The HUB

Segment 1

BOTTOMS UP TO A NEW KIND OF CLEAN.
A “cheeky” billboard campaign for a new type of toilet seat/bottom cleaner is causing quite a stir in Manhattan. The billboard shows a line up of professionally photographed rear ends with a smiley face super-imposed over each set of cheeks. Why all the happy cheeks? According to the ad campaign, it’s because all of those hinnies use the new Toto Washlet. A device claiming it can upgrade a standard U.S. toilet to the state-of-the-art in personal hygiene.
“Moons Over Manhattan” http://adage.com
Is it really necessary to have a device to power wash and blow dry your butt? What happens if this malfunctions?

TELEPATHY TV
Forget the TV remote: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity. The "brain-machine interface" developed by Hitachi Inc. analyzes slight changes in the brain's blood flow and translates brain motion into electric signals.
“The Couch Potatoes Luxury”, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology
If they take this technology to the next step and develop a TV remote that will change to the channel that best mirrors your mood and desires that could be dangerous. Imagine it’s 2015 and you’re watching Sports Center, you girlfriend walks in looking hot and the TV automatically changes to the Spice Channel. You’re dead meat! Or your mother in law walks in and it changes to an Animal Planet documentary on the African Wildebeest?

Segment 1

PIMP MY HYBRID PART II
It seems Al Gore III is a HUB show listener. He followed the lead of our March 3rd show and evidently pimped his Hybrid. He was pulled over last week after an Orange County California Deputy Sheriff clocked him doing 100mph in his Toyota Prius. What they found in his car led to his arrest on drug possession charges.
“Al Gore’s son busted for drugs in hybrid car” http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews,
Once again, why is our society so enamored with the lives of dysfunctional celebrity families? Do they already have these problems or does their life in the spotlight cause these problems?

MICHAEL MOORE-THE NEW ORSON WELLS?
With the release of his latest film “Sicko,” Michael Moore is being compared to another Hollywood film legend Orson Wells. Paul Greengrass, the acclaimed filmmaker of "United 93" and "The Bourne Supremacy" says Moore reminds him of another larger-than-life filmmaker.
“The Big Picture: Michael Moore”,
www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies, July 3, 2007
Do the viewers of Moore’s films understand that what he’s doing is more for entertainment than a true expose of factual situations? Do they really care?

Segment 1

SPRINT TELLS ANNOYING CUSTOMERS, “BUH-BYE”Sprint-Nextel Hundreds of cell phone customers are being given the boot, accused of being too high maintenance. Sprint-Nextel is disconnecting 1,200 subscribers on grounds the clients call customer service too often and make "unreasonable requests."
“Sprint cuts 1,000+ customers for excessive complaining”, http://www.news4jax.com/news/
If you break your contract with cell provider, you have to pay a termination fee. Isn’t it only fair that if a cell provider breaks your contract, they have to pay you a termination fee?

BREAKING ADDICTION: ARE WE A VICE-STRICKEN SOCIETY?
For a human race fond of controlling all the variables and staying on our A-game, we seem to buck nature and common sense quite a bit in order to pursue destructive crutch habits. Are we just self-loathing woe-be-gones or do we “do addiction” for escape? From ignorance? New research is revealing the top American vices, why we have them and how to get rid of them.
“The Science of Addiction”, Time Magazine, pp. 42
If addiction is so harmful, shouldn’t evolution have killed off the beast a while back? Why do we get caught in irrational addictions when we were still rational thinkers before we became impulse-behaviour zombies? What is it about us that makes us run toward excess and lose balance and perspective? What do you have to do to maintain balance?

Segment 1

VOTERS DIM ON GOVERNMENT, BRIGHT ABOUT FUTURE.
Most U.S. voters think the country is on the wrong track and remain deeply unhappy with President George W. Bush and Congress, but still feel good about their finances and optimistic about the future, according to a recent Reuters/Zogby poll.
“Voters unhappy with Bush; Congress”, http://news.yahoo.com, Wed., July 18th, 2007
Is this political cognitive dissonance healthy? Are people becoming less involved in politics because they feel what politicians do have little relevance to their daily lives? Have we chosen to ignore politicians because they have chosen to ignore us?

THE NEWS MEDIA IS OLD NEWS WITH YOUNG ADULTS.
Most teenagers and adults 30 and younger are not following the news closely at all. This is the finding in a report, titled “Young People and News,” released last week by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.
“Young adults are giving newspapers scant notice”, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/business/media/
”Breaking the News”, Wired Magazine, pp. 86, August 2007
Are these media habits a result of the rejection of the content of the traditional media outlets or just a reflection of new habits based on the change in media delivery options? Why do young adults place little value in consuming traditional news?