Ken Breaks Up With Barbie for Good Cause

Ken has broken up with Barbie -- again. No, this isn't some marketing stunt by Mattel. It's an awareness campaign by Greenpeace over the deforestation of the Indonesian rainforest.

Packaging for the famous dolls comes from trees cut down in the Indonesian rainforest. Deforestation endangers the lives of many species, some of which are heading toward extinction.

Protesters dressed as Ken and Barbie hung a huge banner outside Mattel's headquarters. The banners read "Barbie, it's over. I don't date girls that are into deforestation."

The protesters were arrested and Mattel has issued a statement saying they are disappointed with Greenpeace's action.

Whether you agree with Greenpeace's actions or not, it doesn't take a genius to see that toys come with a large amount of packaging, packaging which usually gets thrown in the trash creating other environmental problems. It's up to every individual to be responsible, know what they are buying and recycle.

Think Before You Act

When will people in the public eye ever learn? And when will the general public stop being shocked?

Congressman Anthony Weiner is the most recent in a long line of celebrities and politicians who did a stupid thing and thought he would never be caught and when he was, lied about it. Why? Why did he think he would not get caught when so many before him did?

Celebrities and politicians are in the public eye. On one hand, this gives them a sense of arrogance and makes them think they are above the law. On the other hand, the fact they are well known means their dirty laundry is aired in public.

If Joe Smo, your next door neighbor had sent photos of himself on Twitter to some woman he had only met online, what would have happened? She might have reported him to Twitter for harassment or she might have blocked him from having access to her page or she might have had a good laugh about it with her friends. But it would never have even made the local news yet alone the national news. Don't celebrities and politicians realize they aren't Joe Smo. Their actions will make it into the national, maybe even the international news, and it will be scrutinized and nit-picked by everyone.

If you're in the public eye, you need to think before you act, not act and think up an excuse.

Pomp and Circumstance

Last weekend my step-son graduated from high school. The ceremony was like all graduation ceremonies filled with pomp and circumstance, speeches and reminiscing. But it raised a couple of questions in my mind.

The first is why do we make such big deals about high school graduations and hardly make any fuss at all about university graduations when it is so much rarer, not to mention more difficult, to get a bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD? Is it because it is a passage from childhood to adulthood or is it because we place a higher value on other things in our culture than education? After all, with the exception of the graduation ceremonies themselves, who are the kids who normally get the accolades? It's the jocks and the sports stars.

Secondly, so much is put into the graduation ceremonies, but how much do kids really remember days, weeks, months or years later? Not much at all. And what about all the hallow words spoken at the ceremonies? If people really did care about others and did all that they are capable for society, the world would be a better place.

What do you remember about your high school graduation?

Article Gives Readers Head Scratcher Advice

I was attracted to a Yahoo article entitled "First Person: 10 Days, No Spending" because I was wondering what bits of wisdom it would tell us that weren't already known by most people.

And indeed the article did list a number of things which were common sense. Things like taking inventory of what groceries and toiletries you have in the house, not taking your credit cards with you unless you're going to use them and paying all your bills early. But one piece of advice was mystifying, if not dangerous. "Fill up the car only enough to commute to work," it says, "No more, no less. When you run out of gas, that's it."

When you run out of gas, that's it? What does that mean? That after that you walk, you take public transit? What if you run out of gas in the middle of traffic or on a infrequently traveled road?

As I stated earlier, this money-saving strategy is dangerous. Circumstances beyond your control can increase, even double or triple your commute. Things like road construction or weather conditions. In addition, if you're a woman, it isn't exactly safe to be in a car stranded on the side of the road or walking alone down a street.

The entire purpose of the e-mail is to get people not to spend money needlessly. Here's better advice than running your car on E. Fill your tank and then only drive to and from work and the grocery store. You'll save money that way and you won't put yourself needlessly in harm's way.