2 I The Behrend Beacon
ilitary funeral protestors sued for $10.9 million
The Westboro Baptist Church, known for
protesting the funerals of soldiers from the Iraq
war, was sued on Wednesday for $10.9 million. A
federal jury in Baltimore awarded the money to the
family of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder. Snyder died
in 2006 in a vehicle accident in Iraq's Anbar
province. The Westboro Church and its leaders
were sued for defamation, invasion of privacy and
intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The church's members picketed Snyder's funer
al with slogans including "God Hates Fags,"
"Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and "Thank God
for LEDs." The church is well known for picketing
many military funerals with similar slander.
Snyder's father, Al Snyder filed the lawsuit.
Snyder's lawyer asked the jurors to pick an amount
"that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not
bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."
Snyder's family was awarded $2.9 million in com
Bad products of the year awarded
By Lenny Smith
news editor
1r550460 psu.edu
A worldwide consumer group announced the 2007 bad
products of the year awards on Monday where sleeping
pills advertised towards children topped the list.
Consumers International said in addition to the advertise
ments, dangerous toys and bot
tled water from local reservoirs
also topped the list.
The top spot was awarded to
the United States subsidiary of
the Japanese firm Takeda
Pharmaceuticals for their
advertising efforts of children's
sleep aid Rozerem. The com
pany's television ad, which
complied with all US laws,
included images of children and
unique symbolism like chalk
boards and a school bus without
warning adults of any potential
side effects
"This case demonstrates the
lengths to which some drug
companies will go to increase
sales of their products, how
direct to consumer advertising
can promote irrational drug use,
and how weak regulation can
foster irresponsible corporate
behavior," a representative Toys, like the Batman figures above, from
from the group said. Mattel have been recalled because of lead.
Coca-Cola received an award as well for its advertising
tendencies with their product Dasani. The award said that
Coca-Cola pushed their advertising into, "realms of the
ridiculous" because the bottled water source is traced
back to local tap water.
A bad food award was given to Kellogg's because of
their use with cartoon characters as an advertising ploy for
children. Reports say that Kellogg's cereals contain high
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Quotes on Civility
"The best place to find a helging hand is
at the end of your own arm.
tyv
Swedish proverb
Janet Neff Sample Center
for Mammtrs al Civility
Source: CNN, Hollywood Reporter
pensatory damages and $8 million in punitive dam
ages.
Attorneys for the church claim that Snyder's
funeral was a public event and their First
Amendment rights protect their ability to protest
there. According to the church's founder Fred
Phelps, the case was about "putting a preacher on
trial for what he preaches." The church plans to
begin using a new sign as a result of the trial which
reads "Thank God for 10.9."
Phelps claimed that protests were planned later
in the week in Massachusetts, The group has also
planned a large protest on Veterans Day at a rally in
Washington.
Several states have recently begun implementing
laws that aim to discourage future funeral protests.
Congress has also passed a law that prevents
protests at federal ceremonies.
levels of salt and sugar.
"Kellogg's are one of a number of international food
companies that make money by selling products high in
fat, sugar and/or salt," Consumers International said.
"Threatened with litigation in the US, Kellogg's have
agreed to change some of their marketing practices. how
ever we believe they are doing too little, too late."
The report also featured a company
that has made repeated headlines in the
last several months, Mattel. The toy
manufacturing company has recalled
over 19 million products from China
because the toys contained high levels
of lead as well as other malfunctions.
Last month, Mattel apologized to
China. The company said the recalls
were no fault of Chinas and blamed
themselves for design flaws.
Consumers International said,
"Wherever the fault lies, the safety of
consumers was compromised and this
should be the full focus of Mattel's
attention, not finger pointing and not
blame dodging."
The group's director general Richard
Lloyd said, "These multi-billion dollar
companies are global brands with a
responsibility to be honest, accountable
and responsible." The group said the
awards are aimed at exposing the abuse
of consumer trust.
"In highlighting their shortcomings,
Consumers International and its 220
member organizations are holding cor
porations to account and demanding businesses take
social responsibility seriously," the group said.
The awards were selected from submissions by con
sumer organizations around the world. Some of the crite
ria for selection included the size of the company and the
scale of the company's sales and marketing.
rN i
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Actor and entertainer Robert Goulet dies at
Robert Goulet, star of stage and screen died
Tuesday Oct 30. Goulet was 73 years old and left
behind a substantial legacy. He died while awaiting
a lung transplant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in
Los Angeles. He was diagnosed with a rare form of
pulmonary fibrosis in September.
Goulet gained notoriety in 1960 due to his per
formance as Lancelot in the musical "Camelot." In
1968 He received a Tony Award for best actor on a
musical while he performed in "Happy Time."
Goulet also found success in his recorded endeav
ors. In 1962 he won the best new artist Grammy. He
also broke the top 20 in 1964 because of his single
"My Love Forgive Me." In 1962, the New York
Times quoted Goulet as saying ""When I'm using a
microphone or doing recordings I try to concentrate
on the emotional content of the song and to forget
about the voice itself,"
Goulet's TV debut was in 1961 with "The Ed
Sullivan Show. - Throughout the '6os he made an
appearance on almost every notable talk and variety
show. In the late '6os he performed in the musicals
The Penn State
from graduates
Behrend Lion statue and the surrounding garden was a recent gift
The Lion greets students on their walk past the Junker Center.
Friday,November 2, 2007
"Brigadoon," "Carousel," and "Kiss Me Kate."
Goulet regained popularity in recent years
through Will Ferrell's portrayal of him on Saturday
Night Live. Goulet had also recently been appearing
in commercials for "Emerald Nuts," a popular
brand of trail mix.
Goulet's last live performance was on Sept 20 in
Syracuse, NY. He frequently performed on the Las
Vegas strip, sometimes two performances on the
same night.
Goulet's wife said he was in good spirits when he
passed. He told doctors "Just watch my vocal
cords," moments before they inserted a breathing
tube.
The singer left behind three children, two ex
wives and one widow.Goulet had a daughter named
Nikki with his first wife, Louise Longmore. The
couple divorced in 1963, and Goulet married Carol
Lawrence the same year. They had two sons named
Christopher and Michael. After divorcing Lawrence
in 1981, Goulet married his current wife, Vera
Novak in 1982.