Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Here we go again: the real issue at the center of any debate over 'modern motherhood' is exploitation.
You don’t want to look at it, but you can’t look away. God forbid your children see it, what will happen when they view such a corruptible, sensational image?! Oh my, it’s a breast! With a child old enough to walk, talk and ask for food attached to it. A child doing what children are meant to do. Getting attention. That’s right, the biggest—perhaps only—winners in this cover story on breastfeeding and attachment parenting are Time magazine’s publicity, marketing and circulation departments. That’s what the cover image was designed to do: Get attention. And it has gotten lots of attention. Blogs, news websites, network news shows...you name it, everyone has weighed in on the 'controversial' articles and accompanying photos. It's been almost…
Monday, May 14, 2012
Doug is looking for a home.
From the SPCA of Westchester: Doug is a young, energetic and extremely goofy American Bulldog mix. He has the biggest smile you have ever seen…it is very endearing! Doug is young, so he has lots of energy and just needs some basic training. He loves everyone he meets and just wants to give you kisses and play! He will make a great family dog for an active family!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The days of interns being office gophers are a thing of the past. Employers need to be aware of the rules for interns.
Need someone to do your filing, sort your mail, fetch your coffee and other grunt work? An unpaid intern is not the answer. Many may remember summer intern experiences where they had hoped to learn about business and a particular industry but instead spent their time being the office errand boy or girl. Woe to the company that tries that now. New federal guidelines for internships were released in 2010 in response to the uptick in the number of unpaid internships over the last few years. The concern was that some employers were bringing in unpaid labor to help them through tough economic times. One of the issues is having unpaid interns perform tasks that displace paid workers. For example, if an intern performs work that the firm would…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A child's report card makes me evaluate my own existence.
My oldest son’s report card came in the mail the other day. He is 13 (going on 10) and in his final months of Middle School. His grades were good for the most part, with his traditional spattering of A’s and B’s, but way down at the bottom of his progress report was a brand new letter of the alphabet to add to his transcript–a “D." When pressed about the mark he did a familiar song and dance, and ended up telling me that he just didn’t take the subject too seriously and even worse, didn’t feel like making much of an effort during the semester. Granted it would have been nice to have received a “heads up” from the teacher before his grades were etched in stone, but my wife and I chose to use this experience as an opportunity to convey the …
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Scarsdale Middle School
134 Mamaroneck Rd, Scarsdale, NY
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Life Lessons From The Honey Bee
“What life lessons have you learned from the honey bee?” Before visiting an evening course on backyard beekeeping, I would have had no idea how to answer that question. It was posed by DJ Haverkamp of Bedford Bee Service, and after spending a couple hours with him and some bees, the answers came easily. As I peered gingerly into the open hive, I felt a knot in my stomach. Since my childhood, I have associated bees with anxiety and fear. Once, when I was about 12, I raked up a ground hive of yellowjackets and got stung ten times. A few years earlier, just as my family was leaving for vacation, I plopped myself into the backseat and sat directly on a bee. I spent the next few hours on a bumpy ride with a painful bottom. As an adult who …
The City of Rye recently banned plastic bags at retailers. Should your municipality follow suit?
Residents in Rye are adjusting to a new law that went into effect on Monday. Plastic shopping bags can no longer be handed out by merchants—an issue that has elicited mixed reactions from retailers and customers alike. Instead of using plastic bag, shoppers are now expected to bring their own reusable bags to stores. "Thick" plastic bags that are wider than 2.5 millimeters and considered reusable are also permitted. Rye is the first municipality in Westchester County to adopt the environmentally-conscious measure after a series of discussions last winter. Rye's City Council voted to adopt an modeled on a similar Connecticut law.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Well, technically, they've bought property one town over from mine. But now that they'll be living nearby, let's hope everyone in the region will realize those celebs are just like us.
Stop the presses! Didya hear? Hollywood A-listers Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are moving to a town near you! I heard they were spotted house hunting and window shopping in New Canaan. My sister’s friend spotted them buying ice cream in Ridgefield! My manicurist’s fourth cousin once removed saw Blake coming out of the public restroom at a Starbucks in Bedford. Okay, that last one is stretching it a bit, and you can tell I made it up. Technically there isn’t even a Starbucks in Bedford, although that is where the two lovely Lively lovebirds actually did reportedly purchase a $2 million property together. In my cynical midlife years, it’s easy for me to be sarcastic. Not only do I know how much more important real life -- and real news…
Monday, May 7, 2012
Nicky is looking for a home.
From the SPCA of Westchester: Nicky is a sweet, shy mini lab mix who recently came in as a stray. She is mellow and very gentle. She looks like a fawn with her long, skinny legs and is just the cutest little dog! She would love a quiet home where she can feel safe. Once she gets to know you she is very affectionate! Nicky will truly make for a great companion! See here for more information about the SPCA of Westchester or call 914-941-2896 ext. 22.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Ain't Misbehaving, Part Four.
Designer dog breeds are nothing new: Puggles, Pomapoos and every imaginable Doodle you can think of. Recently however, I’ve begun to notice a new breed of dog owner. Their complaints are typical—their dog or puppy is nipping, jumping, soiling, running through the fence line—but their expectation of me as their “trainer” is not. When I lay out how I work with them, how we work together and I help them understand, translate and modify their dog’s reaction or behavior, there is a pause. “But I want you to come to my house and train my dog.” When I explain that I cannot resolve behavior problems without their participation, that the dog is not an appliance to be fixed, the conversation usually ends there. I worry about these dogs and …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Peter finds anything medical very scary.
Peter is not the best at describing what hurts him or has him not feeling well. Part of it is his level of ability to describe feelings and part of it is his desire to avoid medical personnel whenever possible. When Peter was little, if he walked around the house saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” we would begin looking for blood. Most of the time, we would find the source and battle with him to help clean the wound, put on some medicine and bandage it. The battle would continue to keep the cut covered too, since Peter does not like sticky and bandages are sticky. With that kind of background, you can imagine how much I stress about big procedures. Due to a few symptoms I can only partially piece together—some headaches, a leg that Peter hits …
Common Sense
9:30 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The child is the victim in this photo. He is being used to sell magazines plain and simple. It is wrong to put a child in a controversial photo such as this. There is no benefit for him and I seriously doubt he will look back on this photo fondly in the future. Likely he will be teased into misery during his formative years. more ›