KFC, We Hardly Know Ye
Who knew thoughts of fried chicken could actually make someone sad? But it did this week when I read a USA Today article that claimed more than 60% of American young adults, ages 18 to 25, don’t recognize Col. Harland Sanders or know what KFC stands for. And this group is the generations-old chicken chain’s […]
An Ode to Books
The last quote that made me stop, think and reminisce was from Ray Bradbury. A Time magazine writer recently asked the 90-year-old sci-fi icon if he owns a Kindle or another e-reader. He said: I don’t believe in those. They don’t smell. A book has got smell. A new book smells great. An old book […]
Stupidity: Now Online!
The first (and only) time I saw the old MTV show Jackass, I figured society was in bigger trouble than I’d thought. Sure, the show’s producers posted disclaimers at the bottom of the screen (Yo! Don’t try this stupidity at home!) and host Steve-O would warn viewers not to be, well, stupid. After all, he […]
Sliding the Chute to Incivility
Steven Slater. Hundreds of thousands of people seem to approve of this former flight attendant for losing his temper and cursing out passengers on a recent flight. Many consider him a role model. But I think his patron-saint-of-disgruntled-employees status is both ridiculous and … barometric. We’re all frustrated by the economy, our kids, our jobs […]
Movie Monday: Eat Pray Leave (the Theater Frustrated)
This weekend, Sylvester Stallone and his graying mercenary posse beat out Julia Roberts’ comeback movie, Eat Pray Love (maybe literally, if the violence is as extreme as I’ve read). The Expendables shot and mangled its way to No. 1 with just over $35 million, while Julia and her supporting characters garnered less than $24 million. […]
Talk to Me, Baby!
Just in case you were looking for another generational bone of contention between baby boomers and millennials, here it is: the common telephone. Cell phone, smartphone or landline, most age groups are spending a lot less time yakking into a handset. Two years ago, 18- to 34-year-olds spent 1,200 minutes a month speaking into a […]
Swearing Off the FCC’s Ruling
Here’s a fact: If you don’t watch TV for about a year, it’s amazing how weird turning it back on feels. Your once desensitized self notices everything that goes on in that tube. I know this because when I lived abroad I didn’t often have access to English-language programming. (And my comprehension of Chinese and […]
Botoxic Wasteland
Even though “teen toxing,” as Botox use among teenagers has been dubbed, is still relatively rare, it’s on the rise. In 2009, 11,889 teenagers ages 13 through 19 used Botox, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That’s a 2% increase since 2008. And the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports 12,110 Botox […]
Fast Vacation
For the past week I’ve been looking for guinea pigs. No, pet rodents are not running around my house. I’m looking for people to help me with a study of sorts. I wanted someone—whether an individual or a family—to do a media fast for, ideally, a month. That means no television, video games, social texting […]
Barefoot and Busted
You tell me. The world doesn’t make much sense anymore, and I need some guidance: Is Colton Harris-Moore a role model? Until his capture in the Bahamas on Sunday, this 19-year-old “Barefoot Bandit” from Washington state had been on a two-year crime spree that’s cost the public hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage […]