Taylor Momsen | Shake 'N Bake Taylor Momsen Commercial

Considering her boob-flashing bad girl ways of present day (causing this blogger to observe she needed a boob job), its hard to realize that Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen (where she plays Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series) was this adorable young child actress, who's Shake 'N Bake commercial took America by storm when it was aired.

According to EOnline, Taylor Momsen was three years old when she filmed that commercial.  A commercial so good it makes you want to shake and bake chicken to produce what she's eating.

 Since then, Taylor's grown to become a model and an actress, starring in 10 different major film and television roles.

Oh, and at 17 years old (as of this writing) is currently going through a major rebellious streak. (Photo by realbollywood.com)

College students with Bipolar & other mental health problems- management tips By Dr. Christina Villarreal

For most American college students, the influx of new social opportunities, academic demands & pulling all nighters, and the ubiquitous college party scene can lead to high levels of stress. But students with bipolar disorder or other mental health problems, and students with a family history of mental health disorders, are especially vulnerable in a college environment.

The pressure of academic performance, social demands, and irregular sleep patterns are all triggers of depression as well as mania, the euphoric, revved-up state characteristic of bipolar disorder. In fact, college is one of the most frequent environments people experience their first bout of depression or mania. According to Russell Federman, Ph.D, the director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the University of Virginia student health center, the desire to fit in and conform to the college lifestyle can cause students with mental health problems to abandon healthy behaviors, even their medications. Without the right treatment and support, bipolar college students face higher dropout rates, drug and alcohol abuse, and even suicide.

A 2006 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders compared a group of bipolar adults with a group of healthy adults who had similar IQs and social backgrounds. More than 60 percent of both groups entered college, but their achievements differed greatly: Nearly half of the control group received a college degree, compared to just 16 percent of the bipolar group.

Students with bipolar disorder or other mental health problems can succeed in college, but doing so requires dedication to a plan. The following points are ALL crucial and can make the difference between achieving your college success goals and dropping out or worse, losing control of your mental health.

* Taking the proper medications, and ensuring they are easily accessible for refills
* arranging for the appropriate counseling and medical care on campus in addition to outside support
* avoiding drugs and alcohol and even caffeine, as they can render medications ineffective
* maintaining a steady sleep and study schedule
* finding sources of peer support

In his 2010 book, "Facing Bipolar: The Young Adult's Guide to Dealing With Bipolar Disorder", Federman outlines what he calls the "four S's of bipolar stability": structure, stress management, sleep management, and self-monitoring. This framework includes sticking to a regular schedule of studying and sleep, and learning to recognize the signs that you are beginning to drift into mania or hypomania.

An organization called Active Minds is trying to open the dialogue about mental illness on college campuses. Founded by Alison Malmon in 2001, following the suicide of her older brother, the organization now has more than 200 chapters nationwide. Active Minds organizes events such as National Day Without Stigma and has partnered with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance to create peer support groups on college campuses.

This author, Dr. Christina Villarreal is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Oakland, CA. For professional questions or referrals, email her at christina.villarreal@gmail.com or visit her website at www.drchristinavillarreal.com

Messy Mya Dead: YouTube Partners Must Be Careful

The murder of YouTube comedian Messy Mya recalls the murder of 20 year old Asia McGowan (in photo from Flickr), and since there was no motive given for what happened to Messy Mya, requires YouTube Partners and performers to be reminded of the dark forces in society that appear with New Media fame.  (Hat tip to Rolling Media for blogging about this.)

First, Asia McGowan

Asia McGowan was a 20 year old YouTube contributor who was murdered by a man named Anthony Powell on April 10th, 2009. Powell's motives were the product of a nutcase who had weird beliefs about black women that this blogger will not repeat here. Also on YouTube, Powell railed against anyone who believed in the theory of evolution.

Powell reportedly wanted to date McGowan but at the same time was what is called a "hater." Asia made a video about that before her passing:



What's A Hater?

"Hater" is a word used so much over the last five years, it now has an official designation in The Urban Dictionary. Here it is:

A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person. Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesnt really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock somelse down a notch.
Susan: You know, Kevin from accounting is doing very well. He just bought a house in a very nice part of town.

Jane (hater): If he is doing so well why does he drive that '89 Taurus?

"Hater" described a culture that's all too active in Oakland, California, but that's for another blog post.  The bottom line is that, from observation, that term started to be widely used just over the last five or six years.  It roughly matches the rise of a digital generation and rapid stardom fueled by reality TV and performance shows like American Idol.

It seems that this new way of creating stars also formed a current of jealously on the part of those who may want the same level of attention, but for whatever reason don't get it.  Rather than constructively dealing with the feeling associated with such a position, some lash out against those who they perceive as successful.

This happens on YouTube all too often.

Toward YouTube Support Groups

One thing lacking is something I call a "YouTube support group," or a place for YouTube Partners and performers to go where they can be around supportive people.  In the way I see such a group, a criteria for membership is they have to be a YouTube Partner, which is a person permitted by Google / YouTube to make money from ads posted on their videos.

Stay tuned.

Trader Joe's: Are There Too Many Of Them?

Trader Joe's.  On Sunday, The LA Times asked if there were too many of them at the same time the Omaha World-Herald hailed a new Trader Joe's opening in that city.  (Photo by greeenzer.com)

This blogger must confess to have never been a fan of Trader Joe's because it seemed like a lot of marketing hype.

Yes, hype.

Hype around the idea that their food doesn't contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. OK, but the price of the food this blogger purchases, meat, is still something like one dollar to two dollars higher per-item than at Safeway or Alberton's. You're not likely to find a Trader Joe's in a low-income neighborhood like West Oakland or South Chicago.

Just saying.

If there are too many Trader Joe's, it's because a significant number of Americans have bought into the marketing hype that the food retailer actually sells, again, food that doesn't contain "artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives." Now, my mother, who I'm visting as of this writing, agrees, saying Trader Joe's has "quality food, but it's not cheap."

That's the point.

The real food retail void to be filled is by providing "quality food" at cheap prices. Maybe the urban food farming movement is the answer, but that's still in its infancy.

Messy Mya Murder: YouTube Comedian Dies At 22

A very sad news story: "Messy Mya," a 22-year older who's name was "Louis," according to a reference on his Facebook page, was shot in New Orleans on Sunday.

The incident reportedly happened after Messy Mya was attending the baby shower of his girlfriend. According to NOLA.com, New Orleans Police reported that "a man" was killed at St. Anthony and North Rocheblave streets in what is called the 7th Ward.

Police have not released the official identity of the man, but observers and others identified him as the YouTube performer Messy Mya.

According to his YouTube channel page, Messy Mya joined YouTube in 2008 and produced 76 videos. He gained 3,676 subscribers. What's confusing is the last visit of Messy Mya is listed as being 7 hours ago. That would put the time at around 2 in the morning on Monday, November 15th. If Messy Mya was shot on Sunday, and is dead, then perhaps he shared his account with someone else.

The problem is that's not clear from the way the channel is set up. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheeHHGz and a sample of his video work:



Picture Of Messy Mya After Death Posted?

Reportedly, a photo of Messy Mya after he was shot was posted on Twitter. That is a sick action and the person who did it should be tracked down and prosecuted for Internet harassment.

Messy Mya Death Connected To YouTube Work?

Was Messy Mya's death connected to his YouTube work? It's not clear at this stage why he was murdered. Police have not reported a motive or named a suspect.

But Messy Mya's death recalls the murder of young YouTuber, 20 year old Asia McGowan on April 10th, 2009.  Asia was killed by another YouTuber and follower Anthony Powell, who was said to be mentally ill and made negative comments about black women.  Powell killed McGowan, then turned the gun on himself.

Oakland Focus

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Oakland News: Mayor-Elect Jean Quan and Women Now Run Oakland Posted: 14 Nov 2010 10:25 AM PST With Jean Quan's stunning Ranked Choice Voting win in the 2010 Oakland Mayor's Race, the City of Oakland now has six of its eight mayor and city council positions held by women. Here's the count: Oakland Mayor-Elect Jean Quan, Council President Jane Brunner (District 1: North Oakland), Coucilmember-Elect Libby Schaaf (District 4: Oakland Hills, Montclair), Councilmember Pat Kernighan (District 2: Chinatown, Glenview), Councilmember Nancy Nadel (District 3: Downtown, West Oakland), and Councilmember Desley Brooks (District Six: Central East Oakland). That leaves just Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente (District 5, Fruitvale, San Antonio), and Councilmember Larry Reid (District 7, East Oakland) as the only remaining male members of the Oakland City Council. Why? This isn't to provide a definitive answer by any stretch, but to start conversation about an important turning point in Oakland's political history. For years, any woman running for office in Oakland stood a better chance of winning over her male counterpart. The best example of this is unknown Audie Bock's victory over then-former Mayor Elihu Harris for the California Assembly. While Bock didn't last long, her victory was as much due to gender and Green Party affiliation as it was the "chicken dinner" campaign error on the part of Harris' Campaign Manager Richie Ross. What Bock had going for her was she was an unknown and a woman. Note, unknown. If you think about it, it's hard to find an election example where a victorious female candidate was known. In many ways Quan's victory was more about some not wanting Don Perata as Mayor of Oakland. That was the same as voters not wanting Harris to be in the California Assembly. If you consider the field, the vast majority of Oakland's elected officials are women who have been political novices. That is, they were unknown outside a group of people who intensely supported them. Outside of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, there's no female "political heavyweight" in Oakland. Does that mean a female incumbent can be beaten by an unknown female challenger? The answer seems to be no. Jenn Pei failed to beat the incumbent Pat Kernighan this year, just as Pat's withstood challenge from Aimee Allison. Congratulations Pat!  And there are other examples.  Desley Brooks won her seat over the unknown-to-all-but-insiders Nancy Sidebotham. To continue that view it's even harder for unknown men to beat women elected officials in Oakland, Councilmember Nancy Nadel withstood a challenge from two men: Greg Hodge and Sean Sullivan. Community Involvement Is Key One common quality of all of the successful and unsuccessful female candidates in Oakland is their level of community involvement. Mayor-Elect Jean Quan's reach came at first from her involvement with the Oakland Unified School District before she became District 4 Councilmember. Rebecca Kaplan's base came from her tenior on the AC Transit Board. When I talked to people about Councilmember Kernighan, they point to her involvement with the Crocker Highlands school before she started working as an aide to then-Oakland Councilmember John Russo. Libby Schaaf's involvement in Oakland extends all the way back to The Festival At The Lake in the mid 1990s, and then her work for the Oakland City Council, and Councilmember De La Fuente. Her first taste of Oakland campaigning was with me, working to get Don Smith elected to the Oakland School Board in 1990. The key for successful women elected officials is to be involved in the Oakland community. Being a school teacher's a great foundation, as is being involved in neighborhood groups and organizations. This is not to say that a woman can't be a building developer and achieve political success in Oakland, but the current pattern points toward community activism. What Will This Mean For Oakland? Now that women run Oakland - and the pattern will be complete if Mayor-Elect Quan selects a female Chief Administrative Officer, something Oakland's never had before - what does it mean for Oakland? It means the Oakland Police Department is going to have to change its approach in Oakland. In my conversations with Oakland cops, all male save for one, their view is almost classically "Let's bust some heads" male. That approach has caused a lot of problems that, I think, Mayor-Elect Quan and the council want to put a stop to. One change from all of this will be an Oakland Police Department that's more sensitive to the community and less an enemy of it. Stay tuned.

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CNN Parker Spitzer Ratings Cure? Eliot Spitzer Must Have Hooker As Guest

CNN's replacement for Campbell Brown, Parker / Spitzer, is a ratings and reviews failure.

The show, featuring former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and Conservative Columnist Kathleen Parker, is in big trouble. Right out of the gate, its debut show attracted just 460,000 viewers, more than 500,000 less than for Campbell Brown's start, and its never recovered.

Moreover, Bill O'Reilly's show had over 3 million viewers, and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann drew just over 1 million viewers in the same time slots.

While CNN should be alarmed by this news, it's not clear it is.  Instead of provocative shows, Parker / Spitzer gives us more of CNN's crack-fiend-level coverage of Sarah Palin.  (When will CNN's minders realize the country's not going to elect a quitter for President?  And on that note, how funny is it that Palin's new show is on, of all places, The Learning Channel?)

What CNN and Parker / Spitzer should give us viewers is what we all really crave.  To see Eliot Spitzer interview his hooker Ashley Dupre (in igossip.com photo) and have co-host Kathleen Parker right there to deliver the "What were you thinking? questions to Spitzer.  Meanwhile, Dupre (in photo can ask Spitzer why she wasn't his favorite hooker after all.

Geez.

Can you say "classic television?"  Can you say "CNN ratings skyrocket?"  Can you say "big fantasy."  I can, but given how badly the show's performing, it's not outside the realm of possibility.

Client Nine: The Rise & Fall of Eliot Spitzer


One documentary making the festival rounds may provide the backrop for Parker / Spitzer's ratings recovery. It's called Client Nine: The Rise & Fall of Eliot Spitzer, and features a talkative Spitzer, explaining what was going on in his mind during his sex scandalous romps...



The movie was released November 5th, and is already generating more buzz than Parker / Spitzer has managed to muster. So, instead of Sarah Palin for the hundreth time on CNN, how about a segment that would generate real ad dollars: Eliot Spitzer talking with his ladies of the evening and with Kathleen Parker, on hand (to excuse the pun)?

Does CNN have the guts?

Stay tuned.  The bet in this corner is CNN doesn't have the fire in the belly to do it.

Too bad.

RockMelt Browser Review By Zennie62: Better Than Apple Safari

The RockMelt Browser, the result of a team led by Netscape developer Marc Andreessen. The idea is to create a one-stop system that "melts" the social network with Internet browsing, and in such a way that desktop widgets to control, for example, Twitter tweets, are no longer necessary.

The browser is at once easy to use, smooth, and fast. Based on the Google Chrome platform, it can literally cause you to have pages and well-managed pages of information before your eyes, yet not feel overwhelmed by it all.

This video blogger has already logged more time using it on the brand-new MacBook Pro than the Safari, Firefox, and Opera browsers put together. Part of the reason, aside from its speed and feel, is the addictive way information is presented at what the creators call "The Edges" of the page, or the sides. But what's impressive is the layering of the panels that open when cursor contact is made.

RockMelt is a terrific, innovative upgrade of the Internet browser. It's flexible design means you can add new social networks and blog feeds to the pages and never miss a step in performance.

There's only one problem with RockMelt...

The Need For Diversity In Its Staff

The RockMelt team posted a photo of themselves that opens when you go to a webpage with the download information. It features a group of about 60 or so people, two woemn, perhaps three "of color," and the rest mostly white male. It's hard, really hard, to understand why real racial diversity isn't the order of the day in tech, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates and Apple CEO Steve Jobs could take a page from the book of the late great San Francisco 49rs Head Coach Bill Walsh, who recognized that it was stupid to have almost no blacks in coaching positions in pro football, yet knew their were capable people. To change that Walsh worked to establish the NFL Minority Coaches Fellowship, which bears his name.

Why not the same for tech? After all, a sane person can't possibly enjoy this lack of diversity.

Sane. Person.

Arizona Approves Medicinal Marijuana

Arizona is the 15th state to approve medicinal marijuana according to The New York Times online.

The medicinal marijuana will be made available for people suffering chronic or debilitating diseases. The votes ended up being 841,346 in favor and 837,005 opposed.

The state will only be allowed a maximum of 124 marijuana dispensaries.

A woman who has spoken out about this very much to the New York Times is Carolyn Short, chairwoman of Keep Arizona Drug Free. She has strong opposition and tells NYT:

“All of the political leaders came out and warned Arizonans that this was going to have very dire effects on a number of levels.I don’t think that all Arizonans have heard those dire predictions.”

Elizabeth Lambert Still Searched One Year After Hair-Pulling Soccer Game

Elizabeth Lambert, who gained fame for her powerfully disturbingly effective display of punching and hair pulling in the New Mexico Lobos Soccer game against BYU last year, is still a searched for personality one-year after the incident.



Lambert was stripped of her right to play NCAA Soccer in the wake of the event, then reinstated in August of this year. This season New Mexico Women's Soccer posted a 12-3-5 record, and undefeated at home. They lost to Notre Dame 3-0 on Friday.

If Lambert played, it's not readily clear as there are no posted stats for her in the game.

Here's what this blogger wrote about Lambert (#15 in the cdn.turner.com photo) last year:

Elizabeth Lambert is a junior at New Mexico and is 5'8 and her position is "Defender". She was born December 29, 1988 and according to her player bio enjoys camping, surfing, and tacos...in addition to hair pulling and fist throwing. She's majoring in University Studies with a focus on (drum roll please)...Occupational Therapy!


But as surprising as this may be to some, I know a lot of women soccer players who say the kind of activity Elizabeth Lambert is being suspended for is common. It's just that few have captured it on video and in a spotlight game against two major colleges like BYU and New Mexico where such actions are bound to get World attention as this has.

Quiet Liz

Lambert's managed to stay out of the limelight this year, save for the news of her reinstatement. That's going to be hard to maintain, as she's now an Internet celebrity; once she does something, anything, it's news.

Oakland News: Mayor-Elect Jean Quan and Women Now Run Oakland

With Jean Quan's stunning Ranked Choice Voting win in the 2010 Oakland Mayor's Race, the City of Oakland now has six of its eight mayor and city council positions held by women. Here's the count: Oakland Mayor-Elect Jean Quan, Council President Jane Brunner (District 1: North Oakland), Coucilmember-Elect Libby Schaaf (District 4: Oakland Hills, Montclair), Councilmember Pat Kernighan (District 2: Chinatown, Glenview), Councilmember Nancy Nadel (District 3: Downtown, West Oakland), and Councilmember Desley Brooks (District Six: Central East Oakland).

That leaves just Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente (District 5, Fruitvale, San Antonio), and Councilmember Larry Reid (District 7, East Oakland) as the only remaining male members of the Oakland City Council. Why? This isn't to provide a definitive answer by any stretch, but to start conversation about an important turning point in Oakland's political history.

For years, any woman running for office in Oakland stood a better chance of winning over her male counterpart. The best example of this is unknown Audie Bock's victory over then-former Mayor Elihu Harris for the California Assembly. While Bock didn't last long, her victory was as much due to gender and Green Party affiliation as it was the "chicken dinner" campaign error on the part of Harris' Campaign Manager Richie Ross. What Bock had going for her was she was an unknown and a woman.

Note, unknown.

If you think about it, it's hard to find an election example where a victorious female candidate was known. In many ways Quan's victory was more about some not wanting Don Perata as Mayor of Oakland. That was the same as voters not wanting Harris to be in the California Assembly.

If you consider the field, the vast majority of Oakland's elected officials are women who have been political novices. That is, they were unknown outside a group of people who intensely supported them. Outside of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, there's no female "political heavyweight" in Oakland.

Does that mean a female incumbent can be beaten by an unknown female challenger? The answer seems to be no. Jenn Pei failed to beat the incumbent Pat Kernighan this year, just as Pat's withstood challenge from Aimee Allison. Congratulations Pat!  And there are other examples.  Desley Brooks won her seat over the unknown-to-all-but-insiders Nancy Sidebotham.

To continue that view it's even harder for unknown men to beat women elected officials in Oakland, Councilmember Nancy Nadel withstood a challenge from two men: Greg Hodge and Sean Sullivan.

Community Involvement Is Key

One common quality of all of the successful and unsuccessful female candidates in Oakland is their level of community involvement. Mayor-Elect Jean Quan's reach came at first from her involvement with the Oakland Unified School District before she became District 4 Councilmember. Rebecca Kaplan's base came from her tenior on the AC Transit Board. When I talked to people about Councilmember Kernighan, they point to her involvement with the Crocker Highlands school before she started working as an aide to then-Oakland Councilmember John Russo.

Libby Schaaf's involvement in Oakland extends all the way back to The Festival At The Lake in the mid 1990s, and then her work for the Oakland City Council, and Councilmember De La Fuente. Her first taste of Oakland campaigning was with me, working to get Don Smith elected to the Oakland School Board in 1990.

The key for successful women elected officials is to be involved in the Oakland community. Being a school teacher's a great foundation, as is being involved in neighborhood groups and organizations. This is not to say that a woman can't be a building developer and achieve political success in Oakland, but the current pattern points toward community activism.

What Will This Mean For Oakland?

Now that women run Oakland - and the pattern will be complete if Mayor-Elect Quan selects a female Chief Administrative Officer, something Oakland's never had before - what does it mean for Oakland?

It means the Oakland Police Department is going to have to change its approach in Oakland. In my conversations with Oakland cops, all male save for one, their view is almost classically "Let's bust some heads" male. That approach has caused a lot of problems that, I think, Mayor-Elect Quan and the council want to put a stop to. One change from all of this will be an Oakland Police Department that's more sensitive to the community and less an enemy of it.

Stay tuned.

Brittany Murphy's Mother Writes Tell-All

Brittany Murphy's mother Sharon has announced that she will be writing a tell-all book about her daughter, according to Show Biz Spy.

Sharon wants to honor her daughter and her daughter's husband Simon Monjack by writing her memoirs.

“This book will be my way of celebrating and honoring her extraordinary life and career,” Sharon tells Show Biz Spy. “Brittany was a kind, loving person who enjoyed each day; she was my life. I am looking forward to everyone reading the accurate account about my daughter, her life, loves and career.”

A percentage of the money earned through the sales of this upcoming book will be donated to charity.