Layne Bryant's Too Hot for TV Ad

Lane Bryant claims ABC rejected this ad based on the size of the models. ABC says this ad was too racy for prime time, meanwhile a Victoria’s Secret ad ran at an even earlier time slot. This one was pushed back and required extensive edits. Too sexy for prime time? You be the judge.

Oh Canada!

It was three years ago that the wifester went from being my girlfriend, my best friend, my partner, and my soul mate to also being my wifester. I've never been more sure of any decision I've ever made in my life. Meeting the wifester was like coming home. Suddenly, everything fell into place and all was right with the world. That's how I knew she was my one. It wasn't hard, it wasn't awkward. It wasn't strange. It was just natural... talking with her, laughing with her, learning with her... and instead of slowly getting less and less interesting, it just became more and more exciting. I kept waiting for the new to wear off. I kept waiting for her to shift from that infatuation with me to the usual exasperation, but it never happened. I kept waiting for my attention to shift to something shiny and brand new, but it never did. She stayed and stays shiny and brand new in my eyes. I don't look for the other shoe to fall anymore. I am comfortable and happy with my relationship with my wifester. We're like two peas in a pod, and I like us that way. Oh sure, we fuss over the thermostat and who has to take the puppy potty this time, but when it comes right down to it, there's no one else I'd rather stand beside, and no one else I'd rather have by my side. I love you, my wifester! Going on forever!

And since we got hitched in Canada, we always sing Oh Canada on our anniversary :D Thank you Canada for recognizing our love as a valid, equal union that deserves to be commemorated.

My Two Cents, for What it's Worth...(and that ain't much)

tap...tap...tap...Is this thing on?

Wow, I may have forgotten how to do this. Let's see how this goes, and forgive me, my blogging has been insufficient to keep me in practice these days, so I apologize ahead of time, but I just can't keep my mouth shut a moment longer about something.

I'm sure you've heard about this woman from Shelbyville, Tennessee who adopted the little boy from Russia and then decided she couldn't care for him anymore and sent him packing...on a flight to Moscow... alone, with a letter surrendering him and explaining that in her opinion at least, he suffers from severe psychological challenges. The letter actually says:

"This child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues," the letter said. "I was lied to and misled by the Russian Orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability and other issues.""After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends, and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child."

All of that may very well be true, but that doesn't give you the right to ship this kid, unaccompanied, on a flight to another country to meet some man at an airport! Her excuse is that she is a single parent, and does not have the time or resources to care for a special needs child. Then she went further to say that he had become physically violent and threatened violence against her and her family. Still, I say to her, You chose to adopt. You took on the responsibility of raising this child as though he were your own. That means you are supposed to treat him as though you yourself gave birth to him, and not ANY differently. If this were a child you gave birth to, and then a year or two or three down the line you began to notice that your child wasn't developing normally, and eventually that child began to show signs of severe psychological or developmental disabilities, as a single parent what would you do then? There's no where to ship that child back to. But there ARE agencies, physicians, psychologists and counselors in place specifically for foreign adoptees and the adopted children who may be psychologically damaged. These cases can very often have very, very rewarding and effective outcomes, when handled properly.
What really bothers me about this is that this woman is a nurse! She is a graduate of Vanderbilt's Nursing program, one of the top nursing programs in the country, which tells me that this woman is well educated, intelligent, and presumably well informed or at least fully capable of informing herself properly. As a former nurse, it stirs something inside me to hear of someone in the nursing profession showing so little compassion and empathy. I tried to think of it from her side and think about what if she really did get one of "those kids" that we read about...Still, though. I go back to the fact that she did not utilize the resources at hand to help this child, to protect her family and to ensure that she was doing all she could do as a mother to provide the very best option for a child desperately in need. Further, it infuriates me that her single, despicable and heinous act could adversely affect the outcome of so many potentially wonderful parents who are currently in the process of adopting children from Russia. I wouldn't blame them one bit either, what with the investigating sheriff referring to the child as "it" repeatedly in interviews.
Hey, Sheriff Boyce, that 'it' is a little boy, and his name is Justin!