Baby Shower? The Biggest Gift Grab in the World...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETtAItoZ8HQN6VVSUQ2gSi6Xn2AvQfEQPldZJnl4HGVN6I-XiH6F50ratuby7e0zF8U9nzVtNn3fsJCe84pu5Q4pel9lX2a9tj_k5OgklurMnmjgkaStUxJKzRCs1oDnRlrsdSPir-asu/s1600/Mary+and+Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETtAItoZ8HQN6VVSUQ2gSi6Xn2AvQfEQPldZJnl4HGVN6I-XiH6F50ratuby7e0zF8U9nzVtNn3fsJCe84pu5Q4pel9lX2a9tj_k5OgklurMnmjgkaStUxJKzRCs1oDnRlrsdSPir-asu/s400/Mary+and+Jesus.jpg" width="400" /></a>Cheeeeeeeers Chuckleheads!!<br /><br />Let me tell you folks, I have a problem with many of you, and usually I’ll write in character to tell you this, but no, this time?<br /><br />It’s coming straight from the heart of the Matt-Man.<br /><br />First of all, let me give props to Jay, Schmoop, Spock, Brother Marty, and the ever elusive Miss.<br /><br />While I don’t talk to a couple of these people often at length, they all know what’s goin’ on.<br /><br />Secondly, you people under the age of forty…<br /><br />What the fuck is wrong with you?<br /><br />Last night, on Facebook, I saw a child, and by child, I mean a married adult with one, lately impregnated, already split duh womb child bearing chick, asking around for a maternity photographer.<br /><br />I offered to take pictures of her heaving vagina free, but that is not what she was talking about.  She was talking about family pictures while she was pregnant.  WTF?<br /><br />Ya can’t do that yourself?<br /><br />Evidently, nowadays, and with the nowadays prima donnas, one needs baby fat, family friendly freeze frames done prior to spittin’ out a baby done photogged by a pro.!!<br /><br />If I had access to the IWS soundboard right now, I would hit the audio file that says….<br /><br /><i>“Who…duh hell…carrrrrrrrrrrrrres?”</i>  Amirite!?<br /><br />It’s fine to have baby pics, but who needs a picture of your huge, amniotic fluid rich belly, and a pic of a pink/blue baby right out of the womb?<br /><br />No One!!  Not even YOU!!<br /><br />Yes, I know that you and you baby are the most precious things on Earth, but seriously?  Shut the fuck up and quit throwing baby showers for yourself.  Or better yet?<br /><br />Every time that you complain after the birth of your unborn, yet photogenic son and/or daughter you have to donate five dollars to a worthy cause…such as NARAL.<br /><br />It’s nice that you threw yourself a baby shower, but really?  That best gift that that baby could get, is knowing that while baby showers are great, life can be hard…always an exceptional experience, but at times, difficult nonetheless.<br /><br />And if you missed Jay and I LIVE yesterday on the IWS Radio Show, you can catch all the hilarity right HERE:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="370" src="http://player.cinchcast.com/?show_id=5254169&platformId=1&assetType=single" width="400"></iframe></div><div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>Cheers!!</i><br /><i><br /></i> <i>Matt-Man</i><br /><br /><i><span style="color: blue;">mattmaniws@ymail.com</span></i><br /><i><a href="https://twitter.com/MattMan_IWS" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue;">@mattman_iws</span></a></i><br /><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mattmaniws" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">My Facebook Page</span></a></i></div>

Baby Shower? The Biggest Gift Grab in the World...

Cheeeeeeeers Chuckleheads!! Let me tell you folks, I have a problem with many of you, and usually I’ll write in character to tell you this, ...

Read more »

My Weight Loss Story

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Senior Year of High School was my heaviest weight I have ever been.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xj51pgkT_gQ/UggAOTTlTiI/AAAAAAAAJFc/nbsbs8uHVgo/s1600/senior+year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xj51pgkT_gQ/UggAOTTlTiI/AAAAAAAAJFc/nbsbs8uHVgo/s320/senior+year.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All my life I've been known as the fat kid, I was easily targeted each day and it was a struggle for me to get up each morning just to go to school because I hated it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To me it was dreadful just going to school and hearing the laughs from the kids  that would make fun of me day in and day out, worst part is some of them were even my own friends or at least I thought they were.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I would come home each day and cry my eyes out because of the hurtful words that were thrown at me on a daily basis.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You start believing the things people say and thinking your worthless, as a child you want to be accepted by your peers, am I right?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I then covered myself up in jackets a lot even during the summer time, I didn't care if I was sweating from layers of clothing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I started thinking I was worthless and it just made me eat more and the weight packed on throughout the years and continued into adulthood. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nygnbdtvNjQ/UggBTXbn3vI/AAAAAAAAJFs/hfs6hRbfyoc/s1600/weight+loss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nygnbdtvNjQ/UggBTXbn3vI/AAAAAAAAJFs/hfs6hRbfyoc/s1600/weight+loss.jpg" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've tried many diets and done the exercising thing but it was just too much work to do, it's not like I only had to lose 5 pounds, and I wasn't ready for the change so I gave up after I lost some weight and then the weight went back on.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In 2007 I was diagnosed with gallstones which is very painful and was due to poor dieting by eating fried foods so I started watching what I ate and exercised then I also gained the weight back.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AogrZV6vHVw/UggDfF4QHVI/AAAAAAAAJGM/swrE_IHoV4Y/s1600/inspiration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AogrZV6vHVw/UggDfF4QHVI/AAAAAAAAJGM/swrE_IHoV4Y/s1600/inspiration.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I think of one of the most hurtful things someone has ever done to me was actually someone I trusted and was a dear close friend of mine at one point was when they left diet pills on my door step with a note attached saying to Fat S&*$ on it. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that it made me sick that someone I thought was a friend of mine could hurt me that bad and have the nerve to do that.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No diet pill or even diet made me want to lose weight that's a choice you've got to make on your own because it's life changing and especially when it's major weight loss it's a lot to take in.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5x-qDpqPX0k/UggJ6vfjCiI/AAAAAAAAJGg/Pd3yb8c3BVY/s1600/the+scale+is+only+a+number.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5x-qDpqPX0k/UggJ6vfjCiI/AAAAAAAAJGg/Pd3yb8c3BVY/s320/the+scale+is+only+a+number.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know this because I'm dealing with the changes now.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each day I look in the mirror and see the person I once was, the fatter version of me, but more alive and beautiful.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a lot to take in.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My that's it moment finally came to me,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2abYOWhGD4M/UggAshb_fvI/AAAAAAAAJFk/C0bPPVudny4/s1600/believe+in+yourself.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2abYOWhGD4M/UggAshb_fvI/AAAAAAAAJFk/C0bPPVudny4/s320/believe+in+yourself.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last year I thought to myself you have a choice you either stay like this forever or you get out there and work your butt off!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I joined Curves gym, started watching more of what I ate, and exercised a lot more.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ndxUMwHvHqI/UggCGPpX41I/AAAAAAAAJF4/_y1RtRmgnQI/s1600/Curves+shirt!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ndxUMwHvHqI/UggCGPpX41I/AAAAAAAAJF4/_y1RtRmgnQI/s320/Curves+shirt!.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have to admit I used to hate exercising but once I started losing weight it made me feel good.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All of the Curves workers and members are so nice and helpful and they are like family.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel better about myself, I have lost a lot of weight and look fantastic!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's me down 88 pounds after 1 year of Curves! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi_AhfI-uP0/Ugf3iS8ChFI/AAAAAAAAJFM/r6BWphHgWJQ/s1600/stay+strong+you've+got+this.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hi_AhfI-uP0/Ugf3iS8ChFI/AAAAAAAAJFM/r6BWphHgWJQ/s320/stay+strong+you've+got+this.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used to think it was impossible to lose weight especially major weight but it's not, it sure is a challenge but I was ready !</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's a great feeling when you can buy clothing at a store that you could never fit into.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I dress more dressy now and have no intentions of finding baggy clothing ever again that I used to cover myself up in.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm still going strong and will continue, you can count on it ;) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-No4g7zkqs6s/UggDpVYR3OI/AAAAAAAAJGQ/OClpyyn7QxM/s1600/maybe+some+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-No4g7zkqs6s/UggDpVYR3OI/AAAAAAAAJGQ/OClpyyn7QxM/s320/maybe+some+day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

My Weight Loss Story

Senior Year of High School was my heaviest weight I have ever been. All my life I've been known as the fat kid, I was easily targeted ea...

Read more »

August 12: A Day - and Night - Under the Stars with Catherine Deneuve

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQden2jdAJo-5XOyB4uEUESNX7fH2iMOPHFfRazkTaSpCLp9exdFhJ5kKxNs_xATVeX6MCuCpaeYgYiGobalskweVWCC7o4repOzSNDNtwsqG5reME2llb3BSNzPKdYN03Z33K1kb2e9M/s1600/catherine_stunning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQden2jdAJo-5XOyB4uEUESNX7fH2iMOPHFfRazkTaSpCLp9exdFhJ5kKxNs_xATVeX6MCuCpaeYgYiGobalskweVWCC7o4repOzSNDNtwsqG5reME2llb3BSNzPKdYN03Z33K1kb2e9M/s400/catherine_stunning.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>This is my first entry for the <b>2013 TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon</b></i> <i>now in progress and hosted by Jill Blake of</i><i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/"><span style="color: red;"> http://sittinonabackyardfence.com/</span></a></span></i><i> an</i><i>d Michael Nazarewycz of</i><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: red;"><i> </i><i>http://scribehardonfilm.wordpress.com</i></span></a></span><i>. Visit their sites for more information on the month-long blogathon and links to participating blogs.</i></span></div><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In June 1965 the American magazine, <i>Look</i>, carried a feature entitled, "The Sister Stars of France" celebrating, with pages of pictures and a little hyperbolic prose, the Dorleac sisters of Paris. The piece commended their family which, "after only three generations in the theater, has given France not one, but two, gifted girls." The Dorleac sisters were <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-birthday-tribute-to-francoise-dorleac.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Francoise</span></a>, then 23, and Catherine, about to turn 22, who took her mother's maiden name, Deneuve, to avoid being confused with her sister. The "soignee" Francoise was described as "mistily delicious" in one of her recent films, <i>That Man from Rio </i>(1964), and "sweet" Catherine was pronounced "the crushable girl in a crushing world" in one of hers, <i>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg </i>(1964). Just two years later, in June 1967, Francoise perished in a car crash. By then, Catherine had added a twist or two to her pristine screen persona.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjtUWkc-zPyMIr3tPxW_oJTmWXIMls84TJjknqyisFjZ11M6_S6maxIFr2JlUsup-60qDpPnPv4cnRmxMyBnTWnLAg9NL5bTu7oS-plRpA_aRyWdWOOk24c7v77VweFV4E-HJtozAzH0/s1600/Umbrellas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjtUWkc-zPyMIr3tPxW_oJTmWXIMls84TJjknqyisFjZ11M6_S6maxIFr2JlUsup-60qDpPnPv4cnRmxMyBnTWnLAg9NL5bTu7oS-plRpA_aRyWdWOOk24c7v77VweFV4E-HJtozAzH0/s320/Umbrellas.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg </i>airs on TCM on August 12 at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <i>Look </i>article had mentioned that Catherine's next picture was to be <i>Repulsion</i>. That film, directed by Roman Polanski and released in the U.S. in October 1965, showcased Catherine as a withdrawn young woman who goes violently psychotic while staying alone in her vacationing sister's London apartment. In 1967, she would make two noteworthy films. <i>The Young Girls of Rochefort</i>,<i> </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a lollipop-colored musical, co-starred Catherine and her sister, Francoise, as a pair of dreamy twins longing to leave their seaside town for Paris; it</span> was directed by <a href="http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/director.php?director_id=13" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Jacques Demy</span></a> (<i>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</i>). In her second feature of that year, Luis Bunuel's surreal and erotic <i>Belle de Jour</i>, the film with which she is most often identified, Catherine portrayed a refined young Parisian wife with a few psychosexual kinks.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtVa9emfS02mFQLN4yLXjJPC0-DmAAURAJMm2eiDd87gWglZZ3n2uUpOGm7V02R45rc6skeNTTkEt_6eSTxA5Q1aLXWIbfbfr0hD0TwXW7nHFDxExGRr2Rvpqh409R0evFUeMUbnF26A/s1600/Belle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtVa9emfS02mFQLN4yLXjJPC0-DmAAURAJMm2eiDd87gWglZZ3n2uUpOGm7V02R45rc6skeNTTkEt_6eSTxA5Q1aLXWIbfbfr0hD0TwXW7nHFDxExGRr2Rvpqh409R0evFUeMUbnF26A/s400/Belle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Belle de Jour</span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> airs on TCM August 13 at 2:15am Eastern/August 12 at 11:15pm Pacific</span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The <i>Belle de Jour </i>shoot was demanding. Catherine later recalled that she'd felt exposed in every way and that more of her had been shown, physically, than she had originally been led to expect. She was deeply unhappy on the set and, she remembered, "there were moments when I felt totally used." Francoise was still alive at that time and provided crucial moral support. The sisters were able to talk about her challenges on <i>Belle de Jour</i>, Catherine later said, "in the way you only can when you're personally close and do the same kind of work."  It might seem surprising that Catherine agreed to work with Bunuel once more when he sought her two years later for his Freudian reverie, <i>Tristana</i> (1970). But she had been impressed with the script and thought it important for her to work with Bunuel again - especially in his native Spain. In the end, she would count <i>Tristana</i> among her favorites of her own films.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4egl0jQY40U66zu1ltC4Kh7GpI7nKo1w1bz6qqRCenMvu0PZgLeuXRA-OU_YPT5D2ipSAgTyQF725K1O7OPWXkIwi1LBx7VcwAkbvXOHy2ZFSUSpOoT11rpSlkaiA6Bl4frWsQMGsRrg/s1600/Mississippi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4egl0jQY40U66zu1ltC4Kh7GpI7nKo1w1bz6qqRCenMvu0PZgLeuXRA-OU_YPT5D2ipSAgTyQF725K1O7OPWXkIwi1LBx7VcwAkbvXOHy2ZFSUSpOoT11rpSlkaiA6Bl4frWsQMGsRrg/s400/Mississippi2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Mississippi Mermaid</span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(co-starringJean-Paul Belmondo, shown above)</span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">airs on TCM August 12 at 9:45am Eastern/6:45 am Pacific</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the late 1960s <a href="http://www.francoistruffaut.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Francois Truffaut</span></a> sent Catherine a lengthy note urging her to "say yes to Hitchcock."  During a trip to the U.S. in the fall of 1968, Catherine had met Hitchcock for lunch at the Plaza. It's likely they discussed his plans to make a film of <i>The Short Night </i>based on a novel of the same name as well as a non-fiction account by a double agent. Hitchcock owned the rights to both books and had traveled to Finland, where the story was set, in August 1968 to scout locations. Among those he hoped would star in the film were Sean Connery and Catherine Deneuve.<i> </i>She received a script from Hitchcock but the project was eventually abandoned when his health failed. Catherine lamented not having the chance to work with him but, thanks to Truffaut, she would have her moment as a Hitchcockian blonde.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the same note in which he urged Catherine to work with Hitchcock, Truffaut also mentioned the project he and she were about to embark upon, <i>Mississippi Mermaid </i>(1969), the first of their two film collaborations. <i>Mississippi Mermaid </i>was also the last in a series known as Truffaut's "Hitchcock Cycle," the group of films he completed during the time he conducted and published his series of interviews with Alfred Hitchcock. Based on a Cornell Woolrich (<i>Rear Window</i>)<i> </i>novel, <i>Mississippi Mermaid</i>'s storyline centers on a wealthy Reunion Island plantation owner (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and the arrival of his mail order bride (Deneuve) - who looks nothing like the picture she sent before she sailed to meet and marry him.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrbXSc4hqpAIHsnyqSjVzWu6eunRQe_S2NAQ5FLOd7c74L63YCutq7DQUifV-_IBFkiwlGnCT3yHnC1c2fWkyHic3rNlCMNpAyd6rwtFC2cxsfYR6rq55ihovxcYE5AL69IHESKYF-n0/s1600/mississippi-mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrbXSc4hqpAIHsnyqSjVzWu6eunRQe_S2NAQ5FLOd7c74L63YCutq7DQUifV-_IBFkiwlGnCT3yHnC1c2fWkyHic3rNlCMNpAyd6rwtFC2cxsfYR6rq55ihovxcYE5AL69IHESKYF-n0/s400/mississippi-mermaid.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">another French twist...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Catherine's wardrobe on </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mississippi Mermaid</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> was created by one of the great fashion designers of the 20th century, <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2009/01/ysl_auction200901" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Yves Saint Laurent</span></a>. He designed costumes for her on many films, beginning with </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Belle de Jour</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> and including Jean-Pierre Melville</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">'s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> last film, </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Un Flic</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (1972), and Tony Scott's first feature, </span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Hunger</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> (1983). The actress and the designer developed a close, lasting friendship; she wore his designs off screen as well as on and became his inspiration and muse.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWktPIb8kgaKPWg6Eeyyus63wZhIibAzsEN44QRzhDk5nXLIRCr7SPk9DDRlcqv6q0laC5KdQXm6kKwSJelLDRCw2gMf-jRkBud71cpGx-9zp7lNUYgdU3IIPMiK8p1plq0igbPkkgfog/s1600/The-Hunger-Catherine-Deneuve-veil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWktPIb8kgaKPWg6Eeyyus63wZhIibAzsEN44QRzhDk5nXLIRCr7SPk9DDRlcqv6q0laC5KdQXm6kKwSJelLDRCw2gMf-jRkBud71cpGx-9zp7lNUYgdU3IIPMiK8p1plq0igbPkkgfog/s1600/The-Hunger-Catherine-Deneuve-veil.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>The Hunger </i></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">airs August 13 at 4:15am Eastern/1:15am Pacific on TCM</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With a body of work spanning 50 years and including more than 100 mostly European films, Catherine Deneuve has portrayed a wide range of characters on screen, expanding her repertoire (from sweet and innocent to beautiful and aloof to strong and independent) as her career progressed. She came, almost accidentally, to film acting through her sister and was initially admired primarily (and profusely) for her serene and impeccable porcelain beauty. Soon enough she was recognized for the depth and sensitivity of her work and, as her reputation flourished, she was able to pick and choose her roles - with several being developed expressly for her. In 1998, Catherine was interviewed on NPR's <i>Fresh Air</i>. She was intrigued by a quote the host read to her, the words of film critic David Thomson: "Deneuve is a fantastic actress, her beauty is a receptacle for any imagination, perhaps the greatest cool blonde, forever hinting at intimations of depravity." She was pleased, laughed lightly and remarked, with modesty, "I would like to meet the person he's talking about."</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn3TNdnbMnUfPQ_tFaRYxxMw-FFTbT3a0xU0FaFKmrQ9hv1pCFyjUDYL3NAqcMmJsuRqO8apEVzv1OKWPZNVWofzmrpGQBK5aBsCHHlK24AK6anicRCLx5yEw10GTHpClQT7h_iAslhc/s1600/Cannes_2005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn3TNdnbMnUfPQ_tFaRYxxMw-FFTbT3a0xU0FaFKmrQ9hv1pCFyjUDYL3NAqcMmJsuRqO8apEVzv1OKWPZNVWofzmrpGQBK5aBsCHHlK24AK6anicRCLx5yEw10GTHpClQT7h_iAslhc/s320/Cannes_2005.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Catherine was awarded a Golden Palm at Cannes in 2005</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Catherine Deneuve, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in <i>Indochine </i>(1992); she was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actress for her performance in <i>Belle de Jour</i>; she was a winner, with her co-stars, of the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear award for <i>8 Women </i>(2002); she won two of France's Cesar awards for Best Actress - for<i> The Last Metro </i>(1980) and <i>Indochine</i>; and won the Volpi Cup prize for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in <i><a href="http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/place-vendome-2000" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Place Vendome</span></a> </i>(1998). In addition, she has been honored with a multitude of special and lifetime achievement awards.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">TCM's Summer Under the Stars tribute to Catherine Deneuve is much deserved - and also well timed; o</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">n October 22, she will turn 70.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>TCM's Summer Under the Stars, August 12: Catherine Deneuve</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(all times Eastern/Pacific)</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6:00am/3:00am - <i><b>Le Petit Poucet</b> </i>(2001), A fantasy/fairytale directed by Olivier Dahan</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7:45am/4:45am - <i><b>Repulsion</b> </i>(1965), </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">directed by Roman Polanski and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">succinctly described by producer Robert Evans as </span>a "<i>really</i> offbeat" thriller, it won the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear honors as well as a directorial award for Polanski; in English</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">9:45am/6:45am - <b><i>Mississippi Mermaid</i></b> (1969), Francois Truffaut's Hitchcock-influenced mystery/thriller, with Jean-Paul Belmondo</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12:00pm/9:00am - <i><b>Un Flic</b> </i>(1972), cool and dark neo-noir directed by a master, Jean-Pierre Melville (<i>Bob le Flambeur</i>, <i>Le Samourai</i>), with <a href="http://www.alaindelon.ch/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Alain Delon</span></a> and Richard Crenna</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2:00pm/11:00am - <i><b>Le Sauvage</b> </i>(1975), Jean-Paul Rappeneau's madcap romp, with Yves Montand, Tony Roberts and Dana Wynter</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4:00pm/1:00pm - <i><b>The Last Metro</b> </i>(1980), a wartime drama set in Nazi occupied Paris, directed by Francois Truffaut, with Gerard Depardieu; Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and winner of 12 Cesar awards</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6:15pm/3:15pm - <i><b>I'm Going Home</b> </i>(2001), directed by Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira; an exploration of mortality and the fourth film Oliveira made after the age of 90, with Michel Piccoli and John Malkovich; nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes  </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">8:00pm/5:00pm - <i><b>The Umbrellas of Cherbourg</b> </i>(1964), all dialogue is sung in this innovative musical directed by Jacques Demy; winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes; nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Foreign Language Film; Grammy-nominated for its score</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">10:00pm/7:00pm - <i><b>Tristana</b> </i>(1970), Luis Bunuel's sadomasochistic dream, with Fernando Rey and Franco Nero; Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">12:00am/9:00pm - </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b>Ma Saison Preferee</b> </i>(1993), Andre Techine's emotional, character-driven family drama features Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil as a conflicted brother and sister; with Chiara Mastroianni (Catherine's daughter with Marcello Mastroianni); nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2:15am/11:15pm - <i><b>Belle de Jour</b> </i>(1967), one of Luis Bunuel's late-career masterpieces - about a bourgeois young wife with a secret life</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">, with Michel Piccoli</span>; winner of the Golden Lion and Pasinetti Award at the Venice Film Festival</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4:15am/1:15am - <i><b>The Hunger</b> </i>(1983), an ultra-stylish, dark and erotic vampire tale directed by Tony Scott, with David Bowie and Susan Sarandon; Scott's feature debut - his next film was the blockbuster, <i>Top Gun</i> (1986); in English</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xlt7SDnx9qwqpvFnhhdAKsNEePV6IF60i1AM4LhhSY51wExjBIgKJJ1iloXSsM6a_9EtauF3SRKWEEIUuLhpqHk_m5AvjOWoVaX8__Bnv9cAfprkwDeRqM9s8_Q4FUu06eA2VvMkj_8/s1600/Un_Flic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xlt7SDnx9qwqpvFnhhdAKsNEePV6IF60i1AM4LhhSY51wExjBIgKJJ1iloXSsM6a_9EtauF3SRKWEEIUuLhpqHk_m5AvjOWoVaX8__Bnv9cAfprkwDeRqM9s8_Q4FUu06eA2VvMkj_8/s400/Un_Flic.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Un Flic </span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">airs on TCM August 12 at noon Eastern/9am Pacific</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><u>Notes</u>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Look</i> magazine, June 1, 1965</span> </i></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Fresh Air on Stage and Screen, with Terry Gross </i>(WHYY Inc., 2000)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Guardian</i>, Sept. 21, 2005; interview with Geoff Andrew at BFI/Southbank </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>The Private Diaries of Catherine Deneuve </i>by Catherine Deneuve (Pegasus Books, 2007)</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div>

Catherine Deneuve Summer Under the Stars TCM The Lady Eve (author) August 12: A Day - and Night - Under the Stars with Catherine Deneuve

This is my first entry for the 2013 TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon now in progress and hosted by Jill Blake of http://sittinonabacky...

Read more »

Smarter than a smart

<span style="font-size: large;">As regular readers know, I drive a Smart Car which I adore.  I was considering getting a new Smart until I came upon a Toyota IQ.  It's pretty much the same size as a Smart but it has two seats in the back (which is the boot space of the Smart). How clever!</span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The IQ has a 1 litre engine in comparison to the Smarts 599 cc engine.  It should get about 50mpg - awesome!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">So anyway look what I picked up on Friday!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJbYkYbKLuSCu4B9gh-9Eny-zV3tCIbCQDL0MRi1kzj3KuSflbKs2QHv6jk1gqfCkRPZ_wpsibMXfhyphenhyphenSE_N9Onx3HC_FCQvkYIuOvCw-eHorMfe0AwdrxOluOIV4vyE65WTdB_58qWuuM/s640/blogger-image-2036181496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJbYkYbKLuSCu4B9gh-9Eny-zV3tCIbCQDL0MRi1kzj3KuSflbKs2QHv6jk1gqfCkRPZ_wpsibMXfhyphenhyphenSE_N9Onx3HC_FCQvkYIuOvCw-eHorMfe0AwdrxOluOIV4vyE65WTdB_58qWuuM/s640/blogger-image-2036181496.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">What do you think?!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0nyjrFoBaqzF-c1Pr3iiDL6CR5XeEfQwUcSw55d7AAVnVVmVehE5NOVOjN2ATydDCjfEQ3Qg4IRlNiCtQFURN4U4svtIhYcqG8swC3Mc_1Dx11zBkBNzEc4rK2cxO5d_7OBcEGlrxOCC/s640/blogger-image-932589535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0nyjrFoBaqzF-c1Pr3iiDL6CR5XeEfQwUcSw55d7AAVnVVmVehE5NOVOjN2ATydDCjfEQ3Qg4IRlNiCtQFURN4U4svtIhYcqG8swC3Mc_1Dx11zBkBNzEc4rK2cxO5d_7OBcEGlrxOCC/s640/blogger-image-932589535.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two teeny back seats - only comfortable for short journeys I would think (best for those with short legs!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAvUvIHyKUXiaiHecnpUru5z07ln2YlSOLQZXIXk6wiNvglq1A1LlYMWJ89AkJ9mW9kepQ3yRQ5mj4VE8ZDZjgzoRwHGo7byGwUXMZSnjfhyphenhyphen2sjbRqQbkrN6XQTQ7HpKX93dp7SoFxXAl/s640/blogger-image--894269385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAvUvIHyKUXiaiHecnpUru5z07ln2YlSOLQZXIXk6wiNvglq1A1LlYMWJ89AkJ9mW9kepQ3yRQ5mj4VE8ZDZjgzoRwHGo7byGwUXMZSnjfhyphenhyphen2sjbRqQbkrN6XQTQ7HpKX93dp7SoFxXAl/s640/blogger-image--894269385.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: large;">The other great thing is that I get to hold on to my beloved Smart! My husband got rid of his Mercedes and is driving the Smart instead. We live down a tiny cul de sac with limited parking so his large car was unsuitable (and very inefficient considering he only does a 2 mile round trip to work each day) - the Smart is a better option for him at the moment. Result!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdRnS8JxLzIf6tG4RPnMqNJIY2OV8fimnRdqzmZtBc_pI01CRrhpEGp96qRWkiV-zivwUdSDp1u-REPAMwM8knYp_LwsUtKtbVWP2xYWb5LbIGSg0CDdO_Cz-b8w7qKn9KI390aZgVcm4/s640/blogger-image-328002028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdRnS8JxLzIf6tG4RPnMqNJIY2OV8fimnRdqzmZtBc_pI01CRrhpEGp96qRWkiV-zivwUdSDp1u-REPAMwM8knYp_LwsUtKtbVWP2xYWb5LbIGSg0CDdO_Cz-b8w7qKn9KI390aZgVcm4/s640/blogger-image-328002028.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>

Smarter than a smart

As regular readers know, I drive a Smart Car which I adore.  I was considering getting a new Smart until I came upon a Toyota IQ.  It's ...

Read more »

Just Chickie

That's me.  Just Chickie.<br /><br />Been meaning to change the name of my blog for a while.<br /><br />I was all hinty-hinty with my husband about what I wanted for a crazy long time.  Then when I bared all to him, I thought it would be a new chapter in my life.  In our lives.  <br /><br />It was also time to come clean that I had a blog.  Which meant I needed to delete everything I'd written because it could be seen disrespectful to my family.  He'd see it as disrespectful to myself too, I saw it as venting though.  My crass little mouth wouldn't be appreciated.  And there were things that were probably a little less anonymous than they should of been.  And there'd be lots of "you know i didn't mean it that way" kind of arguments.  So out it went.  Not that he read it... at least it's fair and relatively respectful in the off chance he wanted to see it. At least it's not a secret.<br /><br />I saw the whole thing as a new chapter, a new volume of my life.  And there was the blog name of my next chapter.<br /><br />Well... not so much.  I overestimated his emotional capabilities.  I overestimated his interest in strengthening our relationship.  And I'm not saying this in a bad way, it just is what it is.   I overestimated a lot of things.<br /><br />We're mostly still par for the course.  It's not great golf we're playing here, more like a putt-putt course we're on.  Even when I think it's all good, a giant dinosaur is waiting to swallow my ball and ship me back to the start.  Or that hole is at the top of a hill that's barely attainable.  Hit it too hard and you're careening off into the parking lot.  Hit it too gently and it just keeps rolling back into that wet spot at the bottom.  You know that part.  It's full of muck and is a massive undertaking to get the ball out of it.<br /><br />We're crappy at communication.  He won't communicate at all, making this terribly difficult.  I am working far too hard on biting my tongue and being left unhappy.  I need to find that happy medium.  One that lies somewhere between controlling bitch and doormat.  It's there somewhere.  <br /><br />The stuff behind closed doors.  There's a big difference there.  It only took a few months of y'all harassing me before I fessed up.  It's not all of what I want.  It's moving in that direction.  And his comfort zone has been crossed.  I respect the slowness.  I'm happy if this is where it stops.  Happier if it didn't stay here though ;-)<br /><br />So anyways... no new chapter in my life.  I'm just Chickie.

Just Chickie

That's me.  Just Chickie. Been meaning to change the name of my blog for a while. I was all hinty-hinty with my husband about what I wan...

Read more »

Chicken wings on a date?

<span style="font-size: large;">Last night we went for a nice meal in the Canal Bank Cafe. This restaurant is a sister restaurant to TriBeCa in Ranelagh.  </span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">TriBeCa is well known around these parts for their chicken wings and they also had them on the Canal Bank menu. Personally I am not a fan of their wings as they are covered in hot sauce and I prefer BBQ sauce covered wings.  The wings are good value though.  A huge basket for €13.99 and certainly enough for two.</span><br /><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">While I was out last night I got to thinking about "date food".  It's commonly known that it is not entirely advisable to eat such food as spaghetti bolgnaise while on a date as there is too much of a risk of looking messy and splashing sauce on your face or down your front.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I've never really thought too much about chicken wings until I saw a couple order a basket to split last night.  Oh dear, I think wings are not a good idea for date food when you aren't fully comfortable with your date.  The couple (more so the girl) looked awkward and uncomfortable picking up the wings and chewing on them.  Sometimes to avoid putting the wing in her mouth and chewing off the meat (which is how we all generally eat wings) she picked off the chicken meat off the bone with her fingers.  She was then left with dripping sauce all over her fingers which she was constantly wiping and tried to clean with her napkin - I bet she just wanted to lick her fingers!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">So readers what do you think, are wings advisable on a date??!!  Or is there any food that you don't think is a good idea to order when on a date?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Btw, here's what we had last night for dinner.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Hummus & pitta bread to start (we shared this)</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuWmveSxaZM13aWcXouUWcjs1KKHrkzNmVSDmlWHSUA4Pmg2BlfFZsErT0glO9tpesC5opuf7Pfuy-SMRH1BURohpaTKW6PHODfAUu7wTMTfEm1dOqwppUnpcHkCEZ2eU1_wl8CmDxCYk/s640/blogger-image--71062190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuWmveSxaZM13aWcXouUWcjs1KKHrkzNmVSDmlWHSUA4Pmg2BlfFZsErT0glO9tpesC5opuf7Pfuy-SMRH1BURohpaTKW6PHODfAUu7wTMTfEm1dOqwppUnpcHkCEZ2eU1_wl8CmDxCYk/s640/blogger-image--71062190.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Fish & chips for Ciaran </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR50J-VlkBTkIXamygRzgJQnNLvL2a7k4AEIYlKP31eoeB0oJWTuVTAmdTwCrdn8G5C4yAaN8KFJ6tjgDVdGtc60D6zhYkoNbd0I9Oy5eAPJrCzwq9jK4gRh7ZBvK542Cfe3DEUBi6h-zn/s640/blogger-image--1113201424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR50J-VlkBTkIXamygRzgJQnNLvL2a7k4AEIYlKP31eoeB0oJWTuVTAmdTwCrdn8G5C4yAaN8KFJ6tjgDVdGtc60D6zhYkoNbd0I9Oy5eAPJrCzwq9jK4gRh7ZBvK542Cfe3DEUBi6h-zn/s640/blogger-image--1113201424.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Rib eye for me</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKQX5K5vklnkyzhxJSGylrJJUb4gMcEWdT6U8v_9u2-TkKUY4Pwm1XBvYbLHq8Si7VLnlCEBAiDGrHWewUkP9V4W4UWlIjQQ1HuuRjYfvB5q3M0GFWslNaHQfSEQg8feINOrsFzVVXz8-/s640/blogger-image--56713514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKQX5K5vklnkyzhxJSGylrJJUb4gMcEWdT6U8v_9u2-TkKUY4Pwm1XBvYbLHq8Si7VLnlCEBAiDGrHWewUkP9V4W4UWlIjQQ1HuuRjYfvB5q3M0GFWslNaHQfSEQg8feINOrsFzVVXz8-/s640/blogger-image--56713514.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Washed down by a bottle of Bordeaux.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">The restaurant is a short walk away from us - about 5 mins walk so we were home by about 11.30pm.  We booked a table at short notice so only could get a 9.30pm sitting for dinner.  As I mentioned before we are like Seniors and prefer to eat early - about 7pm.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtOp6-1RO_zY4CnreiddtFng4JFQiEegHGQpF9Fsso4oE9-8_9OLOoHywXpONG3MK8L5a6h4XVmu47sUK4dCLt9kTefNnYLFK5WuXYxIG4pojMjFhL1_wBL3D7yY8ibyKvgVxNnm_9TUH/s640/blogger-image-1144881431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtOp6-1RO_zY4CnreiddtFng4JFQiEegHGQpF9Fsso4oE9-8_9OLOoHywXpONG3MK8L5a6h4XVmu47sUK4dCLt9kTefNnYLFK5WuXYxIG4pojMjFhL1_wBL3D7yY8ibyKvgVxNnm_9TUH/s640/blogger-image-1144881431.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div></div>

Chicken wings on a date?

Last night we went for a nice meal in the Canal Bank Cafe. This restaurant is a sister restaurant to TriBeCa in Ranelagh.   TriBeCa is well ...

Read more »

When Doctors Discriminate - NYTimes.com

THE first time it was an ear, nose and throat doctor. I had an emergency visit for an ear infection, which was causing a level of pain I hadn't experienced since giving birth. He looked at the list of drugs I was taking for my bipolar disorder and closed my chart.        <br><br>"I don't feel comfortable prescribing anything," he said. "Not with everything else you're on." He said it was probably safe to take Tylenol and politely but firmly indicated it was time for me to go. The next day my eardrum ruptured and I was left with minor but permanent hearing loss.<br><br>Another time I was lying on the examining table when a gastroenterologist I was seeing for the first time looked at my list of drugs and shook her finger in my face. "You better get yourself together psychologically," she said, "or your stomach is never going to get any better."<br><br>If you met me, you'd never know I was mentally ill. In fact, I've gone through most of my adult life without anyone ever knowing — except when I've had to reveal it to a doctor. And that revelation changes everything. It wipes clean the rest of my résumé, my education, my accomplishments, reduces me to a diagnosis.<br><br>I was surprised when, after one of these run-ins, my psychopharmacologist said this sort of behavior was all too common. At least 14 studies have shown that patients with a serious mental illness receive worse medical care than "normal" people. Last year the World Health Organization called the stigma and discrimination endured by people with mental health conditions "a hidden human rights emergency."<br><br>I never knew it until I started poking around, but this particular kind of discriminatory doctoring has a name. It's called "diagnostic overshadowing."<br><br>According to a review of studies done by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College, London, it happens a lot. As a result, people with a serious mental illness — including bipolar disorder, major depression, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder — end up with wrong diagnoses and are under-treated.<br><br>That is a problem, because if you are given one of these diagnoses you probably also suffer from one or more chronic physical conditions: though no one quite knows why, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome and mitral valve prolapse often go hand in hand with bipolar disorder.<br><br>Less mysterious is the weight gain associated with most of the drugs used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, which can easily snowball into diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. The drugs can also sedate you into a state of zombiedom, which can make going to the gym — or even getting off your couch — virtually impossible.<br><br>It's little wonder that many people with a serious mental illness don't seek medical attention when they need it. As a result, many of us end up in emergency rooms — where doctors, confronted with an endless stream of drug addicts who come to their door looking for an easy fix — are often all too willing to equate mental illness with drug-seeking behavior and refuse to prescribe pain medication.<br><br>I should know: a few years ago I had a persistent migraine, and after weeks trying to get an appointment with any of the handful of headache specialists in New York City, I broke down and went to the E.R. My husband filled out paperwork and gave the nurse my list of drugs. The doctors finally agreed to give me something stronger than what my psychopharmacologist could prescribe for the pain and hooked me up to an IV.<br><br>I lay there for hours wearing sunglasses to block out the fluorescent light, waiting for the pain relievers to kick in. But the headache continued. "They gave you saline and electrolytes," my psychopharmacologist said later. "Welcome to being bipolar."<br><br>When I finally saw the specialist two weeks later (during which time my symptoms included numbness and muscle weakness), she accused me of being "a serious cocaine user" (I don't touch the stuff) and of displaying symptoms of "la belle indifference," a 19th-century term for a kind of hysteria in which the patient converts emotional symptoms into physical ones — i.e., it was all in my head.<br><br>Indeed, given my experience over the last two decades, I shouldn't have been surprised by the statistics I found in the exhaustive report "Morbidity and Mortality in People with Serious Mental Illness," a review of studies published in 2006 that provides an overview of recommendations and general call to arms by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors. The take-away: people who suffer from a serious mental illness and use the public health care system die 25 years earlier than those without one.<br><br>True, suicide is a big factor, accounting for 30 to 40 percent of early deaths. But 60 percent die of preventable or treatable conditions. First on the list is, unsurprisingly, cardiovascular disease. Two studies showed that patients with both a mental illness and a cardiovascular condition received about half the number of follow-up interventions, like bypass surgery or cardiac catheterization, after having a heart attack than did the "normal" cardiac patients.<br><br>The report also contains a list of policy recommendations, including designating patients with serious mental illnesses as a high-priority population; coordinating and integrating mental and physical health care for such people; education for health care workers and patients; and a quality-improvement process that supports increased access to physical health care and ensures appropriate prevention, screening and treatment services.<br><br>Such changes, if implemented, might make a real difference. And after seven years of no change, signs of movement are popping up, particularly among academic programs aimed at increasing awareness of mental health issues. Several major medical schools now have programs in the medical humanities, an emerging field that draws on diverse disciplines including the visual arts, humanities, music and science to make medical students think differently about their patients. And Johns Hopkins offers a doctor of public health with a specialization in mental health.<br><br>Perhaps the most notable of these efforts — and so far the only one of its kind — is the narrative medicine program at Columbia University Medical Center, which starts with the premise that there is a disconnect between health care and patients and that health care workers need to start listening to what their patients are telling them, and not just looking at what's written on their charts.<br><br>According to the program's mission statement, "The effective practice of health care requires the ability to recognize, absorb, interpret, and act on the stories and plights of others. Medicine practiced with narrative competence is a model for humane and effective medical practice."<br><br>We can only hope that humanizing programs like this one become a requirement for all health care workers. Maybe then "first, do no harm" will apply to everyone, even the mentally ill.<br><br><i>By Juliann Garey, the author of the novel "Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See" and a co-editor of "Voices of Bipolar Disorder: The Healing Companion."</i><br><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/when-doctors-discriminate.html?_r=1&&pagewanted=print">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/when-doctors-discriminate.html?_r=1&&pagewanted=print</a>

When Doctors Discriminate - NYTimes.com

THE first time it was an ear, nose and throat doctor. I had an emergency visit for an ear infection, which was causing a level of pain I had...

Read more »

When a Co-Pay Gets in the Way of Health - NYTimes.com

<base href="data:">ECONOMISTS specialize in pointing out unpleasant trade-offs — a skill that is on full display in the health care debate.<br><br>We want patients to receive the best care available. We also want consumers to pay less. And we don't want to bankrupt the government or private insurers. Something must give.<br><br>The debate centers on how to make these trade-offs, and who gets to make them. The stakes are high, and the choices are at times unseemly. No matter how necessary, putting human suffering into dollars and cents is not attractive work. It's no surprise, then, that the conversation is so heated.<br><br>What is a surprise is that amid these complex issues, one policy sidesteps these trade-offs. A few drugs — such as beta-blockers, statins and glycogen control medications — have proved very effective at managing hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and strokes. Most insurance plans charge something for them. Why not make drugs like these free? Not for everyone, but just the groups for whom they are provably effective.<br><br>In traditional economics, such a policy creates waste. The basic principle is moral hazard: consumers overuse goods that are subsidized. This is why people fly in business class when they're on an expense account but in economy when it's on their own dime.<br><br>In health care, a doctor or patient might order an extra test casually, just because it's free. This is inefficiency at its worst: from money spent on costly procedures to tests and medicines that provide little medical benefit, some actions are undertaken only because someone else picks up the check. To discourage this waste, insurance plans charge co-payments. The logic is simple: if patients face costs, they will think more carefully about the benefits.<br><br>But people don't always follow a cost-benefit logic. Consider a patient recovering from a heart attack. A small cocktail of drugs may cost a trivial amount — say, $5 — yet it reduces the risk of subsequent heart disease mortality by as much as 80 percent. That's a good deal, but as many as 50 percent of people fail to take these medications regularly.<br><br>The problem is basic human psychology. Heart disease is silent, with few noticeable symptoms. You feel fine most of the time, so it's all too easy to justify skipping the statin.<br><br>The problem here is the exact opposite of moral hazard. People are not overusing ineffective drugs; they are underusing highly effective ones. This is a quandary that two colleagues — Katherine Baicker, a professor of health economics at Harvard, and Josh Schwartzstein, a professor of economics at Dartmouth — and I call "behavioral hazard."<br><br>We've found that co-payments do not resolve behavioral hazard. They make it worse. They reduce the use of a drug that is already underused.<br><br>A recent experiment by a team led by Niteesh Choudhry, a professor of medicine at Harvard, quantifies the problem. The experiment involved nearly 6,000 patients who had just suffered a heart attack, and were prescribed drugs known to reduce the chance of another one — statins, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers. Half had their co-pays for these drugs waived; the other half paid the usual fee.<br><br>As expected, more people in the zero co-pay group took the drugs, and their health improved. Those in the zero co-pay group were 31 percent less likely to have a stroke, 11 percent less likely to have another major "vascular episode" and 16 percent less likely to have a myocardial infarction or unstable angina. None of these benefits came at a net monetary cost. The insurers did not spend more in total. By some measures, they spent less.<br><br>Behavioral hazard affects all of the drugs listed above. They are all highly effective, and yet adherence to taking them is a problem. This is a major financial issue. The New England Healthcare Institute has estimated that solving non-adherence could save $290 billion a year, or 13 percent of total annual medical spending in the United States. A number this large is surely open to quibbling, but divide it by 10 and it is still a large figure.<br><br>I'm not proposing to make all health care free, or arguing for a return to so-called Cadillac health plans. Moral hazard is all too real for many treatments, and in some cases, behavioral hazard reinforces it. Just as people underrespond to inconspicuous symptoms, they can also overrespond to highly noticeable ones. People may seek too much care for back pain, for example, resorting to ineffective or possibly even harmful treatments. Behavioral hazard suggests that we need even larger co-payments for these overused drugs.<br><br>My proposal is targeted: Take drugs that are shown to be of very high benefit to some people, and make those drugs free for them.<br><br>It's a simple policy change, and it isn't meant as a complete solution.<br><br>First, researchers like A. Mark Fendrick, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan, and Michael Chernew, now a professor of health care policy at Harvard, argue eloquently for what they call "value based" health insurance. All co-pays should depend on measured medical value; high co-pays should be reserved for drugs and medical services that have little proven value.<br><br>Second, some people will neglect to take their medications even if co-pays are zero. This proved true even in the Choudhry study.<br><br>Fully solving this problem requires more creativity. GlowCaps, for example, are high-tech tops for pill bottles. They beep and text you if you forget to take your medication. In another approach,Kevin Volpp, a professor of medicine and health care management at the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues use lotteries, giving people a chance to win only if they take their medications.<br><br>FINALLY, some will suggest that focusing on drug adherence is like closing the barn door. Why not focus instead on the behaviors — eating unhealthy foods or shunning exercise — that created the conditions we must now treat with drugs?<br><br>Each of these points has some merit. But they fail the "perfect as the enemy of the good" test. Sure, we should do more. But meanwhile, why continue to charge the same co-pay for statins and beta-blockers as we do for Viagra? At the very least, we need to experiment more with this policy.<br><br><i>Sendhil Mullainathan is a professor of economics at Harvard.</i><div><br><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/business/when-a-co-pay-gets-in-the-way-of-health.html?">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/business/when-a-co-pay-gets-in-the-way-of-health.html?</a><br><br></div>

When a Co-Pay Gets in the Way of Health - NYTimes.com

ECONOMISTS specialize in pointing out unpleasant trade-offs — a skill that is on full display in the health care debate. We want patients to...

Read more »

Today's archidose #695

Here are some photos of the <a href="http://www.snoarc.no/#/projects/608/false/all/">College Park Pavilion</a> (2013) in Dallas, Texas, by <a href="http://www.snoarc.no/">Snøhetta</a>, photographed by "<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/">fake_plastic_earth</a>." Read more about the <a href="http://www.dallasparks.org/Downloads/parkPavilions-map.pdf">Park Pavilions of Dallas in this PDF document</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/9458289487/" title="College Park Pavilion by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="College Park Pavilion" height="429" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/9458289487_9e6410479d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/9458292961/" title="College Park Pavilion by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="College Park Pavilion" height="429" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/9458292961_f4d7987fd8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/9461077610/" title="College Park Pavilion by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="College Park Pavilion" height="429" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3687/9461077610_a278629c6f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/9461072524/" title="College Park Pavilion by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="College Park Pavilion" height="429" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/9461072524_be193ed688_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/my_fake_plastic_earth/9458294279/" title="College Park Pavilion by fake_plastic_earth, on Flickr"><img alt="College Park Pavilion" height="429" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/9458294279_b5911dfa14_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br />To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:<br /><blockquote>:: Join and add photos to the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/archi-dose/">archidose pool</a>, and/or<br />:: Tag your photos <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/archidose/">archidose</a></span></blockquote>

Today's archidose #695

Here are some photos of the College Park Pavilion (2013) in Dallas, Texas, by Snøhetta , photographed by " fake_plastic_earth ." ...

Read more »

Yes to Coffee and Wine: Rewriting the Rules of Pregnancy - WSJ.com

When I got pregnant three years ago, I knew that I'd face lots of decisions—whether to have coffee or a glass of wine, what kind of prenatal testing to do, whether to use an epidural. I figured that I'd study the pros and cons and then make my own informed choices, as I normally did (with guidance and information from my doctor, of course).<br /><br><br /><br>This isn't what it was like at all.<br /><br><br /><br>In reality, medical care during pregnancy seemed to be one long list of rules. Being pregnant was a good deal like being a child again. There was always someone telling me what to do, but the recommendations from books and medical associations were vague and sometimes contradictory. It started right away. "You can only have two cups of coffee a day." I wondered why. What did the numbers say about how risky one, two or three cups were? This wasn't discussed anywhere.<br /><br><br /><br>Is drinking while pregnant really that bad? Economist Emily Oster talks with Wendy Bounds about the research behind the most common pregnancy taboos.<br /><br><br /><br>Live Video Chat<br /><br><br /><br>Join a live video Spreecast chat with Emily Oster on rewriting the rules of pregnancy at 1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 12. You can sign in with Twitter, Facebook or join as a guest. Submit questions, chat or even come on camera and ask a question. RSVP for a reminder to Monday's Spreecast here.<br /><br><br /><br>The key to good decision making is evaluating the available information—the data—and combining it with your own estimates of pluses and minuses. As an economist, I do this every day. It turns out, however, that this kind of training isn't really done much in medical schools. Medical school tends to focus much more, appropriately, on the mechanics of being a doctor.<br /><br><br /><br>When I asked my doctor about drinking wine, she said that one or two glasses a week was "probably fine." But "probably fine" isn't a number. In search of real answers, I combed through hundreds of studies—the ones that the recommendations were based on—to get to the good data. This is where another part of my training as an economist came in: I knew enough to read the numbers correctly. What I found was surprising.<br /><br><br /><br>The key problem lies in separating correlation from causation. The claim that you should stop having coffee while pregnant, for instance, is based on causal reasoning: If you change nothing else, you'll be less likely to have a miscarriage if you drink less coffee. But what we see in the data is only a correlation—the women who drink coffee are more likely to miscarry. There are also many other differences between women who drink coffee and those who don't, differences that could themselves be responsible for the differences in miscarriage rates.<br /><br><br /><br>This problem is partially surmountable with better data, and I found that the best studies often painted a picture different from the official recommendations. Actually getting the numbers led me to a more relaxed place—a glass of wine every now and then, plenty of coffee, exercise when I wanted it. The economist's toolbox may not be known as a great stress reliever, but in this case it really was.<br /><br><br /><br>Consider weight gain. Almost every woman I have spoken to about pregnancy has a story about her doctor giving her a hard time about her weight. Later in my pregnancy it felt like all of my time with my doctor was focused on how fat I was getting—so fat! I was supposed to gain between 25 to 35 pounds. At one visit it seemed like I was on track for 36 pounds, and I got a serious scolding.<br /><br><br /><br>It's well known that frequent heavy drinking or binge drinking can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, with serious long-term consequences for your child. Yet the evidence shows that light drinking is fine.<br /><br><br /><br>What's the big deal? If you gain more weight during pregnancy, your baby will—on average—be larger. Babies who are very large are termed "large for gestational age." Babies who are very small are termed "small for gestational age." Babies in both categories are more likely to have complications.<br /><br><br /><br>Weight-gain guidelines are designed to maximize the chance that your baby is normal sized. If you gain less weight than recommended, you increase your chance of a small baby and decrease your chance of a large baby; vice versa if you gain more than recommended.<br /><br><br /><br>There is a nice logic to this, but I quickly realized that very small babies are associated with many more—and more serious—complications than very large babies. The main concern with a very large baby is difficulty in delivery. Very small babies have an increased risk of breathing problems and neurological complications.<br /><br><br /><br>The recommendations—which focus only on the probability of each thing happening and not on the magnitude of the problem—are incomplete. In the end, I concluded that I should be more worried about gaining too little weight than too much.<br /><br><br /><br>Pregnant women are also given a long list of off-limit foods: deli meats, soft cheeses, sushi. These are restricted because of the risk of various pathogens. The most serious by far is listeria bacteria, to which pregnant women are especially susceptible; it can cause late miscarriage and stillbirth.<br /><br><br /><br>I knew I didn't want to snack directly on listeria bacteria, but I wondered how much I could limit my risk by avoiding certain foods. What share of listeria infections was due to soft cheeses, for instance? It turns out that queso fresco, a Mexican soft cheese, has been implicated in about 20% of listeria outbreaks since 1998, and deli turkey in 10%. The rest of the recent outbreaks seemed random. One involved cantaloupe, another one, celery.<br /><br><br /><br>I concluded that avoiding queso fresco and deli turkey was a good idea, but in the end I didn't feel that it made sense even to exclude other deli meats. My best guess was that avoiding sliced ham would lower my risk of listeria from 1 in 8,333 to 1 in 8,255. I just didn't think it was worth it. It would have made more sense to avoid cantaloupe.<br /><br><br /><br>But food prohibitions are minor compared with the two items that women are most emphatically warned away from consuming during pregnancy: alcohol and coffee.<br /><br><br /><br>More ...<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323514404578652091268307904.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323514404578652091268307904.html</a>

Yes to Coffee and Wine: Rewriting the Rules of Pregnancy - WSJ.com

When I got pregnant three years ago, I knew that I'd face lots of decisions—whether to have coffee or a glass of wine, what kind of pren...

Read more »

Today's Teamster News 08.11.13

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/10/business/economy/us-companies-thrive-as-workers-fall-behind.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">U.S. Companies Thrive as Workers Fall Behind</a>  New York Times   ...AMERICAN companies are more profitable than ever — and more profitable than we thought they were before the government revised the national income accounts last week. Wage earners are making less than we thought...<br /><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-05/hidden-billionaire-cohen-hauls-fortune-in-unmarked-trucks.html" rel="nofollow">Hidden Billionaire Cohen Hauls Fortune in Unmarked Trucks</a>  Bloomberg   ...The 61-year-old -- who goes by “Rick” -- has transformed C&S into the world’s largest grocery wholesaler since taking the helm of the business in 1989, making him one of the 100 richest people in the world and the wealthiest man in New England...<br /><a href="http://www.progressive.org/alec-diary" rel="nofollow">My ALEC Diary</a>  The Progressive   ...As keynote speaker Stephen Moore, founder of the Club for Growth and writer for the Wall Street Journal, stated, “What we really need is more rich people,” regardless of the cost to everyone else...<br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/08/05/walmart%E2%80%99s_big_lie_no_it_doesnt_create_jobs/" rel="nofollow">Walmart’s big lie: No, it doesn’t create jobs!</a>  Salon   ...Research shows that destroying jobs is an essential component of the retail giant’s anti-worker business model...<br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/fast-food-wage-war-thousands-protests-coming-says-122534168.html" rel="nofollow">Fast Food Wage War: Thousands of Protests Coming This Year, Says Movement Leader </a> Yahoo Finance   ...there's little doubt that there will be a fourth effort to get to $15 an hour, and probably a fifth and sixth attempt too, as Fast Food Forward pushes for better wages and benefits, as well as the right to organize...<br /><a href="http://macroblog.typepad.com/macroblog/2013/08/myth-and-reality-the-low-wage-job-machine.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FRUQt+%28macroblog%29" rel="nofollow">Myth and Reality: The Low-Wage Job Machine</a>  Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta   ... the growing wage disparity is a trend, not a unique feature of the postcrisis period...<br /><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-dangerous-bridges" rel="nofollow">America's Most Dangerous Bridges</a>  Travel and Leisure   ...One thing these bridges have in common, whether in Oregon or Louisiana, is age. All are more than 45 years old, and they’ve got company nationwide. Many structures from the bridge-building boom of the 1950s were designed for a 50-year lifespan, Leshko says. “When you do the math, you can see why we are where we are...”<br /><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/08/health/gupta-changed-mind-marijuana/" rel="nofollow">Why I changed my mind on weed</a>  CNN   ...It doesn't have a high potential for abuse, and there are very legitimate medical applications. In fact, sometimes marijuana is the only thing that works...<br /><a href="http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/21786389-418/state-finds-manipulation-of-school-grading-formula.html" rel="nofollow">State finds ‘manipulation’ of school grading formula </a> Post-Tribune   ...State education officials have discovered “manipulation” in the state’s school grading formula as part of an ongoing review following the grade-changing scandal which cost education star Tony Bennett his job as Florida schools chief...<br /><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/08/08/2433531/massachusetts-paid-sick-leave/" rel="nofollow">Fight For Paid Sick Leave Starts In Massachusetts</a>  ThinkProgress   ...Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of labor, religious, and community groups, filed a proposed ballot question that would guarantee that the state’s workers have access to paid sick leave...<br /><a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/08/04/tax-cuts-job-creation-questioned.html" rel="nofollow">Tax cut’s job creation questioned</a>  Columbus Dispatch   ...From June 2005 through June 2013, a span that included a 21 percent state income-tax cut, Ohio saw a 3.9 percent drop in jobs, ranking 47th nationally in job creation...

Today's Teamster News 08.11.13

U.S. Companies Thrive as Workers Fall Behind  New York Times   ...AMERICAN companies are more profitable than ever — and more profitable th...

Read more »

Gesundheit!

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT54wDJaKkSWI5qKKLzDaO8SGyJFzIoFzZd7ga-IG7bktWG0lY2tug2puGL9d2F03G9WTsmOI2qJv6wXpVKy0HCgh73GnUIsmDgpEIN6uoxFfmeq8alSmSZmRkMrYZ5ZSdb_yePsdXfWov/s1600/bouncing-boobs-13.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT54wDJaKkSWI5qKKLzDaO8SGyJFzIoFzZd7ga-IG7bktWG0lY2tug2puGL9d2F03G9WTsmOI2qJv6wXpVKy0HCgh73GnUIsmDgpEIN6uoxFfmeq8alSmSZmRkMrYZ5ZSdb_yePsdXfWov/s400/bouncing-boobs-13.gif" /></a><br /><br />That's a serious chest cold ya got there.

Gesundheit!

That's a serious chest cold ya got there.

Read more »

Duties Of Weight Loss Consultants

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Andrea Davidson</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Weight loss consultants have gained popularity in modern world. This is due to demand of professional advice on how to gain physical fitness. Many overweight people suffer from various health problems. This makes them lead poor lifestyles. Health professionals assist overweight individuals maintain perfect health by inspiring and encouraging them. Experts also design workout programs to help clients meet targets.<br /> <br /> Many people fail to maintain physical fitness because they lack information. Gathering the right information is difficult. People are expected to read tips from magazine and research the internet for reliable details. Majority of overweight individuals are misled by the information they get from these sources. A health professional gives reliable details because he is well informed. They make work easier by giving the right workout tips and diet programs.<br /> <br /> Information is very essential when you want to maintain body fitness. Word of mouth is a good source of information. A fitness specialist relays information during group therapy or personal meetings. Attending meetings is the responsibility of a health specialist. Specialists meet clients regularly to keep track on progress. When specialists meet with their clients, they share ideas on how to benefit from working out and dieting. Specialists also inspire clients to stick to exercising programs.<br /> <br /> Consultants are required to sell weight loss products to clients. These products help speed up body fat loss. To enjoy long term benefits, clients are expected to exercise on a daily routine. Fitness advisers enjoy many benefits from selling fitness products. However, they are required to satisfy customer needs and motivate them instead of making high profits.<br /> <br /> Health experts have appealing qualities. They are well trained, qualified and experienced. Before one can provide health advice he or she should meet some requirements. A person should have a diploma awarded by a reputable institution. Individuals interested in this job should have expertise in sales. Sales experience help professionals sell products quickly. Potential health advisers benefit a lot if they have any training in nutrition.<br /> <br /> Fitness programs involve a lot of talking. Individuals share their problems and ideas in sessions. A good specialist listens to clients and evaluates their requirements. Potential fitness specialists should be good in communication. Communication skills entail listening and understanding the needs of an individual. Good communication between a client and specialist lead to good relationships hence improving lifestyles. A specialist should persuade people to buy health products. Negotiation skills are important in this field; they enable specialists to sell health products easily.<br /> <br /> Health counselors work in sales department. They are required to sell different products to their customers. Selling involves calculations and balancing accounts. It is essential to have mathematics skills. A counselor should not only provide solutions through word of mouth. He should put his advice into practice like exercising with clients so as to motivate them.<br /> <br /> The work of losing extra fat from the body is not simple. Overweight people undergo through stress to maintain a healthy body. The work of a health counselor is not easy. He or she is expected to motivate an individual achieve satisfactory results. Although the work of <A href="http://MySlimSolution.com">weight loss consultants</A> is tiring, it is enjoyable.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>You can visit the website <a href="http://MySlimSolution.com">MySlimSolution.com</a> for more helpful information about Understanding The Work Of Weight Loss Consultants </div><br /> </div><br />

Duties Of Weight Loss Consultants

By Andrea Davidson Weight loss consultants have gained popularity in modern world. This is due to demand of professional advice on how t...

Read more »

All You Need To Know About Weight Loss Consultants

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Andrea Davidson</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Most weight loss consultants have some professional qualifications in nutrition, health and fitness among other related fields. Many of them also have first-hand experience losing a lot of weight. When looking for a fitness expert, you will discover that these consultants are normally in good physical shape. This means that they have some authority in the field because they know what they are talking about. Continue reading for some weightloss tips.<br /> <br /> There are many techniques that a person may want to use when it comes to weightloss. Most fitness consultants will tell you this beforehand. They will also discuss with you all the pros and cons of using these techniques. This information will help you to make the best decision. Once you choose a method, your consultant will give you advice, tips and pointers on how to achieve your goals quickly and safely.<br /> <br /> One of the most effective weightloss techniques is exercising. Running, weight-lifting, swimming and walking can be very beneficial to the body. This is because they increase the energy demand of muscles. This huge demand must be satisfied by burning fats and carbohydrates, which is what leads to weightloss.<br /> <br /> In order to shed off a few pounds in a healthy way, you need to drink enough water on a regular basis. When fat and carbohydrates are converted to energy, one of the by-products is water. This means that water is lost when energy is produced. Therefore, you need to drink lots of water every single day to replenish the body. The recommended daily water intake is eight glasses or more.<br /> <br /> While weightloss involves dieting to some degree, it is also important to ensure that the body gets all essential nutrients. Eating a balanced diet will help to ensure this. All your meals should should be composed of foods that are rich in vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats among others. Ideally, you should take your meals several times a day after equal intervals as opposed to the standard three meals a day.<br /> <br /> In order to experience healthy, safe and long lasting weightloss, you need to avoid certain food types. For instance, alcohol, processed food, industrial sugar, salt and saturated fat are not good for your health, so they must be avoided. Carbohydrate intake should also be minimized because they have very many calories. A competent consultant is able to give you a full list of foods to avoid during your fitness routine.<br /> <br /> There are some sacrifices that everyone who wants to shed off a few pounds must make. This includes staying away from foods that have been deep fried among other things. If they cannot be completely avoided, their intake should be minimized. A strict exercising program must also be observed for several months.<br /> <br /> Competent <A href="http://MySlimSolution.com">weight loss consultants</A> normally educate their clients about the importance of maintaining their health and fitness routines even after meeting their fitness goals. They often advise people to continue with their healthy habits for as long as possible. These continued efforts will help them to maintain good health.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'><a href="http://MySlimSolution.com">Read more about</a> Find Out How Weight Loss Consultants Can Help You Get In Shape visiting our website.</div><br /> </div><br />

All You Need To Know About Weight Loss Consultants

By Andrea Davidson Most weight loss consultants have some professional qualifications in nutrition, health and fitness among other relat...

Read more »

Two Relatively Easy Weight Loss Secrets You Need To Start Right Away

<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>By Bernadette Garret</div><br /><br /> <div class='uawarticle'>Every day, millions of individuals start their diet plan and workout plan with the hopes of losing the excess weight only to not see their plans become understood. There are a number of reasons for this, however primarily it is due to the fact that they fall short to understand the basics of how to properly lose the weight.<br /> <br /> Exactly what follows are 2 basic diet plan techniques that you can make use of starting today to remove the excess pounds. Both of these techniques are attempted and real techniques for dropping weight. Plus, they will not cost you any added cash.<br /> <br /> Keep a Food Diary<br /> <br /> Knowing exactly what you eat can help you discover ways to lose more weight. Keeping an everyday journal will shed some light on your eating habits and assist you understand what foods are really packing on the pounds. A lot of people do not keep a journal of exactly what they consume, so when they treat on some potato chips or eat a candy bar or more, they either forget or do not place enough relevance on it to minimize it in their day-to-day diet plan. Keeping a food diary will help you identify what types of meals are loading on the pounds and help you find means to change them. Keep in mind that such as journal will should be continued a daily basis so you can completely comprehend exactly what you are feeding your body.<br /> <br /> A food journal is an excellent motivational tool too because you see in black and white exactly where you've been cheating on your diet plan. You will need to be truthful with your meals journal so you can then lose the weight. What is essential to bear in mind is that you are not trying to completely eliminate the foods that you delight in, but you want to substantially decrease them so you can start dropping the pounds.<br /> <br /> Matter the Calories<br /> <br /> Among the oldest techniques in the books is also one of the easiest if you know how to effectively count the calories from different meals. Calories are units of energy and your body needs a specific total up to perform its daily jobs. By reducing the amount of calories you consume, you require the body to use the fat to change the calories that are missing.<br /> <br /> Contrary to public opinion, this does not necessarily imply consuming less meals, instead you should consume enough to have you feeling satiated during the day. Rather, you are consuming healthy meals that contains less calories for your body to burn. You will require to discover just how much your body burns in calories each day, and afterwards set a target that is 300 to 400 less than that in order to start burning the fat.<br /> <br /> Plus, you will wish to differ the sources of your calorie intake, including vegetables and fruits so you can get the calories and the correct amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates also. Understanding how calories work along with the types of meals you consume will help you shed the excess pounds quickly.<br /> <br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawresource'><br /> <div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawabout'><br /> About the Author:<br /> </div><br /> <div class='uawlinks'>The author of this post has several years of writing related to <a href="http://phen375results.net">Phen375 diet pills</a>. If you find yourself enthusiastic about reading good info on Phen375 customer results then you are asked to visit our online site at this time.</div><br /> </div><br />

Two Relatively Easy Weight Loss Secrets You Need To Start Right Away

By Bernadette Garret Every day, millions of individuals start their diet plan and workout plan with the hopes of losing the excess weigh...

Read more »

The Sting Burns

The sting of The Scorpions.<br />Crank this motherfucker up loud.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/DGLGIv7HqLY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Just because y'all are so good to me, here is a special bonus for ya's.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kAI0ZixbKX4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The Sting Burns

The sting of The Scorpions. Crank this motherfucker up loud. Just because y'all are so good to me, here is a special bonus for ya's.

Read more »

It's All Fun Until Someone Gets An Eye Put Out

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO0vaRQHKePsVEzuSLChnmee-jYuEaA3l4y9P-Jh2yeK1qjL4zjVlaskP4GHFfJ0eIrgL6am45e4g5-sBBtyB_Nm_dcm9gonrFfWYKDMWrN_B-1Wj2GwWpH1IYAMV6oVhoZCVyAluPKAj/s1600/bouncing-boobs.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGO0vaRQHKePsVEzuSLChnmee-jYuEaA3l4y9P-Jh2yeK1qjL4zjVlaskP4GHFfJ0eIrgL6am45e4g5-sBBtyB_Nm_dcm9gonrFfWYKDMWrN_B-1Wj2GwWpH1IYAMV6oVhoZCVyAluPKAj/s640/bouncing-boobs.gif" /></a><br /><br />I could swear I heard a motorboat.....

It's All Fun Until Someone Gets An Eye Put Out

I could swear I heard a motorboat.....

Read more »