01Mar 2011 by CJ

Charlie Sheen – The Latest Hollywood Bad Boy Giving Himself a Bad Name

Life & Living
Nowhere but in America would we allow a drunken, drug-using, name calling, girl hitting and all around reckless character to get paid $1.2 million dollars for his work on a half hour television sitcom. Except if you're Charlie Sheen. I’m talking of course about Charlie Sheen from CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” - the newest Hollywood bad boy. He’s now ranting and raving to anyone who will listen, after the network and production company agreed to cancel the remainder of this season’s production schedule, due to inappropriate and lude comments he made on a popular radio show. Shocking isn’t it? Are ratings and advertising dollars so important to television studios that we’d allow this clown to show the world that this kind of behavior is not only acceptable, but…
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25Feb 2011 by CJ

Family Dinners – The Benefits of an Eat-in-Kitchen

Life & Living, Youth
Whenever my wife and I talk about a floor to ceiling remodel of our kitchen, we tend to disagree on the use of space based on the subject of family dinners. For instance, I envision a peninsula or island with a few stools surrounding it, while she prefers a more traditional 4-seat table for dining. Her argument rests solely on maintaining the “eat-in-kitchen” status we currently have for future resale value. But lately, I’m not so sure that matters to most would-be home buyers. Perhaps an “eat-in” living room might be more appropriate. An article recently appeared on the Wall Street Journal’s website entitled, “No McMansions for Millennials.” It recommends that houses of the future skip the dining room, but “don’t forget space in front of the television for the…
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24Feb 2011 by CJ

Blaming Unions is Unfair is Not as Black and White as it sounds

Information & Education, Life & Living
Regardless of my or anyone’s affiliation to union workers, the current regime of politicians in the spotlight are really no different than any of their predecessors – regardless of what they might say. They’re out to make a name for themselves, in a crowded political arena, and what better way to do so than to make headlines with dirty politics by blaming unions. What concerns me more however is the naivety of the human race. Instead of demanding facts, we listen to just about anyone who’s persuasive enough to convince us that somehow we’ve been wronged – oftentimes fictitious propaganda to further one’s agenda. But isn’t that politics in a nutshell or maybe a religious cult in which followers go along blindly with no opinion of their own? Fine, the…
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23Feb 2011 by CJ

Fashion and Style from Kohls?

Life & Living
From the Tony’s, to the Oscar’s to the Grammy’s, award shows all practice a familiar pre-ceremony tradition as the stars make their way inside the auditorium – critiquing their wardrobes. It's all about fashion and style. My favorite is the way they phrase it – “So who are you wearing?” Who are you wearing? Shouldn’t that be “what” are you wearing, because the last time I checked there wasn’t another human being draped across their shoulders like a sweater on a preppy dresser. But then again, I never really understood society’s fascination with what is and is not considered fashionable. To me this common red carpet tradition screams marketing ploy. Designers get their names spewed across the airwaves for free and soon hundreds of thousands of fashion conscious individuals flock…
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22Feb 2011 by CJ

Bad News Makes a Good Headline

Life & Living
The other day someone asked me what I thought about the recent attack on a CBS news reporter in Egypt. My response was, “Why, what happened?” I should have known it was bad news. People couldn’t believe I had no idea what they were talking about – looking at me like I was some kind of ignoramus or something. At the risk of sounding selfish, how does me knowing about this unfortunate event truly change my life? How does absorbing all of the negative headlines we’re bombarded with daily help to create and support a positive environment for us to live in? I used to religiously watch local news programs and read newspapers to keep myself abreast of everything going on in the world outside my front door. But I’m…
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