Tag Archives: violence

Palestine Kids Show Teaches About Suicide Bombing

Daniela GuernicaJuly 16, 2009 //

Usually, children’s television shows teach kids to treat others nicely—to share toys and be good sports. Generally, they don’t glorify suicide bombing and promote “violent resistance” against Israel. But alas, a horrifying episode of the Palestinian Hamas-run children’s show “Young Pioneers” basically encourages children to become young martyrs. In the episode, two young girls—the daughters of suicide bomber Reem Riyashi—sit with other kids in a colorful room as they are shown a reenactment of their mother’s suicide bombing, in which she killed herself and four Israelis. Hello? Kids should never be shown something so incredibly violent. Not to mention that, afterwards, an announcer called for them to follow “the doctrine of the martyr Reem Riyashi.”
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Marilyn Manson Says He Wants To Beat Evan Rachel Wood With A Sledgehammer

Daniela GuernicaJune 24, 2009 //

I understand that some people despise their ex after a breakup. But Evan Rachel Wood better watch her back. In the new issue of Spin, Marilyn Manson gives a vivid account of how he cut himself with razor blades after their breakup. And he has this to say about Evan: “I have fantasies every day about smashing her skull with a sledgehammer.” Just a normal day in the Manson home…or the most despicable quote ever?
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Sexy Or Sexist? Marie Claire’s Ads Feature Women Holding Their Own Decapitated Heads

Susannah BreslinApril 22, 2009 //

These ads caught my eye — which I suppose is exactly what their creators at Brazilian ad agency Publicis had in mind when they created them. The image is arresting, isn’t it? In this provocative ad series, the women appear to be holding their own lopped off heads. The tagline is an odd fit, though. “Keep a high self-esteem even after taking off your high heels.” Not sure I get that. I mean, I get the line by itself, but how does that work when the image would suggest the tagline should read: “Keep a high self-esteem — even after losing your head”? Another version reads: “Let’s face it: what’s the point having 40 pairs of shoes in your closet and 5 books on your shelf?” Which would seem to suggest if that’s what you’ve got, you’re an idiot? A third says: “Beauty attracts men. Intelligence keeps them.” Well, now I’m just confused. Maybe it would make more sense if I was holding my head in my hands. [Ads of the World] Keep reading »

Angelina Jolie Is Too Violent For TV

Annika HarrisMarch 20, 2009 //

A British watchdog group has deemed the TV commercial for the “Wanted” DVD release too violent because its star Angelina Jolie is pictured brandishing pistols and a shotgun. Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority says the commercial “could be seen to condone violence by glorifying or glamorizing the use of guns.” Universal Pictures, which released the film, denies any inappropriateness or contentious material and stresses that the commercial was broadcast at a suitable time for its content. Universal also asserts that “some people did not like to see a woman in a strong lead role,” so violence isn’t the real issue. Action films by nature are violent and glamorize the use of weapons, so this group should just get a grip. By the way, I was rather entertained by Angelina’s gun-wielding girl-power as she curved bullets around objects and people when I saw “Wanted” last year — I just wish this little bit of escapism hadn’t cost me $12. After the jump, watch the movie’s trailer and judge for yourself whether it’s too violent for TV. Keep reading »

Babies And Marriage

Catherine StrawnMay 7, 2008 //

Even though any parent will tell you (hopefully) that their children are the lights of their life, having kids will make a marriage less lovely, at least for a bit. A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that couples experience a serious drop in marital satisfaction in their first year of being parents. This might have something to do with the fact that new parents get something like three hours of sleep every night. By the time the baby is 18 months old, however, marital satisfaction bounces back. Keep reading »

Female Fighting Increases In The U.K.

Catherine StrawnMay 5, 2008 //

Have you ever gotten into a fight? Amelia says she has “unfortunately” never been in one, and I haven’t either. Well, except for a couple with my sisters, but that doesn’t count because they’re family. Young people these days, however, are a little more rambunctious than we were in our teenage years. According to statistics from the Youth Justice Board in the U.K., the number of violent offenses committed by girls from 10 to 17 years old has nearly doubled in three years. For the most part, it seems that drugs and drinking are the cause of these fights. The girls generally use their fists to fight one another, but some fights have featured bottles, knives, and pieces of wood. “I’ve beaten a boy up with a stiletto high heel and left him unconscious,” one 17 year old told the BBC. Yikes. I wonder if that ruined her shoe. [BBC] Keep reading »

The Daily Squeeze: Carla Bruni’s Increasing Value, Video Games, And A Sick Hamster

Catherine StrawnApril 11, 2008 //
  • A nude photo of French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy from 1993 sold at Christie’s auction house yesterday for $91,000 — more than 20 times its expected price. And Carla has improved her Amazon.com sales rank significantly since we first reported on her relationship with Nicolas. Back in December, her album No Promises was 12,718, while today it’s 5,035. [Reuters and Amazon.com]

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