Human Interest, International, Law Enforcement, Politics, The Media

JUSTIN BIEBER GRANTED FIRST-EVER PRESIDENTIAL EASTER PARDON

April 19, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Washington, D.C. – Every year around Thanksgiving, the President of the United States pardons a turkey, sparing it from being killed, roasted and served on the holiday dinner table. The White House tradition was instituted by then President George H.W. Bush in 1989, although many believe Harry Truman was technically the first president to pardon a turkey.

Now, President Barack Obama has started a new White House tradition which he is calling the Presidential Easter Pardon, in celebration of the Easter holiday. Obama said this involves granting presidential pardon to a worthy individual who has committed non-violent misdemeanors or small infractions of U.S. law.

On Easter Sunday, Obama will grant the first-ever Presidential Easter Pardon to Canadian citizen and teen idol Justin Bieber. Bieber has repeatedly been charged with misdemeanors and violations including driving under the influence (DUI), resisting arrest and drag racing. The presidential pardon all but erases all obstacles to Bieber in applying for U.S. citizenship.

Many Americans have expressed outrage over Obama’s choice for the pardon. It comes on the heels of a recent petition on Whitehouse.gov asking Obama to deport Bieber for his arrogance and disrespect for the law. The petition drew more than 250,000 signatures, way above the threshold that the White House has set in order to merit a response. The White House did respond to the petition with “no comment.”

Bieber will receive the pardon medal from President Obama at ceremonies in the White House South Lawn on Easter Sunday.

Food, Health & Medicine, International, Language, Science and Environment, The Media

‘SELFITIS,’ ‘CYBERESPIONAGE,’ ‘PROTOPLANET’ NEWEST WORDS IN OXFORD DICTIONARIES

April 18, 2014 Pol Pinoy 3 Comments

London, Great Britain – Oxford University has just announced the newest additions to the world’s largest dictionary in English.

Technology and the Interet are as popular as ever in providing new words, from lock screen and headcam to cyberespionage. Cyberespionage came about as a result of recently-revealed practices by the U.S. National Security Administration (NSA) to spy on phone conversations and Internet communications among governments and private citizens.

Astrology’s newest word contribution is protoplanet, defined as a small celestial object that is the size of a moon or a bit bigger. Astronomers believe that these objects form during the creation of a solar system.

Food coma, another addition to the Oxford Dictionaries, is the feeling of listlessness, bordering on sleep, that one feels after eating a large meal, often caused by a rush of blood to the stomach and intestines during food digestion.

But the most popular yet controversial word addition is ‘selfitis,’ the obsessive-compulsive urge to take photos of one’s self and post them on social media. Earlier this month, The Adobo Chronicles broke the story regarding the American Psychiatric Association officially classifying selfie-taking as a mental disorder.

Last year, Oxford Dictionaries named ‘selfie’ as their 2013 word of the year. Will ‘selfitis’ be the word for 2014?

Film and TV, Politics, Religion, Technology, The Media

ABC ANNOUNCES NEW HOSTS FOR ‘THE VIEW’

April 17, 2014 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

From top, clockwise: Whitman, Hasselbeck, Bachmann, Brewer, Palin

New York, New York – ABC Television Network has announced the hosts of the 18th season of the daytime television talk show ‘The View,’ and only Elisabeth Hasselbeck is staying on.

The announcement came as the show’s producer Barbara Walters prepares to retire on May 16. Part of the farewell week is the appearance on May 15 of all the 11 current and past co-hosts of the show.

“No one can really fill the shoes of Ms. Walters but we believe that we have assembled a powercast of some of the most intelligent, eloquent and knowledgeable women in this country,” said Paul Lee, ABC Network Entertainment Group president.

Hasselbeck will provide some continuity to the popular talk show, the ABC announcement said.

The new co-hosts are former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Representative Michele Bachmann, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and former California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.

Ellen DeGeneres was being tapped to be the 6th co-host but she ‘respectfully declined.’