Happy Wednesday everyone and happy new year! Well, by now, you know what 7DayBuzz does on Wednesdays — yep Wordplay Wednesday!

Here are the newsworthy topics. Remember, try to keep your comments to 5 words and…….have fun!

1. Which one of the Williams Sisters is the best?  Serena or Venus?  I would say Venus, but her focus isn’t there unless it is Wimbledon.

2.  Do you know what the Apple tablet, or iPad, is yet and have you considered buying one?

3.  Now that health care reform has stalled, do you think it will ever happen since the Mass. Senate seat is not controlled by the Republican party?

4.  What can be said about those who thought President Obama was a socialist?

5.  If we can’t depend on Toyota to produce safe transportation, who can we depend on?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King’s birthday, January 15. It is one of four United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

I’m sure some people will take this coming monday off without thinking about why they have a paid vacation.  Others may know, but they have a deep-seated hatred in their heart nonetheless.  Here is a reminder to let you know, it is about more than a day off work.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was founded as a holiday promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. After King’s death, United States Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) introduced a bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (King had never held public office). Soon after, The King Center turned to support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single “Happy Birthday” to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law, termed by a 2006 article in The Nation as “the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history.”

At the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983, United States President Ronald Reagan signed a bill, proposed by Representative Katie Hall of Indiana, creating a federal holiday to honor King. It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.

The bill established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King was made a member of this commission for life by United States President George H. W. Bush in May, 1989.

I wanted to take a small break from the political bashing to talk about technology.  At the recently ended Consumer Technology Show (CES) two technologies received plenty of buzz: 3D televisions and tablet computers.  Tablet computers have been around for quite a while, but their price and usefulness made them all but useless, until Apple changed the game before it changed the game.  Apple has a rumored event taking place on the 27th of January where it will will unveil a rumored tablet Mac: the iSlate.  Yes, a rumor of a rumor has the computer industry scrambling.

Several computer companies like Dell and HP tried to beat Apple to the punch and demo their version of new tablet PCs.  You have to give Apple credit for having such a large impact on the industry, especially since no official device even exists.

The plan, or I should say rumored plan is to use these new tablets as a bridge between the iPhone/iPod Touch and Apple’s entry-level MacBook.  They are also going to be direct competition with the Kindle – there are several magazines and newspapersset to offer digital versions of their product.

But still, Apple hasn’t officially announced the iSlate yet.  So what do you do when you are itching to know if such a product exists?  Well, if you are Valleywag you use $$$ to flush something out.

Contest

Yesterday, Valleywag announced that it is offering a bounty of up to $100,000 for information on Apple’s much-anticipated tablet device. The reward ladder begins at $10,000 for “bona fide pictures” of the device, increasing to $20,000 for video. Potential rewards for more ambitious tipsters include $50,000 for pictures of Apple CEO Steve Jobs holding the device, and $100,000 for anyone willing to let Valleywag play with it for an hour.

The ball was placed in Apple’s court.  You either take action against Valleywag because the information Valleywag is seeking to obtain is a trade secret and thus disclosure of such information would violate California law or you do nothing.  Logic says, if a device doesn’t exist you do nothing because it doesn’t matter, but if you take action then such a device does in fact exist and the company wants to protect details concerning the secret product.

And the winner is…

Today Apple lawyers from the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe sent Valleywag and Gawker a cease-and-desist letter requesting that the contest be discontinued by 6:00 PM Pacific time today.  I guess that pretty much confirms the existence of a tablet Mac and many PC competitors will be all ears on the 27th.

Valleywag has not ended its contest, instead reiterating its position that tipsters should “stay within the bounds of the law” and use anonymous e-mail addresses to prevent identification. It has also named Spillner the first “winner” of the contest for offering “the most concrete evidence yet” that an Apple tablet is under development.

Apple may have spilled the beans by taking action and Valleywag is showing a lot of guts by keeping the contest going.

The Tonight Show is 55-years-old, but it must not be more important to NBC than Jay Leno is.  After a 5-month expirement that fell flat, Leno’s new show is set to return to late night.

“On Sunday, NBC confirmed what was Hollywood’s hottest rumor all weekend: The network is dropping The Jay Leno Show from its prime-time lineup after his Feb. 11 show. The former Tonight Show host will return to late night on March 1, after NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, in a half-hour format in his old perch at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT. The Tonight Show, now hosted by Conan O’Brien, would move from the after-news slot it has occupied since the ’60s to after midnight: 12:05 a.m. ET/PT.”

Jay Leno wants to tell jokes at 11:30pm and Conan O’Brien wants to host the Tonight Show.  This compromise just doesn’t seem right and it all came about when Leno announced when he would quit the Tonight Show.  If not for that announcement, Leno would likely still be hosting the Tonight Show and this wouldn’t be an issue.

“Leno’s return to late night throws into question the future complexion of the legendary Tonight Show— at 55, one of the longest-running shows on television — as well as the future of its new host, O’Brien.

O’Brien now faces a difficult choice: Does he stay at the network that promised five years ago he’d get the primary late-night slot? Or does he bolt for another network and collect an eight-figure penalty NBC would face for reneging on his Tonight Show deal?”

I’m not a big fan of the Tonight Show regardless of who the host is, but I think this is a chance for O’Brien to get paid.  If he can leave and get paid I think he should go that route – I don’t think he can win at this point.  The network has decided that Leno is their late night man and they are bumping O’Brien to show it.  I would have never thought Jay Leno was bigger than the tonight show, but apparently that is the case.

In a world where so many people are just out to get the most money they can, it would be smart for O’Brien to do just that.  Conan, take the money, take a vacation and get paid at another network.

Happy Wednesday everyone and happy new year!  Well, by now, you know what 7DayBuzz does on Wednesdays — yep Wordplay Wednesday!

Here are the newsworthy topics.  Remember, try to keep your comments to 5 words and…….have fun!

1. Tiger Woods.  Why?  What?  How?
2. What is your opinion on President Obama’s response to the failed terrorist attack on Christmas in comparison to (former, it feels good to say) President Bush’s response to 9/11?
3. Should we have health care reform or leave things the way they are?  It is easy to criticize what is on the table without offering an alternate solution so this is more about standing pat versus making a change.
4. Do you know what the Nexus One is?  If so, do you think it will have any impact in 2010?
5. I would like someone to weigh in on the movie Avatar.  Is this movie as good as the box office indicates?

Happy Wednesday everyone.  Well, by now, you know what 7DayBuzz does on Wednesdays — yep Wordplay Wednesday!

Here are the newsworthy topics.  Remember, try to keep your comments to 5 words and…….have fun!

1)  Why Does It Matter How Many Staff Members Michelle Obama has? She has 24, Laura Bush had between 24 and 26, Hillary Clinton had 19, Lady Bird Johnson had 30 and Jacqueline Kennedy had 40. So again I ask what’s the big deal?

2)  Has David Letterman’s revelation about sexual indiscretions hurt or helped his image?  He came clean about having sex with some of his female staff members because he was being blackmailed.

3)  A New Study Says People Who Don’t Drink are MORE Depressed Than People Who Do Drink.  Huh?  So, if you don’t drink, you liable to become depressed?  Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4)  White Woman Returns Black Baby She Adopted — 18 Months Later!  Says She Didn’t Bond With Baby.

5) Victims of Domestic Abuse Are Denied Insurance in some states The states are: Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

You’ve all heard of Progressive Insurance, right?  They claim to have the lowest car insurance prices, but don’t they (all car insurance companies) claim that?  Anyhoo…..

In Nevada, Progressive has implemented a new program, called My Rate Program, that claims to lower your car insurance by up to 30 percent.  30 percent!  That’s a huge discount, right?  Ah, but at what cost?  Well, here’s the deal:

If you’re willing to let Progressive snoop on your driving habits, the company claims you would save up to 30 percent on your car insurance.  Progressive would install a wireless device into your car and collect your personal driving information, such as the time of day you drive, how far you drive, and your speed and braking rates.

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  That they would install a GPS unit into your car?  Well, Progressive says their device is not a GPS unit because it cannot track where you are or who is driving your vehicle.  Hmmmmm, okay.

Now, I ask you 7DayBuzz readers, would you do this?  Do you believe Progressive when they say their device is not a GPS unit?  Do you think this device would be too invasive of your privacy? 

On a side note, did you know that if you have an iPhone, there is a setting called Location Services, which can pinpoint where you are — if you keep it on!  Anyway, back to Progressive.  Maybe Progressive’s device works like that.  Would you want Big Brother, oops I mean Progressive, knowing how you drive, how fast you go, if you brake hard (or soft) at all times  to save a couple of bucks?

When I read about this little girl, and then saw the pictures, I was saddened. I mean, she is only 5 years old, but she supposedly weighs 168 pounds! Yes, you read correctly – a 5 year old girl weighs 168 pounds! Whose at fault here? Is it her parents for allowing her to eat so much, to where she is basically beyond obese, if there is such a thing!

According to news reports, who have labeled her the ‘World’s Most Hungriest Girl’, Suman Khatun, from West Bengal, India, is so insatiably hungry, she devours over 10 kilograms of rice, 24 eggs, six liters of milk and five kilos of potatoes in just a week. One week people! Supposedly, Suman has a chemical imbalance which fuels her desire for all of this food. Do you believe that? Is that possible – especially in a 5 year old? I really don’t know the answer, so if you know, please share with us.

In addition to the reported chemical imbalance, Suman also has respiratory problems, due to her weight. I say again this is truly sad. She’s just a little girl, but because she weighs so much – 168 pounds – she looks much older! 7DayBuzz readers, what’s your take on this? Do you think this real or is it a made-up story that’s making its rounds on our beloved internet? I’ve posted pictures of Suman so you can see for yourself:

So, I was on another blog earlier today. And a story they posted from Newsweek caught my eye. The Newsweek article discusses polyamory. Huh? What is that, you ask? Well, according to www.dictionary.com, it is defined as “participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships.” Oh, okay, now I understand.:–)

So then I thought, what’s so special about this that Newsweek had to do an article on it. I mean, people do this all the time, right? Some knowingly (e.g. open relationships, friends with benefits, etc.) and well, unknowingly (e.g. marital affairs, cheating boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.). Just so you’re able to read what I read, here’s an excerpt of the article (if you would like to read the entire article, here’s the link: Newsweek)

“Terisa, 41, is at the center of this particular polyamorous cluster. A filmmaker and actress, she is well-spoken, slender and attractive, with dark, shoulder-length hair, porcelain skin—and a powerful need for attention. Twelve years ago, she started dating Scott, a writer and classical-album merchant. A couple years later, Scott introduced her to Larry, a software developer at Microsoft, and the two quickly fell in love, with Scott’s assent. The three have been living together for a decade now, but continue to date others casually on the side. Recently, Terisa decided to add Matt, a London transplant to Seattle, to the mix. Matt’s wife, Vera, was OK with that; soon, she was dating Terisa’s husband, Larry. If Scott starts feeling neglected, he can call the woman he’s been dating casually on the side. Everyone in this group is heterosexual, and they insist they never sleep with more than one person at a time.”

After I read the excerpt, I began to read the comments that people left pertaining to this article. And what was surprising is most of the commenters believed this type of activity, is race-specific. In other words, the commenters (and there were over 200 plus comments) believed that Whites and/or other races commit ployamory more than Blacks. I was like, really? Then I began to wonder, could this be true? Does one race commit or partake in a specific act, more than another race? Hmmmm. I then thought, well, people believe that Black men are more likely to call Black women (or women in general) a “B&tch” more than any other race, right? So, there may be something to how these commenters think.

So, 7DayBuzz readers, I bring the question to you. Are there race-specific actions? I mean, does one race commit or participate in an act more than another? What about the act of polyamory? After reading the excerpt and/or article, do you think Whites do this more than any other race, as some of the commenters believe on another blog? I’m just throwing it out there and to see if it sticks.:–)

Hi everyone, here are the topic for this week’s WordPlay Wednesday. Remember, for every topic, keep your comments to five words.

1) Debbie Rowe Sells Parental Rights For $4 Million

2) House Democrats Want to Tax Wealthy to Pay For Health Care Plan

3) Military Robot Could Use Dead Bodies As Fuel

4) Bank Robber Says Bad Economy Forced Him to Rob Bank

5) Girl’s Heart Heals Self