Yearly Archives: 2014

International, Politics, Sports, Technology

AQUINO ADMINISTRATION ON OLYMPIAN MICHAEL MARTINEZ’S REQUEST FOR FINANCIAL HELP: ‘WE DO NOT OPEN SPAM’

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imageManila, Philippines  – The administration of Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino continues to go on the defensive as more and more people have criticized the government’s zero financial support for Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez. The lone Filipino athlete in the Sochi Winter Olympics made an impressive Olympic debut last week, finishing 19th out of 24 skaters. He is the first Filipino and Southeast Asian to qualify for the Olympic figure skating competition.

Martinez’s mother said that she had sent Malacañang, the Philippine Presidential Palace, a request for help to finance her son’s participation in the Olympics but never received a response. image13.jpg

Today, presidential spokesperson Herminio Coloma said that the request “may have come into Malacañang as ‘spam,’  and that per our policy, we do not open spams. We receive hundreds and hundreds of  requests, gifts and what have you, including imported cans of SPAM, but for security reasons we never open canned goods or other wrapped gifts.”

Business, Human Interest

STARBUCKS’ RESPONSE TO SPOKANE’S SHIRTLESS MALE BARISTAS

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imageSeattle, Washington – No one messes with Starbucks, not even Hot Cup Of Joe’s, the coffee shop which opened on Valentine’s Day in Spokane, featuring shirtless male baristas.

Ever heard of  bottomless mimosas or bottomless margaritas? Well, Starbucks will soon introduce its bottomless baristas – male and female both. The Seattle-based coffee company said this is in response to the Spokane coffee shop’s shirtless baristas. Starbucks will open its first bottomless coffee shop in Seattle later this month, and it has nothing to do with bottomless coffee. Rather, the coffee shop will employ male and female baristas who will wear top clothing, but not bottoms.

If the new “experiment” is well-received, Starbucks said it will  ask its franchise stores in the U.S. and across the globe to convert to bottomless coffee shops. However, Starbucks will authorize only one bottomless coffee shop per town or city, and the franchise stores will have to apply to be selected through a rigorous competitive bidding process.

Film and TV, Politics, Same-sex Marriage, The Media

ELLEN DEGENERES BACKS OUT OF HOSTING THE OSCARS

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DeGeneres, left , with spouse de Rossi
DeGeneres, left , with spouse de Rossi

Hollywood, California – Ellen DeGeneres will not host this year’s Oscars after all. The famous lesbian comedienne backed out of her hosting duties in protest of what she called “insensitivity and unfairness” on the part of the Oscar producers.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is scrambling to find a replacement in time for the scheduled show on March 2.

The irreconcilable disagreement with the Academy sprang from a personal request from DeGeneres that she include in her opening monologue an actual marriage ceremony between her and her spouse Portia de Rossi. Although they are already married, DeGeneres wanted to make a public statement in support of same-sex marriage in the country. So far, only 17 of the 50 states have legalized same-sex marriage.

“Hey, if Queen Latifah can officiate  marriages during the Grammies, why can’t I marry Portia again in front of millions of television viewers,” DeGeneres told reporters.

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For its part the Academy said that it was afraid viewers might tuneout of the Oscars if it granted DeGeneres’ request, especially in the states still opposed to legalizing same-sex marriage. DeGeneres’ response? “Who cares? Nobody lives in those states!”