Thursday January 20th, 2011

"Ask not, what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," were the infamous words that John F Kennedy spoke on the steps of the Capitol 50 years ago today. Kennedy who was socially liberal but fiscally conservative, would be appalled by the state our country is in today, but would he have had the tools to fix it?

Remember other great men today, and I realize this type of posting is somewhat out of the ordinary given nature of the Electric (being a pop-culture blog and all), this story is one close to the heart. It was discovered in a report released earlier today that journalist Daniel Pearl nearly nine years after his death,was kidnapped and murdered by Al Qaeda militant and 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Daniel Pearl, formerly a Wall Street Journal Reporter, was kidnapped in Pakistan back in 2002 while pursuing what he believed to be an interview with a radical Pakistani cleric. Pearl's ultimate demise came at the hands of Pakistani rebel leaders and his decapitation was captured on video.

The FBI and CIA used it to tie Mohammed to the killing, the report says, by comparing the veins on the killer's arms with Mohammed's. Mohammed was abducted in Pakistan and taken to Guantanamo, where he is being held. He said at a military hearing in 2007 that he killed Pearl, but officials had doubts about the claim.. 

On a much, much lighter note, the latest thing to rock the interwebs is young comedian turned Youtube sensation Craig Rowin.My dad actually forwarded this story to me, knowing all too well that I appreciate this kind of thing, and I am now sharing it with those 65,000 plus who haven't yet seen it. Rowan begins with a simple prompt, with a not so simple solution: "If you are a millionaire, or you know a millionaire, please pass this video on to them, I would like them to give me one million dollars." You and me both my friend! Check out the vid below, Rowin is also a stand-up at Upright Citizens Brigade here in NYC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Wqp1r_F0I

Thursday Headlines

Three Michigan Films, Representing 475 Jobs, Premiere At Sundance Film Festival
http://www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2011/01/three_michigan_films_representing_475_jo.html

Lady Gaga Premiers Born This Way Short Film
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1656313/lady-gaga-premieres-born-this-way-short-film.jhtml

With So Much Nastiness, Golden Globes Needs New Spin
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/20/2597597/with-so-much-nastiness-the-golden.html

 

Searches Surge On Batman Nemesis Bane
http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/94226


MTV's New Teen Hit Skins Could be Flirting With Child Pornography
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/01/20/mtv-skins-child-pornography/


American Idol Judges: Who'd You Rather?
http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/20/american-idol-jennifer-lopez-steven-tyler-paula-abdul-simon-cowell/



2011 GLAAD Media Awards Nominations
http://www.ology.com/screen/2011-glaad-media-awards-nominations


Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother: Is Chinese Parenting is Superior?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20029078-10391704.html

Cat-woman Through The Years
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-20029058-10391698.html

George Clooney Catches Malaria in Sudan
http://www.popeater.com/2011/01/20/george-clooney-malaria/

Donald Trump Pays 100K To Keep His Name Out of James Patterson's Book
http://www.popeater.com/2011/01/20/donald-trump-james-patterson/