Just Remember, Barbie, that 50 is the New 20. Yeah, right.

They call the new version of Barbie doll "Totally Stylin' Barbie". She comes with a set of tattoos that little girls can apply to look like their heroes. Their heroes? Why can't little girls have wholesome heroes like Barry Bonds and A-Rod? Heroes with realistic bodies. Oh, never mind.

Since her inception (not conception) Barbie has been viewed as edgy by some. Her unrealistic proportions, might- be- gay boyfriend, and fantasy careers have raised an occasional eyebrow. Never mind she drives a gas guzzling Corvette. Then along came the popular Bratz dolls and Barbie looked California girl wholesome. Now, with the demise of Bratz, Barbie is conforming to that slutty image. Or not. Not all tattoos are slutty although people my age tend to look disapprovingly at them. They do call it a Tramp Stamp.

Barbie is now fifty. She might want to put a tattoo on her chest that says "Do Not Resuscitate". (Lord knows, I do.) She might need money and be selling advertising space on her hide. She might be depressed that the AARP is now solicitating her as a member. On second thought, Barbie go for the tats if you want. It is all downhill from now on. The next version might be "Botox Barbie".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/5246949/Barbie-doll-given-make-over-with-tattoos.html

CDC Sleuths Uncover Mode of Flu Transmission

Where's Joe?

Rick Warren started his best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life" with the line, "It's not about you." I'll start my read-by-my-daughter-sister-and few-friends blog with the line, "IT'S NOT ABOUT FLU. Too much flu talk is scaring everyone. Even Joe Biden is advising not to get on a plane or ride the subway. Where is Joe this morning? Do you think they sent him to the bunker formerly occupied by VP Cheney? Loose lips sink economies. The airlines must have cringed with that comment. It is okay for us to think that we wouldn't want to be on a plane right now. It is another thing for the VP to voice it. Reprecussions. We can't even get the gov to close the borders. That is right--- borders. There is flu in Canada too.

Enough. I wanted to talk about the concert by "Flight of the Conchords". Daughter Mary and Mike are going and I am watching the twins Sunday night. I asked her who they were? Her reply: "They are a New Zealand guitar-based digi-bongo accapella rap-funk comedy folk duo."

It used to be easier to catagorize music. It was rock 'n roll or pop. It was jazz or blues.

I Googled the group and watched a You tube video clip. They do comedy and parody. Remember Weird Al? They aren't exactly like him except in the comedy sense. When our baby Andy was about six or seven he was crazy about Weird Al. Mary and daughter in-law Jen made sure he got to see a live performance of the weird one. He was playing some outdoor festival and Andy was thrilled. Andy is no longer such a big fan of Weird Al but he is also taking his Laura to The Flight of the Conchords concert this weekend.

We don't have HBO but this New Zealand group has a TV series about a couple of New Zealanders living in NYC. With the demise of the supersonic airplanes, these are the only concords around.

The Flu Formerly Know As Swine Flu

The cat is out of the bag or the pig is out of the pen, I can't remember not to call it swine flu. It isn't a funny situation, but I take humor where I find it. My son chided my response to the gov's name change by reminding me it is a devastating time for pork farmers. Personally, I am not afraid of dead pigs or pork products. I am not sure I would want to be hanging around any live pigs now but I wouldn't anyway. Too stinky. Typical city dwellers response. Pigs stink.

There is sometimes a silver lining to bad situations. One health official commented Americans may fare better than Mexicans in surviving a case of that flu because of our better nutrition. We usually hear about the health hazards of an obesity epidemic. Now we learn it might be helpful. Who knew.

Being Politically Correct

Only the government could come up with this stuff. Aren't we all glad our government is getting bigger and bigger? Lots of material for bloggers like me. Today some federal department asked us to quit referring to this outbreak as "Swine Flu". They want it called by the viral strain's name, which I can't remember. The thinking is, calling it swine flu will give pigs a bad name. It would be bad for pork sales.
Okay, since I can't remember the new name can I call it "The Flu Formerly Known as Swine Flu?". I am from Minnesota, land of the purple one.

Purple Greenscape

Our horticulturist son is doing some landscaping for us today. The picture is of a (cotinus) smoke plant. I wanted at least one showy bush and this will get 10 - 15 ft. at maturity. Foliage is purple changing to green later in the season with white flowers.

Oops

The question was, "What were they thinking?" Yesterday, New Yorkers evacuated tall buildings and fled Manhattan after spotting Air Force One being chased by a fighter jet over Manhattan by the World Trade Center site. This wasn't a terrorist attack but a photo shoot authorized by someone who didn't think of the terror it would strike in the hearts of Gotham City residents.

I Googled to get a picture of Air Force One and the first thing that came up were the Nike shoes. They are called Air Force One. Andy recently ordered a pair of "custom" shoes online from Nike. You get to chose the color of the lining, laces, sole etc and the materials used. Lots of possibilities. Maybe I could have used this site to get a really authentic pair of nun's shoes for last weekend. Maybe not.

The story on the Manhattan flyover; A photo op of the plane. Mayor Bloomberg was livid that he wasn't told or the populace informed before it was done. It was kind of like the "War of the Worlds " radio episode of decades past when people thought we were under a real attack. Memories of bodies falling from skyscrapers and the horror of incineration were too fresh.

Don't they people know that the middle of the country is "flyover land"? They could have easily taken the pictures over Kansas or Minnesota or Iowa. I'm glad it wasn't Minnesota because for years local civil defense planners have been afraid the Mall of America was a target because of the name. Air Force One never flies there but they probably have the Air Force One shoes.