The Fearless Blogger

From TheNextWeb.com:

To launch a new deodorant in Uruguay, the Lowe Ginkgo agency in Montevideo created an ad of such genius, even Bill Hicks would be impressed.

You open up a magazine, browse as normal, flickering through the ads as you do until you come across a quite simply gorgeous blonde with blank white spaces around her naughty bits.

What happens next?
Read it at The Next Web:  The Incomplete Ad. (This is Genius).

From: The Next Web (click image for full story)

(photo credit: John Morris)

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. – Mahatma Gandhi

If you agree with Gandhi, then after reading the following two bits of news, you’ll likely agree that this nation’s greatness and moral progress have taken a couple of steps in the wrong direction.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love animals. At times, I prefer them to people (I openly admit that while watching “Marley and Me”, I thought the ending would be far more bearable if they offed one of the kids instead of the dog).

So while The News is rarely uplifting these days, I found the most recent local broadcast especially depressing. I don’t mean to be a “Debbie Downer”, but I thought a couple of stories deserve some additional attention/awareness. read more

image from oddee.com

The AP Press reported Tuesday that

International cancer experts have moved tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk category, deeming them as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas. For years, scientists have described tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation as “probable carcinogens.”

A new analysis of about 20 studies concludes the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30. Experts also found that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused worrying mutations in mice, proof the radiation is carcinogenic. Previously, only one type of ultraviolet radiation was thought to be lethal.

The new classification means tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation are definite causes of cancer, alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus and chimney sweeping, among others.

In case you’re among those who have missed the other memos on the dangers of UV rays and the potential side effects of tanning beds, let me state this a bit more clearly:
Tanning beds are considered DEFINITE CARCINOGENS – this means TANNING BEDS CAUSE CANCER.
read more

As you may or may not know, I’m planning on coloring my hair pink this week.

Pink hair holds a certain symbolism for me – but that’s something perhaps I’ll share in another blog post (likely once I go through with the deed).

As I’ve been looking through photos for inspiration, I happened upon a blog post titled “The Pink Hair Problem”.  It turned out not to be anything beauty or follicle related, but rather a posting in MIT’s Admissions blog.

Matt McGann (class of ’00 – which makes me feel a bit ancient!!) shares a question he received from an applicant

hey matt i’ve got a question. right now i’ve got a nose ring and bright black and pink hair. i’m applying EA to MIT and i was just wondering. for the interview…is that too unprofessional? the nose ring i could always take out but my hair?

Matt follows his point of view by sharing responses he received from other ECs (Educational Counselors, MIT’s alumni interviewers), representing various parts of the country and ranging from class of 1961 to 2003.

When it came to ear piercings, tattoos, “wild” haircuts or any other less-than-conservative-and-or-mainstream styling, my father always cautioned about first impressions and the need to get your foot in the door first, to work your way up to a place where you’re setting the rules, before limiting your opportunities because of your looks. Years later, I can’t say I entirely disagree, but was curious to hear what the good folks over at MIT had to say about the matter.

The responses include an interesting range of perspectives on the influence that less-than-conventional looks have on first impressions.

The common thread seemed to be

• first impressions do count
• demonstrate respect
• most important, be true to yourself

Regardless of age, we continuously find ourselves in situations where it’s important to balance putting our best foot forward, with letting our true colors shine through. The EC responses provide insights that can apply well beyond a college entrance interview and are worth reading.

You can find the full blog post here: MIT Admissions | Blog Entry: “The Pink Hair Problem”

What are your thoughts on first impressions?  Have you had any “pink hair problems” of your own? Please share them in the comments!

President Barack Obama

This opinion, published in the Washington Post today, contains the following description of its author: “The writer is president of the United States.”

Nearly six months ago, my administration took office amid the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. At the time, we were losing, on average, 700,000 jobs a month. And many feared that our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

The swift and aggressive action we took in those first few months has helped pull our financial system and our economy back from the brink. We took steps to restart lending to families and businesses, stabilize our major financial institutions, and help homeowners stay in their homes and pay their mortgages. We also passed the most sweeping economic recovery plan in our nation’s history.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was not expected to restore the economy to full health on its own but to provide the boost necessary to stop the free fall. So far, it has done that. It was, from the start, a two-year program, and it will steadily save and create jobs as it ramps up over this summer and fall. We must let it work the way it’s supposed to, with the understanding that in any recession, unemployment tends to recover more slowly than other measures of economic activity.

I am confident that the United States of America will weather this economic storm. But once we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before. For if we do not seize this moment to confront the weaknesses that have plagued our economy for decades, we will consign ourselves and our children to future crises, sluggish growth, or both.

Read full post by Barack Obama:  Rebuilding Something Better | washingtonpost.com.