Book Review: Embracing Your Big Fat Ass - An Owners Manual by Laura Banks and Janette Barber

When I glanced at the cover, I mistakenly assumed this was going to be some kind of self help and diet book. A writing genre that induces a comatose state in me after page 2!

I was completely off base, Embracing Your Big Fat Ass is a wonderfully funny look at the how we perceive that others might view our ’sitting muscle’. Both authors are to be congratulated in producing such a witty dialog. Both are accomplished stand up comics, and I am sure that some of the material used in the book originated in their on stage performances.

B-Fabs (Big Fat Ass Babes), the authors assure us are all the rage, being a B-Fab should be worn as a badge of honor, not hidden behind tent like structures!

There are so many hilarious parts to this book it is hard to pick my favorites, one story that does stick out comes from Dana of Oklahoma. Very pregnant and shopping for maternity wear in her local JC Penny store, her darling five year old daughter wants to know why she is so fat. I am having a baby she patiently explains, its a miracle growing in my tummy. The five year old contemplates this concept for a few moments and then comments “I know that mama, but whats growin’ in your butt?” Oh the joys of small children!

Laura Banks and Janette Barber tackle all sorts of everyday situations and offer sage advice for the B-Fab. For example, how to deal with competitive family eating. How can you ensure that you get your fair share in a ’serve yourself’ at the table environment? Simple, sit down 10 minutes before everyone else and sneak nibbles under the guise of helping out.

The ideal boyfriend or husband we are told, is one that does grocery shopping unasked and likes to cook.

They even offer advice on underwear for the well proportioned, thongs are OK, but bright colors are recommended. That way, in the case of a trip to the Emergency Room, they are easier for the doctor to locate.

Although this is a richly humorous book, there are threads of a deeper concept running through it. Far too many people, women in particular worry way too much about their self worth and how others perceive them. This results in low self esteem, and even depression. The message in Embracing Your Big Fat Ass is loud and clear. Live for you, not for someone else’s image of you.

A very funny read, and one that I can recommend, but I will give a word of caution to anyone thinking of buying this book as a present for their wife or girlfriend. You likely will be sleeping on the couch for a while. And I would definitely think twice about giving as a valentines gift.

With ‘true confessions’ sprinkled liberally throughout the book, you will be giggling from page 1. Although this is not a recognized genre of literature, in my mind Embracing Your Big Fat Ass falls into the ‘Bathroom Reading’ section. A book that you can pretty much open at a random spot, read a couple of pages and get a chuckle out of.

Authors : Simon Barrett

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=312617&ca=Humor

The Humor Behind Shopping Smart and Buying Carhartt Clothes

One thing we can all agree on is that the economy is hurting all of us, especially the working people. With gas prices soaring, medications costing more than our utility bills even with insurance coverage, and the price of everything at the local supermarket jumping by leaps and bounds, we all have to be more conscientious about price than ever before. And that’s one reason why some people may be tempted to steer away from Carhartt clothes. However, there are some very good reasons why paying more now is going to be a good idea.

Cost is More than Price

When you go to the store and buy a work shirt, you aren’t just spending whatever that shirt cost. Instead, the price you pay for that shirt includes all of the gas you used to get to the store and all of your valuable time that was spent in the store, at the checkout, and waiting to pull out of the parking lot. If you look at the price in that way, you’ll realize that the fuel costs and inconvenience drive up the price of that inexpensive work shirt pretty quickly.

Now consider Carhartt clothes. You pay the price listed and that’s it. In some cases, you won’t even need to pay for shipping when you purchase through certain online retailers. Plus, you won’t have to leave your home or face all of that time-wasting inconvenience.

Think in Terms of Value

While we’re all sensitive to price these days, our real concern should be on value. Think of it this way. You could argue that going to a fast food restaurant for a $5 lunch is cheaper than buying lunch food at the supermarket. That is technically the case. However, the pack of lunchmeat, loaf of bread, and other goodies you buy for your lunch will last you an entire week – not just a single day. In the long run, you’re getting a better value from taking your own lunch. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the health factors.

Carhartt clothes are similar because what you’re getting is a better value. The clothes are protected by a warranty and are designed to last a long time not just a few months. Those rips and tears that are so common with other clothes will be a thing of the past when you spend the extra now and buy Carhartt clothes.

Extra Features Add Cost

Of course, Carhartt clothes are about more than just being durable. They are also made to be practical in the work place, including being made waterproof, and that adds to their cost. You can’t add features like that without the price being a little higher than the more stripped down competition.

Research & Improvement

Part of the price for Carhartt clothes goes to the continued research and development into new products that are going to benefit consumers and workers like you. And that’s worth spending a few more dollars.

Authors : Mike Girolami

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=320936&ca=Humor

Humour Your Way to Success

Humour (or humor, if you prefer) is the tendency to induce or provoke laughter or amusement in someone to make him or her laugh or smile, showing acceptance of amusement. The degree to which that person will find something humorous will depend on a lot of factors that include but are not limited to: age, gender, intelligence, maturity, education, culture, upbringing, geographical location, religion, context and health (physical, mental and spiritual).

There are many benefits of having a good sense of humour. Some of these are:

1. The restorative power of humor is also widely documented and can be found in many medical journals.

2. Humor is a good ice breaker when you’re meeting someone for the first time.

3. A person with a good sense of humor is more likeable and/ or lovable!

4. Humour helps you increase your social status, thus increasing your chances of making more money, getting a better job, getting more friends, getting more favors of the other gender, and increasing your influencing power dramatically!

5. If you’re really very good at humour, you can actually earn a decent income as an artist or a comedian!

6. You will significantly lower stress, one of the most common “disease” faced by most humans, with so much destruction, recession and other bad news floating around. You will also make a lot of people happy by being humorous, thus spreading goodness in the society at large.

7. You can actually take undue advantage of your humor skills by ending a fight or disagreement with someone where it’s your fault! If you do this, do also have the courtesy of admitting and apologizing for your fault.

I’m sure you will now agree that having a good sense of humor is almost necessary. However, there are some “dos” and “don’ts” also which, while seem common sense, are ignored by many. Some of these don’ts are:

1. The context of the situation is very important when you crack a joke or punch line. You don’t want to crack one to relieve someone in depression whose near and dear one has just died (obviously). Take it slow.

2. Be very careful when speaking something risqué which uses adult, profanity or double entendre. Don’t do this in front of children. Yes, they understand more than you think. And if they don’t, they’ll probably ask the meaning to someone in unwanted surroundings and cause embarrassment. Don’t even do this in front of an audience which does not approve of it, especially in a work environment where you could even get fired or sued. I’ll leave it to you to make your own judgment on what fits in your group. Better warn them before you speak, and evaluate the reactions before you begin such humour.

3. Never use jokes or stories which disparage individuals or particular groups. The effect could be more of a negative stance than a positive one. A joke that reflects on the performance of particular people might not be accepted as a friendly joke. For example, a joke about short guys just might get shorties in the group thinking as if it was pointed at them.

4. Never start off on a great joke when you end up stumbling for the main punch line. Your built up anticipation will only make you a pathetic joker, so remember to prepare the delivery in your mind before you start.

Having got the important tips out of the way, here are some tips to excel in humor:

1. Keep them simple enough for most people to understand. There’s no point explaining a joke, it will only create a dull fizzle, at most.

2. If the joke is aimed at yourself, you reduce the risk of embarrassment drastically.

3. Speak at a normal pace. Most people tend to speed up the delivery either to get to the punch line or are uncomfortable being the center of attraction. This tends to goof up the joke big time.

4. Be prepared in advance. If you’ve learned and practiced your delivery you wont have butterflies in your stomach, or maybe just a few.

5. Learn to breathe. Some people in their excitement forget to breathe and try to get along with less oxygen; which is actually required in a greater quantity. So take a few deep breaths before you begin your delivery.

6. A good idea would be to note down real life funny instances as and when you come across them and add some good ones when you read somewhere. They try to make small changes and a bit of customization to suit the group. Don’t crack jokes like a parrot out of a joke book, they’re quite common and people will either sneer or laugh at you.

7. Create groups of jokes and target them at niche groups. So when in an IT savvy group, use computer related jokes. So on and so forth.

8. Finally, be yourself and let the joke or story flow naturally. Don’t sound like a recorded or canned message.

Humour your way to success; you’ll get a positive addiction to it!

Authors : Nirjara Rustom

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=332898&ca=Humor

Enjoy Political Humor -- The Legacy of an Open Society

George Bernard Shaw once said, “The problem with political jokes is that they get elected.” Well, at least there are a lot of material for political humor. Even if the global economy is practically crashing down around everyone, people can always enjoy political humor.

Understanding the Humor in Politics

People enjoy political humor because it is something that everyone can relate to. The public generally blames the government for everything, so everyone basically appreciates humor in politics. In truth, this particular source of hilarity is almost always delivered in a satire-like fashion. It is generally amusing and it does not disregard the real issue. In fact, it addresses whatever political issue is at hand. To fully appreciate and enjoy political humor, however, you should not regard it as an attack on a particular statesman or politician. Adopting this kind of thinking or attitude will prevent you from really appreciating this type of humor.

Instead of regarding it as an attack, think of it as a personal observation of the person delivering the satire-like lines. After all, underneath the surface humor lies the intent to bring forth an issue to promote change. If you are a politician and you have found yourself a favorite subject, you should consider the truth beneath the jokes and deal with it. Usually politicians who have kept an upright image of themselves are difficult subjects, so comedians generally avoid adopting them as topics.

Humor and Politics – They Go Hand in Hand

You can never have politics without a dash of humor. Political humor is not a new concept. Comedy in politics has been around for centuries. In fact, it is as old as politics itself. An example of ancient sense of humor is Lysistrata, a Greek play written by Aristophanes.

Political humor is actually a legacy of a free society. Unfortunately, there are still some countries that do not allow political ribbing and attempt to limit jokes. For example, Italian televisions are controlled by the government, so people cannot wholly enjoy political humor. A visiting dictator once asked former President Bill Clinton why he didn’t just arrest individuals who questioned and criticized the then President’s poor judgment. Fortunately, for comedians, the United States adheres to free speech.

Modern Political Comedy

Comedians are fairly inventive now days when it comes to this kind of humor. And now more tahn ever people truly enjoy political humor when they hear the jokes while they go about their business. They also appreciate political jokes more when they can relate to the comedian’s sentiments. This type of humor is fairly common during the election period. The comedians are at the top of their form dishing out satire after satire.

Political satire, however, varies from one comedian to another because the views of these people vary. The jokes will depend on how a comedian regards a particular official or the government itself. Nowadays, it is easy to enjoy political humor. Irreverent movies are practically flaying politicians alive.

Political humor exists in order to prevent the hubristic tendencies of politicians from developing. This particular humor has been around for centuries and as long as people enjoy the right to speak their mind, they will always enjoy political humor.

Authors : Peter Garant

http://www.isnare.com/?aid=322809&ca=Humor