This and That --

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
This and That --
8
Tue, 09-30-2003 - 3:39pm
Thought I'd pass along some things I've seen today:

The O'Reilly Factor — Tonight 8pm / 11pm ET

He says Islamic fundamentalists have infiltrated our prisons, police force, and military. Daniel Pipes, Middle East expert and author of Militant Islam Reaches America, makes his case on The Factor.

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All you corduroy lovers out there, the new J. Jill catalog has several styles of cute pants in corduroy!

http://www.jjill.com/

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Jack Black and John Mayer fans, they're going to be on the season opener of Saturday Night Live this coming Saturday.

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Sad when you can't be punished for defacing the flag, but you can practically lose your home for flying it!

A glimmer of sanity shines through in an editorial about an ex-Marine from the Jacksonville Times-Union today:

PATRIOTISM: Standing tall

One of many cases that should not be in the courts is the lawsuit between a former Marine and a homeowner's association over display of the flag.

Thousands are enraged because the homeowner was not allowed to display an American flag on a flagpole.

He lost his case. Because he was unable to pay the legal bills the suit cost the association, he was in jeopardy of having to sell his home to pay them.

But, last week a judge put the foreclosure on hold.

Many have taken the stance that, by living in the neighborhood, the Marine implicitly agreed to abide by its rules and that he is just being an irascible old coot.

On the other hand, according to his attorney, there is no rule that says he cannot fly a flag on a flagpole. He also said that his client inquired beforehand and was given verbal permission by the association's board to fly his flag.

Gov. Jeb Bush gave the homeowner a flag that had flown over the state Capitol and helped him raise it on the pole amid applause from a crowd.

His sensible take on the situation was, "Rather than just say it's unacceptable, people ought to put aside their differences and their obsession with rules and regulations and use common sense to make decisions."

The Legislature even wrote a law saying that homeowners have a right to fly a flag under reasonable circumstances.

The association should have been able to work out something, as Bush suggested.

Mediation is a way of keeping such cases out of the clogged courts. This was a perfect candidate for mediation.

As it stands, the Marine has won an injunction and hopes to win his appeal of the foreclosure and force the association to pay his fees.

Good luck, sergeant, and semper fi.

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Chalk one up for the "porker" (??) ballerina!

Russian Ballerina Must Be Reinstated

By MARA D. BELLABY

.c The Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) - Thanks to Russia's Labor Ministry, ballerina Anastasia Volochkova may be back at the Bolshoi for an encore.

Labor officials on Tuesday ordered the Bolshoi Theater to reinstate Volochkova, who was fired two weeks ago amid allegations from other dancers that she was too heavy to lift.

The Labor Ministry ruled her dismissal violated labor law, saying she must be rehired by Oct. 6 and given back wages, said Andrei Pryanishnikov, a spokesman for Labor Minister Alexander Pochinok.

Bolshoi spokesman Katerina Novikova said it was too early to comment on how the Bolshoi would react to the decision. Pryanishnikov insisted the Bolshoi has no choice but to comply.

Volochkova, a stylish blonde who exudes movie-star glamour, was fired amid a contract dispute and claims by theater officials that they could not find partners to dance with her because she is too big.

The Russian press denigrated her with headlines such as ``Not even bears could hold her'' and discussed her ability as more suitable for pop-ballet performances than the graceful Russian tradition associated with greats such as Maya Plisetskaya and others.

Volochkova, who continues to draw in large crowds for performances outside the Bolshoi, has dismissed the allegations that she was too big and said her numerous partners had never complained. After her dismissal was announced, the dancer said that she weighs about 110 pounds and is 5-feet-6.

But a former partner who quit the Bolshoi this year, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, threw his weight behind the theater in an interview published last week, saying the 27-year-old ballerina had become heavy to lift and that dancing with her meant risking injury.

The Bolshoi has insisted the issue ran deeper than her size, saying it fired Volochkova after she refused to sign a proposed contract.

Volochkova complained the contract ran only through December, instead of the customary one-year deal, and that the Bolshoi refused to promise her parts in already scheduled performances. The Bolshoi had said it wanted to give a free hand to a new ballet director who takes over in January.

After her firing, Volochkova turned to the Labor Ministry, asking them to investigate the theater's decision. Pryanishnikov did not explain the grounds for the order to revoke her firing. But the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Pochinok as saying that the labor inspectorate uncovered ``rude violations'' of existing Russian labor legislation.

According to ITAR-Tass, Pochinok said the Bolshoi violated the law by dismissing her in September, many weeks after her previous contract expired. By law, the theater was required to give Volochkova at least three days' notice before the contract ran out, he said.

Even if Volochkova is reinstated, it is not clear whether she would dance for the Bolshoi again. The theater has a large corps of ballerinas to choose from and could easily sideline her.

But Volochkova has a significant number of supporters, including the powerful pro-Kremlin political party United Russia, which she has joined.

She also has given no indication that she intends to back down.

``Certainly I want very much to start a lawsuit versus the Bolshoi theater director, specifically for moral damage,'' she told Russia's ORT television Monday. ``And the matter here is not the money. ... I have already decided that if I win the suit, if I win a large amount of money I am going to seek, it will go straight to charity.''

Rhonda



       ~~Rhonda~~


<

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2001
In reply to: rsmurray
Tue, 09-30-2003 - 7:49pm
5'6" and 110, yeah she's a real heavyweight!!!I had heard something about that but hadn't gotten many details.

Have you seen where one "big" new story is women over 40 are dating younger men more?Men have been doing that for years!

Love J Jill catalog.

Miss P




 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: rsmurray
Tue, 09-30-2003 - 7:53pm
I was thinking at least she and I are the same height... LOL!

I saw that about older women dating younger men -- Heaven forbid!! Phyllis and I were just ahead of our time.

I love J. Jill too.

Rhonda

       ~~Rhonda~~


<

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2001
In reply to: rsmurray
Tue, 09-30-2003 - 7:57pm
I'm thinking it may be time to go to my real age and make Rick lie about his.That way we can be one of the cool new couples.

Miss P




 

Avatar for imthebigsister
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: rsmurray
Wed, 10-01-2003 - 9:55am
Wouldn't work in my house - DH is the one with the silvery hair. We're just gonna have to be one of those May-December couples: I'll be 34 and he can continue to be the gorgeous 50 that he is....

D.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: rsmurray
Wed, 10-01-2003 - 9:59am
It's funny, but as of my last birthday, I'm "34" too!! Tim is 40, but he has a good bit of gray hair, and even when I don't color mine I have almost none (Thanks, Dad!!).

Rhonda

       ~~Rhonda~~


<

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2001
In reply to: rsmurray
Wed, 10-01-2003 - 11:43am
34, huh. Maybe I'll hang onto 39 til you get closer to 40.

Miss P




 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: rsmurray
Wed, 10-01-2003 - 11:51am
I jokingly subtract 20.

Rhonda

       ~~Rhonda~~


<

Avatar for imthebigsister
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: rsmurray
Wed, 10-01-2003 - 12:15pm
Don't forget - I'm going backwards. I'll never see 40 again (HA!)....