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CNN story on Hillary Clinton is
laughable
Let the smearing begin. This is not even news - which makes you wonder why I'm writing about it - but CNN considers it news, so I just have to comment on that. The "news" is that Sandy Berger may be giving Hillary Clinton advice in her campaign as a presidential candidate. Berger pled guilty to removing documents from the National Archives building in 2005, stuffing docs from the 9/11 archives into his pants. The whole reason for this story is that Berger has been a friend of the Clinton family for decades. Which has to do with - what? Have any of your friends done anything you've disagreed with, ever? "Sandy Berger is a longtime friend but he has no official role in the campaign. Like many people he offers advice, but he has no official role in the campaign," Phil Singer, a Clinton Campaign Spokesman told CNN. Then CNN has to follow it up with, "what that unofficial role is remains unclear." Reaching much? I'm not saying I like or dislike Hillary, but can't you imagine that if you were in her shoes, you'd have thousands of people offering unsolicited advice? Everyone thinks they know what works. Of course he has probably offered his two cents, if they've had contact recently. So what? Who cares? Does that mean she'll be stuffing her bra with confidential information? No! Then they have some toupee'd-up guy from the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, saying, "The real risk for Democrats with Hillary Clinton has always been, not so much her personality, as her past. And her past is inextricably tied to her husband's administration, and all of the problems experienced in the 1990's." Say what? What problems? Her attempt to fix the health care system? The fact that we were actually friends with countries abroad, instead of being sneered at? "All of the problems experienced in the 1990's?" Well my God, I am suing her for the bangs I was sporting. |
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Dancing with the Stars weekly
commentary
This week on Dancing with the Stars, Wayne Newton - who, no offense, Wayne-iacs, but he needs to stop having plastic surgery!! - got the boot for his less than stellar mustachioed performance on the dance floor with Cheryl Burke. Has he always looked like that? He has this lively gleam in his eye, but close-ups on his face were very unflattering. And not in an older man way, but in a too-much-nipped-and-tucked way. The Las Vegas showman then, strangely enough, thanked his wife, children, and his agent upon his dismissal, as if it were an awards show. We're gunning for two people to leave next, both men: Mark Cuban, who appears to be trying hard but just doesn't seem to have it, and Cameron Mathison, who just plain bores us. Surprisingly, though, it was another man who was in the bottom two this week: boxer Floyd Mayweather, who we thought is both entertaining and talented in his spins around the floor with Karina Smirnoff. Also still in the competition are Cameron Mathison from "All My Children," who kind of bores us, Jane Seymour (who scored sympathy points from judges for the tango she dedicated to her mother, who passed away last week), Marie Osmond, Helio Castroneves, Jennie Garth, Sabrina Bryan (we liked her jive!), and Mel B. Jennie Garth looks like she's lost a lot of weight already in the competition, and her tango was hot! (Though not as hot as her hubby Peter Facinelli in the audience - whoo-wee!) And Mel B., who totally nailed her jive this week, is one of our favorites to watch. Did you hear her saying, "Nine, nine, nine-na-nine-na-nine!" to her partner Maksim? She has that lovely accent and when she speaks it sounds like a new pop song - plus her jive was very impressive. I do have one odd observation to make: of course, right on the heels of us calling Dancing with the Stars elegant and a good inspiration for kids to watch, they go and put Seal on stage to sing "Kiss from a Rose." What was that all about? First of all, this is a song from 1994, and secondly, it's debatably about Seal's cocaine addiction, with lines like "and did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become wide and the light that you shine can't be seen." Bill Ray Cyrus' duet with his daughter, Miley, though, we loved!! Aw, what a sweet refrain. We prefer him with a mullet, though - he's just not meant for that Keith Urban flatiron look. Here's the video clip:
And can we please replace Samantha Harris with Drew Lachey? He's funny, witty, and he's like a cute little doll. Samantha Harris is set to return in Drew's place next week, and she is as boring as Wayne's tango - no, more so! |
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First GM, now Chrysler:
UAW is on strike again
The second nationwide auto strike in less than two weeks is upon us. Over 45,000 members of the United Auto Workers union went on strike against Chrysler LLC on Wednesday morning, when labor talks between the union and the auto giant failed. The UAW went on strike against GM on September 24th, though it came to an end two days later when a tentative agreement was reached and stuck. The strike against Chrysler is spread across 14 states in the U.S. It is the first strike against Chrysler since 1985, but the first under new Cerberus Capital Management. Chrysler is looking to escape about $18 billion in retiree health care costs, and have been unable to reach an agreement with the UAW. |
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Wednesday
Cocktail: Bid farewell to summer with a tropical Rum
Rollover
I could use one of these right now! For our Wednesday cocktail recipe this week, we've elected the Rum Rollover. Mmm-mm good! Bid farewell to the summer with this last fruity combo drink: INGREDIENTS 1.5 fluid ounce coconut flavored rum Optional garnishments: Cherry, pineapple slice, or orange slice Shake, pour, and drink! Once you have the ingredients, it's ready in about 3 minutes or less! Now that's a cocktail. |
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Kiefer Sutherland will spend
Christmas, New Year's in the slammer
Regarding his recent DUI arrest, Kiefer Sutherland has pleaded guilty and will be spending 18 days in jail for the probation violation, and 30 more days for the current DUI. He will surrender to the Los Angeles County Sheriff in lieu of $50,000 bail, and will be there from December 21st until January 7th. For those 18 days served, his probation violation will be revoked and reinstated on the same terms and conditions, with credit for 18 days actually served plus six days good time / work time. He will not have to use an electronic monitoring device upon release. Kiefer will not be allowed operate a motor vehicle between now and then. In regards to the additional 30 days he must serve, they will be spent in either Los Angeles County Jail, or an "acceptable City Jail facility" sometime before July 1, 2008. He must complete an 18 month alcohol education program and attend weekly alcohol therapy sessions for six months.
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Charlize Theron named Esquire's
Sexiest Woman Alive 2007 I like Charlize Theron. She smokes ciggies and pot, loves animals, knows her politics, is worldly, and does not try to be your typical Hollywood girl. Esquire loves, her, too, because she was just named their Sexiest Woman Alivein 2007. She's a 32-year old actress that's not afraid to look ugly on film if it means the audience will relate to her - and that's beautiful.
"The changes are small, but they add up," she told Esquire about America today. "A lot of changes in one lifetime. When I was a little girl in South Africa [yup, that's where she was born], people pointed to America as a sort of example. It seemed sensible, principled, governed in an admirable way...[now] wherever I go, no one wants to talk about America as a superpower. It's all about India and China. What's their model? What's next for them? They're the superpowers now. Not us." "People still say, What do you know? You're an African. But they said that to me in Africa, too. 'Go back to Europe.' But I f*cking told them I was an African. I know what I am now, too. I'm American. I will f*cking say it, too. I grew up in a country that learned the lesson that you can't just impose your way of life on twenty-six different kinds of people just because you call yourself righteous. I think there are lessons this country still ahs to learn. Doesn't mean they can't be learned."
She knows people judge her for everything. "I only worry about the details. People read that you have a drink, or God forbid, you have a cigarette in your hand while you're drinking, and all of a sudden you're falling apart." |
Airport Security: You're about
to get radiation at the airport  Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
You know those thick, heavy, lead aprons they put on you at the dentist when you need to get an X-ray, to protect you from radiation? Unless you have a full-body version of that, you may get zapped by radiation soon when you go to the airport. Los Angeles International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and New York's Kennedy airports are getting "backscatter" X-ray machines, thanks to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, to scan under passengers' clothing for hidden weapons. And you know how like to wish for "X-ray vision?" Bingo. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called this a "virtual strip search," because the anatomical view that can be seen through the backscatters can be vivid. The TSA claims that because of privacy concerns, they will utilize software that will mostly blur the body image and show only objects the person might be concealing. Oh yeah, right. Just like when they X-ray our suitcases now, and they zoom in and refocus on items to see what they are. Will we find out if that's Christina Aguilera's natural chest, or if Kim Kardashian had butt implants? The possible privacy issues run amock. The "privacy algorithm" that would blur body parts can't be completely effective, or else the blurring would make it too difficult for screeners to find weapons, which is the entire purpose, says Barry Steinhardt of the ACLU's technology program. "There's a trade-off between revealing images, which might show contraband and weapons, and the 'blob machine,' which misses many things," he said.
The ACLU submitted a written statement to the U.S. Senate Committe on Commerce, Science and Transportation, calling the X-ray Backscatter "highly invasive of personal privacy," would cause significant delays and subsquent searches of numerous passengers, and should not be used routinely. "There are some security measures that are extremely intrusive and should be used only when there is good cause to suspect that an individual is a security risk," they wrote. "Low-dose X-ray backscatter machines...have been been conducted without good cause and are based on profiles that are racially discriminatory. In addition, these machines are capable of projecting a high-resolution image of a passenger's naked body. "Congress should prohibit X-ray backscatter's use as part of a routine screening procedure. Passengers expect privacy underneath their clothing and should not be required to display highly personal details of their bodies - such as evidence of mastectomies, colostomy appliances, penile implants, catheter tubes, and size of their breasts or genitals - as a prerequisite to boarding a plane. "Even the presence of a seemingly innoucuously shaped item, such as a prosthetic device or implant, will require subsequent (and potentially humiliating) verification. Thus, X-ray backscatter requires a tremencous envasion of privacy with little speed or efficiency gains. The ACLU, therefore, recommends that Congress not authorize and fund TSA's purchase of X-ray backscatter machines." The X-rays are already being used at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. No kidding - I've been to that airport and they are light years ahead of us...they have commercials playing in the glass of the lavatory mirrors, for chrissake. Back to the radiation issue, the TSA admits that the machines do emit what they claim to be "small amounts" of radiation. Being scanned by the X-ray machine instead of the metal detector will initially only be used on passengers who have to get a secondary screening. How long, though, until they replace metal detectors completely? |
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Young marine that was in the
car with Nick Hogan likely won't recover
This is really, really sad. The
guapo young marine, John Graziano, 22, that was in the car with
Hulk Hogan's son on the August 26th crash will likely not make a
recovery. According to court docs, he will need lifelong
care and at best will only be able to open and close his eyes
periodically. Graziano was in the passenger's seat when Nick
Bollea, AKA Nick Hogan, 17, crashed is Toyota Supra in Clearwater,
Florida. The accident is still under investigation by
Clearwater police, with Nick having a history of driving at
excessive speeds. Graciano's mother was granted
emergency temporary guardianship of John on Sept. 27, but his
father is contesting the application in hopes of using an
independent guardian - there will be a hearing tomorrow.
Nurse Joanne Jones, who the court asked to evaluate John Graziano,
said that he is on total life support, is comatose, and responds
to a pinch and has a gag reflex but otherwise does not react to
touch or sound. His pupils are fixed. Graziano's
doctor stated that John will "most likely spend the remainder of
his life in a nursing home." He is still in critical condition at
Bayfront Medical Center. |
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Roundup: News you don't want to miss
Political Opinion: Leading Conservatives think the poor are funny Source: St. Louis Today *Update* Crime: Police move closer to unmasking internet pedophile thanks to public Source: U.K. Daily Mail Animals: Elephants' fear of angry bees could help protect them Source: EurekAlert.org / Current Biology Celebrities: The 15 worst plastic surgery disasters you will ever see Source: Top Socialite U.S. News: Perception of conservative bias in the media up 64% since September 11th Source:The Raw Story World News: Mother seeking rights to have doctors perform hysterectomy on her 15-year old Source: BBC |
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Alexis Stewart on
Oprah: Infertility in women over 40
She's tried ICSI - where they inject sperm into her eggs. Alexis has tried three egg emplants. She goes through the wishing, the hoping, the waiting, every single month. "If I get too emotional about it, I'll be unhappy all the time or freaked out all the time," she told O. "So I look at it as sort of a chore...not about having a baby, but what I have to go through to get there." Here's a video clip of her miserable in the hospital after an "egg retrieval," described as "fried and nauseated." Alexis hosts a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio called "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer." Her video clips from the radio show include her "quarterly dose of Botox" injections. Alexis is single, and is getting the sperm for her pregnancy attempts through a sperm bank.
Um. Here's where I input my opinion, and people get mad at me. But has this woman ever stopped to consider that there could be a reason why she's not getting pregnant other than "dry and crusty" eggs, as she tells Oprah? (Sorry, TMI!) Perhaps she should concentrate less on surgical vanity, sexual flings with listeners and cameramen, and trying to "poke holes" in her eggs, and more on values. We like her stance on animal rights and environmental causes, but that doesn't help a child have a father figure or develop solid morals, does it? Even the richest of the rich cannot buy a miracle. All we can do is try to be deserving of one. |
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Know thy rotten neighbor search
engine Oh, I've had loads of nightmare neighbors, it's about time this website came along! RottenNeighbor.com is a new internet site that is the first real estate search engine that allows you to search an area before you move for any reports of a very rotten neighbor. By state, county, or city, you can view detailed maps of any reportedly troublesome dudes next door. Careless dog owners? Non-stop gabbers? Unwanted "helpers?" You can find not only how far away they live, but also how to deal with them under the "Blog" section of the website. The amazing part? The "rotten neighbors" show up flagged on a Google map! I did a quick search of Cleveland for the heck of it, and I've got to say, it was quite amusing. "Drunk, single moms!" "Shut that dog up!" "Where did that junky Subaru go?" "Sunrise hell!" and "Wish I was having sex like these two!" But take heart, there are good reports, too. "Great neighborhood," "Nice people," "Friendliest homeowners" are common tags as well. I would assume the downside to this site is that unless the poster puts the exact unit number for condos and apartments, it'd be hard for future vistors to update when people move out - and evictions or broken leases are far more common in areas where there are neighbor complaints. But, all of the entries are date and time-stamped, so it's a snap to tell how recent good vs. bad reviews are posted. Love thy neighbor...but know what you're getting yourself into ahead of time! |
All images & content Copyright 2007
ConnieTalk.com
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Martha Stewart's daughter, Alexis Stewart, 42, will
appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show today talking about her struggle with
trying to get pregnant in her 40's. Alexis is the host of the
"Whatever" radio show She tells Oprah that she spends up to $28,000 per
month trying to conceive. Every month, on the day after her period
starts, she gets a blood test and an ultrasound. She's checked for
cysts. The doctors check the lining of her uterus, and then she
starts taking her medication. She injects herself with fertility
drugs daily. 
