EVEN THE OBVIOUSLY GUILTY ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

I think he's guilty. You think he's guilty. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't think he's guilty.

But this is the United States. One of the greatest things about its legal system is that people suspected of crimes are innocent until they are proven guilty in a court proceeding. It is one of the things that, despite all its other faults, sets our country above so many others.

So, how can the Illinois governor be thrown out of office for what are still only suspected, not proven, crimes? Doesn't that set an ugly precedent? What's to say that a zealous district attorney can't drum up false charges against a political leader he doesn't like, have him arrested and have that, rather than any actual conviction, lead to the politician's impeachment?

When someone is arrested for murder, they are usually kept locked up until the trial is over, even if they are later found innocent. That's to protect the public from potential harm while the trial is going on. I am not familiar with Illinois law, but perhaps there was a similar option available to the state legislature - a suspension of the governor's powers until the criminal matters were resolved.

As much as I think he probably is guilty, the fact of the matter is that now ex-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has been thrown out of office for merely being suspected of crimes and malfeasance. And I do not like that.

If, however, the Illinois legislature had had the wisdom to toss him out on his ear for his haircut, well, I could have got behind that.

BAD BONUSES & A COUPLE OF GOOD RECOMMENDATIONS

I've got a friend whose husband recently lost his job in banking. He's pretty much the sole financial supporter of his family: himself, my friend, and their two kids. I hope he got his annual "bonus" at the end of last year before he got laid off.

You might wonder why I put "bonus" in quotes. Well, there are bonuses and then there are bonuses and lately, with the news of Wall Street firms paying out $18.4 billion in bonuses at the end of last year, it's become something of a dirty word. But, consider the fact that about 125 thousand people split all that money, (the average Wall Street bonus last year came to $112,000), and some of them really deserved it, needed it even. Like most things in economics, and especially in politics, it isn't as clear cut as it might seem.

Now don't get me wrong. I think John Thain, former head of Merrill Lynch, and any number of other scumbags who whooped it up with their company's money as the companies faltered and then collapsed, ought to go to jail. And not some white collar jail. I'd like to see how they do on a tier at San Quentin.

But most of the people who received their bonuses at the end of last year were like the husband of my friend. They were people who worked their assess off, at relatively modest - for the financial industry - salaries, who counted on their "bonus" to make their nut at the end of the year.

The thing is, a lot of what are called "bonuses" - and in the financial industry more than most - are really no more than a contracted part of a salary package. They aren't really bonuses at all. It's a way that companies have of rear-loading an employee's pay. There are all kinds of financial advantages to companies that do that.

It works like this: A company hires someone for a hundred thousand dollars a year, but it's broken up in the form of a five thousand bucks a month salary and a forty thousand dollar guaranteed "bonus" at the end of the year.

According to Webster's dictionary, a bonus is "something in addition to that which is expected or strictly due." By definition, I don't think you can guarantee a bonus.

Undoubtedly there were plenty of miscreants who stole real bonuses from their companies at the end of last year. (Although if they stole it, they no doubt knew what to expect, it's the "strictly due" part of the definition that trips them up.) And that's a crime, or ought to be.

But, most of the people who shared in that $18.4 billion were in the boat with my friend's husband. The boat where the "bonus" was just another part of their agreed upon salary and they needed it.

Unfortunately politics doesn't allow for much nuance. With regard to the slimeball crooks who stole real bonuses from their companies, I think President Obama's words weren't even harsh enough. But for the majority of hard working, honest employees who were included in that $18.4 billion, many of whom were also victims of the venality of their bosses, I feel nothing but sympathy.


So, here's a couple of things you can do to stretch those meager "bonuses" a bit further:
Jurassic is a Taiwanese theme restaurant / beerhall. Food's great (especially the basil and the claypot dishes), beer's just fine, waitresses are cute (Winnie, the one on the far right is an economics student at UCLA who's from Shanghai) and the place is wonderfully kitsch. And it's fairly cheap, too. What more could you want?
Jurassic
15301 Gale Ave.
City of Industry, CA

You can find al pastor tacos all over town, but these are some of the best I've found yet. (Some great looking chorizo and chicken, too.) Nights only, in front of El Nuevo Jalisco restaurant at
3017 North Main St.
Los Angeles, CA

Gul Panag cleavage show at Star Screen Awards

Gul Panag was seen exposing cleavage at the Star Screen Awards, in a black outfit. (Click to enlarge images)







Gul Panag exposing cleavage at Star Screen Awards

Bollywood's 15 hottest kissing scenes

Bollywood's 15 hottest kissing scenes. (Click to enlarge images)



Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai in 'Karma' (1933)







Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor in 'Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram' (1978).







Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in ‘Saagar’ (1985).







Vinod Khanna and Madhuri Dixit in 'Dayawan' (1988).







Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor in ‘Raja Hindustani’ (1996).







Rani Mukherjee and Kamal Hassan in ‘Hey Ram’ (2000).







Mallika Sherawat and Emran Hashmi in ‘Murder’ (2002).







Abhishek Bachchan and Antara Mali in ‘Naach’ (2004).







Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi in ‘Kyun, Ho Gaya Na’ (2004).







Kareena Kapoor and Fardeen Khan in ‘Dev’ (2004).







Bipasha Basu and John Abraham in ‘Madhoshi’ (2004).







Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy in ‘Musafir’ (2004).







Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta in 'Salaam Namaste' (2005).







Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in 'Dhoom 2' (2006).







Vidya Balan and Madhavan in 'Guru' (2007).







Bollywood's 15 hottest kissing scenes.

Hot beauty Kangana Ranaut kissing sexy scenes

These are some of the kissing scenes Bollywood's hot beauty Kangana Ranaut has done in one of her South films. (Click to enlarge images)

















Kangana Ranaut has a had a new hit with her latest movie, the horror flick, 'Raaz - The Mystery Continues'. Things are also looking up for her on the personal front, with her parents having invited her boyfriend Adhyayan Suman over to their house.

What is on your body "wish list"???

If you could hand pick from a pool of celebrity facial and body features to create that dream body what would you choose? I took a minute to think about what I would do and the choices are endless! So, to make it easier for you Famed Plastic Surgeons have come up with a "short list" of Hollywood's Hottest Looks of 2009. I will say, some of the selection seemed like a no-brainer, but there are a few choices that will surprise you. One such surprise is that international supermodel Giselle was dethroned as the most sought after body and replaced by Jennifer Anniston. I actually found this very refreshing that women are going for a more attainable "girl next door" look rather than the supermodel! Yes, Giselle we are all still jealous! :) Also, topping the list is Angelina Jolie's perfect pout with Anne Hathaway and Rosario Dawson pulling a close second and third.

The authors of the list say the criteria for being chosen is quite simple. The selection seems to follow who is in the limelight at the moment. As the hollywood elite show up on glossy magazine covers and on the silver screen their stock shoots through the roof. Oh, and don't worry fellas there are choices on the list for you too!!

more censorshit......

"Pull this one ya bastards!"

Hey Mickey You're So Fine

After seeing 52-year old Mickey Rourke In The Wrestler, it was hard not to notice the plastic surgery that has altered his appearance. Before becoming an actor, Mickey was actually a boxer and likely broke his nose a time or two. According to Makemeheal.com, Rourke has likely had several plastic surgery procedures which include a tight facelift, upper eyelid lift, multiple nasal surgeries, as well as possibly having had cheek, lower lip, and chin implants and a hair transplant. Although, he has likely wanted to improve his appearance from the damage of past boxing matches, this pugilist has lost some of his early facial characteristics. Although Mickey clearly looked hotter in the early days of 9 1/2 weeks, his acting skills have won him a Golden Globe and an Oscar Nomination for Best Performance be an actor in a leading role. I look forward to seeing him in Iron Man 2!

Alyson Michalka

Alyson Renae Michalka is an American singer and actress from California. Born 25 March 1989 in Torrance, California. It is famous for being in the duo Aly and AJ with her sister Amanda Michalka. Michalka was born in California, but also has Aztec descent. Her parents are Carrie and Mark Michalka Beglet-Michalka. Alyson wanted to act since the age of nine, as his sister. It is famous for singing in the band "Church" and is famous for his performance in many Disney films and series, like Phil of the Future, cowboy Cows, Now You See It and Change of scene. She is an expert on the piano, guitar and singing. Michalka lives in Torrance on his multimillion-dollar mansion.

In late summer 2005 Alyson recording the Disney Channel Original Movie "Cow Belles" with her sister Amanda. The movie premiere on March 24, 2006 having a very good acceptance and was released on DVD in summer 2006. Alyson Taylor Callum makes a girl who is forced to work in the family business in order to learn to make responsible, but when things get bad is Courtney Taylor and his sister to save the day.

In November 2005, Alyson and her sister Amanda recorded a pilot called "Haversham Hall" for Disney Channel. The show was not approved by Disney Channel so we will never know as it would have been. Alyson's character is Hope Mason, a poor girl who attends a school called "Haversham Hall", one day he bumped into a girl named Samantha and the girls are given in mind that they are sisters who were separated when they were very small.
Alyson and Amanda Summer 2006 they toured during the summer, in August 2006 they released a deluxe edition of Into The Rush with 2 new tracks "Chemicals React" and "Shine".

Bandslam recorded in 2008 (formerly known as Will and Rock On) is an upcoming comedy film, music and romance of Walden Media and Summit Entertainment. The film revolves around very different people who share a love for music. Rock On is planned to be released in theaters in 2009. It stars Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens. Walden Media has finished filming the movie, which was filmed in Austin, Texas with some scenes in New York City.

Hilary Duff

Christian Bale

Born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. His father was a pilot and his mother worked in the circus as a dancer. He had three older sisters.

He started in theater as a child and following his mother's artistic streak, one of his most famous works made with Rowan Atkinson, who some years later also became famous thanks to Mr. Bean.

At age 8 years (1983), appeared briefly in an advertisement for cereal "Pac Man".

Very young, 13 years, debuts on the cinema of Steven Spielberg's hand in the film Empire of the Sun, by passing an audition of more than 4000 children would soon be the correctness of the election when Bale's performance as the boy James is praised by critics. In 1989 she worked in the film Henry V and the following year on Treasure Island.

Every step a child or young adult in the cinema may mean forgetting, but Bale continued there, doing, and with 20 years, Little Women or years later Portrait of a Lady, also causing an impression.

In 2000, the films Shaft Wheel: The Return and American Psycho. In this second film, Bale dons a physical care appears to elevate to the status of sex symbol, but is a very versatile actor. Four years later, his role in The Machinist tested him physically and mentally when faced with one of the most difficult roles of her career so far. Weight loss due to the point of being starved; a transformation reminiscent of Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, but losing weight instead of fat. He overcame the challenge with great satisfaction both for criticism and the public.

Anyway, his big chance to establish itself as an actor of the highest contribution came with the title role in Batman Begins (2005) for which he had to regain the lost weight and also achieve high fitness and martial arts mastery.

In 2006 she took part in the movie The Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine, directed by Christopher Nolan. In 2007 participates in Rescue Dawn, I'm Not There and 3:10 to Yuma and in 2008 returns to the role of Batman in The Dark Knight, which have had very good impressions and has broken box office records in the America, achieving over 500 million dollars.

don't leave home without it.

Zhang Ziyi