Saturday, February 05, 2005
Think Before You Sue
9news.com | Cookie girls won't have to pay fine, Station raises money:
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - Two teenage girls who got in trouble for surprising their neighbors with homemade cookies will not have to pay nearly $1,000 in medical bills for a woman who says she was so startled that she had to go to the hospital.Whaaaa?The story unfolded when teens Taylor Ostergaard, 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitti, decided to bake chocolate chip and sugar cookies and place them outside their neighbors' doors with large red or pink construction-paper hearts that carried the message, "Have a great night" and were signed with their first initials: "Love, The T and L Club."Not to mention a mental illness...
The trouble began when they approached the home of Wanita Renea Young, 49. Young said she heard someone banging on the door of her rural home late in the evening. She went to the door and saw "shadowy figures" but they refused to answer when she called out to them.
Young said she was so frightened, she spent the night at her sister's home, then went to the hospital the next morning because she was still shaking and had an upset stomach.
Wanita Young said, "This has turned into quite a fiasco. It's something that never should have happened and it's just devastating. My phone hasn't stopped ringing. My life has been threatened and I'll probably have to move out of town."Good - you deserve it, bitch.
Let It Go, Dude
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Man who shot pope in 1981 wishes him well:
ISTANBUL, Turkey - The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II wished the hospitalized pontiff a speedy recovery from the flu and breathing problems yesterday, but also urged him to tell the world that its end is near -- the latest cryptic message from the mysterious man behind the 1981 attack.To which the hospitalized pope responded, "No shit."
Friday, February 04, 2005
h2uh-oh
CNN.com - Police: Student died from 'water intoxication':
A California State University student died of 'water intoxication' during hazing in the basement of a fraternity, authorities said Thursday.
Matthew Carrington, 21, died early Wednesday while drinking water from a five-gallon jug and doing exercises at the Chi Tau house near the Chico campus, said Chico Police Sgt. Dave Barrow.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
[Censored]
IndyStar.com: Study: 1 in 3 students don't value First Amendment:
The way many high school students see it, government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag burning is hardly protected free speech.We once again turn to the editorial page of the Ball State Daily News, which validates the point that modern teens really have their priorities messed up.
When told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes "too far" in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.
The Ball State Daily News - OUR VIEW: Pleading the firstWe mentioned in Monday's editorial that high school students often long for excessive amounts of independence and freedom.
In terms of speech, we might have been mistaken.
It seems as if these days, students are more restricted in their views than their parents, so says a ground-breaking study released Monday.
The study, released in part by Ball State University's own J-Ideas, shows that three-fourths of high school students either don't know how they feel about or take for granted the First Amendment.
If you are one of those people, feel free to take quick read of it in the upper right hand corner of this page.
Meanwhile, allow us to join the herd of other concerned parties by saying, "This is a serious problem."
The First Amendment's importance cannot be understated. It is what gives us as citizens (and journalists) the right to express ourselves freely.
Ask any high school student to tell you that, or more than a few words of the amendment itself, and you might be left out to dry. According to the study, students might not appreciate the amendment's value because they simply do not understand it to begin with.
For example, according to 75 percent of those students, flag burning is illegal. Half of the total students polled also said they believe the government can restrict indecent content on the Internet.
Neither of which, by the way, is true.
Without the proper knowledge of this, or any other amendment or constitutional law, how can we expect students to respect them?
Music, perhaps?
Eighty-three percent of students polled said they should be allowed to express unpopular opinion. This might seem high, but compared to faculty (97 percent), principals (99 percent) and adults (95 percent), students are more afraid of expressing their views.
When asked, though, if musicians should be allowed to sing songs with lyrics that might be offensive, only 59 percent of adults said yes, where 70 percent of students did.
In other words, Slipknot and Eminem should be allowed to express their opinions more than students should, some of those teens say.
If this is where the future of our country is headed, we are in serious trouble.
U.S. educators need to do a better job of informing students about their rights as citizens and moreover why they should respect such important laws and amendments. Otherwise, the freedom on which this country is founded is in jeopardy.
That is, if we're still allowed to say that.
'You're Incarcerated!'
CBS Marketwatch: Move over, Donald: Martha's ready for her close-up:
NBC said Wednesday that it is launching a new edition of 'The Apprentice,' its reality series that pits young business people against each other for a chance to work alongside Donald Trump.So, for the "How do you plead?" portion of the competition...
Yet this time the prize is a job with Martha Stewart, the woman who made an art out of home decor and cooking, but is now in jail for lying to federal prosecutors.
'The Apprentice: Martha Stewart' will keep the same basic format of weekly trials, tribulations and eliminations, but with Stewart bringing her 'own sensibilities and creativity' to the process, according to a network statement.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Beer to the 'Nth' Degree
dBusinessNews :: New "Buds" being released::
Anheuser-Busch announced the national launch of B^E (pronounced "B to the E"), a beer infused with caffeine, guarana and ginseng.Hot damn! Throw some viagra in there and you got a night made in fucking heaven! What's next, little toys? Cracker Jack: the beer!
But wait, there's more...Beer drinkers across the country will have a reason to celebrate as Anheuser-Busch launches Budweiser Select, a "new kind of beer" that is brewed for a "crisp taste with no aftertaste." The new brew will be available nationwide Feb. 21.So really, what in the hell are you drinking?
"Crisp taste with no aftertaste" delivers a true consumer product point of difference. In addition, Budweiser Select has only 3.1 grams of carbohydrates, 99 calories and 4.3 percent alcohol by volume per 12 oz. serving.
Sno Cones, Anyone?
Ananova - Man peed way out of avalanche:
A Slovak man trapped in his car under an avalanche freed himself by drinking 60 bottles of beer and urinating on the snow to melt it.Well, at least it was sanitary...
[Props to the person who sent this link in.]
Monday, January 31, 2005
Behind the Story
Wired News | Marine in Hawaii Honors Iraq Crash Victims:
Lance Cpl. Buck Gates left Iraq on Jan. 8, expecting his Marine buddies to finish their tours of duty soon and follow him home. But 26 members of his company were killed when their CH-53E Super Stallion went down in western Iraq while transporting troops for security operations in preparation for Sunday's elections.
Five of the dead were Gates' closest friends in the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment. "If anyone needed to find us on a weekend (while still in Hawaii), if they would find one, they would find all of us," he said.
Like You Give a Sh*t
Celebrity Cafe | Jackson Begins the Trial Process:
Today marks the first day of pop icon Michael Jackson's criminal trial. He arrived in an all-white suit this morning at the Santa Maria, California courthouse amid 100 or so fans lining the street as well as paparazzi and news affiliates. The meeting today begins the jury selection process where both sides will whittle the jury pool down from 300.So, do they consider him white or black?
Blast This
TechSpot - Teenager convicted for distributing Blaster Worm:
19-year-old Minnesota teen Jeffrey Lee Parson has been convicted of distributing the blaster worm, and has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.apparently the plea bargain for life without X-Box and Mountain Dew failed in its final stages.
Beyond the Call
PCWorld.com - SBC to Acquire AT&T:
SBC Communications plans to acquire AT&T (American Telephone & Telegraph) in a deal worth $16 billion, the company said in a statement Monday. The deal will create the largest telecommunications carrier in the U.S.Riiiight, because telegraphs are a valued part of any communication company's future here in 2005.
Although the role of the well-known AT&T brand name in the new company is still unclear, it will not disappear, according to Whitacre. "We value the heritage and strength of the AT&T brand, which is one of the most widely recognized and respected names throughout the world, and it will certainly be part of the new company's future," he says in the statement.
Say hello to some whack name like "Verizon."
BS.com | Interactive: Suggestions for the new company name? Add 'em to the comments section below!
iTopped
Times Online - Surprise contender in battle of the brands:
Apple, the computer company, has toppled Google, the search engine, to be voted 'the brand with the most global impact' in a poll run by Interbrand, the branding consultancy giant.Ah, never underestimate the power of foreign news networks during times of war.
The real surprise, however, was the emergence of al-Jazeera, the controversial Arab television station in a top-five dominated by "shiny", fashion-conscious, western companies.
Clinton Down!
Wired News | Sen. Clinton Recovers After Collapsing:
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton collapsed Monday during a speech on Social Security, moments after complaining about a stomach virus.First and last time she's reportedly been down on her knees.
"She fainted after not feeling well, got medical attention and is proceeding with her planned schedule," according to a statement released by her office in Washington.
In Memory
Journal Gazette | 01/30/2005 | Former WGL Radio owner dies
Obituary
Frank S. Kovas, 81, who owned a number of local radio stations, died Saturday.Frank, for those of you who do not know, was one of the first bosses I was ever paid under.
In 1981, Kovas, president of Kovas Communications Inc., bought WGL-AM (1250) from Helene Foellinger, former publisher of The News-Sentinel. In 2001, Kovas sold WGL, WCKZ-FM (94.1), WWWD-FM (96.3) and WXTW-FM (102.3).
In the spring of 2000, I made connections with a local media guru (Rich Renyolds) who was good friends with Frank. By the time that fall rolled around, he had gotten me in touch with Frank and helped me to arrange a "meeting" of sorts.
As the leaves were coloring and leaving the trees, some idle Saturday afternoon, I left my house with a friend to drop by Arby's. It had been aforementioned guru's suggestion that I grab some coffee to take to Frank, if for nothing else but to suck up. In my naive innocence, I followed his advice. I made damn sure to grab every packet of sugar, sweetener and cream I could find, too. "He's finicky, now -- you don't want to upset him," I remember Rich saying.
We went down to the Lower Huntington Road station in hopes that I soon would be landing some sort of job. I didn't know what I wanted to do, and Frank sure as hell wouldn't. That's pretty well how I ended up as a board operator for the first year and a half of my existence at Kovas Communications.
The interview went well, even with my friend sitting in on it. Frank continued to give us a tour around the building when suddenly the power went out. He went into panic mode, struggling to find spare power and light in any way, shape or form. To his dismay, Frank's flashlights were missing, as were the backs of his chairs, reportedly. He continued to scramble through the building yelling phrases and word combinations which my sophomore mind had never heard. Of the most memorable, Frank screaming about a thief in the building who was stealing his items, and how he was going to catch them.
"I don't know who is stealing this, but when I find out I'm going to fire their ass..." Frank exclaimed, "Cocksuckers."
"Well, at least the interview went well," I thought to myself.
Frank brought me on staff to help out at his baby, WGL, and many an afternoon did I spend sitting behind that studio board listening to CBS, NFL or similar syndicated network shows. Obviously, as the years went on, my position changed at the station. It was sold, twice, and I soon became one of the handful of employees that remembered the days of Frank. A good chunk of the upper management there now has only been along since Frank sold the station back in 2001.
Few, if any, of us at the station ever kept in touch after Frank left, for reasons which are unexplainable and now irrelevant. But, he was still (somehow and somewhat) respected, and dare I say loved. More over, he provided opportunity to a lot of the "personalities" in Fort Wayne radio which exist today... whether they'd willingly admit it or not.
Frank Kovas, in all his humorous and often times delusional glory, will be missed.
And, by the way, in case you were wondering: he never did drink that coffee.
CUstoM fit
Ananova - Tailor-made condoms:
A Taiwanese company has introduced a new service allowing men to order tailor-made size condoms. SakuNet International makes 55 different sizes of condoms from just three inches long to 9.4 inches, reports Sina News.Natural average, please...The company says the most popular condom sold in Taiwan is 4.2 inches long and 1.9 inches in diameter.How'd they do that?Men can log onto the company's website and download and print out the length measurement card so they can order the most appropriate condom.A funny penis sizing chart with weird graphics and in a different language?
Oh, you know you want it.
©2003-2007 David Studinski/Bewildered Society, unless otherwise noted.