(Thanks Adam)

While women readily take on the role of caregiver to their ailing husbands, men struggle with new domestic responsibilities and the greater dependence their wives place on them, the study's authors suggest.

So-called "partner abandonment" can take a major toll on the health of the patient, says Marc Chamberlain, a neurologist at the University of Washington's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the lead investigator of the study.

Teanne Harris, bride jilted at altar, turns Halloween-themed wedding into party for senior citizens

By all account, the bash was a blast. The wedding DJ played oldies. The tables were decked out with candy jars and feathered masquerade masks. The banquet hall served up a senior-friendly meal. And the guests dressed up as everything from Dracula to Raggedy Ann.

As for the bridal bouquet, Harris had it placed in the chapel of the old folks' home.

...am I the only one whose nightmares don't consist of monsters and psychotic killers chasing me...but they're full of real life situations that ruin my life.

I hate that.

The High Cost of Poverty

You have to be rich to be poor.

That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand.

Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain.

I was just discussing this with a client the other day.
I won't shop at the supermarket close to my work.
I've noticed that it's more expensive than the one close to my home. The market close to my work is busier with longer line ups, and less variety of items. Which is sad considering the people living there need the savings more than the people living in my neighbourhood do.

I understand that it might be more expensive to operate because of theft and security issues...but, I can buy a loaf of bread for 1.19, while my client will pay 1.89 for the same.

I have the option to say, "no, I'll just drive to the grocery close to home"...my client doesn't drive and is toting two children around in a stroller.
To go to a cheaper market, a little further north would cost her time and frustration, as well as bus fare back and forth.

Not worth it.

...and let's not even get started on the legal Payday loan scam.

(Article found at Aloha Nico)

via i can read

What are the statistics about crimes against children? What is the news that we're not hearing?

The crime rate today is equal to what it was back in 1970. In the '70s and '80s, crime was climbing. It peaked around 1993, and since then it's been going down.

If you were a child in the '70s or the '80s and were allowed to go visit your friend down the block, or ride your bike to the library, or play in the park without your parents accompanying you, your children are no less safe than you were.

But it feels so completely different, and we're told that it's completely different, and frankly, when I tell people that it's the same, nobody believes me. We're living in really safe times, and it's hard to believe.

I was just having this conversation with someone recently.
We've developed a culture of panic and fear which is crippling us in so many ways.

I heard Frank Furedi the Author of Culture of Fear and Paranoid Parenting interviewed a couple of years ago, and agreed with a lot of what he said.

Fear is actually quite profitable.

via Funkaoshi

Lianie Towell began her day by slipping into her wedding dress and strapping a door to her back. An artist who has devoted her life to Guinean dance, Towell made a very public display of the burden she bears as the victim of immigration and marriage fraud.

See the coverage of Lainie's walk to Parliament in her wedding gown here.

You know, we can all say that it could never happen to us, but I've met more smart women who have been duped by skilled sociopathic liars than I care to mention.

When the forest fire of Alzheimer's causes havoc in the frontal lobe of the brain, it attacks the site approximating most to our adult selves. Frontal-lobe damage can return dementia sufferers to child-likeness and childishness. Childishness is the worst because it's coated in adult power, assumed authority and physical strength.

The Bride Was Beautiful - Heartbreaking

via Funkaoshi

(Found at Squanderous)

Integrity

The word integrity is related to the roots of words like “integrate” and “entire.” In Spanish it is rendered “integro,” meaning whole. Integrity thus implies the state of being complete, undivided, intact, and unbroken. Such a state contrasts with one that is scattered, fragmented, and incomplete. In writing this article, I was struck by the way in which integrity pulls together so many of the other things we have discussed on the Art of Manliness. Integrity is really the bond that holds a man’s other virtues together; it is the mark of a man who has successfully integrated all good principles. His life is a unified whole.

The Art of Manliness is a fantastic site...if only all men subscribed to it...

and more:

It’s Easier

It may not seem like it at first blush, but living with integrity is easier than living a deceitful life. While making unethical decisions is often easier in the short term, it eventually takes its toll. There’s no real happiness to be found in struggling to remember your lies, living in fear of getting caught, and not feeling like you truly earned your reward. It’s empty and stressful. Bernie Madoff may have lived high on the hog, but did he really enjoy his wealth knowing that one day his house of cards would collapse? Living with integrity brings wholeness and peace. Your conscience can rest easy, and you can look at yourself in the mirror with pride.

Dennis

In 2001 I met a burn survivor who allowed me to photograph her. She told me that she wanted to be photographed so that people could stare at her without feeling embarrassed. It was such an extraordinary experience that a few months later I flew to a burn conference and set up a makeshift studio in a hotel room, and asked people to let me know if they would like their portraits made. I was astonished at how many people did. What I learned from this extraordinary experience was that every burn survivor has a tale of courage to tell, and that the burns have their own eerie beauty. I also learned that after a few hours it becomes very difficult to see the burns anymore. When I returned and developed the photographs, I had to keep asking my wife "does this person look burned to you?", because they all looked quite normal to me. My only regret is that I didn't continue with this project longer than I did, but life intervened.

Found at Half Wit

Love this kid...

F*** My Life

Hilariously sad twitter sized statements on life.

(Found at Funkaoshi)

Three Phrases Men Everywhere Stumble Over —
Yet Women Long to Hear

From: The Art of Manliness

The first one listed is: "Thank you".
I don't think even I understood how important it is to be thanked for the thankless little jobs that are done every day.

I didn't really understand it until I was thanked by the Mister for almost everything I did for him.
It is a big deal to know that even the simplest little gesture is appreciated.

I've got to give my man props for using all the phrases on that list.
Often.

Real men appreciate you.

The Places That We Live.

Amazing website with fantastic panoramic photos of life in the slums of Kenya, India, Indonesia, and Venezuela.

(Found at Uncertain Times)

LOL....

The second the City of Toronto invests in a sign change with a little catchy "Village" (Bloor West Village, Leslieville) above your street name, your attempts to stop the gentrification are futile.

Beautiful Death



I've always liked cemeteries. I like the peacefulness of them and the tombstones can sometimes be quite incredible...but, that's coming from someone who reads obituaries and pays a silent blessing to the person I'm reading about and their families.

(click on photo for more pictures of cemeteries)

...and while we're on death, have a look at Kottke's post on The Most Beautiful Suicide. The photo has always been haunting...she looks so peaceful and beautiful.

But, it's a rarity, isn't it?
Suicide is anything but beautiful.