Ben Bernanke

Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, won the Time Person of the Year for 2009.

What?!? You have to be kidding me? Bernanke has not done a good job with his job and should not be the Person of the Year.

CBS Gag Order

CBS Network shows many golf tournaments including the Masters, which is one of four majors on the PGA Tour. The network has told its broadcasters that it cannot talk about the Tiger Woods saga. Not one work, says the network, or they will get fired.

Now, I am perfectly okay with CBS not talking about it. I am sure everyone is starting to get tired of it including me...but getting fired over it? Now that is ridiculous. I am sure regular folks are not going to watch the Majors because Tiger is not going to be in them (right now).

Good job for CBS for saying no...but don't threatened being fired over it.

Thomson, Illinois

Thomson, Illinois is a small town in western Illinois that has a population of 600. There is a near-empty state prison in the town limits that will now host Gitmo inmates. The government does not know how many prisoners are coming, but probably around 100 to 200.

Sorry, but they should not be here on American soil. Put them in the middle of an island in the Pacific and keep them out there. Obama is making a huge mistake. All everyone cares about is jobs...but this is getting ridiculous.

The Simpsons

The cartoon show, The Simpsons, will be turning 20 years old on Thursday. It is the longest-running cartoon show in history.

Congrats to the show! I think the big rumors now are is the show coming to an conclusion? I think it should. It has been on television long enough and how many ideas can you write about the same family who has not aged one day? Not too many.

Chien-Ming Wang

Chien-Ming Wang, pitcher for the New York Yankees, was not offered a contract for the 2010 season and has entered the free agent market. Wang, who tore a muscle in his foot in 2008, has not been the same and was 1-6 last season before going on the DL.

Wang was a great pitcher when his sinker was working, but it has not worked at all this year. I am kind of happy that the Yankees did not re-sign him. I think the Yanks are looking for an end-of-the-rotation pitcher such as Ben Sheets. I think this will also let Joba and Hughes start some games.

I know that Wang is disappointed, but the Yankees made the right decision here.

Sunday Thoughts

Another Sunday is upon us and I am here writing my thoughts. It has been a very long week and I am happy to relax.

Here are my Sunday Thoughts:

1) The first snowfall has come to Maine and I am very happy that it finally did. I was waiting for a couple of weeks for the first snow storm of the season. It makes me comfortable that a white Christmas is coming to Maine. I am very excited for Christmas. It is only 12 days away!

2) There are about two dozen candidates for Governor for next year. I cannot believe how many people are declared their candidacy already. As I was having breakfast before Mass this morning, WCSH6 was interviewing one of those candidates and she did very well. I forgot her name, but she was a Democrat. I am just shocked as the election for Governor is next year. I think everyone is tired of Baldacci and he just needs to go out to pasture.

3) Are both the Saints and Colts going undefeated this year? I think it is a definite yes. Both teams do not have a hard schedule for the rest of the year. Should the NFL increase the season by two games by cutting down pre-season? Absolutely! Nobody watches the pre-season. A 18-game schedule would make it more interesting and excited.

4) Let's go Jets! They should be 7-6 by the end of the evening.

5) The good old health-care debate is still going on in the Senate and they will not vote on it until next year. Obama wanted it done by Christmas. Sorry Barack, but that is not happening. Good goal though, but nope...not happening. I can't wait for reasonable health care reform to pass and this whole debate can go away.

Polar Express

I am watching Polar Express for the first time in my life and I have to say that I am really enjoying it. It seems like the newest holiday classic for Christmas. I love that promotes the magic of Christmas to children.

Great movie...I have really enjoyed it.

Top Ten Games

I found this through si.com. It talks about the top ten baseball games of the 2000s. I have watched the majority of these games and have to agree with Sports Illustrated. What do you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Baseball Games

Motivational Quote

Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable. – Coco Chanel

Christmas and Food

I found this through the John Tesh blog (yes, John Tesh). I felt it was interesting since Christmas is coming up and we usually eat more food.

I hope you're getting ready to enjoy an upcoming weekend...maybe a holiday party to attend? If you have hopes of starting 2010 without some serious pounds to drop from too many trips to the buffet table, take some tips from Redbook magazine about what to have, what to avoid (and how to, too!) at parties, as well as at home:

Balance out your binges. There are 15 days left of the season. If you've let yourself eat whatever you want in the last couple of weeks, try now to scale back until December 24th. That way, you can enjoy a guilt-free holiday dinner, says Tallmadge. If you have events still to come, leading up to the end of the year, pick one party or dinner a week as the one where you splurge.

Don't stand near the hors d'oeuvres. "Take a few things, then go as far away from them as possible so you're not tempted to pick from the platter," says Jackie Newgent, R.D., a New York-based nutritionist and chef.

Alternate indulgences. Have cheese at one party, but no dessert, then switch it next time out, says Kathleen Daelemans, author of Getting Thin and Loving Food! Doing so will keep you from going too nuts—or saying no to nuts altogether.

Implement the 15-minute rule. Give yourself that much time before you hit up the yummies; grab a nonalcoholic beverage (like sparkling water with a lime twist) in the meantime to keep your hands busy. "People are usually nervous at the beginning of an event, so they dive into the buffet table and end up eating more," says Tallmadge.

Don't ban your favorites. "Decide which special foods you really want and enjoy them, but skip the rest," says Daelemans. So if you love eggnog, have a glass, but if you could take or leave gingerbread-man cookies, don't waste your calories on them.

Make water your best friend. Tallmadge recommends not drinking on an empty stomach and having two glasses of water for every glass of wine. "You want to sip and savor your wine, and grab and gulp your water," she says.

Keep in-between meals low-calorie. Balance out party splurges with super-healthy choices at other meals and on other days of the week, says Daelemans. Make green salads with low-fat dressing for lunch and pick lean meats (like chicken or pork) or broth-based or bean soups for dinner.

Oops, I ate it again! Whether you're whipping up a batch of cookies or making frosting, it's hard not to sample here and there. "But you can end up eating a whole dinner's worth of calories before you even sit down," says Tallmadge.

One misconception you need to avoid like the plague? The one where you tell yourself that you've already put on a few pounds- it's too late, so you might as well forget about it, and eat and drink whatever you want! You'll resolve to get thin at the new year, right? Uh-uh. Get back up on that wagon with me, friend- it's never too late to pull yourself back to some leaner, healthier choices. Good luck the rest of this week, too! (Now...will they just stop bringing cookies to the office?