Now I know ur a big Kevin Smith fan like me, so I'm passing this on to u and my blog readers. This is the official trailer for Kev's movie it looks hilarious! It's release date is for Oct. 31. How perfect is that, my fav day of the year and Kev's releasing a flick! Its called Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Let me know what u guys think? Me
Ok so I want to apologize for not updating sooner, but my issues with school came down to the wire. And with the weather and comp issues hadn't had time to sit and update. So very quickly before the rain comes again, here I go...
I did email as I had stated my financial aid office about that $300 stimulus payment deductions to my Pell Grant. They made "corrections" to my application. They realized that my EFC (what I have to contribute out of pocket) was not $650, but $0, since my only form of income is my disability check.
With that said, my financial need is greater than what they'd calculated initially. Despite all this, they did not return any of the deduction to my Pell Grant. So I had only one choice, and that was to indebt myself with MORE Student Loans in order for me to return to my studies. Because accourding to them the deducted amounts are the maximum I could be awarded.
I know... makes no sense that it's the max since I had more than that before the stimulus rebate. But that's their offer and they're sticking to it. The application that I had submitted is for Fall '08-Summer '09. So I plan on waiting for next Fall to reapply and we'll see what they offer me then. If it's the same deal then I'll have to saddly end my scholastic career. This all finally was decided by them litterally the evening before classes began.
Just a day ago, I got on the phone to my Student Loan lender to let them know that I had to drop my classes due to this matter. The lady on the other end was super nice and told me that Financial Aid should not have even counted the Stimulus rebate and they should not count my disability check as income either. Cuz the gov considers that monthly amount as money given to me to survive, due to my disability.
She adviced I speak to a lady in charge in Financial Aid and explain the stituation and have her make that correction. So they can update my income to $0 not count my monthly disability income. And by doing this correction they correct my application so that I may return this January (spring) to school and not wait till next fall.
It's pretty frustraiting that my application went through so many hands in that office all seeing my disability check being noted as applicable income and not one fucking idiot made that vital correction. In fact for years now they've counted it. I wish those fuckers would have actually done their jobs, then maybe I would have no student loans to repay.
Well, that is the update. I thank you all who've emailed, texted. Sending prayers and well wishes. This whole thing really stressed me out, and along with other things that went on this week (including my computer scare) I'm quite worn out. I need a vacay bad!
I will udpate you guys if that Financial Aid lady can fix my application, so that I may return in Spring of the upcoming year.
Ok, so some of you might now that I am disabled. I began to plan to return to university this fall. I did the paperwork and then I get told that I maxed my hours. It's taken me too long (due to disability) to finish my degree and Financial Aid doesn't want to keep helping.
So I appeal, put that paperwork in and they reconsider and decide to help me. So things are cool, I'm saving what I can to buy school supplies, clothes, etc. All is good I'm set to start school on Aug. 20th.
This past week I get in the mail the Stimulus Rebate form from the IRS. Cuz of my disability and low income I barely qualify for a $300 rebate. So I make the STUPID mistake in sending that form out.
Being an honest person I let Fiancial Aid know of this they request I submit this info. I normally don't file Taxes cuz I do not get enough income to get taxed. I decided to send this form in cuz it was sent to me in the first place. I didn't request it.
So I submit the paperwork to FA and they tell me they'll send it in and see if any changes are made to my FA awards. So I'm kinda nervous but certain if anything they'll just deduct the $300 I'm getting in the rebate, right?
WRONG! I get penalized with an over $1,000 deduction. Leaving me without enough for tuition, much less books. If I want to return I have to get a loan to pay for the rest. Which I did in the past only because I really want to finish my certificate, but more loans I can't afford, just cuz the system wants to be assholes!
So tonight I'm insanely stressed out and so upset. I spent my last cent on school stuff only to come to this point. Where I'm probably not going to go back for an entire year.
I'm so bummed out and disapointed. I feel like I've been tested and denied for months. Cuz I'm not rich and I'm not a normal healthy student who can afford a job or has some other form of income to ease this kind of financial burden.
I cannot. So I guess they've made their decision and I'm stuck with the humiliating task of going back and returning my school stuff to try and get back that money I had invested.
All I wanted was to finish my degree and now it's another year wasted away and I have no way of predicting if then my health will cooperate. I so just want to quit it all and stop stressing myself out over finishing school.
LINGERIE giants Victoria's Secret are being sued after a woman was allegedly hit in the eye thanks to a dodgy thong.
Macrida Patterson claimed her cornea was severely damaged when a decorative metallic object flew off a thong she was trying on.
Patterson, 52, who is an officer with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, has said she was injured last May.
She was trying on a "lowrise V-string," which is part of the Victoria's Secret "Sexy Little Thing" line, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
She claimed the accident caused her to miss several days of work.
Her lawyer, Jason Buccat, told investigative website thesmokinggun.com that a "design flaw" with the skimpy garment was to blame.
He claimed the injury Patterson suffered would affect her for "the rest of her life".
The V-string is a variation on a G-string and is popular because it eliminates panty lines.
Victoria's Secret officials asked Patterson if they could examine the garment.
But she rejected their request on the advice of her lawyer.
Victoria's Secret, founded in San Francisco in 1977, had an income of more than a billion dollars in 2006.
They are famed for their fashion shows featuring supermodels such as Heidi Klum and Gisele Bundchen.
This story was so stunning and disapointing. I cannot believe a group of girls would even think of this. How fucking sad. Where the hell are the parents of these girls? Post your comments, I sure would love to read what your thoughts on about this issue.
Peace!
Me...
Teen girls reportedly make pregnancy pact
GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts (AP) -- A pact made by a group of teens to get pregnant and raise their babies together is at least partly behind a sudden spike in pregnancies at Gloucester High School, school officials said.
Principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine in a story published Wednesday that the girls confessed to making the pact after the school began investigating a rise in pregnancies that has left 17 girls at the school carrying a child. Normally, there are about four pregnancies a year at the school.
Sullivan told Time that nearly half of the expecting students, none over 16, were involved. Sullivan said students were coming to the school clinic multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and "seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were."
Some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers, Sullivan said. One of the fathers "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," Sullivan told the magazine... -->endclickprintexclude-->
Superintendent Christopher Farmer confirmed the deal to WBZ-TV, saying the girls had "an agreement to get pregnant."
The first reports of the students' apparent plan to get pregnant were in the Gloucester Daily Times in March, when Sullivan said students were reporting that the girls were getting pregnant on purpose.
The rash of pregnancies has shaken the seaside city about 30 miles north of Boston. Last month, two officials at the high school health center resigned to protest the resistance from the local hospital to the confidential distribution of contraceptives. The hospital administers the state money that funds the clinic.
Racism or Ignorance?
Current mood: aggravated
Category: News and Politics
I found this so offensive. I am sure you guys have seen this on the news, but if you haven't here it is, an article and the video. Please post your comments. Ty.
§
Marietta bar owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he's peddling, featuring a look-a-like of cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with "Obama in '08" underneath, are not meant to offend.
Norman acknowledged the imagery's Jim Crow roots but said he sees nothing wrong with depicting a prominent African-American as a monkey.
"We're not living in the (19)40's," he said. "Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears — he looks just like Curious George."
About a dozen prostestors rallied against the shirts Tuesday afternoon, condemning them as racist and asking Norman, longtime proprietor of Mulligan's Bar and Grill on Roswell Street, to stop selling them.
Marietta native Pam Lindley, 47, joined the protest after reading about the controversy online.
"I don't want people to think this is what Marietta is all about," she added, motioning towards the tavern. "This is what some people think the South is still like. Marietta's come a long way but I guess it's still got a little ways to go."
She said she'd like to see the city ban Norman's provocative musings regularly posted on a sign out front of the bar, which is near Marietta's downtown square. The loosely formed coalition of civil rights activists who gathered Tuesday say they will continue their campaign against Norman's "hate speech."
But his defenders are just as resolute. Mulligan's is a refuge, they say, in an otherwise hypersensitive world. Here, smoking isn't only allowed, it's expected.
"This place is a diamond in the rough," said Gene McKinley, a Woodstock engineer. "People here are genuine and honest. It's the one place I can go without having to worry if I'm offending someone."
Norman said he's been he's been fielding calls throughout the day about his T-shirts, which he began selling in late April. "One guy in New Jersey wanted me to send him 100 shirts," said Norman, 63.
He said he noted physical similarities between the Democratic front runner and the cartoon monkey while watching a Curious George movie with his grandchildren.
Someone — "probably a customer, I don't know" — from Arkansas sent him the shirts, Norman says. He has no plans to mass market them.
Not that's he's bowing to pressure. The Tennessee native figures he's providing a public service of sorts, reminding people they have a right to offend.
Curious George publisher mulls legal action over Obama shirt
.. -->//Byline box//-->
By Jay Fitzgerald Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is considering legal action against a Georgia tavern owner selling T-shirts depicting presidential candidate Barack Obama as the Curious George monkey character.
In a statement, the Boston publisher, which owns the book rights to Curious George, said today the firm finds the T-shirt "offensive and utterly out of keeping with the values Curious George represents."
Gurl, If I had a million bucks for every time I predict an Idol winner, I'd have some serious loot! haha!!! So once again we find ourselves saying goodbye to Idol. What will you and I do with our Tuesday and Wednesday nights now, Kimmy?! lol I am OVER THE MOON, about David Cook winning. I think with all honesty that the right person won. America got it right. I cannot wait for his CD, I am sure it will rock.
I'm checking out the tape of the finale as I write this, and I must say I'm not bored. The duets of the two David's singing Chad Kroger's "Hero" was fantastic. Cook really needs to do more stuff like that. Although he's proven he can do just about anything, how to forget Lionel Ritchie's "Hello" or Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean".
I loved the Brian Adams thing, how cool to hear those songs again. Brian looked stocked to be performing on stage. It was cool. Most artists that go on there looking like, 'Whatever, I'm only doing this for the record sales.' You can bet by this time next week Brian's songs will be the most downloaded besides the actual Idol perfromances on iTunes.
The "The Love Guru" stuff that was hilarous. The movie looks funny. I loved seeing that Texas' own ZZ Top was on the big show. How freaking cool was that? Cook didn't look like he was sweating it a bit. Did you catch David Cook in that Guitar Hero/Risky Business commercial? I think that gave all his female admirers something to drool over, seeing him dance around in his undies. How crazy!!!
I loved the George Michael performances. I love that song he sang so much, it is one of my favorite GM songs. The lyrics are just beautiful and heart wrenching. I thought the video of Glady's Knight and the "Pips" was a riot. So nice they're selling it on iTunes for charity. I thought that was very very cool.
I got so emotional for the results. I think cause the only time we'd seen Cook get emotional like that was when his ill brother was there to see him perform. I am sure he came to mind when the moment finally hit David. It was just a near perfect finale moment. Very cool.
So with that all said, I wanted to blog on some Idol news, good and some very sad, but lets get the sad stuff out of the way first. Post your comments please!
Mariska Hargitay, Kimmy.
Peace!
Me...
Former 'Idol' Contender Luke Menard Diagnosed With Cancer
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Carpet layer-turned-one-time "American Idol" hopeful Luke Menard has been diagnosed with cancer.
The handsome Season 7 contender, who was kicked off as "Idol" whittled their top 24 to a top 10, has Hodgkin lymphoma, a rep for his a capella ensemble Chapter 6, confirmed to CBS news.
"Luke had a lingering cough and was having trouble breathing deeply, so he went to the doctor to have it checked out," Jane Victor told CBS News. "The suspicion was walking pneumonia. But after a chest x-ray doctors saw a mass and did more testing, which is what led to the stage II Hodgkin diagnosis."
Though he was booted out of "Idol" earlier in the season, Menard made several appearances in the audience of the show, as recently as last week.
While Archuleta was heaped with praise by the judges the night before, the voters decided otherwise -- and it wasn't even close. Host Ryan Seacrest said during Wednesday's show that 12 million votes was the difference.
Cook was overcome by emotion, bending toward the stage after his name was announced.
"This is amazing," he said. "This is all your fault," he added, addressing the brother who Cook had accompanied to the "Idol" audition that started it all.
Cook immediately took the microphone and began to sing "Time of my Life," which won the annual "Idol songwriting competition."
If "American Idol" audiences had a nickel for every time the judges and host Ryan Seacrest boasted that this season had the best contestants ever, they might be able to afford a six-pack of blatant product placement.
"Best ever" may be debatable, but the blame doesn't entirely rest on the singers. What with the show's sped-up, assembly-line process and its decision to squeeze in another telethon, the competitors barely got time to show some spark of life.
Still, as Season 7 fades into the horizon, and the Davids congratulate one another on a contest well-tussled, and the glow of nostalgia diminishes Jason Castro's Marley massacre and magnifies the memory of his ukelele Aloha spirit, it's time to appreciate the highlights and lowlifes with the Buzz Log Consolation Awards. Heckuva job, kids.
The Michael Jackson Award:Chikezie Eze. The Nigerian-born warbler did the partial owner of the Beatles library proud with his rambunctious bluegrass take on "She's a Woman," which finally got him his Search following, fleeting as it was.
God Bless the USA Award: Kristy Lee Cook. Religion, the unspoken undercurrent in Season 6, stepped out in the center of "Idol's" rabidly secular stage this year. Cook swung the buzz in her direction with Lee Greenwood's patriotic blessing, and ended up the most popular female contestant in online look-ups.
The Race Race: Ramiele Malubay. Heck, it's an election year, and talking about race is OK. Searchers explored a possible Filipino heritage for David Archuleta and Danny Noriega, but Malubay was the real deal. She may not have hit her goal to become the first Asian-American Idol, but she did get enough Search hits to become the second most-popular female contestant.
The Subversive Songbird Award: Jason Castro. He yawned on stage, seemed perplexed over the notion of cats in a musical, looked relieved when voted off—and the whole time, not a dred out of place. The fourth most-searched contestant ranks first in his ability to spur the most queries for a contestant's songs—and promoting Bruddah IZ and Leonard Cohen in the process. Hallelujah.
The Lowlife Award: ... No, not David Hernandez, who was only trying to make a living. This award goes to the producers, who haven't yet figured out how to make the contestants—not the celebrity guests—the focus of the show, and bring "Idol" back to the basics. Get over the seven-year itch, or the marriage is off.
§
We Are Citizens, Hear Us Roar
By Vera H-C Chan
Tue, May 20, 2008, 02:50 pm PST
For years, political pundits have been wringing their hands over dismal voter turnout. Now, with the most energized Democratic presidential primary race in decades, they've been nagging the candidates to wrap up their show, for the good of the party.
Well, the voters aren't ready to stop voting. In poll after poll, citizens are saying that they want their say. If the record turnouts haven't clued in political observers, this might: Searches for "register to vote" this year have more than doubled those in 2006 and 2007 combined.
People love their suffrage, whether it's choosing a president or anointing a celebrity. Speaking of which, two reality shows wrapping up this week have built their success on supersizing the democratic process. Forget the milquetoasty appeal of "one person, one vote."'ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and FOX's "American Idol" welcome ballot-box stuffing with the glee of a penny-ante dictator.
Yes, the ABC ballroom competition does temper voters' passions with the judges' more measured expertise, like a pop-culture echo chamber of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The FOX singing contest, on the other hand, injects steroids into its audience's voting muscle—although unlike its creative progenitor, "Pop Idol," the judges winnow the hopefuls down to 12 before America gets to dial in.
That these two shows dominate this week's voting-related queries doesn't speak less of people's more sober civic duties, not even the negative campaigning that occupies the number one slot below. Instead, as the recent spike for "clinton supporters count too" underscores, it shows that the impulse to stand up and be counted shouldn't be counted out too soon.
As "American Idol" careens to its crowning moment, many questions arise. Of course, the most paramount is who will win season 7. The contest was supposed to come down to second-chance Cinderellas Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. Over the weeks, Cook has evolved from "dark horse" (per judge Simon Cowell) to Idol personified (per judge Paula Abdul), while Mercado's theatrical flair paradoxically made her more real.
Mercado, though, is past her expiration date, so unless an upset (or a stage dad) is in the offing, odds favor a David vs. David scenario. In straight unadulterated searches, the 17 year old leads by a skimpy 5%. In the complicated Buzz Log formula however, which depends on geography and gender, the projection calls for Cook to win Season 7. And the chart please...
One thing thrilled fans and disgruntled critics might agree upon during this contentious "American Idol" go-round: Both should be glad when a winner is declared in two weeks.
When the show started again this season, the South may have been hoping to rise again. Alabama placed second only to Oklahoma in January searches for "American Idol," followed by North Carolina, Georgia, and Missouri.
Repeating the patterns of 2007, however, southern passions waned as the months wore on. Over the past 30 days, the Yellowhammer State has dropped to number 9 among "Idol" searchers. Hawaii, in typical tropical fashion, sauntered in late to monitor the show (as it does year after year), but its fidelity has helped the Aloha State clinch first place among the "Idol" faithful.
Ultimately, however, the 2008 contest may be determined in the Heartland. Below is the list of top 10 states tracking "American Idol" online, and a map illustrating the show's Search base.
American Idol final performance 5-20-08
Current mood: rushed
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Ok so I watched the taping of the final performances and I have to say, I'm worried about Cook. He didn't shine. I know Randy and Paula thought he did good. I just don't think he really put himself out there with his best. It was just lackluster. Archuleta was more of the same and that's not bad, just the same.
I can't honestly say that kid has grown as a performer. Well, he does manage to not close his eyes when singing but that's about it for me. I hope Cook wins tonight, but it's such a toss up. Based on the performances last night tho, Archuleta has an advantage.
I just got a call about Anton having a band concert today and sis asked me to go. So I will tape the finale and rush home, hopefully I don't miss the end. Still, if Cook pulls off the win... text me girl, cuz I so want him to win this.
Argh! I hate not seeing it live, but I'm forced to pick between Family or Idol... what to do?!?!?! lol
Idol will have to wait for me.
Peace!
me...
Currently
listening
:
El Silencio
By
Caifanes
Release date: 1992-07-14
Ok, so once again I missed the eliminations. I did go to americanidol.com to see who left. I am not surprised to see Jason Castro go. For a few weeks already he looked like he was done with the show. I guess he figured he was not going to win, so what was the point in trying.
I hope this kid can get a record deal he's got a very cool sound. Defnitely something you'd want to play on your trip to the beach. I heard the most recent song of Jason Mraz and it made me think of what Jason should do if he gets a deal.
I am expecting Syesha to go next since I truly think the two David's will be the final 2. Hopefully I won't miss this weeks shows. Any predictions, Kimmy?
mischievous
drained
crushed
crazy
hopeful
aggravated
ecstatic
rushed
I hate not seeing it live, but I'm forced to pick between Family or Idol... what to do?!?!?! lol 
