Lightning Bug/Firefly/Glowworm/Icky Bug Poll Results

In the poll, "What do you call a lampyridae?" I gave the choices, "Lightning Bug", "Firefly", "Glow worm" or "Icky, icky bug". I am pleased to report that no one found them to be icky. Lightning Bug received 2 votes. Firefly received 6 votes, Glow worm got none.

Rock the vote everyone!

A Lightning Bug by Any Other Name

Last night, I was outside on my back porch and I saw a lightning bug glow for a moment in the branches of our maple tree. A few seconds later I saw it glow again several feet to the right. I looked lower at the grass and did not see a female response. Sorry, Charlie.

The scientific term for them is lampyridae. I never knew this and only just now found out. I grew up calling them lightning bugs or fireflies. We loved seeing them on a hot summer's night and tried to catch as many as we could and stick them in jars and see them glow for a while and then we would release them. They would slowly walk up to the highest point, stick out their wings, pause for a moment, and then fly up and away.

My sister D. lived in Seattle for a while and told me once how she was talking with someone and she brought up fireflies and they had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Isn't that amazing? They don't have fireflies or lightning bugs in Seattle. It wouldn't feel like Summer without them.

I wonder what they have there that I have no idea of--I bet tons.

New poll up to the left: what do you call lampyridae?

Have you seen one yet?

Poll on Fake Medical Journals

It recently was exposed that Merck created fake journals in order to quote studies to help their reps sell their products to doctors. It was all bogus. I created a poll to see what people thought the ultimate number of fake journals would be.

In previous polls where maybe people weren't the most inspired to vote their choice, I inflated the results for fun. Always above board, I will once again do that here...

Of the 40,000 people who responded in the recent poll (OK it was 4, but I'm inflating it... for fun... see?), "How Many Fake Journals Produced by Pharmaceutical Companies Will be Exposed?" no one answered 6, 8, 10, 15 or 20. However, 25% or 10,000 of you answered "More Than 20". We don't trust the pharmaceutical companies that much, do we? A whopping 75% or 30,000 of you answered, "30 or more--oh my God have they no sense of decency?"

Time will tell, and it will come out. If there is any more news about this, I will share it. We will see what the total is eventually...

Don't you hate liars?

Vaccination Stance Poll Results

Many of you took the time to answer my recent Vaccination Stance Poll and I thank you. I realize that some of you were slightly irritated that you couldn't answer with multiple choices; that was an oversight. But, I'm going to group two sets of answers together on your behalf, after I give you the numbers.

The numbers:

53 people answered the poll.

1 (1%) of you answered that they have complete faith in it.

8 (15%) of you answered that you selectively vaccinate.

No one chose that they do no research and just do what the doctor says, although I know this is true for lots and lots of people. But, thankfully not here, you free thinkers you.

1 (1%) of you said that you have researched and vaccinated.

A whopping 33 (62%) of you said that you've researched and NOT vaccinated. There is a lot to see once you start looking, isn't there?

No one answered that they're not even comfortable questioning it. That seems really hopeful to me. There is always room for questions, isn't there?

No one answered with the question, Why wouldn't anyone vaccinate?! That seems hopeful to me too. There is a load of room for questions.

7 (13%) of you answered with the question, How could you inject those chemicals into your kids? I think you guys have researched, at least to the extent of finding out the ingredients of vaccines and probably much more extensively than that... so, I'm going to roll you guys into the researched/not vaccinating group. That brings those totals up to 40 (75%) of you.

2 (3%) of you think I am a loon. Oh yeah? What if I am? Maybe I think you are too! Did you ever think of that?! Did you?!

1 (1%) of you are all about business and would like this conversation to go back to the original idea of not buying new things. They answered with, Can we please just talk about not buying things?

Yes, we can. We can talk about not buying things. But, I include in that all of the mainstream ideas we are sold over and over again through advertising, institutions like schools, and medical organizations like the AAP. They want us to buy it, and I don't.

Thanks for voting everybody!

Rock the vote!

New Vaccination Poll

I think all of this vaccination talk may have disturbed some loyal readers out there. I think people may feel judged by me, because I have chosen a different path and have my reasons for doing so. (Yes, I am mad because I think we're being sold a bill of goods and it's not right.) I have listed some of my reasons here, and it may be that they've not considered some of these same things. Or, they just trust in science and can't believe that the whole vaccination program might be wrong, or terribly flawed. In any case, I think I've pissed some people off.

Sorry--I didn't intend that.

There's a new poll that asks about your vaccination stance. One of the choices is "Laura, you're a loon" and if you're the least bit pissed off at me, that might be a good one to choose. There are other choices as well, if you want to answer it honestly. Although, you may honestly feel that I am a loon, in which case go with that.

Please vote at the left there if you feel so inclined.

Thanks.

Uvula Poll Results

There is no consensus out in the greater world as to the purpose of a uvula, and so it goes here too.

Two of the voters thought it was to close off the nasopharynx. Maybe, quite possible. Two of the voters thought it's main purpose is to cause a gag reflex thereby preventing choking. Possible, but not proven. And finally, one person voted for my favorite choice, as ever--irony.

Thanks for voting.

Rock the vote!

Do Whales Have Uvulas?

My son asked me this after watching Finding Nemo. He thought it improbable because as he suggested, what would be large enough to choke a whale and therefore necessitate having a uvula to help cause a protective gag reflex? Excellent question, Son.

We googled it: "Do whales have a uvula?"--no, whales do not have uvulas (uvulae?). In fact very few animals do--humans and apes being some who do.

Then we looked up uvula and found that there is no consensus as to the purpose of the uvula. It may not be to elicit a gag reflex. The uvula secretes saliva, so perhaps it helps coat the throat; it is responsible for the formation of some sounds in some languages, so perhaps evolved as our languages did; it closes off the nasopharynx so that you don't constantly blow milk out of your nose. No one knows for sure what it's for.

What is it for??? I really want to know now.

New poll up at the left. Please vote and make your voice heard about this extremely important issue. Thank you.

New Purchase Confession...and a New Poll

We bought a new thing the other day. Yes, we did. I must confess. And so overpowering was the desire, the perceived need, that we didn't even flinch at the idea. We didn't even pause and reflect on how it would mess up our compact not to purchase anything new.* We just ran out and without thinking much about it got...

A NEW WATER HEATER!!!

Woo hoo!! Aren't we completely decadent! Sorry, I probably shouldn't be so brazen and crass to brag about our material wealth like that. Kind of low brow, huh? Any way, we get hot water. Luxury, I tell you.

And actually, I think it is luxurious. To not have hot water pointed in a real tangible way to how completely spoiled we are and take these little every day luxuries completely for granted. And when I say tangible, I mean that I took a shower and went in there knowing full well that there was no hot water. People bathe without hot water all over the world every day. Have you ever had a completely ice cold shower? Try it if you haven't just to see if you could handle it. It was kind of a fun challenge--once.

I used less conditioner in my hair too. I didn't want to spend one second in there longer than I had to.

Which brings me to a new poll. (I know people already answered a poll a while ago about whether or not they leave the lights on in their house and I never have talked about it again. That's lame. If you participate in a poll, you should see the results, right? It's like when there's an asterisk and then you never find what it means at the bottom of the page. Gah! I hate that!! The result of the poll was that almost everyone turns off their lights. A couple of brave souls admitted that they sometimes turn off the lights. Thanks for being honest and for taking that poll. Now, on to this new one.) Please answer the poll at the side. What every day thing in your life would you miss the most? Say you lost your dishwasher because it broke, or someone burgled your house and stole your air conditioner...Which things would you miss the most?

I really missed our water heater. I'm glad to have it back again. Oops. I'm bragging again. Sorry.

NOTE: In the poll, you can vote for as many choices as you'd like. Maybe it's a tie between several things...You can also go change your vote, if you need to.

I Like to Ride My Bike or Why are All of the Lights on?! Take the Poll!

I have decided that I need exercise again. Well, I've always needed exercise as everyone does, it's just that I will now do something about it again--consistently.

The other afternoon I declared to my husband when he biked home from work, that I would go for a long bike ride (in relative terms, for me at my current fitness level...) after the kids would go off to bed. So, while he was transferring bike lights from his bike to mine, I read a chapter of By the Shores of Silver Lake to the kids and by the end of it he was ready to race them up to bed as is our routine around here. "Race!!" they all shouted and then it was a mad dash up the stairs where the kids won easily, as always, tumbling into their beds to read to themselves.

I was now ready to go! Woo, woo, woo! Laura in the house! I was going to tear it up!!

Our neighborhood comprised of The Connecticut house models and other similar boxes is not big enough for the length of ride I wanted to do. I would go across town to the library, and then come back weaving my way through residential streets with nice old, big non cookie-cutter houses. These houses have character and old trees arching over the streets and beautiful landscaping and not too much traffic. It would be a great ride.

I put on my bike helmet, and may I just say here that the extreme aerodynamic nature of the design is simply a ridiculous amount of overkill. I really don't need the lack of wind resistance to that extreme--I'm not going to go that fast. Really. I don't need a bike jersey yet either. Nor do I need bike shorts. I just need to get on a bike in any comfortable clothing and move. That's the point. But, I will wear my helmet even if it looks silly. And, it does.

I remember my childhood of completely helmet-free riding and the idea of a helmet seems more akin to the equipment needed for a motorcycle, not a bicycle. It feels ridiculous to me. On the other hand, they have been proven to reduce serious head injuries and my vanity can be checked a little bit to accept a little safety in place of allowing my silky tresses to blow in the wind. Pity.

I crossed out of my section of town into another even more modest section and then into the nicer neighborhood near the library with the big houses. And I noticed something. It might be that I noticed this because I'm never out at night. Never. No, never. It just doesn't happen. Ever. Or, it might be that I'm now so green and ecologically minded that things jump out at me more. I find things glaring, and maybe I wouldn't have before my consciousness was raised to this level.

What I noticed was this--a few of the houses seemed to have every light on in all of the rooms and the outside landscaping lights too! All of them. It was startling to me because I've really tried to turn lights off every time I leave a room. I thought maybe everyone did that...don't they? Do you?

It seemed decadent to me and wasteful and thoughtless and careless. Harsh, huh? But, really! Do the nuclear power plants here in Illinois need to be running at full capacity so that people can be so wasteful? Do we need to pollute the air from coal combustion to generate the electricity to light up these big houses in every room?

I know people don't think about stuff. They don't do it in any malicious way--they're just trying to peacefully live their lives like anyone else. But, I think people need to start thinking. The light switch on our walls isn't some little magical wizard device that you'd find at Hogwarts. No, this is Muggle technology. When you flip that switch, you're creating pollution that is the side effect of the energy production. Flip. Pollution. Flip. Pollution. Flip. Pollution. Flip, flip, flip, never flip off, lots of pollution.

I've put up a poll that addresses some of this and more. Please go answer it, and I'll report back with the results in about a week.

Here's my big question: *drumroll* Does the ability to spend however you like, preclude any greater sense of obligation to your fellow man? In other words, if you can does that mean you should?

Discuss amongst yourselves...

Fluff Poll Results...and More Fluff!

The people have voted! I have heard your voice and duly note that the overwhelming response has been positive. See the poll above? Please notice, as I did, that no one voted for the "No fluff pieces ever." option.

Someone said I should write whatever I want. Damn straight! And, 2 people voted for we trust your judgment, but really that was just part of the "Write whatever you want we trust your judgment implicitly, Laura!" option. If you write a poll choice and it's too long, it gets cut off by the incoming results numbers. So I realize the answer choices weren't completely clear.

In any case, no one voted for the "No fluff pieces ever." option.

OK, so only 4 people voted, and one of them was me...do you really want to make something of that?! Aren't there more important things to think and talk about? Or, are there?

Here's some fluff for you.

Enjoy.

New Poll About Fluff Pieces

I just made my husband read my last post and listen to Incense and Peppermints, and he kind of was derisive, a little. He sort of thought I just called that post in. My husband feels that I am a good blogger--thank you--and thinks that I can skip a day if I don't have anything really compelling to write.

Yeah, I could do that.

The whole point of this blog is to chronicle how this year of living on the compact is working for us. That's our hook. It's our gestalt. It's our prime directive. I'm trying to raise people's awareness of what, how and when we consume and to suggest that there may be a different way for us all to live. I think I'm probably preaching to the choir a lot of the time. But, there may be some people who have stumbled across here and are curious and are nudged a little by what they read here. I'm not trying to enlighten any one--that's not my job. I know I always feel defensive when someone is trying to enlighten me. I don't like when they speak pointedly about something, like I don't realize how they're talking?! I really do get that you're trying to correct me. Come on!

I'm just sharing here. I think that's a little different. You get it, or you don't. You can go enlighten yourself, while I'm working on my own understanding of everything, and my kids' and therefore I don't have time or the arrogance to think to know where to steer you too. Go find your own path. And when you get there, maybe you could share with me what you've found out. I need all the help I can get.

I do want to have serious discussions about the serious workings of the world. I think we're all in trouble. I do. I look around and am seeing a whole lot of fiddling while I see flames. Other people see flames too. When you are concerned and sensitive to the world's problems, it can be a heavy load to carry. It's good to know you're not alone in your concern and it's good to lighten the load every once in a while.

Which brings me to fluff pieces. I've written a few. This, this, and this are all fairly fluffy pieces. I think they're fun. They're not ground shaking. You're not going to get blown away and inspired to go save sea turtles looking at those posts.

Anarchist Emma Goldman is supposed to have said, "If I can't dance, I don't want any part of your revolution!" I think it's good to have joy and happiness. It doesn't serve the world to be depressed. My kids are beautiful. I want a whole world for them and their progeny. In the mean time, while they're here, I want to enjoy my life with them. Yes, I see trouble all around me, but I can't possibly be sunken by it--not for myself, my husband, my kids or the world.

The poll at the left addresses this idea. Do you want fluff pieces here ever? Is it fun to have a break from garbage gyres in the Pacific and Condeleeza Rice OKing torture? Or, should we not have a break from that stuff? Should we know even more about it? These are worrying times and my posts should reflect that and not be silly.

Go vote! Let me know what you think.

Thanks.

Monster Family Poll Results

Well I don't even believe it! An outside group has referenced our poll and has stacked the vote with their Addams Family fans! Look:

This group,

put up this post linking to our blog.

Look at people coming over here from there to vote!

Here, are the results of the Definitive Monster Family Poll:

Yes, that's right, The Addams Family won by a 2 to 1 margin...I don't even believe this!! It's outside people coming here and caucusing for The Addams Family. What about The Munsters? Hmmmm!? What about lovable Herman and Lily and Grandpa and little Eddie and Marilyn?? They thought they were a normal family. They didn't mean anyone any harm.


Look at them--they're adorable!

The Addams Family?! Not as much in my humble opinion.

Yes, Charles Adams created them and they were darker and more ironic sandwiched in between essays in The New Yorker, but still, I prefer The Munsters.

I am profoundly unsophisticated in certain ways--I freely admit this. For example, I don't drink black coffee. But, it goes beyond putting a little half-and-half in (and what is up with fat free half-and-half...what's one of the halves then?) and maybe a little sugar. No. I have to put in Sucanat (natural, unrefined organic sugar), cocoa and cream and thereby make myself a mocha. I have to have this every morning and I really can't have coffee any other way. Isn't that gross?! Isn't it like a sugar-obsessed sticky little kid who has to have candy?! Any way, I'm OK with not always being supremely sophisticated--I don't even have any Himalayan pink salt in my kitchen!! I'm a Philistine, right?

Well, the people have spoken. I will not contest the results--clearly, the Addams' had more of an aggressive ground game than the Munsters camp. They communicated more effectively and got their people organized. I kind of saw the Munsters as deserving to win--they seemed to me to be the quintessential monster family, not just dark and ironic. But, no, in an election whoever wins, wins. Right? I mean, just because I think the Munsters should be the winners doesn't mean that they get to be the winners. The people have spoken.

Thanks conscientious citizens. Rock the vote!

Still Time for Monster Poll

At left you can still see the poll I put up a few days ago about which is the definitive monster family. I wrote a post about it, but didn't tell my preference--I don't want to lead the discussion here. Not completely any way.

Is it The Munsters or The Addams Family? I think they're both classics in early 60s television.

Both series ran for two years, from 1964 to 1966. The Munsters had higher ratings and made 70 shows, the Addams Family made 64 shows. The Munsters were canceled after the full color Batman blew them out of the water with its higher ratings. Powww!!!

Holy Nielsens Batman!

OK. Go vote in the poll. It's silly. It has nothing to do with anything I think is truly important. Does it have anything to do with who will select the next supreme court justices? No. Does it raise people's awareness about poverty and frivolous consumption and pollution? No, it most certainly does not. Does it conjure up the times for this suburban woman when she was a suburban girl and it mattered which family you thought was the coolest? Yeah, it does kinda.

Go vote--Munsters or Addams.

Also, I'm an idiot in that it's not Adams, it's Addams. I'm off to correct the poll.

Rock the Vote!!

P.S. I can't alter the poll in any way now because someone has already voted in it. Just keep in mind ADDAMS, not Adams, OK? Kind of cool that you can't change the poll once the data's coming in.

Weren't there some exit polls that got changed after the fact to reflect the incoming election results?! Hmmmm....

Kudos to whoever can tell me more about that!

Poll About Monster Families

At the left you'll see the latest poll. It's silly, but I have strong feelings about this. Of all the important issues swirling about in the world, in this time of war and heated national politics I can still hearken back to my childhood in the 70s and feel strongly about TV characters and what they represent now as an adult.

Put yourselves on the line here. Is it the Munsters or the Adams Family?





Which is the definitive monster family?

I know there are strong feelings about this just as there are strong feelings about the best Bond--I'm in the Sean Connery camp and I'm surprised at how many people are in the Roger Moore camp, really.

Any way, is it Munsters or Adams? Please answer the poll and we'll analyze the results in a week.

Poll Results About Largest Environmental Concerns

As in previous poll results, I'm going to pretend that each vote actually represents 1,000 people. It has more impact that way. Not that the people who actually did vote in the poll don't matter--because you do. And now, your import is even more so in that you each represent 1,000 people!!

14,000 people voted in the poll, What Are the 2 Biggest Environmental Concerns?

There was a three-way tie for what was deemed the most critical environmental concern: 35% of you, 5,000 people, thought that a Clean Water Supply and Clean Oceans, Air Pollution, and Factory Farming (with its use of GMOs and antibiotics) were the most concerning.

Climate Change and Deforestation were both next in line with the greatest concern from 28% of you, 4,000 people.

14% of you, 2,000 people, thought that Urban Sprawl was the most egregious concern.

As with the highest vote getters of most concerning issues, the issues with the least votes also resulted in a three-way tie. 7%, or 1,000 people, thought that Toxic Waste, Nuclear Waste and Strip Mining were most worrisome.

No one cared AT ALL about Acid Rain. Well, at least no one thought it was one of the 2 biggest environmental concerns. It's really kind of a form of air pollution caused by various emissions.

This was kind of a difficult poll, wasn't it? Everything has such great impact on other issues. It's almost as if they are all equally important. We need the trees that are being cut down at such an alarming rate to continue to pump out oxygen and prevent erosion. We need a clean food supply, so that GMOs don't cross pollinate and kill pollinators like butterflies and bees. Do the powers-that-be realize that butterflies don't like that Monsanto crap?! We need clean water, and livable environments that support us and nature. We need places for water run-off to be absorbed and filtered and go back to the water supply instead of another strip mall with a Subway, Blockbuster or apartment building. We need to breathe.

Come on, powers-that-be. Enact some policies that effect how we do business here in America and around the world. Create policies that help us all preserve for our progeny what was given to all of us.

Come on, people. See where you can make changes that can make a difference. People start pollution. People can stop it.

Thanks for participating. Rock the vote!

Psst... Hey. Commere...

A lot of us feel that the environment is in trouble. But how exactly? Is it Climate Change, or Deforestation or Factory Farming with its Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)?

What do you think?

There's a poll to the left. Go vote for what you think are the two worst problems and we'll figure out what's most important to the readers at this blog. I'll look at the results in a few days and post them.

Thanks!

Rock the vote...

New Poll about the environment at left--please vote!

What are the 2 biggest environmental issues do you think? I've posted a poll at the left and I'd like you to vote. There are 10 choices, you may choose 2...I know they're all bad, but just choose the 2 that you think are the worst, most harmful, most egregious.

What makes you go "Oh shit!" Is it climate change, with all of its retreating glaciers and increased erratic weather and flooding and (seemingly contradictory) drought? How about bee colony collapse disorder or factory farming with GMO's and antibiotic use that leads to superbugs and their resistance? Deforestation? Air pollution? Acid rain? Nuclear waste? God, just how many ways can we screw with a good thing?

Please vote and next week I'll post the results.

I have to think about it myself. Just where are we mucking it up the worst?

Off to do some reading...

Dangerous Things for Kids to do Poll Results

Over to the right here you see the actual poll I had up all last week. I have made a change to make it more interesting and to give us all a better picture as to where we all stand vis a vis letting our kids do dangerous, wacky things.

16 people answered the poll. However, I don't really feel that that's a big enough sample of people. In a previous poll, 19 people answered and although I appreciate everyone who bothers to respond, still, I thought that it would be more fun to pretend that each vote represented 1,000 people. 19,000 people voted in that poll. So, in keeping with that line of thinking, I shall now pretend that the 16 votes cast in this poll REALLY are 16,000.

Let's look at the results together, shall we? Let's keep positive and report from the most to the least number of votes for the respective categories. OK?

Of the 16,000 people who voted, fully 100% (or 16,000 people) felt that it would be fine for a 7 year old to sew.

87% (14,000 people) thought that a 7 year old could say, make a grilled cheese sandwich at the stove and then go build a bird house. Which, by the way, would make for a fun afternoon--wouldn't it?

68% (11,000 people) felt it would be OK for a 7 year old to light a candle.

62% (10,000 people) felt that all of the following were OK: using a sharp knife, riding a bike around the block (I didn't specify alone, but that's what I was thinking when I asked the question...), tending a fire, or using pruners or other garden tools.

56% (9,000 people) thought that a 7 year old could use a cordless drill. All of this depends of course on the child, and the situation...both of our kids have done this.

And lastly, only 43% (7,000 people) felt it would be OK for a 7 year old to use a hand saw...our kids have done this as well.

How do you guys read this? For example, almost 2/3 of the voters would let their kids ride a bike and tend a fire. But that means a little more than a 1/3 would not.

Do you think our kids are overprotected, or just protected? If they are overprotected, how would that manifest itself? Would it necessarily be negative? Would these kids be less confident or more nervous or timid or more confused?

What do you think? Do you agree with the 16,000 people who voted in this poll?

Thanks voters! Rock the vote!

5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

What do you think of this? Do kids need to do dangerous things? Does it help them feel a stronger sense of themselves? Does it ultimately make them safer and more capable?

Both of my kids use power tools with their Dad. I wouldn't do that for them, but I make custard with them and my husband doesn't do that. It takes two, baby.

My son has a pocket knife. He can not wait to show his friends, and we've explained that it's not a toy, it's a tool and you have to be especially careful with it and treat it with respect. He is proud to have it, proud to be trusted by his parents about this and has a special place where he keeps the knife. He has used the tiny scissors around the house and has felt proud to be so helpful.

As an industrial designer, my husband is fully aware of the lengths that companies go to to warn people off of their own stupidity. If you take off a safety feature for a product, you might get hurt by it. If you use a product for something it was not intended for, you might get hurt by it. If you use a baby saucer/play chair/console thing as a flotation device, your child may not be safe. If a kid uses a knife correctly, will they automatically get hurt? If they get a greater facility at using the knife, will there be even less of a chance of them getting hurt?

I've posted a poll about what dangerous things you think are OK for a kid to do. Please vote, and we'll see the results next Sunday.

Be careful out there! If it's cold, be sure to put on a coat! Look both ways before you cross the street! Chew your food slowly! Measure twice cut once (I actually like that one)!

Oh. I'm sorry. You guys are adults, right? Oh. OK then. Right. You can figure out for yourselves how to negotiate your own way through the world.

Never mind...

Poll results

I posed a question a week ago about what stuff people would miss buying new. A hummer getting 9 mpg? Or perhaps a phone thingy you stick in your ear like the incomparable Lt. Ohura from the original Star Trek cast (and really--aren't classics always better?!). A sweater shaver to remove pilling from your sleeves? I posted a poll, and gave 7 choices. Here are the results.

A total of 19 people cast a vote. But, I'm going to pretend that each vote represents 1,000 people--it will seem way more significant with that kind of sample size. It does feel more significant this way, no?

19,000 people voted and only 1,000 people would miss buying an electric stick broom thingy. Sorry Dirt Devil. Gotta give the people something they need--you can't dupe them into buying something stupid that they don't need. Sheesh, give us a little credit.

Another 1,000 people voted for an electric sweater shaver. A surprising result, given how some sweaters are apt to pill up at the slightest touch. Either we don't care about little yarn balls on our sweaters, or we pluck them off like grapes. Either way, we've not been duped into buying some other unneeded thing. Sorry late night TV infomercials. Nice try.

These next two choices were tied. 2,000 people would really miss their muffin top jeans, and 2,000 would miss their spoon collecting supplies. It's hard to fight the steamroller of fashion. If people must wear low cut jeans, even if they're clearly not flattering on every body type, then a muffin top is inevitable. Unless the fashionistas let bigger women off the hook, and they're allowed to wear mom jeans that go all the way up to the waist, well, then what can anyone do? Spoon collecting must give some comfort and solace that's a little lost on me. Who knew thousands of people would miss that?

The next two choices also resulted in a tie. It seems that 3,000 people would miss Hummers getting only 9 mpg, and 3,000 people would miss an ear phone thing like Ohura has. I knew this would be a bigger category. Folks like technology. Did you know that GM, being the savvy industrialist car company that it is, is going to capitalize on that technology fever and is coming out with the 2009 Hummer that has giant, plasma flat screen TVs ? Yep. AND, the TVs are built right into the dashboard. Cool, huh?!

Now, for the top vote getter. With a whopping 7,000 people choosing, the number one thing that people would miss buying new is....LEAD TAINTED TOYS!!!

Wow, thanks for voting everybody. You've all reaffirmed my faith in humanity and our democratic process. Rock the vote!!