Twitter rant suspension
ESPN suspends Olbermann for one week following his Twitter exchange with Penn State students regarding a story about a Penn State charity event that raised more than $13 million to help support children fighting pediatric cancer. Olbermann later apologizes for his posts via Twitter. ESPN:
It was completely inappropriate and does not reflect the views of ESPN. We have discussed it with Keith, who recognizes he was wrong. ESPN and Keith have agreed that he will not host his show for the remainder of this week and will return on Monday. The annual tradition of THON [the fundraising event] and the efforts of the students of Penn State to fight pediatric cancer should be applauded.
@lisaadeleon …Pitiful
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2015
.@dave_seidel No, Son. I said PSU students were pitiful. Had nothing to do with fundraising #AlsoPSUReadingComprehensionAppearsToBeWeak
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2015
.@dave_seidel Again – get your $ back – you didn't learn how to read. PSU students are pitiful because they're PSU students – period.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 23, 2015
I apologize for the PSU tweets. I was stupid and childish and way less mature than the students there who did such a great fundraising job.
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) February 24, 2015
No federal charges
The Justice Department says its independent investigation finds “insufficient evidence” to charge Zimmerman with federal civil rights violations in the shooting death of Martin. Attorney General Holder says the evidence did not meet the high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution. The decision closes the federal investigation.
This young man’s premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface. We, as a nation, must take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
The Martin family says they are “disappointed” by the decision.
Lawsuit response
Purina responds to the class action lawsuit that alleges Purina’s Beneful brand dry dog food causes illness and death to dogs. Keith Schopp, Purina’s vice president of corporate public relations:
We believe the lawsuit is without merit and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves. Beneful is a high-quality nutritious food enjoyed by millions of dogs each year and there are no product quality issues with Beneful.
Oscar snub statement
The Academy issues a statement regarding the omission of Rivers from the Oscars In Memorium segment.
Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature in the In Memoriam segment of this year’s Oscar show. She is, however, included in our In Memoriam gallery on Oscar.com.
Addresses dreadlocks criticism
Zendaya responds to criticisms of her dreadlocks on the Oscar red carpet via Twitter:
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) February 24, 2015
Oscar snub response
Melissa Rivers responds to the omission of Joan Rivers from the Oscars In Memorium segment via a post on Joan River’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/joanrivers/posts/10152801239368040
Ban seeks action on barrel bombs
A report by the UN chief Ban to the Security Council lists five priorities for action including the lifting of sieges on 212,000 people, ensuring access to medical aid to all of Syria, and rebuilding the education system. He also says the 15-member council must address barrel-bomb attacks on civilians and ending the practice of denying services as a weapon of war. Ban says barrel bombs are used against civilians in Aleppo, where the United Nations is seeking to freeze fighting as part of peace efforts. Ban:
This conflict has become business as usual.
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Trinidad Carnival
0 0 D.D D.D2015-02-18 10:30:312015-02-18 22:02:45Trinidad Carnival
Denies ageist claims
BBC Radio 1 denies claims from fans that Madonna’s music is being omitted from the station’s playlists due to her age.
Radio 1 does not ban anyone—please don’t believe the papers. The tracks played on Radio 1 are chosen on musical merit and their relevance to our young audience on a case-by-case basis, and whilst around 40% of the country’s 15 to 29-year-olds tune into Radio 1 each week, an artist’s age is never a factor. In fact, Paul McCartney currently has two tracks —FourFiveSeconds and Only One—on the Radio 1 playlist.
Bulletproof vest photo
The 20-month-old models a ‘baby bulletproof vest’ from Kanye’s latest clothing collection – she also wore the outfit to his fashion show in New York on Thursday. Kim:
Look at my little cutie!!! #DaddysMuse #BabyYeezy BulletProofVest.
Releases statement
Brown releases a statement regarding Bobbi Kristina. Brown asks that the media not believe relatives who are unfamiliar with Bobbi Kristina’s condition:
At this time it is requested that the media cease speaking with unauthorized members of the family. The integrity of the events that led to the hospitalization of Bobbi Kristina must remain uncompromised. Various members of the family have provided media interviews, however, none of them are approved visitors to see Bobbi Kristina. None of them have firsthand knowledge of Bobbi Kristina’s treatment and the medical staff at Emory University Hospital has not communicated with them. In [particular], Jerod Brown aka Jerod Carter aka YF Kennedy, continues to [make] statements and appear on television, however, he has not had any communication with Bobby Brown or the Houston family. He must be disregarded. Please do not attend any ‘meet and greet’ organized by Jerod Brown as he is unable to provide access to Bobbi Kristina or information on her condition. This is a criminal investigation and we do not need this side show.
Releases emails
Bush releases emails from the two terms he served as Florida governor. Some of the emails released contain his personal information like his social security number.
I am posting the e-mails of my governorship here. Some are funny; some are serious; some I wrote in frustration. But they’re all here so you can read them and make up your own mind.
Car crash statement
Jenner releases statement regarding the crash.
My heartfelt and deepest sympathies go out to the family and loved ones, and to all of those who were involved or injured in this terrible accident. It is a devastating tragedy, and I cannot pretend to imagine what this family is going through at this time. I am praying for them. I will continue to cooperate in every way possible.
Rebuts Facebook messages
Jezebel posts Sulkowicz’s rebuttal to the Facebook messages provided by Nungesser. Sulkowicz:
It is extremely upsetting that Paul would violate me again—this time, with the help of a reporter, Cathy Young. I just wanted to fix the problem of sexual assault on campus—I never wanted this to be an excuse for people to dig through my private Facebook messages and frame them in a way as to cast doubt on my character. It’s unfair and disgusting that Paul and Cathy would treat personal life as a mine that they can dig through and harvest for publicity and Paul’s public image.
This is why I have chosen to release the full conversation, plus the context in which things were said. I want people to have all the information so that they can make informed decisions for themselves, rather than seeing a redacted version of the conversation with bits and pieces picked out to make me look a certain way.
If I had a choice, no one would see my private Facebook messages at all. However, Paul and Cathy have put me in a position where I either do nothing, and they publish the conversation, or I take the lead and publish it on my own. It’s the only thing I can do to maintain a modicum of control over my private life, which becomes more public by the second, thanks to reporters who don’t treat me with respect.
Nungesser denies raping Sulkowicz
In a feature story on The Daily Beast, Nungesser says he did not rape Sulkowicz. According to Sulkowicz, after starting consensual sex (their third sexual encounter), Nungesser suddenly and brutally assaulted her, then picked up his clothes and left without a word, leaving her stunned and shattered on the bed. However, according to Nungesser, they briefly engaged in anal intercourse by mutual agreement, then went on to engage in other sexual activity and fell asleep. He says that he woke up early in the morning and went back to his own room while Sulkowicz was still sleeping. Nungesser says that for weeks after that night, he and Sulkowicz maintained a cordial relationship, and says she seemingly never indicated that anything was amiss. He then describes a series of friendly texts made by Sulkowicz after the alleged incident (these are documented here, and have been included in the newsline at the appropriate points).
Skin lightening scandal
InStyle responds to fans who believe that Washington’s skin is lightened on her cover photo.
We are super fans of Kerry Washington here at InStyle. To feature her on the cover of our March spring fashion issue is both an honor and a delight. We have heard from those who have spoken out about our newsstand cover photograph, concerned that Kerry’s skin tone was lightened. While we did not digitally lighten Kerry’s skin tone, our cover lighting has likely contributed to this concern. We understand that this has resulted in disappointment and hurt. We are listening, and the feedback has been valuable. We are committed to ensuring that this experience has a positive influence on the ways in which we present all women going forward.
Mexico refuses extradition
Mexico’s attorney general refuses to extradite Guzman to the U.S. citing national sovereignty and also because he must serve his time in Mexican prison for all the crimes for which he is being prosecuted:
I could accept extradition but at the time that I choose. El Chapo must stay here to complete his sentence and then I will extradite him. So about 300 or 400 years later — it will be a while.
‘Let Down’ by SOTU Speech
Sulkowicz says she was disappointed the president did not mention sexual assault on college campuses in his State of the Union speech.
I can’t say I was entirely surprised because since when has violence against women ever been a man’s issue? “I am not going to lie, I was let down because I felt like there were points in his speech where he could have brought it up. I was really hoping he would mention it, since the issue has been raised to a new level.
Just seeing the president in person was such a wild experience. And shaking John Kerry’s hand was also extremely surreal. He didn’t really know who I was, and even when Senator Gillibrand introduced me no one seemed to know who I was. But that’s okay.
Supreme Court decision response
DeGeneres speaks out in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to hear cases on same-sex marriage from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.
That’s fantastic. It’s about time. It’s funny. I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie Selma, but the thing that changed the civil rights movement is when white people got involved and started marching, because until then, it was just nothing but violence and disaster, and it continued to be for a while. We need everyone on our side. We’re kind of trying to do this march, and we just need people that believe in equality and believe in fairness and love. So if we have people that will join us and give us that, which is only fair to have the same rights that everybody else has, then it’s a wonderful world.
White House petition response
The White House responds to a petition to fire two federal officials involved in the Swartz’s prosecution by refusing the request:
Aaron Swartz’s death was a tragic, unthinkable loss for his family and friends. Our sympathy continues to go out to those who were closest to him, and to the many others whose lives he touched. We also reaffirm our belief that a spirit of openness is what makes the Internet such a powerful engine for economic growth, technological innovation, and new ideas. That’s why members of the Administration continue to engage with advocates to ensure the Internet remains a free and open platform as technology continues to disrupt industries and connect our communities in ways we can’t yet imagine.
As to the specific personnel-related requests raised in your petitions, our response must be limited. Consistent with the terms we laid out when we began We the People, we will not address agency personnel matters in a petition response, because we do not believe this is the appropriate forum in which to do so.