There are more giggling girls on television news channels than there are at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills. What’s up with that? These girls range in looks from Paris Hilton to Lou Dobbs in drag.

Are men the next endangered species? Have women rendered them redundant? Are we headed for the United States of Amazonia?

A quick look at Fox News gives the impression that a viewer has inadvertently tuned in to a Hugh Hefner Bunny Reunion, especially on Bill O’Reilly’s show. Unless he’s sitting naked on a pound of loose goose feathers, it’s probably Bill’s thrill of being surrounded by saccharine, silly, simpering starlets that causes him to giggle just like they do. It’s embarrassing to watch, so I don’t. This had to be a male decision at the corporate level to attract more female viewers. Don’t they understand that it’s men we want to watch and not each other? This may be why Fox is frequently referred to as the “gyno network.” Some of these lovelies are referred to as “rotating anchors.” That may be how they got the job in the first place.

Some of these babes, the same ones that decry sexism, an imaginary “glass ceiling,” and who try to shut down their local Hooters, wear necklines so low, they look like they’re jumping rope. They can call it “news” if they like, but it’s nothing more than a babe parade on steroids. They look like Barbie blow-up dolls for lonely males. The more discerning man would turn to MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell.

However, O’Donnell, one of the most gorgeous women on the air, has an unfortunate and maniacal cackle that would make Alfred Hitchcock shiver with fright. The show’s producers have to be careful not to book any comics who might make her laugh.

Speaking of MSNBC, their website lists, with photos, no fewer than 69 female newscasters, with fetching Bunny names like Contessa, Dara, Savannah and Britta. These girlie newscasters almost make CBS’s Katie Couric look like a man. (There’s someone I wouldn’t watch at gunpoint.)

One of the most believable female newscasters is CNN’s Senior Political Correspondent, Candy Crowley, who knows at least as much about politics as Wolf Blitzer, and a whole lot more than President Bush. Besides, she’s the only female news correspondent who doesn’t begin every sentence with the word “Well…”

60 Minutes features Leslie Stahl, an aging blonde who looks like she’s wearing a hamster on her head. She must have something on someone at CBS because, compared to Barbara Walters’ smoothly penetrating interviews, she’s not even in the same league.

CNN features Campbell Brown, the pretty brunette with the great gams. The camera likes them, too, and often pans them. Maybe CNN is trying to point out that her stories have legs.

Rachael Maddow, frequent guest in the political pundit arena, is beautiful and smart. She should be an anchor person and give some cred to the otherwise beauty pageant aspect of today’s television news.

Sports is another area women have seeped into, but their lack of knowledge about the sport they’re covering makes them funny enough to be carried by Comedy Central.

So where are all the men? There are subtle indications that they are hiding in darkened rooms nationwide, bleary eyed from watching the babe parade under the guise of watching the news. Some of them are still salivating as they enter the daylight and seem surprised that Hillary Clinton finally conceded. Sort of.

If I could find a man, I now know he only needs TV news to be happy, when I used to think all it took was a beer, a buddy, and a football with nipples.

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http://www.maggievanostrand.com

Maggie Van Ostrand’s award-winning humor column appears in local hard copy newspapers and online publications in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Her articles appear regularly in the Chicago Tribune, and have appeared in the Boston Globe, Newsday, the Philadelpha Inquirer, Amarillo Globe-News, Sun-Sentinel, and many other national newspapers, as well as national and niche magazines.

A prolific writer, Maggie churns out three humor and one human interest columns weekly, plus a monthly humor column.

She is a member of National Society of Newspaper Columnists, the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists in the U.K.

Maggie was also a judge of the worldwide Erma Bombeck Writers’ Contest in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and judge of 2007 Arizona Press Club Award for journalism.

You could be making yourself vulnerable, (and probably you are!) with the regular use of all those highly commercialized products that are advertised to give you an “x” amount of beauty care. Why would you like to take the risk of ruining your skin and go buy them, knowing well that they are surely harmful for you! Just as we would like to ensure that the produce we eat is fresh and organic, and not laden with chemicals or genetically modified, wouldn’t you like to ensure the same for what you allow your skin and scalp to absorb? In fact, after the lungs, the skin and the skull are most receptive to absorption. If you just take a close look at this, you would be totally appalled at the high number of toxicity and chemical dosages most of your ever popular “dermatologically tested”, friendly and celebrated cosmetic products contain!

Ever read the label at the back of your make up bottles? If you have the time, just look up some search material for each of the chemicals mentioned in any of your foundation bottles. From titanium dioxide to coal tar and what not, you will be devastated to discover the true concoction of your beauty! It seems that we are such vain creatures, that even though some of those elements could jolly well be found written on the back of rat poison bottles, whenever we see a promise of beauty enhancement, we run towards it unconsciously!

Yet, if we indeed take a more enlightened approach towards this subject that goes beyond half the celebrity propaganda and all those bombarding adverting campaigns, we can seriously find alternatives to most retail beauty capsules and potions. Well, just for plain common sense, if all the stars and supermodels used what they claim to in those ad campaigns, do you think they would have looked like that?

Do you think actors and actresses guzzle those colas they advertise? So, why the hell would they be lathering themselves with cheap soaps and put on cosmetic products they advertise unless they were being paid to do so.

Angelina Jolie may have advertised for many cosmetic campaigns, but what the inside grape vine is that she relies on unpasteurized goat milk based exotic soaps for cleansing herself! A bit of an eye opener, isn’t it? That’s why you need to do a little bit of research before you decide to buy the first product that your favorite personality is advertising.

Visit my blog Crystal Clear Skin for more articles on beauty and skin care.

What better way to take pride in the freedom of the American spirit than to bestow a dearest little person with a name that has been lovingly created by its parents? The newest trends have been released by the American Social Security Administration, based on birth records created in the last year - and the trend is hard to miss. Creative names are on the rise, both in average families and in the families of Hollywood headline makers.

Hollywood stars are well known for creating trend waves that have rocked generations. The name Kingston became popular once Gwen Stephanie had chosen it for her son. Shiloh, the child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, took a leap from being virtually unheard of to the top charts across the country. Britney Spears took the name Jayden to new popularity heights, when she chose the name for her son.

There may come a day when Michael and James will sound weird. To make that happen, parents are dedicating their hearts to bestowing their newborns with names that they themselves crafted. Common sources of inspiration include a mix of the parents’ names, a creative twist on popular names, and modern versions of ethnic names. Why settle for the common when there is a world of possibilities out there? Names such as Keven, Nestor and Elvin for boys, and Kenia, Noelia and Abagail have recently graced hospital birth records.

Nevaeh is a contemporary wonder. Widely discussed on internet forums, the name has had a remarkable success in the last few years. Considered by onomasts to be a contemporary creation, the name is an example of how far creative baby names can go. It takes one creative parent to set a trend that can rock the name charts for years.

Creative names are on the rise, and so are names from the world’s largest religions. The most popular names today are a mix of both tradition and contemporary tastes. Rare baby names are hard to come by, and parents have the option of creating their own name to bestow and treasure for a lifetime.

http://www.BabyHold.com

Hair coloring has become more of a necessity than a fad for anyone who would like to change or improve their looks. A recent study shows that 75 percent of American women color their hair. However, this phenomenon is not limited to women. Home hair color products for men have surpassed the $100 million dollar mark in sales in five years. Commercial hair dyes can be applied easily. Some are applied to dry hair and some to wet hair. Some dyes are worked into a lather, left to process for a specific time, and then rinsed and conditioned.

Hair coloring may give your hair a new look but it can leave your hair weakened and damaged. If the wrong levels of ammonia and peroxide in the hair dye are used, then they could cause damage to your hair. Over-processing, or having too many permanent colors applied to your hair, can leave your hair really dull and brittle.

Hair care manufacturers have become aware of this problem and have come up with a solution. The result is the appearance of various hair vitamins in the market specifically for people with colored hair. So far, consumer reactions have been positive. These hair vitamins work by resealing the cuticle, thereby ensuring the retention of moisture and nutrients in the hair and protecting the cortex. If you are considering purchasing one of these products, be sure that it has inositol. Inositol strengthens the hair’s cell walls. Other vitamins and minerals to look for in a hair vitamin product are Vitamin B-12, pantothenic acid, zinc, and manganese. Also, never underestimate the power of a balanced diet to make your treated hair grow healthy. Vitamins and minerals play a great role in restoring your damaged hair. Vitamin C in fruits and vegetables have is good for the skin and hair. Vitamin E from nuts and green, leafy vegetables enhances scalp circulation.

Hair Vitamins provides detailed information on Hair Vitamins, Vitamin For Hair Loss, Female Hair Loss Vitamin, Vitamin For Healthy Hair and more. Hair Vitamins is affiliated with Hair Styles.

Fidel Castro has been a thorn in the side of the United States for nearly 5-decades, one of our nearest neighbors, a communist country. Many citizens of Cuba, have fled to freedom to find sanctuary in the United States, and who could blame them? Fidel Castro took over the Cuban government in a revolution and he promised to give the country back to the people, but when the dust had settled, Fidel Castro, gave the country to himself.

This should come as no surprise and certainly this is not the first time in history it has happened. Unfortunately, his rule lasted 50-years, people had been born, lived their natural lives under Fidel Castro, and never knew true freedom, even though it was only 80 miles away. Some took that fateful journey and fled to the US. Most of those Cuban-Americans would certainly like to see Cuba turned into a Democracy.

We need a free Cuba, and those in Cuba deserve to control their own destinies and enjoy liberty and freedom, just like any country. The US should move now to give Cuba back to the people, then open up free-trade, tourism and create win-win partnerships. All this could take place in a very short amount of time with the right will power and leadership with the strength of character to make it so.

Imagine what we could do for Cuba right now. So close, so simple and such a wonderful gift, that we could bring to give that nation back to those who long to be free, desire liberty and deserve a better quality of life; folks the time is now, its time to put Fidel Castro into the history books and continue our mission for the betterment of humankind. Think on this for a moment please, we owe it to our neighbors who have waited oh so long.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance’s Bio