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Parents Television and Media Council

The Parents Television and Media Council (PTMC), formerly the Parents Television Council (PTC), is an American media advocacy group founded by conservative Christian activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995, which advocates for what it considers to be responsible, family-friendly content across all media platforms, and for advertisers to be held accountable for the content of television programs that they sponsor. The PTMC officially describes itself as a non-partisan organization, although the group has also been described as partisan and socially conservative.

The PTMC produces reviews, research reports, and online newsletters that highlight television programs and other entertainment products (such as music videos and video games) based on their suitability for family viewing. The PTMC has advocated for cable television networks to be subject to the same decency rules as broadcast television, and for television providers to allow subscribers to purchase channels on an individual basis. The group has also been critical of the TV Parental Guidelines system, often deeming the ratings given by broadcasters to be inaccurate in comparison to their own assessments of a program's content.

It has mounted pressure campaigns against the producers, broadcasters, and sponsors of programming that they perceive to be indecent or harmful to children (such as those containing undue sexual content, profane language, and violence); these campaigns typically include the organized mass mailing of form letters and emails to advertising sponsors of unapproved programs, organized mass filing of complaints via the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website complaint form, and direct threats of long, potentially costly FCC license challenges to local network affiliates planning to broadcast what the council considers harmful network programming.

Throughout its existence, the Parents Television and Media Council has been accused of promoting censorship. In 2004, the FCC reported that the group was the primary source of most content complaints received by the commission.

History
In 1989, the Media Research Center (MRC) began monitoring the entertainment industry for alleged liberal bias through its Entertainment Division and newsletter TV, etc. MRC founder and president L. Brent Bozell III later felt that "decency" was declining on most prime-time television programming. The PTC began operations in 1995 following private planning meetings with Charlton Heston, Michael Medved, and others in the entertainment industry, who would eventually make up the advisory board of the PTC. After the release of its first annual Family Guide to Prime-Time Television following the 1995–1996 television season, the PTC hoped to hold the entertainment industry accountable for the indecency that it perceived to be prominent on prime-time television. By 1996, the organization had the support of several members of the U.S. Congress, including Joe Lieberman and Lamar S. Smith, and an estimated annual budget of $142,000.

By 1998, with an estimated membership of 120,000, comedian and former The Tonight Show host Steve Allen joined PTC as its Honorary Chairman, and PTC released a report questioning the accuracy of the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system and campaigning for advertisers to stop sponsoring programs that the PTC claimed were offensive. Allen launched a newspaper advertisement campaign promoting the PTC, which was published in many outlets including The New York Times. The PTC was noted for criticizing such shows as Ally McBeal, Dawson's Creek, Ellen, Friends, and Spin City. Its website was also introduced that year, and its annual budget had already surpassed $1 million. PTC rolled out another round of full-page newspaper advertisements in 1999; San Francisco Examiner television columnist Tim Goodman perceived Allen and the PTC of advocating complete censorship of television to allow only what PTC considered "Family-Safe TV".

The PTC lost nearly $1 million in 2008 and in 2009 received $2.9 million in revenue, a 29 percent drop from the previous year. In 2009 and 2010, the PTC cut its staff by 38 percent to save money.

On April 14, 2021, the organization changed its name to the Parents Television and Media Council "to better reflect its mission to advocate for responsible entertainment on all entertainment media platforms".

Leadership
PTC was founded in 1995 by longtime political activist L. Brent Bozell III. Bozell is a prominent conservative activist who has, among other things, served as executive director of the Conservative Victory Committee, a political action committee that has supported the election of dozens of conservative candidates over the past ten years. He was also National Finance Chairman for Pat Buchanan's 1992 presidential campaign, and later president of the National Conservative Political Action Committee. Bozell was succeeded as PTC President by Timothy F. Winter. Winter served as executive director of the PTC for three years prior to becoming president. Prior to joining the PTC, Mr. Winter's 20-year career as a media executive included positions with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and NBC. Until 2015 when his position was terminated, Dan Isett, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs of the PTC, represented the PTC on the Consumer Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission.

Advisory board
The PTC also has an advisory board consisting of politicians and entertainers working to assist the council in their goal of protecting children against profanity and violence in the media. Notable members of the advisory board have included singer Pat Boone, former football player Mel Renfro, writer-producer Coleman Luck, country musician Billy Ray Cyrus, comedian and actor Tim Conway of CBS's The Carol Burnett Show, former U.S. Senator from Kansas and 2008 presidential candidate Sam Brownback, film critic Michael Medved, star of 1980s soap opera Dallas Susan Howard, and ION Television producer Gary Johnson. In addition, the PTC has established numerous local chapters for most American media markets. Notable former advisory board members include - both of whom are now deceased - comedian Steve Allen, original host of NBC's The Tonight Show, and C. Delores Tucker, participant in the Civil Rights Movement and activist against gangsta rap music; Allen is now given the title of National Honorary Chairman-Emeritus. Bahçeşehir University associate professor Christian Christiansen questioned the backgrounds of certain PTC advisory board members as not consistent with their stance on morality.

Columns and reports
The website of the PTC features reports on what the group says is harmful content on television and regular writings from its staff. Their research is done with the support of their Entertainment Tracking System, an archive of prime-time television programming that they claim is the largest in the world. Such publications include:
 * "Culture Watch" – Throughout 2005 and 2006, the PTC published columns under this series authored by Christopher Gildemeister, covering the influence on American culture by entertainment as well as exposing the increase in sex, violence, and profanity in cable television and the methods used by advertisers and broadcasting companies to attract young audiences. In a December 2005 column of his, Advertising Age columnist Simon Dumenco criticized the PTC, arguing that the PTC is "very very afraid of gay TV characters". Gildemeister defended the PTC as being "not homophobic" but simply opposed to "sexual references or innuendo (of any variety, hetero, homo or other) aired where children might be exposed to them."
 * "Parenting and the Media" authored by Rod Gustafson, where he offers advice on parenting children who frequent the media.
 * "TV Trends" – Another column by Christopher Gildemeister, published since October 2007 intending to inform parents and TV viewers in general about what he determines to be "harmful or questionable prime-time programming." Hartford Courant television critic Roger Catlin quoted Gildemeister as criticizing ABC for having an "apparent fetish for transsexuals" in certain programs.
 * Former president Bozell's weekly entertainment column, which it links to within the home page

In 2000, PTC's report What a Difference a Decade Makes allegedly stated that there was an increase in profanity, sex, and violence on television during the 1990s. The report also claimed that references to homosexuality increased the most during that decade – by a factor of 24. In 2002, the PTC released a report claiming that there was an increase in profanity on network programming shown during the first hour of prime time. In a 2006 report titled Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, analyst Kristen Fyfe reported an increase in violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming. Among its results, based on research during summer 2005, the PTC stated that Teen Titans was the most violent program, and claimed Cartoon Network had the most violent incidents. Richard Huff of the New York Daily News criticized the report for misinterpreting an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "Sailor Mouth", over its intent to satirize profanity implicitly.

Following the 2005–06 television season, PTC issued a report Faith in a Box that analyzed depictions of religion in primetime television. The study stated that most positive references to religion were on reality shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, while claiming that scripted shows tended to be more negative towards it. The report also ranked Fox as the "most anti-religious network", followed by NBC, UPN, ABC, CBS, and the WB. In 2008, PTC published a report titled Happily Never After, using analysis of several primetime shows early in the 2007-2008 television season that asserted that extramarital sex was more favored on television shows during that time period. Ian O'Doherty of The Irish Independent asked regarding the PTC's marriage depiction study: "After all, would you rather watch people having fun or would you rather watch a realistic depiction of marriage, which ... would simply be an hour of two people sullenly chewing their food, pausing occasionally only to throw each other filthies and occasionally grumbling under their breath how the biggest regret of their life was ever setting eyes on you and that their mother was right all along?" PTC released a report in October 2009 stating that prime-time television shows on broadcast networks had twice as many depictions of violence against women in 2009 than in 2004.

In November 2010, the PTC released a study, Habitat for Profanity: Broadcast TV's Sharp Increase in Foul Language, which claims that there was a sharp rise in the usage of profanity between 2005 and 2010—during the 8 pm to 9 pm ET/PT time period commonly referred to them as the Family Viewing Hour, the PTC claimed that there were 111 instances of profanity during this hour in 2010 versus 10 in 2005; during all of prime time, 276 instances in 2010 against 11 in 2005. The study claimed that there was a 69.3% increase in prime time in general between 2005 and 2010, with the Fox network being heavily accused of bringing a 269% increase for the network during that period. The study also claimed instances in which there was profanity, but the offending word was bleeped out.

Entertainment reviews and analysis
The PTC's activities extend to evaluation, rating, and educating around broadcast TV programs according to a traffic light system across three categories of sex, violence and profanity, accumulating to an overall rating based on the ratings of these three categories. The guide has been in use since the 1995–96 season using the traffic light system. In the PTC's definition of its traffic light system, green light indicates that the program is "appropriate for all ages", a yellow light indicates that the program "would be unsuitable for children under the age of 14", and a red light indicates that the program is "appropriate for adult audiences only".

Every television season since 1995–96, the council has released a list of the best and worst prime-time television programs for family viewing. The PTC's website includes the guide from the 1996-97 season at the earliest. Starting with the 2005–2006 season, their list was based on their traffic light system as well as Nielsen Media Research ratings of viewership among children ages 2–17 of certain shows. Popular shows that have frequently been praised as the most family-friendly programs on television include George Lopez, 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel, Home Improvement, Family Matters, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, NBC Sunday Night Football, Deal or No Deal, and  Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Popular shows frequently named "Worst of the Season" include American Dad!, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, House, South Park, Two and a Half Men, Ally McBeal, Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy, The Drew Carey Show, Family Guy, Friends, The O.C., Spin City,  That '70s Show  and Will and Grace.

On a weekly basis, the PTC publishes reviews of what they consider to be the best and worst television programming for family viewing, authored by the various entertainment analysts at the council. Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, compared the PTC's frequent negative reviews of the series to "hate mail from Hitler" and "They're literally terrible human beings. I've read their newsletter, I've visited their website, and they're just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on 'Christian' values ... they spend their entire day hating people." MacFarlane became a target again when the PTC protested the Academy Awards' decision to have him host the 85th ceremony. "So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show?", the title being a play on the title of Fox television series So You Think You Can Dance, is a weekly column the PTC began in July 2007 to claim that networks inaccurately rate their shows based on the TV Parental Guidelines, whether the network applied the improper age-based rating (such as TV-PG or TV-14) or failed to include the proper content descriptors (such as "L" for language or "V" for violence).

Seal of Approval
To recognize excellence in the media, the Parents Television Council awards its Seal of Approval to television shows, movies, home products, and advertisers that provide or sponsor content it deems to be "family-friendly". It is divided into two categories: Entertainment and Advertiser. Popular television shows that have been awarded include 7th Heaven, American Idol, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Everybody Loves Raymond, George Lopez, JAG, Reba, Smallville, Touched by an Angel, The West Wing, The Wonderful World of Disney, and most recently, When Calls the Heart. Also receiving the Entertainment Seal of Approval are TiVo's KidZone television filtering service, The Jimmy Wilson Films Children's Adventure Series, the Sky Angel Christian television service, and the CleanFlicks DVD filtering product.

Broadcast indecency
In 2003, the PTC unsuccessfully campaigned for the FCC to take action against the NBC television network in response to the use of the word "fucking" by Bono, lead singer for the rock band U2, during the network's January 2003 telecast of the Golden Globe Awards. Among an audience of nearly 20 million, the FCC received only 234 complaints, 217 of which came from the PTC. In October 2003, the FCC decided not to fine NBC because Bono's obscenity was ruled as fleeting and not describing sexual or excretory functions, the FCC's standard for fining a network for indecency. After the PTC filed an Application for Review to the FCC, in March 2004 the FCC decided that the word was indecent by law but still decided not to fine NBC; however, the ruling was to serve as a warning to networks that there would be a "zero tolerance" policy towards obscene language willfully used during the daytime. However, the PTC's complaints about profanity used by presenter Nicole Richie in the December 10, 2003 broadcast of the Billboard Music Awards led the FCC to conclude that the language violated decency law.

The PTC began attracting more attention after it filed around 65,000 complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, in which one of performer Janet Jackson's nipple shielded breasts, was exposed for 9/16ths of a second. FCC chairman Michael Powell stated that the number of indecency complaints to the FCC had risen from 350 in the years 2000 and 2001, to 14,000 in 2002 and 240,000 in 2003. It was also found that the PTC had generated most of the indecency complaints received by the Federal Communications Commission. In July 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit voided the fine.

After the halftime show, the PTC launched five more FCC complaint drives, starting March 2004 with an episode of Fox's That '70s Show titled "Happy Jack", which revolved around character Eric Forman being caught masturbating. The beginning of the 2004–2005 television season sparked four new campaigns, the first being against NBC's animated series Father of the Pride, stating that it contained a "barrage of sexual innuendo and profanity" while being promoted "from the creators of Shrek", which they felt would potentially attract children to watching the series. That campaign led to over 11,000 email complaints to the FCC. Later, shortly after CBS broadcast the word "fuck" during an airing of Big Brother 5, the PTC took action again, this time claiming that CBS ignored a warning from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that there would be zero tolerance toward unbleeped profanity. However, those complaints became moot when Viacom, then-owners of CBS, settled with the FCC for $3.5 million regarding all allegedly indecent programming broadcast in the years around 2003 and 2004, including the Big Brother 5 episode in question. In March 2006, the FCC ruled that Father of the Pride was not indecent. Following were complaints about an October 2004 episode of ABC's short-lived teen drama Life As We Know It, which the PTC felt was sexually charged.

The PTC started off 2005 with their campaign against the Without a Trace episode "Our Sons and Daughters", leading to CBS being fined for indecency in March 2006; the PTC objected to the depiction of teenagers participating in an orgy in that episode. CBS argued that the episode "featured an important and socially relevant storyline warning parents to exercise greater supervision of their teenagers." The FCC fined CBS $3.63 million in March 2006 for this episode, but after a court settlement, the network agreed to pay $300,000 in fines. At the end of January 2005, the FCC rejected a set of complaints that PTC filed between October 2001 and February 2004 for allegedly indecent programs such as NBC's Friends, the WB's Gilmore Girls, and Fox's The Simpsons. The FCC received complaints from the PTC in the summer over an unedited broadcast of the lyric "who the fuck are you?" in The Who's song "Who Are You" from the Live 8 concert broadcast July 2, 2005 on ABC stations on the East Coast.

In 2006, PTC requested that the FCC deny broadcast license renewal for Salt Lake City CBS station KUTV because they felt that the broadcast of the Without a Trace episode that was ruled indecent violated community standards and that CBS failed to take action to reduce indecent content following the FCC fines. Subsequently, CBS agreed to pay the FCC $300,000 to settle the KUTV license challenge. Starting from December 2007, the organization demanded that CBS cancel its plan to rebroadcast an edited version of the Showtime drama Dexter, whose title character was a serial killer and police forensics analyst, because it felt that the program would glorify murder even with the edits. By early February 2008, the Council claimed to have collected 17,000 complaints to CBS.

On January 25, 2008, the FCC proposed an estimated $1.4 million fine against ABC for a scene of female nudity in the NYPD Blue episode "Nude Awakening" aired on February 25, 2003. Because the episode aired outside the indecency "safe harbor" in the Central and Mountain Time Zones, the fine applied only to ABC stations in those zones. The PTC praised the FCC's action. However, PTC president Winter condemned ABC's decision to appeal the fine in federal court. PTC has also criticized the Third Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to void the FCC's fine for the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. TV series that the PTC has targeted for FCC complaints in 2008 have included NBC's Today morning show and CBS primetime programs Big Brother 10, Survivor: Gabon, and Two and a Half Men. Profanity was the main concern for Today and Big Brother 10,  the extremely brief exposure of contestant Marcus Lehman's penis for Survivor: Gabon, and a "lap-dance" scene for Two and a Half Men. The PTC's first complaint in 2009 was over sexual content in an episode of Family Guy titled "Family Gay". Later in 2009, the PTC urged affiliates of The CW to pre-empt a Gossip Girl episode to be aired November 9; the episode would reportedly contain a threesome scene. In response to Adam Lambert's performance of his song "For Your Entertainment" at the end of the 2009 American Music Awards broadcast on ABC, PTC urged viewers to complain to the FCC if living in an area where the performance was shown before 10 p.m. local time. PTC complained that the performance contained a simulation of oral sex. Lambert's performance reportedly was broadcast around 11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time, "outside the FCC's usual 6am-10pm time frame prohibiting the broadcast of indecent material". ABC also received about 1,500 telephoned complaints.

In January 2010, the PTC launched a complaint campaign after the American Dad! episode "Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth" aired in January 2010. The FCC fined Fox $25,000 on June 4, stating that they failed to respond to an inquiry of 100,000 complaints about the episode. A month later, Fox slammed the decision, claiming that it was "unconstitutional". On May 20, 2010, the PTC announced that it plans to target CBS and its affiliates after the network announced that the new sitcom $#*! My Dad Says was added to the 2010-2011 fall TV lineup. The PTC cites both the show's title and its Thursday 8:30 pm timeslot as reasons. The series is based on the popular Twitter account created by Justin Halpern, who also served as one of the co-producers on the show. CBS defended its decision and said that it was working with the account's creator and its content was toned down for the program before the series premiere in September.

In October 2010, the PTC targeted an episode of the Fox series Glee, stating that the episode featured outfits that were scantily clad and guest-star Britney Spears going shopping in lingerie, calling it, "an endorsement of narcotics abuse, public masturbation, and school-sanctioned burlesque." They were also criticizing it for making an episode idolizing Britney in the first place, stating: "Perhaps most troubling is the deification of a troubled popstar into a symbol of empowerment and self-esteem." On October 20, PTC criticized GQ magazine for featuring three Glee stars posing in risque outfits; the PTC statement said that the photoshoot "borders on pedophilia."

In January 2011, the PTC called on the United States Department of Justice and the Judiciary Committees of both houses of Congress to investigate whether MTV violated child pornography laws in casting teenaged actors in Skins, a remake of the British TV series of the same name. MTV rated Skins "TV-MA", meaning the show is not suitable for audiences under 17. The Los Angeles Times responded in an editorial: "...looking for government remedies is ineffective and unwise; we suspect the network's editors are smart enough to skirt prosecution. The Federal Communications Commission doesn't regulate the content of cable networks, and even if it did, a crackdown on shows like "Skins" would be a bad idea, because adults should be able to watch whatever they like on cable and federal attempts to protect kids from adult programming have never been successful."

In August 2020, the PTC requested that Netflix remove the film Cuties from its streaming service.

Advertising
In May 2005 Carl's Jr. introduced its "Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger" in a television advertisement featuring celebrity Paris Hilton in a swimsuit, soaping up a Bentley Arnage while leaning on it, and then eating the burger. A similar ad with Hilton for Hardee's hamburger chain was aired in June 2005. The Parents Television Council and other media watchdog groups criticized the commercial for being shown during programs that were very likely to be watched by children. Melissa Caldwell, PTC research director, said, "This commercial is basically soft-core porn. The way she moves, the way she puts her finger in her mouth—it's very suggestive and very titillating." The group mobilized more than one million members to contact the restaurant chain and voice their concern and claimed that "[i]f this television commercial were to go unchallenged it would set a new standard for acceptable television commercial content." Caldwell, then-president Bozell, and then-executive director Winter appeared on various news programs such as Good Morning America, Today, The Early Show, American Morning, and The O'Reilly Factor to discuss this issue. Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr., says the group needs to "get a life ... This isn't Janet Jackson—there is no nipple shield in this," referring to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime-show controversy. He continued, "There is no nudity, there is no sex act — it's a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car." In addition to featuring the ad on their web site, Carl's Jr. also set up another website playing a longer version of the commercial.

PTC accused television commercials for Hardee's "biscuit holes" food product of suggesting double entendres. The commercial featured consumers suggesting "A-holes" and "B-holes" as nicknames for the biscuit holes. Boddie-Noell Enterprises, which owned 350 Hardee's restaurants in four states, refused to show the ads in its respective markets. Ben Mayo Boddie, chairman of Boddie-Noell, wrote a letter to the PTC condemning the ads as well.

World Wrestling Federation campaign and lawsuit
In 1999, the PTC launched a campaign against the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), complaining that their SmackDown! program contained levels of sexuality and violence unbecoming prime time programming. In the campaign, Bozell said that four children had been killed by peers emulating professional wrestling moves learned from the program. With these allegations, Bozell and various PTC members began meeting with representatives of the advertising departments of various companies that advertised on SmackDown! to persuade them to withdraw sponsorship. The PTC also suggested that between 30 and 40 advertisers had pulled their commercials from WWF programming, an assertion that was not true.

On November 9, 2000, the WWF filed a lawsuit against the PTC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming that the PTC's statements were false and constituted defamation. The WWF also filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the PTC for using clips from WWF programs in their promotional videos. The PTC filed for dismissal of the suit, but on May 24, 2001, U.S. district court Judge Denny Chin denied the PTC's motion on the basis that the WWF's lawsuit had merit. The PTC and the WWF settled out of court and, as part of the settlement agreement, the PTC paid the WWF $3.5 million USD and Bozell issued a public apology, stating that it was wrong to blame the World Wrestling Federation or any of its programs for the deaths of children and that the original statements had been based on what was later found to be false information designed by people close to the Lionel Tate case to blame the death of Tiffany Eunick on the WWF.

The PTC would be satirized in WWF programming by The Right to Censor, a group of heels led by Steven Richards who objected to rowdy, risqué, and "hardcore" activities.

In-flight entertainment
In September 2007, the PTC launched a campaign to get airlines in America to reduce the number of "PG-13" and "R"-rated films shown as in-flight entertainment. Consequently, Heath Shuler, Democratic representative of North Carolina, introduced the Family Friendly Flights Act of 2007 bill to require airlines to set aside "child-safe" viewing areas for families to sit in planes. The bill never became law.

YouTube
Twice has the PTC targeted video-hosting website YouTube in its campaigns and statements. PTC called for NBC to reconsider uploading the uncensored clip of the Saturday Night Live novelty song "Dick in a Box" on NBC's site and YouTube channel. In 2008, the PTC released a report The "New" Tube: A Content Analysis of YouTube—the Most Popular Online Video Destination, which praised YouTube for filtering adult content but criticized the site for not filtering profanity and other explicit content from comments sections or videos.

Ethics controversy
In October 2010, The New York Times reported that former PTC vice president of development Patrick W. Salazar had accused PTC of mishandling hundreds of thousands of mailings to donors and members. Based on Internal Revenue Service filings, the American Institute of Philanthropy rated PTC "C+" on financial efficiency. Salazar also disputed the PTC's official membership figure of 1.3 million and estimated that at most 12,000 people respond to annual fundraisers. Although Salazar stated that he left the PTC in November 2009, the PTC said that it fired Salazar and that Salazar was trying to extort money from the organization.

Other
The PTC also criticized The Muppets for not meeting "family viewing" guidelines and suggested a boycott, based on the mockumentary format of the series including mentions of plastic surgery, "inside" business language being used in a crude manner, and the Muppets in a bar consuming alcoholic beverages.

The PTC also criticized WE tv's Sex Box, deeming it "an affront to families, toxic to advertisers, and a clear demonstration of a badly-broken business model that forces every cable/satellite subscriber to pay for unwanted and unwatched cable networks."

Viewpoints
On its website, PTC states that its mission is to "promote and restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry in answer to America's demand for positive, family-oriented television programming." The PTC believes that the entertainment industry—not only television but also music, movies, and video games as well—and its sponsors share responsibility with parents for children's television viewing habits. It therefore believes that television is harming children through a perceived "gratuitous" amount of sex, violence, and profanity. Its activism has influenced the removal of potentially objectionable content from certain shows, such as the fourth season of the popular CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Increased government regulation of broadcasting is another viewpoint supported by PTC. PTC considers itself nonpartisan; others have considered the PTC to be bipartisan or socially conservative. Robyn Blumner of the St. Petersburg Times called the PTC "the Gladys Kravitz of public advocacy" in a column of hers and believed the PTC supported a federal policy on broadcast decency she called "Big Nanny run amok".

TV Parental Guidelines
Since the introduction of the TV Parental Guidelines ratings system, the PTC has frequently accused the guidelines of having inaccuracy and low standards. In 1997, PTC was twice as likely to rate a show with the toughest rating classification, "red light" in the PTC's case, and "TV-14" in the Guidelines. Bill Berkowitz quoted PTC president Bozell as stating, based on PTC research, that "the current ratings system and V-chip are failures." In response to a V-Chip advertising campaign in the summer of 2006, Bozell proposed instead that cable companies either apply FCC-style broadcast television standards or offer choice in ordering channels. Television Watch considers PTC's reporting on the V-chip inaccurate and ideologically charged.

Cable choice
The PTC is an avid supporter of "a la carte" cable television services to allow families to choose only the cable television channels that are appropriate for their children, and also impose the same decency standards already in place on broadcast television on cable channels. Frequently, the council has criticized programs on BET, Comedy Central, E!, FX, MTV, Spike, TNT, and VH1 because they claim some of the content aired on those channels is inappropriate for younger viewers. On the other side of the issue, the PTC has awarded its "Seal of Approval" to cable networks Disney Channel and Hallmark Channel for their original programs several years ago.

On June 14, 2007, United States Representatives Dan Lipinski (Democratic, Illinois) and Jeff Fortenberry (Republican, Nebraska) introduced into legislation the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which intends to allow families to choose and pay for only the cable television channels that they want to watch. In September 2007, the PTC launched a new website, HowCableShouldBe.com, to allow cable customers to see how much they are paying for their monthly cable bill currently.

In August 2013, the PTC released a statement criticizing MTV for the airing of a performance by Miley Cyrus during its Video Music Awards and urged Congress to pass the Television Consumer Freedom Act.

Popular music
In April 2008, PTC released The Rap on Rap, a study covering hip-hop and R&B music videos rotated on programs 106 & Park and Rap City, both shown on BET, and Sucker Free on MTV. PTC urged advertisers to withdraw sponsorship of those programs, whose videos PTC stated targeted children and teenagers "with adult content ... once every 38 seconds". PTC also warned radio stations about playing the Britney Spears song "If U Seek Amy" over concerns it contained an audible use of an obscenity. In response to the music video to Miley Cyrus' song "Who Owns My Heart", the PTC stated that it felt it was "unfortunate that she would participate in such a sexualized video like this one"; ironically, Miley Cyrus' father Billy Ray Cyrus sat on the PTC Advisory Board at the time.

In May 2011, the PTC took issue with Rihanna's music video for her song "Man Down." In the video Rihanna portrays a woman who resorts to killing the man who had previously raped her. They claimed the video promoted gun crime and murder, while the pop star said she wanted to be a voice to victims. After the video became the most viewed YouTube video that week, she sarcastically used Twitter to thank the PTC in helping her make the video such a success.

Criticism
The PTMC has been frequently criticized for hypocrisy, slanted reporting and only criticizing shows that are aimed at adults. Critics of the PTMC have alleged that it supports increased governmental censorship of television by lobbying the FCC for indecency enforcement for certain television shows and inaccurately reporting on the V-Chip in order to further their agenda.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who is frequently criticized by the PTMC, said in The Advocate

"Oh, yeah. That's like getting hate mail from Hitler. They're literally terrible human beings. I've read their newsletter, I've visited their website, and they're just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Christian values—I mean, I'm an atheist, so what do I know?—they spend their entire day hating people. They can all suck my dick as far as I'm concerned."

Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons of Anarchy responded to Bozell's article that attacked the season 6 premiere of his show due to it including a school shooting scene, calling the PTC "a hate club" and Bozell an "idiot" as well as "a pathetic fucking douchebag and I bet your own kids fucking hate you.”

In January 2005, Bahçeşehir University associate professor Christian Christiansen questioned the backgrounds of certain PTC Advisory Board members, contending they are not consistent with their stance on morality. Christiansen's observations were as follows: L. Brent Bozell III as 'National Finance Chairman for the 1992 "Buchanan for President" campaign' of "neo-fascist Pat Buchanan"; Susan Howard's portrayal of adulterous Donna Culver Krebbs on TV series Dallas, which series "was soaked in scantily-clad women, emotional cruelty, violence, alcoholism, and marital infidelity"; Coleman Luck as 'writer and producer' ... 'on Otherworld,The Equalizer, Gabriel's Fire, Matrix, and The Burning Zone [which] ... included a fair amount of death and violence'; William Bennett as "a popular guest at a number of Las Vegas casinos"; Bruce Jarchow appearing in "less family-friendly products... such as The Puppet Masters, Mad Dog and Glory and Married... with Children; Billy Ray Cyrus, who starred in Mulholland Drive made by filmmaker David Lynch; and John Carvelli, 'who, in 1987, "took part in a fact-finding mission in Nicaragua and Honduras with the National Conservative Foundation during the Nicaraguan civil war."'

In a December 2005 column of his, Advertising Age columnist Simon Dumenco claimed that the PTC is "very very afraid of gay TV characters". Culture Watch columnist Christopher Gildemeister defended the PTC as being "not homophobic" but simply opposed to "sexual references or innuendo (of any variety, hetero, homo or other) aired where children might be exposed to them."

title: Parents Television and Media Council


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Physical event

Physical event
Original research at best. Denni ☯ 01:51, 2004 Dec 7 (UTC)
 * Philosophical excrementum bovinum at worst. Delete. Inky 02:48, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete: DCEdwards1966 03:39, Dec 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete: Deep Thoughts. I love that people ask the big questions.  I hate that they can't be bothered to investigate what other people have said about those questions.  It's like all those poets who have never read any poetry.  Geogre 03:54, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. This page is of no value. Jacob1207 21:22, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete Ghastly. Wyss 21:55, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. What a load of pseudoscientific farttoilet. Anthony Appleyard 23:18, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. what?!?? - Trick 09:13, 12 Dec 2004 (UTC)

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Rer Bare people

The Reer Barre (or Rer Shabelle) are a tribe in the Gedo region of Ethiopia-Ogaden region on the Shabele River, near Somalia, who currently speak Somali. They are hardworking people, historically farmers, and small number of them are pastoralist, they mostly keep cows and goats and are residents of eastern cities of Ethiopia like Jijiga, Gode, Kelafo, Far-libah, Feerfeer, Mustahiil, and more cities and towns in different parts of Ethiopia. They are a large family who also have large population in Shabelle region, Somalia. Reer means "family" and Barre is a name, altogether meaning "Barre family". They are descendants of Barre Abdille.

Language and origins
Their unattested but apparently non-Somali language seems to have been first mentioned in print by Lionel Bender in 1975:

"D. W. Mcclure, Sr. first reported to me the presence of Sudanese immigrants on the Wabi Shebelle River at Gode in the eastern Ogaden. They are said to have their own language, bearing the given name [Rerebere]. Later Taye Reya informed me that Sudanese immigrants are found along the Ganale and Dawa Rivers as well, and that they are referred to by the Somali as rer bare (rer means sub-tribe in Somali.) They are also known as adona, and they speak Somali as well as their own language... I cannot say with certainty whether they speak one or more languages of what any of them is... So far no linguistic data has come my way."

Others have linked the Reer Barre to the Bantu language family, implying that they may be the remnants of a Bantu-speaking pre-Somali population or, like the "Somali Bantu" in the Jubba River valley of southern Somalia, the descendants of Bantu slaves imported from other parts of East Africa in the 19th century. Tobias Hagmann refers to them as "Somalised Bantu". According to Ulrich Braukämper:

"The Adonē, a dark-skinned Somali-speaking population on the banks of the Wabi Shäbälle, are obviously the offspring of Bantu slaves who settled and expanded there since the 19th century."

A British hunter, Colonel Swayne, who visited Imi in February 1893, relates that he was the guest of Gabba Oboho, a chief of the Adona, for several days.

title: Rer Bare people


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Jacqueline Mars

Jacqueline Mars (born October 10, 1939) is an American heiress and investor. She is the daughter of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars, Sr., and the granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, founders of the American candy company Mars, Incorporated. As of November 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated her net worth at US$46.6 billion, ranking her the 23rd-richest person in the world. In the annual ranking of the richest women in the world in 2023, Forbes estimated her fortune at $38.3 billion and placed her in fourth place.

Early life
Jacqueline Mars was born on October 10, 1939. She was graduated from Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Mars participated as an equestrian in many horse shows during her youth. She is a 1961 graduate of Bryn Mawr College and her degree is in anthropology.

Career
Mars is an heiress among the members of the Mars family that founded and owns Mars Incorporated, holding shares in the company. As a member of the family, her shares of Mars, Inc. and other assets were estimated by Forbes magazine in April 2024 to be worth $38.5 billion, making her the 19th richest American, and #34 on its list of "The World's Billionaires". Mars was active in Mars, Inc. from 1982, when she joined the company as food product group president. She spent the majority of her time working for the Mars Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit supported by the company. She retired in 2001. In June 2019, Forbes listed her as the wealthiest resident living in Virginia, with an estimated $28.1 billion net worth.

Personal life
Mars married David H. Badger in 1961. They had three children: Alexandra Badger born 1967 (age 24), Stephen M. Badger born c. 1969 (age 55), and Christa M. Badger born c. 1975 (age 49). She divorced Badger in 1984.

She married Harold 'Hank' Vogel in 1986, with whom she resided in Bedminster, New Jersey. They divorced in 1994.

Mars, like her siblings, is known for living frugally and avoiding the public eye.

Mars is a trustee of the U.S. Equestrian Team. She owns a working organic farm that is protected in perpetuity by the Land Trust of Virginia.

2013 automobile crash
On October 4, 2013, at the age of 74, Mars was involved in a car crash on U.S. Route 50 in Aldie, near her home in The Plains in Northern Virginia. Her vehicle crossed the highway center line and struck a Chrysler minivan carrying six passengers. One person died at the scene and another, who was pregnant, subsequently miscarried. Mars was charged with reckless driving. She told a witness after the crash that she had fallen asleep at the wheel. Mars subsequently pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, with tests having revealed no drugs, alcohol, or medications in her system that could have caused a blackout.

Philanthropy
She sits on the board of directors for both the Washington National Opera and the National Sporting Library and Fine Arts Museum. Mars also sits on the National Advisory Council of the Journey through Hallowed Ground, a foundation promoting American heritage in the region stretching from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson that is situated just outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mars is a routine donor to the League of Conservation Voters. She has also donated to the National Air and Space Museum, the Washington Performing Arts Society. She received the inaugural Heritage Award granted by the Foundation for the National Archives.

In 2021, she made a $1.25 million donation to help house "Angels Unawares", a sculpture by Timothy Schmalz, at The Catholic University of America.

title: Jacqueline Mars


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title: User talk:192.42.153.225


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John Franklyn Mars

John Franklyn Mars (born October 15, 1935) is an American businessman and heir. He is the chairman of Mars, Inc. As of November 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at US$46.4 billion, ranking him the 24th-richest person in the world (tied with his sister Jacqueline).

Early life
John Franklyn Mars was born on October 15, 1935. He is the son of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars, Sr., and grandson of Frank C. Mars, founders of the American candy company Mars, Incorporated. Mars graduated from the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut in 1953 and Yale University.

Career
As a member of the Mars family, his share of the company and other assets were worth US$10 billion in September 2010, making him then the 52nd-richest person in the world and the 26th-richest person in America, according to Forbes. As of October 2012, Mars was listed as the 30th-richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $20.1 billion.

According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2015, he was 28th richest person in the world with a net worth of US$26 billion. In 2016, his net worth went up to $29 billion, and he became then the 19th-richest person in the world.

In January 2017, he paid $7.7 billion for VCA, Inc, a pet care company.

Personal life
He married Adrienne Bevis in June 1958. They have three children: Linda Anne Mars born May 23, 1960, Frank Edward Mars born March 13, 1963, and Michael John Mars born November 22, 1967.

He formerly lived in Fairfax County, Virginia but now resides in Jackson, Wyoming. In the 2010 to 2014 Forbes rankings of personal wealth, Mars was the highest ranked person whose photograph was unavailable to the magazine.

In March 2015, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him an honorary knighthood at Windsor Castle.

title: John Franklyn Mars


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Dog aggression

Dog aggression expressed by dogs is considered to be normal behaviour and various types of aggression are influenced by a dog's environment and genetic predisposition. Dogs commonly display possessive aggression when defending resources or themselves.

Canine aggression may be influenced by a dog's age, sex, health and reproductive status. Canine aggression is one of the most serious behavior problems in animal behavioral medical science. Aggression in canines is particularly important because a dog's sharp teeth can result in serious injuries, or even fatalities in the young or frail.

The determinants for each type of aggression are different, but there are specific factors that are common to canine aggression. The types of aggression include dominance aggression, defensive aggression, predatory aggression and maternal aggression. Aggression in canines may be a self-defense response to a person or animal entering a dog's space, which may be ritualized aggression, not actual aggression, if the violation includes a threat. Aggressive behavior in scared dogs is typically not true aggression but rather ritualized behavior intended to avoid physical altercation by way of faking aggression rather than actual aggression, anxiety disorder, diet, gut microbiome or genetic background. Some aggression can be treated through animal behaviour therapy or avoided by proper socialization during puppyhood.

Dominance aggression
1) Punishing dogs has been associated with a strong likelihood of new or increased aggression and other behavior problems; 2) dominance in pet dogs is not a character trait of a dog but rather a power agreement between dogs regarding who has best access to particular resources; and 3) the behavior of dogs controlling access to resources is fluid, not static, depending on context. There is also data suggesting that the concept of spoiling a dog is often a misnomer, that this perceived spoiling is often a matter of meeting the dog's emotional and physical needs.

Defensive aggression
Defensive aggression, also known as fear aggression or avoidance-motivated aggression, occurs when an individual approaches and interacts with a human-avoidant dog. The dog might first try to flee, but may resort to aggressive behavior if cornered, as a means to try to defend itself from a real or perceived threat. The dog displays aggressive behavior in an attempt to avoid a real or perceived negative consequence, such as to avoid pain. Dogs may display a multitude of behaviors leading up to an attack including fear and stress signals, defensive posturing, facial expressions, or no signals at all. Signals are generally different for self-defensive dogs versus those who are truly aggressive, as in competitive aggression.

Tortora in 1983 experimented with a shock therapy to retrain avoidance-motivated aggressive dogs to condition them with safety cues, a process which he called Safety Training. He wrote that this therapy, when successful, had long-term benefit for the dog and its owners.

Predatory aggression
Predatory aggression is usually seen as part of the prey drive sequence starting with a visual or auditory trigger followed by chase, capture and kill. Predatory aggression is impacted by anxious influences, which results in the expression of affective aggression. This type of aggression is caused by sympathetic system activation and is non-affective. Based on a study that examines the predatory aggression in German shepherd dogs, this type of aggression is rarely displayed by dogs. However, if it does occur, it is usually directed towards unfamiliar dogs. Furthermore, predatory behavior activates reward centers in the central nervous system. According to Gonzalo and colleagues, this type of behavior is rewarding and therefore difficult to change. Predatory aggression is displayed by mature and intact males and this type of aggression results in serious damage to others. It includes actions such as chasing, biting, catching and may involve death or injury.

Maternal aggression
Maternal aggression is displayed by mothers when they are approached and particularly when their offspring are young. This type of aggression is linked to pain such as in cases of mastitis. Oxytocin plays an important role in the early bonding between the mother and her offspring. Dogs with maternal aggressiveness are protective of their offspring and nest. The change in hormone is linked to lactation, and the mothers can change the dogs' perception and assessment. Maternal aggression may lead to bites or other attacks. Maternal aggressiveness affects the growth and socialization of puppies. Furthermore, this type of aggression may stem from unstable social environments. Maternal dogs are very protective of their puppies and their aggressive tendencies decreases as their offspring grow up and they are able to defend themselves.

Gut microbiome
The gut microbiome is linked to numerous health problems such as diarrhea and bowel disease, which results in pain and can possibly lead to aggression. The gut microbiome affects the affective disorders such as anxiety, which contribute to canine aggression. Based on a study carried out by Kirchoff and colleagues, the composition of gut microbiome differs on the basis of aggressive and non-aggressive assessments. In this study, the researchers tested rescued dogs that possessed aggressive and non aggressive behavior. The dogs were tested in the same environment, ate the same diet, and were consistent breed type, but variation was still present in the gut microbiome. The results of this study show the difference and abundance in lineages in aggressive and non-aggressive groups, indicating that an aggressive dog displays physiological conditions in their gut, which affects the composition of the gut microbiome. It also shows that the gut microbiome is associated with aggressive behavior. Lactobacillus are present in the guts of dogs that exhibit aggressive behavior, even though strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus reduce stress and anxiety in mice. However, Fusobacterium is present in the stool sample of dogs that display non-aggressive behavior, even though it is known to evoke pro-inflammatory effects of gut microbiome.

Anxiety
Some aggression stems from generalized anxiety. The dog cannot determine the difference between a legitimate and false threat. Some signs of anxiety include dilated pupils, constant yawning and lip licking, ears pulled back, trembling, tail tucked and lowered body or head. An anxious dog may pace or be unable to relax even when there is no threat present.

Anxiety screening was used in behavioral evaluation of children-directed aggressive behavior in dogs and according to Reisner and colleagues, 77% of animals displayed abnormalities. Aggressive behavior in dogs is often associated with fear, the separation from their owner, or noise sensitivity, all of which may result in or contribute to anxiety disorder.

Fear
In a study that examines the prevalence, comorbidity, and behavioral variation in canine anxiety, owners of fearful dogs reported that their dogs demonstrate behaviors they consider aggressive, such as barking and growling, to strangers and other dogs. The owners of 673 dogs noted that their dogs express fear by barking, and growling. The presence of aggression in dogs is associated with defense mechanism. Based on this study, there was an increase in bites towards strangers and familiar people when the self-defense response was not heeded, such as by cornering an avoidant dog. However, Abrantes points out that aggressive behavior in dogs is behavior that causes pain or injury, and HSUS explains that barking and growling are normal communicative behaviors for dogs not necessarily indicative of aggression.

Breed, socialization, and health status
It is important to recognize that aggression is displayed more in certain breeds, which indicates the influence of genetic background on aggression in dogs. According to Roll and Unshelm, German Shepherd dogs and Bull Terriers are more likely to display violent behavior to others. Voith and Borchelt found that higher incidences of aggressive behavior were displayed in purebred dogs when compared with mixed breed dogs. Often, aggression in adult dogs is usually a result of little to no contact in early life. In other words, as a result of missed early socialization, a dog will not know how to interact with others, how to follow rules or how to adapt to new environments. Aggressive behavior is more prominent in intact males when compared with neutered males and in sterilized females than intact females. According to Hoerlein, the removal of a male's testicles has significant impact on aggressive and dominant males. Neoplasia of the central nervous system, infectious diseases, developmental and metabolic disorders may impact aggression in dogs. Many of these illnesses can cause aggressive and violent behavior, especially when located in the frontal cortex, the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the amygdaloid body, the medial mammillary, the nucleus, the habenular nuclei, the hippocampus and the caudate nucleus.

Gonadectomy
Gonadectomy is used to treat aggressive behavior of dogs. Farhoody and colleagues carried out a study to determine the impact of gonadectomy on the aggressive behavior of dogs using the Canine Behavioral Assessment Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). According to the data collected, gonadectomized dogs between the ages of 7 and 12 months were more likely to be aggressive to strangers.

Furthermore, gonadectomized dogs of all ages do not display violent behavior to familiar people or strangers. The data does not show that gonadectomy prevent or treat aggressive behavior of dogs.

Based on McMillan and colleagues’ research, aggressive behavior was prominent in dogs obtained from pet stores. Guy and colleagues found that environmental factors directly contributed to aggression in dogs. For instance, a dog that lives in a home with an adolescent or has a skin disorder is more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior to familiar people and strangers.

Roll and Unshelm believed that the reason for buying or adopting a dog was a significant factor that correlated with aggression. They also argued that the relationship between the owner and dog determined whether or not the dog would exhibit aggressive behavior. For instance, the owner's attitude towards training, or physical mistreatment endured by the dog at the hands of the owner resulted in aggressive behavior towards others. Many factors impact the aggressive behavior displayed by dogs.

Reactivity to stimuli
According to Arata and colleagues, reactivity to stimuli is involved in various types of aggression. The researchers used a questionnaire survey to assess approximately 5000 dogs of 17 breeds. In this study, a factor analysis was used to extract five consistent factors in 14 of the 17 breeds. Using 14 behavioral items, the researchers were able to see the consistent presence of these factors in dogs, indicating that these factors are linked to canine aggression.

The collected data and the established factor system indicated that the French Bulldog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Golden Retriever, and Labrador Retriever did not display aggressive behavior. However, the Chihuahua and Miniature Dachshund were more aggressive and more likely to chase others.

Based on this study, reactivity to stimuli was linked to owner-directed aggressive behavior in 13 different breeds, child-directed aggressive behavior in eight different breeds, stranger-directed aggressive behavior in nine breeds and dog-directed aggressive behavior in five breeds. In this study, dogs that are highly reactive to stimuli were either uneasy and reacted to all movements or less engaged and overreacted to unexpected stimuli.

The association between canine aggression and sociability with humans and likeliness to chase were examined. Sociability with humans was linked to child-, stranger-, and dog-directed aggressive behavior in more than seven breeds. Moreover, likeliness to chase was primarily linked to dog-directed aggressive behavior in 10 breeds and dogs that were more likely to chase smaller animals displayed aggressive behavior when interacting with other dogs. Reactivity to stimuli was proven to be an underlying temperamental factor that leads to canine aggression.

Other work has detailed how external stimuli significantly influences the experience of dog walking, sometimes “extracting a considerable social and emotional toll” for dog walkers.

Treatment
Treatment differs for each circumstance, and treatment plans are based heavily on the type of aggression. Based on Judith Blackshaw's study, dogs exhibited dominance aggression towards familiar people and therefore suggested obedience training as the proper treatment. According to a study conducted in 1983 by Tortora, avoidance based aggression was treated by conditioning the dog to a safety tone, this resulted in a complete elimination of the aggressive behavior for the duration of the dogs lives. Aggression can also be reduced in adult dogs during their socialization period as a puppy. Studies show that exposing puppies to their new owners and homing before 8 weeks can drastically reduce aggression later in life. However, it is still imperative for an owner to train their dog every day for a minimum of 10 minutes. More specifically, it is recommended for males to be neutered as this ensures that inherited aggression will not be passed on. It is suggested to use synthetic progestins with castration to reduce and eliminate aggressive behavior in dogs. Predatory and intermale aggression is inherent and related to testosterone secretion and as a result restrain, castration and the use of progestins are essential in reducing aggression in dogs. Some studies suggest that aversive means of control and training contribute to new and increased aggression rather than reduce it.

title: Dog aggression