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Home > Blogs > Women's Life > Archives > 2009 > March
March 2009
Artemis Center needs old cell phones
The Artemis Center is collecting old cell phones to give to domestic violence victims so they can call 911 in an emergency.
Also, it will create revenue for the Artemis Center and possibly keep phones out of landfills.
Damaged and surplus phones are sent out to be recycled to raise money for Artemis.
For the last few years, Artemis Center has partnered with a firm specializing in the responsible recycling of used cell phones. This is a year-round program for Artemis Center.
“Donating an unwanted cell phone lets you support an important cause without reaching into your wallet,” says Susan Darcy, development director for Artemis Center.
To donate, erase personal information and remove SIM cards. Chargers are not required, but helpful. Mail or drop off old phones at Artemis Center, located at 310 West Monument Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45402, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, please call Staci Grant at 937-461-5091 ext. 2010.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: charities
TweetIf you don’t get $7 designer clothes, you’ll be sorry
There is a phenomenon in retail during bad times called the Lipstick Theory. It says that when things are tough, people - especially women - are more likely to buy a small item here and there to lift their spirits.
A sale at Clothes-Out in Dayton would satisfy that need.
I’ve written about the sale full of famous labels at 75 percent off previously. But admittedly, 75 percent off a $300 item is still a lot.
Now there are racks full of such items for $7 and $15. Pants, shorts, blouses, tops, skirts and sweaters are $7. Blazers, dresses and suits are $15.
If you have feet between size 5 and 6, there are some great deals on shoes.
Even the designer clothing has been slashed further than the 75 percent off.
The warehouse is located at 5653 Webster Street and the sale ends this Sunday, March 29.
Hours on Friday and Saturday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. Cash, check, Visa and Master Card are accepted.
The business is located at 5653 Webster St. Dayton. From interstate 75, take the Needmore Road exit and head east towards Webster. Turn left on Webster. The business is .2 miles down Webster on the left.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Shopping
TweetFamily: We’re too fat to work
Get ready to be mad!
An entire family in Great Britain says it is “too fat to work.”
The Chawner family’s four members weigh a total of 1,162 pounds.
Father Philip, 53, says: “What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It’s not our fault we can’t work. We deserve more.”
They receive $32,000 in government aid annually and are requesting more, according to Telegraph.
They eat bacon, pies, cereal and potatoes and say healthy food is “too expensive.” Each says their weight is a hereditary condition. (Well, they are related!)
Audrey Chawner, 57, has asthma and epilepsy, both of which are due to obesity. Mr. Chawner has a heart condition and type-2 diabetes.
The couple’s two daughters, Samantha, 21, and Emma, 19, weigh 238 and 252 pounds. Samantha receives unemployment money. Emma, however, is working to be a hairdresser and receives educational aid. Well, at least she’s trying.
Not so fast.
“I’m a student and don’t have time to exercise” she said “We all want to lose weight to stop the abuse we get in the street, but we don’t know how.”
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Children
TweetBusiness cards for babies
The babies are way ahead of me.
I worked at the Dayton Daily News for six years before I ordered business cards.
But babies are getting them to carry to the playground and eventually into elementary school and the workplace.
Shesgotpapers.com is selling business cards for little boys and little girls.
Here’s the pitch for the girls:
“She’s creative, articulate and so well behaved. Reciting her alphabet, making mincemeat cookies out of play-doh and dialing Paris on her imaginary phone. All while directing her kid sister and tugging at Daddy’s heart strings. This kid needs an agent! Oh, the places she’ll go.”
And then there’s the boys: “You’re booked for meetings until 3 and then bogged down with conference calls and paperwork until quitting time. Meanwhile in Kiddie land he’s finishing up a juice box and gearing up for a full day of fun. Between swim class, piano lessons and his french tutor, Jr. has quite the schedule as well. Best Big Brother, Boy Genius, Mini Mogul … there’s no limit to this kid’s potential.”
The cards are $30 for a set of 24.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Mothers
TweetWoman’s breasts not real, but are stolen
Remember a more innocent time when people used to steal the identities from others to take a little cash from their ATM or open a Master Card account in their name?
Those days are gone as a California woman recently was charged with stealing the identity of another woman so she could get new breast implants in her name.
Yvonne Pampellonne previously had breasts implants, but wanted bigger ones and a little liposuction elsewhere. She didn’t need the new identity for surgical approvals. I’m pretty sure California plastic surgeons will work on you as much as you want.
But it was that Pampellonne did not have good credit, so she had to steal another woman’s identity to get a new line of credit, according to the Orange County Register.
Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery employees became suspicious when she failed to show up for follow-up appointments and called police.
She was caught because breasts implants have numbers recorded by medical staffs, so when they took her old ones out, staff realized they did not correspond with the name the woman gave at her most recent procedure.
She was charged with commercial burglary, grand theft and identity theft.
Horrible thought: Does she have to return the stolen goods?
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TweetAshton posts racy pix of Demi
How many relationships must Twitter harm before the social network site is happy?
First, Jennifer Aniston reportedly breaks up with John Mayer because he told her he could not spend time with her because he was busy with work, or something else he probably doesn’t do anyways.
But he instead he Twittered!
Now there is the impending disaster looming between Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
I previously subscribed to all these folks’ twitter posts, but they got too boring. Ashton (aplusk) and Demi (mrskutcher) would tell each other they miss each other. John Mayer would tell me what he ate for breakfast…Whatever. I kept Britney Spears though, just in case.
But on Saturday, Kutcher posted a picture of his wife in a white bikini bending over. The focus of the shot is on the bending area. On it, he says, ‘shhh. Don’t tell wifey.” (And don’t think I’m posting it; sign up for Twitter yourself. Folo kmargolis while you’re at it.)
She knows.
But maybe she’s OK with it.
Her most recent post: “@aplusk and I am missing you like crazy baby.”
Too bad she doesn’t have a picture.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: celebrities
TweetLooking for men, women in nontraditional jobs
A few weeks ago, I noticed a man working as a sales clerk at a female apparel store. While that is not unheard of, it made me wonder if more of that is going on due to the unemployment rate.
So if you know of or are a man or woman in a job traditionally held by the other gender, please email me at kmargolis@coxohio.com
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Workplace
TweetTop 10 companies for female executives
The National Association for Female Executives recently named its Top 50 Companies for Executive Women and Cincinnati’s Procter & Gamble was among the top 10.
In determining its top companies, NAFE places emphasis on the number of women in executive positions who hold profit-and-loss responsibility.
The Top 10 include:
Aetna - Hartford, Conn.
AstraZeneca - Wilmington, Del.
Avon Products - New York, N.Y.
General Mills - Minneapolis, Minn.
IBM - Austin, Texas
Johnson and Johnson - New Brunswick, N.J.
Liz Claiborne - North Bergen, N.J.
Marriott International - Bethesda, Md.
Principal Financial Group - Des Moines, Iowa
Procter & Gamble - Cincinnati, Ohio
Some of the highlights of companies singled out include:
* At Aetna, Kraft, the New York Times Company, and AstraZeneca, women run half or more of the companies’ major divisions.
* At the next level down, women fill more than 40 percent of corporate officer positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, JP Morgan Chase, Liz Claiborne, and Merck.
* At Dupont, although women are only 26 percent of employees, they are 24 percent of senior managers; at Xerox, women are 31 percent of employees and fill 31 percent of senior management positions; and at IBM, the percentage of global women managers increased 564 percent since 1999.
* At Procter & Gamble, a anti-stress course aimed at helping women deal with job stress was formed.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Workplace
TweetObama couldn’t keep up with Special Olympians
President Barack Obama attempted to make fun of his lack of bowling skill by referring to his game as “like the Special Olympics or something.”
This gaffe occurred on his Thursday night appearance on “The Tonight Show.”
The audience laughed, but Obama and his handlers knew he made a mistake. On the flight out of California, Obama called Tim Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, and apologized. The Special Olympics is an organization which promotes athletic contests that mentally retarded people participate in.
“He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population,” Shriver said Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Obama wants to have some Special Olympic athletes visit the White House to bowl or play basketball.
Still, Shriver said, “I think it’s important to see that words hurt and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seem as humiliating or a put down to people with special needs do cause pain and they do result in stereotypes.”
Words do hurt and words are very hard to change. How often have you called yourself ‘retarded’ when you do something silly? You’re just poking fun at yourself, but is that really all you’re doing?
There are actual people who have mental retardation. What if someone took your condition and used it to disparage himself or others?
And I have news for Barack Obama. I covered the International Special Olympics in New Haven, Conn. Years ago as a reporter at the Connecticut Post. Those competitors are athletes. The track stars from Ethiopia ran ridiculously fast times. A basketball player from Panama was mentally retarded, had one leg and could likely clean up the court with our basketball-playing president.
And, indeed, there was bowling. Bowling with higher scores than Obama’s high score of 129.
I know Special Olympians, President Obama and you’re no Special Olympian.
Permalink | Comments (15) | Post your comment | Categories: role models
TweetDesigner clothing sale nearing end
That big warehouse sale of designer clothing is nearing an end. The sale at Clothes-Out will end at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 29th.
And there are even more deals.
Clothes-Out plans ‘additional markdowns’ on the items already at about 75 percent off the retail price. Apparel is available for as low as $5, $10 and $15. Famous labels include Lilly Pulitzer, BCBG, Elliott Lauren, Nicole Miller, Womyn, Renfrew, Tribal and Louben.
Things aren’t all cheap and in the words of Ru Paul, you gotta work, but it’s worth stopping in.
The warehouse is located at 5653 Webster Street and store hours are Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri & Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 12 noon to 5 p.m. Cash, check, Visa and Master Card are accepted.
The business is located at 5653 Webster St. Dayton. From interstate 75, take the Needmore Road exit and head east towards Webster. Turn left on Webster. The business is .2 miles down Webster on the left.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Fashion
TweetIs breastfeeding really best?
While breastfeeding has been in the news here due to the multitasking, breastfeeding mom driver, a recent national article questions whether breastfeeding is really best.
In an article in The Atlantic, called “The Case Against Breastfeeding,” author and new mother Hanna Rosin discusses the downside of breastfeeding.
“The debate about breastfeeding takes place without any reference to its actual context in women’s lives. Breastfeeding exclusively is not like taking a prenatal vitamin. It is a serious time commitment that pretty much guarantees that you will not work in any meaningful way. Let’s say a baby feeds seven times a day and then a couple more times at night. That’s nine times for about a half hour each, which adds up to more than half of a working day, every day, for at least six months. This is why, when people say that breastfeeding is “free,” I want to hit them with a two-by-four. It’s only free if a woman’s time is worth nothing.”
Rosin is currently working at home. She says the time she spends with her baby is priceless, but asks those who say breastfeeding is ‘free’ what they think her time is worth. Either way, she is left with guilt.
“Value of my time according to the IRS, my family budget, etc: zero. Right now I’m in a transition phase: looking for work and both at home and out and about. I’m mostly at home with the baby, breastfeeding, but working very hard to get out there. To aid this process, I’m a supplementer and I love being able to use formula here and there. I love breastfeeding too, but I welcome a bottle! I feel guilty saying that,” she said.
So there you have it. You breastfeed, you don’t feel guilty, but you can’t work full-time. You don’t breastfeed and you feel guilty because society tells you to breastfeed.
What do you think?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: health
TweetAmerican Idol contestant has Beavercreek ties
There are several weeks and several eliminations left in this season’s America Idol, but a teenager with local ties won’t be part of those shows.
Jasmine Murray was voted off the show on March 10. Her half-sister, Dana Murray Patterson, lives in Beavercreek and is the director for the Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center at Wright State University.
Dana says her little sister, the baby of the family of 10 brothers and sisters, has always loved to perform, including in backyard talent shows as a child, in her home state of Mississippi.
“I think she definitely has star quality and has that presence,” Dana said. “It’s beyond just her ability to sing or to move. She’s definitely an entertainer. You can tell that’s something that she loves.”
Jasmine and Dana have the same father, Rev. Dr. Samuel J. Murray, who lives in Indianapolis.
Dana found out her sister was on the show via text message.
“My sister texted us and said Jasmine’s on the show and we were like, ‘What!” We started calling, way back before it aired… I don’t know that it really sank in until she made it to that top 13.”
But Jasmine made it no farther than the top 13, voted off after performing during Michael Jackson week.
“The best way to describe it is we were very hopeful and then very proud of how far she made it,” Dana said. “We’re still very proud. Not even an ounce of disappointment at all. A lot did not make it that point. I have nothing but great things to say about her performance.”
Permalink | Comments (18) | Post your comment | Categories: celebrities
TweetWhy does McCain/Coulter fight have to turn to weight?
You may have heard about the conservative Republican women’s catfight that started last week.
It has degenerated into one woman calling another woman fat. OMG! Intelligent women leaders turning serious political discourse into a ‘Mean Girls’ scene.
Here’s how it started: Meghan McCain, the 24-year-old daughter of Sen. John McCain was talking about how being conservative does not mean being mean. In other words, how being conservative doesn’t mean being Ann Coulter.
Here’s what McCain said: “… “More so than my ideological differences with Ann Coulter, I don’t like her demeanor. I have never been a person who was attracted to hate or negativity. … Everything about her is extreme: her voice, her interview tactics, and especially the public statements she makes about liberals. Maybe her popularity stems from the fact that watching her is sometimes like watching a train wreck.”
An aggressive comment, certainly, but one that is on point. She worries about a negative, nasty force in her party. We all worry about negativity in politics. We’ve complained about that for years.
Coulter has ignored the comments, which is really neither good nor bad.
But conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham called McCain “just another Valley Girl gone awry.” And then made an extremely off-point comment.
Ingraham joked that McCain didn’t get a role on a TV reality show because “they don’t like plus-sized models.” Where did that come from? Was she suddenly possessed by the nasty girl from my 9th grade homeroom?
McCain, of course, pushed back, saying she’s a size 8 or size 10, like most of us (I added that part).
The blogosphere and TV shows like ‘The View’ have pounced on this. “Next on The View: Is Meghan McCain fat or is she an awesome, curvy role model?”
In the words of a good Valley Girl: Whatever!
Why is it that women’s bodies are always attacked or even brought into the conversation? Hillary Clinton runs for president and we talk about pantsuits. Kelly Clarkson is out with a well-received new album and people prattle about how she has gained weight.
More importantly, why are women in leadership doing it to each other? Let’s talk about role models. Instead of wondering whose possesses the body of a role model, could we consider who possesses the demeanor of a role model?
And there’s bad news ladies: It might just be the men. Barack Obama doesn’t take Rush Limbaugh’s criticism and then simply call him “fat.” He argues the ideas.
Sen. Ted Kennedy has been around a few years and has put on a lot of pounds, but Republican males have criticized his issues and standards.
This fight between conservative Republican women started with issues. That’s where it should return. Then we’ll sort out the role models.
Permalink | Comments (19) | Post your comment | Categories: role models
TweetIs your mom or dad helping you raise your kids?
Michelle Obama moved her own mother into the White House this January, to help her with Sasha and Malia.
Many laughed at Barack Obama, wincing about their own life if their mother-in-law moved in. But many multi-generational families live under one roof.
If you are a married couple, who invited either your mom or dad, or both to live with you and help with child care, I would like to talk to you. Also, if you are a single parent, receiving help from your mom, dad or both in your home, I am interested in interviewing you.
Please e-mail me at kmargolis@coxohio.com or leave a comment.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Children
TweetWear the same clothes as Susan Lucci
You too will be able to wear the same clothing Susan Lucci wears.
During the month of March, the women of ABC’s ‘All My Children’ will be wearing New York & Company styles exclusively.
No more Gucci or Prada for Erica Kane and the gang.
The actresses allege they are excited to wear the affordable fashions instead of the Nicole Miller dresses and accessories they are used to putting on.
Spokespeople for the show say they wanted to create an opportunity for fans to be able to wear the same clothing as Kendall, Krystal, Bianca, Reese, Angie, Natalia, Opal, Taylor, Colby or Amanda.
This is definitely an improvement for ABC Daytime, which previously allowed people to buy the same cheesy perfume as characters or read books penned by the fictional Kendall Hart.
Also, at a time when we’re all looking for deals, it’s nice to not have to watch impossibly thin and gorgeous women wear $3,000 dresses.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: celebrities
TweetFashion swap scheduled for May
A Greene County organization is planning an event that will put women into some new clothing while helping a charity that aids children and families.
On Saturday, May 9, the Greene Community Health Foundation will host a Fashion Swap at the Greene Country Club, in Fairborn.
At a Fashion Swap, people bring in new, or nice, consignment-quality clothing (you know, the stuff you bought and hoped you’d fit into, but never did) and trade them in for items others brought.
“Anytime you can recycle it’s always a positive,” said Laurie Fox, development coordinator for the Greene County Community Health Department. “We always think of recycling as typically aluminum cans or newspaper or plastic. Nobody every thinks about recycling clothing. With people not able to afford groceries, let alone a pair of pants for work, this seemed like a good idea.”
Proceeds will go to the Greene County Community Health Foundation’s Clinic Cupboards that distribute basic health and medical supplies, including baby needs to families.
Sara Pappa, director of health education/development at the health department, came up with the fashion swap idea after hearing about other communities and individuals that held the events.
‘We were trying to go after something that hits more the professional woman and moms,” Pappa said. “So we’re trying to target that group. Maybe it will motivate you to clean out your closets, and find five things you could bring to the swap.”
This event will include a luncheon, a fashion show by consignment store CJ’s Boutique of Xenia and a silent auction. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door.
For more information, call Fox at 374-5669 or email her at lfox@gcchd.org
Items not swapped will be donated to Clothes That Work.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Fashion
TweetGroup says children’s bath products contain carcinogens
A group that is pushing for more regulations of cosmetics and other products, reports that dozens of top-selling children’s bath products have cancer-causing chemicals in them.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 48 products and found 17 contained formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, including Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash and Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash.
Baby Magic Baby Lotion had the highest levels of formaldehyde.
American Girl shower products had the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane.
Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known to cause cancer in animals and are listed as probable human carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency. Formaldehyde can trigger skin rashes.
Jessica Saunders, the injury prevention/health coordinator at Dayton Children’s hospital, said if parents are concerned that they use products on the list, they might want to switch to products with less ingredients.
“They say ‘gentle’ and ‘pure’ on the product, but then read the actual labels,” Saunders said. “If it has got a lot of smell and has a lot of colors there’s probably a lot more chemicals.”
Saunders said that for further protection, parents can subscribe to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of recalled items. Go to http://www.recalls.gov/ to sign up for email alerts or to search recalls.
“It gives parents a peace of mind that you are aware of what is going on,” Saunders said.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics wants to change laws that do not require companies to disclose the contaminants on product labels. The contaminants are formed during the manufacturing process.
Other nations have stricter standards. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden. The European Union bans 1,4-dioxane from personal care products and has recalled products found to contain the chemical. The full results of the study can be found in the report, “No More Toxic Tub” at http://www.safecosmetics.org/toxictub.
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TweetDayton sale of designer clothing worth the work
If you’re going to attend the sale of designer clothes going on in Dayton this month, you’ll need some strategy, some patience and maybe a little less modesty than you’re used to.
On Wednesday, March 11, longtime Dayton business, Clothes-Out, started selling its warehouse of clothing for about 75 percent off original retail prices. It is clothing usually sold at retailers like Macy’s and even Bloomingdales.
Items for sale include linens, hair accessories, belts and hats.
Apparel is arranged by designer names, in some instances and by sizes in others. In one instance, a rack of cashmere sweaters of various designers were displayed together. Designer names include Apriori, Louben, Votrenom, Tribal and Michael Kors.
Make no mistake about it, this is a great sale. I managed to get a blazer from Bloomingdale’s retailing for about $150 for $39.99; a cashmere sweater for $19.99; a Tribal sweater for $14.99; a Tribal blouse for $19.99 and a Sigrid Olsen blouse for $14.99. None of those were expensive at all considering the designer names and the original prices.
But before you go, have enough time to spend there. You do have to work. First you have to get the lay of the land and figure out what you really want and need; or what you’re going to splurge on. I had limited time and didn’t even get to the shoes, coats or dresses.
Also, it is crammed in the parking lot and in the store. There are a lot of people. If you go, don’t stand in the aisles talking to your friends, blocking the aisles. If you go, do realize some people are going to stand in the aisle and talk to friends and block the aisles, so be patient with them.
Also, I overheard a few people complaining about the prices. Really?! I know we’re all used to rock-bottom cheap deals at our department stores, but these are really rock-bottom deals too. They just started out more costly. There are things there for $14.99 and that’s pretty cheap. Sure there are dresses listed at $400, but that means each dress is on sale for $100. There was even one coat available at a retail price of $4,450. It was being sold for $1,000.
Then there’s modesty. There is one dressing room. Everybody shares it. At the same time. I was glad I wore a thin shirt and just tried things on over it out in a corner of the shopping area.
The sale will last through March or until all the merchandise is gone. On Thursday, March 12 there still was a lot of stuff left and a lot of it very good stuff.
Sale hours are Mondays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Cash, check, Visa and Master Card will be accepted.
The business is located at 5653 Webster St. Dayton. From interstate 75, take the Needmore Road exit and head east towards Webster. Turn left on Webster. The business is .2 miles down Webster on the left.
For more information, call 898-2975 or email robcorp2@aol.com
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Shopping
TweetNewton-John promotes breast health
Remember when Olivia Newton-John wanted us all to get physical?
As in “I wanna get physical, physical. I want to get physical. Let’s get into physical?”
She wants that again, but thank goodness this time there will be no hideous head band.
Newton-John launched a breast self-examination kit designed to encourage women to perform monthly checks along with routine checkups and mammograms. Her Liv Aid kit features a demonstration pillow to intensify a woman’s sense of touch and help her recognize what’s normal for her body.
Newton-John, 60, detected a lump in 1992 during a breast self-exam. After undergoing a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction, she says the message of early detection cannot be voiced often and loud enough.
“You can tell people a million times, but it has to be a mental decision,” she said.
This year, she plans to break ground on the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, a comprehensive treatment, care and research facility for all types of cancer. Located in Australia, the center will incorporate traditional and nontraditional therapies for healing of the body, mind and spirit.
The kits are available at http://liv.com, but also at sites like Amazon.com
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: celebrities
TweetMichelle Obama comic book coming
It’s time for Obama-woman or Wonder Michelle.
A Florida artist has created an image of Michelle Obama as a comic book hero soon to be on the cover of “Female Force.”
Vinnie Tartamella, a freelance illustrator, is the lead cover artist for the series of four biographical comic books featuring Obama, Hillary Clinton, Caroline Kennedy and Sarah Palin.
Tartamella said he is trying to cash in on the Obama merchandise craze with the comic book that will come out in April.
In January, first-edition issues of Spider-Man featuring President Barack Obama, originally priced at $3.99, sold for $100.
Bluewater Productions, based in Vancouver, Wash., plans to print 10,000 copies of each 22-page issue and may later print more copies if there’s enough demand. The price is $3.99.
The Clinton and Palin issues will be released this month. The Kennedy comic book will come out in June.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: celebrities
TweetWeb site can tell you if you’re drinking too much
By Kim Margolis
A new government Web site can determine if you are in danger of alcohol problems by the number of alcoholic beverages a person drinks daily and weekly.
The Web site is called “Rethinking Drinking” because the intent is focusing on people before they become abusive or dependent on alcohol so they can avoid problem drinking and alcoholism, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
The numbers might surprise some. A woman is in no danger of alcohol problems if she has no more than 3 drinks in one day. That sounds like a lot, but the total for the week is a maximum of seven days.
A man is in no danger of alcohol problems if he drinks no more than 4 drinks per day and 14 weekly.
Drinking more than any of those levels increases the risk of various levels of alcohol dependence and abuse.
Currently, 35 percent of Americans don’t drink at all; 37 percent stay within the daily and weekly limits; 19 percent exceed either the daily or weekly limits. About 9 percent exceed both limits.
The Web site is www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: health
TweetShe’s a tween: Mattel to age Dora the Explorer
Dora the Explorer is leaving behind the real jungle and all its travels and education for the urban jungle as the wildly popular animated character is going to be aged and turned into a long-haired, short-skirt-wearing fashioninsta tween.
A new Dora doll will be unveiled this fall by Mattel. No pictures have been released, but company officials have revealed a very slim silhouette.
The business point is so that Mattel can sell an online game involving Dora in which her clothing and accessories can be changed. Sort of like Webkinz in the City. The website will not be entirely shallow as there will be exploring and mystery-solving games. It is expected to cost $59.95.
But many parents are not taking it well, with one group forming a petition against the change. “Let’s Go: No Makeover for Dora” (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Dora_Makeover/) is an online petition created by Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D and Sharon Lamb, Ed.D. for angry parents who insist that the creators of Dora are selling out to Mattel just to make a profit.
“On TV she wears shorts. She has a sidekick monkey. She has a map and a compass and a backpack! She solves problems and explores the world in Spanish and English,” says the online petition’s text. “[With the new doll] girls are told to forget the outdoors and adventure into the same old same old: shopping, fashion, makeovers, and jewelry… if the original Dora grew up, she wouldn’t be a fashion icon or a shopaholic … Maybe she’d become a world-class runner or follow her love of animals and become a wildlife preservationist or biologist.”
Mattel, on the other hand, says Dora is simply growing up, just like the kids who watch her. The parents say she’s selling out, turning into little more than a dubious, bilingual Bratz doll, giving the youngest children a bad role model and taking away a very good one.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Mothers
TweetU.S. moms furious at their husbands
A recent story in Parenting magazine called, “Mad at Dad” and subsequent animated blogs on the topic have shown wives are mad at their husbands.
Moms are venting that their husbands don’t do enough around the house, can’t multitask and don’t do their share of child-rearing.
Studies confirm there’s ample reason for frustration: American men still don’t pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, according to a report last year from the Council on Contemporary Families summarizing several studies on family dynamics.
What do you think, moms? True?
And dads, if you disagree, fight back.
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TweetAre you worried about your kids ‘sexting?’
Recent stories on children sending naked pictures of themselves on cell phones is popping up in the news a lot lately.
I heard about it a while ago and had a friend tell me it’s no different than when kids used to moon each other.
I disagree. This is an entree to early sexual intercourse and humiliation.
At least one teen-ager committed suicide after pictures she sent a boy she dated were spread all over her school.
What can a parent do? Check your kids out and inbox on their cells? But they can delete that?
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TweetWhere is the best place to dine, date and dump?
World-famous restaurant reviewers Zagat have put a different spin on things in their recent dining reviews. They’ve compiled two books about dating and dining. And, dining and dumping.
Unfortunately, the books currently focus only on New York and Los Angeles, but we’d like to hear your ideas on how places rates for dating and dumping in our area.
In “Zagat. New York City Dating (and Dumping) Guide” and in “Zagat, Los Angeles Dating (and Dumping) Guide the information came from the opinions of thousands “of opinionated daters” and includes information on how certain bars send specific messages to the date. (We have “opinionated daters” here, don’t we?)
For example, a NYC restaurant in the category Historic Places suggest “an air of longevity for your budding relationship.”
But in L.A., if someone takes their date to a a dive bar, the other should expect a break-up “because you’re past the point of trying to impress.”
Let’s hear it. Where are the places you should take a date and what message does it send? And where do you go to break up and why?
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TweetContestant brushes off Cowell style dig
The most comfortable young woman in America appeared on American Idol last night.
Kristen McNamara, 23, sung “Give Me One Reason, ” by Tracy Chapman. It was pretty good. Even Simon Cowell gave her faint praise.
But the real story about McNamara is that she suffered Cowell’s criticism of her appearance without a shudder or a wince or, as is always popular on ‘Idol,” a tear. Nor did she take him on with some fake melodrama, then leading to an admonishment by Cowell.
Cowell said he was perplexed by the many fashion moods of McNamara who auditioned with purple hair, an unintentional highlight created by a bad hairdresser. That right there says moxie to me. Many young women would stay indoors with purple hair, let alone go on national television.
Cowell said one week she is dressed outrageously (an overstatement) and this week, dressed in a flouncy, bright pink dress which looked like ‘her mum’ dressed her (again, overstatement.)
She shrugged and said she’s always been the girls who wears “stretch pants” or “a big bow,” and just doesn’t know about style.
And she was unapologetic.
Every year on Idol it is repeated that it is a singing competition but image also matters. I think McNamara’s image is intact.
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TweetCNN commentator has ‘crush’ on Michelle O.
Last week, the toned and exposed arms of Michelle Obama were the topic of criticism and adulation alike.
This week it’s the whole First lady package that CNN commentator Jack Cafferty is impressed with. He’s actually posted something he has the nerve to call a ‘commentary,’ entitled, “Commentary: My crush on Michelle Obama.”
It says, in part: “I think I am developing a crush on America’s first lady. Michelle Obama is more compelling than her husband. He’s good, but she’s utterly fascinating.
Mrs. Obama has blown away the stale air in a White House musty from eight years of the Bushes. It’s like the sun came out and a fresh spring breeze began wafting through the open windows.
It’s the people’s house, and Michelle Obama totally gets it. So much so that she has taken to inviting people in from the streets to see her home. Nice touch - one completely lacking in her recent predecessors.”
And if you thought the arms discussion last week was too much, check this out from Cafferty: “Her arms are becoming the stuff of legend. Who appears sleeveless on the cover of Vogue, let alone in front of a joint session of Congress while her husband delivers one of the most important speeches of his life? And the reviews were rave.”
This is all meant to be complimentary, but the love is getting to be a bit cartoonish.
But when it comes to crushes, the Obamas are fair and balanced. Michelle has Cafferty and last week MSNBC’s Chris Matthews revealed his ‘man crush’ on the president.
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TweetKettering company serves women with cancer
KETTERING - A new business to assist women with the cosmetic challenges of breast cancer has opened in Kettering.
Beautiful Me offers breast prosthesis for women who have undergone lumpectomies, mastectomies or reconstructive breast surgeries. It also has bras, swimwear, sleepwear and lingerie. Sleep caps and scarves are sold as well as skin care for those undergoing chemotherapy, said owner Nancy Walton, who founded the business in February with plastic surgeon Dr. William Rigano. It is Medicare approved and most insurance is accepted.
“Women need a place to go and know that they will feel whole again,” Walton said.
Walton and Rigano knew each other because both attend Southbrook Christian Church in Miamisburg. Walton had the idea to offer a boutique style store for women dealing with various stages of breast cancer.
“It took him about two seconds to see my vision,” Walton said.
The store is located in a medical office building at 500 Lincoln Park Blvd., Suite #203. On the wall hangs a sign, “Whatever is Noble Right Pure Lovely . . Things on These Things,” which is taken from a Bible verse.
The business offers appointments and therefore, discretion. Walton is a certified fitter-mastectomy, which means she has training in sizing clothing, but also understanding the emotional challenges patients have.
“What separates us is specific, attention,” Walton said. “It is one-on-one attention, not what you would get at a retail store.”
Rigano, a plastic surgeon for 19 years, is the medical director of the company. He said medicine has moved more towards conserving breasts instead of removing, so offering a product that assists women in all post-surgical stages makes sense.
“It’s nice to offer patients all services in one area,” Rigano said.
Contact Beautiful Me is 297-0076 or at nwalton@beautifulme.biz. The website is www.beautifulme.biz. Appointments are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but Walton is willing to accommodate other schedules.
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TweetWould you use reusable feminine hygiene products?
Madeleine Shaw has gone from fashion designer to creator of environmentally-friendly, reusable feminine hygiene products.
Yes, reusable.
Shaw is the founder of Lunapads, a Canadian company that sells the namesake product, the Lunapad. It is a cloth, washable alternative to the sanitary napkin. Her company also sells the DivaCup, which is used similarly to a tampon, but collects instead of absorbs menstrual fluid.
The pads are machine washable. The DivaCup is washed with hot water and soap.
“They’re about as hard to wash as a pair of socks,” Shaw said.
The company offers a variety of products at various costs. For example, a three-pack of maxi-pads is $50.99. One DivaCup is $34.99. The DivaCup and the Lunapads each last upwards of five years.
Recently, Redbook magazine wrote about the products unkindly: “The folks at Lunapads want you to add period products to the list of recyclables in your eco-friendly life. These customizable cloth pads accommodate a wide variety of sizes and flows, and they’re machine-washable. We’re all for going green, but this idea strikes us a little, um, yucky.”
If you’re leaning towards that mindset, try thinking of it Shaw’s way.
“What’s yucky to us is thinking of all (those) chemicals going into tampons and pads and applicators going into landfills,” Shaw said.
Shaw also points out that by her company’s research, there are 85 million women of menstruating age in North America. Conservative estimates are that the average woman disposes of between 10,000 and 15,000 tampons, pads and applicators in her lifetime. That’s about 250 to 300 pounds of waste per woman.
In the 1990s, Shaw was a fashion designer and she personally was allergic to tampons. At the time there were washable pads, but using them involved sewing Velcro into one’s own underwear.
“How many women are going to do this?” she said. “So why don’t I make a product that is beautiful and functional, something modern, urban women can relate to and feel comfortable with?”
Shaw says the products are sold at very few United States stores because distribution is difficult here, so most of her U.S. sales are online. Olympia Health Food stores sell them in the Miami Valley.
The Lunapads web site is full of testimonials of women who love the products. Many share anecdotes that their menstrual cycle is shorter with the products. Shaw said she cannot confirm their claims, but it is a common piece of feedback the company gets.
Shaw is very passionate about not just the environment, but also at looking at women’s cycles differently than in the past.
“It’s more just an implicit culture of we take our menses and use disposable products,” she said. “We’re basically treating it like garbage, but our period is really incredible. It has the power to bring life into the world.”
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