Morning Coffee Category Archive

Will Mattel never learn?

From The Center for Nursing Advocacy

Mattel on the "Nurse Quacktitioner": Problem? What problem? Oh--and did we mention the new Nurse Barbie?

January 11, 2006 -- Mattel has now received letters from over 2,000 nurses and supporters, and the Center has held discussions with Vice President of Corporate Communications Lisa Marie Bongiovanni, about the Furryville "Nurse Quacktitioner" doll. Sadly, the company still refuses to remove or buy back any dolls. Mattel has suggested that nurses aren't really that upset about the doll because some unspecified number have actually told the company they like it, and because it thinks all the negative letters it has received are form letters. (In fact, we know the company has received and seen the hard copies we sent of 400+ different original letters). The company stresses that it had no malicious intent in creating the doll, and that the name of the duck doll includes the word "quack" because ducks quack, a point that had eluded us completely. Mattel still does not seem to understand that the doll exploits a pernicious stereotype of nurse practitioners, and that it has infuriated thousands of nurses, many of whom control or influence the purchasing decisions of countless family members, friends, patients, and students.

Please:

1. (1) call Mattel as often as you wish, using this contact information, and explain that you are really are upset about the doll, and that you will urge everyone you know to boycott all Mattel products until the company pulls or agrees to buy back all remaining dolls and issues a genuine apology;
2. (2) if you have written an original letter, please send a copy directly to Ms. Bongiovanni;
3. (3) if you have not written an original letter, please send one to Ms. Bongiovanni, even if it is only one sentence;
4. (4) in all communications, urge Mattel to consult the Center and other nursing organizations in creating the forthcoming Nurse Barbie.

Thank you very much!

The Center has tried to explain to Mattel the problem with the Nurse Quacktitioner and to persuade the company to recall the remaining dolls, or allow retailers to sell them back, as Wal-Mart has agreed to do. Unfortunately, our discussions with Ms. Bongiovanni and others at Mattel have not yet had this effect. Reportedly, the company's reluctance to act is due in part to the fact that one or more nurses have told the company that they actually like the dolls; supposedly one or more nurses believe the dolls help ease pediatric patients' fears about nursing. We urge anyone who holds this view to consider the message sent by a doll that exploits the main professional stereotype of nurse practitioners--that they are "quacks," untrained persons who pretend to be physicians and dispense medical advice. That the doll can reinforce this stereotype is not simply a common sense evaluation of its likely effect on impressionable youngsters and others. For proof of the doll's potential real world effect, consult the reactions of the UK physicians who have told Mattel that the doll is a perfect summary of NP skill and urged the company to keep selling it. For further discussion of the importance of nurses speaking out to improve public understanding of their work, please read "From Silence to Voice" and our FAQ pages.

We also understand that Mattel is working on a new Nurse Barbie. In order to increase the chances that the doll might actually improve the nursing image, and avoid problems like those that are evident from the Nurse Quacktitioner, we have asked Mattel to hook us up with the designers. So far that has not occurred.

Mattel's contact information How to let Mattel know about your ongoing concern about the Nurse Quacktitioner doll and the pending Nurse Barbie: Please call Lisa Marie Bongiovanni, VP of Corporate Communications, at 1-310-252-3524. You will likely get her assistant, who might take a message or give you voicemail. Whichever option you choose, please explain in as much detail as you wish why this doll should be pulled and how vital NPs are to public health. If you cannot get through to Ms. Bongiovanni's office, please call CEO Bob Eckert: dial the main Mattel number 1-310-252-2000 then press 1# to dial by last name. Dial in "Eckert" which is 325378 or call Valerie Rodgers from Consumer Relations at 1-310-252-3197. Mattel's business hours are 8 am - 5 pm M-Th and 8a-1p F, Pacific time. Email is LisaMarie.bongiovanni@mattel.com

Hypocrite

DeLay angered by 'Law & Order' mention

Friday, May 27, 2005 Posted: 3:03 AM EDT (0703 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay reacted angrily Thursday to this week's episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" for what he called a "manipulation of my name" in the show.

The show's executive producer responded by accusing DeLay of trying to change "the spotlight from his own problems to an episode of a TV show."

The controversy centers around Wednesday's episode in which a police officer investigating a murder of a federal judge suggested putting out an all points bulletin for "somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt." "This manipulation of my name and trivialization of the sensitive issue of judicial security represents a reckless disregard for the suffering initiated by recent tragedies and a great disservice to public discourse," DeLay wrote in a letter to NBC President Jeff Zucker.

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Too stupid

Lack of rowing skills sinks two thieves

April 21, 2005 | Oslo, Norway -- The two Norwegians thought they had the perfect escape vehicle for their heist -- a rowboat. They overlooked one thing: Neither knew how to row a boat.

Police said Thursday the men had broken into an ambulance boat near the small western town of Askvoll, and likely were looking for drugs or cash.

The boat's burglar alarm alerted the ambulance crew members, who quickly arrived and saw the two men trying to flee in the small rowboat just before midnight Wednesday.

Their paddling attempts were hopeless, police said.

"They didn't have much of a chance," Deputy Sheriff Arnt Johnny Langeland said on the state radio network NRK. "They were rowing in opposite directions."

The ambulance boat then gave chase, turning its powerful spotlights on the pair rowing in tiny circles. A local ferry joined the slow-speed pursuit, beaming its spotlights on the rowboat as well.

The two men managed to get their rowboat to land, where they immediately were taken into police custody. They would likely face charges of breaking and entering, as well as theft, Langeland said, but he did not say if the two had managed to steal anything.

i love Anna Nicole!

Naked man hides in plane wheel well

Naked man hides in plane wheel well

Salon.com Nov. 4, 2004 | Los Angeles -- A man was charged with trespassing after he stripped naked, scaled a airport fence, ran across the tarmac and climbed into a plane's wheel well before firefighters talked him out, officials said.

The man had earlier tried to buy a ticket for a Qantas Airways flight to Australia with only a credit card receipt. He told authorities at Los Angeles International Airport that he stripped off his clothes Monday to protest the airline's decision to deny him the ticket, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.

The man, Neil Melly, 31, of Canada, suffers from bipolar disorder (also called manic-depressive illness) and had been listed as a missing person in Canada, Castles said. He was booked on a tresspassing charge, and was released from custody Tuesday.

Baggage handlers saw the man climb an 8-foot, barbed-wire fence that separates public and private areas of the airport and run to a departing plane as it backed from the gate. He climbed into a wheel well before the plane stopped.

He ignored police officers' commands to come out, but complied when city firefighters arrived. The Boeing 747, bound for Melbourne, Austrialia, departed an hour late.

Airport authorities will look into improving the fence, said Paul Haney, a spokesman for the agency that operates the airport.

Some treat!

Apparently her kid didn't like what he got, so she said "Oh you wanted an M&M?" and reached into my bowl and started rifling around for what she wanted.

And now a kid just wanted to argue about whether i put any candy in his bowl.

FUCK THIS.

Mystical soot

i love the part where they show the swastika as the projection of the tetrahedron . The good kind of swastika, of course. Uh-huh.

Ramtha 1/2

Who knew? Well, Ramtha did, of course.

Which is fine with me, right until they start f*&^ing around with quantum physics. Though i guess i should have known that quantum physics held the answer to depression. Heisenberg seemed like a happy guy, after all.

Hey, kids, getcher CDC trading cards

From Cruel Site of the Day

Twin Towers Toy Recalled

MIAMI, Aug. 27, 2004 (AP) Small toys showing an airplane flying into the World Trade Center were packed inside more than 14,000 bags of candy and sent to small groceries around the United States before being recalled. Lisy Corp., the wholesaler that distributed the candy, said Friday that the toys were purchased in bulk from a Miami-based import company.

The toys came in an assortment purchased sight unseen from L&M Import in Miami and included the toys depicting the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the twin towers, whistles and other small toys, said Luis Pedron, Lisy's national sales manager. The invoice said the toy was a plastic swing

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Dolly is almost ready for therapy!

Poor Kroko!

YAAAYY! Dolly, the last stuffed animal who needed therapy from Dr. Kindermann, will soon be is now ready to begin the process!

Sehr geehrte Kolleginnen und Kollegen, Ich möchte mich kurz fassen, da mein Flugzeug wartet: Das Schaf Dolly erwartet Ihre therapeutische Hilfe. Die Patienten werden ende November 2004 für die Heimtherapie zur Verfügung stehen.

Dear collegues, Just a short message – my plane is waiting: Dolly is ready. The patients will be available for home-therapy end of November 2004. Mit freundlichen Grüßen, With best regards, Dr. Kindermann

Points for effort

US children 'abandoned in Africa'

Seven US children have been discovered suffering from disease and malnutrition in a Nigerian orphanage.

The children, aged from eight to 16, were reportedly left there by their adoptive mother.

The three boys and four girls were found by a visiting Texas missionary after he heard their accents, reports the Associated Press news agency.

They are now back in their home state of Texas, in the care of the local child protection agency.

Update 8/21 Keeps getting better...

Newspaper: U.S. Knew About Abandoned Kids

U.S. State Department officials learned that seven American children had been abandoned at a Nigerian orphanage but waited more than a week to check on the youths, who were suffering from malnutrition, malaria and typhoid, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Cell Phone Justice

JULY 28--Meet Warronnica Harris and Terrell Tolson. The Florida couple got popped this week at a St. Petersburg theater after Harris, 23, allegedly refused to end a cell phone call as the opening credits for "Catwoman" rolled. When an off-duty police officer working at the theater tried to curtail her chat, Harris announced that "she could talk as much as she wanted on her phone," according to this police report. In short order, Tolson, 25, joined in, allegedly telling Officer John Douglas that he would kick the cop's ass. The report quotes Harris as saying she would "hit the cracker in his head." In a bid to subdue the duo (pictured below in mug shots snapped by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office), Douglas blasted them with pepper spray. Harris and Tolson were eventually charged with disorderly conduct--and spared having to sit through another Halle Berry bomb. (3 pages)

Aliens vs. Predator Plushies

Thanks, Ted

"F&%# you AND your plums!"

Thanks, Dietsch.

Pokia

Thanks to Sarah Dyer.

Donkey Bong

Crap, that redirects you to the home page. Go to 'Cartoons'>>'Gerbil Cartoons'>>'Donkey Bong'

SG needs a hint, please

Thanks, Sebbo.

Make your own icon

The part of a face or the body is choose and a portrait icon is made on-line.

(The Japanese version possibly gives you more options.)

UPDATE - Woohoo, i can represent all my favorite sites and people:

suzers	Hello Merry	VenusinForums	Jenblossom	So Dietschy	Andi Sizzles	Barklage
Polly Sings	Woobus	The Beat	Sk8 Jesus	Kelly Sue	Becki	Luckahack	Heiblog

Monstre du Jour

... do you think i really care what you think?

ETA: OMG the screensaver is amazingly cute, like an animated Amelie with monsters! And i typically hate screensavers.

Mermaid Parade

Candy is Dandy

Maybe because the still photomicrographs of crystals of various cocktails (and other substances) as they appear under polarized light were pretty enough to distract me.

Mint Julep

But movies are always fun. God, i really do hope some of my tax dollars went to them.

Can they get more selfish?

Two accused of phoning in plane bomb threat so one could retrieve passport

AP wire service June 5, 2004

PHILADELPHIA -- A bomb threat against two American Airlines flights was a hoax to allow a traveler time to retrieve her passport, the FBI said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT Hatice Ceylan, 18, and Ilyas Savas, 33, were charged in federal court with violations including conspiracy, said Jeffrey A. Lampinki, special agent in charge for the FBI's Philadelphia office.

The suspects had been scheduled to fly Wednesday from Philadelphia to Boston and then to London, but Ceylan forgot her passport, the FBI said.

Savas allegedly called in the bomb threat to a hotel Wednesday morning to give Ceylan time to get the document.

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Play that funky music,

Thanks, Ace Macdonald.

Vampires in the...sun?

i cannot say it better than Cruel Site of the Day did: "A market I didn't know existed: Affluent live-action role-playing goths who like sunny Jamaican beaches and outdoor activities such as scuba diving and shuffleboard."

Oooozinnnng!

Poisonnnnnnnnn! Even though it is freezing (my hands and feet are numb!) i think it is officially summer now, for i have not slept in two days. i guess i am an anti-bear, since i inverse-hibernate. Bleedinnnnnnnng!

Emptyyyyyyyyy!i need something to address my existential angst. 'Crazy Bob' Harris told me there wasn't supposed to be any angst. Miseryyyyyyyyy!

Decayyyyyyyyy! A guy called 'Crazy Bob' ought to know, right? That means it must be time to revisit Strindberg+Helium. Strindberrrrrg! and Heliuuuuuuum!

Hellllllllllllll!A few visits to see S+H are also going to be necessary because i will be needing an antidote to this disturbing thing if i am ever to sleep again. For you!

PacManhattan Fever

Some people have WAAAAY too much time.

A player dressed as Pac-man will run around the Washington square park area of Manhattan while attempting to collect all of the virtual "dots" that run the length of the streets. Four players dressed as the ghosts Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde will attempt to catch Pac-man before all of the dots are collected.

What the...

You have to have your audio on to have the full Melanie Griffith experience.

Really, never.

Though it is cute. i do not think i could bear to eat it.

Oh, shit, NO PUN INTENDED! (Stolen from the fantastically talented and funny Charity.)

i will never understand the Japanese

Happy Kanamara Matsuri! ^__^ ...Other attractions include locals carving penises out of daikon (radish), children and young women sitting astride penis-shaped seesaws for good luck and fertility blessings, as well as a seated banquet in the compound of Kanamara Jinja (aka Wakamiya Hachiman-gu shrine) where the phallic radishes are auctioned...

Do not try this at home

Hijacked!

On the way to the gym, a little old lady flagged me down at a stop sign and demanded i take her to the market. It was out of my way and all, but what can you say to an old lady?