All Blog Posts from Hannah's Blog
Taser Tragedy
By now you've probably heard of Robert Dziekanski, the man who died after being tasered by officers in the Vancouver, Canada airport
Video: on Oct. 14. The 40-year-old Polish man who had never ridden on an airplane before and was flying to meet his mother in Vancouver, Canada. He spoke no English or French and had been waiting for 10 hours at the airport for his mom to pick him up. She had been unable to locate him there and was told that he had not arrived. So she left. As the man became agitated and started throwing things, a fellow passenger turned on his video camera and rolled for several minutes.
What Paul Pritchard revealed today in is insight into an airport tragedy that never should have happened. It calls into question many things, including use of tasers by police as a first option, and also the lack of medical awareness and care that may have helped to save this poor man's life. One can only imagine how his elderly mother, who is now in seclusion, must be feeling. Her son's funeral is scheduled for Saturday. What will follow is a series of investigations and serious questions about taser policy just north of our border thanks to this amateur videographer who fought to get his tape back from the police and then made it public.
In an age where people take video for money or adulation, this stands out as unique: a citizen sincerely trying to shed light on an important issue. Check out our interview and Pritchard's poignant apology to the victim's mother on behalf of all of Canada.
Groovin' With Boyz II Men
The members of the legendary group Boyz II Men have come a long way from singing in the bathrooms at their Philadelphia high school. With a string of highly successful albums, they eventually became the highest selling R&B group of all time. Today they came to The Early Show plaza to perform some songs from their new CD, "Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA." What a treat! And as you'll see by watching the video clip, we all had a great time.
To encourage a new generation of street corner serenaders, they are teaming up with us for the Boyz II Men A Cappella Quest. If you're part of an a cappella group, or know one that you admire, read the requirements and upload or send a videotape in to our Web site. Better hurry! The deadline is Monday, Nov. 17.
To encourage a new generation of street corner serenaders, they are teaming up with us for the Boyz II Men A Cappella Quest. If you're part of an a cappella group, or know one that you admire, read the requirements and upload or send a videotape in to our Web site. Better hurry! The deadline is Monday, Nov. 17.
Pass The Bunny Tails!
It's cold and rainy in New York -- a really dreary day that's perfect for comfort food. And it doesn't get much better than the mashed potatoes we had on The Early Show this morning. Sure, it was part of our Thanksgiving Dinner 101 series, but why wait? We made ours with lots of butter and cream and added chives and cheddar cheese. They are the best I've ever had!
I have never been a good mashed-potato maker, but my mother-in-law's potatoes are legendary and she has always called them "bunny tails" because they are so white and fluffy. So that's what my kids ask for: bunny tails without all the fancy stuff! My mother-in-law mashes the potatoes the old-fashioned way, but after going to tater school with chef Tori Richie, I think I'm going invest in a ricer. You stick the potatoes in the handheld device and out it comes in little rice-like pieces guaranteed to be fluffy and not like wallpaper paste. At least that's what they say!
I figure with enough milk, butter and salt, just about anything will be passable... but one can always strive for more. So here's to bunny tails or at least a close approximation! If you have any mashed potato trick of your own, let me know.
Dancing The Night Away
(AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
I was a little sleepy this morning after a rare weeknight out ... but boy was it worth it! Van Halen, one of my all-time favorite bands, was playing at Madison Square Garden. Between the infectious enthusiasm of singer David Lee Roth and the still-stellar guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen, they put on a surprisingly good show some 20 years after their heyday.
As a radio DJ in the '80s, I played a lot of old-school, pre-Sammy Hagar Van Halen and vividly remember seeing Roth flying through the air, attached to wires while singing their huge hit "Jump." "Jump" was the first encore song last night, well delivered and staged with colorful flags that for some reason really made sense. Other than that, the show was devoid of props and trickery. The perpetually-in-motion Roth ran all over the stage, handling the mic stand like some talented twirler at a high school football game.
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Conquering The Bird
It's a quest as old as time (or at least dating back a couple hundred years) -- how to cook a big bird that has almost no flavor and try to give it some modicum of taste, while, at the same time, not drying it out and actually having it look somewhat edible on a platter. Yes, I'm talking turkey.
If you're like me, you probably only cook a turkey once a year and the pressure is on! I remember my mom cooking turkeys in a paper grocery bag, which always turned out great. But, for whatever reasons, that's not in vogue anymore. Fried, brined, roasted ... the options are many. This year, I'm going for brining, but you have to do that a day ahead.
In her Thanksgiving Dinner 101 lesson this morning, Tori Ritchie showed us a hot new secret ingredient; she also warned us about a potential gravy pitfall. And in my book, the gravy is quite a challenge! You're supposed to be able to whip it up in two seconds flat while you're mashing the potatoes and prying everyone away from football to get to the table. For me, it's the last half hour before the meal that is really stressful! And then it's gone in two seconds flat! Hence my theory of having a glass of champagne while cooking! That, and the invention of bottled gravy. No matter how bad the bird, you can always pour that stuff on top!
Let's Talk Turkey
Well, it seems the minute Halloween is over, the holidays begin. My kids have been digging out the Christmas decoration at my house already, and, of course, making their lists of wants and wishes! And with the holidays from school today, we are actually hitting the stores in Manhattan to do a little shopping. Apparently, the bargains are there for the taking already because of the way the economy is going.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it has nothing to do with presents; its all about being together with family and friends. I am hosting the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade again this year, so we are going to do our Turkey Day meal at home a few days ahead of time. Every year I get great ideas from the Williams-Sonoma series. The folks there also know one of my family traditions. We always drink champagne while we are cooking that day. (And the meals actually turn out well!) So Tori Ritchie and I had a little bubbly and make some yummy soup and crackers -- good starter ideas that won't fill you up too much before the big bird.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it has nothing to do with presents; its all about being together with family and friends. I am hosting the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade again this year, so we are going to do our Turkey Day meal at home a few days ahead of time. Every year I get great ideas from the Williams-Sonoma series. The folks there also know one of my family traditions. We always drink champagne while we are cooking that day. (And the meals actually turn out well!) So Tori Ritchie and I had a little bubbly and make some yummy soup and crackers -- good starter ideas that won't fill you up too much before the big bird.
Curiouser And Curiouser
Another day, another recall. Now lots of parents are beating this drum. It seems everyone is fed up with the dangerous toys on the shelves of our favorite stores. Some Curious George plush dolls are the latest popular toy made in China found to be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, plus kids sunglasses (ZZ Top anyone?) which are sold at Dollar General stores. Our consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen got to the bottom of a common denominator in the seemingly bottomless pit of bad toys: the ones with red and yellow paint are literally a red flag -- those are the colors that contain the highest lead percentage. Many parents tell us they won't buy any toys from China this holiday season, while the vast majority of moms and dads blame the government for not taking enough action. We will keep pressing! In the meantime, have a great weekend. I am starting holiday shopping. Think I'll stick to books and music this year!
Connecting The (Aqua) Dots
(CBS/CPSC)
Aqua Dots are sticky, tiny dots that look like colorful candies. They could easily stick to fingers and be licked off or mistakenly ingested by a young child. The toxic glue covering the Aqua Dots, which are made in China, unbelievably contains a chemical that metabolizes into the date rape drug GHB when swallowed.
After my kids brought them home from a birthday party over the summer, we played with them once and I threw them away. They just seemed too hard to work with and I worried about how small the dots were. Now, as it turns out, they could cause horrific damage to any child.
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In The "Hannah Zone"
It's always lively when Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly stops by our studio, and today was no exception. The super-busy dad, who is also a former teacher, has penned a new book for the younger set called "Kids Are Americans, Too." It's a testament to O'Reilly's popularity that the book debuted at No. 8 on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The big take away is that kids need to know they have the right to believe what they want, form their own opinions and stand up for their principles.
My kids are pretty interested in government -- politics in particular -- because I tell them a lot about various people I have interviewed when we have dinner. When I informed my 10-year-old that elections were held on Tuesday, she said, "Mommy, are they finally voting for president?" I laughed and explained that it was a whole year away although it does feel like we have been talking about that forever!
Check out my chat with O'Reilly about the presidential race, his take on Bill nd Hillary Clinton, as well as why he thinks New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg should not throw his hat into the ring.
Getting The Lead Out
(CBS/The Early Show)
And then today came a big surprise: Early Show correspondent and mom-to-be Tracy Smith invited a lead inspector to check for lead in her home -- and especially in a room being converted into a nursery. Guess what? In the kitchen, the inspector found lead in a painted pottery serving platter! I have tons of that stuff at home, as I'm sure many of you do, too. Now I'm going home to test it all! You don't need a lead inspector to come to your house. You can just send in a dust sample to the EPA.
Check out and click on the links below to learn more about our campaign and for lots of good information to help protect your family:
Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning EPA Lead Awareness Program 
