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POPSMore Bad News For Splenda/Sucralose After some nasty experiences with sucralose/Splenda, including severe migraines and nausea, I have done my best to avoid it like the plague (I don't even gargle with it--Listerine lists it as an ingredient in their flavored mouthwashes). I don't even chew gum with sucralose. I don't feed it to my kids or my friends, either. The only "diet" or "fat-free" drink I offer in my home is bottled water. I avoid food that says "low fat" or "fat free" unless I can tell, by reading the ingredients that they do not include "sucralose" as an ingredient. I'm thinking about getting my hands on some leaves from a Stevia plant to grow my own non-fat sugar substitute, produced with love from Mother Nature.
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POPSMourning The Passing Of Two Soap Faves I ceased being a huge fan of OLTL a few years back, but I still tune in every couple of weeks to check in on the old-timers who've been on the show (off/on) since I was a child. So it's sad to hear that two of my favorite soap stars have passed away. On a trivia note, Phil Carey (Asa on OLTL) played a gay man on an episode of "All In The Family" back in the day, a far cry from the burly oil-man he played on OLTL.
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POPSMore Phelps Dramz In The Newz Bush and his cronies get away with war crimes while Phelps and his friends' lives will be ruined for a bong hit show round the world...
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POPSOne Less: Despite State Mandates There Are Still Concerns About HPV Vaccine And now Merck is trying to get states to mandate the vaccine for boys. My concern is the push to force vaccinate for a non-communicable disease or rather for a disease that is not transmitted via casual contact (like measles or even the common cold). Yet Merck has been trying (and has been successful in some states) in making this vaccine mandatory for our daughters to attend school, despite the risks that are still not completely known.
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POPSDrug Companies Pushing Doctors To Push Their Drugs On Unwitting Consumers? I'm not for making laws to prevent doctors from working with drug makers, but I definitely feel like there is a conflict of interest in a doctor pushing XYZ drugs while being paid by XYZ drug company and then failing to disclose their connections with the drug and the company while trying to encourage the public to take said drug. You then have to ask yourself: Are they pushing the drug because they believe that it will truly work or because they are getting some amazing perks for doing so?
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POPSLegal Activities More Harmful Than Some Illegal Drug Use? I'm kind of trippin' on the good professor's name, Professor Nutt. I'm pretty sure he's heard all the jokes. But, he has a good point. If we argue that certain drugs are illegal because it is for the public good and it is to keep health costs down, why not ban otherwise legal activities for the same purpose? I'm jus' sayin'...
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POPSThis Week's Secrets... I love reading PostSecrets. I often find that the secrets that others send in, being they serious or benign, are my own.
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POPSA Scheme For Lawyers To Stay In Business During Lean Times?
Oh, come on! I had heard of this in the form of a post-marital contract as far as getting couples to compromise on doing things for each other. For instance, "I promise to do the laundry once a week, if you promise to provide (xyz sex act) in return". But, this seems to be a lot more serious and will cause a lot more consternation. You start a new business and you want to make sure your spouse doesn't get to walk away with 50% of its assets if your marriage falls apart. How's that for positive thinking? I suppose it could be argued from a practical standpoint, but the only people I can see pushing this idea are lawyers who are trying to drum up more fees, since fewer people can afford to actually get divorced in lean times (what with lawyer fees and court fees being such a huge expense, not to mention trying to sell a jointly owned house). This might be a good idea if you are planning on getting a divorce, but the timing is wrong due to the economy. But, how unromantic.
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POPSAre We Overprotecting Our Kids? True story: My youngest son used to tell people that he was allergic to chocolate because I would rarely, if ever, let him have any. And I would tell him that chocolate was bad for him. I was afraid that sugar would make him hyperactive and thus difficult for this single mother to handle, at the time. I've lightened up quite a bit in 19 years. But, seriously, are we taking things too far to ban peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in school cafeterias because one kid in the school might be allergic to peanuts. And, how many kids have real allergies as opposed to some parents just fabricating such so that that Tommy and Janey don't stray from mom and dad's prescribed diet for them? From food to playgrounds to germs...are we being overprotective of our children? Our parents let us live with a lot worse than our children are being allowed these days and we came out (mostly) unscathed.
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POPSDuring Lean Times Parents Risk Dip In Popularity Lavish parties for children are one of the many reasons so many kids are spoiled brats. They get everything they want without restraint while mom and dad go broke trying to give them everything to make up for having to work to pay for all the lavish crap little Tommy and Janey want. There is no need to spend exorbitant funds on food and party favors. Give the kids DIY activities and snacks, and some cheesy goodie bags and they'll have more fun than any lavish carnival or circus style party in the long run. For the record, that's a rule in good and lean times in our house, especially when we have two birthdays and Christmas that come within six weeks of each other. We can't spend lavishly when the holidays are also so close. Also, kids need to hear the word "no" every once in a while to really appreciate the power of "yes". If they always get, they will take everything for granted. And, we don't need to be raising anymore GWBs, if you know what I mean...
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POPSClarification on the New Law Regarding Children's Products The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards. The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.
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POPSConsumer Protectionism May Hurt Your Local Thrift Store How difficult will it be to find second hand children's clothes in the next year? Will your favorite second hand store or your local thrift store be forced out of business due to a new law that says certain children's clothes (for kids 12 and younger) will now (all) have to be tested before sold (although, giving them away may be allowable)? There was too much to clip, but a lot of interesting and important information at the original site. Thanks to my girl, betmo (http://betblue.blogspot.com/2009/01/poor-folks-screwed-again.html) and my friend John G for the heads up!
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POPSVery Cool: Elephant Cam! What do you get when you send an elephant out into the jungle with some electronic junk on his trunk? Some Awesome Friggin' Pictures! Check out the young warthog (my personal favorite)!
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POPSMaking History: Man Prepares To Give Birth This is completely fascinating to me. Of course, it reminds me of the old Billy Crystal movie, "The Rabbit Test", where Crystal plays a man who becomes pregnant. I haven't seen that movie in years. But, ever since I saw it, I have watched to see if science would ever advance the real idea of men giving birth. Technically, the man in this clip is transgendered, meaning he was born with female reproductive organs, but looks like a man and lives as a male. The discrimination and the bigotry that he has faced through the healthcare system and from his own family is sad and despicable. I will continue to follow this story with some fascination. Mostly because it smacks in the face of everything we have come to know and expect when it comes to the idea of creating a family.
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