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This stuff just writes itself

2010-02-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

Who had the best tie?

2010-01-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

Joe Biden had the best tie tonight. It was a gorgeous, shimmery, green stripe. Obama's tie was a red and white stripe that looked like a crappy-ass, store-brand candy cane that was lying in a puddle for three days.

SOTU

2010-01-27T19:47:00.001-08:00

For a week or so now, I've been planning to post a long, ranting tirade about how Obama has disappointed me. I knew when I voted for him, and when he won the Presidency, that he would annoy and disappoint me a lot—I'm a Democrat with a serious capital D. But I didn't expect to feel so discouraged and deflated as I have lately. When Thom Hartmann asked on his radio program this morning, "What would you yell at the president during tonight's State of the Union address?" I yelled (in my car) "DO SOMETHING!"

Okay. Speech over. All I can say is, I am so very thankful that Barack Obama is not my abusive boyfriend. After only 75 minutes of smooth talk, he's made me fall in love all over again.

Remember the ERA?

2010-01-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

There was a huge push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 1982, when I was in high school. I remember it as a giant controversy, but I was 15, and didn't pay much attention. Did I just assume it was the logical next step? Who knows? My memory is unreliable.

At the time, it had been ratified by 35 states (only three shy of the 38 required for national ratification!). It has been reintroduced into every Congress since, with very little fanfare. Did you know that? I didn't! After it was defeated in 1982, it was as though the country considered the matter settled for all time, and just moved on to other things.

As a teenager, I assumed it failed because there was something extreme about it, something that was really beyond the pale, something abhorrent not just to the fundamentalist who believed in strict gender roles, but to mildly conservative Americans, too. (With hindsight, I'd say "average Americans," but at the time I didn't realize that I wasn't an average American, that my political views were what would be considered leftist.). I was all for equal rights, and still am. But it wasn't like I ever READ the amendment.

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

That's it. That's the whole thing.

Fuck you, Phyllis Schlafly.

FGM/C, MGM/C...how about NO GM/C?

2010-01-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not a proponent of circumcising baby boys. I'm not in favor of circumcising ANY boys before they reach the age of consent. Of course, if a male over the age of 18 decides he wants to have his foreskin removed, then what business is it of mine? I'd sooner tell him not to get a tattoo he might later regret.

Because I'm a woman of European descent who lives in the United States, it goes virtually without saying that I do not condone female circumcision.

The debate over genital cutting of either sex is about as complex and multi-layered as the debate over the death penalty (more on this in a future post). I could write thousands of words about it, but that's not why I brought it up in this post.

I brought it up because of some startling research reported in 2007 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. One of the most compelling arguments against female circumcision is the claim that it renders the victim incapable of feeling sexual pleasure, or, if she does feel pleasure, of experiencing orgasm. This research indicates that this is is not the case.

This is good news for the millions of women who have already undergone genital cutting, and not such good news for those girls whose culture prescribes it. It's also bad news for people who argue that male circumcision is a trifle when compared to female circumcision because men can still orgasm without a foreskin.

Thanks, Adrian Colesberry.

Meatri dish

2010-01-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting article today about a Dutch lab that's succeeded in growing strips of pork from stem cells.

There was a similar story about cultured meat (it was beef) a few years ago. The comment section for that article was dominated by people who were thoroughly disgusted by the idea. Not me. What's disgusting is killing an animal and eating it.

Don't get me wrong—I am an avid meat eater. I even eat organ meats and feet and blood sausage and headcheese and stuff. But there's no getting around the fact that meat has a high gross-out factor. Add to this the fact that factory farms and feedlots are arguably inhumane, and certainly disastrous for the environment, and you have a pretty good argument for going veg.

I, for one, would be delighted to do away with these ethical issues and eat hot dogs, burgers, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks that came from a lab.

Finer cuts of meat are another story. It's well known that an animal's diet and lifestyle have a significant effect upon the flavor and texture of its flesh. Not to mention milk. And eggs. And honey. Et cetera.

But I have faith in science. If scientists can figure out how to grow meat in a petri dish, surely they can eventually figure out ways to tinker with its more ethereal qualities. Presumably it's just an extremely complicated transfer of molecules that happens when an animal eats something and converts it to flesh and bone.

Chestnuts

2009-12-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Someday I will write a blog post again. In the meantime, here's this:

Merry Christmas, especially to Anna! xoxoxox

Feliz Navidad! Y viva Charo!

2009-12-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, I must say!

2009-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry I can't embed this video. But click the clicky! It's worth it.

I am German so I can laugh at this. No, wait...

2009-11-23T13:39:00.001-08:00

http://homemadehilarity.blogspot.com/2009/11/and-angry-emails-start-in-32.html

Ugh, how absolutely revolting

2009-09-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Michael Duvall, Republican state representative from Orange County, California, has resigned today after local news station KCAL released a video of him chatting with a colleague, in astonishingly icky detail, about his affairs with two different women. The representatives were waiting for a legislative session to begin and were within range of the microphones. You can read excerpts of the transcript and watch the video here.

You can see a photo of one of the women (the one who wears eye-patch underwear) here. I see why he likes her. She's very appealing. He, on the other hand, looks like Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann's love child.

Awesome analogy for getting health care reform passed in spite of the idiots

2009-08-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

From tombaker, a commenter on Think Progress:

Sometimes a housecat will need medication.

But, because it's a cat, it doesn't understand that.

SO a good cat owner must do what is necessary,

wrestle that cat to the floor, pry its jaw open, and, at the risk of getting scratched and bitten, ram that pill down its unwilling throat.

The cat will be pissed, for sure, and it will avoid that owner for a couple of days, but once the medicine has done its job, and the animal is feeling itself again, it will be right back in that owner's lap, purring.

Republican congress members are a lost cause. But can the blue dog Democrats get this through their heads, please?

How the hell did this happen?

2009-06-24T22:13:00.001-07:00

Scrunchies are back in fashion?

And, wow, $6.00? Time to start knitting and crocheting some for Etsy.com, I guess.

GOP senators warn Obama on health care

2009-06-09T10:00:00.001-07:00

From an AP item:

Obama says his plan would allow Americans to keep private coverage. But many Republicans say that once a government insurance program is created, it will eventually dominate the market, and drive private insurers out of business.

WTF? This the party who says government can't do anything right, so we should privatize everything. And that competition in the free market results in the best possible product or service at the best possible price.

So why are they worried about the government health care insurance program putting the private companies out of business? Because they know that the private insurance companies are gouging consumers and providing crappy service. Give the people a choice, and they'll go with the government for decent coverage at a reasonable price.

Florida's beautiful new vanity license plate

2009-04-28T12:27:00.001-07:00

I want one.

Muahahahahahah!

2009-04-28T10:10:00.001-07:00

Arlen Specter is now a Democrat!

An even unlikelier hero

2009-04-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Regular readers of this blog (HAHAHAHAHAHAH) may remember Shep Smith boggling at Ralph "Asshat" Nader. This video is even better:

I haven't had a crush this embarrassing since Kevin Costner.

Thanks, Tim!

Inappropriate jokes

2009-04-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

I laughed out loud at this.

The rumble

2009-03-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

My dad could never watch "Seinfeld" because he found George Costanza so embarrassing. He'd turn the channel, and when we complained, he'd turn it back and then get up and leave the room. (Beneath his gruff exterior, my dad's a sensitive, exquisitely empathetic guy. Don't tell him I said so.)

I felt the same way watching Jim Cramer on "The Daily Show" on Thursday. Jon Stewart was merciless, and Cramer's squirming was nearly unbearable. (The thing is, Jim Cramer is a dick, but I kind of like him. I like James Lipton, too. I think I'm a shitty judge of character.)

I never turned the channel, though, and today I watched the unedited version of the interview. It's both exhilarating and depressing. On one hand, it's a thrill to see someone actually conduct a difficult interview calmly, rationally, and without any screaming. On the other, it's maddening that the host of a fake news show is the only person doing any serious investigative reporting on what led to the latest catastrophe on Wall Street.

Will it make any difference? Monkeyhawk, a commenter on Wonkette, says it better than I can:

Who knows?

But this might end up on a par with Edward R. Murrow’s thing on “See It Now” with Joe McCarthy.

And it’ll be forever dismissed by some as a comedy show.

It’s more like neo-medieval; the Jester is the only one who speaks truth to power.

PC

2009-02-03T17:24:00.001-08:00

Today as I was entering the bathroom at work, I nearly collided with this guy who was coming out of the bathroom, and I thought "OMG that guy totally looks like the "I'm a PC" guy!"

The second thing I thought was "OMG I just walked into the men's bathroom!"

Bittersweet

2009-01-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

I bought the very last six-pack of Zima left in the entire world yesterday, and I got carded.

Tra la la

2009-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

My New Car came with free satellite radio for a year. I have been compulsively listening to the "Hits" channel. I like:

"Sober" by Pink
"Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga

I actively dislike "Womanizer" by Britney Spears. How disappointing.

Also, will someone please explain to me what the big deal is about Nickelback? I don't get it.

In other music news: Kat Deluna will reportedly release a new album this year. Said her producer, RedOne, a few months ago, "She is the new, modern-day Selena." Well, duh. I said that the first time I heard her.

All right already

2009-01-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

I've been getting feedback from a certain (small) percentage of my fanbase (all seven of you) that I should post more often. I'm not really sure what you're saying, but what I'm hearing is that you would prefer many frequent, short, boring posts to one long monthly post. And I am nothing without my fans, so...

I am in love with my car. Her name is Bunny, unless I forget and call her Beauty, or Bubbly, or Princess. She hates stop-and-go traffic, but she LURVES going really really fast. Also, she loves to show off her superlative German engineering when I stamp on the brakes on a patch of ice.

The aqua Xmas tree is not only super pretty, it literally stunned my friends and family. At least two people told me (did they have to sound so surprised?) that they would totally have it in their homes. I should post a photo of how freaking fabulous it looks in my living room, but I can't photograph stuff as well as the marketing people. So just imagine it all decorated with shimmering, glittery white and silver ornaments, please.

The ugliest plate in the world

2008-12-16T13:26:00.001-08:00

This would look SO AWESOME in my china cabinet. Maybe someone will get it for me for Christmas...(oh pleez oh pleez oh pleez oh pleez)

New tree!

2008-12-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a pink Christmas tree when I found this one and was completely dazzled. It looks so tasteful in my living room.