President Barack Obama was heckled by a protester during his speech on Monday in San Francisco, and he tried to use the incident as a teachable moment. An immigration reform activist began shouting for Obama to use executive orders to halt the deportation of America’s undocumented immigrants. “You have the power to stop deportations!” yelled the heckler. Obama Heckled by Deportation Protester Instead of allowing the Secret Service eject the activist, the Commander-in-Chief flipped the script instead and made a point about the limits of authority. “Actually, I don’t and that’s why we’re here,” Obama replied. Obama motioned for the Secret Service to let him stay, praising “the passion of these young people [who] feel deeply about the concerns of their families.” Then he tried to explain the position he’s in as President. “Now, what you need to know … is that, in fact, if I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so,” said Obama. “But we’re also a nation of laws. That’s part of our tradition. And so the easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws.” “What I’m proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve, but it won’t be as easy as shouting.” “It requires us lobbying and getting it done.” Regardless of what you want the man to get done (or not get done), Obama makes a valid point about the political system and the need for real discourse. If we all stopped heckling and started talking? Imagine …
Jay Leggett, a comedian, actor and screenwriter who starred on one season of Fox’s In Living Color, died on Saturday. He collapsed during a deer hunt. Legget was hunting near his hometown of Tomahawk, Wis. when emergency crews were called to a cabin and found family members doing CPR. Jay was just 50 years old. The late actor’s death is believed to be heart related, although the Lincoln County coroner said Monday that a final cause of death is still pending. A onetime regular on the Chicago improv comedy scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Leggett went on to appear on In Living Color for one season. His other credits include Ally McBeal, Star Trek: Voyager, ER, Between Brothers, Spike TV’s Factory, NYPD Blue and The Drew Carey Show . He co-produced 2004’s Employee of the Month , which starred Matt Damon and Christina Applegate, and he wrote the comedy Without a Paddle . While Legget was living in L.A. at the time of his death , teaching improv, acting and writing, a piece of his heart always stayed in his hometown. “He was doing what he loved,” Mary Schlag, the manager of the Tomahawk Cinema told the Wausau Daily Herald after Leggett’s tragic death. “If there’s any comfort in passing, that’s it.” “He was doing something that he loved.”
Accidentally though? Couple Accidentally Smuggles Sticky Icky Time to blaze up. According to The NY Daily News: A Florida couple accidentally hauled an 11-pound stash of sticky icky home from Louisiana, authorities said. The Key Largo husband and wife carried the leafy contraband throughout a 900-mile journey before they got back to Florida, popped open a pair of mysterious suitcases and discovered bags of weed inside. The alarmed couple quickly called the local sheriff’s office, authorities said. “This could have been really bad,” Monroe County Sheriff Sgt. Al Ramirez said in a statement. “These people were traveling all over with this stuff in their truck. If they had been pulled over with it, they could have wound up in jail and their truck may have been seized.” The strange case of the accidental smugglers began in July when a puzzling package arrived at one of the couple’s rental properties in Louisiana. A housekeeper informed the husband, who told her to ship it back to UPS. The man told a deputy the cleaning lady returned the box, but it was later shipped back to the rental and she put it inside. The box was still there when the husband and wife recently took a trip to check on several of their vacation properties. They opened the box and found two locked blue suitcases inside. Thinking the bags were lost luggage being returned to someone, they tossed them in their truck and planned to deal with them later, authorities said. They finally decided to cut off the locks when they got home and discovered two sealed bags stuff with sticky icky. They called the sheriff’s office on Wednesday. Ramirez said the stick icky was confiscated and would be destroyed. Rih Rih will be tracking them down in 5, 4,3,2,1… Shutterstock
Pay yo bills. Man Hit With $200K Toll Road Bill Dayum, you could feed a small village with 200k. According to NBC Washington: Paying tolls on your daily commute is a drop in the ocean compared to the E-ZPass bill one Virginia man drove up by ignoring them. Jason Bourcier doesn’t deny that he rode the Dulles Toll Road nightly without paying for his commute from Reston to Washington three-and-a-half years ago when he was looking for work. A friend told him that when the toll booths were unmanned after 11:30 p.m., you could use the road without paying. His friend was wrong. This week, VDOT took Bourcier to court because his bill had ballooned from $440 to more than $200,000, including late fees and interest. They reached a settlement and agreed on a payment plan. “They provided me with a stack of summonses that was 12 inches high, and me and my lawyers, the best that we could do was $40,000,” he said. “Another kicker is they put me on a payment plan for $150 a month.” At that rate and with interest due — another $55,000 — Bourcier, who is 33 and now has a good job, figures he will be 87 years old by the time he pays VDOT back. “The lesson learned is to work with us if you don’t have a transponder or the cash to pay a toll,” said a statement from VDOT. “Don’t wait and don’t ignore the notices.” Bourcier said he has learned two lessons from this.“One would be for state legislature to take another look at the fines and fees that they are assessing the taxpayers,” he said. “The other would be for me, and that would be don’t mess with E-ZPass.” He won’t be able to pay off the bill until he’s 87-years-old and by then he won’t even be able to drive. SMH. NBC Washington
Melissa Bachman, a Minnesota hunting show host, is causing global controversy, and debate, thanks to picture of herself posing with a lion she killed. “An incredible day hunting in South Africa! Stalked inside 60-yards on this beautiful male lion,” Bachman tweeted along with the photo below. “What a hunt!” The response was swift, including Facebook group devoted to “stopping” Melissa Bachman and several petitions, both in the United States and abroad. “She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation, this country prides itself on,” one petition from South Africa, where the kill took place, reads. “We demand she no longer be granted access to this country and its resources.” Although African lions aren’t considered endangered, conservationists are still up in arms over actions they feel are potentially devastating to the ecosystem. Hunters tend to prefer the older, dominant males, which can disturb the balance and create potentially devastating infighting problems within the pride. There’s also the fact that even though the big cats aren’t endangered, over-hunting could quickly change that – and boasting about it just makes it worse. Regardless, upon seeing the photo, many incensed Twitter users lost all civility , some tearing Bachman to shreds in crude, misogynistic fashion: Melissa Bachman Hunting Photo Sparks Outrage @MelissaBachman i would be The first one to shoot at her! You are discusting Melissa praying that God Will make u Pay in THis life @MelissaBachman you are going to die a horrible death, I hope a lion rips your fucking head off you sick c–t @MelissaBachman is a heartless bitch. Hope a pride of lions get their revenge on the cow. @MelissaBachman I would pay money to see a lion tear you apart slowly. Would love to see you suffer. @MelissaBachman You are the worst human .. i hope that you kill himself with your own weapons @MelissaBachman #f–king bitch needs her head blown off and hung on a wall# @MelissaBachman you’re a f–king vile human being who serves no purpose on this planet, and to top it off, you’re ugly too. @MelissaBachman “I hope that c–t gets vaginal herpes and dies” @MelissaBachman “I want to punch this bi–ch’s teeth out” @MelissaBachman “Someone needs to capture her and break every bone in her body” @MelissaBachman “I hope she gets breast cancer and dies in pain” @MelissaBachman“If I come across her I’ll rip off her f–king face” Even comedian Ricky Gervais called attention to Bachmann’s tweet: It begs the question, if Bachman had been a man, surely it would’ve been controversial, but would she have attracted this same outpouring of abuse? Some call her “a disgusting disgrace to the human race,” “evil,” “a monster” and “a blight to civilization” and other harsh but gender neutral terms. Much of the backlash seems to be female specific, though, focusing on female anatomy and implied sexual promiscuity, just because of her gender. Do you agree? And what do you think of the pic in general? Tell us: What do you think of Melissa Bachman’s lion-killing photo? Just so wrong on every level! It’s legal, what’s the big deal? View Poll » Is criticism of Bachman sexist and misogynistic? Yes. A man would never be treated like this and that’s not okay. No. It’s repugnant no matter who does it and she deserves it. Some of the Tweets are too much, but criticism is justified. View Poll »
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have the Internet buzzing once again. A few months after welcoming North West into the world and a few weeks after getting engaged inside AT&T Park in San Francisco, the betrothed couple stars in the rapper’s new Bound 2 music video . They mostly ride a motorcycle and simulate sex while a topless Kim straddles Kanye. Standard fare, really. And now you can relive this magical video in all its GIF-tastic glory. Scroll down for action shots of Kim’s hair blowing in the wind… Kim half naked and writhing on her man… and Kimye seeming to take to the air in their motorcycle.
It’s official: trying like rabbits to procreate can really pay off. Kelly Clarkson is pregnant with her first child! The first-ever American Idol winner, 31, made the exciting announcement herself over Twitter today, writing to her followers: I’m pregnant!!! Brandon and I are so excited! Best early Christmas present ever 🙂 Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock in a very intimate ceremony on October 21 in Tennessee and made no secret afterward that the couple wanted to have children. Despite advice to the contrary from Adele , they went for it. Like … you know. Kelly is already the stepmother to her husband’s two kids from his previous relationship and joked recently to The Daily Mail that her “eggs weren’t getting young.” We send Clarkson and Blackstock our very, very, VERY best wishes! Kelly Clarkson Wedding Video
This is so sad. Twin Brothers Die After Ventilators Fail During Power Outage Makes you realize how life is precious and in a blink of an eye it can be lost. According to The NY Daily News: Authorities are investigating the tragic deaths of twin 22-year-old brothers whose ventilators failed during a mass power outage in Northern California’s Calaveras County. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call earlier this week and found the brothers in respiratory distress, according to a statement from Sgt. Chris Hewitt. Ryan and Joshua Hall were afflicted with muscular dystrophy and relied on the breathing machines for life support. They had been dependent on ventilators since they were two, authorities said. Paramedics and deputies administered CPR when they arrived at the Valley Springs home where the identical twins’ mother was their caregiver. But rescue efforts failed. Sheriff Gary Kuntz told KTXL-TV investigators were examining the equipment to try to determine why a back-up system apparently failed to work during the Tuesday power outage. “They had backup systems that didn’t work so it looks like there may have been a failure of equipment there,” neighbor Steven St. Sure said. “I mean, power outages are always a possibility, especially up here.” Neighbors said they were heartbroken. “I heard and I just started crying,” said neighbor Kayte Dollens. Another neighbor, Megan Dollens, told ABC News 10 said she couldn’t image the family’s pain. “I honestly don’t know what to think about this because it’s awful,” she said. “I can’t imagine what their parents are thinking.” Prayers go out to their family. Fox 40
Book deal but still no ring … 300 Sandwiches Blogger Signs Huge Book “300 Sandwiches” is about to become a book. Via NYPost reports: The Post’s Page Six reporter Stephanie Smith is going to turn her humorous blog into a book after signing with Random House’s new imprint, Zinc Ink — headed by David Zinczenko and Stephen Perrine. “Steve and I are both longtime friends of Stephanie from her days covering the magazine business for Women’s Wear Daily,” said Zinczenko, a longtime editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and now consulting for Men’s Fitness through his Galvanized Brands consulting firm. “So when she told us about her romantic, passionate, and very funny quest to make her boyfriend 300 sandwiches, our first reaction was, “That’s a book.” Zinc Ink is a joint venture imprint of Galvanized Media and Random House, specializing in physical, emotional and spiritual health, as well as fitness, nutrition and personal success. Smith became an overnight Internet sensation when she outed herself as the as the author of the 300 Sandwiches blog that she started in June 2012. Her boyfriend, Eric Schulte, had been doing most of the cooking when she decided to try her hand in the culinary world. “After I made him a sandwich — your basic turkey and swiss cheese — one day for lunch, he told me, “Honey, you’re 300 sandwiches away from an engagement ring,” she said. The anonymous blog launched shortly thereafter. Smith said as of Tuesday, she was at 197 sandwiches. The book, which was brokered by William Morris Endeavor, is due out around Valentine’s Day, 2015. Will you be picking up this new book? Continue reading →
