Something Is Wrong With This Picture

and it has nothing whatsoever to do with alleged racism.

There is something awfully wrong when a $38,000 handbag that probably cost pennies to make is seen as a discretionary expense.

That is more than what millions upon millions of Americans make in a YEAR.

And the bag in question?

The item at the center of the Winfrey dispute was reportedly a Tom Ford Jennifer bag — named for Jennifer Aniston, a fan of the American designer. The version on sale at Zurich’s Trois Pommes was one of the higher-end models, priced at 35,000 Swiss francs ($38,000).

You can buy a cheapie version at Neiman Marcus for a bit under $3,000.

The Lanced Chronicles

Part two of the Oprah interview is tonight.

I caught the last hour of it last night, so my brother is now recording both on DVR.

He even attributed the bullying to his cancer:

Lance Armstrong admitted to Oprah Winfrey during his televised interview on OWN that in the course of defending himself from charges that he'd used banned substances in his cycling, he became a "bully." And surprisingly, he attributed it to his battle with testicular cancer that changed his attitude.

"I was always a fighter," Armstrong said in the first of the two-part interview that aired Thursday night. "Before my diagnosis, I was a competitor, but not a fierce competitor. Then I said I will do anything I need to do to survive. Then I brought that ruthless, win-at-all-costs attitude into cycling."

We won't hear the last of Lance; legal problems undoubtedly loom large in his future:

Peter Keane, a law professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, is convinced the criminal case will be reopened.

Because of a fraud, "he became very famous, very rich," Keane said. "The idea of him getting a pass on it is going to be looked at with a degree of there's a double standard here. It's something (the government) takes very seriously and they want to discourage people from doing it."

If prosecutors try reopening the case, they do face a hurdle, possibly one that hampered the initial investigation. Any charges may have fallen outside the statute of limitations, but some legal observers said there may be some wiggle room.
"On the criminal side, there are certainly timing issues, but I've never met a prosecutor who didn't try to find a creative way around a statute of limitations," said Marc Mukasey, also a former federal prosecutor and New York-based defense attorney.

Most legal experts agree, however, that Armstrong's confession will expose him to various lawsuits. He is worth an estimated $100 million.

The real Lance Armstrong came through, and not in a good way:

Across 90 minutes with Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong did more than admit he cheated to win his seven Tour de France titles. He revealed a measure of the man that he is and this much is certain: If you never met this jerk, well, count your blessings.

Defiant, distant, difficult.

Arrogant, unaware, flippant.

Oh, Lance had a plan to try to look open and honest, and that was what was so obvious: It was a plan. It sounded rehearsed. But when he went off script, well, that's when he went off the rails.

And even when he told "all," he still didn't tell the whole truth:

"That's the only thing in this whole report that upset me," Armstrong said during the interview. "The accusation and alleged proof that they said I doped [in 2009] is not true. The last time I crossed the line, that line was 2005."

"You did not do a blood transfusion in 2009?" Winfrey asked.

"No, 2009 and 2010 absolutely not," Armstrong said.

Investigators familiar with the case disagree. They said today that Armstrong's blood values at the 2009 race showed clear blood manipulation consistent with two transfusions. Armstrong's red blood cell count suddenly went up at these points, even though the number of baby red blood cells did not.

I Didn't Watch It

Lance bared all, or at least some, with his interview that aired tonight on one of Oprah Winfrey's shows or specials or whatever the hell they are.

I am sure the attorneys for all of the companies he scammed, individuals he trashed, and media he slandered are salivating over the prospect of hauling him into court:

Lance Armstrong said in his Thursday night interview with Oprah Winfrey that he did not do anything to try to influence the U.S. Atty.’s office in Los Angeles to drop its grand-jury probe of him last February.

“No, none, that’s very difficult to influence,” he said.

Asked if he thought he had achieved victory from the scrutiny of doping allegations when no charges were filed, he said, “I thought I was out of the woods.”

Armstrong told Winfrey he’s convinced he could have avoided this scenario if he had remained retired after the seventh Tour win. He said his comeback “didn’t sit well with” ex-teammate Floyd Landis.

Yeah, it was all Floyd's fault you cheated.

I lied. I found the channel and am watching it. He admits he was a bully.

That's an understatement.

Instead of doing a self-serving interview on national television, Lance Armstrong needs to apologize to each and every person whose lives he ruined, starting with Greg and Kathy LeMond.

Well, He Admitted It

I am sure attorneys of various businesses and individuals from all over the world will closely watch what Lance Armstrong has to say to Oprah Winfrey when the interview airs this Thursday.

That $125 million-fortune of Lance's is likely to be gone in short order now that he has clearly scammed courts in various cases where he claimed he was slandered and the like.

It isn't just endorsement outfits and the media that were hoodwinked into bowing down to Lance and his army of lawyers; it was also individuals whose lives were damaged for daring to challenge the Official Story of Lance Armstrong.

The disgraced cyclist made the confession to Oprah Winfrey during an interview taped Monday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey’s network.

The admission Monday came hours after an emotional apology by Armstrong to the Livestrong charity that he founded and took global on the strength of his celebrity as a cancer survivor who came back to win one of sport’s most grueling events.

The confession was a stunning reversal, after years of public statements, interviews and court battles in which he denied doping and zealously protected his reputation.

The most damning part of the USADA report wasn't the doping but Lance's treatment of other people. He put the Mafia to shame with those tactics, tactics only a sociopath would use.

Oprah: The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel

As the world knows, Lance Armstrong, seeking to repair his shot reputation or delusional up to the gills, is going to give an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

I hope the lawyers of the various people and companies he scammed are watching carefully.

The Lance Armstrong interview in which the disgraced former cyclist will deal with the doping revelations that led to a lifetime ban from sport and the stripping of his seven Tour de France titles will be streamed live around the world as well as broadcast on television in the United States.

The 90-minute special will air next Thursday at 9pm eastern time in the US, or 2am in the UK, and will be streamed on Oprah.com at the same time. It is the first time Armstrong has given an interview since he lost his titles, was dropped by sponsors and pilloried by the public for his part in what the US Anti-Doping Agency called the "most sophisticated doping programme that sport has ever seen".

According to reports, he also came under pressure from the board of Livestrong – the charity he founded to support cancer sufferers and from which he stood down as chairman in October – to speak publicly.

I won't be watching.

News, Etc.

Read between the lines of this article, and it sounds like bad news for Harry & David, especially when most of the execs don't even live in the Rogue Valley.

Employees sing a different tune than the absentee execs who probably can't find Medford, Oregon, on a map.

What a pair of winners:

The new CEO, Steve Heyer, lost his most recent high-profile job as chief executive at Starwood Hotels after facing allegations that he had sent inappropriate sexual e-mails to underlings.

Ross Klein, whom Heyer brought in to run Harry & David's new branding effort, left a job at Hilton Hotels in 2008 after he was accused of corporate espionage, an allegation that is a subject of a federal criminal investigation. Klein is working out of an office near his home in Beverly Hills.

Heyer and Klein have denied any wrongdoing.

Jones of Wasserstein praised both men.

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Doug and Cindy Hampton may lose their home, but I seriously doubt they will be homeless.
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Good riddance to this piece of rubbish.
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Speaking of rubbish, I am glad I didn't bother to look at Oprah Winfrey's trashing of public school teachers. As the writer of the linked post notes, Oprah is hardly in the position to cast stones at American public schools.

News--or Gossip

I doubt Ben R.'s problems with women are going to stop his reckless behavior.

There is an attitude widespread among athletes, politicians, the rich, and so on that believes they are entitled to be assholes.
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Speaking of the paragraph immediately above, it appears Tiger and Elin are about to call it quits--for good:

TIGER Woods' marriage to Elin Nordegren is over, with new reports in the US that the golfing superstar and his estranged wife are making the finishing touches to their divorce.

Just days after Woods completed his triumphant return to golf following his cheating scandal, US news show Entertainment Tonight reports that Ms Nordegren, who failed to show at his US Masters Tournament comeback, is close to filing for divorce

I think after the humiliation Elin went through, there was no way she was going to take him back.
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Being a billionaire isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and it doesn't help matters when Kitty Kelley decides to profile you, especially when Kelley has never been successfully sued.
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News

A tepid "jobs bill" has been passed in Congress and is awaiting the president's signature.
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Nevada gubernatorial candidate Brian Sandoval thinks "job hopping" is a virtue in running for the governorship.

However, this comment caught my eye:

Hey Brian, Mr. Honor and Integrity. Tell us all about Neena. You remember her. C'mon, let's hear it. Everyone is talking about it. Everyone knows. At least Ensign confessed and apologized.

Who is "Neena"?
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Oprah gets slapped with a defamation lawsuit.

She'll settle out of court rather than be dragged through the mud.

Winfrey has too big a mouth, it seems:

Winfrey suggested during the meeting with parents and a subsequent satellite news conference that Mzamane was not trustworthy and tried to cover up the allegations of abuse, according to the suit filed in Sept. 2008.

"I trusted her," Winfrey said of Mzamane during a meeting with parents. "When I appointed her, I thought she was passionate about the children of Africa . . . but I have been disappointed."

Mzamane, who now lives in Kenya, claimed Winfrey's comments made it impossible for her to find work for nearly a year.

Winfrey attempted to have the suit thrown out. But on Monday, a federal judge dismissed her request.

In a 128-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Eduardo C. Robreno concluded statements Winfrey made were "capable of defamatory meaning."

"The implication that [Mzamane] was aware of abuse . . . ascribes conduct which would render her unfit for her profession as an educator," Robreno wrote.

The judge ordered the trial to begin March 29.

Miscellaneous Articles

Roman Polanski was granted bail, but there is no chance of him running away:

The court said Polanski could stay at his chalet in the Swiss Alps. He would be monitored by an electronic tag.

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Germany restores a record to Gretel Bergmann some 73 years later.

She's still alive at 95 years of age.
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In an appearance of Oprah Winfrey's program, Vicki Kennedy describes her late husband Ted's cancer ordeal:

She also told Winfrey about how her husband kept working on his book after his diagnosis and even was calling colleagues in the Senate to talk about strategy to push through legislation as he was traveling to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. to undergo brain surgery.

"It was an inspiration, really, to watch how Teddy grappled with such a grave diagnosis and always looked forward with hope," she said.

After watching a clip of her husband's speech at the Democratic National Convention, Kennedy said her husband, despite being told initially that he had just a few months to live, was determined to survive long enough to see Obama sworn in as president.

"He was in training to be there in January," she said. "He was exercising every single day to be strong enough to be there," and even calculated how many steps he would have to take that day.

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I have been on Keystone Canyon Trail a few times. It is a good workout.

I have taken pictures of this area, too:

link
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Not Dead Yet's Stephen Drake takes a look at bioethicist Art Caplan's take on the case of Ron Houben, who was said to have been PVS, but lo and behold, he wasn't.
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Even if I Had Television

I still would have missed the must-see performance by Sarah Palin on Oprah's show.

Palin, as everybody knows, is plugging her book all over the country. We have been treated to the GOP version of the John Edwards soap opera. However, there are more important issues to worry about facing this country.

I don't think she'll be the GOP nominee for president or vice president in 2012.

More Shit

Elizabeth Edwards talked to Oprah yesterday about her new book, which is called Resilience. John Edwards was also interviewed, but his remarks weren't aired.

The interview will air later. Oprah went all the way to North Carolina to talk with Edwards.

The Story of O

Contrary to the Drudge Report "story" Oprah refuses to have Sarah Palin on her show, she categorically denies stiffing her. She says she won't have anybody on who is on either party ticket, despite the fact she has had the other "O" on in the past.

More Campaign Notes.

If Oprah had enough sense to ditch Jeremiah Wright, why didn't Barack Obama?

She was worried about Wright's alienating message hurting her career, and she felt her own "ministry" of hype was far more effective.

Of course she isn't running for president, either, and didn't feel like she had to prove her solidarity with the African American community.

Campaign Notes.

From now on, Oprah should stay out of the political endorsement business.
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Miscellaneous.

A number of Oprah's fans, assuming they ARE fans, have been critical of her shameless and shameful support for Barack Obama.
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Could There Be

a backlash against O & O?

O, I sure hope so. The media, including Winfrey, are obvious in their motives.

And you can find some commentary right on her site.

Yes, it IS in bad taste, but taste ain't the half of it.

According to the National Enquirer,

Oprah and longtime whatever-he-is Stedman Graham were on the outs, and Barack Obama was partly responsible for the fallout. They went through counseling to work through their problems.

Unfortunately for gossip lovers, the article says nothing about any affair between the two Os, just that they have a deep friendship, and that Graham was jealous of that and Oprah's other male friendships. If she has a crush on Obama, and I think she does, there is no indication they were or are doing the nasty.

Damn.

Of Course

if Oprah were stumping for the WSWS presidential candidate, the outfit would be all for it. Keeping that in mind, there are a few good points made in this article.

Oprah isn't going to help Obama's chances at all.

Campaign Notes.

It's still all about the black and the woman.
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The "pork barrel" criticism is so nonsensical. That's partly why people elect representatives; they are SUPPOSED to deliver money and programs to their states and districts.
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I don't understand Edwards's thinking on this. Isn't taxing the rich to fund the health care program supposed to make garnishment of the working poor irrelevant?

Or is this something like what is being done with Medicare Part B now and people who get it have to pay premiums?
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Of course Oprah won't help Obama.
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Not Only

are you out of your pew, Oprah, you're out of your tree in trying to promote Obama the way you promote your book club.

It's not going to work. It's clear Obama doesn't have the ground operation in Iowa the way Edwards has. Same is true with Clinton. That's why they are pulling out all of the stops to get big-time celebrities there.

So far in Nevada, the celebs have been few and far between. We've had the candidates, their spouses, or their representatives here.