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A Barbie By Christian Louboutin {Shopping Articles Blog}
Apr 26th 2010 9:26PM The doll is for adult collectors, not children.
A Barbie By Christian Louboutin {Shopping Articles Blog}
Apr 26th 2010 9:23PM $150 for a collectible Barbie is certainly not news - I have often paid over $100 for a special edition Barbie. These are limited edition pieces that are NOT made for children, and are NOT toys, but are for the adult doll collector. The "designer" edition Barbies (I have several Bob Mackies and a Vera Wang, for instance) are limited and highly collectible, and most range in the $100 to $150 range. Sometimes their prices will go up, depending on how limited they are. This is really not "news" and it is ridiculous and disingenuous for this "news" item to breathlessly treat it as such. The reporter should study the subject matter in more detail before reporting "$150 Barbies!!!!" as somehow being newsworthy. News flash: they have been around for a long time, and they aren't going away. Maybe your next news item can be "Rolls Royces Are Really Expensive!" or "Musicians in Major Orchestras Have Musical Talent!"
How Much Is Too Much To Pay For a Pet's Care? {News Bloggers}
Feb 10th 2008 6:22PM Vets are NOT "money-grubbing pigs" as some have characterized them here. (And no, I'm not a vet -- I'm someone who has spent thousands on veterinary care for my cats, though, so I do know what I'm talking about.) In fact, the cost of vet care -- often using the same instruments, medications and technology as human care -- is not even a FRACTION of the cost of human medical care. Every time I go to the vet and shell out money, I think of what the very same treatment would cost for a human. Ten times, twenty times as much? (You don't even know the half of it, if you have medical insurance -- but even if you do have medical insurance, SOMEONE is paying for the medical care for yourself and your kids. It's not coming out of the hospital's pockets -- it's reflected in the soaring cost of medical care for everyone!). No, veterinarians get pretty much the same training on the same level as MDs, and my vet, at least, has many of the same technical instruments that a human hospital would have. $80 for a vet visit? How much for a human doctor visit -- $200? $100 for kidney medications for my cat? How about $1200 for the same meds for a human (who's not taking a much higher dose than the cat does...). I have nothing but the highest respect for the education and medical knowledge that a fine veterinarian has, and I am more than willing to pay for that expertise. If you can't pay for your pet's medical care, then you should NOT have a pet -- you need to assume that at some point, probably several points, in the animal's life, it will need veterinary care. To let an animal suffer in sickness or pain -- as can be seen in several of the stories posted here -- because you "can't afford" vet care is just heinous. You "can afford" other luxuries in your life. You "can afford" the house and car you chose to buy and the children you chose to have. Well, you chose to have a pet, too -- and treating its illnesses and injuries is part of the responsibility. Vet care is not inexpensive, but vets are not out to fleece you. The range of care available to animals today is far greater than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. When you get a pet, it's wise to either look into veterinary insurance or, even better, start a veterinary savings account for that animal. Put away $20 a month and you'll have $240 your first year, $480 by year 2 and so on. Put away more and you'll have more. Plan for the bad times -- because they will happen. No animal stays well forever, and when you adopt one, you must plan for the bad times as well as the good ones.
National Geographic rates best (and worst) islands {Gadling}
Jan 8th 2008 2:06PM I traveled to Shetland last year -- a place of sublime beauty and pristine natural wonders. And there actually are Shetland ponies running around everywhere -- in common grazing areas, in people's yards...the place is crawling with 'em! One of my favorite spots was St. Ninian's Isle, which is linked by a tombolo (a thin thread of sand) to the main island (called Mainland by the islanders). There are the ruins of a church on the islet, and we found a small holy well, unmarked on any map, where people had left offerings. The wind blew from all directions, the grasses rustled, the seabirds cried, and otherwise all was blessed silence. A more peaceful place couldn't be imagined. I go back to it for mental "vacations" all the time!
