http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562 I don't usually allow my bile to flow over TV commercials. I mean I can mentally tune most of them out the instant I hear the familiar tunes of <i>Respect Yourself</i> which means the botox babes are about to commence mugging and making faces to tout the benefits of Restylane or somesuch treatment. I can also ignore whatever follows the young stud muffin's saying "I still have genital herpes" and tune out his significant other's assertion that she doesn't and all the good that Valtrex is doing for mankind en-us Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:21:20 EST Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:26:40 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#9 Yeah, the magnetic ribbons are tacky, as well as every other tchotchke dreamed up to commemorate September 11th, but this one...why am I so angry about this one?  What is it that is making me as mad as you, MB, when a racist revenge-fantasy t-shirt ju Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:26:40 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#8 Yup, no "beating around the bush" when the kiddies start asking what a lesbian is. Seriously, when the kids come to you with what's obviously a serious question about a sensitive or controversial issue, the best thing to do is be as honest and factual as Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:30:03 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#7 <i> Boy, I do.  When I'm trying to watch Jeopardy and one of my kids asks what's ED?  or  What's Herpes?<p> Ugh. </i><p> Man oh man. We have good family friends who have two children going through that stage. Last month their son decided to Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:09:17 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#6 Well, all I can say is that the 24K gold-plated Star Trek plates I got from NCM are fabulous. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:42:46 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#5 <cite>anyone that stupid deserves to be bled for a few bucks</cite><p> No. Stupid people, like everyone else, need and deserve protection from social parasites.<p> Is intelligence a matter of choice? Is having been socialized by/into a particular culture, Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:12:52 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#4 <i>I don't usually allow my bile to flow over TV commercials.</i><p> Boy, I do.  When I'm trying to watch Jeopardy and one of my kids asks <i>what's ED?</i>  or <i> What's Herpes?</i><p> Ugh.<p> By the time my daughter got her period, tv had alre Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:06:50 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#3 <i>" Good - let them send him the cash if they want - anyone that stupid deserves to be bled for a few bucks."</i><p> Well, as P. T. Barnum may or may not have said <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27s_a_sucker_born_every_minute"> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:26:45 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#2 Laughter is good for the soul and the blood pressure. Why did I bother with this one? Perhaps somewhere in the recesses of my heart there lies a spot that hasn't been so thoroughly corrupted by cynicism as to say "oh well, just another shallow, base and Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:05:04 EST http://www.treesandthings.com/story/2008/7/9/18103/97562#1 Good.<br> A Vampire sucking off the last dregs of 9-11 inspired reflexive patriotic consumptive idiocy.  So the people who rushed right out to buy 'never forget' star spangled 9-11 T-shirts and flags for their car antennas and support the troops ribbo Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:48:52 EST string http://www.treesandthings.com/search/