I can’t decide which I despise more. Seeing the news reports about the presidential candidates attending the memorial service for the fallen South Carolina firefighters really turned my stomach. Such shameless tactics of self-promotion make me ill. Unlike beets, you can’t spit politicians out in a napkin when they leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category
Beets or Politicians?
Friday, June 22nd, 2007
Music Man
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007Last week John McCain sang “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran”. Now that he is ready to announce his candidacy for President, can we expect “I do, run, run, run. I do run, run?”
Sorry I Haven’t Been Writing
Friday, April 20th, 2007I have to confess I am ridiculously sick at the moment. I’m one of those women who gets really ill with pregnancy. Hopefully the Green Monster will back off soon. In the meantime, I’ll write when I can.
Huh?
Sunday, April 1st, 2007My dear husband had one of those moments today where he felt his age. While we were enjoying a bagel and a tea in a local coffee house, our infant daughter was rocking and rolling to the music playing overhead. There were no commercial interruptions, so it was pretty clear the kids working there were supplying the music. Since we will be hitting the road this week for a long drive to Michigan, we thought it would be fun to get information on what album was being played. If we could find it in the store, Olivia would have something to keep her entertained in the car.
When Steve approached the counter, he asked the teenaged girls if they wouldn’t mind telling him what album was on. The look on their faces clearly said…”Huh?” When he went on about how much Olivia likes the music, the connection was finally made. “Oh, you’re talking about my I-Pod music tracks!” Sorry honey, music hasn’t been on albums since Michael Jackson was sorting things out with “Billy Jean.”
Asking for help is wise…
Friday, March 23rd, 2007HELP!
I’d like to have this blog appear on my MySpace page without having to retype the content or cut & paste. Any technically inclined in my readersphere who could advise me on how to pull this off?
Well, that covers just about everything…
Thursday, March 15th, 2007Did you hear Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to being the mastermind of nearly every terror event our country has faced in the past 15 years? According to him, he planned the 9/11 attacks, personally beheaded Daniel Pearl, planned the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, arranged the attempted shoe bombing by Richard Reid…the list goes on. He’s been a busy boy. How handy the responsibility for all of these events rests on the shoulders of a man we’ve been lucky enough to have in captivity for several years. Cheers to the judicial process at Guantanamo Bay for getting to the bottom of things and exposing the truth. While he’s in the mood to confess, I wonder if they wouldn’t mind asking if he had anything to do with the massive door ding I received while at Costco a few years ago. Of course, no note was left. With all he’s played a role in, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was somehow connected to the violation of my flawless paint job.
By the way, does this mean we don’t have to worry so much about Osama? Cause that would be handy too, now wouldn’t it.
Interesting
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007MSNBC actually made an interesting point today…gasp. There was a piece discussing the downside of removing religious teachings in our schools. In an effort to be sensitive and respectful of all beliefs/nonbeliefs and cultures, schools have gone to great lengths to remove religious messages in schools. The exception is, of course, the private schools which focus on one specific faith. The growing problem is that much of the world’s conflict has a religious connection. Because our citizens are learning less and less about religion and religious history, few will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to promote a peaceful world. Look at how poorly the current generation of adults has navigated the conflicts in the Middle East. And this generation and much more exposure to religious teachings than kids have now.
I think we’ve over-corrected as a society in an attempt to do the right thing. We can discuss religion in depth without telling people they must believe or discount a faith. Arming our citizens with extensive information about various faiths and practices can only help us play nice in the global sandbox.
$20,000 a day?
Friday, March 9th, 2007Heather Mills contends she needs $20,000 a day to survive. My, oh my. She is willing to settle for $80M total, however. How frugal of her. Companies run on less money. I really hope Sir Paul McCartney escapes this marriage with as little damage as possible. Considering the absurd allegations of abuse she’s unleashed and the ridiculous monetary requirements, he’s been a complete gentleman. She’s clearly a tick looking to suck the blood right out of him. I imagine he’d be more aggressive in shutting her down if the Beatle could bring himself to feel comfortable squashing a fellow bug. Maybe if he pours a little salt on her she’ll fall off and disappear.
Throwing The Book At Me
Tuesday, March 6th, 2007Tis the season for the thump on my doorstep. Living in a metropolitan area subjects you to the barrage of multiple large phone books. We have yellow pages, white pages and blue pages. I think there are some red pages too, but I haven’t examined the books closely in some time. Then there are city pages, county pages and community pages. It’s pretty insane. All total, I would say we get about 7 phone books a year all within weeks of each other. They arrive in plastic sleeves at the beginning of the week. By Thursday, our neighborhood recycling collection day, a majority of them are stacked up on the curb for paper recycling.
Even though the paper isn’t being thrown away, the entire process seems like such a waste to me. First, not everyone is inclined to recycle so some are making their way to the garbage. Second, when you think of all of the labor and resources that go into producing the books you get whether you request one or not, it really is astounding. With the advent of the internet, I honestly can’t even remember the last time I used a phone book. My guess would be I’ve gone approximately 5 years without letting my fingers do the walking through newsprint. Many of my friends and family members are cancelling traditional phone services and are turning to cell phones or VoIP options. Those who are staying with the good ole phone company are choosing to remain unlisted to try to curtail unwanted phone calls. Essentially, many of the people I want to call aren’t listed in a phone book anyway.
I’m sad to report the phone book is just one of those things that has long since died yet keeps showing up for dinner. It’s a bit strange to think of how little excitement I have over the thump on my doorstep. There was a time when receiving the phone book was thrilling. We’d immediately thumb through the pages to see our listing and those of our friends and family. The phone book would be wrinkled with constant use and stored close by for easy access. These times they are a changing.
That’s It!
Monday, March 5th, 2007I’m going to really start paying attention to advertisements, movies and television shows that target kids with sexual messages. When I see them, I’m going to post them here under the title “No Thanks (offender’s name)”. These are the shows, movies, products, etc., I won’t be supporting as a result of their messages to our kids. If you spot any offenders, you are welcome to share them with me. Anyone who wants to join me in not financially support these offenders is welcome to do so.
As you know, my mind is still spinning from the blog I did the other day on HPV in kids. As my husband and I played with our infant daughter last night, I was barely paying attention to the television in the background. I heard a snip-it of a commercial that horrified me. I’m not sure of the company (and I will be listening in the future so I can accurately report it here), but a sub sandwich company was advertising its new sub packed full of meat. The pitch was something along the line of “every girl likes a lot of meat.” Even in my partial state of attention, the sexual message of the commercial burned my ears. I stopped in the middle of what I was doing and asked my husband if my ears heard what I thought they heard. He heard the same thing and was equally as shocked. Once I find it, I will post the details here. They aren’t getting my money in the future. If any of you have heard this ad, let me know. I am reasonably sure I know the company behind the advertisement, but I want to be sure before posting a name here.
Another ad I’m on the look out for is a mascara ad targeted at teen girls. The product is something like XX, Double X or Triple X. In any event, the pitch is that “every girl needs to get it on.” The company can play innocent if they like, but the shock intent is clear to me. I only caught it briefly and was so shocked at the message, I didn’t pay attention to the company marketing the product. The ad involves two teenaged looking girls putting on make-up. That much I remember.