What is Spermine? Be famous and get a PhD too. Detoxification. Sex merch pitch on glossy mags. And other stuff and things that Pasckie choose to rant about.

SPERMINE TREATMENT. Heard of this one? Now, I know what my Norwegian buddy (in NY), Rik, was rambling about one time I hanged with him. Spermine is a powerful anti-oxidant in human sperm. It is considered great in diminishing and reducing wrinkles. It also makes the skin smooth. Townhouse Spa, based in Manhattan (where Rik's wife worked), offers spermine treatment in which the cream is applied over skin and then ultrasound and infrared light is used to help the product penetrate the lipid barrier. The treatment costs $250 for 10 minutes! Yes, two-hundred-freakin'-fifty-dollars! In fact, a Norwegian company called Bioforskning sells sperm based products in the market. As Jenny The Lomey says, “Seriously?” Yes, seriously.

HOW TO EARN A COLLEGE DEGREE (without passing grades or residency): Examples. Jeff Daniels dropped out of Central Michigan University, pursued an acting career, got famous somehow. So CMU gave him an Honorary Doctorate. More prominently, Robert De Niro was awarded an honorary doctorate of Fine Arts at Bates College in Maine, plus he also had another one, a Doctor of Fine Arts from New York University in 1996. Many other famous people went through that route—from the Beatles and Yoko Ono to Meryl Streep and Muhammad Ali. J.K Rowling got SIX! In fact, even Kermit The Frog received a Doctorate of Amphibious Letters in 1996 from Southampton College in New York. Yes, seriously. But, nah—Beavis and Butt-head haven't got one yet. Meantime, Stefani Joanne Germanotta, before she mutated into Lady Gaga, enrolled at NYU's Collaborative Arts Project 21 at Tisch School of the Arts but dropped out on her second year. Now, she's famous. Maybe NYU will give her an Honorary Doctorate, as well? Big Bird will protest!

DETOXICATION is an approach that claims to rid the body of "toxins" – accumulated harmful substances that are alleged to exert undesirable effects on individual health in the short or long term. Detoxification usually includes one or more of: dieting, fasting, consuming exclusively or avoiding specific foods (such as fats, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, juices, herbs, or water), colon cleansing, chelation therapy, or the removal of dental fillings. It's also called or includes “body cleansing.” Many celebs are into this—ie Gwyneth Paltrow (but of course!) Kate Hudson, Christy Turlington, Molly Sims, Sophia Bush etc. Some don't, like Carey Mulligan (“Oh, no, no, no. I couldn't even start”). Some also tried but had a different experience, like Julianne Moore. Her response is classic: “It went well, and I enjoyed it, but I think I lost all of my weight in my brain. I couldn't think at all.” (Me, I am no celeb but I won't/don't detox or cleanse because if I do, there'd be nothing left of my 5'3” and 112 lbs. Or my tiny brain. Just my huge ego—which is bad. Ah!)

HOW much accessories budget a wealthy person—or a moneyed lady—usually “modestly” maintains? According to Self magazine: A sequined Cooper Penny bag, $48 (super-cheap!) Courtney Lee earrings, $265; Aperlais Paris party shoes, $896; Coach watch, $348; BCBGMaxAzria belt, $58. I don't need to total that... That's excluding clothes and undergarments, of course... For the bag dough ($48), you'd most likely complete a full get up by shopping at Goodwill, and a few dollars for gasoline money.

SEX SELLS. Sample articles: 5 Seconds to Better Sex (Glamour), 99 Sex Questions (Cosmopolitan), The Best Sex Positions Ever (Women's Health Magazine), 10 Best Sex Tips From Men's Magazines (Woman's Day). [WHEN Helen Gurley Brown became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan in 1965, she reversed the magazine's trend of "high quality" and "cultured" content into an advocate of women's sexual freedom. Ms Gurley Brown claimed that women could have it all, "love, sex, and money.”]

Considering that “sex in glossy magazines” (as commodified discussion, in case we veer away from accepting it as reality) takes root from the sexual revolution of the 60s by way of Cosmo's Helen Gurley Brown, it's kind hard to accept that its “sexism.” We can even define it as feminist aggressiveness, a declaration/celebration of sexual opennness in an otherwise constrained, “stone age” psyche that women shouldn't talk about sex publicly. Take note that Playboy, Penthouse, and FHM are conceived by men, modeled by women but marketed to men; Cosmo etc are conceived by women, modeled by women and marketed to women, essentially. Those are two different market demographics. We can call Playboy et al as sexist, but will Ms Gurley Brown call her magazine or legacy “sexist,” or feminist?

And Ms Gurley Brown's brainstorm didn't actually stop. From TV to music/Hollywood, what is the common denominator? Sex or sexiness, power and positioning. The Kardashian sisters, Beyonce, J-Lo, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, 50 Shades of Grey, True Blood, Weeds. Even in popular cable series/shows, “Breaking Bad,” “The Killing,” and “Game of Thrones,” the power are women (eg Walter White's wife decides for him, basically; in “The Killing,” the lady leads, the dude is the assistant). Sex and power by way of women... I see it as more upfrontness, independence and grit. “Love, sex and money.” How can we call these sexist when it serves the purpose of power enhancement? Sex in women's magazines is just a fragment of such power-driven independence, I believe... Sex sells because sex is power.

NEWS: Though the house brand at Whole Foods is called “365 Everyday Value,” many consumers say they’d go broke if they shopped at the upscale natural foods store 24/7. The Austin, Texas-based chain offers a menagerie of organic, gourmet, artisanal food products, and is battling the public perception that has led to the store's nickname "Whole Paycheck." MY TAKE: One of the biggest paradoxes of an affluent nation: Health food (so they say) can only be afforded by the moneyed people. Hence, so-called “correct eating” has become elitist. I still believe, accessibility to food is a basic human right... And the assurance that food is safeguarded for people's health and safety and made easily available to each and everyone—is humanity's most utmost, gut responsibility to life.

HEARD of Teething Rings made out of plant-derived plastic resin? Organic, yes. I don't know how much these cost—but Amazon.com sells a 30-pack Gardman 7915 Twisty Plant Rings for $8.39. Obviously, these little thingies are meant to eliminate our “plastic” little lives. So don't be surprised to receive a non-plastic AmEx card soon. It'll be made of banana leaves, spring rolls wraps or tortillas. Yes, you may also eat them.

WHAT do super-rich fans spend their money on? Examples: Britney Spears' discarded gum—went as high as $14,000 on eBay; Justin Timberlake's leftover French Toast, $1,025; Lady Gaga's fake fingernail, auctioned off at $13,000; Elvis Presley's underwear, $11,000+; and, check this out, Justin Bieber's hair trimming, $40,000+. One day, when I become really famous, my ramen noodles leftover will be auctioned off, starting at $50,000. Okay, let's start the bidding--$50,000, now 60, now 62, will you give me 65? Sixty-five, now 70, 71, now give me 76? Going... going.

NEWS: “Michael Bloomberg's advice for success: Don't take bathroom breaks.” Makes sense. I mean, how many of you—or us, internet hounds—delay or hold trips to the bathroom, anyways? (Huge difference though is—Mayor Bloomberg is a 27 billion dollar dude, the 13th richest human being, and we are not. Maybe he made those moolah alongside a “No Bathroom Break” policy?)

“HACKING” is a “legit” service advertised in the internet via AdChoices—in between articles on Yahoo's front page. Read again: “Want to Run a Background Check on Someone? Get detailed information about anyone in the US including their Public Records, Pictures, and contact information? Go visit Instant Checkmate.” Etc etcetera. While we fight for privacy, some dude is actually peddling service how to invade yours.

NEWS: “Scent From My iPhone: New technology could send smells from one smartphone to another.” Lead of same Daily Beast article: “Let's say we’re talking on the phone. I’m having dinner by the Mediterranean. You’re in your office in a landlocked American city. `Can you smell the sea?' I ask. `Yes,' you say. `It’s almost like being there.'” Yup, a new project from Le Laboratoire, a Paris-based center of art, design, and science is developing what’s called the OPHONE. Just a reminder: Don't call if you are a cheater calling from a secret rendezvous or don't dial while you're in a toilet, or something. Of course...