30Mar 2011 by CJ

Ina Garten is still A-OK in my book despite press

Life & Living
I’ll admit it - I’m a huge fan of cookbook author and Food Network star Ina Garten - the Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes are simple to shop for, even easier to prepare and they’re damn good to eat too! Unlike Martha, where the ingredients list looks like the parts catalog for the space shuttle and you typically need the better part of a day just to make cup cakes, Ina is about simplicity with maximum flavor. Now that’s my kind of cooking! While she’s rarely scrutinized by the media, over the last few days they’ve been gutting the culinary personality like a freshly killed chicken, seasoned and baked at 350 degrees. For those who have NO idea what I’m talking about, 6 year old Enzo petitioned the Make-A-Wish Foundation to…
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29Mar 2011 by CJ

YouTube rant shows just how dumb people are on the internet

Life & Living, Youth
If the world of social sites such as YouTube has taught us anything, it’s just how dumb we really. Take Alexandra Wallace, a UCLA student who recently posted a three-minute bitch session on YouTube about all the Asian students on campus. She whined about how they use their cell phones in the library and drag their entire family on campus for regular housecleaning – even pathetically mocking their accent to further add insult to injury. But nothing amused me more than when she said they should “learn American manners” and make their calls elsewhere. Really? Does she live in this country or just spend most of her life hidden on the floor of her closet? Americans learn manners? Please. We’ve become some of the rudest, most uncaring people around, and…
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23Mar 2011 by CJ

The Kardashian Motto – No Skills Equals Big Bucks for Nothing

Life & Living
A story in the Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that reality star Kim Kardashian and her dysfunctional family made $65 million last year. Yes, you read that right. Author and columnist Mitch Albom had this to say regarding the matter: “That’s a whole lot of something for a whole lot of nothing.” As we continue to argue the salaries of public workers, I can’t help but wonder why no one is saying, “Gee, $65 million dollars is an awful lot of money for someone whose only contribution to society is herself.” Big whoop! What’s interesting about her life is that she doesn’t produce anything someone would buy, she doesn’t have any skills or talent and her only claim to fame seems to be some homemade sex video that spread across the…
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22Mar 2011 by CJ

Living in a World Without Leadership

Life & Living
Life is saturated with individuals who claim to be leaders, but do little to deserve the title. The way I see it, there are two kinds of leaders in the world: those who lead and those who simply boss other people around. I’m afraid the later is the more popular choice here in America from politicians to managers and supervisors to heads of households. Donald Clark, a leadership expert, sums it up best: “Although your position as a leader gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in your organization, this power does not make you a leader...it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around.” Sound familiar in areas of your…
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17Mar 2011 by CJ

The Bachelor is less about the reality of love and more about ratings

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
I never thought I'd tune in to "The Bachelor". Boy was I wrong. On my weekly outings to see my grandmother, part of the evening is inevitably spent watching something on television (or the boob tube as she commonly refers to it). Most of the time we’re tuned in to the popular game show “Wheel of Fortune” – where grams always comments on Vanna’s wardrobe and how she’d love to have her job. I don’t mind the show really – remembering how often I used to watch it as a kid during summer vacation. But the other night she caught me by surprise when she asked if we could watch the season finale of “The Bachelor”. I wasn’t about to say no to a 90-year-old woman, even though I wanted…
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