I found this description of Wes Anderson's characters the other day in a review of "The Darjeeling Limited." Maybe that's why I find them so endearing. It's meant to imply a flake alert ... but to me there's no higher compliment.
Life is in the search.
Note for the holiday shopping season:
Before you buy your favorite little one that Barbie doll, or that adorable little getup at Gap Kids, read/listen to this first:
Gap, Mattel, Speedo, Wal-Mart Products Linked to Child and Sweatshop Labor in China and India
Better yet, let her read/listen for herself. If our young'uns knew that all those meaningless little trinkets were made by children just like themselves, forced into 12 hours or more of labor without the food or home or love we have the luxury of taking for granted, I firmly believe they wouldn't find all the bright plastics nearly so alluring.
Only Halloween, and already I'm bombarding you with politically correct Christmas shopping advice ...
What doesn't kill us ...
This little tidbit from the Washington Post makes me more appreciative of the stresses/stressors in my own life:
Stress Makes Birds More Daring
Birds bred to have higher levels of stress hormones are bolder -- not more scared and retiring -- when faced with a potentially hazardous new situation, a surprising study has found. The "stressed" birds were more willing to visit a feeder in a new cage and to return to it after being startled, than were their more laid-back brethren.
Like other animals -- humans included -- the birds respond to stresses such as the presence of a predator or a new environment by producing a hormone, which in birds is called corticosterone. But some birds have naturally higher levels of the hormone than others. ...
"It initially seems counterintuitive that birds with higher levels of the stress hormone showed bolder behavior, normally associated with confidence," said Thais Martins, lead author of the study, published last week in the journal Hormones and Behaviour. "However, corticosterone is released to help tackle stress by encouraging the animal to adopt key survival behaviors like seeking food. So on reflection, perhaps it is not surprising that these birds are more likely to explore the environment and look for food."
Geeky joke of the day: (thanks to Miz AJ for the article in which this appeared)
Q: What do copy editors use for birth control?
A: Their personalities.
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2 comments:
Hmm. That joke may explain it all for me. Just kidding.
Yeah, the Gap people promised that none of the products made by the little kiddies would be sold. So what will happen to them? And is that really supposed to make it all better? Didn't Kathy Lee teach them all something?
gap? oh no! i knew walmart was evil, but golly, not the gap empire! wherever will i find super long jeans for my freakishly long legs?
if you (and by you i don't mean you in particular mz. b, but your general readership) want an alternative to barbie this christmas, check out the etsy sellers (etsy.com). they've got rocking cool stuff for kids.
self promo: www.fabulous-fabulous.blogspot.com
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