Monday, January 29, 2007

I want my pink back

Eve Ensler and fellow Code Pinkers protested this weekend against the war and the "surge," which Ensler likened to something that ... ahem ... happens to teenage boys in the middle of the night. She invoked images of things "swelling" and "rising" and "lasting just a minute."

OKAY, Eve, we get the picture.

Ensler has managed to completely invert the ideals of the women's movement. I thought women struggled to be recognized for their brains. You know, we're substantive, thoughtful, more than just the sum of our womanly parts.

Now, Ensler and the other Pinkers flounce around in ridiculous outfits, screeching, snickering about genitalia, and holding signs with insightful commentary such as "Augmentation is for Boobs."

And for Pete's sake, enough with the pink. Pink is a perfectly wonderful color, and I want it back.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Spare the rod, spoil the plane ride

AirTran had to boot a couple and their out-of-control kid off a plane because they were delaying takeoff. The 3-year-old refused to sit in her seat and was "climbing under the seat and hitting the parents."

Hitting the parents.

I've blogged before about my frustration with bratty kids who think nothing of assaulting their own parents. The 16-year-old who bruises her mother, as I witnessed one woman talking about, I'm sure started out like the 3-year-old on this plane.

In a not-unrelated item, a California assemblywoman wants to ban spanking of children under 4. She said she hasn't figured out exactly how to define spanking for the purposes of this bill, but she was quoted as saying, "I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child," [Sally] Lieber said. "Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a 6-month-old or a newborn?"

"Whip." Oh, geez. No one is advocating taking a cat o' nine tails to a three-month old. Anything that would cause injury to a child (apart from a tender bottom) is already against the law. And certainly she knows that.

Liber then invokes the tired canard that spanking breeds societal violence. Does that not collide with common sense? How many of you were spanked as children? Okay, put your hands down. How many of you have committed a violent act? That's what I thought.

Note to self: Never move to California, and ride AirTran at the next possible opportunity.

Bits 'n' snips

Hello, GGB readers! It's been a few days since I've posted, so I thought I'd update you all on my goings-on:

95 Days and Counting: The GGB's days as a single girl are numbered. When we were 200 days out, it felt like forever until the wedding. Now, my to-do list is expanding geometrically like a psychotic Mandelbrot set, and it's hard to keep up with my own thoughts. Luckily, my mother is retired and the noble and gallant Rich is not above taking over part of the checklist.

24 Hours of Terrorist-smacking Goodness: We had to see what all the fuss was about, so Rich and I downloaded the first four "hours" of 24 from iTunes and watched them Sunday evening. (What a great deal! Four hours of entertainment for $8, no commercials.) Caught last night's installment as well, and we're both recording the season on our respective media PCs.

I can see why the show is addictive. It's just a damn good show. A few nitpicks, though: The dialogue occasionally lapses into tired stump-speech clichés and sloganeering. And the twist about possible involvement of Jack's brother and father is just a wittle too convenient, IMHO.

Friday, January 19, 2007

I hope she can get the deposit on the caterer back

Here's someone who's having a bad day: You're a judge in Memphis, and you discover that not only has your fiancé had sex with another woman, he is in jail because he paid said woman to have sex with her 8-year-old daughter.

Fiance of Memphis Judge Accused of Paying Woman for Sex With 8-Year-Old Daughter (Fox News)

If I were that woman, I don't know what I'd do, but I can think of a few possibilities ... Epilady his entire body followed by a nice sea salt scrub comes to mind.

Yuck.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

'24' is da bomb

Okay, I'll have to admit. I'm not a watcher of 24, but I am tickled at the ... cough ... bomb the season opener has detonated among the jabbering classes.

And this just in: Muslims protest reprised role as terrorists in Fox series '24'. (Hat tip: LGF) One person quoted in the article is concerned about reprisals against Muslims in the U.S.:

"Somewhere, some lunatic out there watching this will do something to an innocent American Muslim because he believes what he saw on TV."

I'm more concerned about the lunatics watching the beheadings on Al Jazeera, myself.

Too uncoordinated to be 'jocular'

If you’ve ever seen Broadcast News, you know why on-air panache and writing chops often do not come in the same body. Katie Couric should take note.

Her Jan. 15 “blog” post about the dearth of female news anchors left me scratching my head. Describing a meeting regarding U.S. policy in Iraq between senior White House officials and prominent members of the news media, she wrote:

“I couldn’t help but notice, despite how far we’ve come, that I was still the only woman there.”

Uh, that should be, “I couldn’t help noticing,” Katie.

“Well, there was some female support staff near the door. But of the people at the table, the ‘principals’ in the meeting, I was the only one wearing a skirt. Everyone was gracious, though the jocular atmosphere was palpable.”

Okay, I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt. If she meant “jocular” as in people were making jokes, I don’t understand why she would contrast it with everyone being “gracious.” Doesn’t make sense. Perhaps she meant that everyone was being nice but she wasn’t in on “the joke,” whatever that was.

Others have speculated, though, that she used “jocular” as some sort of adjective wrenched from “jock.” If so, God help us, she should be condemned to the fifth circle of Hell, where the only reading materials are Webster’s and the AP Style Manual.

“The feminist movement that began in the 1970’s helped women make tremendous strides …”

Wha? I thought the feminist movement began in the 1800s. But what do I know? I’m just a dinky blogger from Alabama.

“That meeting was a reality check for me—and not just about Iraq. It was a reminder that all of us still have an obligation to ask: Don’t more women deserve a place at the table too?”

You deserve a place at the table only if you’re qualified and prepared, Katie – not simply because you’re filling a quota. But far be it from me to suggest that a news anchor from a major network should possess basic English skills and a knowledge of history.

Rush Limbaugh has commentary here. Ian at Hot Air opines here.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Unfortunately, this does not surprise me

Natalee Holloway's Stepfather Seeks Divorce (Fox News)

Me and Kevin Bacon

The GGB is at home with a cold. Slightly bored. Mindlessly 'Net surfing. And I wonder: How many degrees of separation are there between me and Kevin Bacon? Let's see.

Me
> college acquaintance Lissa
> Michael Keaton (Lissa used to babysit for Keaton when she lived in California)
> Jack Nicholson (starred in Batman w/Keaton)
> Kevin Bacon (starred in A Few Good Men w/Nicholson)

That was easy.

My buddy Kevin.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Comedy -- Persian style

Is anyone really surprised that I'madinnerjacket has stinky pits?

Demi Moore is starring in WHAT?

Anyone notice the error in the NewsGator item below?



I'm sure Demi Moore fans everywhere will be lining up to see that one.