Bellesouth

The bastardization of the pink ribbon

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

I'd held off on doing my annual rant on Breast Cancer Industry Month, because I do support the fight against breast cancer and want my fellow ladies to raise awareness and I want all of us to find a cure. Besides, I wasn't being as bombarded with the month as I had in the past.

HOWEVER. This pink-ribbon product madness has got to stop.

Less than an hour ago I was in the checkout line at my local grocery store when I saw, surrounded by copies of People and Cosmopolitan:

A pink-ribbon calculator. With the message "Think Pink" on it. And stamped on it said "Proceeds from the sale of this calculator go to fight breast cancer."

"Fight breast cancer, you say?", I said to myself. So I picked up the package. I looked all over the front. I looked all over the back. I looked for ANY DAMN PLACE where it said what percentage would go to an organization that works to fight breast cancer. Komen? No. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation? No. There was NO charity listed.

So here's the deal: Be careful about all this pink-ribbon crap you see. Because there are MARKETING VULTURES out there who want your money to buy their pink-ribboned crap and make you feel like you're doing something to help women.

Ask questions. From Breast Cancer Action, a watchdog for marketing strategies such as these, these are the questions you need to ask yourself when considering thinking pink:

1. How much money from your purchase actually goes toward breast cancer? Is the amount clearly stated on the package?

When the package does state the amount of the donation, is that amount enough? Fox Home Entertainment, for example, sold “DVDs for the Cure” for $14.95 and donated 50 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Is this a significant contribution, or a piddly amount? You decide. If you can’t tell how much money is being donated, or if you don’t think it’s enough, give directly to the organization instead.

2. What is the maximum amount that will be donated?

Many companies place a cap on the amount of money that will be donated. For example, Give Hope Jeans, sold by White House Black Market for $88, donated “net proceeds” from the sale to the organization Living Beyond Breast Cancer. But they’ve capped their contributions at $200,000. This means that once they had reached the $200,000 limit they stopped contributing, no matter how many pairs of jeans were purchased.

In some cases, that cap is a generous amount. In some cases it’s not. But you should know that, whenever there is a cap, your individual purchase may not contribute anything to the cause, depending on when you shop and whether the cap has already been met.

3. How are the funds being raised?

Does making the purchase ensure a contribution to the cause? Or do you, the shopper, have to jump through hoops to make sure the money gets where it’s supposed to go? Lean Cuisine, for example, had a pink ribbon on its boxes of frozen meals, but the purchase of the meal did not result in a donation to a breast cancer organization. Instead, consumers had to visit the Lean Cuisine web site and buy a pink Lean Cuisine lunch tote. Only then would $5 of the tote purchase be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

4. To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?

Does the product’s package tell you where the money goes and what will be done with it? For example, Penn is selling pink tennis balls and the package states that 15 cents of your purchase will go to “a Breast Cancer Research Organization.” It doesn’t tell you which organization or what kind of research will be done. Will the money go to fund the same studies that have been ongoing for decades (which already get enormous financial support)? Or will it go to under-funded, innovative research into the causes of breast cancer?

If the donation is going to breast cancer services, is it reaching the people most in need, in the most effective way? The Breast Cancer Site store, for example, donates money to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which helps pay for mammograms for women who cannot afford them. But mammograms are already covered for low-income women through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program. Although this screening program does have limitations, what is most needed is the funding to get low-income women treatment if breast cancer is found. Click here to learn more about this issue.

5. What is the company doing to assure that its products are not actually contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?

Many companies that raise funds for breast cancer also make products that are linked to the disease. Breast Cancer Action calls these companies “pinkwashers.” BMW, for example, gives $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure each time you test-drive one of their cars, even though pollutants found in car exhaust are linked to breast cancer. Many cosmetics companies whose products contain chemicals linked to breast cancer also sell their items for the cause.

I vote, don't buy anything with pink ribbons on it and give the money instead to a woman who has breast cancer. She could probably use it much more than any of these corporations.

For more information and updates on their latest campaign, visit Thinkbeforeyoupink.org

Is Farm Bureau the answer for health insurance needs?

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:37:00 +0000

The clock is ticking, and my COBRA is about to shoot up to more than $300 a month. As I'm tossing resumes in every direction and getting either no calls or rejection letters, I'm working hard to make sure I can afford to take care of myself.

Still peeved that I was rejected for individual coverage by an insurance company I've been a customer of for nearly a decade.

Last week I was looking at the web site for the Arkansas Farm Bureau and I filled out a web form to have an agent contact me. I know a number of folks who have joined the Farm Bureau of their own state to obtain auto or home insurance and only have to pay a minimal fee to be a part of the bureau.

Besides, with the membership comes a donation to help agri programs in Arkansas. And I love my farmers!

It looks like if you become a member you are eligible for a group health insurance plan.

Anyway, I will see what I can find out and pass along any information. I and a number of my friends are looking to become insured and if this is a way to do so, I want to tell the world.

Meanwhile, have any of you been a member of your local farm bureau to obtain health insurance? How did it go? Any information would be extremely useful!

Birth control is a pre-existing condition?! WTF?

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Apparently my desire not to have a child out-of-wedlock is one of the reasons I am uninsurable, according to Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.
I received a letter from them yesterday, dated approximately a month after I applied for individual coverage.

There was a long list of reasons they denied me. Some I expected. Height/weight. Okay, I'm walking to work on that. Asthma. Okay, so I was born without a complete respiratory system and it's all my parents' fault. Past knee injury. Fine, I won't kick so high next time.

But birth control?! Considering that 98 percent of women use some form of contraception during their lives, I've decided that BCBS is just trying to FIND reasons not to cover people unless all they will do is pay their premiums and stay away from the doctor.
You know what, Blue Cross? Screw you.

And you know what, you guys who don't think the government that WE elect and WE pay for needs to step in and overhaul this health-care clusterfuck we're in? Screw you guys, too.

Because, lemme tell you - unless you've never been to the doctor, you go along your merry way and take four boxes of Sudafed whenever you have a cold or you know how to give yourself stitches if you're in a horrible car accident, if you ever find yourself in a situation in which you need to apply for individual health insurance, YOU. ARE. SCREWED. They will find any reason they can not to cover you. If it even LOOKS like you will make them have to pay any expenses on you, you can be denied.

For birth control. Or for depression if you take any of those meds you see 40,000 commercials for every day. Or for asthma. Or if you've had a caeserian.

The system is screwed and don't even think for a moment that these companies give a rat's ass about us. Competition? No, they'll compete for who has the most no-risk people covered by them. They won't compete to have average folk like you and me covered.

Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield hit $1 billion in profits last year. Every year their profits have increased. Do you really think they want to break that winning streak?

I want a public option. I called Sen. Blanche Lincoln's office to bitch and it fell on deaf ears. This is wrong.

Birth control. Assholes.

Protect the insurance companies!

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Maybe I've been going about this pro-health-insurance thing all wrong. Celebrities are starting to stick up for the status quo, why shouldn't I?

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Emmy night!

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:50:00 +0000

I am quite stoked to see Neil Patrick Harris hosting the 2009 Emmy Awards this evening.

To be honest, my television watching is always a year or two behind (if I'm that lucky), so I probably will not have seen any of the big shows that will get the big awards this year. I've only seen the first two episodes of Mad Men. I haven't watched The Big Bang Theory, like, ever. I don't even know if people like that show but I'm guessing they do.

My television watching is really limited to Turner Classic Movies, MSNBC and whatever the latest viral videos are. However, I do love dresses! And I do love me some NPH. And actually, i like to use the Emmys as a guide to tell me what to order from Netflix or what to watch on Hulu.

If you want to be a total Emmy nerd, you can go to the Emmys official web site and download your very own Emmy Ballot. That way you can pick your picks and take a drink if you get anything wrong.

If you have no idea what to drink, here's a nice Cocktail recipe for The Emmy. It looks lovely, but I'll probably be sticking to beer and water this evening.

AVAST! It's that time of YARRRRRRR! again!

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Tomorrow, Sept. 19, is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. This is an annual day when one unleashes her inner pirate and lives without a care in the world.

Dress up in your favorite pirate garb, listen to pirate songs, and if you need any help, the folks behind TLAP Day are there for lots of advice on their web site.

Basically, being a pirate is whatever you want it to be. But be a good pirate.

To commemorate TLAP Day last year, Central Arkansas Pastafarians held a demonstration in Little Rock right across the street from a protest being held by the people of the Westboro Baptist Church (known as the funeral-picketing "God Hates Fags" people).

Because folks were paying more attention to the pirates than the Westboro people, the Westboro members LEFT IN DEFEAT. HA!

I bet the Westboro folks will think twice before they decide to mess with Talk Like A Pirate Day again.

Norman Borlaug and the fight to end world hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:15:00 +0000

Nobel Peace laureate Norman E. Borlaug, whose breeding of crops for poor farmers led to Asia's famine-defusing Green Revolution four decades ago, died Saturday night after a long battle with cancer. He was 95.

I wrote this post a few years ago to tell everyone about Norman Borlaug. Now that he has passed on, I think it's time to share his story with friends again.

In this time when our world is suffering overpopulation and food shortages locally and globally, maybe it's time to look into some very controversial ways to solve our hunger crisis.

I have struggled with the Genetically-Modified Food controversy, even going on a diet of natural foods for quite some time. (I actually saw no change in my health or my behavior as a result of it, FYI).

And then, a couple of years ago, I heard about Norman Borlaug and decided to do some research on him.

Norman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his contributions to the world food supply.

Norman Borlaug wasn't greedy. He wasn't out to make money and take advantage of underprivileged countries. His only aim was to feed the world.

Norman is the founder of the Green Revolution, and the man who began this entire GM food controversy.

The fact that Norman is in his 90s and is still walking and talking like a normal person already makes me wonder if genetically-modified foods maybe aren't so bad at all.

Norman started developing advancements in microbiology that prevented crops from corroding. These powerful, weather-resistant crops could far reach other parts of the world where food was in vast need.

Borlaug's dream was to end world hunger. And in developing high-yielding wheat crops, he helped make Pakistan self-sufficient in wheat production in 1968. He also went on to develop high-yielding rice crops.

For his efforts in feeding more than one billion people in this world, Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

So this is who I think about when I see people talking about Frankenfoods. I think about this man, who just wanted these crops to stay alive so they could be offered more cheaply to us.

Let's consider what the Green Revolution has done: Millions of people have lived because of Borlaug. Millions.

It's one of those situations in which it is not easy to find all of the answers. We are now in a world in which you have to choose the side you're going to be on.

As long as countries are thriving because of Borlaug's technology, I will support GMOs.

In September 2008, Borlaug was still fighting to feed the hungry.

Some answers are not so simple. Some bandwagons can't easily be jumped on. While companies such as Monsanto have manipulated Borlaug's advancements, it's hard to consider all the good that has come out of them.

Borlaug believes his work has been "a change in the right direction, but it has not transformed the world into a Utopia".

Of naysaying environmental lobbyists, Borlaug has said, "some of the environmental lobbyists of the Western nations are the salt of the earth, but many of them are elitists. They've never experienced the physical sensation of hunger. They do their lobbying from comfortable office suites in Washington or Brussels. If they lived just one month amid the misery of the developing world, as I have for fifty years, they'd be crying out for tractors and fertilizer and irrigation canals and be outraged that fashionable elitists back home were trying to deny them these things".

Food for thought, no?

Sick people make me rich

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:35:00 +0000

Why the Economic Stimulus package works: A personal story

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:01:00 +0000

In early February this year, I was laid off from my job. I became one of the many statistics you see bandied about by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Instantly I had to consider my options and decide what I wanted to do. I decided to work toward becoming a freelance writer, since I am a writer at heart and newspapers have a considerably weak future.

The letter from my employer came; the one that said I could continue my insurance through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA).

The way things are currently set up, if you lose your job and want to keep the same insurance coverage, you can do so through a COBRA and pay your portion of the premium, the employer's portion of the premium, PLUS an additional 20 percent.

This raised my monthly premiums to $328 a month.

Part of the stimulus, officially called the American Investment and Recovery Act, included a 65% subsidy for those laid-off from their jobs.

I watched C-SPAN attentively, crossing my fingers, in hopes that the act would pass so I wouldn't have to beg ol' Dad for money so I could afford my medications each month.

Because the recovery act was passed, I now pay $110 a month for my health insurance instead of $328 a month. I am able to pay all my bills and work hard to become fully self-employed as I market myself as an artist/jeweler/pet-sitter/freelance writer/Awesome McAwesomepants.

I contribute to the economy each week. I do not have to use credit cards or loan sharks to be able to pay the bills. I am able to live and work toward my American dream.

So, yeah - I do tend to get a bit touchy when people say the stimulus hasn't worked.

It works for the people who needed it most - those like me who lost their jobs as a result of this recession. It works for me today, it works for me every day. I am not yet where I need to be - heck, very few people are - but I can keep my head held high during these tough times.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go shopping and support the economy.

The latest threat to our seniors!

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Death panels, Medicare cuts, taxes... it's nothing compared to this.

Tell everyone you know!

Canadians: Win the trip of your dreams with Stouffer's!

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:04:00 +0000

I, unfortunately, am not Canadian - but I know some of you readers out there are, so I'd like to share this awesome contest with all of you.

Stouffers-panini is having a contest to promote the launch of four new varieties:

- Bistro Meaballs & Peppers
- Bistro Chicken Souvlaki
- Lean Cuisine Grilled Vegetables & Goat Cheese
- Lean Guisine Mango Chicken Tikka

I'm a fan of the Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine line of products - and I must say that as an American I am jealous you guys are getting access to these flavors (excuse me - "flavours." If they're anything like the ones here in the states, they're sure to be yummy.

Stouffer's Panini is running a contest for its Canadian consumers that allows you to win one of three $10,000 cash prizes, Sony digital camcorders and instant product prizes.

The three grand prizes include a choice of India, Greece, Italy and France destinations, along with a $10,000 gift card.

12 secondary prizes of Sony Digital Camcorders (valued at $500) will also be given out.

Free Stouffer's Product coupons will also be given out as daily instant prizes.

Customers can register here and enter one UPC code per day for the chance to win.

Good luck, my friends in the Great White North!

Follow the money on the health care debate

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Tonight Keith Olbermann led a royal butt-whoopin' on Republicans and "Blue-Dog" Democrats who have opposed health care reform.

In an age when everyone seems to say it's no longer "politics as usual," it seems to be anything but.

Thanks to fellow ex-journalist Doug Krile for finding this as soon as he could.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

To look up your representative in Congress and see who they're accepting money from, take a look at the Center for Responsive Politics.

Charter's Laptop-A-Day Sweepstakes

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the last humans on earth to have a laptop - but I know that's not true. Although because I do travel throughout this region in my state, I'm finding more and more that a laptop would be particularly handy.

But Charter Communications is gearing its newest contest to the on-the-go student or business person who needs a machine with mobility.

On the success of its HDTV-A-Day Sweepstakes, Charter Communications is now giving away a laptop every day through Sept. 15 through its Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes.

In addition, entrants have the chance at a free gift card ranging in value from $25-100 with special online deals.

Winners will get an HP 550 Notebook 15-inch with Windows Vista and a NeoTec Compu Backpack.

Gift Cards are from major retailers in clothing, home and accessories, restaurants and additional places.

For more details, become a fan of Charter on Facebook, or follow Charter on Twitter.

There's still time to turn in your piece of crap car

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:43:00 +0000

I really wish they had this program when I was driving around in my crappy 1993 Mercury Topaz when I lived in Southeast Louisiana. Lemme tell you - No AC + Nasty insects + 30-minute commute = land of suck.

Fortunately I have a trusty Ford Focus now.

From the Detroit Free Press:

House approves $2B more in clunker cash

By JUSTIN HYDE
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

Updated at 1:25 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House approved an emergency $2-billion infusion for the cash-for-clunkers program this afternoon, with a plethora of lawmakers from around the country calling it a runaway success that should not be ended.

But the head of the National Automobile Dealers Association warned dealers today that until the money was guaranteed, they could be on the hook for any cash-for-clunkers trades despite assurances from the Obama administration that deals through today will be honored.

With the House set to adjourn today for a monthlong recess, House Democratic leaders worked through the night to craft a bill carving $2 billion from an energy loan program that was part of the $787 billion economic stimulus plan passed earlier this year. The original cash-for-clunkers bill had set aside $4 billion for the plan, but was pared back to $1 billion in a compromise in the Senate, with $50 million carved out for running the program.

"The rush to use this program shows its need," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak. "What else do we need to see? This program is working."

The focus now turns to the Senate next week, where individual senators have more power to slow passage of any bill, especially with just one week left before it adjourns Friday. The administration was still struggling to determine how much of the $950 million the program began with was already committed to car buyers.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said while the program offering vouchers of $3,500 or $4,500 on a new vehicle for junking a gas guzzler was open for business today and all valid deals would be honored, its future was still uncertain.

“People should go to their car dealers if they want to make this deal. We don’t know how long it will last,” Levin said after a meeting with lawmakers this morning.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters the plan would continue for now as well, but declined to say how long it might last without additional money.

"If you are planning on going to buy a car this weekend and using this program, this program continues to run," Gibbs said. "And if you meet the requirements of the program, the certificate should be honored."

While the U.S. Department of Transportation had expected the plan to generate 250,000 new vehicle sales over three months, Levin said the administration had processed about 40,000 deals, while auto dealers estimated there are another 200,000 to be approved after its official launch Monday.

Many dealers had complained that the computer system for filing deals had been overwhelmed; federal officials told dealers the "vast majority" of applications were being rejected for incomplete or illegible paperwork. Since the law requires dealers to complete the trade and destroy the clunker's engine before filing with the government, tracking exactly how many deals are in progress may be impossible.

NADA Chairman John McEleney, an Iowa dealer, said the organization had been assured by the Obama administration that all transactions consummated through today will be honored.

"Nonetheless, until further definitive guidance on the availability of funding is provided by the administration, dealers who accept additional ‘clunkers’ deals may face a risk that they will not be reimbursed," McEleney said.

The stumble in the wildly popular offer left dealers and consumers confused, and created a unwelcome political distraction for the Obama administration as it was attempting to focus on moving health-care reform ahead.

The cash-for-clunkers plan passed the House in June by a vote of 298-119.

The Senate will remain in session through next week, but opponents of the move would have several ways to delay action that could keep it from passing. One key senator, Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., had vowed to block any extra money for the program until it was altered to benefit more fuel-efficient models.

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow said passing the bill through the Senate, “will be a challenge."

Lawmakers said the administration was struggling to count the number of deals that had been made under the program, to monitor the number of customers who take part, and to match that number to the money available.

The administration is "going to have to make a best estimate,” Levin said. “There’s lots of glitches in this system.”

Food Porn for National Cheesecake Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Today, July 30, is National Cheesecake Day.

Cheesecake is a delightful, rich, really, really hard to make dessert that has been known for its fattening, as well as diplomatic properties.

Everything could be resolved with cheesecake. No matter what the Golden Girls were fighting over - whether it be a hairstylist, the director of Henny Penny or where the girls were going to live - everything was right as rain over a cheesecake conversation.

And cheesecake is so versatile. Delicious with chocolate, strawberries, peaches, vanilla beans - mmmm.

And don't even think those Jell-O No-bake cheesecakes are any kind of substitute for the real thing. They are tasty, but let's not call them cheesecake. That's just wrong.

So, enjoy today however you want. I will probably stay away from the cheesecake since I have a big dinner planned.

Stop kidding yourself: Tanning beds are dangerous

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I watched this interesting piece on CBS News last night about a new study that reveals tanning beds definitely cause cancer:

Now, this is a story of someone else, someone you don't know. But in the past year, a longtime friend of my grandmother's - a lovely woman who owned a tanning bed and used it on a regular basis - died of melanoma, shortly after the cancer spread to her vagina.

I've used tanning beds, many good friends of mine use tanning beds - and goodness sakes, we're all going to die of something. But when they tell you it's "safe" to use them, they are lyin' through their teeth.

Woman eats 3-week-old infant, says "The devil made me do it"

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Not for the faint of heart.

A woman was arrested after decapitating and eating her infant child.

Space Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Many, many times I have referred to myself going through Space Madness. Based on the Ren and Stimpy Cartoon, Space Madness is like cabin fever - only you feel like you're on a 36-year mission to the crab nebula, you see the same images and people day in and day out, and you start to hallucinate, thinking your bar of soap is an ice cream bar and that others covet it.

Now, while my soap may smell fruity and yummy, fortunately I haven't mistaken it for anything other than soap. But the rest of it? Yeah, that's pretty much me.

I used to drive everywhere for my old job. I'd head out to the edges of the county and see things and be around people. But now I'm trying to keep the gas usage to a bare minimum.

I used to take frequent out-of-town trips. But right now I'm due for a bunch of car maintenance stuff and I'm kind of worried about driving more than 30 miles away.

I'm due a vacation. Maybe a nice weekend with a bunch of friends - hanging out in bars where we use fake names and make up fake stories to get men to buy us drinks. Or going to an amusement park in a city that isn't scorching hot at this time of year. Or really just going anywhere.

But at the same time, any time I spend away is time I don't have the opportunity to make more money and build my business. I've reached my first goal in sales and now I have another goal to meet. Lots of goals await before I can officially call myself self-employed.

Fortunately I am dog-sitting later in the week. So that should, um, add a dog to my exciting life.

So that's where I am. Ready to go on an adventure. And yet stationed in the same ole place. Trying to figure out how to make things more exciting so I don't start eating soap.

I wanna slap my troubles away.

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:43:00 +0000

Before I sit down with a hook and some yarn to listen to the President talk to America about health care reform, I decided to watch this video because it makes me totally happy.

It's time to pass Health Care Reform once and for all.

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:59:00 +0000

As someone who is edging more and more toward self employment and will be on the lookout for a new insurance plan soon, as well as someone who has swarms of friends without health insurance because they have pre-existing conditions or simply can't afford it, the time is now for a universal health plan.

And i'm sick and tired of the bantering among opponents - most of them recipients of excellent health insurance paid for by our tax dollars - telling us that a government plan would not work.

First of all, I love this video in which Tom Arnold totally slams Hannity over health care.

Here's the deal - they say that in Canada you'd have to wait for a long time to receive care.

Here, we have people DIE each year because they could not afford the care they needed. We have people skipping out on medical bills they can't pay; as a result, those unpaid expenses are passed along to the ones who pay health insurance premiums.

You can see coin jars in restaurants asking for donations to send little Joey to the Mayo clinic or to help Kim the Waitress pay for her chemotherapy.

It's just wrong - and having a universal health care plan is one way to right it.

Yes - Yes, we have excellent health care - if you can afford it. But most people I know can't, or they struggle each day to pay off their expenses. It's wrong.

And there's no reason why the self-employed shouldn't be able to get insured whether they have asthma or back problems or have had bronchitis in the past.

Before I had my own coverage (thank goodness any company will continue me as long as I don't lapse), I tried as a beginning worker to get an individual health plan.

I got a letter. "We'll pay for everything except for anything related to asthma, allergies, bronchitis or any respiratory problems."

Sadly, that was 99 percent of the reason I go to the doctor.

It's just horrible - horrible how we treat our own people. And if people can't afford to go to the hospital or pay their bills, it's obviously their own dang fault.

Shame. Shame on those who sit back, paying their premiums and don't think for a second about the people who just want to be able to see a doc so they can make it to work the next day.

Just a simple lil' wish list

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:57:00 +0000

I don't ask for much.

Just world peace

aaaand a bottle of cool, refreshing Orangina

and a dog to call my own, like maybe this one that looks like a panda

and enough money to pay the bills

And a Robert Osborne bobblehead.

How's that ole job search going?

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:07:00 +0000

Ah, the worst question in the entire universe rears its ugly head.

The truth is, I'm job-searching every day. I'm promoting my jewelry work, marketing myself as one of the finest house and pet-sitters you'll ever meet, and meeting and greeting all along the way.

Meanwhile I hear stories everywhere of people worried about their 401(K)s and how they've turned out this year. (Fortunately for them, I think the second quarter was pretty good.)

But I digress. When it comes down to it, I am a lot happier. But it isn't a stretch to say I'm suffering. It's hard not getting a steady paycheck, but rather counting on sales and word of mouth to get my stuff out.

But I figure the more stuff I do, the better it is for me. I think I'm a lot better at getting stuff out there than I ever was working for Mister Bossman.

Hmmm.

And now I've gotta prepare for bed. Cheers, folksies.

Win a free pair of jeans from Armani Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Armani Exchange is offering a contest throughout July, giving you the chance to win a FREE PAIR of their jeans!

Now, I went to the Armani site, gazed at their jeans collection and found a few pairs that would look pretty awesome on my friends. I'm walking each day so I hope to be able to wear one of these pairs one day as well.

First, these embroidered skinny flare fit jeans have these adorable embroidered back-pocket designs.

Click on this link to see shots of em up close.

I also note that these jeans look great with high heels. I have a good friend who can rock a pair of jeans with some heels like no other, and think this is an awesome look.

I'm also a fan of dark denim and boot-cut jeans, so these A|X Pocket Boot Cut jeans are right up my alley. Love the chevron design on the back pockets.

Every girl should also have a good faded pair of jeans in their collection, so these wing printed boot cut jeans are just lovely.

Again, Armani Exchange knows how to work with those lovely back-pocket designs, and i absolutely love the wings on the back of these.

If you participate in the "text A|X contest", you can win a pair of denim EVERY DAY for the month of July by texting the keyword "DENIM2" to ARMANI (276264). For more info on the contest, visit the Text A|X contest page.

Also, if you purchase a full-price pair of denim from A|X either in-store or online through July 19, you'll receive a gift card for $20 off your next purchase of $100 or more - valid 7/30/09 through 8/15/09.

Armani Exchange

The Shredded Wheat Conspiracy

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:35:00 +0000

My mother has had this morning routine for the past 20 years or so. This "morning" may not start until 11:30 a.m., but she cannot officially start her day without a glass of Minute Maid orange juice, a coffee mug full of Sugar-Free Cafe Vienna, and a bowl of spoon-sized shredded wheat.

I am not so picky. I really don't care for shredded wheat, I prefer apple juice and I don't drink coffee on a regular basis, so I don't have a dog in this race. But I swear there is a full-blown conspiracy in local stores to keep the stock of spoon-sized shredded wheat to a bare minimum.

I've discovered this upon going to the many shopping establishments in Bizzle County, Arkansizzle.

This is what I've discovered: Walmizzle does not carry plain ole, spoon-sized, shredded wheat.

Oh, they sell other types of shredded wheat. The giant biscuits. The Wheat and Bran. The lightly frosted and the Honey-Croasted.

And about seven thousand different kinds of Frosted Mini-Wheats.

Mom was pointing this out to me while we were grocery shopping last week and noticed her favorite cereal missing from the shelves. There wasn't even a place for it.

She pointed out the strawberry, blueberry, boysenberry, Goji and Acai varieties of sugar-frosted mini-wheats you could find. "They're shoving this (expletive) down kids' throats!" (Since moms never, never, EVER curse, just imagine she really did say "expletive" and not something else.)

After much contemplation we settled on the Shredded Wheat N' Bran ("But I don't have to like it!"), she said.

This week we went to the smaller, employee-owned, non-Walmizzle store and she found not only the name-brand spoon-sized shredded wheat, but also a store brand as well. Fortunately she's not so picky that she'll pay for a fancy logo on her box of cereal.

I just don't get this. Spoon-sized, unsweetened shredded wheat should be readily available in every grocery store in America. It's like baseball. Or television. Or Chee-tos. It's a part of life.

Are they gonna take away our Cheerios next? Our corn flakes? Our All Bran? What's going to happen if even the grown-up cereals are covered in frosty goodness?

Incidentally, I do eat a grown-up cereal covered in frosty goodness (Fiber One Caramel Crunch. I can't help it, people!)

Oh, also, this employee-owned, non-Walmizzle store is also apparently the only one in the area that carries the sugar-free Cafe Vienna. All the other stores sell it with the sugar. I even went on Amazon to try and find it and they were selling it for $84 bucks, while its General Foods International Coffees compatriots were going for like 21 bucks.

Is there a conspiracy to keep my mother's days from starting? What did she do to you?

Montel Williams needs to stop selling crap on TV

noreply@blogger.com (Bellesouth) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:42:00 +0000

Can we just all agree to boycott Montel Williams and any crap he tries to sell on television? Not that I know anyone who has purchased any products he's endorsed, but I do think a concerted effort is in order.

Williams annoyed me enough when he tried to sell us those "commemorative" Obama coins that ended up being regular coins with stickers on them. This was a very sleazy form of advertising - especially considering that for years infomercials have been used to prey on the poor. Everything about Montel's involvement in this scam was just - just pure evil.

I'm probably the last person on earth to see this commercial for a $200 blender that Montel Williams is trying to get us to buy.

I'm not even going to post the commercial for the Snuggie-like "Toasty Wrap."

Apparently after his show was canceled last year, Montel signed up with some company to use his name to sell a bunch of crap products on late-night informercials that could easily be confused with talk shows.

This really isn't new. Celebrities who are in need of funds will put their name on all kinds of crap. Heck, the late Ed McMahon readily gave his endorsement to a sweepstakes that convinced retirees that they had to subscribe to magazines to win $10 million. I place ads and write sponsored posts on my blog. We all gotta pay the bills somehow.

But when I see a previously-trusted spokesman like Montel Williams sell snake oil to people in the form of worthless coins and $200 blenders, I get a bit annoyed.