PlanetFeedback's ShopperCast

Botox: Is it Really Worth it?

Has anybody seen Madonna lately?  As if her emaciating figure wasn't enough, we bet if you sat close enough to the stage at one of her concerts, you could probably bounce a quarter off her new cheek implants- which by the way look larger than Pamela Anderson's... er, implants.  In this day and age, we are going to have to succumb to the fact most people are more silicon than actual flesh and bone.  But how safe and cost effective are even the simple procedures like Botox? 

Let's face it, we all know at least one person who's gotten Botox.  Actually, we probably know several.  With Botox growing to one of the most popular procedures, average, middle-class women are now able to look and feel younger without signing up for an episode of "Dr. 90210."  Botox, which is basically a neurotoxin that prevents select groups of muscles in your face from contracting, was a drug first administered to patients who suffered from muscle spasms. 

Botox costs about $250-$500 a session and lasts about six months.  So, for a mere $1,000 a year, eternal beauty can be preserved on your face momentarily.  But cost isn't the only concern; because we don't know the long-term effects of Botox, we can't know exactly how safe it is.  In addition, there are several other risks, including an allergic reaction, permanent paralysis, and the risk of improper injection.

Regardless, doing your homework is probably the best way to find out if Botox is right for you.  Consulting several doctors, researching the side-effects, and finding out the pros and cons may mean the difference between eternal beauty and aging gracefully.

-Contributed by Alicia Butler

The Way The Cookie Crumbles

It's taken a while for us to post today.... we've been lying down in a dark room, curled up in the fetal position, over this news:  they are cutting back the quantity of cookies in Girl Scout cookies. 

*SOB*

We love Girl Scout cookies.  Frozen Thin Mints.  Do-Si-Does.  And those lovely lemon sandwich cookies.  We sold them as a kid and love to buy them as an adult. 

Usually we buy 12-15 boxes and freeze them and eat them over the course of the year.  We've endured the rising costs of cookies... but now we learn that there are going to be 2-4 cookies less per box in the Thin Mints, Trefoils, and Do-Si-Does.  (Don't pay too much never mind to the list on the CNN page - Trefoils ARE shortbread cookies and Do-Si-Does ARE peanut butter sandwich cookies.) 

And the Lemon Chalet Cremes are changing their shape.  All to save a little bit of money on a once-a-year sale.  Guess nothing is sacred.

You know, it was bad enough when they reduced the packaging of cereal and peanut butter and ice cream.  But now Girl Scout cookies? That's a crying shame.  We just ordered our first four boxes and now we're thinking we should just stop there.

After all, why should we give our hard earned money for fewer cookies?

--Contributed by Deb

La La La La La La La La La Means... I Love You!

Valentine's Day is nearly here.  We know, its hard to think the Superbowl will never actually come and go, but guys, on February 2nd, the honey-moon will be over, and it will be time to start thinking about the female equivalent to the Superbowl- V-Day.  Don't fret, though, we've got plenty of ideas here to help kick-start a special weekend!

Personalized M&M's
What says, "I love you," more than slapping your loved-one's face on the back-side of a candy that melts in your mouth, and not in your hand?  Prices range from $5-$75 and the best part is, you can chose the color of your M&M's.  For those of you who have sat on your couch, and spent the better part of V-Day discarding any M&M that isn't the color green, you know where we're going with this one.

Edible Arrangement
Personally, if Valentine's Day came and went, and I had a boyfriend who didn't buy me flowers, I'd be tempted to pull a Lorraine Bobbit on his arse.  Unfortunately, we've heard rumors, some women don't enjoy getting flowers *gasp!*  If your loved-one is like this, consider dumping them.  If you are stuck with them, however, go ahead and order them an edible arrangement.  If you're going to buy a bouquet made of something other than flowers, chocolate, or bacon, it might as well be fruit.  These babies run from $50-$350, so there's something for everyone's budget. 

Victoria's Secret
Gentlemen, do not, we repeat, do not buy your special-someone a gift card for lingerie.  That is our gift to you.  Valentine's Day is the one day out of the year we are allowed to purchase apparel for ourselves and pass it off as a gift for someone else.  Take this from us, and we'll use it to buy lotion and flannel pajamas. 

-Contributed by Alicia Butler

Are You Ready For Some Commercials?

Who are you rooting for in the Super Bowl ~ the Arizona Cardinals or the Pittsburgh Steelers?  Or are you like so many who, frankly, doesn't care about who wins and who watches for the commercials?  Budweiser.  Pepsi.  Some are funny. Some are crass.  But they all give us something to talk about around the water cooler the next day.

The ads are costing $3 million for a 30 second spot during the game itself and those are selling just as well as they have in previous years.  However the Super Bowl has become a day-long event, rather than just a three hour game.  The NBC pre-game analysis alone is about 4 hours long ~ after all they have to show us a ton of beach scenes to make those of us who are below freezing at home jealous.  (That's the real reason the NFL only awards Super Bowls to cities with warm climates dontchaknow.)  Better make a bigger batch of sausage dip and chill a couple extra beers.

And there are still advertising spots during the pre-game festivities available.  Whether it's because of the weaker economy or because the companies don't think that the extended football coverage makes it worth the investment. 

So if you have a million bucks or so just laying around, you too can buy a pretty premium advertising spot during the pre-game saga... we're thinking a ShopperCast commercial poking fun at the other commercials would be fun and we're passing the hat around.  Go team!

--Contributed by Deb

With Liberty and Justice for All... Consumers?

Americans across the nation were glued to the television today- and not just to catch the newest, "Guiding Light."  For us, the presidential inauguration always brings a sense of renewal, but this year, its not just foreign policy and taxation that will be taking the front seat on the list of our country's issues, but consumer affairs will also be in the spotlight at debates.

The first issues to be tackled?  Behavioral advertising, stricter food and drug laws, and consumer safety.  Consumers will see a shift in advertising, a notice a drop in the number of advertisers allowed to use terms such as "green, carbon footprint," and other similar phrases we have been bombarded with in the past year that advertisers use to make us believe their products are saving Mother Earth.  Companies will have to back-up these claims in order to use such phrases when advertising their products.

As we have seen in the past few weeks especially, food and safety laws will need to meet higher standards and guidelines, especially in reference to products that come in contact with meat and poultry.  Finally, what we have all been waiting for- consumer product safety will show up third in Obama's list of consumer protection.  Civil and penalty actions have been fore-casted to increase in the next few years, and fines raised.

-Contributed by Alicia Butler

More Peanut Butter Recall

We still love peanut butter.  As we previously made you aware, there's a recall of peanut butter because of a potential outbreak of salmonella.  Yuck.

Today we get this email from Food Lion regarding peanut butter.  It assures us that the peanut butter sold in jars is not at risk, however there may be some items that contained the tainted peanut butter or peanut butter paste which might be subject to the recall. 

Oh boy.

Now we're seeing that Kellogg's has a confirmed case of salmonella from its peanut butter crackers, marketed under the name Austin Quality Foods Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter and Keebler crackers.  Now we're worried ~ as we have these kind of crackers in our desk drawer at work to munch on when hunger pains strike.   Guess where they're going when we get to work tomorrow?  If you guessed the trash can, you'd be right.  

Grocery store Meijer, Inc. is also recalling two items of store brand peanut butter crackers as well as ice cream.  Little Debbie is also pulling some products off the shelf. 

Oh boy x 2.  Now not only are we talking about crackers, but ice cream, cookies (we have a very soft spot for peanut butter cookies), snack cakes.  The list could continue to grow.  Which means the list of things in our pantry which could be included.  Like we said:  we love peanut butter.

So please do us a favor and check out this list and then go look in your pantry just to be sure.  If you see anything on this list, toss it.  Keep yourself safe.

--Contributed by Deb

Just Like Pulling Teeth

Quick... think about the medical appointment you look forward to the least.  For women, it's often going into your well-woman visit (trust us, those stirrups are not the most comfortable).  For men over 40, it's the annual prostate exam.  However, there's another appointment that strikes fear in the hearts of many.

What does the sound of a whirring drill make you feel?  What about those bite-wing x-rays ~ do they make you gag?  And do NOT come anywhere near us with that horrible novocaine needle.  You guessed it - we really don't like going to the dentist (even though we get our choppers cleaned twice a year, without fail).  What would happen if you had a bad experience at a dentist?

Jon M. makes us want to cry.  Sob, really, if truth be told.  He went to Monarch Dental and got a crown.  And they *whimper* did it without anesthesia.  If you're not familiar with how dentists do crowns, they file the affected tooth to the nub and then glue the crown to it.  How do they file it down?  Drill, baby, drill.

At the very least Jon should have gotten a local anesthetic with his procedure.  But some dentists, in an effort to save money (we think) cut out unnecessary things.  The problem is we don't think medication to numb the pain prior to a procedure is unnecessary.  BrightNow (which includes Monarch Dental) has 300 locations in 18 states.  One just opened near us. 

After reading Jon's letter (and given our dislike of going to the dentist) what do you think the chances are that we're going to try out Monarch Dental?  Roughly the same as going to the moon.  No thank you.  It sometimes only takes one bad experience (or hearing of one bad experience) to... well, leave a bad taste in your mouth.  Something not even a dentist can fix.

--Contributed by Deb

Be Our Guest- and Live How the Other Half Lives

As we all know, celebrities don’t have it easy.  From the pressure of deadlines, to tawdry headlines, being the new “it” person in the public eye is hard work- or, so they would like us to believe.  Being rich and famous might be harder than we’d like to think, however, falling into a luscious king-sized bed with a triple-down comforter and high thread-count sheets in a penthouse apartment in
New York has to make it easier to wake up every morning. 

 While some of us may never achieve celebrity-status or even be any Oprah’s Gail, we can still vacation like one.  The following tips won’t land you a best-selling novel, or a hit TV show, but for a few hours you may actually know what it feels like to relax like Madonna.  And who knows, maybe if you close your eyes, click your heals, and chant the words, “There’s no place like Malibu, there’s no place like Malibu,” you could find yourself living just like the material girl.

 

VersaceHouse-South Beach, Fl.

The famous home of Gianni Versace has been opened to the public.  The lavish estate that once drew in celebrities such as Cher, Elton John, and the Clinton family, boasts a pool created from Italian tiles, a courtyard, and one of the world’s three golden toilet seats.  For an additional fee guests are invited to dine at the on-site restaurant and even stay in one of the ten guest rooms. 

One hour tours- $65
Lunch starts at $120
Rooms start at $1200

 

Vanderbilt “Cottages” Newport, RI-

If historical homes, The Great Gatsby, and enchanting stories are more your style, step into the setting of the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, Newport RI.  Summer-home to the famous railroad and shipping mogul, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Newport Beach was the ultimate summer getaway in the 1920’s.  The “cottages” built on Ocean Drive were commissioned to impress, and thanks to the Newport historical society, they still do.  Nine mansions are open to the public for tours year-round.

Tours- $11-$25   

Rich and Famous Tour- New York, NY

If studying celebrities in their natural habitat is in your curriculum, try the Rich and Famous Tour in
Manhattan.  Find out where stars- living or dead- hang out.  A special star sighting “bounty” is awarded to the first guest to spot a live one!

3 Hour bus tour- $49.99 internet special

-Contributed by Alicia Butler

Recall News - Peanut Butter

What doesn't go well with peanut butter?  Let's see - jelly goes well; so does jam; honey - yep, marshmellows and bananas, yummy.  Salmonella?  Ugh.  Not so much.

King Nut, who makes peanut butter is recalling some of its products after an open container of its product shows traces of salmonella.  Theoretically it could have been introduced to the product and might not be present in the the PB, but King Nut is taking no chances.  400 people have been sickened by salmonella in 42 states. 

It has asked its customers to stop using any and all King Nut or Parnell's Pride peanut butter that has a lot code of 8. 

The peanut butter was distributed only through food service providers in Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.

If you have purchased peanut butter in really large quantities, this recall could effect you.  If not, well it's good information to know... just in case.  

--Contributed by Deb 

The Ultimate Collectible

It's the combination of iconic comic book culture and modern history ~ the web-slinger, Spider-Man, is getting a new character in an upcoming comic book (oops...graphic novel).  And it's none other than the President-Elect.  Not only is he going to be a star in the story itself, he's going to have a place on the cover.

Holy incognito!  The plot line is that someone is impersonating the President-Elect and trying to foil inauguration and it falls to our hero, Spidey, to figure out which is the real one and which is the fake.  Here's a heads up ~ the imposter is non other than the villain Chameleon. 

Turns out Barack Obama is a huge Spider Man fan ~ even collected the comic books as a child.  (Thank goodness he wasn't a Superman fan... yawn).  Thus the creation of Spidey Meets The President.  It's sure to be a collector's item, so if you can snag yourself a copy, hang onto it.  Other presidents have been featured in SpiderMan comics - from Nixon to Bush 1. 

It's going to be released on January 14. 

And yes, Mr. Obama thanks SpiderMan for saving the day with a fist bump.

--Contributed by Superhero Deb