FierceUgly.com

• I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the self-help section was. She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose. #
• #followFriday @rayrayangel @QueenNewsBee @Lyssajo @rockingla @fabio26 @True_Gem #
• In case you missed it an judging by the number of hits you did, new blog post Apple Apologizes for ‘Baby Shaker’ App http://bit.ly/tD5TU #
• Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he’ll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it. #
• We will be recording tonight instead of our usual Sunday night. Set a reminder for 9pm CST/ 7PM PST http://www.fierceugly.com/live #
• Recording live now, come hang out http://www.fierceugly.com/live #
• It’s time for Jen’s box –> http://www.fierceugly.com/live #
• Almost anything is easier to get into than out of #

Oh. My. God.

Apple has apologised for a “deeply offensive” iPhone application called Baby Shaker, which made a game of quieting crying babies by shaking them.

It removed the $0.99 (£0.59) game from its iTunes Store on Wednesday, two days after it went on sale.

It sparked outrage from children’s groups and brain injury foundations.

The aim of the game was to quiet babies by shaking the iPhone until a pair of thick red Xs appeared over each eye of a baby drawn in black-and-white.

Full story here.

This is way over the line. I’m all for a nice controversial game… if you never played Sock & Awe, the infamous flash game in which you fling shoes at old Dubya, I highly recommend it. Of course Bush supporters were offended, but who cares about them, right? Besides, there are two sides to political issues. Some are for the issue, and some against.

There are no two sides here. I’ve never heard of a group that defends the shaking of infants as a suitable disciplinary technique. It’s universally agreed that shaking the hell out of a crying baby is despicable and damaging.

If the inventor of this app was going for funny, they missed the mark in a major way. Only psychos would find this game amusing, and it’s not likely that sociopaths make up a large part of Apple’s consumer base. This game was sure to offend everyone who came across it. Not a very smart move in regards to public relations.

The game was taken down from the iTunes site a mere two days after making its debut, and public apologies were made, but I have to wonder if irreversible damage has been done. I also wonder how the bloody hell this app got past the approval department. I have a feeling someone’s getting fired, and rightfully so.

Yet another exercise in futility by the experts of pointless, PETA.

TALLADEGA, Ala. — PETA is taking on what it describes as a new affront to animals: NASCAR fans doing the chicken dance. PETA asked Guinness World Records Inc. on Monday to ignore an attempt to set a world record for the largest group chicken dance at the Talladega Superspeedway, site of the Aaron’s 499 race on Sunday. The reason? KFC is the sponsor of the record attempt, and the animal rights group says the fast-food company is cruel to chickens. A KFC spokesman defended the company’s treatment of animals and said it hoped to get 125,000 race fans involved in the mass dance.

View the story here.

Get real. It’s a damn dance. What, are the chickens embarassed by the mimicry? Did we hurt their feelings? Jesus Christ! I’m very much into animal rights, but PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, just in case you’ve been living under a rock and didn’t already know that) has long been taking things to the extreme. Hell, more like the extreme end of stupid.

I remember a recent PETA campaign in which they tried to get folks to call fish “sea kittens”. They felt that this would make people think of fish just like any other pet, instead of viewing them as a food source. It’s crap like this that gives all animal rights activists a bad name. It’s really sad that an organization that set out with such a noble goal, and did many good things toward increasing awareness of animal rights, has turned itself into a joke. Not even a good joke… the kind of lame knock-knock joke that your Great Uncle John tells at Thanksgiving.

And what is this about KFC defending their treatment of animals? Hello… you serve fried chicken. Last time I checked, chickens didn’t enjoy being beheaded, quartered, battered, and deep fried. It’s ludicrous for a fast food company that cooks chickens, to defend its treatment of said chickens. What did he say “Oh, but we’re gentle when we chop them to pieces. We also use the highest quality fryer oil to prevent irritation to the skin.”

Does anyone still have common sense?! I’m starting to doubt it.

• How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings? #
• How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings? #
• Our 31st podcast episode is now available for your listening pleasure –> http://bit.ly/tuNb #
• Do Roman paramedics refer to IV’s as “4′s”? #
• Do Roman paramedics refer to IV’s as “4′s”? #
• Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food? #
• #followfriday @jerzegurl @rayrayangel @fierceugly @peYloan @fabio26 #
• Solving the world’s problems one story at a time. http://bit.ly/fyRmc #
• Who’s stupid enough to take a swim with a Polar Bear? http://bit.ly/fyRmc #
• Lets talk about what’s in Jen’s box http://bit.ly/fyRmc #

This definitely belongs in the category of the world’s dumbest criminals.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. Border Patrol agent who tried to import rare tortoises in a box labeled “scorpions” pleaded guilty on Tuesday to animal-trafficking charges, the Justice Department said.

It turns out that scorpions also draw an extra look from federal agents.

Rene Soliz faces a maximum one-year sentence and will resign from the Border Patrol after entering his guilty plea in Texas on charges that he illegally attempted to receive 15 Tanzanian leopard tortoises, the department said.

Under an international treaty on trade in endangered species, the tortoises are considered potentially threatened and cannot be traded without an export permit.

Full story here.

Oh come on! This man has been working border patrol for years… surely he could have come up with something better than a box labeled “scorpions”. I wouldn’t think that boxes full of venomous arachnids are common souvenirs to bring back home to your friends. Have you ever gotten a scorpion with a message painted on its back stating “I went to [lame place] and all I got was this lousy poisonous arachnid”? Doubtful. Just about any other label would have garnered less interest. I bet you if it’d been labeled “tampons”, that package would have been avoided like the plague.

Besides, if you’re going to put your job on the line through illegal imports and exports, why not go for the big bucks? These tortoises sell for fifty bucks a pop, and the box contained fifteen of them, one of which had already died when the package was inspected. So, fourteen tortoises at $50.00 each equals $700.00. Please! You can make much more than that by trafficking in a kilo of cocaine. Not that I’m encouraging illegal drug trafficking… I’m just saying. If you’re going to risk it all, at least raise the stakes. Go big or go home. Or, in this case… go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $700.00.

Wow…

BOULDER, Colo. – Police say a Colorado woman wrapped her boyfriend’s dog in packing tape and stuck the animal upside down to a refrigerator because he wouldn’t get rid of it.

Abby Toll was arrested Tuesday after police say she got into a fight with her boyfriend. She was charged with felony cruelty, drug possession and other counts and is free on $12,500 bond. She has declined to comment.

Toll’s 21-year-old boyfriend, Bryan Beck, faces lesser charges including a misdemeanor cruelty count.

Police say Toll, 20, used packing tape to bind the legs, snout and tail of Beck’s dog, Rex, a Japanese breed called a Shiba Inu. She told police she stuck the dog to the refrigerator because she was angry Beck wanted to keep it.

Rex was taken to a shelter and will be put up for adoption.

Seriously?! What the bloody hell is wrong with this woman? Something must have gone seriously wrong in her life for her to even come up with this idea. Yeah, I’ve been angry at my dogs a time or two… perhaps even thought of a couple of not-so-nice things I’d like to do to them.  I have to say though, sticking them to the refrigerator with packing tape never crossed my mind. The most inventive thought I ever had for doggy discipline involved a pit of piranhas.

Besides that, I’d never follow through with those thoughts. It takes a special kind of person to abuse an animal. And I mean special as in “there’s a special place in hell reserved for you”. No matter what annoying thing they do, they are never deserving of abuse. In this case, from what I can glean from the news reports, this dog didn’t even do anything! She didn’t want the dog, and used this… interesting… form of torture to get back at him for keeping it.

Not very effective, lady. If you want to get back at your boyfriend, I might suggest not putting out, keying his car, and/or burning his clothing.

Here’s where I think we could benefit from an “eye for an eye” approach to punishment. Perhaps taping her upside down to a wrecking ball? Be sure to let the dog watch.

• How do “Do not walk on the grass” signs get there? #
• Is it 3:30pm yet? I’m ready to call it a day. #
• The way guitar hero was meant to be played. http://twitpic.com/34uyd #
• Lexus taking a leisurely swim. http://twitpic.com/35y8r #
• When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you’re just sitting there, staring at carpeting? #
• We are live –> http://www.fierceugly.com/live #
• Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons? #

The Captain of the Maersk Alabama an American container ship is still being held hostage by Somalian Pirates after his abduction last week. Richard Phillips is believed to be onboard the Pirates vessel which is floating towards the Somalian coastline as it is out of fuel.  The American Navy are closely monitoring the pirates movements and hope to prevent them from reaching shore where they may escape more easily. The Pirates are asking for safe passage and a ransom of 2 million dollars.

 This recent spate of attacks by Pirates in the Indian Ocean is a scary gauge of how desperate these people must be. The Political situation in Somalia is a mess, its people are suffering from the war that continues there. The hijacking of the Maersk Alabama has thrown this issue into the American spotlight.  I believe President Obama has been unfairly criticised for not taking enough decisive action to ensure the captains release. There is truly only so much one man can do.  American Navy ships are in the area and have tried to approach the Pirates vessel and were fired upon heavily that they retreated.  I am unsure what more can be done, besides the efforts being made. The position of never to negotiate in a hostage situation seems not to apply here and rightly so. The safety of the captain obviously needs to be ensured, and preventative measures employed to stop these lunatics from capturing more innocent people.

  All ships in this area need to be prepared or escorted by the Navy, which would be an impractical operation. Anti -Pirate Ships need to be developed, tank like in their structure, where crew are able to lock themselves in and some sort of device designed that stops the pirates boarding. However this may cause the pirates to up the anti.  These criminals need to be re-named as terrorists not pirates as this term seems to romanticise the horror of this situation.