FOX8WebTeam's Blog

Someone snapped a couple of photos as UNC point guard Bobby Frasor and forward Tyler Hansbrough leaped from a second story balcony into a swimming pool at a frat house in Chapel Hill.

I imagine Roy Williams will have something to say to the boys ...

A video making the rounds on YouTube shows Hillary Clinton struggling (and ultimately failing) to get a cup of coffee from a convenience store in Indiana. Apparently, she had earlier admitted to not having pumped her own gas in years.

These are both tasks that the middle class is very familiar with (except in New Jersey, where pumping your own gas is against the law).

Does Clinton's coffee-machine episode make you wonder if the senator can represent the middle class?

Rufus Terrill, owner of a downtown Atlanta bar named O'Terrills, has had it with the drug dealers and vandals around his business. So, he has done what any sane American man would do in this situation—build a robot out of a meat smoker to lay down the law. The "BumBot," as many of O'Terrills' patrons have dubbed it, is basically a meat smoker mounted onto a three-wheeled scooter. Armaments include a spotlight, loudspeaker, water cannon and an infrared camera. Plus, the whole thing is covered in rubber for protection.

When necessary, Terrill fires up the 400lb device and powers it from afar with a remote control. Using the control and a walkie-talkie, he approaches the vagrants around his bar and a local day care center to inform them via the robot's loudspeaker that they are trespassing on private property. If that doesn't do the trick, he gets rough with the water cannon.

So what do you think of the BumBot?  Does it dehumanize the homeless?  Do we need one here in North Carolina?

Everybody loves a pet...  but nothing is more embarrassing than a pet that won't behave.  We want to know, how do you keep your dog from jumping on people or begging for scraps? 

We can all use the help here, so let us know your strategies!

With gas prices projected to rise to nearly $4 per gallon, the U.S. Congress decided to step in and ask executives of the five biggest U.S. oil companies about the situation. The oil companies saw record profits -- $123 billion last year.

I think this situation -- where lawmakers step into an economic matter -- raises a few questions:

1. Is it Congress' responsibility to deal with this?
2. We live in a (mostly) free-market economy; aren't companies supposed to make profits?
3. How do Exxon (or BP or Chevron, etc.) shareholders feel about all of this?
4. If Congress does make a change in policy as a result, have they thought about how it will affect other industries?

Some of the talk has centered on not giving tax breaks to large corporations, which would perhaps bring their profits down, but will it change gas prices?

It seems like letting the government make these changes could work, but it's going to be rather inefficient. A free-market economy is flexible and can respond quickly when conditions change. It works much better when the suppliers are motivated (usually by loss of profit) to change because the demanders (us) want the change.

The Redneck Board Game:

A woman in Oregon invented this board game that decides who's the most redneck... basically, you have a series of mini-games throughout like "Pin the tail on the donkey", and if you lose the game... you lose a tooth.  The person with the most teeth at the end of the game, wins...

So, we're curious does this offend you?  Do you think this is a stereotypical look at the South?  Would you purchase the game? 

By the way, Amazon an Toys-R-Us already have the game... so if you're itchin' to play... you can go pick it up.

Many of this year's American Idols are struggling with consistency. Who's got it? Who's good, week-in... week-out?

Is Simon right? Should Kristy Lee Cook be the next to be voted off?

(Click image to watch video)

A middle school student in Florida was suspended for wearing perfume. The school says the student's teacher has allergies, which could put the teacher in danger.

So what do you think about this story? Are people considerate when it comes to allergies? Should schools be allowed to suspend students who wear perfume?'

(Click image to watch video)

Where in the Piedmont do you dread driving?   Whether because of commercial or residential growth, there are many locations that can make even the best driver nervous.

Greensboro's transportation department has a long list of improvements it wants to make.  High on the list is widening Horse Pen Creek Road near Bryan Parkway, Battleground Avenue and New Garden Road.

Will this be as painful for Greensboro drivers as, say, plans to improve Business 40 in downtown Winston-Salem?
 
Give us your two cents.
 

Barack Obama is still answering questions about his former pastor's controversial comments on race. For the first time, he prominently addressed the issue on Tuesday.

Was the speech effective? Did he reach his target audience? Was it effective? Was it successful in repairing Obama's image?

Don't be shy, let us know what you think! 

This morning we aired a story about Massachusetts considering lowering the legal drinking limit to .02, down from .08.

The state is wanting to reduce the risk of people driving intoxicated, but it is a controversial topic and has sparked a heated debate.

Right now, the legal drinking limit in North Carolina is .08. Would you like to see N.C lower the legal drinking limit? Or is it low enough already?

You Decide: Real or fake?

HONOLULU -- Military officials are investigating an Internet video that purports to show a Marine throwing a puppy off a rocky cliff.

Maj. Chris Perrine of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii says it appears the man is based with a unit in the islands.

Marine officials are calling the YouTube video "shocking and deplorable" and say it violates "the high standard we expect of every Marine."

The low-quality video shows two Marines joking as one holds up what appears to be a motionless black and white puppy, which he then hurls into a rocky gully.

A yelping sound is heard as it flies through the air.

NOTICE: YouTube removed the video around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Update: The video was added to a different Web Site. 
Click here to watch the video.

Vaccines and autism: Is there a connection between the two?  Dr. Elizabeth Vaughan visited the FOX8 studios on Tuesday to offer her take on the highly debated issue.  The controversy stems back to the mercury based preservative in vaccines called Thimerosal.  That's not the only place the babies can be exposed to mercury, however.

I've attached video of Dr. Vaughan's visit on the FOX8 Morning News.  How do you feel about her stance on autism?  Does she have a point? 

Here's some more links on the research: Links, more information from Dr. Vaughan


Here's the video:


Post your comment below.

Everyone has an opinion about who should be elected President in 2008.  The real question though, what would you do if you were elected President?  What would be your first priority?  What's most important.

On Monday's FOX8 Morning News, we asked you to share your thoughts.  Tell us what you would do if elected 'Ruler of the Free World.'

Sasha, the Wonder Dog that is inspiring people across the country, is just one of many great stories you hear about pets.

Watch Sasha's story here

Tell us about your pets, and the amazing things they do everyday!