tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152285092024-03-08T06:17:46.837-05:00I Started A JokeKatiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-57496065459424707142007-02-02T23:39:00.000-05:002007-02-02T23:40:36.141-05:00Texas Girls Must Receive Anti-Cervical Cancer Vacine<p> AUSTIN, Texas — Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Republican Gov. Rick Perry issued an order today making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.</p><p> By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents’ rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans raise their children.</p><p>Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade — meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 — will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.’s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.<br /><br />Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21.<br /><br />Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio.<br /><br />“The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer,” Perry said.</p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-75975826528909574812007-02-01T22:07:00.000-05:002007-02-02T23:58:27.981-05:00Wishin' And Hopin'Just finished watching Grey's Anatomy. Such a good episode! It was neat that Ellis Grey came out of her Alzheimer's for a little bit, but it was sad when she went back into. I felt bad for Meredith.<br /><br />The whole thing with the cancer patient's blood being toxic and making all the doctors sick was interesting. I never quite understood what caused her blood to become toxic, but it was a good storyline all the same.<br /><br />George and Callie got married, and Christina finally accepted Burke's proposal. How cute!<br /><br /><center><img style="width: 388px; height: 172px;" src="http://a.static.abc.com/primetime/greysanatomy/images/gallery/season03/wishinandhopin/06.jpg" /></center>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-19718484802520019162007-01-24T17:21:00.001-05:002007-01-24T17:21:33.812-05:00Teachers See "Freedom Writers" For FreeAMC Entertainment Inc., the nation's second-largest theater chain, said Tuesday it will offer free tickets for teachers wanting to see the movie "Freedom Writers," starring Hilary Swank.<br /><br />The offer is good from Friday through Feb. 1 for teachers in grades kindergarten through 12th who show a valid school identification or pay stub.<br /><br />The Paramount Pictures movie, released three weeks ago, stars Swank as an idealistic English teacher who goes into a Long Beach, Calif., high school and tries to overcome racial intolerance among her students.<table class="storyAd" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="storyAdObj"><div class="adtile" align="center"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="adtilebg"><noscript></noscript><!-- End Ad tag: square--><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div> </td></tr></tbody></table>AMC and Paramount said the offer was a way to honor teachers.The movie, showing at 2,286 locations, has earned $26.5 million in box office so far and came in fifth this past weekend, according to Media By Numbers LLC.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/paramount_pictures/freedom_writers/hilary_swank/freedom4.jpg" /></center>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-8474005992416977132007-01-16T16:39:00.000-05:002007-01-16T16:41:10.469-05:00Most Women Now Live Without a HusbandAOL News -- For what experts say is probably the first time, more American women are living without a husband than with one, according to a New York Times analysis of census results.<br /><br />In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000.<br /><br />Coupled with the fact that in 2005 married couples became a minority of all American households for the first time, the trend could ultimately shape social and workplace policies, including the ways government and employers distribute benefits.<br /><br />Several factors are driving the statistical shift. At one end of the age spectrum, women are marrying later or living with unmarried partners more often and for longer periods. At the other end, women are living longer as widows and, after a divorce, are more likely than men to delay remarriage, sometimes delighting in their newfound freedom.<br /><br />In addition, marriage rates among black women remain low. Only about 30 percent of black women are living with a spouse, according to the Census Bureau, compared with about 49 percent of Hispanic women, 55 percent of non-Hispanic white women and more than 60 percent of Asian women.<br /><br />In a relatively small number of cases, the living arrangement is temporary, because the husbands are working out of town, are in the military or are institutionalized. But while most women eventually marry, the larger trend is unmistakable.<br /><br />“This is yet another of the inexorable signs that there is no going back to a world where we can assume that marriage is the main institution that organizes people’s lives,” said Prof. Stephanie Coontz, director of public education for the Council on Contemporary Families, a nonprofit research group. “Most of these women will marry, or have married. But on average, Americans now spend half their adult lives outside marriage.”<br /><br />Read the whole article <a href="http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/most-women-now-live-without-a-husband/20070116100109990001">here</a>.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-521948799767534522007-01-02T11:19:00.000-05:002007-01-02T11:27:38.554-05:00Love Is In The AirLast night, I stayed up and watched the Fiesta Bowl with my boyfriend. I like watching football, so I had a good time. Even for people who DON'T like football, I think it would've been impossible not to get wrapped up in last night's game! Talk about exciting...Boise State beat Oklahoma in overtime.<br /><br /><br />Ian Johnson, the running back who ran in the two-point conversion for the win, proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend Chrissy Popadics right after the game. How cute! Good thing the team won!<br /><p></p><center><img style="WIDTH: 328px; HEIGHT: 311px" height="346" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/pic100/College%20Football/PNU14101020628.jpg?t=1167755114" width="328" /><br /><br /></center><center></center>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1166820622855628372006-12-22T15:47:00.000-05:002006-12-22T15:50:22.870-05:00Cold Weather Dating Ideas<strong>1. Flirt with Frosty</strong><br />Bundle up, grab an old scarf and a couple of carrots, and join forces to make a snowman (or, if you're feeling forward, a snow couple). Remember, it's not about the Michelangelo-level artistry of the end product; it's about the snowball fight that one of you will start in the process. Tumbling down in the snow together laughing your heads off? There's no better movie-moment flirting move this whole season.<br /><br /><strong>2. Trip the lights fantastic</strong><br />Hop in the car, turn up the heat and take yourselves on a tour of your community's most outrageously Christmas-lit homes. (You'll switch on the holiday spirit, and share in the delight that you're not the ones who have to take all those lights down.)<br /><br /><strong>3. Throw a gingerbread house party</strong><br />Find ginger-blueprints online or in any Christmas-season homemaking magazine. Bake the "walls" in advance; invite (depending on your status) single or coupled-up friends over to decorate with frosting and candies. If you're single, get other stag-comers to bring other available ginger-folks. After all, M&M'S make more than friends.<br /><br /><strong>4. Get into the kitchen</strong><br />Fixing your super-special individual Cornish game hens and risotto this and truffle that? -- Well, surely it's delicious. But it kind of misses the comfy, homey, wintry point ... and it's a big production that can be a bit intimidating for both chef and guest. So, instead make something easy, hearty and mellow together -- Chili? Stew? Onion soup with sexy gooey cheese? -- That'll warm both stomachs and hearts.<br /><br /><strong>5. Couch-surf</strong><br />Cold outside? Take your date to the beach right in your own home. Rent an assortment of fun-in-the-sun flicks -- 'Beach Blanket Bingo', 'Blue Lagoon' (or, depending on your sense of humor, 'Jaws') -- and enjoy a day at the celluloid shore ... with no sand in your suits!<br /><br /><strong>6. Hit the ice<br /></strong>Nothing's as romantic as gliding arm in arm around a frosty rink or pond ... except maybe helping each other up when you slip. If you're really worried about your skating skills, or that bad knee, grab a sled and hit the mini-slopes.<br /><br /><strong>7. Visit the tropics</strong><br />Why wait 'til you're "serious" enough to travel together, or worry about getting to the airport? Instead, tour the local botanical garden's steamy south-of-the-equator or white-hot desert flora exhibits and greenhouse the winter blues away.<br /><br /><strong>8. Meet for a hot drink<br /></strong>Martini, schmartini: Rendezvous at a bar that serves good Irish coffees, hot toddies and other wintry spirits. With any luck, you two will still be raising glasses together when margarita season rolls back around.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1166821534999199302006-12-02T19:02:00.000-05:002006-12-22T16:05:35.010-05:00You Gotta Be The BookI was in the bookstore today and came across a book by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm called <u>You Gotta Be The Book</u> that's all about getting kids interested in reading. I was leafing through it and it really hooked me, so I ended up buying it. I think this is going to be a GREAT resource for me; even though it's geared for teaching adolescents, I think it'll be great for teaching kids of any age.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1163885470458560452006-11-18T16:29:00.000-05:002006-11-18T16:31:10.466-05:00Most Students in Big Cities Lag Badly in Basic ScienceA least half of eighth graders tested in science failed to demonstrate even a basic understanding of the subject in 9 of 10 major cities, and fourth graders, the only other group tested, fared little better.<br /><br />The outcome of those tests, part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the nation’s report card, showed that student performance in urban public schools was not only poor but also far short of science scores in the nation as a whole.<br /><br />Half or a little more of the eighth-grade students in Charlotte, San Diego and Boston lacked a basic grasp of science.<br /><br />In six of the other cities — New York, Houston, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Atlanta — the share of eighth graders without that knowledge was even higher, ranging from about three-fifths in New York to about four-fifths in Atlanta. By comparison, the corresponding share for the nation as a whole was 43 percent.<br /><br />Among the 10 cities, only in Austin were the eighth graders who lacked a basic understanding in the minority, and just barely there.<br /><br />“It’s a national disgrace,” said Rodger W. Bybee, director of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, which develops and evaluates science curriculums and promotes the teaching of science. “We as a nation should be able to do better than that.”Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1156779825421993572006-08-28T10:40:00.000-05:002006-08-28T10:43:45.436-05:00Detroit Shock: Finals BoundAn attitude adjustment made all the difference for the Detroit Shock, the newly crowned Eastern Conference champs.<br /><br />Rebounding from a nine-point loss to Connecticut in Game 2 of the conference finals, the Shock were dominant from the opening tip Sunday night and routed the Sun 79-55 to earn their second trip to the WNBA Finals. They'll take on defending WNBA champion Sacramento in a best-of-five series beginning Wednesday.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1154100999999932822006-07-28T10:34:00.000-05:002006-07-28T10:36:40.103-05:00I'm With Stupid<a href="http://my.tigers.v.mlb.com/images/comic/0ba9c2b6-b861-446b-be57-d452b2bc97fc.gif?v=1.3.2.15"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://my.tigers.v.mlb.com/images/comic/0ba9c2b6-b861-446b-be57-d452b2bc97fc.gif?v=1.3.2.15" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="center"></p>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1153327886896111832006-07-19T11:50:00.000-05:002006-07-19T11:54:09.803-05:00Seven Unwritten Rules for Professional Women<strong>1. Build Successful Relationships</strong>.<br />In a word -- network. It is crucial to understand the importance of developing and maintaining industry contacts you can rely on, whether it's for information about a specific project or the inside scoop on an open position. Attend seminars and professional meetings in your field. Besides learning some good information, these gatherings help you raise your visibility among your peers.<br /><br /><br /><strong>2. Exert Influence and Convert Others to Your Ideas.<br /></strong>Develop the confidence in yourself to get people to see and value your ideas. Knowledge is power. "Do your research," Kopelan advises. "Know what is happening in your industry." The more you know about a particular subject, the more comfortable and confident you will be discussing it and offering your opinions.<br /><br /><strong>3. Take Initiative.</strong><br />If you are interested in a particular high-profile client at your office, find out how you can be a part of the project team. Or learn the specifics of a particular issue so you can be your office's "resident expert."<br /><br /><strong>4. Manage Difficult Conversations.<br /></strong>Women often tend to shy away from confrontation. But if you learn how to diffuse an awkward situation, you will appear strong and levelheaded under pressure -- two good traits for potential senior managers.<br /><br /><strong>5. Promote Yourself.</strong><br />Only you really know everything you have achieved. Now just make sure the right people also know what you have accomplished.<br /><br /><strong>6. Know How to Ask for What You Want.<br /></strong>This goes along with managing difficult conversations and promoting yourself. You shouldn't feel hesitant about asking for something you need or have earned.<br /><br /><strong>7. Establish Work/Life Harmony.</strong><br />This challenging area often gets the misnomer "work/life balance." Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day to balance these two important parts of your life equally. Instead, strive for a harmonious coexistence between the two.<br /><br />What Kopelan found in talking to the Fortune 500 hiring managers is that these organizations want to see women advance and succeed, but until women understand the important role these unwritten rules play in business, "they're diminishing their chance at achievement," she warns.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1153007564809472522006-07-15T18:51:00.000-05:002006-07-15T18:52:44.823-05:00Ex-Teacher Goes To Jail For Nude Photos<a href="http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/07/14/teacher.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/07/14/teacher.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge ignored a former teacher's sobbing pleas for mercy Friday and sentenced her to seven years in prison on charges that she sent explicit photos to a young teenager while on probation for having sex with him.<br />When Pamela Rogers, 29, was released after serving 198 days in jail, she was under orders not to contact the student or his family or use the Internet. But authorities say that even after appearing in court on a charge of violating her probation in April, she continued talking with the boy and sending him text messages and sexually explicit photos and video of herself.<br /><br />"You have done everything except show this court that you wanted to rehabilitate yourself," Warren County Circuit Judge Bart Stanley said. He revoked Rogers' probation and ordered her to serve the rest of a seven-year prison sentence that had been largely suspended.<br /><br />Officers led Rogers away after she stood before the judge handcuffed and shackled. She cried as she asked for mercy and apologized to her family, the teen's family, her relatives and friends.<br /><br />"I have humiliated myself. What I did was wrong," Rogers said. "I am willing to do anything to rehabilitate myself."<br /><br />Rogers, who has been in jail since April, presented evidence in a hearing Friday, including a clinical psychologist who said she was a sex addict. She apologized tearfully and was led away in handcuffs to a women's prison in Nashville.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1152801811514387752006-07-13T09:40:00.000-05:002006-07-13T09:43:31.530-05:00Former 'American Idol' Contestant Indicted<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/1600/000.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/200/000.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A former "American Idol" contestant accused of videotaping sexual encounters with two teenage girls has been indicted on child pornography charges.<br /><br />Daniel James "DJ" Boyd, 27, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to charges of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography.<br /><br />A trial date was set for Sept. 18. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison.<br /><br />Boyd, a contestant on the popular TV talent competition two years ago, was arrested last month in West Valley City after a 14-year-old girl contacted police. He has remained in the Salt Lake County Jail since his arrest.<br /><br />The Salt Lake County district attorney's office has also charged Boyd with unlawful sexual activity with a minor and unlawful supply of alcohol to minors.<br /><br />He is scheduled to appear in district court July 25 for a preliminary hearing on those charges.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1152565976068570352006-07-10T14:27:00.000-05:002006-07-10T16:12:56.086-05:00Olympian Shannon Miller Divorces Husband<a href="http://img.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/news/060724/shannon_miller.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://img.timeinc.net/people/i/2006/news/060724/shannon_miller.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />After a prolonged negotiation, former Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller is divorcing her husband of seven years, Boston eye surgeon Christopher B. Phillips.<br /><br />Miller, 29, filed for divorce from Phillips, 33, in May 2004, but financial disputes dragged the case out more than two years. The divorce is expected to become official in September, reports the Associated Press.<br /><br />The two married in a lavish ceremony that featured many of Miller's teammates from the 1996 U.S. squad that won the team gold medal in the Atlanta Games. The couple, who lived in Oklahoma City and a Houston suburb before moving to Boston, have no children.<br /><br />Phillips alleges that his wife had an affair with a married male athlete and that she threatened to accuse him (Phillips) of abusing prescription drugs if he failed to meet her demands during the divorce proceedings.<br /><br />"I've been put through the wringer over this," Phillips said. "It's been a very bitter and terrible divorce. ... She has really, really hurt me."<br /><br />Miller denied the accusations, calling them "lies and innuendo surrounding an emotional divorce. … The worst thing I ever did to my ex-husband was to put unleaded gas in his car and not premium. With gas prices these days, do you blame me?" Miller wrote in an e-mailed response to questions posed by The Oklahoman newspaper.<br /><br />"We all have choices to make in life. I have chosen to be happy by leaving this painful experience in the past. I hope Chris is able to move on as well," she said.<br /><br />Miller said she plans to finish law school at Boston College and "continue pursuing my life's passion of working with children."<br /><br />Phillips said he would like to return to Oklahoma at some point. He now works at a Boston hospital and attends law school at Suffolk University.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1152208931116311362006-07-06T12:54:00.000-05:002006-07-06T13:02:11.180-05:00A Wedding Can Make A Gal CrazyThere's a show on E! that I'm watching right now, called "Last Bride Standing." I've never heard of it before, so I don't know much about it, but these brides have to stand outside in a circle with one hand on the one-of-a-kind wedding dress they are trying to win. Whoever is the last one touching the dress wins it. The women are allowed 5 minute breaks, but there are hours between the breaks. Every couple hours or so, the "host" offers them special offers they can take (a cake, a 5 night stay at a castle in France), but then they are out of the contest for the dress. So far the women have been standing for 25 hours. One girl gave up and took the 5 nights at the castle, another girl was disqualified because she took her hand off the dress. All of the women look tired, one of them keeps crying, and I think she might give up now and take the cake that they're offering her instead of the dress.<br /><br />It's one of those shows that you think is kinda dumb, yet you can't stop watching.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1152209465860837252006-07-01T14:30:00.000-05:002006-07-06T13:11:05.860-05:00Sex And The CityVegging out watching Sex and the City.<br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://frweb.cs.uni-sb.de/~fries/Sex%20and%20the%20city.jpg" /></center><center> </center><div align="left">Miranda: <em>Women don't care. We care about nice arms, great eyes, a big dick... I've never once heard a woman say: "He had such a big full scrotum."</em></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1151261873211659682006-06-25T13:55:00.000-05:002006-06-25T13:57:53.223-05:00Kidman, Urban Wed<p align="center"><a href="http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/06/25/kidman-urban.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/06/25/kidman-urban.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br />It's official! Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are officially <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-06-24-kidman-wedding_x.htm">married</a>.<br /><br />And they're a good-looking couple, to boot!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1146873854106240502006-05-05T19:02:00.000-05:002006-05-05T19:04:14.120-05:00Britney To Have Baby Girl?<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/1600/britney-spears-kevin.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/320/britney-spears-kevin.jpg" border="0" /></a>The word on the street is that chubby Sean Preston Federline is going to have a little sister. In Touch weekly claims that BritneySpears and Kevin Federline are expecting a girl.<br /><br />Spears is already decorating a room in her Malibu mansion for the baby, though she is not due until October. A source for the magazine says that, in terms of the nursery décor, “[Britney] is going with pink.”<br /><br />The new baby may not get to enjoy her Malibu nursery for long. Star magazine claims that Spears is considering leaving Los Angeles for her home state of Louisiana.<br /><br />An insider told the tabloid, "Los Angeles has worn [Britney] down. She says every mistake is magnified a thousand times, and she's sick of being judged all the time."<br /><br />And living in Los Angeles also makes it difficult for Spears to keep her husband in line. "It's like Kevin's head is on a swivel when a pretty girl walks by,” the source said. Federline, however, is not enthusiastic about his wife’s plan. "He told her, 'Send me a postcard,” claims the source.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1146269198811068632006-04-28T19:02:00.000-05:002006-04-28T19:06:38.823-05:00Rosie O'Donnell Joins The View<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/1600/rosie.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/320/rosie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Rosie O'Donnell has been named Meredith Viera's replacement on the daytime talk show "The View." Viera will leave the show to replace Katie Couric on "The Today Show." Couric is moving to the evening news on CBS.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1145825178229743342006-04-23T15:43:00.000-05:002006-07-06T13:11:55.516-05:00Overstock.com, A Hidden Wonder<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/1600/LAD11704200642.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/320/LAD11704200642.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I checked out Overstock.com today, which is like a lesser-known version of Amazon.com, and was able to win the complete box set (6 seasons) of Sex And The City for $35 + $15 shipping. That is an unbelievable deal!!!!<br /><br />I can't wait till it comes!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1145552483911955842006-04-20T11:59:00.000-05:002006-04-20T12:01:23.930-05:00SNL Confronts Lindsay LohanThe cast and crew of “Saturday Night Live” are still on their mission to save Lindsay Lohan, reports Life & Style Weekly. According to the tabloid, Lohan was again confronted by her Mean Girls co-star Tina Fey about her reckless lifestyle when she hosted “SNL” last weekend.<br /><br />An insider claims, “They brought up everything - nothing was off-limits. Tina told her she was wasting her gift of acting,” but Lindsay “didn’t want to hear it.” The source says that Lindsay’s partying kept her from fully interacting with the cast as she was too tired to do run-throughs the week leading up to the show. Lohan instead “just complained and lay around in her dressing room,” says the source.<br /><br />“SNL” star Kenan Thompson wasn’t afraid to go on the record about his concerns for Lindsay. He told Life & Style, “You just gotta say, ‘Sometimes you shouldn’t be doing that; you gotta drop that.’”<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.lohangroupie.com/wp-content/uploads/lindsay_lohan_dec22_small.jpg" /><br /></center><center></center>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1142990121850027112006-03-21T20:13:00.000-05:002006-03-21T20:15:21.870-05:00Charges dropped in teacher sex scandal<a href="http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20050718/wteacher0718/teacher2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.theglobeandmail.com/archives/RTGAM/images/20050718/wteacher0718/teacher2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />State prosecutors decided Tuesday to <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11943967/">drop charges</a> against a former Tampa teacher accused of having sex with a 14-year-old middle school student.<br /><br />The decision means Debra Lafave won’t go to trial and the victim won’t have to testify.<br /><br />Prosecutors announced the decision hours after a judge rejected a plea deal that would have meant no prison time for Lafave. “Quite frankly, if the allegations against the defendant are true, the agreed-upon sentence shocks the conscience of this court,” said Marion County Circuit Judge Hale Stancil.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1142804327474503392006-03-19T16:36:00.000-05:002006-03-19T16:39:35.243-05:00Lady Vols' Parker dunks twice in easy win<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/1600/d370f783-2daa-403a-9f56-1e4e78233898.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2382/1403/320/d370f783-2daa-403a-9f56-1e4e78233898.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Candace Parker of Tennessee slam dunked her way into NCAA history with a feat that even fans of underdog Army had to appreciate.<br /><br />The 6-foot-4 Parker became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Sunday, jamming one-handed on a breakaway just 6:12 into the second-seeded Lady Vols' 102-54 victory against a Black Knights team that was making its NCAA tournament debut.<br /><br />Then, for good measure, Parker ensured her place in history by becoming the first to do it twice in a college game with another one-hander on the baseline. She finished with 26 points, five rebounds and seven assists.<br /><br />The first came when Parker took an outlet pass from Sidney Spencer, causing the large contingent of Lady Vols fans to begin buzzing at the possibility that after dunking several times in pregame warmups, Parker would try it on the fast break.<br /><br />She did, beating Army's Margaree King down the floor, elevating and throwing it down with her right hand as the fans at Constant Convocation Center erupted.<br /><br />It was the second college dunk attempt for Parker, who missed against Auburn on Feb. 23. She became the fourth woman in college history to dunk in a game, joining Georgeann Wells of West Virginia (twice in 1984), Charlotte Smith of North Carolina (1994) and Michelle Snow of Tennessee, who did it three times in the 2000-01 season.<br /><br />The play gave the Lady Vols a 15-14 lead against the pesky 15th-seeded Black Knights, who were adopted by most of the fans at Tennessee rival Old Dominion's home arena, and it spelled the beginning of the end of Army's whirlwind NCAA tournament experience.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1142640504487940192006-03-17T19:08:00.000-05:002006-03-17T19:08:24.496-05:00Eye Color<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="350" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td align="middle" bg style="color:#999999;"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: blackfont-family:Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;" ><b>Your Eyes Should Be Hazel</b></span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc"><center><img height="100" src="http://images.blogthings.com/whatcolorshouldyoureyesbequiz/hazel.jpg" width="100" /></center><span style="color:#000000;"><br />Your eyes reflect: Intellect and sensuality<br /><br />What's hidden behind your eyes: Subtle manipulation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorshouldyoureyesbequiz/">What Color Should Your Eyes Be?</a></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15228509.post-1142369873071826982006-03-14T15:55:00.000-05:002006-03-14T15:57:53.090-05:00Love: 10 crazy scientific facts<em>By Laura Schaefer</em><br /><br /><strong>1. It’s like looking in a mirror!</strong> It turns out we all have a little something in common with Narcissus—the mythical fellow who fell in love with his own reflection. Scientists at the University of Liverpool recently concluded that our brains favor people with familiar faces. The research team asked over 200 participants to view a number of digitally altered human faces. They found that subjects preferred the features they found the most familiar—whether that means his or her own visage or that of a family member. This may explain that common phenomenon of couples looking like they could be siblings.<br /><br /><strong>2. Manner, schmanners: Go ahead and stare.</strong> Another new study says that when a woman walks into a room, she is considered more attractive if she turns her eyes directly toward a certain man. Men would rate the same woman as less desirable if she doesn’t make strong eye contact. In this study, conducted at Dartmouth University, lead researcher Malia Mason had male participants sit and view a series of faces of fashion models, digitally enhanced to either be gazing toward or away from the participant. The study authors asked the viewer to rate the likeability of each model and found that those who turned away were seen as less agreeable. The study’s researchers went on to suggest that a woman’s gaze can be a powerful arousal cue and that our impressions are largely formed by nonverbal communications such as eye contact. So start locking eyes, ladies!<br /><br /><strong>3. You’ll know it when you see it.</strong> A recent study at the University of Pennsylvania reveals that regardless of what people say they are looking for in a dating situation, they don’t need a lot of time with or information about a person to tell if they’re interested. Single people’s behavior suggests that individuals know “it” (a person who appeals to them) when they see it—almost instantly. Lead researcher Robert Kurzban and his colleagues studied data from 10,000+ daters. They found that men and women assessed potential compatibility within moments of meeting, using primarily visual cues such as age, height, and attractiveness. Says Kurzban, “Somewhat surprisingly, factors that you might think would be really important to people — like religion, education, and income — played very little roles in their choices.”<br /><br /><strong>4. Listen up.</strong> The next time you call up a potential love match, pay special attention to how they sound. Researchers at the University of Albany had 149 men and women rate the attractiveness of a series of recorded voices on a scale from 1 to 10. The researchers also gathered information about the sexual histories of the people whose voices they recorded. They found that the voices found to be the most appealing belonged to people who had sex at an earlier age, had more sexual partners, and were more prone to infidelity than those rated as having less appealing voices. So know that what’s a seductive voice to you may be linked to a person with a bit of a past…<br /><br /><strong>5. I couldn’t help it baby, it’s in my genes.</strong> There may be a genetic component to infidelity, says a professor at the Twin Research Unit at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London. This is based on the fact that if one twin exhibits infidelity, the other twin strays 55% of the time. In the general population, the number is 23%. The tendency to remain faithful is a component of personality, the scientist elaborates, which is governed both by a number of genes and societal factors.<br /><br /><strong>6. It’s official. Love makes us crazy.</strong> For one, it causes serotonin levels in the brain to drop, which may lead people to obsess about their lover. (The levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by the body, are also low in people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder.) Next, it ramps up production of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to slightly higher blood pressure and possible loss of sleep. Finally, a scientist at the University of London has found that when people look at their new loves, the neural circuits that are usually in charge of social judgment are suppressed. All in all, love kind of leaves you obsessive, stressed, and blind. And we love it.<br /><br /><strong>7. Why broken hearts hurt...</strong> A recent UCLA study suggests the psychological hurt of a break-up is just as real as a physical injury. Two areas of the brain that respond to physical pain also become activated when a person is dealing with social pain, such as being dumped. The study’s authors used an MRI to monitor brain activity in participants while they played a game simulating social rejection. The researchers believe that the pain of being rejected may have evolved as a motivating force that led humans to seek out social interaction, which is crucial for the survival of most mammals.<br /><br /><strong>8. Blushing is best.</strong> If we take our cue from apes, rosy cheeks are crucial in the dating game, says a new study. Scientists at Stirling University in Great Britain have found that primates prefer mates with red faces. A rosy glow might also act as a similar cue in humans, say the British researchers, sending a message of good health. They speculate that it could explain why women use blusher.<br /><br /><strong>9. Kiss this way.</strong> Did you know there is a “right” way to kiss? People are more likely to tilt their heads to the right when kissing instead of left, says a report published recently in the journal Nature. A scientist from Ruhr University in Germany analyzed 124 pairs of smoochers and found that 65 percent go toward the right.<br /><br /><strong>10. Meet for drinks before dinner.</strong> Researchers at NYU and Stanford have discovered that hungry men prefer heavier women. By staking out a dining hall, scientists had hundreds of students fill out questionnaires about their preferences in a mate. Men who filled out the questionnaire just before they entered the hall described their ideal woman as an average of three or four pounds heavier than men interviewed after they ate. Incidentally, researchers did not find the same change in women’s preferences, so guys: Go ahead and schedule that drinks date for before or after dinnertime.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07093640979493390185noreply@blogger.com0