Retro Review: Magnificent Frigate Bird

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Magnificent Frigatebird

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.magnificentfrigatebird.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: ABOUT ME - My name is Amy and I'm a newer birder living in the Chicago area with my husband, Arthur. Besides birding I love to travel. I was fortunate enough to live in Arthur's native Holland for nearly 10 years. We spent a lot of that time traveling around Europe and beyond - birding, scuba diving and having a great time generally exploring our world. On this blog I'll write about my own birding & backyard birding experiences, interesting bird news, and a bit about the birding-themed gifts for sale in our shop here and at Birdorable.

MY REVIEW: This is another enjoyable birding blog. Well, most birding/bird watching blogs are. There are a lot of photos, and that's the only drawback, they are in greyscale, so you don't get the full impact you would at the actual site. Nevertheless, for a quick daily fix of birdwatching, this one, along with Two-fisted Birdwatcher, fit the bill.

Here's a sample post:

As spring migration starts picking up, so do the spring bird club field trips. Lake-Cook Audubon kicked off their 2010 field trip season with today’s Loons of Lake County lead by Fred and Cheri Thompson. We had 33 total species for the day, with nine FOY (First Of Year) birds, including Common Loon and Double-crested Cormorant. We also had our FOS (First of Season) big group of birders.

(With several photos)

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Jewish Humor Central (Jewish news and humor)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Jewish Humor Central, by Al Kustanowitz

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.jewishhumorcentral.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Jewish Humor Central is a blog to start your day with news of the Jewish world that's likely to produce a knowing smile and some Yiddishe nachas. It's also a collection of sources of Jewish humor--anything that brings a grin, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, or just a warm feeling to readers.

Our posts include jokes, satire, books, music, films, videos, food, Unbelievable But True, and In the News. Some are new, and some are classics. We post every morning, Sunday through Friday. Enjoy!

MY REVIEW: An interesting blog. It's more than just Jewish jokes, it's news and info on Jewish culture around the world. It's of interest regardless of your religion (or atheism ; ) ). One caveat is that there are a few videos, which of course can't be watched on the Kindle. They are extremely prevalent during Nov and December.

Nevertheless, check it out.

Sample post:


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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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RetroReview Thursday: Kids of Queers

REVIEWED BY: Ms. Cairo

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Kids of Queers

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.kidsofqueers.com/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: A blog for adult children of GLBT parents. Discussions on growing up with a queer parent, usually from mixed orientation marriages.

MY REVIEW: Straight kids of straight parents have a hard enough time in school and with their peers...I cringe to think how hard it is for gay kids, or for straight kids of GLBT parents, or gay kids of GLBT parents, whatever.

The important thing for them is to know that they are not alone, and so this blog is of importance in that respect.

The blog seems to only be updated once or week or so, and has not been updated since March 20. However, if people actually visit the blog and start making comments, I expect the author will be re-energized and begin writing again. And even if you'd prefer just to receive updates via Kindle, try it for the two-week free trial period, just to see what happens.

(As an aside, I wish "they" wouldn't refer to themselves as queers. Don't "adopt" a derogative term to use about yourself as a form of empowerment - it doesn't work! A derogative term is a derogative term, regardless of who uses it. Just as blacks shouldn't use the "N-word" about themselves, so gays shouldn't use the "q" or "f" word.

Paragraphs from a Sample post

Last night I went to an event in Minneapolis. It was a meet and greet kind of thing for Crave Minneapolis, a chance to meet business women. I met some really interesting women there and am so glad I braved the storm and drove for hours (what would usually take 20 minutes) to go to this event.

I handed out my business card to one of the women I was speaking with. She noticed this blog listed on the back of the card and asked if I was a kid of queers. I said that indeed I was. She then went on to say that some of the most interesting people she knew had been raised by gay parents.

She meant two gay parents who were out of the closet living their life openly and honestly.

I explained that I was not that kind of child, that I had been raised by one straight parent and one gay, closeted parent.

The venue was loud so there wasn’t much discussion on the subject after that. We got to talking about the movie Mighty Ducks since her business was named for the character she played in the movie. She named her business Cake Eater Bakery and if you are ever in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area you must find one of their stores and try their sweets. I sampled one of their brownies (they called them something else but I can’t remember the name) and they were to die for. Better than sex brownies.

But I have gotten off track.

Her comment made me think about a couple of things on my long drive home.

As a child raised by a gay parent I don’t fit the mold. It wasn’t something I spoke about to anyone when I was growing up. I didn’t because I didn’t think I was allowed to. No one ever told me not to say anything but somewhere along the way I learned it was something for which I should be ashamed.

Kids today, who are raised by gay parents, have it so differently than kids in my generation or at least circumstance. They don’t worry about what other kids are going to say. Not that other kids won’t say something but since they aren’t hiding anything they don’t have to grow up trying to keep a secret.

I did.

I kept my dad’s secret just like he kept his secret when he was growing up. I don’t think he meant to drag me, or the rest of my family, into the closet but I don’t think he thought he had any other options.

None of this is here nor there.

I find it interesting that as it becomes hip to be gay or raised gay {(I mean hip as in accepted more and more) I never use the word hip, I usually use the word cool but I use it too often so I’m trying something else, I’m not that old however that I ever used hip in a hip way}. Anyway, my point, and I really do have one, is that I still don’t really fit the mold.

I know there are a lot of people who read this blog but who never comment. If you are a child of a gay parent, or parents please let me know you are here by saying “hi”. You don’t have to use your real name. I just want to know that there are others out there like me.

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RetroReview Tuesday: Health Sifter

REVIEWED BY: Ann Currie

MY RECOMMENDATION: Yes

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PAGE: Health Sifter

WEB ADDRESS: http://marydpinkowish.typepad.com

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Health news and misc. medical issues.

MY REVIEW: An in-depth off-beat health blog that looks at things a different way. The posts are interesting and well written, and if nothing else, will get your attention. Who would have thought that beer can prevent osteoporosis, a broken heart can kill you, or that dogs make better walking partners?

Well, this blog will enlighten you on these and many more health tidbits. And, these are serious articles, not just cute ideas to get your attention with sources noted. The posts go into detail explaining the hows and whys of their statements in plain text. And, she posts regularly. You will learn a lot and who knows, you may enjoy getting healthy. Who knew?

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--The future for Cardiology according to Wired: Electric Plumr Cardio
--Prevent Osteoporosis: Have a beer.
--When a broken heart can kill.
--Dogs make better walking partners than your neighbors

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Ann Currie publishes My Life a Bit South of Normal> and Silver Pieces: The Strange and Peculiar

Lilo Maternity Pregnancy (women interest, parents)

REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle

MY RECOMMENDATION: YES

AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: Lilo Maternity and Pregnancy Blog, by Lilo Maternity

WEB ADDRESS: http://www.lilomaternity.com/blog/

BLOG DESCRIPTION: Lilo Maternity Blog features stories, articles, advice and more on all topics related to pregnancy, maternity, childbirth and motherhood.

MY REVIEW: This blog is recommended. There's plenty of information on your babies and toddlers, their health and how to care for them. The only flaw in the blog is that there's only one post every other week or so. But for 99 cents it's well worth it.

Sample post

Sometimes moms are not sure if their child is sleeping or putting on some sort of show. Many children in their sleep kick, twitch, moan, rock, or groan, etc.

Why This Occurs: Young children are much lighter sleepers than adults and therefore wake up more frequently. For the brief few seconds or minutes that your child woke up, she may kick, yell out for you, or talk gibberish but it will not last long.

How They Get Back To Themselves: Most children realize right away what happened and they just sooth themselves right back to sleep. Some have other methods, like lifting their legs in the air, hum, or they rub their pacifier and blanket all over their face.

What To Do: If your child is not crying out in hunger or discomfort, give her a few minutes to let it pass. If you go in to try to help her you might wake her up entirely.

When Should I Talk To The Doctor: It is very common for children to bang their head and then go back to sleep. A good idea would be to check this out to rule out an ear infection and some development delays (some kids bang their head to correct their equilibrium). Children snoring is not normal and can be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleepwalking is not so common but can be dangerous.

RECENT POSTS:

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Reviews published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
_______________________
Check out the following blogs:
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