Bits n Pieces

I've been a little out of touch this week, as I've been housesitting at a friend's internet-free apartment and my workplace has the nerve to block any URL with the word "blog" in it. What's up with that? Hopefully no one is keeping track of all the times I try to enter a forbidden site and get the bland, 'We're sorry but your workplace has blocked this site' (Subtext: Back to work, pervert slacker!)

Let's catch up:

Sheryl Crow has adopted a baby boy. The excitement wore off before I finished typing that sentence, but congratulations, Sheryl.

You may have read my post a few weeks back on World Trade Center rescue workers being so desparate for some relief for their respiratory illnesses that they have become vulnerable to pseudo-scientific treatments offered by Scientology. A new research study has concluded what any person with five brain cells in their head could have told you: breathing in the pulverized remains of two skyscrapers seems to cause some pulmonary problems down the line. Lordy lordy. Let's hope this "discovery" will force legitimate doctors and researchers to fill the assistance void that Scientology stepped in to fill.

In another groundbreaking study, researchers discovered that teens who use condoms do not have more sex partners than teens that do not and in fact such teens have lower rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea. What do you know? I may fall down with shock. Harm reduction does actually work.

Back to the superficial yet concerning, Perez relayed this quote from Rosie O'Donnell's video blog:

Ellen's not allowed to [talk about gay issues]. She signed a contract that said she wouldn't. It was on the heels of my show. Right? So that's why she doesn't! But, you know what? She also paved the way for a lot of gay people, especially on TV. There were no gay shows on TV. She was pre-Will & Grace, remember that. So, you know, I talk about 'gay' because I like to and she doesn't talk about it because she doesn't want to or she can't. But, who cares? It's fine. Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay!"

I most fervently hope this is not the case but I do have to admit there is a yawning and very loud silence on Ellen where most hosts talk about their families. Think Kelly Ripa as one extreme example but even Oprah talks about Stedman--though she talks about Gayle more. I'm just sayin'. Perhaps Ellen is just really, really private but then again she does take Portia to awards shows and has her arm around her for the cameras. I almost don't want to know if this is true. Not only is it awful if she signed such a thing but awful that anyone would think it up and awful that she might not have gotten the deal if she didn't. I might be ill now. Have a pleasant weekend.