Month: April 2013

Categories
Anthony Weiner Politics

Anthony Weiner Considers A Run For Mayor

anthony-weiner-return8

As far as I’m concerned, seeing Anthony Weiner in any political office would be a blessing. Like Senator Bernie Sanders, Weiner was a fighter for the American middle class. He was know for his ability to hit the Republicans where it hurts, and was the one who coined the phrase, Republican Party is “a wholly owned subsidiary of the insurance industry.

Mr. Weiner made a mistake. There are some who did worse things than he did, and they are still in government. It’s time we forgive, forget and move on.

Saying that he would like, at some point, to “ask people to give me a second chance,” Anthony D. Weiner, the former congressman who resigned in 2011 amid a scandal over his lewd online behavior, is mulling a run for mayor this year because “it’s now or maybe never for me.”

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, which was posted online Wednesday morning and is to be published in print on Sunday, Mr. Weiner cautioned that he did not know when he would decide about entering the race, and conceded that “the fact that I don’t know tells me I shouldn’t run. Or I should not run now.” He also acknowledged that he would be “the underdog in any race I ran,” citing a poll he commissioned earlier this year to gauge whether voters were prepared to forgive him and take him seriously as a candidate.

Mr. Weiner and his publicity-averse wife, Huma Abedin, sought in the interview to demonstrate that he was a changed and humbled man: a stay-at-home father living in what the magazine writer describes as a “sprawling apartment” on Park Avenue South, far from the Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods Mr. Weiner represented in the House of Representatives for more than a decade.

“Some people just don’t buy it,” Mr. Weiner said. “Like they just don’t have room for a second narrative about me.”

Since leaving Congress, Mr. Weiner has generally refrained from commenting on either the scandal that prompted his resignation or his political future. But his visibility has increased in recent months, first with a photo shoot in People magazine that featured Mr. Weiner and Ms. Abedin with their infant son, Jordan, and then, over the weekend, with tabloid photos of the family, paparrazzi-style.

Categories
gun control Politics

Vice President Biden: Republicans Opposition To Gun Control “Mind Boggling”

Vice President Biden on Tuesday said GOP lawmakers who are threatening to block a vote on gun legislation are making an “almost mind-boggling” move but said he holds hope that the Republican lawmakers will come around and support a vote.

Fourteen GOP lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said they would likely move to block a vote on gun legislation out of concerns that the bill — which includes a provision to expand background checks —would infringe on American’s right to bear arms.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Tuesday that the Senate will vote on Thursday to try to end the GOP filibuster.

“Why don’t people up there understand this?” Biden said in a speech to law enforcement officers in Washington. “What has to happen to break through the consciousness of the people up on (Capitol) Hill?”

The Senate is expected to begin debate on the gun legislation this week. The current version of the Senate gun bill would strengthen current laws on gun trafficking and straw purchasers, increase grants for improvements in school safety as well as expand background checks to nearly every gun purchase.

h/t USA Today

Categories
Food And Recipes recipes

Branden’s Favorite Blender Concoctions

Branden Lee is a blogger, screenwriter, producer, and actor, currently residing in Boston, MA. Follow Branden on Twitter @Brandeness  and check out his blog . 

I may not know my way around the kitchen or be getting my own cooking show anytime soon, but I am an expert when it comes to the blender. Here are some recipes for some of my favorite drinks. They’re quick, easy, and can be completed in seconds, well not including the time it takes to shop for ingredients, but those are easy to find.

1. Pina Coladas

Pina Coladas are my absolute favorite drink! They’re delicious alcoholic or not. Plus I think they’re great for the skin, not scientifically proven, but personally I find them to be fantastic for my skin. Which is usually flawless.

Ingredients: Malibu coconut flavored rum, pineapple chunks, 1 ripe banana, and Ice.

I only enjoy cocktails where I can taste the alcohol, so I tend to be generous when pouring into the pitcher. But all measurements of ingredients depends on one’s own personal taste. Use as much ice as you want, depending on if you prefer your drink to be more of slushie or not. Place all ingredients into the blender, it’s best to put the liquids on the bottom so they’re closer to the blades. Putting ice near the blade makes it more difficult to blend. Cease blending once all ice has been crushed and all solid ingredients are now liquid.

Pour into glass, place whipped cream and maraschino cherries on top, and then enjoy!

2. Strawberry Daiquiris

Ingredients: Any flavored rum (personally I prefer Bacardi brands), strawberries, 1 ripe banana, and ice.

Directions are basically the same as a Pina Colada. Make sure the strawberries are ripe, along with the banana. There’s nothing worse than putting an unripened fruit into a blend. It gives the whole drink a sour taste and can ruin the drink. Well if that is the case just pour more alcohol into it, that should hopefully be able to salvage it. Never let alcohol go to waste!

3. Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothies

A Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie isn’t an alcoholic drink, but perfect for breakfast, especially when on the go.

Ingredients: A ripe banana, peanut butter, milk, ice

Place all ingredients into the blender, milk on the bottom, and blend! Personally I prefer vanilla flavored almond milk, but any type of milk, whatever your preference, should be fine. Measurement wise, I like to fill the blender 1/3 the way with milk. Peanut butter naturally has a strong taste, so it’s not necessary to use a lot. The recommended serving size is 2 tablespoons, but I just use 2 knife servings, but I’m a generous server. As a special ingredient I like to throw in a dash of Nutella. It doesn’t provide a noticeable taste, but everything is better with Nutella.

Blend until all ice has been dissolved, and enjoy!

I love frozen drinks all year long. I only enjoy warm drinks if I’m cold or feeling ill, so these recipes are perfect for whenever. But also since warm weather is approaching, it’s the perfect time to break out the blender and enjoy a frozen cocktail or breakfast smoothie.

Bon appetite!

Categories
Technology

Woman Finds iPad Stuck In Her Bumper – PIC

Have you seen this photo yet? I’m sure you have. The photo has gone viral with over a million and a half views online. It shows an iPad, lodged in the bumper of a car. The car owner had no idea that the iPad was there until her father pointed it out to her.

We’ll file this one under ‘Technology…’ We’re sure Apple is proud.

The video below explains…

Categories
Mitch McConnell Politics

Mitch McConnell Caught On Tape Discussing Ways to Discredit Ashley Judd

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s campaign team on Tuesday asked the FBI and U.S. attorney to investigate whether its headquarters was bugged after a secretly taped recording was posted by Mother Jones.

On the tape, McConnell’s aides discuss attacking actress-activist Ashley Judd for her struggles with depression and views on several topics, including religion.

Judd, who was considering a Senate bid in Kentucky, said in late March that she would not run for the Democratic nomination in 2014 to take on McConnell.

“We’ve always said the left would stop at nothing to attack Sen. McConnell, but Watergate-style tactics to bug campaign headquarters are above and beyond,” said Jesse Benton, McConnell’s campaign manager. “Obviously a recording device of some kind was placed in Sen. McConnell’s office without consent. By whom and how that was accomplished presumably will be the subject of a criminal investigation.”

The magazine said it obtained the recording of a Feb. 2 meeting last week from a source who requested anonymity.

“She’s clearly, this sounds extreme, but she is emotionally unbalanced,” a McConnell aide is heard saying on the tape. “I mean it’s been documented. Jesse can go in chapter and verse from her autobiography about, you know, she’s suffered some suicidal tendencies. She was hospitalized for 42 days when she had a mental breakdown in the 90s.”

McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, is heard on the tape at the beginning of the meeting, in which a wide variety of opposition research on Judd is discussed. USA TODAY has not independently verified the tape.

Among other things, McConnell’s aides are heard talking about Judd’s support for President Obama, her opposition to coal mining, support for an energy policy known as “cap and trade,” and her views on abortion and religion. One McConnell aide says Judd is critical of “traditional Christianity,” according to the tape and transcript posted by the liberal magazine.

“This is yet another example of the politics of personal destruction that embody Mitch McConnell and are pervasive in Washington, D.C.,” Judd’s spokeswoman, Cara Tripicchio, said in a statement.

“We expected nothing less from Mitch McConnell and his camp than to take a personal struggle such as depression, which many Americans cope with on a daily basis, and turn it into a laughing matter,” the Judd statement continued. “Every day it becomes clearer how much we need change in Washington from this kind of rhetoric and actions.”

Some of the research on Judd came from her 2011 memoir, All That is Bitter and Sweet, in which she wrote about her struggle with depression and how she had contemplated suicide in sixth grade. In 2006, she entered a 42-day treatment program at a rehab facility in Texas.

“I would have died without it,” Judd told People magazine in 2011.

By early afternoon Tuesday, McConnell’s team turned the leaked tape into a fundraising opportunity. They posted a message on their website that read in part: “Breaking: Liberals wiretap McConnell office.

H/t USA Today .

Categories
Politics

Former Mayor Charged – Masturbating At 90 Miles per Hour

Question: If you masturbate at 90 Miles an hour, do you cum arrive really fast?

William Blakely, former Vice-Mayor of Mount Carmel, Tennessee, was accused in court yesterday of having a long-running streak of reckless driving incidents that stem from a penchant for sticking his genitals out of the window and masturbating in the direction of passing female motorists.

Three women appeared in a Kingsport court yesterday to submit testimony about their personal interactions with Blakely.

“At over 90 miles per hour, he had his penis out [the window]. He was masturbating,” said one victim. “[A]nd that’s when it got really, really bad.”

All three testimonies followed a similar pattern: Blakely would wave and honk at the female driver in an attempt to get her attention, then he would expose his chest and ask her to “please, please” do the same.

According to Detective Terry Christian, it was thanks to one of the three women who wrote his license plate number down that Blakely was finally being brought to justice after years of harassment.

Per Christian, over the course of “three or four years,” his department received “dozens of phone calls” from victims aged 16 to 65.

Blakely has been charged with indecent exposure, reckless endangerment, and attempt to commit aggravated assault.

A Grand Jury court date, where additional cases involving Blakely will be presented, has been scheduled for June 14th

Categories
Joe Scarborough Politics

Joe Scarborough: “Is Anybody Awake In My Party?”

After the president’s speech in Connecticut yesterday on gun violence and the need for Congress to act, more focus is being placed on a group of Republicans who have determined that their “A” rating with the NRA is more important than the lives of the innocent people killed daily from gun violence. But their foolish decision to buck common sense gun reform is not going unnoticed.

Joe Scarborough, a Republican and frequent critic of dumb Republican decisions, stayed true to form today when he used his morning show on MSNBC to point out the pointlessness of those in his party. “It’s really hard to figure out what the political calculation is, “Scarborough said.

“It’s a 90/10 issue that involves the massacres of 20 children: Is anybody awake in my party on the Hill?” Of course the answer to How’s question is yes, they awake. But the priorities have never been the same as those held by a majority of the American people. Congressional Republicans have demonstrated on multiple occasions, that self-preservation and their childish need to see president Obama fail trumps the will of the people.

So anything the president is for, Republicans will be against. And it doesn’t matter how popular those things are, if the president is in favor of them, Republicans will automatically be against them. Call this unproductive relationship the Yin and Yang of politics.

Republicans’ foolish need for self-preservation and their desire to make the president fail, will ultimately be their demise. The American people are watching, and following the unbelievable massacre in Newtown Connecticut, they are paying more attention than ever before.

Categories
Movies

Halle Berry On Second Pregancy: The Biggest Surprise Of My Life

The Oscar-winner and her fiancé, Olivier Martinez, are expecting their first child together, and—as E! News revealed last week—the actress is pregnant with a boy and is reportedly about 12 weeks along.

Just days after word spread that Berry will be giving her 5-year-old daughter, Nahla, a little sibling, the star is speaking out for the first time about being on the baby way once again—an experience, she says, that’s been both immensely joyous and tremendously shocking.

“I feel fantastic,” the 46-year-old tells CNN.

“This has been the biggest surprise of my life to tell you the truth,” she adds. “I thought I was kind of past the point where this could be a reality for me. So it’s been a big surprise and the most wonderful.”

Berry, however, played it coy when it came to talking about the baby’s gender.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” she said when asked whether she was having a son, stressing that all she wanted was for the baby to be “healthy.”

h/t E Online

Categories
Entertainment Technology

A Few Days Late, But I Still Pay My Respects

Ladies and gentlemen, may I please ask for a moment of silence to remember a once great gaming publisher, Lucas Arts.

 

Alas this once mighty game developer and publisher has been shuttered a few months after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company. While their more recent of games, I’m looking at your Kinect Star Wars, showed this companies complete and total disconnection from their gaming community; Lucas Arts was once at the forefront of the gaming world and continually pushing out great games for one of the best known franchises in the world.

The Knights of the Old Republic quickly became a favorite amongst gamers

Lucas Arts was created by George Lucas in 1982 to serve as the video game development arm of his original company, Lucas Film. At first Lucas Arts developed games outside of Star Wars such as the Monkey Island series and numerous military based simulators. Though Star Wars wasn’t licensed by Lucas Arts until the 1990’s, it soon became the cash cow for the developer. This became the case so much that during the late 90’s and very early 2000’s, there were so many Star Wars games being put onto shelves. Though soon the age-old rule of “quality over quantity” began to kick in and by 2002 Star Wars game started to get hit hard with poor reviews throughout the gaming community. This all started to change though when in 2003 Lucas Arts worked with video game developer Bioware to create the amazingly well review Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This game was the launching point for not only a sequel but the new wave of modern 3D graphics combined with perfect story telling within a game and lastly a very intelligent role-playing game.

In 2004 Lucas Arts was given a new president, Jim Ward, who did a total reconstruction of the company’s infrastructure. Behind Jim Ward Lucas Arts produced some of it’s most well-known and best games to date. Leading this charge would be the great Star Wars Battlefront, which became the best-selling Star Wars game of all time at that point. Battlefront quickly spawned Star Wars Battlefront II in 2005 which was also met very positively by critics and gamers, such as myself, alike. From 2005 to 2008 the Lucas Arts continued to pump out successful games such as Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Empire at War, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Between these amazing years for the Star Wars franchise, Lucas Arts continually scaled down its in-house developing and started to rely heavily on 3rd party developers, their relation with such companies was…unprofessional to say the least.

One of their best known release, Republic Commando never spawned a sequel though the community demanded it

Jim Ward left Lucas Arts citing personal reasons in 2008 and this marked the increasing decline of the once powerhouse publisher. A month before Jim Ward stepped down, Lucas Arts released Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II which was given mediocre reviews by most critics. Continuing this downward spiral, Star Wars: The Clone Wars-Republic Heroes was launched in late 2009 and once again was met with a barrage of negative reviews. In their darkest of years a small glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a big budget game and resurrection of a classic tag; In late 2008 Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced and in production at Bioware studios. This game was supposed to be a big boost to the failing Lucas Arts, sadly The Old Republic did not give the lift needed for them. On the day of it’s launched the game faced horrific installation problems on its first day out coupled with game crashing bugs and glitches; This was the final nail in the coffin for Lucas Arts. Between 2010 and 2012 numerous key people left and layoffs hammered the company to a shell of its former glory. On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucas Arts for a sum of $4.05 billion. At first rumors spread of current in-house and under development games, such as the eye brow raising Star Wars 1313, were put on hold and moved behind other more important projects. Sadly on April 3, 2013, Disney confirmed the shuttering and immediate closure of Lucas Arts and the cancellation or exporting of any current projects.

The beautiful Star Wars 1313 trailer was shown once and soon after the project was cancelled

I am saddened by the news of Lucas Arts and it’s closure to say the least. The games they produced during their glory days were some of the best I have ever had the pleasure of playing. Perhaps though they had it coming to them. Sadly they never did listen to the gaming community on what we wanted, as we never saw Star Wars: Republic Commando 2 and the much beloved Star Wars Battlefront III never did see the light of day. On top of that Lucas Arts continually bullied 3rd party developers into releasing poor games or making poor financial decisions. Maybe then, it’s best a company that’s last Star Wars game was entitled Kinect Star Wars is buried and laid to rest.

Categories
Politics sandy hook

President Obama Renews Gun Control Fight In Connecticut

President Barack Obama made an impassioned plea today for citizens to contact their legislators and demand action on gun control, saying he’s as “determined as ever” to pass tougher measures.

Speaking at the University of Hartford before a crowd that included families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, the president said the contentious debate over gun control measures “shouldn’t be about politics.”

He singled out Republican lawmakers who want to use procedural maneuvers to block legislation, arguing that such a move would be akin to saying that public opinion doesn’t matter.

The president was introduced to the crowd by a woman whose son was among the 20 young children who were killed in the Newtown shooting in December. Six adults were also killed at the school.

“If you’re an American who wants to do something to prevent more families from knowing the immeasurable anguish that these families know, now is the time to act,” Obama said. “Now is the time to get engaged, to get involved, to push back on fear, frustration, and misinformation. Now is the time to make your voice heard from every state house to the corridors of Congress.”

Categories
Television

Kim Kardashian’s Pregnant Belly Photo May Be Photoshopped

Branden Lee is a blogger, screenwriter, producer, and actor, currently residing in Boston, MA. Follow Branden on Twitter @Brandeness  and check out his blog . 

Gossip site Media Takeout has constantly been keeping tabs on Kim Kardashian’s seemingly inflating/deflating baby bump. Kim seems to have a pronounced belly every other time she’s photographed by the paparazzi. All the other times her belly is unnoticeable, and it’s not just because of her unflattering maternity wear. Is Kim Kardashian pulling a Beyonce and faking her pregnancy all together, or is their actual trickery afoot?

This past weekend Kim tweeted out a picture showing her pregnant belly, in what can be believed is an attempt to dispel rumors that she is in fact faking her pregnancy.

Media Takeout claims they’ve contacted a “photoshop expert” and they claim that these photos have been altered.

In the picture on the left there’s a strange white area beneath’s Kim’s boob, which looks like the photo could have been badly photoshopped.

In the picture on the left they claim there’s a bizarre triangle shape on Kim’s leg.

Is Kim’s pregnancy a publicity stunt? Did she hire a surrogate or is there a different ending for this possible ruse planned? Kim’s due in July so we’ll all find out then if this pregnancy is the real deal. When it comes to Kardashian’s anything is possible, especially for publicity.

 

Categories
marriage Politics Tid Bits

Jada Pinkett Smith – If Will Cheats, He’s His Own Man

A few days ago, an article was written asking the question why are we so fascinated with celebrities. The author made the point that celebrities were just like us, but on a much larger scale, and he wanted to know why the public continuously place these people on pedestals, especially when they don’t belong on there.

And after that question was asked, we read today that Jada Smith has basically given her hubby a pass if he ever felt the need to cheat on her. According to Mrs Smith, Will is his own man and can do whatever he wants.

Hey, whatever works. Jada Pinkett-Smith addressed a longstanding rumor about her 16-year marriage to Will Smith** in a new interview with HuffPost Live: That she and Will, 44, have an open relationship.

“No, I think that people get that idea because Will and I are very relaxed with one another,” replied the actress and mother of actor-singers Willow**, 12, and Jaden, 14. The 41-year-old star then continued of the “persistent” rumor: “But I’ve always told Will: You can do whatever you want as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be okay,” she said, without going into further specifics.

“Because at the end of the day, Will is his own man,” she said of the Men in Black star. “I’m here as his partner, but he is his own man. He has to decide who he wants to be and that’s not for me to do for him,” she said, adding: “Or vice versa.”
The couple have battled more than one false report of an imminent divorce, most memorably in summer 2011, when the couple, who wed in 1997, slammed split rumors — and talk that Pinkett Smith had an affair with HawthoRN costar Marc Anthony** during his marriage to Jennifer Lopez.

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