Best Picture — The Hurt Locket

Best Director- Kathryn Bigelow

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress - Vera Farmiga

Best Animation - Up

Best Original Screenplay - A Serious Man

Best Adapted Screenplay - Precious

Best Song - The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart

What do you think about Starbucks’ stand on gun laws in some of the cities where it has stores?  Do you support Starbucks or do you think the company should give in.

This KIRO-TV story includes a statement from Starbucks, the Brady campaign’s petition and interviews with gun owners.

The American Academy of Pediatrics came down hard this week on the hot dog.  It blames the hot dog for choking, and in some cases, killing young children.  The medical group suggests putting warning labels on hot dog packaging, even though many companies already include warnings about choking hazards.

I understand the risk.  I think most parents are fully aware of the choking risk.  But if you want warning labels on hot dogs, go for it.  If it can save a child’s life, by all means, slap a warning on it.  But, change the shape of hot dogs?  Are you nuts!  Grapes are a choking hazard too.  What are you going to do…have agriculture scientists develop square or flat grapes?  I think reshaping the hot dog is taking it a bit too far.  People need to rely on common sense and not warning labels to keep their families safe.

I was horrified when the video of the Seattle bus tunnel beating first surfaced…and still can’t get the images out of my head.  Those security officers should have intervened in some way to help the teenage girl from getting her head beat in.  But now with the news of the victim’s past (in this article) coming to light…it makes me wonder if the attack wasn’t some sort of karma?  The victim once assaulted a security guard in an effort to help a shoplifting friend make her getaway.  Maybe if she had had respect for authority in one situation, it would have had respect for her well being in another?

Your thoughts?

Oh, how times have changed.

This week a Vancouver, Wa elementary school was put into lockdown after kindergarten students said another child had a gun in the playground.  It turned out the gun was just a toy, a cap gun.

I think the students and school officials acted appropriately by taking the situation very seriously.  But this incident is an example of how our world has changed since I was in elementary school.  I had not one but several of these cap guns as a child and I’m sure I took my gun to school at some point.  It just wasn’t an issue back then.  How did things get so complicated?

Are glasses better for the environment than contact lenses?

This article explores the impacts of both.  After reading the article, I came to the conclusion that the study itself was a huge waste of “energy”.  And since I wear both contacts and glasses (and, prescription sunglasses), the green police are sure to knock down my door!

Dancing queens?  I think not.  But I did have an amazing time this New Year’s Eve at the KGMI Gala and “Dancing with the Radio Stars” competition.

It was months ago that I was asked if I’d participate in the competition.  I said yes without taking even a second to think about it.  Boy, I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

First of all, I didn’t have a partner.  My boyfriend was going to be out of town for work.  And not everyone is willing to wiggle their tush in front of 150 people on NYE.  I was so lucky that KPUG sports anchor Jennifer Zaremba was game.  We learned a west coast swing over the course of eight dance lessons and won this year’s competition!

All of the teams were amazing and the dances so different.  Congratulations to everyone.

The experience was challenging, hard work…but most of all, fun!  And now I’ve got this mirrored-ball trophy sitting on my desk, waiting for next year’s challenge.  To quote Patti Brooks, “bring it on!”

The Associated Press released a report this morning on the number of journalists killed so far this year and the news wasn’t good.  A record number of journalists was killed in 2009.  Below is the full story.

NEW YORK (AP) - The Committee to Protect Journalists says at

least 68 journalists were killed in 2009, the highest one-year

tally ever documented by the press advocacy group.

The record toll was largely due to the slaughter of 30 media

workers in the Philippine province of Maguindanao on Nov. 23.

The number was 60 percent higher than the 42 deaths recorded in

2008.

Without the Philippine killings, the number of journalists

killed would have been 38, or slightly lower than the 2008 figure.

CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney said Wednesday the killings

still represented a disturbing trend, especially in Somalia where

nine journalists were killed.

The previous high total was 67 deaths recorded in 2007.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Apparently it’s not just the gate-crashing incident at the White House that Tareq and Michaele Salahi are accused of lying about.

Michaele makes claims that she was a Washington Redskins cheerleader, a former Miss USA and a Victoria Secrets’ model.  All of those organizations say they have no record of her.  You can read details on Wikipedia here.

She must live in her own little, sad world.

I am not a scientist or a doctor or connected to the health care industry in any way…but I’d like to think I have a little common sense.

And my common sense has me questioning the new guidelines released this week for mammograms.

I understand the new guidelines are based on scientific evidence but what about anecdotal evidence?

Here are just two examples in my own life.

My sister’s dear friend Kathyrn from Austin, Texas was diagnosed this year with breast cancer after a self-breast exam.  She is 33 years old.

My former colleague and friend at KIRO-TV, Michelle Millman, discovered a lump earlier this year during a self-breast exam.  She is 42 years old.

If both of these women followed the new guidelines they would not have had mammograms or even conducted self-breast exams.

Thankfully these women detected the cancer early and they have a good chance of beating it and becoming breast cancer survivors.

Please watch this video of Michelle Millman reacting to the new guidelines.  We can all learn from her insight and grace.