ANOTHER CULTURAL NOTE
There have been a number of positive signs lately in American culture for our Moebius community, I think; the excellent reception Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day received; and there have been other bits and pieces of cultural news that show that maybe not everyone is obsessed with only skin-deep looks and image.  And here's another--a successful woman today writes on CNN.com about how another one of her dreams became reality:
"As a kid, I was a horse nut, a real barn rat. I would spend every Saturday at the stables, grooming horses, mucking stalls -- anything for extra rides. But when I went to college, my obsession fizzled out. I got a job in book publishing and started spending my days in front of a computer, stuck in my head. I like what I do, but as time passed, I just began to crave something wildly different.
Then, three years ago, I came across a video about horses helping children with disabilities. I felt like it was speaking directly to me. On my first day as a volunteer, I was paired with a 9-year-old girl who had severe developmental and physical disabilities. My job was to walk alongside her for support. When she got in the saddle of a big brown swayback, her face lit up. She couldn't stop laughing! I saw other kids in wheelchairs -- kids who spend all day looking up at people -- sitting in the saddle and grinning like they were on top of the world. It felt magical. There's no office equivalent, no matter how much you enjoy your day job.
I've since become a certified riding instructor. For six months a year, I'm at the stable on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's something I don't technically have time for -- I've missed weekends away with friends, and I schedule "summer" vacations for March because the program starts in April -- but you make time for things that matter."

How refreshing, right?  Maybe attitudes are changing.  Er...

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND...MAYBE NOT:
"Plastic surgery is hot.  According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of people undergoing cosmetic procedures has more than doubled in the past ten years to over 14 million in 2010.  Advances in technology are partially responsible for this trend, as looking better has never been easier or cheaper.
So what do I see in store for plastic surgery this year? Quite a bit.  [then comes much discussion of cosmetic fillers, Botox, fat reduction surgeries, etc...and then]:
"We’ll see more and more nightmare surgery stories from phony plastic surgeons.   Cosmetic surgery is currently the “Wild West” of medicine, with doctors of all types of training (Ob-Gyn, ER, family practice, etc.) performing plastic surgery procedures for which they are poorly trained.  A lack of regulation combined with the gradual decline in insurance reimbursement are pushing more and more doctors to close their medical practices, take courses in plastic surgery, and then reopen their offices as cosmetic surgery clinics.  I expect we’ll hear more and more nightmare plastic surgery stories as these poorly trained doctors botch surgeries on unsuspecting patients."

Wow--that sure should make everyone glad that nips and tucks are so popular.  Sigh...
Just have to keep raising awareness, people! :+)

"Luck is the residue of design."--Branch Rickey