In Reykjavik, Iceland there is the Icelandic Phallological Museum boasting of the world’s largest collection of penises. For around $20 U.S. you can gawk at the members of many different species: some human. Most in jars. Some more jarring than others. In Lima, Peru the Museo de Larco has an enormous collection of pre-Columbian pottery…. Continue reading →

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, now referred to as Factious Disorder by Proxy or FDbP, is where a parent or caretaker enjoys the attention of having a sick child so they exaggerate and sometimes induce their victim’s symptoms. Children are made to be sick; parents are given sympathy for their seeming stoicism. It’s adulation-seeking via child… Continue reading →

In 2004, the families of eight gunshot victims sued the manufacturer and dealer of the Bushmaster XM-15 used in the DC Sniper rampage for negligence. They won. The NY Times reported, “Under the terms of the settlement, Bushmaster Firearms Inc. of Windham, Maine, the gun’s maker, will pay $550,000 to the victims’ families; Bull’s Eye… Continue reading →

Due to an act of Congress, Cuban nationals who arrive in the U.S. after 1959 cannot be illegal immigrants. They’re automatically refugees. It’s amnesty! The federal government has spent billions to assist those who’ve fled Castro’s regime. It was a Cold War policy, signed by President Johnson. If they can get to our shores (many… Continue reading →

I’m a marathon runner. A few years ago my coach was diagnosed with cancer. The first thing his ragged team of runners did was sign him up with Livestrong. Through the course of his treatment he would show up to track with his yellow beanie warming his chemo-ravaged bald head. He proudly wore the iconic… Continue reading →

In August of 1925 The New York Times estimated 50,000 ”” 60,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan marched in a parade in our nation’s capital. It was a huge public display of the once-secret group. H.L. Mencken called it “a full mile of Klansmen and their ladies.” The man sitting in the White House,… Continue reading →

Are the left and the right in this country pretty much the same except for ideology? Are liberals and conservatives basically two sides of the same coin? One side you have one opinion, the other side an opposing view. Are the parties in America symmetrical? Only the right wing will say yes. It’s a go-to… Continue reading →

The philosophy behind the quackery known as homeopathic medicine is that “like cures like.” As in: have a burn, apply a hot compress. This widely-panned pseudoscience (oh man, am I going to get letters) in its 300 years of existence has a history of being debunked, going away and then popping up a few decades… Continue reading →

When it comes to marriage, I’m no romantic. (Just ask my husband.) My generation of women doesn’t have to be married. Our mothers fought for this choice. In the 19th century doctors would prescribe different (think more painful and degrading) treatment for unmarried women with the same illnesses as their married counterparts. The laws were… Continue reading →

The Naughty! 1. Former Director of the CIA, General David Petraeus: And no he doesn’t make the list for having an extramarital affair with the co-author of his biography, Paula Broadwell. He makes the naughty list for being head of the CIA and choosing a mistress who clearly cannot keep a secret. 2. Secessionists: Who… Continue reading →

I blame feminism for why I feel entitled to equal rights. I have no qualms seeing the toil and struggle of my foremothers allowing me opportunities not available to them. For example, my generation doesn’t have to be married. This is the product of our mothers’ saber rattling. Being married is no longer necessary; now… Continue reading →

“If elected, I will repeal Obamacare on day one,” promised the grandfather of Obamacare, Mitt Romney. Of course, he wasn’t elected. There will be no Day One for Romney; no un-signing spectacle moments after a decaffeinated virgin daiquiri Inauguration. Romney lost the election. He only got (appropriately, and ominously) 47 percent of the popular vote… Continue reading →

The 14th Regiment Armory was built for the National Guard (née New York militia) in 1893. The massive Brooklyn structure was supposed to mimic the castles of Europe ”” brick towers and fortifications of previous centuries. Now a YMCA, the Armory today is a shelter (filled to capacity) with nursing home evacuees from Hurricane Sandy…. Continue reading →

There’s a myth in the right-wing-o-sphere that President Obama was never fully vetted. “We don’t know ANYTHING about this guy!” they’ll say, and in the same breath make fun of the fact he wrote two autobiographies. My answer to this is always: “He ran against a Clinton.” Any skeletons, dirt, deal killers or weaknesses were… Continue reading →