513. Hostess Folds Operations

Twinkies may last forever, but the same can't be said for Hostess Brands Inc., the company that makes the popular cream-filled spongecake.

Hostess has asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to go out of business and lay off 18,500 workers, blaming a strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union.

"We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," Hostess Chief Executive Gregory F. Rayburn said in a statement Friday.

Hostess Twinkies’ CEO tripled his salary to $2.55 million while the company was preparing to go into bankruptcy. And nine top executives saw massive pay raises, some nearly doubling their salary. Ah, another greedy CEO who courageously blamed the union for his failure, while omitting the part about tripling his own pay while preparing to go under.
(tags: hostess brands, twinkie, suicide, Business, Greed, Unions, Political Series)

426. Reality TV

(tags: Entertainment Series, Reality TV, Television, TV, Death, Suicide, Noose)

404. RIP Dr. Jack Kevorkian

Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian, May 26, 1928 – June 3, 2011 was an American pathologist, assisted suicide activist, painter, composer and instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he said he assisted at least 130 patients to that end. He famously said "dying is not a crime".


(tags: Obituary Series, Political Series, Doctor, Jack Kevorkian, Kevorkian, Death, Euthanasia, Suicide)