Olympic hopeful
Melanie Roach is a bad ass
mama jama. The mom of three kids (one of whom is severely autistic) can lift 238 pounds over her head, says the
New York Times. She's only 5'1'' and weighs 117 pounds, and she was all set to try out for the 2000 Olympics when a herniated disc in her back ruined her chances. Melanie's husband, Washington state legislator Dan, has been instrumental in her recuperation. According to the
Times, "From 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., Dan takes care of Drew (th couple's autistic son), when he often throws what the family calls parties, jumping on the bed, opening and shutting the bedroom door 20 times, breaking into fits of giggles." [
NYT]
rag trade
- ANTM cycle 8 winner Jaslene Gonzalez: Now the face of Lot29. What? A Top Model winner actually booked a job after wrapping the show? [WWD, sub req'd]
- Yes, still more on model Gemma Ward's film debut in The Black Balloon: Her character's name is Jackie. Jackie helps her boyfriend learn to accept his brother's autism. Also, Ward will be starring in another movie coming out this year, a thriller titled The Strangers which co-stars Liv Tyler. [WWD, 1st item]
- The new Versace fragrance is supposed to smell lke Donatella and its bottle is supposed to look like a Versace dress. We assume this means it actually smells like cocaine and cigarettes. [BellaSugar]
- Video! Marc Jacobs interviews Jennifer Jason Leigh, still has blue hair. [MySpace]
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gimme shock treatment?
A school in Massachusetts is the country's last remaining educational institution to use
shock therapy. Whoa, they still do that outside the confines of
The Simpsons? The school, the
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, educates kids with severe autism and other behavioral problems so long as parents agree to
make them wear backpacks sorta like doggy-shock collars, that allow staff members to "deliver a moderate shock to electrodes attached to the limbs" when they act up. The lawyer for Rotenberg, Mr. [Michael P.] Flammia, said the current has to hurt to work. He described the highest shock as "a hard pinch." But a former teacher from the school, who asked not to be named because he signed a confidentiality agreement as a condition of employment and fears he could be sued for speaking to a reporter, said he had seen children scream and writhe on the floor from the shock. And yet a Rotenberg parent insists her daughter is "not permanently scarred" and has meanwhile "really learned that certain behaviors, like running up and hitting people in the face, are not acceptable."
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clips
A child featured on an episode of Dr. Phil today is basically a living, breathing contraceptive: He's just totally out of control. He throws fits, screams, cries, scratches, scars himself, spits on people, barks for hours at a time, runs to the kitchen for sharp objects when he's upset, and has even threatened his siblings with a butcher knife. Worst of all, he tells his mother on a daily basis that he wants to kill her, and goes into detail, telling her he will eat her carcass. He has been diagnosed as autistic, which surely must make things more complicated, but his disorder doesn't really get him of the hook for the death threats, in our book.
Related: Excessive Tantrums In Preschoolers May Indicate Serious Mental Health Problems [Science Daily]
broadsides
- Wow, "Keith" must be working some serious overtime! Southwest Airlines gave another woman hell for wearing "revealing" clothing, just a week after a woman was nearly booted off a flight for wearing a mini-skirt. Setara Qassim was forced to wear a blanket by a flight attendant because she thought Setara's top was too low cut. Dude, is it just us, or does Southwest seriously have a problem with girls with ample breasts? [NBC6.net]
- Eating right, staying active, and watching your weight during pregnancy furthers the chances that your unborn baby will grow into a healthy adult. Memo to Nicole Richie: Eating right, staying active, and watching your weight ups your chances of being a healthy adult too! [Newsweek]
- A Top Chef contestant and a small group of her friends were beaten outside of Long Island bar in what appears to be a hate-crime. Josie Smith-Malave, who is gay, says she hopes the perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted on felony hate-crime charges. [Local6.com]
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broadsides
- Mia Farrow is offering to give up her own freedom for that of a Sudanese rebel under hospital arrest. Is she for real or is this just some empty offer to prove once that she's a better person than Angelina? Either way, she is equal parts insane and awesome. [Telegraph]
- The NY Times says the Japanese have no love for women in the workforce, while last week, the Wall Street Journal claimed Japanese companies are all about wooing female executives. Clearly major news publications aren't above a little US Weekly/InTouch naysaying. [NYTimes, WSJ]
- We long for the days when all it took to fit in at the country club was one trophy child. This competitive birthing nonsense really takes away from our Bliss schedule. [NPR]
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Jezebel
news roundup
