news notes

man, it's been about a hundred bazillion years since i've done a news notes, hasn't it?  well, i'm going to try to resume them.  i always liked collecting weird, random, fascinating stories from around the interwebs, sharing them with you, and telling you what to think about them.  so...here ya go.  the first news notes of 2013.  i can't promise they'll be weekly, but they'll be here.

the wake n'bacon - seriously?  poor michael scott.  if only he'd known about this, he could have avoided that whole, awkward, foot-wrapped-in-bubble-wrap debacle.  poor michael scott.

source

have american parents got it all backwards? - in a word?  yes.

the man behind abercrombie and fitch - ugh, doucebaggery at it's finest.  everything i am thinking could not possibly top jen's reaction, so i'll just let you read (and love) her thoughts on it.

'girl's gone wild's' joe francis convicted of assault - i mean, this was almost a guarantee.  the man has clearly never had any respect for women.

big 10 announces football division alignments and move to new 9-game conference schedules - well, this is well-balanced *rolls eyes*  the east division of the big 10 will dominate every year.  the big 10 championship game will basically be nebraska vs whoever plays better out of michigan, ohio state, michigan state, or penn state.  ridiculous.  also, why is it still called the big 10?

so god made a mother - spoiler alert: you'll need tissues!

4 more years!

i was so thrilled when, during my nightly 3am pee break, i checked the news to find that president obama had won the election and therefore matt and i do not need to pick up and move out of the country!  as exciting and exotic as relocating to europe sounds, i feel like that could be very difficult at 31 weeks pregnant! 

congratulations to president and first lady obama!  and well done to my fellow americans in maine, maryland, washington, and minnesota who stood up for marriage equality! 

to top off this great morning, tonight matt and i are going to see ben gibbard live at the keswick theater.  i could not possibly be more excited for this concert.  i'm only hoping i'll be awake enough to stay for the whole thing!

digital footprint

so i read this really interest blog post today from alphamom about the digital footprint you leave behind.  like, the long-term picture of yourself you are creating with your facebook status updates or your tweets.  i thought about that and decided to check out my facebook timeline to see if i could spot a trend.

here's what someone would learn about me from my facebook timline:

1. i support obama.  and women's rights.  and voter rights.  and it's pretty safe to say that i'm a liberal, especially when it comes to social issues.

2. i read a lot of news stories.

3. i like music. 

4. i am a proud pitt alumna.

5. i'm pregnant.


had i done this a year or so ago, when i was updating my status more frequently, the picture may be a little different.  but over the past several months, i have slowed down on the status updates.  i post a lot of news articles and stuff that i find interesting, but as of right now, i have not actually updated my status since monday.  so anyone forming an opinion of me based on my facebook timeline would pretty much be going off the articles i link to or recommend.  and i'm pretty much ok with that.  yes, i have some pretty strong political opinions.  but i have a right to those opinions, and - furthermore - i have a right to express them.  you have a right to disagree with them. 

over the years since i joined facebook (back in 2008) i have tried pretty hard to keep things fairly neutral.  i try to refrain from cursing (though one or two f-bombs have definitely been dropped).  i try to remain relatively upbeat, and if i am being negative i try to do it sarcastically or with a twist of humor.  yeah, there have been times when i ranted about my job, but usually in a general sense.  i have tried not to call out anyone in particular. 

looking at my digital footprint as it stands now, i am perfectly fine with the image it projects.  what about your digital footprint?  do you think it gives an accurate picture of who you are?

news notes

airlines 'playing chicken' with passengers, charging 'you-get-to-sit-with-your-kid' fee - this is so infuriating.  if i were those parents, i'd refuse to pay, then make a big scene at the airport.  i'm not one for making scenes, usually, but this is outrageous.  i'd be so pissed if they tried to split me from my child on a flight!

mitt romney, secretly taped, tells his truths at a fundraiser - what.an.idiot.  he may as well gift-wrap the presidency for obama.

at voter-id hearing, pa justices have tough questions and a surprise - to vote in this country is a right, not a privilege. it should not be only those who have access to the dmv to obtain this "voter id" who get to exercise their right, but all citizens. i guess "limited government" only means limited oversight of corporations and big business taxes, but total control over our rights to vote and our bodies.

board of pardons to hear case of philly prisoner sentenced to die oct. 3 - "we feel that waiting a few more months to make sure that we're doing it right, that we're doing it fairly, that it is worth doing, all of these things, is a reasonable approach to take." shouldn't the same care and caution be taken for the voter id law, before you strip ordinary citizens of their right to vote?

whooping cough vaccine vital for adults, too - this is why it's so important to get your children vaccinated.  i got the pertussis vaccine both when i started working at shriners and again when i started at my current job.  i told matt that he needs to go to his primary doctor soon and get all of his vaccines updated, including asking for the pertussis vaccine. 

pa natives will be able to get same-day voter id from penndot - well, i suppose it's a step in the right direction, but still not good enough.  it still requires people to figure out a way to get to penndot and then stand in line for what could be hours. 

news notes

i know, it's been all baby-baby-baby around here.  sorry about that, but this little guy has been a little all-consuming.  i'm sure you understand.

here are the headlines and stuff that caught my eye recently:

the nazis and thalidomide: the worst drug scandal of all time - ok, so i have to confess that the only thing i knew about thalidomide was that billy joel sang about it in "we didn't start the fire," so it must've been a big deal.  i had no idea until very recently (right before reading this article) that it caused such horrible birth defects.  and that the company failed to acknowledge these issues and pull it from shelves.  awful.  nice to see that the company has finally - 50 years later - issued an apology.  sad to see that the owner/ceo who ran the company at the time of the scandal still isn't speaking, though.

us adds cancer to list of illnesses linked to 9/11 terror attacks - my first reaction to this article was "duh."  i mean...how did it take them this long?

judge lectures sexual abuse victim, sparks outrage - as a sexual assault victim myself, nothing infuriates me more than blaming the victim in a sexual assault.  the first counselor i went to see did the same thing - asked me what i was wearing the night i was raped.  seriously??  i never went back after that first session.  anyway, this judge should be ashamed of herself and promptly fired.  what woman says this to another woman?  i pray she does not have children that she's teaching this warped way of thinking to.

white house beer recipe revealed - i cannot wait for matt to brew a batch of white house honey ale.  that could be his spring beer next year, just in time for me to be able to enjoy it!

6 things cheaper than the cost of child care - this makes me want to kill myself.  or at least wish that i was rich enough to stay home with our son, at least part time.

'sweet caroline' is no longer welcome at penn state football games - i mean, the whole thing is a bit silly.  but really, this song is terrible and should be banned at all sporting events.  pitt plays it, too, and i hate it.

advocacy organization aims to end 'gay conversion therapy'- so this counseling agency outside of phiadelphia is still practicing with the belief that being gay is something that can be cured.  not surprisingly, this is a "faith-based" counseling agency.  ugh.  it's things like this that make me so uninterested in finding a church for our family.

news notes

synch or swim?  synchronized swimming should rock your socks off - yay for synchro love!!

the affordable care act: why all the ladies are high-fiving - you're damn right i'm asking for reimbursement for my breastfeeding classes and supplies!  this is a huge step for women's rights.  now, if only we can get them to leave abortion alone....

pyt introduces chick-phil-gay sandwich - in response to the chick-fil-a nonsense, a local burger joint puts out a doppleganger sandwich, but holds the condemnation and hate. 

do breastfeeding mothers require further protection? - doylestown (not too far from us) is taking the state law a step further and will now investigate complaints of harassment.  will be interesting to see if this catches on.

hershey school issues apology, acceptance to hiv student - this was a pretty big thing in hershey when they denied the student admission.  i'm going to keep an eye on this and see how it develops. 

random acts of excruciating annoyance - oh, i have a long list of things that people do that work my nerves on a daily basis.  this makes me wonder what i do that annoys people...?

news notes

we are....broken - love this blogger's point of view on the penn state issues.

10 things most americans don't know about america - i guess i consider myself lucky that i knew much of this.  i have been really lucky to travel to several countries and have learned many of these lessons.  i find myself giving matt quite a bit of education about #6, as he feels that he much of the world is a "dump."

abington health, holy redeemer call off merger - i am delivering at abington, and thankful to know that they did not go through with this merger.  not only does holy redeemer not do abortions, but they also will not do tubal ligation.  thanks, but i like having the choice of what to do with my body.

5 reasons why the church failed yesterday - love love love the points in this article.  brilliant.

macon vintage styled photo shoot by paperlily photography - this is my dress!  like, my actual dress that walked down the aisle in my actual wedding!  i consigned it with my friend abriel, and when they consulted her for a dress for the photo shoot, she chose mine!  loooooove.

and finally...sheer brilliance by jimmy fallon and justin timberlake.

news notes

could the heroine of pixar's 'brave' be gay? - ok, i find this article a little offensive.  not in that i think it would be offensive or some great tragedy if the character were gay.  what i find offensive is the "evidence" being used to support the theory that the character might be gay.  that a young girl who challenges traditional gender roles (obedient daughter, soft-spoken fiance) and who enjoys more "masculine" recreational activities must be gay, because little straight girls are so eager to please and abide by traditional roles.  come on!  are we really still stuck in this idea that little girls must love dressing up and ballet and disney princesses and wearing pillowcases on their heads for their pretend weddings?!  god forbid a little girl use her brain and decide how to act based on what she wants!  i can only hope that my daughter - gay or straight - will challenge the traditional roles and think for herself!

survey: 70% of teens hide online behavior from their parents - in other news, the ocean is wet!


high court strikes down key parts of arizona immigration law - good!  that law was out of control and to me sounded far too closely related to making jews wear stars.

monsignor william lynn convicted in clergy abuse trial - guilty on one count of child endangerment.  let's hope more and more court cases start moving in this direction.


jerry sandusky trial: the verdict - this verdict came through on friday night and my facebook exploded.  this review of the verdict is beautifully written.  this was a true victory by the justice system.

news notes

female legislator who dared say vagina during abortion debate banned from speaking - i am so freaking over these unbelievable displays of republican abuse.  seriously?  this is outrageous.  i know (or at least, I'm pretty sure) the hello giggles writer was kidding when she suggested this, but i'm actually seriously tempted to do it.  banning these women from speaking just goes too far. 

jerry sandusky didn't testify after defense raised significant doubts in case - "significant doubts?"  not exactly.  and people were surprised that sandusky didn't take the stand?  really?  have they heard his abc interview?  the man is a detriment to himself.  every time he opens his mouth he creates more problems. 

bristol palin says no sex until marriage - better late then never, i suppose


a few drinks during pregnancy ok, study says - huh.  not that this is going to make me run out and hit the sauce, but it's an interesting study.

deep-fried cereal kicks of summer of fair food - i don't know, but that sounds completely gross to me.  deep-fried snickers?  sure.  deep-fried oreos?  absolutely.  deep-fried samoas?  bring it.  but deep-fried kool-aid balls?  gag me. 

world's best cities for architecture lovers - i've seen only a few of these in person (renaissance, gaudi, and gothic revival), but those few i saw were pretty damn impressive.

what would you do if the world were ending - if i knew, for sure, with absolutely certainty, that the world were ending?  i would do much like the guy from new zealand mentioned in the article did - i would take trips around the world, eat amazing food, and rack up huge credit card bills.  pretty sure discover isn't going to come looking for me after the rapture.

news notes

phillie phanatic mascot sued for tossing woman in hotel pool - ahhh, philly.  now even the mascots are getting in on the violent action.

coronor: dingo took baby in notorious case - so elaine was right, all along.  ok, seriously, 32 years later?!  how did this possibly take so long?

massachusettes town approves $20 fine for swearing in public - i mean, i can see where they're coming from.  look, i can swear like a drunken sailor if you get me going, but not in public. not around children.  nothing irks me more than standing at the train station and hearing some asshole on the phone screaming obscenities while 3 kids are staring up at him.  like, come on, dude, have a little class.

new tehnique to prevent olive oil fraud - so my sister is a chemist.  she majored in chemistry at penn state and (eventually, sometime) plans to go to grad school for a further chemistry degree.  yeah, she clearly got the brains in the family.  anyway, she works for a neutraceutical company - she tests the raw materials before they go into the products that they make.  so she has kind of an obsession with materials in things.  she only buys all-natural bath and body products now.  and she's had this thing with olive oil for the last few months.  i remember her and my mom (also a food chemist) talking about it over christmas and i thought it was ridiculous.  so what if there are impure ingredients in olive oil?  it's not like a chug it by the gallon.  well, apparently, there was a big crackdown on some company in spain and so now they're making the process much more hard to fake.  callie's thrilled, even though it will only last a short amount of time until someone else figures out some other way to cheat the system.  i told her that i'm very excited for my limited-edition pure evoo.  i love having science nerds in the family.

newborn seized in pa hershey medical center - this story breaks my heart, you guys.  for so many reasons.  those poor parents.  how terrifying that experience must have been for them.  it breaks my heart for social workers every where - this stupid, awful woman has given all of us a bad name.  people already have this negative preconceived notion about hospital social workers, and now this?  i'm shocked beyond belief that this happened at hershey medical center, one of the top hospitals in the region.  i always thought i would some day move back to hershey and get a job at the med center - it's where anyone in central pa in the health field wants to be.  now?  not so much.  i would not want to be associated with that social work department.  what an embarrassment.  i'm anxious to see how this lawsuit is going to play out over the next few months, or years. 

news notes

day late, sorry!

witchita boy's garage-sale buy holds a treasure for his family - this is amazing.  and creepy. 

appeals court: denying federal benefits to same-sex couples is unconstitutional - ok, we're getting somewhere now!

steel magnolias' remake cast - no. this is unacceptable.  sally fields was absolute perfection in this movie.  you cannot remake that.


hundreds of sheep strike cars after crash in australia - some of the comments on here are kinda funny.  but could you imagine?  suddenly it's raining sheep on you?  wacky.

new york mayor michael bloomberg proposes ban on on large sodas - i come down on both sides of this debate.  on the one hand, i think anything they can do to help the obesity crisis in this country should be tried.  on the other hand, people have to want to change their behavior and no amount of legislation is going to make that happen.

news notes

greeks withdraw $894 million in one day - shit is gettin real, yo.  seriously, though, this is getting scary. 

bristol palin draws fire for gay marriage comments - i have to wonder if bristol thinks before she opens her stupid mouth.  i mean, she does realize that her child does not live in a "traditional" home, right?  or is she suffering from selective amnesia?

obama declares support for same-sex marriage - this made my heart so happy.  i was so proud of our president.


kansas house passes most dangerous sweeping anti-abortion laws in the nation - this literally made me sick to my stomach.  just a day after the disappointing north carolina vote, this news came out.  i wanted to cry.  i am so horrified for the women of kansas.  i mean, it's actually legal for a doctor to lie to his patients!  gross.

hawaii first state to ban plastic bags at checkout - brilliant.  love it.  get on board, rest of america!


baby number 2 in the works for for guiliana and bill rancic - ok, i was totally thrilled for them when the first baby worked out.  but now it seems a little ridiculous.  i mean, give yourselves a chance to be parents.  give yourselves a chance to get to know the first baby before you bring the 2nd one into the mix.  or am i crazy?

news notes

dentist pulls out all of her ex-boyfriend's teeth after split - yikes.  that is intense.  thank goodness i like [most of] my exes!

jessica simpson gives birth to baby girl maxwell drew johnson - man, it feels like jessica simpson was pregnant for a lifetime!  9lb 13oz.  big girl!  not sure how i feel about the name, but it's not my kid, so whatever.

what nutritionists order at fast food restaurants - interesting.  i didn't even know bk had a veggie burger.  my step-sister says they're really good, though!

buzz bissinger on raising a special needs child - a beautiful article.  but i think the most beautiful words come from one of the commentors who says, "the hardest and most important thing for me as a parent is to keep seeing the child who is actually in front of me, not who i want them to be, or wish they were, or would find easier to deal with, but the actual child i have."  wow.

news notes

a surprising risk for toddlers at playground slides - never really thought about it, but it does make perfect sense.  definitely gonna keep this in mind!  yikes!

catholic school teacher fired for using in-vitro fertilization - oh, this is just disgusting.  this is reason #768 why i would never consider attending a catholic church.  hypocrites.

instagram and pinterest follow in tumblr's footsteps in promoting healthy community - i have often found some of the posts on pinterest to be really disturbing-ly pro-anorexia.  i'm so happy to see they've taken steps to prevent this.  also, while you're on the link, snoop around the twloha website. it's an amazing organization and one that i support completely!

the cystic fibrosis foundation posted on facebook that the senate health committee passed the experrt act and it now moves on to the house energy and commerce commitee before finally falling to congress to pass into law.  the experrt act is an important step in moving research and drug development for rare diseases (like cystic fibrosis) forward.  please take a moment to email your congressman/woman and urge them to pass this.  my college roommate has cf and it is a devastating disease.

group claims responsibility for pitt bomb threats - yippee!  so happy this nightmare is over for my pitt family!  h2p!

marine who criticized obama on facebook: i wish i could take it all back - i bet you do, now that you've been dishonorably discharged.  this guy is a first-class dope.  you are a soldier in the united states military.  what's the first rule in the military?  never question your superiors.  the president is your commander in chief.  aka, your ultimate superior.  idiot.

rodney king anniversary: 20 years after la riots, have race relations improved? - can you believe it's been 20 years?  when this was actually happening, i was in 7th grade.  i had absolutely no understanding of how significant it was.  i definitely want to dig through some of the special coverage that nbc los angeles has.  rodney king was on celebrity rehab a couple of years ago and he really broke my heart.  often on that show i have a hard time feeling for the patients because they behave like such entitled assholes.  but rodney kind was clearly in pain and just couldn't face that issue.  so sad. 

news notes

titanic 100th anniversary: twitter users who 'just found out titanic actually happened!': this makes me profoundly sad for humanity.

bachelor diversity lawsuit may bring the series down to earth: not that i watch the bachelor all that much (my last season was the bob guinney season), but now that i think about it, it is glaringly obvious that they have a major diversity issue at the bachelor.

light week this week, sorry. 

news notes

rick santorum drops out - oh, thank heaven. 

connecticut boy brings heroin to show and tell; step-dad arrested - wait, what?!

fbi's joint terrorism task force probes bomb threats at university of pittsburgh - i've been following this on facebook since it started - as a "fan" of pitt, i get all the evacuation notices on my news feed.  it's multiple threats a day at this point.  i cannot imagine how frustrating and scary this is for the students, faculty, and staff.  as a pitt alum, my heart just aches.

chili's introduces touch screens at tabletops so you can avoid human contact - this is just wrong on so many levels.  a of all, if you don't like human contact, then order the food for carryout and go home.  b of all, try interacting and talking with your children rather than just throwing a game in their face to get them to shut up.  c of all, it's total bullshit that this won't cut down on the number of actual servers needed.

george zimmerman to plead not guilty to second-degree murder in trayvon martin case - i haven't spoken too much on this whole case.  but i'm glad to see that they did finally file charges.  i'll be anxious to see how this all pans out over the next several months.

jury selection begins in john edwards' trial - he should go to jail just for abandoning his wife when she was diagnosed with cancer.  douchebag.

news notes

watch the wire: how your grill brush could make you sick - yikes. i do think about this, though, when i'm cleaning the grill.  actually, i worry more about the side of our brush that has "cleaning solution" on it.  is that even safe for me to ingest?

holy smoke! - really interesting article.  so very true.  christianity has been twisted and blown so far away from its original intent, it's really very sad.  not that i'm a practicing christian, or anything for that matter, but as an observer, i just find it really disturbing.

the dirty dozen and clean 15 of produce - i have a mother who is a food chemist and a very close friend who is a food scientist.  what i've learned from them is that most products that are labeled organic are not actually organic, they're just more expensive.  and if my mom and my friend don't buy organic for their families, then i don't need to, either.  but i would like to start buying more produce from a local farmer's market, just so the food is cleaner and also so it's locally sourced.  so it's good to know that even if i just stick with the dirty dozen, i'll be doing better.

pink slime in your meat? labels to tell you, usda says - i haven't really been following this whole pink slime controversy, but it is nice to read that safeway, inc, who owns genaurdi's (which is where we do our shopping), has refused to sell products with the pink slime in it.  cuz when you read about it, it sounds pretty nasty.

nissan's taxi of tomorrow rolls into new york - interesting.  i love the concept of the transparent roof.  what a great way to let the tourists take in the big skyscrapers without having to crane their necks.  i do wonder about wheelchair accessibility in these - how will a person in a wheelchair transfer into it?

khalid sheikh mohammed, 4 others charged 9/11 attack - wait, what?  we hadn't charged them yet?  that is my first reaction to this story.  my second one is that the aclu is protesting these trials?  no offense, but these people are not americans and should not be afforded the right to a "fair" american trial.

doctors call for end to 45 medical tests, procedures - i come down on both sides of the debate here, i think.  as a woman who had pre-cancerous cervical lesions that were caught by a routine pap smear (at the age of 22), i strongly believe that pap smears should continue to be a yearly test for every woman over the age of 18 and/or age of first sexual encounter.  i will never change my mind on this, no matter how many doctors try to say its unneccessary.  tell that to the 22-year-old who's just been told she can't have children because the lesions got so big that they had to cut out her entire cervix (mine was big enough that being able to carry to term is a concern, and i may need to have my cervix stitched shut to maintain a pregnancy).  ok, but on the other side, as a hospital employee, i can definitely tell you that doctors order way too many tests.  we have one doctor in particular who orders a stress test for nearly every single patient who walks through the door - it's become a running joke.  but it is an enormous waste of healthcare dollars.  so i can definitely get on board with making doctors more responsible for thinking about whether or not a patient actually needs a test.

police probe tyler perry's profiling claim - oh, tyler.  really?  racial profiling?  a, you broke the law, which you clearly admitted.  b, you had tint on your windows so the officers couldn't see you clearly enough to assess the situation, which is what they do in every single routine traffic stop.  c, they didn't recognize you, so they were surprised to hear that you thought you were being followed, so they asked why you thought that.  d, you didn't turn off the engine, which is what you're supposed to do in any routine traffic stop.  e, they saw you reaching for something concealed in your middle console.  their behavior is perfectly appropriate.  and then the black officer shows up, recognizes you as a celebrity, and gets them to apologize?  had you been any other average shmuck - black, white, or purple - you would not have gotten an apology.  you would have gotten a ticket for breaking the law and told to be more careful.  get over yourself.

13 simple steps to get you through a rough day - not an article, but damn funny.

news notes

everything the hunger games movie left out - perhaps i shouldn't have read this before going to see the movie.  i'm preemptively disappointed now.

racist hunger games fans are very disappointed - seriously, what the fuck is wrong people?

passengers recount jetblue captain's meltdown - this is terrifying.

farm stays offer homegrown fun for families - when i traveled to australia with people to people back about a thousand years ago (15, to be exact - woah), we stayed on a farm in the outback for 2 nights.  middle of nowhere, about 2 hours from the nearest "town."  it was incredible.  i have never - and probably will never - seen so many stars in my life.  it was a really cool experience to see how a working farm runs.

veterans battle ptsd stigma - even if they don't have it - this is really sad.  i've had ptsd and it is difficult to function when it takes over you.  but there is treatment - successful treatment - available for ptsd.  and because such a small percentage of vets actually get diagnosed with ptsd, i think it's a shame that employers are using the slight possibility of it against them.

you decide: is the nyc department of education list of banned words 'absurd'? - in a word, absolutely.  someone please explain to me how the word "dinosaur" could possibly be offensive to anyone.  except maybe for the geico cavemen.

news notes

romney, santorum argue over english as requirement for puerto rican statehood - seriously, how is rick santorum still even in the running for republican presidential nominee?  this guy is the biggest asshat ever!  i do not understand how anyone (especially women) could consider him to be a logical choice to run this country!


study of the day: eating chocolate for breakfast is good for your diet - as a girl who grew up in hershey, i'm pretty sure chocolate is in my veins and i need it daily to sustain life.  kind of like oxygen.  so this article has convinced me to add a hershey's bliss to my yogurt at breakfast.  yup.

cpihl: hershey reigns again with 6-5 win over cumberland valley - hershey high school brought home the championship bears cup in high school hockey.  one of my very good friends (who played on our high school team) is now the coach.  so proud of him!  trojan pride never dies!

hines ward retires as 'steeler for life' - oh, my heart.  but i'm glad to see he's retiring as a steeler.  steeler nation will miss him.  he will always be one of my all-time favorite players.  i will wear #86 proudly for life.

peyton manning picks denver broncos; tim tebow's status unclear - definitely not a move i expected.  though in a sick and twisted way, it's kind of nice to see tebow knocked off his high horse.

jets acquire tim tebow from broncos for draft picks - man, lots of shake-ups in the nfl this week.  sanchez is not exactly mr. popularity, but tebow is so polarizing.  anxious to see how this plays out. 

goodell lowers boom on the saints - somehow i hadn't heard about this until this headline popped up on my igoogle.  wow.  i always kind of felt like sean payton was a little bit arrogant.  hard to believe they were giving defensive linemen bonuses for hurting players, though! 

news notes

govt. agencies, colleges demand applicants' facebook passwords - yikes.  not that i really have too much on my facebook page that i'm ashamed of, but this is definitely something to think about if/when i ever decide it's time to try to find a new job.  i'm not really sure i agree that this is entirely legal.  i'm anxious to see how this plays out in the courts over the next several years, becuase you know someone will bring a lawsuit or something up soon.

before firms use 'facebook score' to screen applicants, stop the insanity -well, this is just crazy.  i can maybe understand asking for your facebook password, but using a facebook score to determine if you're appropriate?  how is the score configured?  do you lose points for swearing?  for being outspoken on your political view?  i definitely don't like this idea.


steelers cut former super bowl mvp hines ward -this completely breaks my heart.  hines ward was the heart of the steelers team, and it hurts my heart to see him treated like this.  he lived and breathed black and gold.  it's not fair to force him off the team.

the bechdel test - i have been thinking about this since i read the article on monday, and i am having a really hard time coming up with a movie (other than bridesmaids) that passes the bechdel test.  can you think of any?


how npr became a hotbed for female journalists - this is why i love npr.  well, one of many reasons. 

flyers scout leads initiative to keep homophobia out of nhl - well done, flyers scout! 

why don't men in favor of birth control speak up? - i have wondered this from the beginning of this argument.  i mean, many more women need to speak up, too, but heaven knows that men get listened to.  where are all the men who don't want their wives/girlfriends/one-night-stands to get pregnant?  where are all the men who watched their wives/girlfriends/friends/daughters suffer from ovarian cysts or cancer?  why aren't they sharing their voices?  you know why?  because in the end, birth control is a woman's problem.  "it's your body, you deal with it."  sure.  it's our body until we get accidentally pregnant, then all of a sudden you want to tell us what to do with it.  am i right?

colts announce they're releasing peyton manning - i am significantly less affected by this than by the release of hines ward.  but i do wonder who's going to pick him up.  i hear a lot of chatter about the arizona cardinals being very interested.  not that i'm a cardinals fan, but i am a larry fitzgerald fan (he was pitt's wr when i was there for grad school and i got to watch that man make beautiful plays every saturday and it was amazing), and i think that would be a killer combination.  fantasy owners should definitely pay attention to that pairing.