Oscar Fashions 2009

Oscar Fashions 2009For years, as soon as the Academy Awards show started, millions turned off the TV.

After the excitement of the red carpet fashions, the actual show was a blatant bore. Enduring three hours of "I-want-to-thank-fill-in-the-blank" speeches in the hopes of catching a single moment of authentic emotion simply wasn't worth it. Life is short. The Academy Awards show was loooooooong.

One way to bump up those TV audience numbers is to keep the fashions of some stars under wraps, or at least out of the cameras' view finder, until they hit the stage to present. It worked. I, for one, tuned in for the first time in more than a decade and well, I would just like to thank the Academy. The speeches of the presenters to the actors and actresses were intimate and genuinely moving.

Or else a lot more people deserve those little gold statues.

Now, about those fashions . . .

A lot of women like that dirty bad boy look but, come on Mickey Rourke. Even real wrestlers take showers. Wash the hair. Button your shirt. Ditch the pinky ring and reserve the shades for actual sunshine. Other than that, he looked practical attractive.

A paper fan, an accordion and kilt walk into a bar -- and walk out looking a lot like Marisa Tomei's dress by Versace. That gown was completely drunk with pleats.

Two shoulders, like heads, are usually better than one. But not at this year's Oscars. Like First Lady Obama, several actresses, including Kate Winslet, went for single shoulder dresses.

Sarah Jessica Parker lives a Cinderella life and has the froufrou wardrobe to match. Her Oscar dress was too big in some places, not big enough in others. Let's just say her Fairy Godmother apparently granted her two rather obvious wishes.

Start with simple material. Give it a few new twists and turns. Add a beautiful actress and -- voila! -- you have an Oscar worthy script, er, I mean gown. Alicia Keyes, Natalie Portman, Nicole Kidman and several other actresses wore this latest trend from the fashion runways, bolts of fabric manipulated into dresses. Outdoors, Portman's dress looked an icky shade of pink but in the theater, the color appeared more subdued. On the other hand, Freida Pinto's electric blue dress lost its vibrant oomph indoors. Lighting is everything, darling.

Those in the fashion industry are fond of declaratives such as "The trend for statement necklace cannot be ignored." Several actresses favored these "statement necklaces." Some necklaces stated, "I am hideously large, garishly colored and, yet, insanely expensive." Amy Adams is a doll but her necklace looked like a technicolor cartoon from the animated parts of "Enchanted."

Nehru collars are the new neckties.

Neckties are the new bow ties.

Hugh Jackman is the new George Clooney.

Eddie Murphy, Jack Black and Bill Maher need to know that bitterly pointing out that one wasn't nominated for an Oscar is never becoming of a gentleman or a panda. And, if this article isn't nominated for a Pulitzer, I'm going to stomp my Prada-shod foot!

Was that really the same woman who once wore a vial of blood on a chain around her neck, smooched her brother on the red carpet, and gave millions of television viewers the heebie-jeebies sitting next to Brad Pitt? Was Angelina Joile only acting crazy back then? Or is she only acting normal now? Either way, that girl deserves an Oscar. She is "The Changeling." And those green drop earrings to match her cat-green eyes were elegant.

Animal prints always look better on animals.

Penelope Cruz wore a 60-year-old vintage Balmain gown that has more past lives than Shirley McClain.

Original Source : http://blog.oregonlive.com/fashion/2009/02/oscars_2009.html

Central Maine Power

Bangor, Maine, Also Affected as Storm Plays Havoc with Central Maine Power

Central Maine Power has been greatly affected by a major Northeast storm which has left nearly thousands of homes without power.

Jim Brogan has written an article, "Northeast Storm Cuts Central Maine Power: Nearly 100,000 Without Power," in The Post Chronicle that reports at least 83,000 homes and businesses are without power.

The article goes on to say that in addition to the power outages that Central Maine Power has experienced, Bangor Hydro Electric has 12,200 customers without power.

In checking in with the Central Power Website, it is reported that the company is working hard to get service back to people. Unfortunately homes without power now numbering 129,150.

John Carroll, a Central Maine Power spokesperson, indicated that the company is addressing the problem in three steps.

They are making sure that there is no danger at the damaged sites. The next thing that they do is to assess the damage to their equipment so it can be repaired and will remain running.

The last thing that they do is get the service back to the consumer.

Something that I did not know was that people who have their own generators must make sure that they are properly installed or they could actually feed back into the major company system and break it down.

One other reminder is not to go near downed wires.

For a look at how power is restored step-by-step, visit the Central Maine Power website and connect with "Restoration." I have linked to that page.

The storm has continued to move north and has left snow and cold in its wake.

Most areas that are anywhere close to north have experienced power outages at one time or another. In fact in my city they can even occur during summer storms.

I have found it is always wise to have plenty of blankets available as well as at least a few canned goods as well as a flashlight and radio that use batteries.

Today there is a little extra help in that cell phones are so popular it aids most people from being stranded.

For those of you that may be in the Central Maine Power area, you may call 1-800-696-1000.

Original Source : http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1504338/central_maine_power_latest_report_129500.html

Free Fat Tuesday Pancakes

Free Fat Tuesday Pancakes
Paczki a little heavy for your taste? How about pancakes? And IHOP’s giving them away Tuesday in anticipation of Lent.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., IHOP, also known as the International House of Pancakes, will serve short stacks in exchange for a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Like the paczki fried dough enjoyed by the Polish on Fat Tuesday, the English herald the beginning of fasting during Lent by eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, according to the chain.

Since the IHOP fund-raiser began in 2006, the company has raised almost $2 million for children’s charities. In 2008, IHOP served 1.5 million free pancakes, equal to a stack 12 miles high.

For more information or to locate an IHOP, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.

Original Source : http://www.freep.com/article/20090223/NEWS05/90223051/1041/ENT08/Free+Fat+Tuesday+pancakes+with+donation+at+IHOP

Brian Mandeville Told To Retire

Brian Mandeville Told To Retire
Northeastern University football player Brian Mandeville received devastating news on Friday at the NFL combine in Indianapolis during routine physical examinations. The star tight end, who missed a third of his senior season with knee injuries and even survived a brain tumor while in college, was told by combine doctors that he has a heart ailment, effectively ending his football career.

Mandewille was diagnosed with an abnormal heart valve, which is not considered life-threatening, but the problem could become dangerous under the strenuous training regimens of the NFL.

“I told him his health and well-being is what’s important,” Northeastern coach Rocky Hager told the Boston Herald. “I don’t know if that means he’ll continue in a career in sports, but then everybody’s career in sports eventually comes to an end. But I think he’s so well grounded and his parents have done a great job raising him and he always has the right attitude.”

Mandeville caught 63 passes for 863 yards and seven touchdowns in 33 games, worthy of earning first-team All-New England honors. Northeastern’s I-AA football program went 2-10 last year and hasn’t had a winning season since 2003.

Original Source : http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/sports/2009/02/nu-football-star-brian-mandeville-told-to-retire/

Groundhog Day 2009

Groundhog Day 2009

Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

Today is Groundhog Day 2009 and the results are in: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. According to legend, this means that winter will last for six more weeks.

Despite freezing temperatures, thousands gathered at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (a borough of over 6,000 people located about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh) today to witness Phil emerge from his burrow and issue his famous forecast (which, considering how long and harsh this winter has been, comes as very bad news indeed to many).

The origin of Groundhog Day is rooted in a German tradition that advances the belief that on the Christian holiday of Candlemas (which falls on February 2) hibernating animals can predict weather conditions. More specifically, if the animal casts a shadow, then winter will last for six more weeks. If no shadow is seen, spring will arrive early.

Groundhog Day 2009: Where Else is it Observed?

Though arguably the most famous and high-profile modern-day observance of Groundhog Day occurs in Punxsutawney (pronounced Punks-uh-TAW-nee), the ritual is observed in other places as well. For example, did you know that Groundhog Day is observed in Canada? In fact, Canada has it's own version of Puxsutawney Phil. His name is Wiarton Willie, and not surprisingly, he hails from the town of Wiarton in Bruce County Ontario, where a Groundhog Day festival is held each year. The Wiarton festival draws throngs of revelers and members of the media who eagerly await Wiarton Willie's prediction. In addition, various contests and dances are held in honor of the event.

Punxsutawney is not the only town in Pennsylvania where Groundhog Day is celebrated. It also takes place in Schuylkill County, Quarryville, and Bucks County. Outside of Pennsylvania, Groundhog Day in the United States is observed in locations in Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. And according to Wikipedia, it is celebrated "among the Amish populations of over twenty states and Canada."

For those of you who are experiencing a harsh winter, let's hope that next year Puxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring.

Original Source : http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1440995/groundhog_day_2009_did_punxsutawney.html?cat=8

How The Octuplets Story Turned Sour

How The Octuplets Story Turned Sour
It was a heart-warming tale of a young Californian mother who gave birth to eight babies. But now, as more details emerge, public reaction has turned from from joy to shock to anger. It was a midwinter miracle; eight babies born to a single mother and every one of them delivered alive. For a nation enduring its deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the tale was a welcome relief from bail-outs and bankruptcies. But this weekend, as the journalistic pack chases an altogether darker dimension to the story of Nadya Suleman, the feel-good factor has suddenly vanished.

The birth of Suleman's eight babies - six boys and two girls - was clearly an extraordinary event. Only one previous case of eight surviving babies had ever been recorded in the US. Yet as the eccentricity of Suleman's background and biography emerges, America is suddenly recoiling in shock. Far from being a heart-warming tale of wonder, the more that becomes known about the Suleman family, the more it seems something very disturbing has occurred. Public reaction has quickly turned from joy to shock and anger.

By last night, it was clear that Suleman is not an infertile woman who sought medical help to have children. The 33-year-old Californian already has six children. She is single and has no visible means of support for her current family, let alone the additional eight babies that now give her enough offspring to field a football team with three substitutes.

In fact, Suleman still lives with her parents. Her family has revealed that she may have serious mental-health problems and be addicted to having children. Her own mother, Angela Suleman, told one Associated Press reporter: "[She] is not evil, but she is obsessed with children. She loves children, she is very good with children, but obviously she overdid herself."

Angela Suleman also revealed that her daughter's obsession with children caused her considerable stress, and led her to seek help from a psychologist, who had told her to order her daughter out of the house.

"Maybe she wouldn't have had so many kids then, but she is a grown woman," Angela said. "I feel responsible and I didn't want to throw her out."

The case of the Suleman octuplets is now sending shockwaves through the medical fertility community. Few reputable doctors can understand how a healthy mother-of-six could have been allowed to have fertility treatment that resulted in octuplets without serious questions arising about the mother's mental health, her capacity to raise such a large family or the huge medical dangers involved in giving birth to so many babies at once.

The family has now taken refuge behind the curtains of its modest three-bedroom suburban home in Whittier, a town near Los Angeles. Usually in these situations, the proud parents parade before the cameras, appear on talk shows and land lucrative sponsorship deals with baby-products firms.

But when Nadya Suleman's father, Edward, briefly emerged, he did not appear full of the joys of enlarging his family with more grandchildren. "I wish it happens to you people, so you go through hell," he snapped at the media throng as he unloaded bags of shopping from his car. It was later revealed that Edward was considering going back to his native Iraq - where he has worked as a contractor - in order to raise some cash for the family. As the bidding war begins for Suleman's story, the quickest and most likely route to financial security is likely to be a publishing contract.

The money seems to be desperately needed. Details of the family's finances suggest that the Sulemans are already struggling with the load of looking after six children and are ill-prepared for the arrival of eight more.

Court records in nearby San Bernardino show that Suleman's mother filed for bankruptcy last year, claiming $1m in liabilities as a result of a bad housing investment. At the same time, the records hint at an unusual personal history for the family. They show that Suleman - who changed her name from Nadya Doud in 2001 - divorced her husband, Marcos Gutiérrez, a year ago. Gutiérrez, however, may not be the father of her first six children, because the divorce filing indicates no children were produced from the marriage.

In fact, birth certificates name one "David Solomon" as the father of her eldest four children. It also seems that Suleman had been living with her parents, not her husband, for the past eight years, at a variety of addresses. However, her own parents, who still live together, are also divorced, having legally separated in Las Vegas in 1999.

Suleman herself seems to have little employment history. Neighbours have reported that she worked as a psychiatric technician before she began having children. After that, she attended college, studying child development. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree and returned to do a masters. She last went to a classroom in the spring of 2008.

But even more mysterious than the family's history are the details of how Suleman became impregnated. Officials at Kaiser Permanente, where a 46-strong medical team delivered her eight children, have said she first appeared there when she was already three months pregnant. Yet it seems that the fertility clinic that implanted Suleman with so many embryos was going against current medical practice. Leaving aside the wisdom of treating a single mother with six children, it is dangerous to implant so many embryos in a woman so young. The likelihood of all those embryos taking hold is much higher in younger mothers and so most doctors would only implant one or two embryos.

Then there is the question of why doctors allowed Suleman to keep all eight embryos once they took hold in her womb, despite the enormous risks to her: even having triplets puts a woman and her babies at huge risk of death or serious injury.

Medical experts across America have queued up to express their rage. "If this resulted from an IVF treatment, we can say that transferring eight embryos in an IVF cycle is well beyond our guidelines," said Dale McClure, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Meanwhile, Arthur Wisot, a fertility doctor in Los Angeles, raised a further prospect. "I cannot imagine that any of the mainstream practices in the Los Angeles area were involved in this. I would guess... she either went out of the country or went to a practice that flies below the radar," he told a TV reporter.

All the drama has left many questions still unanswered as the eight babies at the centre of the controversy recover in hospital.

They are all doing well. But if the American public was looking for hope and inspiration in the face of tough times, the Suleman octuplets will have provided little in the way of light relief.

Original Source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/01/suleman-octuplets-row

Wing Bowl 2009

Wing Bowl 17 Primed Hits Philadelphia; Contestants Battle for 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman

Wing Bowl 2009 Will Have 27 Contestants Compete to See Who Can Eat the Most Wings with Prizes Going to the Winner and Their Entourage

Wing Bowl 17 is coming to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wing Bowl 17 will pit some of the best wing eaters in the world against each other to decide the 2009 Wing Bowl Champion. The competition will all come down to the final 27 contestants, all of which would love to own the title of Wing Bowl Champion, and who all bring their own unique eating styles to the competition. When Wing Bowl 17 gets underway on Friday morning, thousands of fans will get to watch as the new Wing Champion is crowned.

Wing Bowl 17 is set to take place at 5:30am on Friday, January 30th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The competition will take place at the Wachovia Center, where a sold out crowd will have the chance to watch a new competitor take over the title. This year's competition had a couple of rule changes, including limiting the field of competitors to only amateur contestants, allowing for there to be a changing of the guard in the title holder. According to the Wing Bowl web-site, only 3 different people had won over the past 8 years, and this was felt to be a good way to get some new blood into the battle.

The Wing Bowl is definitely a competition of over-eaters, and you have to be a fan of wings in order to get anything out of a competition like this. In the world of eating competitions though, it is quite serious business, with people competing who have trained on how to eat their wings the fastest, and seeing how many they can do in a specific period of time. It will be a challenge for new-comers to live up to the feats that have been accomplished in the past, and it will be interesting to see whether a brand new name can live up to the billing of Wing Bowl Champion.

The weigh-in for Wing Bowl 17 was set to take place at Chickie's & Pete's Crab House and Sports Bowl, with a grouping of each person's entourage and a revealing of the Wingettes for this years event. Chickie's & Pete's will also hold a post Wing Bowl party starting at 9am on Friday after the Wing Bowl champion has been crowned. The annual event is quickly becoming a fan favorite in the Philadelphia area, and is being watched by thousands. The contestants for this years events are an interesting lot (listed at the bottom with their nickname and qualifications) and it is anybody's guess who will come out on top this year.

Original Source : http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1431421/wing_bowl_17_primed_hits_philadelphia.html?cat=7