Controversies
Movie Ratings: Smoking Marijuana=R; Murder=PG-13
Many in Hollywood are up in arms over the decision by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to give an “R” rating to the romantic comedy It’s Complicated. The decision had nothing to do with scenes of sex or violence in the film starrin... read more
More than 200 Charities Pay Executives More than $1 Million a Year
Private sector executives have been taking a lot of heat for their lucrative salaries, but the world of nonprofits has not been immune from such excesses.
Last year, while corporate executives’ salaries fell an average of 9%, nonprofit leaders... read more
Woman Sues Healthcare Company, Claiming She was Fired for Donating Kidney
With her brother, Mark Gray, in need of a kidney transplant, Phyllis Delaney of Festus, Missouri, says she made arrangements to donate one of her own, including getting permission from her employer to miss work. But Signature Healthcare Foundation... read more
Sen. Feinstein Fights Against Solar and Wind Farms in Desert
Environmentalists don’t know whether to applaud or scream at U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) proposal to create two new national monuments in the Mojave Desert. On the one hand, the legislation would preserve a million acres of desert terra... read more
Parish Priest Advises Congregation to Shoplift…But Only From Chain Stores
When times are tough, and with nowhere else to turn, it is okay for people to shoplift in order to survive, according to the Reverend Tim Jones, parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda in York, United Kingdom. While presenting his sermon, Jones ... read more
10 Unanswered Questions about the “War on Terror”
As the first decade of the 21st century winds to a close, Jane Mayer of The New Yorker has remarked that there are at least 10 major lingering questions from the “war on terror” that so far have gone unanswered.
Here are short summaries of May... read more
The Revolving Door to a Health Care Reform Bill
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s imprint on the health care reform plan extends well beyond the work of the senator himself. The Democrat from Nevada is among the leaders of those lawmakers with the most former staffers who have gone on to lobb... read more
Does the U.S. Have Secret Immigrant Detention Centers?
Getting arrested in the United States on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant can result in “disappearing” into a clandestine maze of detention centers run by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service. An investigation by Amnesty In... read more
More 7-Year-Olds Search for “Porn” than for “Club Penguin”
An examination of online browsing habits by teens and children has revealed some disturbing results. Among children 7-years-old and younger, the top three most popular websites were YouTube, Google and Facebook. So far, so good. But then, at No. 4... read more
Federal Courts in Western States to Allow Video Cameras in Civil Cases
Television coverage of federal court proceedings is a rare occurrence, but next month the sprawling Ninth Circuit will begin experimenting with cameras in courtrooms. The nation’s largest appellate court—which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, H... read more
Army General in Iraq Threatens Couples with Jail if They Become Pregnant
U.S. Army Major General Anthony Cucolo III, commander of American forces in northern Iraq, is tired of losing valuable female troops to pregnancies. So he has decreed that any soldier under his command who gets pregnant, or impregnates another sol... read more
First Premier Bank Charges 80% Credit Card Interest
For those consumers who want to know what it’s really like to be gouged by a credit card company, check out First Premier Bank. The subprime credit card issuer is experimenting with a new card that hits customers with a 79.9% interest rate.
Ye... read more
Bill to Make TV Ads Quieter Passes House…by Voice Vote
After receiving complaints for decades, the federal government is finally doing something about noisy commercials that are louder than the regular programming that they interrupt. On Tuesday, the House approved by voice vote legislation seeking to... read more
Long Island Indians Near Recognition (and a Casino) after 30-Year Court Case
Long Island’s Shinnecock tribe is close to receiving federal recognition from the Department of the Interior, and thus, the green light to open a lucrative gambling casino. But slot machines may not be coming to the affluent region known as the Ha... read more
Moviemaking in America: It’s a Man’s World
For all the talk about how Hollywood is a progressive, liberal town, women continue to be underemployed in many key filmmaking jobs. After reviewing the top 250 U.S. movies of 2008, it was found that women comprised only 16% of all directors, exec... read more
Is “Refunds Now” the Nation’s Worst Tax Preparer?
The IRS has filed suit against Refunds Now, a Rhode Island-based tax preparation firm, for allegedly filing returns on behalf of taxpayers that were riddled with inaccuracies or fraudulent claims. According to the IRS’s legal complaint, the agency... read more