If I examine if it is just my apprehension about growing older and coming to terms with the awareness of truths, like our cat does not sit on my lap more frequently than other family members because he likes me more, but rather he sits on me because I am softer than everyone else … then is my chagrin just a state of mind or does the truth of the state of my body cause my thoughts to turn to the worst with regard to age?

The truth is, growing old is not always pretty, so in a world that focuses everything on beauty and usefulness how can one remain in a state of mind that is conducive to seeing all things, even sagging breasts and butts, as acceptable and still beautiful? How can one successfully maintain a youthful state of mind when everything around that one dictates that only youth and beauty are significant? Simply answered, “One can only do so with great difficulty, if at all.”

It may be easy for the eternally youthful like Sally Fields who never seemed to have aged over the years but for those who did not inherit the fountain of youth in their genes and those who see their gingerly labeled “laugh lines” have become deep wrinkles then it seems a battle not worth fighting on a psychological level. It can even border on living a lie when one is faced with the truth each and every time they look in a mirror. In my opinion, we expend a tremendous amount of energy trying to maintain a state of mind that thinks youthfully in order to appear youthful when such energy may be better expended on more meaningful ventures.

Oakland Police arrested two people tonight and dispersed a crowd of about 100 people at a downtown Oakland demonstration over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a BART police officer.

The demonstration, which began around 6 p.m., was about half the size of Wednesday’s, which turned violent as protesters wreaked havoc on downtown.

Tonight, police in riot gear quickly shut down Broadway between 12th and 16th Streets after protesters began stopping cars and buses and threw trash cans into the middle of the street. One woman protested by urinating in the middle of the street. Some protesters carried signs that read, “No justice, no peace.” Others carried candles.

At Walgreens on 14th and Broadway, a protester threw a rock at the window. The window remained intact, but the manager came out, locked the front door and pulled a metal gate around the door and closed early for the night. A Rite-Aid across the street did the same.

By 7:30 p.m. a line of two dozen officers began advancing toward the crowd at 14th and Broadway. A bottle was hurled at the officers, who told people to move to the sidewalk.

“You all better think twice before you shoot an unarmed man,” one man yelled as police advanced.

Shares in the world’s biggest retailer were among the few to enjoy a double-digit increase last year, up 18 per cent as investors hoped the group could continue to find strong growth from costconscious consumers eking out cheaper alternatives.

But the shares were the biggest losers on the Dow Jones Industrial Average yesterday, down 7.5 per cent to $51.38 after the group cut its fourth-quarter earnings forecast. That wiped out all of their growth since late November.

McDonald’s - the only other Dow stock to find positive territory in 2008 - fell 1.2 per cent to $60.52, while cosmetics group Avon Products shed 4.6 per cent to $23.10.

Wal-Mart’s profit warning came after disappointing December sales, one of several downbeat retail figures disclosed yesterday.

However, hopes of quick approval in Washington of Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package helped the major indices finish mixed following sharp declines in the previous session.

The S&P 500 closed up 0.3 per cent at 909.73 points, the Dow down 0.3 per cent at 8,742.46 and the Nasdaq Composite Index up 1.1 per cent at 1,617.01.

The material sector was one of the better performing. Alcoa , which came under selling pressure earlier in the week after disclosing plans for the third production cut in as many months, recovered 4.3 per cent to $11.36 ahead of fourth quarter results due on Monday.

1. Exercise
As if we needed another reason to get fit! Exercise isn’t only for maintaining your weight and staying healthy. It’s great for relieving the stresses of life. Plus, the effects of a good workout can last for several hours after you hit the showers. You’ll have more energy throughout the day, and your metabolism with stay elevated too. Exercise also helps your mind by releasing those “feel good chemicals” that improve your mood.

2. Eat a Healthy Diet
What and when you eat has a great affect on your mood and energy. Avoid refined and processed foods (like white breads, rice, and sugar). These foods are not only devoid of the nutrients your body craves, but they zap your energy levels and can affect your mood—causing depression, lack of concentration, and mood swings. Try to incorporate more complex carbohydrates (whole wheat breads, brown rice, veggies, fruit) and get your daily eight cups of water. These healthy foods provide your body (and mind) with nutrients, and stabilize your blood sugar and your energy levels.

3. Get Some Sun
Most people know that sunlight provides us with Vitamin D. But did you know that it also improves your mood? Winter days are shorter and darker than other months, and because of the cold weather, a lot of people spend less and less time outdoors. Lack of sunlight can cause many people to become depressed—without knowing why! Similar to exercise, sunlight exposure releases neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mood. Try to spend a little more time outdoors. Keep your shades up during the day to let more light in. Sit near windows in restaurants and during class. Try changing the light bulbs in your house to “full spectrum” bulbs. These mimic natural light and actually have the same affects on your mind as the real thing.

In a letter to key lawmakers Thursday, Obama transition team co-chair John Podesta said the digital transition needs to be delayed largely because the Commerce Department has run out of money for coupons to subsidize digital TV converter boxes for consumers. People who don’t have cable or satellite service or a new TV with a digital tuner will need the converter boxes to keep their older analog sets working.

Obama officials are also concerned that the government is not doing enough to help Americans — particularly those in rural, poor or minority communities — prepare for and navigate the transition.

“With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively mandated analog cutoff date,” Podesta wrote in a letter to top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House Commerce committees.

In a statement released Thursday, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, acknowledged that the transition to digital television is not going well, and that millions of Americans could experience serious problems on Feb. 17.

“We also know that many Americans will experience difficulties connecting their converter boxes, that there could soon be a shortage of boxes, and that the federal government is not prepared to answer the many questions confused consumers will have.

“I am reviewing the President-elect’s letter and will work with his team and my colleagues to address the problems created by this poorly managed program,” he said.

In 2005, Congress required that broadcasters switch from analog to digital broadcasts, which are more efficient, to free up valuable chunks of wireless spectrum. The newly available room in the airwaves can be used for commercial wireless services and for emergency-response networks.

Because Congress set the Feb. 17 date for the change, it would have to pass a new law to postpone it.

Overall, average yields for certificates of deposit and savings accounts haven’t dropped nearly as much as other interest rates, particularly the federal funds rate, which the Federal Reserve slashed from 2% in October to 0.25% in December.

By contrast, the average rate on a one-year certificate dropped a little more than half a percentage point, to 1.92%, in the same period, according to Bankrate.com. Savers who shop around a bit can find several banks offering rates over 3% on both one-year CDs and on high-yield savings accounts.

Imperial Capital Bank of La Jolla, Calif., for example, recently offered a 3.85% yield on a one-year CD, while GMAC Bank of Midvale, Utah, was paying 3.75%. Meanwhile, Dollar Savings Direct of New York City paid 4% on its savings account with a $1,000 minimum deposit, and Flagstar Bank of Troy, Mich., offered 3.55% with a $1 minimum.

For an interesting experiment, you might try Money Aisle, which auctions off your deposit to the highest-bidding bank. It’s fun and doesn’t require a commitment.

A number of small banks and credit unions are even offering rates over 4% — on checking accounts. Some, including Crossroads Bank of Illinois, recently advertised yields above 6%. So-called rewards checking has numerous restrictions for users, but it’s a trend that has picked up speed as banks’ need for money has grown.

“Banks are still very hungry for consumer deposits,” said Greg McBride, a senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com. “They’re keeping returns high relative to where they are in the rest of the economy.”

“You know what’s hard?” the underemployed, drama-addicted starlet, 22, bellyaches in the February issue of Interview (the chat was conducted by Lauren Hutton). “I want to give back. I want to do all the things that will make me feel fulfilled. But whenever I do those things, people think it’s a press stunt or something.”

Lohan, who reportedly rang in the new year by publicly brawling with squeeze Samantha Ronson, blames the paparazzi for making her life difficult, insisting that “there’s really no way of hiding from that,” even though actual do-gooders such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are able to disappear — with six kids in tow — for extended periods of time.

When Hutton suggests that she go somewhere “where no one knows you,” Lindsay sighs that “it’s so impossible for me to actually do that,” citing as evidence her November trip to Dubai for a swanky hotel opening, a star-packed soiree that drew everyone from Mary-Kate Olsen to Robert De Niro, not exactly the place to get away from it all.

“But the second that you complain about it, they say, ‘Well, this is what you wanted, so this is what you’re going to get.’ That’s all people see it as now. It’s not, ‘No, I just want to have some time for myself,’” she grouses, seemingly oblivious to her complete inability to stay away from the spotlight and enjoy a quiet night at home with a cup of cocoa and a good book. “There are things I want to do, and people don’t understand that. You know, my car accident that I got into where I got my first charge, I wouldn’t have been speeding up like I was if I didn’t have people shoving cameras in my windows.”

Lindsay appears to be referring to her May 2007 arrest for DUI after she curbed her Mercedes (”my favorite car,” she points out, “which I worked my ass off to buy for myself”) in Beverly Hills after a night on the town. Soon after, she entered rehab for the second of three times that year.

“I have become this girl who just loves to be photographed, doesn’t know how to focus, doesn’t know how to work on set, just loves the attention, knows how to go out at night, knows how to party,” she fumes. “And you know what? I was 20 years old. I never went to college. I lived maybe six months out of my life like that, doing something wrong, and then I stopped. God forbid I should have ever learned my lesson. But at this point it’s so hard for people to even believe that there was a lesson to be learned at all, because they just think I’m wrong.”

And while some might question Lohan’s math on that six-months-of-her-life figure (apropos of nothing, she was accused of bad behavior in October while guest-starring on “Ugly Betty,” with her planned six episodes getting cut to four), she sighs that she can’t shake her tabloid-stoked reputation.

“I just feel as though it’s become a situation where people have manifested this caricature of who I am, and they act as if there’s no real person inside of it,” she gripes (although props for the five-dollar phrase “manifested this caricature”). “I mean, people really have come to believe — directors, producers, agents, whoever it may be — that I started in this because I wanted to be a celebrity. But that was never my intention.”

What hurts the most, moans the actress, who has spent much of the last several months fighting with Ronson at hot spots around the globe and posting defensive messages on her MySpace page, “is that I work just as hard as any other actress around my age, like Scarlett Johansson, but I just don’t get the opportunities that they get because people are so distracted by the mess that I created in my life. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to last forever.”

(By the by, the reference to the Woody Allen-beloved starlet comes three years after Lohan reportedly scrawled a decidedly nasty dig at her in a bathroom stall at a New York bar. “I don’t really know that person,” Scarlett sniffed in the December issue of Allure. “I don’t know what the motivation was.”)

Lindsay also name-drops Heath Ledger in the chat, recalling some words of wisdom he gave her on fame: “He said, ‘It’s build you up to knock you down, and that’s all it is. And you just have to see if you can stand through it.’ And it is like that, if you put yourself in this situation. I was young, so maybe I did … I always wanted to take the blame. I’ve always been apologetic for other people’s faults.”

She continues, “And I didn’t even try everything. I was too afraid. The one thing I tried was the wrong thing. And maybe it was just because I’d seen someone else in my family do it — not my mother. But, I don’t know, it really … It sucks.”

Perhaps with all the free time she’s had on her hands lately, Lohan should consider enrolling in a few film study classes, if only to mix with a more cinematically erudite crowd.

Blagojevich was arrested last month after federal prosecutors alleged, among other things, that he tried to sell the Senate seat President-elect Barack Obama vacated.

The issue will now be taken up by the full Illinois state House of Representatives.

“Today is the day that we begin to give back democracy to the people of the state of Illinois,” Democratic Rep. Jack Franks said as he cast his “aye” vote.

Blagojevich “has been AWOL and derelict of his duties. He has abused his powers, and he has brought shame to this great state,” Franks said.

“I believe that Rod Blagojevich is a liar, and I believe he is a thief,” Franks said. “He has stolen the trust of the people.”

The committee heard testimony Thursday afternoon from Roland Burris, the man Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

Burris denied any quid pro quo with Blagojevich for his appointment to the U.S. Senate. Burris, former attorney general for Illinois, is not accused of engaging in “pay-to-play” politics with Blagojevich.

“I would have appreciated it if he had stepped aside, and we would not have been made the laughing stock of the country,” said Rep. Mary Flowers, another Democrat. She noted, however, that the governor is “innocent until proven guilty.”

The 21-member committee looked into Blagojevich’s actions on a number of issues beyond the federal allegations, including an allegation he withheld state money from a children’s hospital until he received a $50,000 campaign donation.

Rep. Chapin Rose, a Republican, called the alleged behavior “repugnant.”

“The report speaks for itself and contains many, many, many acts that I find, and most of my colleagues find, to be impeachable,” Rose said.

“The evidence is overwhelmingly damning, and with that I vote aye,” he said.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald initiated a criminal complaint against Blagojevich after listening to wiretaps of the governor’s phone conversations.

Blagojevich was arrested December 9, but has not been indicted. A federal judge in Chicago told Fitzgerald he has until April 7 to decide whether to charge the Illinois governor.

The committee’s report says it found the government’s allegations against Blagojevich “shocking” and believes the information in the federal complaint “is sufficiently credible to demonstrate an abuse of office” that was “inconsistent with the governor’s constitutional oath.”

If the full House votes to impeach the governor, the action moves to the state Senate, which would try the case and decide whether to remove him from office.

The Illinois committee’s report points out that Blagojevich does not need to be found guilty of a crime for the House to impeach him.

“An impeachment inquiry is not a criminal proceeding and its purpose is not punitive. Rather, impeachment is a remedial proceeding to protect the public from an officer who has abused his position of trust,” the report says.

The committee points out that the criminal complaint against Blagojevich alleges he was secretly taped saying he would not appoint anyone to Obama’s seat without some form of compensation. iReport.com: Do you trust your political leaders?

“The governor repeatedly demonstrated that his decision to appoint a senator would not be based on merits of the candidate or on public policy, but rather on how that appointment could benefit him personally,” the report says.

“The governor directed various individuals to conduct inquiries on his behalf to negotiate deals for the Senate appointment, affirmatively setting into action a plot to trade the Senate appointment for something of value to the governor,” it said.

As expected, Ballmer announced that Microsoft is releasing a beta version of Windows 7, which will be available for download beginning Friday. The news suggests the world’s largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.

“We are on track to deliver the best version of Windows ever,” Ballmer told an audience of several thousand tech professionals and journalists inside a cavernous ballroom at the Venetian hotel. “We’re working hard to get it right and get it ready.”

Without mentioning the security and compatibility issues that have dogged Vista, Ballmer promised that Windows 7 will make PCs faster and easier to use. He didn’t offer a timetable for its official release, although Windows Vista went on sale more than two years after it was issued in beta form.

Early reviews of Windows 7, which was leaked to the Internet in beta form in late December, have been positive. iReport.com: Will you try Windows 7? Are you attending CES?

The forthcoming operating system will have touch-screen capability, side-by-side windows for comparison shopping and a “Peek” feature that makes open windows transparent, allowing users to see the icons on their desktop.

“Windows 7 makes it easier to move between the things on your desktop,” said Microsoft group project manager Charlotte Jones, who gave a brief demonstration of the system on the hall’s giant display screens. Jones said the new system also makes it easier to send files back and forth between home computers. Video Watch what’s on tap at CES 2009 »

Ballmer later yielded the stage to Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, who praised the explosive growth of the company’s Xbox Live online gaming community. Bach also announced forthcoming releases of new versions of Microsoft’s popular “Halo” game series: “Halo Wars,” due Feb. 28, and “Halo 3: OSDT,” which will ship in the fall. Video Watch Bach predict coming trends »
Don’t Miss

* Touting tech in a brutal economy
* iReport.com: Excited about CES?

Wednesday’s address marked the energetic Ballmer’s debut as CES keynote pitchman, a job that had been handled for the past decade by Microsoft chairman and industry pioneer Bill Gates. Ballmer’s presentation came two days after a similar, high-profile keynote at the Macworld show in San Francisco by Apple, Microsoft’s chief rival, and its vice president Philip Schiller, filling in for the ailing Steve Jobs.

Unlike Schiller, Ballmer tackled the struggling economy head-on in his remarks. He said that although the recession has created “a period of reduced expectations,” the tech companies that push forward now with innovative research will fare better in the long-term than the companies that scale back.

Ballmer said the convergence of screens on computers, TVs and mobile phones is revolutionizing how people communicate with each other.

“Our digital lives will continue to get richer. There’s really no turning back from the connected world,” he said. “We’re on the verge of the kind of technological transformation that only happens once every 10 or 15 years.”

As if to prove his point, Ballmer also welcomed onstage program manager Janet Galore, who gave brief demos of some Microsoft product prototypes, including a tabletop-like touch screen and a flexible, wafer-thin digital screen you can roll up like a piece of paper.

In a gentle swipe at Apple, which has gained market share against Microsoft in recent years, Ballmer said the PC remains the best choice for consumers seeking “value and power” in a computer.

“That’s why we say, ‘I’m a PC and proud of it!” he bellowed — a reference to a new Microsoft ad campaign that play off similar ads by Apple.

Ballmer also announced that Microsoft has formed a partnership with Verizon Wireless to add Live Search tools to all Verizon smart phones in the U.S.

He also announced a partnership with Dell, which will soon come loaded with Microsoft’s Windows Live suite of software, and links between Windows Live and the social-networking site, Facebook.

Reaction to the 90-minute presentation, which also included a performance by Australian musical-comedy trio Tripod, was mixed. Attendees praised the lively pace of Ballmer’s talk, but wished he had made more news.

“I really loved what I heard tonight. There’s definitely a lot of things to look forward to,” said Sebastian Mineau, a Montreal-based blogger with MSN Canada. “It [Windows 7] wasn’t a big surprise. But it was still nice to get the confirmation straight from the lion’s mouth.”

I was kind of surprised and impressed when she told me I’d actually said these words. Over the years I have had pre-sex panic attacks over (in no particular order): my eyebrows, nasally voice, bad breath, body hair, belly roll(s), teeth, table manners, inner thighs… basically if I had it, I wasted valuable lady hours worrying about it.

Obviously, I’m not alone. I’ve heard size-two women complaining about their back fat, translucent-skinned girls whining about imaginary forehead wrinkles and 22-year-old bambinas flipping out about getting old.

So I polled a few guys I know and asked them what they thought women worried about too much. Here are some answers:

Stretch marks. As [comedian] Katt Williams says, “either you were skinny and you gained weight or you were fat and you lost weight.” Either way, we don’t care. — Michael

I love a woman who can not only produce a solid fart, but who can also take ownership of it and stand by it. And I like a woman that can go out of the house unshowered and I kind of hate when women hold back in the food department. If you can’t whole-heartedly enjoy a good meal, what’s the point? — Marco
Do

Most definitely, the “is it alright if I spend tonight with my friends?” is a false problem area. I have many female clients who assume that their boyfriends or husbands are going to be bothered if they go out with their girlfriends. There are, of course, plenty of men who are needy, insecure and controlling, but the majority of men I know are simply too lazy to expend energy on caring whether or not you want to out with your girlfriends. Hell, that’s the most opportune time for men to drink beer and watch ESPN. — Rob Dobrenski, Shrinktalk.net

On both ends of the spectrum, girls worry about their age. In reality, so long as you’re not old enough to be his mom, or young enough to be jailbait, you can build good connection with a pretty wide age range. Also, menstrual periods. Some guys get freaked out, but others really just don’t care. Almost universally, though, girls are overly sensitive about this.

Some girls are worried that their guy will be turned off by [a lot of sexual] experience, and others are worried that their inexperience (or virginity) will cause them to be a lackluster lover. In my experience, there’s only a small correlation between experience and talent. — “Affection,” an attraction coach (aka, pickup artist) with Project Manhattan.com.

Obviously this is just a small sampling and there are man creatures out there who are skeeved by a few extra pounds or a gassy broad, but the point is, we women spend far more time worrying about what they’ll think of us than they do worrying about how they look to us. It’s time to quit all that.

The better attitude is to embrace your flaws –whether real or imagined — like an ex of my boyfriend’s did.