Stud Muffin
February 9, 2010
I recently bought these earrings from glamnoir.com. I think the black backing is a cool twist on the classic pyramid stud.
Also, check out the key chain/USB drive!
This is the latest in a few seasons of studded belts from J. Crew.
And no one does studs with quite as much class as Hermes.
A Little Frosting!
February 8, 2010
I must be on some sort of jewelry kick because I’m obsessed with these two statement necklaces, both from J. Crew. Prepare to see a lot of J. Crew from me!
The Carrington crystal bow necklace is a little pricey ($295), but it’s an entire outfit! I’ll wait for that one to go on sale. The crystal devote necklace is so cute and perfect!
“The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.”
-Steel Magnolias
My New Favorite Accessory!
February 8, 2010
How cute are these earrings?! Just got them in the other day! I bought the clear crystals, but like the blue as well!
I love the simplicity plus the irregular shapes. Plus, they look way more expensive than $63!
http://www.jannaconner.com/detail.htm?jewelry=studs_earrings&item=gold_plate_christa_stud¶ms=2,6,0
Happy Shopping!
Retail Therapy!
February 7, 2010
I’m completely revamping my blog. Don’t get me wrong – I love local news. I love telling stories, but I no longer see a need to expand on the news of the day. The whole point of television news is so you don’t have to read it! If you insist in reading the news, pick up the newspaper, or better yet log on to fox5vegas.com. Our fabulous editors Jason and Nikki are already on top of that! Also, if you haven’t noticed, I haven’t updated my blog in months anyway. And don’t try to pretend you missed my updates! I can see how many hits it gets!
So instead of another blog somewhere out in cyberspace, it will have a different focus. I want the opportunity to share a passion I don’t typically get to share on air: fashion, style, and shopping. I’ll get inspiration from my friends (not the girls in their Vegas dresses waiting in line for Tao), and of course the amazing shopping experiences in this city. Stay tuned!
L
Las Vegas Restaurant Week
September 2, 2009
What a fantastic day! Nothing beats combining work with food and charity! If you didn’t know already, it’s Las Vegas Restaurant Week. Eighty-six fabulous restaurants are offering special prix fix menus at $20.09, $30.09 or $50.09. This includes high end places like L’Atelier by Joel Robuchon, Todd English’s Olives, Jasmine, and so many others. On top of eating a delicious meal, three to five dollars benefits Three Square, the organization that feeds the hungry here in Las Vegas.
“The need has been growing significantly, so were just trying to keep up with that demand,” said Erica Thompson of Three Square.
Erica told me 210,000 people here in Las Vegas live at or below the poverty line!
Half of them are under the age of eighteen.
One in five children in our city go hungry.
Last year Three Square delivered 10.7 million pounds of food. This year they’ve already exceeded 11 million. We still have four months left to go!
“Twenty dollars to eat at Olives! You can’t beat that for three courses,” said Blair Bossart. (Small world. I learned that Blair and I went to college together in Houston, and never even knew it!) “It’s great that the charity gets some exposure, so you can find out what else you can do to help.”
One dollar yields three meals for the needy. Last year Restaurant Week brought in 35,000 dollars for Three Square. This year they hope to match or exceed that.
So, do your part! Dine out to help out! I’m off to Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay tonight (with Blair!) and L’Atelier tomorrow!
http://www.threesquare.org/
“When times are good people give and that’s noble,” said Chef Isaac Carter of Olives. “But when people give when times are hard that’s truly heroic.”
Well said!
Parents of Drowned Baby Share Their Story
July 9, 2009
“It was less than three minutes from the time I was taking a bite of his donut to when I was performing CPR on him,” said Patrick of his two year-old son Dayne.
He started from the beginning. Dayne woke up around 9:45. As usual, he pointed to the chocolate cereal and said ‘That one, Daddy.”
Patrick was organizing an outing for his four boys so that his wife, Heather, could have some peace and quite to study.
“The next thing I know my six year-old says ‘hey where’s the baby?!’ and we all basically jumped up.”
The neighbor’s son, who was in the house at the time, saw Dayne in the pool and jumped in.
“I ran out there and grabbed my baby from him and automatically started performing CPR.”
The ambulance came in minutes and Dayne was transported to Desert Springs Hospital. Doctors try to resuscitate him for fifty minutes, but it was just too late. They told Patrick three seconds in the water is enough to kill a child.
The White family donated Danye’s organs. A forty-five year-old man received his kidneys and an 11 year old girl received his liver. Dayne has the potential to save six other lives.
The Whites decided that wasn’t enough. They know of too many sad stories and want to remind other valley parents you can never be too careful. That’s why they decided to share this story.
“We want as much good as we can to come out of this and to help as many people as we can,” said Heather, Dayne’s mother.
“We want everyone to know you can’t watch your kids enough,” said Patrick “Every precaution you can take, take it!” said Patrick.
Patrick said everyone was shocked this happened to his family. Their rental house was the neighborhood hang-out, and Dayne was everyone’s favorite baby. Patrick always made sure every child who came over could swim. He would make them do a lap in front of him before they were allowed to stay over.
Even Dayne, at 2 years old knew how to swim. Heather and Patrick said he knew never to go in by himself. When he threw his golf clubs in the pool (which was pretty often), he would always find his parents.
“I was the father who was proud to say my baby is going to be okay out there,” Patrick said tearfully. “He wasn’t. He just wasn’t. And he knows how to swim.”
The pool was not equipped with a fence, a mistake the Whites say they will always regret.
The family can’t bare to stay in that house or see the pool where their baby died. Their furniture is nearly all packed up as they plan to move close to family in Washington.
The Whites and their three boys have begun counseling.
Six children have drowned so far this year. In 2008, a total of seven drowned all year. Yesterday police responded to three near drownings.
Four Valley Clinics Shut Down
July 9, 2009
‘Confidential professional and economical.’ That’s what the sign says at the Clinica De Mujers on 3700 E. Charleston, one of four clinics shut down for safety violations in the past two weeks.
“It appeared they were improperly sterilizing equipment and there was some expired medication,” said Paul Shubert of the state’s Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance.
The owner of Botanica San Francisco (2645 S Nellis Blvd.) and Botanica Maya (5347 E. Lake Mead) tried to shoo the photographer and me away when we filmed one of his “clinics,” which looked more like a convenience store than a doctor’s office.
“We had no corroboration with the board of medical examiners that the physician was even licensed,” said Shubert of the so-called doctor accused of performing operations in the back rooms of the stores.
The Board of Health became aware of the clinics after emergency personnel responded to a woman bleeding extensively during an operation.
Efrein Gonzalez, who lives in neighborhood, said the Botanica clinics were popular among Hispanics in the area because they sold medications from Mexico at a fraction of the price. His brother was sold the wrong medicine for diabetes and nearly died.
“Here in the United States it’s really expensive and now the people don’t have the jobs so they don’t have money to go to the hospital,” explained Gonzalez. “They try to make money. It doesn’t matter how.”
The Skin + Body Institute (2451 Professional Court) operated by Dr. Sean Su also received a cease and desist letter from the Board. Health officials say poor sterilization resulted in a botched breast augmentation.
This was the only one of these clinics not in a low-income area.
“Whether its in a low income area or a high income area it doesn’t matter. These things are happening and we need to address them,” said Shubert.
The Board of Medical examiners is still investigating. They will determine the penalties in all of these situations.
Deadly Week for Bikers
July 1, 2009
“We tried to get motorcycles as kids and Dad always said ‘no way’ and now I understand why,” said James Donovan after he witnessed a young man die in a motorcycle accident.
“My grandson wanted to buy a motorcycle and I hit him over the head,” said Charles Fantauzzo, another witness.
I don’t think Charles was joking and he actually reminded me a bit of my dad, a physician who has seen more than a few motorcycle deaths over his career. Bikes were totally off limits in the Murphy house! I’m not at all saying motorcycles are bad. I’ve been on a few (I really hope my dad isn’t reading this) and there are few things as exhilarating. But I know my luck, and I’ve seen the way other people drive. They ARE inherently dangerous, even for the most experienced of bikers.
This week three motorcyclists have been killed on the roads. On Monday, a woman was allegedly drunk when she hit a biker. Wednesday night, the driver of an SUV drove off after hitting someone! That biker died underneath another car. Then today, a driver misjudged the distance between him and a motorcycle while making a left turn. The biker didn’t have enough time to avoid the Hummer.
“Most car drivers don’t understand a approaching motorcycle gives no clue as to how fast its approaching,” said Guy Miller, a safety instructor at Harley Davidson.
“A motorcycle heading at you at 70 miles per hour looks no different than a motorcycle going 30 miles per hour. It’s very hard for car drivers to judge our depth perception because we don’t increase in size as we get closer.”
Guy said distracted drivers made up the vast majority of his close calls (cell phones Ipods, stereos, folks screaming at the kids in the back seat).
Don’t forget…often the bikers are at fault, even the most experienced.
“Motorcycling is a degenerative skill. The more we ride the worse we get. The more we ride, the more bad habits creep in.”
Harley Davidson has a class called Riders Edge. They have classes for novices and veterans alike. With real road experience, they’ll teach the skills you need to get the most out of riding. The cost is $350, but could be the best 350 you’ve ever spent.
Seriously….how much did you spend on the bike?!
www.lvhd.com 7022-431-8500
2605 S. Eastern Suite #100
Guy is a great instructor, but he’ll be the first to say he’s not bulletproof. The previous instructor, Dan, died on his bike. A driver swerved to miss a ladder on the road, and hit him head on.
“That’s part of the game with our hobby. It’s a dangerous sport. We all know that and we accept the responsibility,” said Guy.
“And Dan went out doing what he loves.”
Avoid the Summer Brain Drain!
June 5, 2009
When I was younger my crazy parents had all sorts of ideas on how to keep my brain stimulated during summer vacations. When I wanted to get my ears pierced, I had to do put in thirty hours of Spanish lessons with my dad. To start shaving my legs, I read ten books (mom’s choice) and wrote book reports on all of them. When we went on a summer vacations, my sisters and I researched the history of the state or country we visited. I wasn’t a huge fan of all their learning schemes at the time, but now I’m grateful. So, my parents were the inspiration for my story today – How to keep kids sharp during the summer.
Sadly, Vegas isn’t known as a Mecca of education, but there are LOTS of things to do here this summer! Today, I went to the Leid Discovery Children’s Museum and had way too much fun standing in the hurricane simulator, making giant soap bubbles, and inspecting the details of my unique thumbprint.
The boys are sure to love the new exhibit, Grossology: The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body, where they can learn about burps, snot, body odor, and other unmentionables. That exhibit goes from June 6th – September 7th. They have a ton of cool workshops for the kids (and the young at heart!) Every day they have a chemistry workshop called Fizz, Bubble, Pop –Wow!. Cold Hard Facts shows kids what happens to balls balloons and bananas at minus 320 Fahrenheit! The museum also has daily programs about the human body and electricity and several arts and crafts.
Check out their website for more. http://www.ldcm.org/
Libraries all across the valley have fun activities for kids this summer! Book clubs, reading contests, and other fun learning opportunities. Here are links to Clark County Libraries and Henderson Libraries.
http://www.mypubliclibrary.com/
At Henderson Libraries, kids can enter an eight-week reading program. The last day to register is June 12th, and the program lasts from June 13th until August 8th. For every 5 hours they spend reading, kids win a prize. There’s a program for adults too. Why not lead by example?!
There are plenty of other ways to mix fun and education this summer. Have the little ones figure out the measurements when you’re cooking dinner. Encourage your teens to intern in a industry in which they’ve shown an interest. Research your family history. Start a neighborhood book club. Use your imagination. My folks sure did!
On a Boat!
May 22, 2009
It’s officially time to dust off the jet skis and boats and hit Lake Mead. I spent the day out there as park rangers got ready for a busy and potentially dangerous weekend. They are really encouraging people to buckle those life vests. Children ages twelve and under are required by law to wear them when the boat is in motion, and there must be enough life vests for everyone on board. Since you never know what can happen, it’s best to wear them all the time. Remember, that Las Vegas wind can sometimes be strong enough to blow you off the dock!
In 2008 alone, we saw thirteen fatalities at Lake Mead, four from boating and nine from drowning. This year, lets get that down to zero!
Log on to this website to win great prizes (if you’re a safe boater!)…Think houseboat vacations, jet ski rentals, sightseeing tours, and more! More than $30 thousand dollars worth of prizes! They’ve been generously donated by Seven Crown, Las Vegas Boat Harbor, Lake Mead Cruises, and Forever Resorts www.funonthelake.com
Also…watch this hilarious SNL digital short. You won’t win anything, but you’ll probably get a giggle out of it.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/56632/saturday-night-live-digital-short-im-on-a-boat
