text:
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Come On Barbie, Let's Go Party
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I think every grandmother was required by law to make enough of these things for her family to cover a mountain of TP. (My personal favorite was our red-dressed flamenco dancer. You?) After this was done, those dear crafty souls had to come up with new ways to use their stockpile of doll torsos.
Enter: the doll cake!
It was understandable when at first children assumed they were being served yarn and TP. Here Jenn L. is saying, "How about you put that over there and go fetch me my real cake, before someone throws a hissy, Ok?"
Fast forward 30 years or so, and doll cakes have come a long way. Why, just look at all the diverse styles they come in now!
The "Hawaiian Shaving Brush":
The "Easy-Chair-Under-Her-Dress":
The "I'm-a-Little-Teapot":
The "Girls-Shouldn't-Have-ALL-the-Fun":
And the ever popular "Climb Every Mountain":
Cherie, Andrea M., Sanne, & Cattie P., all together now: "Life in plastic - it's fantastic!"
238 comments | Post a Comment
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 238 Newer› Newest»- The Dutchess of Kickball said...
She isn't sitting in an easy chair, that's the Octomom.
- February 18, 2009 at 9:32 AM
- The Courteous Chihuahua said...
Oh, Lord...Oh, Lord!!! Is that a c**k ring around Ken's neck?? I have to go have my eyes removed now.
- February 18, 2009 at 9:33 AM
- Sara said...
LOL LOL LOL!!! That made my morning and saved my children from many birthdays of doll cakes ;)
Im sure theyd thank you if they only knew! ;) ;) - February 18, 2009 at 9:37 AM
- Denise said...
Oh my...LOL
- February 18, 2009 at 9:38 AM
- Grandma J said...
I'd love to know the stories behind some of these cakes...although I'm not so sure I'm ready for the Ken doll cake story! That one blows my mind!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:38 AM
- D.B. Echo said...
I'm amazed I haven't seen a "stripper popping out of the cake" version yet.
The Barbie versions of these cakes sell for $49.99 at my local grocery store. I'm in the wrong line of work. - February 18, 2009 at 9:39 AM
- Arlynn said...
I remember these from some of the adolecent birthday partied I attended when I was younger.
Even then, they always creeeped me out!
I even remember one instance, when, after the birthday girl blew out the candles, and before the mom could cut the cake - she had to remove the doll - legs & all!
AHHHHH.... creepy - and if I remember correctly, someone actually "got" to lick the icing & crumbs off :-P - February 18, 2009 at 9:39 AM
- Baking and Mistaking said...
Oh my god. Oh the childhood memories. I too had a plastic dolly in a giant mountain of frosting, for my 6th birthday in fact. I'll have to dig up the picture sometime.
That guy in a mesh shirt really is something though. - February 18, 2009 at 9:39 AM
- Sarah Glova said...
The Easy chair, lap full of candles is definitely the best. Great post to end the Valentine's marathon -- your cake photos over that heart holiday were so hilarious, I didn't know how you would follow. These were great!!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Holy crap! The Earring Magic Ken cake is the BEST! I don't care what the party's for, I SO want to be invited!!!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:41 AM
- Miranda said...
Buh! Wuh?
It's not that hard to do a decent doll cake, I swear! What were these people smoking? - February 18, 2009 at 9:42 AM
- Laura Meaux said...
OMG, that had me ROTFL! If CCC is your nemesis, doll cakes are mine. I don't understand the fascination with placing 1/2 (or all) of a plastic toy down into the cake. It's kind of dirty....but, hey, if that's what they want....
- February 18, 2009 at 9:43 AM
- Leslie@leserleeslovesandhobbies said...
Oh boy. LOL. What's the deal with the Ken doll? What is it supposed to be?
- February 18, 2009 at 9:44 AM
- Amanda said...
These just got better and better as I scrolled down. Thanks for the morning laugh.
- February 18, 2009 at 9:46 AM
- VR said...
Sad! My mom made a Lady Lovely Locks cake for my 7th birthday and she's not a professional decorator and her doll cakes always turned out fabulous. I'll have to look for a picture - these took me back to those good 'doll' days...
- February 18, 2009 at 9:49 AM
- roisin said...
i didn't know that Ken came with a see-through mesh shirt!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Wait...is Ken wearing a skirt or...standing at the top of a flowery hill or...has he sunk waist-deep into a pile of flower-poop?
- February 18, 2009 at 9:51 AM
- Velda said...
wow, these brought back memories...but I seriously didn't need that Aqua song in my head now lol...Thanks for a fabulous site, I get a laugh each and every morning!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:52 AM
Thanks Jen, now I'm going to be humming Barbie Girl all day.
That said, I love the "girls shouldn't have all the fun" cake. It brings back fond memories of the first drag show I went to in college (hey I was in the arts department what do you expect?)
Good times...thankfully we never had one of those toilet paper holders.
*skips off singing, "Make me walk make me talk, do whatever you please I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees...."*
GAAAAH! - February 18, 2009 at 9:54 AM
- erizzoreth said...
Love these, love your blog! I read it every day for a laugh. I'm a pastry cook and get a real kick out of these. Keep 'em coming!
Oh, and, I agree.. the Flamenco dancer IS the best one. - February 18, 2009 at 9:56 AM
I've learned from experience. I made sure I finished my sip of coffee and set the cup down before I pulled up this blog. Boy am I glad I did!
My lap! My lap! My lap! is on fire.
no water , no water
let the *bleep* *bleep* burn.
I coudln't help my self :o) - February 18, 2009 at 9:57 AM
- joyce said...
My mouth fell open in shock at the Dolly Pardon cake---what will they think of next? She does not even look like a dolly. But, guys?? Seriously?? A Ken doll? And the ring around his neck on a chain? What does it mean?
Climb every mountain is hilarious! Her heels must be ten inches! - February 18, 2009 at 10:02 AM
- Etiquette Bitch said...
omg. I had a doll cake around age 7; it looked like the "normal" one in the first cake photo.
i'm laughing because the Ken cake--did anyone else see this?--he's wearing a c**k ring. (no, that's not "cake ring.") - February 18, 2009 at 10:03 AM
- Heide said...
I've made several of these monstrocities at the urging of my late MIL.
Is Ken's ring to scale? - February 18, 2009 at 10:03 AM
- Carrie Penny said...
I am so glad no one in my family could make cakes! Well, at least no one that would make my cakes as a kid!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:08 AM
- k8lynr said...
oh. my. gosh.
that is magic earring ken.
wow. best worst cake i've seen. wow.
-kate - February 18, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- Nicola Searle said...
I was at first perplexed and then fascinated by the one my grandma made me about 20 years ago. I remember it being very, very sweet.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:14 AM
- Cecile said...
Holy cats, someone made a Jocelyn Wildenstien cake! That is what the "little teapot" one is, right? Not meant for children, I hope?
- February 18, 2009 at 10:18 AM
- very married said...
i TOTALLY had one of these!!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:21 AM
I almost bought a cake just to send a picture to Cakewrecks, but I had no other need for it, and frankly I was afraid of it. It was a doll cake, though - and the lid wasn't tall enough for the torso of the doll, so the bakery had cut a hole in the lid. Since the display was sitting almost literally in the doorway of the store - and the cake was definitely for sale - I'm sure that it was nice and sanitary and there were no surprise gnats or other foul things in there. Completely sure of that.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
- Mommy of M's said...
This is 'desk-slapping' good.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
- Justine said...
Oh man! I didn't think these lovely things existed anymore! I've even seen Empress Martha S make them.
My fave TP Cozy was the white poodle with the googly eyes that Grandmom did. I still have it and will now give it a week in my retro bathroom in her honor. - February 18, 2009 at 10:24 AM
- Katy said...
Not only do I have those horrendous (and hilarious) images burned into my brain, but now I have the Barbie Girl song stuck in my head. So thanks for that.
:) - February 18, 2009 at 10:25 AM
I have to wonder what the decorator used to augment the breasts in the Dolly cake... jello, perhaps?
- February 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM
Am I the only one inspired to make a Drag Queen Ken cake now? Maybe even a "To Wong Fu" wrecktacular...
- February 18, 2009 at 10:29 AM
- kjl said...
The lap on fire doll kind of looks like she's about 15 months pregnant.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:32 AM
- Julie Julie Bo Boolie said...
OMG thank you! those cakes always creep me out!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM
- Byrdie said...
OOOOOOhhhh man, Earring Magic Ken. He was totally the stud of my Barbie Collection. Good times.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:37 AM
- The Fat Dietitian said...
Love it... I have plans for a topless Barbie cake for my husband's birthday! :)
- February 18, 2009 at 10:38 AM
- HorribleLicensePlates said...
I am laughing so hard I can barely breathe. So funny!!!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Easy Chair Barbie cracked me up! The girl in the background looks thrilled!! I can just imagine her rolling her eyes thinking "Oh for the love of..."
- February 18, 2009 at 10:41 AM
- Nandi said...
OMG! It was all I could do to keep myself from ROTFL at work!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I have a crochet doll over an air freshener sitting on my toilet tank at home. My gramma made her. "She's an Indian baby!", Gramma said. Gramma is not very PC.
Verification: "ourated", as in "Doll cakes that aren't malformed are so ourated." - February 18, 2009 at 10:43 AM
- Colleen said...
Those are atrocious! If someone got me one of those I think I would run away screaming. Or pull the doll off and burn it. At least that way it would just look like a round cone cake...
~Colleen (cyberrblue.wordpress.com) - February 18, 2009 at 10:48 AM
OMG, I love the one with "Earring Magic Ken" otherwise known as the first openly gay Ken doll. When that Ken came out one of my anthropology professors was so excited she bought one and brought it to class :)
Chihuahua: yes, it is a c**k ring. Earring Majic Ken came with: an earring (plus a pair for his lucky owner), a purple mesh shirt, black pants, loafers, and the lovely silver necklace. Oddly, he wasn't on the market very long. i think he is considered to be collectors item now. - February 18, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Thank the gods I didn't even KNOW these cakes existed until I was an adult!
If I had one of those as a child, I would have needed to be medicated!!!! - February 18, 2009 at 10:51 AM
- Katie said...
I totally had a doll cake when i was a kid! I was so happy in the pictures!! The doll had a beautiful dress made of fluffy pink frosting.. I loved it (well I can't actually remember the cake, but it appears from the pictures that I loved it...)
- February 18, 2009 at 10:53 AM
- Bri said...
The Leaning Tower of Pinkness aka. Octo Mom is very randomly bizarre.
The dolly in blue is a little...um...grown up...in a dirty sort of way.
WV: tabilliz - possibly the name of the dolly in blue. - February 18, 2009 at 10:55 AM
- Jenny said...
I personally like the pasties on the hula dancer! :)
- February 18, 2009 at 10:58 AM
The "I'm-a-Little-Teapot" looks more like an "I'm-a-big-drag-queen" doll cake.
- February 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM
- Olive Cake said...
Oh, my god... I am rolling... I was laughing to begin with, but then my four year old came over to see and asked very perplexed about the easy chair doll, "Mama, wha's wong wif her? She's meltING!"
LMAO!! - February 18, 2009 at 10:59 AM
- Unknown said...
OMG, that third one is totally Courtney Love... That said, my grandma actually made the dolls for our beds and not toilet paper. Still only a torso in a dress, but it was meant to sit as a decoration on the pillows. I put mine through the washer. She died.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:00 AM
- Kelli W said...
Hilarious!!! The one with her lap on FI-yur is SUPER funny. And I don't think I want to know the story about the Ken doll!!
- February 18, 2009 at 11:02 AM
- The Liebers said...
I made one of these for my daughter's 4th birthday! It was pretty atrocious, but I didnt pay $50 for it! I had to break Barbie's legs off to get the proportions right. You can see it
here in all its glory! - February 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
- Unknown said...
That teapot barbie cake is creepy, and I didn't know Ken was like that! LOL
~Amy B. - February 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
- Gladys said...
I loved this post! It makes me not feel so bad about my own experience with A Doll Cake.
I posted my first experience here http://gladysspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/because-you-asked.html making my very own Barbie Cake for my Grandaughter. It was a Pink Peptobismal Explosion of Barbie goodness. - February 18, 2009 at 11:04 AM
- Unknown said...
Who put an Earring Magic Ken in a cake? Those things are collector's items! Seriously, there a gay guys who would pay a lot of money for one of those.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:09 AM
- MaineCelt said...
Ah, yes. Eaaring Magic Ken. Yes, folks, you're seeing the upper half of the outfit he actually came in,(minus the purple leather-look vest) complete with, um...an ornamental pendant. My college dorm mates chipped in to buy one of these as a tree-topper for our dorm Christmas tree. We made paper wings and a pipe-cleaner halo for him. Wanna make a cake outta that?
wv: "tings." How do people come up with these tings? - February 18, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Too funny. Someone should do an cake celebrating Barbies Birthday - A 50 year old Barbie!
- February 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM
- Tabitha (From Single to Married) said...
those are AWESOME!!! Especially love the one with the candles in it. I kind-of think that these are definitely the "no-candles-necessary" kind-of cake!
- February 18, 2009 at 11:21 AM
- Unknown said...
So, I think on the hula cake, the barbie maybe wearing a very precarious frosting bra?
- February 18, 2009 at 11:22 AM
- Unknown said...
for the do-it-yourselfers out there, they sell half-doll-torsos-on-a-stick at joann fabrics in the bridal section. everytime i see them i have a flashback to a wedding i was in.... the maid of honor was sooooo excited about the "treats" she made for all of the bridesmaids. i'm sure you can guess they were doll cakes, but she gave them all haircuts and proportions so they were eerily similar to us in our dresses. i saved mine to "show my mom", took it home, and promptly disposed of it. i was pretty sure it was trying to steal my soul.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:24 AM
- Melissa said...
come on now...I think the hawaiian skirt doll came out quite nicely...everything else though.... not so much
- February 18, 2009 at 11:28 AM
- Jenni said...
"It's a kilt!" says Ken.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:35 AM
- kacyd said...
- February 18, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Am I the only one that gets grossed out by the thought of doll hair in the frosting??? EEEWWWWW!!!!
But I LOVE the Ken doll cake! Cockring indeed! - February 18, 2009 at 11:41 AM
- Mrs. Frogster said...
wow - those are . . . incredible!
- February 18, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I spit out my coffee when I reached the Ken doll... HA HA HA HA! What a collection!
o.O - February 18, 2009 at 11:50 AM
- Jill said...
To The Courteous Chihuahua: I hadn't even noticed that until you brought it up. OMG!!! Too funny. I was totally opposed to doll cakes until I saw that Ken doll.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:55 AM
- ErinGoBarnCurlies said...
Thing that pick and white was a cake given the the mother of those octuplets?
awesome. - February 18, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Um, is Hawaiian Shaving Brush Barbie wearing a frosting bra? Uhhh... *looks around furtively* where can I get one of those?
- February 18, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Ha ha ha! Jen, I think this is the funniest post yet-and I've read them all! You are truly talented.
- February 18, 2009 at 11:59 AM
- Dani said...
Okay they're cheesy but it was the perfect cake for my friend who's a drag queen.
- February 18, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Awww man! I should send you the picture of my Goth Chick doll cake a good friend made for my birthday one year. Her top was made from electrical tape and she had black hair with purple streaks (like me at the time). Granted, it wasn't professional but it was darn good!
- February 18, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Wow, I'm surprised no one has commented on the Hawaiian doll's icing top. There's so much that could be said about that...
And I totally have 'Barbie Girl' in my head. I'll be singing that for weeks :-( - February 18, 2009 at 12:05 PM
If Ken's sexual orientation was still in doubt, it isn't anymore. Ken has been "outed", Cake Wrecks style!!
- February 18, 2009 at 12:12 PM
- Unknown said...
Are you sure the last one is "Climb Every Mountain" and not "Don't Cry For Me Argentina?"
Unrelated: Tag. You're it. I've tagged you on the Premios Dardo award - February 18, 2009 at 12:14 PM
DANG! That Ken doll cake is just...WRONG! Dude, if you must put Ken in drag do it right and put some make-up on the poor guy for god's sake. And give him a good looking hat and purse to match his outfit.
We need smileys on here lol - February 18, 2009 at 12:16 PM
- Jaedyn said...
OMGoodness, this is one of your funniest posts yet!! I literally burst out laughing at the fire barbie!! Hilarious!
- February 18, 2009 at 12:20 PM
- the un-bride said...
Yep, my grandma made those, too!
- February 18, 2009 at 12:22 PM
My friends mother made one of these and she highly reccommends that you don't use candles. Apparently Barbie's hair is extremly flamable. Isn't that a beautiful image?
- February 18, 2009 at 12:26 PM
- Photographer Leia said...
when I was about 8 my mother made one of these and it turned out freally well actually! she baked the cake in the mixing bowl from her Cuisenart and decorated it minimally with swoops of "fabric". I think the best part is she just took the top half of a dollar store "baribe" with a barbie top and put it on top. That way you didn't have to pull the whole barbie out. It makes me sad that other have had such "barbie ballgown" disasters. I suppose when you don't have much you can often do a lot.
- February 18, 2009 at 12:27 PM
- Anne B said...
I LOVE these wrecks!!! I am guilty of making one of these for my daughters 4th birthday and wondered about where to put the candles... we opted for in the cupcakes made from the extra cake mix as opposed to trying to set her lap on fire.
Oh, and the pictures from the beginning. I was at a family wedding when I was a little girl where the wedding cake was a traditional tiered cake plus there were SEVEN of these doll cakes each in a different color for the bride and bridesmaids to match with the actual wedding party!!! I wish I had a picture of that one! - February 18, 2009 at 12:30 PM
- Mikki Black said...
I was saddened by the title of your post, because my favorite cakes as a kid were the Barbie cakes.
Then I saw your samples.
Oh, my.
Oh, my, my ,my. My memories are tarnished forever. And the Ken cake just may have made me snort coffee out my nose. Maybe.
Well done. - February 18, 2009 at 12:30 PM
To borrow a phrase from a popular TV show, "Seriously?"
- February 18, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Wow, this really brought back some memories of Grandma....
Instead of toilet paper we had a large basket the size of a clothes hamper. Our doll was life sized! - February 18, 2009 at 12:42 PM
- TheDaughterOfTyr said...
I have been the recipiant of both TP-hider doll toroso and Barbie-Birthday cake.
I'm scared... so scared...
By the way you got that damned song stuck in my head the moment I read the title of this entry. I hate you so bad right now. LOL. - February 18, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Reminds me of about 12 or so years ago when Mattel brought out a Birthday Barbie when she was popping out of a cake. I referred to it as 'stripper Barbie' I still wish I had picked one up because they disappeared pretty quickly off the shelves probably after some complaints.
- February 18, 2009 at 1:01 PM
- Jason Messinger said...
This is the funniest Blog I have ever seen!
I am such a fan I added a link to my blogs: Jason Messinger Art Blog
Jason Messinger Writes Blog
I hope these links get more people to see your great site. Thanks for keeping me and all your readers laughing!!!! - February 18, 2009 at 1:06 PM
- cmj said...
I have a Ken doll put away for making one of these for DH's birthday...complete with the quote "hope your birthdays not a drag" Just waiting for the big 4-0
- February 18, 2009 at 1:07 PM
- Christa said...
Thank you now I am singing Climb Every Mountain, I appreciate it. The "Easy Chair" one looks more like she's terrified of catching on fire or like there was a big gust of air that was only from the waste up.
- February 18, 2009 at 1:11 PM
I went to a 4-yr old's b'day party this weekend with one of these. Sick sick sick. The torso is molded to an enormous spike.
Sherry - February 18, 2009 at 1:12 PM
- Susan - said...
They are bizzare enough just to look at (the Ken cake?!), but the idea of hair - even fake hair - that close to my food is too much. ~SHUDDER~
- February 18, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Aw, man, my mom used to make one of those doll cakes for me every year (until I got old). Oddly enough, I think we had that same couch, too.
- February 18, 2009 at 1:24 PM
ROFL! Too bad about Dolly's arms, because otherwise that would be one rockin' cake. Well, not for a five-year-old's birthday, which is what I presume most doll cakes are for. But I like her.
The Ken cake is awesome too except that no self-respecting drag queen would wear a skirt that ugly.
But anyway, I've never SEEN a TP cozy version of a doll cake before! Did the TP cozies really come first? They are truly awful, of course, but then, so is that entire class of objects. Decorative TP covers are just weird no matter WHAT they're supposed to look like. (I will admit to a small fondness for certain Kleenex box covers though.) - February 18, 2009 at 1:40 PM
OMG! The best! And Ken...what a naughty boy...who knew? Ok...we all knew!
- February 18, 2009 at 1:44 PM
- Nonna said...
Hilarious ! I wanted a Barbie Cake for my birthday when I was a little girl and never got one...I think this year I'll order one ! LOL
- February 18, 2009 at 1:48 PM
- B^2 said...
OMG! I saw a couple of these being made on an old episode of Martha Stewart recently (via her daughter's show on FLN called "Whatever, Martha! -- incredibly funny, I'd recommend it) and thought of this website immediately.
So I'm very excited/pleased/vindicated to see the doll cakes showcased here today. - February 18, 2009 at 1:54 PM
- Mommy's Wish List said...
I got my first Barbie cake at age 39 *sniff*
Here's me and my blue Barbie cake and matching blue furry birthday hat my friends made me wear.
http://tinyurl.com/dmzgrc - February 18, 2009 at 1:57 PM
- Robyn said...
AAAH! My mom made me a barbie cake for my birthday one year and I LOVED IT! My birthday's in Halloween so she was a witch - dark green icing, too, which made all us kids happy because we could run around with abnormally-colored tongues.
- February 18, 2009 at 1:57 PM
I cannot believe those were made by real professionals...
- February 18, 2009 at 2:01 PM
- Marie said...
You know there's nothing more offensive than naked TP.
- February 18, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Horrible or no, I desperately want to go to whatever party commissioned the Ken Does the Castro cake. HEAVEN!
- February 18, 2009 at 2:03 PM
- Denise said...
I can't stop laughing at my lap, my lap my lap is on fy-yur!
I still have Big (questionable orientation) Ken in my collection. I like him too much to make a cake out of him. - February 18, 2009 at 2:03 PM
- Ed said...
Where do all the left-over legs go?
- February 18, 2009 at 2:09 PM
For those of you who don't remember Earring Magic Ken (and I'm so glad to see some of you do), Wiki knows all, of course.
- February 18, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Hmm, I wonder if anyone can procure the video clip of 'Whatever, Martha!' for these little nightmares?
- February 18, 2009 at 2:11 PM
The Earring Magic Ken cake is the BEST. I totally want one for my next birthday.
(And yes, most people are pretty sure Mattel cluelessly provided Ken with what amounts to a c**k ring on a chain. It was probably the best doll of the early 1990s for that very reason.)
- Lisa. - February 18, 2009 at 2:16 PM
- Kat said...
I will never, ever listen to Barbie Girl the same way ever again.
I wonder......why would someone make a KEN cake? Doesn't everybody hate that doll? (shivers)
Thank God my mother never made a Barbie cake.
she always made a castle or a ladybug. - February 18, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Thank you so much for posting these! My Mom made me a doll cake for one of my birthday's and I was just over the moon about it! I think I'm going to see if I can order one for my next birthday. LOL
- February 18, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Uh, the Ken cake..what? Why?
Just because you can, does not mean you should! - February 18, 2009 at 2:20 PM
- Cute Things in Paint said...
no no no no no. these are TOO ABSURD! please tell me WHAT is happening with the teapot one- ARM! what happened?? also, like always- the commentary is spot on, esp regarding the shaving brush barbie. excellent.
- February 18, 2009 at 2:21 PM
- Charlene said...
I laughed until I cried...I thought these cakes were like the rest of the 70's horrors - never to be seen again, never to be admitted that I wore some of those styles, did my hair that way, etc.
Oh my goodness....no words left to say...except, um the blue teapot, did they frosting-ly enhance her? she was gigantic. - February 18, 2009 at 2:22 PM
And someone always gets to lick the frosting off! I remember that from one of my childhood friends bday parties. Her older brother, probably like 10yrs, got to lick the frosting off. Yeah, bad mom. But I've always wanted one...even in adult life I still want what I couldn't have as a child. That's probably while the're still made because people are giving their kids what they didn't get. Weird. What's with the 10ft tall cake and the angled pattern?
- February 18, 2009 at 2:30 PM
I thought maybe the Ken one was supposed to be Scottish, but that just wouldn't explain the mesh shirt and earring/necklace combo. I would love to hear the backstory to that one.
(Should I admit to making a bridal dolly cake for a wedding shower several years ago? I still have the poor half-doll pick around somewhere....) - February 18, 2009 at 2:35 PM
- Niki said...
i am most disturbed, actually, by the hawaiian doll's lick-off frosting bikini. that was before the mention of what may or may not be around ken doll's neck. now i'm in a serious moral debate about which is less appropriate for children...
- February 18, 2009 at 2:42 PM
- MJS said...
I always loved loved loved my mom's doll cakes. There were all very "Gone With the Wind" although I always felt bad that the poor doll is actually an amputee from the waist down. These however are just awful!
- February 18, 2009 at 2:47 PM
- evil cake lady said...
Earring Magic Ken! The "necklace" apparently comes with the doll, as does the purple mesh shirt! That is too awesome!
- February 18, 2009 at 2:51 PM
- Jo-Momma said...
OK, the barbie cakes are creepy enough, but throwing cross dressing Ken in there. That just begs too many questions for a young child's birthday party. Or maybe this is a "coming out" cake?
- February 18, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Sadly, my soon to be 7 year-old wants one of these so bad. She loves Barbies and saw one at the grocery store. I have been trying to think how to utilize my basic baking skils to make one 'cuz $50 for a cake (especially one as hideous) is outrageous.
- February 18, 2009 at 2:59 PM
I think the cake that says "Dolly" on it is Dolly Parton...check out the boobs. What little girl needs a cake with DDD boobs....that's surely setting up large expectations, eh?
The Ken cake is just wrong on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin....nice bling .... wait ... what is that bling ... oh no! Dude ... what kind of party is Ken attending? - February 18, 2009 at 3:00 PM
- Scritzy said...
As a rank amateur who took basic cake decorating as a lark, I made better-looking Barbie cakes than these.
HOW BIG did that "mountain" cake pan have to be? Or are there multiple layers under there? The doll should have been on top of the cake, wearing climbing gear.
Holy freakin' cow.
Word Verification: tingen. I started tingen all over when I saw the Ken cake. - February 18, 2009 at 3:04 PM
hee heee heeee... the Ken!!! The flaming lap!!!! *gasp* hee hee heeeee
- February 18, 2009 at 3:08 PM
- Rachael Berkey said...
I totally had one of these cakes when I was little. I think mine was a blonde barbie with vanilla cake and pink frosting. I was 8 so of course I LOVED it.
- February 18, 2009 at 3:08 PM
- Anna said...
- February 18, 2009 at 3:14 PM
I've really GOT to stop visiting your blog at work. People are coming out of the hallway wanting to know what is so funny! My lap ... my lap ... my lap is on fire!
- February 18, 2009 at 3:16 PM
If I showed this blog entry to my Gran, she would adore each and every one of these 'wrecks'. I recall a babyblue princess knit toilet roll cover that graced the back of her throne. Hilarious!
- February 18, 2009 at 3:16 PM
- Unknown said...
Hey now...I am getting my feelings hurt here. I made one of those for my daughter's birthday a few years ago. It was a "princess cake" and she asked for it after seeing one in a Wilton book. It was better looking than these...but really, pretty standard for a little girl's birthday. My daughter loved it! Those of you who are disgusted are either jealous you never got one, you have never had a 4 year old daughter, or you throw some lame birthday parties!!!!
Of course, you wash the doll in soap and warm water and maybe bleach and rinse and dry...no big deal! Granted...the cake pictured rate from, "what pan did they use for that?!" to "Yuck!" - February 18, 2009 at 3:23 PM
So funny!!
- February 18, 2009 at 3:29 PM
- Beverly said...
my favorite TP cover was my grandmother's Mrs. Claus one. It was disturbing to say the least.
did you ever see the crocheted mushroom to cover the ajax can? i still have that one in the living room on the entertainment center w/ a 30 year old little plastic bottle of ajax because it's just too bizarre. - February 18, 2009 at 3:31 PM
I think the burning lap barbie is not in an easy chair, but rather about 9 month pregnant
- February 18, 2009 at 3:44 PM
- Albie said...
These are really funny....and so much funnier because they were supposed to be "cute" or "sweet".
What horrible cakes! - February 18, 2009 at 4:09 PM
- The McKay Clan said...
We refer to these as "bitch in a bowl" cakes.
- February 18, 2009 at 4:15 PM
my sister and i had doll cakes when we were kids, but thankfully, mom took her time when she made them and they came out really nice. otherwise i think we both would have needed therapy. for some reason my mom still had the doll torso in a kitchen drawer until sometime after i graduated high school. i'm not sure if she was planning on making a doll cake while we were in our teens or what. i'll have to check next time i'm at her house and see if it's finally gone.
- February 18, 2009 at 4:32 PM
- Balgram said...
Dang. I actually think the Hawaiian ones are adorable. I wouldn't mind having that Ken at my birthday (mwahaha i'm a loser d'aww).
- February 18, 2009 at 4:45 PM
- NWK said...
"My Lap is on FI-YUR!" killed me. I'm still crying and the kids what to know why "fire" is spelled wrong. I haven't laughed that hard in ages, thanks!
- February 18, 2009 at 4:49 PM
- Amy said...
LOL, the whole "My lap is on FI-YUR!" thing cracked me up.
Honestly, I think I enjoy your commentary more than the cakes. :P - February 18, 2009 at 4:51 PM
- cindy said...
That Ken doll cake may be my favorite thing ever. Who thought that would be a good idea? Did s/he do it in secret, or did this idea actually pass through more than one person's hands? Because if more than one person didn't see the problem with that cake... well, just color me flabbergasted. Or grateful, I suppose, because now I get to look at it all the time.
- February 18, 2009 at 4:53 PM
- Johara said...
That hawaiian doll is sitting on a coconut. Once you peel off the thick outerskin, looks just like that.
- February 18, 2009 at 4:54 PM
I wish I knew these were wrecks, my local supermarket has had one on display forever, although I always thought it was cute. Much better than most of these, anyway.
- February 18, 2009 at 5:27 PM
- Serena said...
Wow... I keep seeing those cakes at Meijer, thinking I should send a pic in--too late, I guess!
Is that supposed to be Dolly Parton??? That's horrible....
The Ken one is just creepy.
...and is the big white one supposed to be a wedding cake or something??? - February 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM
This cracks me up and brings back a tragic memory: Me, an excited 8-year-old, smiling at the doll cake placed in front of me. A crowd of friends and family look on with delight as I make my wish. Then...FOOM!! Her hair goes up in flames as I blow out the candles! Cue fire extinguisher and uncontrollable sobs. "Nekked" Barbie has a nasty charred scalp and the room reeks of burning hair. Ahhh...the memories. Thanks for digging up that old wound :)
- February 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM
- Dataceptionist said...
I always thought these cakes were called Dolly Varten cakes and there are special tins for them?
- February 18, 2009 at 5:46 PM
- Kelsey said...
wow. the "girls shouldn't have all the fun" cake is so great.
- February 18, 2009 at 6:31 PM
I wondered when I'd finally see these. I made one for my daughter's 3rd birthday. It was definately a wreck. LOL
-April - February 18, 2009 at 6:40 PM
You can buy a regular Barbie (as opposed to generic doll picks) and wrap her legs in plastic wrap before inserting her in the cake. That way b'day girl gets a new Barbie. Probably no less sanitary than eating out at a restaurant...lol.
As far as Hula girl Barbie, I think it's actually kind of cool. But every doll cake I ever saw had the torso covered in frosting, usually those star tips making a dress top of some kind. So for all the *gasp* lickable tops, they've been making doll cakes that way for as long as there have actually been doll cakes. No kid ever thinks about it. - February 18, 2009 at 6:44 PM
Mona, use a mixing bowl to make the skirt, as in actually bake it in there. That's basically what they are.
I had one of these, my sister had one, my stepdaughter had one in her turn. Most of these cakes (not Ken or Dolly Parton obviously) are made for little girls who adore ruffles and flowers and pink and purple, preferably with sparkles. I LOVED these cakes as a kid. - February 18, 2009 at 6:48 PM
- Unknown said...
At my boyfriend's camp there's a disturbing red satin/black lace miniature merrywidow hanging in the bathroom (which is otherwise decorated with license plates). I think it holds toiletries, and maybe the little garter clips on the bottom hold towels??? I don't know why, or who thought it was a good idea.
- February 18, 2009 at 7:33 PM
Is it just me, or does the gorgeous Ken look suspiciously like he's sitting in the lower half of a Dalek?? (For those who don't know them: http://www.geocities.com/dalektimeline/NewDalek1.jpg)
Now that's one Captain Jack could go for! - February 18, 2009 at 7:37 PM
They do a similar thing at Fecci's Ice Cream Parlour in Tenby, Wales.
They call it the Crinoline Lady and it's ace:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robandkatie/482382050/in/set-72157600399004575/ - February 18, 2009 at 8:04 PM
- Margi Macdonald said...
I always knew Ken harboured secret yearnings to frock-up
- February 18, 2009 at 8:50 PM
My mom made a witch doll cake for a Halloween carnival one year. It looked better than these wrecks, though.
- February 18, 2009 at 9:11 PM
Holy crap! "Girls-Shouldn't-Have-ALL-the-Fun" LMAO
I hated those TP things when I was a kid, and would have thrown my cake at my mom if she served me one of those;) - February 18, 2009 at 9:40 PM
- okapistripes said...
Hahahahahahahaa love the Ken cake!!
- February 18, 2009 at 9:46 PM
Hello friend :)
- February 18, 2009 at 10:52 PM
- LindaBudz said...
That Ken one is awesome!
- February 18, 2009 at 10:59 PM
- The Girl Next Door said...
Please oh please I just need some cake to Eat. Now. Or is that in bad taste?
- February 18, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Oh. Wow. That Ken doll is not a modified Ken doll. Mattel actually sold him that way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earring_Magic_Ken - February 18, 2009 at 11:33 PM
- Tina Woolston said...
I've ordered my first special order "professional" cake and am getting it tomorrow. I'm nervous, but also kind of excited, because I know if it's a wreck, I'll get to post it here and that'll be a pretty good consolation prize!
Tina W. - February 19, 2009 at 12:42 AM
now THIS is a good barbie cake!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cakecream/3198262260/ - February 19, 2009 at 1:23 AM
Mummy made me a doll cake when I was about 5 and I loved it. Until she cut it open and I realised she'd pulled the legs off my favourite Barbie. (Nearly 20 years ago, I'm over it of course... *sob*)
- February 19, 2009 at 4:12 AM
- incurable hippie said...
I had a doll cake for a birthday when I was a kid and it was my favourite EVER birthday cake!!
- February 19, 2009 at 5:17 AM
I am taking a cake class the "doll cake" is what I have to make. *hanging head in shame*
- February 19, 2009 at 6:57 AM
Of course, my 3.5 year old was looking at my screen, and now I've PROMISED her one of those cakes for her next birthday. Not what you intended, huh? LOL Well, I guess I now need to find someone willing to make one for her to look like a princess. I think you are allowed to love Kitch at 4. ;)
- February 19, 2009 at 7:50 AM
- joyce said...
These comments always make me chuckle--and it is so good to see folks helping each other with how to make the cake skirt. But, the story of the candles being blown out and the Barbie hair catching on fire---yikes. I only had sons...but, they would have loved that extra! wow These cakes and directions need to come with warnings.
- February 19, 2009 at 8:14 AM
- Ekio Locatiare said...
*giggles madly!* I love love love the Ken cake. I so want to make one like that. (of course not with the origional Ken they used! Though I actually think I have that somewhere.....my sister gave over all her barbies when I got pregnant... I had boys, lol!)
I'm happy to say I never asked for or got a Barbie cake. I'd so have tossed that puppy! - February 19, 2009 at 8:18 AM
- Us said...
i had that was ken doll. he was the one that was supposedly the gay ken, with the pierced right ear and his purple fishnet shirt. came with a sweet boombox too.
- February 19, 2009 at 9:21 AM
- Nancy said...
My girlfriend had one of these cakes years ago. I was initially very jealous. All I remember about it is that she ended up looking a lot like Michael Jackson on the set of the infamous 1984 Pepsi commercial where his hair went up in flames.
It's hard to enjoy cake when there is a toxic haze and the odor of liquified plastic polymers hanging over the dining room table. - February 19, 2009 at 9:55 AM
- All My Monkeys said...
Come, now, the hawaiian one wasn't so bad. I was more surprised not by the skirt but the huge red nipples she was sporting.
Um, should I mention I will be making one of these lovely doll cakes for my beloved soon-to-be-4 yr olds birthday next week? She asked for it, and since I'm a slave to birthday whims, I will happily fulfill her wishes. - February 19, 2009 at 10:28 AM
- ilovebabyquilts said...
Wow. Just...wow.
Oh, and the 80's called Ken, they want their mesh shirt back. - February 19, 2009 at 11:29 AM
- Julie said...
I just saw on Facebook a friend of mine that made a doll cake for her daughters birthday. It was very recent and it looked just like the first picture only it was blue. Very funny! My first thought when i saw it was 'Cake Wreck' and then i saw this. Perfect. . .
- February 19, 2009 at 12:30 PM
- ebidebby said...
I remember a friend of mine had a Barbie cake at her 8th birthday party, and I was so jealous!
- February 19, 2009 at 12:52 PM
I had a Barbie themed party when I was about 5 or 6. Had one of these doll cakes, then proceeded to play with the Barbie for years after. Mine looked so much better than these, however. Well balanced skirt, in pink if I remember correctly.
- February 19, 2009 at 3:01 PM
- Cami said...
LOL! I've made two doll cakes for my daughters so far (I have 3 girls, two of which are old enough to be princess fanatics). I'm not a professional and I like to think both of mine came out way better than these lol
- February 19, 2009 at 4:38 PM
- hamburke said...
oh man, now I have to go find that song on youtube and make sure it's G-rated...
- February 19, 2009 at 4:41 PM
- hamburke said...
btw - hubby's long-time friend made one of these for her daughter a couple years ago and she pulled the legs off before putting the doll in. That's much wierder than pulling out the doll legs and all...
- February 19, 2009 at 4:44 PM
The inappropriate candles bring exactly one word to mind:
Firecrotch! - February 19, 2009 at 8:20 PM
My favorite part of the Ez-chair cake (aside from the fact that she's pregers and has tried to light the fetus on fire) is the bored looking chin in the background. Someone is not impressed.
- February 19, 2009 at 11:22 PM
- L. Shepherd said...
Wow, that is so funny- my grandmother actually did have the red Spanish dancer one in her bathroom. Even as a tiny kid I thought that thing was hideous.
- February 19, 2009 at 11:50 PM
- Julie said...
Oh my...these are hysterical! I am going to be repeating the 'my lap is on fi-yur' part for days, I just know it!
What horrifying to me is those are professional cakes! I made a Cinderella Barbie cake for my daughter's 5th birthday - bought the Cinderella doll and wrapped her in plastic wrap before assembly. It turned out great! And it honestly was not that hard! Goodness! - February 20, 2009 at 12:12 AM
- Calico said...
This was hilarious! I loved the easy-chair one!!
- February 20, 2009 at 4:14 AM
I wish that the title of this post was "Come on Barbie, Let's Go Potty".
- February 20, 2009 at 4:49 AM
It looks to me like firelap Barbie is/was doing the limbo. Maybe the pole was lit and this is the result of an unfortunate (read: hilarious) incident.
- February 20, 2009 at 5:24 AM
- Amy said...
This entry prompted me to share my own Barbie cake wreck story at http://4thfrog.blogspot.com!
- February 20, 2009 at 8:48 AM
- Melissa Gay Art said...
Suddenly I have the urge to bake my best friend a Kaylee's Party Dress from the "Shindig" episode of Firefly for her birthday!
WHAT HAVE I BECOME????????? - February 20, 2009 at 11:28 AM
- Science said...
My surprise 9th birthday party, replete with doll-cake, just came SCREAMING back to me.
Thanks!! - February 21, 2009 at 3:04 AM
Seeing those cakes reminded me of how I came to have a favorite grandma and a not-so-favorite one (both loving and caring, in their own way). It all started 6 months before my 4th bday with my boy cousin's AWESOME train cake. I knew that was what I wanted! But the grandma who made that cake was insistent that girls didn't want train cakes; they wanted doll cakes. And so, that's what I got for my party with dad's side of the fam. Mom's mom made me the best train cake EVER when she heard how disappointed I was when I got the doll cake.
- February 21, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Oh, please don't tell me that last one was for a wedding...please no (cause the only thing worse that having a cake of YOURSELF in bridal gear is substituting barbie...or whatever that is).
Though I will say I really liked the barbie-cake I got as a little girl. - February 22, 2009 at 6:37 PM
- Lorraine Woodward said...
too lazy to read all of the comments, so sorry if someone else said this.
my mom used to crochet dolls like that, but she took a 1/2 gallon milk container cut in half (so the bottom part) and made it into a purse but you could tuck the doll into the purse.
yeah, I know. It's hard to even conceive of. - February 22, 2009 at 10:41 PM
- Michele said...
Those cakes with the real dolls in them crack me up. When I was little my mom attempted the same thing but the cake wasn't completely cool before she put the doll it. The Barbie legs melted inside!
- February 23, 2009 at 10:03 PM
I swear we were just singing the Barbie song tonight.....it rears its ugly head every know and then!
- February 24, 2009 at 11:12 PM
- TheWantonSeedStitch said...
OK, gotta admit: I love the Big Gay Ken In Drag cake!
- February 25, 2009 at 10:45 AM
- Katie said...
I had a barbie cake when I was little! At the time I thought it rocked. (hey, it was late 70's/early 80's!) The only disappointment was the doll is only half a doll, I wanted a full one to play with!
It looked like this -
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Barbie-Doll-Body-for-Barbie-Cake_W0QQitemZ320262697867QQcmdZViewItem - February 25, 2009 at 1:38 PM
Re those toilet paper dolls... my mom used to make them for every bridal shower. One for the bride complete with a veil and flowers, and then of course one for each bridesmaid in the color of bridesmaids dresses. We still have one that my cousin gave us when my mom made hers. We thought it was pretty kitschy then, but now that mom's been gone 16 years we love it!
- February 26, 2009 at 11:43 AM
LMBO this was an eye opener Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded two years ago by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan. http://www.fredjsmilek.com
- February 26, 2009 at 3:00 PM
- Jessica said...
I remember asking for a Barbie cake on at least one occasion when I was younger. I think my sister did, too, and we thought they were awesome. My mom's cakes all looked a thousand times better than these, though. To be perfectly honest, if I had a daughter I would totally make her a Barbie cake.
- February 27, 2009 at 9:57 PM
My mom made one for me for a birthday growing up.
I loved it... and I still love that one, lol. She was well made and proportionate. My mom's made some great cakes for my siblings and I growing up(Thank you Wilton!)
But then, she's not a professional.
And these doll cakes are just scary. - February 28, 2009 at 12:45 AM
I think the guy looks like Jay Manuel from America's Next Top Model. Seriously!
- February 28, 2009 at 10:16 PM
oh my goodness! i had a doll cake for like, my 4th birthday party or something like that.. my mom made it. dear me.. scary things..
- March 5, 2009 at 4:22 PM
- Heather said...
I HAD a half doll cake for one my my bdays. I was so excited about it, too. Hee hee.
And I owned that Ken doll. - March 5, 2009 at 6:17 PM
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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
So. I went to New York.
But you knew that, right? Because: I Tweeted the entire damned time. You grew sick of it; you un-followed me; you unsubscribed to the blog; you made little BPD's and burned them in effigy. It was shameless, shameful, disgusting, and really just me bragging about the awesome time I was having. I'm sorry. I really am. I have no class.
I have even less class than you think. I'm going to re-live the weekend for you via the Tweets, with a little added detail here and there as seems appropriate. Because you care about every tiny detail (I've used an italicized phrase beginning with "every" twice now in this post; I'm a great writer.) It's going to be long, arduous, and I doubt you'll make it to the end, because I'm not that interesting.
Landed safely at JFK. 04:55 AM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Why at 4:55am you ask? Because it was the redeye from San Francisco. All times are Pacific Standard Time.
Just had a good lunch at Perry Street 10:42 AM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
I can be even more inane. Wait for it.
Walking through Times Square, to go to Red Mango, which I could totally go to at home. 12:08 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Because seriously, I didn't need to fly to New York to go to a yogurt shop. Women. Can't live with 'em, can't leave them at home while you avoid yogurt shops.
Getting ready for dinner and then Avenue Q. 01:57 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Self-explanatory? This Tweet just means that I changed my shirt.
In a cab. Watching tv. New York has the best cabs. 02:36 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
But I can go the rest of my life without seeing Regis and Kelly again. They were on a loop every 10 minutes in every cab, talking about what a great cab we were in and how awesome the little tv's are.
Dinner at Freeman's in the Bowery. Smell that sweet hobo urine aroma. 02:51 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
This place was at the end of dark, scary alley. There were stuffed animal heads on the walls and the restaurant served rabbit. Emily won't eat anything cuter than she is, though, so she had a cheese plate. I had a steak, because no cow is cuter than Emily.
Rushing to see Avenue Q 04:54 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
So, as dinner was winding down we jumped in a cab to go to Broadway for this show involving muppets and sex and swearing. But the cab took forever and we were going to miss the call, so we jumped out of the cab a couple of blocks away and ran (Emily was in heels) down the street, shoving lame theater-goers (lame after we had knocked them to the ground and stomped on their ankles, anyway) out of the way, and we just beat the curtain.
Avenue Q was awesome. Show-stopping number was "Schadenfreude", a duet between a muppet and a woman playing Gary Coleman. Un-real. 07:15 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
If that doesn't tell you exactly what Avenue Q was about, I don't know what else to say about it.
At The Brandy Library in Tribeca. 07:31 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Just ordered a 20 year old Linkwood scotch to follow the 15 year old scotch that no longer takes up residence in my glass. 08:42 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Scratch that: a 24 year old scotch 08:58 PM October 03, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Good morning New York. Go away housekeeping; I know it's 11am, but seriously? I'm on vacation. And a leetle hungover. 08:09 AM October 04, 2008 from web
Housekeeping tried to walk in on us twice. Because when we got back to the hotel we didn't have the presence of mind to put the latch on or put the "Don't even try to open this damned door" sign up.
Having brunch at Gold St (which is on Gold Street, coincidentally). Then we go searching for New York. 09:57 AM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Going on the NBC Studios Tour at 30 Rockerfeller Center. 11:07 AM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
I know. I'm a sucker for tourist traps.
Saw a little SNL rehearsal on the NBC tour. Anne Hathaway, that Keenan dude, and a HUGELY pregnant Amy Poehler. 12:27 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Going to Central Park. 01:19 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
There were entirely too many strollers and happy family-types hanging around Central Park for my "abandoning my child at home with grandma" comfort.
Taking a carriage ride around Central Park. Smells very horse-y 02:09 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Central Park carriage ride takes about 15 minutes. 02:23 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Seriously? 15 minutes? What about those long romantic tours around the park that I see in the movies?
At FAO Schwartz looking for that big keyboard thing. 02:40 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Two store employees playing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on the big piano at FAO Schwartz. Made my day. 02:56 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Don't send mail. I know I misspelled "Schwarz".
At St. Patrick's Cathedral. 04:31 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
After I Tweeted this I had the following conversation with Emily:
Emily: You're going to hell for Tweeting in here, you know.
Me: What? I'm not Catholic.
Emily: God doesn't care.
Out to dinner with the Hot Blogger Calendar folks. A big dinner with a whole lotta people who don't know each other ;} 05:27 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
(Me and Miss Britt)
(Jane Porricelli does her first tequila shot. With her parents looking on.)
So, in case you didn't know it the excuse for the trip was that somehow enough of you clicked on a little button over at the Hot Blogger Calendar site for me to show my boobs to the world, all at my own expense. Well, Emily's expense. It's not like I work, right? I'm just a dad. Lazy dad. Slacker. Sitting around the house all day.
Hot Blogger Calendar dinner and drinks just paid for by http://www.helpareporterout.com . 07:35 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
So, at the end of dinner as we were all reaching for wallets and preparing to do the "I swear I left a 20% tip but now it looks like there isn't enough money in the pot" dance, Peter Shankman just straight up announces that his organization bought dinner. Peter Shankman. Help A Reporter Out. Peter Shankman. Help A Reporter Out. (<———I figure I owe them this much at least for the chimichanga).
OMG I'm having dinner with Peter Shankman: he is so dreamy!!!! 08:14 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Dinner is over; stumbling down 42nd avenue. Where all the cabs be at, yo? 09:03 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Currently singing "never gonna give you up" in a shop. NYC: you have been Rickrolled. 09:19 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
In actuality New York Rickrolled me. I was only singing it because it came on the speaker system in the store.
Thank you, kind cabbie, for agreeing to drive us down Broadway at lethal speeds at 1am. Your samaritan act will not be forgotten. 09:56 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Wil Wheaton won't be in the Hot Blogger Calendar, but that's not stopping Emily from watching "Stand By Me" in our hotel room. Dammit. 10:13 PM October 04, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Damn you Wil Wheaton. Baby stealer.
Did you know that 10am happens in New York too? I didn't. I'm not sure I'm the better for knowing it. 06:59 AM October 05, 2008 from web
Tequila stings a little in the morning.
Getting ready for the Hot Blogger Calendar photo shoot. Do I have time to do about 10,000 crunches? Where's my Spanx? 08:04 AM October 05, 2008 from web
That's right. I know what Spanx is/are. Even if I don't know if it/they is/are singular or plural.
In a cab on the way to the shoot that I will be late for because I totally took too long styling my hair. And it looks like it always does. 08:59 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
It really did. My hair always looks the same.
At the studio. Met @busydad. Dude looks pretty damn hot in person, ladies. 09:33 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Seriously girls, I almost made out with Busy Dad myself, because he is just that hot in person.
Photographer had me lying on the floor with my hands behind my head. I feel so dirty now! 10:04 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
I don't want to think about it! Oh, the shame!
My shoot is over. I may or may not have taken my shirt off in front of a room full of women. Not for pictures. Just cuz. 10:16 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
I totally did. Twice.
Walking around Grand Central Station, no longer a Hot Blogger: just a geeky tourist with a camera and a Blackberry. Tweeting. 11:31 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Went to sit on a bench, cop said: "don't sit there, we have an unattended bag" and then he called in the K-9 unit to sweep. I'm such a rube. 11:41 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
It was so matter of fact that I didn't even think "hmm, there could totally be a bomb in that Papyrus bag". Oh, that's right, because there is no way in hell there was a bomb in that bag.
Progress down E42nd Street abrupted by the Polish-American Day Parade down 5th Ave. Not one Polish joke overheard. 11:56 AM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
This parade went on forever. I think it even impeded traffic on the other side of town in the morning.
Just took a picture of Emily with a pan-handling Elmo. Awe-sum. 12:35 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Grover was turning tricks the next block over.
Two Hot Blogging Dads meet face to face. The world explodes from their hotness. http://tinyurl.com/3qobcd 03:29 PM October 05, 2008 from web
Ok, Flickr Photostream: Behind the Scenes at the Hot Blogger Calendar Shoot http://flickr.com/photos/backpackingdad/sets/72157607765196410/ 03:52 PM October 05, 2008 from web
At Del Frisco's with @chicshopperchick , waiting for @alexcaseybaby 05:28 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Paid just enough money for a sampling of some very, very good steak.
Just finished dinner/drinks with @chicshopperchick, @busydad, and @alexcaseybaby. Going up the Empire State Building now. 08:03 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
At the top of the Empire State Building. Taking pictures in the dark. 08:22 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
If you are going to go to the Empire State Building and you don't care about, you know, seeing any buildings or anything, I highly recommend going at 11pm. There is no line whatsoever.
Singing karaoke with @busydad and @chicshoppachick 09:12 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
This will not end well. You know that, right?
@busydad is up!! Singing Toby Keith's "Get Drunk and Be Somebody" 09:36 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry in reply to BusyDad
Ladies, he sings too!
Note to self: Journey's "Lights" is about a half-step to high for me to sing. In public. Tenor I am not. 09:58 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
This was incredibly painful to attempt. Because not only is it a half-step out of my range, the entire freaking song is within a couple of notes of each other, so it wasn't just the high notes I was missing: it was basically all of them. Also, I'd only had one beer so I was in no condition to do karaoke; I need at least 4 beers. Of course, with that much beer I'd have really been straining to hit those notes. I should have done a Johnny Cash song. But thank God for forgiving, drunk, New York karaoke bar patrons who didn't actually boo me. But I walked off the floor like a rock star, flashing a double Sign of the Devil and sticking my tongue out as if I hadn't just murdered an awesome drinking song. Then my lovely wife had to go and show me up by knocking out some Ace of Base.
The long day is over. Early flight out of JFK tomorrow morning. 10:20 PM October 05, 2008 from TwitterBerry
But, it's so early. Why do flights have to be so early? 04:35 AM October 06, 2008 from web
It's fun to ride in the back of a cab without wearing a seat belt. Only been thrown against the partition twice though. 05:20 AM October 06, 2008 from TwitterBerry
Really, I ought to have learned my lesson after the first time. But I'm slow like that in the morning. Also? The hour-long cab ride into New York from JFK really only takes 20 minutes. Who knew that all you needed was a cabbie willing to take pedestrians and school buses down with equal glee?
JFK has lots of ""Fun Zones". But they all have the same double-console "Ms. Pacman/Galaga". I don't like either enough to play every 25ft. 05:59 AM October 06, 2008 from TwitterBerry
I mean, I like them. But what jackass made this call: "We're going to have little arcades in the big lobby areas, and they'll be a ton of fun, but we're only going to have two games. And those games will be 25 years old. But new copies. Nostalgia should be powerful enough to get them to plunk quarters down every 10 minutes and 20 steps. Right?"
Arrived safely at SFO. 02:05 PM October 06, 2008 from TwitterBerry
And that was that.


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Knowledge Under Threat in War-Torn Mali
29 Aug 2012
The destruction of mausoleums and shrines in Timbuktu by Islamic militias caused international outrage and drew attention to a war that has destroyed not only monuments but also many human lives. Mali's cultural heritage is under threat, and so is its heritage of traditional knowledge linked to agriculture and food.
Before the conflict exploded, Slow Food was working with the FAO and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Italian Development Cooperation) to promote traditional products from the country, and from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Senegal. This project led to the creation of the Timbuktu and Gao Katta Pasta Presidium. The towns of Timbuktu and Gao are in the northern Azawad region, where the Tuareg and the MNLA (Mouvement National pour la Liberation de l'Azawad) are demanding independence.
Katta pasta is shaped by women from a dough made with local wheat flour, and recalls the shape of Italian trofie. Dried and toasted, it is usually eaten cooked in a sauce of dried fish, tomato, meat and spices.
Almahdi Al Ansari, the Presidium coordinator, reports: "Currently in Timbuktu the women cannot go out unless they are accompanied by a man from their family and completely veiled. The government army units were concentrated here and so the 'pale-skinned' population fled, fearing retribution because they were believed to support independence. Some of the Presidium's women are now among the refugees in camps in Mauritania and Burkina Faso. The economy has stalled, agriculture has been destroyed, and no-one is sowing or harvesting."
Almahdi does have some positive news: "A few of the darker-skinned women have remained. They are still making katta pasta, and production has increased, maybe even doubled, because the people have had to stop eating rice, which came from the south. Instead there is an abundance of flour from Algeria."
Find out more:
Download the publications produced by Slow Food as part of the project with the FAO.
Discover the Presidium at the Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, in Turin from October 25 to 29, 2012.
Photo: Timbuktu and Gao Katta Pasta Presidium by Paola Viesi
Blog & news
Change the world through food
Learn how you can restore ecosystems, communities and your own health with our RegenerAction Toolkit.


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Asheville Golf Tournaments
Our Team
Choose Asheville Golf Course as the location of your next golf event. From the moment you begin coordination until the final award is handed out, we are here to serve you. Whether you plan to hold a large corporate or charity event, or just a group of 12 on a golf getaway, we desire to ensure your complete satisfaction. To get your planning underway, just complete the form on the right.
Experience North Carolina Golf
Asheville Golf Course combines a great golf experience with the unmatched beauty of the North Carolina Landscape. Our seamless integration of friendly service and gorgeous natural surroundings is what will bring your group back year after year. Your guests are sure to enjoy the hospitality of our staff along with the graceful beauty of our facility.
The Tradition Lives On
Each year Asheville Golf Course entertains numerous private groups and organizations. Regardless of the size of the group or the reason for their golf event, our staff works diligently to make their golf outing a success. Explore your options with Asheville and experience what has made our golf course one of North Carolina's best.


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I have been enjoying making rice pudding ever since I discovered it not too long ago. While the local strawberries were in season I knew that I would have to try a strawberry rice pudding. I was thinking about several different ways of making a strawberry rice pudding and decided to go with a simple plain white rice pudding with large pieces of fresh strawberries. Balsamic vinegar goes really well with strawberries and I thought that serving the strawberry rice pudding with a balsamic syrup on top would be nice. I also sprinkled some chopped pistachios on top to add some colour and a contrasting texture. Rice pudding is pretty easy to make and if your rice maker has a porridge setting it is even easier. The strawberry rice pudding with balsamic syrup was really good. The slightly tart balsamic syrup was a perfect compliment to the sweet strawberry pudding. I prefer to chill rice pudding in the fridge before eating it but sometimes I just can't wait; luckily it is good warm.
Strawberry Rice Pudding with Balsamic Syrup
- 1/4 cup rice (medium or short grained such as arborio)
- 2 1/4 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 handful strawberries (sliced)
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon pistachios (chopped)
- Bring the milk, rice, sugar and vanilla extract to a boil in a sauce pan.
- Reduce the heat and simmer until the milk is mostly absorbed, about 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small sauce pan to reduce to a syrup.
- Mix the strawberries into the rice and drizzle the balsamic syrup on top followed by the chopped pistachios.
Mango Coconut Rice Pudding
Rice Pudding with Cranberries and Pistachios
Mango Shrikhand
Strawberry Balsamic Jam


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Return Policy
In Store Return Policy
At The Lucky Knot, we want your shopping experience to be the best. Therefore, we gladly accept unworn, unwashed, with tags or defective merchandise within 14 days of your purchase for exchange or store credit with receipt. Please note, purchases made in stores can only be returned for an exchange or for store credit with receipt. Formal Gowns are final sale. Due to the nature of the special occasion industry and delicacy of our gowns, all formal purchased are final sale and not eligible for exchange or returns.
Online Order Return Policy
We gladly accept unworn, unwashed, or defective merchandise within 14 days of receiving your order. As we are a small business, we do not issue return labels, unless an item is defective or an incorrect item was sent to you. Just send your returns with your preferred shipping provider to:
The Lucky Knot Returns
213 King St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
You can add the packing slip that was included, or a note with your name & order number so we can be sure who to refund! Once we receive your return, we will issue the credit back to the original payment method.
If it is for an exchange, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com to ensure your exchange is available, or send back your return with your exchange request on the packing slip provided in your order.
Late or Missing Refunds
If you have not received a refund yet, please check with your bank/credit provider first. It may take a few business days for the credit to post to your account. If you still don't receive a refund please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Newcomer, Rebecca Handler, explores visual culture within the context of contemporary image-making.
At Aesthetica, we are constantly looking for new artists. In this interview, we chat with Rebecca Handler (b. 1981) a New York based photographer about her practice. Although Handler is a newcomer to the international photography scene, one thing is apparent, her vision creates impact. From her highly stylised Vintage series and sardonic portraiture, her work has a certain allure that captures the flux of emotions. Her methodology reflects contemporary image-making, by mixing photography and digital manipulation. Although, Handler has no qualms about digital manipulation, this poses questions around authenticity with some photographers still only using film; what does this signify within the wider photographic discourse?
How and when did you start taking pictures?
I have always been fascinated by art and when I was younger, I would escape into my own world through art. My parents bought my first camera when I was 15, which was a fully manual Minolta x-700. I took it everywhere and spent most of my high school years in the darkroom. Fortunately, I worked at the camera store in my town, so I could afford my new hobby and soon set up a darkroom in my parents' basement.
Can you tell me about some of your series of works?
Vintage (2010) was based on beautiful, sensual and provocative photographs from the 1920s. In their day, these images were considered racy, but today they only allude to sexuality. For my shoot, I tried to capture the magnetism of these sultry and powerful women by embracing their femininity. In the Broken series (2009), I use the idea of being broken as a metaphor for the human condition. Lifeless bodies are beautifully framed within the image, and thus, become compositional elements of that environment.
What's the narrative behind the Twins, the current Aesthetica cover?
As part of my Vintage series this image represents the notion of duality and the idea of double personalities, doppelgangers and alter egos. I was inspired by a number of photographs of twins and look-a-likes, most notably, photos by Diane Arbus and Mary Ellen Mark. I'm fascinated by the dichotomy of identical things, in this case people. How can something be simultaneously the same and different? For this shoot, I decided on a circus theme, which included two images. The first one was a glamorous circus performer who was shot in a house of mirrors. I used the mirrors to continue this theme of duality, while the other image depicts the less enchanting workers, shot outside of the Big Top tent. The backdrop was a loan from a friend who made it for a Bergdorf Goodman window display as part of a circus tent he constructed.
How do you plan each shoot? What happens before, what happens after?
My shoots are premeditated; a lot of visualisation and planning goes into each and every step. Before the shoot, I explain in detail the character that the sitter will be playing. I love people and can relate to almost anyone, so for my sitters, I use a variety of friends, acquaintances and professional models. I think there is a great benefit in getting everyone involved and excited about the process. I form a connection with my sitters by getting to know who they are, taking the time to find out what they like and what they dislike. This research helps to inform how their individual personalities will enhance the overall image.
How do you get a particular project started? What's your process for organising this?
The process begins with a small idea that grabs my attention and imagination. When I start a project, I create a brief and often do a sketch, which is drawn from reference images that I source to provoke inspiration. Next I choose a location, lighting, styling, models, and then I'm ready to get started. After the shoot, I will make my selections from the images taken, and then the post-production work begins. I'll examine the overall tone of the picture, and then undertake some digital manipulations to enhance the image, for example, mood and colour. At this point in the whole process of image-making, the picture comes to life and my vision is fully realised. My images are not just a moment in time or a snapshot, they are completely orchestrated, and I see the process more like making a painting.
You mix photography and digital manipulation, while some photographers still shoot with film, how has embracing technology changed your work?
I feel that technology allows artists to further explore the limits of their imagination; it is a tool that facilitates the true capturing of a vision. The means to create art are constantly evolving and if Photoshop will help me to attain my intended vision, I will take advantage of this technology. Why not use the tools available to help transcend limitations? As artistic processes develop, the only true restriction will become the artist's imagination.
What photographers and artists influence you and why?
I am particularly influenced by old media art, advertising and fashion photography. Photographers who inspire me include: Gregory Crewdson for his lighting, elaborate sets, fog machines and the open-ended narratives that he creates in his images. I also love his bizarre images of American Suburbia (2003-2005) where he shows chaotic scenes, frozen in time. Another photographer is David Lachapelle for his usage of bright colours, extravagant and conceptual fashion photography and cultural references. The uninhibited nature and brilliant character leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. Finally, it has to be Richard Avedon because I admire the connection he had with his sitters, as well as his amazing ability to capture the moment through beauty and composition.
What do you feel is the role of the image in today's society when they have become so disposable?
Although images may be disposable, their impact most certainly is not. As a society, we are visual creatures that are ultimately inspired and motivated by what we see in the world around us. This is obvious in how we present ourselves to the world and each other, for example, what we wear, what we drive, and even how we decorate our homes. In each portrayal we hope to intrigue, inspire and captivate our "audience." As a culture, our lifestyle is a direct result of the visual manifestations created by artists. Think about the impact of advertising and the fashion industry.
Your work takes on a range of genres from highly stylised portraits to surreal creations, how do you feel this is engaging with reality?
I refuse to limit my art. I am free with my ideas and never question myself or my intentions. When there is something I want to photograph, I shoot it. Sometimes I only fully realise the subconscious meaning behind my images after they are finished. I don't wish to engage with reality; I want to inspire imagination. There is a huge amount of thought and philosophy behind my projects, but I also allow myself to be uninhibited because that's the only true way to tap into the subconscious. I often feel like I'm teetering somewhere on the boundary between reality and dreams, but I believe this is the place where art is created.
What are you working on now and what are your future plans?
Right now I am working on a series of images based on adverts from the 1960s, but of course I will add my own kitsch twist. For this series, there will be four images that will represent the seasons. I also have an idea for another project, which will be focused around broken marionettes, but really my future plans are just to continue shooting.
To view more of Rebecca Handler's work, visit www.rebeccahandler.com.
Shirley Stevenson


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The world could soon get its first official look at the CIA's post-Sept. 11 interrogation and detention activities now that the Senate Intelligence Committee has voted to make public a blockbuster report about the agency's secret program.
The Senate panel's move to declassify key parts of the 6,300-page document comes just weeks after a rancorous battle erupted between the committee's Democratic chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, and the CIA over allegations the agency spied on members through their computers.
Eleven senators voted to declassify, with three Republicans voting no — Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, James Risch of Idaho and Dan Coats of Indiana.
One senator, Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, voted present.
Efforts to lift the blackout on the report had been opposed by Republicans on the 15-member committee until Wednesday, when Maine's two senators — Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King — called for its release.
The senators suggested that the findings, though criticized by some GOP committee members as erroneous and based on unproven assumptions, "lead us to conclude that some detainees were subjected to techniques that constituted torture."
The report goes next to President Obama — who in 2009 ended the controversial interrogation program — for review before any findings are released.
Here's a look at some of the more prominent Senate voices in the unusually public fray over the controversial document, its partial release and the charged relationship between the CIA and the powerful committee.
Dianne Feinstein, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman
Feinstein stunned the intelligence community in early March when she took to the Senate floor and publicly denounced the CIA, alleging that the spy agency had searched the committee's computers and secretly removed documents relating to the report.
In what she described as a defining moment for congressional oversight of the CIA, Feinstein also accused the agency of engaging in tactics of intimidation by asking the FBI to look into investigators' methods and conduct. CIA Director John Brennan has disputed her claims.
The California Democrat, 80, was a supporter of the Patriot Act and National Security Agency data collection.
Feinstein said this on the Senate floor about the CIA and release of the report:
"If the Senate can declassify this report, we will be able to ensure that an un-American, brutal program of detention and interrogation will never again be considered or permitted.
"But Mr. President, the recent actions that I have just laid out make this a defining moment for the oversight of our Intelligence Community. How Congress responds and how this is resolved will show whether the Intelligence Committee can be effective in monitoring and investigating our nation's intelligence activities, or whether our work can be thwarted by those we oversee.
"I believe it is critical that the committee and the Senate reaffirm our oversight role and our independence under the Constitution of the United States."
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman
Chambliss, the highest-ranking Republican on the typically bipartisan committee, has been among its most vocal critics of the secret report and opponents of its declassification.
After Feinstein's comments on the Senate floor, Chambliss, who is retiring at the end of this session of Congress, took to the floor himself to respond, urging that intelligence business remain out of public view. He also suggested that Feinstein's accusations of computer snooping by the CIA are as yet unproven.
"Although people speak as though we know all the pertinent facts surrounding this matter, the truth is, we do not," he said.
The Georgia Republican reiterated his — and Republicans' — skepticism about the contents of the report:
"The Republican committee members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and staff were not involved in the underlying investigation of the detainee and interrogation report. We do not know the actual facts concerning the CIA's alleged actions or all of the specific details about the actions by the committee staff regarding the draft of what is now referred to as the Panetta internal review document. Both parties involved have made allegations against one another, and have speculated as to each other's actions. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions that must be addressed."
In the end, though, Chambliss voted to declassify.
"Today, I voted in favor of sending a portion of this majority report to the executive branch for declassification. Despite the report's significant errors, omissions, and assumptions — as well as a lot of cherry-picking of the facts — I want the American people to be able to see it and judge for themselves," he said in a statement.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller
Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat who is also retiring at the end of the session after three decades in the Senate, chaired the Intelligence Committee from 2007 to 2009. His 2007 order of a review of CIA records related to "enhanced" interrogation techniques and reports that the agency destroyed videotapes related to such interrogation eventually led to the massive report in question.
"There need to be an incredible number of reforms. That will catch us up to where we should have been 10 years ago," he told The Hill newspaper last month. Of the report, he said: "The substance of this thing is so deep and so wide and so unknown to the American people."
Sen. Marco Rubio
Rubio, a potential GOP presidential contender in 2016, has called for an investigation into Feinstein's allegations of CIA spying, saying this during a Bloomberg interview:
"There should be an impartial investigation of it, and I think until that point people should reserve judgment. But I would just caution that I don't think anyone has a clean hand, and I think it's important for the full truth to come out. I think people may be surprised to learn that, in this case, there were no good guys and maybe two or three bad ones.
The Florida Republican was one of only three Republicans to vote no.
Sen. Mark Udall
Udall, a Colorado Democrat, has been front and center on the issue of the report and allegations that the CIA rooted through the committee's computers. He threatened to stall the nomination of the CIA's general counsel, and has alleged that the agency has provided the committee with conflicting accounts of its post-Sept. 11 activities.
In a letter last month to President Obama, Udall characterized the CIA's "actions to be incredibly troubling for the Committee's oversight responsibilities and for our democracy."
Sen. Susan Collins
Collins, a Maine moderate, was the first Republican committee member to publicly back release of portions of the secret review of CIA activities. She and fellow Maine Sen. Angus King released this statement Wednesday:
"We remain strongly opposed to the use of torture, believing that it is fundamentally contrary to American values. While we have some concerns about the process for developing the report, its findings lead us to conclude that some detainees were subjected to techniques that constituted torture. This inhumane and brutal treatment never should have occurred. Further, the report raises serious concerns about the CIA's management of this program.
"Our vote to declassify this report does not signal our full endorsement of all of its conclusions or its methodology. The report has some intrinsic limitations because it did not involve direct interviews of CIA officials, contract personnel, or other Executive branch personnel. It also, unfortunately, did not include the participation of the staff of Republican Committee members. We do, however, believe in transparency and believe that the Executive Summary, and Additional and Dissenting Views, and the CIA's rebuttal should be made public with appropriate redactions so the American public can reach their own conclusions about the conduct of this program.
"Torture is wrong, and we must make sure that the misconduct and the grave errors made in the CIA's detention and interrogation program never happen again."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Keys - Skins - Cards
Online Games
$ Currency
Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn, the advancement of Final Fantasy 14 which was published in 2010, is an MMORPG that was developed by Square Enix and globally released in August 2013. Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn takes place in the fictional world Eorzea and comes with many cherished items from the FF universe such as airships and chocobos.
As a player in Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn you have to decide for one class and can create your character according to your personal preferences. Make your life in Eorzea easier with Final Fantasy 14 Gil and equip your character thanks to FF 14 Gilwith impressive weapons and armor.
Here at MMOGA you can buy Final Fantasy 14 Gil fast and easily. With FFXIV Gilyou can equip your character optimally and will never have to fear a challenge again.Buy FF14 Gil now at MMOGA.
Also buy FF14 Items.


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A few weeks ago the New York Times ran an excellent article about Vauben, a German town without cars. I meant to mention it then and was reminded to do so when The Independent ran an similar piece last week.
From the NYT:
Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban's streets are completely "car-free" — except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home.Pretty cool! Read the articles for details, but the idea that so many families are attracted to a car free, and bike friendly, place is very encouraging.
Update: In the comments Marc shared this study which I found very interesting.


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Your Home Health Center
Topic Overview
More of your health care takes place in your home than anywhere else. Having the right tools, medicines, supplies, and information on hand will improve the quality of your self-care.
Self-care tools are the basic equipment of your home health center. Store all your self-care tools and supplies in a central location, such as a large drawer in the bedroom or family room. Use the lists of tools and supplies in this topic as checklists for keeping your home health center stocked. It's a good idea to keep all your family's medical records in one place, such as in your home health center. For information on organizing these records, see the topic Organizing Your Medical Records.
Be familiar with the disaster preparation and response plan for your area. Keep the appropriate supplies on hand. For more information on preparedness and recommended supplies, see the topic Terrorism and Other Public Health Threats.
If small children are around, keep your supplies out of reach or stored in containers or cabinets with childproof safety latches.
It's important to keep the name and phone number of your doctor and pharmacy handy. Also, post the poison control phone number (1-800-222-1222) in a place where all of your household members can easily find it.
Cold Pack
A cold pack is a plastic envelope filled with gel that remains flexible at very cold temperatures. Buy two cold packs, and keep them in the freezer. Use them for bumps, bruises, back sprains, turned ankles, sore joints, or any other health problem that calls for ice. A cold pack is more convenient than ice and may become the self-care tool you use the most.
You can make your own cold pack:
- Mix 3 cups (710 mL) water and 1 cup (235 mL) rubbing alcohol in a freezer bag.
- Seal the bag and place it in the freezer until slush forms.
- Refreeze the bag when the slush melts.
A bag of frozen vegetables will also work as a cold pack.
Humidifier and Vaporizer
Humidifiers and vaporizers add moisture to the air, making it less drying to your mouth, throat, and nose. A humidifier blows cool to lukewarm mist into the air, and a vaporizer puts out hot steam.
The mist from a humidifier may be more comfortable to breathe than hot steam. But humidifiers are noisy, produce particles that may be irritating to some people, and need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. Cleaning is especially important for people who have mold allergies.
A vaporizer's hot steam is germ-free and may feel good when you have a cold. But the hot water can burn anyone who overturns or gets too close to the device.
Medicine Spoon
Medicine spoons are transparent tubes with marks that show typical dosage amounts. A medicine spoon makes it easy to give the right dose of liquid medicine. While the spoons are convenient for anyone, they are particularly helpful for people who have young children. The tube shape and large lip get most of the medicine into a child's mouth without spilling. Use the measuring device that comes with the medicine, whenever possible.
For more information, see Nonprescription Medicines and Products and Quick Tips: Giving Over-the-Counter Medicines to Children.
A handheld mirror or pocket mirror can come in handy for many uses. For example, you may want to use a mirror to help check your skin for growths or changes or to make it easier to see what you're doing when you use eye ointments or eyedrops.
A pillbox has lots of small compartments to organize your pills for each day of the week or month. A pillbox can help you or a caregiver keep track of which medicines you need to take. If it's the end of the day, and you see a pill in the compartment for that day, you likely forgot to take a dose.
Be sure to leave at least one pill in the original bottle. That way, if you forget what a pill is for, you can find it in the bottle it came from. A few medicines must be stored in their original containers so that they don't spoil. If your medicine label has this instruction, then don't use a pillbox for that medicine.
Store all medicines, vitamins, and supplements as directed. And keep them out of reach of children.
An otoscope is a flashlight with a special attachment for looking into the ear. With training, you can use an otoscope to help you decide if an ear infection is present. Inexpensive consumer-model otoscopes are available. But they do not put as much light into the ear canal and eardrum as the one your doctor uses. They can also be used as high-intensity penlights.
Digital electronic thermometers are accurate, easy to read, and durable. Temperature strips are very convenient and safe but are not as accurate as digital thermometers and should only be used to measure armpit (axillary) temperature. They are inaccurate when used on the forehead. Thermometers that measure the temperature in the ear are fast, easy to use, and quite accurate, but they are expensive.
Glass thermometers that contain mercury are no longer recommended because of safety concerns. If you have one in your home, consider replacing it with a digital thermometer. You can contact your local recycling center to see if they dispose of thermometers that contain mercury.
Rectal thermometers are helpful for children younger than 6 or anyone who cannot hold an oral thermometer in his or her mouth. For more information on how to take a temperature, see the topic Body Temperature.
Current as of: December 13, 2018
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Anne C. Poinier, MD – Internal Medicine & Adam Husney, MD – Family Medicine
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