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21 Oct 2011 00:14

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Culture: Bad ideas: Five things parents probably shouldn’t do with their kids

  • We figure some of our readers have to have kids at this point, right? Have a young child that you’re looking to take care of? Making some stupid mistakes along the way, without realizing it? CNN’s got you covered — they threw together this list of ways to ensure your children are safe — a bunch of stuff that most parents normally tend to do without thinking about it. Do you catch yourself doing any of this?
  • one Moving their kid to a bigger car seat too soon. Not so fast, pediatricians say. Fish gotta swim, kids gotta grow.
  • two Letting their baby sleep in a swing. Though the motion lulls them asleep, they may not get enough oxygen in that position.
  • three Making them watch educational videos. Babies under two years old can’t even understand them at all yet.
  • four Putting the babies on their stomachs when sleeping — a SIDS rick. Just give them “tummy time” during the day instead.
  • five Microwaving their babies’ bottles. The bottles may be made with BPA — or could get too hot to handle. Yikes. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2011 16:52

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Culture: Harold Camping is again really, pretty sure the world will end tomorrow

  • thenChristian minister Harold Camping, he of the Family Radio network, predicted that the world would come to an end on May 21st when the Rapture occurred. This didn’t happen. He’d also incorrectly predicted this for 1994.
  • now Camping is again claiming that doomsday’s a-comin’: “Oct. 21, that’s coming very shortly, that looks like it will be, at this point, it will be the final end of everything.” We humbly predict this won’t happen. For the third time. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2011 16:43

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Culture: Bryant Gumbel likens NBA commish Stern to “plantation overseer”

  • If the NBA lockout is going to be resolved anytime soon, it seems likely to be done in spite of David Stern, not because of him. His efforts are typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern-day plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys.
  • HBO’s Bryant Gumbel • Comparing NBA comissioner David Stern to a “plantation overseer,” a reference chock-full of obvious racial implications. We feel a bit at a loss to really weigh in on the accuracy of these remarks; the NBA lockout negotiations have been somewhat opaque, with the exception of a source claiming Kevin Garnett’s intensity “f***ed everything up.” Gumbel’s tenor makes it seem pretty obvious he’s referring to a respect issue between Stern and the players, though the slavery reference will make some people’s eyes roll in the context of whether millionaires (the 1%, so to speak) will become millionaires additional times over. That said, Gumbel is a veteran and respected sports journalist, and may have insight into these proceedings unknown to us. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2011 23:06

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Culture: Casual Monday: ABC anchor comes out on-air like it’s no big deal

  • Big kudos to ABC World News Now host Dan Kloeffler.  Not only did he come out while broadcasting on-air — itself an incredibly courageous thing to do — but he did it in a casual, nonchalant way. No big, dramatic announcement; Kloeffer just off-handedly dropped it during a story about actor Zachary Quinto. “He’s thirty-four, I’m thirty-five,” Kloeffler said about Quinto, who also just came out. “I’m thinking, I can lose my distraction about dating actors for that one.” Kloeffler didn’t present it as a game-changing fact of outsized importance, but just a part of who he is. This is the kind of thing that helps encourage — however slightly — mainstream acceptance of different sexualities, even. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Oct 2011 11:17

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Culture: The Simpsons gets a longer lifespan, but the voice actors lose out

  • whoo-hoo After a few weeks of tense negotiations with the show’s voice actors, “The Simpsons” will have two more full seasons before it finally goes into syndication heaven — making for 25 full years.
  • d’oh The negotiations centered on a fight over giving the voice actors back-end profits, which appears to be something they weren’t able to get. Also, fans of the show may just want to see it end. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2011 10:18

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Culture: Will “The Simpsons” end due to a salary fight? Quite possibly, kids.

  • what “The Simpsons” is facing some significant budgetary issues, and Fox is trying to figure out a way to cut costs so the show remains profitable. If it can’t, the 23-year-old show, which predates every other scripted show on the prime-time schedule, will face cancellation.
  • why The big problem is that the voice actors on the show, who fought for higher wages (and won) many times, are being asked to take significant cuts in salary (they make $8 million per year), which they’re fighting. Also, it probably doesn’t help that ratings are down. source
  • » Putting the D’oh out to pasture? The Simpsons is still widely-regarded, but with roughly 500 episodes under its belt, Fox may be ready for the next step in the “Simpsons” phenomenon — its own cable network. It’d be interesting if the salary battle is really an excuse to end “The Simpsons” outright.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2011 20:00

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Culture: NBA players, owners face big day for fate of new season

  • Each side understands exactly what’s at stake and where potentially there is movement in order to try to get a deal done… We both understand that if we don’t make our best offers in the next few days, we’re going to be at the point where we’re going to be causing damage to the game, to ourselves, and they’re going to be out paychecks.
  • NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver • Discussing the negotiations between NBA players and team owners, which have reached a critical stage with the regularly scheduled start of the season looming. Ownership claims to have lost a combined $300 million last season, and have pushed for new rules on the salary cap and division of revenues, wanting to guarantee the players only 46% of team revenue rather than their former 57%. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Oct 2011 00:32

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Culture: Andy Rooney: sad to see him go, love to watch him tweet

  • sad news Andy Rooney’s retirement might come as a relief to some people who think he might be too hard on chocolate chip cookies, but you can’t deny the man’s media presence. He’s written many books in addition to appearing in 1,000 “60 Minutes” segments.
  • consolation  There are two really hilarious fake Twitter accounts for Rooney. A sample of their selection? “My great grandson is coming over tomorrow to attach my Twitter to my phone. Luckily, we recently got rid of our rotary and got a touchtone.” source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 21:44

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Culture: Anderson Cooper on hot seat after teen guest’s skateboarding injury

  • Sometimes, standing in a foot of floodwater is easier than hosting a daytime talk show. This is a lesson “Anderson” learned the hard way, after a teenage guest on the CNN über-anchor’s daytime talk show put himself in a coma — by attempting to do some crazy skateboarding ahead of an appearance on the “Oprah” heir apparent. (They asked him to do so, because the show was about studying the teenage brain.) For what it’s worth, Anderson is somber about how things went: “I was very saddened to hear the news of this accident, and want to express my deepest concerns for the teenager who was injured,” he said. “I take this situation seriously, and my thoughts and prayers for his health, well-being and recovery are with him and his family.” But the real problem, of course, is that Anderson the journalist would never do something like put a kid in danger for ratings. How do you justify such a thing? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Oct 2011 18:22

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Culture: Donald Lapre, “king of infomercials,” found dead in his prison cell

  • then Back in June, a prolific television pitchman named Donald Lapre (who dubbed himself the “king of infomercials”) was charged with 41 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering — the result of his scheme to market a bogus “Greatest Vitamin in the World.”
  • now Mapre was found dead in his prison cell in Arizona, of an apparent suicide. He was imprisoned for missing his initial court date for the charges; his trial had been scheduled for tomorrow. Authorities are investigating how he may have killed himself. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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