Society

Pat Robertson sure knows how to kick people when they're down. The latest stream of crap to spew from the televangelist's mouth is a suggestion on Wednesday that the Haiti earthquake may have been a direct consequence of a "Satanic pact." He went even further, questioning whether Tuesday's quake may have been a "blessing in disguise."

Officials fear that up to half a million people may have died in the powerful 7.0 earthquake which struck the island nation on Tuesday.

During a broadcast of the 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Robertson said:

"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They (Haitians) were under the heel of the French ... and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you' ... and so, the devil said 'Okay, it's a deal' and kicked the French out."

Earlier in the day during a segment with a reporter for Robertson's CBN News, he questioned whether the earthquake was a "blessing in disguise":

"They need to have ... a great turning to God," he concluded, adding that the earthquake may have been a direct consequence of their "Satanic pact".

Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol Palin is just barely out of high school with a one-year-old son in tow, but that's not stopping her from trying to make her mark in the business world. The 19-year-old has set up her own public relations firm in Alaska, according to articles of organization filed with the state Commerce Department.

The single-member limited liability corporation will be known as BSMP LLC and is based in Anchorage. Bristol signed the documents as the organizer.

Bristol Palin made headlines when her mother was running for the vice presidency on John McCain's ticket. She was pregnant at the time, which brought her some national attention. She gave birth to a son, Tripp, in December 2008, and has since broken up with the boy's father, Levin Johnston.

Bristol's mom, Sarah Palin is currently being touted as a possible contender for the presidency in 2012. Instead of finishing her term as Alaskan governor, she resigned in July and wrote a memoir.

According to a report from Newsweek, President Barack Obama was reportedly warned of a possible terror strike three days before the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow-up a Detroit-bound trans-Atlantic commercial flight.

Newsweek said that a report entitled "Key Homeland Threats" didn't mention Yemen, where the would-be bomber claims to have organized. The publication's source would not reveal what went on in the situation-room briefing, which also involved several top advisers, including Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano.

As 1999 rolled to a close, an impressive 85 percent of Americans were hopeful about their future, and 68 percent were hopeful about the future the world. Little did they know that just two years later planes would be flown in to the Pentagon and into buildings in New York City, sparking a still on-going war in the Middle East and increased tensions around the world. The overall tanking of the economy, increased unemployment, and various devastating natural disasters couldn't have been forseen either. Having gone through all of that after a previous decade of good living, followed by a decade most wish they could forget, Americans are significantly less hopeful about the future.

This is despite the fact that they elected Barack Obama, the man who promised to bring us all hope, as the President of the United States of America.

Now according to the results of a CNN poll, just 69 percent of Americans are hopeful for their future and 51 percent are hopeful for the world. 30 percent are more fearful about what the future holds for them, and 48 percent are more fearful about what the future holds for the entire world.

If the country isn't in a depression financially, it sure is emotionally.

Hillary Clinton edged out Sarah Palin as the woman Americans most admired in 2009 according to the results of an annual USA Today/Gallup poll. The secretary of state continues her 17-year reign as the most admired woman, with 16% of those polled selecting her.

Close on Clinton's heels was former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. 15% of survey respondents identified Palin as the woman they admire most on the phone. Palin first made her debut on the list last year when John McCain selected her as his running mate. Last year she also ranked second behind Clinton, with 11% of Americans mentioning her.

Clinton has been the most admired woman by the survey 14 times since 1993. In just the three times that she failed to win the top spot, she captured second place, behind Laura Bush in 2001 and Mother Teresa in 1995 and 1996.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey came in third place in the 2009 poll wit 8%, and First Lady Michelle Obama came in fourth with 7%. Coming in fifth place is Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Queen Elizabeth, each with 2%.

The reason behind heightened security at airports across the United States over the holidays has been revealed to be a result of a foiled terrorist attack. Officials say that an Al-Qaeda linked terrorist attempted to blow up a commercial jet over Detroit on Friday, but was tackled by passengers as he attempted to explode a bomb.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, of Nigeria, was immediately subdued while on board Northwest Fligth 253 just minutes before the plane landed. The plane was carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members.

Abdumutallab suffered third degree burns, and told authorities that he got the explosives in Yemen and received orders from Al-Qaeda operatives to detonate the sophisticated device aboard a plane over U.S. soil. The suspect, who is an engineering student at University College of London, also revealed that he had explosive powder taped to his leg and confessed to trying to use a chemical filled syringe to ignite the powder.

From 2000 to the end of the decade, traditional names have reigned as the most popularly chosen names for babies, albeit with more modern spellings. Topping the list of the most popular baby names of the decade for boys and girls were Jacob and Emma, respectively.

The top boys names of 2009 were Matthew, Owen, Ethan, Jackson, Evan, Braden, Noah, Jack, and Zachary. The top girls names of 2009 were Madison, Emma, Hannah, Olivia, Audrey Isabella, Grace, Taylor and Emily.

For the decade, the top boy names were Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Christopher, Jack, Daniel, Aiden, William, Joshua and Ryder. For girls it was Emma, Madison, Emily, Hannah, Olivia, Samantha, Ashley. Ava, Elizabeth and Madelyn.

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt's name is synonymous with the adult entertainment industry, so it should come as no surprise that when his nephews began to make adult films and products of their own using the Flynt name, he was none too pleased. Flynt is suing Jimmy Flint Jr. and Jimmy's brother Dustin, alleging that they are making inferior adult films while capitalizing on the Flynt name.

Flynt testified under oath at US District court in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, and gave his opinion on where the next generation was taking the adult entertainment industry.

He said:

"I think there's a thin line. As a society we've come to accept what I like to refer to as 'vanilla sex.' But if you get too trashy, people get uncomfortable."

It was the first day of his federal trademark infringement trial against his nephews, who earlier this year launched their own line of adult films under the name "Flynt".

Larry Flynt was quick to pass judgement on their films, calling them "inferior products" and "knock-off goods." He was just as quick in filing a lawsuit, and accuses them of attempting to ride on his coattails.

On Tuesday, Ohio prison officials executed death row inmate Kenneth Biros using a method that has never before been used on humans. The new method uses a one-drug intravenous injection instead of the three-drug cocktail that is more commonly used.

The method involves a large dose of anesthetic, and is similar to the way that animals are euthanized. Many experts have hailed it as painless and an improvement over the three-drug cocktail. The three-drug method involves a short-acting barbiturate to render the inmate unconscious, followed by a paralytic and then a chemical to stop the heart.

Death penalty opponents, however, argue that Ohio's new method of execution and its backup plan of using intra-muscular injection hasn't been properly betted by legal and medical experts. They also argue that since its never before been used on humans, it is the equivalent of medical experimentation.

Despite the protests of opponents, the US Supreme Court chose not to intervene and halt the death of Biros Tuesday morning. The procedure went ahead as planned, and Biros, 51, died at 11:47am just 11 minutes after receiving the injection. At his side was a white scarf symbolizing a blessing, which was given to Biros by two Buddhist spirtual monks that he had consulted with recently.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw was involved in a car crash this afternoon in New York City. Three vehicles were involved in the accident and left one person dead. Brokaw and his wife were uninjured in the accident on the Bruckner Expressway. A unidentified female was trying to avoid debris and crashed her car into a mail truck that then struck the Brockaw's car. The female had been driving an SUV and was thrown from the vehicle and did not survive the crash.

Brokaw released this statement through NBC regarding the harrowing incident.

Tom and Meredith Brokaw, at around 1 p.m. today, were in a three vehicle accident on the Bruckner Expressway. The Brokaws were in the far left lane when they noticed a spool of cable bouncing along the far right lane. Just then, a green SUV in the right lane came up fast and tried to avoid the cable. The driver lost control of her vehicle and slid into the middle lane, forcing a mail truck into the Brokaw lane of traffic.