When Neil Brown got high on bath salts, he took his skinning knife and slit his face and stomach repeatedly. Brown survived, but authorities say others haven't been so lucky after snorting, injecting or smoking powders with such innocuous-sounding names as Ivory Snow, Red Dove and Vanilla Sky.
Some say the effects of the powders are as powerful as abusing methamphetamine. Increasingly, law enforcement agents and poison control centers say the bath salts with complex chemical names are an emerging menace in several U.S. states where authorities talk of banning their sale.
From the Deep South to California, emergency calls are being reported over exposure to the stimulants the powders often contain: mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV.
Sold under such names as Ivory Wave, Bliss, White Lightning and Hurricane Charlie, the chemicals can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heart rates and suicidal thoughts, authorities say. The chemicals are in bath salts and even plant foods that are sold legally at convenience stores and on the Internet. However, they aren't necessarily being used for the purposes on the label.
Mississippi lawmakers this week began considering a proposal to ban the sale of the powders, and a similar step is being sought in Kentucky. In Louisiana, the bath salts were outlawed by an emergency order after the state's poison center received more than 125 calls in the last three months of 2010 involving exposure to the chemicals.
In Brown's case, he said he had tried every drug from heroin to crack and was so shaken by terrifying hallucinations that he wrote one Mississippi paper urging people to stay away from the bath salts.
"I couldn't tell you why I did it," Brown said, pointing to his scars. "The psychological effects are still there."
While Brown survived, sheriff's authorities in one Mississippi county say they believe one woman overdosed on bath salts there. In southern Louisiana, the family of a 21-year-old man says he cut his throat and ended his life with a gunshot. Authorities are investigating whether a man charged with capital murder in the
December death of a Tippah County, Miss., sheriff's deputy was under the influence of the bath salts.
The stimulants aren't regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, but are facing federal scrutiny. Law officers say some of the substances are being shipped from Europe, but origins are still unclear.
Gary Boggs, an executive assistant at the DEA, said there's a lengthy process to restrict these types of designer chemicals, including reviewing the abuse data. But it's a process that can take years.
Dr. Mark Ryan, director of Louisiana's poison control center, said he thinks state bans on the chemicals can be effective. He said calls about the salts have dropped sharply since Louisiana banned their sale in January.
Ryan said cathinone, the parent substance of the drugs, comes from a plant grown in Africa and is regulated. He said MDPV and mephedrone are made in a lab, and they aren't regulated because they're not marketed for human consumption. The stimulants affect neurotransmitters in the brain, he said.
"It causes intense cravings for it. They'll binge on it three or four days before they show up in an ER. Even though it's a horrible trip, they want to do it again and again," Ryan said.
Ryan said at least 25 states have received calls about exposure, including Nevada and California. He said Louisiana leads with the greatest number of cases at 165, or 48 percent of the U.S. total, followed by Florida with at least 38 calls to its poison center.
Dr. Rick Gellar, medical director for the California Poison Control System, said the first call about the substances came in Oct. 5, and a handful of calls have followed since. But he warned: "The only way this won't become a problem in California is if federal regulatory agencies get ahead of the curve. This is a brand new thing."
In the Midwest, the Missouri Poison Center at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center received at least 12 calls in the first two weeks of January about teenagers and young adults abusing such chemicals, said Julie Weber, the center's director. The center received eight calls about the powders all of last year.
Dr. Richard Sanders, a general practitioner working in Covington, La., said his son, Dickie, snorted some of the bath salts and endured three days of intermittent delirium. Dickie Sanders missed major arteries when he cut his throat. As he continued to have visions, his physician father tried to calm him. But the elder Sanders said that as he slept, his son went into another room and shot himself.
"If you could see the contortions on his face. It just made him crazy," said Sanders. He added that the coroner's office confirmed the chemicals were detected in his son's blood and urine.
Sanders warns the bath salts are far more dangerous than some of their names imply.
"I think everybody is taking this extremely lightly. As much as we outlawed it in Louisiana, all these kids cross over to Mississippi and buy whatever they want," he said.
A small packet of the chemicals typically costs as little as $20.
In northern Mississippi's Itawamba County, Sheriff Chris Dickinson said his office has handled about 30 encounters with bath salt users in the past two months alone. He said the problem grew last year in his rural area after a Mississippi law began restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in making methamphetamine.
Dickinson said most of the bath salt users there have been meth addicts and can be dangerous when using them.
"We had a deputy injured a week ago. They were fighting with a guy who thought they were two devils. That's what makes this drug so dangerous," he said.
But Dickinson said the chemicals are legal for now, leaving him no choice but to slap users with a charge of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.
Kentucky state lawmaker John Tilley said he's moving to block the drug's sale there, preparing a bill for consideration when his legislature convenes shortly. Angry that the powders can be bought legally, he said: "If my 12-year-old can go in a store and buy it, that concerns me."
*It's truly sad that people are doing anything to get a high. The most saddest of it all, is that kids are doing it and dying from it.*
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Saturday, January 22, 2011
Top 10 Money Management Tips for Women!
Give yourself a money makeover by facing the facts rather than burying your head in the sand. Put these financial makeover tips to good use and watch your money worries vanish.
Financial Makeover Tip #1
Begin your transformation by getter better organized. You have heard the old adage, "A place for everything and everything in its place?" Centralize your important papers and store them in one place. Take important financial documents like your life insurance certificates to the bank and place them in a safe deposit box. At the very least, purchase a fireproof box to store the documents in case of disaster.
Financial Makeover Tip #2
Know your net worth. Measure what you own against what you owe. Do this by comparing your assets with your liabilities. The results will give you a good read on how well you are living within your means. (Prepare for the truth, it may hurt.) Subtract your total expenses from the total income. If there is a plus sign in front of the total your doing good, if not, you should reduce your spending.
Financial Makeover Tip #3
Know where you are going. Set short-term and long-term money goals and think about how you will get there. For example, a short-term goal may be saving for a down payment on a car or new home. Long-term goals may be paying off large medical bills or general debt.
Financial Makeover Tips #4
A budget will keep you from going "hog wild" on the QVC channel every week. Adhering to your budget will assure your financial future and provide you with more options as you age. Review your income against your bills and allocate, on paper, where your money should go. A budget needs to include utility bills, mortgage payments, insurance, groceries, and gasoline costs. Assign a portion of your income to savings and your emergency fund.
Financial Makeover Tip #5
Credit companies like to gossip. If you miss a payment, everyone in the financial world will know about it. Get familiar with your credit report and credit score. The higher your credit score the better your credit, which means the larger the credit line that is open to you. Limited credit or poor credit will affect your ability to make major purchases so stay vigilant. You can sign up for a free annual credit report but honestly, you need to look at it more frequently than that. Financial advisors strongly encourage their clients to review their credit reports once a month or the very least every two months. Stay vigilant and question flaws on your report. Keep your credit report clean.
Financial Makeover Tip #6
Be proactive! If you know you will be late on a payment or are having a difficult time managing your credit accounts, make a call. Talk to your debtors and assure them that you will catch up. A failure to communicate may cause you to get some needless harassment. Vigilance will keep you from slipping behind on several accounts but sometimes the unforeseen occurs. Review your budget and make the necessary adjustments you need to catch up. Take action as quickly as possible to get back on top.
*Ladies these are tips that can help you get it together. Take it for what it's worth and you are worth it!*
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Financial Makeover Tip #1
Begin your transformation by getter better organized. You have heard the old adage, "A place for everything and everything in its place?" Centralize your important papers and store them in one place. Take important financial documents like your life insurance certificates to the bank and place them in a safe deposit box. At the very least, purchase a fireproof box to store the documents in case of disaster.
Financial Makeover Tip #2
Know your net worth. Measure what you own against what you owe. Do this by comparing your assets with your liabilities. The results will give you a good read on how well you are living within your means. (Prepare for the truth, it may hurt.) Subtract your total expenses from the total income. If there is a plus sign in front of the total your doing good, if not, you should reduce your spending.
Financial Makeover Tip #3
Know where you are going. Set short-term and long-term money goals and think about how you will get there. For example, a short-term goal may be saving for a down payment on a car or new home. Long-term goals may be paying off large medical bills or general debt.
Financial Makeover Tips #4
A budget will keep you from going "hog wild" on the QVC channel every week. Adhering to your budget will assure your financial future and provide you with more options as you age. Review your income against your bills and allocate, on paper, where your money should go. A budget needs to include utility bills, mortgage payments, insurance, groceries, and gasoline costs. Assign a portion of your income to savings and your emergency fund.
Financial Makeover Tip #5
Credit companies like to gossip. If you miss a payment, everyone in the financial world will know about it. Get familiar with your credit report and credit score. The higher your credit score the better your credit, which means the larger the credit line that is open to you. Limited credit or poor credit will affect your ability to make major purchases so stay vigilant. You can sign up for a free annual credit report but honestly, you need to look at it more frequently than that. Financial advisors strongly encourage their clients to review their credit reports once a month or the very least every two months. Stay vigilant and question flaws on your report. Keep your credit report clean.
Financial Makeover Tip #6
Be proactive! If you know you will be late on a payment or are having a difficult time managing your credit accounts, make a call. Talk to your debtors and assure them that you will catch up. A failure to communicate may cause you to get some needless harassment. Vigilance will keep you from slipping behind on several accounts but sometimes the unforeseen occurs. Review your budget and make the necessary adjustments you need to catch up. Take action as quickly as possible to get back on top.
*Ladies these are tips that can help you get it together. Take it for what it's worth and you are worth it!*
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Top 10 Money Management Tips for Women!
Today, more women than ever are the sole breadwinners in their households. Don't just bring home the bacon; save and spend it smarter with these money management tips for women.
Stay in Tune
Not that you would ever do this but...don't come home and blindly hand over your paycheck to your husband or significant other. Living in a combined financial household is okay but stay on top of where your money is going. Ultimately, you are responsible for your credit score and financial situation.
Cut Spending
Get excited about cutting your spending. Saving a few dollars here and there by catching a sale is nice but to really cut spending, be deliberate. Make cost-cutting goals for yourself today. Plan to cut spending by ¼ in just six months. Deliver on your personal promise by creating a realistic plan of action.
No More Highs
Don't treat money as a "high." When you have a down day (and we all do) resist the urge to shop to feel better. Getting high on shopping won't fix the core problem. Find new, less expensive ways to empower yourself.
Rainy Day Fund
Set a portion of your earnings aside and place it in a savings account. Save 5% to 20% of every paycheck to prepare for emergencies like job loss, natural disasters or sickness.
Listen to Yourself
Don't agree to get someone out of debt, even your sweetheart. In cases where loved ones want to "borrow" money, listen to the practical inner voice, not your nurturing one. Everyone needs a hand occasionally but when something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Avoid co-signing too. A default payment could put your credit in the tank, quickly.
Marry Up or Even
Encourage your partner to take personal responsibility for his or her bills. If you plan to marry, insist that your fiancée get out of debt first. It is not unreasonable to insist on fiscal healthiness. If this isn't feasible, or even if it is, ask your partner to sign a prenuptial agreement.
Know Your Worth
Don't under value your skill set. There's no shame in asking for pay equal to your worth. Ask for the raise. Set your fees and prices at a competitive level. Don't sell yourself short.
Shake Off Unworthiness
Dealing with money may seem uncomfortable at first. A significant percentage of women say they experience feelings of fear, shame and unworthiness when handling their own money. Own your money decisions, the good ones and the bad ones. Practice makes confident so get involved.
Invest!
Don't mute those investment commercials—pay attention. Look for worthy ways to invest your hard-earned cash. Put your money to work and give it the care that you do other areas of your life. Fuss over the extra pound and your extra dollars.
Life Insurance Savvy
It is admirable to want to care for your little ones if the unthinkable happens to you. However, you should know that if you die before your child reaches 18 years of age, he won't get the money; even if you list him as your sole beneficiary. The rules are that children under 18 are not legal recipients of life insurance policies. If there is no one you care to bestow guardianship to then setup a trust for your child.
*Top Ten Money Tips-Fall in love with fiscal happiness!*
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*Join The Conversation*
Stay in Tune
Not that you would ever do this but...don't come home and blindly hand over your paycheck to your husband or significant other. Living in a combined financial household is okay but stay on top of where your money is going. Ultimately, you are responsible for your credit score and financial situation.
Cut Spending
Get excited about cutting your spending. Saving a few dollars here and there by catching a sale is nice but to really cut spending, be deliberate. Make cost-cutting goals for yourself today. Plan to cut spending by ¼ in just six months. Deliver on your personal promise by creating a realistic plan of action.
No More Highs
Don't treat money as a "high." When you have a down day (and we all do) resist the urge to shop to feel better. Getting high on shopping won't fix the core problem. Find new, less expensive ways to empower yourself.
Rainy Day Fund
Set a portion of your earnings aside and place it in a savings account. Save 5% to 20% of every paycheck to prepare for emergencies like job loss, natural disasters or sickness.
Listen to Yourself
Don't agree to get someone out of debt, even your sweetheart. In cases where loved ones want to "borrow" money, listen to the practical inner voice, not your nurturing one. Everyone needs a hand occasionally but when something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Avoid co-signing too. A default payment could put your credit in the tank, quickly.
Marry Up or Even
Encourage your partner to take personal responsibility for his or her bills. If you plan to marry, insist that your fiancée get out of debt first. It is not unreasonable to insist on fiscal healthiness. If this isn't feasible, or even if it is, ask your partner to sign a prenuptial agreement.
Know Your Worth
Don't under value your skill set. There's no shame in asking for pay equal to your worth. Ask for the raise. Set your fees and prices at a competitive level. Don't sell yourself short.
Shake Off Unworthiness
Dealing with money may seem uncomfortable at first. A significant percentage of women say they experience feelings of fear, shame and unworthiness when handling their own money. Own your money decisions, the good ones and the bad ones. Practice makes confident so get involved.
Invest!
Don't mute those investment commercials—pay attention. Look for worthy ways to invest your hard-earned cash. Put your money to work and give it the care that you do other areas of your life. Fuss over the extra pound and your extra dollars.
Life Insurance Savvy
It is admirable to want to care for your little ones if the unthinkable happens to you. However, you should know that if you die before your child reaches 18 years of age, he won't get the money; even if you list him as your sole beneficiary. The rules are that children under 18 are not legal recipients of life insurance policies. If there is no one you care to bestow guardianship to then setup a trust for your child.
*Top Ten Money Tips-Fall in love with fiscal happiness!*
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*Join The Conversation*
WikiLeaks founder's story optioned as feature film!
An upcoming biography of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange isn't even in stores yet, and it's already been optioned into a feature film.
Plans are under way for Andrew Fowler's book, "The Most Dangerous Man in the World," to be turned into a movie. The Australian reporter first interviewed Assange last May, and his investigative biography is due out later this year.
Josephson Entertainment and Michelle Krumm Productions jointly optioned the movie rights.
Assange, 39, is the founder of WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website that revealed classified information. He's in London, where he's battling extradition to Sweden over sex-crime allegations.
*This is so gross that they would put money into Assange's hands. Throw his bum in jail!*
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Plans are under way for Andrew Fowler's book, "The Most Dangerous Man in the World," to be turned into a movie. The Australian reporter first interviewed Assange last May, and his investigative biography is due out later this year.
Josephson Entertainment and Michelle Krumm Productions jointly optioned the movie rights.
Assange, 39, is the founder of WikiLeaks, a whistle-blowing website that revealed classified information. He's in London, where he's battling extradition to Sweden over sex-crime allegations.
*This is so gross that they would put money into Assange's hands. Throw his bum in jail!*
Diva's Nation
*Join The Conversation*
Michelle Obama going on Oprah Winfrey show Thursday!
Michelle Obama is going on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
The White House says the first lady is returning to her Chicago hometown Friday to tape one of the last original episodes of Winfrey's nationally syndicated talk show.
Mrs. Obama will discuss plans to launch a nationwide campaign to support families with someone in the military.
The first lady has become an advocate for military families. She has traveled to military installations to talk with service members about their needs and concerns and has urged Americans to volunteer time to help them.
The program is scheduled to air Thursday.
Winfrey is ending her successful talk show at the end of the season after 25 years.
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The White House says the first lady is returning to her Chicago hometown Friday to tape one of the last original episodes of Winfrey's nationally syndicated talk show.
Mrs. Obama will discuss plans to launch a nationwide campaign to support families with someone in the military.
The first lady has become an advocate for military families. She has traveled to military installations to talk with service members about their needs and concerns and has urged Americans to volunteer time to help them.
The program is scheduled to air Thursday.
Winfrey is ending her successful talk show at the end of the season after 25 years.
Diva's Nation
*Join The Conversation*
Higher pump prices coming your way this spring!
Gas pump prices that are around $3 a gallon now may seem like a bargain by the time your kids are on Easter egg hunts.
Pump prices have risen nearly 9 percent since Dec. 1 and topped $3.10 a gallon this week. That's the highest level since October 2008. The price may rise or fall a little over the next few months, but analysts expect it to range between $3.20 and $3.75 gallon by March and April ahead of the summer driving season.
The national average for regular gasoline about $3.12 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's nearly 12 cents more than a month ago and 38 cents above a year ago.
Average pump prices range from $2.81 to $3.70 in major cities. For example, the average in Salt Lake City is $2.74 a gallon and in New Orleans it's $2.97 a gallon. Drivers in San Francisco pay $3.44 a gallon, and in Honolulu gas is $3.58 a gallon.
Americans typically drive less in the winter. Demand is about 1 percentage point higher than a year ago but remains weaker than the historical average, said energy analyst Jim Ritterbusch. The nation's gasoline supplies remain above the five-year average.
Over the next couple of months, refineries will conduct regular maintenance to prepare for the changeover to summer driving mixes. That could affect supplies, but gas prices should remain steady to a few cents more, according to oil analyst Tom Kloza of Oil Price Information Service.
By spring he expects the average price to rise to between $3.50 and $3.75 a gallon. Ritterbusch expects $3.20 to $3.25 a gallon by Memorial Day.
For every penny the price at the pump increases, it costs consumers overall an additional $4 million, according to Cameron Hanover analyst Peter Beutel. If the price goes up a dime a gallon, consumers pay $40 million more each day for that increase.
Crude oil prices fell again on Friday as traders speculated about whether China may impose more restrictions to control the growth of its economy, and looked for more signs that the U.S. economy is headed for better days.
Benchmark oil for March delivery fell 48 cents to settle at $89.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In other Nymex trading, heating oil rose 2.76 cents to settle at $2.6508 a gallon, and gasoline added 3.64 cents to settle at $2.4589 a gallon. Natural gas for March delivery gained 5.1 cents to settle at $4.743 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude rose $1.02 to settle at $97.60 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange.
*Lookout America as history may repeat itself.*
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"Join The Conversation"
Pump prices have risen nearly 9 percent since Dec. 1 and topped $3.10 a gallon this week. That's the highest level since October 2008. The price may rise or fall a little over the next few months, but analysts expect it to range between $3.20 and $3.75 gallon by March and April ahead of the summer driving season.
The national average for regular gasoline about $3.12 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's nearly 12 cents more than a month ago and 38 cents above a year ago.
Average pump prices range from $2.81 to $3.70 in major cities. For example, the average in Salt Lake City is $2.74 a gallon and in New Orleans it's $2.97 a gallon. Drivers in San Francisco pay $3.44 a gallon, and in Honolulu gas is $3.58 a gallon.
Americans typically drive less in the winter. Demand is about 1 percentage point higher than a year ago but remains weaker than the historical average, said energy analyst Jim Ritterbusch. The nation's gasoline supplies remain above the five-year average.
Over the next couple of months, refineries will conduct regular maintenance to prepare for the changeover to summer driving mixes. That could affect supplies, but gas prices should remain steady to a few cents more, according to oil analyst Tom Kloza of Oil Price Information Service.
By spring he expects the average price to rise to between $3.50 and $3.75 a gallon. Ritterbusch expects $3.20 to $3.25 a gallon by Memorial Day.
For every penny the price at the pump increases, it costs consumers overall an additional $4 million, according to Cameron Hanover analyst Peter Beutel. If the price goes up a dime a gallon, consumers pay $40 million more each day for that increase.
Crude oil prices fell again on Friday as traders speculated about whether China may impose more restrictions to control the growth of its economy, and looked for more signs that the U.S. economy is headed for better days.
Benchmark oil for March delivery fell 48 cents to settle at $89.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
In other Nymex trading, heating oil rose 2.76 cents to settle at $2.6508 a gallon, and gasoline added 3.64 cents to settle at $2.4589 a gallon. Natural gas for March delivery gained 5.1 cents to settle at $4.743 per 1,000 cubic feet.
In London, Brent crude rose $1.02 to settle at $97.60 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange.
*Lookout America as history may repeat itself.*
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"Join The Conversation"
Keith Olbermann gives abrupt goodbye to MSNBC show!
Keith Olbermann was MSNBC's most popular personality and single-handedly led its transformation to an outspoken, left-leaning cable news network in prime time. Despite that, he often seemed to be walking on a tightrope with his job. Friday night, it snapped.
Olbermann returned from one last commercial break on "Countdown" to tell viewers it was his last broadcast, and read a James Thurber short story in a three-minute exit statement. Simultaneously, MSNBC e-mailed a statement that "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract." The network thanked him and said, "we wish him well in his future endeavors."
Neither MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Olbermann nor his manager responded to requests to explain an exit so abrupt that Olbermann's face was still being featured on an MSNBC promotional ad 30 minutes after he had said goodbye.
Olbermann was nearly fired in November, but instead was suspended two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns, including the congressional campaign of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He returned and apologized to his fans, but not the network.
MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines insisted Olbermann's exit had nothing to do with the acquisition of parent company NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval last week. That deal marked the exit of NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who saw Olbermann's value in turning around a once-unprofitable network, despite headaches the mercurial personality could sometimes cause his bosses.
"There were many occasions, particularly in the last 2 1/2 years, where all that surrounded the show — but never the show itself — was just too much for me," Olbermann said in his exit statement. "But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required that I keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless."
Olbermann's father, Theodore, who was often cited when his son discussed problems in the health care system, died last March. His mother died the year before.
"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not," said Adam Green, co-founder of BoldProgressives.org, which collected thousands of petition signatures urging Olbermann's reinstatement following last fall's suspension.
After Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, Olbermann took to the air with an emotional editorial that night saying politicians and talk show personalities — including himself — need to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting.
Olbermann's peripatetic career landed him at MSNBC eight years ago — his second prime-time stint on the network — with a humorous show counting down the day's top stories. That changed on Aug. 30, 2006, when Olbermann aired the first of a series of densely-worded and blistering "special comments," this time expressing anger at then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of opponents to the war in Iraq.
More anti-Bush administration commentary followed. Olbermann dropped any pretense of journalistic objectivity, and he became a hero to liberals battered by the popularity of Fox News Channel and its conservative commentators. Olbermann openly feuded with Fox, often naming personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck one of his "worst persons in the world" for some of their statements.
"Countdown" became MSNBC's most popular show. Instantly, a network that had often floundered in seeking a direction molded itself after Olbermann. Opinion was in, and MSNBC's prime-time lineup was filled out with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, who both had been subs for Olbermann when he was away.
Olbermann, before leaving the show with a final signature toss of his script toward the camera on Friday, thanked his audience for sticking with him. As was often his habit on Friday nights, he read a Thurber short story, this one titled "Scottie Who Knew Too Much" and published in 1940.
The story's final line: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers."
He thanked several people, including the late Tim Russert, but pointedly not Griffin or NBC News President Steve Capus.
He said he was grateful to the network that he was given time to sign off, noting that when he left ESPN in the 1990s, he was given 30 seconds — cut in half at the last minute to get in tennis results.
David Brock, founder and CEO of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, said Olbermann "led the charge" against "conservative misinformation in prime time."
"Keith is an innovator and extremely talented broadcaster who showed there was a market for progressive views on cable news," Brock said. "I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him soon, and I eagerly await hearing of his next move."
The mood was different at Newsbusters, a website operated by the conservative Media Research Center:
"You guys at Newsbusters should really break out the champagne and party," wrote one reader about Olbermann.
The Cornell graduate first became known for his work on ESPN's "Sportscenter," where he also cultivated a reputation for being talented but difficult to work with. His first MSNBC stint ended in the late 1990s when he quit, complaining his bosses were telling him to talk too much about President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal.
MSNBC announced that O'Donnell, who had frequently filled in for Olbermann before starting his own 10 p.m. show, will take over Olbermann's time slot starting Monday. "The Ed Show," with Ed Schultz, will move to 10 p.m. Cenk Uygur of the Web show "The Young Turks" will fill Schultz's vacated 6 p.m. time slot.
Olbermann's plans are unclear. He signed a four-year contract with MSNBC two years ago; contract buyouts typically include noncompete clauses that keep a personality off TV for a period of time.
CNN has continued to struggle in prime time, most recently with a program in Olbermann's time slot hosted by Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker. Bringing Olbermann on, however, would mean a dramatic shift in the network's determined nonpartisan stance, and there was no indication such a change was imminent.
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Olbermann returned from one last commercial break on "Countdown" to tell viewers it was his last broadcast, and read a James Thurber short story in a three-minute exit statement. Simultaneously, MSNBC e-mailed a statement that "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract." The network thanked him and said, "we wish him well in his future endeavors."
Neither MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Olbermann nor his manager responded to requests to explain an exit so abrupt that Olbermann's face was still being featured on an MSNBC promotional ad 30 minutes after he had said goodbye.
Olbermann was nearly fired in November, but instead was suspended two days without pay for violating an NBC News policy by donating to three political campaigns, including the congressional campaign of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He returned and apologized to his fans, but not the network.
MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines insisted Olbermann's exit had nothing to do with the acquisition of parent company NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval last week. That deal marked the exit of NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker, who saw Olbermann's value in turning around a once-unprofitable network, despite headaches the mercurial personality could sometimes cause his bosses.
"There were many occasions, particularly in the last 2 1/2 years, where all that surrounded the show — but never the show itself — was just too much for me," Olbermann said in his exit statement. "But your support and loyalty and, if I may use the word, insistence, ultimately required that I keep going. My gratitude to you is boundless."
Olbermann's father, Theodore, who was often cited when his son discussed problems in the health care system, died last March. His mother died the year before.
"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not," said Adam Green, co-founder of BoldProgressives.org, which collected thousands of petition signatures urging Olbermann's reinstatement following last fall's suspension.
After Giffords was shot in the head on Jan. 8, Olbermann took to the air with an emotional editorial that night saying politicians and talk show personalities — including himself — need to swear off any kind of violent imagery so as not to incite anybody into acts like the Giffords shooting.
Olbermann's peripatetic career landed him at MSNBC eight years ago — his second prime-time stint on the network — with a humorous show counting down the day's top stories. That changed on Aug. 30, 2006, when Olbermann aired the first of a series of densely-worded and blistering "special comments," this time expressing anger at then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's criticism of opponents to the war in Iraq.
More anti-Bush administration commentary followed. Olbermann dropped any pretense of journalistic objectivity, and he became a hero to liberals battered by the popularity of Fox News Channel and its conservative commentators. Olbermann openly feuded with Fox, often naming personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck one of his "worst persons in the world" for some of their statements.
"Countdown" became MSNBC's most popular show. Instantly, a network that had often floundered in seeking a direction molded itself after Olbermann. Opinion was in, and MSNBC's prime-time lineup was filled out with Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell, who both had been subs for Olbermann when he was away.
Olbermann, before leaving the show with a final signature toss of his script toward the camera on Friday, thanked his audience for sticking with him. As was often his habit on Friday nights, he read a Thurber short story, this one titled "Scottie Who Knew Too Much" and published in 1940.
The story's final line: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all of the answers."
He thanked several people, including the late Tim Russert, but pointedly not Griffin or NBC News President Steve Capus.
He said he was grateful to the network that he was given time to sign off, noting that when he left ESPN in the 1990s, he was given 30 seconds — cut in half at the last minute to get in tennis results.
David Brock, founder and CEO of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, said Olbermann "led the charge" against "conservative misinformation in prime time."
"Keith is an innovator and extremely talented broadcaster who showed there was a market for progressive views on cable news," Brock said. "I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him soon, and I eagerly await hearing of his next move."
The mood was different at Newsbusters, a website operated by the conservative Media Research Center:
"You guys at Newsbusters should really break out the champagne and party," wrote one reader about Olbermann.
The Cornell graduate first became known for his work on ESPN's "Sportscenter," where he also cultivated a reputation for being talented but difficult to work with. His first MSNBC stint ended in the late 1990s when he quit, complaining his bosses were telling him to talk too much about President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal.
MSNBC announced that O'Donnell, who had frequently filled in for Olbermann before starting his own 10 p.m. show, will take over Olbermann's time slot starting Monday. "The Ed Show," with Ed Schultz, will move to 10 p.m. Cenk Uygur of the Web show "The Young Turks" will fill Schultz's vacated 6 p.m. time slot.
Olbermann's plans are unclear. He signed a four-year contract with MSNBC two years ago; contract buyouts typically include noncompete clauses that keep a personality off TV for a period of time.
CNN has continued to struggle in prime time, most recently with a program in Olbermann's time slot hosted by Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker. Bringing Olbermann on, however, would mean a dramatic shift in the network's determined nonpartisan stance, and there was no indication such a change was imminent.
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter won't lead SCLC
For more than a year, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. put off taking her oath as president of the landmark civil rights group co-founded by her father — and now she doesn't want the job at all.
The Rev. Bernice King's decision to abandon the Southern Christian Leadership Conference comes at the worst possible time for the once-proud organization, which has struggled to stay relevant as it split into two factions, had its finances scrutinized and saw its former chairman indicted last week on theft charges.
The SCLC, which led the movement to end segregation in public facilities and open access to the ballot box for millions of black Americans, has fallen so far that former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young said he told Bernice King she had better things to do with her time.
"We should've closed it down years ago," Young, who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr., said Friday after King's announcement. "I saw this as a lost cause a long time ago."
When King became the first woman elected SCLC president in 2009, she had vowed to reinvigorate the organization by expanding the group's reach to more women and a younger generation.
Soon after, the SCLC's chairman and treasurer were accused of financial mismanagement, and squabbling among the group's leaders landed the splintered factions in a courtroom. She remained largely silent as the group's troubles escalated over the past 16 months.
King told The Associated Press that in the end, she and the group's leaders didn't agree on how to move forward.
"In light of that, and attempts on several occasions to try to reach out and dialogue, this is where I've landed," she said. "Essentially, I knew that I was not going to be merely a figurehead, so I had to make a critical decision. I look forward to continuing the legacies of my parents and establishing my own legacy."
Although she called the SCLC's recent troubles unfortunate, King stopped short of saying the SCLC should disband.
"They have chapters around the nation who hold the name SCLC and they are doing different kinds of work in their communities," King said. "They have an opportunity ... to decide and redefine how they want to be projected in the public."
King said she notified board leaders of her decision Thursday. Now, she said she is focusing on other endeavors.
This week, King launched a 100 Days of Nonviolence campaign at the Coretta Scott King Academy, named for her mother. The initiative is in response to the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., which claimed six lives and left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords seriously wounded.
She also plans to republish her mother's book, "My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.," and release the King matriarch's never-before published autobiography.
Young said Bernice King's departure from the organization was "wonderful."
"I tried to get Bernice to see when she wanted to revive it that it wasn't worth wasting her talents on, that we needed to let it go," Young said. "That doesn't mean that there's not work to be done."
In the span of roughly a decade, the SCLC under Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership fought for equality and was the moral voice that spoke out against poverty, racism and war.
"It did its work well," Young said. "But it was never any law that said we all had to stay together for the rest of our lives. I don't believe in keeping organizations alive just for the sake of the name."
SCLC Chairwoman Sylvia Tucker said she was stunned by King's decision.
"We have to continue to move forward, because there's such a need out there," Tucker said. "Having a president doesn't determine what our mission is, to really take care of the least of these."
Tucker said she was not sure when a new president might be elected.
Bernice King's brother, Martin Luther King III, led the group from 1998 to 2003. At a press conference after her election, Bernice King said she was eager to rejuvenate the group.
But within weeks of her election, the SCLC was looking into allegations that its chairman and treasurer had mismanaged the organization's funds, throwing its board of directors into chaos as members chose sides. By the spring, the dispute over who controlled the SCLC was headed to court. The group had split into two factions, both claiming to be in charge and making decisions on behalf of the entire organization.
Bernice King led a prayer for unity within the group in August, calling for an end to the hard feelings. In September, a judge ruled that the directors siding with King were the group's legitimate leaders.
The former chairman, the Rev. Raleigh Trammell — the subject of the federal and internal probe — was indicted last week on charges including grand theft involving a meal program for low-income seniors in southwest Ohio.
The Rev. Markel Hutchins, who at one time claimed the presidency of the SCLC during the period of infighting, said Friday that the ongoing strife among the group has been about "the soul, future and integrity of the SCLC."
"We will fight like hell to reclaim the organization that has, at this moment, been stolen by those who have not been longtime participants in the struggle for human dignity," Hutchins said.
The Rev. Bernice King's decision to abandon the Southern Christian Leadership Conference comes at the worst possible time for the once-proud organization, which has struggled to stay relevant as it split into two factions, had its finances scrutinized and saw its former chairman indicted last week on theft charges.
The SCLC, which led the movement to end segregation in public facilities and open access to the ballot box for millions of black Americans, has fallen so far that former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young said he told Bernice King she had better things to do with her time.
"We should've closed it down years ago," Young, who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr., said Friday after King's announcement. "I saw this as a lost cause a long time ago."
When King became the first woman elected SCLC president in 2009, she had vowed to reinvigorate the organization by expanding the group's reach to more women and a younger generation.
Soon after, the SCLC's chairman and treasurer were accused of financial mismanagement, and squabbling among the group's leaders landed the splintered factions in a courtroom. She remained largely silent as the group's troubles escalated over the past 16 months.
King told The Associated Press that in the end, she and the group's leaders didn't agree on how to move forward.
"In light of that, and attempts on several occasions to try to reach out and dialogue, this is where I've landed," she said. "Essentially, I knew that I was not going to be merely a figurehead, so I had to make a critical decision. I look forward to continuing the legacies of my parents and establishing my own legacy."
Although she called the SCLC's recent troubles unfortunate, King stopped short of saying the SCLC should disband.
"They have chapters around the nation who hold the name SCLC and they are doing different kinds of work in their communities," King said. "They have an opportunity ... to decide and redefine how they want to be projected in the public."
King said she notified board leaders of her decision Thursday. Now, she said she is focusing on other endeavors.
This week, King launched a 100 Days of Nonviolence campaign at the Coretta Scott King Academy, named for her mother. The initiative is in response to the shootings in Tucson, Ariz., which claimed six lives and left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords seriously wounded.
She also plans to republish her mother's book, "My Life with Martin Luther King Jr.," and release the King matriarch's never-before published autobiography.
Young said Bernice King's departure from the organization was "wonderful."
"I tried to get Bernice to see when she wanted to revive it that it wasn't worth wasting her talents on, that we needed to let it go," Young said. "That doesn't mean that there's not work to be done."
In the span of roughly a decade, the SCLC under Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership fought for equality and was the moral voice that spoke out against poverty, racism and war.
"It did its work well," Young said. "But it was never any law that said we all had to stay together for the rest of our lives. I don't believe in keeping organizations alive just for the sake of the name."
SCLC Chairwoman Sylvia Tucker said she was stunned by King's decision.
"We have to continue to move forward, because there's such a need out there," Tucker said. "Having a president doesn't determine what our mission is, to really take care of the least of these."
Tucker said she was not sure when a new president might be elected.
Bernice King's brother, Martin Luther King III, led the group from 1998 to 2003. At a press conference after her election, Bernice King said she was eager to rejuvenate the group.
But within weeks of her election, the SCLC was looking into allegations that its chairman and treasurer had mismanaged the organization's funds, throwing its board of directors into chaos as members chose sides. By the spring, the dispute over who controlled the SCLC was headed to court. The group had split into two factions, both claiming to be in charge and making decisions on behalf of the entire organization.
Bernice King led a prayer for unity within the group in August, calling for an end to the hard feelings. In September, a judge ruled that the directors siding with King were the group's legitimate leaders.
The former chairman, the Rev. Raleigh Trammell — the subject of the federal and internal probe — was indicted last week on charges including grand theft involving a meal program for low-income seniors in southwest Ohio.
The Rev. Markel Hutchins, who at one time claimed the presidency of the SCLC during the period of infighting, said Friday that the ongoing strife among the group has been about "the soul, future and integrity of the SCLC."
"We will fight like hell to reclaim the organization that has, at this moment, been stolen by those who have not been longtime participants in the struggle for human dignity," Hutchins said.
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