Sunday, February 26, 2012

Taylor says "no" to prom date


A high school student recently asked Taylor Swift to accompany him to prom. Kevin McGuire is suffering from a relapse of leukemia but has an unwavering spirit through all of it. His sister decided to start a campaign to make something fantastic happen for her brother. She decided that Taylor Swift would be the perfect prom date. Taylor, however, had other plans. She declined the invitation for prom but offered another option. Kevin accepted Taylor's invitation to attend the ACM awards in Las Vegas on April 1. That will be a winning pair on a very special night. Taylor's response

Friday, February 24, 2012

Shame on you, Disney


Disney has teamed up with Blue Cross Blue Shield for a new interactive exhibit at Epcot Center. Unfortunately it is bullying overweight individuals by trying to entertain them. This is not ok! The heroes in "Habit Heroes" are both thin and athletic while the bad guys are all well rounded. A child can have their picture taken and emailed home. Why is it that people just don't get the implications of something like this? Trying to shame people into losing weight doesn't work. People can be healthy at any size.
The National Institute for Health has issued a statement that says,
"programs that shame kids carry a great risk of increasing stigma for those children who are overweight or obese which, in turn, can reinforce unhealthy behaviors (e.g., overeating). A number of research studies over the last decade have supported this concern. For example, studies suggest that overweight children who are teased about their appearance are more likely to binge eat or use unhealthy weight-control practices, and weight-based victimization has been correlated with lower levels of physical activity. Not surprisingly, stigmatization of obese individuals, particularly adolescents, poses risks to their psychological health.
Other studies show that the perception that obesity is solely a matter of personal responsibility, as opposed to understanding the complexity of contributing factors, can increase negative stereotypes of overweight people. It is important, therefore, that public messages about obesity address this complexity whenever possible."

That's the message that needs to get out there. Disney needs to reconsider what message they're conveying. you can help
another blogger's perspective

American Idol


The field of finalists on American Idol is stripped down to 24. But #25 is a surprise that will be revealed on Tuesday. Not as big of a surprise as Steven Tyler stripping down to his underwear though. Tyler decided to dive into the water surrounding the stage and go for a swim after the top 24 had been announced. Before he did that though, he mooned the camera. full moon

Saturday, February 18, 2012

horrible son

The son of a 98-year old woman served her with eviction papers. He wants to sell the house that she has lived in for most of her life. She, however, does not want to leave. She defied the order to vacate and is taking it to court. eviction

facebook fail

A person decided to try to "friend" the defendant in a case for which he was a juror. This was not even the worst part. He compounded his stupidity by joking about getting kicked off of the jury because of it. This got him 3 days in jail. Lesson learned!! stupid juror

dangers of asthma


Anthony Shadid was on location in Syria working on a story for The New York Times when he had a fatal asthma attack. It happened so quickly that no one was able to do anything for him. Asthma is a very dangerous condition and needs to be taken seriously. There are a number of triggers that can cause an attack. Shadid's trigger may have been a combination of horse dander, mold, and dust. I know first-hand about the dangers as I suffer from asthma. The smoking ban may not be real popular with some but I have to say that it has made my life much more bearable. Shadid

No General Lee at NASCAR race


Plans were to have pro-golfer, Bubba Watson, drive the General Lee before the Phoenix race. But because of the confederate flag on the roof, the pre-race lap has been canceled. Watson doesn't think of the flag as a bad thing--it's just there because that's the way it was in the show and it's the way he bought the car. He paid $110,000 for the car. Watson will still attend the race but won't be taking his car with him. General Lee

Saturday, February 11, 2012

father shoots laptop


To punish his potty-mouth complaining daughter for a Facebook rant; a father decides to shoot her laptop 8 times so she can't do it again. He records a video of his response and the shooting of the defenseless laptop. Then posts it on her Facebook page so that all her friends can see it (because obviously she won't be posting anytime soon). It seems there's more than one person in that family that needs to show a little restraint. murder of a laptop

Lady Gaga and her "Little Monsters" site


Lady Gaga has decided to launch her own social networking site. It will be called, "Little Monsters" after the nickname for her followers. Lady Gaga site

bus driver is a hero


A school bus driver in North Carolina is being recognized for saving 6 children. She notice a burning smell, decided to pull the bus over, and investigate. Smoke was seen coming from the engine compartment so she moved the children to the back of the bus and got them out one at a time. They all moved to a safe distance from the bus shortly before it went up in flames. No one was injured. bus driver

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Michael Jackson lip sync goes wrong


An elementary student was emulating Michael Jackson at an after-school fund-raiser function. It was all fine until he did Michael's "groin grab" several times during the song. Then it was deemed inappropriate behavior and the student was suspended. The suspension only lasted a day but repercussions could last a long time if this stays on his record. This sounds like it could be a news story from a large school in a big City someplace but...it was in little Winona. St. Stan's Catholic School has since apologized for the way it was handled but not before the story went worldwide. suspension

Friday, February 3, 2012

Roseanne Barr for President


Roseanne has filed paperwork to become a candidate for President with the Green party. She's been a long-time supporter of the party and believes that Republicans and Democrats are all puppets of the 1%. President Roseanne

Slab City, CA


Some people choose to disappear from the radar. A make-shift town has grown out of cement slabs located in the badlands of California. What used to be a military base is now home to drifters and squatters. They live rent free and without electricity or other modern conveniences. It is a modern day Old West. There's no law or local government but they take care of their own. Slab City

It's Puppy Bowl weekend.


Animal Planet will air Puppy Bowl VIII on Sunday. The show began in 2005 and started as a joke. It has grown each year to include more and more adorable animals. Puppy Bowl Sunday