Stephen Colbert's "WristStrong" bracelets (a parody of Lance Armstrong's cancer-awareness "LiveStrong" bracelets) have raised more than $171, 000 since he began selling them as part of his "wrist awareness" campaign. Colbert broke his wrist last June, and started "wrist awareness" on his mock pundit show on Comedy Central.
On Wednesday night's The Colbert Report the proceeds were presented to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charity that assists injured service members and their families.
The cast from Colbert's broken wrist was earlier auctioned off, raising $17,000 for the Yellow Ribbon fund.
Marijuana And Work Don't Mix
The California Supreme Court ruled that employers can fire workers who use medical marijuana even if it was legally recommended by a doctor.
The high court upheld a Sacramento company's firing of a man who flunked a company-ordered drug test. Gary Ross held a medical marijuana card authorizing him to use the drug to treat a back injury sustained while serving in the Air Force.
The company fired Ross on the basis that all marijuana use is illegal under federal law.
Ross argued that medical marijuana users should receive the same workplace protection that employees with valid painkiller prescriptions do. California voters legalized medicinal marijuana in 1996.
The ruling is a setback for medical marijuana laws that exist in California and 11 other states.
Cabbie Undercover
New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is using undercover investigators to go after rude cabbies.
TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus said the investigators will hail cabs and watch for drivers refusing to accept credit cards, talking on cell phones, and engaging in other rude behaviors.
"The word on the street is these are the issues that passengers are complaining about most," he said.
Fines of between $150 and $350 could be issued for taxi drivers who refuse to accept credit cards for payment (drivers often refuse to accept plastic because of a $5 surcharge) and $150 fines and 2-point penalties could be issued to cabbies who talk on their cell phones and are otherwise rude to customers.
Cabbies could lose their taxi licenses if they rack up too many points.
Get Your Rebates Here
Details have been released about that economic stimulus package you've been hearing so much about. Most tax filers will get refunds of $600 to $1,200, and more if they have children.
The agreement follows a week of intense negotiation and has been agreed upon by both parties.Each party had to drop a number of issues on the table in order to come to the agreement.
Democrats and Republicans agreed from the start on tax rebates. Each income tax payer will get up to $600 and an additional $300 for each of their children. People will likely begin getting their rebates in July.
Businesses will be able to write more of their expenses off, but businesses with losses will not be able to reclaim any money from tax they already paid. Food stamps and additional unemployment benefits had to be dropped, but nearly everyone who earns a paycheck will get at least $300 in their tax rebate.
Here's the brief info on what is in and what's out of the stimulus package:
What's In
Tax rebates: of at least $300 for almost everyone & an additional $300 per child.
Business tax write-offs: more generous expensing rules.
Housing rescue: Raising the limit on Federal Housing Administration loans
What's Out
Permanent tax cuts
Extended Unemployment insurance
Additional Food Stamp benefits
Medicaid: States will not receive payments
Low-income heating subsidies
Spending on transportation or repair projects already under way (Infrastructure spending)
Businesses suffering losses will not get to claim previously paid taxes
TEENAGERS UPSET ABOUT PARENTS ON MYSPACE
It used to be that teenagers could use MySpace and Facebook without worrying about their parents seeing their words and pictures. It used to be that parents did their own thing -- and teenagers had their own places to go on the Internet. Not anymore.
These days, average, middle-aged adults have Gmail, upload videos on YouTube, and have just as many high-tech gadgets as their teenaged kids.
And, this is making many teenagers uncomfortable. Many teens don't like the idea of old folks hanging out on what they consider their technological turf.
Gary Rudman, a youth market researcher says he often interviews young people who think it's "creepy" when an older person, like a relative or adult family friend, asks to join their social network as a "friend." It means, of course, that they can look at each others' profiles and what they and their friends post.
"It would be like a 40-year-old attending the prom or a frat party," Gary says. "It just doesn't work."
Here are some ways that teenagers have tried to stay ahead of the game...
They use Twitter, which allows blogging from cell phones or BlackBerrys
They use high-frequency ringtones that teens can hear -- but most adults can't.
Where Should Parents Draw the Line ...?
It's tough for most parents to let their kids just run wild -- even in cyberspace. Today's parents have to deal with some challenges that have never before been an issue.
"As parents, we have to figure out where to draw the line between encouraging and allowing our teens to have autonomy, to experience their separate culture, and when we need to monitor their use of media," says Kathryn Montgomery, a professor of communication at American University.
Kathryn Montgomery also says it's important to help young people understand that social networking is often more public than they think. And, sometimes, monitoring them is the best way to do that.
ENGLAND MAY BE PAYING FAT PEOPLE TO LOSE WEIGHT
Over the past year or two, there have been scattered stories about cities paying overweight people to lose weight. But now, the entire country of Great Britain is considering it.
Just like in America, health officials in Great Britain are struggling with an obesity epidemic. Because there's a nationalized health plan over there, the added health costs of obesity are costing the government billions of dollars every year.
By the Numbers...
25% of all adults and one in five children in England are obese.
By 2050 at least 60% of the population will be obese.
Obesity is expected to cost the government tens of billions of dollars a year by then.
So, a plan has been written up that would give money to people to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle. Vouchers would be given to overweight people to spend on healthy food -- and cash prizes would be given to those who lose weight.
Two Eggs, Toast, And A Side of Busted
Springfield, Connecticut ... Two men eating breakfast at Denny's didn't have time to finish their eggs -- police arrested them after spotting stolen stereo equipment inside their car.
According to police, the men, both 18, were arrested after officers saw the stolen equipment, which still had wires attached, in their vehicle -- which matched the description of a car spotted in the area of three reported car burglaries Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
The suspects were charged with several crimes, including three counts of third-degree burglary, conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, and tampering with a motor vehicle.
And speaking of eggs ...
Tough Case To Crack?
Bedford, Texas ... Police are looking for a thief who threw an egg at a 7-Eleven cashier and ran off with a burrito.
The thief, who was described as 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, reportedly hit the clerk in the back of the head with an egg and ran off without paying for his small burrito. The clerk told police the man sped off in a white car.
Little People, Big Crime
Stockholm, Sweden ... Tourists traveling on long-distance bus trips are being warned to be extra careful -- it seems a gang of thieves is using little people to rob busses.
Swedish police said the thieves sneak the dwarves into the luggage compartment in duffle bags and once they're inside, the little people get out of the bags and sift through the luggage of the passengers.
Once they've collected their loot, the dwarves sneak back into the duffle bags and just wait to be picked up when the bus reaches its destination.
According to police the favorite target of the thieves-using-dwarves are Swebus buses, which cater to British passengers traveling in Sweden.
"We have had reports about several thefts by dwarves on the stretch between Vasteras and Stockholm," said a spokesman for Swebus. "We're thinking of installing video cameras."
He Shot Himself In The Foot -- Literally
Cherryville, North Carolina ... A man's plans to rob a convenience store didn't quite work out when he accidentally shot himself in the foot.
According to police, Kelvin Roberts, 28, dropped a .45-caliber handgun in front of Gasland USA. The gun hit the ground and went off, hitting Roberts in the foot.
He faces several charges that include attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Police said the handgun had been altered to fire .410 shotgun shells.
THEY MIGHT AS WELL GET PAID...
Dennis Hof, the owner of Nevada's Moonlight Bunnyranch (featured on the HBO show Cathouse) thinks he could create a new show around Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, reports Page Six: "We can call it Celebrity Sex With Paris and Britney," he says. Dennis Hof thinks Paris and Britney do such slutty things -- why not televise it? As he says, "They're both tramps. They're giving it away for free, so they might as well get paid for it!" He could have a point. Dennis Hof says he's in talks with HBO to bring his idea to life, so stay tuned...
THE FLASHLIGHT WAS IN SAM'S FACE
TMZ reports Kevin's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan (MVK), was all over Britney's manager/friend/whatever Sam Lutfi in court yesterday (Thursday). MVK asked Sam questions like...
...about the meds Britney takes.
...where she goes.
...what she does at home.
...what she drinks.
...Britney and Sam's relationship with photo agency X17Online and if he and Britney have a deal where they give X17 pictures of Britney and in return Brit and Sam get paid. X17 has denied there's any deal.
MVK also asked Sam where his income comes from and how he supports himself. Sam was also asked about his six lawsuits where he was reportedly sued. Sam said that "most of those suits were against his father," TMZ reports.
BRITNEY SCARES THE KIDDIES
Oh my ... Us Weekly is reporting that Britney caused a stir at a Beverly Hills elementary school when she was seen outside smoking a cigarette and talking to herself! "She was just rambling and confused," says a witness, who approached Britney to ask if she was OK. "She said, 'I'm here to pick up my kids.' But then she changed her story and said, 'They aren't my kids; I have a new attorney, and I came to pick them up for her.'" Okay...
But the funniest part is that Britney seemed to scare the kiddies! "It became the talk of the school. Some of the kids were freaked out," said a school source. Before getting into her car and driving off (without the imaginary kids she said she was picking up), Britney talked with the woman who had approached her and said to her: "You're so nice. You should give me your number. I don't have very many friends." LOL!
And Speaking Of Britney...
The NY Daily News reports the American Psychoanalytic Association has weighed in on Britney. At the group's annual winter conference at the Waldorf-Astoria, several APA members begged the media to stop speculating on Britney's supposed mental illness ... "This idea of making a diagnosis of someone they've never met is completely inappropriate," says Mark Smaller, a Chicago shrink and director of the Neuropsychoanalysis Foundation. "Trying to make such a diagnosis based purely on someone's behavior is scientifically impossible." Mark Smaller said that several extensive therapy sessions are needed to properly determine whether Britney is a nutcase or not.
TORI PREGNANT AGAIN
In Touch Weekly says Tori Spelling is pregnant with her second child. "They have been having so much fun with Liam (their son), they couldn't wait to have another," a "friend" told the magazine.
BRITNEY'S PHOBIAS
Remember Britney was heard saying, "I'm scared, I'm scared" in the parking lot of the last custody hearing she missed? One Web site speculates that maybe Britney suffers from "Legal Batophobia" -- the fear of court houses. LOL!
Here are some other phobias Britney seems to clearly suffer from:
Trichophobia -- fear of human hair. Hence the nasty weaves.
Lachanophobia -- fear of vegetables -- basically, fear of any foods not battered and deep-fried.
Hypengyophobia -- fear of responsibility. Probably the impetus for the new personalities and the chronic lateness.
Monophobia -- fear of being alone. Explains the paparazzi BFFs and the Sam Lufti entourage.
and the number one phobia plaguing Britney Spears:
Pedophobia -- fear of children. They always want you to do lame stuff like change their diapers and read books. So boring, it's scary!
(Source: yeeeah.com)
MOVES THAT LOOK LAME PAST 30
Going the backpacker/hostel/couch-surf route every vacation.
Dressing like a sexy cat, sexy devil, sexy cheerleader, or sexy hooker for Halloween.
Hitting last call and making out with a new guy each weekend.
Screaming at your mom on the phone where people can hear.
Habitually skimping on your share when the check comes.
Ceasing communication with friends the minute you meet a guy.
Buying drinks with sexy names that aren't clever, just plain dirty.
Prefacing every bite of junk food with "Omigod, I'm soooo bad!!!"
JILTED MAN GOES ON DRIVING RAMPAGE
In Australia, a man claims he drove drunk at more than twice the speed limit along a busy street of nightclubs because he had just seen his girlfriend and best buddy making out.
Twenty-six-year-old Matt Matthews told police he had just caught his girlfriend kissing his best friend when he was pulled over for speeding and driving erratically through city streets.
He said he was driving drunk because he had to get out of the nightclub where all three had been partying.
According to the police report, Matt was distraught after getting pulled over.
"I've spent my entire week's wages on the both of them -- and that's how they pay you back. I'm sorry mate, I just lost it," Matthews told police. "They are the last people I thought would ever let me down. God, he's like a brother."
When police asked how much he had drunk, Matthews simply replied: "Lots."
The judge said it was lucky nobody was hurt because there were lots of people walking around and ended up fining Matthews $1,000 -- and suspending his driver's license for six months.
So much for conventional wisdom. Couples who bicker and argue are likely to live longer than couples who don't.
Researchers at the University of Michigan studied around 200 couples over 17 years and found that those who suppressed their emotions were twice as likely to die as those where at least one partner expressed their anger.
They say when couples get together, one of their main jobs is reconciliation about conflict. The trends were consistent even when taking into account other lifestyle factors such as smoking and weight. (Maiman)
# # #
Good Idea Department:
Stop selling candy that looks like a street drug! Candy giant Hershey said yesterday that it's halting production of its "Ice Breakers Pacs" after Philadelphia police first complained several months ago that they looked like heat-sealed bags used to sell powered narcotics.
Ice Breakers Pacs first hit store shelves late last year and are nickel-sized dissolvable pouches with a powdered sweetener inside. They come in blue or orange, with the Ice Breakers logo. (Pacelli)
# # #
The Airlines:
The next time you fly Southwest, you may be allowed to check your email and surf the Internet. The airline will begin offering the service on four aircrafts beginning this summer, and if the test run goes well, the program will be expanded.
According to Computer World, American Airlines has already finished installing an Internet broadband connection on one of its jets. It will test the technology on all 15 of its Boeing 767-200 aircraft throughout the year.
Before Southwest or American can go any further, though, they need certfication from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (Page)
# # #
The Internet:
News Corporation boss RUPERT MURDOCH announced yesterday that he's making part --but not all-- of the Wall Street Journal's online content free. Murdoch made the announcement at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
He said that raw financial information that's posted on other Web sites will be free at wsj.com, but the Journal's specialized material will still cost about $99-dollars-a-year.
Media and financial pundits were eagerly waiting for Murdoch's decision because the Journal's web site is one of the few online subsription sites that actually turns a profit. (Pacelli)
# # #
Heath Ledger Update:
Turns out that private masseuse who found HEATH LEDGER's corpse does not have a license to practice in New York. State officials confirmed the fact yesterday to the NY Daily News, and said DIANE WOLOSHIN could face a potential felony charge. Here's why: anyone applying for a license to be a masseuse in New York must show documentation that they have received CPR training, which might have saved Ledger's life.
Meanwhile, even though MARY-KATE OLSEN did not own the apartment that Ledger was found in, she did get a call from the masseuse, because Ledger was a good friend of Mary Kate.
In fact, the masseuse called the actress even before dialing 911 for help. Cops say Mary Kate said: "I'm sending my private security there." Then, moments later, after finding Ledger's body cold to the touch, she called back, saying "I think he may be dead. I'm calling 911!" Detectives say that at no time did Mary Kate advise the masseuse to call 911, but they believe Ledger was already dead.
# # #
AMY WINEHOUSE has (finally) admitted she has a substance abuse problem and checked into a rehab facility. Details in Music, below.
# # #
Diddy changes name: It's happened again. Rap impressario and fashion mogul P DIDDY has changed his name again. The London Sun tabloid reports he now wants to be known as SEAN-JEAN. It may have something to do with the fact that his real name is SEAN JEAN COMBS. Or it may have a little to do with the fact that his new fragrance will be called Sean Jean. "It's nothing unusual where I come from," he said. "Right now I want to be Sean John because that's where I am."
His previous names included Puff, Puffy, Puff Daddy and Diddy.
# # #
OK! magazine says TONY ROMO and JESSICA SIMPSON have split up, with the Dallas Cowboys QB reportedly doing the dumping. Jess was blamed for costing Romo and the Cowboys a Super Bowl berth, and a "pal" of Tony's claims "Tony is now starting to blame her himself. Before dating Jessica, he was Texas' golden boy. Now he's become a joke."
The final breaking point allegedly came when Tony told Jess he wouldn't move to LA --and she told him there was no way she could leave Hollywood.
# # #
US Weekly magazine claims that JAMIE LYNN SPEARS will give her baby to her mom to raise so she can concentrate on her career.
Quotable: Who better to raise a baby than the woman who brought up Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears? (Stevens and Grdnic's "Daily Comedy Exclusive" --but what we were all thinking)
# # #
ADAM SANDLER is the latest to stand up for his buddy, TOM CRUISE. The comic tells People magazine that to see anyone's private life invaded and mocked is "sickening," and says his friend is a great dad, husband and friend. Other stars who came to the Scientologist's defense in this week's issue are BRUCE WILLIS, DEMI MOORE, JIM CARREY, and BEN STILLER. (Lee)
# # #
The National Enquirer reports that JOEY LAWRENCE is the biggest diva on the "Dancing with the Stars" tour. The magazine reports that he demands a private tour bus, tanning bed, and even an assistant in charge of dirty diapers for his baby! CHERYL BURKE is said to be the most cooperative. (Lee)
# # #
Sources tell the Fox News' Pop Tarts column that JOSH HARTNETT has moved on from RIHANNA and was seen getting cozy with KIRSTEN DUNST at a night club. (Lee)
# # #
GEORGE CLOONEY is slowly saying good-bye to his bachelorhood. Star magazine reports that the handsome A-lister has asked SARAH LARSEN to move in with him because the two are constantly together. Word is she's easygoing, loving and has a great sense of humor. (Lee)
# # #
Sources close to GWYNETH PALTROW tell the Chicago Sun-Times that she was so freaked out when her husband, CHRIS MARTIN, accosted photographers after she was released from the hospital that she's vowed not to return to the United States unless it's for work. Rumor has it she thinks the paparazzi aren't as invasive in England, and didn't need to face the pressure when she was feeling so fragile. (Lee)
# # #
HARLOW WINTER KATE MADDEN has turned her rock-star daddy, JOEL MADDEN, into a sloppy, emotional mess! He blogged on the website of his clothing company, DCMA Collective, that him and NICOLE RICHIE are the two "luckiest people alive" and claims he didn't know what love was before her birth. (Lee)
# # #
TED CASABLANCA of E! Online.com reports that TRACEY EDMONDS is recovering nicely from her split with EDDIE MURPHY. Instead of honeymooning with her new husband, she's spent the week at the Sundance Film Festival and enjoyed a 50 CENT concert. (Lee)
# # #
JENNIE GARTH has a great body thanks to her appearance on "Dancing with the Stars," but tells TED CASABLANCA of E! Online.com that when she wants to cheat on her diet she pops a Coca Cola! (Lee)
# # #
Want to know the diet secrets of PARIS and NICKY HILTON? An insider at the Sundance Film Festival tells Fox News that the sisters have been downing chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries every day since arriving in Park City, Utah. (Lee)
# # #
LINDSAY LOHAN is going to AA but could care less. According to Star magazine, the actress is putting in her time at the meetings but isn't participating at all. An eyewitness tells the tabloid that Linds texted the whole time and looked really uninterested in being there.
# # #
CHRISTINA AGUILERA didn't want to have a C-section when she gave birth to son MAX. According to Star magazine, the singer showed up at the hospital in full makeup including trademark red lipstick and pushed for 24 hours until the doctors told her that she had to have a C-section.
# # #
PAMELA ANDERSON's world is falling apart. Sources tell Star magazine that the blonde bombshell is walking around Malibu looking like a zombie. She's upset that her marriage to RICK SALOMON is falling apart, she's not getting any work and she's approaching middle age.
# # #
KEVIN FEDERLINE is ready to tell-all about his marriage to BRITNEY SPEARS. According to Star magazine, Brit's ex could get up to $10 million dollars for spilling the beans on her mental state, dysfunctional family, wild sex life , addictions and violent outbursts. He also might dish the dirt on Brit's sister, JAMIE LYNN, "manager" SAM LUFTI, and even Brit's cousin, ALLI SIMS.
# # #
DAVID SPADE doesn't want anything to do with the Playboy playmate that's allegedly having his child. According to Star magazine, JILLIAN GRACE and David talked about having a baby together and now she claims he apparently wants nothing to do with the pregnancy. (Myers)
# # #
Job Rage:
Disgruntled Employee of the Week Award goes to a Florida woman who erased some important computer files because she thought she was being fired.
According to WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, 41-year-old MARIE COOLEY deleted seven years of computer files at a local architectural company. Company officials think she read a classified ad in the paper and she thought the ad was targeting her job. In fact, the ad was for another position.
The deleted files --worth $2.5 million-- were recovered on a back-up system.
# # #
Looking for Love in all the Right Places:
This Valentine's Day, lots of us will try proving how deep our love goes for that special someone. But we'll probably come off as hacks compared to LIU GUOJIANG. This Chinese guy hand carved 6-thousand steps into the side of a mountain for his wife, XU CHAOQING, just so he could make her life easier. Liu started his mountainside project 50-years ago, and this week he passed away at age 70.
Son of the love-birds, LIU MINGSHENG, says his parents were the walking definition of love. "My parents have lived in seclusion for more than 50 years because of their love for each other. They had no electricity and my father made kerosene lamps to lighten our lives. My mother seldom goes down the mountain, but my father cut the six-thousand plus stairs for her convenience ...It's a ladder of love."
# # #
Trailer Park update:
Hard to imagine anything going wrong on this one but some women in Springfield, MO, are regretting their decision last week to get a tattoo from a door-to-door tattoo salesman. At least one person had to be hospitalized and the others face serious health risks.
The Kansas City Star says a man knocked on doors last Friday holding a tattoo gun and offering his services. One woman described the tool as homemade, but still agreed to pay for a tattoo. So did two other women in her apartment complex.
The next day, another woman passed out and had to be hospitalized. All the women have an infection in the tattoo area and have been told to get tested for HIV and hepatitis. Happy New Year.
FYI: It's illegal in Missouri to give a tattoo without a license
