| Johnson's energy delivers viewers
There's no need to remind Kristine Johnson that time is a highly precious commodity. As a wife, mother and co-anchor of WCBS-TV's 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts -- who commutes to Manhattan from her home in Ridgewood -- she's keenly aware of how large a chunk of the day has already passed by the time her later newscast comes on. "At 11 o'clock, people are just so tired," says Johnson, who co-anchors both programs with Chris Wragge. "In this day and age, people are getting up at 5, 6 o'clock in the morning. ... It's just a very hectic lifestyle. So, at 11 o'clock, people don't have time. They probably want their news a little quicker than normal, but they still want to get a good variety of stories. We can't have them go to bed hungry for more news." Johnson and Wragge apparently have been doing a good job of quenching viewers' appetites.
GUEST COLUMN: Meatless platter, clear conscience
Ben Franklin called the wild turkey "a bird of courage" and a true native of America. He had tremendous respect for turkeys' resourcefulness, agility, and beauty, and he thought the turkey should be the national bird.As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself thinking of these birds and of the millions slaughtered so that we can "give thanks." Anyone who has seen footage at a turkey slaughterhouse knows standard practices are cruel and heartbreaking - making anyone think twice about eating turkeys this Thanksgiving. Nearly 270 million turkeys are raised for food every year in the U.S.; more than 72 million of them are slaughtered and eaten for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Before ending up as holiday centerpieces, these gentle birds spend five to six months in factory farms, where thousands of turkeys are packed into dark sheds with no more than 3.5 square feet of space per bird.
Women in the wars
"At the time, I had one main thing on the brain, and that was sex, like any ordinary teenager," she laughs, "but the war changed everything. I learned that sex could be used as a weapon in warfare, and that rape was one of the worst brutalities that could happen to a human being. Like everyone else in Sarajevo, I was horrified. The world had turned into a place of horror and unspeakable evil." That memory is one of the things that propelled Zbanic to become a filmmaker. After making short films and documentaries on the aftermath of the Balkan War, Zbanic got the funds together to create "Grbavica" — (released in Japan as "Sarajevo no Hana"), a quiet heartache of a film that deals with one of Bosnia's most lingering traumas: the systematic rape and humiliation of thousands of women, both Serb and Muslim.
Shopping green requires basic knowledge as well as environmental commitment
As the drum beats for planet-friendly practices, more consumers are tuning in by buying eco-friendly products. Environmentally and socially conscious consumers want to invest in the planet by investing in green products such as organic lettuce; organic cotton clothing, bedding and bath accessories; energy-saving appliances; and all-natural household cleaners. But how do you really know whether an eco-friendly product is really eco-friendly? "There's a lot of confusion out there right now," said Ted Ning, executive director of the LOHAS Journal, a national eco-friendly weekly newsletter. "A lot of companies are touting 'natural,' and it gets confusing." Indeed, consumers who want to incorporate eco-friendly products into their lives need to study up.
American Indian culture is focus of documentary pageant tale
When competitors head off for the weeklong Miss Navajo Nation pageant, they bring their evening gowns, jewelry, high heels, public speaking skills — and butcher knives. On the nation's largest Indian reservation, where tradition reigns, contestants are required to speak their native language, make fry bread and butcher a sheep, the animal that represents life to the Navajos. "The pageant really gets people's interest, because they say, 'Oh my gosh, a pageant where you butcher sheep,' " said Billy Luther, a documentary filmmaker. "But I think people walk away learning the Navajo way of life and how much the Navajo people respect women." Luther, whose mother was crowned Miss Navajo in 1966, offers a different take on what it means to be beautiful in his first feature-length documentary, "Miss Navajo," which will be screened next week at the Santa Fe Film Festival.
Bodies removed from Temecula home
Updated at 1:05 p.m. By: The CalifornianSheriff's officials are officially investigating the shooting deaths of two men and three women as a case of multiple murders and then a suicide. The bodies were found at a home at 31089 Iron Circle. The identities of the victims have not been released, however neighbors say the home was being rented to Jeff Blixt, 45. Authorities say that only one of the victims ---- one of the men ---- lived at the home. At this point, investigators are not saying who they believe the fired the shots.Bodies removed from Temecula homeUpdated at: 11:40 a.m. By: The CalifornianTEMECULA ---- Coroner's officials removed the bodies of two men and two women late this morning from a home on Iron Circle, in the wake of a Sunday afternoon shooting rampage that authorities believe was a murder-suicide.When officers arrived at the home late Sunday afternoon, they found four dead bodies and one woman who was still alive.
Scoreboard doesn't tell the tale
The big kid with a red Mohawk stood on the football field, the sun setting on his high school career and tears glistening on his cheeks. "When I heard the last call in the huddle, I was thinking: 'I'm going to score.' And it didn't happen," Chatfield High School senior James Skelton said. "But I tried. I tried." Then, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound halfback cried. For reasons you might never guess. Lugging the football on a pure smash-mouth play known as 26 Power, Skelton got stonewalled at the goal line on his final snap of the Colorado state playoffs. But as he hit the turf with a deflating thump, the scoreboard lights read: Mullen 42, Chatfield 7. Sometimes, the final score completely misses the point. Although Chatfield lost big, to think these players were beaten would fail to measure what's truly important in the heart.
Uganda: From Housemaid to Salon Owner
Maria Kugonza 29, once the naive girl who arrived in Kampala in 1996 to work as a housemaid stands confidently in front of Two Sisters, her salon in Bugolobi. Kugonza who hails from Kibale District says it's been a journey of discovery outside the confines of her employers' house doors. She organises a collection of magazines she has gathered to entertain her customers as their hair is attended to. Though not yet a beehive of activity, she is proud that the dream of owning a salon has materialised. .
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