Not so long ago, companies thought that these ads would give them a positive image and would actually appeal to people. The patient must not vomit! Buy Thorazine today!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Ads that would never be allowed today
This website has a gallery of 48 advertisements of the past that would never be allowed today. They're all just too sexist, too racist, too violent, too French, or just plain too weird for today's world.
Not so long ago, companies thought that these ads would give them a positive image and would actually appeal to people. The patient must not vomit! Buy Thorazine today!
Not so long ago, companies thought that these ads would give them a positive image and would actually appeal to people. The patient must not vomit! Buy Thorazine today!
Monday, November 15, 2010
America the Banana Republic
So America's a banana republic now, with 1 in 7 Americans living in poverty and the top 1% ultra-wealthiest taking home 24% of all money, which is only 2 and a half times as much as they got in the 1970s.
But who cares? At least we're not SOCIALIST! Anyway, here's your choice America: slash taxes for the Super-Rich by $61,000 a year, or by a more realistic $370,000 a year.
"The richest 0.1 percent of taxpayers would get a tax cut of $61,000 from President Obama. They would get $370,000 from Republicans, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. And that provides only a modest economic stimulus, because the rich are less likely to spend their tax savings."
How much of a pile will the billionaires get? This is an important issue, because Wall Street just handed out the most bonuses ever of all time, so the poor workers there need to find out SOON how many new yachts they can buy, only one, like some chump, or 5, which all the cool people will be doing.
So it's no surprise that poor people who can't pay their own bills and are losing money quickly are so willing to fight for a bigger tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. Because taxes are bad and socialist and once I win the lottery, that will be MY rightful tax cut, and I don't want to be stuck with only a mere $61,000 more than I would have now, because taxes are theft.
"C.E.O.’s of the largest American companies earned an average of 42 times as much as the average worker in 1980, but 531 times as much in 2001. Perhaps the most astounding statistic is this: From 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the total increase in American incomes went to the richest 1 percent."
But that math is all boring so who cares? Taxes = bad so cut taxes for everyone. It's just a coincidence that the economy was humming and we had a federal surplus until the taxes for the wealthiest were cut. So what if taxes are already lower than they were under Reagan, much lower than they were under Nixon and incredibly amazingly lower than they were under Eisenhower. All those guys were socialist tax and spenders anyway.
We will get the government and tax structure that we deserve. Unfortunately for 99.9% of Americans.
Another article from the lying lamestream liberal NY Times asks Who Will Stand Up to the Super Rich? We all know the answer: Nobody.
"“How can hedge-fund managers who are pulling down billions sometimes pay a lower tax rate than do their secretaries?” ask the political scientists Jacob S. Hacker (of Yale) and Paul Pierson (University of California, Berkeley) in their deservedly lauded new book, “Winner-Take-All Politics.” If you want to cry real tears about the American dream — as opposed to the self-canonizing tears of John Boehner — read this book and weep. The authors’ answer to that question and others amounts to a devastating indictment of both parties."
But who cares? At least we're not SOCIALIST! Anyway, here's your choice America: slash taxes for the Super-Rich by $61,000 a year, or by a more realistic $370,000 a year.
"The richest 0.1 percent of taxpayers would get a tax cut of $61,000 from President Obama. They would get $370,000 from Republicans, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. And that provides only a modest economic stimulus, because the rich are less likely to spend their tax savings."
How much of a pile will the billionaires get? This is an important issue, because Wall Street just handed out the most bonuses ever of all time, so the poor workers there need to find out SOON how many new yachts they can buy, only one, like some chump, or 5, which all the cool people will be doing.
So it's no surprise that poor people who can't pay their own bills and are losing money quickly are so willing to fight for a bigger tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. Because taxes are bad and socialist and once I win the lottery, that will be MY rightful tax cut, and I don't want to be stuck with only a mere $61,000 more than I would have now, because taxes are theft.
"C.E.O.’s of the largest American companies earned an average of 42 times as much as the average worker in 1980, but 531 times as much in 2001. Perhaps the most astounding statistic is this: From 1980 to 2005, more than four-fifths of the total increase in American incomes went to the richest 1 percent."
But that math is all boring so who cares? Taxes = bad so cut taxes for everyone. It's just a coincidence that the economy was humming and we had a federal surplus until the taxes for the wealthiest were cut. So what if taxes are already lower than they were under Reagan, much lower than they were under Nixon and incredibly amazingly lower than they were under Eisenhower. All those guys were socialist tax and spenders anyway.
We will get the government and tax structure that we deserve. Unfortunately for 99.9% of Americans.
Another article from the lying lamestream liberal NY Times asks Who Will Stand Up to the Super Rich? We all know the answer: Nobody.
"“How can hedge-fund managers who are pulling down billions sometimes pay a lower tax rate than do their secretaries?” ask the political scientists Jacob S. Hacker (of Yale) and Paul Pierson (University of California, Berkeley) in their deservedly lauded new book, “Winner-Take-All Politics.” If you want to cry real tears about the American dream — as opposed to the self-canonizing tears of John Boehner — read this book and weep. The authors’ answer to that question and others amounts to a devastating indictment of both parties."
Friday, November 12, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Awesome trick play from middle school football game
Someone who goes around videotaping middle school football games actually recorded something worthwhile. Just a great play, and convincing acting work from the QB. That kid had to be really confident to sell the play like that, and make it work.
And it did.
And it did.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
RIP Billy Ruane
Beloved Boston rock fan/impresario Billy Ruane passed away the other day. Of the many tributes to Ruane to be found online, one of the best and most heartfelt comes from local frontman Al Janik, reprinted here by permission:
"they say the day you die your name is written in the clouds
billy ruane died last night ... the sky is gray with clouds and the rain is falling here in boston ...
nothing in the world is any good unless you can share it
i don't think it is possible to describe to folk outside of boston what people like mikey dee and billy ruane meant to the local rock scene here ... everyone has their stories and they will be told ... but the thing these two guys had in spades was a FANatical compulsion to share what they thought was good and fun with everyone they met ...
you're like a leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another
i had moved here from chicago in the early 80s, got a job in a harvard library, and took my time stumbling into the boston music scene ... eventually, i began to head out to the middle east upstairs once a week or so with my buddies ronnie and dave ... we didn't even care who was playing ... we knew one band would be crap, one band okay, one band fun, and another band revelatory ... and you would never know what order on the bill they would fall ... but it didn't take too long to notice a certain lunatic squealing and whirling and "dancing" and wildly applauding randomly up in front of the stage ... one day, someone took me aside and told me that was billy ruane and he worked at widener library at harvard ... i was never so proud of my "profession" as i was that day ... anyway, as ronnie and i expanded our musical adventures across boston to other clubs, we never ceased to be flabbergasted by the presence of billy ruane wherever we went ... there were nights we would even hit two or three clubs a night to hear certain favorite bands and inevitably bump into billy at each one ... he became the no-doubt-about-it "we ARE in the right place" signal any night out on the town ... and he was never just making the scene ... he WAS the scene ... he WAS what rock and roll was supposed to be--wild and out of control ... sometimes the bands had no idea who the hell he was and why he was jumping around on stage with (or ON!) them ... he was a one man mosh pit before there was such a thing ... sockless with sport jacket sprayed open over a mostly unbuttoned white shirt ... drinks were spilled and stuff was knocked over and all of it was good ... it was billy man, it was cool ...
let's go down to the bar. we can cool off while we try to impress each other
so i had a band called rattle heatre that had a good run in a somerville joint in boston called studleys ... or the kirkland cafe if you will ... or club bohemia if you insist ... anyway, the people that came to hear us seemed to have a great time but most folk did not really ever "get" us or what we were doing ... two major local scenesters did ... mikey dee who even brought us in to WMFO's "On the town" for a live set ... and billy ruane, who called me up and asked if we wanted to open for minneSOHta's the honeydogs at green street ... now neither of these gigs were real BIG time, but they were both FAR more than i ever dreamed of and i'll always be grateful for the breaks ... one more thing ... when these guys believed in something, when they caught something they loved, some times, they understood it even better than the band--billy ruane called me once after hearing one of my first silly polka shows celebrating saint stanislaus day at the kirkland cafe ... it had been one of those bizarre nights of entertainment that joe hernon and mickey bliss let bands like ours and slide get away with on a regular basis at that venue ... billy wanted to book the polka show as a month long residency at the middle east bakery ... now i guess i should not have been surprised since belly dancing was/is a regular feature of that corner ... but i was equally parts astounded to be invited, and scared shitless of performing polkas in the hippest club in town ... i did not bite ... and i was SO wrong to not do so ... since then, my polka show has become an annual event that brings musicians, hipsters, polka fans and children together in a communal celebration that would do billy (AND mikey) proud ... and billy KNEW it was gonna be cool before anyone else (including me!)
"oh, jeff, I don't want to die!"
"neither do i, baby, but if i have to i'm gonna die last"
another thing billy ruane held in common with mikey dee was a love of movies ... the quotes for this reflection are all inspired by a facebook quote from billy lifted from the film "out of the past" ... he (and i) were regulars at film noir mondays at the brattle (in many ways, billy WAS a black and white film if you think about it) ... but while others mumbled their complaints as billy stumbled into the brattle street theatre balcony five minutes after a movie started, i just wanted to whisper "it's billy man, it's cool" ... he hollered comments and hooted loudly at scenes no one else thought hilarious and it never bothered me one bit ... billy was in the house and i KNEW i was no-doubt-about-it-in-the-right-place ...
"that's not the way to win"
"is there a way to win?"
"there's a way to lose more slowly"
and so first mikey dee left us, and now billy ruane exits stage left ... we all wait our own turn and shake our heads sadly in the meantime ... i weep for our loss yet the tears fall harder when i remember the joys of seeing either of them any time any where ... they saw what was good ... they saw what was fun ... and they shared it with everyone they met ... and that sure is a damn good way to lose more slowly ...
that's al folks
Glenn Beck vs. Dinosaur Comics
Awesome webcomic vs. not-in-any-way-awesome, possibly one of the worst people in the world, crybaby right-wing Fox News pundit: who is better?
Ryan North, the guy who writes the great Dinosaur Comics, has collaborated on a new book of short stories and illustrations about people who find out in advance from a machine how they are going to die. The book sounds cool and it is called "The Machine of Death."
The book debuted at #1 on amazon.com the other day. Which apparently hosed-off the humongous ego of crybaby Beck, who then humorlessly, paranoically and cluelessly used his TV show for morons to attack Machine of Death, and also Keith Richards, for daring to outsell him on his rightful day of being the #1 ranked author for stupid people.
From qwantz.com, the home of Dinosaur Comics:
"The Machine of Death story keeps getting weirder / more awesome. American conservative talky guy Glenn Beck called us out on his show yesterday because it turned out that his book also had its official release date on October 26th, and he was upset that it was in third place to Keith Richard's new autobio "Life" and our little book. He told his listeners that he'd worked on his book for over a year, and that his books always debut at #1, and that we (along with Keith) were part of a left-wing "culture of death" that "celebrates the things that have destroyed us" and that everyone should support life by buying his book instead of ours?
It's basically amazing."
Ryan North, the guy who writes the great Dinosaur Comics, has collaborated on a new book of short stories and illustrations about people who find out in advance from a machine how they are going to die. The book sounds cool and it is called "The Machine of Death."
The book debuted at #1 on amazon.com the other day. Which apparently hosed-off the humongous ego of crybaby Beck, who then humorlessly, paranoically and cluelessly used his TV show for morons to attack Machine of Death, and also Keith Richards, for daring to outsell him on his rightful day of being the #1 ranked author for stupid people.
From qwantz.com, the home of Dinosaur Comics:
"The Machine of Death story keeps getting weirder / more awesome. American conservative talky guy Glenn Beck called us out on his show yesterday because it turned out that his book also had its official release date on October 26th, and he was upset that it was in third place to Keith Richard's new autobio "Life" and our little book. He told his listeners that he'd worked on his book for over a year, and that his books always debut at #1, and that we (along with Keith) were part of a left-wing "culture of death" that "celebrates the things that have destroyed us" and that everyone should support life by buying his book instead of ours?
It's basically amazing."
Friday, October 22, 2010
Web Comic: I Was An Olive Garden Host
Can you make an interesting webcomic about being a host at Olive Garden?
This guy can, and did.
26 short comic strips that capture the despair that comes from jobs like that, but offers a unique point of view and even some insight and humor.
This guy can, and did.
26 short comic strips that capture the despair that comes from jobs like that, but offers a unique point of view and even some insight and humor.
IT IS CAPS LOCK DAY!
Today is CAPS LOCK DAY! Press CAPS LOCK on your computer keyboard and YELL AT EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET! BECAUSE TODAY IS TODAY!
CAPS LOCK DAY!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Headlines? Schmedlines.
Schmedlines is a contest. Schmedlines is a site that collects ridiculous tabloid stories. Schmedlines is a site that allows you to mock ridiculous tabloid stories. Schmedlines is a site that allows you to vote for the best mockage of these stories. Schmedlines is many things to many people.
Example: a story about Mark Cuban acting dumb. A reader posts his suggested headline: "Cuban Imbicile Crisis." Other readers vte it the best, and it wins the daily contest.
Example: a story about Mark Cuban acting dumb. A reader posts his suggested headline: "Cuban Imbicile Crisis." Other readers vte it the best, and it wins the daily contest.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
How many Justin Beibers could you take in a fight?
1 Beiber = 1.3 Jonas Brothers = 0.7 Hanson brothers
"Rich Whitey" is actually Green
A typo on the computer ballot in Illinois means that in some districts (including some heavily African-American ones) Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney's name will appear as "Rich Whitey."
Weird that while so very many politicians could accurately be labeled "Rich Whitey," the one who actually has his name appear that way on the ballot is in the Green Party, the only party that isn't all about protecting the interests of rich whiteys.
Weird that while so very many politicians could accurately be labeled "Rich Whitey," the one who actually has his name appear that way on the ballot is in the Green Party, the only party that isn't all about protecting the interests of rich whiteys.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Top 10 signs there's something wrong at Fox News
Letterman mocks Faux News for picking up a story from the "Weekly World News." LA spent a billion dollars on jetpacks for their cops? Yeah, that could have happened. Those DUMB-ocrats are at it again!
"Number 7: been criticizing Obama for not doing enough to prevent World War I."
Since the Weekly World News has the same amount of credibility as Fox News. So what's the problem?
Everyone hates Iceland?
Finally, we can see negative national stereotypes expressed cartographically, on the Mapping Stereotypes site.
The maps broadly show what some people in one part of the world think of other people in other places-- handy if you're wondering such things.
The maps broadly show what some people in one part of the world think of other people in other places-- handy if you're wondering such things.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Brief Interviews with Great Authors
The Paris Review has an online archive of 50-something years worth of their interviews with the greatest writers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The list from the 1950s alone includes interviews with Hemingway, Capote, T.S. Eliot, Faulkner, Ellison, E.M. Forster, Dorothy Parker and James Thurber, among others. The free online archive is a goldmine of insight into modern literature and literary history.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The template for any science news article
In the Guardian, Martin Robbins "The Lay Scientist" offers the template that journalists use to write any article about anything scientific.
Keep in mind that this is the British template. In the US version, the article is much shorter, and the headlines much scarier. On some websites, there will be a few paragraphs of political spin added to the template, blaming The Other Side for the problem.
This picture has been optimised by SEO experts to appeal to our key target demographics:
Keep in mind that this is the British template. In the US version, the article is much shorter, and the headlines much scarier. On some websites, there will be a few paragraphs of political spin added to the template, blaming The Other Side for the problem.
This picture has been optimised by SEO experts to appeal to our key target demographics:
Monday, September 27, 2010
Imagine a Jump
Imagine David Lee Roth singing "Jump" to John Lennon's piano playing "Imagine."
Imagine it, it's easy if you try:
The mixmaster who produced the mashup is known as Mighty Mike, and in various mashups he's also combined such disparate elements as Madonna with Paul Rodgers and Free, and Rihanna vs. Bjork.
But the champion Bjork remix-mashup is still the Beastie Boys vs. "Army of Me," by Metadonaboy:
But for Beastie Boys mashups, there's always the Intergalactic Safety Dance:
Or the Beasties vs. ELO disco mashup:
Trust me, youtube can go on like this all day!
Imagine it, it's easy if you try:
The mixmaster who produced the mashup is known as Mighty Mike, and in various mashups he's also combined such disparate elements as Madonna with Paul Rodgers and Free, and Rihanna vs. Bjork.
But the champion Bjork remix-mashup is still the Beastie Boys vs. "Army of Me," by Metadonaboy:
But for Beastie Boys mashups, there's always the Intergalactic Safety Dance:
Or the Beasties vs. ELO disco mashup:
Trust me, youtube can go on like this all day!
Teabagger Comix
What if Teabaggers took over the funny pages, in addition to Fox News, AM radio and tabloid newspapers? Apparently they would become full of shrill, unfunny lies, just like Fox News, AM radio and tabloid newspapers.
In other words, it'd be like if the troll who draws Mallard Fillmore invaded all the other comics to get their made-up WMDs.
In other words, it'd be like if the troll who draws Mallard Fillmore invaded all the other comics to get their made-up WMDs.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Poor little rich babies
Super rich people are angry and whining.
Boo-hoo, let's pass the hat for them. One in seven Americans is now below the poverty line, there are more poor people in the country than EVER before, but let's all have a pity party for the luckiest people in the history of humanity.
Of course the GOP is battling hard to protect the wealthy. Mitch McConnell announced that people who make more than a quarter million dollars a year are the ones who've been hit hardest by the recession.
Taxes on the wealthy are lower than they were under Reagan and FAR lower than they were in the 1950s under Eisenhower. Far lower taxes, far more poor people, yet it's the millionaires and billionaires who are bitching?
Boo-hoo, let's pass the hat for them. One in seven Americans is now below the poverty line, there are more poor people in the country than EVER before, but let's all have a pity party for the luckiest people in the history of humanity.
Of course the GOP is battling hard to protect the wealthy. Mitch McConnell announced that people who make more than a quarter million dollars a year are the ones who've been hit hardest by the recession.
Taxes on the wealthy are lower than they were under Reagan and FAR lower than they were in the 1950s under Eisenhower. Far lower taxes, far more poor people, yet it's the millionaires and billionaires who are bitching?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sarah Palin doesn't hate Muslins enough!
Check out the Poorly spelled Facebook posts from people ticked off at Sarah Palin for not hating Muslins enough to cheer on the book- burning mustache guy.
Don't retreat, Sarah, RELOAD! Wait, no, these nutjobs are your base. Also they are probably heavily armed. What a dilemma! What would a mama grizzly do? Hibernate till spring, actually.
Don't retreat, Sarah, RELOAD! Wait, no, these nutjobs are your base. Also they are probably heavily armed. What a dilemma! What would a mama grizzly do? Hibernate till spring, actually.
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