Rapper 50 Cent is facing a challenge to his street cred — from Taco Bell. Lawyers for the fast-food chain are calling his federal lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, another attempt to "burnish his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer." The squabble is over a fake letter sent out by Taco Bell Corp. asking 50 Cent to change his name for one day to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to help publicize its value menu. In return, the company offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has sued for trademark infringement. Jackson's attorney, Peter Raymond, says he wonders why Taco Bell would use his client's name in an ad campaign.
ISF: What an ass. Can you sue now for "trademark infringement" when they haven't even done anything yet? I'd tell him where to shove his Two Quarters.
Democratic aides say Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to seek legislation to provide relief to the battered auto industry, and wants it done in a post-election session of Congress likely to convene in the next few days. Pelosi is not expected to specify how large a bailout she wants. The aides who described her views Tuesday did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The speaker's decision comes a few days after General Motors warned it is rapidly running out of cash, and Ford announced its situation was only slightly better.
ISF: I'm sorry, but I CANNOT feel sorry for the automobile industry. They've been screwing over the American people for years and now they want protection from the government? For what? They haven't made any improvements to their automobiles' mileage. The Ford Model T got 25 miles per gallon in 1908. My 1993 GEO Metro got 40-45. My 2007 Chevrolet Aveo gets 27. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture? They have the capability to produce more efficient cars...yet they don't. If they're looking for a bailout, why not stick their hands out to the Oil Companies who are obviously already paying them to be fuel inefficient?
With record low approval ratings and intense criticism for his handling of the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the economy, the word most used to label George W. Bush's presidency will be "incompetent," historians say. Harvard University political history scholar Barbara Kellerman said when President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January, people may view Bush in a new light. "I think it's possible when people have stopped being as angry at the Bush administration as they are now ... that they will realize that some of this is just ... the luck of the draw." Kellerman, author of the book "Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters," noted that Bush has not had luck on his side for the past eight years. "He [Bush] has been a quite unlucky president. Certain things happened on his watch that most people don't have to deal with -- a 9/11, a [Hurricane] Katrina, the financial crisis, being three obvious examples," she said. "And yet they happened on his watch. He is being blamed," she said.ISF: Kellerman, you're giving Bush way too much credit. I don't think anyone believes that George Bush has the power to create disasters like 9/11, Katrina, the Iraqi War, or the financial crisis. He's too stupid to even comprehend how to put something that complicated together. However, he is being (and should be) blamed for the handling of each situation (and more). A good leader knows how to prevent problems and/or solve them when they happen. Bush did neither.
Bush, meanwhile, who has long defended his decision to invade Iraq as a way to spread democracy, could also see criticism dissipate over time if Iraq becomes a thriving, stable country. "If you imagine that an Iraq in 10,15 years is actually a vibrant, stable democracy and other countries neighboring it move in that direction ... I think you'd have a strong Bush revisionism," Zelizer said. "How things unfold in coming decades can help repair a battered presidency," he added.ISF: That's great. Maybe Bush should have run for president of Iraq instead of the U.S. since his focus was on making THEM a better country than his own.
Well, folks...it's the day after the 2008 elections. We have a new African-American president; Washington now offers terminally ill people the option of physician-assisted suicide; Colorado defeated a measure that would have defined life as beginning at conception (wouldn't this be a scientist/doctor's determination?); South Dakota defeated a measure that would have banned abor
tions except in cases of rape, incest, or serious health threats; Massachusetts voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the marijuana; Michigan joined 12 other states in allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes; Nebraska voters approved a ban on race- and gender-based affirmative action, similar to measures previously approved in California, Michigan and Washington; Missouri voted to require the state's three investor-owned electric utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021; Massachusetts voted to ban dog racing; and California voted to outlaw cramped cages for egg-laying chickens.
Oh, yeah...and California ALSO voted to ban same-sex marriages; Arizona and Florida approved ban-gay-marriage amendments; and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents.
It's amazing progressive the US would lead us to believe it is when it comes to all issues except when it comes to treating gay people with respect and giving them equal rights, just like African-Americans, women, unborn children, dogs, and chickens. My favorite is seeing an African-American person driving with a bumper sticker reading "marriage = man + woman." They've gotten their rights bestowed upon them, so screw everyone else.
Rapper 50 Cent is facing a challenge to his street cred — from Taco Bell. Lawyers for the fast-food chain are calling his federal lawsuit, filed in Manhattan, another attempt to "burnish his gangsta rapper persona by distorting beyond all recognition a bona fide, good faith offer." The squabble is over a fake letter sent out by Taco Bell Corp. asking 50 Cent to change his name for one day to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent to help publicize its value menu. In return, the company offered to donate $10,000 to the charity of his choice. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has sued for trademark infringement. Jackson's attorney, Peter Raymond, says he wonders why Taco Bell would use his client's name in an ad campaign.
