What’s the newest fashion trend of note? Well, it’s being called The Kramden, and it just might make some of you guys out there feel a little better about yourselves. Here’s a quote from the New York Times article covering the trend that’ll give you a hint: “Leading with a belly is a male privilege of long standing, of course, a symbol of prosperity in most cultures and of freedom from anxieties about body image that have plagued women since Eve.”

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School started this week and, as we send our little ones off to class, it’s hard not to reflect on how quickly they grow up. It sometimes seems that it happens before our very eyes. And hey, on that note, check out this video — it was put together by parents who took a photo of their son, Lex, every day for a year and then put all the photos together on YouTube. Sweet and poignant, even when it’s not your own kiddo.
 
If any medium ever brought to light the obsession that certain cultures have with cats (Americans … Japanese … I’m looking at you), it’s the Internet. (For hilarious examples, click here and here.) Of course, when you picture cat people, you picture bad décor, right? You know: doilies, Kleenex-box cozies — that sort of thing. Well no more! Moderncat.net is where fresh design meets feline-mania. And it’s really kind of fascinating, even for non-cat people.
 
Time.com has released its “50 Best Websites of 2009,” and while some of those listed are gimmes (Facebook? Google? Wow, Time, way to have your finger on the pulse …), others are real finds. A few notables include shopgoodwill.com (a little-know auction site), Etsy (“the long-haired, Birkenstocked love child of Amazon and eBay”) and  Supercook (make dinner using the ingredient already in your fridge and pantry). It’s a fun list to peruse and quickly gives an idea of the long-standing walls the Internet continues to smash down.
 
Judging by the number and tone of comments
— 1,015 and angry, sarcastic and thoughtful, respectively — this Washington Post article, “Squeaking By On $300,000,” really struck a chord. Whether you’re annoyed, infuriated or just plain amused by the piece, it makes it clear that the economic slump has affected a majority of American households in one way or another.