Belmont Beacon
MONDAY, AUGUST 24 2014 - AUGUST 31, 2014
belmontbeacon.com
The Ice Bucket Challenge: fun or controversial? by jennifer schlueter Have you asked yourself why so many of your social media friends and people like former president George W. Bush, LeBron James, and Oprah Winfrey recently have been pouring ice buckets over their heads? Not only in the United States have people joined this trend where you donate to the ALS Association if the chilling thought of ice water does not appeal to you: Thanks to challengers nominating three other individuals, the ice bucket challenge has quickly gone viral all over the world, and the ALS Association has received over $30 million as of August 20, according to the official website. Compared to the same period of last year, from July 29 to August 20, donations amounted to $1.9 million. According to Slate, the Ice Bucket Challenge was not an invention of Pete Frates, an ALS patient, or the ALS Association, but of a few pro athletes, who were dared to contribute $100 to a charity of their choice, if they declined an ice bath. Proving this are videos by Matt Lauer, Martha Stewart, and others, who
15 themed displays that celebrate his comedic contributions; his achievements in entertainment; his relationships with 11 U.S. Presidents; and his enduring passion – golf. It traces his family’s arrival at Ellis Island; their lives as Please see page 4
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Critics of the #icebucketchallenge, as it is referred to online, have expressed their concerns about the dare being a bandwagon trend. Today’s web narcissists join to collect “likes” or because they feel peer pressure. The challenge was supposed to help charities by donating money to them; however, more Please see page 2
New Queen Mary exhibit shows why America, and 11 U.S. presidents, loved Bob Hope Traveling exhibit opened Aug. 9 at the Queen Mary, where Hope performed on the very day WWII began The Queen Mary is proud to host a traveling exhibit on America’s “most honored” entertainer Bob Hope – friend of U.S. troops, presidents and generations of fans. The four-month exhibit opens Aug. 9 on the ship where Hope performed his first wartime routine on the very day World War
II began. The traveling, 2,200-squarefoot exhibit, “Bob Hope: An American Treasure,” was created in partnership with the World Golf Hall of Fame Museum with support from the Bob and Delores Hope Foundation. It tells Hope’s story through
Landmark $400 million film and television job creation act passes final committee, headed to Senate floor The long saga of AB 1839, the California Film and Television Job Retention and Promotion Act of 2014, continued by passing its final committee barrier, clearing the Senate Appropriations Committee by a 5-0 vote. The legislation, authored by Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), contained numerous amendments today which represent the culmination of nearly a year of research and negotiations and would expand and significantly improve the state’s current program to keep production jobs in California. The most anticipated amendment to the bill expands the program’s allocation to $400 million a year. Other changes include: allowing big-budget blockbusters – which create the most jobs – to qualify for the incentive; spending requirements to protect jobs and wages for below-the-line workers; creating certainty for television series by guaranteeing credits if the show is renewed; and providing larger incentives for film and television productions that move to California from out of
Pete Frates, ALS patient, linked the Ice Bucket Challenge to the ALS Association. -Facebook Photo
predate any videos mentioning the ALS Association. Frates, 29, however, initiated people donating to the ALS Association should they refuse his Ice Bucket Challenge. The nonprofit organization is committed to research the fatal nerve disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), or “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” with which former baseball star Frates was diagnosed.
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