Romanian Riot Watch!, Golden Globes bombshells and giant roadkill omelets

- When hearing the word California, a few connotations come to mind: plastic people, Hollywood, 75 degrees and sunny, soy lattes and surfing among them. Add forward-thinking health policies to the list because the University of California is making the brilliant move to ban cigarettes and all other tobacco products from its campuses over the next two years. No more cancer sticks smoked by losers huddled around the doors of buildings during the winter, no more walking through a cloud of smoke to get into the dining hall or science building, none of it. University officials announced the move as a way designed to both protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and prevent others from developing the bad habit. This blanket ban will prohibit students and staff alike from smoking anywhere on a UC campus - including outdoor spaces, parking lots and private residences. There won't be any designated smoking areas. In other words, take it elsewhere losers. "Our young students who come here as freshmen, who don't smoke but come to college and start experimenting, maybe they won't choose to smoke now. That would be a huge gain," said Trish Ratto, manager of UC Berkeley's Health Matters wellness program and a member of the committee that is developing the ban. Whatever logic you need to use, Trish. Just get cancer sticks away from the general public and make smokers feel as unwelcome as possible. Forcing them to wear neon green t-shirts identifying themselves as smokers might be too much (even if it’s already easy to identify them by their raspy voices, leathery skin and generally unhealthy countenance), but forbidding smoking is a solid step. The stricter policy fits well with existing state anti-smoking laws, as California already has some of the strongest measures in the country. UC President Mark Yudof announced the change late last week in a letter
to campus leaders. Big ups to the entire UC system on this one, showing why California has one of the lowest percentages of smokers in the country. To keep it trending that direction, this sort of rule is exactly the right prescription………….

- The Golden Globes were, as always, a ginormous waste of time and energy. The drama over what host Ricky Gervais would or wouldn’t say and who he might insult were pointless, as were the awards handed out and the over-the-top fawning over who wore what outfit by which designer. However, the show did bring a key bit of information about one of the biggest names in attendance and Kate Winslet’s big reveal could truly shape the future of her acting career as well as Hollywood in general. Winslet was asked if she would ever consider playing Elizabeth Taylor in a film about the iconic actress’ life given that rumors came up last week that Lindsay Lohan was in talks to play Taylor in a Lifetime movie about Taylor’s romance with Richard Burton. "Oh my gosh, I'll decline to comment, actually, because that's the first I've heard of that," Winslet said. "I'm not gonna go there, dude. It's a bit of a hot zone, I think." Aside from her addressing a media member as dude, awesome in and of itself, the comment set Winslet up to deliver a true bombshell of entertainment news importance. The one role she truly wants to play but hasn’t yet it…..a man. "I don't know what kind of man, and I don't know if that would happen or not, but I would be very interested in that because I think that would be the ultimate challenge," she explained. Umm…..OK. Actors sometimes earn praise and even meaningless industry awards for roles that force them to stretch and expand their acting game, such as gaining or losing immense amounts of weight, so playing a man could do that for Winslet. She did take home an award Sunday night for her role in "Mildred Pierce," but maybe at next year’s Globes she could hoist a statuette for a more manly performance………….

- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Romanians are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it any more……with “it” being recently enacted government austerity measures. Opposition groups responded to the measures by demanding the resignation of President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Emil Boc and elections to choose a new government. "The National Liberal Party asks the prime minister and his cabinet to resign immediately because they couldn't manage the violent protests held over the last couple of days in Bucharest," liberal opposition leader Crin Antonescu said. Thousands of citizens staged massive protests in the capital city of Bucharest and 40 other Romanian cities over the weekend, decrying protesting government austerity measures and calling for change. The scene in Bucharest Sunday night was intense, with police and protesters clashing in the city’s University Square. Police used tear gas and excessive force to disperse demonstrators and as of Sunday night, more than 2,000 police officers were on the streets of the capital. As the smoke (and tear gas) from the weekend’s violence lifted, the opposition coalition responsible for the protest announced plans for more mass demonstrations on the heels of four straight days of protests. The group plans to meet Tuesday to plan the best way to continue what have evolved into the most serious revolt since Basescu's election in 2004. It will be difficult to top the weekend’s festivities, during which banks, shops and bus stations in the capital were vandalized, according to Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu. The numbers could have been more impressive for protestors, with just 250 people were fined for disturbing the peace, but it was a solid start. A few rocks and Molotov cocktails were lobbed at police, but more are needed going forward. Protestors also blocked traffic, waved ripped flags and saluted the country’s 1989 communist revolution. They carried signs reading "Liberty" and "Down with President Basescu," leading to a predictably lame response from The Man. "The violence is unacceptable," said Prime Minister Emil Boc. "I ask Romanians to understand that the government took those austerity measures in order to avoid a crisis." Buzzzzzzzzzz! Wrong answer, E. There already is a crisis and you’re in the middle of it. The spark that incited the protests was the resignation of Deputy Health Minister Raed Arafat, an opponent of health care reforms proposed by the government. Quelling the unrest will be difficult, as Basescu decided to scrap the reforms Friday in the face of public pressure and yet, the rage did not abate. "The hospitals don't want the change, the (doctors) don't want the change and neither does the emergency health care system," Basescu said. Protestors are still angry at the government for their poor living standards and that’s the sort of rage that doesn’t quickly fade…………

- The New York Giants are riding high. They have won four straight games, including two impressive playoff triumphs, to reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2007. They are unquestionably playing as well as any team in the playoffs right now and head coach Tom Coughlin is leading the charge. In the midst of the G-Men’s rise, one of the best players from their recent past is seeking a moment of Coughlin’s time to resolve their differences. Former Giants running back Tiki Barber, who Barber retired following the 2006 season and made a failed comeback attempt in 2011, said during a radio interview in New York that he has tried to set up a face-to-face meeting with Coughlin to mend fences over critical comments Barber made after retiring and while working as a TV analyst. Barber heavily criticized Giants quarterback Eli Manning's ability as a leader following his retirement, saying Manning's pregame speeches were "almost comical." At the time, Manning dismissed the remarks and disssed Barber in the process. "I'm not going to lose any sleep about what Tiki has to say. I guess I could have questioned his leadership skills last year with calling out the coach and having articles about him retiring in the middle of the season, and (how) he's lost the heart (to play). As a quarterback, you're reading that your running back has lost the heart to play the game and it's about the 10th week. I can see that a little bit at times," Manning said. Coughlin supported Manning then and based on his response to Barber’s offer for reconciliation, he’s still supporting Manning. "We tried. He said no, through his agent, (Giants vice president of communications) Pat Hanlon," Barber said of his offer. "But one of these days I'm sure it'll happen, because as we know, time heals all wounds." Those comments stand in stark contrast to his past remarks that it was Coughlin's militant and "demeaning" coaching style that drove him to retire. "One issue I've ever had with Tom is he never respected that. He always tried to vilify me,” Barber said of his dedication to the game. He also shot down keeping his comeback bid alive, saying it was a one-time attempt and that he has moved on. Coughlin seems to have moved on as well………….

- Anyone in the mood for a giant roadkill omelet? Upstate New York is (or at least was) the place to be on Friday for anyone looking to toss some peppers, onions and other culinary goodness into a giant mass of egg products and create a Paul Bunyan-esque breakfast item. A tractor trailer carrying liquid eggs overturned and spilled in a farm field in Genesee County around 8:30 a.m. Friday, forcing authorities to shut down Route 20 for nearly four hours while the mess was cleaned up. The crash occurred near the intersection of Route 20 and Browns Mill Road in the town of Alexander as the truck was carrying an entire trailer full of liquid eggs to Canada. Liquid eggs are a key ingredient in dog food and as everyone knows, Canada is the place where quality dog food is made. Crews from the Department of Conservation worked to clear the egg goo from the road and returned later in the day and the following day to clean the scene. No word on whether any of them brought salt, pepper or a spatula to get the job done, but traffic returned to normal shortly after noon on Friday. The driver was unharmed, but was cited for driving too fast for the weather conditions. His calloused disregard for quality eggs products went unpunished, but hopefully the hundreds of hungry dogs who will not have enough to eat because of his carelessness will haunt his dreams in the days and weeks ahead……….