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(Mental Floss) -- Students, we know you may not be all that ecstatic about seeing your teachers -- and the homework they assign -- as the school year starts up. Pay attention in class, though; you never know what hidden talents your teachers might have. Just look at all of these famous former teachers: After teaching and performing music, Gene Simmons is now starring in his own reality show, "Family Jewels." Gene Simmons: The tongue-flicking bassist of Kiss taught sixth grade in Harlem before he became the world's most famous bass-playing demon. Simmons later revealed in interviews that his superiors canned him for replacing the works of Shakespeare with Spiderman comics, which he thought the students were more likely to actually read. Alexander Graham Bell: The telephone pioneer got his start teaching Visible Speech at the Boston School for Deaf Mutes. He developed a bond with a student named Mabel Hubbard, and when she was 19 the two married. Sting: Before he became a star with The Police, Sting taught English, music, and soccer at St. Catherine's Convent School. Sting later said of working at a convent school, "I was the only man on the faculty. In fact, I was the only teacher not in a habit." Mental Floss: How 10 celebrities picked their stage names Robert Frost: Like King, Frost worked as a teacher to supplement the income from his fledgling literary career. Frost worked as both a farmer and teacher at the Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. His students called him "the Hen Man" because the poet was afraid of chickens, and Frost allegedly had trouble remembering to milk the school's cows on time. Lyndon Johnson: The future president got his start as a principal at the Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas. He later finished his teaching degree and landed gigs teaching public speaking at Pearsall High School in Pearsall Texas and Sam Houston High in Houston. The debate team he coached at Sam Houston lost the Texas state championship by a single point; Johnson supposedly had to vomit backstage before he could bring himself to congratulate the winners. Art Garfunkel: We can't speak for Paul Simon, but at least half of Simon and Garfunkel was really, really good at math. Garfunkel nearly earned a doctorate in the subject and was teaching math at the Litchfield Preparatory School in Connecticut when "Bridge Over Troubled Water" soared to the top of the charts. John Adams: The second president of the United States spent a few years working as a schoolteacher in Worcester, Massachusetts. Teaching didn't suit Adams, who thought his students were nothing more than a "large number of little runtlings, just capable of lisping A, B, C, and troubling the master." He eventually gave up the job to go to law school. Mr. T: It was hard for Chicago students to be fools when it came to gym class in the mid-1970s. You'd pay attention if Mr. T told you to do jumping jacks, wouldn't you? Sylvester Stallone: Did you know you were watching a matchup of tough-guy teachers when Stallone and Mr. T battled in "Rocky III?" When Sly was attending the American College in Switzerland during the 1960s, he worked as a gym teacher to earn extra spending money. Mental Floss: Sly Stallone pudding and other unique celebrity products J.K. Rowling: The Harry Potter author worked as an English teacher in Portugal as she plotted out the early adventures of her young wizards. Andy Griffith: Before he was a sheriff, before he was Matlock, Andy Griffith was a teacher. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Griffith taught English at Goldsboro High School. Billy Crystal: The comedian worked as a junior high substitute teacher on Long Island while he waited for his career to take off. Among the classes he subbed for: girls' gym, which must have been a great source of material. Kris Kristofferson: The country star was a Rhodes Scholar who studied literature at Oxford before joining the Army and rising to the rank of captain
|
[
"Which stars were teachers first?",
"What did the famous people try to do first?",
"What was Garfunkel's occupation at the time \"Bridge Over Troubled Water\" became a hit?",
"What subject did J.K. Rowling teach?",
"What did Johnson do?",
"Who was teaching when they became famous?",
"What was Garfunkel teaching?"
] |
[
[
"Gene Simmons:"
],
[
"teaching"
],
[
"teaching math"
],
[
"English"
],
[
"got his start as a principal at the Mexican-American Welhausen School in Cotulla, Texas."
],
[
"Gene Simmons"
],
[
"math"
]
] |
Some people who became famous, tried their hand at teaching first .
President Lyndon Johnson taught public speaking, coached debate team .
Art Garfunkel was teaching math when "Bridge Over Troubled Water" became a hit .
Authors Stephen King and J.K. Rowling and singer Sting all taught English .
|
(Mental Floss) -- Sure, you know these five creatures as stinging, biting merchants of death. But isn't it time we put aside our differences and embraced the positive? A creepy crawler from this guy's family could save your brain from cancer some day. 1. Poison dart frogs: The heart-healthy choice It could kill you: You know an animal is bad news when its sweat was once considered a state-of-the-art military technology. Meet the poison dart frog, which secretes a highly dangerous neurotoxin, called batrachotoxin, through its pores. In fact, various Latin American tribes used to collect the stuff (carefully) to poison the tips of their arrows for hunting and warfare. Interestingly, however, the frogs don't produce their own toxin. They get it from eating insects that most likely pick up the poison from the plants they consume. The same frogs, if raised in a laboratory rather than the rain forest, aren't poisonous at all. But it just might cure you: Before batrachotoxin stops your heart, it speeds it up. Consequently, medical experts believe it might be possible to tweak elements of the frog's toxin to bring patients out of cardiac arrest and potentially save lives. And because it also deadens nerve endings, batrachotoxin has potential as an ingredient in anesthetics. Watch how gator blood may be become super drug » Studies into other uses of the toxin are still in the early stages, but the frog's medical benefits bolster the argument for preserving the rainforest. Most scientists believe we've only just begun to grasp the pharmaceutical possibilities of some of the world's rarest and deadliest creatures. 2. Scorpions: Leading the battle against brain cancer It could kill you: For the most part, scorpions use their toxins to capture prey, ward off competitors during mating season, and defend themselves against larger predators. Unfortunately, humans count as larger predators. A sting by some species can leave you with any number of potentially deadly conditions, including heart and lung failure. But it just might cure you: Medical researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered a new use for scorpion venom -- cancer medication. Each year, some 9,000 Americans are diagnosed with malignant glioma, a form of brain cancer that kills about half its victims within a year of diagnosis. Glioma cells work a lot like cockroach muscle cells. And while that fact is pretty disgusting, it also got UAB researchers thinking about the giant Israeli scorpion, whose venom is harmless to humans but deadly to its cockroach prey. Doctors found that when they injected a drug derived from the venom of giant Israeli scorpions into cancer-infected human brains, the poison destroyed the glioma cells and left surrounding, healthy cells alone. The treatment is still in the early stages of development, but researchers remain optimistic. 3. Cone shell snails: Little creatures tackling big pain It could kill you: Thanks to their unique colors and intricate patterns, cone shells look like they'd make great beach souvenirs. But watch your fingers; they're actually home to one of the world's deadliest creatures. Cone shell snails come equipped with an extendable "arm" -- complete with a sharp, venomous tooth -- that they use to immobilize and kill prey. And while the venom certainly helps the slow-moving hunters from going hungry, it can also paralyze, or even kill, victims. The good news: Death by cone shell is completely painless. But it just might cure you: Cone shell venom, called conotoxin, has incredible potential as a painkiller, with one added bonus: Unlike many current anesthetics, conotoxin isn't addictive. In 2005, Ireland-based Elan Pharmaceuticals became the first company to market a drug made from the venom. Called Prialt, the drug is pumped into the fluid around a patient's spine to relieve chronic pain and is believed to be up to 1,000 times more powerful than morphine. Meanwhile, at the University of Melbourne, a research team headed by Professor Bruce Livett is currently developing another conotoxin-based painkiller called
|
[
"What deadly creature can help brain cancer patients?",
"What do scientists hope can save humans?"
] |
[
[
"Scorpions:"
],
[
"A creepy crawler"
]
] |
Scientists hope deadly creatures can save humans .
Gila monster venom stimulates insulin production in humans .
Snake venom lead to treatment for millions with high blood pressure .
Scorpions may help patients survive brain cancer .
|
(Mental Floss) -- The legend of Jack Daniel reaches all the way back to the moment he was born. Unfortunately, nobody knows exactly when that was. Jack Daniel believed the more memorable his image, the more memorable his whiskey. Some records show that Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel came into the world on September 5, 1846. His tombstone, however, says 1850. Strange, because his mother died in 1847. All of this might not normally matter, but Jack's birth date is important to his overall legend, which proudly proclaims him "the boy distiller." So perhaps it's best we begin when Jack was first introduced to whiskey, which we know was early in life. Leaving home at a young age, Jack struck out on his own with nothing more than a handful of items valued at $9. He ended up at the home of Dan Call, a preacher at a nearby Lutheran church and the owner of a general store. There, Reverend Call also happened to sell whiskey that he distilled himself. Jack quickly became determined to learn the craft. In fact, many storytellers claim the boy wonder bought the still from Call and began pursuing the business full-time at the ripe age of 16. If that legend is true, then Jack began selling his own Tennessee whiskey only three years later; the famous black labels on the company bottles proudly pronounce, "Established and Registered in 1866." In reality, no documents support that myth. Jack may have been a teenage moonshiner, but he didn't register his business with the federal government until 1875. And by then, Jack would have been the more booze-appropriate age of 29. The maker makes his mark Whatever legends exist, one thing is certain: Jack Daniel had a brilliant mind for marketing. Even as a youngster, Jack understood that if people remembered him, they would remember his whiskey. To that end, he decked himself out in a formal knee-length coat, a vest, a tie, and a wide-brim planter's hat, and was never caught out of "uniform" again. Jack also established the Jack Daniel's Silver Cornet Band -- a 10-member outfit solely devoted to promoting his whiskey across the countryside. With uniforms and instruments from the Sears & Roebuck catalog and a specially designed wagon for traveling, Jack made sure the band played every saloon opening, Fourth of July celebration, and political rally around. But perhaps Jack's most brilliant decision concerned how to present his whiskey. From the beginning, Jack had been one of the first sellers to stencil his distillery name on his whiskey jugs. Next, he upgraded to round, custom-embossed bottles. But when a glass salesman showed him a prototype square bottle in 1895, Jack realized he'd stumbled upon something unique. The new bottles not only stood out from the crowd, but also had a shape that would prevent them from rolling around and breaking during transport. In addition, the square look reinforced the idea that Jack was a square dealer who put honest work and high standards first. Whatever effort Jack Daniel put into his marketing, he never let quality slip. In 1904, the distiller decided on a whim to enter his whiskey in the taste competition at the St. Louis World's Fair. It came as little surprise when he won. Lucky No. 7 Perhaps Jack's greatest coup was the name he gave his high-quality product -- Old No. 7. Naturally, nobody seems to know why. The official historian at the Jack Daniel Distillery today says it's the most oft-asked question on factory tours. As you might imagine, many theories have been advanced. Jack had seven girlfriends. Jack believed the number seven was lucky. Jack was honoring a merchant friend who owned seven stores that distributed Jack's liquor. Jack misplaced a batch of whiskey for seven years and, upon finding it, labeled it "Old No. 7." None of these stories, however, makes as much sense as the less-than-sexy explanation from Jack
|
[
"Who died from complications of gangrene from an injury to his foot?",
"What was Daniel's \"uniform\" made of?",
"What was Daniel's uniform?",
"When was Daniel born?",
"Who knows exactly when Jack Daniel was born?"
] |
[
[
"Jack Daniel"
],
[
"formal knee-length coat, a vest, a tie, and a wide-brim planter's hat,"
],
[
"formal knee-length coat, a vest, a tie, and a wide-brim planter's hat,"
],
[
"September 5, 1846."
],
[
"nobody knows exactly when that was."
]
] |
To this day, nobody knows exactly when Jack Daniel was born .
Daniel's "uniform": formal knee-length coat, vest, tie, and a wide-brim planter's hat .
Origin of "No. 7": Daniel was assigned a district tax assessment number of 7 .
Daniel died from complications of gangrene from an injury to his foot .
|
(Mental Floss) -- There have been presidential daughters almost as long as there have been presidents. (George Washington had no children.) President Warren Harding made child-care payments to his mistress for years until his death in 1923. What these women did -- both under the influence of and independent from their influential fathers -- make fascinating stories. Here are five you might not have heard: 1. Sarah Knox Taylor Davis She packed a lot of drama into her 21 years. The second daughter of future U.S. President Zachary Taylor, Sarah also was the first wife of future Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Her parents gave her the middle name Knox after Fort Knox, in pre-state Indiana, where her military father was stationed and where she was born in 1813 or 1814. Sarah was often called Knox or Knoxie. The life of an army brat was certainly more dangerous in the early 19th century. During Taylor's posting in Louisiana, Sarah and her two sisters came down with "bilious fever," now thought to be malaria. Sarah survived, but her older and younger sisters died. The Taylors were stationed at Fort Crawford (now Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin) in 1832, when Sarah met and fell in love with a young officer named Jefferson Davis. Zachary Taylor opposed the relationship, and accounts vary as to why --because he didn't want his daughter to continue to be exposed to the hardships of army life, or because he and Davis didn't get along. Or both. Davis was transferred, so he and Sarah conducted a long-distance relationship for two years. They even planned their wedding by mail. The ceremony took place in June 1835, in Louisville, Kentucky. Sarah's parents did not attend. Once again there is disagreement over why they were absent. The newlyweds immediately headed south, and they visited Davis's relatives in Louisiana. Sarah, mindful of the family tragedy the last time the Taylors traveled those parts, wrote home, "Do not make yourself uneasy about me, the country is quite healthy." But while staying with Davis's oldest sister at "Locust Grove" in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, the couple fell ill with malaria. Jefferson Davis recovered, but Sarah died, barely three months into her marriage. Mental Floss: 5 memorable White House weddings 2. Elizabeth Harrison Walker Her life straddled the Gilded Age of her father, President Benjamin Harrison, and the Television Age, when accomplished women were just beginning to enter in numbers into the mainstream of public life. Elizabeth was born in 1897, four years after her father left office. A widower with two children by his first wife, Harrison had married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, and Elizabeth was the couple's only child. She was just 4 when her father, the last of the bearded presidents, passed away. If Elizabeth's dynastic 1921 marriage to James Blaine Walker -- grandnephew of her father's secretary of state and onetime Republican presidential nominee James G. Blaine -- was conventional, much of the rest of her life was not. By the time of her wedding, she had received several academic degrees, including a law degree from New York University Law School, and was admitted to the bar in New York and Indiana at age 22. After her marriage, she began publishing a monthly newsletter, "Cues on the News." Geared toward women, it offered economic and investment tips, and was distributed nationally by banks. Her expertise led to appearances on radio and, later, television, where she spoke on economic issues pertaining to women. She died in 1955, at the age of 58. Mental Floss: Quiz: Post--White House lives of presidents 3. Margaret Woodrow Wilson Thirty years before the Beatles went to India to sample and popularize its spiritual wonders, another musician and political activist, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, had already been. It was the final chapter in the peripatetic life of the eldest of President Woodrow Wilson's three daughters. Margaret was born in 1886, in Gainesville, Georgia. During her father's presidency,
|
[
"Who did President Taylor's daughter marry?",
"Where was President Hardling's daughter conceived?",
"Who is involved?",
"whom did President Taylor's daughter marry",
"Whio married future president of an enemy power?",
"Who followed a guru to India?"
] |
[
[
"Jefferson Davis."
],
[
"Fort Knox,"
],
[
"President Warren Harding"
],
[
"Jefferson Davis."
],
[
"Sarah Knox Taylor Davis"
],
[
"Margaret Woodrow Wilson"
]
] |
President Harding's illegitimate daughter was conceived on couch in Senate office .
Review of Harry Truman's daughter prompted presidential threat against reporter .
President Taylor's daughter married future president of an enemy power .
Woodrow Wilson's daughter followed a guru to India .
|
(Mental Floss) -- They say a lot of artistic expression is motivated by self-loathing. But not for these folks! Long before the Material Girl ordered papa to stop preaching, these six puffed-up virtuosos knew darn well how to strike a pose.
Alfred Hitchcock didn't leave people in suspense about how he felt about actors.
Here's to the creative types who managed to raise egotism to an art form.
Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock was, without question, one of the towering geniuses of cinema. And, like many greats, he wasn't exactly the best collaborator.
Hitchcock was particularly trying for screenwriters, who felt he never properly credited them for their work. But he was notoriously hard on actors.
He was once quoted as saying, "Actors are cattle" -- a quip that stirred up a huge outcry (actors can be so touchy). In response, he issued this correction: "I have been misquoted. What I really said is, 'Actors should be treated as cattle.'"
Although it began accidentally (when he was short an actor for the film "The Lodger"), Hitchcock soon made it his egotistical trademark to appear in his own films, amassing a total of 37 cameos throughout his career.
Ayn Rand
The egotist's egotist, author Ayn Rand (born Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum) is the patron saint of Thinking You're Better Than Everybody Else.
Her most famous novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, are massive dramatizations of Objectivism, her self-spun Oscar-the-Grouch philosophy for success. Objectivism champions ego and accomplishment, shuns all religion as folly, and condemns any form of charity or altruism as counterproductive to society.
Rand's novels often focus on protagonists (invariably men) who are shunned by others because of their genius, but then persevere over the foolishness of morons to prove said genius and emerge triumphant.
Not surprisingly, she saw humility as a weakness and regarded laughing at yourself as "spitting in your own face."
So, just how much did Rand believe in her own philosophy? Let's just say a lot. With signature modesty, she ranked herself as the philosophical equal of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.
Orson Welles
When you create a cinematic masterpiece such as "Citizen Kane" at the ripe old age of 25, you're bound to get a big head. But Welles was convinced of his own importance much earlier than that.
In fact, "Citizen Kane" might have been sparked by nothing more than a bruised ego. After all, it's said he devised the film as a withering exposé of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst because Hearst slighted Welles at a dinner party. Of course, after the unparalleled success of "Citizen Kane," Welles's arrogant side didn't get any less subtle.
Do yourself a favor: Track down a recording of Welles' outtakes for a TV commercial for frozen peas. You'll hear everything you need to know about the filmmaker's oversized ego. A classic quote goes: "In the depths of your ignorance, what is it you want?"
Frank Lloyd Wright
As the brains behind the Robie House, Fallingwater, Taliesin West, the Guggenheim, and countless other design benchmarks, Frank Lloyd Wright is arguably the genius of 20th-century architecture. And, boy, did he know it!
Wright was notorious for believing he was superior to mere mortals. In fact, the architectural egomaniac frequently acted as though the rules -- even those of geography and climate -- did not apply to him. But when you're Wright, you're right.
In 1935, department store magnate Stanley Marcus (of Neiman-Marcus fame) commissioned the architect to design his Dallas home, but the project quickly went sour. Wright's avant-garde floor plan included "sleeping porches" that required his client to sleep outdoors year-round. In addition, Marcus' small bedroom "cubicles" came equipped with almost no closet space.
When Stanley respectfully explained that (a) temperatures during summer nights in Dallas often exceed 80
|
[
"What did Frank Lloyd Wright want to do?",
"What does Frank Lloyd Wright want?",
"Who wanted to store magnate to sleep on the porch?",
"What does Ayn Rand say is the same as laughing at yourself?",
"What did Any Rand say?",
"What did Ayn Rand say?",
"Who said Laughing at yourself same as \"spitting in your own face\"",
"What does Rand think about self mockery",
"Where did frank want the manager to sleep",
"what is laughing at yourself the same as?",
"Where did Frank Lloyd Wright want the store magnate to sleep?",
"Where did Frank Lloyd Wright want them to sleep?",
"What did Ayn Rand refer to as 'spitting in your own face'?",
"What does Ayn Rand equate to laughing at yourself?",
"where did frank lloyd wright want store magnate to sleep?",
"where did Frank Lloyd Wright want the magnate to sleep"
] |
[
[
"design his Dallas home,"
],
[
"\"sleeping porches\" that required his client to sleep outdoors year-round."
],
[
"Stanley Marcus"
],
[
"\"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"\"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"she saw humility as a weakness and regarded laughing at yourself as \"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"Ayn Rand"
],
[
"\"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"outdoors"
],
[
"\"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"outdoors"
],
[
"outdoors year-round."
],
[
"laughing at yourself"
],
[
"\"spitting in your own face.\""
],
[
"outdoors year-round."
],
[
"\"sleeping porches\""
]
] |
Frank Lloyd Wright wanted store magnate to sleep on porch .
Salvador Dalí's stated ambitions were bigger than Napoleon's .
Ayn Rand: Laughing at yourself same as "spitting in your own face"
|
(Mental Floss) -- We all know about the Confederate states leaving the Union. But that was far from the only secessionist movement in American history. Here are some rebellious regions you won't find in too many history books.
This map shows some rebellious regions that have tried to seceed from the United States.
1. The Kingdom of Beaver Island
Beaver Island, a small island in Lake Michigan, became the home of Mormon leader James Strang and his followers -- called Strangites -- in 1848. Two years later, Strang declared himself king of the church -- complete with crown, scepter, robe, and a harem of 15 wives.
However, most of the island's inhabitants were his followers, so he essentially became King of Beaver Island. The power got to his head, and he began forcing his rule onto the non-believers, causing some violence between the two factions.
In 1856, the USS Michigan pulled into the harbor and invited Strang aboard. As he was walking towards the ship, he was shot in the back by disgruntled followers, who then ran up the gangplank and escaped. Adding to the mysterious circumstances, the assassins were set ashore on nearby Mackinac Island and never charged for their crime.
Shortly after the assassination, angry mobs from surrounding islands eventually forced the Strangites from their homes, thus ending the short-lived Kingdom of Beaver Island.
2. The state of Superior
Concern over a perceived lack of interest from the Michigan state government, the people of the Upper Peninsula (U.P.), affectionately known as "Yoopers," have been trying to secede and form the State of Superior since as far back as 1897.
The movement gained momentum after 1957 when a bridge connecting the U.P. region to Lower Michigan made it easier for southern "Trolls" (people who live "below the bridge") and Yoopers to mingle. This animosity continued into the mid-1980s, when 20,000 signatures were collected and submitted to the state for a secession request.
However, the number was shy of the 36,000 required, and the request subsequently denied. The secessionist drive lives on today, as numerous grassroots organizations are trying to muster support for another official attempt at an independent U.P. Until that day comes, though, the Yoopers and Trolls will just have to try to get along.
3. The Great Republic of Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready, California, was a mining town founded in 1849 by the Rough and Ready Company of Wisconsin. As the town's population rapidly exploded to 3,000, lawlessness was on the rise -- and the U.S. government was not much help squelching the rampant crime. Mental Floss: Three controversial maps
Additionally, a new federal tax on mining operations added fuel to the region's civil unrest. Seeing little support from Washington, on April 7, 1850, the townspeople voted to secede from the Union.
But just three months later, as the Fourth of July approached, The Great Republic of Rough and Ready wanted to have a celebration (which seems odd considering they were no longer technically Americans). When nearby Nevada City wouldn't sell liquor to "foreign miners," it was decided that maybe America wasn't so bad after all. The townspeople voted themselves back into the Union on the very same day and the party went off as planned.
4. The Conch Republic
In the early-1980s, the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida Keys in an effort to stop illegal drugs and immigrants. The time to check everyone's identification at the checkpoint resulted in a 20-mile traffic jam that turned tourists away, thus damaging the economy in the Keys.
After numerous legal attempts to have the checkpoint removed, on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow declared the Florida Keys were seceding from the Union.
Moments later, now-Prime Minister Wardlow symbolically declared war on the U.S. by breaking a stale piece of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform. One minute later, Wardlow turned to the Admiral in charge of the U.S. Naval Base at Key West and surrendered, thus
|
[
"who are forced to get along in Michigan?",
"What did the Key West mayor do?",
"Who does he lead?",
"who named himself king of Beaver Island?",
"What did James Strang name himself?",
"who declared Florida Keys were seceding from Union in 1982?"
] |
[
[
"Yoopers and Trolls"
],
[
"declared the Florida"
],
[
"called Strangites"
],
[
"Strang"
],
[
"king of the church"
],
[
"West mayor Dennis Wardlow"
]
] |
Mormon leader James Strang named himself king of Beaver Island, Michigan .
Key West mayor declared Florida Keys were seceding from Union in 1982 .
Northern California and southern Oregon have been trying to merge since 1852 .
"Yoopers" and "Trolls" are forced to get along in Michigan .
|
(Mental Floss) -- We all want to live forever. But, chances are, you'd rather forego a legacy altogether than have your name be synonymous with a goofy flub like a spoonerism or a dim-witted word like "dunce." You can find a saint under tawdry in the dictionary. For the following eponyms, we ask: Did these word-inspiring folks really deserve their drag through the linguistic mud? 1. Dunce Dictionaries don't play fair, and John Duns Scotus is proof. The 13th/14th-century thinker, whose writings synthesized Christian theology and Aristotle's philosophy, was considerably less dumb than a brick. Unfortunately for Scotus, subsequent theologians took a dim view of all those who championed his viewpoint. These "Scotists," "Dunsmen," or "Dunses" were considered hairsplitting meatheads and, eventually, just "dunces." 2.(slipping a) Mickey When you have to drug somebody against their will (hey, you gotta do what you gotta do), it just wouldn't sound right to slip 'em a Ricardo, a Bjorn, or an Evelyn. It's gotta be a Mickey. At the turn of the 20th century, Mickey Finn was a Chicago saloon owner in one of the seediest parts of town -- and he fit right in. Finn was known for serving "Mickey Finn Specials," which probably included chloral hydrate, a heavy sedative. After targeted customers passed out, Finn would haul them into his "operating room" and liberate them of all valuables (including shoes). Never a Host of the Year candidate, this Mickey seems to have thoroughly earned his legacy, so don't hesitate to use it the next time you drug and rob your own customers. 3. Spoonerism Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844--1930) was famous for his muddled one-liners. And though it's hard to know which ones he actually said, lines such as "I have a half-warmed fish" and "Yes indeed, the Lord is a shoving leopard" still prove that the sound-switching flub is pretty charming as far as mistakes go. The spoonerism has even been used as a literary technique by poets and fiction writers, giving Spooner little reason to roll over -- or otherwise inarticulately protest -- in his grave. 4. Lynch Although several Lynches (not including David) have been investigated by inquisitive etymologists, Virginia native Charles Lynch (1736--1796) is most likely the man behind the murderous word. Lynch was a patriot, a planter, and a judge. But when he headed a vigilante court to punish Tories (British loyalists) during the American Revolution, he decided to play the roles of jury and executioner, too. Lynch has more than earned his besmirched name. In fact, he did half the besmirching himself by egotistically referring to his actions as "lynch law" and "lynching." 5. Shrapnel While battling Napoleon's army, English General Henry Shrapnel (1761--1842) noticed that original-flavor cannonballs just weren't massacring enough enemies for his liking. So, to get more shebang for his shilling, he filled the cannonballs with bullets and exploding charges. These "shrapnel shells," or "shrapnel-barrages," were pretty darn effective, and later designs proved even more successful in World War I. Shrapnel didn't get much credit for the "innovation" during his lifetime, but he ultimately contributed to enough death and misery that he pretty much deserves to be synonymous with a violent, metallic byproduct of combat. 6. Draconian A Lexis-Nexis news search shows that folks are still talking about "draconian policies," "draconian penalties," and, most frighteningly, "draconian sex rules." Though Athenian lawgiver Draco is not entirely confirmed to have existed, if he were real, then around 621 B.C.E., he instituted two time-honored traditions: 1) writing laws down and 2) making laws that were batcrap-insane They include ascribing the death penalty to such atrocities as
|
[
"Who built more deadly cannonballs?",
"Who wanted to put lazy to death?",
"Who built deadly cannonballs?",
"Where does the word Draconian come from?"
] |
[
[
"General Henry Shrapnel"
],
[
"Athenian lawgiver Draco"
],
[
"English General Henry Shrapnel"
],
[
"Athenian lawgiver Draco"
]
] |
Some awful words named after real people .
Tawdry named for St. Audrey who wore audacious necklaces .
Draconian came from lawyer who wanted lazy put to death .
General Henry Shrapnel built more deadly cannonballs .
|
(Mental Floss) -- We remember Henry Ford as the automotive magnate who perfected assembly line technology, but he also dabbled in ambitious social programs, including one in which he hired ex-convicts straight out of Sing Sing to staff his factories. Henry Ford, pictured in 1942, unsuccessfully attempted to increase the rubber supply with a plantation in Brazil. Although many of these efforts were successful, Ford's ill-fated foray into the Brazilian jungle was a notable and fascinating exception. The plan If you're going to make millions of cars, you're going to need an awful lot of rubber. In 1927, Ford came up with a novel plan: He'd solve his rubber problem and test out his lofty theories about social planning. If everything went well, he could craft both a utopia full of healthy, productive workers and a direct pipeline of coveted rubber to Detroit. Ford approached the task with characteristic zeal. He talked the Brazilian government into granting him 10,000 square kilometers of land in the Amazon rain forest -- a plot that was nearly twice as big as the state of Delaware -- in exchange for a 9 percent cut of the plantation's profits. In theory, this setup seemed like one of Ford's ideas that would shake out pretty well, and in 1928, Ford sent a barge full of supplies from Michigan down to his new plantation town, which was dubbed "Fordlandia." Growing rubber in the jungle Unfortunately for Ford's stockholders, though, the captain of industry didn't always have a great eye for detail. (One famous story about Ford was that he disliked accountants so fiercely that he never had his company audited. By the end of his tenure, the Ford Motor Company allegedly had no idea exactly how much it cost to build a car.) Ford didn't check to see if the plantation was suitable for growing rubber. According to Greg Grandin, author of "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City," Ford never consulted any sort of expert on rubber cultivation; he just sent a bunch of supplies and managers into the jungle hoping to grow some rubber. Mental Floss: Henry Ford and others who survived bankruptcy Ford was legendarily contemptuous of experts, but he could have saved some serious dough if he'd just hired a consultant to tell him that the plantation wasn't at all suitable for growing rubber. The land wasn't very fertile, but that wasn't the main problem. The real difficulty was that it's practically impossible to farm rubber in a plantation setting in the Amazon rainforest. To grow the trees on a commercial scale, you've got to pack them in fairly close together, and at that point they become incredibly susceptible to blight and insect attacks. Fordlandia's trees were no exception, and caterpillars and blight quickly decimated the fields. Not exactly a worker's paradise Obviously, the rubber production part of the Fordlandia got off to a rocky start. How was the "worker's paradise" part of things going, though? Even more abysmally. The American managers and their families that Ford imported from Michigan weren't accustomed to the sweltering Brazilian heat and headed back north with an alarming frequency. The heavy machinery used on the plantation left deep ruts in the soft soil, which collected stagnant water and became breeding grounds for malaria-ridden mosquitoes. Ford had attempted to design Fordlandia like any American town, complete with schools, restaurants, a golf course, and shops. The catch here, though, was that the indigenous Brazilians who farmed the rubber weren't used to living in a stylized American community. Worse still, the plantation's workers were expected to work a strict shift from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., whereas normal harvesting practices in the region saw workers hit the fields before dawn, take a long break, and then head out again at twilight to save themselves the misery of working in the tropical midday heat. Food fights Ford's influence extended all the way down to the residents' diets, and while the indigenous workers weren't crazy about having to eat American foods
|
[
"Where did the auto magnate set up a plantation?",
"What did an auto magnate set up in the Amazon forest?",
"what set up a plantation",
"where was it set up",
"who didn't research",
"What was the land unsuitable for?",
"who set the plantation up",
"where is the plantation",
"Where was a plantation set up to produce rubber?",
"What did he fail to do?",
"Where was the plantation set up?"
] |
[
[
"Brazil."
],
[
"\"Fordlandia.\""
],
[
"Henry Ford,"
],
[
"Amazon rain forest"
],
[
"Henry Ford"
],
[
"growing rubber."
],
[
"Henry Ford,"
],
[
"Brazil."
],
[
"Brazil."
],
[
"increase the rubber supply"
],
[
"Brazil."
]
] |
The auto magnate set up a plantation in the Amazon rain forest to produce rubber .
He didn't research the land and found out to late it wasn't suitable for growing rubber .
Brazilian workers rioted against U.S.-style mess hall, ban on alcohol .
Ford ultimately sold the plantation at a $20 million loss .
|
(Mental Floss) -- We're in the throes of summer vacation season, but at least one American is still on the job. While it's rumored that President Obama will follow in the footsteps of President Clinton and vacation on Martha's Vineyard, he hasn't had a chance to break out his Bermuda shorts just yet. When Obama does take off, though, he'll join in the grand tradition of presidential vacations, like these notable ones: President Bush (R) and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen ride bikes in Crawford, Texas, in 2008. 1. Abe Lincoln doesn't go too far Far-flung vacations are nice, but President Lincoln preferred to stay a bit closer to home. When Lincoln needed a getaway from the heat and political turmoil of Civil War-era Washington, D.C., he headed to...a different part of Washington, D.C. From 1862 to 1864 Lincoln spent June through November living in a cottage atop a hill at the Soldiers' Home a few miles from the White House. Lincoln apparently loved the slight change of scenery, which meant slightly cooler temperatures and a chance to ride his horse each morning. If you're considering a stay-cation this year, consider this Honest Abe's endorsement. 2. Movie cowboy does real ranching Think George W. Bush was the first president to sneak away from the White House to spend time on his ranch? Not quite. At the end of his second term as Governor of California in 1974, Ronald Reagan paid just over half a million dollars to acquire Rancho del Cielo in California's Santa Ynez Mountains. The 688-acre ranch, complete with stables and a 1500-square-foot adobe house, was Reagan's go-to vacation destination while he was in office, and he entertained some big names there, including Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mikhail Gorbachev, who gamely wore a cowboy hat during his visit. 3. LBJ does some ranching, too Texan Lyndon Johnson was very involved in the everyday operations of his ranch. Johnson, who had gotten into ranching in 1951, grew his LBJ Ranch into a 2,700-acre spread populated by 400 head of Hereford cattle. Johnson was no absentee owner when he was in Washington, either. Johnson frequently headed back on vacations and supposedly drove his foreman crazy by calling every day to talk about the weather on the ranch or how the pastures looked. Today, the National Park Service maintains LBJ's spread as a working ranch, complete with a herd of cattle descended from the Herefords Johnson bred. 4. George W. Bush initiates a war on brush George W. Bush followed in LBJ's footsteps and went to his own Texas ranch when he needed a getaway. Prairie Chapel Ranch, a 1,583-acre spread Bush owns near Crawford, Texas, served as the secondary White House throughout Bush's presidency, and he was often shown clearing brush during vacations. Bush wasn't just doing farm work, though. He exhorted visitors to join the "President's 100-Degrees Club" by running three miles or biking 10 after the mercury hit 100 degrees. Anyone who could pull of the feat got a specialized Under Armour shirt as recognition. We can only hope one of the many foreign dignitaries Bush entertained at the ranch -- including Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi, Ariel Sharon, and Saudi King Abdullah -- managed to get one of the coveted shirts into their suitcases. Mental Floss: Iraq, Afghanistan and other extreme vacation spots 5. FDR heats up Georgia Some presidents choose to head to their hometowns or a beach side resort for their vacations, but Franklin Roosevelt preferred to travel to western Georgia. Warm Springs, Georgia, is the home of (you guessed it!) warm springs that supposedly had therapeutic value for polio sufferers. FDR, who had contracted his own paralytic illness in 1921, started visiting Warm Springs in 1924 in the hope that exercising in the springs' warm waters would cure him. Although the springs didn't reverse his illness, FDR felt like his time at the resort alleviated his symptoms somewhat. In 1927 he bought the resort he'd been staying
|
[
"what is the president name?",
"Where do they go?",
"who spent four months at the slightly cooler Soldiers' Home?",
"Where did Lincoln go?"
] |
[
[
"Obama"
],
[
"Martha's Vineyard,"
],
[
"Lincoln"
],
[
"cottage atop a hill at the Soldiers' Home a few miles from the White House."
]
] |
U.S. presidents leave the White House to relax on vacations .
Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush visited their ranches .
Taxpayers spent $625,000 sprucing up President Nixon's Florida home .
Pres. Lincoln spent four months at the slightly cooler Soldiers' Home .
|
(Mental Floss) -- While the horse racing world is all abuzz over Rachel Alexandra, the amazing three-year-old filly who recently beat Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird (along with a field full of other colts) in the Preakness Stakes, we're reminded of some other female athletes of the two-legged variety who also beat the boys at their own game. Danica Patrick finished third at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 on Saturday. 1. Billie Jean King -- tennis In 1973, Billie Jean King was 29 years old and the reigning queen of women's tennis. In an era when female athletes were paid significantly less than their male counterparts, King still managed to earn $100,000 in 1971. Bobby Riggs had won Wimbledon back in 1939, but by the 1970s his star was fading. He kept his name in the press by proclaiming himself a male chauvinist pig and declaring that women athletes could never be as good as men. After defeating Margaret Court in May, he proclaimed "I want King!" The much-hyped "Battle of the Sexes" was held at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973. The idea of a woman beating a man in any sport was so unbelievable at the time that Las Vegas oddsmakers heavily favored the 55-year-old Riggs. A worldwide television audience watched via satellite as King neatly thrashed Riggs 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3. Billie Jean King not only took home the prize money and several endorsement deals, she also opened up a new playing field for professional sportswomen. Mental Floss: Song Elton John wrote for Billie Jean King 2. Margaret Murdock --shooting Margaret Murdock's father was a Kansas state rifle champion, so it was logical that both she and her sister took up the sport as children. When Murdock attended Kansas State in the early 1960s, she won her varsity letter by competing on the men's rifle team. In 1976 she became the first woman to represent the U.S. on its Olympic shooting team. The small-bore three position competition calls for the shooter to fire off 40 shots each in the standing, kneeling and prone position. The competitors fire from 50 meters away at a target that is a little smaller than a dime. At the end of the competition, Murdock was tied with Lanny Bassham, the team captain. Bassham requested a tie-breaking shoot-off, but Olympic rules forbade it; instead, Bassham was awarded the gold medal because he had scored three "100s" to Murdock's two. During the medal ceremony, Lanny pulled Margaret up from the silver pedestal to stand with him during the national anthem to indicate that she deserved the gold as much as he. 3. Jackie Mitchell -- baseball Virne Beatrice Mitchell, known to her family as "Jackie," entered the world ahead of schedule and weighed only a little over three pounds at birth. As soon as she learned to walk, her father took her to the ballpark. The Mitchell's next door neighbor in Memphis was future Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance, who was still playing in the minors at the time. He coached Jackie in the art of pitching when she was eight years old and even showed her his trademark "drop pitch," a dazzling throw in which the ball swooped down just before crossing the plate. When Mitchell was 17 she was offered a contract with the Chattanooga Lookouts, today the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. On April 1, 1931, the New York Yankees were in town to play an exhibition game against the Lookouts. The game was postponed a day due to rain, and there was a crowd of 4,000 on hand when Mitchell finally took the mound. Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate and southpaw Jackie threw her special pitch. Ruth took the first pitch for a ball, but the next three were strikes. Lou Gehrig, baseball's Iron Man, was up next and similarly struck out. The crowd was on its feet, but some skeptical reporters wrote that the whole thing had been staged, since the game was originally scheduled for April
|
[
"when was the race?",
"Who is the female pitcher that struck out Babe Ruth?"
] |
[
[
"September 20, 1973."
],
[
"Jackie Mitchell"
]
] |
Female pitcher Virne Beatrice Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig .
Seana Hogan holds the record for the San Francisco to Los Angeles cycling race .
Sonya Thomas wins eating contests of oysters, chicken wings, Krystal hamburgers .
|
(Mental Floss) -- Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out covert items at fast food chains around the country. Not all food items are always listed on restaurant menus. Be warned, this mission includes very real dangers such as hardening arteries and skyrocketing cholesterol. We've compiled a list to get you started. 1. If you're at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don't worry -- there's a tiny option for you. It's the Short size, and they don't advertise it. It's like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you're scrounging for change and don't have enough for a tall (not that that has ever happened to me). 2. It's a good thing we don't have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-based smoothies. Because it's considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn't officially list these on their in-store menus, but the Web site Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company's headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, and Now and Later. 3. This one might be my favorite. At Fatburger, you can order a Hypocrite -- a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon. 4. Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination -- they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos. Some stores are testing out quesadillas as a regular menu item, however, so maybe someday soon you won't need a super-secret handshake to order one. Mental Floss: 7 food promotions gone horribly wrong 5. If you're at Wendy's and you're really hungry -- like, three-patties-just-won't-cut-it hungry -- go ahead and order the Grand Slam, which is four patties stacked on a bun. This option is only available at select Wendy's, and it's also known as the Meat Cube. 6. Several places, including McDonald's and In-N-Out, will serve you the Neapolitan milkshake. It's just what it sounds like -- chocolate, vanilla and strawberry shakes layered in a cup. 7. In-N-Out Burger's "secret menu" isn't so secret these days -- in fact, they've posted it on their Web site. But in case you're not in the habit of surfing fast food Web sites, here's the skinny on their rather un-skinny items: ordering something "Animal Style" at In-N-Out means you're going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it's sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. Mental Floss: Why is it called "Thousand Island" dressing? "Protein Style" is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you're ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. According to photos posted at SuperSizedMeals.com, one gluttonous patron requested and received a 100x100 at a Las Vegas store a few years ago. One item not listed on the Web site secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun. 8. Feeling a little
|
[
"What is Wendy's off-the-menu item?",
"What is farburger's Hypocrite?",
"What wendy's offers?",
"What have not-on-menu items?",
"Where can you get a Neapolitan milkshake?",
"What company has a Neapolitan milkshake?"
] |
[
[
"the Grand Slam,"
],
[
"a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon."
],
[
"the Grand Slam,"
],
[
"chains"
],
[
"McDonald's and In-N-Out,"
],
[
"McDonald's and In-N-Out,"
]
] |
Some fast food outlets have not-on-menu items you can get if you ask for them .
Fatburger's Hypocrite is bacon-topped veggie burger; Popeye's offers naked chicken .
Some Subways will still make the popular pizza sub from the 1990s .
Wendy's offers the Meat Cube; McDonald's has a Neapolitan milkshake .
|
(MentalFloss.com) -- 1. The oldest documented bikinis -- haute, bandeau-style little numbers -- show up in a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic entitled Chamber of the Ten Maidens. A bevy of ancient, bikini-clad babes are depicted playing sports.
2. Earlier this year, Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider invented the first solar powered bikini -- the "iKini" -- which produces enough electricity to power an iPod during a sunny day at the beach. Just remember to unplug it, the inventor says, before taking a dip.
3. The famous white belted bikini worn by Ursula Andress in the 1962 James Bond hit "Dr. No" sold for $61,500 at Christie's in London in 2001. Halle Barry modeled a redux of a similar suit in the 2002 Bond flick, "Die Another Day."
4. French designer Jacques Heim's first itsy-bitsy bathing suit hit the fashion scene in 1946. Tapping into the worldwide obsession with nuclear physics, he named his tiny invention the "atom." A few months later, another French designer, Louis Reard, one-upped Heim, revealing an even tinier suit, which he dubbed the "bikini" after Bikini Atoll, the island in the Pacific where the U.S. had tested the atom bomb. The new swimsuit, it was said, was as small as an atom and just as powerful.
5. Reard said a two-piece bathing suit couldn't be called a bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring."
Mental Floss: Waitresses, bridesmaids, compulsory plastic surgery
6. In 2009, Americans spent $4.3 billion -- roughly $400 million more than the GDP of Barbados -- on swimwear alone.
7. The 19th-century version of a bikini was made out of either heavy flannel or wool -- fabrics that would not be transparent when wet -- and covered the entire body from neck to toe. The suits were so heavy that women had to hold onto ropes strung from the beach to offshore buoys to keep from sinking.
8. The bikini rocketed to fame in 1960 with Brian Hyland's hit single, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." The famous 30 inches of fabric didn't debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated until 1964.
Mental Floss: 25 brand names mistakenly used as generic terms
9. At the 1964 International Beauty Pageant in Long Beach, California, Miss Austria stormed out of a photoshoot after being told she could not wear her homemade bikini. "Americans are rude," she said. "I'm tanned all over, so I wanted the suntan to show."
10. In 2009, a group of vegetarian ladies campaigned in international cities wearing bikinis made only of lettuce leaves. The "Lettuce Ladies" as they were called, were sponsored by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and hoped to convince people to adopt a meatless diet.
Mental Floss: When did women start shaving their armpits?
11. In 1993, the Olympic Committee decreed the bikini the official uniform for women's beach volleyball, partly because of the functionality of the suit. Athletes complain that when wearing more conventional uniform -- the one-piece, for instance -- "sand goes down the top and collects in the bottom," Holly McPeak, a three-time Olympic vollyballer told ABC News.
With the bikini's built-in sand-release system, Reard, it seems, was ahead of his time.
For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com
|
[
"What is the 19th century bikini made of?",
"What ode has Brian Hyland`s 1960 hit single?",
"In what way in 19th-century bikinis has been made?",
"When Bikinis first appeared?",
"What appeared for the first time in Roman mosaics?",
"When did bikinis first appear?",
"What was the bikini of the version of the 19th century made?",
"What did Brian Hyland release in 1960?"
] |
[
[
"heavy flannel or wool"
],
[
"\"Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.\""
],
[
"heavy flannel or wool"
],
[
"1946."
],
[
"oldest documented bikinis"
],
[
"1,700 year old Roman mosaic"
],
[
"heavy flannel or wool"
],
[
"hit single, \"Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.\""
]
] |
Bikinis first appeared in Roman mosaics, depicted on women playing sports .
The 19th-century version of a bikini was made out of either heavy flannel or wool .
Brian Hyland's 1960 hit single was ode to "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"
|
(NEW YORK) -- Lionel Richie turns 60 this month and he can't believe it either. Singer Lionel Richie says his latest album is some of his best work. In fact, the singer -- who in the '80s found international fame with hits like "Hello" and "All Night Long" -- is upbeat. Life for him these days couldn't be sweeter, he said. Richie recently released the album "Just Go" on which he worked with several acclaimed producers and writers, including Stargate, Tricky Stewart & The Dream and Akon. The multi-Grammy winner and former lead singer of The Commodores said he thinks the album could be his best since 1986's hit, "Dancing on the Ceiling." "That's a very heavy statement," he said. "I love when I get nervous. When I really get nervous -- and I'm nervous about this record -- it means that it's beyond what I thought it was going to be." Having just completed a European tour, Richie said a North American jaunt is on the drawing board in the next year. "We are going to tour ... in fine fashion," he said. "We're going to give them everything they ever wanted." Richie spoke to CNN about avoiding rap, keeping up with the club scene and what gives him chills. CNN: You've always been very diligent about updating your sound. So how do you describe Lionel Richie's sound in 2009? Lionel Richie: It's all in production. You have to first of all feel it. I have to feel it. If I don't feel it, then forget the song. I'm a storyteller, not so much a singer, but a storyteller. So when it comes down to production, we just updated the production. But Akon and Ne-Yo and all these guys ... what do we all have in common? Melody. As long as they don't rap and ask me to rap we have show business. CNN: Have you ever rapped before? Richie: I rapped a couple of times. And it was clear to me, it was told to me from some of the greatest rappers in the world, "Don't even think about it." Flavor Flav ... years ago I went to him and I said "You know I'm thinking about doing some rap on my album. What do you think?" And he said "Are you out of your mind?" He said, "The only reason I'm rapping is because I can't sing." And that's the clear channel of where I need to be going. CNN: Right. Just do what you're good at. Richie: Do what I do and don't get away from it. CNN: How much time do you spend doing research in nightclubs? Richie: Now try to explain that to your girlfriend or to your wife! Where are you tonight? I'm doing research! As much time as I can. You have to be in it to see what people are moving to and what turns them on. It's all in beats and rhythms and in lyric content. You can send somebody down to do some study for you. But the bottom line is there's nothing like going in yourself in the middle of a club in London, or in the middle of a club in Australia or a club in the middle of Germany somewhere. Just sit over in the corner and watch what people dance to. By the time I leave France, England, Germany, Italy, America, I can go home and write the most incredible album in the world because I know what the world beat is. I know where everything's going. CNN: You turn 60 very soon. Richie: I cannot believe the number, but yes I do. Watch Richie say "hello" to getting older » CNN: How do you feel about that? Richie: You know, I do
|
[
"Who else contributed to the project?",
"when did that happen",
"Who has a new album out?",
"when will it be released?",
"What age is Lionel Richie?",
"what did he say"
] |
[
[
"Stargate, Tricky Stewart & The Dream and Akon."
],
[
"in the '80s"
],
[
"Singer Lionel Richie"
],
[
"recently"
],
[
"60"
],
[
"his latest album is some of his best work."
]
] |
Lionel Richie, who shot to mega-stardom in the 1980s, has a new album .
The Grammy award-winning singer is turning 60 years old .
He worked with several heavy hitters in the industry on the new project .
He says music started out as a hobby for him and he continues to enjoy it .
|
(OPRAH.COM) -- As a fiction writer, I struggle to tell useful truths by telling the lie that I am someone other than myself. I'm a fat girl trying to survive rape in my first novel, the resentful brother of a mentally ill twin in my second. In my third novel, which I'm close to finishing, I'm the husband of a drug-addicted nurse lost in a maze of her failures and fear. Author Wally Lamb says writing personal stories can free you from painful memories and imprisoning secrets. Writing fiction invites me to move beyond the limitations of my own experience and better understand the un-me, the other. I am similarly invited to do so each time I go to jail. For the past eight years, I have run a writing workshop for inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's high-security prison for women. Someone asked me recently if I ever felt afraid of my students. Our class, after all, includes individuals who have committed armed robbery, gang-related assault, and homicide. But no, I don't fear these women, because through their autobiographical writing, I come to know them not merely as their convictions but as complex human equations that go far beyond "good versus bad" or "us versus them." Listen to the voice of one of my students. "I am Barbara Parsons, who has been a healthcare worker, a business manager, a homemaker, a gardener, and a killer -- and who is consequently a state prison inmate." Molested by her grandfather when she was 4, Parsons shot and killed her abusive husband when he revealed that he had molested her granddaughter. Convicted of "manslaughter due to emotional duress," she challenges readers to think beyond stereotype. "I am sure you have a dark side, too," she writes. "Look at me. Who would ever have thought that I, an average neighbor from rural Connecticut, could be capable of murder?" Oprah.com: How to make peace with your past Most of my students begin as you might begin: by writing safe pieces -- narratives about fun family vacations, loving tributes to favorite relatives. But sooner or later their painful memories call to them and demand to be examined. With pen in hand, an inmate may, for example, begin to explore the connection between the incest she endured as a young girl and her subsequent drug addiction. She may discover a link between her embezzlement conviction and her lifelong inability to please an emotionally distant mother. Along with that growing clarity, she will confront anger, shame, grief, and the need to stop making excuses and take responsibility. Doing so will lessen her heartache and promote her recovery if she stays with it, but she may surrender to the pain before she gets to experience the gain. She may become too busy, too tired, too headachy, too blue to come to class. Before long, her seat will go to the next woman on the waiting list. Addicts are particularly vulnerable to cold feet when truth telling begins to overpower manipulation and self-deception. Yet if the writer reflects honestly and un-self-pityingly on the damage she has both endured and caused -- and if she takes the critical next step of sharing her words with the group and receiving feedback -- she will begin to defy the gravity of her painful past. But a person need not go to prison to access the therapeutic value of autobiographical writing. Which of us has not put walls and razor wire around our concealed sadnesses and past regrets? Who among us was raised by a perfect family? Who does not have hilarious, life-affirming stories to share and debilitating secrets to dispel? Which of us is so self-aware that we could not reveal ourselves more deeply by reflecting on our lives with fingertips on the keyboard -- and then sharing our discoveries with other writers and bearing witness to theirs? In doing so, we discover that "the other" and we are more alike than different, variations on a theme of humanity and circumstance
|
[
"Who does Wally Lamb teach?",
"Wbo does he teach?",
"What does he write",
"What do they write about?",
"Who was the author?",
"Where does he teach?",
"What gender are the prisoners?"
] |
[
[
"inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution,"
],
[
"inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution,"
],
[
"fiction"
],
[
"personal stories"
],
[
"Wally Lamb"
],
[
"Janet S. York Correctional Institution,"
],
[
"women."
]
] |
Author Wally Lamb: Sculpt our best selves by writing our own stories .
He teaches writing to female prisoners at a high-security prison .
Writing about past history, confronting emotional issues can help progress .
Lamb says your uniqueness is your strength, but welcome feedback .
|
(OPRAH.COM) -- Here's a little fact of life that took me by surprise: Roughly 23 million women in this country are 40 to 49 years of age and about 6,000 of us turn 50 every single day. We are a thoroughly undefined constituency. Some of us are what the wonderful Wendy Wasserstein used to call "bachelor girls," some of us are married, and a lot of us have had trial separations that seemed to go just fine...at least for the husband (with the struggling rock band), who went on to become the ex-husband (with the thriving law practice). Many of us have demanding kids or aging parents or a little of each. We juggle jobs, mortgages, student loans, and cancer treatments with low-fat diets, low-impact aerobics, low-grade depressions, a strong sense of irony, a dark sense of humor, and a full-bodied cabernet. We are tired. We are very tired -- we've thought seriously about penciling in a nervous breakdown for ourselves, but we've been through everything the world has to throw at us so many times that it's damn near impossible to get nervous about much of anything. Despite (or perhaps because of) all the coulda, woulda, shoulda moments that have come and gone, we've learned how to have a good laugh, an impromptu party, and an impure thought (or two) on a semiregular basis. We consider our options, our alternatives, our exit strategies. We take notes, we plan ahead, but we always leave room for serendipity. We are an entire generation of women who are making up our lives as we go along. Oprah.com: What Oprah has learned though the years I know that it's human nature to want to glorify the past and preserve it in a delicious, if often inaccurate, cotton-candied haze. But the truth is that part of me (that would be the part of me that now needs an underwire bra and a pair of Spanx) really does miss my 20s. I still had that new car smell. I still thought terrorism would stay confined to the other side of the world. On the home front, I still kept standing up for brides (as if they needed my assistance to stand) while waiting politely for it to be my turn. And because it never occurred to me that my turn wouldn't come, I devoted an inordinate amount of time to trying to decide whether my wedding gown should be white or ecru -- by the time I hit 35, I'd have been okay with paisley. The Web had not gone mainstream when I was in my 20s, so any surfing I did (and coming from Detroit, that wasn't much) was in the ocean. And I grant you, my rearview mirror might be a little bit rose-tinted, but if memory serves, those oceans were fairly clean. Come to think of it, the glaciers were glacial, the bees were alive and well, a can of tuna didn't require a warning from the surgeon general, and the climate wasn't making any sudden moves. Color me crazy, but I've always been a sucker for a nice solid layer of ozone parking itself between me and a death ray. I'm also a great believer in time off for good behavior. I crave solitude. I like being unreachable once in a while, and in those days it was no big deal if somebody couldn't track you down for half an hour. You see, in the 1980s, we didn't know from e-mail or cell phones or Facebook or GPS, and a BlackBerry was nothing more complicated than a healthy treat that was high in antioxidants -- only guess what? Nobody had ever heard of antioxidants. I didn't need a baby aspirin every night or a Lipitor every morning. And I swear to God (that's another thing, God was still around when I was in my 20s), the closest anybody seemed to come to a genuine eating disorder was picking at a mixed green salad on a
|
[
"What generation is she from?"
] |
[
[
"women who are making up our lives as we go along."
]
] |
Columnist Lisa Kogan heads toward 50s with fond look back at younger years .
Back then, she still had her "new car smell" and could enjoy solitude .
Says women in her generation are tired, considering scheduling a breakdown .
But since no one is sleeping these days, she'd like life-affirming, really fun sex .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- At 13 he was selling crack. By 30 he was a hip-hop legend -- having gone, in his words, "from grams to Grammys." Jay-Z tells Oprah Winfrey a conversation with his father freed him "one hundred percent." Now Jay-Z charts his escape from the hard-knock life, describes the reunion that healed the wounds of his childhood -- and even reveals his personal creed. The rapper, now 39, was born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn, New York. His albums include "Reasonable Doubt," "The Black Album" and the just-released "The Blueprint 3." Jay-Z also owns a portion of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and founded, with Damon Dash, the clothing line Rocawear. Jay-Z spoke with Oprah Winfrey about his father, his anger and his old life. The following is an edited version of the interview. Oprah Winfrey: When you were 5, your family moved to the Marcy projects -- and then your father left when you were 11. When you look back at that, what did your 11-year-old self feel? Jay-Z: Anger. At the whole situation. Because when you're growing up, your dad is your superhero. Once you've let yourself fall that in love with someone, once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down, you never want to experience that pain again. So I remember just being really quiet and really cold. Never wanting to let myself get close to someone like that again. I carried that feeling throughout my life, until my father and I met up before he died. Oprah: Wow. I've never heard a man phrase it that way. You know, I've done many shows about divorce, and the real crime is when the kids aren't told. They just wake up one day and their dad is gone. Did that happen to you? Jay-Z: We were told our parents would separate, but the reasons weren't explained. My mom prepared us more than he did. I don't think he was ready for that level of discussion and emotion. He was a guy who was pretty detached from his feelings. Oprah: Did you wonder why he left? Jay-Z: I summed it up that they weren't getting along. There was a lot of arguing. Oprah: And did you know you were angry? Jay-Z: Yeah. I also felt protective of my mom. I remember telling her, "Don't worry, when I get big, I'm going to take care of this." I felt like I had to step up. I was 11 years old, right? But I felt I had to make the situation better. Oprah: How did that change you? Jay-Z: It made me not express my feelings as much. I was already a shy kid, and it made me a little reclusive. But it also made me independent. And stronger. It was a weird juxtaposition. Oprah: I've read that when you were 12, you shot your brother in the shoulder. Did your father's leaving have anything to do with that? Did it turn you into the kind of angry kid who would end up shooting his brother? Jay-Z: Yes -- and my brother was dealing with a lot of demons. Oprah: How old was he? Jay-Z: About 16. He was doing a lot of drugs. He was taking stuff from our family. I was the youngest, but I felt like I needed to protect everybody. Oprah: So how did you get back in touch with your father? Jay-Z: My mom set up a meeting. And now I realize why -- it makes all the sense in the world. I remember very distinctly that I had a conversation with her in my kitchen. I was saying, "You know, Ma, I've really been trying
|
[
"What did Jay-z rise from?",
"Who did Jay-z reunite with?",
"What occupation does Jay Z have?",
"Who rose to superstardom?"
] |
[
[
"the hard-knock life,"
],
[
"his father"
],
[
"rapper,"
],
[
"Jay-Z"
]
] |
Jay-Z rose from a life of hardship to superstardom .
The rapper discusses how he reunited with his estranged father .
Says he believes in karma .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- "I'm thinking of throwing a little party," I tell my pal Karen as I hold the phone with one hand and fold a mountain of laundry with the other.
Two friends make Lisa Kogan promise not to flambé anything this time.
"No big thing, really, just a few old friends getting together for the holidays," I persist over the dead silence on the other end of the receiver. "Maybe you and Daniel, me and Johannes, and four or five other people who --"
"Daniel and I can't make it," she answers before I can finish.
"But I haven't given you the date."
"Look, Lisa, you know I've had health issues," she counters nervously. I explain to Karen that the American Medical Association has yet to classify "exceedingly dry cuticles" as the kind of condition that requires actual bed rest. "Still..." she mutters as her voice trails off.
That night in bed, I turn to Johannes (love of my life, father of my child, official party co-host). "Darling, I was thinking it's time we throw a little party," I venture.
"That sounds great, sweetheart."
"Really, pumpkin?"
"Of course, angel. I do have one small request, though."
"Anything, honey." He lifts his head and hands me his pillow. "Put this over my face and then hold it there until, oh, I don't know ... let's say, I stop moving."
There are lots of areas in which I excel. As I've already mentioned, I can fold laundry with one hand. I'm also quite capable of catching the cold of just about anybody living within my zip code. Oprah.com: How to face your inner perfectionist
I have the kind of magnetism that wordlessly beckons a guy wearing half a cantaloupe on his head to come sit next to me during long subway rides.
And, though I'm hard-pressed to explain exactly how I do it, I possess an almost mystical ability to purchase appliances, furniture, and clothing approximately six minutes before the extremely pricey item goes on sale.
The thing I can't do is host a genuinely wonderful party.
I attempt to invite several other friends, but one has elected to schedule elective surgery for that date (you know you're in trouble when a friend would rather have her hammertoes corrected than have dinner at your place); one claims our last brunch was like "a hostage situation with lox"; one -- and you know who you are -- pretends to be her own housekeeper, repeating, "I sorry, no English" over and over; and two different people choose not to attend but still make me swear that I won't flambé anything again ... like it's my fault they couldn't get their eyebrows to grow back after the crêpes Suzette incident of 2005.
I crawl into bed that night a broken woman. "Why do I suck at parties?" I ask Johannes.
He narrows his eyes. "Is this one of those trick questions like when you ask me if you need to lose weight and I say, 'Well, I suppose we could all stand to drop a pound or two,' and you spend the next 36 hours likening me to Satan?"
I make a mental note to explore why I suck at relationships on some future night. "No," I insist, "I really want to know what I'm doing wrong. Give it to me straight, Doc, I can take it."
He smiles and puts his book aside. "That's just it; the only thing you're doing wrong is constantly striving to do everything exactly right. You want the prettiest cocktail, the freshest flowers, candles lit, music playing, dinner timed, conversation sparkling, and you drive yourself and everybody else nuts trying to achieve it." Oprah.com: A lesson for the reluctant hostess
|
[
"Who attempted to throw a holiday party?",
"What does Columnist Lisa Kogan attempt to do ?"
] |
[
[
"Lisa Kogan"
],
[
"throwing a little party,\""
]
] |
Columnist Lisa Kogan attempts to throw a holiday party .
Friends, boyfriend tell Kogan she is a terrible hostess and refuse to come .
Kogan realizes she is too much of a perfectionist to relax and have fun .
Kogan's boyfriend invites couple over for spur of the moment dinner .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- "My beloved. The delight of my eyes." So says a poem inscribed in cuneiform on a lump of clay approximately 4,000 years ago. Why does love inspire such works of art? Recent science points to a possible answer -- and a difference between the way the brain reacts to love and lust. Last year psychologists in the Netherlands reported on a study where they asked a group of young men and women to imagine taking a long walk with their beloved (those without a partner imagined taking a walk with an "ideal" one). A different set of volunteers were asked to imagine having casual sex with someone they found attractive but were not in love with. Before and after, both groups were given a battery of tests to examine their creative and analytical abilities. The results: Thinking about a romantic partner stimulated "global processing" mechanisms in the brain, which increased long-term focus and improved creativity. Thinking about sex, on the other hand, stimulated "local processing," which increased focus on the present and heightened analytical thinking. Oprah.com: Tap into your right-brain thinking There may be a physiological explanation for these results. Feelings of romantic love can boost levels of dopamine, a neurochemical associated with creativity, while sexual desire can raise levels of testosterone, known to promote analytical skills. And these chemical links may have evolved for an important purpose: increasing the likelihood of sexual reproduction. In ancestral days, creative individuals may have used their inventiveness to attract future mates, while sex-focused individuals harnessed analytical clarity and short-term focus in order to bed a partner here and now. Thoughts of either love or sex could pay off in the form of children -- the ultimate measure of survival. While we no longer use cave drawings to attract our partners, you can still take advantage of this evolutionary link. Daydreaming about your sweetheart may boost inventiveness and help you come up with creative ideas, while sexual thoughts could help you solve an analytical puzzle. Oprah.com: How to fix whatever's broken In addition, it may be that jilted lovers who want to get over an ex faster would be better off replacing thoughts of what might have been with sexual fantasies. This might just help refocus your attention on the present -- and on the steps you need to take to rebuild, so that one day you'll be ready to write love notes again. Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
[
"What did creative people use to attract mates?"
] |
[
[
"their inventiveness"
]
] |
New research from Netherlands says thinking about partner can increase focus .
Thinking about sex heightens analytical thinking instead, study finds .
In ancestral days, creative people may have used inventiveness to attract mates .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Allow me to introduce myself. I am a gainfully employed, God-fearing, law-abiding citizen, and I come in peace. I don't bet on baseball, I take excellent care of my gums, I keep my tray table locked and upright from takeoff to landing.
Oh, and there's one more thing: I am what is commonly referred to in polite society as "an unmarried woman."
Truth be told, I now have a boyfriend and a baby girl --it's all very modern -- but much of my 30s involved ostensibly concerned bystanders averting their eyes, asking how many cats I own, and sharing their private theories on where it all went so hideously wrong for me.
Ah, yes, I remember it well. And when I start to forget, I still have plenty of single girlfriends in various states of angst to remind me of the grotesque fix-ups, the ham-handed remarks, and the brutal Thanksgiving dinners.
For those valiant, traumatized souls, I present my list of the ten things one must never say, think, or do when dealing with a single woman over the age of 35.
1. Hey, cousin Christy, how 'bout we break with tradition and dispense with that bridal bouquet toss? Believe it or not, it's actually a touch degrading to be shoved front and center next to your spinster aunt Mitzi from Winnipeg as a roomful of revelers hopped up on Champagne and jumbo shrimp chant, "You're next, you're next."
2. The word picky -- as in "the reason you refuse to meet my podiatrist's brother-in-law for a night of miniature golf is that you're too picky"-- is not only offensive, it's inaccurate. Hell, I'd have dated Ted Bundy if he were willing to meet in a well-lit, public place.
No, I suspect it was your description of his "slight comb-over" and "profound desire to one day shake Dick Cheney's hand" that made me release that "catch" back into the wilds of New Jersey.
Oprah.com: The number one thing to look for in a partner
3. Don't confuse being unmarried with being 11 . My love of SpongeBob-shaped macaroni and cheese notwithstanding, I never wanted to sit at the children's table. Nor did I want to ride in the backseat with your darling toddler, his pet tarantula, his Spider-Man glitter glue, and his melting Fudgsicle.
4. Kindly stop filling every conversational lull by announcing how much you love "Will & Grace." Being single is not the same thing as being gay, just as being married is not proof of being straight...but I'll cover that concept more fully in my upcoming "Uncle Barry's Very Special Surprise" article.
Oprah.com: How to break the ice with anyone
5. Has anybody out there noticed that the institution of matrimony is falling apart faster than Courtney Love on a can of Red Bull? Now, I honestly don't care if your marriage is so gothic in its dysfunction that it makes the couple from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" look like Will and Jada -- I'm not here to judge.
All I ask is that you quit judging me. Perhaps we're not suffering a fear of intimacy as much as a fear of being trapped in a crummy marriage.
6. Remember that little factoid you used to bandy about -- you know, the one where 40-year-old women have a greater chance of being shot by terrorists than of making it to the altar? Then you may also recall that Susan Faludi refuted that myth 14 years ago. So, okay, Ms. Faludi is probably rethinking that (thanks a lot, Osama!), but you don't have to rub it in.
7. Enough with the "constructive" criticism already. We live in a world of stunning technological advancement, but it remains physically impossible to wear your heart on your sleeve and be emotionally distant, dress like a slut and a librarian
|
[
"Should they be given constructive criticism?"
] |
[
[
"already."
]
] |
Columnist Lisa Kogan says please don't say these things to single women .
Dangerous to say, "Let me tell you why a terrific gal like you is still single...."
Don't tell them they're too picky for not wanting to date guy you've described .
Don't give them constuctive criticism or insinuate that they are gay .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Attention single ladies! Comedian Steve Harvey, the best-selling author of "Act Like a Lady, Think Like Man" and a self-professed expert on manhood, is here to take you inside the male mind. Comedian Steve Harvey says real men like to provide and protect, but some also like to cheat. Whether you're looking for Mr. Right or trying to forget Mr. Wrong, Steve isn't holding anything back. Many women have long lists that describe what they're looking for in a man...but are their standards simply too high? Yinka and Lynell are two 30-something friends who have long lists. They're here to ask Steve if they'll ever find a man who meets all their requirements. Lynell says she's looking for a God-fearing, spontaneous African-American millionaire with straight teeth and nice shoes who wants children...among other things. "That would be the Lord," Steve jokes. "I'll be trying to meet him the same time you do." If a woman is serious about her list, Steve says she should ask herself one question before turning down a date. "Are you willing to be the same thing to him that you're talking about on that list?" he says. "A lot of women are not." In general, do women even need a list? Steve says single ladies do need to set standards. "I think lists are great. You've got to have them. You've got to know what you're looking for," he says. "Without standards, you settle for stuff." Before you get discouraged, Steve reminds women to stay patient and remember that real men aren't afraid of standards and requirements. "You've got to wait on this guy to come along. He's coming. He's out there. He's already created. God has already made him," he says. "He has a job. He's wearing the clothes you like. He's walking around. You're not waiting on him to be born. He exists today. All you've got to do is stay patient." Why do many successful, independent women have a hard time finding love? There are millions of smart, beautiful women around the world who can't figure out why they're unlucky in love, including a group of friends from New York. Steve is here to set them straight. Steve says many successful women dated good men but didn't know it at the time. "You don't know the DNA of a good man," he says. Even if you look like a million bucks -- and you have a few million in the bank -- Steve says a woman needs to know how a man shows his love. It's all about the "three P's." Oprah.com: Can a list help you find love? "We profess, we provide and we protect," he says. "A man has got to see where he fits into the providing and protecting role. If you've got everything, you can do everything, you've got your own car ... you've got a guard dog and a handgun. The guy is thinking, 'Where do I fit in here?' "You've got to make a space for him to fit in so he can come in and do what men do." Steve doesn't advise women to downplay their success or pack up their designer shoes. Instead, he says strong women have to walk a thin line. "You can't let your independence and your ability to take care of yourself be the dominant factor of who you are," he says. "You know how many times I hear women say: 'I don't need a man. I've got this. Why don't a man just come to me?' Just like you're saying it, you're projecting it. If you're projecting it, where does a man fit in there? Just relax." Oprah.com: How to act
|
[
"what does harvey give tips on?",
"what does steve harvey say?"
] |
[
[
"manhood,"
],
[
"real men like to provide and protect, but some also like to cheat."
]
] |
Looking for a man? Know what you want, Steve Harvey says .
A man must feel he can provide and protect his woman, he says .
Harvey's Top 5 reasons men cheat includes other women who are willing .
One of Harvey's tips for curing a mama's boy: Demand respect .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Decision-making can be challenging for anyone, but when a couple needs to make a collective decision, the challenge becomes greater, psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow says.
Remind your partner that you are a team and collaboration is needed when facing differing opinions.
The key is to recognize that the decision-making process is the same regardless of the type of decision, Dr. Klapow says.
"Making decisions as a couple is not so much about what you decide on, but rather how you go about the process of making the decision," he says. "If you approach each decision with the same game plan, then over time, you will become experts at decision-making."
Dr. Klapow shares his five "smart" (set, monitor, arrange, recruit and treat) steps to collective decision-making.
Set a specific goal
Make sure you are very specific about what you want, Dr. Klapow says. For example, a goal of saving money is not specific enough; however, saying that you want to save an extra $100 per month by automatic deduction from your paychecks to pay off your credit card is specific.
"The more specific you are, the better," he says.
Monitor your discussion
As you are discussing the decision at hand, make sure you are staying on track, Dr. Klapow says.
"Very often couples will start discussing a goal and stray to some other topic, which can lead to frustration," he says. "If you notice yourself or your spouse getting off the subject, quickly come back to the specific goal." Oprah.com: The five best things to do for your relationship
Arrange the situation for success
Decision-making doesn't work well when someone is tired, hungry, short of time or preoccupied with other activities.
"Before you start the discussion, make sure each of you is in the right frame of mind and you have the time," Dr. Klapow says. If not, take a break from the discussion because it likely won't be productive.
Recruit support from one another
A collective decision means that sometimes there will be a compromise, Dr. Klapow says. If you are going into the discussion to win, then you are not making a collective decision -- you are fighting a battle, he says.
"Remind each other that you are a team and that you are in it to win collectively, not necessarily individually," he says.
Treat yourselves
Because decision-making can be one of the toughest challenges a couple faces, celebrate the success of a decision together.
"A hug, a celebratory reward -- anything that acknowledges that together you have accomplished this task -- will help keep you motivated to make decisions together again," Dr. Klapow says.
From The Peete's "Oprah & Friends" on Sirius XM Radio show
Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE.
Subscribe now!
TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
[
"what do collective decisions require?",
"to who was klapow speaking",
"what tips does psychologist give?",
"what did klapow say"
] |
[
[
"collaboration"
],
[
"couples"
],
[
"Treat yourselves"
],
[
"The key is to recognize that the decision-making process is the same regardless of the type of decision,"
]
] |
Psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow gives tips for couples on decision-making .
Be specific about what you want, Dr. Klapow says .
Klapow: Stay on track while you are discussing your goals .
Collective decisions require a compromise, Dr. Klapow says .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Don't confuse Katey Sagal for Peg Bundy -- it's a common mistake. Katey Sagal says being a mother has been her greatest teacher -- for all her roles. While her infamous alter ego was uneducated, Katey is thoughtful and well-spoken; Peg's fashion is time-warped (hello, bouffant!), Katey's is earthy; for every ounce of laziness in Peg's body, Katey has a multitasking one to match. It may have taken years for the actress to shake her TV counterpart, but watch Katey as fierce matriarch Gemma Morrow on FX's motorcycle drama "Sons of Anarchy" (which was released on DVD Tuesday), and you'll start to wonder, "Peg who?" Rachel Bertsche: You're known for playing three very different mothers -- "Married with Children's" Peg Bundy, Kate from "8 Simple Rules" and now Gemma. Plus, you have three kids of your own, two teenagers and a 2 1/2-year-old. Given all that on- and off-screen mothering experience, is there any universal quality that you would say all moms have? Katey Sagal: Being a mother has been my greatest teacher and also the most self-sacrificing thing I've ever done. I've never loved anybody the way I love my children. It's an experience I was surprised by. You have your boyfriend, your husband, your friends, but it's a different thing. It's deeper, and it's a fantastic -- and risky -- commitment to love that deeply. I think the characters I've played all have that quality, even Peg Bundy. She was devoted and loyal to her children in her own wacky way. But Gemma is intensely dedicated to her family and would do anything to protect her son and her extended family, which is the club. In my personal life, I don't know that I would go to the lengths for my kids that Gemma does, but close. Bertsche: You were Peg Bundy before you were actually a mom. Once you had your first child, id having firsthand experience change the way you played her? Sagal: Well, I've always been a maternal type, but yes, everything was different once I had kids. Your whole perspective on the world changes -- I love how I wasn't so self-obsessed anymore! I can't say my characterizations of Peggy necessarily changed much. I just understood more what I was doing. Bertsche: You mentioned your husband, Kurt Sutter, who is also the creator of your show. What's it like to mix family with business? Sagal: Most of the time it's super great. There are moments when it's not, of course, but most of the time it's nice because we actually get to see each other. His job is intense, so he doesn't get a day like I have today where he can stay home from work. When I'm there, we can sometimes have lunch together, stuff like that. The hard part gets to be like "OK, maybe we should talk about something else." It becomes the constant topic of conversation, the show and the kids, and we have to make a conscious effort to say, "Let's not talk about it tonight." Bertsche: People used to say that women of "a certain age" -- over 40 -- couldn't find any roles in Hollywood. That's certainly not true anymore, especially on cable, and you might be playing one of the toughest women out there. Why do think that has changed? Sagal: I don't know why it's changed, but I'm really grateful it has. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we're all living longer and suddenly it's okay to get older. Maybe there's a broader audience for these characters. The stories you can tell about older women are deeper. Plus, cable has opened up enormous possibilities. In feature films, you're still lucky if you're not the girlfriend or the wife
|
[
"What series about cyclists is out on DVD?",
"what does Sagal says about being a mother?",
"What has given Sagal more insight in her roles?",
"What is the series about?",
"What is out on DVD?",
"What does Sagal say has given her insight into her major roles?",
"What is katey Sagal's series called?",
"Who was Katey Sagal's character on Sons of Anarchy?"
] |
[
[
"\"Sons of Anarchy\""
],
[
"has been her greatest teacher"
],
[
"being a mother"
],
[
"FX's motorcycle drama"
],
[
"\"Sons of Anarchy\""
],
[
"being a mother"
],
[
"\"Sons of Anarchy\""
],
[
"Gemma"
]
] |
Katey Sagal's series about cyclists, "Sons of Anarchy," is out on DVD .
Sagal says being a mother has given her insight into her major roles .
She hears rumors about "Lost," but nobody's told her anything personally .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Every holiday season we are cursed with the same challenge: to articulate exactly how fond we are of our friends and family in the language of purchasable objects. Appreciate specific virtues of the people you're buying for and connect those qualities to fabulous presents. This begs a couple of questions, like, "How do I shop for gifts that please both my brother and his wife without offending my own soul?" Even if you love your brother dearly, you might spend way too much and give him a French designer tablecloth covered with a really terrific artichoke print, which would prompt his cute but rigidly uptight wife to say something like "Artichokes? Wow. Ha ha; only you would give us something like that! No, really, it's great!" And another deep and philosophical question: "How the hell am I supposed to express fondness for my extremely fancy friends when I have only $40?" Deciding I needed a psychic obstacle course that would train me to emerge victorious in this upcoming battle, I arrived at a strategy: I would theoretically buy gifts for people who were absolutely impossible to shop for. Oprah.com: Free (or really cheap!) gift ideas If I could climb these holiday Matterhorns, I could find presents for anyone. I asked myself: "Who in the world would best represent my worst nightmares in the area of budget holiday shopping?" And I came up with a holy celebrity trinity: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (the mind-bogglingly fashionable, ex-supermodel wife of the president of France), Brad Pitt (the half-Brangelinian father of six, at last count), and ultracouple Jay-Z and Beyoncé (who I technically counted as one since I wanted to get something they'd both like). My budget for each: around $40. Obviously, this mission was going to require an insane level of creativity -- especially in a city like New York, where everything is so monstrously expensive. So I called women's clothing designer Gary Graham at his new boutique inside ABC Carpet & Home, a posh yet quirky department store filled with enormous golden Buddhas and strange chandeliers, and asked him to accompany me. "We should get my friend Charlie to take us to Flatbush," he offered. I knew immediately what Gary was getting at. The Flatbush section of Brooklyn is a fertile mix of Caribbean families, art school hipsters, neighborhood discount stores, and specialty shops crammed to the ceiling with exotic imports. Charlie -- writer and artist Charles Beyer -- met us at Phat Albert, a legendary discount store that sells everything from leather baby pants to Lucite shower fixtures. We agreed that when shopping on a budget for people rich enough to buy their own islands, the goal was to find objects that would underline qualities we liked about them, and let them know we understood their particular needs. "I think Brad Pitt would appreciate something that helps him control his children," I suggested. "I mean, he has so many of them. We need to find him a six-headed lollipop, or something that can keep the kids consolidated in space for a few minutes so he can rest." Oprah.com: The secrets of thrifty shoppers We found a gift that, with just a little bit of creative doctoring, might do the trick: an XXX-large T-shirt featuring the late hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. "We could cut five more neck holes in it and call it a six-pac," said Charlie. It was tempting. This masterpiece of modern babysitting cost only $8.99, which would enable us to buy more child management aids. But I wasn't satisfied that Brad would be as thrilled with it as I wanted him to be. "Hey, check this out," said Charlie, having already moved on to Carla. "It's a camouflage duffel bag featuring a fake McDonald's logo." Even more beguiling was a secret pocket outside the bag, the fabric of which was printed with the image of a cheerful, anthropomorphic French fry
|
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"what does author buy",
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"gifts for people who were absolutely impossible to shop for."
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"Charles Beyer"
],
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"gifts for people who were absolutely impossible"
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Author decides to buy three gifts under $40 for have-it-all people .
She picks Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Brad Pitt and ultracouple Jay-Z and Beyoncé .
Author and friends buy six child-size straw porkpie hats for Pitt .
They also buy Jay-Z and Beyonce matching slippers .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Families all over the country are tightening their belts during this economic crisis, but some people are actually finding that cutting back can lead to richer lives.
The Heinz family makes a net income of $58,000 a year -- but they have $70,000 in savings.
The Heinz family makes a net income of $58,000 a year -- but they have $70,000 in savings.
How did they do it?
Sue Heinz is a stay-at-home mom with four children living in Sarasota, Florida.
To keep their family out of financial worry, she and her husband, Brett, have gotten thrifty.
With a prepaid cell phone used only for emergencies, the family's monthly bill is just $5.
By brown bagging his lunch and carpooling to work, Brett spends little money during the work week and saves $122 each month on gas.
Sue has found a way to snip $550 from their yearly budget by cutting the family's hair herself. And with a little online research, Brett found out how to do his own home repairs and says he has saved more than $6,000.
Sue says their thriftiness began 11 years ago when she and Brett first moved to Florida on a teacher's salary. "We had goals," she says. "We wanted to own a home, we wanted to have a big family -- and we knew we had to set our priorities to make that work."
The ride hasn't been all smooth sailing, and Sue says they incurred some credit card debt along the way. "But I'm very happy to say, and proud to say, that we're paying it back at nearly three times the minimum balance," she says. Oprah.com: How to get out of credit card debt
Although they've had to cut back in certain areas, Sue says their thrifty ways haven't curbed their lifestyle one bit. "We go to the beach once a week, we go bike riding with the kids, we do all kinds of fun things," she says. "There are second-run movie theaters; there are a lot of ways to have fun without spending money."
"It's an alternative to living beyond our means, really," Brett says. "Instead of spending too much money on things, we just make choices."
Sandberg family
On the other end of the spectrum, the Sandberg family is learning the need to cut back for the first time. Vicky and Mark have been married for 15 years and have two children. Until recently, the family has always brought in a double income. "Times in the construction industry have been really tough, and four months ago I lost my job as a recruiter and as a trainer," Vicky says.
With about 40 percent of their total income gone, the family has a new set of stress. Vicky and Mark say they've had to cut back their investment contributions toward their children's college funds and froze their individual retirement accounts. "My personal biggest fear is losing what we have, what we've worked so hard for," Mark says.
Can thrifty couple Sue and Brett help Vicky and Mark find ways to cut back? They begin with the Sandbergs' monthly budget and discover the Sandbergs are spending $650 a month in department stores on things for the kids -- clothing, video games and DVDs. "That's a big number," Sue says.
In addition, the Sandbergs are spending $190 each month on their phone, Internet and cable bill and $350 a month eating out at restaurants. All in all, the family is spending $8,744 a month, which is more than they are bringing in.
To get Vicky and Mark on track, Sue says they need to bring their monthly budget down to less than $8,000 per month. Sue gives them a basket for storing their daily receipts and a journal to write down their needs and wants. "You're going to take a good look and start to become extremely aware of where this money is going
|
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] |
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Family uses a prepaid, emergency-only cell phone for $5 a month .
Sue saves $550 from their yearly budget by cutting the family's hair herself .
Brett suggests brown bagging your lunch and carpooling to work .
Jennifer put her house on Craigslist and sold it two days later .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- For all the majesty of the White House, the first lady has already infused it with a palpable ease; her presence makes the place feel open and approachable. When we sit down to talk, Michelle Obama seems as relaxed as she did when I first interviewed her and her husband in their Chicago apartment in 2004. "This room has the best light in the house," she tells me as we settle in, shoes off, on a comfortable sofa. "And there's pie here, too. The pie in the White House is dangerously good." -- Oprah Winfrey
Michelle Obama is the first person to join Oprah Winfrey on the cover of O magazine
Oprah Winfrey: How are you a different woman today than you were when Barack Obama announced his candidacy in 2007?
Michelle Obama: I'm more optimistic. More hopeful. It comes from traveling all over America and connecting with so many different people. And this was long before anyone thought Barack had a chance. This was the kindness of strangers. I think we should all have to get to know one another around kitchen tables. It changed me. It's helped me to give other people the benefit of the doubt.
Winfrey: What did you see that changed you?
Obama: I saw our shared values. We fundamentally want the same things for ourselves and for each other. We want our kids to be safe and to grow up with some resources and aspire to a slightly better life than ours. No one's looking for a handout. People just want fairness and opportunity. Oprah.com:The heart and mind of Michelle Obama
Winfrey: That's so good to hear. Because you know what? We live in an "American Idol" culture where it seems like everyone just wants to be in the spotlight.
Obama: That's not the America I saw. People value their communities. They're rooting for one another. Even in places where I thought people wouldn't accept or relate to me, I always walked out feeling like, "Wow -- that was fun."
That changed me. And it helped prepare me for this. Because I think if you're going to be first lady, you have to believe in the possibility of what this country stands for. You have to see it in action and know what you're working toward. Oprah.com: How Michelle gets unstuck
Winfrey: That's so interesting -- and it all came from sitting around kitchen tables. Speaking of which, did you change your diet during the campaign?
Obama: When we first started running, my big concern was making sure we ate well on the road. So we started looking at our diet, trying to eliminate junk, getting seasonal fruits and vegetables that were grown locally. We walked the kids through reading labels. We talked about why one juice might be better than another.
Winfrey: That's right. In addition to eating well, do you work out?
Obama: Yes. There's a small gym here that has everything we need. I work out about four or five days a week -- and Barack does six. He's a workout zealot.
Winfrey: Well, you look better than ever -- despite the rumors that you've got a baby bump.
Obama: [Laughter.] I know -- I was like, "Baby bump? As hard as I work on my abs?!"
Winfrey: Okay, so that's settled. Back to exercise. You do treadmill?
Obama: I do treadmill, I do weights
Winfrey: I think anyone who saw you on the cover of Vogue knows you do weights. Those arms!
Obama: I also do some jump rope, some kickboxing -- and I'd like to take up Pilates, if I could figure out whether there's time. After I had Malia, I began to prioritize exercise because I realized that my happiness is tied to how I feel about myself. I want my girls to see a mother who takes care of herself, even if that means I have to get
|
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"our shared values."
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Michelle Obama talks exercise and diet with Oprah Winfrey .
First lady says she learned about people's shared values while campaigning .
She exercises at 4:30 a.m. to feel good about herself .
She taught her daughters to read food labels for healthy eating .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- He can saw himself in half, sing a selection of Broadway showtunes and swing on a flying trapeze. Neil Patrick Harris says he'll try to make viewers feel like they're in good hands with him as Emmy host. When Neil Patrick Harris, one of the stars of the hit CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," isn't dabbling in the extraordinary, well, he's probably hosting an awards show. In the late '80s, Neil -- known as NPH to his fans -- landed the starring role on "Doogie Howser, M.D." After years of child stardom and teen heartthrob status, Neil left the small screen for the stage. He became a respected Broadway actor, starring in shows like "Rent," "Cabaret" and "Proof," before returning to television. Now, millions know Neil as Barney Stinson, the womanizing, slap-happy sidekick on "How I Met Your Mother," which begins its fifth season September 21. Like Billy Crystal and Johnny Carson before him, this man-of-many-talents is also making his mark as an awards show host. On Sunday, September 20, Neil will host the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. He shares his thoughts on fate, finding balance and making out with his co-star. Kari Forsee: How are you preparing for Emmy night? Neil Patrick Harris: I'm just trying to make sure all the comedy host elements are in place. We'll have a good opening bit and a couple surprise things throughout. We want to balance respecting the show and the doling out of the awards with the sort of random things that will keep the audience's attention in other ways. So that's kind of been my job. You want to make it unique and, yet, classic. That's a tricky dynamic. Oprah.com: Planning an Emmys party? Get 4 entertaining solutions KF: I can imagine. How often are you rehearsing? NPH: Well, it's sort of a litany of e-mails and phone calls all day with the producers. We had a great opening short film we are going to shoot, and it would be the first thing you shot. That was going to be with Alec Baldwin, and he withdrew at the last minute. So that got scrapped, and we're off to plan D, E or F. It's sort of like now you go: "That's fantastic, great. We've got that person," or "Oh, that person didn't work. Now what do we do?" A lot of "now what do we do?" questions. KF: Now at the Tony Awards, you sang a, may I say, legendary closing number. Will you be singing at the Emmys, or is dancing more the focus? NPH: I suspect you won't see me dancing very much. That's not my forte. But yeah, I might throw some sort of singing into it. I haven't quite decided. I sort of feel like the Emmys are so classy and glamorous and black tie, the host really needs to respect his job title. I think too much "Look at me! Look at me!" as the host of a show that big is counterproductive. So long as I make you feel confident that you're in good hands with me as the host, then it's my real responsibility to introduce you to a lot of other people and elements -- other presenters who are then going to talk to you or other introductions of next sections. That's my role. It's not really to be a song-and-dance man. KF: Did you look back at past Emmy hosts for inspiration? NPH: Very much. Steve Allen hosted the first televised awards, which was the 7th Annual Emmy Awards, in, I think, 1955, and he was great. That was sort of my inspiration for all of this. He just had such a dry wit, a commanding voice, a great presence. You knew when you were
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[
"Barney Stinson,"
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"\"How I Met Your Mother,\""
],
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"September 21."
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"\"How I Met Your Mother,\""
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"dancing"
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Neil Patrick Harris taking classy route at Emmys Sunday night .
"How I Met Your Mother" actor may do some singing, probably no dancing .
"Mother" begins new season; Harris' Barney character gets physical with Robin .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Her name was Margaret. She had an answer for everything, even questions I didn't ask her. She dominated team meetings, nearly jumping out of her chair with "Look at me!"--type comments aimed directly at the boss. There are some tactics to help you survive team destroyers. The rest of us sitting there, jaws slack with amazement and disgust -- we were merely a load she had to carry on her back. His name was Mike, and he hadn't done a full day's work in years, but he sure knew how to draw us into his life of woe. One night at 10 p.m., I found myself finishing his report on deadline. He couldn't be there, he said, because his father was sick. By that point, I wasn't even sure he had a father. But there I was, alone, frustrated, and exhausted, in a state of loathing for work so intense I wished I could ditch it all. Oprah.com: The truth about saying no at work And that is exactly where a dysfunctional co-worker --or as I call them, an "un-teammate" -- can put you. It's a crying shame, because working alongside a good team player is one of life's most fulfilling experiences. She makes work enjoyable; she makes it feel like something bigger than a paycheck. Working with team destroyers, well, destroys all that. They slow work down; they sap its fun, trust, and creativity. And in the process, they invariably undermine the candid and energized debate that characterizes any successful group. So why aren't they all sent packing? In good organizations, most are --eventually. But many team destroyers are like workplace Houdinis, escaping damage to their own careers while making everyone else look bad. These are the people you must survive. But how? The answer depends on the type of un-teammate you're dealing with. Generally speaking, there are five: Boss Haters, Stars, Sliders, Pity Parties, and Self-Promoters. Each species has its own way of poisoning the environment and its own antidote. The first thing you can do is start with the assumption that virtually every team destroyer is an unhappy person. No one tries to damage co-workers, a team, or an entire organization without being a bit emotionally damaged themselves. Oprah.com: 6 signs you're in the wrong job Boss haters, stars and sliders Let's start with the boss haters -- you know the type. Harry will tell you his disdain for authority is a reasonable reaction to the tyranny of incompetent bosses. Elizabeth will tell you she refuses to be oppressed by corporate lackeys. Other Boss Haters have personal issues behind their nitpicking resistance to every directive from above. I once met a manager who told me, "For a long time, I hated all my bosses because my father was a cruel authoritarian --I almost ruined my own career. Thank God I came to my senses." Such conversion experiences are rare, however. Most Boss Haters persist, using every kind of subterfuge from eye-rolling to outright belligerence, until management loses patience and ousts them. Some Boss Haters are hard to extricate because of union rules or special skills. If that's your situation, your best approach as the peer of a Boss Hater is a freeze-out. Don't belabor Harry's resistance or try reasoning with Elizabeth. Simply isolate; refuse to listen to their ongoing complaints. Once they're cut off from the group, Boss Haters tend to lose their energy. Now for Stars. Make no mistake -- organizations could not survive without their results. Fortunately, many key players are Stars largely because they are the best kind of employee, inclusive and inspiring, but some Stars can develop into real bullies. My team at a consulting firm had to endure Chad, an articulate (and, yes, brilliant) economics major from M.I.T. whom our clients adored. (Like other people in this piece, his name has been changed.) Sensing he was untouchable, Chad would
|
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"What should you refuse to do to a Boss Hater?",
"What should you do to a boss hater?",
"What types of dysfunction will you encounter?",
"how many types are there",
"What should you steer clear of?",
"what are the types"
] |
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"Simply isolate; refuse"
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],
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"Boss Haters, Stars, Sliders, Pity Parties, and Self-Promoters."
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There are five common dysfunctional co-workers you may encounter .
Types: Boss Haters, Stars, Sliders, Pity Parties, and Self-Promoters .
Refuse to listen to a Boss Hater; steer clear of Pity Parties; turn Slider into a mentor .
Praise will draw Star back to team but only if you can say it conviction .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- I know you've got the major risks in your financial life well taken care of: Your 401(k) is properly diversified to help you weather market volatility, and your reserve cash fund is on call to cover life's inevitable emergencies. Good work!
But I'm worried about your financial blind spots -- those pesky threats to your security that lurk behind seemingly sound decisions. Here are a few common traps, and advice to ensure that you won't get taken by surprise:
Perils of plastic
Good news: You've sworn off credit cards. Goodbye insane interest rates and fees! You're sticking with your debit card from now on.
Hidden risk: Debit card transactions aren't reported to the credit bureaus, so if you don't use a credit card, you'll have less of a payment history -- which hurts your FICO credit score.
How to stay on top: I love, love, love that you want to use your debit card. But to keep your credit score solid, you still need to keep a few credit cards and use them at least once every few months.
Even if you think you'll never need to borrow again, your FICO credit score has a big impact. It can affect your auto insurance premium and whether a landlord will rent to you, and many employers even check it when vetting a job application.
Cards issued by credit unions typically charge lower rates (generally limited to a max of 18 percent) and fewer fees. Check out CreditCardConnection.org to find the best options.
Oprah.com: How to deal with credit card debt
The bond issues
Good news: You're sleeping better than ever since you moved all your retirement money out of stocks and into bonds.
Hidden risk: You're approaching two land mines here. First up is inflation. Make it to age 65 and there's a good chance you'll live another 20 years or longer. (More on this in the next item.)
Over a 20-year period, a 4 percent average inflation rate (the historical norm since the '50s) will reduce the purchasing power of today's dollar to about 50 cents. That will make it very hard to maintain your standard of living in retirement.
Bonds aren't an ideal inflation hedge, since their historical returns are typically not much better than the inflation rate. Making matters worse, because of the financial crisis and the Federal Reserve's efforts to keep the economy growing, bond yields are at unprecedented lows.
This is not a permanent situation. Soon -- maybe this year or next -- interest rates, and thus bond yields, will start to rise. When rates rise, the market price of bonds falls. That hurts your portfolio.
How to stay on top: Every portfolio benefits from bonds; they provide a cushion when the stock market hits a rough patch. But avoiding stocks completely could mean your investment won't grow any faster than the rate of inflation.
As a general rule, your age is a good guideline for the percentage of bonds you want -- if you're 55, put 55 percent in bonds and 45 percent in stocks. If you're worried about putting money in stocks right now, stick with mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that focus on dividend-paying stocks.
The dividend payout is a steady stream of income, much like a bond, and right now the yield on some dividend portfolios is actually higher than the yield on a five-year Treasury bond. While dividend stocks have their own risk, if you have time on your side -- at least ten years -- you can pocket that nice dividend income today, ride out the volatility, and, over the long term, potentially earn inflation-beating gains.
Oprah.com: How to go green on the stock market
Live long -- and prosper? How to enjoy a long, comfortable retirement
Good news: You're likely to reach a much older age than women of previous generations. Today a woman of 65 will probably live 20 more years -- 60 percent longer than her life expectancy in 1900
|
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"payment history"
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Money expert Suze Orman points out hidden costs to money moves .
How not using a credit card could hurt your FICO score .
You may not have enough financial protection for your children's future .
Playing too safe with your investments could come back to pinch you later .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- If there's anything Oprah Winfrey knows for sure, it's what the love of a dog can do for your life. "There is nothing in the world like puppy love," Oprah says. Inmates at the Fishkill Correctional Facility work with the dogs to prepare them to help wounded troops. Still, dogs are more than just companions. They can be the eyes for those who can't see, lead those who can't walk and calm people suffering from conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. Where do these service dogs get their start? For some, it all begins behind prison walls... At the Fishkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York, more than 1,600 men convicted of abuse, robbery and murder are serving their time. "I've been incarcerated for robbery in the first degree," an inmate named Michael says. "I really had no regards for other people. It was always me, me, me, me." Now, a groundbreaking program called Puppies Behind Bars is transforming these offenders. Inmates are given 8-week-old puppies and taught to train them to become service dogs for the disabled, including wounded soldiers. The puppies and prisoners are together 24 hours a day. The puppies sleep in crates in the inmates' cells. In return, the puppies give the prisoners something many of them have never experienced before -- unconditional love. "I'm going to make my family and those around me proud of me again. Joining this program, it helped me to give myself a sense of pride again. To know that by nurturing and raising these dogs to their fullest potential, that I could give back." Oprah.com: Amazing animal friendships you have to see Animal lover and five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close first learned about Puppies Behind Bars when she volunteered to help inmates at the women's prison in her town. She was so moved by the impact of the program that she called "The Oprah Winfrey Show" herself to share this story. "We know the bond that can be created between humans and animals. And there is common knowledge that it's a healing quality," she says. "The bond that's created between inmates -- who never knew love, never knew responsibility, have only been told that they're worthless -- and the bond that they then train their dogs to establish with these wounded returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan is changing their lives." Oprah.com: 10 inspiring pets Roberto is an inmate whose life has been changed by the program. Convicted of second-degree murder, Roberto has been in prison since he was 17. "I am now 33 years old. I wish I could turn back the hands of time for the hurt and pain that I've caused so many people, especially my victim's family," he says. Roberto was chosen for Puppies Behind Bars and immediately bonded with his yellow lab, Frankie. "From the moment I got her, it was amazing," he says. "There was some beautiful moments in here that I shared with my puppy." Eventually, Frankie had to move on -- and Roberto had to say goodbye. "The first night I was without Frankie, I have to say it was a long night," he says. "It was hard for me to realize that the next morning I was going to wake up and not actually feed her that morning." Since leaving Roberto, Frankie has become a lifeline for Sgt. Allen Hill, who suffers from traumatic brain injury and severe combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder after he was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Frankie helps Sgt. Hill overcome his paralyzing, violent flashbacks by kissing his face. After a few months together, Sgt. Hill and Frankie return to Fishkill to meet Roberto. When Frankie sees Roberto, she takes off running. "She looks beautiful," Roberto says. Sgt. Hill thanks Roberto for all that he's done. "Frankie has been there for me. She's been my rock when I've
|
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"Who will the dogs service?",
"What will the dogs become?",
"What is the name of the training facility?",
"What is the name of the dog who helps Sgt. Allen Hill?",
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"The pups will become what?",
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] |
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[
"service dogs for the disabled, including wounded soldiers."
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"for the disabled, including wounded soldiers."
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Inmates at Fishkill Correctional Facility train puppies behind bars .
The pups will become service dogs for U.S. troops injured in Iraq, Afghanistan .
Dog Frankie helps Sgt. Allen Hill overcome paralyzing, violent flashbacks .
Trainer Roberto says Frankie taught him patience, responsibility .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- It's the story that has brought dating violence into the national spotlight. Police responded to a 911 call alleging domestic violence between singers Chris Brown and Rihanna last month.
Tyra Banks tells Oprah Winfrey about how abuse affected her.
Later that day, both pulled out of planned appearances at the Grammy Awards, and Brown turned himself into police. He was arrested on the suspicion of making criminal threats and was released on bail.
Weeks later, rumors of their reconciliation were reported.
On March 5, 2009, Brown appeared in court, charged with two counts of felony assault. His arraignment has been postponed until April 2009 while he remains free on bail.
Statistics say about one in three high school students have been -- or will be -- involved in an abusive relationship. "The message this story sends to teen girls and boys everywhere is disturbing, and it is also dangerous," Oprah Winfrey says. "We need to try to evolve from this moment ... use this as a moment to allow our society to begin to grow."
Oprah believes this story can be a teaching moment for every teen and parent. "Love doesn't hurt," she says. "And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again." Oprah.com: 10 questions to ask your teens
Over the past few years, talk show host Tyra Banks has interviewed both Brown and Rihanna. "Rihanna told me her parents used to argue so intensely, she used to get these headaches, these migraines that were almost not even treatable with medicine," Banks says. "The moment her parents separated, her migraines went away."
In his appearance on The Tyra Banks Show, Brown said he watched his mother suffer abuse from the time he was 7 years old until he was 13. The abuser was not his biological father. "I treat [women] differently because I know I never want to go through the same thing or put a woman through the same thing that the person put my mom through," Brown told Banks.
When Banks first heard about the alleged incident, she says she didn't believe it -- until the police report was released. "I went back to that interview and I said, 'Oh my God, he's repeating [the cycle of abuse].'"
Tyra cautions against judging Rihanna for going back to Brown. "Sometimes we hold these celebrities up to a higher standard, but we have to look at her as a human being and understand that she is no better or no different than any other girl," Banks says. "She is just as easily pulled into the cycle of abuse of going back."
"I think we need to send love to both of them," Oprah says. "For him to be healed, and for her to be healed also." Oprah.com: 4 ways to heal after a tragedy
Banks says she knows the cycle of abuse all too well. While in her 20s, Banks says she was emotionally abused. "He never hit me, but I would say there were blows to my spirit, blows to my emotional well-being every day," she says.
On the outside, Banks says no one could see the signs. But behind closed doors, she says he was jealous and blamed her for his bad moods. "He was a master at being able to be happy and nice to everybody else but whispering these negative things to me," she says. "I'd start complaining to my friends, and they're like: 'Well, he's fine, girl. He's fine with us. Everything's fine.'"
Although she was one of the top 10 models in the world at the time, she says her self-esteem sunk lower and lower. "I stayed because I felt like if I left and he didn't change and didn't treat me how I felt I deserved to be treated, I was a failure," she says.
One day, Banks says she finally confronted herself. "I walked to
|
[
"Who was emotionally abused?",
"Who was abused?",
"What did Chris Brown watch?",
"Who did Chris Brown watch?",
"Which superstar was abused?",
"What can Rihanna be used for?",
"What kind of abuse did Tyra Banks experience?"
] |
[
[
"Banks"
],
[
"Rihanna"
],
[
"his mother suffer abuse from the time he was 7 years old until he was 13."
],
[
"he watched his mother suffer abuse from the time he was 7 years old until he was 13."
],
[
"Tyra Banks"
],
[
"every teen and parent."
],
[
"domestic violence"
]
] |
Oprah Winfrey: Rihanna abuse allegations can be used to help other teens .
Tyra Banks: Chris Brown says he watched his mother suffer years of abuse .
Banks: Don't judge Rihanna harshly for going back to Brown .
Banks says she was emotionally abused, begged mother to make her break up .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Lust, love and like. A healthful, happy love relationship serves up three out of three. A healthful, happy love relationship is a passionate best friendship. Modern women could learn a few things about love and seduction from Scheherazade. Many women think men only care about the lust angle -- finding a hot bod for hot sex. Unfortunately, there are many men who do only care about this. In my book "Prince Harming Syndrome," I explain how relationships that are too focused on sex wind up being what my favorite philosopher buddy Aristotle called a relationship of pleasure -- where you find a sex-mate or a relationship of utility -- where you find an ego-mate or wallet-mate. However, a healthful, happy love relationship is what Aristotle calls a relationship of shared virtue -- when you find a soul mate. Where you each get one another at your core, inspire and support each other to grow into your best possible selves. A relationship of shared virtue is where you feel the whole triumvirate: lust, love and like. Meaning? If you want to fully seduce a man, then you've got to know how to grab a man by more than his you-know-what. You must truly turn on a man's soul! Oprah.com: 5 things that make you sexy If you sleep with a man before you feel safe knowing you connect on a soul-to-soul level, the relationship might start off hot -- but like steam into air, it will rise quickly then -- pfffft -- vanish into vapor. Or worse, you'll wind up getting burnt. This is so important to prioritize, that I'm repeating this reminder in bold italic letters: If you can't stimulate a man in more areas than from the waist down, you will only be attracting a relationship of pleasure or a relationship of utility. And this man will not remain your man for long. One of my favorite quotes about love comes from the book "The Little Prince": "It's only with the heart that one can see rightly; what's most important is invisible to the eye." I love that the Little Prince recognized that the heart (another metaphysical word for soul) is the best lens for love -- making this Little Prince a major Prince Charming. Seduction Tip 1 (in bold italics so you recognize it is crucial to remember): If you want to be a man's Princess Charming, you MUST do more than work on tightening your buns or boosting up your boobs! You MUST tap into what I call "The Scheherazade Effect." Oprah.com: What to do before you can find love Remember the tale of Scheherazade and her 1,001 nights? Scheherazade was absolutely a Princess Charming who knew how to grab and stimulate her king's soul. Voilà! The CliffsNotes on Scheherazade: There once was a king who got very bored with the women in his life very quickly. He would marry a new virgin, "shtup" her, then send her pretty self away pretty much immediately... to be beheaded. Talk about a bad breakup, huh? And talk about a King Harming, huh? Anyway, this king killed thousands of women by the time he finally met the enchantingly different Scheherazade. What made Scheherazade enchantingly different? Scheherazade loved to read books and had lots of fascinating ideas and interests to share. Wisely educated in morality and kindness, she had a passion for poetry, philosophy, sciences and arts. She kept the king on the edge of his bed -- not with mere alluring sexual positions -- but with alluring stories to be told, each more exciting than the next. And so the king kept Scheherazade alive -- eagerly anticipating each new tale -- until, lo and behold, 1,001 adventurous nights passed -- along with three sons -- and the king not only learned to love Scheherazade, but he made her his queen. Talk about living happily ever after, huh? The lesson learned? It's very seductive to a man when you, as a full-bodied and full souled
|
[
"Her 1002 storied seduced his what?",
"What did an expert say about women?",
"Who did Scheherazade keep interested?"
] |
[
[
"soul."
],
[
"could learn a few things"
],
[
"her king's"
]
] |
Scheherazade kept her head on her shoulders by keeping her king interested .
Her 1001 stories seduced his mind and soul .
Relying on physical seduction often leads to heartbreak than happiness .
Expert: If women want to hear "I do" they need to say "I don't" many times .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Mindy Perlmutter was having a birthday party, but this was not just your garden variety, chocolate cake, two kinds of ice cream, balloons, and a piñata type soiree. No, this would be an affair to remember. Lisa Kogan has learned the hard way about when it's important to listen to loved ones. This would be even more fabulous than Alicia Mittenthal's tie-dye-your-own-pillowcase gala or Daisy Feng's macramé-your-own-bracelet bash. This was to be a build-your-own-terrarium shindig, complete with colored sand and plastic stones and an incredibly classy assortment of glass goldfish bowls. At the time (the time being about 34 years ago), it seemed like a very big deal -- I mean, let's be honest here, it would still be a big deal to go to a party where you get to build your own terrarium...in, you know, a kind of retro, '70s, ironic, hipster way. So there I sat, looking out the den window, which gave me a clear view to the driveway while I waited for my ride to come spirit me away. Actually, it hadn't been our den since my grandparents returned from their life in Miami Beach and my folks rented a hospital bed to turn the den into my grandmother's bedroom. I loved my grandmother, but I can't say I ever really got to know her. She was the lady who played bingo and walked with a cane and kept a plump red tomato pincushion next to the creaky old foot-pedal-powered Singer sewing machine. I remember that she put up her own pickles and draped strudel dough across the kitchen table, and I know that she learned to reupholster her own furniture and got her first driver's license when she was deep into her 50s, and I'm acutely aware that she spoke to my grandfather in a very stern Yiddish whenever he tried to convince me to watch "The Lawrence Welk Show." My grandmother endured an awful lot from the man, but no grandchild of hers was going to be forced to watch Lawrence Welk so long as she still had breath in her body. Anyway, the sun was going down and my ride was running late and my grandmother started to talk. I thought she was going to warn me to be careful of something or other, because she was from the generation who believed that pigeons carry polio and she worried a lot, but if she was anxious about anything that night, she didn't show it. "I used to love to go to parties," she told me. She might as well have said that she used to enjoy scaling Mount Everest in flip-flops and a tutu. I was pretty sure I'd heard all the stories from my grandmother's life -- and none of them involved a party. Oprah.com: How to write your own memoir The talk I'd heard was always the same: She and her mother and her five brothers and sisters starving through the bitter Russian winters in a little village whose name sounded like a sneeze. I knew about the malnutrition, the crippling rickets, the father who slaved away for years in Detroit trying to earn enough money to bring his wife and children to America and how when he finally did manage to save enough, the man he entrusted with the job of bringing the family over disappeared with the money (was he killed? did he steal it?), leaving my great-grandfather to start all over again. I'd heard how my great-uncles Sam and Isadore would scrounge through fields looking for anything edible while my grandmother supported everyone with her job as a maid to the butcher's wife, and I knew by heart the story of how she lost that job because the woman caught her taking a sip of milk. I also knew how she met Arthur Levy, the love of her life, who my great-aunt Molly swore looked "exactly like a young Perry Como," and that he died a few weeks after
|
[
"Where di Lisa Kogan have to go?",
"What did the grandmother want to talk about?"
] |
[
[
"a party"
],
[
"be careful of something or other,"
]
] |
Grandmother wanted to talk about dances, boys, silvery blue dress .
But Lisa Kogan had a party to got to and ran out the door .
Now she wants that chilly October evening back to talk with her grandmother .
So when daughter wants to talk funny stuff, Lisa knows enough to listen .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- One of the original Kings of Comedy, Steve Harvey is the host of one of the most popular radio shows in the country, "The Steve Harvey Morning Show." His first book, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," is shooting to the top of the best-seller lists, and Oprah Winfrey says she loves everything it has to say!
Harvey says this book has a special meaning for him. "This is the first project that I didn't do for money," he says. "Other than my foundation -- mentoring programs -- everything I do is for money. I tell jokes for a check; I'm on TV for a check. ... But this [book] right here I did purely to empower women."
In his book, Harvey says the way a man introduces you gives good insight into the status of your relationship. If a man introduces you as a friend or says your name with no title at all, Harvey says you have nothing. "We're very protective. We mark our territory. If a man loves you...he's willing to profess it. He'll give you a title after a while. You're going to be his lady, his woman, his fiancée, his wife, his baby's mama, something," he says.
"If he's introducing you after six months, 'This is...Oprah,' you should be standing there going, 'This is going nowhere.'" Oprah.com: Read an excerpt from this best-selling book!
Man with a plan
Another thing women need to understand, according to Harvey, is that every man has a plan. "Men don't come up to you to just talk. We come up to you with a plan," he says. "We're looking across the room at you, and we don't care about your hopes and dreams. We don't care about what your future holds. We saw something we wanted."
When a man approaches a woman, Harvey says, he already knows what we wants from her, but he doesn't know what it will cost. "How much time do you want from me? What your standards? What are your requirements? Because we'll rise to the occasion no matter how high you set the bar if we want to," he says. "The problem is, women have stopped setting the bar high." Oprah.com: What's your love type?
The cookie
Though a woman might want many things from a man, Harvey says men only need three things: support, loyalty and sex. Or as Harvey calls it, "the cookie." "We've got to have your support. Whatever adventure we're out on, whatever pursuit in life, we need your support. Then we need your loyalty. That's your love. We've got to know that you belong to us," he says. "And we've got to have a cookie. Everybody likes cookies. That's the thing about a cookie. I like oatmeal raisin...but if you've got vanilla cream, I'll eat that too."
Kickin' it
In his book, Harvey tells the story of his father-in-law's first introduction to one of Harvey's daughter's boyfriends.
"[My 26-year-old daughter] was dating this guy who was about 30. He had been over to the house about four, five times. And my father-in-law was visiting from Memphis," Harvey says. "He's in the kitchen and he's eating and [my daughter's] boyfriend is in there, and [my father-in-law] goes: 'So, son, sit down. Tell me, what's your plan for my granddaughter?'" After plenty of hemming and hawing, Harvey says the boyfriend finally said that the two were just "kickin' it."
Harvey was pretty confident his daughter didn't have the same interpretation of the relationship, he
|
[
"What is he most famous for?",
"Who sets the bar too low when dating?"
] |
[
[
"Kings of Comedy,"
],
[
"women"
]
] |
Comedian Steve Harvey says women set the bar too low when dating .
Harvey: Workers wait 90 days for benefits; women should date 90 days before sex .
Texting is not dating, says Harvey, just easier way for men to tell more lies .
Men use terms like "gold digger" and "nagging" as weapons against women .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- One of the original Kings of Comedy, Steve Harvey is the host of one of the most popular radio shows in the country, "The Steve Harvey Morning Show." His first book, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," is shooting to the top of the best-seller lists, and Oprah Winfrey says she loves everything it has to say! Harvey says this book has a special meaning for him. "This is the first project that I didn't do for money," he says. "Other than my foundation -- mentoring programs -- everything I do is for money. I tell jokes for a check; I'm on TV for a check. ... But this [book] right here I did purely to empower women." In his book, Harvey says the way a man introduces you gives good insight into the status of your relationship. If a man introduces you as a friend or says your name with no title at all, Harvey says you have nothing. "We're very protective. We mark our territory. If a man loves you...he's willing to profess it. He'll give you a title after a while. You're going to be his lady, his woman, his fiancée, his wife, his baby's mama, something," he says. "If he's introducing you after six months, 'This is...Oprah,' you should be standing there going, 'This is going nowhere.'" Oprah.com: Read an excerpt from this best-selling book! Man with a plan Another thing women need to understand, according to Harvey, is that every man has a plan. "Men don't come up to you to just talk. We come up to you with a plan," he says. "We're looking across the room at you, and we don't care about your hopes and dreams. We don't care about what your future holds. We saw something we wanted." When a man approaches a woman, Harvey says, he already knows what we wants from her, but he doesn't know what it will cost. "How much time do you want from me? What your standards? What are your requirements? Because we'll rise to the occasion no matter how high you set the bar if we want to," he says. "The problem is, women have stopped setting the bar high." Oprah.com: What's your love type? The cookie Though a woman might want many things from a man, Harvey says men only need three things: support, loyalty and sex. Or as Harvey calls it, "the cookie." "We've got to have your support. Whatever adventure we're out on, whatever pursuit in life, we need your support. Then we need your loyalty. That's your love. We've got to know that you belong to us," he says. "And we've got to have a cookie. Everybody likes cookies. That's the thing about a cookie. I like oatmeal raisin...but if you've got vanilla cream, I'll eat that too." Kickin' it In his book, Harvey tells the story of his father-in-law's first introduction to one of Harvey's daughter's boyfriends. "[My 26-year-old daughter] was dating this guy who was about 30. He had been over to the house about four, five times. And my father-in-law was visiting from Memphis," Harvey says. "He's in the kitchen and he's eating and [my daughter's] boyfriend is in there, and [my father-in-law] goes: 'So, son, sit down. Tell me, what's your plan for my granddaughter?'" After plenty of hemming and hawing, Harvey says the boyfriend finally said that the two were just "kickin' it." Harvey was pretty confident his daughter didn't have the same interpretation of the relationship, he
|
[
"Who set the bar too low when dating?"
] |
[
[
"women"
]
] |
Comedian Steve Harvey says women set the bar too low when dating .
Harvey: Workers wait 90 days for benefits; women should date 90 days before sex .
Texting is not dating, says Harvey, just easier way for men to tell more lies .
Men use terms like "gold digger" and "nagging" as weapons against women .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- One portion of macaroni and cheese. One slice of chocolate cake. One pair of svelte black pants. Do some very simple, if highly emotional, addition and subtraction, and you arrive at a whole new way to see yourself. The first documented instance of my distorted body image is an entry in my fourth-grade journal. "I just ate three cookies," it says. "I feel fat." There is no way that I actually was; my jeans, although dorky, fit just fine. Nevertheless, the disconnect grew worse as puberty approached -- especially in eighth grade, when the body mass index (BMI) entered my life. This is a formula that tells you whether you need to drop pounds -- and while it's generally reliable, it doesn't take body composition into account. At 5'4" and 140 pounds, I'm close to the overweight category, but that's only because I've got heavy bones and a sprinter's thighs. Every time I calculate my BMI, I get angry at myself, even though I'm aware that I am in good shape. But what do feelings have to do with numbers? Most women know that it is possible to immediately gain 15 pounds by eating one pint of Ben & Jerry's. And when it comes to your butt (which can enlarge six sizes in the wrong pair of jeans), the rules of physics no longer apply. Oprah.com: Start loving the way you look We need a better way to quantify these fluctuations -- a formula that goes beyond your BMI and calculates the feel of overweight. So I propose the personal body image index (PBII). The general idea is as follows: • Start with your weight. • Subtract seven pounds if you have just worked out. • Add five if you've single-handedly finished a plate of guacamole and chips; four for macaroni and cheese; six for death-by-chocolate cake. • Subtract 10 pounds if people nearby are fatter than you. • If you're wearing black pants, subtract two; if in a bathing suit, add eight. • If you are more than seven years older than the group average or are surrounded by bikini-clad undergraduates with toned stomachs and cellulite-free thighs, add 20. iReport.com: What kinds of things do you do you stay fit? I don't advocate letting the PBII dictate how you live your life; it could turn you into one of those people who spend their beach time camouflaging their lower halves with sarongs. But once you acknowledge that the PBII exists, you can take steps to improve your score. Some suggestions: Hang out with people older than you, preferably much older. This has three benefits: (a) You probably have fewer varicose veins than they do. (b) Truly old people are inspiring; they tend not to give a damn about what they look like in bathing suits. (c) Except for my elderly neighbor, who once greeted me by announcing that I'd gained weight in my face, older people are usually effusive with compliments. My friend Luba, who lived to 99, used to tell me how beautiful I was every time I saw her, even though she was blind. Watch those college girls on the beach. Notice how often they adjust their bikinis and glance at themselves in other people's sunglasses. They are totally insecure. Granted, they are probably also judging you, but still -- I find their self-doubt liberating. Isn't there some cosmic limit on how much body insecurity the universe can handle? Embrace the bikini now: "Look how skinny I was!" my mother says every time she sees a picture of herself from the 1970s. "I thought I was so fat. I was 130 pounds." My mother, now 66, is living proof that you should do everything in your power to enjoy your body as it is right now so you never have to look at an old photograph of yourself and wish you'd spent more time in
|
[
"What is BMI short for?",
"What does BMI not take into account?"
] |
[
[
"body mass index (BMI)"
],
[
"body composition"
]
] |
Calculating your body mass index (BMI) does not take feelings into account .
The personal body image index uses other things besides height and weight .
Standing next to fat people, wearing black pants lowers your score .
Standing next to young, toned, bikini-clad women -- adds 20 points .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Oprah Winfrey often says that moms have the hardest job in the world, but plenty of fathers carry the burden of raising a child all by themselves. In fact, 2.5 million single fathers in the United State are doing it all-- juggling schedules, putting food on the table and going to school plays or soccer games -- single-handedly. Larry Shine and his expanded family visited Oprah Winfrey on her show. Larry Shine and his wife, Kate, had their first son, Henry, 19 years ago. When Kate died of cancer only two-and-a-half years later, Larry says he was overwhelmed with grief. "The year after she died, I was just so immersed in the tragedy of her death," he says. "Then I thought: 'I can't live like this anymore. I can't have this be our life.'" He decided it was time for Henry to have a sibling. At the time, it was almost impossible for a single male to adopt in the United States, so Larry applied for both international adoption and surrogacy. Surprisingly, both applications went through, and soon Larry became a father of three. Still, he says he was ready for more. Today, Larry is raising nine children on his own! "I never thought I'd be a father of nine. Actually, I never imagined I'd be a father," he says. "Maybe this all happened for a purpose. Because if Kate hadn't died, I never would have done what I did and these kids wouldn't have had a home." Oprah.com: 8 things never to say to an adopted child When it comes to raising nine kids (Henry, 19; Ari, 16; Halle, 15; Eli, 13; Lili, 12; Sofia, 10; Genevieve, 8; Simone, 5; and Lucia, 3), Larry says there is never a dull moment. His schedule is jam-packed, and it starts at 3 a.m. As if being a single dad isn't enough work, Larry also works full time as a corporate attorney. "When the second bus picks up the younger kids at quarter of nine, I leave and drop Lucia off at daycare. Then I go to work all day and come back and pick her up when daycare closes at 6 o'clock and then head home," he says. "[I work at] a very warm and family-oriented firm, so they're very supportive." Though Larry's big family is thriving, he says there were a few small bumps along the way. Eli's arm broke when he was an infant and hadn't healed properly before he joined the Shine family, but Larry says extensive orthopedic surgery fixed the problem. Lili had failure to thrive syndrome, which caused her to have trouble connecting with others -- though Larry says she opened up after three months in his busy house and is doing great. And, Simone's speech was delayed, he says. "She had therapy for about six months, and now sometimes I wish I hadn't given her speech therapy," he jokes. Is there room for any more kids in the Shine family? Depends on whom you ask! "I thought five was it, and I thought six was it," Larry says. "My sense is that nine is probably it ... because international adoption's a lot more difficult, and I'm older. ... [But] I've been given a lot of opportunities, and if it happened again, I'd have a hard time saying no." Henry, who is a sophomore at Notre Dame, says the family is at capacity. "We're at a pretty full limit right now," he says. "Now that I'm in school, I'd like to be around if there's going to be another sibling." Though he's rooting for Lucia to be his youngest sibling, Henry says he's incredibly proud of his dad. "Just how selfless he is
|
[
"What did the mans wfe did of?",
"How many kids did a man add to his family after his wide died?",
"Who started adopting so his son could have a sibling ?",
"What did his wife die of?",
"Who adopted eight kids?",
"Who adopted children so his son could have siblings?",
"One man added eight kids to family after his wife died of what ailment ?"
] |
[
[
"Kate died of cancer"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"Larry Shine"
],
[
"cancer"
],
[
"Larry"
],
[
"Larry Shine"
],
[
"cancer"
]
] |
One man added eight kids to family after his wife died of cancer .
Larry Shine started adopting so his son could have a sibling .
He kept adopting because he couldn't say no to kids in need .
Another dad sets up blog, foundation to help widows, widowers raising kids .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Oprah has always said that mothers have the most difficult job on earth, and actress Jenny McCarthy is one mom who has never backed down from a challenge. Doctors removed Monica's uterus, ovaries, gallbladder and part of her colon, along with her legs and arms. Jenny has been an outspoken advocate for parents of children with autism since her son was diagnosed with the disease two and a half years ago. In her new book, "Mother Warriors," Jenny tells the story of other moms fighting for their special-needs kids. So when Oprah heard about Monica, another mom fighting for her children, she thought Jenny would be just the person to get this mother warrior's story. After going through a painful divorce, Monica met Tony when she least expected it. Monica already had a 9-year-old daughter, but soon after she and Tony got engaged, they were thrilled to be expecting another bundle of joy. In August 2007, she had a C-section, and though she worried about complications, Monica delivered a healthy baby girl. But hours after Sofia was born, Monica began running a fever. No one was concerned at first -- Monica figured it was just hormones -- but three days later the fever hadn't broken, and Monica's abdomen was swollen and painful. iReport.com: What do you think about this story? Sound off on video The doctors at Monica's hospital thought she might be infected with a deadly strain of bacteria. They flew her to a hospital in Boston where she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating bacteria. Defying the odds, Monica survived, but many of her organs didn't. The doctors removed Monica's uterus, ovaries, gallbladder and part of her colon that same day. Within four weeks, Monica's infection had restricted the blood flow to her arms and legs. Her nurses cleaned her limbs every day, and she knew they were trying to keep her from seeing the damage. But Monica wanted to face the disease head on. "I needed to know what I was up against. I didn't want to be shielded anymore," Monica says. Eventually, doctors told Monica they had to amputate both arms and both legs. The surgery sounded scary, but Monica was determined to put it behind her and get back to her daughters. "I was frightened at first, but when they told me [my arms and legs] had to be amputated, it was: 'Do it. I've got to go home,'" Monica says. "[I thought,] 'I have a life to live and it's not here, and until you amputate, I can't move forward.'" After her amputation, Monica spent two months in the hospital, where she underwent a total of 37 surgeries. As Monica grew stronger, Tony realized there was no reason to postpone their wedding any longer -- they got married in the hospital chapel in October, 2007. Monica spent the next two months going through grueling rehabilitation. "She's a fighter," Tony says. "If they told her two hours of physical therapy a day, she'd ask to double it up to four. She wanted to come home as soon as possible. They didn't think she'd ever walk again, but she made it happen." Right before Christmas, Monica got what she'd been waiting for. She was given the okay to go home to her husband and two daughters. A year later, Jenny visited Monica and her family at their home outside Boston, Massachusetts. "I had a big aha! moment after spending six hours with her. Monica accepted what is. She looked down and said: 'Okay, this is the situation. I can't change this, so I might as well surrender to it,'" Jenny says. "When she does that, she is able to move forward in peace." Oprah.com: Jenny McCarthy answers parenting questions Nurses and doctors say they expected a "why me
|
[
"Does she have any family?",
"What is the number of surgeries that doctors perform?",
"What procedure did she have?",
"What was the number of surgeries Monica had?",
"What was Monica diagnosed with?",
"Does Monica have children?",
"What does Monica now try to do?",
"What caused the problems?",
"Who was diagnosed with a deadly, flesh-eating bacteria after C-section?"
] |
[
[
"husband and two daughters."
],
[
"37"
],
[
"Doctors removed Monica's uterus, ovaries, gallbladder and part of her colon, along with her legs and arms."
],
[
"37"
],
[
"necrotizing fasciitis,"
],
[
"already had a 9-year-old daughter,"
],
[
"put it behind her"
],
[
"a C-section,"
],
[
"Monica"
]
] |
Monica was diagnosed with deadly, flesh-eating bacteria after C-section .
Doctors amputated Monica's limbs, did 37 surgeries .
"She's a fighter," husband says of Monica's strength and determination .
Monica now does everyday things for her two girls no matter how long they take .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Shelly and her husband, Daren Forney, were the happily married parents of three beautiful girls, 13-year-old Jessica, 9-year-old Erica and 4-year-old Valerie. "Erica is my little sunshine because she lit up the house," Shelly says. "She was making us laugh before she was a year old."
Two days before Thanksgiving in 2008 , Shelly came back from a doctor's appointment to find emergency crews on her street. "There were all these people and a child lying on the ground," she says. "I had no idea it was my daughter."
Daren says Erica was riding her bike home from school. "Erica was just around the corner from our house," he says. "She was 30 seconds from being home safely."
Erica had been hit head-on by a 5,000-pound SUV. Police say that the driver had recently finished a phone call at the time of the accident. "The driver said: 'I'm so sorry. I didn't see her,'" Shelly says. "I felt badly for the driver because I thought: 'Oh, she's unconscious. She's going to be okay.' ... And they started cutting my daughter's clothes off and it was hitting me this is very, very, very serious."
Watch mom remember her daughter, the fatal day
Erica was rushed to the local children's hospital, then airlifted to another facility. "The neurosurgeon made it very clear she was going to die," Shelly says. "I spent the night with her that night. I held her. Cried. I kissed her. I sang to her. I just needed to have time with my girl."
The driver of the SUV, Michelle Smith, pleaded guilty last year to careless driving resulting in death and was sentenced to two years probation, a $300 fine and 150 hours of community service, according to the Denver Post. Her sentence also required her to write a letter of apology to the Forney family and have the letter published in newspapers.
Since Erica's death, Shelly and Daren have been working to change the laws in Colorado. "I don't want any other parent to have to go through this, or a husband to lose his wife," she says. "We have been trying so hard to get this law changed, and we're going to continue until it happens."
In the meantime, Shelly and Daren say every single person who gets behind the wheel can make a difference. "Get off the phone. Save a life. Don't talk and drive," she says. "You've got precious cargo in that car. Your life. Your children's life. They are not worth a phone call, a text, an e-mail. It's not worth it."
Nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are talking, texting and e-mailing behind the wheel, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"It is my prayer that this show, this day will be a seminal day in your life," Oprah Winfrey said on her show Tuesday.
"Let it be the end, the end of you using a cell phone or sending a text message when you are behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. And until we as a nation decide we're going to change that, those numbers are only going to go up."
Oprah.com: Take Oprah's no phone zone pledge
Most European countries ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving, but not all U.S. states have laws restricting texting and driving.
So far, 19 states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving. In seven states and the District of Columbia, drivers can only use their cell phones if they are hands-free. Of the states with these laws, Utah's laws are among the strictest, due to one distracted driver and two grieving families.
Oprah.com: Why multitaskers should beware
September 22, 2006, began like
|
[
"What happened to Shelly and Daren Forney's daughter?",
"who lost their daughter in an accident?"
] |
[
[
"Erica had been hit head-on by a 5,000-pound SUV."
],
[
"Shelly and her husband, Daren Forney,"
]
] |
Oprah Winfrey talked with people who lost loved ones to accidents with distracted drivers .
Shelly and Daren Forney lost their daughter in an accident .
They are campaigning for tougher laws against driving while using a phone .
Winfrey asks people to make cars a no-cell-phone-zone .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- Some know Emmitt Smith as the National Football League's all-time leading rusher. Others recognize him as a three-time Super Bowl champion or a Dancing with the Stars winner.
But do you really know who Emmitt is?
Until he traced his genealogy for the NBC reality series "Who Do You Think You Are?", Emmitt says he didn't even know the answer to that question.
To find out more about himself and the family members who paved the way for his success, this hall-of-fame inductee followed his roots to Burnt Corn, Alabama, the town where his great-grandmother was born. "I feel like a detective on a hunt trying to find clues," he says.
In Burnt Corn, Emmitt wandered into a convenience store and asked a clerk if he knew two of his relatives, Bill and Victoria Watson. Coincidentally, Joe, the clerk, turned out to be Emmitt's second cousin.
Oprah.com: How to dig up your own family history
Emmitt soon learned that his great-great-grandmother, Victoria, had an unusual maiden name -- Puryear.
Genealogist Marjorie Sholes told Emmitt that "Puryear" was probably the name of a slave owner. "African-Americans, at the end of the Civil War, sometimes picked the names of their last slave owner," she says.
The next step? Emmitt went in search of Victoria's parents' names. In an old ledger, Marjorie found a man named Prince Puryear who was described with the letter "m," which meant mulatto. "Specifically, black/white race," she says.
Oprah.com: Chris Rock uncovers his genetic roots
They also discovered that Prince's mom was a woman named Mariah. "Now, I know that Prince was mixed race and born into slavery," Emmitt says. "If Mariah was his mother, could she be the link between the black and the white side of my family?"
To explore this theory, Emmitt traveled to Mecklenburg, Virginia, to learn more about a notorious slave trader who owned Mariah at some point in history. The man's name was Alexander Puryear.
Virginia historian John Caknipe said Samuel Puryear, Alexander's father, might be the link to Mariah. To find out for sure, John selected a book of old deeds from a shelf. The number on the book was 22 -- the same number Emmitt wore on the football field for 15 years.
"I've been wearing jersey number 22 since college," he says. "Maybe it is my destiny, and I've always believed I was a child of destiny, but, whew, this is ... it's making me a little bit nervous."
Emmitt says the family history he unearthed in book 22 shook him to the core. John helped him find a property deed stating that Mariah was transferred from Samuel to his son, Alexander.
"Samuel probably had her bred," John says. "Then, when she got old enough, he gave her to his son. ... They raised and bred horses, and raised and bred slaves."
"In other words, the horses were more important than any slaves that they ever had," Emmitt says. "They treated my people like animals...but worse than animals."
The deed stated that Mariah was passed down along with a horse bridle and a saddle. "She was such a young woman," Emmitt says. "I have a 13-year-old daughter right now, and I have a 10-year-old daughter right now. I couldn't imagine them being passed down through slavery that way."
Professor Steven Deyle, a domestic slave trade historian, says it's safe to assume that Samuel was, in fact, Mariah's father. "Alexander was engaged in this horrible, horrible traffic and why he didn't sell Mariah is because he recognized Mariah as his sister," Steven says.
After discovering the horrors his family endured, Emmitt says he's even more thankful for the power of progress. "
|
[
"Who hunted for his family's history?",
"Who did he trace his grandmother to?",
"What was the last name of his great-great grandmother?",
"What was Emmett Smith hunting for?",
"What did Emmett Smith feel like?",
"What was Smith's grandmother's maiden name?"
] |
[
[
"Emmitt Smith"
],
[
"Burnt Corn, Alabama,"
],
[
"Puryear."
],
[
"his roots"
],
[
"a detective"
],
[
"Puryear."
]
] |
NFL all-star Emmett Smith felt like a detective as he hunted for his family history .
He learned his great-great-grandmother, Victoria, had unusual maiden name: Puryear .
Traced her grandmother to a notorious slave trading family of same name .
Smith on his ancestor: "They treated my people like animals...but worse than animals"
|
(OPRAH.com) -- The recession has millions of consumers spending less, saving more and paying off debt. The fact that we are adjusting to the reality of this economy is good news, to be sure. There are items in any budget that can be scaled back easily. Financial expert Jean Chatzky warns there are items you should not cut out of your budget. But there's some spending areas where you shouldn't budge. Retirement planning The Pension Rights Center counted about 20 corporations in December that announced changes to their 401(k) plans. Many others have discontinued or downsized their traditional pension plans. If your company is still offering matching dollars, you should keep kicking in money to grab them. "To get that free money from your employer is so important for the long-term growth of your retirement nest egg. Especially now, with the down market, when you're dollar-cost averaging in at lower prices, that free money has more value in the long run," said Derek Kennedy, a financial planner in Cincinnati. If your company has cut back, it still pays to contribute. Also consider an Individual Retirement Account. You can get your money out any time and, after five years, use it without penalty for a first-time home purchase. Insurance Don't cut your homeowners insurance thinking that because home values have dropped you don't need as much coverage. What you're paying for is the amount it would cost to rebuild your home and replace your belongings. If you need to save, boost your policy's deductible. Raising it to $1,000 from $500 could shave 25 percent off the cost. Exercise Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota just completed a study that found that people who go to the gym at least eight times a month have significantly lower health costs than those who don't. You can get those same benefits by going for a brisk walk, running or riding a bike or by spending less than the cost of a monthly gym membership on a pair of dumbbells. Healthcare Some cuts are fine -- generic drugs instead of name brand, for instance. But skipping doctor visits is a bad idea, and so is canceling your insurance. "I've seen so many people go through horrendous financial nightmares and even bankruptcy because they don't have health insurance. This is just not one you want to mess with," said Jonni McCoy, author of "Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy." Charity Giving to others can make you feel better about yourself and your situation. If money is tight, donate items you no longer use, give canned goods, shop at thrift stores that benefit a charity or share some of your time. Oprah.com: Five steps to secure your financial future By Jean Chatzky and Arielle McGowen, Oprah.com exclusive, March 2009 Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
[
"What does the study show?",
"what finds the study?",
"Who is the financial expert?",
"who its the financial expert?",
"what cuts were made?",
"What did the study find?",
"what make you feel good?",
"What cuts health care costs?",
"What does Chatzky advise about homeowner's insurance?",
"Who advises to keep house insurance coverage?",
"What can make you feel good?",
"When should you contribute to a 401(k)?",
"What could reduce health care costs significantly?",
"Where should you continue your contributions?"
] |
[
[
"that found that people who go to the gym at least eight times a month have significantly lower health costs"
],
[
"people who go to the gym at least eight times a month have significantly lower health costs than those who don't."
],
[
"Jean Chatzky"
],
[
"Jean Chatzky warns there"
],
[
"generic drugs instead of name brand,"
],
[
"that people who go to the gym at least eight times a month have significantly lower health costs than those who don't."
],
[
"Giving to others can"
],
[
"generic drugs instead of name brand,"
],
[
"there are items you should not cut out of your budget."
],
[
"Jean Chatzky"
],
[
"Giving to others"
],
[
"If your company is still offering matching dollars,"
],
[
"boost your policy's deductible."
],
[
"Individual Retirement Account."
]
] |
Financial expert Jean Chatzky: Don't cut house insurance coverage .
Continue contributions to 401(k) if your company is matching .
Study finds exercise significantly cuts health care costs .
Giving money, goods or time to charities can make you feel good .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- What's it like to be a 30-something woman in America today? From religious choices to parental pressures, a successful single woman in Washington, D.C. and a devoted mother of four open up. American-born Muslim Mubaraka tries to be open with people so she can help them understand her religion. One issue that plagues an average of 6.3 million women in America is being single. Julie, a Chicago pediatrician, struggles with the stigma of being alone in her 30s. "I've tried JDate, a Jewish Internet dating service, Match.com, setups by my friends," Julie says. "I recently adopted a dog, hoping to meet someone out in the dog park." Like many single women in America, Julie is no stranger to the dating scene -- but finding dates isn't always the problem. "It's not that there are no men to date. It's that I'm not meeting anyone that I'm attracted to. Nobody that I think is quality and worthy of me and what I have to offer and what I want to do." Now Julie thinks marriage may not even be what she wants. Instead of waiting around for a husband, she's considering having a child on her own. "I'm probably going to investigate an anonymous donor and do it artificially ... I want it to be my own biological child," she says. DeChane, a successful attorney in Washington, D.C., also struggles with the 30-something singles scene. Her fear is that men are intimidated by her. "None of my female friends have ever said I'm intimidating," she says. "Having an education, a house, a job does not make me intimidating. It just makes me an adult living an adult life." She finds it ironic that her achievements may turn men off. "I would think they would find it more unusual if I walked into the picture not having anything. But I think after 35 years of living, working and being driven, I should have something to show for it." DeChane also thinks men make assumptions about single women in their 30s. "I think they assume that if you aren't married, you want to get married," she says. "Instead of meeting you and approaching you in a manner that's very basic -- 'I want to get to know you, who you are, what your likes and dislikes are' -- I think they walk in the door expecting you to try to strong-arm them into getting married, and it scares them away." For Amy, a divorced mom, dating in her 30s has been stressful. "I wish there was a manual for dating, because I have been out of the game for so long," she says. "Growing up, I always wanted to be a wife and a mom and didn't expect that I would find myself single again." With four children at home, Amy faces a unique set of dating issues. "I run a criminal background check on every guy I go out with," she says. "I have to be very careful about who I invite into our lives." Amy also realizes that a woman with kids isn't what every guy is looking for. "I don't consider children baggage. I think they're the bonus piece to the set, but there are a lot of men who don't see it that way," she says. For many women in their 30s, the pressure to get married can be intense. Julie says she isn't feeling that pressure as much anymore. "My original goal was to meet a man, have a family just like I grew up in," she says. "But it just doesn't seem to be going that way." As a single mom, Amy says the pressure comes from people who feel like something must be missing in her life. "People see me as a single mom [as if] that's something wrong. 'Oh, you poor thing. You'll
|
[
"Who can dating be daunting for?",
"For what reason are some successful women fearful?"
] |
[
[
"30-something woman in America"
],
[
"men are intimidated"
]
] |
Dating can be daunting for 30-something women in America .
The dating pool is small and some successful women fear they intimidate men .
One divorced mom does criminal background checks on her dates .
Married Muslim woman was forbidden to date .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- When I was a teen, I tried to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. My goal: Memorize its contents, be on TV game shows, win cash and prizes, run away from home, move to Manhattan and become a professional writer. Instead of focusing on getting Mr. Right, focus on finding Life Plan Right, says author. I got as far as Asparagus. To this day, I know a little about a lot of words beginning with "A." Some favorites: ants, atoms, alchemy. Plus, Aristotle was a childhood crush, because I've always loved philosophy. When I finished reading his one-page encyclopedic write-up, I bought books about him. I'd been saving these dog-eared, underlined Aristotle books, as well as the "A" book of Britannica, all to be used in a novel, where I'd been planning to bless my protagonist with the quirky detail of knowing all things "A." I recently rediscovered these Aristotle books when moving apartments. I flipped through and was surprised to discover Aristotle said a lot of the same things about love and happiness as modern psychologists. Only Aristotle obviously said it first, having been born at least 300 years B.C. Plus, Aristotle said it truly wisely. Indeed, much of what Aristotle said hit home big-time -- in particular about a sexy, smart, funny, rich, lying, cheating, don't-get-me-started Prince Harming I'd just broken up with. I could almost hear what Aristotle might say to me if we were to chat over souvlaki. 'Sold your soul to be with him' "Mea bene, Karen," Aristotle would say. "You know what your problem was with your ex? He was not your soul mate -- but your 'sold' mate -- because you sold your soul to be with him. Sure he was sexy, smart, rich, funny -- but alas, he was a liar and a cheat." "You're an intellectual guy." I'd correct the regaled philosopher called the "Mind of the Academy" by Plato. "I'm surprised you believe in something as namby-pamby metaphysical as a soul mate!" Oprah.com: 10 rules to soul mate love "Absolutely!" My fave Greek philosopher buddy Ari would respond emphatically. "Actually, I sort of coined the concept of 'soul mate.' If there'd been a little TM trademark thingy back in the 300s B.C., I'd be a very rich man today. I firmly believe caretaking the soul is incredibly important for happiness. I describe a soul mate as a 'soul-nurturing mate.' Someone who nurtures your soul, thereby promoting insight and growth. I pushed folks to find soul mates because, in my opinion, real happiness only comes when you stimulate your core self -- and grow into your highest potential. Basically, the soul is the ultimate G-spot for happiness." Of course, I'm paraphrasing for my philosopher buddy. But if Aristotle were here, I know he'd agree with my verbal modernization. Plus, Ari would go on to describe how he views the world as offering three kinds of relationships, only one of which brings true happiness. 3 kinds of relationships According to ancient philosopher Aristotle, there are three kinds of relationships, only one of which will bring you true happiness. Find out how your relationship measures up! 1. Relationships of pleasure Partners who are about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. You share soulless, passionate sex and playful banter -- but they're about the body or ego. They never soul-nurture you with insight and growth, so they never bring real-deal happiness. Oprah.com: How to break your bad man habit 2. Relationships of utility Partners you spend time with in hopes of garnering status, power, money and beauty like the rich guy with a trophy girl. Again, this is about body or ego and doesn't bring true joy. 3. Relationships of shared
|
[
"Who is aristotle?",
"What is the Gspot for happines?",
"What types of relationships did Aristotle believe bring happiness?",
"What is the soul mate?"
] |
[
[
"was a childhood crush,"
],
[
"the soul is the ultimate G-spot"
],
[
"when you stimulate your core self"
],
[
"'soul-nurturing"
]
] |
Author says ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's advice for dating still relevant.
"Soul is the ultimate G-spot for happiness," writer translates .
Soul mate is someone who nurtures your soul, thereby promoting insight and growth .
Pleasure, utility and shared virtue are 3 types of relationships that bring happiness .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- When the first book of the "Twilight" series was released in October 2005, no one could have guessed the phenomenon it would become. Four years later, 70 million copies have been sold worldwide. The books have spent 143 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list, and the first movie in "The Twilight Saga" grossed $380 million at the box office. The story, a love triangle between a vampire, a human and a werewolf, has ignited an international frenzy, and the woman behind it all is 35-year-old author Stephenie Meyer. Once a stay-at-home mom, Stephenie says the idea for "Twilight" came to her in a dream. "It was two people in kind of a little circular meadow with really bright sunlight, and one of them was a beautiful, sparkly boy and one was just a girl who was human and normal, and they were having this conversation. The boy was a vampire, which is so bizarre that I'd be dreaming about vampires, and he was trying to explain to her how much he cared about her and yet at the same time how much he wanted to kill her," Stephenie says. "It really captured my imagination." That dream became Chapter 13 of "Twilight." Oprah.com: Get your Twilight" primer Before the night of the dream, Stephenie says she had lost herself a little in the work of motherhood. "I was really burned out. I really had gotten into that zombie mom way of doing things where I wasn't Stephenie anymore," she says. "[Writing "Twilight] was a release. That was the dam bursting. I'd been bottling up who I was for so long, I needed an expression." Though she'd been married for 15 years, Stephenie says she didn't tell her husband at first about her new passion. "My husband thought I'd gone crazy. I'd barely spoken to him because I had all these things going on in my head, and I wasn't telling him about this weird vampire obsession because I knew he'd freak out and think I'd lost my mind," she says. At first, Stephenie was documenting her dream only to make sure she would remember it, she says. "The dream was just something I was so interested in, and it was so different from what my everyday was at the time," she says. "I just wanted to remember it so badly. That's why I started writing it down -- not because I thought this would be a great story for a novel." Oprah.com: Read an excerpt from "Twilight" Though Stephenie had been an avid reader all her life, she says she was never a writer before "Twilight." "It seems kind of presumptuous to me [to think] anyone else would want to read the things that are in my head," she says. "I didn't think of it [as a book]. I did the dream. And then I wanted to see what would happen with them. It was just me spending time with this fantasy world, and then when it was finished it was like, 'This is long enough to be a book!'" Before "Twilight," Stephenie says she read every type of book except for horror. "That was the genre I just knew I was too chicken for," she says. "I read a little bit of everything. ... When I was 8, I was reading "Gone with the Wind" and "Pride and Prejudice" and all that, not knowing it wasn't my reading level." Oprah.com: Gift ideas for every reader on your list Now that "Twilight" is a huge success, it's hard to imagine any literary agent rejecting it. But Stephenie says she'd submitted it to plenty of people before she was signed. "I got nine rejections, five no answers and then one 'I'd like to read more,'" she says
|
[
"Who revealed her inspiration?",
"Who is the \"Twilight\" author?",
"How many people rejected her book?",
"How many people rejected the book?",
"What number of people rejected her book?",
"Who write the Twilight series?"
] |
[
[
"Stephenie Meyer."
],
[
"Stephenie Meyer."
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"Stephenie Meyer."
]
] |
"Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer reveals her inspiration for the book .
"I really had gotten into that zombie mom way of doing things ..." before a dream .
Nine people rejected her book, five ignored it, one said "I'd like to read more"
Coven of vampires added to "New Moon" after her mom suggested more action at end .
|
(OPRAH.com) -- You can find hundreds of gifts for your friends and family -- and help save the world. We've sought out eye-catching and adorable presents with proceeds that go to charity. Here's where to shop for a change.
Help elephants, bear cubs and seals through the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Gifts for Animals.
One-stop shop WorldofGood.com
More than 15,000 eco- and socially conscious goods are available (some from as low as $2.50) on WorldofGood.com. Shop by gift category, or, if you'd like, "purchase impact," be it eco- , animal-, or people-friendly. Each product is vetted and comes with a short description so you can see exactly where your money is going. Fair-trade lip balms, organic soaps and bath fizzers are all under $15 and make excellent stocking stuffers.
Not just a pretty package PangeaOrganics.com
Pangea Organics' gift packages come stocked with bar soaps, shower gels, and lotions and arrive in a stylish (really, skip the wrapping paper!) recycled box inlaid with spruce seeds -- soak them, plant -- and in two weeks a baby Spruce tree will appear, along with, we assume, softer skin. Holiday gift sets start at $30 at PangeaOrganics.com.
Buy a gift, fund a business GlobalGoodsPartners.org, BuildaNest.com
At online boutique Nest, BuildaNest.com, the $30 you spend on patchwork Guatemalan tote will go toward ... creating more Guatemalan totes! The site sells original apparel, jewelry, home and paper goods made by more than 75 exclusive artists and designers and gives microcredit loans to women in developing countries, enabling them to start and maintain a business selling their own products -- which are then offered on the site itself.
Another likeminded organization, GlobalGoodsPartners.org, sells handwoven bracelets made by native tribes in Argentina and traditionally patterned silk scarves made by women in Cambodia. Global Goods Partners is dedicated to alleviating poverty and promoting social justice and funds women-led market initiatives in local communities in 18 countries.
For pets HoorayfortheUnderdog.com
Already have the perfect present for Fido? Attach a card from Hooray for the Underdog, a line by photographers Janet Healey and Joe Grisham -- a husband-and-wife team who sell stylish greeting cards featuring pictures of dogs and cats up for adoption in shelters. Ten percent of proceeds ($3 for cards) go to animal welfare groups and shelters.
For animal lovers AnimalGift.org
The animal lovers in your life may have already overdosed on cute cards (and books and toys and screensavers), but they might not have saved their very own elephant. The International Fund for Animal Welfare's Gifts for Animals program helps protect pachyderms, as well as bear cubs and seals, and also provides funds for urgent pet care and animal rescue. Each gift comes with a full-color pamphlet telling your animal's story, and there's no leash required. Donations start at $25.
Guilt-free indulgence Lush Cosmetics Charity Box, $20.45; Lush.com
Lush's hand and body lotion is made with fair-trade cocoa-butter, and proceeds -- 100 percent after taxes -- go to the organization featured on the lid of each pot. WaterCan, TreePeople, Amazon Conservation Team and International Fund for Animal Welfare are only a few.
Celebrate the season of light with Jimmy Belasco all-natural candles ($34). They're made of soybeans, vegetable oil and fragrance -- nothing else -- but the best part of this fragrant treat are the wrapping options. Choose from a wide selection of boxes decorated with cityscapes, calming landscapes, pop art patterns, and holiday themes. Five dollars from the sale of each candle goes to a good cause: You select one from a list of Jimmy's staffers' 10 favorites (with more options on the way).
Buying in bulk? CharityNavigator.com
Good Cards (CharityNavigator.com) are the gift certificates of the philanthropy world. You set the price; recipients pick the charity. Perfect for those bosses, co-workers and clients you're stumped on.
Last minute OxfamAmericaUnwrapped.com, UniversalGiving.org
Click, click, done
|
[
"Which website has the gift certificates of the philanthropy world?",
"are there plenty of gifts you can buy that will help fund charities?",
"Which website has stocking stuffers?"
] |
[
[
"WorldofGood.com"
],
[
"hundreds"
],
[
"WorldofGood.com."
]
] |
There are plenty of gifts you can buy that will help fund charities .
Support small businesses in developing countries through BuildaNest.com .
CharityNavigator.com's Good Cards are the gift certificates of the philanthropy world .
Visit WorldofGood.com for eco- and socially conscious stocking stuffers .
|
(Oprah.com) -- A businesswoman, a mother of four, an international fashion icon, a woman committed to making the world a better place for women and children -- Queen Rania of Jordan is truly changing the world. Queen Rania says cultural dialogue, education and increased opportunities are ways to combat terrorism. Rania Al-Yassin was born in Kuwait. Shortly after Saddam Hussein invaded that country in 1990, her family fled and settled in Jordan. After graduating from business school, Rania began working her way up the corporate ladder. When she was just 22, she went to a dinner party where she met Jordan's Prince Abdullah -- considered one of the world's most eligible bachelors. He didn't remain one for long after that night. Six months later, Rania and Abdullah had a royal wedding and started a family. And, though they planned for a life as royals, Abdullah assumed he'd remain a military officer for life. In 1999, while on his deathbed, King Hussein of Jordan stunned his country by announcing that his son Abdullah -- not his brother -- would succeed him as king. That made 29-year-old Rania the world's youngest living queen. Rania says that being queen is not the trait she defines herself by. "I am not at all conscious of it," she says. "I make a conscious effort not to be conscious of it. Because I'm Rania, you know? People call me 'Queen,' but, you know, that's not me ... I'm Rania." There are many perks to being queen, of course, but Rania stresses that there are also responsibilities. "One of the major misconceptions about this position is that people think that I might be far removed, that I might not be in touch with reality," she says. "The honest truth is that my life is very much about dealing with issues on the ground, dealing with ... the problems that our country faces. That's something I do on a daily basis." Watch how Queen Rania uses technology to reach young people » When most people think of queens, they probably think of what they know from fairy tales. "For me, it's just real life," Rania says. "I am a mother. I care about my children. I worry about what they eat. I worry about the influences from their friends." Rania is not only sitting royalty in Jordan, she's raising the next generation of royals too. She is the mother of four children -- 14-year-old Hussein, 12-year-old Iman, 8-year-old Salma and 3-year-old Hashem. Rania says her family tries very hard to remain down to earth. The family has relaxed much of the ceremonial pomp and circumstance of their position. Rania prefers that people not refer to her as "Your Majesty" ... and King Abdullah loves to barbecue! The family never discusses the possibility that Hussein, their oldest child, could be the future king of Jordan, Rania says. Instead, she says the family strives to remain like any other family. For instance, to get the things they want, the children have to clean their rooms and do well in school. "The most important thing is to instill them with the right values," Rania says. "I just feel that values are the shield that you carry with you throughout life. It protects you from whatever life throws at you." Rania has become famous around the world for her efforts to improve educational opportunities for girls and the rights of women. "In my mind, poverty is a 'she,'" Rania says. Helping others is something Rania says she feels compelled to do. "Once you feel that others are like you, then you want for others what you want for yourself," she says. "And that way you start helping others." Rania explains that there is a direct relationship between increasing education and eliminating poverty. "You can change the course of a nation through education," she says. "One of
|
[
"Who is a businesswoman, a mother of four and a fashion icon?",
"How many children does Queen Rania have?",
"What is she well known for?",
"What county is Queen Rania the queen of?",
"What is the number of children Queen Rania has?",
"What is the responsibility the queen says she has?",
"Who would like to break stereotypes the West has about Arab culture?",
"Who says she has responsibility to help her country?"
] |
[
[
"Queen Rania"
],
[
"four,"
],
[
"the world's youngest living queen."
],
[
"Jordan"
],
[
"four"
],
[
"dealing with issues on the ground, dealing with ... the problems that our country faces."
],
[
"Queen Rania"
],
[
"Queen Rania"
]
] |
Queen Rania is a businesswoman, a mother of four and a fashion icon .
The queen of Jordan says she has responsibility to help her country .
She is well known for efforts to improve education for girls .
Rania would like to break stereotypes the West has about Arab culture .
|
(Oprah.com) -- A decade ago Alissa Everett was holed up in her cubicle at an investment bank in San Francisco, flipping through acceptance packages from two top MBA programs. Numb from 100-hour workweeks, she'd applied to business school "because that's what everyone else was doing," she recalls. But as she read about statistics, accounting, and operations courses, "I had an aha moment," she says.
Oprah.com: 10 pieces of advice to get you through a terrible day
It suddenly seemed ridiculous to take on crushing debt to study subjects she wasn't passionate about. Within weeks, Everett had tossed her acceptance letters in the trash, quit her job, and flown to Southeast Asia to do some soul-searching.
Oprah.com: The one thing everybody in the world wants
Backpacking for months through Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma -- and later the Balkans, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt -- she snapped thousands of photos. "As a kid, I wanted to be a National Geographic photographer," she says. "When I left my all-consuming job and cleared my head, I realized taking pictures was still what I wanted to do."
Oprah.com: How to say no at work -- and still keep your job
By 2003 the invasion of Iraq was dominating the airwaves. Everett made a gut decision "to go where the news was happening," she says, hoping it would help her get her work published. She drove over the border from Jordan with a fellow journalist, and after she met an army media person, got embedded with the 101st Airborne. When U.S. forces killed Saddam Hussein's sons in Mosul that July, Everett was in the right place at the right time. She showed her photos to an NBC producer, who ran them on Dateline.
Oprah.com: 7 women who turned their passion for food into a career
Since then Everett has worked in Pakistan, Darfur, the Congo, and the Gaza Strip. Eschewing the sensationalized scenes of explosions and gunfire favored by many news outlets, she tries to capture war's more mundane human dramas: a farmer reaping a modest harvest in ravaged Darfur, a rape victim refugee starting a sewing business in the Congo. "I'm drawn to under-the-radar stories that have passion, hope, and optimism," she says. Everett's time in Sudan inspired her to cofound Care Through Action, which raises funds for women and children who are victims of human rights abuses; her photos help fund the charity. "I don't go to places just because they're risky," she says. "I go because I believe the world needs to know what's going on. I want to tell stories for people who can't."
Oprah.com: A 4-step guide to discovering your true calling
Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE.
Subscribe now!
TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
[
"Whats the reason for her taking photos",
"what was she doing",
"Alissa Everett was deciding on what when she decided to do soul-searching",
"what does she take photos to do",
"what was Alissa Everett childhood dream",
"what did she want to do",
"Everett takes photos to do what",
"what was her childhood dream"
] |
[
[
"pictures was still"
],
[
"flipping through acceptance packages from two top MBA programs."
],
[
"flipping through acceptance packages from two top MBA programs."
],
[
"help fund the charity."
],
[
"photographer,\""
],
[
"applied to business school"
],
[
"help fund the charity."
],
[
"photographer,\""
]
] |
Alissa Everett was deciding on a MBA program when she decided to do some soul-searching .
A childhood dream of being a National Geographic photographer was still what she wanted to do .
Everett takes photos to tell stories for people who can't .
|
(Oprah.com) -- Are you truly happy? If you were presented with a group of people you've never met, could you determine who was really satisfied with their life? A panel of five people took a test to see how happy they really are. Based on this picture and a brief description, see if you can tell who is the happiest!
From left to right: Peggy, Noreen, Lachelle, David and Lorrie.
Peggy (pictured on far left) is a 44-year-old married mother of two teenage boys who works as the bookkeeper of the family business. Last year, both her father and her sister died, and her mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Noreen (second from the left) is a 52-year-old divorced mother of two college kids. She's an avid swimmer and works in the operations department of a major airline.
Lachelle (middle) is 27 years old, married and has no children. She works two jobs and has two dogs. Last year, four of her friends and two of her family members died within six months of each other.
David (second from the right) is 53 years old, and he's been a funeral director for 30 years. He is married and has two sons.
Lorrie (pictured on far right) has been married for 15 years and has six children. She works in retail and also serves as the vice president of her PTA.
Peggy, David and Lachelle scored the highest on the satisfaction scale, while Noreen and Lorrie scored the lowest.
Satisfaction for Peggy is achieved by surrounding herself with happiness. The most important thing? Her husband. "He is there for me. He doesn't only love me, he appreciates me and makes me feel good," Peggy says. Happiness doesn't depend on money, she says. It's about enjoying the simple things. "Every morning I have a ritual. After the boys have left, [my husband and I] get in the hot tub, and it's our time. We talk about what is going on for the rest of the day. It is just our quality time just to stay connected."
David, the funeral director, says he's developed phrases that help him keep a positive outlook. "I will say, 'It's a marvelous Monday. It's a terrific Tuesday,'" he says. Although he deals with death daily, David says his job is anything but depressing. "Most people look upon funeral service as a sad profession. I look upon it as a profession where I'm helping people at a very difficult time in their lives," he says. "Being successful in life is not what really matters. Being significant in life is really the core root of what matters."
Lachelle says she lives by the philosophy, "Negative out, positive in." She says she believes happiness is a conscious effort. "It's about claiming what's yours. If you want a positive life, you need to think positively and act positively," she says. "I do my best not to compare myself with others. I've always felt that what one person has may not be destined for me."
Dr. Robert Holden has dedicated his life to studying the pursuit of happiness. The psychologist is the founder of the Happiness Project in England and the author of 10 best-selling books, including "Happiness Now!"
Dr. Holden says those looking for happiness often don't realize they already have it. It's a lesson that he says he was lucky to learn at age 18 from a spiritual teacher. "He said, 'Look, actually, Robert, you're already happy.' And I said, 'Well, that's great, but I don't feel it. So tell me, what do I have to do?'" Dr. Holden recalls. "And he said, 'You have to understand that the pursuit of happiness is a mistake. It's like, you don't chase happiness out there. You learn that
|
[
"What does Lachelle claim?",
"What did Lachelle claim?"
] |
[
[
"she lives by the philosophy, \"Negative out, positive in.\""
],
[
"she lives by the philosophy, \"Negative out, positive in.\""
]
] |
Expert: Many looking for happiness don't realize they already have it .
Funeral director finds happiness in job by helping grieving people .
Lachelle claims happiness even in a bad situation .
Expert: Good friends can remind you that you're a good person .
|
(Oprah.com) -- If you heard there was a weapon proven to prevent most crimes before they happen, would you run out and buy it? World-renowned security expert Gavin de Becker says this weapon exists, but you already have it. He calls it "the gift of fear." One chapter in Gavin's book "The Gift of Fear" has stuck with Oprah since she first read it. The story of a woman named Kelly begins with a simple warning sign. A man offers to help carry her groceries into her apartment -- and instantly, Kelly doesn't like the sound of his voice. Kelly goes against her gut and lets him help her -- and in doing so, she lets a rapist into her home. "We get a signal prior to violence," Gavin says. "There are preincident indicators. Things that happen before violence occurs." Gavin says that unlike any other living creature, humans will sense danger yet still walk right into it. "You're in a hallway waiting for an elevator late at night. Elevator door opens, and there's a guy inside, and he makes you afraid. You don't know why, you don't know what it is. Some memory of this building -- whatever it may be. And many women will stand there and look at that guy and say, 'Oh, I don't want to think like that. I don't want to be the kind of person who lets the door close in his face. I've got to be nice. I don't want him to think I'm not nice.' And so human beings will get into a steel soundproof chamber with someone they're afraid of, and there's not another animal in nature that would even consider it." For weeks, Nicole had a funny feeling that something odd was going on in her apartment. "My gut started feeling like something just wasn't right," she says. "I would come home, and there would be just weird lights on in my house -- lights that I didn't even remember turning on in the first place." Then one day, Nicole noticed a UPS delivery box where it shouldn't be. "I'm like, 'How did this brand of box get on my back balcony?'" Nicole began to feel uneasy -- but continued to brush it off. "I would just come home, you know, and almost feel nauseous," she says. "I kept trying to justify it saying, 'Okay, it is in my head.'" Nicole's funny feeling eventually escalated into full-fledged panic attacks, which Gavin says were her intuition's way of telling her that something was wrong. "And intuition records everything. So when she started getting panics attacks, her intuition is saying, basically, 'You're not going to listen? Okay, I'll ramp it up. I'll give you panic attacks. You want sleepless nights? I'll give you sleepless nights.'" Nicole eventually did listen to her intuition, starting with a simple test. "I dropped a tank top behind the door as I was leaving for work, thinking that when I come home that night, I'm going to peek my head around the corner. If [the tank top] had been pushed to the side, it would have been obvious that the door was opened." When Nicole got home, she says the tank top had moved. Caught on camera The next day, Nicole says she set up a hidden camera to try and find out what was going on in her apartment. Once she came home, Nicole says she plugged the camcorder into her laptop. "And the first thing I see is this man's head peeking around the corner into my house," she says. "What I felt at that point was just complete terror. I'm sitting there watching this video --this story unfold -- and this person comes in my house, is looking around, going through my things, looking through my laundry, holding up
|
[
"What does he say about humans?",
"When did the victims recall feeling uneasy?",
"What is the only animal who senses danger and walks into it?",
"Who are the only animals who can sense danger?",
"Who says fear can be a gift?",
"Who felt uneasy?"
] |
[
[
"will sense danger yet still walk right into it."
],
[
"noticed a UPS delivery box where it shouldn't be."
],
[
"humans"
],
[
"humans"
],
[
"Gavin de Becker"
],
[
"Nicole"
]
] |
Security expert Gavin de Becker says fear can be a gift .
Says humans only animal who senses danger and walks into it .
Two victims recall feeling uneasy before crime happened .
|
(Oprah.com) -- In 1977, my friend Brenda and I went for dinner at a little Chinese restaurant called Empress Garden. She had the lemon chicken, I had the shrimp har kow, and we each had an egg roll because in 1977 you could eat sugar and fat and deep-fried everything without its signifying that the apocalypse is at hand.
Our waiter placed the entrées in front of us and ceremoniously lifted the shiny silver domes. Brenda's chicken was crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, lemony all over, and I knew in an instant that I'd made a hideous error in judgment --I should've gone with the chicken.
I tell you this story to illustrate my willingness to admit when I've made a mistake. In fact, I've rarely ordered a breakfast, lunch, or dinner I didn't regret; at this very moment, I'm wishing I had an iced tea instead of a Diet Coke.
But aside from the food thing and one very adorable guy in the early '80s who was all you'd want in a man except for the fact that he was also looking for all you'd want in a man, I am never, ever wrong.
Now, I'm not saying I always take my own advice or trust my own instincts. I'm merely suggesting that the world would be a much better place if everyone else were to do exactly what I tell them to do. Arrogant? You bet. Narcissistic? I suppose. But c'mon, admit it, you've had the very same thought kicking around for years. Still, I'm the one with the column -- so now without further ado ...
Everything I know about the world and how you (yes, you!) should live your life:
1. If you can't get a babysitter, for the love of God, stay home! I don't want to be sitting next to little Charlotte and Duncan as they fight over a Raisinet at the midnight screening of Atonement. You wanted kids, so suck it up, walk it off, subscribe to Netflix.
2. If your outgoing phone message is longer than, let's say, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian of the Year segment of the Oscars®, it's time to rerecord.
3. Calling to let your friend know you're running late does not excuse your constantly running late.
4. I'd like to say a few words to every crabby traveler who responds with disgust whenever a baby cries on an airplane. Perhaps you don't know how babies work, but there's been a study, and it turns out that giving a 4-month-old the stink eye doesn't actually accomplish anything. Either have a little compassion or a little Ambien.
5. Here's something for any gentleman who may be reading this: If you look good in a Speedo, you will look even better in virtually any other kind of swimsuit.
6. I am a cynic. I am a pessimist. I came of age with the Watergate hearings playing on the tiny TV in our avocado green kitchen. But every four years, I wrestle my apathy into submission, read up on the issues, and cast my ballot. You must vote. I don't care who you vote for (that's not really true -- I think you should be penciling in my name), but you've gotta get in the game.
7. One word: Floss.
8. Any man who begins a conversation with, "I don't want to hurt your feelings ... " is about to hurt your feelings. It's the kind of phrase that's never followed by, "... but I just don't think you're eating enough. Please have more lasagna while I get you a brownie." Other opening gambits that pretty much scream duck-and-cover include: "Don't take this the wrong way... ," "You can feel free to say no ... ," and the always popular "Look ... "
9. Enough with celeb gossip. The problems of Britney and Jamie
|
[
"what item do men look better in?",
"What is an Speedo?"
] |
[
[
"virtually any other kind of swimsuit."
],
[
"swimsuit."
]
] |
Highly opinionated columnist offers advice on wide range of topics .
An apology doesn't cut it if you're always running late .
All men would look better in something other than a Speedo .
Take a chance, wear your heart on your sleeve to get what you want .
|
(Oprah.com) -- On any given day here at "O, The Oprah Magazine," there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 69 very talented, extremely detail oriented, high-energy, hardworking women and men all doing their jobs and doing them well. I love a few of them, I like a lot of them, I despise one of them. She is the Magneto to my Wolverine, the Saruman to my Frodo, the Dr. Octopus to my Spiderman. I call her The Tinkler. It's a typical Tuesday; the office is humming along. I'm answering e-mails, writing cover lines, scheduling a dental appointment here, partial highlights there, kicking myself for not getting sushi at lunch. The sun is shining, the color printer is working -- my life is good. I mosey into the ladies' room, glance at the mirror, remind myself that fluorescent lights make everyone look as if they're in the final stages of tuberculosis, and head for a stall. And then I see it: The seat, even the floor, is covered in little yellow droplets. The Tinkler strikes again. To date, I have been able to deduce only four things about her: 1. She is female. 2. She attacks between the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. 3. She works alone. 4. She was raised in a barn. I've been her victim more times than I can count, and it has turned me from a happy-go-lucky columnist into a bitter, paranoid germaphobe. She has become the bane of my existence. We live in a world where our soldiers lack sufficient body armor, where Rupert Murdoch is blurring the line intended to keep the business and political interests of media owners from influencing the presentation of news, where the White House still refuses to respond to questions they promised to answer as soon as the Scooter Libby case was closed, where studies indicate that worrying you're going to get sick will actually get you sick -- and yet I am devoting an entire column to The Tinkler. Any shrink worth his or her salt will tell you that it is a mistake to think of your colleagues as family. But what is a family if not a group of people who care about you and irritate you and show up for cake on your birthday and look at pictures of your kid even when they don't feel like it and think it wouldn't kill you to put on a little makeup and a pair of heels once in a while? I've been earning a paycheck for 30 years. Whether rinsing conditioner off a Lhasa apso during my stint as shampoo girl at Mr. Whiskers Pet Boutique or breathing on the chicken breast I was about to serve a rude diner during my waitressing days, I've always found that the people I work with matter to me. Their moods, their opinions, their style influence my life. They've appreciated me, humiliated me, surprised me, and antagonized me. I've gotten flowers and I've gotten fired (and I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to deserve either), but I've never experienced anything like The Tinkler. "Dammit!" I say upon encountering her latest Jackson Pollock imitation. Pat, Suzan, and Valerie each come out of their stalls to see what's wrong. I point in horror. Pat groans, Suzan moans, Val throws up her hands in disgust, and we fall into silence. Then I rally, "At least we know it's not one of us." But everybody else is a suspect. "It can't be Sudie," Suzan volunteers. My eyes narrow. "What are you basing this on?" I ask. "I've seen her," she answers, "she always heads straight for the paper seat protector." "And," Valerie adds, "we can cross Mamie off the list -- it happened twice while she was in Sweden." Sixty seconds ago, the four of us were editors; now we are FBI profilers. "She probably likes
|
[
"Who is called a cavewoman?"
] |
[
[
"The Tinkler"
]
] |
Women's bathroom is defiled by The Tinkler .
Columnist tries to figure out who's guilty of peeing on seat .
Decides she is "aggressively mean-spirited, mole-like cavewoman"
Writer yearns for modicum of civility, a touch of class, or supply of Lysol .
|
(Oprah.com) -- When Chicagoan Tammy Jo Long visited Savannah, Georgia, ten years ago, she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks, corner cafés -- and grand architecture.
Long had always been a design aficionado, but the Italianate and Victorian homes she encountered in Savannah became "an obsession," she says. "I saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds, and I was hooked." So hooked, in fact, that she decided to buy a second home there, closing the deal on her next visit.
Oprah.com: What's Your Design Style?
Her learning curve:
Long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory. Though she'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years, a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the Savannah architecture she loved was daunting.
Oprah.com: 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know
But the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring eBay for doorknobs paid off: Every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s. Yearning to share her handiwork, Long turned the home into a vacation rental. Soon, enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays.
Oprah.com: ingenious ways to decorate small spaces
Her business model:
In 2003 Long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes, traveling between Savannah and Chicago (where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son). "Some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years," Long says. "They had rats you could put a saddle on."
Oprah.com: 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women
They're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings, elaborate plaster medallions, and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through Luxury Living Savannah, Long's vacation rental company. As much as she adores re-creating these relics, Long loves sharing them even more. "People get to stay in a piece of history," she says. "Women get to be Scarlett O'Hara for the weekend. I take great pleasure in that."
Oprah.com: 8 people who turned their dreams into reality
Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE.
Subscribe now!
TM & © 2011 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|
[
"What is available for rent?",
"Where are Long's renovations available to rent?",
"Where were the homes located?",
"what type of renovations did long do",
"where are these houses located",
"What became Longs obsession?",
"what became Tammy Jo Long's obsession"
] |
[
[
"the home"
],
[
"Savannah, Georgia,"
],
[
"Savannah, Georgia,"
],
[
"historically accurate"
],
[
"Savannah, Georgia,"
],
[
"Italianate and Victorian homes she encountered in Savannah"
],
[
"Italianate and Victorian homes"
]
] |
Savannah, Georgia's Italianate and Victorian homes became Tammy Jo Long's obsession .
Long researched floor plans and fixture resources to get a historically accurate renovation .
Long's renovations are available to rent for a vacation in Savannah .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- "America's Next Top Model" crowned a winner Wednesday night in its all-stars cycle, but not before a shocking and largely unexplained disqualification of one of the final three contestants.
Lisa D'Amato, Allison Harvard, and Angelea Preston were battling for the crown, but after an unusual panel, the judges declared that Preston was disqualified -- without saying exactly why -- and that D'Amato and Harvard would square off for the title.
Eventually, D'Amato was named the winner, but the buzz around the Internet continued to focus on the nature of Preston's dismissal.
In a statement, the CW said it had learned information about Preston after the show wrapped that disqualified her, and actually re-shot scenes, suggesting Preston might have been declared the winner the first time around.
Report: Candace Bushnell Files for Divorce, Claims Husband Had Affair
The network said: "After production wrapped on the current cycle of America's Next Top Model, we learned information that made Angelea ineligible and she was subsequently disqualified from the competition. As a result, new scenes were filmed to address this for the audience during the finale."
There has been speculation, not confirmed, that Preston might have bragged about her victory on her Facebook page before the finale, thus breaking the rules of the competition.
See full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"who was disqualified?",
"who bragged about her win?",
"when Eventually D'Amato was named the winner?",
"when Preston might have bragged about her victory on Facebook before the finale?",
"who was named the winner?"
] |
[
[
"Preston"
],
[
"Preston"
],
[
"Wednesday night"
],
[
"the"
],
[
"Lisa D'Amato,"
]
] |
CW said it learned information about Preston after the show that disqualified her .
Preston might have bragged about her victory on Facebook before the finale .
Eventually D'Amato was named the winner .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- "Rush Hour" star Chris Tucker's $6 million Florida mansion is in foreclosure, with more than $4.4 million owed to the bank, reports the Orlando Sentinel, citing papers filed in Circuit Court in Lake County.
Tucker, 39, bought the 10,000-sq.-ft. waterfront home on Lake Apopka, near Orlando, in 2007. The newspaper says the residence contains five bedrooms, three fireplaces, a personal spa, an outdoor kitchen overlooking a pool, and a basement outfitted to resemble a pirate ship, including the sail.
Court documents reportedly show an $11.5 million IRS lien on the home in 2011 in order to collect federal income taxes from Tucker, whose monthly mortgage payment, the documents also show, was $25,812.50.
There has been no comment from Tucker, but the Times Union of Albany, N.Y., reports that his comedy show scheduled in the city for this Sunday -- and was a rescheduling of a postponed September 3 performance -- has been canceled because of "unforeseen circumstances."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What is Tuckers first name?",
"Where did Tucker buy his 10,000 sq ft home?",
"What is the cost of his morgage?",
"Where did he buy the house?",
"What age is he?",
"What age is Tucker?",
"What did he buy it for?"
] |
[
[
"Chris"
],
[
"Lake Apopka,"
],
[
"$25,812.50."
],
[
"Lake Apopka, near Orlando,"
],
[
"39,"
],
[
"39,"
],
[
"$6 million"
]
] |
Tucker, 39, bought the 10,000-sq.-ft. waterfront home on Lake Apopka .
Tucker's monthly mortgage payment was $25,812.50.
There has been no comment from Tucker .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kim Richards entered rehab last week to seek treatment for alcohol abuse and "other problems," a source tells PEOPLE.
"Kim has been to rehab more than once before," says the source, "but every time is a new time, and everyone just hopes this sticks and that she gets the help she needs. It's serious."
Richards has been "erratic. Everyone was really worried about her," says the source, who adds that Richards is not living with Ken, the boyfriend who was introduced as her love interest this season.
During a recent episode of the Bravo show, Richards says she's planning to move in with Ken, and cameras show her packing up her belongings.
"He's not in the picture. No one really knows what the deal was with them, but Kim doesn't live with Ken," the source says. "She's basically homeless, staying with various friends. She doesn't have a home base. It's not unusual for people to not hear from her for long stretches of time. It's been that way for years."
"Her family is relieved she's getting help," adds the source. "She has lots of issues. She needs help."
Viewers have watched Richards' increasingly bizarre behavior and slurring of her words this season, which had been attributed at least in part to her taking anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications, along with an anti-seizure medication which can be used to treat alcoholism.
Richards is receiving well-wishes from some of her colleagues since seeking treatment. Castmate Taylor Armstrong threw her support to Richards this week, telling Andy Cohen Monday night on his Bravo talk show "Watch What Happens Live:" "I adore Kim and I stand behind her. And if there's anything I can do to support her [I will]; but if she's getting healthy what more could we ask."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Who is Ken introduced as?",
"What said a source?",
"who is Kim Richards?",
"Who is not living with Kem?",
"Who is Kim not living with?",
"Who has been erratic?",
"Who has a lot of problems?"
] |
[
[
"love interest"
],
[
"\"Kim has been to rehab more than once before,\""
],
[
"\"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills\" star"
],
[
"Richards"
],
[
"Ken,"
],
[
"Richards"
],
[
"Kim Richards"
]
] |
Kim Richards has been "erratic. Everyone was really worried about her," says a source .
Richards is not living with Ken, the boyfriend who was introduced as her love interest .
"She has lots of issues, she needs help," the source says .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- After suffering the miscarriage of their 20th child, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will hold a memorial service on Wednesday, December 14, for the baby girl they have named Jubilee Shalom Duggar.
The reality TV stars of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" had discovered on Thursday at a routine ultrasound appointment that their 20th child, due next April, no longer had a heartbeat. Advised by her doctor to let the miscarriage occur naturally, Michelle, 45, was being cared for at home by her family.
Following the miscarriage late Sunday night, Michelle began to feel lightheaded and as a precaution was taken to the hospital, where she was kept for observation, according to a family spokesperson. Michelle is recovering well and expected to return home later on Monday, the spokesperson adds.
RELATED: Michelle Duggar Resting at Home, Plans to Name Child
"We have had many tears today," says Jim Bob Duggar, 46. "This is life, and I understand that we are going though something that many others have. You think about the what-ifs, but God gives us strength to go on. We won't be able to see this child's life and the phases that we've seen for our other children, but we know we will see this child in heaven one day. We are thankful for each child, and we are blessed to have the children we have here and the ones we will meet someday in heaven."
Jubilee Duggar's memorial service will be for friends and Duggar family members, who on late Sunday already held a private service in their home.
"We would like to thank everyone for their prayers, emails and outpouring of love," Jim Bob wrote in a letter he shared with PEOPLE. "As our whole family is grieving, we also know that God promises to work all things for good in our lives. Our prayer is that Jubilee's passing will help us all realize that this life is short, and our relationship with Jesus is the most important thing. He gives us a peace in our hearts as He guides us through whatever we might face."
Though the family is in mourning, Jim Bob says they are grateful for the health of youngest daughter, Josie, who turned 2 on December 10. Josie survived against all odds after being born at just 25 weeks and 1 lb., 6 oz. and has developed normally with no lasting impairments.
"We were looking forward to this birthday because it is a milestone for her," he says. "It is wonderful that she is with us and doing so well."
See full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"who was taken to the hospital?",
"When is the memorial service?",
"when will Michelle expected to return home?",
"who will hold a memorial service for their 20th child?",
"What is Michelle recovering from?"
] |
[
[
"Michelle Duggar"
],
[
"Wednesday, December 14,"
],
[
"later on Monday,"
],
[
"Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar"
],
[
"miscarriage of their 20th child,"
]
] |
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will hold a memorial service for their 20th child .
Following the miscarriage Sunday night, Michelle was taken to the hospital .
Michelle is recovering well and expected to return home later on Monday .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Ali Landry and her husband, director Alejandro Monteverde, welcomed their second child Saturday in Los Angeles -- a boy named Marcelo Alejandro -- the actress's rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Shortly after announcing her pregnancy, the former Doritos spokeswoman, 38, told PEOPLE in June that she was using grilled cheese sandwiches to battle morning sickness.
At the time, Landry also said she would be "really nervous" if she had a boy. Turns out, she had a big boy: Marcelo was 8 lbs and 21 inches long at birth.
Landry and Monteverde, 34, also have a daughter, 4-year-old Estela.
See full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What is the baby's name?",
"Have they other children?",
"Who gave birth a child?",
"who is mantevedere",
"What was the size of the baby?",
"who is marcelo alejandro",
"What did Ali Landry welcome on Saturday?",
"what age is the daughter?"
] |
[
[
"Marcelo Alejandro"
],
[
"also"
],
[
"Ali Landry"
],
[
"director"
],
[
"8 lbs and 21 inches"
],
[
"director"
],
[
"second child"
],
[
"4-year-old"
]
] |
Ali Landry and her husband welcomed their second child Saturday .
Marcelo Alejandro was 8 lbs and 21 inches long at birth .
Landry and Monteverde, 34, also have a daughter, 4-year-old Estela .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- As if you couldn't tell by that massive rock taking up residence on her ring finger, Kim Kardashian is a big fan of bling. And the reality-star-turned-fashion-designer continues to channel her sparkly aesthetic as her Belle Noel jewelry collection -- created in collaboration with designer Pascal Mouawad -- enters into its third season.
"I love to accessorize. I think more is more when it comes to fun accessories," the newlywed (in Milly) tells WWD of her taste in jewelry, which she describes as "both glitz and glam, polished and put together."
But just because Kardashian likes her ice doesn't mean she never goes without it. "I don't wear it to work out," she admits. "I see women coming to the gym with earrings on. I can't do it." Same goes for bedtime, she says. "For some reason I need it all off, though people do ... sleep with their earrings on."
While she's enjoyed collaborating with her sisters on items like their book, "Kardashian Konfidential," and their "Kardashian Kollection" clothing line for Sears, the star admits she does love having a jewelry line to call her own.
"It's something I do independently from my sisters. That's kind of rewarding when they see pieces and really like it and want it," she shares. "It's all mine."
See full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Where is one place to which Kardashian doesn't jewelry?",
"Who likes having a jewelry line?",
"What is Kardashian's philosophy about accessories?",
"Who likes her ice",
"When is more, more",
"Where does she not wear it"
] |
[
[
"to work out,\""
],
[
"Kim Kardashian"
],
[
"\"I love to accessorize."
],
[
"Kim Kardashian"
],
[
"it comes to fun accessories,\""
],
[
"to work out,\""
]
] |
"I think more is more when it comes to fun accessories," Kardashian says .
Kardashian likes her ice, but she doesn't wear it to the gym .
Kardashian admits that she loves having a jewelry line to call her own .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Cameron Douglas, who is serving a five- year federal prison sentence for drug dealing, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing drugs in his jail cell.
For the latest charges, the son of actor Michael Douglas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, plus a $250,000 fine.
Douglas, 32, is charged with possessing items that tested positive for cocaine and heroin, which were found in his cell by an investigator. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Anderson told the court one of the substances tested positive for methadone, which he described as "something that people take when they're coming off a heroin addiction in order to facilitate the withdrawal," according to a court transcript.
The charges state that Douglas obtained the narcotics both at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, as well as after he was transferred to a minimum-security jail in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania In court Thursday, he admitted struggling with addictions to heroin, cocaine and alcohol.
"God knows I am sorry," records show he told the judge.
Michael Douglas said in a statement: "Cameron accepts full responsibility for his conduct, which involved a small user-quantity of drugs. While he has made much progress, he is still not cured. Most people and their families are able to address this illness privately and outside of the spotlight. Unfortunately this has not been possible here, for reasons completely outside of his control. He thanks those that have rooted for his recovery and looks forward to the day when he will not disappoint."
Douglas is scheduled to be sentenced December 21.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"where did douglas obtain the narcotics?",
"Where did the drugs come from?",
"What is his sentence to be?",
"what is the maximum sentence?",
"Where were the narcotics obtained?",
"Who faces 20 years in prison?",
"what did he say about god?",
"What did Douglas say?",
"What did he say?"
] |
[
[
"both at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, as well as after he was transferred to a minimum-security jail in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania"
],
[
"Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan,"
],
[
"20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release,"
],
[
"20 years"
],
[
"both at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, as well as after he was transferred to a minimum-security jail in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania"
],
[
"Cameron Douglas,"
],
[
"\"God knows I am sorry,\""
],
[
"\"Cameron accepts full responsibility for his conduct, which involved a small user-quantity of drugs. While he has made much progress, he is still not cured. Most people and their families are able to address this illness privately and outside of the spotlight. Unfortunately this has not been possible here, for reasons completely outside of his control. He thanks those that have rooted for his recovery and looks forward to the day when he will not disappoint.\""
],
[
"\"God knows I am sorry,\""
]
] |
Cameron Douglas faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison .
Douglas obtained the narcotics at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan .
"God knows I am sorry," he says .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- For nearly three years, the hit TLC show "Toddlers & Tiaras" has captured the drama behind the scenes in the world of child beauty pageants.
The tantrums were extreme, and the pre-show prep of spray tanning and eyebrow waxing seemed perhaps premature for little kids.
But in the last few weeks, as footage of 3- and 4-year-olds dressed in overly adult costumes (like Dolly Parton, complete with padded breasts, or Julia Roberts's streetwalker from "Pretty Woman") hit the airwaves, viewers and pageant skeptics have been expressing horror at an industry that is now accused of "sexualizing" young girls.
"Little girls are supposed to play with dolls, not be dolls," New York-based licensed clinical social worker Mark Sichel tells PEOPLE in its new issue.
He adds that the extremes parents go to in order to prepare their children for competition -- using padding, fake hair, flippers (faux teeth) and spray tans -- "causes the children tremendous confusion, wondering why they are not okay without those things."
Now devoted pageant moms are speaking out in their own defense. Wendy Dickey, who dressed her daughter Paisley, 3, as Julia Roberts, tells PEOPLE the look was "tasteful and funny." Still, "If I knew there would be a reaction like this, I never would have used it," Dickey says. "Next time, she'll be dressed as an angel."
And Juana Myers, whose daughter MaKenzie has been featured on Tiaras, says unfair scrutiny has been placed on the pageant industry. "If this were a sport, no one would question it," she says. "This is her sport."
For more on the child pageant controversy, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
See the full story at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Who are speaking out in their own defense?",
"Juana Myers says unfair scrutiny has been placed on what?",
"Viewers have been expressing horror at what?",
"What are devoted pageant moms doing?",
"Viewers have been expressing horror at an industry accused of doing what?",
"What has been placed on the pageant industry?"
] |
[
[
"devoted pageant moms"
],
[
"the pageant industry."
],
[
"an industry that is now accused of \"sexualizing\" young girls."
],
[
"speaking out in their own defense."
],
[
"\"sexualizing\" young girls."
],
[
"unfair scrutiny"
]
] |
Viewers have been expressing horror at an industry accused of "sexualizing" young girls .
Devoted pageant moms are speaking out in their own defense .
Juana Myers says unfair scrutiny has been placed on the pageant industry .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- For some people, owing $11 million in back taxes to the IRS and facing foreclosure may be no laughing matter, but Chris Tucker is not one of them.
In a stand-up performance in Miami recently, the "Rush Hour" star, 39, cracked a few jokes about his financial struggles.
"That's the last time I let Wesley Snipes help me out with my taxes," Tucker quipped, according to the Miami New Times, referring to the actor whose failure to file returns landed him a three-year prison sentence.
Tucker even used his interactions with bill collectors as fodder for his act.
"They calling you acting like you owe them the money personally!" he said, according to the paper. "I don't owe you s---! This is between me and the company!"
Tucker is also quoted as making a crack about being so bad with money that he bought two houses next to each other and then had to ask neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What movie did the person star in?",
"Who used his interactions with collectors as fodder?",
"What did tucker make crack about being so bad with",
"How much debt is Tucker in?",
"What did Tucker also make a crack about?",
"Who is the other star of 'Rush Hour'?",
"Who used his interactions as fodder",
"What did rush hour star do"
] |
[
[
"\"Rush Hour\""
],
[
"Chris Tucker"
],
[
"money"
],
[
"$11 million"
],
[
"being so bad with money that he bought two houses next to each other and then had to ask neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar."
],
[
"Chris Tucker"
],
[
"Tucker"
],
[
"cracked a few jokes about his financial struggles."
]
] |
"Rush Hour" star cracked a few jokes about his financial struggles .
Tucker even used his interactions with bill collectors as fodder .
Tucker is also quoted as making a crack about being so bad with money .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Giuliana Rancic said Monday that she has breast cancer, having discovered a tumor during a mammogram while undergoing another round of in-vitro fertilization in an effort to get pregnant.
The E! News and Style Network host, 36, made the emotional announcement on NBC's "Today" show. She will undergo surgery this week and then have six weeks of radiation therapy.
The cancer has been detected early, and the prognosis is good, she said.
Rancic was going to wait until 40 to have a mammogram, but her IVF doctor suggested she have one now. She says she will still push to have a baby, following one IVF attempt that ended in a miscarriage and a second that didn't work.
"I still want this baby ... because this baby has saved my life," she said. "I truly feel God was looking out after me ... If I had gotten pregnant later down the line, I could have been a lot sicker."
She also says her husband, Bill Rancic, has been "unbelievable. The best thing about Bill is, he lets me cry when I want to cry."
Coincidentally, Rancic recently filmed some on-the-street interviews to bust breast-cancer myths for the non-profit Bright Pink as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which marks its 25th anniversary this year.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"what did she say",
"Who has the cancer?",
"What did the baby do?",
"what was detected",
"what did he recently do",
"When was the cander detected?",
"Does she wants the baby?"
] |
[
[
"has breast cancer,"
],
[
"Giuliana Rancic"
],
[
"saved my life,\""
],
[
"breast cancer,"
],
[
"filmed some on-the-street interviews to bust breast-cancer myths"
],
[
"a mammogram while undergoing another round of in-vitro fertilization"
],
[
"\"I still"
]
] |
The cancer has been detected early and the prognosis is good, Rancic said .
"I still want this baby ... because this baby has saved my life," she said .
Rancic recently filmed interviews to bust breast-cancer myths .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Heather Locklear was in "medically stable" condition at a Thousand Oaks, California, hospital Thursday night with her parents at her side.
"She is in no danger and she's going to be just fine," Bill and Diane Locklear said in a statement issued by Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center.
The "Melrose Place" star, 50, was taken to the hospital after the fire department and sheriff's deputies responded to a 911 call at her house northwest of Los Angeles. Reports say she may have mixed alcohol and prescription medication.
Los Robles spokesperson Kris Carraway-Bowman declined to disclose any medical information beyond Locklear's condition. The actress arrived at 2:30 p.m. and by 8 p.m. was sleeping, says Carraway-Bowman.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Was she in any danger?",
"where was the incident?",
"What are her parents' names?",
"who was taken to hospital?",
"What did the hospital decline to disclose?",
"what hospital was she taken to?",
"Who said that she was in no danger?",
"When was Heather Locklear was taken to hospital?"
] |
[
[
"\"She is in no"
],
[
"at her house northwest of Los Angeles."
],
[
"Bill and Diane Locklear"
],
[
"Heather Locklear"
],
[
"any medical information beyond Locklear's condition."
],
[
"& Medical Center."
],
[
"Bill and Diane Locklear"
],
[
"Thursday night"
]
] |
Heather Locklear was taken to the hospital after a 911 call .
"She is in no danger and she's going to be just fine," Bill and Diane Locklear said .
The hospital declined to disclose any medical information beyond Locklear's condition .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- In 1999, Heather Donahue was unexpectedly catapulted to stardom as a co-creator and costar of the indie horror film "The Blair Witch Project" -- who memorably filmed herself crying in terror in the genre-breaking flick.
A few short years later, just as unexpectedly, her acting career stalled. And soon she was embarking on the most peculiar of second acts -- that of marijuana grower.
"I took all my stuff into the desert related to my acting career and burned it all," Donahue, who turns 37 on Thursday, tells the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Well, she did spare one thing: the blue ski cap from the "Blair Witch" poster.
"That's the only thing I kept," she says. "I figured if things got really bad, I could always sell it on eBay."
At the time of "Blair Witch's" release, Donahue told PEOPLE that her newfound fame was "hilarious and overwhelming." But soon she became disillusioned. "The acting projects I was lucky enough to work on weren't always things that I felt good about putting out into the world," she says now in a Q&A on her website. "I didn't see that getting better as I got older. I wanted to change my life, see what else was out there for me, what else I might become."
She ended up following her then new boyfriend into a strange new life of growing marijuana, mostly for medical purposes -- a journey she relates in her forthcoming memoir, "GrowGirl: How My Life After The Blair Witch Project Went to Pot."
Donahue ended up living for a year in Nuggettown, California, with a bunch of growers and their "pot wives," helping to build grow rooms and tending to the crops. She tells the Inquirer that she was "always an avid gardener" and quickly fell into a routine, becoming "a solitary country girl" after her years in the fast lane in L.A.
She gave up growing pot after deciding to write about it -- and after a friend got busted by the feds.
Donahue, who is now on a book tour, is torn about whether marijuana should be legalized. On the one hand, she's worried that corporations might run over the mom-and-pop growers. But at the same time, she thinks it's foolish to outlaw it.
"Cannabis has been intertwined with human culture for thousands of years," she says on her website. "It's here to stay as medicine, as an industry, and as a component of the culture. The idea that such a hearty, useful plant could be legislated out of existence seems pretty foolish, especially in retrospect."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Where did she end up living?",
"What is she known for?",
"What did she do when she quit?"
] |
[
[
"Nuggettown, California,"
],
[
"costar of the indie horror film \"The Blair Witch Project\""
],
[
"marijuana grower."
]
] |
Heather Donahue memorably filmed herself crying in terror in "The Blair Witch Project"
She quit acting and followed her then boyfriend into a new life of growing marijuana .
Donahue ended up living for a year in Nuggettown, California .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- It's been more than two months since their beloved 13-year-old dog Darla passed away from cancer, but Brooke Shields and her family are still reeling from the loss.
"It's very sad, actually," she tells PEOPLE. "We're all in that sort of trauma where we have her ashes and the girls (Rowan, 8, and Grier, 5) carry these little footprints of hers around. She was the only dog we've really ever had."
The American bulldog was given to Shields as a puppy, and was a member of the family, taking a central role in many memories over the years.
"She knew I was pregnant before I even knew I was pregnant," Shields says. "She would circle me and not let me walk anywhere, I was going, 'God, what are you doing, get out from under my feet!' And that afternoon I found out."
The void that Darla has left is immense, and it won't be filled with a new pet anytime soon. "We walk to school everyday and they see all these different dogs, we're kind of [thinking about] what way do we want to go," she says. "We'll probably never get another bulldog. We would just constantly be going, 'That's not Darla.'"
For now, Shields and her family are content on seeing animals from afar -- like Mom's new furry costar: a horse called Odd Job Bob who stars opposite Shields in the new tween flick The Greening of Whitney Brown. In the comedy, Shields plays the mother of a snooty private school teen (played by Sammi Hanratty) who is forced to move to the country where she reluctantly befriends the gypsy vanner horse.
"He's smart and sweet," Shields says of the star stallion who performs all kinds of tricks for the film. "He understands. There's something about him that is human."
A horse lover all of her life, Shields never got to ride Bob because trainers wanted Hanratty to bond completely with the animal, but she did slip him a treat or two on set. "He wasn't demanding at all," she jokes. "He loved [eating] all the carrots and jam."
Watching the sweet family movie with her daughters will definitely be a bright spot in what's been a difficult few months. "They're going to love it," she says. "Anything with horses and animals, they think it's so funny."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What age was the dog when it died?",
"Are they going to replace the dog?",
"What did it die from?",
"What sort of dog was it?",
"What age was Shields' dog that passed away from cancer?",
"What was the name of Shields' dog?"
] |
[
[
"13-year-old"
],
[
"won't be filled with a new pet anytime soon."
],
[
"cancer,"
],
[
"American bulldog"
],
[
"13-year-old"
],
[
"Darla"
]
] |
Shields' 13-year-old dog Darla passed away from cancer .
The American bulldog was given to Shields as a puppy .
The void that Darla has left is immense, Shields says .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- It's no secret that Kim Kardashian's personal life has recently taken a bumpy turn, but the reality star is still a big fan of marriage.
Asked whether she still considered marriage an attractive choice, Kardashian, who recently announced she's divorcing Kris Humphries, said, "Absolutely. I believe in love, always."
Looking fresh in Las Vegas at the opening of The Mirage Resort and Casino's Kardashian Khaos lifestyle boutique, Kardashian, 31, said she learned a lot of lessons in the past year and plans on being "a new me" in 2012.
One thing that she won't be having anytime soon: a copilot.
Asked whether she will find love again, she simply replied, "I'm not looking."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What age is Kardashian?",
"is she looking for love",
"Does Kardashian believe in love?",
"what did kim say",
"What is kims age?",
"what age is she"
] |
[
[
"31,"
],
[
"\"I'm not looking.\""
],
[
"\"Absolutely."
],
[
"\"Absolutely. I believe in love, always.\""
],
[
"31,"
],
[
"31,"
]
] |
Kim Kardashian said, "Absolutely. I believe in love, always"
Kardashian, 31, said she learned a lot of lessons in the past year .
Whether she will find love again, she simply replied, "I'm not looking"
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Jaleel White most notably played geeky, annoying neighbor Steve Urkel on the '90s sitcom "Family Matters" -- but since then, the actor, who has portrayed Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley and a member of the opposite sex, doesn't feel recognized for his ability to take on a variety of roles.
"I'm very versatile, but somehow I didn't earn the tag of being called a versatile actor," White, 34, tells PEOPLE. "I'm still chasing that one Vanity Fair tag that says, 'This guy's a versatile actor.' I accept it. It's fine. But for me, it's like what do I have to do to get that [acknowledgement]?"
White, who says he gets "recognized everywhere I go," isn't big on reminiscing about the days of playing the character who made him a household name.
"I don't [miss playing Urkel]," he says. "I really don't. I'm not trying to get away from it or anything like that, but I don't miss the role at all -- really. I just want to work. I want my daughter to say, 'I know what Daddy does,' not 'what Daddy did."
White -- who most recently played an inmate on Fox's House, M.D. earlier this year -- guest stars as a scheming wealthy director on the season premiere of fellow former child star Tatyana Ali's latest sitcom, Love That Girl!. The actor says it's "cool" sharing a screen with Ali, who he hasn't filmed with since his small stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air many years ago.
The episode, which airs Monday night at 8 p.m. on TV One, is the first of many more roles to come, predicts White.
"I just want people to know I haven't gone anywhere," he says. "The passion was gone for awhile, but I've got my mojo back."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"what did white say?",
"what person says they get regonized everywhere they go",
"what show did he recently play a part in?",
"what person recently played an inmate",
"does he miss playing with urkel?",
"Who has played recently?"
] |
[
[
"\"I'm very versatile, but somehow I didn't earn the tag of being called a versatile actor,\""
],
[
"Jaleel White"
],
[
"House, M.D."
],
[
"Jaleel White"
],
[
"Urkel],\""
],
[
"Jaleel White"
]
] |
White says he gets "recognized everywhere I go"
"I don't [miss playing Urkel]," he says .
White recently played an inmate on Fox's "House, M.D"
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Jenny Craig may have helped its spokesperson Carrie Fisher lose 50 lbs. over the past year, but it was the psychiatric hospital Silver Hill in New Canaan, Connecticut, that helped her get her life back together, she says.
"They really did heal me. It's the alma mater that matters," the Star Wars star, 55, told the assembled guests at Thursday's Silver Hill Hospital gala at Manhattan's Cipriani 42nd Street.
Extolling the virtues of the 80-year-old facility, where she was treated for alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder, Fisher said that during her stay "there was a president at Silver Hill, I'm not kidding. And he had really bad breath, so I used to tell people not to get down wind of the president."
She did not name him.
"It will be a year on Thanksgiving," Fisher, who topped out at 180 lbs., told PEOPLE about her Jenny Craig start date anniversary. Of what how she looked and felt a year ago, she said, "You have that last gigantic meal, look in the mirror. None of your clothes fit, and ... forget it."
Working to lose the weight and struggling to keep it off, "I have a lot of trouble," admitted Fisher, who still hopes to lose 10 more lbs. "I really have to be held down when I pass a 31 flavors."
She also exercises. "You do the treadmill first, which is this horrendous, evil thing," she said. "And then you get on the elliptical" for 30 to 52 minutes.
Buying new clothes and again fitting into old ones, Fisher said, "Oh, my God. Both things are fun. To get back into something I never thought I'd see except on my daughter [Billie Lourd]. This YSL has vintage," she said of the black ensemble she wore to the event. "But I'm vintage now."
And Silver Hill? "It was one of the best places I was ever institutionalized."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What Fisher said?",
"When will it be a year?",
"What are the hopes of Fisher?"
] |
[
[
"\"They really did heal me. It's the alma mater that matters,\""
],
[
"on Thanksgiving,\""
],
[
"to lose 10 more lbs."
]
] |
"It will be a year on Thanksgiving," Fisher said .
Fisher still hopes to lose 10 more pounds .
"You do the treadmill first, which is this horrendous, evil thing," she said .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Just over a week after being hospitalized for "mild kidney failure," Nick Cannon stepped out for the first time with wife Mariah Carey -- and praised her for being his "hero" during the ordeal.
"When times are hard, you guys don't see her at 3 o'clock in the morning, getting up in the middle of the night, fixing me soup when my kidneys ain't acting right. Mariah Carey does that," Cannon, 31, said onstage before presenting his wife with the Entertainer Award at the 2012 BET Honors taping, held Saturday in Washington, D.C. The show will air February 13 at 9 p.m.
Holding 8-month-old son Moroccan -- dressed in a matching mini tux -- Cannon gushed over Carey and at times appeared emotional as he reflected on the woman he calls "my angel."
"It is truly, truly a blessing to be here tonight, and I am humbled and in awe of everyone's presence, but mostly my hero right there," he said as Carey, 42, looked on from the front row.
"What most people don't get the opportunity to experience is the true woman; the virtuous person who is my angel."
A teary-eyed Carey soon returned the adoration, thanking God for having her husband and baby by her side.
"To my incredible husband who [has been] out of the hospital two days -- look at him all strong and healthy and big and too buff for the tux -- it's incredible," she beamed.
On the mend, Cannon even did an impromptu performance: beatboxing for his son.
"This is what makes Roc the most happy," said Carey, dressed in a form-fitting black and nude-colored gown. "And Miss Monroe Cannon's backstage, darling. We were both sewn into our dresses, so she couldn't make it out."
"She's a diva like her mama," quipped Cannon.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Who did an impromptu performance?",
"what did nick cannon say about her",
"What did Nick say about being at the event?",
"What does Cannon call Mariah Carey?",
"what did cannon do for his son",
"what did he say about mariah carey"
] |
[
[
"Cannon"
],
[
"for being his \"hero\""
],
[
"\"It is truly, truly a blessing to be here tonight,"
],
[
"his \"hero\""
],
[
"beatboxing"
],
[
"praised her for being his \"hero\" during the ordeal."
]
] |
"It is truly, truly a blessing to be here tonight," Nick Cannon said at an event .
Cannon gushed over Mariah Carey as he reflected on the woman he calls "my angel"
On the mend, Cannon even did an impromptu performance: beatboxing for his son .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Katy Perry's parents, who are evangelical ministers, mentioned their famous daughter a number of times at religious services in Ohio on Wednesday, but sidestepped the issue of her divorce from Russell Brand.
Keith and Mary Hudson, who arrived at Church on the Rise in Westlake, outside Cleveland, to host two nights of "prophetic services," said they attend Perry's concerts even though they don't love the idea of people worshiping pop idols.
"I only go for one reason and one reason only ... because I love my daughter and I will always love her," Keith Hudson said.
"It was almost like church," he added of the concert experience, adding that Perry's fans "want to worship and they want to love, they are just worshiping and loving the wrong person."
The Hudsons billed themselves as "Katy Perry's parents" on marketing materials for the event, but then told the crowd of about 300 that they don't need help from anyone famous -- or their relatives -- to find God.
"I'm sure that Katy's trending on the Internet was to get you here to church tonight," Mary Hudson said in her opening remarks.
"You don't need a verse or a scripture. You don't need Katy Perry's father," Keith said later. "In the news they call us, 'Katy Perry's parents are religious.' Do I look religious?"
Keith, who did most of the speaking, said he converted from a drug user to a Christian when he was 24 years old. He touched on the evolution of church, developing a relationship with Jesus, and keeping a relationship with one's children.
"What has taken place in my daughter's life has opened many opportunities to go in and be with guarded and gated people," he said. "They like us because we're cool. We are not threatening."
He added: "The most important people on this Earth are your family. What would heaven be like without your children?"
At the end, the Hudsons signed books, sold jewelry to fund a women's mission, and gave away samples of Katy's perfume, Purr.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What did Keith Hudson say?",
"What did Keith and Mary Hudson do?",
"What did Mary Hudson say?",
"what are Keith and Mary Hudson ?",
"who did say I love my daughter and I will always love her?",
"Keith Hudson said about his daughter?"
] |
[
[
"\"I only go for one reason and one reason only ... because I love my daughter and I will always love her,\""
],
[
"evangelical ministers,"
],
[
"\"I'm sure that Katy's trending on the Internet was to get you here to church tonight,\""
],
[
"evangelical ministers,"
],
[
"Keith Hudson"
],
[
"and I will always love her,\""
]
] |
Keith and Mary Hudson sidestepped the issue of Katy Perry's divorce .
"I love my daughter and I will always love her," Keith Hudson said .
"I'm sure that Katy's trending on the Internet was to get you here to church," Mary Hudson said .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Last Tuesday, Danny Cahill became the biggest 'Biggest Loser' ever when he dropped 239 lbs. in seven months to win the eighth season title.
Now, as NBC goes back to a couples edition of the series, the contestants and the challenges they face get bigger as well.
On January 5, "The Biggest Loser: Couples" premieres with 11 teams of two competing for the Season 9 crown. Among the players are Michael Ventrella, a 30-year-old deejay from Chicago, Illinois -- who at 526 lbs. becomes the heaviest contestant ever on the series -- and his is mother, Maria, a 51-year-old corporate travel agent.
"I would do anything for Michael," his mom Maria, who starts at 281 lbs., told PEOPLE. "At first I didn't think I could do it because I have too many responsibilities at home. I have a husband who is disabled, my mom in a wheelchair, a full-time job, home cleaning -- it's a lot. But then he needed it so bad and so I am here, and I need it for myself, too!"
The Ventrellas are one of eight parent-child duos on the show this season.
Attorney Melissa Morgan, 39, and her husband Lance, 38, a rancher, hail from Aspermont, Texas, and are both interested in losing weight and saving their marriage.
California-based cousins Sam Poueu, 24, and Koli Palu, 29, were inspired by the success of Tongan cousins Sione and Filipe in season seven and hope to do the same for the people and culture of American Samoa.
Orlando, Florida, identical twins James and John Crutchfield, 30, weighed in at a combined 969 lbs. "I'm glad I'm here," James said, "because my only other alternative is surgery."
Here are the other teams vying for a $250,000 winner prize or $100,000 at-home prize:
Mom Patti Anderson, 55, a business owner, and daughter Stephanie Anderson, 29, a radio sales executive, from Lafayette and West Hollywood, California.
Mom Cherita Andrews a 50-year-old homemaker and daughter Vicky Andrews, a 22-year-old student from Houston, Texas.
Mom Miggy Cancel, 48, a Pemberton, New Jersey chef and daughter Migdalia Sebren, 28, a homemaker from Sanford, North Carolina.
Mom Cheryl George a 50-year-old store-owner and son, Daris George, 25, a salesman, from Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Father O'Neal Hampton, Jr., a U.S. Postal Service station manager, 51, and daughter SunShine Hampton, 24, a restaurant server, from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Father Darrell Hough, a press operator and mechanic, 46, and daughter Andrea Hough, a 24-year-old executive assistant from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Mom Sherry Johnston, a 51-year-old non-profit administrator and daughter Ashley Johnston, a 27-year-old manager and esthetician from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Also, season seven's Tara Costa will return to PEOPLE.com to blog for season nine!
© 2010 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What is the deejay's name?",
"The 9th season of which show has it's heaviest competitors yet?",
"What is the age and weight of the competitor from Chicago?",
"When does the first episode of the new series premiere?",
"What season of The Biggest Loser is it?",
"When will the first episode premiere?",
"What weight is the heaviest competitor ever?"
] |
[
[
"Michael Ventrella,"
],
[
"\"The Biggest Loser: Couples\""
],
[
"30-year-old"
],
[
"January 5,"
],
[
"eighth"
],
[
"January 5,"
],
[
"526 lbs."
]
] |
The ninth season of "The Biggest Loser" features its heaviest competitors yet .
A 30-year-old deejay from Chicago, Illinois is the heaviest competitor ever at 526 lbs.
The first episode of the new series premieres January 11 .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Michelle Duggar, star of TLC's "18 Kids and Counting," was rushed to an Arkansas hospital over the weekend -- but her pregnancy with Baby No. 19, not due until spring, wasn't the reason for her dash to the doctor.
"This weekend, Michelle Duggar was admitted to an Arkansas hospital due to gallbladder issues," said a network rep.
"The pain from a gallstone was generating some contractions. Just to be safe, she was airlifted a Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital, so that in the unlikely event that she had to be delivered early, she would be close to a NICU center," the representative said. "Though there were some fears that the baby was in trouble initially, it soon was discovered to be solely the gallstone causing the discomfort. Michelle is resting comfortably, and the baby is doing fine."
For now, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's brood of 18 kids will have to get by without Mom at home.
"Doctors want to observe Michelle in the hospital for the next couple of days," said the rep, "but it would appear that the pain medication they have given her for the gallstone has worked, and there is no need for immediate surgery. The hope is that any necessary surgery can be delayed until after she delivers."
The physician attending Duggar, Dr. Curtis Lowery of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told PEOPLE, "We have every reason at present to expect that mother and baby will proceed with a healthy pregnancy. Mrs. Duggar is in good spirits and feeling much better."
© 2010 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"where was she airlifted to",
"Who was rushed to hospital?",
"Who is pregnant?",
"What turned out to be the cause of pain?",
"what was the cause of the pain",
"what tv show is the star from"
] |
[
[
"a Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital,"
],
[
"Michelle Duggar,"
],
[
"Michelle Duggar,"
],
[
"gallbladder issues,\""
],
[
"gallstone"
],
[
"\"18 Kids and Counting,\""
]
] |
Star of TLC's "18 Kids and Counting" rushed to the hospital .
Was airlifted to Arkansas in fear of pregnancy problems .
A gallstone turned out to be the cause of pain .
Duggar resting well and pregnancy is in good shape .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Never one to mince words, "The Talk" co-host Sharon Osbourne came right out and asked guest Melissa Gilbert when she knew her sister Sara Gilbert was gay.
While the question made Sara, 36, who recently started dating Linda Perry, squirm a bit, the audience laughed and cheered.
"You know what, I'll put it to you this way," said Melissa, 47, best known for her role on "Little House on the Prairie." "I took her to dinner when she was in her teens and I sat her down and I gave her this long speech about how much I love you and it doesn't matter and you're my darling and blah, blah, blah and you can tell me anything. And she looked and me and she said, 'I'm not gay.' And I was like, 'OK, whatever.'"
"Years later she called me and we were having a conversation about something and she said, 'You know, what if I just said that I'm gay,' and I went, 'And?' I mean I think always I kinda knew."
Sara, eager to change the subject, responded, "Don't we have a break coming up?"
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What did Melissa Gilbert say on \"The Talk\"",
"what woman was eager to change the subject",
"what woman said she thinks she always kinda knew",
"Who Sara Gilbert has started dating recently?",
"what woman started dating linda perry",
"What is the relationship between Sara Gilbert and Melissa Gilbert?",
"Who is Sara Gilbert dating?"
] |
[
[
"I'll put it to you this way,\""
],
[
"Sara,"
],
[
"Melissa Gilbert"
],
[
"Linda Perry,"
],
[
"Sara,"
],
[
"sister"
],
[
"Linda Perry,"
]
] |
Sara Gilbert recently started dating Linda Perry .
"I mean I think always I kinda knew" Melissa Gilbert said on "The Talk"
Sara was eager to change the subject .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- One thing Jennifer Lopez hasn't missed about not constantly being in the spotlight anymore: constantly watching her weight. "Part of my business is being in shape and looking good. You can't lie to yourself about it," Lopez, 40, told the January issue of Allure. "But I'm not the monster I used to be in the exercise department." Her reprieve likely is coming to an end. The mother of 17-month-old twins Max and Emme released a dance track, "Fresh Out of the Oven," in October and performed at the American Music Awards in December. Her new album, "Love," drops in January. As well as having to hit the gym again, J-Lo may also have to deal with that other flip side of fame -- the paparazzi. "It's a business. Once they stop making money off of you they stop coming around," Lopez said. © 2010 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"what is part of her business",
"She is gearing up for her new album and getting back to what",
"Allure magazine was told what by Jennifer Lopez",
"Does Jennifer Lopez have kids?",
"Lopez said that part of her business was what"
] |
[
[
"being in shape and looking good."
],
[
"the gym"
],
[
"\"Part of my business is being in shape and looking good. You can't lie to yourself about it,\""
],
[
"17-month-old twins Max and Emme"
],
[
"being in shape and looking good."
]
] |
Jennifer Lopez told Allure magazine that she'd fallen off her workout routine .
Now that she's gearing up with a new album, she's getting back to her old habits .
Lopez: Part of my business is being in shape and looking good .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Pregnancy joy turned to sadness for the stars of TLC's "The Little Couple," as they learned on Tuesday's episode of the successful transfer of an embryo to their surrogate, who later miscarried their unborn child.
Dr. Jennifer Arnold and husband Bill Klein, who both have skeletal dysplasia, a bone-growth disorder that causes dwarfism, have documented their road to parenthood on the show. They decided to use a surrogate to have a baby, because of the challenges a pregnancy could pose to her health.
On the season finale, Arnold and Klein learned their surrogate was expecting. "After we got pregnant, the craziness ensued with us wondering what to do with the baby's room, making sure our surrogate was getting her daily dose of baby vitamins," Klein tells PEOPLE.
But since filming their happy visit to the doctor, the couple's surrogate lost the pregnancy. Klein had to contact his wife, a neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital, while she was at work in order to tell her the heartbreaking news.
"I didn't want her to be the last person to find out," he says. "Ugly or happy, it needs to be told. It was a very tough day, and Jen took it harder than she originally expected."
"I cried my eyes out," Arnold tells PEOPLE. "I deal with families who lose their babies and I will cry with them, but I thought I would be stronger. Nothing can completely prepare for all that when it is about you."
When the couple were able to get together at the end of the day, they mourned, crying and comforting one another and later talking to family and friends. The next day they decided they would continue trying to start a family, with both surrogacy and adoption as possible paths.
Kim Kardashian's Marriage: Mistake or Fake?
"Bill was a rock, and he held me through everything," Arnold says. "By the next morning, I realized that I needed to try again. We were so close and so pregnant with the ultrasound looking good, and so it was horrible for it to end. But I couldn't have said I was done. A lot of family asked, 'Do you want to go through this again?' And my answer is, yes. I would be miserable if I didn't try again."
A Rocky Road
Because both Klein and Arnold carry a single gene for their type of skeletal dysplasia, there is a chance they could both pass the gene on to their child, which could be lethal for their baby. To avoid this, embryos are genetically tested before implantation.
If no skeletal dysplasia genes are passed on, the baby would be healthy and average sized; if one gene is passed, the baby would be a healthy little person.
Also, Jen is on medication to stimulate her ovaries, which produced only half as many eggs as expected.
"We appreciated all the prayers and positive thinking," says Arnold of sharing her difficult story with the world. "That is comforting and is giving us strength. When we lost the pregnancy, we wondered how we were going to handle it. But by sharing our story, whether it be positive or negative, I think it can help others going through similar things."
Ultimately, becoming parents is what means the most. "We are so in love with each other and supportive of each other that we are going to be okay," she says. "We really want to be parents, and that is the goal here through surrogacy and adoption. We are not done trying yet."
Kris Jenner: 'People Have to Stop Judging' Kim for Ending Her Marriage
Until that day comes, Klein cherishes life with his wife. "I could go the next 50 or 100 years with just the two of us, because we have a great relationship," he says. "Few people are so lucky to have that from the moment you meet that one person, and everything we add
|
[
"what people used a surrogate to have a baby",
"what family was happy to visit the doctor",
"Who suffer from skeletal dysplasia?",
"what men have skeletal dysplasia",
"What can pose health problems?",
"What lost the couple?"
] |
[
[
"Dr. Jennifer Arnold and husband Bill Klein,"
],
[
"Dr. Jennifer Arnold and husband Bill Klein,"
],
[
"Dr. Jennifer Arnold and husband Bill Klein,"
],
[
"Bill Klein,"
],
[
"the challenges a pregnancy"
],
[
"the pregnancy."
]
] |
Arnold and Klein both have skeletal dysplasia, a disorder that causes dwarfism .
They used a surrogate to have a baby, because pregnancy could pose problems to her health .
Since filming their happy visit to the doctor, the couple's surrogate lost the pregnancy .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Rosie O'Donnell was attracted to Michelle Rounds the moment she saw her in a Starbucks this summer. But she never thought it would be reciprocated.
"I thought she was a 28-year-old heterosexual girl, because that's what she looked like to me. And she's a 40-year-old gay woman," O'Donnell, 49, tells ABC's "Nightline" in an interview airing Monday night.
She adds with a laugh: "My gaydar was way off!"
RELATED: Rosie O'Donnell: 'I've Stopped Being So Angry'
But O'Donnell, who recently said she's in love, thinks maybe it's a good thing she thought Rounds was straight. "I think if I had known that she was gay, I wouldn't have been brave enough to talk to her," she says.
O'Donnell's new nightly talk show, "The Rosie Show," debuts Monday on the OWN network.
See full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What is the name of her show ?",
"What O`Donnell said about her love life?",
"What did O'Donnell say recently?",
"Where was O'Donnell attracted to Rounds ?",
"Who recently said she's in love ?",
"What is the name of her new show?",
"On what O`Donnell has been attracted to?",
"When did the Rosie Show debut on the OWN network?",
"Who was O'donnel attracted to after seeing her in starbucks?"
] |
[
[
"\"The Rosie Show,\""
],
[
"\"I think if I had known that she was gay, I wouldn't have been brave enough to talk to her,\""
],
[
"\"I think if I had known that she was gay, I wouldn't have been brave enough to talk to her,\""
],
[
"Starbucks"
],
[
"O'Donnell,"
],
[
"\"The Rosie Show,\""
],
[
"Michelle Rounds"
],
[
"Monday"
],
[
"Michelle Rounds"
]
] |
O'Donnell recently said she's in love .
O'Donnell was attracted to Rounds the moment she saw her in a Starbucks .
Her new nightly talk show, "The Rosie Show," debuts Monday on the OWN network .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Saturday was the big day for "Bachelor" and "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Melissa Rycroft, who tied the knot with her fiancé, insurance agent Tye Strickland, in Mexico on Saturday, PEOPLE has learned.
The couple, who met three years ago in their hometown Dallas, got engaged in June, less than four months after Rycroft was jilted on national television by "Bachelor" star Jason Mesnick.
"I'm really happy for her," Mesnick told PEOPLE. "This whole journey took her to a place where things looked like they were down for her. But then she ended up with the person she was meant to be with. That's what life's all about. I couldn't be happier for her."
Indeed, after what looked like a downer season of "The Bachelor", it turns out that Mesnick and his top three choices on the dating show all found love in 2009. After splitting with Rycroft, Mesnick began dating runner-up Molly Malaney. The two became engaged last October in New Zealand.
Then second runner-up, Jillian Harris, starred on "The Bachelorette." She and Chicago, Illinois software consultant Ed Swiderski got engaged on the season finale last May and are now living together in Chicago.
Rycroft, 26, and Strickland, 28, were previously a couple but split shortly before she left to be a contestant on "The Bachelor" last year. The couple rekindled in January, Rycroft told PEOPLE.
"Tye and I picked right back up," Rycroft said shortly after getting engaged. "He's my best friend."
Rycroft wore an Alfred Angelo gown at the south-of-the-border nuptials, which was attended by family and close friends.
"We want to have it be as fun and relaxing as possible for our families," Rycroft said last summer as she and Strickland planned for the big day. "I just want it to be fun and a day everyone will remember. Tye is my true love."
© 2010 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Where did Rycroft marry on Saturday?",
"When did Rycroft and Strickland end their relationship?",
"Who was jilted on national television?",
"Who did Rycroft marry ?",
"Where did Rycroft and Strickland get married?",
"When did Rycroft and Strickland ended their relationship ?",
"When did Rycroft get engaged?",
"What person did Rycroft marry?",
"When did Rycroft and Strickland end their relationship earlier?"
] |
[
[
"Mexico"
],
[
"shortly before she left to be a contestant on \"The Bachelor\" last year."
],
[
"Rycroft"
],
[
"Tye Strickland,"
],
[
"Mexico"
],
[
"shortly before she left to be a contestant on"
],
[
"June,"
],
[
"Tye Strickland,"
],
[
"shortly before she left to be a contestant on \"The Bachelor\""
]
] |
"The Bachelor" contestant got engaged four months after being jilted on national television .
Rycroft married insurance agent Tye Strickland in Mexico on Saturday .
Rycroft and Strickland earlier ended their relationship when she left for "The Bachelor"
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber squeezed in some very public displays of affection at a hockey game in Canada on Saturday night, but just one day earlier, they made a decidedly more private outing to a local animal shelter -- and quietly adopted a dog.
Winnipeg animal rescue D'Arcy's A.R.C. got a surprise visit from the young lovebirds, who stopped by for some canine therapy.
"They spent a lot of time with the puppies," the rescue's chief executive officer, D'Arcy Johnston, tells PEOPLE. "I was told that [Gomez] was missing the dogs that she has at home."
Gomez, who is currently on tour and performed in Winnipeg over the weekend, owns five rescue dogs and has advocated publicly on behalf of animal rescue. During the hour she and Bieber spent at the shelter, they zeroed in on a 10-week-old husky mix and fell in love -- puppy love, that is.
"I wasn't expecting her to adopt a dog while she was on tour and has a busy schedule," Johnston says. Gomez went through the standard screening process and was able to leave with the puppy, which she named Baylor, that day.
"Baylor probably would have had a bad life or a very short life," Johnston says. "But he got rescued and brought to our shelter and is now going to live a very good life."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Who adopted a dog",
"what girl is currenntly on tour for music",
"what boy and girl adopted a dog in secret",
"Is the canine alright?",
"Who is on tour",
"Who got canine therapy"
] |
[
[
"Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber"
],
[
"Selena Gomez"
],
[
"Justin Bieber"
],
[
"is now going to live a very good life.\""
],
[
"Selena Gomez"
],
[
"Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber"
]
] |
Gomez and Bieber quietly adopted a dog .
Gomez is currently on tour .
Gomez and Bieber stopped by for some canine therapy .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Shortly after Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris ended their engagement in June, the Playboy mogul said Harris let him keep Charlie, their shared Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
But now, Hefner, 85, says he and his former fiancée, 25, are still going back and forth about who gets permanent ownership of the pooch.
"We both love the puppy," Hefner told PEOPLE on Thursday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. "I told her if she wants to keep the ring and the Bentley, then maybe I can keep the puppy. I [hope] we will work it out."
Hefner, who still insists he "missed a bullet" by not tying the knot with Harris -- who was linked to Dr. Phil's son right after the split -- points out, "The puppy's valuable, but not $100,000 worth."
Although he is still in talks with Harris about their canine companion, Hefner has moved on in his personal life with Anna Sophia Berglund and Shera Bechard, the women he calls his "two very special ladies."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What did Hefner say about the puppy?",
"Who is fighting over a spaniel?",
"What is the value of the puppy?",
"What did he say the puppy is not not worth?",
"What would promote the struggle of Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris?",
"Who are fighting over their shared spaniel?",
"What has Hugh Hefner said?"
] |
[
[
"\"We both love the puppy,\""
],
[
"Hugh Hefner"
],
[
"$100,000"
],
[
"$100,000"
],
[
"their shared Cavalier King Charles spaniel."
],
[
"Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris"
],
[
"Harris let him keep Charlie, their shared Cavalier King Charles spaniel."
]
] |
Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris are fighting over their shared Cavalier King Charles spaniel .
"We both love the puppy," Hefner said .
"The puppy's valuable, but not $100,000 worth," he said .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Since she decided to come out about her sexuality to help kids who have been bullied, Kristy McNichol says the response has been tremendous.
"I'm overwhelmed with the love and support of my family, friends and fans," McNichol, 49, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Last week, McNichol, best known for her Emmy-award winning roles as Buddy Lawrence in "Family" and later as Barbara Weston in "Empty Nest," shared a photo of herself with her longtime girlfriend Martie Allen and revealed to PEOPLE: "As I approach 50, I want to be open about who I am."
The openness, she hopes, will help others.
"Kristy feels strongly about fighting bullying and intolerance," says her publicist Jeff Ballard. "She realizes that kids don't always have the coping skills to manage their fear and pain when they feel 'different.' And in her own way, she wants to help others by telling people who she is. She hopes that all these small steps together can make a difference."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"who is Martie Allen the longtime girlfriend of",
"Who is Martie Allen?",
"Who is McNichol's longtime girlfriend?",
"What did Kristy McNichol say in response to her coming out?",
"who is Martie Allen's girlfriend",
"What does Kristy feel strongly about?",
"Kristy McNichol said what of the response to her coming out",
"What was the response to Kristy McNochol's coming out like?"
] |
[
[
"Kristy McNichol"
],
[
"longtime girlfriend"
],
[
"Martie Allen"
],
[
"\"I'm overwhelmed with the love and support of my family, friends and fans,\""
],
[
"Kristy McNichol"
],
[
"fighting bullying and intolerance,\""
],
[
"has been tremendous."
],
[
"tremendous."
]
] |
Kristy McNichol says the response to her coming out has been tremendous .
She shared a photo of herself with her longtime girlfriend Martie Allen .
"Kristy feels strongly about fighting bullying and intolerance," her publicist says .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Sixteen days after her December 8 Las Vegas wedding to boyfriend Barry Herridge, Sinead O'Connor is ending the marriage, the "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer announced Monday on her website.
"Dear friends," O'Connor 45, writes, "I had for reasons u will all understand, wished to keep this private but have been told today it is to be leaked in the next few days despite my best efforts. So I must now leak it myself so as the record is straight."
She blames pressures placed upon him by "certain people in his life" not to be with her based on press reports about her.
"Within 3 hours of the ceremony being over the marriage was kyboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband's life. And also by a bit of a wild ride i took us on looking for a bit of a smoke of weed for me wedding night as I don't drink," she writes. "My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected by that experience and also by the attitude of those close to him toward our marriage. It became apparent to me that if he were to stay with me he would be losing too much to bear."
She adds, "A woman wants to be a joy to her husband. So.. U love someone? Set them free."
She also says, "He is a wonderful man. I love him very much. I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman. I truly believe though it is painful to admit, we made a mistake rushing into getting married, for altruistic reasons, and weren't aware or prepared for the consequences on my husband's life and the lives of those close to him. He has been terribly unhappy and I have therefore ended the marriage. I think he is too nice to do so. And too nice to trap."
O'Connor, who has four children from her previous relationships, wed music producer John Reynolds in 1989 and journalist Nicholas Sommerlad in 2001. This past April, she split from longtime friend and collaborator Steve Cooney.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"Where was the announcement made?",
"What is being blamed?",
"Who is ending their marriage",
"Who has announced on her website that she is ending her marriage?",
"She blames pressures placed upon who?",
"What did the apology say",
"Who is divorcing?",
"What was to blame for the breakdown",
"She writes: I'm sorry I'm not a more regular what?"
] |
[
[
"on her website."
],
[
"pressures placed upon him by \"certain people in his life\""
],
[
"O'Connor"
],
[
"Sinead"
],
[
"Barry Herridge,"
],
[
"I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman."
],
[
"Barry Herridge, Sinead"
],
[
"pressures placed upon him by \"certain people in his life\""
],
[
"woman."
]
] |
Sinead O'Connor announced on her website that she is ending her marriage .
She blames pressures placed upon Herridge by "certain people in his life"
"I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman," she writes .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Theodore "Teddy" Forstmann, a veteran business leader and philanthropist who was romantically linked to Padma Lakshmi, died Sunday. He was 71.
Forstmann suffered from brain cancer, his spokesman tells The New York Times.
Although the famed billionaire never married, he dated "Top Chef" host Lakshmi, 41, over the last several years. Their relationship made headlines when she gave birth to now 1-year-old daughter Krishna in February 2010, which spawned speculation over the identity of the father. (Venture capitalist Adam Dell was later revealed as the father.)
Forstmann was also briefly linked to Princess Diana. According to "The Diana Chronicles" by Newsweek and The Daily Beast editor Tina Brown, the two were plotting to wed in the last weeks of her life.
Forstmann, who invested in companies ranging from Gulfstream Aerospace to Dr. Pepper, is survived by his two sons, Siya and Everest, brothers Anthony and John, and sisters Marina Forstmann Day and Elissa Forstmann Moran.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"who is Theodore Forstmann?",
"Theodore Forstmann suffered from what?",
"Theodore Forstmann suffered from",
"Forstmann was also briefly linked to who?",
"What is the age of \"Top Chef\" host Padma Lakshmi?"
] |
[
[
"a veteran business leader and philanthropist"
],
[
"brain cancer,"
],
[
"brain cancer,"
],
[
"Princess Diana."
],
[
"41,"
]
] |
Theodore Forstmann suffered from brain cancer .
Forstmann dated "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi, 41, over the last several years .
Forstmann was also briefly linked to Princess Diana .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- There may be an extra place setting around Jack Wagner's dinner table this holiday season -- and not just because he and longtime girlfriend Heather Locklear are no longer together.
Wagner, 52, discovered earlier this month that he has a long-lost 23-year-old daughter from a "fling" he had with the girl's mother in the late 1980s, TMZ reports.
The girl, named Carrie, introduced herself to Wagner backstage at a November 4 concert in Boca Raton, Florida. where the actor was performing with Rick Springfield.
Less than two weeks after the encounter, Wagner and Locklear announced they had called off their engagement, saying planning their wedding was not allowing them enough time to spend with their children.
Reports say Carrie, who was given up for adoption as an infant, had recently tried to track down her birth parents, a search that led her Wagner. Sources told TMZ that the two embraced at the Florida concert and, at a later performance, Wagner introduced her to the entire audience.
The newly expanded family appeared in public this week at the taping of the Hollywood Christmas Parade Tree Lighting Concert at Universal Citywalk, which will air December 12 on the Hallmark Channel. Carrie and Wagner's two other children cheered their father on as he performed two songs.
"They were completely having fun," according to an onlooker. "[Wagner] was in great spirits with his family. They were all celebrating together. The kids totally supported their dad, which was really cute."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What is the name of Jack's daughter?",
"What did Jack Wagner discovered?",
"What is the age of Jack Wagner's daughter?",
"To who Carrie introduced her self?",
"What did Jack Wagner discover?",
"What is the name of the girl?"
] |
[
[
"Carrie,"
],
[
"he has a long-lost 23-year-old daughter from a \"fling\" he had with the girl's mother in the late 1980s,"
],
[
"23-year-old"
],
[
"Wagner"
],
[
"he has a long-lost 23-year-old daughter"
],
[
"Carrie,"
]
] |
Jack Wagner discovered earlier this month that he has a long-lost 23-year-old daughter .
The girl, named Carrie, introduced herself to Wagner backstage at a concert .
Reports say Carrie, who was given up for adoption as an infant .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Though the couple went public with their engagement in October, little is known about the relationship between the daughter of the late grunge god Kurt Cobain, Frances Bean, and her fiancé, Isaiah Silva, frontman of rock band the Rambles.
"We're each other's everything," Silva, 26, tells PEOPLE about Cobain, 19, and himself. "We're homebodies. We don't go out to clubs so you won't find us stumbling out of them with Lindsay Lohan. We stay at home, read books and watch 'Arrested Development.'"
Adds bandmate Mark Kuchell, "They're quiet and shy. They're a great couple. Frances comes to most of our shows that she can get into."
One of the last was the band's December set at the Viper Room, where Cobain and Silva were seen looking very loving and affectionate before and after the show.
"I love strong, opinionated, intelligent women," says Silva, who spent the first 18 years of his life in the Fullerton Assembly of God group, a faction focused on strict Christian values and the second coming of Christ. "Women in the [group] were totally oppressed, but I am very pro-woman."
Silva and his family severed ties with the group when he was 18. Despite Silva's unconventional upbringing, he fought for his individuality when he gravitated toward punk music, learned to play the guitar with pals and "always had long hair and always dyed it."
"I had to grow up much faster than I would have liked," he adds. "I've been through a lot. But now, I'm totally happy."
Catch the Rambles at SXSW in Texas in March and look out for their upcoming EP, recorded with producer Keith Stegall (Zac Brown Band).
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"what type of women does silva prefer?",
"when did they become engaged?",
"What age is the man?",
"which magazine carried this interview?",
"When did the couple become engaged?",
"what did silva say",
"who did silva say it to",
"what did they go public with",
"Which magazine are they interviewed in?"
] |
[
[
"strong, opinionated, intelligent women,\""
],
[
"October,"
],
[
"26,"
],
[
"PEOPLE.com."
],
[
"October,"
],
[
"\"We're each other's everything,\""
],
[
"PEOPLE"
],
[
"their engagement"
],
[
"PEOPLE"
]
] |
The couple went public with their engagement in October .
"We're each other's everything," Isaiah Silva, 26, tells PEOPLE .
"I love strong, opinionated, intelligent women," says Silva .
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Two weeks after undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, Giuliana Rancic was back on the set at "E! News" on Tuesday.
"Even though I moved a tad slower than usual today, everyone welcomed me back with open arms and it was a wonderful homecoming," she says in a statement on the network's Web site.
Rancic, 37, had the surgery December 13 after lumpectomies failed to eradicate her breast cancer.
"It feels great to be back at work," she says. "I wasn't sure whether I was going to return to 'E! News' this week or after the new year. The last thing I wanted to do was rush my recovery."
She adds: "Thankfully, I've been feeling better every single day since surgery and this weekend my doctors gave me the green light to get back to work."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
[
"What did Giuliana Rancic do?",
"What surgery did Rancic have?",
"She says it feels great to be what?",
"Giuliana Rancic was back on the set where?",
"Who was back on the set at E!?",
"Where was Giuliana Rancic?",
"What did Rancic say about it?",
"Rancic, 37, had the surgery after lumpectomies failed to eradicate her what?",
"What did she say?"
] |
[
[
"undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery,"
],
[
"double mastectomy and reconstructive"
],
[
"back at work,\""
],
[
"\"E! News\""
],
[
"Rancic"
],
[
"\"E! News\""
],
[
"was a wonderful homecoming,\""
],
[
"breast cancer."
],
[
"\"Even though I moved a tad slower than usual today, everyone welcomed me back with open arms and it was a wonderful homecoming,\""
]
] |
Giuliana Rancic was back on the set at E! News on Tuesday after her surgery .
Rancic, 37, had the surgery after lumpectomies failed to eradicate her breast cancer .
"It feels great to be back at work," she says .
|
(Parenting.com) -- Bed has always been a place I can't get enough of: the sex; the sleep; cozy afternoons reading; lazy Saturday mornings listening to hyper neighbors mow their lawns.
"I learned that Dad really can be interchangeable with Mom, if only I'll let him."
After my husband and I had kids, bed also became the object of my dearest fantasies -- the oasis I dreamed about in my late-afternoon stupor, when I knew that many hours still lay between me and the sheets.
My covetous view of bed changed, however, midway through my third pregnancy, when some suspicious bleeding led my obstetrician to prescribe bed rest for several days, possibly longer.
"But I have two small kids!" I protested. For those of you more gestationally fortunate, "bed rest" means lying there for hour upon idle hour -- or in the worst cases, week upon idle week -- afraid that even taking a quick shower or reaching for the TV remote might make you lose your baby. Parenting.com: 71 new-mom truths
What would my 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter do without Mama to attend to them every second of their exhausting days? Who could I get to fill my maternal shoes? Our relatives live far away. Hiring a nanny was financially out of the question. The answer, of course, was that the children's father would have to be their mother (he runs his own company from home), although I must confess I had my doubts.
George is a wonderful, involved dad; he changes diapers, does "this little piggy," and pitches baseballs equally well -- and equally willingly. But George has always slept straight through 3 a.m. feedings and bad dreams.
I'm the chief of childhood minutiae around here; the one who pours the juice, monitors the wee-wees, and knows what "do the coyote" means (a dry-eye technique for shampooing hair).
On top of being both Mama and Daddy, George would have to play nurse to me too. But -- the biggest, overriding but -- the unborn baby's health was paramount. "Get in bed, stay in bed, and don't worry about a thing," George ordered. Parenting.com: How men change, from lover to husband to father
The first few hours went quickly enough. There was the novelty of gliding between fresh sheets in the middle of the day and the welcome release from snack doling and bottom wiping.
"Mommy's sick," my husband explained to the kids, closing my door. I read straight through one of those books that ordinarily serve as dust catchers. I napped. With the door closed and the fan whirring, you couldn't even tell there were two tots downstairs. It was so quiet. Quiet usually means trouble's afoot. Did George realize this?
"Mommy! Mommy!" I heard them cry. Or did I? My maternal engines idling nervously, I pictured the kids stoned on Cheetos and Popsicles; my daughter's unchanged Pull-Ups sagging to her knees; six straight hours of the Cartoon Network turning their little eyeballs into black-and-white checkerboards. Darn it, why was it so quiet downstairs?
"Mommy! Mommy!" It was the kids, bursting through my bedroom doorway with excited squeals. George had taken them out to dinner and bought each child a toy doctor's kit. They were palpably relieved at being able to take an active part in my scary convalescence.
Solemnly, they listened to my heartbeat, "tested" my blood pressure, and administered innumerable shots. "You must stay in bed!" admonished the 2-year-old, wagging a pudgy finger. I had to admit that, had the circumstances been reversed, with me filling in for a bedridden George, I'd never have thought of something so clever.
Then the object of my admiration appeared. "Okay, you can get up now," he said, handing me my robe. Already? I wondered. Was he throwing in
|
[
"what was the medical reason",
"What did the dad buy his children to calm their fears?",
"What does the dad buy the kids?",
"What caused the pregnant mother to be put on mandatory bed rest?"
] |
[
[
"suspicious bleeding"
],
[
"a toy doctor's kit."
],
[
"toy doctor's kit."
],
[
"suspicious bleeding"
]
] |
Pregnant mother of two is ordered to mandatory bed rest .
She worries kids are eating candy and Pull-Ups never changed .
Dad buys kids toy doctor kits to calm their fears over sick mom .
He delivers great meals, new bed and takes kids out to play .
|
(Parenting.com) -- Brace yourself for yet more stark economic news: babies may be suffering from more diaper rash in this down economy, reports Advertising Age, which is labeling "America's baby bottoms" as the "economy's latest casualty."
Yes, that's right: tiny heinies as the latest economic indicator, according to Ad Age.
Here are the hard numbers: the Centers for Disease Control reported that the number of babies ages 2 and under fell 3% last year while disposable diaper sales slipped a whopping 9%. And yet, there was a 2.8% increase in diaper rash cream, despite fewer babies.
Parenting.com: How to potty train in one week
The inverse relation between diaper and rash ointment sales started in 2009 but has intensified in the last year, according to data from Deutsche Bank.
The average American baby bottom sees 6.3 diapers a day, and with parents shelling out an average of $1,500 a year for diapers, it's easy to see why some might turn a blind eye to a slightly damp diaper (especially when disposable diapers are so absorbent nowadays).
Parenting.com: Our favorite cloth diapers
And of course, parents are doing everything they can to meet their families' needs with less money, but is it really at the expense of their tots' tushes?
We wouldn't be surprised if other explanations beyond parents skimping on diaper changes included folks making the switch to increasingly popular cloth diapers, others pushing potty training earlier, which Pampers marketer Procter & Gamble suggested, and even just more aggressive marketing efforts on the part of diaper cream makers and retailers.
Parenting.com: Huggies debuts new camo designer diapers
Has the economy caused you to change your diapering strategy in any way?
Get 2 FREE YEARS of Parenting magazine - Subscribe Now!!
|
[
"How much do parents spend in a year for diapers?",
"What was strange about the increase in rash cream sales?",
"Did the sale of disposable diapers drop last year?",
"What does the CDC report?",
"Sales of what item fell by 9% last year?",
"What amount to parents spend on diapers?",
"Did the sale of diaper rash cream increase?",
"Was there an increase in diaper rash creams?",
"How much is spent on diapers each year?"
] |
[
[
"$1,500"
],
[
"fewer babies."
],
[
"slipped a whopping 9%."
],
[
"the number of babies ages 2 and under fell 3% last year while disposable diaper sales slipped a whopping 9%."
],
[
"disposable diaper"
],
[
"an average of $1,500 a year for"
],
[
"2.8%"
],
[
"2.8%"
],
[
"average of $1,500 a"
]
] |
CDC reports disposable diaper sales fell a whopping 9% last year .
There was a 2.8% increase in diaper rash cream, despite fewer babies .
Parents shell out an average of $1,500 a year for diapers .
|
(Parenting.com) -- Just as her son, Mason, is walking and gabbing like a champ -- the star of TV's "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reveals the first rookie mistake that caused her to freak out and the new-mom moment that truly embarrassed her (thanks, sister Kim!)
'I make my own baby food'
My mom bought me this amazing baby-food maker, the Beaba. (Says mom Kris Jenner: "Who knew she would be that excited about a baby-food maker? I bought her a million handbags, and I never got that reaction.") I steam and puree fruits and vegetables, and they last for like four days.
Mason pretty much loves everything. I gave him red beets, and it got all over his face, which made the funniest picture. He also loves sweet potatoes, carrots, and yams. Sometimes I mix pureed peaches, pears, bananas, or apples with plain yogurt or an all-natural organic jelly. I have this great book called "Super Baby Food" that's full of ideas. I should be on this Mason diet!
Parenting.com: Adorable outtakes from Kourtney and Mason's New York photo shoot
'I have no desire to go out'
Unless I'm working, I can't be away from him without feeling guilty. It doesn't feel good or natural to be, so it's a struggle. My friends keep saying, "You and [boyfriend Scott Disick] should go out and eat or do something."
Recently my sister Kim watched Mason so we could go to dinner. It took so long -- actually, it probably didn't take so long, but to us it felt like it took long -- we were like, should we just get pizza and go home? Scott says he doesn't need to wine and dine me anymore. We would be just as happy having a slice of pizza sitting in bed with our son.
'Mason sleeps in bed with me'
If I've had a long day, then I have that time at night, which is really important to me. Mason did fall on the floor once by mistake. It was the worst moment. I freaked out and looked online [to research the dangers associated with a baby falling off the bed]. He was fine but crying, so I e-mailed the doctor at four in the morning. He wrote me right back, yet I stayed up all night to watch him sleep to make sure he was okay.
I've since lowered our mattress to the floor. I put pillows all around the floor, too. I am doing the best that I can, and I feel really confident in that. Unless someone has walked in your shoes, you really can't judge. Everyone needs to make the best choice for their life. He's such a happy baby, and I really think sleeping together has something to do with that.
Parenting.com: 15 breastfeeding celebrity moms
'I'm still nursing!'
I have to eat every couple of hours since I'm nursing. If I don't, my body freaks out. I went a little crazy for a week exercising to prepare for a photo shoot, and after that I was like, this isn't worth it. I was exhausted and dehydrated. I need to have energy for my son, and I haven't worked out since. I take Mason on a lot of walks. Carrying him around is like carrying 20 pounds all day.
'If I'm not working, neither is the nanny'
I don't want to judge, but I've also met women who think it's cool to be out or away from their baby, and I don't get that, either. When I am out or away, that's when I most want to be with Mason. I do have help when I'm working. It's important to have one person I trust, so I know Mason is taken care of.
But every time I am not working, he is with me. Even
|
[
"What does she make for her son?",
"where did the baby fall",
"What is Kourtney Kardashian's son called?",
"What is Kourtney Kardashian's son named?",
"What happened to the baby that caused Kourtney to e-mail the doctor at 4am?",
"what is the child's name"
] |
[
[
"baby food'"
],
[
"on the floor"
],
[
"Mason,"
],
[
"Mason,"
],
[
"fall on the floor"
],
[
"Mason,"
]
] |
Kourtney Kardashian makes her own baby food for her son Mason .
Kardashian: "Unless I'm working, I can't be away from him without feeling guilty"
She e-mailed doctor at 4 a.m. after the baby fell off her bed .
|
(Parenting.com) -- When your toddler is hurt and screaming and emotions are bubbling over, it can be hard to tell if a situation is a true emergency, something that can be treated in your doctor's office or an issue you can handle at home.
"It's always better to call the pediatrician before going to the ER for anything but life-threatening emergencies," says Lara Zibners M.D., a pediatric ER doctor and author of "If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay."
We spoke to pediatric ER doctors about the most common accidents and whether your child's doctor will deal with the issue over the phone, have you come into the office or call the ER to alert them that your child is on the way.
What if your baby pulls up on the coffee table and then yanks a mug of hot tea on herself? Head to the ER if the burn covers a large part of her body; if it's on her face, hands, feet or genitals; or if it's a third-degree burn, which is pretty unlikely from a hot beverage. Otherwise, treat her at home and act fast. Since the first thing to do is get the hot liquid off the body, Dr. Zibners recommends removing the wet clothing and plunking her into a cool shower.
"If it's only a small part of the hand or arm that's been burned," she says, "running cool water over the limb in the sink for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pain subsides will stop further injury and provide immediate pain relief." Keep the area in water until it's cool to the touch, then treat the burn.
At-home burn basics
If she has a first-degree burn (the skin is red), follow these tips:
DO: After the burn has cooled, cover it loosely with a dry bandage or clean cloth.
DON'T: Apply ointments (or butter). This could cause infection or trap heat and make the burn deeper. Do not break any blisters. This could allow bacteria into the wound.
What if your toddler topples off his changing table? The goose egg is huge, and he's hysterical. Head to the ER?
For kids older than 12 months, you can take a watch-and-wait approach. Dr. Zibners says most kids who bump their heads are fine, and the size of the bump rarely has anything to do with the extent of the injury. There are loads of blood vessels in the head and face, so the swelling can be dramatic.
Keep an eye on him for the next few hours to make sure he doesn't limp or favor one arm, vomit or become unusually sleepy or especially irritable. If you see any of these signs, call the doctor as they could mean something more serious. And, of course, if your child is motionless or unconscious or refuses to move after his fall, call an ambulance right away. The exception: Dr. Zibners says any child under a year of age who experiences more than a minor bump should always be checked out by a physician because injuries are harder to detect when the patient can't talk.
Parenting.com: How to decode that strange rash
Diaper duty
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these guidelines for safe diaper changing:
- Choose a changing pad with a concave middle to keep baby in place.
- Always buckle the safety strap.
- Keep diapering supplies within your reach (but out of baby's).
What if another kid bites your baby and the skin is broken? Call your pediatrician right away. She may decide to send you to the ER, depending on the location of the bite and its appearance. (She might prescribe an oral antibiotic.) Otherwise, wash the wound immediately and thoroughly with soap and warm water and then apply an antibiotic ointment and bandage.
"Human bites are among the dirtiest of all wounds due to bacteria normally found in the human mouth," says Karen Frush M.D., a pediatric emergency room doctor and chief patient safety
|
[
"Who bumps their head",
"What is the dirtiest of all wounds",
"How many kids are fine after bumping their heads?",
"What Karen Frush said about human bites?"
] |
[
[
"most kids"
],
[
"\"Human bites"
],
[
"most"
],
[
"mouth,\""
]
] |
Most kids who bump their heads are fine .
"Human bites are among the dirtiest of all wounds due to bacteria," Karen Frush said .
Sometimes symptoms take a few hours to appear .
|
(People.com) -- While she does not know who donated the kidney that potentially saved her life, Natalie Cole is on the mend and "really doing well," the Grammy-winning singer said at Thursday's Harold Pump Foundation Gala in Beverly Hills to honor Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Bill Russell. Natalie Cole had a kidney transplant in May. "I'm just really, really thankful," she says. "It's remarkable what a new kidney does to your life. I have no complaints. ... I'm pretty amazed. I have been working on my stamina." Cole, whose transplant surgery took place in May, says, "I just went to the doctor today. He is thrilled. I'm just really, really thankful. I'm thankful to the doctors, I'm thankful to the family that donated the kidney." In terms of the support she received, the Los Angeles, California-based Cole, 59, says, "My sisters who live in Florida, they came out, my son, oodles of friends. I got sick in New York, I wasn't at home. I didn't know how many good friends I had until this happened. It was beautiful. I had people come and see me every day in the hospital for 10 days." Having already announced a Hollywood Bowl comeback performance set for September 9, Cole says, "I only wish for anyone to have to go through this, that they have a circle of friends like I did. I was very blessed." When it came to the medical procedure, she says, "It is hard to find a match. A lot of people want to donate a kidney, but they're not in a position to because they have health issues of their own, and a lot of people need them. That's why the list is long and it takes a long time. "My friend was on dialysis for six years before he got a new kidney. I was on dialysis for eight months. I'm almost not even the typical person who has kidney failure." Thankful as she is for the gift, Cole is prevented from knowing who donated the organ. "I don't know who they are. I have not met them, it's all anonymous," Cole says. One thing she did know, however: the family specifically requested that the organ go to Cole. "That's what was so awesome, their family basically requested that the kidney go to me," she says. "We are not sure how they knew." Would she like to meet the donor? "Absolutely, are you kidding? I would probably kiss them all over the place." Try 4 FREE PREVIEW Issues of PEOPLE, CLICK HERE NOW
|
[
"who is the grammy winner?",
"When is her next performance",
"What happened to Natalie Cole",
"when is natalie comeback?",
"Does she want to meet her donor"
] |
[
[
"Cole"
],
[
"September 9,"
],
[
"had a kidney transplant in May."
],
[
"September 9,"
],
[
"\"Absolutely,"
]
] |
Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole said she's doing well after kidney transplant .
Cole has a comeback performance scheduled for September 9 .
She doesn't know who donated the kidney, but knows the family requested she get it .
Cole would "absolutely" like to meet her donor .
|
(PopSci.com) -- As a species, we've hit the bedtime barrier. You can eat at your desk, socialize in the break room, and answer text messages on a date, but sooner or later, you're going to have to sleep.
Your a.m. routine may involve downing a burst of liquid energy, boosting your performance for 22 hours at a stretch.
"After 18, 19 hours awake, your brain function starts to fail," says Dallas, Texas, sleep-medicine specialist Andrew O. Jamieson. Coffee might keep you up, "but you're not going to be focused."
Coffee? You might as well be commuting by buggy. Old-school stimulants like caffeine, amphetamines and the drug Ritalin are about to be marginalized by eugeroics.
This emerging breed of "wakefulness" pills promises to keep the workers of tomorrow not just awake, but alert, on-task and feeling fine through the night and well into the next day.
Remember these names, because they're your future: Modafinil, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 for the treatment of narcolepsy and marketed in the U.S. as Provigil, is already giving a competitive edge to everyone from Air Force pilots on 40-hour missions to (less legally) college students cramming for exams.
The drug's maker, Cephalon in Frazer, Pennsylvania, is awaiting FDA approval for armodafinil, which promises even longer periods of wakefulness on a single dose, and Irvine, California-based Cortex is working on its own drug, code-named CX717 and developed with funding from the military.
The drugs are targeted at sleep disorders like narcolepsy, but it's their dramatic potential influence on the workplace that has researchers and efficiency experts buzzing.
Scientists understand how the drugs work only broadly. Unlike traditional stimulants, eugeroics don't simply jazz up the whole body. Instead they tweak specific sleep-related mechanisms in the brain, so users don't feel jittery or wired, just alert.
And in experiments with CX717, sleep-deprived rhesus monkeys on the drug often outperformed their own well-rested but undrugged best efforts on mental-performance tests. Modafinil, too, "is definitely a cognitive enhancer," says cognitive psychopharmacologist Barbara Sahakian of the University of Cambridge.
In her studies of alert human volunteers, the drug improved planning, concentration and impulse-control skills, and even boosted some forms of memory.
Here's the rub: The drugs don't replace sleep, and decades of research show that sleep deprivation prompts immune dysfunction, depression and other disorders. Sleep isn't something we should be looking to phase out of our lives.
Yet the economic pressure to stay out of bed is intense. Cutting out four hours of sleep a night would free up almost 1,500 extra hours a year. That's an additional nine months' worth of standard 40-hour workweeks -- plenty of time to earn a promotion or start your own company on the side (or, worst case, slog away in obscurity).
From Napoleon to Edison to Churchill, many of history's most notable figures got by on only a few hours of sleep a night. Give an entire workforce the energy of a Thomas Edison, and you've got a new Industrial Revolution.
For better or worse, when the trend takes hold, there will be no going back. Imagine sticking to double lattes while everyone else in the office -- or at the start-up down the road -- is juicing on the latest eugeroic, and you'll seem as naive and obsolete as the NFL linesman who swears by protein shakes alone.
Any worker could benefit, says University of Virginia bioethicist Jonathan Moreno, author of the recent book Mind Wars. "But for consultants or contractors, people who aren't on a salary? The incentives are ridiculous." E-mail to a friend
|
[
"What was tweaked in this pill?",
"What edge do pilots have?",
"What do wakefullness pills promise?",
"How many hours do they last?",
"What do users feel?",
"What promises to keep workers alert?"
] |
[
[
"specific sleep-related mechanisms"
],
[
"Provigil, is already giving a competitive"
],
[
"to keep the workers of tomorrow not just awake, but alert, on-task and feeling fine through the night and well into the next day."
],
[
"22"
],
[
"jittery or wired,"
],
[
"\"wakefulness\" pills"
]
] |
"Wakefulness" pills promise to keep future workers alert through the night .
They tweak sleep-related area in brain so users don't feel jittery, just alert .
One drug is already giving an edge to Air Force pilots on 40-hour missions .
|
(REAL SIMPLE) -- If you were to ask my friends back in high school, they would probably say I was one of the lucky ones. I had a face most people at least considered attractive, maybe even beautiful. And for much of my life I had an hourglass figure. Asha Bandele wrote "Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story," 'The Prisoner's Wife" and "Daughter." But as 40 approached and my figure, um, filled out, I would look in the mirror and no longer see myself as sexy. Then one night that changed. I was at a meeting in a small town with a group of young women who were reading from my most recent book, a memoir that discussed my history of depression and surviving abuse. After the gathering ended, one of the women approached me. She told me that while she was growing up, she had been told to shut up so often she just did it automatically. It felt good to hear someone give voice to how she felt inside, she said. We talked about all the things that kept us silent and shut down. She promised to speak out more from that day on. As she walked away, something came over me: I felt ignited, energized...yes, beautiful. Real Simple: 34 low-cost, make-you-smile ideas And the more I thought about that woman and our conversation, the more I realized that it wasn't just those instances of bonding or appreciation at public readings that triggered my inner glow; it was my own solitary engagement with language. What makes you feel beautiful? Writing requires us to take the world on more slowly, to notice its harshness as well as its richness. Writing reduces the chaos in my mind. As the gospel song says, it orders my steps and makes me feel in control of myself and therefore appreciative of the world. Real Simple: Keep your mind and body in top condition Women don't get enough credit for the amount of self we invest in our work. In the last year, watching some of the most talented women I know being laid off has been tough. Knowing that the work they loved -- whether in finance, real estate, or writing -- may be gone forever has been downright devastating, and their grief over this loss is boundless. "I feel like nothing, like I just want to disappear," said one brilliant friend. "Losing my job is like the worst breakup I've ever been through," said another. In the midst of this carnage, I've clung ever tighter to my work -- not so much to the money-making part of it, which ebbs and flows (mostly ebbs, lately), but to the basic joy I've always taken in words; that at least doesn't go anywhere. Real Simple: How to worry less For so long I had measured my beauty (and, really, my worth) by my dress size. And, hey, I would love, I mean love, to be a size 6 again. Still, every time I give a lecture or teach a workshop and touch someone -- or write a page and reach a deeper part of myself -- I feel so useful and relevant. It translates to a more profound feeling of beauty than the rush I once got from someone admiring my breast size. I like superficial praise as much as the next person, but at 40 the love finally had to go deeper, didn't it? Get a FREE TRIAL issue of Real Simple - CLICK HERE!
|
[
"Who used to measure beauty, self worth by her dress size?",
"After all, what her writing did to her?",
"Who notes how many women are emotionally devastated by job loss?",
"When did she realize her own solitary writing makes her feel beautiful?"
] |
[
[
"Asha"
],
[
"reduces the chaos in my mind."
],
[
"Asha Bandele"
],
[
"After the gathering ended,"
]
] |
Author notes how many women are emotionally devastated by job loss .
Asha Bandele used to measure beauty, self worth by her dress size .
Now she's realized her own solitary writing makes her feel beautiful .
And says touching others through her words is a more profound beauty .
|
(REAL SIMPLE) -- Whether you're hosting a formal party or just throwing together snacks for drinks with friends, we've got ideas for transforming carryout into crowd-pleasing cuisine. Everyone will assume your sink is stacked with dirty pots and pans. (And if you keep them out of the kitchen, they'll never know the truth.) Tiny-size pizzas Start with: A large cheese pizza. (Ask for it unsliced and, if possible, slightly underbaked.) To make: Avoiding the crust, cut out mini pizzas with round cookie or biscuit cutters. Heat the rounds at 400º Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes. Top with slices of olives, marinated mushrooms, chopped prosciutto, an anchovy fillet, or fresh herbs (such as basil, flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, thyme, or oregano). Mediterranean bruschetta Start with: Garlic bread from your favorite Italian spot. To make: Slather slices with prepared marinara or pesto sauce. Top with goat cheese or mozzarella, a marinated pepper, or an oil-packed sun-dried tomato, then toast in the oven. Also try: Hummus po' boys. Spread hot garlic bread with hummus and top with coleslaw or lettuce and tomato. Cap with more hot, crunchy bread. Real Simple: How to know when food is cooked just right Chicken- or shrimp-boat hors d'oeuvres Start with: Your favorite chicken or shrimp Chinese stir-fry. To make: Mound spoonfuls of stir-fry into the cuplike center leaves from a head of Boston lettuce. If desired, top the boats with chopped nuts or scallion slices. Also try: Asian-Mexican fusion. Roll the dish with rice and some soy sauce in a giant tortilla. Slice into single-serving pieces. Chicken pasta with blue cheese and walnuts Start with: A golden-brown rotisserie chicken. To make: Toss thin slices of chicken with hot pasta, crumbled blue cheese, and chopped walnuts. Also try: Quick chicken salad. Stir Dijon mustard, mayo, and chopped onion and herbs into shredded chicken meat. Season with salt and pepper and spoon onto whole-grain bread for sandwiches. Real Simple: Pasta glossary Antipasto platter Start with: Assorted salad-bar treats. To make: Arrange Swiss and cheddar cheese cubes, prosciutto and salami slices, marinated vegetables (artichoke hearts, red peppers, mushrooms), mixed olives, and giant capers on a platter. Also try: Salad bar as personal sous-chef. Make it your source for julienned vegetables, grated cheese, and bite-size meats. Roasted duck, watercress, and brown rice salad Start with: Half a Chinese Peking duck (1 order). To make: Shred the meat and toss it with take-out brown rice and a splash of dumpling dipping sauce (most restaurants will add it to your order at no charge). Top with chopped watercress and scallions. Also try: Duck crostini. Finely chop the meat and toss it with minced herbs, chopped onion, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Pile the mixture on tiny toasts. Real Simple: Easy fixes for 8 common kitchen mishaps Spareribs, minimalist style Start with: A few orders of Chinese take-out ribs. To make: Simply separate the spareribs, heat, and serve on simple white plates. Also try: Spareribs with crunch. The glaze on Chinese-style ribs provides the perfect glue for a crunchy coating. Separate the ribs and roll them in chopped peanuts or toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot on a scoop of fried or steamed rice. Trimmings Start with: A bucket of chicken, some biscuits, mashed potatoes, and gravy -- all from your local KFC. To make: Heat the chicken and biscuits in a 350º F oven for 10 minutes, then place in napkin-lined baskets. Put the potatoes and gravy (request it on the side) in your best bowls. Also try: Chicken dippers. Serve slices of fried chicken with homemade sauce -- yogurt or sour
|
[
"What meal is the food for?",
"What takeout should you get?"
] |
[
[
"friends,"
],
[
"A large cheese pizza."
]
] |
You can feed great food to guests by fiddling with takeout .
Use cookie cutter to cut bite-size pizzas out of large uncut pizza .
Slice a rotisserie chicken and toss with blue cheese and walnuts .
Spoon shrimp stir-fry into Boston lettuce leaves, top with chopped nuts .
|
(REAL SIMPLE) -- With soaring gas prices and travel costs, the cheapest route to whisk yourself away this summer is through a good book. Ten top-selling authors share their favorite lazy-summer-day reads. • One-day reads Augusten Burroughs "The Member of the Wedding," by Carson McCullers "A slender 163 pages, but it inhales all the light, matter, and gravity in the vicinity. Stunningly evocative and gorgeously written, this truly magnificent book will replace your entire life for one perfect day." Jackie Collins "Whacked," by Jules Asner "She's a first-time author, married to director Steven Soderbergh, and this delicious tale of revenge -- set in L.A. -- rocks!" Nelson Demille "The Prince," by Niccolò Machiavelli "It's, well...Machiavellian. A great help if you're dealing with a summer landlord or a difficult au pair." Janet Evanovich "The Concrete Blonde," by Michael Connelly "A classic in Connelly's Harry Bosch detective series -- and one of my favorites." Elizabeth Gilbert "The Principles of Uncertainty," by Maira Kalman "Gorgeous and touching. A quirky year-in-the-life as told by one of our most wonderful illustrators -- short in words, but rich in little visual pleasures." Philippa Gregory "Dragonwyck," by Anya Seton "A gothic novel set in 1844 America. At times it's utterly ridiculous, but it is truly haunting. Think an American Jane Eyre at high speed. A great book to gulp down in a day." Sophie Kinsella "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by Mark Haddon "Its hero, an autistic 15-year-old, is one of the most poignant in contemporary literature." James Patterson "No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy "The only thriller I have ever read that also qualifies as art, at least in my mind." Jodi Picoult "The Third Angel," by Alice Hoffman "I inhale anything Alice writes, but this stunning book is among her loveliest. Once I started it, I didn't put it down." Danielle Steel "Change of Heart," by Jodi Picoult "Anything by Jodi Picoult." • Books for a long weekend Augusten Burroughs "The House of Mirth," by Edith Wharton "The only thing more delicious than spending a weekend reading The House of Mirth is reading it in the grass or on the sand. Mosquitoes will leave you alone. It will not rain. This is Edith Wharton. Nature bends." Jackie Collins "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald "Jay Gatsby is so charismatic, sexy, and mysterious, and I love him. Good to share with a guy in bed!" Nelson Demille "The Gold Coast," "by me" "What can I say? Read it on the beach and attract favorable comments." Janet Evanovich "The Two Minute Rule," by Robert Crais It's Crais, for crying out loud! Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend with Robert Crais?" Elizabeth Gilbert "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," by Anne Fadiman "The heartbreaking true story of an immigrant Hmong child's epilepsy and the American doctors who tried to 'cure' her (not realizing that traditional Hmong families see epilepsy as something of a blessing). A story of moral and cultural complexity." Philippa Gregory "Lottery," by Patricia Wood "A hugely feel-good novel that had me laughing out loud at the hero's rise to happiness from absolute despair." Sophie Kinsella "The Tenderness of Wolves," by Stef Penny "A gripping, atmospheric murder story set in the snowy wastes of Canada, with some wonderful descriptions of an extreme landscape. I never knew I could be so riveted by snow!" James Patterson "Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge," by Evan S. Connell "Astonishingly different points of view, in two books
|
[
"What did Sophie Kinsella say?",
"What does Jackie Collins recommend?",
"Who wrote the book?"
] |
[
[
"\"Its hero, an autistic 15-year-old, is one of the most poignant in contemporary literature.\""
],
[
"\"Whacked,\" by Jules Asner"
],
[
"Carson McCullers"
]
] |
Jackie Collins recommends "Whacked," by Jules Asner, a tale of revenge set in L.A.
James Patterson picks the thriller "No Country for Old Men," by Cormac McCarthy .
For a long weekend, Danielle Steele likes Joel Osteen's "Become a Better You"
Sophie Kinsella: "[Jane] Austen is a perennial delight"
|
(Real Simple) -- Gayle Jamison's garden in Woodstock, New York, is a well-ordered oasis filled with gentle lines of peonies and hydrangeas, artfully placed azaleas, and weeping cherry trees.
A soothing vista dotted with various shades of pink and purple, the garden is so immaculately maintained that you would expect to see a professional landscaper continuously at work perfecting it.
Not so. Instead, on Friday mornings from April through September, you will find a cheerful band of six women -- some graying, some not, most of them attired in old T-shirts or overalls and work boots. One day a week, they set aside their own jobs to garden as a team at one of their homes, rotating every week so that each woman's property gets the full benefit of their collective burst of labor and artistic vision.
Real Simple: How to negotiate anything
In the eight years since the group came together, the women, who call themselves the Wonder Weeders, have created pathways and sculptures, moved trees, and carved out acres of gardens from hillsides and overgrown bramble. Often they converse as they work, talking about the primroses that they are mulching, the big news that a friend has just received, or challenges that they are facing with their jobs. Other times they seem to read one another's minds, knowing when it's time to put down the garden gloves and just listen.
Sowing the seeds
The women might never have come together except for an accident that befell 67-year-old Terry Funk-Antman in 2001.
She shattered her knee, which left her unable to care for her garden. One day, frustrated at seeing her beloved roses wither away, she hobbled out to her front yard. Her neighbor Cathera Lane, a painter and a gifted gardener in her own right, walked by the house as Terry balanced precariously on her crutches, attempting to pull weeds.
Real Simple: How to make a good first impression
Although the two had exchanged only a few words, Cathera instantly offered her assistance. "You point to things and tell me what to do and I'll do it," she said.
As the two women walked through Terry's garden and got acquainted, Cathera suggested that they might help each other out from time to time. Then Terry had an epiphany: "If two people can work this way, why not six or seven?" Cathera loved the idea, and they started brainstorming about whom to invite.
"We wanted real gardeners with no attitude," says Terry, a psychotherapist. A few weeks later, a handful of friends gathered at her home. In attendance: Susan Goldman, 63, a community organizer; Nikki Goldbeck, 63, a nutritionist; and Gayle Jamison, 63, an underwater photographer. Also a member from the start was Joy Hopkins-Hausman, a therapist and an artist, who died of breast cancer last August at the age of 61. Maria DeFranco, a 57-year-old sculptor and architect, joined in 2003.
Real Simple: 5 inspirational friendships
At that first gathering, the women laid down the ground rules for their project: No fancy food or refreshments were to be served (water was all that the host had to provide), no lawn mowing, and no uninvited garden critiques. "We all just wanted help with the tasks that would otherwise be overwhelming," says Susan. "We didn't have any sense of where it would take us."
Green days
In the first few years, says Nikki, they were still in the beginning stages of collaboration, trying to prove themselves as dedicated gardeners. Conversation tended to revolve around the names of plants and design schemes. But gradually, as they harvested raspberries or cleared away weeds, intimate exchanges bloomed. "We started talking about our families and our other passions," says Maria. "In the midst of the work, we had these gem-like moments."
As the women's friendships grew, so did the scope of their projects. On Nikki's property, they restored a tranquil,
|
[
"what is the wonder weeders",
"What is the purpose of the project?",
"What can have unexpected benefits?",
"what unexpected benefits do gardening co-ops have",
"how long has the wonder weeders been in use"
] |
[
[
"professional landscaper"
],
[
"they set aside their own jobs to garden as a team at one of their homes, rotating every week so that each woman's property gets the full benefit of their collective burst of labor and artistic vision."
],
[
"set aside their own jobs to garden as a team at one of their homes,"
],
[
"collective burst of labor and artistic vision."
],
[
"eight years"
]
] |
Gardening co-ops can have unexpected benefits for like-minded members .
As the scope of the Wonder Weeders' gardening projects grew, so did their friendships .
Eight years on, the Wonder Weeders have weathered great change and have new goals .
|
(Real Simple) -- Learn how to be plugged in without being impolite. (This is one user manual worth reading.) If you run into someone while you're listening to your iPod, remove both earbuds to talk to her, experts say. 1. You're walking down the street and listening to your iPod when you run into someone you know. Do you need to remove both earbuds to talk to her? Jodi R. R. Smith: If you're having more than a two-minute conversation, then, yes, both buds need to come out -- whether you turn off the device or not. And that goes for your Bluetooth earpiece, too. Jodi R. R. Smith is the president of Manner-smith Consulting, in Boston, Massachusetts, and the author of "From Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Woman." Joni Blecher: Yes. People want to know that the person they're talking to is really paying attention to them. Joni Blecher is editorial director of LetsTalk.com. Her blog, Somethin' to Talk About, covers the latest technology. Sue Fox: Remember -- etiquette is all about making the other person more comfortable. How comfortable could your friend be trying to talk to you when you've got something in your ears? Sue Fox is the founder and president of EtiquetteSurvival.com, an etiquette consulting firm. 2. Is it rude to check your PDA at a friend's house? Blecher: A little bit. But if you arrive at a friend's home and explain that you need to check a few e-mails before you visit so you can give her your full attention, she will probably understand. Smith: It depends on how you're using it. If you're checking on something relevant to your visit, then no. If you find yourself perusing other e-mails, you will send the message that you're bored. Will Schwalbe: Think of your PDA as a crossword puzzle. Anywhere it's acceptable to work on a crossword puzzle, it's OK to check your PDA. Will Schwalbe is a coauthor of "Send: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better." Real Simple: Tips for dealing with obnoxious co-workers 3. How quickly must I respond to an e-mail? Are the standards different for work e-mails versus personal e-mails? Schwalbe: It's all about consistency. If you're going to deviate from what you usually do, use your out-of-office assistant or automatic-response setting to let people know why they might not be hearing from you as quickly as they're used to. You don't want them to think they've insulted you somehow or that you are ignoring them. Judith Kallos: Not responding quickly -- within hours and certainly by the end of the day -- to any e-mail might make the other side feel as though she's being overlooked. It's particularly important to respond promptly to business e-mails because that is professional and courteous. Judith Kallos oversees NetManners.com, a Web site dedicated to the topics of e-mail and Internet etiquette. Anna Post: The sooner you can reply properly, the better. Never leave someone hanging. Anna Post is the resident technology-etiquette expert at the Emily Post Institute, in Burlington, Vermont. 4. If someone calls you, can you e-mail the person back or send a text message if you're not in the mood to talk? What if you text or e-mail someone and the person calls you back? Pier M. Forni: Unless the person has requested something specific or you sense a tinge of urgency, there's nothing uncivil about replying with a "Can we talk later?" text message. Pier M. Forni is the author of "The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude" and a professor of Italian literature at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland. Schwalbe: Think about what is the best way to respond. If someone called you to get directions somewhere, for instance
|
[
"What do experts say about earbuds?",
"When to replay to a email?",
"What is ok to do instead of working on a crossword puzzle ?",
"Should a e-mail be replied to sooner or later ?",
"Where is it ok to check your PDA",
"What does an etiquette expert say",
"Where can you do a crossword?",
"What should you do with E - mails?",
"What do experts say about iPod earbuds?",
"What is author saying?",
"What should you remove?",
"What should you do with earbuds?",
"What does etiquette expert say?"
] |
[
[
"both buds need to come out"
],
[
"The sooner you can reply properly, the better. Never leave someone hanging."
],
[
"check your PDA."
],
[
"promptly"
],
[
"work on a crossword puzzle,"
],
[
"If you run into someone while you're listening to your iPod, remove both earbuds to talk to her,"
],
[
"Anywhere"
],
[
"respond promptly to business e-mails"
],
[
"to talk to her,"
],
[
"Learn how to be plugged in without being impolite."
],
[
"both earbuds"
],
[
"If you're having more than a two-minute conversation, then, yes, both buds need to come out"
],
[
"If you run into someone while you're listening to your iPod, remove both earbuds to talk to her,"
]
] |
Remove iPod earbuds when you're talking to someone, experts say .
Author: Anywhere it's OK to work on a crossword puzzle, you can check your PDA .
The sooner you can reply to an e-mail properly, the better, an etiquette expert says .
|
(Real Simple) -- Visit a bathroom in a home in the Netherlands and you might find a good idea staring you in the face: a list of birthdays important to your host posted opposite the toilet. Why in that spot? To assure that it's viewed regularly. While you may not want to sacrifice your bathroom aesthetics for the sake of remembering key birthdays, the more often you see the dates, the more likely it is you'll remember them. As founder and "Exalted Queen Mother" of the Red Hat Society, an international network of women over 50, Sue Ellen Cooper chooses to keep her long list of reminders in the kitchen. "I have a list of every significant birthday taped to the inside of my pantry door," she says. "It's impossible not to see those dates every time I open the pantry." Whether it's inside a cabinet, on the refrigerator, or bookmarking a page in the novel you're reading, place your list in a spot where you are likely to view it every day and you'll always be aware of an impending birthday. Real Simple: How to handle a milestone birthday Use a perpetual calendar to remember birthdays Traditional calendars are less than ideal for keeping track of birthdays, as they require you to pencil in all your important dates each year. A perpetual calendar solves that problem by charting the months without naming the day of the week for each date. Find 5-by-14-inch calendars for $10 at www.galison.com. You can also download a printable perpetual birthday-reminder calendar (for free) at Hallmark.com, or use the Real Simple: Birthday reminder worksheet. Similar to a perpetual calendar but used exclusively for birthdays, a birthday book allows you to jot down birthdays without having to rewrite each date yearly. Keep it somewhere visible, though, such as on top of a coffee table or on your desk, as opposed to placing it on a bookshelf, where it may get lost amid your Steinbecks and Angelous. The 2 3/4-by-4 1/4-inch pocket birthday organizer from Fred Flare ($8) will fit in your handbag, so you can commit dates to memory as you wait for your latte. Track birthdays in your day planner For some, a day planner or a Filofax is preferable to a wall calendar because it's portable. Erica Ecker, a.k.a. "The Specialist," is a New York City-based organizational specialist who recommends writing birthdays in a day planner with a colored marker. "Pick a unique color," she says, "so that when you go to rewrite the dates for the next year, the birthdays stand out." Ecker also inserts mini Post-it notes as "birthday alarms." Insert one in the planner a few days ahead of the first birthday for which you would like to send a card. This way, you'll get the card in the mail on time. Once you've done that, move the Post-it ahead in the book to a few days before the next important birthday. If rewriting birthdays feels like too much of a chore, jot down birthdays on the tabbed section dividers before each month in your day planner. Then you can simply pull out the dividers the following year and place them before each month in your new planner. Real Simple: Look great in your birthday photos Remember birthdays with computer reminders With a free membership at Yahoo!, you can take advantage of the site's calendar feature, which allows you to schedule all kinds of appointments with alarms sent to your Yahoo! Messenger account, mobile device, or e-mail address. If you choose to share your calendar with friends and family, they can view your dates and add their own. Cost: Free. BirthdayAlarm.com This service features an easy interface, e-mail or text-message reminders, a selection of e-cards, and an option to send flowers. BigDates.com BigDates will remind you of a birthday via a cell-phone text message or an e-mail with suggestions for cards and gifts. You can even sign up for
|
[
"Which other sites are available to help with remembering dates?",
"What can your computer calendar be used for for easy changes?"
] |
[
[
"BirthdayAlarm.com"
],
[
"remember birthdays"
]
] |
The more often you see the dates, the more likely it is you'll remember them .
A specialist recommends writing birthdays in a day planner in bright colors .
BirthdayAlarm.com, BigDates.com and BirthdayPal.com are other helpful sites .
Remember birthdays on your computer calendar for easy changes .
|
(RealSimple.com) -- Overwashing, overapplying, and product overkill won't improve your skin. Rein in your regimen to get real results. Want beautiful skin like model Megan Gale? Don't overdo it, experts say. Cleansing and exfoliating You don't need to wash or scrub as often -- or as vigorously -- as you may think. "Many women go overboard here, figuring it will make their skin look better if they do both more frequently," says dermatologist Leslie Baumann. "But that only damages the skin's natural barrier and creates dryness and irritation." Combination skin How often: Wash your face twice a day, and gently exfoliate once or twice a week; this is enough to keep skin balanced and encourage cell turnover, according to experts. What to look for: A mild cleanser that isn't too rich or too drying, says Mary Lupo, a dermatologist in New Orleans, Louisiana. Use an exfoliant that contains gentle particles or acids to remove dead cells without abrading your skin. Where to find it: Cleanser -- Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, $6 at drugstores. Exfoliant -- St. Ives Elements Microdermabrasion Scrub, $7 at drugstores. Dry skin How often: Cleanse skin at night, when it's dirtiest. Rinse with cool water in the morning to help maintain natural oils. If skin is flaky, exfoliate once a week, says Lisa Donofrio, a professor of dermatology at Yale University. What to look for: A cleansing oil or creamy wash that has moisturizing ingredients, such as glycerin. If you have sensitive skin to boot, avoid products that contain fragrances or alcohol, which can irritate. Where to find it: Cleanser -- Laura Mercier Purifying Oil, $40, www.sephora.com; or CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, $11.50 at drugstores. Exfoliant -- Your safest bet is to use a wet washcloth. Oily/acne-prone skin How often: Lather up two to three times a day (as needed) but never more; overwashing kicks oil glands into overproduction. Exfoliate once or twice a week, but skip this if you have acne; the friction can make it worse. What to look for: An oil-free, non-comedogenic foaming cleanser that contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to prevent breakouts. The scrub should contain mild acids to keep the pores open and clean. Where to find it: Cleanser -- Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser, $7 at drugstores. Exfoliant -- Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub, $6 at drugstores. Sensitive skin How often: Wash once a day if your skin is irritated by nearly everything or if you have eczema or psoriasis; twice a day if your skin is dirty. Forget about exfoliating, as it's too abrasive for your skin type. What to look for: Hypoallergenic and fragrance- and soap-free cleansers. Calming ingredients, like green tea, chamomile, feverfew, and aloe, are a bonus. As a general rule, the fewer ingredients in a product, the better. Where to find it: Cleanser -- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser ($19.50, www.laroche-posay.com). Apply with your fingers. "Think of the way you'd touch a newborn," says Barbara Reed, a Denver, Colorado, dermatologist. Portion control • Use a quarter-size amount of cleanser on most skin types. • A dime-size dollop of scrub will do. • A pea-size dab of cleanser is plenty for sensitive skin. Real Simple: Best facial cleansers Moisturizing and protecting No matter what your skin type, moisture is important. "If your skin isn't hydrated, it can't protect itself from the free radicals that cause damage, discoloration, and wrinkles," says dermatologist Leslie Baumann. Year-round daily sun protection is also a must. Fortunately there are moisturizers with SPF available for every complexion. Combination skin How often: Each morning, apply moisturizer with SPF after cleansing your skin. Reapply if you're spending more than 30 minutes outside, as sun-screens break down in
|
[
"How many times a day should people with dry skin apply SPF?",
"What is with SPF?",
"What won't improve your skin?"
] |
[
[
"twice a"
],
[
"moisturizers"
],
[
"Overwashing, overapplying, and product overkill"
]
] |
Overwashing, overapplying and product overkill won't improve your skin .
Which of these regimens should you be using for your type of skin?
Dry skin types should apply moisturizer with SPF once a day .
Sensitive skin should only apply a mild retinol every third night to fight aging .
|
(Rolling Stone) -- "Making Achtung Baby is the reason we're here now," Bono says early on in Davis Guggenheim's new U2 documentary, "From The Sky Down," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday night.
The film -- which focuses on the tumultuous time in the band's career 20 years ago -- shows how Bono, guitarist the Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton got back on track: After considerable infighting and "creative differences" while the four hunkered down at Hansa Studios in Berlin in 1990 to try to make an album, the song "One" finally and miraculously sprouted from the unfinished "Mysterious Ways."
"The movie has this pretty long [section] where you hear them write that song -- and it's goose bumps," Guggenheim told Rolling Stone in Toronto. "The writing of that song really saved the band. They had come out of the height of Joshua Tree as the biggest band in the world. 'Rattle and Hum' was a disaster from their point of view, a lot of bad reviews -- they weren't happy with what they had become. They take that bridge section out of 'Mysterious Ways' and they go back into the room at Hansa. They write a song on the fly in a matter of minutes. 'One' is written and the band is saved and we have all that on tape."
There are other telling inclusions in the film, from footage of Bono getting angry in a dressing room after a Joshua Tree concert in 1987 (culled from Rattle and Hum director Phil Joanou's amazing leftovers) to candid, present-day sound-only interviews that Guggenheim was able to draw from each band member. "The soul of the movie is these interviews I do with them," he said.
"I didn't know how they'd react to the things that I put in the movie," said Guggenheim. "There are some very sensitive things. And to their credit, they said, 'This is truthful; this is real; it's not sensational.'"
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The day after the TIFF gala screening, Bono, the Edge and Guggenheim spoke at a press conference about the film. "I found it a little humiliating to realize that we were so inept and these days we're a better band," Bono said. "We've learned our craft -- and therein lies the huge danger, which is there's a giant chasm between the very good and the great, and U2 right now has a danger of surrendering to the very good."
Guggenheim had earned the Edge's trust from the documentary they did together in 2008, "It Might Get Loud," alongside two other guitar greats, Jack White and Jimmy Page. Still, it's a relationship in progress, Guggenheim noted: "There's a something adversarial about making a movie about something that neither side wants, but it's naturally there."
"For me, when Davis agreed to do this, I felt like I could relax because I knew the thing that he was most interested in was actually the truth as opposed to what was a great shot or what might be sensational," said the Edge. "The stuff that's in the film are those moments where we're really being honest."
"A little bit of sensationalism would have been good, a few great shots," joked Bono. "I felt like I was mugged."
In addition to the tension, intensity and struggle that plays out in the film, there is a lot of levity too, including a satirical montage of bands that have imploded or lost members, references and demonstrations of Bono's unique gibberish singing, dubbed "Bongalese" and yes, the band in drag.
"What's interesting is Larry really didn't like the idea and thought he looked like he was in some skin flick," said Bono. "Edge took to it with a perfectionist's eye."
"I just freaked myself out because I looked
|
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"bad reviews"
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The film focuses on the tumultuous time in the band's career 20 years ago .
There are sound-only interviews that Guggenheim was able to draw from each band member .
There is a lot of levity too, including a satirical montage of bands that have imploded .
|
(Rolling Stone) -- Menace and mirth can cancel each other out. But the combo clicked in 1985's "Fright Night" (banish the 1988 sequel), and it clicks again in this frisky 3D remake.
For that, bow to Colin Farrell. He's hot stuff as a vampire named Jerry (really) who moves next door to teenage Charley (Anton Yelchin) and his single mom (Toni Collette).
Video: Peter Travers Reviews Fright Night in "At the Movies With Peter Travers"
Jerry can do his undead nasty on Charley's buddy (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and glamour Charley's girl (Imogen Poots) and still tickle you with terror. Damn, that Farrell is good. So is David Tennant ("Doctor Who") as Peter Vincent, a tacky Vegas magician Charley enlists to kill Jerry.
The young lovers are "Twilight" bland next to the power punch of Farrell and Tennant.
The Best and Worst Movies of 2011 -- So Far
Director Craig Gillespie ("Lars and the Real Girl") is wise to just turn them loose. Voilà! Black magic.
|
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"Which actor plays Peter Vincent?",
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"What is David Tennant's character's name?",
"Craig Gillespie is wise to turn who loose?",
"Who is hot stuff?",
"What is Collin Farell's name on the show?"
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"Craig Gillespie"
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"Craig Gillespie"
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"Peter Vincent,"
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"Colin Farrell."
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] |
Colin Farrell is hot stuff as a vampire named Jerry .
David Tennant as Peter Vincent is the tacky Vegas magician enlisted to kill Jerry .
Director Craig Gillespie is wise to turn Farrell and Tennant loose .
|
(Rolling Stone) -- One of the most stunning moments in Cameron Crowe's new Pearl Jam documentary comes near the end, when the band plays "Better Man" at Madison Square Garden and the audience euphorically screams along to every word.
The soundtrack to the film -- which contains that "Better Man" -- is for those hardcore fans.
There's no "Jeremy," "Daughter" or "Even Flow" here. But there is a gorgeous demo of "Nothing as It Seems" from 1999, a demo of the 1990 Temple of the Dog track "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and an early version of "Alive," from Pearl Jam's second show, in December 1990.
The emotional high point may be "Crown of Thorns," from a gig in 2000. The song was first cut by Mother Love Bone shortly before their frontman Andrew Wood died; the group recruited Vedder and changed its name to Pearl Jam.
Wood always dreamed that his band would be hugely famous, and in Vedder's hands his greatest song is reborn as the arena-rock anthem it was meant to be.
See the full article at RollingStone.com.
|
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"Who has been awarded by the soundtrack?"
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The soundtrack to the film is for those hardcore fans .
There's no "Jeremy," "Daughter" or "Even Flow" here .
The emotional high point may be "Crown of Thorns," from a gig in 2000 .
|
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