WebProNews

Tag: CNN

  • Dawn Zimmer Accuses Gov. Chris Christie of Bullying

    It seems that problems won’t be going away for Gov. Chris Christie any time soon, as the Mayor of Hoboken, Dawn Zimmer, has accused him of withholding relief funds for Superstorm Sandy for spiteful reasons.

    In an interview with CNN this morning, she said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno told her that she wouldn’t get the necessary funding to help her town until she supported a real estate venture that Christie was putting together. And according to Zimmer, Guadagno told her that the ultimatum was coming directly from the governor himself.

    “This project is really important to the governor,” Zimmer says she was told. “This was a direct message from the governor.”

    And although she was told this quite some time ago, Zimmer says she’s now coming forward because she didn’t think people would buy her story.

    “I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” she said. “I probably should have come forward sooner, but I really didn’t think anyone would believe me.” And it seems Zimmer is speaking out now, because Gov. Christie’s reputation has been tainted since the whole George Washington Bridge scandal, so it’s more likely that people will believe what she’s saying now.

    Additionally, Zimmer says although she’s a loyal Democrat, she stayed out of the political back-and-fourths with Republicans, so it was a shock to her when Guadagno gave her the alleged ultimatum. “I haven’t been a part of the Democratic machine,” she said. “I did have a really good relationship [with Gov. Christie] so I couldn’t believe they were doing this.”

    But regardless of the accusation coming out long after she was told about the funding, she says she’s not making anything up and she’ll go toe-to-toe with anyone who wants to question what she’s saying. “I stand by my word,” she stated. “They were holding our Sandy funds hostage.”

    So far, there’s been no response from Gov. Christie or Lt. Gov. Guadagno.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Dennis Rodman Enters Rehab for Alcohol

    Dennis Rodman Enters Rehab for Alcohol

    After the bizarre drunken display that ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman put on during an interview with CNN, he decided to head to rehab for alcohol abuse. TMZ was the first to report the story.

    Rodman’s agent, Darren Prince, said this last trip to North Korea was supposed to be a positive one, but it went horribly wrong and ultimately it’s what did Rodman in.

    “What was potentially a historic and monumental event turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned,” said Prince. “Dennis Rodman came back from North Korea in pretty rough shape emotionally. The pressure that was put on him to be a combination super human political figure and fixer got the better of him.”

    And for the whole CNN fiasco, Prince says Rodman couldn’t be more sorry. “He is embarrassed, saddened and remorseful for the anger and hurt his words have caused,” he said.

    It seems that controversy has surrounded the hall of famer ever since he ended his stint with the Detroit Pistons in 1993 and adopted a punk rock look and attitude, with multicolored hair, piercings and a penchant for dating famous women. But his recent trip to North Korea was a new type of controversy that Rodman experienced, because dating Madonna and getting the media attention that surrounds that is one thing, but hobnobbing with a egotistical dictator, who recently killed his own uncle is another.

    It’s important to remember that Rodman never said he was a deep political person. He just likes to put on a show, and this time, everything seemed to back fire on him, said Prince.

    “People forget Dennis is just an entertainer and retired NBA star,” he said. “The fact remains that a basketball game was played in North Korea live in front of 14,000 people and hundreds of millions around the world viewed clips of the game.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Harvey Weinstein Says He’s Done Making Violent Films

    Earlier this week we reported that Harvey Weinstein is planning to make a movie that he says will take on the NRA head-on. But he’s going a step further, he says, and plans to stop making movies with a lot of violent content. He made the announcement to CNN’s Piers Morgan.

    In the interview, Weinstein said if he wants to take on the NRA fully and have credibility while doing so, he’ll have to start with the movies that he produces. “You have to look in the mirror too,” he said. “I have to choose movies that aren’t violent, or as violent as they used to be. For me, personally, I can’t continue to do that. The change starts here.”

    In addition, the studio-head explained that he’s not ruling out producing violent films altogether, he just wants the violence to be purposeful and not gratuitous. “I’m not going to make some crazy action movie just to blow up people and exploit people and make some crazy action movie,” he said.

    When Weinsten initially announced his plans to take on the NRA, many of his critics called him a hypocrite for producing violent films himself, which is why he says the change has to start with him and his studio The Weinstein Company.

    But some may ask, do violent movies really cause violent behavior? Is the connection really that simple?

    James B. Weaver III, who’s head of the Department of Communication at Virginia Tech, says yes, as he and Dolf Zillmann of the the University of Alabama conducted a study to show if violent films change the way people react. At the conclusion of the study they determined that everyday-people can become violent after watching films that show a lot of fighting, shootings and people dying.

    “We’re talking here about some people in everyday life who may not find it okay to beat up
    someone, but do find it all right to exchange harsh words and insult other people,” says Weaver. “These films with gratuitous violence make people less civil, more willing to say things in a meeting or in a classroom that were inappropriate a few years ago. It seems tied to the role models seen and the lessons learned from different types of films.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Anthony Bourdain to Open NYC Food Market

    Last week the New York Post’s Page Six broke the exclusive news that chef, author, television personality and overall food connoisseur Anthony Bourdain plans to open a large-scale food market in New York City.

    Known for his vast knowledge of international food and dining, Bourdain said in an email to Eater that he looks forward to bringing his culinary experiences home to his native New York City.

    He said he is “carefully assembling a dream list of chefs, operators, street food and hawker legends from around the world—in hopes of bringing them together in one New York City space.”

    He specifically cited Singapore street food, saying he hopes representatives of Straits hawker masters will be an important part of the food market project.

    “My likes are pretty well known: dai pai dong in Hong Kong, Boqueria in Spain, hawker centers in Singapore, street tostadas in Ensenada. To the extent that I can help bring those things home to New York, along with a truly interesting collection of home grown innovators, I will be very, very pleased.”

    Bourdain will be collaborating with Stephen Werther on the project. As CEO of the privately held, New York-based WiNK Retail Group, Werther is expected to lend his business knowledge to the venture. Werther foreshadowed plans leading up to the opening, and admitted to being a food enthusiast:

    “We are ready to go with the concept, so we are going to be doing some very cool and unexpected pop-ups between now and the opening . . . showcasing different parts of what will be incorporated into the final big market. I am a huge foodie, so you can only imagine how much fun this project is to work on.”

    Bourdain and Werther declined to disclose the market’s location, but said it’s part of a large development project. The Post speculates that it could be 3 World Trade Center or Hudson Yards.

    Bourdain, who currently travels the world for CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, told Eater: “If nothing else, I hope to soon be able to enjoy a really good Chicken Rice in NYC.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Amanda Knox Says She’s Willing To Be a Fugitive

    In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Amanda Knox, the American student found not guilty in a 2009 murder, said she wouldn’t go back to jail if convicted.

    “[If found guilty] legally I’ll be defined a fugitive, but I will continue to fight for my innocence,” she said. And the main reason she’s come to this decision is because she believes any kind of conviction would be a malicious one, so she simply won’t abide by it. “I will not willingly submit myself to injustice,” Knox warned.

    In an interview with the UK based show “Daybreak,” the 26-year old says she has no faith in the Italian court system, and feels her and accused ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, were being scapegoated by the legal system for unknown reasons.

    “I have plenty to fear because I was already imprisoned wrongfully, I was already convicted wrongfully and this is everything to fear, this, as an innocent person, is the ultimate nightmare, this does not make sense,” she said.

    However, defense lawyer for Sollecito, Giulia Bongiorno, says everything does make sense. According to his theory, Italian police made the couple appear guilty because they wanted to calm the nerves of the local community. “[They] did not want to think that a stranger, a monster, could have entered a house and murdered a student,” he said.

    In 2009 Knox and Sollecito were convicted of murdering student Meredith Kercher, and in a retrial, both were found not guilty on Oct. 3, 2011. However, in September of 2013, another trial began when the previous decision was later appealed. Currently, Knox is living and attending college in Seattle and has been doing so ever since leaving Italy over three years ago.

    And Knox says since there was no proof about her committing these crimes, which were attached to a sex-party gone wrong, says the prosecution, she feels the Italian legal system doesn’t have the right or true authority to make her return. “No one has ever claimed that I was ever taking part in deviant sexual activity,” she told CNN. “None of my roommates, none of my friends, none of the people who knew me there. This is simply coming out of the prosecution.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Teen Stops Bomber in Pakistan, Saves 1,000 Students

    Sometimes the biggest of heroes can come in the smallest of packages.

    Aitazaz Hassan Bangash, a 14-year old ninth-grader from Pakistan, foiled the plans of a suicide bomber while he was walking to school in an area known as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The story was first reported by CNN.

    While walking, Hassan and his cousin, Musadiq Ali Bangash, noticed a suspicious looking man eerily dressed like one of the students, which tipped the boys off that something was out of order. And when the man asked for directions to the school, they were convinced that something was definitely wrong and tried to take immediate action.

    And when the man tried to gain entrance to the school, Aitazaz attempted to hold him back, which in turn made the bomber panic and detonate his bomb. Tragically, Aitazaz was killed, but he was immediately dubbed a hero. The bomber, whose name has yet to be revealed, was also killed.

    According to the cousin Musadiq, Aitazaz was the only one who tried to stop the bomber when he tried to give chase. “The other students backed off, but Aitazaz challenged the bomber and tried to catch him,” he said. “During the scuffle, the bomber panicked and detonated his bomb.”

    Amazingly, Aitazaz saved the lives of 1,000 Shia and Sunni students, as many of them were gathered in one place for a morning assembly, so obviously the results could have been even more disastrous if Aitazaz didn’t stop the bomber in time.

    Some in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are looking for ways to honor the young hero and give him and his family the recognition they truly deserve. “He saved the lives of hundreds of students,” said Nawaz Khan, a member of the local community. “He deserves more recognition than Malala Yousafzai,” referring to the the young Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for voicing her opinions about equal education for women.

    Image via YouTube

  • Dennis Rodman Has Angry Interview With CNN’s Chris Cuomo

    Former NBA player Dennis Rodman strongly rebuffed claims that his trip, to North Korea Tuesday was political, amidst an emotional torrent.

    Rodman, along with 10 other former NBA players, were in North Korea to play in an exhibition basketball game against a North Korean basketball team. The game will be played Wednesday and coincides with the birthday of the country’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.

    The CNN interview, aired via satellite, turned out to be quite interesting when Rodman was asked whether the trip was political. Rodman was surrounded by the former players during the interview and the point he seemed to be making was that the trip was purely for the purpose of basket diplomacy. “One day, one day this door is going to open because of these 10 guys here,” he told Chris Cuomo, CNN reporter.

    But things got emotional when Cuomo asked Rodman whether he would defend Kenneth Bae, an American, who is being held by the government for unknown reasons.

    “Do you understand what he did?” an agitated Rodman asked Cuomo. “You tell me! You tell me! Why is he held captive?”

    Rodman then added by saying that it wasn’t his business to know what Bae did. All he cared about was that he and the former NBA players had “dared” to go to North Korea.

    The heated interview seemed to make the other players surrounding Rodman uncomfortable. One of the players, Charles Smith tried to cool down tensions by saying the purpose of the game was outside politics.

    “We’ve said numerous times that we’re not here for any political aspects,” Smith said.

    Essentially, Smith was echoing Rodman’s sentiment but in a calmer manner. Smith also said that the date of the game and Kim’s birthday were purely coincidental.

    Image via YouTube

  • Crop Circle Plowed By Owner To Protect Property

    Let’s face it, not everyone likes the spotlight, which is why farmer Scott Anthony decided to get rid of the now famous crop circle that mysteriously appeared on his property last week.

    The circle was first captured in an aerial shot by photographer Julie Belanger, and once the images got out to the general public, visitors from all over flocked to Anthony’s property, which didn’t sit too well with the 58-year old. Eventually, he hired someone from the Echelon Security company to shoo away crowds and protect his land.

    But Anthony didn’t stop there and before the crowds got even bigger, he had the beautiful design plowed, which disappointed folks like Debra Falanga, who believes the circle was created by non-humans. She also felt the landowner should have kept it for others to see.

    “When something unusual like this happens, why not let people experience it,” said Falanga in an interview with CNN. Plus, she says the design in the middle of the circle is proof that the image wasn’t created by humans.

    “The Braille was so accurately portrayed, that’s hard to do manually, never mind in a crop circle,” she said. “It looks like a ticker tape of the number 192,192, 192.”

    And even though Anthony had no desire to open his property to the public, and who could blame him, he had no idea how the circle got there in the first place. “To me, it looks like a computer chip or something like that,” he said. “To be that intricate in design, it kind of baffles me as to how that was done.”

    Anthony was on vacation when a worker on his farm alerted him to the circle and he said the main reason he called security and ultimately removed the design was to protect his crops. “It’s a food safety issue,” he said.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jay Leno Shouldn’t Be Out of a Job Too Long

    What will Jay Leno do next? That is the question many people are asking as the popular host of NBC’s long-running The Tonight Show steps down in February. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Leno may not be out of a gig very long.

    As Jimmy Fallon gets ready to take Jay’s spot, potential suitors are reportedly already lining up for a chance to snag Leno, who is known around the industry as a man who likes to work. One very unlikely network may be casting a line to catch the 64 year old host. Internet rumors are running amok that Jeff Zucker, President of CNN, is allegedly interested in bringing the funny man over to host an interview show in order to bring some life into the wavering network. Piers Morgan’s rating haven’t been great, so CNN may be going for the likeability factor that Leno brings to the table.

    CNN is not the only network interested in Leno. The comedian is wanted by at least ten other media outlets. One apparent front-runner may be Leno’s current home at NBC. The network’s entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt wants the host to stay put. “Nothing would make me happier than to find ways to keep him involved with this network. That’s really up to him.”

    Leno’s contract with NBC expires on February 6, 2014. He consistently beats his late night rivals David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel in the ratings. So, Fallon will have big shoes to fill and NBC is crossing its fingers that they aren’t replacing Leno too soon. Stay tuned, the late night wars should be heating back up again next month.

    Image via Facebook

  • Kathy Griffin Sends Topless Photo – Anderson Cooper Shares!

    We have all been there at least once – those wild and crazy New Year’s Eve parties where remembering what we did, or what happened is, well, extremely foggy.

    It is the biggest party of the year – to drink heavily – among other things, and be merry! But wild and crazy is sorta unexpected when someone is hosting a New Years show – on Network television?

    It seems that is exactly what Kathy Griffin does, this year – no doubt trying to outdo her previous year’s mischief when she stunned Cooper, again. According to E News, be careful about sending sexy selfies to< Anderson Cooper - they may end up on the Internet. Anderson Cooper, a journalist and Anchor for CNN received a topless photo from Griffin! She must have started early – but Cooper, embarrassed, commented: [Griffin] “just sent me this photo of her outfit for New Year’s Eve. She’s kidding, right? Please tell me she is.”

    The comedienne, Griffin started early New Year’s – tweeting about her nipples – and the freezing weather expected in New York City’s Time Square – stating, “Let the nipple freezing begin!”

    Cooper and Griffin co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live – and have been since 2007. Apparently she’s created quite a few shockers over the years, and the topless photo is just another one of her ‘jaw-dropping’ ploys.

    One, from E – recalls that while discussing the Balloon Boy hoax in 2009, Griffin said, “Wait..Falcon? F–kin’? Falcon? How do you say it?” Cooper muttered, “You’re terrible,” and moved on.

    The bold and sometimes rank but hysterical jokester – Griffin – has been known to make Cooper blush on many an occasion, in a past New Year’s Eve party, she commented, “How do you not just stare in the mirror all day and pleasure yourself because you’re so gorgeous?” Cooper looked mortified.

    Another great “Griffin -Cooper” event was when she kissed him on the lips – in 2011 – and joked about watching his “balls drop” at midnight.

    Probably the most unexpected, but zany act she’s done during this long running duo’s show, is when she pretended to be giving Cooper oral sex. Shortly after, on Letterman he asked, “You went down on Anderson Cooper or something as the ball dropped, What did you do to Anderson Cooper?

    She came back brazen as ever – “If you think this is the part where I’m gonna apologize for trying to go down on Anderson Cooper, you are sorely mistaken,” the Grammy nominee replied. “I tried, ladies and gays. I tried for you.”

    Regardless of what critics say, calling her “lewd” and “vulgar” she makes the show, and keeps people guessing – wondering what on earth she is going to do next.

    Image via Facebook

  • Erin Burnett Welcomes Her First Child

    Erin Burnett Welcomes Her First Child

    Erin Burnett had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The CNN news anchor and her husband, David Rubulotta, welcomed their first child together on November 29, just one day after Thanksgiving.

    Burnett gave birth to their baby boy at 9:47 p.m. on Friday. Burnett says she is overjoyed with her new edition and is excited to be a mother. “Dave and I welcomed a healthy, happy baby boy at 9:47 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29,” Burnett said. “He weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Seeing him for the first time was the most awe-inspiring, joyful moment of our lives.” They have not yet released the baby’s name.

    The couple dated for eight years before getting engaged in September 2011. They were later married in December 2012, and announced that they were expecting their first child in June, via a CNN rep. “I can confirm that Erin Burnett and her husband, David Rubulotta, are expecting their first child in November,” the rep said at the time. “They are both very excited.” “We’ve always wanted this and we’re very lucky,” she said after the announcement.

    While she is out on maternity leave, spending time with her new bundle of joy, Jake Tapper will be filling in for her on OutFrontCNN.

    [Image via Twitter]

  • Robert Redford Talks Government Shutdown

    What do you call a person who uses belligerent language and demagogy to demonize and stigmatize the opposition while contributing zero ideas to solve the tsunami of American debt?

    What do you call a person who lectures the 99% to cough up more of their hard earned money to finance the parasites in Washington DC, while sitting on a cool $170 million?

    You call this person Robert Redford. Just when you thought the actor could not say something more inflammatory, Redford doubled down on his own venomous tirades on CNN today on the causes and consequences of government shutdown:

    According to Redford, bigotry and politics of personal attacks against President Barack Obama have paralyzed the U.S. government, not the determination to protect future generations from dollar crisis and hyperinflation.

    So when a bipartisan group of lawmakers want to stop the White House campaign to bleed and bankrupt America by inaugurating new wars to support Sunni Islamists in Syria, Turkey and Yemen, it is nothing but tea-party bigotry. When a bipartisan group of tea-party and progressive lawmakers want to Audit the Pentagon, Audit the Federal Reserve, despite intense hostility against transparency by White House, that is all bigotry and hate.

    According to Redford, women and young people will solve all the problems in Washington, if they are given the reins. “Give them the reins…I think they can do better than we have,” said Redford. Of course, the hypocritical actor did not offer to give the reins of all the $170 million he is hoarding, to poor people, struggling women and needy children.

    This is exactly why many who oppose the size and power of Federal Government are so disgusted at holier than thou celebrities who masquerade as moral judges over the 99% masses, while hoarding all their wealth in off-shore accounts to avoid paying taxes they vociferously support.

    Redford pontificated further on the events surrounding the ongoing tussle in Washington over government shutdown:

    “It’s so divided now with the people that are so narrow and so limited that they would take us back into the past…And I was trying to figure out, why are these people behaving so stupidly? Why are they behaving so horribly that it’s crippling our whole country? …And I think it has to do with fear. I think it’s a group of people that are so afraid of change, and they’re so narrow-minded that some people — when they see change coming — get so threatened by change, they get angry and they get terrorized, and then they get vicious. I think that’s who these people are. They’re so afraid of change that they’re behaving miserably.

    Obama is “a compassionate man who can’t function. It is so decrepit, it is so paralyzed, and the worst of it is it is paralyzed by intention…There is a body of congressional people that wants to paralyze the system. I think what sits underneath it, unfortunately, is there’s probably some racism involved, which is really awful…because their determination was to destroy this person…They wanted, if it meant destroying the government, anything to keep him from succeeding…I think just the idea of giving credit to this President, giving him credit for anything, is abhorrent to them, so they’ll go against it. Never mind that it’s the better good of the people, never mind that they’re supposed to be in office representing the interest of the public. They’re representing their own self-interests, which is very narrow and in some cases bigoted.”

    To polish his image further, Redford ranted again,

    “Susan Collins, who is a Republican (Senator from Maine), is saying: ‘Enough of this. This is not the job I signed up for. I’ve got to do something,’ …So she’s bringing a bipartisan group together of women. I think the future should belong more to women and young people….a lot of men that were in control were behaving stupidly…I mean, sometimes you say: ‘Can we actually be this dumbed down, or am I actually hearing what I’m hearing from some of these people? Are they really, is that really happening?’ It’s sad.”

    [image from youtube]

  • To Keep the Service Free, Duolingo Is Now Powering CNN & BuzzFeed’s Translations

    Duolingo is two things, really. It’s a language-learning app, for one. But it’s also a giant crowdsourced translation hub, as the very students (users) who learn new languages with the app are the ones helping to translate site and documents all over the web.

    Duolingo has just announced that they have increased the focus and intensity of that model by partnering with CNN and BuzzFeed. Duolingo will not translate BuzzFeed and CNN content, and in turn BuzzFeed and CNN will pay for the translation services.

    This, according to Duolingo founder Luis von Ahn, is what will help keep Duolingo free to language learners everywhere.

    “As you know, Duolingo is committed to providing free language education for the world. From the beginning, our plan to finance the platform has been to have our students translate real-world documents as they practice their foreign language skills. We like this model because it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement: students receive high-quality, completely free language education, and organizations get translation services powered by the students. Today’s announcement that two major publishers are financing our operation by translating their content with us is a significant milestone in keeping Duolingo free forever,” says Ahn.

    “With over 10 million users, we’re now able to guarantee high-speed, high-volume translations in a matter of hours. By combining the effort of multiple students translating each phrase, our algorithms are able to produce crowdsourced translations as accurate as those from skilled professionals, meeting the quality standards of major publishers.”

    Duolingo first opened up to the public in June of 2012 after a length beta period. Back in July of this year, when Duolingo finally launched an iPad app, Ahn said that the app had 5 million users. That means that Duolingo has doubled it user base in just over 3 months.

    Speaking of CNN and BuzzFeed, the two companies recently launched a YouTube collaboration.

  • Christiane Amanpour Interviews Malala Yousafzai Who Defied Pakistani Terror

    Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who defied Pakistani terrorists, and almost lost her life to defend freedom and women’s right to education, was interviewed by famed journalist and opinion moulder Christiane Amanpour this week. The full interview will be aired as a special report “The Bravest Girl in the World” on CNN this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

    Yousafzai has become the global face of oppressed Pakistani and Asian women who are quietly mobilizing by the millions to fight for equal rights and universal secular education. Malala was shot in the head in a barbaric assassination attempt by Pakistani terrorists on October 9, 2012, while she was returning home from her school.

    The brave teenager’s life was saved at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she underwent intensive rehabilitation, that helped recover her mental faculties, her hearing and speech. The assassination attempt did not kill Malala, but only made her stronger.

    She has redoubled her efforts since February this year to spread worldwide awareness on the inhuman treatment of women in Pakistan and West-Asia and the challenges they face to their dignity in daily life. On July 12, she spoke in front of the United Nations on the power of girl child education, and why pen is mightier than the sword. She has been feted with accolades, honors and awards across the globe including this year’s nomination for Nobel Peace Prize.

    During the interview, Amanpour asked Malala whether she hoped to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Malala responded, “If I get the Nobel Peace Prize, I think it will be such a great honor, and more than I deserve, and such a great responsibility as well…It would help me to begin this campaign for girls’ education, but the real goal, the most precious goal that I want to get and for which I am thirsty and I want to struggle hard for, that is the award of seeing every child to go to school.”

    She added, that being shot had only strengthened her resolve:

    “They can only shoot a body, they cannot shoot my dreams…They shot me because they wanted to tell me that, ‘we want to kill you and to stop you campaigning’, but they did the biggest mistake: they inured me, and they told me through that attack, that even death is supporting me, even death does not want to kill me.”

    And in a clear warning to Pakistan’s patriarchal society, she made her ambitious clear:

    “I want to become a Prime Minister of Pakistan, and I think it’s really good. Because through politics I can serve my whole county. I can be the doctor of the whole country…I can spend much of the money from the budget on education…

    International organizations and leaders have rallied to Malala’s clarion call for women’s freedom and education rights, and here is what Malala had to say at an event hosted by World Bank today:

    As Malala’s heroic speeches and worldwide campaign for women gains steam, Pakistani terrorists are increasingly desperate to hold back human progress. The world is watching, but the world must also act – to help young girls like Malala, as they yearn to breathe free.

    [image from youtube]

  • Susan Bennett is the Voice of Siri, CNN Confirms

    While Apple won’t validate the information, CNN confirms that they have, indeed, found Siri. According to the news network, Siri is actually a middle-aged woman who ironically resides in Atlanta, right in the CNN proximity. The voice-over artist’s name is Susan Bennett.

    After the technology blog, Verge, released a video feature on the origin of Siri’s voice, speculation began to rise in regards to who was the actual voice. Immediately speculation was aimed at another voice-over actor, Allison Dufty, who deftly denied the claims. Then, Bennett decided to come forth. After conducting an extensive audio forensic investigation, CNN was able to confirm that Bennett’s voice is an “identical – 100-percent match” with Siri’s.

    For those who don’t know exactly who Siri its, she’s actually not a woman – not even a human being for that matter. Siri is a virtual personal assistant and knowledge navigating software agent introduced by the Apple Corporation. Siri, which suitably means, “beautiful woman that leads you to victory,” was implemented as a feature on iOS 5. She enables Apple users to make verbal commands for sending text messages, and placing calls. In addition to basic instruction, Apple users can also perform more technical tasks such as scheduling meetings, and requesting reminders.

    One of the most unique aspects about Siri is that she’s not just a virtual recorder to house information. She actually comprehends and responds accordingly as a human being. For example, according to Apple, if one were to ask Siri, “Are there any good burger joints around here?”, Siri would evenly reply saying, “I found a number of burger restaurants near you.” Siri is also programmed as a proactive component, which means she’ll continue to engage in the conversation until you confirm that you desire otherwise.

    Apple’s motto is definitely true where Siri is concerned. “Your wish is its command.”

    Image via Susan Bennett Resume

  • Elizabeth O’Bagy Fired For Lying About Her PHD

    Elizabeth O’Bagy is probably not known to most people, unless you have been following the debate surrounding Syria very closely. O’Bagy, 26 years old, until recently was a senior analyst at the Institute For The Study of War in Washington. This would normally not get her noticed, but after the recent attacks in Syria using chemical weapons, she is suddenly an expert that many people have become familiar with.

    O’bagy has even spent a considerable amount of time with the rebels in Syria, being able to defend them in some cases. Everyone wants to know what she found out, becoming a hot commodity in recent weeks, states NPR. She immediately became a fixture on news programs, offering her take on the Syrian conflict including an interview on NPR’s morning edition on September 5. She also received some scrutiny for her close involvement with the Syrian rebels, but she responded on twitter telling her followers that she never intended to conceal her ties with rebel commanders and is not being paid to show her support for Syria.

    O’Bagy was recently fired for lying about earning a PHD from Georgetown, when in fact she had not. She recently had an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal and was cited by Secretary of State John Kerry and Senator John McCain in congressional hearings about possibly intervening in Syria. After gaining the attention of a number of people and appearing on several of the major news networks, she has been let go as an analyst.

    Part of the debate over whether to intervene deals with finding out how many of the rebel groups are extremist and how many of them are moderate. O’Bagy says that extremists and moderates exercise control over particular parts of the country and checkpoints are set up in order to define territory. There are also distinct areas of control where moderate rebels are able to keep weapons out of the hands of the extremists. Why then, is the crisis happening?

    According to CNN, O’Bagy has appeared on several television networks including CNN, BBC, Fox and PBS. Last week, she was a guest on CNN Newsroom and Fox News to speak on Syria. She will no longer be appearing as an analyst for CNN networks after deceiving the American public.

    Image via Youtube

  • CNN, BuzzFeed Launch YouTube Collaboration

    Viral trends webiste BuzzFeed today announced that it has partnered with CNN and YouTube to launch a new YouTube channel. According to BuzzFeed, a new channel will combine BuzzFeed’s entertainment content and CNN’s news to create new content that will be aimed squarely at engaging young people online.

    “There has been a massive cultural shift in how people – particularly young people – consume news and entertainment and Ze and his team are tapping into the next generation of video production and consumption,” said Jon Steinberg, president of BuzzFeed. “Over 70% of BuzzFeed’s traffic is social, almost half is mobile, and we are seeing these huge shifts earlier than others because the majority of our readers are 18-34. We are thrilled to partner with YouTube to bring a new generation of video content to a BuzzFeed audience that lives on social media and mobile phones,”

    The new CNN BuzzFeed channel will use CNN archival footage to create mash-up videos. The two organizations will also be collaborating on “list posts,” which will be published on the CNN website.

    “By pairing the journalistic strength and reach of the CNN brand with BuzzFeed’s unique editorial approach and young audience, our partnership will enable both organizations to engage new audiences,” said KC Estenson, SVP of CNN Digital. “It’s the perfect modern day media collaboration.”

    The new CNN Buzzfeed YouTube channel has only one video so far, a narrated montage of CNN rescue footage:

  • Wolf Blitzer Tells Tornado Survivor To Thank The Lord, Finds Out She’s An Atheist

    Anybody would be thankful to survive the massive tornado that recently wrecked areas of Oklahoma. The person, or deity, being thanked might be different though. CNN reporter Wolf Blitzer found that out the hard way as he was talking to survivors.

    While on the scene of the destruction today, Wolf Blitzer began talking to a young woman about her experience. At one point he said, “I guess, you gotta thank the Lord, right?” The woman, no doubt finding herself in an awkward situation, responded that she was in fact an atheist. Even so, she says that she doesn’t “blame anybody for thanking the Lord.” In the end, they all had a good laugh about it.

    After what she and thousands of others went through over the last few days, I don’t blame them either.

    [h/t: Raw Story]

  • CNN Anchor: Cancer Announcement Is Thanks To Angelina

    CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin said today that she is electing to have a double mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis, and it’s thanks in part to Angelina Jolie’s announcement about her own surgery that she had the courage to speak up about it.

    Jolie, who wrote a piece for the New York Times this week about her brave decision to go under the knife as a preemptive strike against breast cancer, says she did it partly because she watched her mom go through a battle with the disease and doesn’t want to leave her own children without their mom. Sambolin says the same thing inspired her to elect for the invasive surgery.

    “I struggled for weeks trying to figure out how tell you that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was leaving to have surgery then Angelina Jolie shares her story of a double mastectomy and gives me strength and an opening,” Sambolin wrote on Facebook.

    Sambolin says her prognosis is a good one due to early detection, and says she wants to warn women of the dangers of being neglectful with their breast care. She is scheduled to undergo surgery on May 28.

  • Why Are These News Anchors Holding A Satellite Interview In The Same Parking Lot?

    CNN has become somewhat of an Internet joke the past few weeks with its botched coverage of the Boston bombings and subsequent manhunt. That story is mostly behind us, though, and CNN can now work on delivering news without something silly happening, right?

    The Atlantic Wire has the absolutely bizarre tale of two anchors – Ashleigh Banfield of CNN and Nancy Grace of Headline News – holding an interview in the same parking lot. Now this wouldn’t be so strange if both women were in the same shot talking to each other. Instead, CNN has a split-screen set up indicating that both women are far away from each other. The background, however, tells a different story (gifs courtesy of The Atlantic Wire).

    (image)

    (image)

    It’s painfully obvious that this interview is being held in the same parking lot. What makes it so sad is that these two anchors are not even that far away from each other. By watching the background car movements, you can tell that they are no more than 50 feet away from each other.

    Some are taking this as a sign of wholesale deception, but that’s a little extreme. It’s probably just CNN being the sad kind of silly yet again. Either way, we’ll hopefully get another hilarious Jon Stewart spoof out of it.

  • CNN Anchor Robbed: iPhone Stolen in Atlanta

    A CNN anchorwoman was the victim of a brazen daylight robbery in Atlanta last week.

    Carol Costello, the news anchor for the 9 am to 11 am segment of CNN Newsroom, revealed this weekend that she had been robbed on Thursday. She claims that she was “walking down a beautiful, leafy Atlanta street” while talking on her iPhone. Three “teenagers” then ran up to her and grabbed her phone. Costello fought for the phone but had a “chunk” of her hair pulled out for her trouble.

    According to a wsbtv report on the incident, Costello was walking in the 1100 block of Piedmont Avenue. Costello gave the police a description of the iPhone thief. The anchor vented about the event on her Facebook page, where she wrote that she was “angry”:

    (image)

    Carol Costello CNN3 days ago

    Good Morning. In retrospect, what happened to me yesterday is insignificant in light of what happened in the Boston.
    Still, I feel the need to vent. And isn’t that what friends are for?
    I was robbed.
    And I am angry.
    I was walking down a beautiful, leafy Atlanta street, talking on my IPhone.
    Guess what happened next?
    Three teenagers ran up behind me. One of them grabbed my IPhone. Stupidly I struggled to hold on-to it. But, he was a big guy. And he pulled out a chunk my hair.
    I let go.
    As he ran down the street, laughing, I hurled a few expletives his way.
    I felt no fear at the time, I was just angry. Now I’m angry, shaken and sad. What a lousy life those kids have ahead of them.
    Turns out, according to ABC news: “cities across the country are on alert as officials warn of an uptick in stolen Apple products, dubbed “Apple picking.”
    Thieves steal IPhones, wipe them clean, then sell them for up to one-thousand bucks.
    So, a warning for you. Do not talk on your IPhone as you walk down the street.
    Oh, and let go of the stupid device if someone tries to steal it.
    Hope you join me at 9 and 10 AM ES. Powered by socialditto(image)  390 likes ·  740 comments

    IPhone theft is nothing new, and though thieves may be getting better at it, apps such as iCloud can help locate an Apple device once it is stolen.