“Beauty is an Attitude”

December 7, 2011 by J. Nelson

Estée Lauder Introduces European-Specific Skincare Line, Reminding Us of Our War Against American Women

Personally, I believe most cosmetic facial creams and moisturizers do nothing for women’s skin besides hydrate it, and I think the cosmetics industry sells mostly ageism, vitamin A, and water. I also firmly believe in what Estée Lauder must have when she began selling the facial crèmes she invented with the help of her chemist uncle: that “there are no ugly women, only women who don’t care or who don’t believe they’re attractive.” Read more

To Cain and Conrad: GET CHARACTER OR BECOME ONE

December 1, 2011 by J. Nelson

Yesterday I participated in a call-in radio interview with station 1290 AM in North Texas called Real Life Talk, hosted by author David Sabine, Ph.D. The man is an accomplished clinical psychologist who, as you might expect, has a soothing tenor and is easy to speak with, plus you couldn’t pay the guy to interrupt you.

I was invited twice previously to Sabine’s show to discuss personal responsibility, excuses, and the mental cases/ethical shape shifters we Americans are quickly becoming. First we usually bat around the ball of my background and the story behind my forthcoming book, Where Excuses Go to Die, and from there we get down to business. Today that meant Dr. Conrad Murray and Mr. Herman Cain. Read more

Sidewalk Etiquette: Excuse Me or Excuse You?

November 28, 2011 by J. Nelson

**What’s your response when some self-absorbed Facebook profile marches into you because she’s looking at a phone?**

As a general rule, I (very clearly) say, “excuse you.” The same goes for when I’m blatantly cut off or elbowed. And especially at holiday time, my amusement grows in direct proportion to the indignation of the offender.

Today, on a sidewalk between Barnes & Noble and Banana Republic, a woman and I collided when her UGGs continued to trudge as she texted. Her eyes were still on the screen when she heard “excuse you” as I stepped around and away from her.

Inside B&N not four minutes later, I heard behind me an indignant voice saying, “…and this asshole son-of-a-bitch said, ‘excuse you,’ to me – shuh!” Having angrily brushed past me with the phone now at her ear, she’d pulled a U-turn outside and followed me into the store. Now she stopped and awaited the reaction to which evidentially felt entitled. She was suddenly a victim and was hissing the details of her ordeal to a friend – if there was anyone on the other end of her phone. Read more

At Least Inmates Don’t Protect Child Molesters

November 11, 2011 by J. Nelson

FILE UNDER: Duh!

Yeah? Well, you try ‘n find pictures for this post! Give it a shot. Every related word or phrase I entered to search for corresponding images grossed me out.

Ironic, isn’t it? Out here in the real world, kid-touchers are shielded by priests, police departments, and now football coaches. Behind bars, where society’s worst are sent, shielding, hiding or defraying a child rapist’s fate is unthinkable.

And this doesn’t just hold true for your older criminals: about a month ago, two teen burglars discovered that CDs they’d stolen were laden with child porn. Even they agreed it was worth risking a B&E conviction to notify the Sheriff’s Department and the smug P.O.S. they stole from – who had the gall to report his missing property to the police – was arrested. Read more

To Live and Drive in L.A.

October 17, 2011 by J. Nelson

Source: The Guardian

At first I relished debating the merits and missteps of the indie film Drive far more than I enjoyed the film itself. But thanks to Sarah Deming, the Michigan woman who filed a lawsuit alleging that Drive’s trailer is misleading and the movie’s content anti-Semitic, I now welcome the flick to the crime/car chase genre. Read more

“Kids for Cash” Judge vs. Parents

August 23, 2011 by J. Nelson

Hurt parents’ barbs and bitch-outs cut much deeper than their backhands. So let’s send the judge who got rich sentencing juveniles to his friends’ privately-owned jails into a “hostility cage” with victims’ families.

Michael J. Mullen / Associated Press

Source: CNN

The unedited footage of Sandy Fonzo screaming at former Luzerne County judge Mark Ciavarella is powerful. My own fists were clenched by the end of it: I can only imagine the fury that 370 similarly outraged mothers and fathers would produce. Sandy Fonzo is a woman both desperate to be heard and desperately angry. Though I do not know her, I root for her. Her son’s suicide may have ultimately been his responsibility, but it stemmed from an inability to recover from what happened to him in custody. I’ve seen that trauma up close and the behavioral issues that often follow. Had that been my kid, I don’t think I’d have been satisfied with a verbal confrontation. Read more

Holding Cells Aren’t Sexy

August 9, 2011 by J. Nelson

With ABC’s new Take the Money and Run, Americans can cozy up to custody, interrogation, and being informed on by family and friends.

Maybe it’s my PTSD talking, but is this really the best time for people to be asking themselves if they can withstand a police interrogation? Sure, if you’re a television producer the answer is (spit-take) hell yes, but what about the rest of us?

If you haven’t seen ABC’s primetime show, Take the Money and Run, its proposition is simple: you and a partner hide $100,000 somewhere Read more

Why It’s Not “Too Soon” to Mock Amy Winehouse

July 26, 2011 by J. Nelson

1. Because it gets people talking about character, codependency and cowardice: By the end of this week everyone will be tired of talking about Amy Winehouse’s death. But until then, get ready for a week of Wino, because dead rock ‘n rollers are sexier than stalemates in Washington and Norwegian gunman. Besides, how can Wino not make us feel better about our own lives?

I’m sure making fun of Wino will piss off the moaners and crybabies something fierce. Good! That’ll get the discourse rolling. For every person who questions her legacy a dozen more defend it, citing the singer’s talent, style, rebelliousness, and online footage of her better performances. When all else fails, out comes the lack-of-compassion card. Read more

Estée Lauder Introduces European-Specific Skincare Line, Reminding Us of Our War Against American Women

What’s your response when some self-absorbed Facebook profile marches into you because she’s looking at a phone?

Any day now, someone’s gonna beat a murder rap with a groan-inducing, precedent-setting “Facebook defense.”

Hurt parents’ barbs and bitch-outs cut much deeper than their backhands. So let’s send the judge who got rich sentencing juveniles to his friends’ privately-owned jails into a “hostility cage” with victims’ families.

Michael J. Mullen / Associated Press

Source: CNN

**What’s your response when some self-absorbed Facebook profile marches into you because she’s looking at a phone?**