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08 Mar 2011 23:50

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Culture: American Apparel’s Dov Charney accused of sexual abuse

  • He informed her that if she wanted to remain employed and be advanced by the company, she would have to engage in sexual acts with him as soon as she turned 18 years old.
  • A lawsuit filed against American Apparel CEO Dov Charney • Reciting allegations made by former employee Irene Morales. Morales got hired at a New York branch of the clothing store in 2007, quit in 2009, and then worked at a L.A. store in 2010. She alleges that Charney invited her over to his apartment shortly after her 18th birthday, forced her to perform oral sex on him in the doorway, and then…well, yeah, a bunch of other horrible things. This isn’t the first sexual harassment case Charney, whose full name sounds like a brand of liquor, has faced, but none of the earlier suits have gone to trial. If these allegations are true, this scumbag should be in prison, and the $250 million in damages sought don’t seem too far off track, either. One question: why did Morales start working for the company again in 2010? We are not questioning Morales’ story – coming forward can be tough. We’re just curious. (Editor’s note: Reworded to avoid misinterpretation of what was meant.) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 22:55

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Politics: Senators running for the hills, not re-election

  • 8 U.S. Senators will retire in 2012 rather than seek re-election source
  • » What’s going on? Well, it’s a mix of this and that. A few of the retirees clearly weren’t going to win re-election, namely John Ensign and “Cowboy Joe” Lieberman. A few could have won but faced uphill battles (Jim Webb, Kent Conrad). Hawaii’s Daniel Akaka is just really old, and Kay Bailey Hutchison had promised that she’d retire if she lost her bid for Texas Governor (which she did). But some of the retirements — Jeff Bingaman and John Kyl in particular — seemingly came out of nowhere. We’ll just have to take ’em at their word when they say what politicians always say when they retire: they want to spend more time with their families.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 22:10

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Politics: Campaign to recall Wisconsin Republicans gaining steam

  • $500k raised in one week by progressive groups to support recall of Wisconsin Republicans
  • six the size of the ad buy, in digits, on the part of progressive groups to air pro-recall ads
  • 59% of respondents in a robocall said they’d support recalling the senators source
  • » Turns out that recall campaign wasn’t just an empty threat. As we wrote last week, two leading progressive groups, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America (PCCC/DFA), have teamed up recall in recall efforts against several GOP state senators in Wisconsin. The idea is to recall at least three of them, which would flip control of the chamber to the Democrats and prevent Republican Governor Scott Walker’s union-busting bill from passing. The effort is getting help from the state Democratic party, which is providing “ground forces” to supplement the PCCC/DFA’s behind-the-scenes efforts. A total of eight GOP Senators are eligible for recall at this time; the campaign is targeting three who won by slim margins.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 21:32

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Politics: New York Times’ Bill Keller rips on Fox News unobjectively

  • I think if you’re a regular viewer of Fox News, you’re among the most cynical people on planet Earth. I cannot think of a more cynical slogan than ‘Fair and Balanced.’
  • New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller • Assessing Fox News while speaking at the City University of New York graduate journalism school late last week. As you might guess, the comments weren’t taken particularly well, partly because he’s the executive editor of the New York Times and the NYT regularly breaks news about Fox News. Including, uh, like two days ago. Now, considering how hard-up they are about their objectivity (this piece on Nate Silver is a pretty great example), it’s a reasonable criticism – and one that sticks a little harder than the one about Anderson Cooper using the word “liar.” Because, unlike this, he landed a direct blow on a competitor that compromises his paper’s objectivity. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 21:00

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World: Depressing: Super-brave Mexican police officer forced to retreat

Marisol Valles, 20, was called the “Bravest Woman in Mexico” for taking up a dangerous post as a police sheriff. Now, she’s seeking asylum in the U.S. She’s still brave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 20:43

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Culture: Al Jazeera’s next move: Nickelodeon kid’s-TV territory?

  • When Al Jazeera isn’t focused on news, they’re focused on kids. The network has had a children’s programming offshoot for half a decade in the Middle East, and now they want to bring it over to the U.S. as the Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. Their hope? That the edutainment network’s high-minded approach to kid’s shows might be able to earn them some TV play outside of the traditional silo of international news. For what it’s worth, above is their test pattern. It’s pretty cute. (via negevrockcity) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 18:59

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Politics: Andrew Breitbart: No beef between me and James O’Keefe

  • The mainstream media uses me as a way to marginalize James, and James as a means to marginalize me.
  • Andrew Breitbart • Explaining why his decision to pass on the latest James O’Keefe saga, involving a soon-to-be-departing NPR exec, isn’t an attempt to distance himself from the gotcha video specialist. “I’ve said all along that James needs to be an independent journalist,” he said. “His ACORN videos weren’t posted exclusively on Breitbart sites.” Breitbart famously criticized his protegé after he attempted to do some sketchy stuff involving CNN reporter Abbie Boudreau. But for what it’s worth, Breitbart appears to be pretty happy with O’Keefe’s latest story, even if he wasn’t the guy who brought it to the world. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Mar 2011 15:27

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Offbeat: Redondo Beach harbor swamped by mysterious fish horde

  • Those are DEAD FISH: Estimated in the millions, in fact. They’re floating near the surface in a harbor at Redondo Beach in Los Angeles. Authorities are investigating the cause, with one theory being a “red tide” that pushed the fish into the harbor, where the lack of oxygen caused this grisly display. Whatever the explanation, though, could this help but have a negative impact on the surrounding ecosystems? I mean, just look at all those fish, it’s absurd. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 15:11

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Politics: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is not very impressed

  • Why are we doing all this when the most powerful person in these negotiations, our president, has failed to lead this debate or offer a serious proposal for spending and cuts that he would be willing to fight for?
  • Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin • Calling out President Obama’s leadership on the floor of the Senate today. That this criticism came from freshman Senator Manchin shouldn’t come as a big surprise, as he’s a very conservative Democrat (you may remember him shooting the cap-and-trade bill with a rifle). With the looming departure of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2012, the West Virginia senator seems primed to hoist the title of “Democrat who most antagonizes his own party” going forward. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 14:30

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Politics: Political pressure in Wisconsin may force shift from GOP Senators

  • 3 Wisconsin GOP Senators who think Gov. Walker should compromise source
  • » The stonewall may begin to crack: One of the most interesting potential endgames to this continuing Wisconsin kerfuffle is that Gov. Scott Walker could lose critical support from within his own party. Not that this should be viewed as a shift in the Wisconsin GOP’s principles — it seems clear that the collective bargaining rights would have been stripped weeks ago if not for the departure of fourteen Democratic senators — but it seems as if the uncomfortable reality of his non-negotiation is beginning to catch up to Walker. To date, GOP senators Dale Schultz, Rob Cowles, and Luther Olson have indicated compromise may be necessary and appropriate.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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