Monthly Archives: February 2010

Misogyny Bowl 2010

Sometimes the best part of the Superbowl is the commercials. Advertisers go out of their way to feature their funniest and cleverest commercials during the year’s most-watched football game. This year, a theme emerged from the commercials: how much women suck.

Example #1: FloTV ad

Example #2: Dove for Men ad

Women are roughly about 50% of the viewing audience of the Superbowl. I’m not certain if its the uncertain economic times that have led to an upsurge in Park Ave. misogyny, but new reports have shown that for the first time ever women are the majority of the workforce.

Jezebel has a more complete collection of misogynistic ads from this year’s Superbowl.

Obama To Hold Televised Health Care Summit

I think the Obama administration has learned an important lesson from the success of question time – Obama is the best salesman of Democratic ideas. We can’t rely on the news media to inform people anymore and question time allowed him to bypass the talking heads and talk straight to the American people. The Obama administration is planning to televise a Health Care Summit next week:

President Obama made a dramatic attempt to jump-start the stalled health care debate Sunday, inviting Republicans in Congress to a half-day summit on the subject to be televised live later this month.

The president made the offer in an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric just hours before the Superbowl. Obama challenged Republicans to come to the discussion armed with their best ideas for how to cover more Americans and fix the health insurance system.

“I want to consult closely with our Republican colleagues,” Obama told Couric. “What I want to do is to ask them to put their ideas on the table… I want to come back and have a large meeting, Republicans and Democrats to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward.”

Hopefully this will allow Obama to explain exactly what’s in the health care bill and what’s not in it. It could also allow Obama to swat down some of the Republican nonsense and misinformation out there. Obama has challenged Congressional Republicans to bring on their ideas. I just hope this isn’t a prelude to smaller, weaker, crappier health care reform bills but instead is a way to sell comprehensive reform to the American people and to weak-kneed Democrats.

Super Bowl Snack Stadium and Pre-Game Thread

As always, the spectacle surrounding the Super Bowl is often way more fun than the event itself and in that spirit, I give you:

The Super Bowl Snack Stadium


EMBED-The Big Game Snack Food Stadium – Watch more free videos

Have Mercy.

This thing took 10 hours to construct (no idea about design time, but I bet it was massive) out of more than 4 dozen snack foods. And I guess I use the word “food” here in its broadest sense.

So what is on the menu for your Super Bowl party? If you have pictures, send them along and we’ll post them up for you! Even if you aren’t working on a culinary masterpiece for your friends, tell us who you think will win.

Except nemski.

Palin Bows Before Rush

Sometimes, every once in a while, Sarah Palin will do something that I agree with. Usually it has to do with defending her family. I thought she was right to defend her daughter after Letterman’s failed joke. I also thought she was right to criticize Rahm Emmanuel for calling liberal “retarded.” It isn’t a nice thing to say, and as we’ve discussed before on the blog it is very hurtful to families and advocates of people with Down’s Syndrome.

So why is she giving Rush Limbaugh a pass for using the same word, in the same context, repeatedly?

Palin also used her platform to continue a call for the president to rid himself of his closest advisers. On Attorney General Eric Holder, she labeled his handling of captured terrorists — “allowing them our U.S. constitutional protections when they do not deserve them” — a firing offense. On Chief-of-Staff Rahm Emanuel, she said his comments calling liberal groups “f-ing retards” was “indecent and insensitive” and cause for his dismissal.

But the former governor went to great and sometimes awkward lengths to insist that when conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh used the same exact term to describe the same exact group, it was simply in the role of political humorist.

“They are kooks, so I agree with Rush Limbaugh,” she said, when read a quote of Limbaugh calling liberal groups “retards.” “Rush Limbaugh was using satire … . I didn’t hear Rush Limbaugh calling a group of people whom he did not agree with ‘f-ing retards,’ and we did know that Rahm Emanuel, as has been reported, did say that. There is a big difference there.”

Let’s get this straight – when Rahm Emmanuel uses the word in private conversation it’s a firing offense. When Limbaugh uses the word repeatedly on his national radio show, it’s funny. Shorter Sarah: IOKIYAR

Thank you Sarah, for reminding us that you actually have no redeeming qualities and that, yes, you do use your family as political props.

Did Sarah Palin Write Crib Notes On Her Hand?

This seems almost too funny to be true.

Via kos:

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AP photo showing words written on her palm.

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Zoomed in shot of Palin’s hand – Energy, Budget Cut Tax, Lift America Spirit?

Someone please tell me this was photo-shopped.  But given this video, shot during question and answer time, it would appear not.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOvQCkrm3Sg[/youtube]

She’s so smoooth.  Funny and scary at the same time.

Governor Markell Surveys the Political Landscape on CBS News

…and pretty much owns this interviewer. He talks about the Coons-Castle race at about the 5 minute mark and says nice things. The Gov is quite good at this kind of thing, I think — he needs a better questioner than this reporter tho. If you hang until the end, there is a piece on the messaging guy for the Senate Democratic Caucus. Who isn’t doing a very good job, from where I sit. But see this for the conversation with Governor Markell who is optimistic on Democratic chances to keep Gubernatorial seats and on Chris Coons’ chances for Senate.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Weekend Open Thread

This is a trapped-inside-the-house-please-halp version of your weekend open thread. Anything else going on besides snow and snow removal?

The 10 strangest pieces of unclaimed luggage:

1. Hoggle from Labyrinth. Unlike other items at the Unclaimed Baggage Center, Hoggle is not for sale. He is now a permanent part of the Unclaimed Baggage Center Museum. If you’re not familiar, Hoggle was David Bowie’s dwarf-goblin minion in the 1986 movie.
2. A slew of ancient Egyptian artifacts. From a mummified falcon to a shrunken head, a bunch of objects dating back to 1500 B.C. were found in an old Gucci suitcase. Christie’s auction house ended up selling the museum-worthy items in the ‘80s.
3. A rattle snake—a live one—roaming free amongst the rest of the unclaimed baggage.
4. A Naval guidance system. Yep—a piece of equipment worth $250,000 was lost and never claimed. The people at the Center decided to be good sports and return the expensive GPS to the Navy.
5. Bountiful Barbie (but not in the way you think). A woman purchased a Barbie at the Center for her daughter, which isn’t at all unusual. After all, kids lose toys all the time. But when the girl yanked the head off her new Barbie, $500 in rolled bills tumbled out of her body.
6. A full suit of armor. Unlike the Egyptian artifacts, this guy was merely a replica of a 19th century piece. Still, I bet to this day, there’s a guy out there who continues to tell the story of the time he lost a suit of armor at the airport.
7. A violin from the 1770s. Like Hoggle, it resides in the Unclaimed Baggage Center Museum.
8. A 5.8-carat diamond set in a platinum ring and packed in a sock.
9. A camera designed for use on a NASA Space Shuttle. Between this and the Navy’s lost luggage, I’m slightly concerned about the security measures our government agencies are taking! As with the Navy’s guidance system, the Center dutifully returned the camera to NASA.
10. A 40.95-carat natural emerald.

Ann Hathaway makes a statement:

Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway tells GQ Magazine she and her parents have left the Catholic church because of the religion’s views on gay issues. Hathaway, whose brother is gay, says she and her parents became Episcopalians shortly after he came out.

“The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out,” she said. “Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?”

Things Are Tough All Over

Michael Steele and Harold Ford have a tour where they go around debating each other (don’t ask me why). During one of these appearances Michael Steele reflected on the plight of the common man:

The two often traded jokes, especially when Steele panned President Barack Obama’s long-stated plan to let income tax rates return to higher levels for families making more than $250,000 a year.

“Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money,” Steele said.

Oh yes, the mere uni-millionaire can only afford to pay the maid and gardener one day a week and can barely afford the diamond-encrusted toilet paper holders. We feel for your suffering, Mr. Steele.

SNOWGASM DAY 2

19″ in Newark, 16″ in Edgmoor, 18″ in Claymont. Sustained winds of 30 mph or more. Power outages everywhere, with reports of over 56,000 in Sussex and Cape May County, and 24,500 from Delmarva. Thundersnow is being reported. Stranded cars on Rt. 7 offramp from 95. Travel has been banned everywhere. If you drive and you are not a police officer, a firefighter, a doctor, or other essential personnel, you not only will be stranded with your life at risk, you will also be arrested.

This Blizzard appears to be much worse than the December storm, and is on par with the Great Blizzard of 96.

Here is the latest from Twitter:

Reminder, DE State of Emergency remains in effect…only essential workers should be traveling

Del Coop. Please fix our electric. 4 kids stuck in house with no electric. I am praying for us all

Latest traffic incident numbers statewide since start of event: 96 disabled vehicles, 3 injury crashes, and 39 prop damage crashes

@WDEL: Shelters are open at Odessa Fire Hall, Sussex Central HS and Dover HS.

DEMA reports two poultry company tractor-trailers have turned sideways on Rt. 24 in Sussex County and are blocking the road.

The tree branch has been wanting fall since the ’94 ice storm. http://twitpic.com/11o6y5

WDEL listener reports she saw 7 or 8 cars stranded on the Rt 7N off-ramp from 95S.

Taking bets on which rooftops are gonna collapse. #delsnow < -- gonna happen ! We have well so no water or heat! No coffee No shower! No TV! Tree limbs touching ground. Crews are on the roads, plowing, and fighting against the snow and the wind. 13 and a half inches in Middletown at 7:20 @del_editor snowfall totals http://bit.ly/bWTuYt #delsnow / wow and we're not done yet! 19 inches so far in Newark. http://twitgoo.com/d8qck #delsnow Yeah, power just came back on in Seaford!!

Here is the latest forecast:

Update: Governor Markell has declared a state of emergency, so no more driving until Sunday. We are now officially trapped indoors. Operation Cabin Fever commences.

Governor Jack Markell declared a State of Emergency covering the entire state of Delaware effective at 8:00 pm today, with vehicles ordered off the roads as of 10 p.m. Conditions are expected to intensify with heavy snowfall and strong winds that will make driving exceptionally dangerous. Given the anticipated strength of this storm, DelDOT crews are expected to concentrate on major arteries for plowing, initially leaving many secondary roads unattended.

As of 10 p.m. tonight and until further notice, the emergency declaration allows only emergency vehicles and essential personnel on the roads until further notice. The Governor will evaluate the conditions of the roads after the storm passes on Saturday morning to determine how long this restriction will remain in place. Private sector businesses are strongly urged to consider the safety of their employees and the restriction of travel during the storm when deciding whether to remain operating. Abandoned vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Follow the Blizzard on Twitter
DEStormInfo on Twitter.
#delsnow.

Here are some other useful links:
Philadelphia Weather Blog
WDEL
KYW
Delaware Online / News Journal
Weather Channel
NOAA / National Weather Service
Weather Underground