Carebears Placed on Nutrasystem, Given volume express mascara

So my sissy sent me the following article which discusses how beloved childhood characters from the past are being given up-to-date, modern makeovers to make them more relevant for children today. In addition to Strawberry Shortcake's tween makeover and giving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles steroids, American Greetings will soon be creating Carebears with less belly fat and longer eyelashes. Admittedly, Strawberry Shortcake looks outdated (I think she evens wears a pinafore). However, the Carebears are bears and do need fat in order to hibernate in the winter so I think it would be fine for them to stay lovably chubby. Also, who cares about a bear's eyelashes? No one looks at Knut, the famed German polar bear and goes "aww, look at those lashes!" My one friend joked that with this trend, soon we will see that "the Glow Worms have switched to environmentally friendly LED lights"!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/business/media/11cartoons.html?ex=1213848000&en=71fdb51074cf6500&ei=5070&emc=eta1

One of the highlights of the article included this description of a past makeover that fell flat on its face: Gay Ken.

Reinventing these beloved characters without inflicting indelible damage is one of the entertainment industry’s trickiest maneuvers. Go too far, as Mattel did in 1993 when it gave Ken a purple mesh T-shirt, a pierced ear and the name “Earring Magic Ken,” and it can set off a brand crisis on a global scale.

This is awesome. I need to find and purchase this doll. It's nice to know that Mattel interpreted that look to be trendy in 1993. And here I thought it was more grunge with plaid shirts and ripped jeans.

My Worst Nightmare

The "New York Times" recently featured a couple who are never more than 15 feet apart from each other. They eat off the same plate, read the same books, sleep in the same quarters with no electricity or running water, and they even breathe in the same pattern. When one has to go to the bathroom, the other waits outside. Or in this case, when Christine McNally has to pee in the woods, Michael Roach turns away and steps aside far enough to be away from the stream of urine. This is a celibate partnership and high level Buddhist practice to help you get in touch with your emotions and faults, etc. But frankly, this just conjures up nightmares to me. Having someone (even if it's a loved one) follow you around all day long? No privacy whatsoever? That is scarier thought than being trapped in solitary in prison.

Here's the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/garden/15buddhists.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Here's a more realistic portrayal of what happens when regular folks attempt this:

http://www.slate.com/id/2192282/?GT1=38001