First things first: I hate this whole "this is the new that" stuff; Paninis are the new hoagies, rats are the new ferrets, breathing is the new being alive. It's tired.

That said, my headline stands. As far as TV, literature, blogs -- whatever -- are concerned, the crazier, more outlandish, more dysfunctional the family, the more it will resonate with a salivating audience. That's clearly the studio mogul mindset.

Salivating to relate, maybe; sure, we all think our family was a bit off, cause for embarrassment on more than one occasion, so there's a bit of "misery loving company" going on. But, ultimately, in retrospect or not, many of us look back at a family that had its collective quirks but was ultimately a pretty damn normal, boring, functioning family. Do I understand Hollywood cranking up the quirk for laughs and to keep our attention? Obviously. Yet, while doing so, the Cleavers became the Cunninghams became the Bluths became "Modern Family." Funny shows all, but at the same time dysfunctional became something to strive for, the willfull suspension of disbelief something as easy to dismiss as the notion that drama and issue-free is possible.  

      http://www.ctfamily.org/blog/2013/05/13/vinnie-penn-connecticut-talk-radio-and-the-pro-family-cause/

NEWTOWN, Conn. — A task force of elected officials in Newtown on Friday recommended tearing down Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed in December, and rebuilding on the same site.

For the complete story, visit Huffingtonpost.com

Someone sent me this hilarious YouTube clip that, admittedly, at some points is alternately sad and something to really think about. Imagine: Seeing Eye People for folks who text while they walk (which is every single one of us)!

http://youtu.be/kNyTqIsrk0w

The funny, obviously, comes directly from the notion itself, never mind the group of people who came together to act the whole thing out. One lone texter being led down a New York City street by four orange vest-sporting seeing eye people, all the while clearing a path so the text could be written and sent, hopefully no auto-correct mishaps to undo all the good being done. At one point they even offer assistance to unsuspecting strangers.

That's where the sad comes in: some folks, police included, think it's all for real and don't even find it completely outrageous, much as they decline the offer or bemoan the fact that they weren't told about it in the first place. Some interviewees are incredulous, which is a welcome reprieve from the plentiful shoulder-shrugging.

And that's where the something to think about comes in: We as a nation have gotten so accustomed to both our gadgetry and entitlement that such a service doesn't seem all that outlandish to many in the clip, and probably many more who watched the video, or will watch it.

Further, how many people have slammed into you, thanks to their head hung low, furiously jotting a note to a friend that they're "almost there" or "running 15 min late?" How many times have you been the guilty party? Sure, the catalyst for this clip is comedy, but it also efficiently illustrates our inability to be one block away from meeting up with a friend... and having to text them just that.