brainylady

A few links for a Friday:

"Swift-kicking granny gives robber the boot": A 40-year-old purse snatcher thought a 73-year-old granny would be an easy target. She went kung-fu on his ass. Go, granny!

"Mistake advert offers brother for sale": Yeah, a Brother sewing machine. She probably would've had even more calls if it had been a Singer. Or a Viking.

"Chinese officials cancel The Vagina Monologues": I'm sorry -- is this surprising?

"Barbie and Ken, the perfect plastic couple, are splitting up after 43 years": The official story is that both dolls "feel it's time to spend some quality time -- apart." There's a line in this story that really boggles my mind, though: "To better reflect her single status, Cali Barbie will wear board shorts and a bikini top, metal hoop earrings, and have a deeper tan." Can someone explain to me how this reflects her single status? Women with partners wear dresses and discreet pearl earrings and are pale?

"Cool heads prevail -- in tuques": I know it's crazy to miss Montreal in February, but I do after reading this. I love the coffee shop owner's comment about his tuque: "I found it very warm, but also très joli. It gives me 'un p'tit look.' I get a few smiles." Ah, c'est cute!

"Another suspicious hot dog found at park": This story is not funny (dogs have eaten tainted food left in a Toronto park), but that headline! I can't help myself. It's funny. I have an image in my head of a hot dog wearing a trench coat and lurking around a park at night. With relish. (Oh, come one, you would've said it, too.)

"Couple culture": Nothing earth-shattering here -- dominant views of marriage are steeped in religion, whether we acknowledge it or not -- but you'll find interesting tidbits about forms of marriage in history and in different cultures. What better time than to question one's beliefs and assumptions about coupling than Valentine's Day?

Now get thee back to work! xo