1. The first story to make me shake my head and wonder if the whole world had gone nuts was the story of 6 year old, Zachary Christie, the little boy who was facing 45 days in juvenile detention for taking a camping utensil to school! Now don't get me wrong, I get that there are problems in schools with weapons and violence. And I understand there needs to be strong rules against this type of thing. And at first glance, zero tolerance policies seem like a great, strong, no nonsense approach to dealing with this serious problem. But when we begin to apply rules without using common sense then we are in danger of losing our humanity. I'm not sure what the answer is, but putting 6 year olds (or threatening to put 6 year olds) in juvenile detention for 45 days crosses a line I'm not sure we want to cross. Seems more than a little nutty to me.
2. Did you all see the picture of model Filippa Hamilton in the Ralph Lauren ad? Who the heck decided that that photo looked good? Photo shopping, retouching, air brushing, digital manipulation, etc is a real problem in advertising, as we all know. But when the photos are altered so much that the model is distorted so the extent that she no longer even looks human, I think we've gone too far. It's bad enough that women and girls are trying to look like 5' 10", 120 lbs models who are NOT "retouched". Then advertisers retouch them to look even more "perfect" and flawless - presenting an even more unattainable image of beauty. But when photographs are altered into a human form that is so distorted as to be deformed, I think it's time to call them on this insanity and demand that they stop altering photos at all. Enough is enough. I was glad to see Miss Hamilton on The Today Show saying she was dismayed by the photo and the unhealthy image it portrayed. Oh and did you also hear her say that she was fired from Ralph Lauren for being too fat! That's right ladies, being 120 lbs and 5' 10" tall is too fat! No wonder we all hate our bodies. Maybe it's time to do something about it. A magazine editor who appeared with Filippa on The Today Show said something that really hit home. She said that women need to start putting their money where their mouths are. We all say we don't like the pressure these images/models put on us, yet magazine sales seem to indicate otherwise. According to this editor, when magazines feature "real" photos of people or unaltered photos of celebrities, magazine sales drop. Shame on us! We all need to put our money where our mouths are.
3. Does anyone else think that the flying jiffy pop pan in Denver was a hoax or publicity stunt? Hmm.. Let's review the evidence. This family has previously appeared on the reality show Wife Swap. That's a dead giveaway right there that they are publicity hounds. The story is that Falcon hid in the attic for 5 hours because his dad yelled at him. Yeah right? Do any of you have children? What child can hide for 5 hours? 5 hours in kid life is about 6 months. But wait, there's more. On Larry King Live (I think) Falcon says something to the effect that it was "all a show". His dad says you can't always believe everything a 6 year old says. I beg to differ. 6 year olds don't have filters and tend to be brutally honest. Then this morning the family was on The Today Show where Falcon very conveniently became sick and vomited on camera. What's up with that? Oh and mom just happened to have a large Tupperware container available for Falcon to throw up into. Really? If the parents knew the kid was sick they never should have agreed to let him be on TV. If this was a surprise attack of the vomits, I'm a little skeptical. Seems like a diversionary tactic to me. And lastly, "methinks the gentleman doth protests too much". When asked by Meredith Vieira if this was a hoax or stunt, he got all indignant and angry. That's a big red flag right there.OK, I know there were lots more crazy stories in the news this week. Which ones have you shaking your head and wondering what the heck the world is coming to? I'd love to hear from you.
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11 comments:
The thing that really make me angry with the balloon story is that it potentially put hundred of other people in danger....danger of aircraft carrying hundreds of people that could have possibly run into the balloon (thank God it was a clear day), danger of the helicopter pilots who were called to fly to see if the could spot the boy, danger of the of all the things they were planning to bring the balloon down (lowering someone into the balloon ect. ect.). I hope that if they find out that this was a hoax they prosecute these people to the fullest. I'm sure all the people who were delayed at Denver International would agree with me!
okay...I did see the jiffy pop coverage yesterday afternoon...none of the rest of it. Maybe if that child was hiding for that long...the family services people should get involved....cause a kid that actually will hide that long may just possibly be abused!!! Only fear would cause that long of a hide out! These people should be damned ashamed...the whole thing is neglectful and stupid...I am always amazed at the things in the news that are so trivial...my son had a knife pulled on him by a 4th grader last year and NOTHING happened to the kid or his parents...but a kitchen utensil....I know I am in Canada...and you are all U.S....but seriously people...where is the common sense in this world? Yea...now I'm a little worked up too!
good post today... I hopped over from another blog when I saw your named linked up...I'm glad I did!
I hadn't heard the model bruhaha, what a waste.........and no we should not support those brands, not that I can fit into that anyway.....I'm not a size 0..lol!
The boy with the camping tool.......where is the sense of reality? It was a huge overkill on the rules, IMO.
Totally a hoax on the jiffy pop balloon boy.......I was so ticked off. Maybe I'm too cynical, I never believed he was in there, even when I saw blurbs on FB about it.
I was gagging this morning watching the Today show..........who does that to their child...........ugh!!!
You're right, it certainly was not a 'slow' news week. There were more than enough crazies in the news to keep it interesting.
Of course, a 6-yr-old bringing his Boy Scout utensil to school should not be an offense punishable by 45 days detention! What about the teacher taking the offending item away with a "Zachary, how about I hold on to this until you leave today or we call your mom to come get you?" No common sense there.
I saw that photo before hearing that she had been fired for being 'too fat' and I thought it was pretty obvious the photo had been altered. As you said, no wonder we hate our bodies.
And yesterday's story about the balloon. I thought they looked familiar when I saw the family. I happened to see one of the Wife Swap episodes they were on and they were STRANGE. And today the story got weirder between their claims of being descended from aliens and their strange music. She sounded like she was descended from Yoko Ono to me. This story's not over by a long shot.
I agree on the kid and the flying jiffy pop pan. 6 year olds could keep a secret to save their lives. And I know of NO 6 year old who can site for 15 minutes much less 5 hours. That family is certifiable!
oops..I mean "couldn't" keep a secret. ARG.
Over from SITS to say hello - Happy Saturday Sharefest!
That model story really made me mad! The photoshopped picture looked sickening. I hate that these are the kinds of images my young teen daughter has to be bombarded with in the media. I love it when magazines use "normal" people in their ads.
OK, I am embarrassed to admit that story #1 happened here in Delaware!
And I love your description of the "flying jiffy pop thing"! Ken and I just saw the first few minutes of that Wife Swap show the family appeared in this week (apparently, they've been on TWICE), so hearing about this on the news does seem a little too coincidental.
Sue
No, not a slow news week at all. Head shakers, all three.
Well...was it a full moon last week? I think not so why all the crazies.
The one question I have for the family in Denver is why are the kids not in school? I have not heard this question asked yet? Does anyone know?
Colleen
I'm working on a post about Zero Tolerance Policies and how they keep teachers and administrators from having to actually discipline students.
And that whole balloon boy thing just makes me crazy. I don't know if the kids should be taken away or not, but the parents need to know it's a serious possibility. They can't exploit their kids like that.
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