Will you watch? According to People , comparisons are being made to all of the other reality shows that don’t do our women any justice: Think The Real Housewives of Atlanta – the men, the fashion, the drama. Now, just add church. Premiering on Jan. 1, TLC’s The Sisterhood takes viewers behind the pews and into the lives of some of Atlanta’s “first ladies,” as preacher’s wives are often known in the evangelical community. The view from inside their world, their world, as they support their husbands and churches, is a radical and candid rendering of how most people might view their role. They argue, get tattoos, work out to look hot and talk openly about sex, drugs and their not-so-godly pasts in a series certain to shake the Bible Belt. “The only thing we agree on is we all love God,” says one “sister” in this exclusive…The show will feature the soul-searching sass of real-life preacher’s wives Delana, Christina, Ivy, Tara and Domonique. Ugh…do you think TLC is making a smart move with this one? Images via youtube
The Chinese government doesn’t play when it comes to the death penalty… According to the International Business Times , this lunatic had six women imprisoned, and cops only found out about his dungeon after one of his victims escaped! A man has been sentenced to death in China for keeping six women in a dungeon as slaves and then murdering two of them. Li Hao, 35, was found guilty of murder, assault, organized prostitution, illegal detention, and spreading adult films for profit. He was given the death penalty at the Luoyan Luoyang Intermediate People’s Court in Henan Province, Xinhua news agency has said. The court heard how Li had dug the dungeon himself under a basement he had bought in Luoyang in 2009. He would trick the women into going there and then kept them prisoner, the court said. The six women had been imprisoned for between two and 21 months. Li repeatedly assaulted the women, forced them to have intercourse with customers, and made them appear in obscene web shows. His motive, police said, was to make money by forcing the women into prostitution and appear in his shows. Two of the women were killed while they were kept in the dungeon. Three more of Li’s prisoners were also found guilty of murder; in one case Li had instructed the women to kill. The court allowed the women leniency for committing these crimes as they took place under extreme circumstances – one received a three year jail sentence and the other two were put on probation. Li’s dungeon was discovered after one of his victims escaped and reported her captor to the police. Prior to his imprisonment, Li had been a clerk for Luoyang’s technological supervision bureau. He was married and had an eight-month-old baby when he was arrested last year. He’s got some pretty twisted skeletons in his closet. Images via tumblr
WTF!!?!? They laid-off thousands of workers and still had the nerve to ask the Judge to allow close to $2 Milli in bonuses? GTFOHWTBS… According to The Huffington Post : Hostess Brands Inc. said Thursday that it’s in talks with 110 potential buyers for its iconic brands, which also include CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos. The suitors now include at least five national retailers such as supermarkets, a financial adviser for the company said in bankruptcy court. The process has been “so fast and furious” Hostess hasn’t been able to make the calls seeking buyers it previously intended, said Joshua Scherer of Perella Weinberg Partners. “Not only are these buyers serious, but they are expecting to spend substantial sums,” he said. The judge approved Hostess’ bonus plan, according to a tweet from CNBC: CNBC @CNBC BREAKING: Judge approves Hostess bonus payout plan; 19 Hostess senior executives in line for up to $1.8M in bonuses 29 Nov 12 The update on the sale of the company’s brands comes as Hostess seeks approval in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York in White Plains, N.Y. to give its top executives bonuses totaling up to $1.8 million as part of its wind-down plans. The company says the incentive pay is needed to retain the 19 corporate officers and “high-level managers” during the liquidation process, which could take about a year. Two of those executives would be eligible for additional rewards depending on how efficiently they carry out the liquidation. The bonuses would be in addition to their regular pay. A spokesman for Hostess noted executives will need to meet certain goals to get the bonuses. The bonuses do not include pay for CEO Gregory Rayburn, who was brought on as a restructuring expert earlier this year. Rayburn is being paid $125,000 a month. The company’s shuttering means loss of about 18,000 jobs. Hostess said it will need about 3,200 employees as it begins the wind down process, including 237 employees at the corporate level. In court Thursday, an attorney for Hostess noted that the company is no longer able to pay retiree benefits, which come to about $1.1 million a month. Hostess stopped contributing to its union pension plans more than a year ago. The company’s demise came after years of management turmoil, with workers saying the company failed to invest in updating its products. In January, Hostess filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in less than a decade, citing steep costs associated with its unionized work force. These companies keep failing but their Top Execs always manage to walk away with their cushion-y bonuses intact. This isht isn’t right. Images via shutterstock
Ouch. The first photos we peeped of Gabriel Aubry’s blackened eye were bad enough, but the photos that Gabriel submitted in his request for a restraining order against Olivier Martinez are even more graphic. Hit the flip if you can stomach seeing the handsome model man banger after Halle’s new boo turned his face to mincemeat… SplashNews
Finally, one of these fools speaks out ; even if we already knew what they were doing down in Florida . According to The Huffington Post , Jim Greer’s putting Governor Rick Scott on blast and has nothing to hide…anymore: Jim Greer, the former head of the Florida Republican Party, recently claimed that a law shortening the early voting period in the state was deliberately designed to suppress voting among groups that tend to support Democratic candidates, the Palm Beach Post reports. “The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,” Greer told the Post. “It’s done for one reason and one reason only…‘We’ve got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us.’” The HB 1355 law, which was passed by Florida’s Republican legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Scott (R) in Nov. 2011, cut the number of early voting days from 14 to eight. It was publicly sold as an effort to reduce voter fraud and to save money, but Greer says that this was simply a “marketing ploy.” Greer served as Florida’s GOP chairman from 2006 until 2010 when he was forced to resign after allegedly stealing money from the party. He was arrested and his case is pending. Scott’s predecessor, Republican-turned-Independent Charlie Crist, resisted efforts from Republicans to shorten the state’s early voting period, citing reasons that mesh with Greer’s claims. In an interview with The Huffington Post earlier this month, Crist said the new law is clearly aimed at curbing turnout among Democrats. “The only thing that makes any sense as to why this is happening and being done is voter suppression,” he said. Crist added, “People have fought and died for our right to vote, and unfortunately our legislature and this governor have decided they want to make early voting less available to Floridians rather than more available … It’s hard for me as an American to comprehend why you don’t make democracy as easy as possible to exercise for the people of our state. It’s frankly unconscionable.” Greer also acknowledged that the effort to restrict early voting would directly affect turnout among Florida’s African Americans, a demographic that consistently supports Democrats. “The sad thing about that is yes, there is prejudice and racism in the party but the real prevailing thought is that they don’t think minorities will ever vote Republican,” he told the Post. He may have just stated the obvious but we’ll take the admission anyway! Images via tumblr
Ashton must be getting higher than Charlie Sheen… if at all possible. He also talks about his early age drug usage. Angus is Seventh Day Adventist… and we must say we are all for whatever it takes to get you right with yourself. He makes a lot of sense as well. youtube cbs
The shooter’s being charged with second-degree murder as he’s claiming self-defense; Minnesota law allows people to use deadly force when protecting their homes. According to The Daily Mail , family-members and friends are defending the two teens: Friends and family have expressed their outrage over the deaths of two popular students shot by a homeowner while they robbed his home – as he revealed he fired ‘more shots than he needed to’. The bodies of cousins Haile Kifer, 18, and Nicholas Brady Schaeffel, 17, were found in Byron Smith’s basement in Little Falls, Minnesota on Friday – the day after they were shot dead on Thanksgiving. When police arrived at his home after reports of suspicious activity, Smith, 64, confessed to shooting the teenagers repeatedly and stashing their bodies after they broke into his home, authorities said. On Monday, he was charged with second-degree murder and police revealed he told them he fired more shots than necessary after his gun jammed and Kifer laughed at him. While Minnesota law stipulates people are allowed to use deadly force when defending their homes, relatives, friends, police and prosecutors claimed Smith reacted too drastically by killing them. A person has every right to defend themselves and their homes, even employing deadly force if necessary,’ Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel said. ‘Circumstances of this case however, led deputies to believe that Smith went beyond that point.’ In a criminal complaint, Smith said he was in the basement of his home when he heard a window breaking and footsteps. Fearful of other recent break-ins, he shot Schaeffel when he came into view. When the teenager tumbled down the stars, Smith shot him in the face as he lay on the floor, looking up. He dragged the body into his workshop and then sat in the chair, the complaint said. When Kifer began walking down the stairs, he shot her and she fell down the stairs. He tried to shoot her again with his rifle, but the gun jammed and Kifer laughed at him, the complaint noted. ‘If you’re trying to shoot somebody and they laugh at you, you go again,’ Smith, 64, told investigators, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday. He then shot her several times in the chest with a .22-caliber revolver, dragged her next to her cousin, and with as she gasped for air, fired a shot under her chin ‘up into the cranium’. ‘Smith described it as “a good clean finishing shot”,’ according to the compliant, and acknowledged he had fired ‘more shots than (he) needed to’. Smith said he left the bodies in his home overnight before calling a neighbor to ask if he knew a good lawyer. He later asked the neighbor to contact police. ‘Mr. Smith intentionally killed two teenagers in his home in a matter that goes well beyond self-defense,’ Morrison County Attorney Brian Middendorf said at the hearing. ‘They were just really great people,’ friend Rachel Stauffer, 15, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. ‘They could make anyone laugh.’ Further insight into the lives of the cousins was given by Brady’s sister, Crystal Shaeffel, as she visited Smith’s home and spoke with his brother. ‘They were 17 and 18 years old, and didn’t need to die,’ she told Bruce Smith. ‘That all depends on your perspective,’ he responded, referring to a series of break-ins his brother had endured. In one in October, thieves stole $10,000 worth of guns and electronics, he said. But Shaeffel insisted that her brother had no need to turn to burglary, as he made good money working for their father’s tree-trimming business. She added that her cousin, who had undergone treatment for substance abuse, could have been after pills from the home. Yes, she had an addiction problem and stuff, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to get murdered at 18 years old,’ Shaeffel said. ‘I understand they came there to rob them, or whatever, but shoot them in the shoulder and call the cops.’ SMH…what do you think about the teens actions vs. Smith’s claim of self-defense? Images via facebook
Lil Wayne got these folks gassed up… 13 Die In Pakistan After Drinking Cough Syrup To Get High Via ABCNews Thirteen people have died in a main Pakistani city after drinking cough syrup suspected of being toxic, police said Monday. The victims were all drug addicts who apparently drank the cough syrup in an attempt to get high, said police officer Multan Khan. Khan said they died at various hospitals in the eastern city of Lahore over the past three days. Five other addicts who drank the cough syrup were being treated. Police arrested the owners of three drug stores where the cough syrup was sold and sent a sample to determine whether it was toxic, said Khan. R.I.P. to these folks, Pimp C, DJ Screw, and all the other sippers that don’t realize how dangerous “lean” is. Don’t let these “cool rappers” lead you to an early grave, they damn sure ain’t gonna help pay for your funeral. Image via Tumblr
The Long Island Power Authority should be ashamed of themselves! According to The New York Post , they’ve sent millions of their customers ‘normal’ electric bills, as if Sandy and the power outages never even happened!?!? The clueless utility charged Sandy-soaked Long Island residents an estimated rate that covered the entire billing cycle, and the statements made no mention of potential refunds to account for the prolonged blackouts. Jonathan Saporta was slapped with a double whammy by the Long Island Power Authority — a $649 bill for the Long Beach home he left in October and a $281 bill for his new Great Neck pad. He also is expecting a $1,700 bill for his storm-ravaged restaurant, Jake’s Wayback Burger, which is in hard-hit Long Beach and remains without power. “I can’t get LIPA to acknowledge my existence on earth to talk to me about anything,” he ranted. “But I guess they had power, so they could print my bills. Nice, right?” Saporta, 33, moved to the Great Neck home on Oct. 1 and got the bill in the mail on Wednesday for a cycle covering 43 days — including the two weeks he spent in the dark following the Oct. 29 storm. Even though he switched his account to the new address on Sept. 26, he still received an e-mail bill for the Long Beach house on Nov. 10 — and somehow it was $390 more than the previous month. “I am not paying any of my bills, that much I promise,” said Saporta. “They can put me into collections, and I’ll fight them tooth-and-nail. “It’s simply criminal.” Michael Hilferty, 29, an attorney from Long Beach, was e-mailed his bill — which was about a dollar more than the previous month — as he chowed down on some turkey. “To get this message on Thanksgiving was crass and classless. It’s just heartless,” he said. His oceanfront building was flooded with 7 feet of water and inundated with 4 feet of sand, covering the LIPA meters. Hilferty left the apartment, which remains dark and boarded up, and has been staying in Connecticut. Yet he was hit for 29 days of electric usage, including delivery and system charges. David Wasserman, 40, of Merrick, tried to report online the difference between his actual and estimated electric usage. “I got some message that said, ‘Service records show your usage would be higher. Please call an operator for further assistance,’ ” he said. “No one ever picked up.” LIPA did not return repeated calls seeking comment. Con Ed, on the other hand, wants to refund its Manhattan customers who lost power $3 and customers from other boroughs who lost power $6, the utility proposed this week in a filing with the Public Service Commission. Those figures represent a portion of customers’ fixed monthly bills, which exclude power usage. This is just ridiculous. SMH Images via tumblr
What an idiot . According to FOX News , the woman was photographed by shocked folks on the beach: A Florida woman who was photographed riding a manatee in Fort De Soto Beach, near Tampa Bay, in September, was arrested Saturday on a misdemeanor warrant, authorities said. Ana Gloria Garcia-Gutierrez, 53, of St. Petersburg, was arrested at a Sears store where she works on suspicion of violating the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Witnesses in the area at the time notified law enforcement of the incident and were able give deputies a description, including photos, of the woman and her location in the waterway. Garcia-Gutierrez turned herself in on Oct. 3, after pictures of her riding the endangered sea mammal were released to the media by law enforcement authorities. During an interview with deputies, Garcia-Gutierrez admitted to touching and riding the manatee, claiming she was new to the area at the time and did not realize it was against state law to touch or harass manatees. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act reads in part, “It is unlawful for any person at any time, by any means, or in any manner intentionally or negligently to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb or attempt to molest, harass, or disturb any Manatee”. Gutierrez was released on $1,500 bail, according to The Associated Press. The maximum penalty is a $500 fine and six months in jail. Speechless. Images via tumblr
