Originally this idea got axed because even the normal, jaded TV watching public was horrified. But that didn't deter Fox. They just waited to try again. Hopefully this time the (other) media wouldn't bother reporting it because they'd already reported it before.
The network on Thursday will begin airing "Does Someone Have to Go?" a series where cameras go into small businesses and employees are compelled to rat out underperforming colleagues. At the end, they choose one co-worker to recommend for firing.[..]
It's a revamped version of a show, then called "Someone's Gotta Go," that Fox had been working on with the Endemol production company four years ago. In its initial incarnation, employees were given the power to determine who should be laid off within companies that needed to shrink for economic reasons. The show drew awful advance publicity - one magazine called it a step toward public executions - and never aired.[..]
The show's executive producer, Cris Abrego, said it is "absolutely not cruel. It's not like a random firing ... It really is a process of them proving their value to the company." (AP)
Really? Not cruel? Like lethal injection is a "humane" way to kill someone? Seriously Cris (um, did you originally have an 'h' in your name and did you just drop it to make yourself *unique*? Well Imanasshole Abrego seems like a better choice imho.) HOW IS IT NOT CRUEL? Making employees slaughter and slander each other to hang on to their shit-box jobs (anyone in their right mind would quit and move on rather than be subject to public, job-centered crucifixion, I mean how the fuck would you ever expect to get another job and who the hell would hire someone willing to sell out their entire team?) somehow that is *entertainment*?!! Even the gladiator games in old Rome were more "humane" than this.
Seriously, Fox shows some fucked up shit. Of course after some poor slob is reduced to a blubbering heap of humanity they can put on "Big Bubba's Holy House" or some such Christian-worship crappola to guild over the theatrical disemboweling they just showed.
Conservative values my ass. Unless by conservative they mean Neanderthal. Lord of the flies, Fox, you every fucking heard of it? IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE.
352 Media Group was very close to participating, Wilson said. Most of his employees wanted to, although there was a vocal minority. He was told the show was called "Office Life," he said, but noticed a clause in the contract that gave producers the right to change the title if they wanted.
After Wilson turned Endemol down, producers sent him a copy of a show pilot to see what it was like and offer advice. He breathed a sigh of relief; his company depends on teams working well together and a public airing of dirty laundry would have been devastating, he said.
"I am unbelievably happy that our sixth sense told us to stay away from this," Wilson said.
At least some people have the common sense and courage to turn away from the ooh-shiny media glare and apparently some folks can realize that having a camera shoved up their asshole for public entertainment isn't worth the price of stardom. Props.
Can you say OVERPAID? I sure the fuck can. They're all special and belong to the same club the "I RAPE EMPLOYEES FOR MY OWN BENEFIT" club.
The median pay for all CEOs in 2012 was $9.7 million.
Top 10 of 2012:
1.Leslie Moonves, CBS, $60.3 million, down 12 percent
2.David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, $49.9 million, down 5 percent
3.Bob Iger, Disney, $37.1 million, up 18 percent
4.Philippe Dauman, Viacom, $33.4 million, down 22 percent
5.John Donahoe, eBay, $29.7 million, up 81 percent
6.Brian Roberts, Comcast, $29.1 million, up 8 percent
7.Howard Schultz, Starbucks, $28.9 million, up 80 percent
8.Ken Chenault, American Express, $28 million, up 25 percent
9.Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil, $27.2 million, up 8 percent
10.Kent Thiry, DaVita HealthCare, $26.8 million, up 53 percent (AP)
Not one million, not ten but TENS OF MILLIONS, these fuckers are taking home more money than entire city budgets. But are they contributing more to society than police, fire, trash collection, education, social services and ever goddamned other thing a town provides for it's residents? Or are they just sucking their own dicks and patting each other on the back with wads of green shoved between their greedy fingers?
I think you know which one *I* think is the right answer.
So next time you need some cash, want to fund your local charity, or support the gym teachers in your school that are getting laid off because your town can't afford a hockey/soccer/diving team any more CALL ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES AND ASK THEM TO SPARE A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND. It's probably less than 1% of what they're taking home.
Wonder what they do with all that money. Probably just buy more seats on more boards to give each other more raises.
Hate you assholes. I wish we could send everyone of you to outer space. And make you pay for your own rocket.
Guess what! Now Big Mob Microsoft doesn't want you to "borrow" games any more. Who the fuck cares if you friend bought it fair and square. If you want to play it on your system, you better fucking pay up full price, because, well, you're not "buying" the game any more apparently you're just "renting" it.
Microsoft faces a backlash from some gamers after it emerged the company may charge a fee to play pre-owned games on its new Xbox One console.
It would also mean borrowing a game from a friend will require a payment to play, possibly the full price.
Microsoft has said gamers will be able to trade their used games online - but refused to give more details.
Microsoft's director of programming, Larry Hryb, admitted there had been some "confusion" around the policy. (BBC)
There's no "confusion" there, Microsquish has simply found a way to get people to pay MORE THAN ONCE for the same product. Really, REALLY? Haven't you fuckers learned enough from your Windows 8 debacle that you're now trying to tank the console market? ASSHOLES if I BOUGHT a fucking game, it's MINE to lend, give, shit on or use as a goddamn coaster. I don't need to have my friends pay for a game I already bought IF I LEND IT TO THEM.
Amazing.
Oh and Larry? Speaking of buying things, how about you buy a vowel for your last name? I'm guessing you have enough stock, you should be able to afford at least one.
Not all is fair in love and war, but that's hardly an excuse for the seemingly endless rollout of disaster that has been chipping away at the government. The stream of news has been so fast and wide that a blogger has difficulty tackling it all at once without posting over oneself. It's like dealing with a messy house, after a certain point you're overwhelmed and all you can do is sit down and feel bad.
The IRS debacle is not really that unusual, but it's morally and emotionally embarrassing. Had it happened eight years ago Dick would have just chuckled while W looked confused and republican voters would have shrugged. After all, when your party line is the disenfranchisement of "them" (everyone not "us") then who cares if someone is subjected to unfair scrutiny? For Democrats who walk around with T-shirts with the oft-misquoted "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" this is a very black mark, very black indeed. Because it's true, real democrats will hand money and the microphone to other parties who want to see them dead. Just because it's fair. And because it makes them feel, well, democratic.
Sexual harassment in the military. It went from bad to worse to "can it really get any more ironic than this?" Not just one, but multiple individuals in positions specifically to combat harassment wind up in jail for... harassment. Generals dismissing charges against their subordinates, again not once, but multiple times. It seems as if there's no end to the misery or backbone to stand up to it. Then a "pro-woman" administration takes up arms against the morning-after pill. It can get worse can't it? Because it sure as hell doesn't seem to be getting better. Maybe it's because Hilary left. Who knows?
The funny thing is that with all the mistakes and missteps public opinion isn't really at an all time low. It's as if everyone else has taken a look around and the best they can muster is a dejected look and a deep sigh. A lot like me. Yeah it's still my living room, and damn it needs a good cleaning, but not tonight I just don't have the energy.
Apple owners are well known for their "holier than thou" attitudes and expressions. It's something both the retailer and the retail-ee like to cultivate, rather like Star-schmucks, what does YOUR smartphone say about YOU? Yadda yadda. Trendy? Green? Tax-evader?
Apple has been accused of being "among America's largest tax avoiders".
A Senate committee said Apple had used "a complex web of offshore entities" to avoid paying billions of dollars in US income taxes. But it said there was no indication the firm acted illegally.
Apple chief Tim Cook will go before the panel on Tuesday. In prepared testimony Apple said it did not use tax gimmicks.
The Irish Republic, home to three Apple subsidiaries, says it is not to blame for the firm's low tax payments.
The US Senate had said that Apple paid little or nothing on billions of dollars in profits placed in Irish subsidiaries.
Really Apple isn't doing anything out of the ordinary, they're just pursuing a successful business model that let's them hang on to more of their profits. So what if it seems Un-American? I mean fuck, Apple makes its shit in China right? (Hint: Google Foxconn riots and suicides.)
Still it's got to be a little smudge on the ol'smugness to know that Apple is just the damn same as all other greedy-money-grubbing companies out there. Will it slow the sales of their goods? Not a bit. But does it give Android and Windows users something to fire back with? Maybe. Just call me Gridley...
As a parent I fully understand the need to change Junior, however the lack of available facilities doesn't make me act even more juvenile than my offspring.
DENVER, May 19 (UPI) -- Police said they responded to a Denver Starbucks after an altercation between an employee and customers who changed their son's diaper at their table.
Alex Burgos said he and his wife Ruth were getting coffee Mothers' Day weekend when their 1-year-old son Thiago needed to be changed. Ruth took him to the restroom, only to find there was no changing table, so she changed his diaper at their seat at the coffee shop, KUSA-TV, Denver, reported Sunday.
Burgos said a Starbucks employee tossed a rag to his wife and spoke to her in a "demeaning" tone.
"He said make sure to wipe the seat when you're done," he said. "They started talking amongst themselves and laughing about it."
Burgos said he poured his coffee on the floor in response, and the employees called police. No arrests were made in response to the incident.
Changing a one year old is something that can be done with the target standing up. I know, I've done it and I've seen it done. Is it at easy as lying down? No. Obviously not. Can it be done quietly and covertly in a public place? Sure, if you're quick, line everything up ahead of time and just do a virtual slight-of-hand, off-again-on-again that most parents of year-olds care capable of.
But if you throw a scene because you're offended that every place doesn't cater to your and your darling genetic byproduct, well, all bets are off aren't they?
The Burgos have one thing on their side: having quips and a rag thrown at you isn't appropriate. Chances are the baristas were on the young side and hadn't seen any prior patrons come in to change their babies on the seats. On the other hand, it's not really in the staff's job description to be wiping the seats down after a messy diaper change. Nor, really, is a coffee shop an appropriate place. Fecal matter on or near eating surfaces is clearly a concern for everyone, even those eating at McDonalds. Let's not even start with the safety issue of people walking about with hot cups.
Regardless of what was said to and by whom, Alex loses all sympathy by acting like a tool and dumping his coffee on the floor. Really? You couldn't find a more mature way to express yourself than that?
I suggest that in the future the the Burgos either get their beverages to go, or visit more "family friendly" places. Most people at Starbucks are looking to relax, chat, work on their computer, read a book and with very little kid-ready coffee cuisine, it's no surprise that there aren't "facilities" for baby changing.
Still the Borgos are pretty typical of the egotistical modern parent, thinking that the world revolves around them and a giant chain that specializes in sophisticated adult drinks should start painting happy clowns and putting mobiles in every bathroom just for them. Yeah you just had a baby, big fucking whoop. You and yours aren't really all that. After all, do you think you invented it?
Apparently in Pat's biblical world being a man is a good enough reason to get away with adultery. And women are supposed to be ok with that.
LOS ANGELES, May 17 (UPI) -- Televangelist Pat Robertson has received criticism for telling the wife of a cheating husband she should get over it because "males have a tendency to wander."[..]
A woman named Ivy wrote to Robertson for advice, saying, "We have gone to counseling, but I just can't seem to forgive, nor can I trust. How do you let go of the anger? How do you trust again?"
In response, Robertson said: "Stop talking about the cheating. He cheated on you. Well, he's a man. O.K."
"Males have a tendency to wander a little bit, and what you want to do is make the home so wonderful that he doesn't want to wander," he said.[..]
The Christian Broadcasting Network defended Robertson in a statement, saying, "As a first step in the process, Dr. Robertson stated that she should stop dwelling on the cheating. Next, he recommended that she remind herself of all the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place so that she might try to fall back in love with him all over again."
So a good Christian woman just sucks it up and keeps a light in her window for her adulterous husband, looking sadly at their wedding photo and wondering where she went wrong. Because it's ok for men to "stray" right? It's the woman's fault for having babies and getting older. When hubby divorces her sorry ass that's her fault too. She should just remember the good times and not ask for her share because, well, he's a man and she only deserves what he's willing to give her.
Pat you're an asshole. Of course the bible does NOT say it's ok for a man to cheat on his wife, nor that a woman should just put up with the abuse. But that's just stating the obvious. I don't know what third-world vision your mind has wandered into but your misogynistic bullshit sure paints a clear picture of the women-hating world that evangelicals have in store for the American girl.
Too bad that girl has grown up into the American Woman who isn't about to let herself be treated like that any more.
John Barrett isn't a douchebag. He's a used douchebag.
CINCINNATI (AP) -- For more than 100 years, the Anna Louise Inn in downtown Cincinnati has been a safe and serene home for thousands of women.
But the women recently lost a two-year fight with a Fortune 500 company determined to buy their 104-year-old property and turn it into a boutique hotel.
Now the women will have to leave.[..]
Company CEO John Barrett has said the Anna Louise Inn no longer belongs in the beautiful downtown neighborhood they share, and that a hotel in its place will be an economic boon for the city.
John you are scum. A heartless, filthy, inhuman, greedy, asshole shitstain on the underwear of humanity. Kicking women out of a shelter because you want their quaint building is vile. Fuck you motherfucker. I hope you choke on all your money. Scrooge doesn't hold a candle to you.
The irony is so strong it has stench of bullshit...
KEENE, N.H. (AP) -- The city of Keene, N.H., has sued a group that feeds change into parking meters that are about to expire, saying members are harassing enforcement officers.
The group calls itself "Robin Hood of Keene." Members walk city streets with rolls and dimes of quarters to feed the meters.
WMUR-TV reports (HTTP://BIT.LY/10GN9VW ) the city accuses the group of interfering with officers' work. It asks them to stay at least 50 feet away.
The group records its time outside and posts videos online, sometimes showing members following the officers.
The city says one officer suffered stress, anxiety and heart palpitations from the group's actions.
Group member Garret Ean says he's not trying to cause any medical problems. He says he tries to keep a good demeanor with all the parking meter enforcers.
Really it sounds like the small-town mentality of Keene is interfering with the FREEDOM of it's residents. If someone wants to pay meters for other people then where's the rub? If it's an issue with parking availability then the right solution is for the town to limit the maximum time someone is allowed to park. Pretending it's harassment means either the parking officer needs their meds adjusted or they're in the wrong job to begin with.
New Hampshire? Live free and die? No car insurance needed, or gun license. But heavens forbid you feed a parking meter. Puhleeeze.
I have a review for Kevin Williamson: Well played Sir, well played!
NEW YORK, May 17 (UPI) -- A New York theater critic was kicked out of a play after he threw a fellow patron's cellphone against a wall during a performance.
Kevin Williamson, 40, who reviews theater for The National Review and The Corner blog, said he was attending a performance of "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," a new musical based on a portion of the novel "War and Peace," and he decided to become a "vigilante" when a fellow patron whose phone constantly posed a distraction refused to turn the device off, the New York Post reported Friday.[..]
"I did it to make a statement -- but also I was just annoyed," Williamson said. "I go to the theater every week, and I'm used to bad behavior. But this was over the top."[..]
Williamson, who was escorted out of the play by security, said he and ushers had repeatedly asked the woman to put her phone away.
Frankly the stupid twat with the phone (now the X-phone) should have been escorted out, but the theater owners probably didn't want to get sued. It's beyond rude to the point of ruining performance, annoying the actors and wasting other patrons money to have your cell phone constantly going off. If she'd been asked multiple times, frankly, the ushers should have dragged her pathetic carcass right out.
And so to Kevin, yes, thank you. Thank you very much and I'm sure the rest of the patrons thank you too, since they (and the dumb cunt without her phone) now got to watch the remainder of the performance in peace.
Gov. Christie is used to shooting from the hip. The problem is that the wrong choice of words might encourage others to be more literal...
SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- Some 350 homeowners in the central New Jersey towns of Sayreville and South River whose properties have flooded repeatedly will be eligible to sell their homes in the first phase of a new federally funded buyback program, Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday.[..]
Christie said Environmental Protection Department would target clusters of homes or whole neighborhoods, not individual homes, so neighbors might need to get together, perhaps throw a party, to convince holdouts in the target zone to go along.
"I think you know what I'm saying," the governor told the capacity crowd at an elementary school, "use the gentle persuasion that New Jerseyans are known for to get things going.'"
Maybe he's been a local for too long, maybe he's just trying to gloss over a bad image, but what the REST of the United States knows Jersey for is petroleum, milk, and mobsters. It's fair to say that the first two aren't the issue here, it's the third that's a big concern.
In a state where residents are afraid to pump their own gas (ostensibly for their own safety but essentially because the mob reputedly controls the gas station unions) "gentle persuasion" is synonymous with baseball bats and knee caps.
Just sayin', choice of words that doesn't bring to mind "public lynching for dissenters" might have been better.
There is NO good reason on earth this woman should have been allowed to keep reproducing. Enough is enough.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A jury convicted a mother of six of involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in the starvation death of her infant at a Philadelphia homeless shelter.
The jury also convicted 34-year-old Tanya Williams of the aggravated assault of the infant's surviving twin, who was found near death, and of child endangerment. The panel found Williams not guilty of first-degree murder but deadlocked on third-degree murder and the attempted murder of the twin.
Williams had shown no emotion when paramedics found her emaciated, lifeless son alone on a bed, wearing only a diaper, two days before Christmas 2010, according to testimony. Quasir Alexander was 2 months old and weighed just over 4 pounds, a half-pound less than his birth weight.
Again, it's the same bullshit: Low IQ is the rationale and it's not her fault, oh no, it's everyone else's for not doing her mothering for her...
Defense lawyer Gregory Pagano called his client, who has a low-IQ, "a scapegoat" for the failings of social workers, doctors and others and said the jury found that she had "no intent" to harm her son.[..]
Williams' case files suggest that she repeatedly made appointments to take her children for vaccines or checkups, or to apply for food stamps or other programs. But she rarely followed through, repeatedly rescheduling the appointments.
The twins were born at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 21 and 22, and released on Oct. 25. She had not had any prenatal visits and did not know she was carrying twins.
Really. So it's the "system" that failed, when the mother made appointments but didn't keep them, that her older kids skip school or act like bullies. Really. So essentially POS waste-cases like this should keep making babies because it feels good and because it nets them cash, and we, the responsible, should pay for her AND the half-dozen case workers trying to ensure she doesn't kill these babies? WHAT THE FUCK.
Ok, really, it's time for shit like this to stop. All those right-to-lifers out there, give them these darlings that were God-blessed born to cherish and raise, and have mumsie spayed. That's my solution. I think it's a good one.
At least his dudebro's were nice enough to leave a note...
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- An Arizona State University student who passed out and was left in a wheelchair in a hospital lobby with a Post-it note to tell doctors that he had participated in a drinking competition apparently put back about 20 shots of tequila.[..]
The 19-year-old student was found early Saturday in the emergency room lobby of St. Luke's Hospital, according to Tempe police spokesman Sgt. Michael Pooley. A sticky note on the student's body gave his name and said he'd been drinking and needed help. Hospital staff noticed the student and helped him.
I've heard of Granny-dumping but this is the first I've heard of Frat-bro dumping. Imagine, if you will, rolling up with a friend who you know has just hammered back a half a bottle (or more) of tequila in a stupid-short time. Also imagine that he's already had a seizure. What do you do? Take care of your bro? Or do you grab a wheel chair, roll him in, stick a note on him ("Hi! My name is...")and then smoke rubber to gtfo of there? Sigma Alpha Epsilon needs to have it's fucking license revoked, but believe it or not his "friends" (aka Frat Brothers) won't see any charges.
I guess he should be glad they didn't just dump his ass under a bush outside. Frankly it's a miracle he survived. Hopefully now he and a lot of other sane people now know how important joining a fraternity *isn't*.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon you suck.
So it's all the rage in the news "Angelina so brave" because she had a double mastectomy due to the potential risk of cancer. Of course a cynical person might note that all she did is what hundreds of Brazilian women already do: get a pair of picture-perfect tits.
Call me cynical.
NEW YORK (AP) -- "I hope that other women can benefit from my experience," Angelina Jolie wrote in a powerful op-ed article Tuesday, explaining her decision to go public with having her breasts removed to avoid cancer.
But amid the accolades for the film star's courageous revelation, doctors and genetic counselors were careful to note that her medical situation - an inherited genetic mutation putting her at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer - was very specific, and that her course of action made sense for only a small category of women.
Still, they hailed her bravery and said that she would surely help increase awareness - and thus, perhaps, help save some lives.
Ya know, after all the kids and the other (ahem) enhancement surgeries it's likely that Angie's Bangers were getting more than a bit saggy. So she ditched 'em and found a reason to publicize the results. You have to admire the fact that she found a way that was slightly more subtle than "Look at my new girls!"
Considering how much money she has it's not really all that big a deal. For the ordinary woman who has to fight with her health insurance after most of her Maternal line succumbed to breast cancer, now that's a heroic story. But rich twat buying herself a perfect pair? Please. That's not news.
Can I get a little overreaction here? Or maybe a lot?
Olivia Sprauer, a 26-year-old Stuart, Florida high-school teacher who was living a double life as a model, was forced to resign on April 29 after the principal found bikini pictures of her alter ego Victoria Valentine James.
The Huffington Post reports Sprauer had been modeling under a different name to keep that side of her life separate from her Martin County High School peers and students. She hoped she'd be able to do both things until the end of the year -- when she would leave her teaching job to pursue a master's degree -- but was busted before that.[..]
Sprauer, who only started modeling swim suits in February because she needed the money, said she was a good teacher and that she didn't feel like she did anything wrong. (UPI)
Seriously the photos aren't lewd, nude or rude. But Florida, home of some of America's Most Stupid, isn't a state that can discriminate. Instead they shoot first and ask questions, well no, they don't even ask questions.
Point is that the pictures were under a pseudonym and it was almost the end of the school year. Instead of embarking on a public witch-burning, trying to shame someone for something that isn't illegal, the school could have just quietly let her finish the year and the story would be over.
Instead they had to make a bit todo about... a bikini.
Well hopefully the upside is Olivia had her portfolio boosted. The downside is that a class full of students lost out on a good teacher. But that's Florida for you, where stupid is as stupid does.
The political parties would like you to believe that you're fundamentally different than the guy voting for the other party. This blog is full of "us vs. them" but when it comes right down to it - the issues that divide us aren't the big ones, they're the small to medium ones. Turns out that on the main themes "we" really do agree.
Like what you ask? Like on these:
What can 9 out of 10 Americans agree on? Survey says[..] a few questions discover 90 percent agreement, or close to it.
Americans nearly all:
-believe in God.
-are very patriotic.
-consider preventing terrorism a very important foreign policy goal.
-admire those who get rich by working hard.
-think society should ensure everyone has equal opportunity to succeed.
-think it's important to get more than a high school education.
-favor teaching sex education in public schools.
-find birth control morally acceptable.
-believe cloning humans would be morally wrong.
-believe it's wrong for married people to have affairs.
-are interested in keeping up with national affairs.
-believe it's their duty to always vote. (AP)
These are more important than you know because they're *not* universal beyond our borders. There are nations where people have no problem with affairs (or marrying 8 year olds for that matter). Others where voting isn't even allowed, or done in front of a gun. Ones where women aren't even allowed in schools, much less sex education permitted. Lots of nations where only the rich-born should be allowed to succeed or where the admiration of lazy-asses who never worked a day in their lives is the norm.
I, personally do not believe in God, but that's just me. 9 out of 10 believe in these things, and I believe in 11 out of 12. I consider that good enough to say I agree with that list. I'll bet you (mostly) do too.
Yeah, we're not really that different after all.