Pamela Anderson bashes Canadian seal hunt
Pamela Anderson bashesCanadian seal hunt
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Pamela Anderson is renewing calls for her homeland to end its East Coast seal hunt. Anderson, a native of British Columbia, said Saturday that she was disappointed Prime Minister Stephen Harper had refused her request for a meeting after Canada's annual Juno music awards shows Sunday, which she was invited to host. The refusal prompted the former "Baywatch" star to write Harper a letter warning that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would escalate its efforts if Canada does not stop the annual seal harvest. "When people think of Canadian Club, they should think of a good whiskey, not jerks beating pups on the ice," Anderson said at a news conference Saturday. This year's seal hunt, which began last weekend in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, has attracted several celebrity opponents, including former Beatle Paul McCartney and French actress Brigitte Bardot. The Canadian government and fishing communities insist they need the winter income. The slaughter of 320,000 seals last season brought in $14.5 million.
Bono feels exploited
ROME -- Bono complained in a front-page commentary Sunday that he feels exploited by propaganda for the campaign of Italy's premier, which says the activist rock star is "grateful" to the leader for the nation's aid for poor countries. Bono's photo appears midway through a 160-page glossy publication prepared by Silvio Berlusconi's party that is being delivered to millions of Italian voters before April 9-10 elections. The publication says Bono "is grateful to the premier for action promoted by the Italian government on behalf of poor countries." Bono, lead singer of the Irish group U2, wrote in the Milan Daily Corriere della Sera that, in a phone conversation, Berlusconi had committed himself to implementing a decision by the Group of Eight industrialized countries to cancel poor countries' debt so the money could be spent on health care and education. "Tragically, in these last few years under this government, Italy has become the last in the list among the 22 richest nations of the world in terms of per capita spending on behalf of the Third World," Bono wrote. The premier's office responded Sunday in a statement that the government "will stay faithful as ever" toward aid commitments.
DUI arrests -- Oops!
FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Raj Bhakta, the aspiring apprentice turned aspiring politician, acknowledges that he has been arrested twice on drunken driving charges. Bhakta, who was fired by Donald Trump during the second season of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice," is the Republican challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz for a seat representing suburban Philadelphia. Bhakta confirmed Friday the authenticity of a June 1997 arrest report posted on "The Smoking Gun" Web site. He also disclosed that he had a second such arrest in Colorado. The 1997 report said Bhakta was arrested in Brookline, Mass., after an officer stopped him for having no license plate. Bhakta, 30, said he was ashamed of his "irresponsible" actions.
Today's Birthdays
Actress-singer Doris Day is 82. Actress Miyoshi Umeki is 77. Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl is 76. Jazz musician Jimmy McGriff is 70. Actor William Gaunt is 69. Actor Eric Braeden is 65. Actress Marsha Mason is 64. Singer Wayne Newton is 64. Singer Billy Joe Royal is 64. Singer Tony Orlando is 62. Comedy writer Pat Proft is 59. Singer Richard Thompson is 57. Country musician Curtis Stone (Highway 101) is 56. Rock musician Mick Mars (Motley Crue) is 50. Actor Alec Baldwin is 48. Actor David Hyde Pierce is 47. Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is 45. Rock singer-musician Mike Ness (Social Distortion) is 44. Rock singer Sebastian Bach is 38. Rock musician James MacDonough is 36. Actress Jennie Garth is 34. Actress Cobie Smulders is 24. Actress Amanda Bynes is 20.