The HUB

Segment 1

The New Nucular Teen – Michigan teen has developed a Fusion machine in his garage. (And it doesn’t even need a Flux Capacitor to be useful).
“Teen Goes Nuclear” – Detroit Free Press, Nov. 19th, 2006
Has the Information Age leveled the playing field for the next Newton, Einstein or Muhammed Atta?

Undeveloped Happiness – Youth in developing nations are happier than those in developed nations
London, Reuters, Sunday, November 19th, 2006
Is this only natural, given that people attribute sadness with boredom and developing nations have less time to relax and more to occupy their time?

New Model Parenting Comes with Optional Husband Package – 37% of babies are born out of wedlock. Women in their 20’s are driving it.
“37 Percent of US Births Out of Wedlock”, Associated Press, Nov. 21st, 2006
Why are more young women finding marriage and/or men irrelevant in the raising of children?

Caucasian College Fund – The College Republicans of BU offer up a Scholarship for being a cracker
“Whites Only Scholarship Creates Outrage”, ABC News Internet Ventures, Boston, Nov. 22nd, 2006
No one has applied. Does this really make the point? Why hasn’t anyone applied for this?

Segment 2

LIVE In-Studio Talkback segment on Saturday – Topics from above, below topic possible

The Man That May Eliminate the Recall Game for Intel Gatherers and the Rest of Us
America’s First Know-It-All Pioneer Creates Mindlogging to with the goal of Total Recall
“A Head for Detail” – Microsoft Researcher Gordon Bell, Fast Company, Nov. 2006

How much do we want to remember? Should this be isolated to one’s professional life or not available at all? Could be the undoing of that as well?

Segment 3

Yup! Yuppiedom Comes Back with a Vengeance and GenX is in the Hotseat
An Interview with Alex Bhattacharji, editor of Details magazine article in December 2006 issue

Why do we abhor the Yuppie label so much? Is history truly repeating itself on us Die-Yuppie-Scum Anti-consumers? What part does marketing play in making the new Yuppie 2.0 status acceptable to us? Why did we not see this soon enough to stop it from happening to all of us grunge-heads? Is consumer-consciousness just the natural result of growing up? Did all the anti-Yuppie feeling of the 1980’s have more to do with stages in life than unique qualities of Generation X? Were we really screaming against consumerism or just pissed over our own lower place on the economic scale? What does the Yup contribute to society? Is the Yup Movement synonamous with the Gay Movement?

Segment 4

LIVE In-Studio Talkback segment on Saturday – Topics from above

The Haves and Have-Nots of the 21st Century

What will be the impact of a proposed Minimum Wage Increase and inevitable tax hikes on the new Yuppie 2.0 Culture? How might they respond differently from the generation in the driver’s seat when Black Monday happened in 1987? Are the New Yuppie 2.0 “Haves” even going to register concern before it’s too late? What about the new push toward financial planning and investing in a generation wary of a broken social security system and a ravenous tax code? Atlanta still tops the nation in home foreclosures. Bottom up is where it’s at! Are the fiscally conservative Xers who are working today going to still be left holding the bag to bail out their credit crazed peers when and if a crash were to happen and a large part of the population was ill-prepared for it?

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” – Winston Churchill

Segment 5

Madison Avenue Gets a New Driver—YOU!
The rise of Customer-Generated Ad Campaigns suggests big companies are no longer content to define our identity. They want us to help define theirs!

“Commercial Break”, Wired Magazine, December 2006

Should Chevy seriously consider negative feedback in future product developments? Does the appreciation people feel from being included in the branding effort overrule the danger of the bad press some of them give the company? What does this mean for the advertising industry? Are we heading toward a freelancer work force because of all the willing Know-It-Alls out there? Can you force perceptions in a decentralized world where we’ve blown the doors off of information access? Do the naysayers (like the environmentalists with an axe to grind in the Chevy Tahoe campaign) get their point across or just end up shooting their cause in the foot? Does savvy marketing for capitalisms sake always get the last laugh?

Segment 1

PETA Alert – PETA Targets Christmas Displays for Animal Cruelty and Joins the ACLU in the “War on Christmas”
“PETA Mistakenly Targets Alaska Church” Anchorage, Alaska, AP

Two-Fifths of Americans Have Difficulty Sympathizing with AIDS Victims Based Somewhat on Misunderstandings about the Disease
“Study Shows Americans Ambivalent about HIV/AIDS crisis”, Compassion Intnl Press Release
Interview with Dr. Scott Todd, Director of Compassion’s AIDS Initiative

Let the Iraqis Decide – TerrorWatch
“U.S. Out? Ask the Iraqis” by Fred Gedrich, Nov 28th, 2006
Is this a good idea? Why is it not being pursued?

The Baker-Hamilton Commission Report – TIME Magazine
What are the 4 major options being recommended? Pros and cons of each?

Segment 2

LIVE TalkBack
America! Getting Out Alive – Continued

Segment 3

The Nativity Story
Interview with Screenwriter Mike Rich

Scrooging the ACLU – Is There Really A War on Christmas?
“The Prince of Peace and the Holiday Formerly Known As Christmas” www.controlcongress.com
Are ultra-Conservatives often guilty of the same hypersensitivity they accuse the Left of having?

Segment 4

LIVE TalkBack
Is the “War on Christmas” trumped up by ultra-Conservatives that get bored with peace on earth?

Christmas Muslim Stamps

Segment 5

Drivers Unwanted – How Old Is Too Old To Drive?
“When Is Too Old To Drive” By Courtney Caldwell, Road and Travel Magazine

Segment 1

HOW RICH ARE WE?
The World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) released a study that concluded the richest two percent of the adult population owns half of the world’s assets, while the poorest 50% own only 1% of the world’s assets.
(By Chris Giles, Economics Editor in London, December 5 2006)

Are we as really rich as we think we are? Does a farmer in Zambia who owns a 50 acres farm with no debt and is able to support his family richer than an Alpharetta Yuppie leveraged up to his eyeballs? Are financial assets alone a true indicator of wealth?

CALL BOB GELDOLF! LIVE AID WORKED!...OR DID IT?
Africa, a continent known for hunger is now facing an obesity problem. One third of African women and one quarter of African men are now estimated to be overweight.
(Africa Faces Growing Obesity Problem, Nov 29th, Associated Press)

Is our “do gooder” exportation of western charity/culture helping the third world or hurting it? Do we really know what’s best for a different culture? Is our compassion really compassion when it causes more problems than it solves?

Hoed Up! Buy a Hooker, You Won’t Be Playing Hookie
(Cracking Down on the Age-Old Game to Get the Most Buck for Your Bang)
The city of Atlanta is considering a program to reduce the demand for prostitutes in Atlanta-the treat of classroom time for those caught soliciting the services of a prostitute. It is called “School for Johns” and they are looking at a similar program in San Francisco as the model. Guys who use prostitutes know it’s illegal. Is this only lessening the punishment for getting caught? Will it have the opposite effect? Can education cure a sex addiction?

2006 HURRICANE SEASON PREDICTIONS WERE BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION and Fixing Global Warming Means Taking the Bull by the Horns
Can anybody accurately predict the weather beyond a couple of days?
Predicted Actual
17 named storms 9 named storms
6 will make landfall in US 2 made landfall
3 making landfall will be Category 3 or greater Made landfall as Tropical
Storms

Global Warming? That’s Bull!
(“Cow Emissions Are More Damaging to Planet than C02 from Cars”, Dec 10, 2006, The Independent)

Segment 2

LIVE TalkBack – Does Atlanta need a hooker-humper reform program? How much of global warming climatic science is political and how much is science?

Segment 3

Fire Prevention in the City Rising from the Ashes – How Far We’ve Come to Make Sure Atlanta Buildings Are Built Safely Since the Winecoff Hotel Catastrophe
Interview with Chris Jelenewicz, Engineering Program Manager, Society of Fire Protection Engineers

Speaking of avoiding a towering inferno of hellfire and damnation, there’s one locale many men would rather be caught dead than alive in and only venture into during Christmas or Easter, weddings or funerals (interchangeable in the minds of some men). The American Church. Good Reverands nationwide warn us to be wary of the cost – that last golf game on Sunday morning in deference to God might be the idle exchange we make for a soul doomed for eternity. Despite the Reverand’s best efforts, Regi White barrelling down on a guy still registers a higher fear factor for us than the risk of Heaven’s wrath. When it all boils down to it, many men just feel that in order to walk into a church they have to cut their balls off and leave them in a jar in the convertible, circumcision notwithstanding. Which brings us to our next topic…

Why Don’t Men Go To Church?
Revolution by George Barna
Soul Tsunami by Leonard Sweet
Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow
Various other articles
Interviews with Mark Driscoll, Founder of The Resurgence, Jay Baker, Founder of Revolution Church in Atlanta

What’s with men and church? Is church too sentimental, too feminine, boring for men? Why the hell are we even bringing this up, what does church offer men? How does it make men better men? If you riddle me with guilt about being a guy for an hour, how is that supposed to help me be a stronger man?

Segment 4

LIVE TalkBack
Holy Mother of God! Where’s Dad? – Why Don’t Men Go To Church?

Segment 5

High Tech Ticket Scalping “Diary of a Scalper” by Steve Knopper, Wired Magazine, December 2006

Segment 1

HELEN KELLER CAN NOW JOIN THE NRA
The Texas Legislature will introduce a bill in 2007 that would allow those legally blind to hunt.
“Texas Bill: Let Blind Hunters Use Lasers”, Dec 11th, AP
They don’t let you drive with impaired vision, even if you do have a seeing eye dog riding shotgun? Why should they let you drive a Smith and Wesson through foliage? Is there really a huge demand for blind hunters to hunt?

SWIFT FOODS TURNS A BLIND EYE TO ILLEGALS
Last week the Feds raided Swift and Co meat packing plants arresting illegals who had bought or stolen identities to get work. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department pledged the protection of rights to those caught up in the bust.
“Raids in 6 States Met with Anger, Cheers”, Dec 13th, AP
Would we get that treatment in the U.S.? Double standard?

AHMADINA-NUT-JOB IS BLIND TO HISTORY
Iran just one-upped revisionist historians with their conference held to discuss why the Holocaust didn’t happen. Apparently, if I can get enough high ranking people congregated in one room to agree that red, is in fact, green, then we can all start ignoring traffic lights. In terms of representation, how many Holocaust victims, er, phantoms, does one Fast-with-the-Facts conference attendee count for?
“Iran Defiant as Anger Mounts over Holocaust Forum”, Dec 12, AFP
Would the KKK or modern Aryan Nation nuts in the US be sympathetic to Muslim terrorists in the US? Why is Iran reaching out to American White Supremacist Leaders? What does this do for the old adage, “You are known by the company you keep?”

Segment 2

LIVE TalkBack – Illegals stealing jobs Americans won’t do and getting protection? How is the problem playing out on the street?
The 1st Annual “What Holocaust” Conference – What’s the plan in trying to secure international approval for the idea that it never happened or at least never deserved to be legitimized. What’s “Nut-Job” building up to?

Local Story – Most Georgians are OK for Voting on Alcohol Sales on Sunday.
“Poll: Most OK Alcohol Sales on Sunday”, AJC
Should the law hold or is this an antiquated statute that should go the way of prohibition?

Segment 3

Frank Capra and the Meaning of Christmas – Director “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Interview with Frank Capra, Jr.

Miracles: `Twas the Suspension of Reality – You’re Out of Your Mind
Have you ever had a personal experience with what you would consider a miracle? Why was it one? Did you wrestle with disbelief? Did anyone try and buy you a one-way to the funny farm?

David Hume’s Top 5 Miracle Slams
1.You can’t trust a miracle based on testimony alone because the eyewitness is usually a moron with a negative IQ (Hume, 126)
2.Even if he’s not a moron he probably got his story from a relative who was a moron (Hume, 126).
3.Hello, priest! If it looks like bread, tastes like bread and smells like bread, then it sure as hell ain’t water and I doubt it’s the body of Christ.
4.You got observable repetition stacked against you. They got a title for that. It’s called Natural Law. Wouldn’t be a law if it could be broken, eh?
5.Okay, if I’m gonna believe this then the miracle itself must be more believable than believing it were false.

What’s your take on David Hume? An enlightened one or someone with his nose too deep in a beaker?

Segment 4

LIVE TalkBack
How do you verify miracles without being gullible?

Good Journalism Rules with Lee Strobel
1. Can the eyewitnesses be trusted
2. Is there credible evidence outside the eyewitness—Corroborating evidence
3. Was the event documented faithfully—No typos or embellishment
4. Does science reinforce it or, at least, not wholeheartedly discredit it.
5. Was the eyewitness sane by psychological standards
6. Does the event fall under the rules of what a miracle actually is?
7. What’s left over around the area where the event physically happened?
8. How many eyewitnesses were there? How many times did it happen? Where all did it happen?
Are there any supporting facts that point to the possibility of it happening?
If miracles do exist, so what? How does believing in miracles cause you to approach life differently?

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”
C.S. Lewis—The Man Behind Narnia on the Miracles
That Inspired Him to See Beyond the Pen in His Hand

Segment 5

My Christmas Soldier
Interview with guest expert Jeff Rose
Craziest Kid Comments – The Innocence to See Miracles

Segment 1

HEY, TARA REID! WHAT’S TWO PLUS TWO? – HOW TO BLOW THE NEW YEAR

SUNDAY AT THE SALOON
The Sunday alcohol sales debate heats up in GA
“The Sunday Alcohol Sales Debate: Court Ruling”, AJC, 01-05-07
Why is the religious component so strong here? How is drinking alcohol any more secular than coupon clipping, mowing the lawn, watching football or anything else we’d do on Sunday? Was the secular basis that has been argued more recently in support of Sunday alcohol bans really about a legitimate basis or the religious community just needed another alibi – enter secularism?

TIME MAGAZINE PERSON OF THE YEAR – DO WE LIVE IN A ME-CENTRIC WORLD?

Where technology is and where it has taken us. YouTube, the blogosphere opening at a rate of 10,000 a day, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Wikipedia. Are we living with a new self-obsession? Is it narcissism 101 or simply expression and identity sharing?
Wired Magazine, pp. 56, January 2007

Segment 2

KILLING OFF OUR INNER NARCISIS – ARE WE KILLING IT OR IS IT KILLING US?
Why should we even want to kill it off? Are we not propelled forward as a society by our high self regard? Why kill off a little self-importance? There’s no need, is there? If knowledge is power, full knowledge is omniscience, search engines like GOOGLE give us that so we’ve built the new Tower of Babel from fiber optic cable and we can be our own God.
“The World Is Flat” by Thomas Friedman, pp. 186

The Center of our Universe – Webocracy Island, Wired, January 2007

Segment 3

How is narcissism different from self-assurance/awareness? How do you know you’ve crossed the line? How do you keep yourself from going too far?When you start to hurt other people?

GENTLEMAN, BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS!“Thomas Pushing Bill for Seat Belt Usage in Pick-ups”, Dalton Daily Citizen, 01-05-07The FEDS withhold $25 million dollars from Georgia each year in transportation money because the State doesn’t require people in pick-ups to buckle up. That means you’re hurting people economically by insisting on your right to not girdle your girth even if they don’t drive a pick-up truck? What do you have to say for yourself?

RUNNING THE THREAT ANALYSIS
Self used to be personal, self-disclosure, intimate. Then, with technology, it became inevitable and we felt vulnerable. Now, we are beginning to warm up to it and cope by seeing it more and more as empowering.

Segment 4

THE BIG THREE
Three personality types are surfacing in this You-centered age. The Narcissist, The Narcotic or Nark and The Nihilist. What are these other than Cheetos Cheezy alliterations? How do you go about reining them in and should you even want to?

Narcissist – Doesn’t care about others, only self.

Narc – Doesn’t know he needs to care because he’s numb to the needs of others – his drug of choice has him on perpetual shut-down to the outside world.

Nihilist – Sees no reason to care. It’s every man for himself in a world with no intrinsic value. Suffering has no meaning. Of course, neither does comfort. Survival is his chief goal.

A narcissist might know he needs to care but not give a s*&% while a nihilist may be firing on all 8 cylinders and just see no rational reason to care. And a narc…what?

How Have the Big Three Influenced Politics?

..the 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance:
The growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.
-Quote by Noam Chomsky

Segment 5

THE WORLD OF ONLINE CHEATING
Interview with Katy McColl, JANE Magazine Lifestyle Editor

Define cyber-cheating. Who is offended worse by online cheating – men or women? Why? Would this type of an article sell in Men’s Health or GQ? Why? Why not from what you’ve discovered? And why do people ask these questions – so that they know what to avoid or what they can get away with? What’s the motivation for cheating? What does cereal dating do to someone’s chances for real intimacy? Is it a sign of the self-empowered woman to know what you can get away with? If a woman were to do it long enough, would she affectively become the very thing she started out despising men for? A non-commital, self-important, island to herself? I guess congrats would be in order……..

Segment 1

R2D2 AND CP3-0 MAY SOON GET THE RIGHT TO VOTE
In a recent report commission by the British Government, top scientists in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence are predicting robots in the near future -50 years-will be given the same rights as humans.
“UK report says robots will have rights”, The Financial Times, December 19th, 2006
If our Declaration of Independence is correct and we are endowed by Our Creator with certain inalienable rights who will endow these robots with rights? A group of engineers with IBM? MicroSoft? Hewlett Packard? Will they truly be playing God? What is “we” defined as? What does it take to be a “we”? And what is the definition of “is”?

FIVE YEAR OLD ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT
A Kindergartener in Hagerstown Maryland pinched a female classmate on the buttocks and was charged by his school with Sexual Harassment.
“School accuses 5-year-old of sex harassment”, The Herald, Wednesday, December 20th
Is it really smart to teach a five year old what Sexual Harassment is? What possible good could come from this? Talk about growing up fast! Is this the kind of thing you must catch early in order to prevent? At what stage in the developmental process do you crack down on sexual misbehavior?

Stats on child sexual abuse and the perpetrators
Stop It Now! Georgia, www.stopitnowga.org
When you see these kinds of statistics, are these types of stories really doing anything more than taking our eyes and our energies off the real problem?

On a larger level than even this case, this shows us how innocence in all its forms is being attacked at a younger and younger age. The permission to live in wonder of life. And when it comes to living in wonder and discovering new things, are our kids the only ones under attack? Wonder and discovery go hand in hand with humility. You don’t discover new things when you’re convinced you have to convince the world you already know it all. Has the pressure to posture left us at a loss for innocence and wonder? How do we return to a place where the spirit of discovery breathes free?

Segment 2

CHILD Sexual Harrassment and the Attack on Innocense and Wonder
When I say, live with wonder and enjoy innocent discovery, you probably think this is some hippie utopia. Admit it. It feels selfish to even suggest engaging in this sort of thing. Israel is threatening to blow up Iran’s nuclear program, Pelosi is basking in the 100 Hour Horror, etc. But if you can’t laugh and learn and admit to and get comfortable with your own fallibility, you slowly begin to lose touch with your humanity. And a person like that is dangerous. “Never trust a person that can’t laugh at themselves”. Kim Jung Il comes to mind.

LIVE TalkBack

Segment 3

IN A PERPETUAL STATE OF SHOCK
Why do we lose our ability to wonder and enjoy life? Worry plays a big factor. And as with everything else, there’s a scientific explanation for this…
“Why We Worry About the Wrong Things: Psychology of Risk”, Time Magazine, December 4th, 2006

Men, always seem to be worried about our performance – whether it’s in the work force, in bed, in sports, whatever.

107 YEAR OLD NIGERIAN PASTOR WEDS 30 YEAR OLD WOMAN WITH THE STRENGTH OF GOD
Not to be outdone by impressive exploits of longevity, some guy in Fayetteville wrestled an 1,100 pound hog to death last week.

Segment 4

LIVE TalkBack

Segment 5

THE WORLD OF ONLINE CHEATING
Interview with Katy McColl, JANE Magazine Lifestyle Editor

Define cyber-cheating. Who is offended worse by online cheating – men or women? Why? Would this type of an article sell in Men’s Health or GQ? Why? Why not from what you’ve discovered? And why do people ask these questions – so that they know what to avoid or what they can get away with? What’s the motivation for cheating? What does cereal dating do to someone’s chances for real intimacy? Is it a sign of the self-empowered woman to know what you can get away with? If a woman were to do it long enough, would she affectively become the very thing she started out despising men for? A non-commital, self-important, island to herself? I guess congrats would be in order……..

Segment 1

IVY LEAGUE STUDENTS LEARN THE NAKED TRUTH
It seems that “Naked Parties” have become all the rage at Ivy League schools. The Pundits, a secretive society at Yale University started the trend in the mid-90’s. They claim the events are non-sexual in nature and are only open to a select few.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=36832007 January 8th, 2007

DEAD DELTA PASSENGER DIDN’T HAVE A TICKET OR A SEAT
A young stowaway died of asphyxia inside the wheel well of a Delta Air Lines flight from Dakar, Senegal, that landed in Atlanta on Friday. Workers found the body after Delta Flight 35 landed from Dakar at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport about 8:45 a.m., Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said.
“Man dies in Delta flight wheel well”, AJC, January 13th, 2007
Shouldn’t the world’s busiest airport be more concerned about the lack of security of the foreign airports flights originate from?

FARMYARD FREAKS
British experts are concerned that new developments in the cloning of farm animals is creating farmyard freaks-fast growing, super-size, zombie animals. These new factory farming techniques are used primarily for pigs and chickens since they are raised in confined, cramped conditions.
The executive director of the Food Ethics Council, Dr Tom MacMillan, said: "Cloning raise animal welfare concerns, both for the clones and for their parents.
“Cloning opens door to 'farmyard freaks'”, January 11th, 2007
Why are we more concerned about the genetic welfare of farm animals than we are about humans? What the British scientist are recommending is a way to take away part of the “pain and suffering” of livestock raised for food-which is one of PETA’s main beefs-pun intended.

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback Segment
“Pope Calls for Return to Humanism and Respect for Human Life”
What does it mean to have respect for human life? How do you reach a point where groups like PETA are more aggressive in protecting the rights of Wilbur on the farm than people are in protecting embryonic human life.

Segment 3

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS MAKE ANOTHER WASHINGTON TOUR
Interview with Greg Koukl, author of Precious Unborn Human Persons, Founder Stand to Reason

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback Segment
Interview with Greg Koukl continued

Segment 5

CALLING THE FUTURE – THE IPHONE IS HERE
“I-Phone: Calling the Future”, Wired News, January 12th 2007
The I-Phone is here to connect us to everything and disconnect us from everything all at the same time! Holy Micky Mousecapade! It’s a small world after-all.

Segment 1

NO LEGAL ID, NO RIDE

There is a bill being introduced in the Georgia General Assembly that would require proof of legal resident status before someone could get a tag for their car or apply for a homestead property tax exemption. This strengthens the standard requirement of “proof of residency.”
“Bill would require ID to get a tag for vehicle” Dalton Daily Citizen
Will this really deter illegals from getting a car? Will this just increase the number of counterfeit Birth Certificates and Passports? If they are already breaking our immigration laws, why do we expect them to keep this law?

51% OF WOMEN ARE NOW LIVING WITHOUT A HUSBAND

For the first time, more American women are living without a husband than with one. In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000. Coupled with the fact that in 2005 married couples became a minority of all American households for the first time. There are several factors contributing…
“51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse” January 16th, 2007

FIVE WAYS MEN STILL MATTER TO WORKING MOTHERS

A recent study also found that the main key to a woman’s success is a good man. There are five reason men still matter. Since the birth of modern feminism, it seems our society has systematically told women that men are irrelevant to their success in life. It is now being proved statically that that is a farce. I would also add women are just as important to the fulfillment of men as men are to the fulfillment of women. An objective look at both History and Anthropology will bear this out.

Segment 2

Do women need a male spouse in their life in order to achieve their highest potential, or can they go it alone and be just as well off or even better with a different type of support network?

Segment 3

Black History Month

There is a larger percentage of single black mothers nationwide than white mothers.
Does popular black youth culture play a factor in this? What has gone on during different stages of the American Civil Rights movement to begin the swing toward government dependence? Did civil rights progress come on so fast that young black men were not always taught to fill the gaps that newfound freedoms created? How did the welfare state beat out traditional family values in the space that emerged in the late 1960’s through mid-1970’s?

Coming Out of the Republican Closet – Reginald Bohannon
How are the politics changing in minority-America? Where’s the hope moving forward? What does our current generation “get” about race relations that others did not?

“Secession Fever"
Damn the Expenses, north Fulton breakaway speeds ahead”
Creative Loafing, January 3rd, 2007

After racially divisive ads hit the air in last year’s Georgia mid-terms, the new secession push for Milton County got a shot in the arm. There’s a lot of speak about constant squabbling and gridlock in the Atlanta commission, some of it racially motivated. Is the push to split the county in some way an indication of a new Generation of individuals who are fed up with race-baiting and ready to move on? What does moving on look like?

Segment 4

Segment 5

Who Would Jack Bauer Vote For? – Bartop Confessions and the PANEL

Everybody knows Jack Bauer and John McCain wouldn’t get along. McCain would rather waterboards be left for bodyboards only to surf the Hawaiian tubes. Bauer would like to unleash hell, wrench your arms on the board and then beat you over the head with it. Sounds Conservative to me, unless you mean the liberal employment of pain and suffering to extract information. But he also has his soft, more nuanced side. More like Tracy Chapman. So if the general election were held today – who would Bauer want to work for, John McCain or John Edwards?

Segment 1

HAS AMERICAN IDOL BECOME A PARADE OF THE DELUSIONAL?

The AJC asked the question this week, “Can ‘Idol’ auditions get more humiliating?” They point out how the current audition process is a bunch of “Horrific screeching, gratuitous cruelty, and bitter tears.”
What does this say about our society? Have we become so sensitive to not hurting anyone’s feelings that we don’t dare tell anyone they are not good. Hell, in our litigious culture you can be sued for “emotional harm” if someone is offended by what you say. Are we really doing anyone a favor when we delude them to the point they believe they have talent just because they think they do and everyone around them tells them so?

CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: “WHITEY NEED NOT APPLY.”

It’s seems those “Colored Only” signs that hung over water fountains and bathrooms throughout the South that helped fuel the Civil Rights movement have now found a new home-on the door of the Congressional Black Caucus. Tennessee Democrat Stephen I. Cohen (a white liberal running in a majority African American district) made a novel pledge on the campaign trail last year: If elected, he would seek to become the first white member of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was told that it’s understood to be all black. Just move on.
“Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed”, January 23rd, 2007
Isn’t that the same argument segregationist used in the 1950’s to block integration?

WE FOUND BIN LADEN’S BROTHER! – HE’S ON THE DONOR LIST OF THE CARTER CENTER.

The current book written by Jimma Carter Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid has come under a lot of fire for it’s pro-Arab, anti-Israel slant. Another detail Jimma doesn’t like to mention is the source of funding for the Carter Center. The list includes anti-Israeli tycoons and Middle East states. One notable on that list, Bakr Bin Ladin, Osama’s bro!
“The Question of Carter’s Cash” By Claudia Rossett

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback
Has America Become a Parade of the DelusionalIVE Talkback segment

Segment 3

Energy Independence

The Race for Alternative Fuel Sources “Breaking Free: Energy Independence by 2020!” The Futurist Magazine, Jan-Feb 2007, www.wfs.org“The World Is Flat” Thomas Friedman
What are the drawbacks to alternative fuel sources? Why is it so important? What’s the political hand it allows us to have? Lincoln had his race to save the Union. JFK had his race to the moon and beat the Soviets after Sputnik. Is the race to energy independence “the challenge of our time” as Friedman would say? Why or why not?

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment
The Race to Win the Peace - Energy Independence?

Segment 5

Indianapolis Colts Square Off Against the Bears in Super Bowl XLI

Are Head Coaches Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy (long-time friends) going to regret all those close-knit conversations they’ve had over the years when the gridiron heats up Sunday night?

Segment 1

ARE YOU READY FOR A PANDEMIC?

The CDC this week issued guidelines for dealing with a flu pandemic. They have categorized the potential outbreaks similar to the way we currently categorize hurricanes. A “Category 1” outbreak would assume 90,000 dead and a “Category 5” outbreak would assume 1.8 million dead. Currently, an average of 36,000 American die each year from flu. These guidelines are based on historical research from the last major flu outbreak to hit this country –the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic which killed 2% of those infected.
U.S. Issues Guidelines in Case of Flu Pandemic

How has our culture changed since 1918 and how would that affect the way we would respond to the restraints put on us by an outbreak? Has the advent of technology allowed us to continue to interact with others without personal contact in a way that was impossible in 1918?

BABY CHENEY HAS TWO MOMMIES

Speaking on a panel at Barnard College, Mary Cheney the pregnant, lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, said, “This is a baby. This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement. It is not a prop to be used in a debate by people on either side of the issue. It is my child.” The panel was titled “Success at 20, 30, 40,” and was held to provide material for the September issue of Glamour. Ms. Cheney expressed some impatience with women who complain about the difficulties of “having it all”.
“Decision to Have Baby Isn’t Political, Mary Cheney Says”

As much as she would like to shield her child from becoming a political pawn, can Mary Cheney really expect that not to happen? Is the “I can have it all, and my way” mantra having a negative effect on our children and/or our culture.

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment
Overcoming the Apathy Superstar!

Segment 3

America In Catchup Mode: TerrorFront `07

America's Perfect Storm: Three Forces Changing Our Nation's Future
A Report by Educational Testing Service
Interview with Irwin Kirsch, co-author of report

1) Lack of literary skills and the education crisis
2) Continuing economic and job structure evolution within a global “flat world” (the new Middles)
3) An on-going shift in our demographic profiles fueled by a massive immigrant rush may all add up to D-Day for America’s future.

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment
America’s Perfect Storm continued
The World Is Flat By Thomas Friedman

Segment 5

Not Now, Bobby! Not All Father’s Should Play with Their Kids

Does holding out on your kids teach them the lessons of delayed gratification?
Best Life Magazine Interview with Hugh O’Neill

Segment 1

“YOUR HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, BUT YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE RIGHT TO YOUR DNA.”
DNA can now be collected from anyone under criminal arrest by federal authorities and illegal immigrants detained by federal agents. The goal is to make the practice of DNA sampling as routine as fingerprinting. Until now federal authorities have only taken DNA samples from convicted felons.
“U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling”, New York Times, Feb 5th
Is the collection of DNA the same as collecting fingerprints? With what scientists are discovering about our DNA and all that it does and can reveal, is this an incredible invasion of privacy of individuals, who at point of taking DNA samples, have not been convicted of a crime?

I NEED A HUG!
A study recently conducted at the University of North Carolina found hand holding and hugging actually lowered blood pressure and heart rates of those who were asked to recount situations that made them angry or stressed.
“A Hug A Day Could Save Your Life”, Fox News, January 31st
Is our modern age, where we virtual connect with others, bad for our health? Is the threat of sexual harassment keeping us from appropriately touching others doing out day?

NO KIDS, NO MARRIAGE
There is an initiative in Washington state filed by proponents of same sex marriage that would require heterosexual couples to have kids within three years of marriage or their marriage would be annulled. Initiative 957 was filed by the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance.
“Wash. initiative would require married couples to have kids”, King5.com, Feb 6th
Every point the right brings up to defend marriage from a civil perspective, the left can counter. Marriage truly is a spiritual union that doesn’t hold up in a post-modern world view.

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment
Should “Babies-on-Demand” Be the Benchmark for Nuptial Bliss or Do Gay Activists Have a point against it? + What do gay rams have to say about it – On location at the homosexual farmyard
“Yep, They’re Gay”, Time Magazine, February 5th, 2007

Segment 3

Game On for Entitlement Societies’ Old Power Brokers – The Changing Rules in the game for Dominance – Skypter Boys take on TV Nets, Sen Tom Coburn takes on pork and Arizona Employers Register their vote against Government Wage Hikes

Hey, You! Get off of My Cloud!
“Here Comes Trouble” – Wired Magazine, February 2007
The Skypster boys (Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom) are out to take on television with free TV, and fat cat TV power brokers are reluctant to race them to the bottom to provide free content.

Is the leader there to serve or be served? The free market rewards the greatest servant – “It’s not how much I can take from you, but how much I can give to you”. So with this in mind, are the Skypster Boys the crooks robbing the media to play the saint to the consumer?

And yet another example of underhanded self-service disguised as service with a smile – Minimum wage Hikes.

“New Wage Boost Puts Squeeze on Teenage Workers Across Arizona”, The Arizona Republic, February 10th, 2007
What is the typical field of play for the power player?

“Hi, I’m Senator Tom Coburn And I Don’t Want Your Vote”, GQ, February 2007
Why do politicians like BB-Q pork? It hits the sweet spot!

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff!

ATTENTION LISTENER: You now have the power to do a listener e-mail “summons” for any two regular panelists to face-off. Email Producer Special K at kent@thehubradioshow.com and name your two names.

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment

Segment 5

Crime Tracker – Best Ways to Nab Your Own Petty Thief and Prevent Victimhood
The Special “K” Kelsey Chronicles – Kent, get ready to tell your story about cell phone re-acquisition.

Segment 1

HAVE A CAMERA PHONE? YOU CAN BE A CANDIDATE FOR A PULITZER!
All it takes now in the digital world to be a reporter is a camera phone and internet access. Participatory journalism is expected to influence traditional news operations as reporters get tips or ideas from people online or respond to news broken by people in the right places at the right times.
“Internet users transformed into news reporters”, Breitbart.com, February 11, 2007
Is this really a good trend? In a world where being first and breaking news are king, will credible news organizations take the time to confirm what untrained “citizen journalist” feed them or just go with the story whether it’s accurate or not?

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION RESPONDS TO THE DIGITAL NEWS REVOLUTION
The AJC is undergoing some dramatic change in order to remain profitable in an environment where readership rates among major newspapers are taking double-digit hits. Beginning April 1, the AJC will trim its circulation territory to 73 counties. At that point print editions will no longer be available in Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia towns such as, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah and Albany.
“ AJC announces restructuring”, AJC, Feb 15, 2007
Is this too little too late? Does anyone under forty read a newspaper? With the instant news available on the Internet, is a printed version of the news that’s at least six hours old when you get it still relevant?

WORLD ON SPEED
AN EYE-OPENING STUDY ON DEATH – WHERE IS DEATH TAKING US?“The Future of Death”, Discover Magazine, Interview with editor
How do we deal with questions about our own fragility? With limitations? The young man’s view of death? The old man’s view of death?

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment
Delaying the Inevitable – Coping with the Final Countdown
Rep Charlie Norwood, Anna Nicole Smith, the thought of losing a loved one during war, etc

Segment 3

THE WAR ON TERROR – WINNING THE GROUND AND THE MIND FIELD
The Middle Eastern regions rage on Baghdad province, Iran and Syria with escalations again in Afghanistan with Pakistan getting juiced. What are our troops and friends facing over there right now, what must happen for success and what does it look like, not to Congress, but to the men and women fighting? Where do we stand in the war of ideology and why is the old sports adage – winning and losing is all in your head – apply in the field of war? More importantly, at this point, is winning and losing all in THEIR head and are we getting inside of it enough to win?
GUESTS – Philip Myers (medic just returned from Afghanistan and Sean Hanley)

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff! – New weekly segment where the previous week’s pledge (if he is voted back on) defends his spot on the panel against the new pledge in a rapid-fire 90 second faceoff on the issues in the news this week.

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment
WAR ON TERROR – Winning on the ground and on the mind field

Segment 5

URINALS NOW GIVING DRIVING ADVICE
New Mexico has taken its fight against drunken driving to men's restrooms around the state. The state has ordered 500 talking urinal cakes (those little disc in a urinal normally used for odor control) that will deliver a recorded anti-DWI message to bar and restaurant patrons who make one last pit stop before getting behind the wheel.
“Talking Urinal Cakes Offer Drinking And Driving Advice”, Koat.com/news, Feb 10, 2007

IS YOUR BOSS SPYING ON YOU?
What are the best excuses for why employees do what they do on office time? How do employers spy? Answer: They bug everything but the toenail clippers in your gym bag…and the kitchen sink. Why do they spy other than being greedy corporate bastards who love nothing more than to make my life a living hell? How do I protect myself at work? Answer: Work from home.
“Is Your Boss Spying on You”, Best Life Magazine, Feb 2007

Segment 1

BIG BROTHER BLAIR

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pushing for a national, biometric identification card. What makes this unique from other national ID cards is the smart chip that will have “biometric recognition details”(such as finger prints) that would be link to a national identity registry. This would make the card next to impossible to forge and is touted to make an important contribution in countering fraud, international crime, terrorism and illegal immigration.
“Blair pleads the case for biometric ID cards” Breitbart.com, February 20, 2007
Is this a plan whose time has come? Can this tool to prevent terrorism and crime be turned against the citizens if there is a radical shift in government (i.e. Muslims out populate the native British and hold an elected majority in Parliament)? With the current influx of illegals to the US will our government move towards this?

BANK OF AMERICA?

Bank of America has come under fire for issuing credit cards to those who do not have a US Social Security Number. In essence, credit card for illegal aliens. The pilot program is currently being tested in LA but is scheduled to go nationwide. Under the program, once a person opens an account and has a three month history without an overdraft or some other negative activity, they are then eligible for a credit card.
“Bank of America defends immigrant card program”, Reuters
Shouldn’t a major US financial institution be encouraging our immigration policy and not rewarding those who violate it for their own corporate profits? What’s the fallout boys?

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment
What do you think of biometric ID cards as a way of deterring crime? Do you see Bank of America and pro-illegal immigration officials as trying to deal with the inevitable (the already upon us) in a responsible way or are they encouraging more lack of accountability? Where is this sort of thing taking us? When economies accommodate without accountability, what does that do for a cultural collision? What do a people do/how do they act as a norm, when they are not being required to adhere to the values and practices that made the environment they are in what it is? That created the environment they were attracted to from the beginning?

Segment 3

HUMAN HYSTERIA – WHY WE JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS AND GRAVITATE TO EXTREMES – WHAT IS IT DOING TO US?

DOCTOR STRANGE SCIENCE

Looks like Al Gore is on the University of Minnesota’s short list to receive an honorary doctorate. Not for his invention of the Internet but for his work in climatology.
“Gore may get doctorate”, The Minnesota Daily, February 19, 2007
Is this whole debacle a case of the same human hysteria?

Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years
Interview with NY Times Bestselling author Dennis T. Avery
What evidence shows you that temperatures have been rising in a natural cycle? Why does this happen? Why do you see it as a marginal threat if any at all? Why do you say there’s nothing we can do to prevent it anyway? Do you see this as a social phobia on the part of the scientific community? Why would reasoned science be susceptible to these things?

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff! – New weekly segment where the previous week’s pledge (if he is voted back on) defends his spot on the panel against the new pledge in a rapid-fire 90 second faceoff on the issues in the news this week. (HINT: I will always pull stories from the Drudge Report that have been featured in the last two days before we record).

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment
Gore was at the Academy Awards for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth on Sunday night? What is the Hollywood fascination with this issue? Is it a sign of having seen too many CGI scenes from Industrial Light and Magic?

The SOS Global Warming Concert Extravaganza – July 7th, 2007

Segment 5

URINALS NOW GIVING DRIVING ADVICE
New Mexico has taken its fight against drunken driving to men's restrooms around the state. The state has ordered 500 talking urinal cakes (those little disc in a urinal normally used for odor control) that will deliver a recorded anti-DWI message to bar and restaurant patrons who make one last pit stop before getting behind the wheel.
“Talking Urinal Cakes Offer Drinking And Driving Advice”, Koat.com/news, Feb 10, 2007

Segment 1

BARBIE BANDITS ON THE RUN!

What could have easily been a scene out of Paris and Nicole’s “Simple Life” reality show, two teenage girls, hiding only behind designer sunglasses robbed a Bank of America branch in an Acworth Kroger in broad daylight.
“Plenty of calls, little substance in search for girl bank robbers” AJC, March 1, 2007
Is their pampered life so devoid of adventure, they have to resort to this for a thrill? How will the criminal justice system treat these girls? Will they last in prison?

$50,000 CHECK FROM GOD DIDN’T CLEAR
Kevin Russell was arrested and charged with one count attempted check fraud, one count intimidation, and one count resisting law enforcement when he tried to cash a $50,000 Bank One check that was signed “King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant.”
“Man Tries to Cash $50K Check From God”, APNews.myway.com, March 1, 2007

JAMES CAMERON HAS FOUND JESUS!
The director of blockbuster films like “Titanic” and “The Terminator” claims to have found the burial box for Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene and possibly their son Judah. Not only is this discovery ticking off Christians, many scholars and archeologists are bringing this discovery into question. The timing of this discovery is also suspect since it’s just prior to the release of Cameron’s new documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”
“Filmmaker shows relics from disputed Jesus tomb” Reuters.com, February 26, 2007
Is there really any way to scientifically prove this is a fake? Will it really change anyone’s belief one way or another on this topic? Can science change anyone’s deeply held beliefs?

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment – Holding faith to the fire
What can archaeology and science tell us about faith? Do they inform faith or sabotage it?

Calling Out the Faithful – Why do so many believers of world religions so often get defensive instead of listening and responding intelligently? Doesn’t that immediately make your cause suspect to a cynic? Shouldn’t a belief system that is valid be able to withstand serious inquiry?

Calling Out the Faithless Faithful – What about us skeptics? Realistically, how often do most “believers” of Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, and even Islam, fly off the handle over a challenging conversation? Are we skeptics just using that line more often than not to demonize the group so as not to have to deal with anyone of faith? Can we really afford to be that much more self-righteous? We often react one of two ways to people touting faith claims. Either A) A pat attempt to assume we know a faith claim to be false without seriously looking at what backs it up and/or B) A complete disregard for it – “you can believe whatever you want and I will defend my right to believe in nothing.” They could easily respond to that – Fine! Keep cheating yourself out of an honest look at what I’m putting in front of your face.

Segment 3

TALKING TOLERANCE WITH THE `WHATEVER CULTURE CLUB’

RIAA PLAYS HARDBALL OVER FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADERS
So the guys from the RIAA are drafting letters to colleges telling them to turn over the IPs linked to illegal music downloaders. What will they ask for next!? Honesty and integrity from the dorm halls of higher education?! How else do they expect well educated kids to stay sane and relax other than to get some free tunes? Plus, Snoop Dogg just spends the money on dope anyway. We’re saving him from perpetuating a vicious and destructive lifestyle cycle, saving the criminal prosecution courts needless expense and saving more time for Bill O’Reilly to talk about more important things…like Anna Nicole Smith, right?
“A Poison Pen From the RIAA”, Wired Magazine, February 28, 2007
Let’s play, Justification – the little game where we determine how best to justify what once was unfairly characterized a illegitimate behaviour.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. Therefore, if you can simply organize these people to do nothing, much like the current weeks-long break at the Georgia State Capitol, you can achieve nothing of insignificance. A task perfectly suited and executed by the whatever culture club. Thank you for your ineptitude.

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff!
New weekly segment where the previous week’s pledge (if he is voted back on) defends his spot on the panel against the new pledge in a rapid-fire 90 second faceoff on the issues in the news this week. (HINT: I will always pull stories from the Drudge Report that have been featured in the last two days before we record).

Segment 4

HATE CRIME LEGISLATION GETS THE WHATEVER CULTURE TREATMENT

“Diss A `Gay’? Go to Jail!”, WorldNetDaily.com, Thursday, February 15, 2007

Tolerance has become the cry of our age. Are there some things that should be intolerable or are intolerable to you? Where do you draw the line? What does it depend on? What are the benefits of tolerance? The detriments, if any?

Is the problem we have with not addressing the problems these days that people don’t care, they don’t know what to care for or they aren’t capable (prepared) to address the issues?

Segment 5

VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES LIVE CELL TV!...AND THE SIDEWALK WILL NEVER BE SAFE AGAIN

“Verizon Wireless Launches Live Cell TV”, AP Business, March 2, 2007

Segment 1

SOME CALIFORNIA SQUIRRELS HAVE TWO LESS NUTS TO WORRY ABOUT
Squirrels in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park are experiencing a population boom. PETA is now trapping and injecting the squirrels with the birth control vaccine GonaCon. This vaccine causes the female squirrels to stop ovulating and lactating and it stops the testicular development in males.
“For squirrels gone wild, city plans a turnoff” LA Times, March 5th, 2007
Is it more cruel to shoot a squirrel and let him suffer for a few moments or inject him with a substance that doesn’t allow for his testicles to develop?

Segment 1

HILLARY’S SECRET POLITICAL PLAYBOOK REVEALED
Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton is still a successful politician. As with anyone who’s successful, Hillary plays by a very consistent set of rules and does not deviate from them. What are those rules and how did she formulate them? It seems she is a disciple of the 60’s radical, leftist activist Saul Alinsky. Hillary said to be effective he needed “an enemy in order to translate community interest into community action.”
“Hillary's Thesis: The Village Needs an Enemy” Human Events, March 9th, 2007
A Common enemy such as a vast right wing conspiracy? Does Hillary offer any new ideas or just old, repackaged tactics of sixties radicals?

STEPHEN COLBERT – DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN’S COMMON ENEMY?
It seems that Democrat Caucus Chairman Rep Rahm Emanuel (D-lL) is warning freshman Democrat congressmen to stay away from Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. He told Rep Steve Cohen (D-TN) “Don’t do it…it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it.”
“Alinsky's Rules for Radicals” www.geocities.com, March 9, 2007
Is the Democrat leadership so out of touch that they do not understand to role humor plays in humanizing politician to an under 40 crowd? Any political party that doesn’t grasp that concept will not connect with the younger generation.

Segment 1

WHO’S YOUR DADDY? ARE YOU SURE?
With the advent of genetic testing for both childhood diseases and pre-natal screening, and the affordability of paternity testing it’s becoming much easier to determine the father of a child than a generation ago. Many Dads are discovering “Mommy’s little secret” several years after the fact and they are having mixed feelings. Studies show men care deeply about who their children are. One State University of New York study author Rebecca Burch, Ph.D. "Men throughout the history of the species who have invested all their time and energy in children who weren't theirs no longer have genes in the population." They are extinct.
“Are You Raising Another Man's Child?” Menshealth.com
What is the proper way a man should react to the news that the kid he’s raised under false pretenses for the past several years is not his? Is fatherhood just a social construct or does it matter that the kid is the “fruit of your loins” or the “Fruit of another man’s loins?” How is this any different from adopting?

SEND IN THE CLONES
The FDA is about to allow the sell of cloned meat and milk produced from cloned animals. Under the current plan the products from cloned animals will not have to be labeled. The public has until April 2nd to let the FDA know what it thinks.
“http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/NotReadyForPrimeTime_ExecSummary.pdf”
Is this something we really should worry about? We have selectively bred livestock for years based on their positive traits such as milk, egg and meat production. Isn’t this just taking it a step further?

Segment 1

NOT SO FAST NEVILLE PELOSI
Not only did Nancy Pelosi go on an unofficial and arguably unconstitutional US diplomatic mission to the Middle East, she also became the self appointed Israeli Ambassador to Syria and told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Israel was ready for peace talks.
“PMO denies peace message to Assad” www.jpost.com, April 5th, 2007
It seems the country that has felt the brunt of Islamic terrorism the worst-Israel, knows what a lying bunch of thugs the current Syrian government is and that any agreement short of the dissolution of the nation of Israel isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Should our congress censure Pelosi for stepping outside of her constitutional realm and undermining our State Department?

THE POLITICS OF CANCER…IT’S A HELL OF A FUNDRAISER!
When you visit the John Edwards for President Web site, you're invited to send a sympathy note to the Edwards’. And tens of thousands of well wishers have done so since that heart-wrenching news conference at which Elizabeth Edwards courageously discussed her incurable cancer. What those well wishers get in return -- e-mail messages soliciting contributions to Edwards's campaign.
“Edwards Provides Lesson in E-Campaigning 101” blog.washingtonpost.com, March 26, 2007
Is this over the top? If Edwards wants to President this bad, isn’t this just a glimpse into a major character flaw that should disqualify him from becoming the most powerful leader in the free world? Or is this just the kind of cut throat politics it takes to make it to that office?

Segment 1

IS MYSPACE.COM BECOMING MYDEFACE.COM?
A Pennsylvania school principal is suing four former students for posting a parody myspace profile saying he smoked pot, kept beer at school and liked having sex with students. Eric Trosch alleged that the three profiles created in December 2005 damaged his reputation, humiliated him and hurt his earning capacity.
“Principal Sues Youths Over MySpace Fakes” www.breitbart.com, April 6th, 2007
What person who enters a career in childhood education doesn’t understand that kids will pull pranks? The tools that are now available are just more creative.

THE IRS TAMES “GIRLS GONE WILD.”
Joe Francis, the creator of the “Girls Gone Wild” video series and the most feared man among parents of college coeds, has been indicted for federal tax evasion for deducting more than $20 million in false business expenses. Francis is believe to make more than $25 million a year from his videos of alcohol-infused college girls exposing themselves on spring break. He’s currently in a Florida jail awaiting an April 23rd bond hearing.
“'Girls Gone Wild' Creator Indicted for Tax Evasion” abcnews.go.com/business, April 11, 2007
If he’s pulling in $25 million a year, why is he trying to hide it and set himself up for this? Do lust and greed go hand in hand?

Segment 1

THANK GOD IT’S TUESDAY
You may have seen the billboards around the old ATL touting “America works best when America works less.” There’s a movement underfoot by the “Friends of the Five-Day Weekend” to shorten the work week from five to two days. American already have one of the shortest vacation times in the world, an average of 14 days and according a recent Expedia.com survey, we give up nearly 570 million days of unused vacation a year. The group has garnered over 1,000 signatures on a petition to send to Congress-which is in session for 110 days a year.
“Rally for 5-day weekends comes to Atlanta”, http://fivedayweekend.org/, April 24, 2007
Are we really overworked as a society? Does our currently technology actually make this feasible? Is a two day work week the answer?

LOWER FEVERS. ALWAYS
Walmart is currently planning to open close to 400 health clinics in stores over the next five to seven years. Their pilot program of 76 in-store clinics which began in 2005 has proven successful. The clinics will lease space in its stores and will be managed by local or regional hospitals that are independent of Walmart.
“Wal-Mart to open 400 in-store clinics” http://today.reuters.com/news/, April 24, 2007
Does the invincibility feeling that a caffeine high can give make you adopt habits that can do you in? Like anxiety attacks? Bad or no sleep? Is the caffeine-overdose like the drug movement of the 60’s, we think it’s not as big a deal because we don’t yet know enough? Why are we always driven to excess?

Segment 1

THE GIDEONS GET GORED
In one “green” hotel in California you won’t find a copy of the Gideons Bible in your room, but you will find a copy of Al Gore’s book “An Inconvenient Truth.” The “Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa” is also equipped with waterless urinals, solar lighting and recycled paper as it attempt to become California’s first hotel certified as “green” or benevolent to the environment.
“California Hotels Go Green with Low-Flow Toilets” www.bloomberg.com, April 27, 2007
Are you willing to pay more to stay at a hotel that only uses recycled paper and have waterless urinals? If they are replacing the Good book with Al Gore’s book, does that mean they are more threatened by global warming than eternal warming? Is it all cherry if they stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and wear Dr. Scholl’s gel insoles?

GETTING YOUR PANTS SUED OFF
A “mom & pop” dry cleaners in Washington, DC is facing a $67 million dollar law suit because they lost a lawyer’s favorite pants. (I have audio clips) The dry cleaners have offered to settle out of court for as much as $13,000, but the plaintiff will not budge. He says it a matter of principle. He claims the cleaners didn’t offer good customer service and they guaranteed satisfaction that they didn’t deliver on. Tort claims cost the nation about $233 billion in 2002, which is more than double the average cost of other industrialized nations, according to a study by Tillinghast Towers Perrin.
“I’m Being Sued for What?”, http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw, May 2, 2007
Should this legal extortion be allowed? If you do something stupid, why is it always the fault of the one with the most money? Has the threat of possible litigation affected your behavior at work?

Segment 1

“MOVE OVER WEATHER CHANNEL, NASA NOW HAS A 70 YEAR FORECAST!”
A new study by NASA scientists suggests that greenhouse-gas warming may raise average summer temperatures in the eastern United States nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s. "There is the potential for extremely hot summertime temperatures in the future, especially during summers with less-than-average frequent rainfall," said lead author Barry Lynn of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Columbia University, New York.
“NASA study suggests extreme summer warming in the future” www.eurekalert.org, May 9th, 2007
How can we put any faith in a prediction of what the summer temperatures will be 70 years from now?

THE POLITICS OF HATE
The House recently passed tougher hate crime legislation and similar legislation is moving through the Senate. The White House is threatening to veto the measure. The House bill would extend the hate crimes category to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability and give federal authorities greater leeway to participate in hate crimes investigations. Federal investigators could step in if local authorities are unwilling or unable to act. It approves $10 million over the next two years to help local law enforcement officials cover the cost of hate crimes prosecutions.
“Bush Threatens Hate Crimes Bill Veto” www.ktvu.com/politics, May 3rd, 2007
Aren’t all violent crimes truly hate crimes? Is the black victim of a murder any more dead if he was killed by a white racist as opposed to another black man? Shouldn’t the punishment be just as severe in both cases? Can we correct years of injustice towards a suppressed group by acting unjustly towards the suppressor?

Segment 1

BEAUTY IN A PILL BOTTLE
Perhaps the most exciting development for pill-poppers in pursuit of the body beautiful is the new and widespread availability of a drug called Melanotan II-dubbed 'The Barbie Pill' by the media. It has not yet been approved by the FDA in the US, nor is it a licensed drug in Britain. But this doesn't mean it's not easily available. Aside from all the dangers inherent in untrained people stabbing needles into themselves, there are other risks. Fans say they are delighted with the results they have achieved, but a closer inspection of internet forums where users discuss their experiences with the drug reveal some wor