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Category: Pop Culture

October 20, 2017 Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture

Harvey Weinstein and Twitter’s Double Standard

The power of Twitter is unparalleled especially when the “news” is filled with high stakes and lots of drama, such

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October 8, 2017 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Facebook’s Image Problem

Now may be a good time for friends and families to rekindle their broken Facebook relationships since it appears Russia

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September 20, 2017 Environment / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Media Are People, Too

Americans and the press always seemed to have a love-hate relationship. Despite much of the anti-media rhetoric at play within

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September 1, 2017 Business / Politics / Pop Culture

Why Can’t We Stop Talking About Donald Trump?

No time in recent American history has one president been regularly talked about online, in the press or at the

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May 25, 2017 Media / Pop Culture

Memorial Day Marketing: A Risk Worth Taking?

While Memorial Day is sort of the unofficial start of summer, the holiday is a solemn one, established to honor

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February 20, 2016 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Is Being Too Polished a Public Speaker Bad?

Some are born with it. Others practice a lot. Establishing a visceral connection with an intended audience is paramount to the success of any public speaker.

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November 8, 2015 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

For The Love of Polling

Media love polls. Data sets help identify trends that can be turned into stories or support or debunk a particular

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August 21, 2015 Media / Pop Culture

Everything is Awesome, Not

Just type the word awesome into a Google search and about 1,300,000,000 results will appear. The word is so ingrained

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March 22, 2015 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Starbucks’ ‘Race Together’ Campaign Puts Brand in Jeopardy, For the Time Being    

A visit to Starbucks’ website makes clear that the company is all in regarding its “Race Together” campaign, which basically gives its baristas the option to engage patrons about conversations on racism in America.

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March 8, 2015 Politics / Pop Culture

Come on America, Let’s Vote

Yesterday’s 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic civil rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma comes at a

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February 25, 2015 Business / Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture

Tweet TV: How Social Media is Making Television Fun Again

Nearly 37 million people watched the 87th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, down from 44 million last year. Many reasons may have contributed to the viewership drop, everything ranging from the show’s host performance, to the celebrity of the actors themselves, to the types of films that were nominated.

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August 19, 2014 Business / Education / Entertainment / Health / Pop Culture / Sports

ALS’ Ice Bucket Challenge Is Raising Awareness, Money Too. But Is It Enough?

Many people have seen videos of family and friends taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which helps raise awareness of

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May 27, 2014 Business / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

IndyCar to Drive Fan Interest

Sunday marked the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500, an event billed as the “greatest spectacle in racing.”  One can

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May 7, 2014 Business / Pop Culture / Sports

NBA’s Strong Arm in Black and White

Just as the dust began to settle last week after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald

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April 21, 2014 Business / Pop Culture / Technology

Google Sees Future with Glasses

Google’s one-day sale of its long-awaited Glass, Internet-connected spectacles “for whatever you do, wherever you go, and whoever you are,” was

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March 4, 2014 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Power to the People

Civil unrest in the Ukraine was escalated this week by a Putin-backed Russian invasion, less than two weeks after the

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February 20, 2014 Business / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

Putin’s $50B Ad Campaign

It’s just a few days until the XXII Olympic Winter Games will come to an end and the world will

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January 20, 2014 Business / Media / Pop Culture

2014: Year of the Woman? Well, Sort of …

The proverbial corporate glass ceiling may soon be officially shattered, at least according to new data from the Pew Research

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December 31, 2013 Business / Health / Politics / Pop Culture

Dollars and Sense: It’s going to be a ‘Vaping’ New Year

It’s hard to deny the disruption taking place in the tobacco industry as more smokers are switching to electronic cigarettes. 

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December 15, 2013 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture / Religion

Santa Claus Visits Fox News for the Holidays

Fox News Channel’s host Megyn Kelly made national headlines this week when she confirmed that Santa Claus is white, addressing

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December 1, 2013 Business / Pop Culture / Religion

The Christmas Holiday Push

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” so goes the 1963 hit Christmas song made popular by the late

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November 20, 2013 Business / Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture

When Social Goes Bad

Martha Stewart can run a successful company, make a mouth-watering meal and redecorate any living room with just the right

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November 5, 2013 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

The Power of the Media and the NFL’s ‘Skins’ Game

Sunday’s overtime win against the San Diego Chargers gave the Washington Redskins a reason to celebrate, at least temporarily, as

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August 12, 2013 Business / Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture / Sports

The Rise of the Cyber Athlete

Video gaming isn’t always easy for the average player.  Quick hand-eye coordinated skills are needed to properly slay an extraterritorial

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July 1, 2013 Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture

Soon-to-Be Short-lived Downfall of TV Host Paula Deen

It happens time and again.  A celebrity, actor, athlete or journalist, does or says something bad or politically incorrect and

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June 18, 2013 Business / Entertainment / Media / Pop Culture

What the %^$#%* is going on with network TV?

The late George Carlin may have said it best during his infamous 1970s monologue, “seven words you can never say

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June 4, 2013 Health / Politics / Pop Culture

The Smoke About Mary Jane

Green is good.  Not because it’s the color of money, well, sort of, rather, it’s the color of cannabis, which

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April 30, 2013 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Print Media’s Comeback? Well, Sort of …

President Obama gave kudos to print media this past Saturday evening during his speech at the annual White House Correspondents’

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April 16, 2013 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Funny Ads Still A Hoot

The “Today” Show was amped last week when it reported on a new Kmart commercial titled, “Ship my pants,” which

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March 26, 2013 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Girls, Spark Plugs and Product Placement

Think “Charlie’s Angels” meets “Motor Week.”   That’s what watching an episode of “All Girls Garage” on Velocity is like.  Every

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February 27, 2013 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

The President’s Push Fore Daytime TV

President Obama Playing Golf President Obama and Tiger Woods are a lot alike.  Both are worldwide icons who have seen

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February 10, 2013 Business / Entertainment / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

CBS: No cleavage, no way

Viewers watching tonight’s Grammy Awards will be waiting to see how CBS plans to enforce its “wardrobe advisory” against scantily

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January 21, 2013 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Social Media’s Global Growth

The stats on social media’s global growth are staggering. A graphic recently posted in Mashable.com illustrates how the world consumes

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January 13, 2013 Business / Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

NRA’s Chance to Fire

Vice President Joe Biden concluded meetings this week with organizations ranging from the NRA to electronic game makers to help

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December 16, 2012 Education / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Anatomy of a Tragedy in Newtown

Tearful President Obama Speaking on the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Masacare Eyes across America, and the world for that

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December 9, 2012 Politics / Pop Culture

Fiscal Armageddon for the Holidays

Two things can happen in the next couple of weeks.  One, we may go off the fiscal cliff if the

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November 4, 2012 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

It’s All Well and Good Until Someone Loses a Bet

Aside from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the media buzz this week focused on a bet waged by New York

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October 1, 2012 Media / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

Mitt Romney Should Learn from the NFL

The national media spotlight turned on the NFL this week as replacement referees botched a call on “Monday Night Football,”

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August 2, 2012 Business / Politics / Pop Culture

The Chicken and the Presidency

It’s really not about the chicken.  The media firestorm surrounding Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy’s comments against same-sex marriage continues to

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May 22, 2012 Auto / Business / Media / Pop Culture

It’s a Ford, or is it?

Ford Motor Co. recently rolled out its new “Go Further” advertising campaign, featuring slick TV spots of new models, purposely

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April 8, 2012 Business / Media / Pop Culture

When TV Anchors Attack (In the Court of Public Opinion)

It would be hard to miss the headlines these days about Keith Olberman, the former controversial MSNBC talk show host

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March 25, 2012 Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Tragedy Still Drives News to No Surprise

Two news stories still making national headlines are rooted in murder.  Whether it’s the civil courts or a U.S. military

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February 26, 2012 Business / Media / Pop Culture / Sports

‘Chink in the Armor’ Headline Catapults Linsanity to New Heights

New York Knick Jeremy Lin at a press conference. Photo: Courtesy of ESPN. There’s been a lot of media and

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January 16, 2012 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Big Banks Have an Uphill Battle

Consumer outrage at large banks has never been greater. “Bank fatigue” is causing customers at large financial institutions to move

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November 27, 2011 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture / Sports

Basketball Comes a Little Late This Christmas

Basketball fans are relieved to know that this year’s NBA season will officially begin on December 25, 2011. Players and

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October 7, 2011 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Rock Star CEOs Can Put Brands at Risk

This week Apple, Inc. founder Steve P. Jobs passed away from pancreatic cancer.  He was 56. While Jobs’ death sparked

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September 5, 2011 Business / Politics / Pop Culture

Celebrating Labor Day with a Soured Economy

America this Monday will celebrate its 119th Labor Day, which according to the country’s Department of Labor, is dedicated to

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August 16, 2011 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Video’s Value Propostion

There is no doubt that video has become more pervasive within today’s new media landscape, as the Internet continues to

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May 23, 2011 Business / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Bravo TV owns reality television, but will it last?

Bravo TV is reality television.  A look at today‘s schedule on Bravo shows every program is reality-based, ranging from “The

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May 2, 2011 Entertainment / Media / Politics / Pop Culture

Human interest and regal fashion, main news drivers of royal wedding

About one billion people worldwide tuned in this Friday to watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

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April 21, 2011 Politics / Pop Culture

Think Before Sending

Time and again people underestimate the power of the Internet.  Social media and the pervasive use of video make it

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April 4, 2011 Business / Media / Pop Culture

Local TV is right on when it comes to the weather, sort of

Ever watch the local weather report? Long gone are the quirky weathermen now being replaced by voluptuous bombshells. Not taking

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March 6, 2011 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

Charlie Sheen Makes News … and YouTube

  Conflict, controversy and human interest are three main drivers news. Charlie Sheen’s saga combines all of them. Media have

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February 6, 2011 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture / Sports

Don’t use the word Super Bowl

More than 100 million viewers watched Super Bowl XLV, not to mention the snazzy,  eye-catching commercials.   No doubt the Super

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January 18, 2011 Politics / Pop Culture

Rhetoric doesn’t kill, but it certainly sells advertising

The media spin around the tragic shooting in Tucson last week was that the actions of alleged gunman Jared Loughner

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December 16, 2010 Aviation / Entertainment / Pop Culture / Religion

Santa’s Public Relations Machine Ramped Up This Holiday

Santa Claus is coming to town, really. Recent studies say holiday online spending is up 12 percent over last year.

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November 29, 2010 Business / Pop Culture

Starbucks Now ‘Barbucks’ as it Shifts Brand Strategy Offering Booze

It’s hard to imagine the brand that revolutionized the coffee industry will be forty next year.   Starbucks has become a

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November 24, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

Conflict and Controversy Still Main Drivers of News

Fox News is number one.  Well, at least in ratings.  Rupert Murdoch’s news channel continues to lead all time slots

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October 31, 2010 Business / Health / Pop Culture

Hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense

Ever see the TV commercial of the woman in the wheelchair who points out some of her colleagues’ shortcomings?  Like

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October 5, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

CNN Cans another reporter with an opinion, distinguishing itself from rival networks

CNN canned yet another reporter in less than 90 days.   This time it was Rick Sanchez for his remarks last

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September 27, 2010 Business / Pop Culture

Axe is a Guy’s Guy Brand, Leaving out Everything in Between

Axe got it.  At least with men ages 16 to 25.  The brand strategy for its deodorant, shower gel and

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September 19, 2010 Politics / Pop Culture

Can the lessons of 1860 help Republicans this November?

Tea Party-backed candidate Christine O’Donnell caused a national stir this week after she beat out nine-term GOP congressman Mike Castle

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September 13, 2010 Business / Pop Culture

Grandpa on Facebook, Hugh?

More people these days seem to be getting “younger” as they get older.   Seventy is the “new” sixty.  Sixty is

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August 31, 2010 Politics / Pop Culture / Religion

Is Malcolm X to blame for Islam’s image problem?

The literal meaning of Islam is peace.  That message obviously has not resonated with many Americans, especially post 9-11.  Islam

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August 26, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

CNBC’s Mark Haines Doesn’t like the “Blog” Word

Mark Haines doesn’t like the “blog” word.  For those in the know, Haines is co-host to CNBC’s “Squawk on the

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August 17, 2010 Aviation / Business / Pop Culture

JetBlue’s Blog about Attendant’s Emergency Chute Exit May Be Only Option for the Moment

JetBlue Airways always has been an airline of firsts.  The JFK-based company was the first airliner to offer 24 channels

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July 26, 2010 Auto / Business / Pop Culture

Hamsterdam Avenue may be Kia’s Own Demise

Call it marketing genius or branding suicide.  Kia Motors’ “hamster” campaign for its 2010 Soul certainly is getting lots of

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June 27, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

The Trump Network: A McDonald’s Brand in the Making?

Donald Trump’s net worth as a billionaire always seemed to be in question.  Real estate mogul turned network TV star

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June 20, 2010 Pop Culture / Sports

Good Thing for Vuvuzelas at the 2010 World Cup

The big news out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa wasn’t rivalry, it was horn blowing. Tens of

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April 20, 2010 Politics / Pop Culture

Anti-government and Pro-gun Groups Should Stay Away from April 19

April 19 is a dichotomy of symbolism. It’s the date of the Oklahoma City bombing, which claimed 168 lives in

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April 13, 2010 Politics / Pop Culture

2010 Census Needs To Do More Than Better Mail Response Rates

News last year of a dead U.S. Census worker found hung from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery rocked most

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March 16, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

Milk-aholic Lindsay Needs to Let Go

More than 90 million people this year watching the Super Bowl saw an outrageously funny E-Trade commercial that featured a

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March 9, 2010 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

The Academy Awards? That’s Entertainment

Just imagine the drama setting upon the Academy Awards in 1939 when three great films were among the nominees for

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January 12, 2010 Auto / Business / Pop Culture

GEICO Still Gets It 10 Years Later

Ever wonder how a gecko became synonymous with car insurance? It actually happened by accident. GEICO introduced the popular little

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December 19, 2009 Politics / Pop Culture

Florida Mom Must Know Twitter is Open Book

The Florida mom, who tweeted about her son’s accidental drowning, now wants the media to leave her family alone.  Blogger

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November 23, 2009 Business / Politics / Pop Culture

Sarah Palin has Gone Rogue

“Going Rogue” has gone gangbusters. Sales of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s new book surpassed 300,000 copies on its

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November 13, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

Hugh Hefner May Need to Hang Up the PJs

  Hugh Hefner still has it at 83-years old.  Well, he still controls 70% of Playboy Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: PLA),

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November 4, 2009 Business / Pop Culture

Starbucks Can Suffer in an Instant

A few weeks have passed since Starbucks VIA™Ready Brew, the company’s new instant coffee, made its North American debut. Starbucks

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October 27, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

TV Cable News Is All Theater

It’s no surprise to anyone that CNN is the least watched station among cable networks during prime time. Most viewers

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October 14, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

David Letterman’s Sexual Conduct Gets Late Night Laughs

Mystery still surrounds the extortion case of David Letterman by veteran CBS producer Robert Halderman, who allegedly tried to blackmail

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October 10, 2009 Politics / Pop Culture

Obama’s Peace Prize Win is Aspirational, Not by Deeds

President Barack Obama yesterday was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, after only seven months in office and under a

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October 7, 2009 Politics / Pop Culture

Socialism did not Create National Parks, Just Good Government

Ken Burns’ six-part series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” concluded its premier broadcast on PBS last week, although some

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October 4, 2009 Entertainment / Politics / Pop Culture

Knee-Jerk Hollywood Must Be Wary of Polanski

Much has been reported over the past three decades about the infamous director Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty in a

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September 19, 2009 Politics / Pop Culture

Democracy Loses as New York’s City Council and Mayor Bloomberg Swindle Voters

This November third voters in New York City will get a chance to elect eight-year incumbent Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg,

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September 16, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

Movies for a Buck: Good for Consumers, Bad for Hollywood?

Hollywood is up in arms. Kiosk chain Redbox is threatening DVD sales by offering movie rentals for $1. Even though

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September 4, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

Hulk and Spiderman Lose Their Powers

The Incredible Hulk meets Mickey Mouse coming to a theater near you? Not likely. While Disney’s purchase of Marvel Entertainment

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August 25, 2009 Business / Education / Pop Culture / Sports

Budweiser’s New College Color Campaign Gets Canned for Back to School

 Budweiser’s new marketing campaign of painting Bud Light cans with college-team colors has come under intense scrutiny not only by the

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August 13, 2009 Business / Health / Pop Culture

Steve Jobs Back at Work and so is Apple Stock

Apple Inc’s (APPL: NYSE) stock has been on a tear recently up 100% since March. Despite a slow economic recovery,

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July 16, 2009 Business / Politics / Pop Culture

Is Budweiser now un-American?

Anheuser-Busch this week finally accepted a sweetened $52 billion takeover offer by InBev since it was first approached by the

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July 9, 2009 Business / Entertainment / Pop Culture

Michael Jackson May Be Worth More Dead than Alive

Michael Jackson The reality is that Michael Jackson’s untimely death has reignited interest in his music and art as the

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June 27, 2009 Politics / Pop Culture

No Way Out for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford

So. Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford No longer are voters putting politicians on pedestals.  The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal first demonstrated the Country’s

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June 13, 2009 Entertainment / Pop Culture

Does Miss USA Need a Makeover?

There is such as thing as bad publicity.  Bad is bad.  It’s that simple.  There are some rare exceptions however,

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