NinevehDinha's Blog

Anyone seen the cover of Newsweek? It's got Gov. Sarah Palin, up close and personal. So close up that "some", we'll call them the critics, say it went too far. Newsweek won't comment, but the experts in the field of retouching say she wasn't touched up. She was exposed, flaws and all. Her facial hair, wrinkles, moles. Critics say Barack Obama has been on the cover plenty of times, making him look "Presidential", with touch ups to make him look "soft." What do you think? Everyone is welcome to comment, but what do you (the females) think about the cover? Many of you may say: embrace our flaws! I agree. We're not perfect! Nobody is flawless. But I think the point critics were trying to make is that Newsweek set out to make Palin look flawed, on purpose. All I know is this, take a shot of ANYONE that close up without a little airbrushing and it won't be "pretty."

Hence the article's title. That's another issue for some pundits. The title on the cover: "She's one of the folks (and that's the problem)."

Here's a link to the cover...

http://www.theimproper.com/Images/Art/sarah%20palin %20newsweek%20cover.jpg

K, what do you think now? Regardless (politics aside), I think we can all agree that Mrs. Palin is GORGEOUS!

Have a good weekend! Thank you my friends, as always for sharing your OPINIONS...

I watched with great interest last night. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama going head to head in a townhall style debate (said to be one of McCain's strengths). I won't share my thoughts on the debate, but I want to know what you think.

Watching the pundits talk last night about the debate, they said it was more of the same. Did you feel like you got more of the same?  Or did the candidates answer your questions?

This debate was supposed to be a home run for Sen. McCain. He's known for doing well in townhall style debates. But pundits are saying, he didn't live up to that expectation. Who do you think won the debate? National Polls (right now) say Obama came out on top. We've also got a poll on our website. With 700 votes so far, Obama has the lead. You should let us know who you think did a better job. The point is, this was round 2. The third and final debate is next week in New York. I guess when you think about it, that's not a lot of time to get to know your presidential candidates. Any thoughts?

What are you expecting from next week's debate; and are any of you still undecided on who to vote for?

Thanks!

Do electronic devices like cell phones, ipods, pagers and cameras belong in the classroom? As part of a new proposed rule, the State Board of Education now wants to require all schools to adopt an Electronic Device Policy. While most state schools (public and charters) have cell phone policies, the board wants a say in what the policy implements. Board members say they don't necessarily want schools to ban cell phones, but believe they can be a dangerous tool...
Nude cell phone pictures passed around (Davis County case), text bullying and even cheating. These are the inappropriate uses of a cell phone that the board are concerned about. 
I talked to students and teachers at East High School today to get their feelings on the issue (live at 5). The school already has its own policy in place. If the board passes the policy rule in November, ALL state schools will be required to have an electronic device policy in place...
Thoughts anyone? 

Today I met two incredible women. They are survivors; each battled breast cancer and won the fight. Susan Osborne of Sandy was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. She found a lump in her breast while in the shower. She got a mastectomy and was soon in remission. The next fall, after some blood work she found out the cancer had moved to her liver, bones and lungs. She also has three brain tumors. But she has such a strong spirit. I wonder how women like her don't give up and keep fighting.

Tammy Keddington of Salt Lake is another inspiration. She's a mother of two and was just in her 30s when she first felt a lump in her breast. Doctors discovered 5 tumors in her breast. 11 years later and she's strong as ever. Her outlook on life is amazing.

Both of these local ladies are now featured on food boxes at thousands of Smith's Food and Drug Stores in 31 states. Their stories are on the back of Eggo Waffles and Triscuit boxes. Congratulations to both of you!

As part of Breast Awareness month, all of us (men included) should check our breasts. Women should be checking for lumps (no matter how young or old you are) every month. Early detection is so imporant!

I just want to thank both Susan and Tammy (their stories will be on Live at 5) for taking the time to share their stories with everyone. It was a pleasure meeting both of you. Your positive attitudes are truly inspirational...Thanks! And of course, thanks to the thousands of survivors, and to the ones who lost their lives fighting cancer...for spreading awareness.

Before I go, I'll leave you with this. Stats from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure...

Every 3 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and every 13, someone dies from it. And one in eight will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in their life.

Check your breasts...

As usual, I invite you to share your thoughts! Thanks, as always...

People use public transportation to SAVE MONEY, but UTA is increasing its fares. So I want your thoughts for the show. Here's a breakdown of all the fare hikes.

2 hour bus or trax ride is up 24 cents, total now $2.25 a ticket

Monthly bus or trax pass increased 8 bucks, $74.50 now the new total

Frontrunner pass is up 15 dollars = $175/month

Paratransit is up 25 cents. The ticket will now cost you $2.75

I will be talking to a UTA spokesperson in just a few minutes..

Why the increase? GAS PRICES. UTA says because of the cost of gas, they have no choice but to increas fares. Do you think that's fair?

Crude Oil prices are down, and Utah is now below the national average when it comes to the price for a gallon of gas. UTA has said that it would reconsider the fare hike if gas prices came back down...I'll be asking about that as well.

So here's what I want to know from you. Once again, is it fair to increase the fares? And if you're wondering who determines the price increase, it's the UTA board. Do you think the fare hikes should be determined by an independent company? Share your thoughts, and I'll try my best to share them at 8am!

Either way, feel free to leave your comments...thanks!

I want your thoughts. The House rejected the bailout bill. In a 228-205 vote, 40 percent of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans (according to the AP) said no to the 700 billion dollar bailout. Despite warnings about a financial meltdown from President Bush, the bill did not pass. As investors waited to hear word, stocks tanked. The Dow plummeted nearly 700 points. As of noon, the Dow was down more than 400 points. We'll see how it closes. 
The question now is: where do we go from here? What does Congress plan on doing next?
What are your suggestions? We've already discussed how we got into this mess, now how do we dig ourselves out?

"I now expect we will, indeed, have a plan that can pass the House, pass the Senate, (and) be signed by the President." That's what Senator Bob Bennett of Utah said after a two-hour negotiating session between both parties.
 A deal on the 700 billion dollar bailout could be reached within days, even as early as tomorrow. Stocks rallied this morning following President Bush's prime time address last night. 
Meantime, jobless claims are at a 7-year high...While we don't know the details of the proposed bailout (it could be different from the administrations recommendations), it's most likely happening. The federal government will be bailing the financial market out of the mess it made. 
Questions: do you think the "bailout" is a socialistic move? Do you think a couple days is enough time to make such a big decision? Or do you believe Congress should act fast?

One of the national polls (source: fox news) said the economy is Americans' biggest worry. The war on terrorism was front and center for Americans when the candidates for President were first announced. Now with a financial crisis on our hands, will you be voting for the candidate that is best fit to deal with our economy? Speaking of, do you feel like either candidate has enough experience to pull us out of this mess?

And on that note, what do you think of this 700 billion dollar bailout plan that congress is having a "tough" time with? Let's say the government bails "us" out (thanks to speculators and CEO's that some say make too much $$$), how would you feel about our federal government owning nearly 70 percent of the market? Nearly everything, including our morgages would be owned by the gov. Is that a "free" market?

Here's another thought to ponder. HOW DID WE GET HERE? America's economy was thriving until every bank decided to loan money to people who simply weren't qualified. How did they get away with it? Now the FBI wants to probe them? 26 companys to be exact, including four major financial institutions. Maybe there should have been some regulations before this happened. What do you think? Is a bailout really the solution? Our children will be footing the bill...taxpayers.

Thanks for your thoughts...

Finally...the day has come. Round 2 of the AI auditions! This is the day when the final AI ido hopefuls that passed through round 1 in july will get their shot at auditioning in front of the JUDGES! There are now 4. Paula, Randy, Simon and (drum roll)...Kara DioGuardi (a songwriter that's worked with Ms. Adbul before). If anything this is going to be the most nerve-racking day for the contestants. Today is when they find out if they get the golden ticket to HOLLYWOOD.

Hopefully my photographer Jeff and I will get to meet all the judges and the host, Ryan Seacrest. Cross your fingers for us! Last time, we didn't get to meet Mr. Seacrest. He was "too busy" AKA "too hollywood" for us.

All joking aside, any thoughts? Will you most likely be watching AI's season 8 since the auditions were held in our state? I can't wait to see who makes it through.

I've covered a lot of troop deployments, and every one is unique for different reasons. Utah's 328th combat support hospital is leaving for a one year deployment to Iraq. Their primary role: TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE TO IRAQI DETAINEES. I put it in bold because it hit me: these soldiers won't be taking care of their own or even Iraqi soldiers, but detainees, all suspected of being terrorists...the enemy. That would be tough. I asked the soldiers about Abu Ghraib. While their role is different (they will be serving as medics), they'll still be in contact with Iraqi detainees. I asked them, "I imagine you have personal feelings that could influence how you feel about taking care of detainees. how do you seperate those feelings from what you've been deployed to do? how do you bring yourself to take care of iraqi detainnees...?" Their answers were all very impressive...many of them admitted that it will be difficult, but they say part of operation Iraqi freedom is to "win the Iraqi hearts and minds"...more tonight at 9 if you're interested.

Any thoughts?

Best of luck to all the 78 Army Reservists that are being sent to Iraq. We'll pray for your safe return.

On a side note...covering this deployment was different for me as a reporter. The soldiers left from a local hotel in SLC and while I'll remain a professional by not mentioning their name, I will say this. We got kicked out of the hotel. Managment was SO rude, and for the life of me I could not understand how someone could have a problem with us covering the troops. We were covering a troop deployment! It wasn't a controversial story about the hotel. I understand it's private property, and we did call for permission and orginally we were given the green light. I guess they didn't want us inside the hotel where all the soldiers were. Either way, I was a  bit surprised and even felt insulted..etc. I understand the media isn't very well liked in some cases, but seriously...I found it odd that a local hotel wouldn't allow us to film the deployment inside. We've never faced that problem before...oh well! I'm just glad it didn't deter us from covering the story.

 

You spend your life working, sleeping, eating...and then come all the other things in between that you try to make time for. Family, friends, vacations, exploring the world...the important things in life if you ask me. It got me thinking, does life ever get so monotonous that you think you're stuck in a rut? And is just that...a thought? a temporary negative outlook on life?

I found a neat article online...it's a simple read. It's an article by Catherine Pratt...."5 signs that you may be stuck in a rut." Read over them and let me know if any of them apply to you, and if so...what do you do if you're stuck in a rut?

I cut and paste portions of the article...

"Whenever we get stuck in a rut or when we're off on the wrong path completely, the universe will using various signs to point this out to you.

Here's 5 signs that you may need to make some life changes:

1. Absolutely everything is harder than it should be. Nothing is easy.
There are constant delays, unexpected problems, etc. Every thing you try to do is a monumental effort..

2. You feel like you’re constantly ending up in the same situation
You try so hard to change things yet the more you try, the more things stay the same. Here’s an example. I hated my job and the people I worked with. So, I thought the answer was to find another job. Within a year, I realized I was in exactly the same position just with a different employer. Jumping to a new job hadn’t been the solution at all.

3. You lack joy, you’re tired, you lack enthusiasm
Deep down you know something isn’t right. Your heart tells you that you’re not in the right place and you’re not going in the right direction.

4. You worry about everything
You don’t trust things to go right and really with your experiences lately, why should you? You don’t have confidence in your decisions and you’ve lost touch with your inner self.

5. Life just feels like it is a constant struggle
Physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally you are drained. You just go through the motions just to make it through the day. You just don’t know what to do anymore. "

Any thoughts?

 

Good morning!!! Hope you had a great weekend. Just checking in with everyone to see how their morning commute is going. Legacy Parkway just opened to commuters on Saturday. Today is the first "real" morning commute since it opened, so I'm wondering it if really DID make a difference. And since it's rather difficult and unsafe to interview people while they're driving on Legacy Parkway (that's nearly impossible anyway), I'd like to use your comments during GDU.

So did it cut down on your commute? And do you think its worth the cost to taxpayers? 685 million dollars...

Oh and will you be using the trail next to the scenic byway?

Thanks for your comments...

Who would have thought that a colorful cosmetic could have so much impact on a campaign? This is a topic that I've hesitated to blog about, only because I disagree with all the attention the media has given it. But I have to remind myself of my news philosophy.

“A news sense is really a sense of what is important, what is vital, what has color and life - what people are interested in. That's journalism.”

SO...if THIS is what is important to people, then let's talk about it. Are we making an issue out of non-issue? Here's something I wrote on my personal blog about Barack Obama's LIPSTICK ON A PIG comment.

"We all heard Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin say the only difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull is lipstick. Enter Barack Obama. The Senator and Presidential hopeful told a crowd  "You can put lipstick on a pig" (insert giggles and clapping here)..."It's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years." Insert outrage and backlash here. You guessed it. The McCain camp came out swinging. McCain's campaign says it was "offensive and disgraceful." Say your sorry he says. Obama's response? He wasn't referring to Palin when he made the comment about LIPSTICK ON A PIG."

Listen. The truth is "lipstick on a pig" is one of the oldest political phrases out there. John McCain used it when talking about Hillary Clinton's healthcare plan. No one called him a sexist, but people are calling Barack Obama a sexist. Obama didn't mention Palin's name once during the 25 minutes of his speech prior to making that comment. BUT critics say he KNEW what he was saying, that it WAS directed toward Gov. Palin. You be the judge. Some women, many Hillary supporters are retracting their support and throwing it to Mrs. Palin. How do you feel about the comment? Was it offensive? Was it sexist? Or is this a topic that just got too much media attention?

Maybe Obama shouldn't be on the offensive. Maybe he should just apologize, smooth it over and move on. Even if he didn't intend to offend anybody (only he really knows what he meant when he said it), perhaps he should have said "Listen the timing was bad. I apologize if I offended anybody etc etc etc." Now we're left with a mess...the media is obsessed with talking about LIPSTICK ON A PIG. Should it be addressed to the degree it has been? The national news media has latched itself on to this subject like a leech, and I have a feeling it won't stop until its been sucked dry. There aren't many things I share my opinion about in public because I have to remember to respect my boundaries as a journalist, but I think I have a right to say something about my industry. I am disappointed. Let's focus on the real issues my fellow journalists. Sure. Let's talk about it, but let's not dedicate endless hours of coverage to the topic. There are other things on people's minds besides lipstick on a pig. Every candidate in this race should be treated equally, every candidate should be faced with tough questions. The media has a tremendous impact on public opinion. It's a responsibility we have to remind ourselves of. This is an election year. America's future is in all our hands and the public depends on us when it comes to getting information about the candidates running for President. That's why I say, let's move on and FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUES.

Here's what I want to know. If you had to vote today, who would you elect to be the next President? And then ask yourself and answer this. Before the conventions, if you had to vote then, who would you have elected? Has your opinion changed about which candidate you favor? OR do you feel we are forced to pick between the lesser of two evils?

 

Okay...I really feel the need to get the word out. I just attended a press conference with Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Senator Carlene Walker where they made an annoucement about a new "tool" that can help you protect your identity. This is something all of us need to do. A new credit freeze law (Credit Freeze Protection Law/SB 71) that just went into effect is designed to help you (whether you've been a victim of I.D. theft of not) to freeze your credit at any time and and thaw it within 15 minutes. You basically control your credit freeze. It's simple. Contact all three major credit bureaus (Esperian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and ask them to freeze your credit. They will provide you with a password or pin number that allows you to control that credit freeze. You can deactivate the freeze/activate the freeze...whatever you want, at any time. The suggestion is that everyone freeze their credit and when you're ready to make a big purchase or open a new credit line, you can go online and "thaw" your credit freeze within 15 minutes. This will not effect your current lines of credit. This is supposed to be a proactive approach to protecting yourself. It costs 10 bucks to get the service (at each bureau), maybe even cheaper. Regardless, it's a SMALL price to pay to protect yourself. Just thought I'd give you a heads up, pass the information along etc.

:-)

Important discussion. A West High school teacher was arrested yesterday afternoon for ALLEGEDLY having sex with a 17 year-old student. 45 year-old Jose Fanjul, a social studies and world languages teacher at West High for three years has been booked into jail for multiple counts of forcible sexual abuse and forcible sodomy. The victim is a female student but it's not clear if there was an ongoing sexual relationship between the two. 

This issue brings up an important discussion about teacher/student relationships. This case aside, we can think of a number of other examples where teachers were found guilty of having sexual relationships with their students. Just last month, a guidance counselor at West High pleaded guilty to have a sexual relationship with a student. Is it that we're talking about it more or is it that these inappropriate relationships are more common now? 

An intersting question was posed on 96.3 this morning. Growing up, did you ever know about a sexual relationship between a student and teacher while you were in school?

The Salt Lake City school district says every teacher passes a background check before they're hired. But what about counseling them before they're hired? And during their teaching career? Maybe teachers should be required to attend a class every 6 months to a year that educates them about student/teacher relationships...about what is and isn't appropriate.  Maybe they already do depending on the district.

I just want to say this before we continue this discussion because I know many of you are educators and I don't want to make anyone feel like this blog is about bad mouthing teachers. Not at all. I have tremendous respect for teachers, and I'm confident that MOST are honorable people who want to educate the future generation. 

But I still have to ask: why would a teacher seek a relationship with a student?

This is where parents come in too. There needs to be an open line of communication. Chances are your daughter or son will talk to you about these issues. I remember when my sister brought up the subject of having a crush on her teacher!!! Seemed normal. We admire our teachers, spend a lot of time in school...so I'm sure it's natural (I certainly thought a couple of my teachers were cute growing up) BUT we need to draw the line. My sis continued to talk about her teacher telling me he flirted with her. That's when I picked up the phone, called me mom and had a big discussion with her about my sis's feelings. I'm not saying this teacher was guilty of anything...we figured she took his friendliness for flirtiness after long talks about what he said to her that made her feel like he was being flirty. It just made me think how careful teachers need to be these days about how they approach their students and interact with them. This is a good example of how a student can mistake a teacher's kindness for flirtiness.  

Any thoughts? Would love to share them on air this morning.