Where's the last place you went on holiday? Or did you just holiday at home?
We tend to alternate. Almost all of our holidays are with friends, and we either stay with them or they stay with us, with grand plans inevitably giving way to lounging about in pajamas and playing board games or video games, or drinking wine and talking absolute shite until we are all crying with laughter.
Question of the Day
How Odd!
[Trigger warning.]
Last Wednesday, Reuters reported on a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority in Britain banning American Apparel from printing an ad showing a very young-looking woman modeling an AA hoodie. The images (NSFW), which show the woman baring progressively more skin, evoke amateur porn, and the woman appears to be a teenager (American Apparel says she is 23). In its ruling, the ASA found that the images "could be seen to sexualize a model who appeared to be a child" and barred American Apparel from running them again.
This story, naturally, was featured in Reuter's "Oddly Enough," right next to a story about "Dog Hops Online, Looking for Date."
A couple of headlines below that, we find a story, titled "New school year puts French on forced marriage alert," about French Muslim girls sent overseas over the holidays only to be raped and forced into "child marriage. The story details the heartbreaking stories of these enslaved young women, more than half of whom are under 20.
This, too, was labeled "odd news," and featured right below an article headlined "Weird Science: Cosmic cannibals, an alien abduction, and clowns in space"
Underneath that, there's a column—this one actually titled "News of the Weird"—including an item about a man who fooled a female caregiver into changing his diapers by impersonating a disabled man with a mental age of five; an item about a loophole in Rhode Island that allows 16-year-olds to work as strippers; an item about hunter in Uganda who forced his wife to breastfeed his puppies, causing one of her own children to die of rabies; and an item about a Hong Kong paper that published a list of malls at which women were especially susceptible to "upskirt" photography.
Because ain't nothing more wacky—and, lest you forget, trivial—than underage pornography, child rape, sexual assault, child sex work, forced breastfeeding, and violation of women's privacy. Amiright?
Because Liss says it better than I could: "Being obliged to think about someone chuckling over the hilarious oddity of girls being forced into marriage and raped at 13 can make a gal angry as fuck, particularly as she recognizes that the constant positioning of humiliated women as the butt of jokes humiliates us all."
[How Odd: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen.]
Uppity
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Tara) sends a message to President Obama about his speech tomorrow night.
Transcript via TPM:
I think what you're lookin' at is folks on my side anxious to see what the president has to say tomorrow night. I think he's gonna have to express some humility based on what we've seen around the country this August and that's not his inclination.
...Starring Deeky!
In which Liss re-imagines landmark pieces of modern cinema, making them a zillion times awesomer by adding me (Deeky: Dink Flamingo's Rising Star Award Winner, 2004) to their iconic posters. Today: A movie I've never even seen.
Anchorman
p.s. How come I look like Ray Fuckin' Liotta in this one?
This week's top renters: Braveheart, The Shining, Cinema Paradiso, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Jaws, Mamma Mia!, Home Alone.
Color Me Dubious
I am profoundly doubtful that it's possible to "take back the knife" and make a feminist horror film, mainly because such a thing can't exist outside the context of a culture in which women are disproportionately subjected to sexual torture and violence, and the validation of narratives underlying those acts are conferred by the endemic glorification for entertainment and packaging for casual consumption of sexual torture and violence, irrespective of the sex/gender of the protagonists.
It's a "this shit doesn't happen in a void" thing.
Diablo Cody, whose "high school retro-horror romp" Jennifer's Body hits theaters Sept. 18, naturally disagrees.
Discuss.
"All we gotta do is stand and deliver."
Esquire interviews former president Bill Clinton.
I guess this isn't that unusual, but I like him a whole lot more as a former president than I did as a president. I've heard many liberal-type people older than I say the same thing about Jimmy Carter, whose presidency I don't really remember (I was 6 when he left office), and whom I know better as a statesman of which any country should rightly be proud.
Pop Quiz
When reporting on a study that purports to have found that more than 80% of men glance at a woman's chest, waist, and/or hips before looking at her face upon meeting her, the best possible image to accompany this story is:
A. An upper body shot of a buxom blonde complete with caption "Perfect figure: Katherine Jenkins' larger chest and slim waist indicate fertility."
B. A full-body photo of a pageant queen complete with misspelling of "proof") and the measurements of the lady pictured: "Scientific proff men do look at women's breasts first .... Miss Universe Australia Rachael Finch, who has 34/86 chest and 35/89 hips."
C. An image of two women from the waist up, whose faces have been cropped out so their disembodied breasts are the focal point of the image?
D. How about the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, and Fox News all go fuck themselves?
----------------------------
Remember, blokes: Unless you've been invited, the only appropriate time to look into a lady's cleavage is when there's someone looking back.
Quote of the Day
"I think he is [doing a good job]. I think he has got a lot on his plate, and he has tackled a lot to start with, and that has probably made it more difficult."—Former First Lady Laura Bush, asked to assess President Obama's job performance.
Gee, yeah, sigh, if only he hadn't inherited a GINORMOUS CLUSTERFUCKTASTROPHE, huh?
Tell your hubs we said thanks a fuckload.
Open Thread on Healthcare
The debacle continues as healthcare reform slowly collapses like a flan in a cupboard...
Recommended Reading:
WaPo: Deeply Divided House Democrats Return to Work -- and the Same Set of Problems
The Hill: Already, 23 Dems have said they will vote 'no' on healthcare reform
The Hill: Key Blue Dog Ross will oppose any bill with public option
New York Times: Health Compromise Floated Before Obama Speech
Roll Call: Key Liberals Willing to Bargain
Contact your Senators and representative and urge them to support comprehensive healthcare reform including a public option. Even if they're Republicans or Blue Dog Democrats. Especially if they're Blue Dog Democrats.
Today's Edition of "Conniving and Sinister"
Strips One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three. In which Liss reimagines the long-running comic "Frank & Ernest," about two old straight white guys "telling it like it is," as a fat feminist white woman and a biracial queerbait telling it like it actually is from their perspectives. Hilarity ensues.
Happy Birthday, CaitieCat!
Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuu!
Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuuuu!
You look like a Radical Feminazi Cooter Culllllllltiiiiiiist!
And you smell like one, tooooooo!
Happy Birthday, Cait!!!
I'm Back
Hey, Shakers. I'm back from my holiday; thanks to everyone who kept things hopping in my absence!
Those of you who follow Iain's Twitter feed already know that we went to the East Coast to visit the Space Cowpokes. It was Iain's first time in NYC, and he was very excited to spend a wee bit of time in the city. We drove out there from our home in the Chicago exurbs, so he also got to experience that gorgeous drive from Indiana prairie to Pennsylvania mountain and beyond, and we had perfect weather for our road trip the entire time.
It was awesome seeing the Space Cowpokes, as always, who are fantabulous hosts and generously let us stay with them. We had so much fun, eating our way through two metric fucktons of bagels and smoked fish, playing Apples to Apples, and getting addicted to Peggle. We had grand ideas to Do Things, with itineraries and everything, but Saturday we never even made it out of our pajamas.
We did get out on a schooner in New York Harbor, which was spectacular, and spent some time in the West Village, where we met up for lunch with Lance Mannion, whom I've known for years but have never had the opportunity to meet in person. He is, for the record, very Manniony—and exactly as charming as our shared readers no doubt imagine him to be.
For the Top Chefies (and/or foodies) among us: You'll be excited (and possibly jealous!) to hear that Space Cowboy, Space Cowgirl, Iain, and I had dinner Friday night at Tom Colicchio's restaurant, Craft. We were all in a sharing mood, so we effectively designed our own tasting menu by ordering four appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts, and each of us got a bit of everything. It was stunning. There are not words to describe what an awesome experience it was. Space Cowgirl said: "That was a life-changing meal!" LOL. Pretty much.
More pictures will follow once I get them organized, but, in the meantime, please enjoy this series taken in a truck stop on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border on our way home.
What a lovely display of sparkly Christian and patriotic souvenirs!
Eagle + Flag + Totes Tacky = WIN!
+ Made in China = Megawin.
What The Hell?
Deeky wears white after Labor Day
Nice hands, freak.
[See also: Deeky, Liss, evilsciencechick, katecontinued, ClumsyKisses, Mistress Sparkletoes, Liiiz, Reedme, Mama Shakes, Mustang Bobby, RedSonja, MomTFH, Portly Dyke, SteffaB, Icca, Christina, Orangelion03, Car, Siobhan, InfamousQBert, Maud, Rikibeth, MishaRN, CLD, Cheezwiz, MamaCarrie, Temeraire, somebodyoranother, goldengirl, Liss (again), summerwing, yeomanpip, Susan811, bbl, Deeky (Part II), A Daily Shakesville Fan, Sami_J, liberalandproud Temeraire: Redux, Mama Shakes II, Bonus Deeky, OuyangDan, J.Goff, Iain, Talonas, The Great Indoors, gogo, kiwi_a, em_and_ink, Tik_bev and phdintraining.]
Labor Day YouTubery
Martini Ranch: How Can the Labouring Man Find Time for Self-Culture?
[Cross-posted.]
Holiday Filler
Last of the random pictures. Happy holidays!
Dashing pumpkins
Vacant house in the woods.
Juni and Kali wait for Santa.
Kafkaesque sweetener.
Peek-a-boo rodent.
[Cross-posted.]
The Onion Thinks Sex Trafficking is Hilarious
[Trigger Warning]
Fans (and non-fans) of The Onion may be interested to see this NEW! item they are selling at The Onion Store:
The shirt says "My friend went to Thailand and all I got was this lousy kidnapped prostitute". Note the helpful disclaimer: "*Prostitute Not Included". Hmm. Must be "ironic".
Notice that the catalog entry just says "all I got was this lousy prostitute", but the shirt itself refers specifically to a "kidnapped prostitute".
The shirt does appear to be an actual item for sale, rather than a joke. I was hoping that it was a practical joke, where if you try to put the item in your cart, a big pop-up appears reading "MEGADOUCHE!" or "IronyFAIL!" or something. But alas, no--it just goes in your cart and tells you that you owe them $24.14 with shipping. Whee!
This shirt is available for men; apparently The Onion thinks it's hip for men specifically to joke about kidnapping sex workers. White (or light-skinned, at least) men, if you go by the models on The Onion Store site.
Just as an aside, I also see they charge extra for size XXL. Stay classy, Onion Store.
Here is contact information for The Onion, and customer service at The Onion Store (though customer service appears to be specifically for questions regarding orders).
H/T TwissB in comments at I Blame The Patriarchy.
Random YouTubery: Fainting Goats
Myotonic goats
Myotonia congenita occurs in humans as well, where it is caused by a mutation in the human skeletal muscle chloride channel gene. The dominant form in humans is known as Thomsen's Disease.
