"Walmart's 'anti-aging' makeup for 8-year-old girls"

What?! Are you kidding me?! (other expletives strongly considered!) As I sat down with a great cup of Caribou blend, I saw this in "The Week", under 'Parenting Controversies' .  As  a strong advocate for children, I became immediately bilious, thinking of the multitude of subliminal messages this gives our children.  The phrase, "emotional abuse" was the underpinning for them all.  It is true that my anger, in defense of these young girls ... all with dewy, perfect skin ... receiving this message from their mentally confused parents was barely rational.  Further, as I read down the list of comments, I did not find a single comment that reflected depth or understanding of children, and our mental and spiritual obligation to them.  So .... rather than continue my rant, with its immense range of objections to this current insanity of Walmart's ( trumped only by its long-term abuse of workers, consumers, etc.), was consistent with the rest of its sketchy history.  Sooooo ...  being an equal opportunity blogger, I leave this to your own evaluation, and turn rather towards clearing the work on my desk, preparing for the onslaught of emails about this literally deranged theme!

Walmart's 'anti-aging' makeup for 8-year-old girls

The retail giant is adding a new cosmetics line aimed at the tween market, but commentators are questioning how urgently children need exfoliating cleansers

POSTED ON JANUARY 27, 2011, AT 1:43 PM

Walmart's tween makeup line features "lipshine" called "GR8" -- texting lingo for great. Photo: CorbisSEE ALL 60 PHOTOS

Kids... they grow up so fast these days. So fast, that Walmart has introduced a youth-preserving cosmetics line called "geoGirl" aimed at kids ages 8 to 12 — a demographic with an estimated $2 billion in buying power. Some commentators are in an uproar over the entry-level makeup products, some of which are touted to have anti-aging ingredients. Here, a brief instant guide:

What exactly is geoGirl?

It's a new line of 69 cosmetics products, from blush and mascara to exfoliators, aimed at the tween market. It's designed especially for young girls who want to use "real cosmetics, but with natural ingredients," says Joel Carden of Pacific World, the line's manufacturer. All products will be free of chemicals like paraben, phthalates, and sulfates, with a minimal use of synthetic colors and fragrances, a move "designed to attract parents worried about the excess chemicals in make-up," according to the Daily Mail.

What's Walmart's role here?

The retailing giant will be carrying the geoGirl line, which it says "was developed in partnership with our customers to give parents a healthier, age-appropriate option for their tween girls who ask about wearing makeup."

Where does the "anti-aging" part come in?

The line's creators claim it's formulated for fresh young skin, with ingredients like willow bark to exfoliate and chamomile to calm, as well as anti-oxidants, which reportedly prevent aging. "What next for kids? In-store Botox?" asked one "well known" website, according to the Daily Mail."Prevent aging?" says Cindy Kroiss at Gather.com. "The only way to do that is to die—surely not what the marketing team has in mind." Fashionista'sCheryl Wischhover finds the concept ludicrous: "I was giggling a bit as I was reading about exfoliation, calming, and blush for eight-year-olds. I mean, your skin will never be more flushed and radiant than when you are eight."


Has Walmart carried products like this before?

Yes, the geoGirl line is replacing a defunct cosmetics line for tweens and teens from Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, though that line wasn't noted for its anti-aging components.

"Oneness ... Duality"

Oneness

Expressed
It loses its expression

Defined
It loses its definition

In its emptiness
It is the cradle of all existence

In its fullness
It is creator of all things

Ever empty
It surrenders into the mystery

Ever full
It creates into the unknown

Of one source, they differ in name
Yet both arise from the one

Oneness beyond one
Herein lies the key to all mysteries

---

Duality

Beauty is seen only because of ugliness
Greatness is known only for its lack

Emptiness and fullness are born of each other
Difficulty and ease create one another

Long and short grow out of each other
High and low reflect one another

Sound and listening compliment each other
Front and back follow one another

And on it goes…

Thus the wise pay no heed
Their acts without words showing the way

So do all things flow without thought

Creating without possessing
Acting without attachment
Achieving without claiming achievement
Existing without laying claim to existence

Thus moves all life unto eternity

---

Tao Te Ching
The Way of the Wise
Chapters One and Two
Oneness and Duality

"we are all part of the earth....."

We are all part of the earth and it is part of us.  

The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.

The Rocky crests, the juices of the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man - 

all belong to the same family.

                                                                                ~ Chief Sealth (Seattle), 1789-1866

From: The Transformation Team

	Have you ever felt that one of the main reasons you are here now is to help transform our world to a new way of living based on love and empowerment?
	Do you recognize that there is a divine essence in every person on this planet, and that as beautiful manifestations of the divine, all people deserve our love and support to be the best they can be?
	Are you committed to move beyond old ways which focused on negative judgment and separation and to instead choose greater connection and love for yourself and everyone around you?
	Are you willing to work on transforming your own weaknesses and fears? Are you open to exploring deep, hidden agendas affecting our planet? Are you willing to consider seeing fear as an invitation to spiritual growth?
	Are you interested in joining a large team of souls who know that a major part of the reason we came here is to help all who are ready on this planet to transform to a deeper, richer way of living in this eternal sacred moment?
If the answer is yes, welcome home to all of us! This website is a multi-faceted portal for powerfully building and supporting transformational community both locally and globally. Designed specifically for those committed to the harmonious integration of all aspects of ourselves and our world, our exciting website and team are co-creating a new global paradigm based on love and empowerment. Come join our conscious community in action as we create empowering transformation both in our personal lives and in our world!

"They Teach It at Stanford"!

In an evening class at Stanford,the last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged— not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

Narcissism: Sixth Grade Curriculum!

While this is a cursory, lay overview of the narcissistic personality disorder ... it's not a bad starting place.  In my view this should be standard education in high school psych and health classes ... and certainly provided to females who mean a lot to us! (Based on studies suggesting narcissism is diagnosed more often in males.)

Narcissistic men and women are so self centered and self indulgent that they see


 friends and lovers as mere extensions of themselves. They are obsessed with


 flattery and demand to be adored and have attention to themselves at all times.

 Unfortunately, these narcissistic types are very charismatic and you may at first 


be attracted to them without realizing what you are stepping into. Because their


 egos are so very fragile, they constantly crave attention which eventually puts


 their partner at risk of being on the loosing end of the relationship.  It is a truly 


exhausting experience with a high-high-maintenance person.

To help you with some tips on identifying whether or not he or she is a


 narcissistic type, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does he or she loose interest when they are not the center of attention?

2. Are most conversations about them, whether you try to change the subject or


 not? This is an interesting one, because the narcissist has  a proficient and 


seasoned ability to appear as though they have their entire attention on what you 


are saying, and are actively listening. Not! 


They see it as a game and a challenge, perhaps even asking a question about you 


(now you are hooked in, right?) which in your mind, proves they are interested 


and empathic about your life.


Wrong!  So very wrong ... because inside, their minds are not  on anything you 


say, nor do they care even a smidgen!  Truth be known, their capacity for 


empathy and genuine caring is zero ... nada, zip, zilch. There is only one 


exception:  if you have something they need (affirmation, compliments, material 


things, or attitudes they believe necessary for their emotional survival), they will 


make the moves of which they think you will approve.


After you are used to this sort of reprehensible person, you become very aware 


of their thin and superficial veneer.  If anything, they are remaining in the 


conversation because maybe ... just maybe ...they will get lucky and the 


conversation will be about them again.  At this point.... their listening skills 


receive an energetic and temporary mini-shot in the arm.

3. Is your partner always fishing for compliments? (Many times by body


language, i.e. breathing in disgust, slamming doors, groaning ... all so that you 


will ask "about them". Then comes the anger inside them when they catch a 


glimmer that their life is not so important to you that you sacrifice your Self for it.

4. If you criticism him or her, do they literally fall apart at that criticism, especially


if it refers to their looks or their mistakes? (And then observe their rage bubble 


and boil.)

5. Do you catch them talking about all of their supposed 'lost loves' whom each 


allegedly "wasn't up to standards", and they seemed to have had major flaws in


 which he or she had to break up with them?. 


6. If he or she is not getting special treatment or constant attention do they get

mad or have a temper tantrums? For example if when they are not waited on


 fast enough in restaurants, or did not get the best seats at the movies, are they


 upset? Do they charge through the grocery store, laying waste the other 


shoppers who may desire a calm experience?

7. Do you find a pattern of this person using people just to get what they want


 and then discarding them when their own needs are met?

If the man or women you are interested in shows any number of these types of


 behaviors then you may want to be careful. These are not the type of people to


 get involved in a relationship with if you want a healthy relationship, based on


 equal attention and love.




That "reality"  ... a healthy relationship ... is an impossible notion with a narcissist.