Ho, Ho, Holy %$*(&

Poor Santa, or the people who pretend to be Santa. Just when you think you're doing good by bringing tidings of love and joy, you get shots fired into the fuselage of your modern day sleigh. Christmas supporters across the globe shake our fists at you, drug traffickers! Gosh, don't you know the jolly man when you see him? Er, even though he's in a helicopter?

Thank George and Ruth

She dashes across the yard, a bright yellow dot amid the fading greens and browns of the garden. Her heavy boots plod on the hardened ground as she bounces into this familiar terrain. Toothy grin and her favorite lonely blue shovel in hand, Mimi stops only when she's found the beginnings of her hole from the day before. She'd had barely enough time to begin what would be her greatest adventure to China, like Bugs Bunny she plans to go straight through the middle of the planet, when she had been called into the house for dinner. Intent on making significant progress today, Mimi sets her face in what she believes to be a stern look of determination; the closest imitation she can muster of the look her Grandmother gives when her Grandfather falls asleep in his easy chair watching television.

As Mimi carefully removes her fireman yellow rain coat, she catches a glimpse of her Grandfather ambling across the lawn to meet her.

"So. China. Do you need help getting there?"
"No." She replies, firm grimace in place.
"Are you sure?" He asks.
"Well, I think maybe I need some supplies. But the hole has to get bigger first."
"Can I dig a little? I've never been to China. I'd like to see."
Mimi crosses her arms and looks at her Grandfather thoughtfully.
"Are you going to bring supplies if you come?"
"Of course. I'll even bring the cookies Grandmomma is baking right now."
"Cookies?"
"With sprinkles." He nods.
"Okay. Only cause there are sprinkles." She says and hands him the shovel.

Together, they put on their most determined faces and begin their bitter toil against the earth to China. At least until the bell on the oven goes off.

Read all about it! ... Hrm, wait, maybe don't.

What makes for good, readable news?

There's the hard news, the "current events" that tell us how the rest of the world is fending off this political-issue, that economic-crisis, or some weather/climate induced disaster. Then, there's the "other news," perhaps what we'll refer to as the "lifestyle news." The odd bits of information that aren't shocking and mind-blowing, but they're relevant to certain groups based on their personal interests.

Stuff like how the entree is going extinct in modern dining (interesting to foodies and dining elitists), how a woman got 26 needles embedded in a her body (a personal favorite), or how the Writer's Guild of America West is still taking on LA's big studios (important to anyone who watches American television or sitcoms on a normal basis).

Any of those pieces, while interesting to me, have been critiqued for their frivolity. In fact, it was posited that I enjoy "pedantic" news. The implication being that I don't enjoy good news? So I've been considering it, what exactly makes for good news?

Is it all just subjective? Or is good news the well written news? You know, the pieces with the journalistic quality that make it worth reading? For instance, if Hemingway were alive and he popped out an Op-Ed column on drunk and disorderly conduct in America (a serious societal commentary piece), is that good news or just interesting news?

Is how widespread the effect of that news piece is what makes it important? Disasters in Southeast Asia that wipe out homes and businesses are more important than how Harvard is making financial aid more available, right? Or are they both of equal importance? They both change how people live, but one "significantly" more than the other. Is degrees of significance in overall impact on people's lives what makes the difference in what should be read and what shouldn't be read?

I'm honestly curious, so please, throw out your comments and thoughts (if anyone still reads this given my extended hiatus while traveling). I've opened up anonymous commentary too, so even if you don't have a google/blogger account feel free to respond.

In other upcoming blog updates, perhaps a Christmas story of some kind? Ho, ho, ho and all that jolliness, keep your internet stockings prepped for that little nugget of fun!

Regarding Reasonably Priced Fashion

Ciao from Hong Kong!

As per my normal activities, I sampled a little shopping today, and here's preliminary information on what I found.

A quick tidbit for the ladies (since I didn't really check out the men's section) -- Zara's fall/winter collection is solid. I should probably preface this post by saying that the current trends in fashion match my tastes more than normal, and Zara is making a strong case with the bits I am most fond of. That's right, those so called designers totally stole my long-time favorite designs and put them out there for everyone to purchase. Those bastards.

Anyways, some examples of the clothing I very much enjoy:

• Three-piece suit inspired vests, which are cut well enough that they can actually accent one's waist, run rampant in both the Zara Collection and their casual line, TRF.
  
• Fun jackets ranging from military-esque to over-sized folding collars avec large buttons, as well as plaid inspired wool zip-ups.
  
• All manner of shorts, in both cotton and wool, that when paired with their many heel and boot offerings make for quite the trendy statement.

Generally, I've found that Zara's clothes are more quality than H&M, while being similarly trendy. As could be expected though, how much better is dependent on how much more you end up spending. While H&M clothing has a tendency to either disintegrate or fall apart after a couple turns in the washer, Zara's gear holds up well even if shrinkage occurs from time to time.

Probably more comments on clothing as I spend a little more time, uh, doing research. However, in the meantime, much love to the Spanish for disseminating awesome clothing and making little See so happy!

New England <3

Open Discourse

Ah, yes, abortion. The deep dark secret thing that everyone's a little bit scared of. The nytimes did a piece on Dr. Susan Wicklund, whose book This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor is going to be hitting bookstores soon. Here's what I admired about the article, and how Dr. Wicklund seems to be handling this touchy issue, it was neither completely supported nor completely disparaged. It swings more towards support since it was written about her profession, but she talks about her own reservations on when to perform the procedure (21 weeks was too late) and how she thinks the topic should be addressed in a smart way. We need to get it out in the open and talked about. Open discourse leads to education, and education leads to making smart choices.

"'We don’t talk about it,' she said in a telephone interview. 'People say, ‘Nobody I know has ever had an abortion,’ and that is just not true. Their sisters, their mothers have had abortions.'"

I've heard that. I've probably said it. It's a tough subject to discuss, no doubt, especially because there can be such violent reactions to even uttering the word. But, here are some shocking numbers for your consumption which caught me off guard.

Based on current rates, nearly 40 percent of American women have abortions during their child-bearing years.

Nearly a quarter of all pregnancies in the US end in abortion.

Check out the article. If you can, pick up the book. Abortion isn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it's important to remember that there are people who take that step because it's necessary to them. Isn't it better if we give them all the information before hand, and provide them with safe, sanitary options than whatever desperate measures they'll take on their own?

Confessions of a Female Enthusiast

Greetings from Manhattan and Boston! There's been a bit of a hiatus from blogging, and I apologize for the conspicuous (or was it?) absence. I'll blame it on the recent rush of activity in my normally "well-scheduled" life. Who loves excuses?! Anyways, down to business. While I have been, and hopefully will continue, to do my best to keep this blog unisex focused, today's post will be centered around some thoughts on females and their various contributions to modern day society. Ooh, light and airy!

First and foremost, hooray for Argentina's first female President! Congratulations to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the uh... former? first lady of Argentina. Apparently, that's South America's second female president in two years following behind Chile's Michelle Bachelet. I'll outright say that I don't know anything about South America, but at least in this regard it's fabulous to see the progressive changes that are being made there. Though there are some hanging questions about Ballot distribution which trouble me, it is quite heartening to know that women are pushing boundaries out in the world. Whether she is a capable leader has yet to be seen, but she definitely seems to recognize the burden that is resting upon her shoulders now.

"Kirchner declared victory late Sunday. In a speech, she said she felt not only a responsibility to lead her country, but 'an immense responsibility for my gender.'"

These first few women who are stepping into the Presidency are going to, as my favorite US AS History teacher used to say, lay the groundwork for paradigms of any women to follow. They will be judged harshly if they fail, and while I would love to believe in fair reporting, I would venture a guess that their accomplishments will only be lauded a fraction as much as a male President's accomplishments would be. Even the IHT article itself, while "fair reporting," smacked a bit of jabbing implications that Kirchner had won the elections both riding on the coat tails of her husband and with ulterior motives besides improving Argentina's foreign policy. The BBC article on key election concerns does help shed some light on the issue, but that article falls distinctly on the disparaging side as well. The least biased, or perhaps biased in the direction I prefer, article that I've found is this Q&A from MWC News. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm pre-disposed to looking for positive presentations of women in the media (duh?) but having seen the way Hillary has been portrayed in the American press I'm hesitant to believe that other women will be given neutral reviews. Then again, the nature of the press is such that there is no such thing as "neutral."

Before anyone asks about my personal beliefs on Hillary, I'll say that I'm glad she's trying for the Presidency. No matter how you slice it, that post is an incredible opportunity and burden not only for her as an American, but also as a woman. I've kept some tabs on her policies, and while I haven't chosen a candidate that I solely support, I hate to admit the lurking feelings of allegiance towards her for being a woman and, to be honest, for being an alumna of my alma mater. She has some good ideas, and if they were put into practice I'd like to believe that they would be functional and perform their purpose. But, I'm not a politics type of a person so these are just my uneducated two cents.

In other news on women to admire, the recent break about Dumbledore's sexual orientation has caused quite the stir. Suddenly, the story about the boy who lived became completely focused on the boy being led (misled?) by a man with questionable interests. Now, I'd like to pause for a second and say that realistically no one in the world is entirely altruistic, so there will always be "questionable interests." Furthermore, Rowling never tried to refute or paint Dumbledore in a light that would show him as infallible or that he wasn't trying to use Harry as a tool in many ways. Essentially, I don't see how his sexual orientation can suddenly alter the entire universe that she has created, and at least Edward Rothstein from the nytimes seems to agree with me.

On an individual note about Rowling, I will commend her again for the entire HP series. Much though everyone picks at the books, and tries to lambast the characters and plot, I am really in awe of what she has created. As an artist/writer, she did what politicians all over the world and human rights activists have been trying to do for decades. She got people to care about something. Whoever you are, wherever you were, if you were somewhat in touch with any type of current events or media you probably knew about Harry Potter and you were probably at the very least curious about the outcome of his life. She spanned socioeconomic divides and brought together an entire world by showing them our world using magic. That sounds hokey, I know, but all Rowling really did was present modern day society and the problems we face through the lens of the fantastic, mythic, and intangible. It disgusts me the way people rip into how successful HP has become and complain that she only wrote the stories to make money. I could be wrong, but as a writer you never know how well your work will be received so I doubt she was banking on her success. Not to mention, as an author, publishing is not the most lucrative industry to become involved in anyways.

Anyways, many nods and acknowledgments to both women mentioned here for their impressive accomplishments. I'll take my feminism onto the streets of Cambridge/Boston now. Surprisingly the foliage hasn't hit yet, but perhaps I'll have some photos to post for everyone's enjoyment later.