Archive - Nov 2008
November 29th
Another bad Google ad
Submitted by ellen on Sat, 11/29/2008 - 11:33pm
I found the above screenshot via Mashable. See my prior example of bad ad targeting.
November 15th
Good news on racism
Submitted by ellen on Sat, 11/15/2008 - 6:57pmGood news from The Wall Street Journal:
One promise of [Obama's] victory is that perhaps we can put to rest the myth of racism as a barrier to achievement in this splendid country.
In related news, Marie Curie's 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics put to rest any myths about biases against women in science.
November 11th
More warped sayings and words
Submitted by ellen on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 9:15pmIn a previous post, I provided my favorite warped sayings, such as "more fun than a bowel full of monkeys". Here are a few more:
- "There wasn't a dry seat in the house."
- "An apple a day keeps Newton away."
Here are some word tweaks:
- "I got my second wind" (pronouncing the last word to rhyme with "bind", like winding a watch).
- "ridonculous", which I first heard from a colleague I assumed made up the word, but it's in urban dictionary.
I welcome additions.
November 5th
Palin's view of the world
Submitted by ellen on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 10:42pmFrom The O'Reilly Factor (Nov. 5) via The Huffington Post via Keith:
- Sarah Palin did not know that Africa is a continent. She thought it was a country.
- Palin could not name the countries of North America.
You can see the video at The Huffington Post.
I'm almost feeling sorry for her, especially after listening to the funny but mean Sarkozy prank call.
My sister Andrea thinks they should let her keep the clothes as a consolation prize.
November 3rd
The lighter side of the election
Submitted by ellen on Mon, 11/03/2008 - 11:37pmWhile I'm generally taking this election very seriously, there is an amusing measure on the San Francisco ballot: a proposition to rename the local sewage plant after President Bush. I expected the far left San Francisco Bay Guardian to endorse the proposition, but they opposed it on the grounds that it "is a pretty good sewage plant. It's insulting to the plant, and the people who work there, to put the name of an environmental villain on the door".
The argument for the proposition in the official election guide, written by the self-proclaimed Chairman of the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco, includes:
Just as France presented the Statue of Liberty as its gift to the nation, the citizens of San Francisco may now bestow their own special gift to the country by renaming our award winning waste water treatment plant in honor of outgoing President George W Bush. We think this is a fitting memorial for a truly outstanding Commander-in-Chief. On matters ranging from diplomacy to fiscal and environmental stewardship, no other President has had such a dramatic impact on the country and the Constitution in such a short time. Most presidents wait years or decades to receive their memorial airport or highway. We think President Bush deserves immediate recognition for his eight years of public service....
While the argument for the proposition nominally praises Bush, the argument against renaming the sewage plant vilifies him:
I agree that the invasion of Iraq is the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of the US. I also agree that Bush has been the most ignorant man to ever occupy the office of President. To call him the worst President since Warren Harding is to insult the memory of Harding, who at least did not enter this country into any unnecessary wars.
Moreover, the federal debt at the end of this Administration totals over $9 trillion.... Maybe it would be more appropriate to name the local bankruptcy court or a consumer credit counseling center after Bush?
Besides, if we name the local sewage plant after Bush, then what's left to name after Jesse Helms?
[The above photograph was taken by Jamison Wieser and posted on flickr with a Creative Commons license.]
Have a nice election!
November 1st
Be careful what you wish for
Submitted by ellen on Sat, 11/01/2008 - 9:43amSome extraordinary women, such as Marie Curie, achieved success despite their society's biases against women, leading to a feminist saying attributed to Frances "Sissy" Farenthold: "We will have a achieved equality when mediocre women are as successful as mediocre men." Sarah Palin's presence on the Republican ticket proves that this day has been reached, but feminists aren't happy!
There's just no pleasing women.


