HyerStandard’s First Annual: “The Official Girls of Summer”

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Let me begin by explaining how this came about. It all stems from an argument I had with a good friend of mine regarding certain celebrities from the world of movies, music, and television were on top of at least our own personal radar. Anyways, to make a long story short, we disagreed - and seeing as though I have a website and he doesn’t, I have decided to list mine, well to make my point.

So whether you are a fan of it or not, at least now you know why I have decided to put together and subsequently list w/pictures my own personal “Official Girls of Summer” list. Hope you enjoy:

1) Sheri Moon Zombie: (born September 26, 1970) is an American actress and fashion designer. She is known by her stage name Sheri Moon and sometimes as Sheri Moon Zombie after her marriage to Rob Zombie. Because of her roles in such films as House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and the remake Halloween, she has been named as a “scream queen” and “the most iconic female serial killer to emerge on the modern horror scene.”

2) Eva Mendes: (born March 5, 1974) is an American actress. She began acting in the late 1990s, and became known after a series of roles in several major Hollywood films, including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch, Training Day, Ghost Rider and We Own the Night. Along with acting, Eva is employed by Revlon Cosmetics as an international spokeswoman. Maxim ranked her #7 in its 2007 Hot 100 issue. Mendes also made her second Maxim cover in the November 2007 issue. Mendes, despite resisting offers from Playboy, appeared naked in Flaunt Magazine.

3) Meagan Good: (born August 8, 1981) is an American film and television actress. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, she continued to land roles in television series and films. In addition to film and television work, Good has also appeared in music videos by Will Smith, 50 Cent, & K-Ci & JoJo. In 2006, Good voiced a character for the video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. That same year, she appeared in Waist Deep with Tyrese Gibson and produced her first film, Miles From Home, in which she also co-starred.

4) Rosario Dawson: (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles in the films Sin City, He Got Game, Kids, Rent and most recently as a lead character in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. On June 26th, 2008, it was announced that Dawson will play Artemis in the upcoming animated Wonder Woman film. Rosario was discovered on her front porch step by photographer Larry Clark and Harmony Korine, where Harmony lauded her with praise as being perfect for a part he had written in his screenplay that would become the 1995 controversial films Kids.

5) Megan Fox: (born May 16, 1986) is an American actress and model. Fox’s career in modeling and acting began with her winning several awards at the 1999 American Modeling and Talent Convention in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Fox’s big break arrived when she acquired the lead female role of Mikaela Banes in the highly-anticipated 2007 live-action film Transformers, based on the toy and cartoon saga of the same name. Fox has appeared in a five page spread for the November 2005 issue of the popular men’s magazine FHM. She also posed, in decreasing amounts of lingerie, for the March 2007 issue of FHM, the June 2007 issue of GQ, the July 2007 issue of Maxim, and the September 2007 issue of Arena. She was voted the Sexiest Woman in the World by FHM magazine in 2008, beating out Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba.

There you have it, HyerStandard’s “Official Girls of Summer” list. If you have any issues with either the list, or the girls making the list please feel free to leave any feedback, and I will definitely take it into consideration - but probably not change a thing.

The Essential Ingredients for Pulling a Successfull ‘All Nighter’

We’ve all been there before. Whether you were in college cramming for finals after a semester of attending class on a “part time” basis, or you have a presentation to give at work and you decided that “waiting” until the last minute would be the best plan of attack. Regardless of the scenario, no one can escape the dreaded “all nighter”.

First we’ll discuss the applicable reasons why one would need to pull an “all nighter”. While the most common occurrences take place in an individuals college years, there are a handful of other predicaments that require the sacrifice of sleep - at least for one night that is:

• You have an exam tomorrow and you didn‚Äôt study last night because it was happy hour at your campus bar.

• You know you have a full schedule the following day, kicked off with a “baptism” for a guy you don’t really likes kid. But since your girlfriends are close, you really have no choice. What you forgot to calculate was the fact you had a meeting with new investors immediately following the baptism, one which you haven’t even begun preparing a “pitch package” for.

• You have a report or presentation due in the morning, but you spent most of your afternoon impressing clients, and by clients we really mean “friends”, by showing how much money your making by treating them to an all afternoon session at¬† swankiest hotel lounge in town.

You will find a common denominator in all of these. Not only will they require a full night of preparation, but also an alert sense of mind in the morning.¬† This often times if the deal breaker in terms of pulling off a successful “all nighter”. The individual will make it all the way to morning only to either conk out or find themselves “cracked out” thanks to the coffee, red bull, and caffeine pills they have consumed over the past 6-7 hours. That is why a precise plan is a must when prepping for your 24 hour marathon, one which includes a specialized diet, amongst other things.

OK, now for the preparation. Here is a list that includes the “must do’s” for one expecting to pull off a successful “all nighter”:

• Preset several alarm clocks to the time you have to get up.

• Lay out tomorrow‚Äôs clothes and have your suitcase or backpack preloaded with any necessary writing or presentation tools.

• Grab a large quantity of energy foods. Avoid sugary and high-fat foods. Foods high in protein but low in carbs will give you continuous energy without burning you out. Fruits, particularly berries, trail mix, whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter, salads or cereal with low-fat milk all qualify.

• Find a friend who‚Äôs in the same boat as you and have them come over.

• Clear a work area. Do not work on a bed or couch. Have a hard table or desk and chair ready to go.

• Tell all your friends and family to leave you alone. Avoid online chatting programs, turn off your cell phone, pretend that you‚Äôre not home — anything to avoid distraction.

• Get mentally psyched and ready to go.

Now that you’re goof to go, prepare to lift off because your day/night/day without a single wink of rest is about to begin:

• Ensure that your work area is not overly warm or dark as this environment would induce sleepiness. Keep a window open or fan running to stay cool, and make sure there are plenty of lights on.

• Throw on a good collection of techno or other fast-paced electronic music. Electronic music will keep you energized and has the advantage of not having distracting lyrics.

• Set a constant pace, making sure to take regular breaks. For example, do 50 minutes of work then take a 10 minute break. Get up, walk around and try to avoid thinking about your work during your break. Getting some fresh air or splashing your face with water can be refreshing.

• Warning: Avoid caffeine if at all possible. Caffeine will only give you a temporary boost and repeated use will leave you exhausted and jittery, particularly if you are taking sugar in your coffee. If you‚Äôre pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam, a caffeine-induced crash will only ensure that you‚Äôre entirely useless once morning comes. For similar reasons, stay away from pills. Instead, drink a tall glass of cold water every 30 minutes.

• Eat light energy snacks often — every hour and a half or so — to keep energized.

• Warning: Particularly if you‚Äôre reading or working at a computer, eye strain can become a problem. When you take a break, try to avoid watching TV or doing other tasks that might strain your eyes. When working, if possible, set your computer screen to a dimmer setting to reduce eye strain. Reduce glare on your monitor by lowering bright light sources directly above or behind you.

Halfway point:

• Do some light cardiovascular exercise to give your mind a rest and reinvigorate your body, but don‚Äôt go overboard. Either at the halfway point or at a few points throughout the night (one-thirds and two-thirds in, for example), go for a light jog or bike ride.

• Debatable: Some swear by the power nap while others strongly oppose it. To find some middle ground, if you feel yourself starting to fade, try sitting comfortably and closing your eyes for 5 to 10 minutes just to help put your mind at ease. Have some music playing to keep you awake and distracted. Meditation can be a good stress-reliever, but it might put you to bed.

• Take a longer break. Once you reach the halfway point, take a good 30 minutes off if you can spare it.

• Get psyched. When getting back in the game, pump yourself up. Focus your mind. Yell out loud if you have to. Punch the air. You‚Äôre the man!

Nearing the end:

• Nearing the end of the road you may find your mind starting to stray. Stay focused.

• Try to enjoy yourself. Film a little monologue at four in the morning — an inspiring memento for you to look back on and laugh.

• Know when to throw in the towel. Once your brain is fried, there‚Äôs no sense in pushing things. Take the rest of the night off to relax.

• Eat a light breakfast and take a quick shower right before go time. If absolutely necessary, have some coffee just prior to your exam/presentation — this is the only safe time to do so.

• Never again. Be smart; don‚Äôt let it come to this again.Now folks this will get you through the dreaded all nighter, that is not at question. However it must be said that sleep is - well, neccessary, and for some people alot of sleep is neccessary. So do yourselves a favor and pull all nighters only when a absolute must - if you start making a habit of them, nothing good will come as a result.

This will get you through the dreaded all nighter, that is not at question. However it must be said that sleep is - well, necessary, and for some people a lot of sleep is necessary. So do yourselves a favor and pull all nighters only when a absolute must - if you start making a habit of them, nothing good will come as a result.

AT&T Finds Their Involvement With Warrantless Wiretapping Comical…

If you follow politics even in the slightest bit then there is a better then good chance you are fully aware of the ongoing debate in Washington regarding the use of warrantless wiretapping, a practice that George Bush and his right wing faithful have been relentlessly pushing - and having a surprising amount of success doing so.

The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States incident to the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) as part of the war on terror. Under this program, referred to by the Bush administration as the “terrorist surveillance program”, the NSA is authorized by executive order to monitor, without warrants, phone calls, e-mails, Internet activity, and text messaging, and other communication involving any party believed by the NSA to be outside the U.S., even if the other end of the communication lies within the U.S.

It goes without saying that this program has harsh critics, who in this case are on the winning side of the argument - that is fundamentally. I say this only because for some reason, this program that literally tramples on the most basic of civil liberties, continues to get the “OK” from members of Congress.

Anyways, part of the Presidents “warrantless wiretapping” program includes complete immunity from any current, or future legal repercussions for companies that work hand in hand with the government in the interception of phone calls. One of the companies who have been among the most active in aiding the NSA in their fundamentally illegal practice is AT&T, who apparently find the whole situation both comical, and an effective tool for marketing their product (don’t ask me why).

The image on the right is a screen shot which shows a new gimmick AT&T is running with. Here is the description of how this advertisement was initially stumbled upon, and where AT&T is using it in regards to their online billing system:

“I, unfortunately, have an AT&T cell phone. I check my bill every few weeks. Today, I went to log in, and was greeted by a terrific new advertisement for their online billing system. It’s as if their marketing department thinks that warrantless wiretapping is funny or something.”

All I have to say about AT&T and this tasteless display of “satire”, if you can even call it that.¬† Oh well, I don’t use their services for anything, and I don’t plan on it in the future either. Hopefully who ever lost decided on this loses their job - if not for the actual content, then for the horrible marketing of an online bill pay system that for all conventional purposes is probably pretty efficient.

New Vanity Fair Article: “A Clinton Campaign Insiders Look at What Went Wrong…”

The upcoming issue of Vanity Fair features an article penned by Gail Sheehy, a Hillary Clinton biographer, as well as a established author. Sheehy writes about the conversations, admissions, finger pointing, and everything else brought up during her numerous interviews with Clinton campaign insiders, and their assertions of what went wrong. Sheehy also recants brief conversations she had with Hillary along the campaign trail, about everything ranging from superdelegates, to fighting all the way up until the convention.

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“Their First Conversation”: Barack Obama & Bill Clinton Finally Meet

WASHINGTON - The silence between Barack Obama and Bill Clinton has been broken, with the Democratic White House hopeful on Monday asking the former president to campaign for him during their first conversation since the heated primary.

Bill Clinton was often Obama’s harshest Democratic critic, trying to bring down the Illinois senator as his candidacy surpassed former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s. While Hillary Clinton has begun to help Obama by encouraging her supporters to back his campaign, a chill remained between the last Democratic president and the man running to be the next one.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said they had a “terrific conversation” and that Obama is honored to have the former president’s support.

“He has always believed that Bill Clinton is one of this nation’s great leaders and most brilliant minds, and looks forward to seeing him on the campaign trail and receiving his counsel in the months to come,” Burton said.

Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said the former president renewed his offer - expressed in a one-sentence statement last week - to do whatever he can to ensure Obama wins the presidency.

“President Clinton continues to be impressed by Senator Obama and the campaign he has run, and looks forward to campaigning for and with him in the months to come,” McKenna said. “The president believes that Senator Obama has been a great inspiration for millions of people around the country and he knows that he will bring the change America needs as our next president.”

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the senator called Clinton after Obama landed in Missouri Monday morning, and they spoke for about 20 minutes. Gibbs said Obama asked Clinton to campaign with him and separately.

“I believe he’s excited to do it,” Gibbs told reporters traveling with Obama.

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer Loven in Independence, Mo., contributed to this report.

Presidential Poll Round Up: The Latest & Greatest State by State Numbers

If you ever visit the site you know that we are a big fan of polls around here. We love looking at them, analyzing them, and sometimes, even critiquing them. That said, today we will look at the latest batch of both state by state numbers as well as the most recent national figures - all of which have been released over the past couple of days.

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Barack Obama Rejects Attacks on McCain’s Military Service During ‘Patriotism’ Speech

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Monday he will never question others’ patriotism during the race and blames his own “carelessness” for some criticism of him so far. Obama sought to reassure voters about his commitment to the country, choosing the aptly named town of Independence as his backdrop.

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McCain’s Military Record Comes Under Fire From Multiple Fronts

It seems as though some some Democratic hardliners are taking a new approach in the ongoing effort to point out John McCain’s faults, and surprisingly it includes highlighting some of McCain’s “less memorable” time spent in the military. These of course came before McCain was taken prisoner in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”, but included a number of questionable bombing runs which have many of his critics on the far left, as well as those on the far right who are unhappy with his nomination asserting the notion that McCain may have committed war crimes throughout the 1960’s.

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“New Yorker” Article Reveals that the U.S. Military is Conducting Operations Inside Iran *Video*

The upcoming July edition of the New Yorker features an article penned by Seymour Hersh that chronicles the “not so secretive” clandestine military operations currently taking place in Iran at the hands of United States military forces - which in every possible scenario is at the minimum a foreshadowing of a looming military conflict between Iraq’s neighbor, and the United States. Apparently special operations forces have been conducting cross-border operations launched from southern Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since sometime last year.

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Angelina Jolie’s New Film “Wanted” a Box Office Success

Angelina Jolie is apparently a knockout in terms of being a box office draw, so much so that the weekend numbers her brand new flick “Wanted” produced has many industry insiders pleasantly surprised.¬† “Wanted”, Universal Pictures production starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, debuted to $19.1M Friday and $17.5M Saturday from 3,175 venues for a $51.1M weekend.

It marks a new franchise for the studio which expected only $35+M from this stylish summer actioner fueled by the Matrix-like high octane provided by hot Russian director Timur Bekmambetov.

Some other breakthroughs this film has accounted for are listed below:

• Wanted was the biggest opening of a live action film in Jolie’s career
• It turned out to be the best June opening ever for an R-rated movie, beating Knocked Up’s $30.6M, and the 6th highest R-rated opening of all time
• The studio expected only a $35+M opening, so the film did much better than anticipated
• Angie proved she is a big draw: Cinemascore said the main reasons given for choosing to see Wanted were the action (67%) and Jolie (61%).

I personally have not seen the movie yet, however I have always though Jolie was an incredibly gifted actress, who always did a good job regardless of the role she was playing. And from the looks of these numbers, it seems like a lot of people think of her in the same light I do.

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