Owling

Owling is the new planking:

Great line of the day

Carolyn Hax replies to a question about whether to tell the child that their parent didn't want the pregnancy:

Don’t succumb to the temptation of making your origin your destiny.
Don’t read too much into your childhood, either, for that matter, and whether your parents were or weren’t over the moon. Your parents decide whether you exist and whether they’ll do right by you, but they don’t get to decide whether you matter. That’s something every one of us, pampered or buffeted, gets to decide for ourselves.

Emphasis mine.

Woody ‪

Woody Allen was The Onion before there was The Onion.

Shorter

News flash -- Neanderthals interbred with early humans:

Conservatives explained at last!

National FU Day

Dr. Dawg posts about the latest outrage connected to the SIU "investigation" of the G20 police riot -- commenter Blawg makes a modest proposal:

Ever since G20 (and on top of everything else that came before) I've been thinking we need a national "Fuck You Day." It would be a day put aside each year on the anniversary of the G20 mass arrests to show peaceful disrespect to police as a reminder of who they work for. Flip them a finger as they drive past in their cruiser, yell "fuck you, assholes" as they walk down the street or direct traffic. That kind of thing. We need police who will respect us, the ordinary people, not the narrow interests of the elite. I'm just a guy, not well connected, not very activist, but I would really like to see something like this happen some day.

Small but mighty

Having fun at someone else's expense

As Republicans continue to paint themselves into a corner on the debt ceiling, the world is beginning to realize that the global economy is being held hostage by a gang of idiots who aren't even listening to their own people, much less to the financial powers that be.
In the Halifax Chronicle Herald, Dan Leger writes about the impact on Canada when the Republicans make the US default on its debt :

In a country that worships economic growth, prosperity and optimism, a bullying minority of politicians is showing itself capable of tossing the whole economy into reverse, killing growth and profoundly affecting the well-being of millions of Americans.
In effect, you’ll have the most powerful economic engine in the world blowing gaskets and spewing burnt oil in all directions. The Tea Party thinks that’s fine.
But it’s not just Americans trashing their own country. If mayhem breaks out there, Canada and large chunks of the world economy will be dragged into the mess.
A U.S. government default will likely cause the treasury bond market to collapse, sending interest rates skyward. Mortgages that are barely affordable now will become unaffordable and people will lose their homes. Jobs will disappear right across North America. And in Canada, which is the largest U.S. trading market, the tepid economic recovery will flop.
The infuriating fact is that it’s all political and it’s all avoidable.

The way the Republicans are acting reminds me of this:

‪0-3

Damn it.

New links etc

Some new links to the right. Also, I started a new list called "I love the internets" as a place to post individual articles I really like from various magazines and blogs, including my own. Additional suggestions gratefully received!

Shorter

Shorter Eric Bolling:

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard was not what I meant.

Gazebo memories

Here's today's Globe and Mail cartoon. Remember the gazebo in the middle of nowhere? Good times...



You know, the horrendous G8-G20 spending debacle was revealed just three months ago.
Why is our Canadian media now acting like all of the scandals which were talked about during the election campaign are ancient news?

Great line of the day

At Balloon Juice, Angry Black Lady takes on Jane Hamsher's Obama-bashing:

Jane, you are a mindless twit. You are wrong about everything, like, ALL THE TIME. Your blog posts are where facts go to die.

Emphasis mine.

Sanity test three

Anyone who takes Michele Bachmann seriously as a candidate for president of the United States is certifiably nuts.
Why do Republicans keep doing this?

Now that's leadership!

Saskatoon city council has boldly gone where politicians always go to cut budgets -- they're grinding a few more dollars out of the poor:

The largest decision made Tuesday was to decrease by $5 a city subsidy for monthly bus passes for those on social assistance. The move will increase the cost of the pass to $25 for an estimated 2,800 transit riders and add an expected $160,000 next year to city coffers.

Outstanding, guys!

When you care enough to give the very best

In Nancy Nall's comments today, apropos of nothing in particular, they got talking about what gifts to give to the kids of relatives you don't like (the kids or the relatives or both). Here's some of the best:

They cranked out two of the most obnoxious kids I’ve ever been forced to buy Christmas presents for, so it was always books. Hearing them hiss “Books. Again.” was probably the only reason I had to look forward to the holidays. What can I say? I ought to get myself some passive-aggressive cards printed up. . . .
My brother in law bought a used tuba for his (now former) friend’s daughter. . . .
I once got one of my brother’s kids an electronic drum kit. He was so pissed at me that his Xmas present to me was membership in the NRA. . . .
I know a guy who bought an obnoxious in-law’s kids toy firefighter helmets equipped with flashing lights and sirens. Every time he had to visit, he took the kids a box of batteries.