Can U Txt S.T.U.P.I.D.?

Texting in itself isn't a bad thing. I text back and forth with my kids frequently. It's an unobtrusive way to get hold of them and they can get back to me when they can. It's also great for the ones that don't live at home because I don't know where they are and what they're doing, so I am leery about calling them and disturbing them.

BUT, the first time I heard of someone texting while driving, I thought it was a joke. After all, I though, who would be STUPID enough to do that? Apparently - a lot of people.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) surveyed 2,500 U.S. residents 16 and older and, even though almost all of the people who responded said that texting while driving wasn't smart, 18% had done it within the previous month.

I've been behind or beside drivers who are texting and I can't get over the outright stupidity of the action. It's nothing like reaching over and changing a CD. it's nothing like talking to your passenger. It's taking your attention off the road to read, to type, to send.

I really can't believe that people even know that they shouldn't do it and they do. I never thought I'd say this, but geez, what is this world coming to?

Blatant Sexuality to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness

October is coming fast and it will be Breast Cancer Awareness month. We've all seen the public service announcements (PSAs) and campaigns to help people become more knowledgeable about the disease, but this year, there's a new spin on the whole issue: appealing to the ogling man. Yet another example of sex sells, right?

By having television PSAs of men ogling well-endowed women, or sexy lingerie shots that linger on ample bosoms, the community is trying to appeal to the tendency many men seem to have, that of staring at a woman's chest. By appealing to the men, getting them to understand that if there is breast cancer, they won't have these things to ogle, they may become more aware of it.

But will it work? Somehow, I doubt it. The men who blatantly stare at a woman's physical attributes isn't thinking "oh, we have to save those, let's donate to breast cancer research." Or am I wrong - would a man think that way? Somehow, I doubt it.

My question is, if it's against our sensibilities to have such blatant sexuality in TV commercials, such as beer ads, why is it ok for breast cancer awareness? You can read more about the campaign in this LA Times article, Breast cancer ads use lechery for good.

Now blogging on MomGadget.com

Ok, I admit it, I love reviewing new things. I may love them, I may hate them, but I have fun trying them. If it's a new gadget, I want it.

So, when a friend and colleague, Gayla Baer, the driving force behind MomGadget.com mentioned she was looking for bloggers, I thought, yes! That's for me. So, if you want to know what's new but also some older stuff revisited, head on over and check us out. There will be a lot of new reviews over the coming weeks as get up to full steam.

See you there!

4-year-old shares his cocaine "candy"

This falls not only in the "you shouldn't be doing illegal stuff" but into the "watch what you tell your children" categories.

According to an Associated Press news report, a 25-year-old man was about to be caught with several bags of cocaine on him. To avoid this, he stuffed the bags into his son's pockets and told the boy that they were candy. So, what did the boy do? What most 4-year-olds would do if they had a bunch of candy. He shared it.

Luckily (for the boy and the friends, not the dad), a daycare teacher saw what he was doing and she notified authorities. Also luckily, none of the children were harmed.

I've read about parents sticking drugs into their baby's diapers, but this is right up there on the "what were you thinking???" scale.

Ok, so how does this fit into a loose-flowing health blog? Just think of what could have happened to those kids had they consumed enough of the cocaine? Here are just a few of the adverse effects of cocaine. Remember, these are for adults, so imagine them as much, much worse in little children:

• High blood pressure
• Racing heart
• Fast breathing
• Agitation and/or confusion
• Irritability
• Sweating
• High body temperature
  
• Stroke
• Seizures
  
• Fever
• Kidney failure
• Heart attack
• Sudden death
  

What more can I say?