Pot calling the kettle black

I will assume you know what that idiom means. Okay, in case you don't . . . it means accusing someone of a fault the accuser shares.

I read an article recently that began . . .

"If slavery was America's original sin, Puritanism was its original curse." I don't know about that, but . . .

Just this week, David Wu, an Oregon lawmaker resigned amid allegations of unwanted sexual advances. He also emailed a picture of himself in a tiger costume. Now that is just . . .

adorable. I wonder where he got that.

Anyway, Mr. Wu joins a long list of lawmakers with lapses in judgement like:

- Chris Lee (New York), resigned after sending bare-chested photos to a woman he met on Craig's List

Perhaps I should have uploaded this photo.

- John Ensign (Nevada), resigned after having an affair with his best friend's wife then trying to cover it up

Apparently his best friend had a problem with that.

- Anthony Weiner (New York), resigned after sending pictures of his genitals on Twitter

I decided not to upload this photo. You're welcome.

And that's just so far this year.

You may also remember:

- Mark Souder (Indiana), extramarital affair with staffer; ironically, he and she made a public video about the virtues of sexual abstinence

I love it when I get to use the word hypocrite.

- John Edwards (North Carolina), extramarital affair with campaign worker, denied it as long as possible, indicted in 2011 for using $1 million in campaign funds to hide the affair

A million dollars. It just doesn't buy what it used to.

- David Vitter (Louisiana), admitted to adultery after his name was discovered in the DC Madam's address book ; ironically Vitter took over Robert Livingston's House seat who resigned due to extramarital affair

Louisiana. My home state. Motto: Union, Justice, Confidence. It doesn't mean all of them at once.

- Bill Clinton (President), impeached by House and acquitted by Senate for engaging in oral sex with a White House intern

I wonder if Linda Tripp still thinks it was worth it.

- Newt Gingrich (Georgia), resigned from House due to extramarital affair with intern; ironically while leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton

I believe that defines the pot/kettle idiom.

- Ken Calvert (California), arrested for soliciting a prostitute; ironically received a 100% approval rating by the Christian Coalition

I'm not sure if this rating was before or after . . . need to check that.

I could actually go on, but I won't. As a matter of fact, this list could go on and on, going way back in time, but it's probably best to keep those still on a pedestal, on a pedestal. I guess we can be thankful the internet is less than 50 years old.

I started to think about this long, incomplete list of public figures who've done some seriously stupid things, but here's the thing - most are not illegal.

I'm from the "old school" by today's standards, but I still have to wonder if we could lighten up just a bit. Frankly, I'm impressed they know how to text a photo of themselves. Did I say that right?

Yes, we may be disgusted by some of these lapses in judgement, but if they haven't done anything illegal, should it really be the scandal it usually turns into? It seems their biggest mistake was not being discreet.

Should what they do in their private lives with another consenting adult be just that - private? There are some things we really don't need to know.

However, for those few days of full blown media attention, it does distract the general public from the serious issues facing our lawmakers. You can just hear them saying "Thanks for falling on your sword. There is a God." . . . while hoping for that next distraction.

Kilos

I finally bought one.

A scale.

I've completely lost track of my weight since moving to Belgium. Pounds mean nothing anymore. Over the years I've gained and lost, but on average stayed pretty average. With most of my weight in my brain and my butt, I try not to beat myself up too much when I put on a pound or two :)

These new scales are fantastic though and I highly recommend them. Here's why. They read your weight in kilos.

These new scales make me weigh in double digits rather than triple. You have to weigh 220+ lbs to even get into double digits in kilos. Anything in the 50's range is acceptable! Is this great or what?

Keep in mind that this is only good for Americans because as you know, Canada, France, Mexico, Germany, China, and . . . well, the rest of the world, use metrics.

I've never enjoyed stepping on the scales as much. You should try it or at least use this handy calculator to begin thinking of your weight in kilos.

Not only will you feel as scrawny as a fifth grader, you will no longer associate kilos strictly with cocaine.

GroupOff

Have you purchased a discount coupon from GroupOn yet?

We have.

You've practically got to be at your computer at all times to make a reasonable purchase because you only have 24 hours. Starting now.

They seem like a good deal and usually are, but our experiences have been similar to the experiences I've read about from others. Most often it's simply letting the coupon expire, but sometimes it's the feeling of being a cheapskate when you actually try to use it.

You generally have from 3 to 6 months to redeem and although that seems like a long time, it goes by fast!

Our only purchases have been for one car wash and dinner at two restaurants here in Hasselt. Dining out here is quite expensive and we enjoy having dinner out so this was a win-win for us.

First was "Dinner for 2 at Mexico", one of the few Mexican restaurants here. It was about half the price of their normal menu and included 2 margaritas. Talk about win-win! I drank them both.

Just kidding.

The only problem was that we didn't call ahead for a reservation which the coupon clearly stated - in Dutch. We just didn't read it. The waitress said it was okay, but we sort of felt like we were cheating them out of something.

Anyway, next was "Dinner for 2 at Burger Lounge". This restaurant serves a bonafide American hamburger and they. are. good.

The only problem was that we showed up at a time when the "full menu" wasn't available - like 3:00 p.m. The waitress/cashier/cook attempted to explain it to us in English and in our attempt to figure out what we could order at 3:00 p.m., we sort of felt like we had made a new enemy.

I read an article recently that GroupOn is facing a class action lawsuit seeking to apply the state laws that regulate gift-cards to GroupOn coupons.

First, this is good news as I did not know of such a state law. That's very interesting because I've certainly bought gift cards at local establishments in Louisiana that clearly had an expiration date of less than 5 years. Texas, you're not so lucky.

And there's more good news out there. If you have buyer's remorse, just sell your mistake to someone else. That's right. Apparently a secondary market has blossomed and there are now several sites - Lifesta, DealsGoRound, Takemycoupons, and Sellmydeal - that will sell your lapse in judgement for a small fee and it's all electronic.

I don't know much about how all this works, but if I pay $25 for a $50 meal and GroupOn keeps half my $25, the restaurant owner has just discounted his menu by 75%. So he just sold that $50 meal for $12.50. Yes, he may get a repeat customer, but with restaurants typically profiting about 10%, he better hope I come back several times to make up for what he just gave me.

Whatever eventually happens with GroupOn, we've decided it's really not worth it and instead, should just eat out less often. I wonder what conclusion restaurants will eventually draw.

Giving new life to your stilettos

I occasionally peruse the local newspaper online. I can't read very much of it, but it's good practice just to try. I'm also occasionally surprised (not shocked anymore) with some of the articles I come across. Like this one. Lest you be out of the loop with the newest fashion trends, here's a head's up.

If you don't read Dutch . . . translation below.

Hielencondooms de nieuwste modehype?

21 juli 2011 - Een hoesje voor naaldhakken, dat idee kwam uit de koker van de Puerto Ricaanse ontwerpster Sandrysabel Ortiz. Het hoesje moet de hak zogezegd beschermen bij een wandeling over kasseien of andere ongelijke ondergrond.

Uiteraard zijn het geen echte condooms die Ortiz daar voor gebruikt, maar het bekt wel aantrekkelijker: hielencondooms of - in de taal van de mode - heel condoms.

Je kan er versleten pumps een tweede leven mee schenken. Of gewood heel erg opvallen. De hoesjes dragen veren, een strik of een motief dat eruit ziet als savooikool. Bekijks gegarandeerd.

Ze zijn online te koop op exclusieve-accessoires.nl en kosten 25 euro per paar.

~~~~~

Literal Google TRANSLATION:

Condoms Heels Latest Fashion Hype?

Remember, sometimes a little is lost in translation . . .

A case for high heels, that idea came from the pen of Puerto Rican designer Sandrysabel Ortiz. The cover should protect the heel, so to speak, with a walk on cobblestones or uneven surfaces. Obviously not a real Ortiz uses for condoms, but it is attractive snarled: condoms for heels - in the language of fashion - all condoms. You can wear high heels half lifetime gift (Google probably meant to translate something more like give your heels a second life or give these as a gift). Or just really stand out. The covers wear feathers, a bow or a motif that looks like savoy cabbage. View guaranteed. They can be purchased online at exclusieve-accessoires.nl and cost 25 euro per pair.

~~~~~

With all the cobblestones around here, this may catch on. Especially when you've just paid €129.99 for these Steve Madden stilettos, a tribute to Belgian National Day - July 21st (Belgium's equivalent to America's July 4th). In the colors of the Belgian flag. Of course.

I can't really picture that savoy cabbage on these though. Is there a leafy yellow vegetable option, I wonder?

The Belgian Burqa Ban

First and foremost, having nothing to do with Belgium, burqas or bans, but having everything to do with birthdays, I'd like to wish my mother-in-law (aka Mrs. Frazier & Mae Mae) a very happy birthday. I won't tell you how old she is . . . well, because you aren't supposed to and because you wouldn't believe me anyway. I don't know her secret, but she hasn't changed a bit and I've known her for nearly 35 years! Happy Birthday!

***

Belgium. Burqas. Bans.

Belgium is one of the most liberal countries in the world. Issues that beleaguer other countries like . . .

> abortion - fully legal since 1990

> marijuana - not legal, but up to 3 grams is tolerated

> same-sex marriage - legal since 2003

> drinking age - 16 - driving age is 18

> death penalty - outlawed in 1996, but the last person executed in Belgium was the German war criminal and commander of the concentration camp Fort Breendonk, Philipp Schmitt, in 1950

I guess that's why Saturday's enforcement of a new law is so ironic.

Belgium now has a burqa ban. From July 23, 2011 a women can face a fine of, strangely enough,€137.50 and up to seven days in jail for wearing it.

Daniel Bacquelaine, a liberal with the Belgian Reformist Movement party and who introduced the burqa ban bill, said: "It is necessary that the law forbids the wearing of clothes that totally mask and enclose an individual. Wearing the burqa in public is not compatible with an open, liberal, tolerant society."

Was that an oxymoron?

Isabelle Praille, Vice President of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, said "Today it's the full-face veil. Tomorrow the veil, the day after it will be Sikh turbans, and then perhaps it will be miniskirts."

Point taken.

Some see it as a progressive move for Muslim women while many see it as polarizing and extreme. Perhaps it could be both, but it is most surely discrimination.

Although very few women wear the full body/face covering, Belgium joins France as the second EU nation to forbid full body burqa and full niqab veils in public.

For an open, liberal, tolerant society it seems two steps back.

"In time we hate that which we often fear." William Shakespeare