Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Celebrity Secret Drug Store Finds Revealed!

Just before I went to bed last night I caught a very short piece on The Insider where stars on the Golden Globes red carpet were asked about their favorite products that they use that anyone can get at their local drugstore. Here's what they revealed:







Jaime Pressly from My Name is Earl uses St. Ives medicated face scrub to keep the skin on her face from becoming too dried out or clogged up from all the heavy make-up she has to wear everyday on the show.














Vanessa Williams from Ugly Betty uses Albolene facial cleanser/makeup remover.











America Ferrera from Ugly Betty and Chandra Wilson from Grey's Anatomy both use Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, or, "the kind in the pink and green tube," which was also our very first VicPick on this site!










Just goes to show you, if you want the hook-up on all the best finds for the greatest bargains, make sure you check it out here at VicPicks!

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

In Tribute of Barbaro


I forget exactly how I found this article, and it is slightly on the longer side, but if you're like me and cared about his story at all, do yourself a favor and take some time to read this beautifully written piece on Barbaro by Nancy Armour, a sports columnist at the Seatle Post-Intelligencer.

FREE SAMPLE ALERT!



Haven't had one of these in a while, but I just saw a commercial highlighting a great one from Pantene. They have a new "Time Renewal" collection that is supposed to undo years of damage to your hair as a result of brushing, washing, sun exposure, styling products, and coloring treatments. After filling out a really quick survey and they calculate for you how badly damaged your hair is, you can pick your free sample from 3 different product choices. Just click the link above to get your's.

Barbaro's Legacy


While Barbaro may have lost his brave fight yesterday after suffering a career-ending injury in the Preakness last May, besides his captivating and inspirational fight to survive, it seems that the treatments and rehabilitation he received over the past 8 months may mean significant progress for other injured horses.

Besides bringing more awareness to the specific injury itself, Barbaro's story also may help fund research for laminitis, a condition he acquired as a result of uneven weight distribution in his limbs, and show people that euthanasia is neither the immediate nor the only option when it comes to injured equine.

Says Rick Arthur, the equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, "It's taught people what can be done, and there will probably be horses in the future who will live based on what happened with Barbaro."

You can read more about the story, here.

Monday, January 29, 2007

FINALLY, AS PROMISED!


The long, long, long, long, LONG overdue recipe I originally promised in time for the holidays. Yes, I know, its well past that now, but its chocolate and peanut butter, and that stuff is good ALL YEAR ROUND! Plus, they're quick, easy, require few ingredients, and no baking!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

25 chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed
1 cup + 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

Mix together in large bowl cookie crumbs and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and peanut butter until well-combined. Add to the cookie crumb mixture and stir well (mixture may be crumbly).

Using your hands, shape the mixture into 1 inch balls.

Set the balls aside at room temperature until ready to serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Just before serving, roll the balls in the remaining 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar.



Helpful hint: To crush the chocolate wafer cookies, simply place them in a gallon sized ziploc bag and roll over them with a rolling pin or canned food item.

ENJOY!

Bloggers and Politics

Recently sworn in history-making Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has been making bloggers and important part of her agenda. The Madame Speaker has put communicating with bloggers at the top of her priority list, as a number of politicians are realizing the importance of this new sort of grass-roots politics in the virtual age. Learn more about what Pelosi, and other prominent politicians, are doing to get connected, here.

The 2007 Awards Show Season--Now in Full Color!

The Screen Actor's Guild Awards were last night in LA, and although I did not get to watch it, I am impressed by all the red carpet pictures today. Unlike the false predictions for their predecessor, the Globes, which featured mostly black and white gowns, there was in fact a rainbow of color choices at SAG. This is perhaps no more clearly seen than on the ladies from Grey's Anatomy, a favorite of mine that won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Indivdual winner Chandra Wilson, who won for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, gave a shout out during her acceptance speech to the obviously absent Isaiah Washington, saying, "It's about those 10 cast members sitting over there and the other one in rehab. Y'all just hold me together." Something tells me that if Isaiah had been there, he would not have appreciated the rainbow of fashion we saw last night.

Some very sad news...

I am extremely saddened to report that after fighting very valiantly to recover from his injury and the complications that resulted from it last May, the beautiful Barbaro was euthanized. It seems that the recent setbacks, particularly one this past weekend, necessitating more surgery, caused the courageous colt to suffer pain and discomfort, and Roy and Gretchen Jackson, his owners, made the decision after he had a difficult night.



"And finally, O MASTER, when my useful strength is gone, do not turn me out to starve or freeze, or sell me to some cruel owner to be slowly tortured or starved to death; but do thou, my MASTER, take my life in the kindest way. And your GOD will reward you here and hereafter. You will not consider me irreverent if I ask this in the name of HIM, who was born in a stable. Amen."

~from "The Horse's Prayer"



Sunday, January 28, 2007

TV Flashback: Viewing like its 1999-- Current Stars as Former Flops

So, I was trying to clean up my total disaster of a bedroom this weekend and as I was going through some papers, I found an old section of a TV Guide circa 1999. Before I tossed it out in pack-rat disgust, I flipped through some of the pages to find it was from a fall television preview guide. As I looked at what shows were on that year, I was titillated to discover a number of current stars in shows that later tanked, some in the very same year they debuted. For your pleasure now, take a look at those who went on to much bigger and better things.

Linda Cardellini, currently in ER
then in Freaks and Geeks

This critically acclaimed NBC show was picked as a "TV Guide Fall Favorite", but never found its niche with the fans. Lasting a slightly better than terrible 18 episodes (roughly 1 season), Cardellini played "a pensive brainiac who has begun to rebel and hang with the freaks", or, as it were, the geek within the freaks. After being cancelled in 2000, she later went on to play Velma in the Scoobie Doo movies, and has been on ER since 2003.

Amanda Peet and Jaime Pressly, currently in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and My Name is Earl
then in Jack & Jill

A cute, but continually struggling, by-product of the now defunct WB network, this diamond in the rough cast also featured the likes of Simon Rex who later appeared on the same network with Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth inWhat I Like About You and in Scary Movie 3 and 4. While Peet concurrently starred in The Whole Nine Yards movie with her current co-star on Studio 60, Matthew Perry, while Jack & Jill had its run from 1999-2001, Pressly wouldn't star in Not Another Teen Movie until after the show ended. In addition to being recently engaged and expecting her first child with fellow actor Eric Cubiche, she also stars on the NBC hit sitcom, What About Earl?

Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Love Hewitt, currently in Catch and Release(movie) and Ghost Whisperer
then in Time of Your Life

This disappointing spin-off of Party of Five featured a pre-Felicity/Scott Foley/Alias/Daredevil/ Electra/Hollywood divorce/Ben Affleck/re-marriage/baby Violet/(oh, and let us not forget the epic Dude Where's My Car either)-- Jennifer Garner, and a formerly younger and spunkier Jennifer Love Hewitt, in a show that filmed 19 episodes but only aired 13. Though Ben's movie did beat his wife's in the box office this past weekend, it is decidedly so that Garner went on to much bigger and better things and Hewitt went on to CBS.

Kate Walsh, currently in Grey's Anatomy
then in The Mike O'Malley Show

This far from memorable show that lasted all of one episode was just one of a number of stints a formerly blonde Walsh had on some rather formulaic-ly named sitcoms, including a recurring role on the Drew Carey Show, before finding success as a redhead in the hit drama, Grey's Anatomy. Other sitcom sidetracks include appearances on: The Weber Show, The Norm Show, and Complete Savages, as well as slightly meatier fare on the similarly fated dramaKaren Sisco.

Katherine Heigl, currently on Grey's Anatomy
then in Roswell

Another doomed WB darling, this show unwittingly held another future Grey's star captive from 1999-2002, where she played an orphaned alien from the supposed 1947 spaceship crash in New Mexico. Colin Hanks, Tom Hanks son, and future star of the cult hit movie Orange County, also starred.

Anne Hathaway, most recently in The Devil Wears Prada (movie)
then in Get Real

Marking her debut as an actress, before finding success on the big screen in the Princess Diaries, Hathaway co-starred with Christina Pickles (of Friends fame as Ross and Monica's mom, Judy Gellar) in this light-hearted Fox sitcom that lasted all of 9 episodes.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Prince Beckham?




While he hasn't officially moved to the States yet, and it still remains to be seen how well his soccer will fair in light of his supposed Hollywood ambitions, it seems that David Beckham is already charging the gates...of Disney that is. In a new ad campaign featuring the slogan "Disney Parks: Where Dreams Come True", the soccer superstar is among a number of famous faces dressed as classic Disney characters in photos taken by the uber-acclaimed photographer, Annie Leibovitz. Beckham portrays the valiant Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty, atop a white horse bearing sword and shield in the face of the fire-breathing dragon (though the dragon is not visible). Beyonce and Scarlett Johansson, among others, are featured as part of Disney's Year of a Million Dreams. You can check out all the beautiful photographs here. Becks admittedly pulls off the dashing prince thing well, but does this mean we have to refer to Victoria as "Princess Posh" from now on?

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Angelina on Ryan Seacrest

The Friday VicPick video: Angie untainted

In honor of all the attention that Miss Jolie has garnered herself lately for her suddenly snoblike behavior on the red carpet of the Golden Globes last week, I've found a great clip of her formerly outspoken self where she remarks on a number of things that are particularly interesting in hindsight.

She talks about having "a football team of kids" and when asked if they would all be adopted, she replies "yeah."
Amongst having "kids from all different cultures" she would like "3 lovers" because that "seems like a good number" and says that she

"...never had a one night stand, I don't believe in unsafe sex, I'm the most responsible person when it comes to those things...I'd love to have great men that I know or women and be sexually free with them."

--Angelina Jolie circa 2004 on her sex life




The interviewer, Ryan Seacrest, who was subjected to her silent indifference at the Globes references a quote where she talks about spending a few hours with a man in a hotel room and then going home to put her son to bed as being all she can handle. When asked about love and marriage, she remarks that she "can't be looking for love," because when it comes to having a man around, she has to consider her "kid" (she had only adopted Maddox at that time) saying "I take that very seriously."

And is that the only way we can regard you now, Angelina?

Walmart secrets



As promised, I have some secrets to share with you about Walmart, which unfortunately is taking over the world as we speak. These secrets come courtesy of a former employee that I know, who was all too happy to share them on the condition of anonymity (with Walmart's ever increasing power, who knows what their evil influence could do to you).

    ~Walmart employees are not allowed to unionize, and managers are given support materials and host regular meetings in regards to discouraging employees from even discussing the idea.

    ~Ever notice the surveillance cameras in your local Walmart parking lot? While you may think that those are for your safety, they are actually part of the "Manager’s Toolbox to Remaining Union Free." There are no actively watching security officers on the other end of those surveillance tapes.

    ~Most Walmarts employ plain-clothed security guards to patrol the stores in secret as they blend in with regular customers.

    ~Walmart employees are given discount cards for their employee discounts which is 10% off both regular and sale priced items at any of the Walmart or Sam's Club chain stores, while close family is allowed to use the cards, employees must surrender their card upon ending employment.

    ~Friends are not permitted to go through the check out lines where their friends are the cashier.





Enjoy this post? Want more secrets? For more specifically on Walmart, check out the website Walmart Watch. For insider secrets on Old Navy and Bath and Body Works, keep a lookout right here!

Winter Tips

Coming up in next month's Family Circle, you'll be able to find a handy tip of mine when it comes to taking car of your car during the winter months. This past weekend, I happened to share another cold-weather-related tip with a friend of mine when it comes to testing whether or not a pond is frozen enough for ice skating.



To test the ice of an outdoor pond to determine whether it is frozen enough for skating, carefully walk out on the ice towards the middle and jump up and down. If you fall through, the ice is not ready for skating.



Disclaimer: This tip is meant as a joke, please do not try this at home.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Cooler than cool



No matter what your political persuasion, I hope we all can agree that the big shiny bright spot of the always droll State of the Union address last night was seeing a woman sit behind the president for the first time in our nation's history, and hearing him address her as "Madame Speaker." Can I have a 'what what' for equality? You go Nancy Pelosi!

Celebrity Looks for Less: Going for the Globes

In a previous post I discussed my fashion picks for the 2007 Golden Globes. For those of you who, like myself, enjoy the red carpet fashions, I've found some recreations that are much more affordable than the original versions. Below are some beautifully done dresses that can make anyone feel like a movie star for a fraction of the price.





Eva Longoria's navy-colored Emanuel Ungaro gown was an admitted first for her, and a favorite of mine as I am always a fan of blue. After the Globes this year, Access Hollywood had a piece on celebrity-inspired gowns by Faviana New York and featured a newly created knock-off of her 2007 Globes gown, as well as ones inspired by Drew Barrymore, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, and even Beyonce. I've worn a Faviana gown myself and can attest that they are beautiful gowns of quality yet very reasonably priced. Faviana is known for recreating celebrity red carpet looks and famous dresses from film and tv, and making affordable versions available to regular people.












































































One of the few spots of color in the ultra-unusual red carpet choice of yellow, Reese Witherspoon's strapless canary cocktail dress by Nina Ricci cost thousands more than eDressMe New York's version which can be pre-ordered for only 198 dollars and will be shipped mid-March.














Former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson went for simple and sleek black Vera Wang, a designer who epitomizes soft sophistication and feminine elegance, and charges plenty for it to boot. However, eDressMe New York also has a version, and this one retails for only 295 dollars and can also be pre-ordered to ship come mid-March.

A penny saved is a...nickel earned?



While Kevin Federline attempts to save the penny by proving that uselessness knows the value of other useless things, it seems that Fed-Ex may indeed have a bright idea, as with the recent rise in the price of copper and an anticipated coin shortage due to people hoarding and melting them down, could turn the one cent piece into a 5 cent piece. By "rebasing" the penny and making it the same value as a nickel, the coin shortage problem could potentially be circumvented. Read more about it here.

A great site

Post Secret is a community art project wherein people are asked to send in homemade postcards that anonymously disclose a secret that they have. Some of those that are sent in are posted on their website and are changed every Sunday. There have also been a number of Post Secret books that have been published featuring cards that did not make it to the website. I like to check the site out once a week to see the beautifully expressive artwork that everyday people are capable of, but more importantly, I am always moved to read the secrets and imagine the heavy burdens that all of us quietly carry around with us every single day. Last night however, this one couldn't help but make me laugh...





Let this be a warning to you! Sometimes its best to keep your bargains to yourself!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

OH THE STUFF!





YES--There is stuff! Stuff that is coming, about what is going on, stuff that I've promised, some surprises, some pictures, etc., and all of it, will be coming at you vvvvvvvvvvvery shortly. I'M SERIOUS!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Post Golden Globes





So last night was the Golden Globes, and despite the fact that I fell asleep for a good half hour around the 10 o’clock mark, I did manage to wake up in time to see the always pronounciation-ally challenged governor of California hobble out on his crutches from his recently broken leg to present the final award to Babel for the Best Picture-Drama category.

The It-couple of the new year, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were seated together along with the cast of the nominated film, Babel, and were less dazzling than they are cracked up to be. Brad’s face was caked with make-up and visibly stiff and awkward. Angelina’s hair was pulled back severely from her face, and looked frailly thin in her strapless charcoal grey St. John dress. Supposedly, Angie had a lot of trouble selecting her dress this year as all the dresses the designer showed her were only “so-so.” As per their normal public behavior,Brangelina were both so fascinated by all the obviously less attractive people around them that they barely looked at each other all night, including when Brad got up with the rest of the cast to receive Babel’s award at the end of the night.

America Ferrera (one of the few women I saw dressed in an indigo colored custom made gown by Brian Reyes--a nice change) was supremely sweet, and brought many in the audience to tears during her acceptance for Best Actress in a Comedy for Ugly Betty, after accepting the Best Comedy award earlier with the entire cast. Their screams of surprise and excitement were audible when their first award win was announced, as the first time winner proved to be quite a coup for a show in its first season based on an internationally popular telenovela.



Fashion:
Despite predictions earlier in the evening from supposed “fashion insiders” at Access Hollywood that we would see a lot of color on the red carpet, my fashion instincts were dead on as I felt that we would and did in fact see a lot of black and white.




Shopping at the Black Market:
Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Heigl, and a pregnant Nancy O'Dell all chose the always classic black. Courteney Cox wore a sexy sheer black lace dress with nude underlay and capped sleeves. Sharon Stone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Louise Parker, Tina Fey, Hilary Swank in Chanel couture, also chose black, while Jennifer Lopez wore a black toga-style Marchesa dress with gold trim. Penelope Cruz chose ruffles while Cate Blanchett wore a black lace off-the-shoulder number with an asymmetrical-hem by Alexander McQueen.




Staying at the White House:
Forget your mother’s outdated fashion guidelines about wearing white after Labor Day, winter white is here to stay and many at the Globes this year wore various shades of it. Evoking classic Hollywood glamour, some stuck to the classic white like Heidi Klum, Ellen Pompeo, Salma Hayek, Cameron Diaz (in Valentino with more ruffles and a black ribbon bow around her waist), and the always classy Kate Winslet wore a draped white Azzarro column dress with a dramatically dark red lip. Hayden Panettiere, from Heroes went for a white strapless number with emerald earrings and gold embellishment. Drew Barrymore learned her lesson from her bra-less stretchy green disaster last year and was beautifully elegant in a Grecian inspired John Galliano for Christian Dior gown. Nicollete Sheridan also went strapless with black ribbon trim, and black tulle poking out from an oversized mermaid tail. Jennifer Garner was in white with silver vintage Gaultier. Teri Hatcher wore a long white gown with a draped back and silver embellishments. Others, like Emily Blunt, chose off-white or cream-colored tones. Ali Larter, also from Heroes wore a cream Reem Acra.




Golden girls:
It seems only fitting that on Hollywood’s Golden night, where both stars of television and film are honored, that golden metallic shades were popular with fashion forward stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sandra Oh, Beyonce, and Julia Louis Dreyfus. Salma Hayek even tapped the trend herself by pairing her white number with golden stilleto sandals. Jessica Biel went backless in a gold dress with a softly pinned updo, and Vanessa Minnillo wore a gold satin number.




Green with envy:
Other than a random yellow dress from Reese Witherspoon (with red shoes no less) an admitted first for Eva Longoria in a navy Ungaro gown, and a seemingly appropriate pink strapless column dress on Jada Pinkett Smith, the one color that did seem to pop up repeatedly were various shades of the revived green, which showed itself not only in its rich emerald jewel tone on the likes of Renee Zellwegger, Helen Mirren, and Maria Menounos, but also in the more muted mint shade on Felicity Huffman, Becki Newton, Tawney Cypress, and Elizabeth Mitchell.

Other trends:
Once again, oversized chandelier earrings were big, a leftover of recent award seasons past. Necklaces were skipped in order to not over-accesorize the dramatic danglers. Hair was mostly worn down, in soft waves, or pinned somewhat off of the face.


Hits:
While no one really stuck out for me as a certifiable hit in the fashion department, by default I will have to give my best dressed to Emily Blunt. The British new-comer who caught our eye earlier this year as the red-headed snobby assistant in The Devil Wears Prada wore an elegant cream colored dress with pearl embellished straps and an over-sized mermaid tail. Her win for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie for Gideon's Daughtermeant that she brought home two great prizes of the evening--her Golden Globe, and sexy Canadian crooner, Michael Buble, her boyfriend and date for the evening.





As a close second, Catherine Heigl also stunned in her strapless black number with a ruffled train and diamond jewelry. She is proving to be quite the red carpet stunner.













Misses:
The oh-so-awesomely talented Meryl Streep gave a hilariously cool and confident acceptance speech for her win as the fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada, but her chameleon like qualities as an actress did not seem to absorb any of her character, Anna Wintour’s, expertise in the fashion department. While she did go for a trendy cream colored number, the color was too pale for her skin tone and nearly matched her hair color, to the point where she seemed like a faded picture.

While men have far fewer choices in the fashion department, making it that much harder to stand out, one would think it would also make it that much harder to mess up. Leave it to Charlie Sheen. In presenting the clip for his “big brother’s” film, Bobby, Emilio Estevez seemed hesitant to stand to receive recognition despite Charlie’s insistence, and a close up of his face while sitting in the audience seemed to read “I’d rather you not remind people that we’re related.” Long passed his days as the cool guy on campus, Mr. Sheen seemed to have forgotten to comb his hair after standing out in the wind for a cig, and then neglected to button his jacket as he walked out on stage. The entire tux itself seemed atleast 2 sizes too big for him, and the jacket and pants seemed to be hanging off of him, resulting in an over-all sloppy appearance.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Golden Globes Tonight!

I'm a big fan of awards shows, and though I am very disappointed that I missed the People's Choice Awards last week, all is not lost because tonight is the best awards show of all--the Golden Globes! I find this to be the most entertaining of all the awards shows because not only does it feature both television and movie stars, but they also seat them in dining tables in the audience and feed them champagne all night long--so by the time you get to the end of the show, you often have some very drunken stars giving acceptance speeches! Don't miss it!


PS I'm sorry to say that posting may be slow this week, as unfortunately in addition to heading out of town at the end of the week, I'm having problems with my internet connection at home. I will try to make posts in the meantime so that they will be all ready to go up whenever I do have an internet signal at my availability.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Definitely NOT a bargain


In an attempt to boost the profile of soccer in this country (or football as its known everywhere else in the world), the L.A. Galaxy of Major League Soccer has signed a 5 year deal with David Beckham worth $250 million dollars. The 31 year old former England team captain who is married to the former Posh Spice, of the the Spice Girls, has been doing less than awesome in the past two years playing for a team in Madrid, Spain. David started dating his wife, Victoria, in 1997, and married in 1999. Despite having 3 sons together, there have been rumors that David, or "Becks," has been unfaithful to "Posh" throughout their marriage. While the always fashionable couple is not shy about publicity, as they often make the top of most yearly best-dressed lists and most-searched lists on the net, neither has been immune to scandal, as in addition to David's philandering, rumors have swirled around Victoria regarding everything from an eating to disorder to breast implants.

In any case, by all accounts this expensive move by Major League Soccer is said to be an attempt to boost the popularity of the sport in this country, which lags behind the rest of the world where events like the World Cup draws massive crowds ad hysteria. However, for a league that is struggling to draw crowds, one wonders what Becks salary will do to tickets prices when sporting events for families are already at the point of ridiculousness. Becks insists that it isn't about the money--he wants to help the sport of soccer--in a city that will make it very easy to work on a career in show-business.

Shakira - MadTV - Translation (Objection Parody)

Another Shakira spoof

In anticipation of next week's new Celebrity Looks for Less: Shakin' it Like Shakira, this Friday's VicPick parody video is of another classic Shakira video, also done by Mo Collins on MadTV. This one is a spoof her video for Objection (Tango). Enjoy!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Catch-up on reading


Before I do my own catch-up on all those topics I promised, I have a couple of articles of interest that I wanted to share, so I'm gonna post those first.

    ~Yahoo featured a story on a group of friends who agreed to go an entire year without buying anything new. With the help of sites like Freecycle and Garbage Scout, as well as a few carefully agreed upon groundrules and loopholes, they did it, and are now vowing to try it all again.

    ~MSN featured an article by Liz Pulliam Weston about how to save money even if you're living paycheck-to-paycheck. While not necessarily quick-fixes, such as finding cheaper insurance or daycare, some of these suggestions can be real bright ideas for people who are sick of being told to cut back on vacations when they haven't been on one in 5 years.



I believe in Barbaro






Remember Barbaro? The promising young colt had many excited for the possibility of a Triple Crown winner in 06 before suffering an almost unbearable to watch injury in the first few lengths of the Preakness last May. After undergoing surgery to repair the 3 bones that were shattered in his right hind leg, he developed a condition called laminitis a few months later. This condition, caused by uneven weight distribution, is common among horses with this injury and is life threatening due to the effects of separation of tissue in the hoof wall. Now, after months of treatment for the laminitis, which included removal of a significant portion of Barbaro's hoof, he suffered a setback a few days ago due to the laminitis. Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center had to remove more tissue from the affected foot as well as change his cast. Since the recent surgery, doctors have performed new X-rays that show no new complications in either leg, and the horse is still eating well and moving on his own to the best of his abilities. You can read more about this postive sign here.

As an animal lover and a former horse-back riding enthusiast, I have been keeping an eye on the courageous Barbaro since his initial accident in May 20, 2006. You can be sure that any and all updates I can find will be hosted here as I continue to hope for the best for this brave-hearted horse. You can also find a variety of resources, including updates, photo galleries, FAQs, and other information at University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center website, which has a link at the very bottom of the page for fans to send Barbaro your good wishes.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The new improved Congress--now with subpoena power!

Thanks due in large part to large-headed Senator Ted Kennedy, today the federal minimum wage was raised for the first time in over 10 years. While I applaud raising the minimum income floor from $5.15 and hour to $7.25 an hour, there are opponents who worry what the hike will mean for the economy. You can read a real-life analyis of the situation here.

The lights are dark on 1313 Mockingbird Lane


Yesterday, at the age of 84, Yvonne De Carlo, died. Best known as Lily Munster on the popular television show, "The Munsters," she also starred in the epic "Ten Commandments" and on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim's "Follies."

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

How About Them Apple Inc.?

Today, Apple Computers CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPhone, Apple's first foray into the world of telecommunications. They also debuted a new product that allows people to send internet clips and video from their computers to their television sets. As a reflection of these new avenues, it was also announced that the company will now be known as Apple Inc. Read more about the announcement on Yahoo or straight from the horse's mouth at Apple.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Happy New Year!



HAPPY 2007 EVERYONE!!



I hope everyone's New Year has gotten off to a great start! This is the very first post I have made in the year 2007, and frankly, I am ashamed I did not get to it sooner! But alack and alas, sometimes life throws things at you, and my time management skills were caught on holiday! In any case, I do have a whole bunch of things I want to post about, so the next week or so you can look forward to:

    ~a new Celebrity Looks for Less: Shakin' it Like Shakira
    ~helpful tips and interesting trivia about shoes
    ~some new VicPicks:V05 Silky Experiences Shampoo, slice and bake muffins, and Hannaford's store brand chocolate molten lava cake
    ~I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT the holiday recipe I promised (still enjoyable in the post-season)
    ~and now the long past overdue secrets of some of your favorite stores, like Old Navy, Bath and Body Works, and Walmart


So stick around--there's lots of great stuff to come!