"A woman should always have fair skin... Otherwise people will think you’re a peasant."

Tanning is so disliked in China that some people wear a head and face covering — ski-mask-style — to go out swimming.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the infamous "tanning mom" has de-tanned somewhat.  

"What The Sun Really Does To Your Face."

Check out the Unilateral Dermatoheliosis — caused by driving a truck for 28 years, with the sun always hitting one side of the face.

"City truck runs over sunbather at Madison park."

A 28-year-old woman was lying on the grass. The truck was delivering bark.

A crash reconstruction team from the Wisconsin State Patrol worked at the scene to try to determine what the driver of the city Parks truck may or may not have been able to see as she came over a small hill and struck the sunbather....

Those who sunbathe at the park said they are shocked by the incident.

"A lot of times I come laying out here. I'm pretty relaxed, kind of in nap mode, so a public place where you can lay down -- it's kind of scary to think about," said [one woman].

UPDATE: The sunbather died from complications from the injuries.

"Sorry about all the smoke, I just came from the tanning salon."

"I can't blame them for being jealous. I am alluring in a way they'll never be. Trust me, there are plenty of men in New Jersey who would love to snap into this Slim Jim."

Video here.

"Palin Wanted a Tanning Bed in the Governor's House."

The NYT is picking through the Sarah Palin email oeuvre, and that's the first nonscandal extracted from the 24,000 printed pages.

Sarah Palin's tanned good looks may have gotten a bit of help.

An e-mail from the manager of the governor's house to Ms. Palin in early 2008 makes clear that Ms. Palin had inquired about the possibility of installing a tanning bed in the house.

The outrage! How can we trust a politician who would hide the source of her skin coloration?

"When it's healthy and cared for, our skin has the natural ability to maintain a light tone and clear texture."

"Unfortunately, when it's exposed to the sun, the skin's natural lightening processes are interrupted. Pigment producing cells become increasingly active, tanning the skin, and leaving it several shades darker than it's supposed to be."

Teleprompters and tanning beds.

1. Sarah Palin said "The teleprompter got messed up, I couldn’t follow it, and I just decided I’d just talk to the people in front of me" but maybe the teleprompter wasn't broken. What's with dissing teleprompters that may in fact be functioning properly? Hey, isn't this the oldest speakers trick in the book? I came here tonight with a prepared speech -- wave the papers around -- but then I saw you and decided to speak straight from my heart -- make a show of setting the papers to the side. It's a little cornball, but... whatever. Doesn't work too well if you've distributed the text in advance, and the straight-from-the-heart talk is nearly the same, which is what happened to Palin. Good to know the press is keeping her honest and protecting the reputation of the unfairly maligned teleprompter.

2. Sarah Palin bought a tanning bed for the governor's mansion. She paid for it with her own money, but still, she bought a tanning bed for the governor's mansion. Don't you think that says something about her? People, she tans! Is she tanorexic? In what other exercises of personal vanity does she indulge? Let's view her rifle-wielding and posing with dead moose in the light of the tanning bed. It's all a big narcissistic show. Come on, America. Wise up to this lady. She wants to be President so she can swan around on the national stage like a big beauty queen.

"American Idol" is back!

Am I blogging it? Of course!

The show is an "integral part" of "American culture," we're told. By Seacrest, of course. Note: I like Ryan Seacrest.

They start off nicely with a lot of really good singers, then a few screwed up performances. They do an excellent job of creating a feeling that the country is full of really nice, optimistic young people. Some are deluded, but we love them and forgive. Some are terrific, and they always make us happy and want to reach out and embrace them. So, yeah, it's actually true that the show has become part of American culture. I know it's corny and edge-free. But still....

Lots of ultra-nastiness from Simon. He says they need a bigger stage after a fat woman sings (and does well). He tells a guy he should shave off his beard and become a female impersonator. But you know this sort of thing is trumped up. Simon must be mean. I just said the show is "edge-free," but now I remember that Simon is supposed to be the edge. He's pseudo-edge.... an integral part of the show.

Well, no one struck me that much tonight. There are an awful lot of kids who think singing very piercingly loud and emotively is the way to be good. It's bizarre to do that when you haven't had enough feedback yet. They just throw themselves out there, without any basic sense of where the notes are. And then there was that one girl who just threw herself into tanning, without any sense of proportion. She was a classic "American Idol" delusional.