Congresswoman: Let the women handle healthcare

“If we sent the men home, we could get this done this weekend!”

Personhood should be for People

Just a couple hours ago, The United States Supreme Court granted personhood status to an inanimate form: the corporation.  What does this mean for you?   Please watch the video below.

Still want that cup of coffee now?

You might change your mind after looking at this picture!

I’m glad I already had my morning coffee before I thumbed through the Harriet Carter catalog and found a picture of this novelty ceramic mug. It holds 12 ounces and costs $14.98.

Nothing says “I love you” like giving your sweetie a toilet mug!

Headline writers: Please be more careful

Here’s a follow-up to my blog from yesterday.    Two stories seen on Yahoo! News show what I’m talking about.  I include below the headlines from those stories and their links.

First, I’m gratified to see headline number one.  It reflects the true nature of this story — that the suspect boarded the plane in Amsterdam.

Unfortunately, there’s also headline number two, listed as a related story.  The words of that headline make it sound  as if the explosive was created in Detroit!   Granted, Detroit has its troubles, but please, headline writers:   Don’t don’t use the constraints of headline writing in order to slam Detroit.

It’s like the late-night comics who just mention one word or phrase, like “Monica Lewinsky,” and suddenly everyone knows where the joke is going.    Enough of stand-in words that give the wrong story.

Headline writers:   Please write more accurate headlines!

• “Dutch to use full body scanners for US flights”
• “Detroit explosive common, easily detectible”

Dateline: Amsterdam

Am I the only one who’s angry at the coverage of the thwarted terrorist attack on Christmas?

As a resident of the metropolitan Detroit area, I am utterly grateful that nothing happened in the skies over Detroit.  What a wonderful Christmas present to our area.  And what wonderful heroes were aboard — those passengers who did the actual thwarting!

But I find it incomprehensible that most media reports are reporting this incident as if the thwarted terrorist had boarded the airplane in Detroit.

He boarded the plane in Amsterdam!   Not Detroit!

As far as I know, the United States is still not in charge of airport security in Amsterdam or any other foreign country.   Yet American media reports always make sure to mention “Detroit” in their follow-up stories but almost never mention “Amsterdam.”

Our news stories are focusing on how to improve security at American airports on American soil instead of the lax security at airports in other countries.

A  CNN story is one of the few I found that mentions the real problem: airport security in Amsterdam. That part of the story is buried at the end, and I really had to dig to find a story that talked about it.

I wonder why there’s such misapplied coverage of this event.  My theory is that it’s painful for us Americans to think that we need to rely on other countries to help protect us — especially from flights that originate outside the control of the United States.

So we blame the would-be victim, and talk about airport security within our own borders.  We tighten our rules here and show lengthy lines of people waiting to be screened at Detroit Metropolitan Airport — not the airport in Amsterdam.

We’re redoubling our efforts here, threatening to have people hold their bladders — or worse — for the last hour of a flight.   We tell people they cannot bring carry-on luggage aboard.

Granted, we should stay vigilant and do our part here in the States.

But I think incidents like this show that, in this jet age, no country is an island, and we need each other — now, more than ever.

Oh, Say What You See…

Taking a break from holiday fare, I’d like to post something that I’ve noticed for a while. I’ll try to be discreet.

If we watch television for any length of time, we’ll see commercials for pharmaceuticals. You know, the “ask your doctor about…” type of ads. Well, I think these ads are just fascinating, considering the amount of money that big pharma can pour into 30 or 60 seconds.  You just know that everything in those ads is significant, and designed to sell.

Take, for instance, the recent ad for Cialis. I won’t bother to say what the ad is for. I think if you’re reading this blog, you’re old enough to know the answer.  So let’s just do a little experiment. Let’s say what we see…

Vignette Number One: A woman is playing putt-putt golf inside the house. We see her gently hit the ball, and the ball goes into the cup.

Vignette Number Two: We see another couple and a large wet dog. We see the dog spraying water all over.

Vignette Number Three: We see a couple snuggling on their sofa.

Get it?  The message is not so much in the nouns as in the verbs.

A timely thought

“You can’t make a good deal
with a bad person.”

Warren Buffett,
American billionaire
and chairman, Berkshire Hathaway

A flap over outdoor clothes lines

Did you see the recent article about people who are fighting for the right to hang their laundry outside?

I’m sure glad that in my neighborhood, it’s socially acceptable to hang laundry outside.  But not many of my neighbors choose that option.  I’m the most frequent outdoor laundry hanger in my immediate area.  But I don’t choose that option regularly.  Of course, it’s not very practical in winter.  But I’m glad that there are no laundry line police in my neighborhood.

When we moved in 25 years ago, we found one vertical metal pole in our backyard — the remnant of a laundry line used by one of the previous owners.   I recognized that pole right away, because I grew up using laundry lines all the time.

When I lived in Detroit, my parents didn’t believe in clothes dryers, so in the winter, we hung up our clothes to dry in the basement.  But when the weather turned warm, we used the laundry lines in the backyard.  They were as much a part of our backyard as the rose bushes or the gate to the alley or the pear tree or the swing set.

And the clothes that dried outside smelled so sweet!  No artificial scent added to fabric softener can replicate the smell of clothes dried in the open air.

Best of all, it costs nothing to hang up laundry to dry.  According to the article, “dryer use accounts for about 6 percent of U.S. residential electricity use.”  The article mentioned that one family saved $83 a month by hanging up laundry to dry.  That’s serious money.

We do have a dryer, and I do use it for some things.  I tend to use it regularly for towels.  But for other laundry, I like to run it in the dryer for about five minutes, then hang up the laundry that goes on hangers.  In the winter, I set up a rack to let the clothes air dry in the house, which adds natural humidity to the furnace-heated air.  For other clothes, I often hang them over the edge of laundry baskets to air dry in the basement.

What do you think of the flap over laundry flapping in the wind outside?   Do you air dry any of your laundry?

 

Be wary of 809, 284 and 876 area codes

If you are asked to return a phone call from any of the area codes above, please be very careful. Please see this notice from AT&T.

(Hat tip to my cousin Ellen for informing me of this scam.)

Why won’t they let Congresswomen speak?

It’s not just men interrupting women on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives — although there’s plenty of that here.  Unfortunately, women are interrupting other women, too.  So what’s the common denominator?  House GOP members are interrupting House Dems — who are women trying to explain how the House health-care bill would benefit women.

It makes you wonder: Why are they so afraid to hear what these women have to say?    It’s really sad to see adults acting so childish.