Friday. You may be thinking, “Well, it’s about time!”. I know I was. But apparently, this isn’t the first time that a movie script has tried to put the two together. According to an interview with Access Hollywood, “Escape Plan” is the first movie that isn’t in esemble format, ie “The Expedables“, to team up Stallone and Schwarzenegger. In fact, there have been several attempts, it’s just that some of them were, well, deplorable.

    “The interesting thing really, is that for decades, they’ve tried to put us together in a movie and the scripts were horrible,” Arnold told Access Hollywood at the films junket on Monday, “It was like dreadful. We could not have accepted any of that.” He continued, “One movie wanted us to be undercover agents in drag, and another movie wanted us to change from human beings to animals. So he was the dog and I was the cat and we were fighting each other. It was some comedy. It was all this ludicrous stuff.”

    Wow. I don’t know. Schwarzenegger and Stallone as drag cops? Yeah, I would watch that.

    Fortunately, the pair waited for the right time to say yes to just the right script. Arnold says of “Escape Plan”, “In this one, from the beginning, we’re together in this movie and we have this major fight scene, this entire day we shot this fight scene, different angles, close ups, wide shots. He was down, I was down, he gets punched, I get punched. It was going back and forth,” Arnold explained. “It was just a wild, wild fight scene, really well-choreographed the whole thing, but also [there were] some things that went a little bit out of control, which always is good because the camera picks up all those things, so it was really terrific working with him on this film.”

    The interview took a hilarious turn when they were asked who would come out as the victor in a real-life throwdown between the two of them.

    “We’re going to do a movie called ‘Grumpy Old Hags,’ and we’re gonna battle it out,” Sly joked.

    “He would be on top of me punching me, I‘d say, ‘Get off me, let’s go get a schnitzel,’” Arnold added.

    “We’re both pretty strong and he’s got a mean streak in him,” Sly continued.

    “We’re very competitive, so because of that, I think it would be a very interesting fight,” Arnold said.

    Interesting, indeed!

    Image via youtube

  • President Rejects House Proposal, Talks Break Down

    “It’s now up to the Senate Republicans to stand up,” said Representative Raúl R. Labrador of Idaho after House Republicans left today’s meeting on the fiscal crisis in the Capitol. Angry Republicans reported that Obama has rejected yet another offer to ease the stalemate over raising the Debt Ceiling, opening the government, and other urgent issues.

    Representative John Carter of Texas showed his dismay as he described Mr. Obama as “acting like a royal president.” He added, “He’s still ‘my way or the highway’”.

    Unfortunately, the House is not scheduled to meet again until Monday, and House Republicans insist they are pretty much out of options.

    The New York Times reports that negotiations have broken down between House Republicans and Obama on finding a solution to the impending Debt Ceiling crunch.

    Attention now turns to the Senate. Republicans have spent the past several days trying to garner Democratic support for a proposal that they hope could reopen the government and extend the debt-ceiling through the end of January.

    House Republicans remain reluctant to accept any proposal that comes out of the Democratic-controlled Senate, even if it has substantial Republican support. However, Mr. Boehner now has to be concerned about whether he will be forced to put any Senate-offering on the House floor for a vote.

    “The problem here is that we don’t have a functioning majority,” said Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican. “After three weeks of this, they’re still not figuring it out. I don’t know what it takes.”

    The President is unwilling to compromise on any proposal that would suggest limiting his Affordable Care Act. The proposal presented last week by the House called for increasing the Treasury Department’s authority to borrow money through Nov. 22, but only if Mr. Obama agreed to more expansive talks about overhauling the budget. No dice.

    Representative Aaron Schock, Republican in Illinois, speaking of the detriment this meeting imparted to an already tense relationship, called the development “a total breakdown in trust.”

    “You don’t tell the speaker, the majority leader, the majority whip ‘we’re going to negotiate’, then they come and tell our entire conference ‘we’re going to negotiate’ and then 24 hours later, you recant,” he said.

    House Republicans remain skeptical that any Senate plan could gain support in the House. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said the Republicans remain “very united” and were unlikely to cede any ground as long as Mr. Obama continues to treat the standoff as “still a game.”

    Global financial markets could be thrown into turmoil if Congress does not agree to raise the debt ceiling by Thursday, but there is a lot of water to tread for that to happen. Unfortunately for America, this is not a government that is particularly keen on compromise right now.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Paul Ryan: Possible Dealstriker on Fiscal Crisis

    Paul Ryan is stepping up to the proverbial plate in negotiations within the troubled government on the two impending crises in our great nation, according to Fox News.

    He is proposing a plan to increase federal debt that is tied largely to simplifying the tax code, to make enough changes to Medicare to offset cuts to domestic spending and defense programs, and a solid promise from Senate Democrats and President Obama to continue talks about reopening the federal government, among other fiscal issues.

    Ryan seems to have support from establishment Republicans, as well as conservative Republicans. He also has a good working relationship with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, with whom he has yet to meet on the fiscal issues. Eventually, he will likely negotiate with her.

    “I’m working to get a budget agreement,” Ryan told a group of conservative meeting this weekend in Washington. “We need to completely rethink government’s role in helping the most vulnerable. … That means we can never give up on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.”

    His remarks reassured Tea party Conservatives, who were gathered at the Values Voter Summit over the weekend, that his stance on Obamacare has not changed. His recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal seemed to insinuate that he had abandoned the defunding of the Affordable Care Act.

    Failure to increase the debt limit within roughly the next week would result in the country defaulting on its debt for the first time in history. The partial government shutdown started October 1st, and has yet to show hope of a solution.

    Image via wikipedia

  • Reese Witherspoon Gained “Direction” From Children

    Reese Witherspoon told Elle in a recent interview that having her daughter, Ava, when she was 23, changed her life, as well as some basic elements of her personality.

    “Somebody was saying to me the other day, ‘Oh, people get less interesting when they have kids.’ I just don’t think that’s true,” Witherspoon said. “I feel like I was so confused before I had kids, I almost got in my own way.”

    Besides clearing her head and changing her perspective, her children also made Reese relax a little and not be so competitive, as when she eerily resembled her onscreen personality in her breakout film, “Election”.

    “Having kids made me clearer about who I was as a woman. I just wanted to exhibit good qualities for my daughter. I was a little competitive before I had kids — probably really competitive, to be honest. It really made me let go of that.” Witherspoon said.

    She is a really busy mom now, with 3 kids: Ava, 11, Deacon, 9 and Tennessee, 1. However that hasn’t slowed her down one bit. She recently stared in the Indie film “Mud”. She’s not just a pretty face on the screen anymore, though.

    She is also the founding Producer of Pacific Standard production company, which is currently working on a movie adaptation of the hit novel “Gone Girl”. Of her new career in production, she says,

    “I started noticing a couple years ago that I wasn’t seeing women as the stars of movies,” she said. “I’m seeing them as the guys’ girlfriends, or so-and-so’s wife. I just thought: God, if I don’t start buckling down and start producing some movies, what’s my daughter going to see in the movies?”

    I’m sure Ava is, and will be, so proud of her mom and role model. Witherspoon says her children gave her direction, and it looks like that direction will surely be a successful one.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Ted Cruz: Conservative Hero or Bane of Progress?

    Ted Cruz, who made a 21-hour speech decrying the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, has become the poster child for Tea party Conservatives and was hailed as a conquering hero when he arrived to speak at a gathering of Tea party supporters in Washinton, DC on Friday for the Values Voter Summit.

    According to Yahoo, he spoke about his upcoming meeting with Obama and fellow Republican senators at the White House. He joked, “If I am not seen again please send a search and rescue team.”

    NBC reports that in turn, he was heckled by protesters during the speech. He insisted that they were paid cronies of Obama’s, and they were removed.

    Fellow conservative Republican Senator Mike Lee from Utah, who spoke before Cruz at the summit, has partnered Cruz in the fight to dismantle the healthcare law.

    “We make no apologies,” Lee declared over the failed fight to block Obamacare. “We must stop it, we must defeat it, and we cannot accept it.” Lee, too, was given a standing ovation.

    However, as Republicans begin to try to negotiate with Obama for a deal on the debt ceiling and the reopening of the Government, Cruz is gradually being defamed by fellow Conservatives.

    “His battle is over,” said Charlie Black, a veteran republican strategist. “It was a bad idea. He was trying to do something that was impossible. There is a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate. He’s new to Washington. Maybe he didn’t know what was possible.”

    Senator McCain, a republican from Arizona and former presidential candidate called Cruz and his allies “wacko birds”. But he’s not the only one to voice opposition. Representative Peter King from New York has also been a vocal opponent of Cruz’s tactics.

    Republican political adviser Ford O’Connell said opposition to the healthcare law was justified, but Cruz’s tactics were “completely wrong.”

    “Cruz has done a good job of bringing this to the attention of the American people – but the government shutdown has completely obstructed his message.”

    He added,”The key to successful political negotiating is to pull the right lever at the right time. Unfortunately for the Republican party, the Tea Party caucus is pulling the right lever at the wrong time.”

    Will Cruz’s tactics insight a Conservative uprising, or division of the Republican party? We shall see…

    Image via wikipedia

  • Tropical Cyclone Phailin Prompts Mass Evacuation

    Tropical Cyclone Phailin is gathering in the Bay of Bengal and will soon make landfall on India’s east coast. Preparations are underway to insure that the destruction from Phailin doesn’t compare to the disastrous Cyclone 05B, also known as the Odisha Cyclone, which made landfall in the same area, causing the loss of more than 10,000 lives on October 29, 1999.

    According to CNN, authorities have laid down a mandatory evacuation of at least 440,000 people from low lying areas in Odisha. They left on foot or by bicycle, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman, Marri Shashidhar Reddy, told reporters at a televised news conference early Saturday afternoon. Evacuations will continue until Phailin roars ashore, he said.

    “We have taken a zero-casualty approach,” said Odisha state disaster manager Kamal Lochan Mishra. “If people do not move, force will be used to evacuate them.”

    The evacuees will be housed in about 250 emergency shelters in buildings like schools and government offices until the cyclone subsides, which likely won’t happen in the next two days.

    International humanitarian organization World Vision said it was helping local community groups prepare for the cyclone’s arrival.

    “In a storm of this magnitude there is the potential for widespread damage to crops and livestock in the low-lying coastal areas and houses completely wiped away,” said Kunal Shah, the head of World Vision’s emergency response in India. “So while we are praying this storm loses intensity, we’re also preparing.”

    World Vision has trained the local people in disaster preparedness, including search and rescue, basic first aid and how to protect livestock, and has thousands of emergency response kits ready to hand out where needed.

    “We believe communities are better prepared than they were when the devastating cyclone hit in 1999,” said Shah.

    Locals were advised to stay indoors during the storms, as they could be injured by flying debris, as well as the possible flooding of escape routes.

    Phailin is expected to make landfall somewhere near the border of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in India before 9 p.m. local time (about noon ET).

    Image via wikipedia

  • Olivia Culpo Didn’t Want to Do Taj Mahal Shoot

    Authorities in India said Thursday that they have now filed a formal complaint over Miss Universe Olivia Culpo’s fashion shoot at the Taj Mahal, after the U.S. beauty queen posed with red high heels in front of the “monument to love” without permission.

    Now, Culpo says she didn’t even want to do it, according to ABC News. “Honestly, I did at one point say out loud, ‘Isn’t this a little inappropriate?’” Culpo, 21, said. “It’s really upsetting because I loved my visit to India, and I would love nothing more than to go back, even in the near future.”

    She added, “I was given directions to pose with the shoes and, honestly, 5-inch heels on a 10-inch bench in 90-degree weather — you know, I didn’t want to do it,” Culpo told the Journal. “It’s upsetting to me that I was a part of that.”

    The Miss Universe organization has apologized for the photo shoot, stating that “the filming that took place outside the Taj Mahal was never intended to be used as a commercial nor was it meant in any way to be disrespectful.”

    Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot that Olivia Culpo can do to appease Indian authorities. According to Boston.com. The Indian culture has a strong reverence for the monument, completed in 1648 after 22 years of labor as a mausoleum for the empress Mumatz Mahal.

    “She essentially only has one option, which is to apologize and throw away the tapes and allow the Indian government to make an example of her to discourage other people from doing something like this ever again,” said Davidson Goldin, a crisis communications expert at Goldin Solutions in New York City.

    Penalties are fairly steep for such acts, which seem to be considered near sacrilege. Culpo could face up to two years in prison and a $1,600 fine for violating India’s Heritage Act, which bans commercial activities on the Taj Mahal grounds.

    Image via wikipedia

  • Ashton Carter, Deputy Defense Secretery, Steps Down

    Ashton Carter, Deputy Defense Secretary under Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, announced on Thursday his plans for stepping down from his position in December. He has been in top Pentagon positions for four years, according to Reuters.

    Carter was best known for his “unwavering, untiring and overwhelming” commitment to making sure that U.S. troops had the equipment to do their jobs, said Brett Lambert, head of Industrial Policy at the Pentagon.

    Many times, that lead to sending unusual equipment and supplies to troops on foreign ground to improve conditions and safety. Bomb-sniffing dogs and landmine-proof Hummers that were especially designed to climb over the mountainous terrain in Afghanistan, for example.

    Carter’s replacement has not been announced, but late Thursday, some names began to surface as possible Deputies. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and the Pentagon’s former policy chief, Michele Flournoy, are all among those named so far, as well as Linda Hudson, chief executive of BAE Systems Inc.

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is sorry to see him go, and said he “reluctantly accepted” Carter’s decision to leave the post. “He possesses an unparalleled knowledge of every facet of America’s defense enterprise, having worked directly and indirectly for eleven secretaries of defense over the course of his storied career,” Hagel said in a statement.

    Carter was apparently waiting for some of the dust to clear from the present mess in Washington, but ran out of time. “I have decided that this situation might well continue and I don’t want any more time to pass before giving you the opportunity to begin a smooth transition,” Carter said in his resignation letter to Hagel.

    Carter said he has planned for a long time to step down on December 4 of this year, but delayed his announcement because of the cloudiness of the financial situation at the Defense Department, which has been affected by the partial government shutdown that started on October 1.

    Image via wikipedia

  • Shia LaBeouf Causes Scuffle in London

    Shia LeBeouf was in London this week filming the World War II movie, “Fury”, when he was involved in a scuffle, according to Yahoo. He had been out late drinking with a friend during an evening out in the Leicester Square area of London, when they spotted two girls, who turned out to be Ash and Isis Nawaz, getting sick on the street.

    So, he did what anyone would do, he pulled out his camera and started filming them. The girls told him to go away, but he didn’t. He just kept right on recording them. Always the gentleman.

    The girls’ protests attracted the attention of a nearby man, who has yet to be identified. He came over and started yelling at the “Transformers” actor to stop, so LaBeouf turned the camera on him. The guy wasn’t amused, so he knocked the camera from his hands and punched him.

    Of course, a crowd began to gather, which garnered the attention of some bodyguards who were at a club close by. The bodyguards were able to break up the scuffle long enough for LeBeouf and his friend to run off.

    “I only realized it was Shia after he’d been beaten up,” Ash Nawaz said later. “If I’d known, I’d have let him film me as much as he liked. I have a massive crush on him.”

    Not surprisingly, this isn’t the first time the carousing star has been in a scuffle in London. Only last year, he was involved in a fight in London after some guy stole his hat during a booze-soaked night on the town.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUP0I509ot8

    “The scrap all started when this guy took his hat. I think he was just joking, but Shia didn’t like it,” a witness said at the time. The guy just took it off him and wouldn’t give it back. He tried to get it back and they ended up tussling. It was handbags really.”

    What is it about London that makes Shia crazy?

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Parks Reopen in Utah, More to Come

    Parks Reopen in Utah, More to Come

    Utah Governor Gary Herbert announced on Thursday that the state has made a deal with Department of the Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell, to keep Utah national parks open with state money, according to CNN. Utah is one of the first to reach a deal like this after the government announced that it was open to considering these kinds of offers, as reported by AP.

    “Utah agrees to pay the National Park Service (NPS) up to $1.67 million— $166,572 per day—to re-open eight national sites in Utah for up to 10 days. If the federal government shutdown ends before then, the State will receive a refund of unused monies” an official press statement explained. If the government remains on shutdown after 10 days, Governor Herbert insists that Utah can make more payments to keep their parks open.

    The Department of the Interior is waiting on the money from Utah, at which point it will notify personnel to return to work. The deal would reopen Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion national parks. The other three locations that will be opened are Natural Bridges and Cedar Breaks national monuments, as well as Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.The process of opening the parks after receiving the money will take time, but in a statement from the governor’s office, the state anticipates all sites should be “fully operational by Saturday.”

    The deal comes at a critical point in Utah’s tourist season. October is an especially busy month for the parks and the towns and businesses that surround them. The perfect fall weather and beautiful scenery attract an expected $100 million in tourism money, just for the month of October. A continuing shutdown would have been detrimental.

    “Utah’s national parks are the backbone of many rural economies and hard-working Utahns are paying a heavy price for this shutdown,” Herbert said in the released statement. “I commend Secretary Jewell for being open to Utah’s solution, and the world should know Utah is open for business and visitors are welcome.”

    Image via wikipedia

  • JoS. A. Bank Not Giving Up on Buying Men’s Wearhouse

    Yesterday, after a few tense weeks of speculation, Men’s Wearhouse brushed a huge buyout offer from Jos. A. Bank off like so much lint off of a suit jacket. Men’s Wearhouse apparently felt “undervalued” and said the offer was “opportunistic” and “inadequate”. Ouch.

    The combination would have created a men’s wear super power with over 2,000 stores. However, according to AP, JoS. A. Bank isn’t giving up without a fight. They stated that they would continue to persue a deal with Men’s Wearhouse, calling the rejection of their offer “inexplicable”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQeSyBUX4sY

    In a letter dated Sep.18, Robert Wildrick, chairman of JoS. A. Bank, told Douglas Ewert, Men’s Wearhouse’s CEO, he was offering to buy all outstanding shares of Men’s Wearhouse for $48 cash per share, or $2.38 billion in total, saying that he thought the two would make “ideal partners.”

    JoS. A. Bank made the offer Sept. 17, pitching the deal to Men’s Wearhouse executives in a phone call and that follow-up letter. During a media call on Wednesday before Men’s Wearhouse issued the statement rejecting the bid, Robert N. Wildrick, JoS. A. Bank’s chairman of the board, said the proposal was a “win-win situation” for shareholders, as well as consumers. He insisted that each company would benefit from the other’s expertise.

    “The strategic wisdom of this transaction is compelling,” declared Wildrick. “By combining our two companies, we can together create the best men’s apparel and sportswear designer, manufacturer and retailer in the U.S.” The combined companies, he said, would capture “operating synergies.”

    Ewert said in the Men’s Wearhouse statement that he and his board were confident that their recent actions, including their acquisition of boutique brand Joseph Abboud, had left the company well-positioned.

    If you don’t quite understand the difference between JoS. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse, Brian Sozzi, CEO and Chief Equities Strategies at Belus Capital Advisors sums it up pretty well in this quote, “Men’s Wearhouse is the first place you go right out of college to get a suit, but JoS. A. Bank’s is where you trade up.”

    Image via wikipedia

  • “Game of Thrones” Comes to Google Play

    “Game of Thrones” fans, rejoice! HBO has brought the popular fantasy series to Google Play! The cool thing about this is, since HBO is letting “Game of Thrones” slip over to Play, you can skip HBO’s monthly subscriber streaming fee that they charge to watch the shows from HBO’s website, HBO Go. You still have to pay for it, but at least you don’t have to be locked in as a member of the HBO club to watch it!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsrY52mr7O4

    Of course, “Game of Thrones” is already available on Apple’s iTunes store, but the expansion brings it to an even wider audience. You’ll be happy to know that you can now purchase and download the first two seasons of “Game of Thrones”, as well as other popular HBO shows like “Newsroom” and “True Blood”, among others. You can buy these shows by the episode or by the season, whatever your appetite or budget may be.

    “Game of Thrones” is based on the George R.R. Martin series of novels called “A Song of Ice and Fire”, hugely popular for it’s drama, blood, betrayal, redemption, and all that great stuff. “Game of Thrones” was the most pirated series out there in 2012 and 2013, and the reason for that is because it is so hard to come across legally, unless you were an HBO Go subscriber. The rampant piracy didn’t do much to hurt HBO’s bottom line, but it can’t help but be considered money flying out the window.

    Also, it’s easy to see how die-hard fans who don’t have cable, which is becoming more and more common these days, can be irked about the inability to stream a show. So, really, it’s about time HBO got on the streaming bandwagon. The rumor is, that there will be more streaming content to come from HBO, so we will wait with bated breath to see what they put out next.

    Image via youtube

  • Chris Christie Gives Opinion on Government Shutdown

    Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey and outspoken Republican, paid a visit to Washington D.C. yesterday. The supposed purpose for Christie’s visit was to join in marking the end of the short term of Jeffrey Chiesa. He is the Republican Christie appointed in June to the Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Democrat Frank Lautenberg, according to the LA Times. The notoriously bi-partisan governor then conversed with House GOP members in a closed door meeting on the dire state of things in the nations capitol.

    However, reporters baited Christie for his opinion on the government shutdown and recent threat of default, as they were expected to do. At first, he was mum on the subject, but knowing his reputation for grabbing the opportunities to share his opinion that may come his way, all they had to do was…wait for it…

    “You know, I don’t think it’s ever good to keep the government closed when your job is to run the government,” he bellowed.

    It seems Christie may also have been scouting out his future digs, as he has hinted a time or two about a possible presidential run.

    “I can walk and chew gum at the same time. I can do this job and also deal with my future. And that’s what I will do.” Christie said when asked whether he might run for president while serving a second term as governor in his first re-election debate on Tuesday.

    Chris Christie has a great record of accomplishment in New Jersey and a popular bi-partisan thing going for him that people respond to. Though some people don’t care for his sometimes all-too-blunt straight talk style, he seems to have a fighting chance.

    “He’s got a great record in New Jersey,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who was part of the meeting with Christie. If he runs for president, “he’d be a very formidable candidate because he could point to a record of accomplishment.”

    Image via youtube

  • “Anti-Breaking Bad” Guy Turns to Giveforward.com

    Anton Buslov, a journalist and former astrophysicist from Russia is no Walter White. The 29-year-old was diagnosed a few years ago with Hodgkins Lymphoma a few years ago, and was devastated to find out that his home country offered little hope.

    He writes, “We have excellent doctors in Russia, but they are not just fighting disease; they battle bureaucracy, insufficient resources and primitive technologies, as well. In some clinics in Russia they still have the idea of washing a disposable syringe for a second use. In Moscow I was receiving chemotherapy in a center with 30 beds, through which went 250 patients a day and it had only one nurse and one toilet for the lot.”

    In 2011, he was given 18 months to live, and doctors told him to go home and prepare to die. But, at 29, he simply wasn’t ready. He went ahead and married his long time girlfriend, and they tried to start a family together, despite his grim prognosis. However, he didn’t just throw in the towel. He continued to research.

    He told the Huffington Post, “I did my research and found out who could treat me. And then they showed me the price tag. $150,000! I walked in circles for two days, slapping my forehead. … $150,000. How do you find it? And then I thought, you ask for $5. And you ask 30,000 people.”

    He raised the money, and got treatment. But it wasn’t enough. The cancer fought back, and now, the outlook is even more dim, and will cost even more money. He requires a bone marrow transplant, an enormously expensive process not covered by insurance.

    Anton’s sister, a 26-year-old graduate student in mathematics who speaks five languages, has muscular dystrophy that confines her to a wheelchair, and is a perfect match for the transplant that Anton requires to live. That transplant could save his life, if Anton can raise the money for the operation, which typically runs from $300,000 to $900,000. His doctors conceded that this process is usually only available to patients with wealth.

    Now Buslov has turned to popular “crowd funding” site Give Forward. He realizes that he is asking money from people that he will never be able to pay, but he writes,“I have hope and I have determination. Most of all I have tens of thousands of friends and a belief that there are even more good people who will befriend me in my time of need.”

    As of this writing, he has only raised 9% of the money he needs.

    Image via youtube

  • James Holmes: Mass Murderer Looking for New Love

    James Holmes is reportedly on the market, Ladies. Fox News reports that the mass murderer set up two online dating accounts, one on Match.com and another on Adultfriendfinder.com. There’s only one problem. There may not be a chance to watch a sunset or picnic in the park with this bachelor.

    Holmes, 25, in case you didn’t know, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing 12 people and injuring 70 others during a shooting spree at a movie theater in Aurora on July 20, 2012. He set up his profiles under the handle “classicjimbo” and both featured images of him and his crazy eyes and wild red hair. The profiles reportedly asked, “Will you visit me in prison?”. The accounts were accessed just two days before the mass shooting.

    It sounds crazy, of course. But why wouldn’t it? He’s crazy. But what’s so surprising, is that there are women who LOVE this kind of boyfriend. “He is the perfect kind of person to be a target for these prison groupies because he’s obviously savvy, he’s into the web and Internet dating,” said Sheila Isenberg, author of “Women Who Love Men Who Kill.”

    She says that these “groupies” want to be a part of infamy and there is a low risk of rejection involved, which makes it attractive to women who have been abused in their past. There’s no way the love interest can hurt them, and the incarcerated boyfriend has nothing to do but give them attention, write them letters and think about them.

    This is not a new phenomenon. Some of America’s most notorious criminals have been prolific writers behind bars, including cult killer Charles Manson, BTK murderer Dennis Rader and the Menendez brothers, both of whom married women after being incarcerated for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion in 1989.

    Lyle Menendez tied the knot with longtime pen pal and former model Anna Eriksson in 1996 before divorcing five years later, and Erik Menendez married Tammie Ruth Saccoman during a telephone ceremony at Folsom State Prison in 1999, reportedly using a Twinkie as their wedding cake.

    More recently, this trend can be seen in the cases of Joran van der Sloot, the Dutch man imprisoned for killing a woman in Peru and widely suspected behind the disappearance of American Natalee Holloway, and accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

    “In this age of instant information, these criminals become heroes overnight,” she said. “[Tsarnaev] has young girls with Facebook pages of him and others posting on Twitter about him, doing stuff in his name. We’re creating instant celebrities with the Internet and creating instant celebrities out of criminals.”

    Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be prison groupies.

    Image via youtube

  • Will Christie’s Blunt Talk Help or Hurt Re-Election?

    With the New Jersey governor’s election coming up November 5th, and a possible presidential run in his future, Chris Christie has faced a lot of criticism on many issues. His way with words is one of the big talking points, but he makes it clear. He is sticking to his no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is brand of straight talk, and counting on it to further his career.

    “I thought that the Republican Party was put into effect to win elections. I didn’t think we were some debating society or some group of academic elites that sit around and talk about big ideas but don’t do anything about them,” he continued. “If you don’t win you can’t govern. And if you can’t govern, you can’t change your state or the country. So we have got to get back to the idea of building a broad coalition.” he said of the current Republican state of being during his first re-election debate on Tuesday.

    Christie said of the criticism of his brash talk, “Using direct and blunt language is something I’ve done my whole life. It’s the way my mother raised me,” he said. “I am who I am. And I’m not going to change.”

    He is rumored to be seeking the presidency in 2016, but will not confirm nor deny. Of his future, he said, “I am not going to declare tonight … that I am or I’m not running for president,” Christie said. “I won’t make those decisions until I have to.” When faced with skepticism, he later quipped: “I can walk and chew gum at the same time. I can do this job and also deal with my future. And that’s what I will do.”

    His straight talk doesn’t seem to bother many of prominent people in New Jersey. According to AP, Leaders of the state’s minority community applaud his outreach to groups long ignored by Republicans. For example, Michael Blunt, the Democratic mayor of Chesilhurst, N.J., and a strong Christie supporter said, “He was willing to come to a predominantly African-American community.” He added, “He’s man to man. He talks to you as if you’re his equal.”

    Regular everyday voters, even some likely supporters, said Christie’s brash style is refreshing at times, but it may also carry risks.

    “I like the fact that he’s firm in what he believes in, but that can turn some people off,” said Mary Ann Vadas, a retiree. She was finishing her breakfast at an Edison, N.J., diner when Chris Christie made a surprise visit Tuesday. She said although she’s a democrat, she’ll probably vote for Christie anyway.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Government Shutdown Rebellion Not Just for Parks

    Rebelling against the government’s shutdown orders is not just for officials and parks anymore. Coming to light in the last week are several individuals who can be added to the ranks of veterans, who were ready to “storm the gates”, in wheelchairs, last week at the World War II memorial, which is now locked and wired shut to make sure those pesky veterans don’t get in to pay their respects.

    One of those individuals is Bruce O’Connell, and on Friday, he defied U.S. Park Service orders telling him to close down his inn and restaurant that he owns with his 90-year-old mother called The Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway southwest of Asheville, NC, according to ABC News. Though the Inn is private, it sits on federal park land and is subject to Park Service orders.

    When the orders first came through, O’Connell closed willingly. But, the more he contemplated the scope of what was happening, he realized he must take a stand. “I’d just reached my breaking point.” He said he asked himself, “If not now, when; and if not me, who?” He added,

    “It was a result of my having spent 35 years trying to work with the federal government, of my having been intimately involved as a contractor with the Secretary of the Interior and the Park Service. I’ve witnessed first-hand the process getting more and more dysfunctional over the decades.”

    So, he proudly re-opened for business on Friday. However, his peaceful rebellion and nose-thumbing at the Man wasn’t long-lived. By Saturday, he was forcefully closed again, this time with armed guards on the watch.

    On Sunday he posted a message on The Pisgah Inn’s website :

    “We have ceased operations. I am furious all over again. Rangers are guarding our parking lot 24/7 keeping visitors out. It is downright scary. What the heck is going on and how are we all allowing it? I call for action now. Enough is enough.”

    When O’Connel was asked where things stand as of now, he said, “We are closed. There are armed guards blocking access to my parking lot. Anybody who tries to get in, they get in front of them and tell them that they can’t.” He’s asked the guards how long they intend to stay, “They told me: until we’re 100 percent sure you won’t re-open.”

    But don’t worry. O’Connell doesn’t stand alone. He says sympathetic letters and emails are flooding his home and business from all over the world. “I’ve gotten thousands of them,” he says, “from here to Tokyo.” Their message has been the same. “They all say: fight tyranny”.

    Now, as of this writing, Wednesday October 9th, there is a message on the website that says, “The Pisgah Inn is authorized to provide services on the Blue Ridge Parkway under a concessions contract with the National Park Service.”

    Perhaps his fight with tyranny was somewhat successful.

    How far will the government push small business owners and individuals in this battle? And are the armed guards that keep people from private establishments and national park and memorial gates the ones considered “essential” employees? The coming weeks are sure to be interesting on the homefront…

    Image via Pisgah Inn

  • Bethenny Frankel Blames Ellen for Talk Show Flop

    Bethenny Frankel, the former New York housewife turned talk show host, is failing and flailing in her new line of work. The socialite blames none other than Ellen Degeneres, who in the beginning promised Frankel help in getting big name stars. Turns out, big name stars don’t want to sit and chat on T.V. with a snotty housewife. Here’s a sample of Bethenny keepin’ it classy:

    The stigma is so bad, according to Radaronline.com, that Ellen asked to remove her name from the credits. These hardships are reportedly causing issues backstage at the show. DeGeneres produces Frankel’s freshman talk show, “Bethenny”, and the first time host “is absolutely peeved that she has been unable to get a big name celebrity to come on. Frankel was told numerous times by DeGeneres before the show premiered that she would absolutely help her in getting all of the big names in show business,” according to a source close to the show. They continued,

    “During Bethenny’s trial run, DeGeneres pulled some strings and got Justin Bieber to come on. DeGeneres’ former booker is now working for Bethenny but he’s been unable to get Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow or Miley Cyrus. The big name celebrities don’t want to go on a talk show hosted by a former Bravo housewife. It’s causing major drama behind the scenes of Frankel’s show, which is struggling in the ratings.”

    If you’re thinking that it’s just because Bethenny is new to the scene, here’s something that may change your mind. The Queen Latifah Show, also being new this season, is KILLING in the ratings. According to the LA Times, Latifah averaged 1.8 million viewers per episode in her first week. Advertisers also want to be associated with Queen Latifah, as she is one of the most admired celebrities in daytime.

    During her first week, Queen Latifah interviewed John Travolta, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith and Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s good to be Queen.

    Image via youtube

  • Drew Barrymore Wants to Have Next Baby “Right Away”

    Drew Barrymore announced that she wants to have another baby “right away” with husband Will Kopelman on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night. The couple, who married June of this year, already have a daughter, Olive, who is 1. She spelled out her vision of her perfect family to Jay,

    “I grew up as an only child, and although that really works for some people and for some parents that’s the way they want to do it…I want to be the Griswolds,” she said, referring to the fictional family from National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise. “I want the kids in the back rolling their eyes at mom and dad. I want Rusty and Audrey, theme parks and the whole nine.”

    The star of “Big Miracle” and founder of Flower Cosmetics said she would get pregnant right away if it were up to her. But for right now, Drew and her husband are enjoying watching their first child grow up, according to E! online.

    “She says a lot of words,” Barrymore gushed. “I mean, we all want to believe our kids are smart — and we should – and she’s smart!”
    The proud mama thinks that little Olive will start walking “next week.” “It’s so exciting!” she said.

    Buzz has been flying around the web that Barrymore may already be pregnant, which would add weight to her “right away” comments on the Tonight Show, but of course, such rumors should be taken with a boulder-sized grain of salt. Take this blip in the Daily Mail for example. Drew waited until just three months before her due date to confirm her pregnancy with Olive, so it’s likely no one will know for sure for quite some time.

    Image via youtube

  • Brenda Barton: Calls Obama “De Fuhrer”, Takes Heat

    Brenda Barton, a state representative for Arizona since 2010, is frustrated at the antics of government these days. Since the government shuttered its doors last Tuesday, there have been many critics on both sides. Like many of those, she has taken to social media to vent her anger at the state of the union, especially the closing of the national parks.

    However, some might say she crossed the line with a Facebook post that compared Obama to Hitler. Some would say it’s her constitutional right. Either way, it’s certainly strong language that has people talking.

    Brenda Barton calls Obama “De Fuhrer” on Facebook

    But that wasn’t the only slap she put on the face of the President, and she didn’t spare the First Lady, either.

    “While the POTUS continues to punish the American people,” Barton continued, “he keeps open his golf course, he keeps open Camp David, and he retains his and his wife’s excessive staff and stable of Czars! I’ll bet he has kept in service his 3 food tasters!!!”

    “The Chief Executive is acting as an Imperial President,” she added, “without regard to his citizens, only caring about his agenda. With all the exemptions he has unilaterally bestowed on many interest groups, could he not delay the ACA Individual Mandate for a single year? Without regard for the elected House of Representatives. What do you call that?”

    Barton is not backing down. She has been confronted by the Arizona Capitol Times about her comments and she replies,“He’s dictating beyond his authority,” she said of Obama. “It’s not just the death camps. (Hitler) started in the communities, with national health care and gun control. You better read your history. Germany started with national health care and gun control before any of that other stuff happened. And Hitler was elected by a majority of people.”

    “It got your attention,” she added. “[President Obama is] doing something controversial. It’s not controversial that I’m criticizing him. I don’t think that’s controversial at all.”

    What do you think? Controversial or her right as a citizen?

    Image via youtube