Tag Archives: popular culture

Star’s Death Occasions a Reminder of When and How to Mention Adoption

Other bloggers in this blog have written about Positive Adoption Language and the impact of adoption words. I’m hardly a “word usage Nazi” on the warpath for political correctness, but two things this week have left me wishing our culture would be just a little bit more sensitive to my children. One usage of adoption language not mentioned much in the above blogs is the use of the term “adopted” when there is no purpose for it. There may be a reason to mention adoption in a story involving a family with genetic illness, or when adoption explains a condition … Continue reading →

Losing My Grip on Popular Culture

I am gradually becoming un-cool. Okay, maybe it has been happening for a long time but I’m only just starting to notice. I can now walk by a magazine geared toward the “youth” market–laying conspicuously on my coffee table with all its glitz and flash and glare–and have no idea who the person is on the cover. Not only that, I don’t recognize any name or face from within the pages either. (the fashions, I recognize, but that’s because I remember them from the LAST time around.) I hear songs coming out of every corner of my house and have … Continue reading →

A Quick Clue as to the Intensity Value on a Disney Ride

I must confess that when it comes to fairground rides, I’m a complete wimp. I have no idea why people seem to think it’s fun to go spinning upside down in some gravity defying position whilst being held “safe” with a few bits of plastic. Nor do I understand the need to get off, throw up, and then get back on to go around again. I do however appreciate that many people get a lot of joy from this kind of activity. It was therefore with some trepidation that I first approached the Disney rides, even the ones that had … Continue reading →