10 Reasons to Ignore This Advice

Is this for real?

10 Signs You Should Dump Him Before New Year's on SheKnows.com gives some pretty good reasons to end your relationship with the BF.

I don't get if this is supposed to be funny because it's stupid or funny because it's true. Unfortunately, I think it's the latter.

I'm glad we're able to throw in all the hetero-normative stereotypes into one crackhead list about nothing. He doesn't want to commit, you like him because he's got money, etc. Groundbreaking.

And annoying!

Ideology has nothing to do with it, apparently

Don't ask me why, but I was browsing Right Wing News today, and came across this gem of a post: Quote of the Day from Ann Coulter. Get excited.

Blogger Sharon Soon is viciously relentless, and considers herself something of a rebel by sharing this Ann Coulter quote:

Despite their phony championing of "women's issues" (i.e. abortion) there was not one Democrat woman who could win a head-to-head contest with Palin. Especially not if we got to see their faces. Democrats may have a fleet of women politicians, but they don't have a deep bench of attractive ones. You don't even think of most Democratic woman as women: Rosa Delauro, Nita Lowey, Patty Murray, Janet Napolitano -- and the list goes on. Oh, sure, there are the odd female Democrat sex kittens -- your Janet Renos, your Donna Shalalas -- but they're the exception to the rule.

Ouch. A lot. At first it seems like Coulter is going to discuss Palin's fantastic debating skills, but then she takes a sharp right and goes off on how ugly Democrat women are!

WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH POLITICS?!
Popularity at the office holiday parties sure, but ability to govern, articulate opinions or represent the people? Apparently that's irrelevant.

I fail to see the connection, and I let her know here.

Beads? Bees!

Congratulations if you got that Arrested Development reference from this episode. I love that scene, but it's hard to describe to someone unless you've seen it.

But seriously. Wired Science blogged Cocaine Turns Honey Bees Into Liars. For all you bee lovers out there (particularly the one's who've considered keeping them...), this is a ground-breaking post about the devastating effects of the cocaine epidemic in the honey bee community.

Apparently, bees who consumed cocaine did their "I found an awesome load of pollen!" waggle dance for their homies in the hive although they hadn't found any! Bitches!

Just thought this was interesting...

Mini tree + Snow

My parents' tree. So small! But lovely all the same.

Snow covered tree by my apartment in Boston.

Walking in the snow after breakfast. I accept full responsibility for looking ridiculous in this picture. However, in my defense, snow was falling directly into my eyes. And freezing my corneas. Probably.

Beyonce X 2

I love this.

**Update: Damnit! Fine then, that video was done.

Click here for the Beyoncé "Single Ladies" video. Do it! You won't regret it.

And I love this even more.

Teacher? I'm sleepy and dizzy

Parenting: is it really THAT hard to figure out?

In Chico, CA a mom left brownies baked with marijuana in the oven and her 6th grade son took some and shared them with his friends on the bus ride to school. Now, Mom Who Made Pot Brownies Pleads For Son's Return, via CBS 13 Sacramento.

I guess parenting is that hard.

Distraught by temporarily losing custody of her son, Jennifer White pleads her case:

"I can't believe it's come to this extreme," said White. "There's other parents out there that do bad drugs and they get their kids back for less than a brownie. I'm not justifying my actions. I swear. It was wrong that I made these brownies and it's wrong that he got a hold of it, and it's wrong that the other children got a hold of it, but I'm not a bad mom."

Right, because the really bad moms make heroin-oatmeal cookies for the kids to snack on while they work through the night in the family's basement meth lab. Yes, you're definitely better than that.

So the kid fed the brownies to his classmates, several of who later reported feeling "sick" to their teacher, leading authorities to trace their "illness" to the pot brownies. The children described feeling "sleepy and dizzy." It's interesting that the story refers to this as being sick. Let them sleep it off! They'll be fine.

North Dakota... home sweet home?

So, should I move to North Dakota? A Placid North Dakota Asks, Recession? What recession? in the NY Times last week suggests that might not be the worst idea.

Although North Dakota is feeling the economic recession, the effects are minimal compared to most other places. In fact, in some areas, there is a surplus of jobs. Well what is everybody waiting for?! Let's go to ND!

“Our problem is that everybody thinks that it’s a cold, miserable place to live,” said Bob Stenehjem, a Republican and the State Senate’s majority leader. “They’re wrong, of course. But North Dakota is a pretty well-kept secret.”

Well-kept, indeed. Hey, remember that West Wing episode when some peeps from ND petitioned to drop 'north' from the state's name?

Furthermore, I kind of love the Midwestern philosophy:

“Prudence is important at this point,” Mr. Stenehjem, a lifelong North Dakotan, went on. “North Dakota never gets as good as the rest of the country or as bad as the rest of the country, and that’s fine with us.”

Ah yes, the age old concept of Moderation. Except, of course when it comes to abortion. Now that they just won't tolerate.

Smart Girls at the Party

Amy Poehler is pretty awesome. Thanks to a note a friend posted on Facebook (which I stumbled upon while stalking her a little), Ms. Poehler is now a part of my life again. I didn't know she left SNL after she gave birth to a son, Archie. But it's true. It happened.

Now she's doing some other things, like a new web show called Smart Girls at the Party.

This clip was originally posted on Feministing:



Ruby is adorable, although her energy is a little overwhelming. The other episodes are just as charming. What a cool show!

Also, check out the dance party at the end and see who you can pick out! I believe Will Arnett is amongst the Party-goers.

P.S. The accompanying SGP blog is just a awesome.

Straight Thuggin' via Facebook

Did anyone else see this?

Apparently a group called the Facebook Republican Army crashed and trashed a party in England whose guests were invited through a Facebook event.

The party was for the daughter of a rich ad exec who wanted a 16th birthday bash a la My Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV. Ridiculous.

I think the best headline I found is Gang uses Facebook to crash party. Ha! A mob of 400 youths ransacked the house.

And the best quote comes from the mother, Sylvia Meli:

"It was an absolute horror show. I'll never have a party for my daughter here again. The garden's ruined, the grass is just mud, people were walking through the pond and I heard one boy was trying to head-butt the mirror."

Jesus H. He head-butted a mirror?? Is he alright?

I guess in the UK "Republican Army" is synonymous with "bored, uncreative, drug-crazed suburban rich kids".

Awwww... MILFs!

What could be more precious?

My Sentiments Exactly

26-Year-Old To See Every Asshole He Ever Went To School With On Night Before Thanksgiving

The trip back home, scheduled for later this week, will reportedly bring McCabe face-to-face with an endless string of pricks from his past, each of whom he will have to engage in awkward conversation, and generally pretend to be happy about seeing again.

According to McCabe, all the assholes in attendance will look the same except for being 10 to 20 pounds heavier, and possibly sporting a new beard or goatee. However, that same old shit-eating grin will still be on all their faces, McCabe reported.

Poetry, courtesy of The Onion.

Makes me anxious to be home for Christmas.

For the record...

BRITNEY SPEARS is back.

Why I'm rooting for Britney in Sunday's Boston Globe is an amazing article. It expresses my feelings exactly for her current situation. I can't explain it, but I'm totally on board for her return to Center Stage.

**After watching For the Record on MTV**


Britney is still a crazy person. A lot. And I really think she could benefit from wearing a sports bra more often. I wish I could remember some of the things she said so I could write them here, but every sentence out of her mouth was another gem.

Fortunately, 'For the Record,' Britney reveals very little was able to remind me.

"I just did it because, for the sake — the idea of everything, and um, it just led me on a weird path," she says, talking about marrying Kevin Federline.

Um, ok. Can I just go 'on the record' for a sec? Being articulate is not overrated.

Save the Cafe Bar!

I was under the impression that small, smoky cafes were a permanent fixture of French culture, impermeable to change and exempt from economic hardships that might befall the rest of the country. Unfortunately, the NY Times recently reported that quite the opposite is occurring, in the article Across France, Cafe Owners Are Suffering. How very foolish of me.

However, there are old school Frenchmen that refuse to accept the changes.

“We need the cafe to have an equilibrium between the village and the world outside,” Mr. Perrey said. “Without the cafe, you lose the conviviality. You lose your mates. Business agreements are made behind the zinc” of the bar.

“We have to be very careful,” Mr. Perrey continued. “If we standardize everything in France, and we study everything, and forbid everything, we destroy respect for our culture. We need to preserve the cafe bar. What is a village but a cafe, a school, a pharmacy, a bakery and a city hall?”

I think you could easily substitute "intentional community" for "village" in the last sentence. Eh, BFC?

Nightmare!

I've been avoiding articles about the economy because they are scary. Then I accidentally read this, and I cried myself to sleep.

Thomas Friedman is a great writer and has published several popular books. Therefore, I believe him when he says,

I go into restaurants these days, look around at the tables often still crowded with young people, and I have this urge to go from table to table and say: “You don’t know me, but I have to tell you that you shouldn’t be here. You should be saving your money. You should be home eating tuna fish. This financial crisis is so far from over. We are just at the end of the beginning. Please, wrap up that steak in a doggy bag and go home.”

Ah! Really?! God help us.

Point-Counterpoint: Pee-Recycling

Last week NASA announced that included in the space shuttle Endeavor that launched November 14, is a new gadget! What's so special about this addition, you ask? Why, it's the first time that astronauts will be able to recycle their own pee (and other things) in order to drink it! Yay!

Wired Science covered the break through pretty thoroughly here. My favorite thing is the explanation of the distillation and recycling process:

The machine will use a distillation process that compensates for the absence of gravity to remove impurities from urine. Then the water will be combined with fluid from showers, shaving, tooth brushing and hand washing, as well as perspiration and water vapor that collects inside the astronauts' space suits.

Hahahahahaha Perspiration?? You'll be drinking a urine/sweat cocktail! Delicious.

In all honesty, I would like to taste that water. And if you think about it, this process has some big implications for future water preservation and recycling. Because let's face it--after we get done fighting over all the world's oil reserves, we're going to be throwing down over our fresh water reserves. In 2050, water will totally be the new oil. You can quote me on that.

Tribute to the BFC Ghost of Christmas' Past

Christmas party. Sophomore year.

A tiny tree (or large bush) in a giant pot sits on the window seat complete with a sign that advises, "No peeing on the Christmas tree."

The tree sparkles with a dazzling array of ornaments, representing the glittering personalities of each BFC member.

Underneath, a rack of Busch Lite for all! (With trays of sandwiches next to it on the window seat?)


Playing in the background (loudly), is the soundtrack to "How Ho Ho Ho Can You Go?" including the insufferable Blink 182 and the formerly incarcerated R. Kelly remixing "Ignition". Intermittently, the BFC Sex Mix chimes in and the crowd can be heard caroling enthusiastically, "Why don't you have some dirty hot sex with me?" a la Pepper.

Laura brought it home on the high note.

Or maybe she's doing something else here.

Then a series of delightful games were played!

Blonde won the first.


Blonde also won the next game.

Simone came in a close second, but was unprepared for the impact of the argyle sock/brown leather shoe combo.

The photographic documentation ends there, but the blurry memories and warm, fuzzy feelings will live on into eternity.


I love thee, BFC.

Deep Thoughts in the BPL

So I feel like I haven't been sufficiently excited about Obama becoming President-elect. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely pulling for him the whole time and I watched and read more than my fair share of election coverage. I'm relieved the Dem's prevailed... I just haven't been dancing naked in the streets or anything.

Then this morning I was chillin in the Boston Public Library and as I was passing through the research library section, I noticed the Public Papers of the Presidents collection. I was browsing through FDR, JFK, and the Reagan years, when after a bit I got to the present days and realized something. In a couple years they're going to be adding the volumes of Public Papers from Obama's presidency. Yes, this is obvious. But it was a really profound realization for me. This is really going to happen!

A skinny African-American man is going to be our president. Awesome!

Name Voyager

This handy little device tracks the prevalence of names since the 1880s!

Generally useless, but freakin fantastic!

OBAMA!

Kicking ass and taking names. That's what presidents do.

Via Let's Sexy Fighting

Why 'ello, 'ello!

Pip Dawkins is a 19th century street urchin. And he has his own election blog!

Basically I love this too much.

Pip on ballots:

Why I 'ear they're even given people their very own ballots this year! What I'd give to 'old one of them, even just for a moment. Probably printed on silk, they are. Printed on silk and flavored like the sweetest licorice you ever did taste, I bet.

Pip on pencils:

Mr. Greystone, the master of the 'ouse, 'as gone and entrusted to me my very own pencil, what to write down anything I wish. At first, I thought it was me birthday! I've never 'ad so much as a farthing in all my life and now look at me: a pencil owner. Why I must look like the King 'imself!

Pip on names (and fathers):

Why I didn't see me name writt'n out 'til I was near 10 years old and they discharged me from the orphanage with nothing but an empty tin can and me dirty ole breetches! Still the happiest day of my life, that. Was the day I found out I had a last name. And a father.

Get ready for some public fitness ridicule

Dammit! Just when I finally feel comfortable going to the gym on a semi-regular basis and doing a full (cardio, weights, stretching) workout, here comes the New York Times to completely blow up my spot! (It's possible that is not the proper usage) Shit, Gretchen Reynolds! Why you gotta be wastin' my flava? (That is definitely the proper usage)

Last week, NYT published Stretching: The Truth, which enumerates the various reasons why static (aka, NORMAL) stretching is bad for you, and how warming up and practicing dynamic (aka, crazy prancing around) stretching is much, much better.

The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them. In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent.

Ok fine. Static stretching at the beginning of a workout is detrimental. I get it. Actually wait--I don't do that anyway! Warming up is overrat--

A well-designed warm-up starts by increasing body heat and blood flow. Warm muscles and dilated blood vessels pull oxygen from the bloodstream more efficiently and use stored muscle fuel more effectively. They also withstand loads better. One significant if gruesome study found that the leg-muscle tissue of laboratory rabbits could be stretched farther before ripping if it had been electronically stimulated — that is, warmed up.

Time out. What did you just say about rabbits?

Stretching muscles while moving, on the other hand, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion.

Don't change the subject! What was that thing with the rabbits?

Athletes who need to move rapidly in different directions, like soccer, tennis or basketball players, should do dynamic stretches that involve many parts of the body. “Spider-Man” is a particularly good drill: drop onto all fours and crawl the width of the court, as if you were climbing a wall.

Oh sweet Jesus. There is no way I'm doing the "Spider-Man" around the Boston YMCA.

Meanwhile, Creepy Older Man and Excessively Sweaty Guy are all up in my grill, and College Student Distracted by Ipod knocks me over mid-Spidey. Yikes.

To sum up: Dynamic stretching, while undoubtedly beneficial to performance, is potentially awkward and embarrassing for the average gym goer.

Furthermore: Pre-workout stretching has never been my issue. I'm annoyed that this article is supposedly telling "The Truth" about stretching, yet it never addresses the post-workout, or cool down, period. Is static stretching ok then? Is it ever ok?!

Personally, I prefer to do a little yoga after a good workout, but often space/time/other people in the stretching area prevent me from doing it. I suppose I can't blame the Times for that.

Backstreet's back... alright?

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the Backstreet Boys being introduced before Game 1 of the World Series in Tampa Bay.



I thought we'd seen the end of Nick Carter after that weirdo reality show about his family. So dramatic!



Honestly, I stopped watching after the manager says, "Your sisters are making their presence felt (in LA)." Ugh. I can't even fathom what that means. In any case, it is clearly GRIPPING REALITY DRAMA and I don't even know why its not on anymore. (Also, I just learned how to add videos, so naturally there needed to be two.)

P.S. WHERE THE HELL WAS KEVIN?! I don't buy this "starting a family" crap. As a former (ahem, current) Backstreet devotee, I find it unacceptable that he was not present. See Wiki Article.

The answer is... everything

Thanks Teddy

“The work begins anew, the hope rises again, and the dream lives on.” -Senator Ted Kennedy, at the 2008 Democratic Convention

Let's hope he's right.

Day One at the NY Times. Props to Lady Obama, as well. It was a tear jerker!

So this changes things a bit

The Sunday Ideas section of the Boston Globe is always interesting. They've covered a lot of good shit recently.

This week they ran an article titled, Head Fake that describes new research about Prozac's effect on the brain. It turns out there is a reason that Prozac is so successful at treating depression symptoms in so many people... but its not the reason they thought.

The effectiveness of Prozac, these scientists say, has little to do with the amount of serotonin in the brain. Rather, the drug works because it helps heal our neurons, allowing them to grow and thrive again.

In this sense, Prozac is simply a bottled version of other activities that have a similar effect, such as physical exercise. They aren't happy pills, but healing pills.

Awesome! I'm no neuropsychologist, but as a psychology geek I can recognize that this is kind of a big deal. As in, this completely changes the way that we'll have to think about not only depression, but about Prozac and specifically fluoxetine (the active drug). The more we understand about the problem, the better able we are to treat it. Any any drug that actually heals the brain is ok by me.

But even beyond the obvious implications, I think this could have a serious impact on the social conception of depression and mental illness in general. Depression becomes more accessible when you talk about it in more tangible, biological terms.

"The best way to think about depression is as a mild neurodegenerative disorder," says Ronald Duman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale. "Your brain cells atrophy, just like in other diseases [such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's]. The only difference with depression is that it's reversible. The brain can recover."

Across the board, mental illness, from anxiety to schizophrenia, is so misunderstood on a societal level that its embarrassing. Advancements like this not only provide hope that people living with depression can recover their lives, but that one day they can get the personal and professional support necessary to recover fully. This could be HUGE!

I Get My Inspiration from the Vegan Pastries

Excitable musician: (singing) I was raised on muffin tops in the Tennessee Valley!


*There were about 5 verses to this spontaneous ballad, but I could only get down the first because it was hard to stifle laughter and type without interrupting the performance.

Overheard in JP

A group of slow talking (possibly brain damaged) guys with Boston accents discuss their favorite trilogy of action movies:

Guy #1 (impassioned): That shit is so amazing. You're watching and you're like wha-wha-wha-wha-what?? (accompanied by a remix hand movement)
Guys #2-4 (nodding in agreement): Yeah, definitely.


In Java Jo's, where magic lives and dreams come true.

Wait, did I have an abortion and not know it?

Get out your calendars!

June 7, 2008 is Protest the Pill Day '08 , sponsored by your friends and mine, the American Life League. Awesome.

Feministing covered this pretty thoroughly here, but I felt the need to add my two cents.

There are two special features on the Pill Kills website that you should not miss.

Number one is the Q&A under Talking Points. The highlights:

Q: How do you know when life begins?
A: It is a proven, scientific fact that when the human egg and human sperm unite, fertilization occurs and a new human being is created.

Where is the source for your "proven, scientific fact", eh? Also, I'm pretty sure a zygote isn't a fetus which isn't a human baby. Not even dictionary.com will tell you those are synonymous. Sorry friends.

Q: Isn’t it better to be on the pill when you
are sexually active?
A: Better for whom? The pill does not prevent you from getting a sexually transmitted disease, it is not 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy and you could conceive a child who gets chemically aborted before the baby’s presence is even known to you. Moreover, sexual activity outside of marriage is seriously wrong.

Better for me! Thanks for calling me a slut, jerks.

Q: Why does Planned Parenthood say the pill does not cause an abortion?
A: Planned Parenthood and other organizations cover up the reality that the birth control pill can, in fact, kill a preborn baby. They have a vested interest in lying to young women because they exploit them. Planned Parenthood brainwashes young girls by telling them that the pill merely prevents pregnancy, when the fact is that the pill can act after fertilization, which is when pregnancy begins, and kill the preborn baby. Planned Parenthood says that pregnancy does not begin at fertilization, but this is their biggest lie. In 2006, Planned Parenthood received over $345 million in clinic income. One-third of its clinic income is from selling birth control. Obviously, they make big money by lying to women.

Really. Planned Parenthood is making "big money"? Look, it's not like Planned Parenthood markets birth control to the vulnerable masses. When was the last time you saw a Planned Parenthood commercial during American Idol promoting intercourse? I can see it now... a 15-year-old girl lays on her bed, chewing the end of her glitter pen, then writes "Dear Diary, I really want to have sex with Johnny but I'd just DIE if I got pregnant!" Just then, the fabulous Planned Parenthood fairy godfather, Patrick, floats in through her curtained window, radiating confidence and sparkles. "Oh sweetie," Patrick coos. "I have just what you need!" and he hands her a round of birth control pills. Her face lights up and she clutches the pills to her training bra in delight. "Now the rest is up to you!" he encourages, giggling as he floats back out the window.

Wow. That'd be a damn good commercial. Call me, Planned Parenthood, if you ever want to use Patrick.

My second favorite thing on the Pill Kills website is
The Pill Kills Babies Day , a Facebook event. The early wall postings were penned by a Nicole F. with a very strange cat as her picture (not relevant, yet relevant). She's had a little too much Kool-Aid, if you ask me.

Nicole relates the story of her experience as a pregnancy counselor.

Many of the clients I saw when I was a pregnancy counselor were already on contraception. The problem was that these girls thought they were “safe” from pregnancy because they were on contraceptives. In reality, it was a false security that prompted promiscuity. Many of these girls initially wanted abortions because they were angry that their contraceptives “failed.” In the end I had to work with these girls on learning to care for their bodies before sex rather than blindly relying on contraceptives because if they continued on their path, abortion would simply become a back-up method of contraception.

Let me get this straight... girls on birth control are slutty? Ouch. Right, having sex is a risk you take. But unless Nicole and The Pill Kills offer a better alternative than abstinence, I don't see the abstinent craze sweeping the nation, nay THE WORLD, anytime soon. (I wonder though... was she actually a pregnancy counselor, or did she just get drunk and watch a Lifetime original marathon?)

How to Critique Others' Gender/Lifestyle Choices... And Fail

I don’t pick fights. Really, I don’t. I am, however, always ready to jump all over someone who picks a fight with me, especially if that person is an inconsiderate moron.

Jeff Jacoby’s opinion piece in the today’s Boston Globe, Pregnant, yes – but not a man exemplifies the writing of someone that qualifies as “an inconsiderate moron”. Jacoby writes about the contested pregnancy of Thomas Beatie, the guy who has been all over every news media outlet for weeks, sporting a beard and a baby bump.

The cutting teaser from the front page was intriguing, but unfortunately Jacoby’s article is sorely lacking in the areas of clarity and purpose. He uses the Globe as a forum instead to bash transgendered people, feminists, and “others at the cultural extreme”, whatever that means.

After discussing this piece with my roommate, I have narrowed down my major grievances to two. First, Jacoby seriously misunderstands Gender Identity Disorder and the intense and involved process of changing one’s gender.

Jacoby writes,

“But it takes more than a mastectomy and hormone treatments to overturn biology. Thomas may be a man in the eyes of the law, but she remains physically a woman, with a woman’s reproductive system, a woman’s genitals, and a woman’s chromosomes.”

He’s brief and dismissive of the years of therapy, testosterone injections, and mastectomy Thomas had to endure, not to mention the time, money and lengthy legal procedures required to become a man in the eyes of the state. It’s not like Thomas woke up one morning, and thought, “Gee, I feel like a man! Today seems like a great day to begin a life-altering, society-alienating, emotionally and financially draining process… because I think I would look better with a goatee and some mutton chops.”

Also, the phrase “overturn biology” shows Jacoby’s inexperience with the transgender lexicon. The point is not to spite God. Maybe if Jacoby exercised a little empathy and sat down with Thomas for a beer (because that’s what men drink), he wouldn’t come across as such an ignorant jackass.

My second grievance is with the two recent news stories Jacoby includes as some kind of evidence for “taboos and moral standards.” Jacoby mentions a story about incest and another about polygamy and possible statutory rape. What does any of that have to do with Thomas being pregnant? How does incest and polygamy relate to transgender issues? IT DOESN’T.

Jacoby has confused SEX issues with GENDER issues. Yes, there are cultural taboos against incest and polygamy. No one is refuting that, least of all Thomas. But more importantly, incest and polygamy are not even issues in Thomas’ case!

For some reason, Jacoby finds it appropriate to lump Thomas in with perverts and criminals, and then insults transgender activists.

He writes:

“Increasingly, though, anyone who upholds those taboos and standards is denounced as a narrow-minded bigot, while those who defy them are celebrated for their nonjudgmentalism and tolerance.”

No one is applauding the incest! No one is defending the polygamists! That behavior is recognized as criminal. What is NOT criminal is identifying as a man but choosing to keep the female equipment. A penis makes a person male, but it does not necessarily make them a “man”. No one, especially an insensitive jerk like Jacoby, has the right to define how a man should live his life. A little gender-bending never hurt anyone anyway. It just pissed off, appalled and frustrated the hell out of a lot of “narrow-minded bigots”, as Jacoby says.

I think the moral of this story is, a little empathy goes a long way. Yes, this story has been sensationalized and has become a bastard form of the truth, but I don’t blame Thomas for that. He is not the one who ran headline after headline of “PREGNANT MAN”. If Jacoby wants to be mad at someone, I suggest he turn to the poor journalism, shoddy source checking, and profiteering of the editors and writers who chose to represent Thomas in that dim, freakish light that sells news so easily.

My advice to Jacoby is this: The next time you sit down to write a sarcastic, insensitive opinion article for a major newspaper, at least have the decency to do your homework on the subject to retain any semblance of journalistic integrity, instead of abusing the reader with ignorant whining.

Go ahead and tell him yourself jacoby@globe.com
I know I'm going to give Jeffy a shout-out.

Don't leave the room!

Study: 93% Of People Talked About Once They Leave Room

LOGAN, UT—From body odor to personal-life details, the groundbreaking study revealed a laundry list of things discussed once most people leave the room.

hahahahahahahhahah

The Onion is amazing. I cried while I read this. The best part? "23 percent mouthed the words 'what the fuck' to others in the room as the door was closing."