Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Breitbart friend vows to release Obama tapes

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Barack Obama at Harvard Law School. (Photo by Obama for America via Getty Images)

A friend of the late conservative thinker Andrew Breitbart told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Thursday that tapes of Barack Obama during his Harvard days will be released within 10 days, hinting that they expose a “young and allegedly quite radical Barack Obama,” according to hotair.com. In a speech at CPAC this year, Breitbart had said he would release them.

“I have videos,” he told a like-minded audience at last month’s event. “This election we’re going to vet him.”

Steve Bannon, a writer, documentary filmmaker, and friend of Breitbart, appeared on FOX News Channel’s Hannity on Thursday to announce the release of  (the tapes).

Mediaite reports:

Bannon confirmed that there exists a series of tapes taken during Obama’s time at Harvard, which will be publicly released “in a week or two.” Breitbart has been “very systematic about going through this thing,” Bannon added.

The Toronto Star:

(Bannon says he will) release tapes that he said reveal Barack Obama as a radical bent on “racial division and class warfare.”

…  Breitbart, whose six websites are worth an estimated $4 million, had promised to release the tapes March 1, but dropped dead while walking home early Thursday in Brentwood, Los Angeles, at the age of 43.

Bannon’s most recent film is the documentary The Undefeated, about former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Ex-student sues Catholic college over roommate’s sex

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BOSTON (AP) — A former student at a Roman Catholic college in Massachusetts is suing the school, saying officials didn’t do enough to help her move out of the dorm room she shared with a roommate she found to be overly sexual.

The former Stonehill College student, Lindsay Blankmeyer says she was driven into a suicidal depression because housing officials didn’t give her reasonable alternatives for getting out of her living situation.

She alleges in the suit that her roommate had sex with her boyfriend while Blankmeyer tried to sleep just feet away.

She says she eventually moved into a hotel room, then withdrew from school when her depression worsened.

The suit seeks $150,000.

A spokesman says the college in Easton is reviewing the case and there are two sides to the story.

Driver on runway halts air traffic in Philadelphia

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Kenneth Richard Mazik (HO/AFP/Getty Images)

A man was charged with DUI and reckless endangerment after driving onto a runway at Philadelphia International Airport as a US Airways plane was about 10 seconds from landing on the strip, an ABC affiliate station in North Carolina is reporting.

The incident forced the closure of the airport for about 30 minutes Thursday morning, but Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan says there’s no connection to terrorism.

Sullivan says 24-year-old Kenneth Richard Mazik drove through a gate at a construction site just off the runway. He says Mazik drove onto the runway, going up one side before crossing over and driving back down a parallel runway.

Mazik was apprehended within five minutes and is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. Sullivan says the SUV tested negative for any type of hazardous material.

ABCNews blog reports the driver, Mazik, of Chadds Ford, Pa., was charged in Thursday’s incident with driving under the influence, simple and aggravated assault, and several counts of reckless endangerment, defiant trespass and criminal mischief.

Witnesses say Mazik drove his Jeep Cherokee through an airport construction gate only a few yards from the runway at about 10 a.m. The man headed directly for the landing area just as U.S. Airways Flight 3137, a commuter jet, was about to land, they added. At the last minute, a controller ordered the pilot to pull up.

… Witnesses say it seemed as though Mazik attempted to time it so that the Jeep would meet the plane as it landed, according to a report from ABC affiliate WPVI-TV in Philadelphia. Police say Mazik never made it to the runway; officers were able to stop him first.

This handout image courtesy of the Philadelphia Police Department shows the Jeep Cherokee that was driven onto runway at the Philadelphia airport by Kenneth Richard Mazik March 1, 2012. (HO/AFP/Getty Images)

Obama knew about Jeremy Lin first, loves ‘The Wire’s’ Omar

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Obama cemented his image as ‘the cool president’ by talking about his favorite character on ‘The Wire’ and revealing that he knew about Jeremy Lin before he got all mainstream.

On a recent episode of ESPN’s The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons (Grantland has a transcript here), Obama talked about his love of the Bulls, but delved into pop culture in a few places. First revealing that he’d been made aware of Jeremy Lin through the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, a Harvard alum.

Obama:”I knew about Jeremy before you [Bill Simmons] did, or everybody else did…[Secretary of Education Arne Duncan] and I were playing and he said, ‘I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard’…So I’ve been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon for a while.

[Bill Simmons]: Are you taking credit for “Linsanity”? It kind of feels like you are a little bit.

Obama: I can’t take credit for it, but I’m just saying I was there early.”

President Obama, playing basketball

They went on to talk about the Bulls, Obama’s general love of sports, how he tries to make time to watch his daughter’s play, and an off-the-cuff 3-pointer he swished in Iraq. The entire interview worth a listen or read. And at the very end, the POTUS reveals his favorite The Wire character — ostensibly to settle an office bet at ESPN — to be Omar Little, Michael K. Williams’ shotgun-toting robber, who only steals from drug-dealers.

“[Bill Simmons]: Settle an office debate. Best Wire character of all time?

Obama: It’s got to be Omar, right? I mean, that guy is unbelievable, right?

BS: We might break this down as like a March Madness bracket, and I think he’s going to be the no. 1 seed. [Laughter.] Everyone is in on Omar, it seems like.

Obama: He’s got to be the no. 1 seed. I mean, what a combination. And that was one of the best shows of all time.”

Obama’s love of the critically acclaimed HBO drama — and character of Omar — should be a delight to headline writers everywhere, who now have cause to make”Obama coming!” jokes over and over again.

Target pulls tasteless Whitney Houston cards

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Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston in 1994. (VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Images)

Target has removed from its shelves a greeting card that makes a tasteless joke of Whitney Houston‘s rocky relationship with her ex-husband Bobby Brown, according to CBS News.

The discount retailer said Wednesday the card was sold in its stores prior to Houston’s death on Feb. 11, and as soon as it was brought to the retailer’s attention, Target Corp. began “the process of removing the card.”

The card reads: “Next time you think of dating the bad boy, consider Whitney Houston.”

“It is never our intent to offend guests with the products we offer, and we take feedback from guests very seriously,” said Target in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

Houston died Feb. 11 in her room on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton hotel. She had been found in a bathtub.


New Justin Bieber cards

Meanwhile, speaking of celebrities and greeting cards, Hallmark is celebrating Justin Bieber’s 18th birthday with new cards, sure to be popular with the tweens.

According to the press release, the Bieber-themed collection of more than 48 cards will feature lights, songs from Bieber and pop-up displays.

The cards — priced at $2.57 to $9.99 — will hit Walmart stores nationwide in April and Hallmark Gold Crown stores in May.

Justin Bieber cards! (Hallmark)

Video: Bear charges toward the camera

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A grizzly bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park gave some hikers a scare in February of 2011. According to Huffington Post:

Filmed by camper Larry Griffith, the YouTube video shows the bear galloping through the water and charging at the camp site.

According to the Guardian, the bear circled the campers three times and later lost interest as it was only a bluff charge.

Small Jewish school has decision reversed, will be allowed to play

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The small Jewish high school in Houston that has been in national spotlight for being forced to forfeit its state semifinal basketball game will be allowed to play the game after all.

The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools has received a temporary restraining order that will allow Beren Academy to participate in the 2A state semifinals.

Beren, an Orthodox Day school, had been scheduled to play Dallas Covenant at 9 p.m. Friday at Mansfield High School. But chose to forfeit the game because of the Jewish Sabbath.

The new gametime has yet to be announced.

Edd Burleson, the executive director of TAPPS, said Thursday morning that he will abide by the restraining order and is making the necessary arrangements.

“Unlike many people TAPPS does follow the law, and we will comply,” Burleson said. “We’re trying to make those arrangements at this time. As soon as those arrangements can be made, we’ll post those on our website.”

The TAPPS Executive Board had voted 8-0 – with one member not attending – on Wednesday to deny an appeal to reschedule the games.

Abilene Christian and Logos Prep of Sugar Land will play in the other state semifinal.

“First of all, I’ve got to call the three schools who are involved – the semifinal opponent and the other two opponents – and find out when they want to play,” Burleson said. “Those folks need to have some word as long as they comply and they don’t request a time during the Sabbath. We’re going to allow them to have some input as to when and where and what time.”

Earlier in the week, some big names came to the defense of Beren Academy.

Houston mayor Annise D. Parker and former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy have come out to support Beren Academy.

Parker said she was “very disappointed” about the decision in a letter to TAPPS.

“It is also my understanding that TAPPS teams are not allowed to play any sports on Sundays,” Parker wrote. “Which I presume is out of respect for the Christian Sabbath.”

Van Gundy also left a phone message with TAPPS representatives.

“I called because when you’re the head of an association like this, the only thing you should worry about is doing right by the kids,” Van Gundy said in a phone interview with the New York Times. “This decision has nothing to do with the kids. I feel like they made a mistake and they don’t have a vice president of common sense who will tell them that this is silly and it’s O.K. to change your mind.”

Lauren Scruggs out and about with new prosthetic eye

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Dallas fashionista Lauren Scruggs, who is recovering from severe injuries after walking into an airplane propeller last December, was seen outside a gym in her hometown with her new prosthetic eye visible for the first time last week, msnbc.com reports:

Scruggs has returned to blogging on LoLo, her online fashion magazine, and earlier this month tweeted pictures of herself wearing sunglasses, joined by friends and family at a Colorado ski-jumping competition.

The day after Lauren was seen outside the gym, her grateful mother Cheryl took to the family’s blog at CaringBridge.org to write about her daughter’s healing.

“Physically, she’s getting stronger!” Cheryl Scruggs wrote on Friday. “She received a remarkable neurological report last week! We are all working hard through the grief and the ups and downs of something so painful and horrific.”

Next, Lauren will be fitted with a prosthetic arm. “We have had some big time belly laughs,” noted her mother, adding that there are time when Lauren is “just plain angry and frustrated.”

Scruggs lost her left eye and left hand in the accident Dec. 3 after a plane trip to view Christmas lights over McKinney.