Gas Prices Soar: We're Getting Reemed

Now that Lousiana and Mississippi are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we're all having to deal with inflated gas prices. Today, the media says crude prices soar to an unheard of $70 per barrel, and we could see prices at the pump jump to $3 per gallon. What do you think?

I think:
We'd better start figuring out another source of fuel for our automobiles or we're gonna go broke. Why do we always wait until things get so crappy to actually do something? Some scientists are exploring hydrogen fuel as an alternative. And Hawaii recently passed legislation to put caps on wholesale gasoline prices in an effort to ease the burden on motorists. Some say this will likely happen in California (where I live and drive) but others say this is a bad idea. I don't know what the answer is because there are both short- and long-term solutions to think about. All I know is I'm gonna dig my bike out of the gargage and clean off the rust really soon.

Flower Power

Valentine's Day. Birthdays. Anniversaries. And the inevitable, "Ooops, I screwed up." All occasions that call for flowers. But why do we do this? Guilt? A natural urge to give? And why flowers? Why not shrubs? What do you think?

I think:
It's quite interesting when you start surfing around looking for the meaning and history of flowers. But if bees and other bugs are so attracted to flowers, why should humans be any different? They're pretty and some of them smell so good, they're hard to resist. It's only natural to want to give something so beautiful and odoriferous to express your emotions or celebrate a special occasion. So go ahead. Say it with flowers.

Martha! Martha! Martha!

Today, Martha Stewart held a news conference to talk about her two new NBC shows, "Martha," a daytime show, and "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart." Both shows are designed to capitalize on her new found fame as an ex-jail bird. Some say this will be a boon for her empire, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. Others say, she's just a rich bitch who won't play by the rules, and eventually her time will run out. What do you think?

I think:
Martha should get while the gettin's good. More power to her. I'm sure most of us would love to have our shot at 15 minutes of fame but this chick not only got hers but is still getting it at 64 years old. Not too shabby. Sure, she annoys people because of her condesending tone and elitist ideals but you gotta give the gal credit: she started out as a caterer and now she's a media mogul. Sounds like a good thing to me.

Lack of Creativity in Hollywood

Have you noticed that all Hollywood seems to be churning out these days are tired old remakes and sequel after frickin' sequel? What happened to creativity and originality? Look at this year alone, and the laundry list of recycled crap:

• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• The Longest Yard (2005)
• The Bad News Bears (2005)
• Bewitched (2005)
• The Honeymooners (2005)
• Dukes of Hazard (2005)
• Superman Returns (2006)

What do you think?

I think:
As with seemingly everything, I think this all comes down to M-O-N-E-Y. With the rise of home theaters and the movie rental market, Hollywood has to be more careful in taking risks. And with creativity, comes risk. It's sad to say but formula story lines and well-known plots, though they don't rake in the big bucks, do pay for themselves. And if you throw in a hottie celeb or two, you could actually do pretty darn good. So, I wouldn't expect any ground-breaking, edgy, or completely original movies from Hollywood any time soon.

Lions, Cheetahs, and Elephants! Oh my!

There's a group of ecologists and conservationists who want to bring a little bit of Africa to the Great Plains of the U.S. In a recent article on Scientific American.com, we learn that this group of folks from Cornell University want to bring large carnivores and herbavores (lions, cheetahs, and elephants) "back" to North America. The plan is called Pleistocene re-wilding, and involves releasing close cousins and counterparts of the lost beasts, mostly from Africa, into large, protected tracts of land and allowed to roam freely. What do you think?

I think:
Okay, I'm not usually a nay-sayer about these kind of things but this seems a little, oh how should I put it . . . stupid. "Hey, let's take a bunch of endangered species from their natural habitat and move them to a place where they orginally came from like a million years ago, where there's not as much open land as Africa, and see what happens." Cool. These scientists are smart, right? Why can't they use their brains for something else? Why do we have to manipulate these poor creatures for our own gains? You know that's the bottom line. People want to see these animals but don't want to go all the way to Africa to do it. So, just bring them here. I say, don't mess with things.

Giving Kids Better Beverage Choices

Consumers are finally getting it. Namely, kids parents. Last week, the American Beverage Association announced that it was going to limit the amount of soft drinks it provides to elementary schools and offer more healthy choices. A study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that teenagers get 13 % of their total calories from soda. The average 12- to 19-year-old boy gets about15 teaspoons of refined sugars a day and the average girl with about 10 teaspoons a day from soda. What do you think about the ABA's decision?

I think:
It's about time! If our children are the future, and they're so important to us as a society then why haven't we done anything like this sooner? According the the American Obesity Association (AOA), 35% of parents in their recent poll rated their children's school programs for teaching good patterns of eating and physical activity as as "poor" or "non-existent." That's pretty sad. And if you walked into most junior high schools in America, you'd see lots of vending machines and school cafeterias offering sodas and sugar-laden foods. I think it's about time we put our money where our mouths are and not only make sure "No Child Left Behind" but make sure that we give them better beverage and food choices to feed their growing bodies too.

Politics in the White House Kitchen

You may think that politics are limited to the marble halls of Washington, D.C. Not so. Even those in the White House kitchen can't get away from it. First Lady, Laura Bush, announced today that Cristeta Comerford was promoted to executive chef, making her the first woman to be named to that position. What do you think?

I think:
While that's dandy and everything, I was amazed to find out about the lengthy process involved in selecting this individual. It all started back in February 2005 when Mrs. Bush fired the old chef wanting a more "socialable white house," meaning that she planned to throw more lavish parties and the old cook just wasn't stacking up. And of course the old executive chef, Walter Scheib III, was selected by Hilary Clinton. That just wouldn't do. Okay, I know our leaders need to eat and entertain foreign guests but this whole thing is a little over the top. Maybe they should have made it a reality show so we could be part of the whole process. After all, it is our tax dollars they're using for all those hoity-toity White House dinners.

Fashion Models Take to the Air

On July 27, 2005, Target unveiled it's "Vertical Fashion Show," much to the amazement of onlookers we see in this photo here. The show was to highlight Target's Fall 2005 Collection. For more amazing photos, go here. Seems as though Target is kicking it up a notch and going beyond competitors Walmart and Kmart. What do you think?

I think:
Totally cool, man! I would have loved to have seen this in person. If you talk to most suburbanites, Target definitely rates high on the cool scale. No doubt, Target uses labor in sweatshops to keep prices down, like they all do. But, in the good ol' U.S.A., that doesn't matter! If you can market better than the others, you'll make the big bucks. But, I'm getting off topic here. . . bottomline is anything that turns something upside down is okay in my book.

Big Mother is Watching

There is now a Java program called, ULocate, that can be downloaded into cell phones and links to GPS satellites that was specifically designed for worried parents. It relays kids' movements to their parents over a secure Internet site and via cell phone alerts. And it gets better. Apparently, there is a flood of child-surveillance systems hitting the market every day, according to Salon.com including, a line of pajamas that come with radio frequency identification (RFID). What do you think?

I think:
This reaction to all of the fear tactics the media resorts to reminds me of a special that John Stossel did in 1996 called, "Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?" There's also a section of the recent book, "Freakonomics," that touches on how we make decisions such as, a gun or a swimming pool, based on our emotions [fear] rather than on real statistics. Yes, we should all strive to protect a children but what kind of lesson are we teaching them by saying, "Hey, I'm so paranoid about this world that I have to track your every movement with a GPS." It's no wonder that our anxiety levels are at an all time high. We should really stop and think about the immortal words of our thirty-second president when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," before we end up putting our kids in plastic bubbles straight from the womb.

Hungry for Love

Interesting article on the BBC Online talks about how young people (ages 15-24) turn to chocolate and junk food when they're hearbroken. It mainly focuses on people in the UK but the bottom line is people are "hungry for love." I thought I'd "Google" that term and see what came up. The result was a bunch of links to lyrics by tons of artists and bands who've written songs with the title, "Hungry for Love." This brings up an interesting question: are we, as human beings, starving for love? What do you think?

I think:
Our most basic need, even more than food, water, and shelter, is to be loved. But how many of us actually feel loved? Even within our own families? Do I think human beings are starved for love? Hell, yes. Throughout our history, human beings live and die for love. Whether we feel loved or not shapes how we view ourselves and the world around us. It's no wonder that there are probably billions of songs written about love, people do whatever they can to find love, we eat to comfort ourselves from lack of love, and the list goes on. So, where is the love?

Bush: Going Around the System

President Bush appoints John Bolton (no relation to the nauseating, torch-song singer, Michael Bolton) as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Bush nominated Bolton for the position back in March 2005 but received considerable opposition. Because Bolton was appointed during a Senate recess, he will only be able to serve until January 2007. What do you think about Bush's move?

I think:
Bush doesn't give a damn about the United Nations. That was pretty evident during the whole pitch to attack Iraq. He was dead set to go to war, whether the UN backed him or not. So, it's no great surprise that he appoints someone as the ambassador to the UN who has a history of making anti-UN statements, intimidating subordinates, and suppresses information he disagrees with. Why, he's the perfect man for the job! Sounds just like Bush! But seriously, I don't think I want him to represent the United States within the U.N.--but hey, I've got no say in the matter. . .who really cares what I or you think anyway? Those "people" in Washington, D.C. can think for us. After all, we elected them, didn't we?