Demi Moore was rushed to the hospital earlier this week after she suffered convulsions from smoking an unknown substance.

A friend of Moore’s called 911 after the actress started to convulse. The friend says on the emergency call:

“She smoked something, it’s not marijuana but it is similar to incense. She seems to be having convulsions of some sort.”

It sounds like Moore was smoking K2 or another synthetic marijuana product. Earlier reports said that Moore was doing whip-its, or sucking the nitrous oxide out of whipped cream cans. The caller doesn’t identify the drug, but does say:

“She’s been having some other issues lately with some other stuff, so I don't know what she’s been taking and not telling us. There’s been some stuff recently that we’re all just finding out.”

Here’s an edited version of the call from the Telegraph.

Here’s the full call released by city officials. (The call has been edited to keep certain medical issues private.)

On Tuesday Moore’s spokesperson said that the star decided to check into a rehab facility to get some rest. The spokesperson said:

“Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health.”

The Inquisitr reported earlier this week that Moore has had a rough emotional stretch the last few months. On top of her divorce to Ashton Kutcher, her AA sponsor, Pattsy Ruggs, passed away.

Do you think Demi Moore has a drug problem? Was this just a momentary lapse of judgement?

Demi Moore 911 Call Released [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Barefoot Bandit is heading to prison. Colton Harris-Moore was sentenced today to six-and-a-half years in prison for a string of thefts and burglaries that spanned the United States.

The Barefoot Bandit gained international fame when he led police on a two-year manhunt across the United States. Harris-Moore eluded police by stealing boats, planes, and cars. He was eventually arrested in the Bahamas in July, 2010.

CNN reports that Harris-Moore pleaded guilty last year to stealing an airplane, flying without a license, robbing a bank and possessing a firearm as a fugitive. The Barefoot Bandit plead guilty to a total of 33 charges that ranged from identity theft, to residential burglary, to car theft.

The Barefoot Bandit’s two-year run from the law has already caught the eye of Hollywood and his story will soon become a movie. As part of the plea deal, Harris-Moore has agreed to use any profits that may come his way to pay back the $1.4 million he owes his victims.

Colton Harris-Moore was caught earlier this week writing emails that boasted about his crimes and insulted the officers who failed to catch him. Harris-Moore wrote:

"The things I have done as far as flying and airplanes goes, is amazing. Nobody on this planet have done what I have, except for the Wright brothers.”

Do you think the Barefoot Bandit should have been sentenced to more than 6 and a half years in prison? Less?

Barefooot Bandit Sentenced to Six Years in Prison [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Erin Brockovich and several other environmentalist have launched an investigation into a mysterious illness that has been afflicting a growing number of girls at a New York high school. More than a dozen girls have been diagnosed with conversion disorder and Brockovich believes it may have something to do with a chemical spill that occurred in the area more than 40-years ago.

The NY Daily News reports that last fall 12 girls were diagnosed with conversion disorder, a psychological condition that causes physical symptoms like jerky tics. Three more girls have complained of similar symptoms since then.

The New York Health Department said that the there was “no evidence of environmental or infection as the cause of the girls’ illness” and that “the school is served by a public water system. … and environmental exposure would affect many people.”

But Brockovich isn’t convinced.

Brockovich says that a train spilled cyanide and trichloroethene about three miles from Le Roy High School in the 1970s and that may be the cause of the girl’s mysterious symptoms.

Brockovich told ABC:

“When I read reports like this that the New York Department of Health and state agencies were well-aware of the spill and you don’t do water testing or vapor extraction tests, you don’t have an all-clear.”

Don Miller, whose daughter has been diagnosed with conversion disorder, said:

“We’re just trying to eliminate everything, and (Brockovich) wants to eliminate that it’s the environment. It’s a possibility and she wants to either prove it is or it isn’t something in the environment… We don’t really agree with (the diagnosis). Down the road, who knows. But for them to give that diagnosis, they have to rule everything else out. And they haven’t done that.”

Brockovich, a former beauty queen turned environmentalist, gained international fame when her case involving contaminated drinking water in California was turned into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Do you think Brokovich will be able to help the girls in New York?

Here’s a report from ABC.

Erin Brockovich Investigates Mysterious Illness in New York [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Taxpayers are still owed $132.9 billion from companies like General Motors and the American International Group Inc. who benefited from the financial bailout. Christy Romero, the acting special inspector general for the $700 billion bailout said that some of that money may never be recovered.

Romero says that the bailout, which started in September of 2008, could last for several more years. Some bailout programs, like the effort to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, will last until 2017 and will cost the government at least another $50 billion.

According to the Huffington Post, the American International Group Inc. owes close to $50 billion. General Motors Co. owes $25 billion and Ally Financial Inc. about $12 billion.

Romero also reports that 371 banks still owe taxpayers money. Regions Financial Corp. and Zions Bancorporation both owe more than $1 billion. Synovus Financial Corp., Popular Inc., First Bancorp of San Juan, Puerto Rico, $M&T Bank Corp., all owe seven figure amounts.

USA Today reports that after the 2008 financial crisis Congress authorized $700 billion to lend out to companies in need. About $413 billion was lent out to financial companies and automakers. So far, 77%, or about $318 billion, has been paid back.

Treasury spokesman Matt Anderson said that it could take years for the Treasury to break even. The Huffington Post notes that the Treasury would have to sell its stock for GM at  $53.98 to break even. As of Wednesday, GM’s stock was at $24.92.

Anderson said:

“We’ll continue to balance the important goals of exiting our investments as soon as practicable and maximizing value for taxpayers.”

Romero’s report also uncovered fraud related to TARP. Criminal charges were brought against 10 people during the fourth quarter. Altogether, criminal charges have been brought against 61 people for fraud in relation to TARP.

$132.9 Billion Still Owed to Tax Payers From Bailout is a post from: The Inquisitr

In one meme, this basically points out every logical flaw in the Harry Potter universe. But we still love Snape.

Harry Potter Logic Fail is a post from: The Inquisitr

It never fails that with every new technological breakthrough Hollywood howls to the moon about how this new technology is another attack against the industry and will destroy it.

Of course we all know that the exact opposite is the case but that doesn’t stop the movie industry and its trade groups like the MPAA from doing whatever they can to hold back technology and change; but all the while the industry as a whole has been recording increased profits.

To give you an idea of some of the sillier we’re at deaths door proclamations made by the industry here’s a couple from the accompanying infographic.

Studios forced to sell theaters under anti-trust laws

Studios claim free TV can’t compete with paid content

and of course the good ol’ Studios claim online piracy will put them out of business.

Here’s the full history of ridiculous claims of destruction faced by the movie industry in a handy dandy infographic from Steve Blank.

via Techdirt

Hollywood and getting it wrong about technology again and again [Infographic] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The last video was decried as touristy, and while this meme has long been declared over, this native New Yorker laughed pretty hard at this one. Your mother. (NSFW obviously.)

[Video] Sh*t Native New Yorkers Say is a post from: The Inquisitr

Reddit is known for it’s, let’s say, rather interesting community. The site is more of a social community and users can submit links to posts, videos, pictures, etc., and people can vote up (or down) the content.

Also, there’s thousands of sub-reddits or different categories to browse. Recently, someone shared a photo of a Kenyan man who had recently got out of the hospital after being hacked in the face with a machete. What caused the man to get attacked so viciously? He, Omari, was protecting children in an orphanage from being harmed and a link was attached to the image to help the man build a fence to better protect the children. He was needing $2,000 to pay for it.

The image was shared on the site and the rest is history. It quickly went viral and as of right now, has been upvoted nearly 3,000 times and with over 3,200 comments. That’s not to mention the more recent post that was announcing the great news and thanking the community for donating. That one has almost 4,000 upvotes in just 5 hours.

Via The Huffington Post:

“Less than 24 hours after posting one man’s heartbreakingly heroic story on Reddit, more than $65,000 in donations had been pledged to a Kenyan orphanage where he saved a group of kids. Hours into the request for donations, Omari’s story went viral. As donations came in, so did his gratitude, and on midday Friday, TheLake posted a picture of the orphanage and children, thanking Reddit and users for the donations.”

Another great story on the Internet community coming together and helping a worthy cause.

Do you use Reddit?

Reddit Users Raise Over $65,000 In Less Than 24 Hours For Orphanage is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Circle K corporation is unfortunately no stranger to robberies, in fact people coming in armed, stealing money or grabbing beer without paying is so common place that the company has decided to fight back using Facebook.

While Circle K still hands over surveillance footage to local police officers the company has also began using that equipment to take pictures of armed robbers, shoplifters and other thieves which they then post to a Facebook crime that was specifically created to show the faces of thieves.

Circle K Loss Prevention Manager Carlos Estrada told KPHO TV:

“We post signs on our stores that let them know that if they obviously do something that isn’t right, they might be on Facebook.”

To showcase criminal acts the company created the “Circle K Crime Busters” Facebook page in which they have already posted dozens of images.

The company hopes that their actions will help solve recently unsolved crimes and make shoplifters and robbers think twice before robbing from their locations.

According to Estrada:

“Social network is definitely going to hit a different demographic, and it’s just another unique way to help combat crime in Arizona.”

Whether the program will be a success is still unknown however the Circle K crime page has been receiving thousands of viewers since launching several months ago and the page has generated thousands of tips while solving at least half a dozen crimes.

You can check out the Facebook page here. 

Now if Facebook would just use their facial recognition software for good we could end up solving a lot of convenience store crimes very quickly.

Do you think the Circle K Crime Busters Facebook Page is a smart way to solve crimes in a socially connected world?

Circle K Stores Begin Using Facebook To Shame Criminals is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sixty-seven years after the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau were liberated by Soviet troops in the Polish village of Oświęcim, a prominent survivor of the camps has died at the age of 91.

Kazimierz Smolen was a young man- in his early twenties- when the camps were liberated on January 27th, 1945, on what would later become International Holocaust Memorial Day. By 1947, the site had been converted to a museum to mark the horrific acts that had been committed within its gates and outside, and still notably bore the legend “Arbeit macht frei (loosely translated to “work frees you”) over Auschwitz’s entrance. The town of Oświęcim- renamed to Auschwitz by the Nazis after it was taken over to build the death camp- was where Smolen was imprisoned and survived, and he later came to be a director of the memorial site first started in 1947.

Smolen served as director at the Auschwitz memorial from 1955 through 1990, but remained a prominent member of the local community after his retirement. A Catholic, Smolen was dragged off to the camps after assisting in the anti-Nazi resistance in the early part of the war, attributing his survival to a combination of “extreme” luck as well as being in good health during the time he was imprisoned. Later, he spoke of why he made the difficult choice to return to Auschwitz for so long and manage the memorial, and Smolen explained:

"Sometimes when I think about it, I feel it may be some kind of sacrifice, some kind of obligation I have for having survived.”

In Oświęcim, survivors gathered at Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day, and a moment of silence was observed to mark Smolen’s death. (Below is a clip of a survivor of Auschwitz- not Smolen- who later returned with his grandchildren to the camps, dancing to “I Will Survive.”)

Auschwitz Survivor Dies on 67th Anniversary of Camp’s Liberation is a post from: The Inquisitr

An online image of several young Arizona men with a President Obama T-Shirts covered in bullet holes has led to an official problem by the United States Secret Service.

In the photo seven young men are shown holding guns while one of the boys holding the shirt that shows Obama’s face and the world “hope.”

The photo was discovered after it was posted to the personal Facebook page of an Arizona police officer last week but was taken down on Thursday.

According to a Secret Service representative:

“We're aware of it, and we're conducting the appropriate follow-up steps.”

In the meantime Peoria, Arizona police have joined in the investigation to find ”any possible policy violations on the part of our employee.”

The photo also appeared on the Facebook page of one high school student who appeared in the photo and that students school district has also decided to open an investigation of their own.

A spokesman for the Secret Service noted:

“Individuals certainly have a right to free speech, but we certainly have a right to speak to individuals to see what their intent is.”

The Secret Service routinely investigates internet threats made against politicians and the agency has an Internet Threat Desk to field such cases.

Do you think a probe should be opened into this type of activity or does the Secret Service have more important things to do then go after a bunch of young Republicans in Arizona?

Secret Service Probes Obama “Bullet Holes” T-Shirt Picture is a post from: The Inquisitr

Twitter has recently come under fire after announcing that they will now be censoring tweets on a country-by-country basis if required by law. With censorship still on many people’s minds, this has raised many suspicions and caused users to voice their opinions.

Now, the reality is that the social network wants to branch out into more and more countries Worldwide. Other governments are serious about censoring certain information and in order for them to be better accepted, they need to provide the ability to censor information if authorities require it.

People find this to be a violation of freedom of speech and, well, they’re protesting.

Via Los Angeles Times:

“Twitter faced a growing backlash on Friday, less than a day after it announced that it can now block specific tweets from being published in specific countries that legally require such censorship. On Friday, a day after the country-specific plan was announced, #TwitterBlackout and#TwitterCensored were trending topics on the hugely popular social network.”

“In the case of #TwitterBlackout, thousands of users from around the world threatened to boycott using the service on Jan. 28, with the hactivist group Anonymous among those calling on tweeters to skip the site for a day. The group Reporters Without Borders issued a letter on its website to Twitter’s executive chairman, Jack Dorsey, asking him to “reverse a policy that violates freedom of expression.”

We’ll see what happens over the weekend there’s sure to be details on how many participated in the boycott.

How do you feel about Twitter censoring information?

Twitter Users Threatening To Boycott After Censorship News is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 6-legged lamb was just born at a Georgia farm. The lamb also appears to be a hermaphrodite with both male and female sex organs.

The piebald lamb has four legs at the front and another two at the back. The Huffington Post reports that the lamb appears to have at least partial control of all of its limbs. Beside the animals abnormalities it appears to be perfectly healthy.

WPBF reports that the lamb was born in the village of Velistsikhe. Shepherd Albert Abadzhanov said that the animal is having a little trouble walking but seems to be getting the hang of it. Abadzhanov said:

“I have been asking the other shepherds, but none of them remember such [a] case. There were three-legged lambs, one-eyed, but not [a] six legged, bisexual one.”

Veterinarian Otto Zardiashvili believes that the calf’s mother was probably having twins, but some how the embryos were combined. Zardiashvili said:

“Most probably there were twins, but then the embryos were united, and we’ve got a strange lamb.”

Here’s a video of the 6-legged lamb.

Animal abnormalities aren’t as uncommon as you might think. There have been several confirmed reports of two headed animals.

An Albino Rat Snake Named “We” Died in 2007

Two-Headed Greek Tortoise Born in 2007

Are you surprised to see a six-legged lamb?

6-legged Lamb With Both Male and Female Sex Organs Born in Georgia [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Shaun White planned to compete in the Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle at the Winter X Games, but after a few practice runs this morning the multi-time champion has decided that his ankle is not ell enough to compete. White will not compete in Slopestyle but he may be ready to ride the pipe on Sunday.

White told ESPN:

“I’m disappointed. My priority this year was to ride in Slopestyle, and unfortunately I hit my ankle again riding the course in today’s practice. I’m going to rest up and get ready to ride Pipe on Sunday.”

ESPN reports that White scored four consecutive victories at the Slopestyle event from 2003 to 2006. White shifted his focus to halfpipe after his 2009 victory and took home his second Olympic gold at the Vancouver Olympics. White returned to Slopestyle last year but only manage to take 13th place.

Slopestyle will make its debut at the Olympic games in 2014 and White was hoping to re-establish himself as the man to beat. White said:

“Every year we try to outdo ourselves, and X Games is the place where we like to display what we’ve been working on. Especially for me, this is it: This is where I want to come and I want to do my best tricks and show the other riders what I’ve been working on. That’s definitely why we’re here: to step it up.”

Here’s a video of Shaun White’s 2009 Slopestyle victory.

Shaun White Drops Out of Snowboard Slopestyle is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama on Friday called on Universities and Colleges to stop their rapid increases in the cost of tuition. In confronting those institutions the President promised to pull federal funds should universities find it necessary to increasingly raise the price of admission.

The speech came as President Obama spoke with a group of students at the University of Michigan. In his speech Obama noted that he was ”putting colleges on notice” while promising that the era of tuition hikes is coming to an end.

“You can’t assume that you’ll just jack up tuition every single year. If you can’t stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down,” Obama said during his speech to students.

Obama spoke about his financial aid proposal which he first announced during Tuesday’s State of the Union address. Obama’s new plan goes after “campus based” aid such as Perkins loans and work study program. While $142 billion in federal grants and loans were distributed to college students in 2011 only $3 billion went to those program, a number Obama would like to increase to $10 billion annually.

In explaining the importance for a college education the President noted:

“In the coming decade, 60 percent of new jobs will require more than a high school diploma,” he said. “Higher education is not a luxury. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”

In speaking about the need to better monitor performance and tuition at American Universities  Obama education secretary, Arne Duncan noted:

“Historically, we’ve funded universities whether or not they’ve done a good job of graduating people, whether or not they’ve done a good job of keeping down tuition.”

Do you think Universities should be penalized for continuing to raise tuition rates at increasing levels?

President Obama Attacks University Tuition, Calls For Stop To Rapidly Increasing Costs is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook is said to be filing their IPO as early as next week according to a new report. The social network has been gearing up for it’s inevitable IPO this year that is expected to raise up to $10 Billion and put a valuation of up to $100 Billion on the almost 8 year old service.

With how things have been going and with them nearing almost 1 Billion users, the time is right. Revenue is pouring in from their ad platform and hundreds of Millions of people are using the site on a daily basis. In fact, they were said to have generated over $4 Billion in revenue just last year.

Once they do go public, they’ll have to start disclosing that kind of information.

Via The Wall Street Journal:

“Facebook Inc. could file papers for an initial public offering as early as next week and is currently looking at a deal that would value the social network between $75 billion to $100 billion, said people familiar with the matter.”

“The Internet giant is close to picking Morgan Stanley as the lead underwriter for its IPO, these people said, giving the investment bank one of Wall Street’s most coveted assignments. It would mark a setback for rival Goldman Sachs Group Inc.”

With a lot of money invested into the social network, a lot of people are soon enough going to make a lot of money. Even the state of California is expected to rake in hundreds of Millions of dollars thanks to capital gains taxes. The time is right and 2012 is definitely the year for them to go public.

How often would you say you use Facebook on a daily basis?

Facebook Filing IPO As Early As Next Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

Should Amazon refuse to sell certain titles of books because some customers find the content offensive? According to Milli Hill of Somerset, United Kingdom, a parenting columnist for Somerset Life Magazine and blogger for The Mule, the answer is a resounding yes.

Hill is the creator of an online petition entitled “Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO: Refuse to carry books which advocate the physical abuse of children.” The petition urges Amazon (both .com and .co.uk) to stop allowing books that purportedly advocate, endorse, and advise parenting techniques that involve the physical abuse of children as a disciplinary technique. Examples of some titles targeted by the petition include To Train Up A Child by Michael and Debi Pearl, Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp, and Don’t Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman.

Part of Hill’s argument for having the books removed from sale on Amazon is that such content is “offensive,” which is contrary to Amazon’s Content Guidelines. Furthermore, the petition argues that books that advocate the physical, and possibly abusive, discipline of children could be considered breaking the law:

It may well also be illegal, as it seems to go far beyond the ‘reasonable chastisement’ currently sanctioned by law in the UK, (where this petition originated) and in many US States. Not only is beating on a regular basis with a rod likely to leave a mark, which is illegal in the UK, it is also likely to amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, which is a breach of human rights.

Hill is asking for 15,000 signatures on the petition. Many leading experts in children’s rights, psychology, child development, and religious child maltreatment have already signed the petition.

To garner more support for the petition, The Mule is running a Facebook Action Day campaign today on Friday, January 27, 2012. Amazon has yet to respond to the petition. The Facebook campaign aims to get more signatures for the petition and to increase the pressure on Amazon to take notice.

But should Amazon take notice? Is Hill’s petition beneficial and necessary, an attempt to protect children from abusive disciplinary techniques? Or does the petition amount to censorship, banning the sale of certain books that one group of people considers offensive?

Petition To Remove “Offensive” Books From Amazon, Protecting The Children Or Blatant Censorship? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Amazon is the World’s largest e-commerce site with thousands and thousands of sellers from all across the globe. What makes the site such a great place to shop is, for one, they have really great customer service which has pushed them to be one of the top online retailers.

Secondly, their ratings and review system allows customers to shop the site and buy in confidence. Unfortunately, as reviews become more and more important when shopping, that means more merchants are trying to game the system in order for more people to buy their products.

A seller by the name of VIP Deals is one of those.

Via The New York Times:

“VIP Deals, which specializes in leather tablet cases and stun guns, denied it was quietly offering the deals. "You are totally off base," a representative named Monica wrote in an e-mail.”

“But three customers said in interviews that the offer was straightforward. Searching for a protective case for their new Kindle Fire, they came upon the VIP page selling a cover for under $10 plus shipping (the official list price was $59.99). When the package arrived it included a letter extending an invitation "to write a product review for the Amazon community."

"In return for writing the review, we will refund your order so you will have received the product for free," it said. Anne Marie Logan, a Georgia pharmacist, was suspicious. "I was like, 'Is this for real?' " she said. "But they credited my account. You think it's unethical?" While the letter did not specifically demand a five-star review, it broadly hinted. "We strive to earn 100 percent perfect 'FIVE-STAR' scores from you!" it said.

Very fishy indeed.

How often do you buy from Amazon?

Amazon Merchant Caught Refunding Buyers In Exchange For Great Reviews is a post from: The Inquisitr

Demi Moore’s recent slide into alleged alcohol and substance abuse might have less to do with her Ashton Kutcher divorce and more to do with the death of her  Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.

As People reported in December Mrs. Moore appeared “noticeably upset” at Pattsy Rugg’s funeral which happened just two weeks after she and Ashton decided to end their six year old marriage.

According to various reports Rugg was a mother figure for Moore who kept her on the right path at a time when Moore’s relationship with her own mother has faltered.

Speaking about Moore’s recent troubles a friend says she was “pretty hyper” during a birthday party she was hosting for a friend last week while that person says she was “acting crazy” right before her seizure brought on by possible nitrous oxide poisoning (from Whip-Its) led to her hospitalization.

Talking about the night she was hospitalized another person says she  ”has been taking Adderall and drinking energy drinks and starving herself. … She's constantly jacked up on Adderall.”

In the meantime Ashton Kutcher appears to have cut off most contact with Demi although a source says he’s “deeply concerned” about her health and wishes her the best.

Do you think the loss of Demi Moore’s AA sponsor could have such a large effect on her life that she has went overboard and nearly killed herself.

Demi Moore May Have Slid Off Deep End After Death Of AA Sponsor is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google Earth was recently updated to version 6.2 and included in the new update is integration with Google+. The social network is growing at a rapid rate and Google is integrating the site with more and more of it’s products.

One of the biggest integrations was in search which caused a lot of people to question the change and even caused the FTC to add it to their probe of the company. Anyways, the new version allows for very easy sharing to your circles on Google+ and letting people see where you’ve traveled to, of course virtually.

Via eWeek:

“Google continued its wholesale integration of Google+ with its existing applications, launching Google Earth 6.2 with the capability to let users share their virtual images with their contacts on the social network. Google Earth 6.2 includes the option to let users share a screenshot of their current Google Earth image, as well as images of places they’ve already “virtually traveled” with contacts in their Circles.”

“To share images of cities, oceans and other location to Google+ followers, users must sign into their Google Account in the upper right hand corner of Google Earth and click the Share option.”

The company has recently been quite the topic of conversation lately. On one side, over 90 Million people are using their social network with 60 percent being active daily and having a great experience. On the other side, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are concerned, while they won’t say it, that Google will cut into their market share by further integrating Google+ into all of its products and services.

Do you use Google Earth?

Google Earth Integrates Google+ is a post from: The Inquisitr