cool quotes, katey! well placed and very bold! they look really neat. but i would have to disagree with you about the freehand thing.. it REALLY depends on the artist. yes, all in all you shouldn't let an artist freehand for obvious reasons, but some artists thrive on it. my tat guy (www.wellstattoo.com) is amazing and could do a tat start-to-finish completely freehand and it would be the most amazing thing ever. but he's just good like that. he actually did most of my back tat freehand and i'm very pleased with it.

melissa-- that's great your sister does that. i can't imagine how many people would screw up their own tattoo because they're illiterate. i'm wondering how many other tat places make you sign off on spelling, because you would think that to avoid later conflict ALL parlors would do that. you would also think all of them would ID as well... like they're supposed to... by law...

the guy's tat above, though, is actually quite hysterical. the fact that he would put "i'm awesome" on his back in the first place makes me believe he doesn't take himself seriously (which is good, because you have to be able to make fun of yourself). and what adds to the contradiction is that it's also misspelled. i don't know, it actually adds to the silliness of the tattoo itself. but i'm an optimist, and can make the most sad situation into the favorite of the day.

wow steve.. can you be more of a dick please? i enjoy palpable ignorance, and you're just feeding my appetite.

i'm just wondering how they've managed to survive at all.. i mean, if they can't buy a loaf of bread after working a full day, how are these people still alive? how is zimbabwe not the land of rotting carcasses and disease? or is that the untold story? are we to assume that these people are just sitting around completely overwhelmed by their unpayable bills just waiting for the economy to sweep them off the land and start a-new? what is happening and what is being done?

yea i don't know why people insist on doing research on (average) child development because it ALL has to do with the involvement of their parents. children not only inherit genes, but behaviors and habits just the same. asian cultures (yes, even indians, pakis, and turks) have a better work ethic than we westerners. and since we're talking (specifically) about asian culture vs. latino culture, we have a smaller scope of comparison and the results are more varying. and it's not like the results are BAD.. it's not BAD that latinos don't do as well in school as asians; some cultures just aren't raised to appreciate book smarts. like some of the people wrote above, kids are ridiculed for being smart and actually have to hide that they care about their future. it also does not make asians BETTER than latinos because they get higher letter grades. it all depends on the variables in which you aim your comparison. is this article saying latinos need to step it up? or is it just making a recordable observation? what are we supposed to gain from this? and is it really helping by pointing out a problem to fix, or is it furthering the divide between cultures? it really depends on what you're comparing and what you mean to do with your comparison. because in all, none of this really matters.

"michelin will NEVER recognize me... two year contract my ASS"

alright, i'm female. here's what i think-- ralph woods had the most non-abrasive, fair assessment of this situation. well stated, honest, and not offensive to even the most sensitive feminist. and ralph-- i've seen almost all-female roadside crews spreading tar and ripping up roads. they're out there, i promise you. maybe it's just the region you live in or something.

i'm not a sensitive feminist and i think this is an overreaction. being politically correct anymore is taboo and now that women DO have equal rights to men they're taking every opportunity to nit-pick at the "men" terms that still exist. and they exist not because the system is still sexist, but because it is IMPOSSIBLE to change absolutely every single sign, poster, book, policy, sticker, and proper name to accomodate all the feminists' social needs. this chick could have EASILY mentioned that "hey! times have changed and these signs need to as well." but also, as someone else mentioned above, that "man" is short for "mankind" and is a universal term for all human beings. when you say "man-power" it doesn't imply that the only people participating are men. it implies that HUMANS are participating. if we want to be COMPLETELY policitally correct, we would say "human power." or "humans at work."

i hate feminists. they overreact about everything having to do with gender equality and are severely harming their own cause. they think that women deserve BETTER treatment than men because we've been oppressed for the last how many years and we have to "make up" for lost time by overcompensating. hence all those dumb-husband commercials-- you know the ones. i can't STAND them. women are not superior to men, and vise-versa. they each have elements that contribute to healthy diversification because yes, we're different from each other. but think of our differences like puzzle pieces. we all have our own specializations and niches, and when placed alongside complementary pieces, we fit together quite nicely to form a pretty picture.

someone mentioned the password login.. this may help-- unlike every other login on the internet, wordpress is case sensitive, so you if you have a bunch of letters in different cases, make sure you remember which ones because you have to type them all in the same way. same with the password. if you've already tried that, then yea. it needs a good fixin.

regarding the BBQ- if you're concerned about pollution, it really depends on how often you plan on using it. if you prefer charcoal but grill more than a couple times a week, you may want a gas grill instead. but if you don't grill that often, charcoal it up. it does taste better, even if it takes longer. but grilling isn't just a process of cooking meats, it adds to social atmosphere. there's nothing like a bunch of people standing around arguing over who's grilling techniques are better. no joke- it happens every time. even my boyfriend and i argue over who will cook the better meat. and i'm a vegetarian! charcoal does taste better. but if you go for the gas grill, make sure you're getting good cuts of meat. i mean, don't be afraid to spend some cash on it because you shouldn't HAVE to slather it all up with rubs and sauces and marinades.. those just cover up the taste of the meat. grilling is supposed to enhance the flavor of your meat, so don't mask it by covering it with sugary sauces. rubs are ok because they're just basic seasonings. organic and well-raised meats always taste better.. but i'm biased.

it's actually not a terrible tattoo. tattoos referencing comic books, tv and movies aren't something new.. batman is a timeless character regardless of how many dudes (and dudettes) get their tattoos, and how many f-ing movies they end up making. i mean they made what, like 132 rocky movies? i'm sure there are thousands of guys (and gals) with a heterosexual love for their silvester stallone tattoos. and batman and superman and spiderman and the hulk and even "vault boy" from fallout 3. as long as it means something to the person it's permanently scratched into, otherwise it's just a waste of time, money, and resources.

we don't need to remind any more rich people of how great they are... their paychecks do a pretty good job of confirming that.

@Polx: yea word-- on both comments.

here's my stink..

1: can it actually be used as a normal utensil or does the neck wibble-wobble back and forth with no support in which to actually EAT food?

2: did someone have so much trouble flinging food from a NORMAL spoon that they needed to put a spring on it?

3: so, you give your child a spring loaded spoon after telling him/her not to fling food in the first place? i mean, assuming you're doing your job as a parent and are enforcing certain rules (table manners, for instance), I find this to be a complete contradiction.

4: what a waste of materials.. and stop playing with your food for f*ck sakes.

AWWWWWW puppies... i love that they were all looking at him in the beginning like "pet me! play with me!" and as SOON as the guy started singing they began settling down. that HAS to be a nightly ritual.

dear homeless people:

go be homeless somewhere else.

love, your government.

I agree with George Carlin on this one.

wow. just wow. DAMN i hate wal mart.

you know that the ONLY reason anyone can give me for shopping at wal-mart is that they have the cheapest prices? give me another reason to go there and i might.

i DON'T shop at wal-mart because of their cheap prices. because it's the principle behind WHY their prices are so cheap. because they have devalued absolutely everything we know to be a rare commodity. because they have instilled their belief that anything can be replaced instead of updated or fixed. because their new motto (save money, live better) is manipulative and degrading.

and the only choice we have is to shop or not shop there. oh capitalism... i learned in my marketing class last year that the only reason wal-mart cannot be considered a monopoly (and therefore be somewhat regulated) is because they technically still have a fair-share of competition. ironic thing though- their competition is f-ing Target. and Kmart. and the rest of the giant multi-billion-dollar companies. ah yes... the free economy... sniff it while it still exists.

all that's missing is the baby stripper pole... which can be installed directly into the crib.

what a cool idea! i would be all over that machine if i lived in NYC...