The Twittering of Spike Lee

Twitter is one of the most successful and popular social networks on Earth. It is a way for people from all walks of life to communicate with friends or to express their personal opinions about anything. Sadly, there is a dark side to this social network. If people are not mindful of what they tweet, there could be dire consequences. Film director Spike Lee is a person who has learned this lesson the hard way.

 

Spike Lee’s act is in response to the controversial killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin. He was shot to death by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman claims that he shot Martin out of self-defense. The case has sparked national outrage because Zimmerman was never charged for the shooting. The incident has brought to light many issues such as racial profiling, the Stand Your Ground Law, and justice between black and white citizens. Twitter has been swamped with tweets about this particular case. Out of all of them, Spike Lee’s response on Twitter has caused an unintended misfortune. 

Lee resent a tweet that supposedly contained the address of George Zimmerman. After he spread the post, many people on the web saw it. Unfortunately, Lee made a terrible mistake. The address actually belongs to David and Elaine McClain, an elderly couple in Sanford, Florida. The couple has a son whose name is William George Zimmerman, who is in no way related to the man that killed Trayvon Martin. The couple claims that the tweet has caused them to be fearful for their lives and leave their home. 

Recently, Lee has apologized to the McClains and his followers on Twitter. The McClains’ lawyer has reached a settlement agreement with the director and his lawyers. Lee will compensate the McClains for the damage that he has done to their lives.

Serious Problems For Dennis Rodman

Throughout the years, Dennis Rodman has always caused controversy because of his persona on the basketball court and his personal life. The year of 2012 is obviously no different. Apparently, Dennis Rodman is not having a good year. He has recently made sports and national headlines with his current troubles. The former rebounder and superstar of the Detroit Pistons is reportedly facing financial, legal, and health troubles.

Reportedly, Rodman owes back child support for his two children. The amount he owes is at least $800,000. He also owes spousal support to his former wife Michelle, who is the mother of his two kids. According to Michelle’s lawyer, Rodman still has to pay at least $51,000 for his former wife. 

Rodman is also facing possible legal troubles. His failure to pay the money that is owed to his former wife and kids could land in hot water. He is facing the possible reality that he could be thrown is jail for at least three weeks.

 

Vowing to fight his legal troubles, Rodman’s lawyer, Linnea Willis, steps in to plead his case. She filed court documents on Rodman’s behalf. His lawyer claims that Rodman is ill and not able to support himself financially. She states that Rodman has another child that he is taking care of financially. She also claims in the documents that he is not able to make vast amounts of money as he did in his younger and healthier days. 

All three of Rodman’s previous marriages ended in divorce. He made headlines when he married former Baywatch star Carmen Electra.

Megamillions Jackpot Rises Yet Again

The already huge Megamillions jackpot has risen yet again. The jackpot, which started at only $12 million on January 27th of this year, and which was $290 million after Tuesday's drawing, has increased this week after no one managed to match all six numbers from this Friday's drawing. The winning numbers were 6, 17, 19, 20, 21, with the Mega number being 20. The increase makes the new jackpot a whopping $356 million, making it one of the biggest Megamillions jackpots of the game's history, only being surpassed by two other jackpots in 2007 and 2011. Anyone choosing to accept a lump sum prize for the jackpot will receive $255 million. The lottery game currently sells tickets in 43 out of 50 states, making it somewhat odd that a winner has not selected all of the correct numbers, given the number of possible players in each state. Though odd, the lack of a jackpot winner does serve to increase the jackpot with each drawing, leading to the outstanding jackpot we have today. Should any players manage to match all five regular numbers, but not the Mega number, then they will win $250,000. Five of these $250,000 tickets were sold at a store in Northville, Michigan earlier in the week, creating news headlines across the nation. 39 more of those same $250,000 tickets were sold for the March 23rd drawing, generating around $9,750,000 for ticket holders. The next drawing for the Megamillions jackpot will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, with a chance for the jackpot to reach over $400 million by next Friday if there are no winners for the Tuesday drawing.

Presidential Candidates Drawing Momentum From The Etch A Sketch

The classic children's toy known as the Etch A Sketch, has led to presidential candidates drawing new momentum from it in their campaigns. The toy was first referenced when Eric Fehrnstrom, a strategist and aide for candidate Mitt Romney, compared the campaign to an Etch A Sketch in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. In the interview, Fehrnstrom stated

"It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again."

 when talking about the status of the campaign now, in comparison to in the fall. Rival candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have used this statement to blast Romney, reassuring voters that they offer more security and stability than an "Etch A Sketch candidate", all while holding the plastic toy along side them. An aide for Rick Santorum even handed out small versions of the toy at a Romney event today. Democrats have used this opportunity as well to attack Romney by creating an humorous Etch A Sketch themed video. Out of this incident, it isn't the candidates, nor the Democrats who have benefited the most, it is Ohio Art. Ohio Art, the company best known for the creation of the Etch A Sketch, has seen a sales increase, as well as an increase in their stock prices within one day, closing at $9.65, nearly three times their previous closing price. As a sign of thanks for the increase in business, the company has decided to send a box of Etch A Sketches to each of the campaigns.