Karen Owen's PowerPoint List Troubling on Many Levels - FanHouse

Karen Owen's PowerPoint list is more famous now than she ever could have imagined. Owen, a Duke graduate of 2010, has become an internet sensation after a mock-thesis titled, "An education beyond the classroom: excelling in the realm of horizontal academics," went viral around the internet and propelled her into the mainstream media spotlight.

Since creating the now widely-seen list -- a project rating her sexual conquests during her time at Duke -- Owen has been thrust to the forefront of discussions about sex on college campuses and amongst American youth, including stories on prominent outlets such as CBSNews.com and on NBC's The Today Show, as well as garnering huge attention in the blogosphere.

Most notably, Deadspin featured the full, unedited PowerPoint presentation, but quickly received a bombardment of angry emails and phone calls from the players, parents, and even the author herself demanding, at the very least, that the real names be immediately removed. Deadspin printed a transcript of her email, saying:

"As the ashamed author of this slide show, I am horrified at your choice to include all the names that you did. While I cannot stop you from publishing it, this item was never meant to be seen outside of a very small circle of people. Obviously, it has gone viral. However, your inclusion of the real names are causing this awful situation to escalate even further and is actually starting to affect peoples' lives in ways that go far beyond mere embarrassment. Remove the names immediately, or I will be adding your blog post to the list of things I discuss with my attorney when we meet. If you would like to talk further, please include your numbers in your response and I will contact you as soon as I can. Again, including real names is simply cruel of you and you will black them out immediately"

In addition to what seems a clear breach of internet privacy, another problematic issue arises. The list mainly contained varsity athletes, complete with full names and pictures of each "subject," and at a prominent university that has had major issues with the image of its athletics. The level of detail is far too great to go into here, but certainly creates problems for the Duke PR team as it involves accounts of athletes exposing themselves in classrooms and public spaces, extremely vulgar "sexting" transcripts, and general recounts of very intimate details that few would want in the public realm.

Owen said in an interview with women's blog Jezebel that she never intended this presentation to go beyond a select group of friends. "I regret it with all my heart," she reportedly told the website. "I would never intentionally hurt the people that are mentioned on that."

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Vargas Llosa: The Power of the Man Who Didn't Become Peru's President - TIME

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel prize for literature.

The love-hate relationship between Peruvian President Alan Garcia and Mario Vargas Llosa, the newly minted winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, is definitely in the love column right now. Garcia gushed with joy early today, when news of Vargas Llosa's win began spreading through Peru. "It is a great day for Peru and an enormous act of justice for Mario Vargas Llosa," he said.

But just a month ago, the president probably had different words for Vargas Llosa. The novelist had resigned as head of a special committee to build a Memory Museum that would recall the horrors of the state's 20-year war against two brutal, Marxist insurgencies, the Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Vargas Llosa abruptly quit after Garcia's government passed legislation redefining how crimes against humanity would be tried in Peru. The law would have basically closed the books on the most heinous crimes committed by members of the security forces in the 1980s and 1990s. Among those benefiting would have been Garcia and his Vice President Luis Giampietri. Garcia was President in 1986 when he ordered Giampietri, then in charge of naval special operations, to put down a prison riot, resulting in the deaths of more than 300 Shining Path inmates. (In 2000, the Inter-American Court ruled that the prison action by Garcia's government had violated the American Convention on Human Rights.) (See Radhika Jones on Vargas Llosa's Nobel victory.)

In his resignation letter, Vargas Llosa called the law a thinly veiled amnesty and said it was unacceptable in a modern democracy. The author's move embarrassed the government, which then asked Congress to repeal the law, which occured on Sept. 14, with only Giampetri voting against the repeal. The defense minister who wrote the law also resigned. It was not the first time Vargas Llosa was put in charge of a politically charged human rights effort. He headed the government commission that investigated in the 1983 murders of eight journalists in Uchuraccay, Ayacucho.

It was also not the first time Vargas Llosa knocked heads with Garcia. In the 1980s (during Garcia's term as head of state from 1985 to 1990), the author took to a break from literature to fight against the President's decision to nationalize the country's banks. After forming a political party, Fredemo, Vargas Llosa was widely expected to win the presidency in 1990. He lost, instead, to an unknown math teacher, Alberto Fujimori, who went on to infamy, first, because of his brutal battle with the Shining Path and, later, as he unsuccessfully fled Peruvian justice and ended in prison. (See the top 10 failed celebrity political campaigns.)

The author went on to become a fierce critic of the Fujimori regime, which ruled Peru for a decade, especially after the govenrment decided in 1992 to shut down Congress. He was a lone voice for years, but his opposition was vindicated when Fujimori's regime collapsed under a massive corruption scandal. Many other illegal activities were also revealed, including the organization of the Grupo Colina, a paramilitary death squad. Fujimori is serving a 25-year prison sentence for being the "intellectual author" of the squad.

Peruvians have long believed that Vargas Llosa was passed over annually by the Nobel committee because of his political views. "Mario would have won years ago if he kept his political opinions quiet. His outspokenness was difficult for some to accept," says Genaro Delgado Parker, a prominent local journalist. (See how Nobel Prize winners spend their prize money.)

In 2006, Vargas Llosa and Garcia publicly reconciled their differences after Garcia returned to the presidency, this time as a free-market, economic liberal. Since the author's resignation, the Peruvian President has downplayed the rift over the museum, saying that he picked Vargas Llosa because of his "universal objectivity." Garcia announced earlier this week that a friend of Vargas Llosa friend, the painter Fernando de Syzlo, would head the Memory Museum. He has asked Vargas Llosa to reconsider his resignation from the committee.

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Lou Dobbs denies 'Nation' report claiming he hired illegal workers - USA Today

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Box office preview: ‘Life as We Know It’ battles ‘Social Network’ for top spot; ‘Secretariat’ likely in third

Image Credit: Peter IovinoThe romantic comedy genre needs some intensive care after a bleak summer where the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore could do little to attract audiences. Is Katherine Heigl the answer? The former Grey’s Anatomy star didn’t score opposite Ashton Kutcher in Killers this past July, but perhaps Josh Duhamel is a more appealing co-star. We’ll find out this weekend when the duo’s film, Life as We Know It, opens wide, opposite Disney’s Triple-Crown horserace flick, Secretariat, which is battling its own issues.

Disney’s feel-good horse flick is an important movie for the studio. They consider the Diane Lane-starrer a role model for the type of movies the studio wants to make. They might want to ease up on that strategy — while the marketers are trying to reach family audiences, especially the church-going crowd, it’s still unclear if either will show up.

The two newcomers are also competing against the defending champ, The Social Network. The David Fincher-directed drama opened to $22.4 million, and this weekend will be crucial in determining the film’s long-term health. Critics and audiences both seem to love it, and the buzz should lure those who couldn’t make it to the theater last week.

My Soul to Take, Universal’s latest from director Wes Craven, is also steeling itself for an uphill battle. The director’s first 3-D film bows one week after two other horror films were practically D.O.A. Neither Let Me In nor Case 39 grossed more than $5 million in their opening frames. It will be a surprise if this genre film, with little marketing might behind it, will do much either. Read on for my predictions.

1. Life as We Know It: $16 million

I’m not sure why the ad campaign for this romantic-comedy is built around an action shot of the stars chasing the baby, but maybe it will work. Tracking suggests it will have trouble surpassing $20 million. With Heigl’s lackluster track record at the box-office, it will be interesting to see if this high-concept idea brings in the moviegoers.

2. The Social Network: $15 million

This movie was crowned a media darling, but now the haters are out, denouncing the film’s opening weekend draw and already discounting its awards potential. One thing is clear: This weekend is crucial. The film needs to hold well for it to maintain the buzz required to make it all the way to the Oscars. Watch closely. A 50 percent drop would be considered a failure.

3. Secretariat: $10 million

Disney desperately wants Diane Lane’s horse movie to be the next Blind Side, but general tracking suggests a weak opening. The big question is: Are families coming out for this film? If they do, the numbers could surprise, but the film will more likely earn a fraction of Sandra Bullock’s surprise hit last fall.

4. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole: $6 million

Now that Zack Snyder has signed on to direct the Superman reboot, perhaps there will be renewed interest in his owl movie. The animated flick held up well in its second weekend in theaters, losing only 32 percent of its gross, but I would expect at least a 40 percent fall this time.

5. My Soul to Take: $5 million

It’s been five years since Wes Craven has directed a full-length feature. (Red Eye was the last one.) Unfortunately, I don’t think the horror veteran will draw much of an audience to his flick, starring Max Thieriot and John Magaro. If it earns beyond $5 million, it will be a feat, considering how poorly horror flicks have fared lately.

In limited release, Focus Features will open It’s Kind of a Funny Story while Weinstein Co. will bow the young John Lennon tale, Nowhere Boy. Come back this weekend for a full report.

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Juliette Lewis 'banged up' in hit-and-run accident - CNN International

"Ms. Lewis is a bit banged up and sore, but otherwise thankfully okay," Lewis's rep Carleen Donovan says.Lewis was hospitalized Wednesday when leaving an event for her movie "Conviction" Her chauffeured Lincoln Town Car was totaled by a hit-and-run driver in Burbank, CaliforniaThe actress is currently resting at home while police continue the investigation

(PEOPLE.com) -- Juliette Lewis was briefly hospitalized Wednesday night after her chauffeured Lincoln Town Car was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Burbank, California.

"The sedan Juliette was traveling in was completely totaled," says her rep Carleen Donovan. "Ms. Lewis ... is a bit banged up and sore but otherwise thankfully okay. She is now resting at home."

The actress, 37, was leaving an event for her new movie "Conviction" when the car was struck. Police are investigating.

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