Soldiers harassed in Afghanistan…

… by roving packs of sheep and goats? Hey, it could be much worse…

…you could be this guy.

I came across these photos while doing some research for a paper (got to love the grad school workload). I guess everyone needs something to keep their spirits up, especially these guys. Seriously folks, say a prayer for our armed forces. They need love, too.

Also, send new boxer shorts.

The Boss blew it…

Dear Mr. Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen,

So… what was the deal Friday night? Seriously… what happened? This was supposed to be an epic show, you know? We were shutting down the Meadowlands, this was the last night at Giants Stadium. You ever wrote a song about it! You know, "Wrecking Ball?" But, wow, what a letdown. No encore? Really?

Okay, yes, I looked at the set list online and you did play all the songs labeled "encore," but it's not an encore it your don't leave the stage and then come back. Then it's just… well, it's just more concert. Even Supre Boy was pretty disappointed, and he was beside himself with excitment for this concert. Don't get me wrong. "Born to Run?" Epic. I sang, I danced, I cried a little. Same with "Born in the USA," "Badlands"… awesome. But no encore? You just left us standing there, asking each other, "Was that it? Should we go? He's coming back, right?"

But you didn't!

I might be able to forgive all this if you hadn't left out three of my favorite songs. No "Rosalita," no "10^th Avenue Freeze Out," and no "Thunder Road." I love "Thunder Road!" Skipping that song was sacrilegious. Hearing that song live was the main reason I came to see you. And you blew it!

Look, you couldn't help that Bon Jovi never showed, although that would have been mind-blowing. But to leave the stadium for the last time on such an anticlimactic note… this should have been huge. This should have been the night you pull out all the stops and bring down house without the damn wrecking ball! And you end with a love song? Yeah, okay, a love song about Jersey girls, but… really? Who ends with a ballad?

No huge encore of "Born to Run?" Nothing extraordinary? I mean, hey, if this was a regular show I'd still be surprised, but ok with it, but this night… of all nights, this should have been the big one. And it just wasn't.

The rest of the night falling apart wasn't your fault. The brawl with the angry fans and security, the swarm of state troopers, the descending K-9 unit, the delayed trains and waiting in the pouring rain… that just pulled the night into a major tailspin.

All the people in the world, you should have known what that night mean to everyone there, and how special it could have been.

I'm sorry it just didn't happen.

Love,

One of your most (disgruntled) faithful fans

Llonely Llama Lluckily Lled Llower by Lloving Llady

You hear about lost dogs and cats all the time, see flyers posted around town with a picture and a phone number, begging anyone with information to bring Fido home. But what happens when a lost pet has no one looking for it? And what if that pet is a llama? Meet Homer, the llama who's had one heck of an "odyssey" in Colorado (witty, no)? It turns out that this llama has been wandering around Pike's Peak for over a month, living off the local vegetation and trying to make friends like bighorn sheep. But the folks who spotted this little guy worried that he might be attacked by mountain lions, coyotes or succumb to the upcoming winter. Lucky for him, a nice lady, her friend and their llamas went looking for Homer, who happily joined their little group and left the mountainside.

While this may seem like a fluffy feel good story, it actually highlights a little know and often ignored problem in our society. Every year, thousands of animals are discarded by their owners, most commonly because their owners do not know how to properly care for them and become overwhelmed. Go to any animal shelter and see the adorable kittens that grew up to be not-so-cute cats, the puppies that grew into much-too-big mutts, and the bunnies that graced Easter baskets and now just take up space. And these smaller animals are not the only victims. In rural areas (parts of Texas and New York State in particular come to mine) there is an epidemic of livestock abandonment. Horses are turned out to pasture and ignored, cows left in barn stalls with ankle deep manure, and sheep and llamas left to fend for themselves. Sheep and llamas are increasingly in this predicament, as their wool is highly prized for yarn (as a knitter, I can tell you good yarn is not cheap). Inexperienced owners buy these animals looking to make a quick profit, and quickly realize they are in for more than they bargained for.

When people take on any animal without understanding its needs that animal is doomed to suffer, and without people intervening on the animals' behalves, many will die from neglect. This doesn't have to happen. Before you adopt or buy any kind of pet, research it, find out what it needs to live a healthy life, and find out what kind of care it will need over its lifespan. Understand that you are taking on a life to care for; you would take a sick child to the doctor, why is your pet any different?

But Homer is one of the lucky ones. Not only did some very dedicated people search for him, they are working to find him a loving forever home. Now that is a happy ending.

For more on Homer the llama, follow this link: http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=619278&categoryId=66

For more on animal rescue, click here: http://www.aspca.org/

And as for the title of this post…I had to do it. As corny as it is, it had to happen. Sorry. 

Note to Self… Don’t Do This

So as a (not so) soon to be bride, I have been slogging through countless posting on The Knot, reading over millions of their articles, and scouring over (literally) thousands of reception décor photos and flowers. I know what I want, in theory anyway. I want something special, classic nad entirely personal. And it has to "have a playlist that just won't quit" (thanks, mom). My wedding is about 2.5 years away, and I still have nightmares about missing cakes, wiliting flowers and evil bridesmaids. Yes, there are in fact more important things for me to focus on, but planning something so special for Super Boy's and my family is a rush. It's a high. It's buttercream-pink-orchid-and-tulle-crack.

I'm planner, so starting now is not just fun, but preventing be from having a coronary two weeks before. But, alas, there are some things you simply cannot plan for, things so bizzare you can't possible comprehend them. Things like your Dad climbing under your wedding dress, having to use a port-a-potty before the ceremony, or having the urge to do a keg stand in a $2,000 dress. For all these things, there is The Wedinator.

I have no idea how I stumbled across this, but stumbled I did, and now I can't get these images out of my mind. I think they might be burned onto my retinas. Then again… at least I know exactly what NOT to do at my wedding. Enjoy!

http://wedinator.com/

Role Models and Pole Dancers: the Miley Cyrus Dilemma

I would love to say that I am above this petty nonsense, but considering Super Boy has a 13 year-old sister, I know more about Miley Cyrus than I ever wanted to stomach. But she's everywhere, this happy, peppy, Disney manufactured icon; she's got her own clothing lines, toys, music, movies, even snack food. While I have my reasons for not liking her (she's got a voice like a choking mule), I can't say much. The future daughter- and sister-in-law is a very delicate position. And she's promoted as sweet, innocent and wholesome, but there is a darker side lurking. This seems to be a pattern that repeats itself every few years. Look at Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. One day they are kid friend, and the next they are shaving their heads, drunk driving and flashing their genitals. And now Miley is jumping on their bandwagon, taking topless photos for magazines, flipping the bird and pole dancing at a kid's award show. Classy.

So if this is the kind of role model we are setting forth as appropriate for tweens, what messages are we sending? That it's ok for a 16 year-old to pole dance? Giving the finger is an ok way to express yourself? Taking topless photos and lying seductively across your dad is normative behavior? Gender stereotypes abound! We are teaching young girls at a formative point in their lives that the media is a reliable and appropriate place to get their system of morals, ethics and beliefs. The media has been linked to many different issues facing young girls and women ranging from anorexia and to poor self-esteem and body image. And Miley Cyrus is the role model we are shoving down their throats. Is it any wonder that what is considered "normative" is actually so harmful?

What girls need are role models who offer something substantial; people with brains, creativity, bravery, strength, and yes, maybe even beauty too, but not the stereotypical, prepackaged beauty Hollywood spits out. Girls need to want to be themselves, not some hyped-up teen drama queen. So how do we do this? Well, it starts with parents and guardians being the bad guys and saying no, I don't think that Hannah/Miley/Uber Skank is a good role model. And then you have to explain why. Talk to your kids about the toys they play with, the music they listen to and the movies they watch. Talk to them about what these things teach, and try to explain what fantasy is and how real life is different. Give them honest, realistic values to live by, not those that come with a brand name.

As for Miley herself, I can't wait to watch this pop princess crash and burn. I give her two years until she's snorting lines of coke off of some guy's chest. 

Gone to the Dogs

So here is a hot topic in New Jersey's law enforcement community. Atlantic City, the (in)famous tourist destination, is known as much for its casinos and boardwalks as its reputation for drugs, prostitutes and murder. While great strides have been taken in the past decade (you don't find nearly as many used needles in the streets as you used to), it is still a city with a crime problem. Now, this is not to say that everyone who lives there is a criminal; far from it, in fact. And it is just as unfair to say that crime runs rampant and unchecked; the police force is efficient and organized, and the State Police even have special interests in the area adding further protection.

Researchers have any number of different criminological theories discussing what creates crime and criminals, and Atlantic City is as good a place as any to see them in action. The constant fluctuation of the population creates tension and unrest. Think of the double-decker trains now running from New York City to the casinos. An entirely new (and perhaps even unsavory) group of people are now being introduced to the area on a temporary basis. When a community is constantly changing and the inhabitants are temporary there is a risk of decreasing attachment to the neighborhood and social morals failing.

Now the police's ability to fight crime and keep the community safe has been limited to an even greater extent as the result of a political power trip. In summary: man breaks law, police tell man to surrender, man refuses. Police K-9 apprehends man, so, of course, man sues. They mayor says he's imposing the ban on behalf of the citizens who complained, but the police aren't buying it. They are calling it a purely political move, and they are worried, and rightfully so, that their ability to protect the public will be compromised.

This is a classic example of criminal justice policy not reflecting criminal justice realities. It's all well and good to impose statutes and write code, but if it doesn't work on the street it's useless at best and harmful at worst.

Moral of the story? Pick different vacation spot on the Jersey Shore.

For more on this story, follow the link below to the AP article.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/atlantic_city_indefinitely_sus.html