3-8-11 - Int'l Women's Day, Palin Vs. Griffin and Neighbor Issues

In case you missed it...

COMBATING DRY SKIN, INTELLIGENT ANIMALS, OUR AMERICA AND TWITTER
Rosie and the staff started today's broadcast talking about how much happier they all feel because it's sunny in the New York area today.  And Jeannie brought Rosie some gifts!  She brought her an exfoliater, Dove soap and the CeraVe lotion Jeannie loves.  (I said yesterday Rosie is using this.  I must have misheard.  I will correct yesterday's blog for everyone. ) Jeannie recommended Rosie put on the lotion when her body is still damp after her bath.  She's been using it on her elbows and has seen such a difference!  Rosie quoted a line from Nora Ephron, "If my elbows faced forward, I'd kill myself."  She said she never understood the line until today.

Bobby mentioned a news-story he saw yesterday about elephants working together to solve problems that really shows how intelligent they are.  I saw this last night on the news too!  Watch below. 



This began a discussion on the intelligence of animals and the program Lisa Ling did with the ape that can communicate using English on The Oprah Winfrey Show.  Rosie's been watching Lisa Ling's Our America on OWN and really likes it.  Everyone in the studio loves Lisa and respects what a talented reporter she is.  I would just like to interject how much I love Our America.  It's like a documentary every single week!  It's amazing television.  Tonight's episode looks really good too.  I'll be watching it for sure.  (see below)



Rosie again mentioned how much she loves Twitter.  Jeannie said she's jealous how much Rosie is now into Twitter that she couldn't get her to love Facebook the same way.  Rosie said Facebook felt like an algebra equation she could never understand but Twitter makes more sense in her brain. To Rosie, Twitter is most like her blog but it has the added "block" feature so she doesn't have to see mean people's tweets to her.  Jeannie and Janette are horrified by Twitter.   You can follow Rosie on Twitter HERE and you can follow the Recap blog on Twitter HERE! 

A BRIEF SHEEN MENTION, SAD A&E SHOWS, AND ROSIE'S DIET UPDATE
Rosie very briefly mentioned that the Charlie Sheen epic continues on.  She saw a clip of his latest live streaming episode and said the whole situation makes her unbearably sad and that it seems to be getting worse.  Rosie worries as the people move on and begin to turn away that he might not survive. Janette felt like that was a reasonable thing to fear and wondered how much can a human body take.  Rosie said his lack of consciousness that anything is wrong with his behavior is what really scares her.   

Rosie said she watched Intervention last night and she might have to stop watching it because of how incredibly sad it is.  She had to stop watching Hoarders for that reason too.  Rosie said she becomes too invested in the people's lives on the show and it makes her cry.  However, she does like the new direction the show Heavy is taking having the weight loss participants stay at a weight loss facility for a six month period.  She thought last night's episode was particularly inspiring.

This began a discussion on addiction and how for some people, being overweight is an addiction to food and how when you stop eating so much that addiction can transfer to other things as with any addiction. Rosie said she's been doing her diet for 1 month now and she's lost almost 10 pounds!  She cheated a little last night by having one bite of her children's ice cream. The thing was, the ice cream didn't even taste that great to her.  It tastes weird to her now.  She was actually eating her freeze dried apples sprinkled with cinnamon which she is allowed to eat on her diet and thinking how wonderful they taste!  She said it's interesting to her how our perspective has shifted about what tastes good.  Jeannie said she heard Jillian Michaels say her eating in the past had a lot to do with the lack of control she felt in her childhood.  Jeannie said that statement resonated with her.  She also loves how Jillian tells the contestants she works with on The Biggest Loser, the only thing you can control in life is this very minute.  Rosie said that's a belief they often say in Alcoholics Anonymous too.  Rosie said for her this new change is a lifestyle change, not a diet.  She said she has lots of Diabetes in her family and she needs to be more health conscious.  The doctor Rosie is seeing also helped her good friend Jennifer Hutt lose weight.  This morning Rosie was so excited that the scale read 203 and she's now lost 11 pounds!  Rosie said just that 1 more pound made a big difference in how she feels!  Rosie said she thinks she'll have the doctor on the show to talk about his book but that the premise of his weight loss is simple - eat less than 1200 calories a day.  He also talked to her about the importance of wearing her sleep apnea mask at night and getting a good night's sleep.  This doctor told Rosie if she doesn't get enough sleep there's no way she can lose weight.   Tracy has also told Rosie she has a much more restful night's sleep when she wears her mask at night.  Tracy said Rosie tosses and turns a lot when she doesn't wear it. 

Jeannie and Janette don't have sleep apnea but they both said they don't sleep well either.  Rosie said her son Blake never gets a good night sleep either.  Blake talks and walks in his sleep and they've had to go so far as to pad his headboard because he would wake up with bruises on his forehead from tossing and turning at night.  Rosie wished she could get Blake a sleep study too.   

WOMEN WE ADMIRE IN OUR LIVES IN HONOR OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
In honor of International Women's Day each member of the staff shared about a woman who has inspired them in their own lives.  Bobby spoke about his mother who has always been an inspiration to him.  Bobby was always impressed that his mother raised 4 kids and sent them all to private school on not a lot of money.  He said his parents always did without so that they could give their children the best education they could afford.  He also was always impressed at how his mom could go food shopping and know exactly what to get to create unique and delicious meals for the following week!  Bobby said he still can't master that as an adult!

Jeannie  has always been impressed by her grandmother who she named her first daughter after.  Jeannie's grandmother was an immigrant from Italy and came to the U.S. when she was very young and didn't speak a word of English.  Jeannie said her grandmother lived a difficult life but never complained.  She said she could whip up a delicious meal in a moment's notice when there appeared to be no groceries in the house and she hand made every blanket she owned.  Jeannie said her grandmother lived very simply but never had the need for more.  Jeannie's grandmother would refer to African Americans as "colored people" but never meant it in a malicious way.  She just used the term that was familiar to her.  Rosie mentioned an article she had read about an 82 year old man who supported gay rights but got fired for using the term "fa&&ot."  He used the term in defense of gay people but got fired anyway.  Read the article here.  Rosie thought since the man wasn't being hateful or demeaning in his intent that he should have gotten "a pass" for using the offensive term. Rosie recalled when Louis Armstrong died and her grandmother said, as she was crying over the loss, "Oh, too bad he was such a nice ni&&er."  Rosie said her grandmother never meant any harm in using the word, she was very sad that Louis Armstrong had died. 

Janette chose Sarah Symons from Made By Survivors as an inspirational woman.  Janette said what impressed her about Sarah was not just that she created a foundation and a charity to help women involved in human trafficking, it was that she quit her career as a composer in the film industry to dedicate her life to the cause!  Janette said she truly admires her and that Sarah exemplifies what commitment really can be.  

Pete, of course, loves and honors his mother but chose Dorothy Day as the woman he's been most inspired by in his life.  Pete said Dorothy was a Catholic who started the Catholic Worker Movement - a nonviolent human rights campaign that is now all across America.  Pete said Dorothy made a huge impact on the world and her book The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist has been one of the formative books of his life. 

Rosie picked Dr. Mathilde Krim, the head of amfAR as one of the women who has been the most inspirational to her in her life.  Rosie said anyone alive with AIDS today owes their life to Dr. Krim.  She also admires Sheila Nevins, the President of Documentary and Family Programming for HBO and Cinemax.  Rosie joked that she wants to be Sheila when she grows up.  She also listed Marian Wright Edelman the head of Children's Defense Fund and Eve Ensler.

SARAH PALIN IS PISSED AT KATHY GRIFFIN AND CALLERS WEIGH IN
Rosie and the staff discussed the recent comments Sarah Palin had about Kathy Griffin.  Listen below...



Janette and Rosie thought it was pretty rude of Palin to call Griffin a "50 year old has been comedienne" but that Kathy Griffin will probably send Sarah a thank-you note for this comment!  Rosie wanted to know what the staff members thought about what Palin had to say though.  If they thought Palin's kids should be off limits in Kathy's act or if this is what you can expect to happen when you put your kids on a reality TV show?  Bobby felt strongly about this.  He couldn't believe Palin was making such a fuss over Kathy making a joke when she was the one who put cross-hairs over people's names in office.  He said when she put her kids on television in a reality show, that makes them fair game.  Janette loves Kathy Griffin and is a huge fan of hers but wasn't sure how she felt about Kathy going after Palin's daughter.  Jeannie's initial reaction is one of a mom and she understood Palin's point, though she is not a fan of Palin's at all.  Janette remembered when they were picking on Amy Carter (Jimmy Carter's daughter) and thinking how unfair it was.  Jeannie said we need to judge the mom for the inappropriate things her child put on Facebook but not judge the child herself.  Pete said even though Sarah Palin is putting her kids out there and making poor choices as a mother that doesn't mean comedians have to take the bait.  In other words, two wrongs don't make a right. 

Rosie took several callers on this topic.  Some agreed that Sarah Palin deserves what she gets because she put her kids on a reality television show and some believed Kathy didn't have the right to make a joke about Palin's kids.  One caller asked Rosie how she would feel if people started criticizing something her kids said on the radio.  Rosie said it was a good point but made it clear she wasn't taking any side, she was just posing the question to the staffers and the listeners at home.  Rosie took another call from a listener who thought Palin's daughter is merely emulating what she's learning at home from her mother.  Rosie said telling Kathy Griffin to not tell a particular joke is like telling Joan Rivers not to tell a joke.  It doesn't work. 

INTERACTIONS WITH NEIGHBORS AND COPING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS
Pete described a situation that's happening with a neighbor at his new house.  He's been working on the house periodically and the old lady that lives next door is nice but has some odd behaviors.  At first he thought she was just overly friendly but recently he's noticed her doing some odd things.  Firstly, he saw her shouting obscenities at the other neighbors house and they weren't even home.  Then he was discussing further plans with his contractor on his front porch and she began to threaten the contractor if he didn't give Pete a good deal on the work. Pete didn't know what to do when the woman approached his contractor on his behalf so he gave her a hug and told her everything was okay.  He explained to his neighbor that he is friends with the contractor and that it's all worked out.  Rosie had a similar interaction with a mentally unstable individual recently.  She said a few weeks ago she posted a link to a blog from a man who is clearly mentally ill and thinks he has had various interactions with her.  The purpose of her posting the blog link was both to show her readers the realities of fame and all it comes with and to also to try to encourage the blogger to see a doctor.

Pete said he's a little worried about his new neighbor and how to handle the situation because he doesn't want to upset her.  Rosie said she felt the same compassion for the blogger that wrote in to her.  She said she wanted to reach out to him with compassion and encourage him to seek help.  Bobby, on the other hand, told Rosie she should not interact with these types of bloggers and gets worried for her. 

Rosie took a call from a listener who's a hospice nurse who comes across elderly people who are mentally ill quite a bit in her line of work.  She recommended reporting them to Adult Protective Services.  She said APS doesn't remove the person from their home right away but will do an investigation, contact family members and help with placement if needed.  Jeannie said her cousin had to recently put her Aunt a nursing home because she's suffering from Alzheimer's.  Jeannie said her Aunt's illness progressed very quickly and wondered if the neighbor's family even knows the state of their loved one.  Rosie recalled an interview she once saw with David Letterman's stalker's mother where she discussed what it's like to live with someone who is mentally ill.  Rosie said the interview was unbearably tragic and the pain of the mother was overwhelming.  Rosie took a call from a listener whose father suffered from Schizophrenia.  She said there's not a crueler disease.  Rosie took another call from a listener whose father suffered from Alzheimer's.  She said the early signs of it were suspicion and paranoia.  She encouraged Pete to reach out to his neighbor's family members if he can get a hold of them because they may not realize how far her illness has progressed.  Rosie mentioned the last episode of the Showtime series The Big C which dealt with this very topic.

Jeannie had an experience with a neighbor once over a fence.  When she and her husband purchased their home they heard there was a longstanding dispute over the placement of the fence on their property.  The neighbors said the fence was technically on their land and wanted it moved.  The day they moved in the neighbors were moving the fence and instead of dealing with it in a confrontational manner her husband offered to help them move it to where the property line was.  Now they have a great relationship with those neighbors!  Jeannie believes if you lead with compassion you may be able to turn a situation around.

Janette had her own experience with a neighbor.  There is a woman in Janette's building who has a bad personality and is constantly trying to sell Janette stamps.  Janette said she's not a person she would ever choose to spend time with and she's been trying to avoid speaking with her for years.  Not too long ago the woman yelled at Janette and made her feel guilty about never saying hello to her so now Janette stops and speaks with her every time she sees her (even though she doesn't want to).  Janette said she does it because because the woman is lonely and obviously needs someone to say hello to her but she hates every minute of it and wished she didn't have to.  Jeannie asked Janette why she doesn't see the woman as a challenge and try to kill her with kindness?  Jeannie once had a nasty bus driver that she was determined to kill with kindness and have him come around.  And one day he did!  It took her about two months of being extremely kind to him but now the driver likes her and even offered to pick her son up in their driveway!  It surprised Rosie that Janette would do something she so vehemently didn't want to do.  Janette said she does it because she feels guilty and maybe because someday she might be old and alone and want someone to talk to her.  Rosie couldn't imagine that Janette didn't know anyone in her building and kept asking her how it's even possible in Manhattan to not know any of the people in your building after you've lived somewhere for 30 years.   

GAME - IN OTHER WORDS
James gave each player a category and a word clue.  The player had to use the clues to guess a word.
For example-  Category: things you find in the kitchen. Word clue: a divergence in the road. Answer: Fork.

ROUND ONE
Pete: Category: children's board games. Word clue: surgery. Answer: Operation.  He got it.
Janette: Category: desserts. Word clue: French emperor.  Answer: Napoleon. She got it.
Jeannie: Category: Major League baseball teams. Word clue: a pair of Mexican Priests. Answer: Padres. She got it.
Bobby: Category: US Presidents. Word clue: laundering 2,000 pounds. Answer: Washington. He got it.
Rosie: Category: candy. Word clue: little laughs.  She guessed Chuckles which they accepted as an answer.  The answer James was looking for was Snickers.

ROUND TWO - Category/Word Clue
Pete: Flowers/Infants exhalation.  Answer: Baby's Breath. He got it.
Janette: Cartoon Characters/Powerful rodent. Answer: Mighty Mouse. She got it.
Jeannie: Dog Breeds/Gilded fetcher.  Answer: Golden Retriever. She didn't get it.
Bobby: NFL Teams/Lovers of their country.  Answer: Patriots. He got it.
Rosie: Countries of the World/Frozen water region. Answer: Iceland. She got it.

ROUND THREE
Pete:  Chewing Gum/Succulent plant product. Answer: Juicy Fruit. He got it.
Janette: Retail Establishments/Optimal purchase. Answer: Best Buy. She got it.
Jeannie: TV Shows/Envious color of farm land units. Answer: Green Acres. She got it.
Bobby: In the Kitchen/A tiny tidal swell. Answer: Microwave. He got it.
Rosie: Dances/Fidgety insect.  Answer: Jitter Bug. She got it.

ROUND FOUR (elimination if incorrect)
Pete: Retail Establishments/Territorial boundaries.  Answer: Borders. He got it.
Janette: Countries of the World/Weather wise, a bit brisk. Answer: Chile. She was OUT.
Jeannie: U.S. Presidents/Cross a stream. Answer: Ford. She was OUT.
Bobby: U.S. National Parks/Saffron colored rock. Answer: Yellowstone. He got it.
Rosie: Fictional TV Characters/Lady of amazement. Answer: Wonder Woman. She got it.

ROUND FIVE
Pete: Birds/A throat movement for eating. Answer: Swallow. He got it.
Bobby: Desserts/Roasted 40th state. Answer: Baked Alaska. He got it.
Rosie: Dances/Intermediate state of confinement. Answer: Limbo. She was OUT.

ROUND SIX
Pete: Retail Establishments/Ancient noted military organization. Answer: Old Navy. He got it.
Bobby: In the Kitchen/Cattle roaming area. Answer: Range.  He was OUT. 

PETE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

In honor of International Women's Day Rosie played Adele's Turning Tables and closed the show. 

Adele Turning Tables. 

My personal favorite from the record.

and that's what you missed - kw