In the first video, we have a Western tourist flopping around naked in the moat around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo (where the Emperor lives). He’s having a grand ol’ time while local police try to woo him out.

Monkey see, monkey do?

I won’t attempt to explain what is going on – because that would be like dad attempting to describe the hullaballoo of Fashion Week – but some people are a bit nervous that whatever major experiment is happening could suck the earth into a black hole and end humanity as we know it.

Sweet! No more worrying about those 5 pounds I can’t seem to lose!

Ok, so most people argue that the whole black hole thing is an extreme exaggeration, but no one says it isn’t at least remotely possible. I am one who always expects the worst, so I am preparing for the end. And I fully plan on going out with a (Big) Bang.

What am I doing for my last day on earth? Well, let’s just say it is going to include ice cream, Cash Cab and a Wednesday afternoon at the bar. Who cares if I mix vodka with beer and wine? I won’t even be around tomorrow to feel the hangover.

Whether or not you believe that today is end of the world as we know it (and yes, I sung those words as I typed them), it is at least a valid excuse to live it up on this random Hump Day. Do something (or someone) extraordinary. Treat yourself to something you covet.

And, for the love of God, pray that nothing goes wrong over in Switzerland.

[Photo courtesy of sciencedaily.com] 

Now how many of those are women?

According to an article from BBC News, female celebrities seem to bear the brunt of the world’s popular culture-related displeasure. A British poll stated that four of the top five most-hated celebrities were female and the top five most-loved celebrities were all male (strangely, Simon Cowell showed up on both lists).

If this poll is an accurate indication of the way societies view celebrity, there seems to be a misogynist slant against females that is fairly representative of the way women in general are viewed by the world. That is to say, female celebrities are vilified for the same reasons that females are vilified by culture as a whole: they are catty, or overly ambitious and assertive, or bad mothers, or too sensitive, or greedy. It doesn’t need to be pointed out that many of these qualities would be applauded in a man.

But before this goes too angry and feminist, the saddest and scariest part of the article was that most of the anger directed at females in the spotlight come not from men, but from other women. Women no doubt influenced by history and society’s unrealistic expectations of them, but women nonetheless.

This makes a good amount of sense, because women seem to be the ones most often consuming the sort of popular culture that features other women and are more likely to form strong opinions about women in entertainment. Perhaps it is because we are unsatisfied with the way that females like Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton represent our sex. But I’m inclined to think that it’s something a lot less noble.

As the article states,

“despite years of equal opportunities, the media – and the people who watch and read – prefer the stay-at-home mother over a woman who lives her life in public, particularly one who is overtly ambitious or successful in making money. There is great satisfaction among many people in seeing them humbled.”

This makes me think of dating shows like Rock of Love and The Bachelor. I think that women don’t generally watch those shows to see a fellow woman find love and happiness, we watch to see the women tear each other down and act like idiots. And over a man who probably couldn’t care less.

Also, I’m not a Hilary supporter, but I can see this sort of mindset directed at her and her campaign as well. One of my favorite reporters Leonard Pitts wrote a beautiful article last year that started like this:

“So,” the woman asked, “how do we beat the bitch?” And Sen. John McCain laughed.

It was, he said, an “excellent” question. Yes, he went on to express respect for Hillary Clinton, to whom the woman referred. But not once…did he suggest that it wasn’t appropriate to call Clinton a ‘bitch.’”

I think this all leads to a much more important question than “Why do women not like female celebrities?” And that is “Why do women not seem to like other women?”

Call me crazy but every time one of these “foreign objects in my body” stories pops up I just can’t understand how you don’t notice…I just can’t. (BBC News)

If you ever come to New York and decide to drop 55 bucks to have a smelly horse drag you around Central Park while a creepy man in a top hat tries to make conversation…just know what you’re contributing to. (WCBS)

If you’re anything like me and find that every frat party has the same douche-y playlist (not to mention the guys or the booze), here are some alternatives that just may keep everyone happy. (Blender)

“MonaVie costs $40 a bottle, and you can’t get it in stores; it’s marketed only through the company’s network of thousands of individuals who sell it out of their homes.”…um, I’m scared. What’s that? Oprah endorses it? Sold! (reveries.com)

The article stated that, “Women who drink the equivalent of roughly two bottles of wine over a weekend more than double their risk of breast cancer, say Danish researchers.”

Maybe I have a warped view, but the equivalent of two bottles of wine over the course of a whole weekend in college doesn’t actually seem like that much…and that’s all it takes to DOUBLE your risk?

The study was done on 17,647 nurses and those who drank 22-27 drinks a week had twice the risk of breast cancer, compared with others who only had one to three drinks.

The risk was also greatest when drinks were consumed in a short period of time. Um, can we say power hour?

It is important to note that the study was performed on middle aged women, not college age females. But, if it has that kind of dramatic effect on an older population, it can’t be extremely healthy for us youngsters either.

I read on to find out why this shocking study might be true and found that it may be due to increased estrogen levels. Researchers explain that estrogen is a hormone associated with the development of breast cancer and a higher alcohol intake may increase levels of estrogen.

Take what you want from this information, but I know I will be a little more conscious about my alcohol intake in the future.