As I was huffing and puffing away on the elliptical at the gym this morning, I had the pleasure of viewing a commercial for a novel product called Latisse. This product is the "first and only FDA approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eyelashes, growing them longer, fuller, and darker."
I kid you not.
Yes, folks. While people around the world are dying of all kinds of malicious diseases - AIDS, cancer, diabetes, heart disease - there are scientists toiling away in a lab to find out how women can LENGTHEN their INADEQUATE eyelashes.
All I have to say is thank god this product is here. My life depends on my eyelashes, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Finally, I can breathe easier. Or... bat my eyes at people easier. Same thing.
This just goes to show that Americans will buy anything.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Speaking of Baby Killers...
Judging from what Korena Roberts did (faked pregnancy, killed an actual pregnant woman and cut out her baby) she's probably crazy.
But if you needed extra proof, check out her mug shot.
I'll be having nightmares for weeks.
But if you needed extra proof, check out her mug shot.
I'll be having nightmares for weeks.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Justifiable Homicide... YEAH RIGHT
The story of the death of Dr. George Tiller (the guy who gives late-term abortions... but as commenters on the NYTimes article pointed out, shouldn't be reduced to simply an "abortion doctor") has really been eating at me.
I just finished reading the book This Common Secret by another "abortion doctor" Susan Wicklund, and so it's weird that this murder occurred when it did. Wicklund spends a lot of time describing her encounters with pro-lifers. They were often outside her clinic terrorizing women as they tried to enter, and Wicklund herself received death threats and feared for her safety so much that she requested police protection. There was even one incident where protesters camped out on her property, and Wicklund was scared to leave her own house (the police didn't do much to mitigate the situation).
It just baffles me that people are allowed to go so far and take such strong action against something that is legal. And all because their faith tells them it's not right. Sure, I don't like abortion protesters, but I wouldn't go and kill one of them just because of what they are. I truly believe these people are crazy, immature, and unwilling to have a dialogue, which makes them all the more dangerous.
Pro-life groups are coming out and saying that this man doesn't represent them, but I think the example of this murder should bring to light the terrifying and uneccesary tactics these people use to scare doctors who are providing legal and life-saving services to women in need.
In the NYTimes article one group, Operation Rescue, says they always used "nonviolent" measures to "challenge" Dr. Tiller. Things like bringing lawsuits against him and trying to put him out of business. They may be nonviolent, but how are they in any way right? Trying to put a doctor out of business because he does something you don't agree with? Something that's legal in this country? Something that several women need? Something that, without safe methods, could kill women or cause them mental and physical suffering?
It just seems that these people are so hateful. And it really makes me hate them in return. But still, I won't kill them, because killing is wrong. And there is no such thing as "justifiable homicide" as the murdered believed in. That is just insane. I hope Scott Roeder gets put in jail for the rest of his life, and that this story brings to light the problem of anti-abortion protesters.
I just finished reading the book This Common Secret by another "abortion doctor" Susan Wicklund, and so it's weird that this murder occurred when it did. Wicklund spends a lot of time describing her encounters with pro-lifers. They were often outside her clinic terrorizing women as they tried to enter, and Wicklund herself received death threats and feared for her safety so much that she requested police protection. There was even one incident where protesters camped out on her property, and Wicklund was scared to leave her own house (the police didn't do much to mitigate the situation).
It just baffles me that people are allowed to go so far and take such strong action against something that is legal. And all because their faith tells them it's not right. Sure, I don't like abortion protesters, but I wouldn't go and kill one of them just because of what they are. I truly believe these people are crazy, immature, and unwilling to have a dialogue, which makes them all the more dangerous.
Pro-life groups are coming out and saying that this man doesn't represent them, but I think the example of this murder should bring to light the terrifying and uneccesary tactics these people use to scare doctors who are providing legal and life-saving services to women in need.
In the NYTimes article one group, Operation Rescue, says they always used "nonviolent" measures to "challenge" Dr. Tiller. Things like bringing lawsuits against him and trying to put him out of business. They may be nonviolent, but how are they in any way right? Trying to put a doctor out of business because he does something you don't agree with? Something that's legal in this country? Something that several women need? Something that, without safe methods, could kill women or cause them mental and physical suffering?
It just seems that these people are so hateful. And it really makes me hate them in return. But still, I won't kill them, because killing is wrong. And there is no such thing as "justifiable homicide" as the murdered believed in. That is just insane. I hope Scott Roeder gets put in jail for the rest of his life, and that this story brings to light the problem of anti-abortion protesters.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Summer in the city...
... is most glorious. It's warm enough to enjoy long walks, people are having sidewalk sales, there are festivals and flea markets everywhere, and Penn's Landing has started it's series of cultural celebrations. I wouldn't trade summer in the city for anything, except maybe summer on my own private beach. But since THAT won't be happening anytime soon, I'll take summer in the city. I wanted to share a few photos of one activity we did recently: the Italian Market festival.
The Italian Market is an amazing area down 9th Street south of South that's full of little cheese, pasta, and herb places, along with vendors that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. The festival included these vendors, but also added a bunch of craft tents, live music, ready-to-eat foods on sale on the street, and a "stickball" tournament. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either, but apparently it's a traditional game in South Philly. It's much like baseball, except played with cut-in-half tennis balls and broomsticks. That's so people can play without breaking windows. And it's played up against a wall and each level of the wall entails what the hit was - like the lowest tier of the wall is a single.
And here's a kid playing stickball.
I know I've said this before but still one of my favorite things about being in the city is that there's so much to see and it's all within walking distance. I encourage everyone to check out Yelp.com or gophila.com to find nearby events. You won't be sorry!
The Italian Market is an amazing area down 9th Street south of South that's full of little cheese, pasta, and herb places, along with vendors that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. The festival included these vendors, but also added a bunch of craft tents, live music, ready-to-eat foods on sale on the street, and a "stickball" tournament. Yeah, I didn't know what it was either, but apparently it's a traditional game in South Philly. It's much like baseball, except played with cut-in-half tennis balls and broomsticks. That's so people can play without breaking windows. And it's played up against a wall and each level of the wall entails what the hit was - like the lowest tier of the wall is a single.
And here's a kid playing stickball.
I know I've said this before but still one of my favorite things about being in the city is that there's so much to see and it's all within walking distance. I encourage everyone to check out Yelp.com or gophila.com to find nearby events. You won't be sorry!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Doing my part for Philly
Last night I exercised my authority as a democratic citizen of the city of Philadelphia and voted in the Municipal Primaries. They'll most importantly decide who will run for District Attorney and Controller.
While I'm not going to pretend that all my information came from the morning's Metro (and that I made my decision that morning based on a one-page feature), I will say that it made me feel important and proud to walk into that booth and do my civic duty. Especially since not many people vote in the primaries, let alone even know that they're occurring unless they've been paying attention to local news. (American Idol fans take note - there is more to life than that banshee Adam Lambert.)
Preliminary results
Ever since the presidential primaries, I've made it a point to keep up on news and politics. It's something I never did before, but it is truly empowering and makes me feel like I'm an involved citizen of the country, rather than just a resident who never really cared to know how things worked. Not to mention it gives me great fuel for starting conversations, though it probably makes me seem a little pretentious if other people have no idea what I'm talking about. Oh well. A little confidence never hurt anyone, did it?
Today, though, I read about how the president is likely to sign a bill that would allow concealed weapons in national parks. Not so Obama-like, I know. But it makes more sense when you know that this measure is tagged onto a larger bill that regulates credit card companies - something that Obama's been pushing for a few days now.
I guess that's what's known as an "earmark". It would be like if your mom announced she was going to the store to get diapers, and your dad chirped after her, "Can you also go to the liquor store and get me a handle of vodka?" The actions are competely unrelated, yet your dad knows your mom is likely to go out and buy things, so he just figured he'd put in a good word for vodka.
Even as I try to understand politics, I realize there will still be things that puzzle me. But one thing I understand more and more is that politics does not exist as a straightforward, regulated entity, rather it's an intricate game people have to learn to play in order to be successful.
While I'm not going to pretend that all my information came from the morning's Metro (and that I made my decision that morning based on a one-page feature), I will say that it made me feel important and proud to walk into that booth and do my civic duty. Especially since not many people vote in the primaries, let alone even know that they're occurring unless they've been paying attention to local news. (American Idol fans take note - there is more to life than that banshee Adam Lambert.)
Preliminary results
Ever since the presidential primaries, I've made it a point to keep up on news and politics. It's something I never did before, but it is truly empowering and makes me feel like I'm an involved citizen of the country, rather than just a resident who never really cared to know how things worked. Not to mention it gives me great fuel for starting conversations, though it probably makes me seem a little pretentious if other people have no idea what I'm talking about. Oh well. A little confidence never hurt anyone, did it?
Today, though, I read about how the president is likely to sign a bill that would allow concealed weapons in national parks. Not so Obama-like, I know. But it makes more sense when you know that this measure is tagged onto a larger bill that regulates credit card companies - something that Obama's been pushing for a few days now.
I guess that's what's known as an "earmark". It would be like if your mom announced she was going to the store to get diapers, and your dad chirped after her, "Can you also go to the liquor store and get me a handle of vodka?" The actions are competely unrelated, yet your dad knows your mom is likely to go out and buy things, so he just figured he'd put in a good word for vodka.
Even as I try to understand politics, I realize there will still be things that puzzle me. But one thing I understand more and more is that politics does not exist as a straightforward, regulated entity, rather it's an intricate game people have to learn to play in order to be successful.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Delighting in grammar!
Those of you who know me know I am a stickler for correct spelling and grammar. I frequently take pleasure in pointing out mistakes in the New York Times or other venerable publications, and when I make a mistake myself I'm often quick to correct it lest I end up looking foolish in front of the literati with which I keep company.
In today's world, however, inventions such as texting and Twitter seem to dumb-down our lanugage abilities and turn communication into something that is done in short, carelessly abbreviated bursts (u gng 2 movi 2nite?). It makes me a little bit depressed to think that proper language and all it's beautiful intricacies may be flushed down the toilet. I mean people are writing NOVELS on their CELL PHONES... Dickens must be turning over in his grave!
Amidst all the semantic turmoil, I was happy to stumble across this website: English Grammar Revolution. It's all about learning parts of speech and diagramming sentences--I know it was tedious in elementary school but for adults it's a great way to procrastinate and do your part to perpetuate language correctness.
So please don't let words become obsolete in favor of three-letter abbreviations. Don't let commas become a thing of the past. Don't wait until it's so bad that you get a letter (or more likely, a text) from your child at summer camp that looks like this:
omg mom plz snd sox feet stnk fuds gud mis u
Instead, go here and diagram a sentence. Encourage your kids/friends/illiterate neighbors to do the same.
Oh, and check out the preposition song, it's pretty sweet.
In today's world, however, inventions such as texting and Twitter seem to dumb-down our lanugage abilities and turn communication into something that is done in short, carelessly abbreviated bursts (u gng 2 movi 2nite?). It makes me a little bit depressed to think that proper language and all it's beautiful intricacies may be flushed down the toilet. I mean people are writing NOVELS on their CELL PHONES... Dickens must be turning over in his grave!
Amidst all the semantic turmoil, I was happy to stumble across this website: English Grammar Revolution. It's all about learning parts of speech and diagramming sentences--I know it was tedious in elementary school but for adults it's a great way to procrastinate and do your part to perpetuate language correctness.
So please don't let words become obsolete in favor of three-letter abbreviations. Don't let commas become a thing of the past. Don't wait until it's so bad that you get a letter (or more likely, a text) from your child at summer camp that looks like this:
omg mom plz snd sox feet stnk fuds gud mis u
Instead, go here and diagram a sentence. Encourage your kids/friends/illiterate neighbors to do the same.
Oh, and check out the preposition song, it's pretty sweet.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Philadelphia mom has been seriously busy
I know that these scammy Internet marketers want to grab my attention with something relevant, but honestly! I'd rather hear that "Philadelphia homeless man finds a mortgage" or "Philadelphia cheese shop owner discovers low-fat, delicious cheese." It seems Philadelphia mom has really gotten her life back on track, so I think it's time we start hearing about someone else.
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