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"The Giggity Wife"
OMGGAYSECKSLOL
When I complain that Family Guy has gotten lazy, this is the kind of thing I mean. In Quahog, you see, the divorce laws are so anachronistic that the wife takes almost everything. Because without that awkward artificial device, the show might have had to do something interesting with the idea that Quagmire accidentally marries a clapped-out old hooker.
There are a lot of ways you could go with this. I can think of three things off the top of my head that Quagmire could do that would have been funnier - or at least more interesting - than what he did do, which is pretend to be gay.
Aren't we, as a society, beyond the point where "pretending to be gay" is a salacious thrill? The episode treats it like a wacky transgression. And maybe that's the case for the drunken bros who are the show's main target audience. But for the rest of us, it's going to strike a sour note right off the bat.
Even given that, a lot of other shows have done it better. American Dad had a great episode where Stan decides to be gay because he's tired of dealing with women. That episode was hilarious and understanding and came to an awesome conclusion when Stan realized that he couldn't choose to be gay.
Hell, even Family Guy has done it better, way back in the seventh season when Peter was injected with the gay gene.
Question: if you were going to pretend to be gay, who would you have sex with? Your best friend in the world, or a random stranger? Someone you're going to have to look in the eye every time you hang out with your friends for the rest of your life, or someone you will never see again?
Question: if you were a gold digger and you found out that your new spouse was gay, would you quietly accept a no-fault divorce, or would you still try to take the dude for every cent you could?
Question: are you seriously telling me that Quagmire, who has learned to accept his transgender father, and who is a notorious party monster and sex fiend, has never even fantasized about having sex with a man? Not even once? Not even the tiniest bit of curiosity there? I don't buy it.
I feel like I just spent more time thinking about this episode than the writers did. Instead, they went straight for the "gay sex is gross OMGLOL" and kept hitting that button until it was time for the final credits to roll. The end.
Anti-Nuclear Arguments 4 - Nuclear Reactors
I have covered some of the problems with nuclear weapons, uranium mining and uranium processing in previous posts. Today I am going to briefly list some of the major problems with nuclear reactors used for power generation. This list is not meant to be exhaustive but if there were no other problems with nuclear power, these alone would be enough to justify shutting it down.
Many minor accidents with a variety of causes have plagued the nuclear power industry. Though low in probability major nuclear accidents do happen and can threaten the health of millions and large areas of the natural environment. Chernobyl and Fukushima are dramatic examples of what can happen.
Calculations of the cost of nuclear power often don’t include the governmental subsidies, the wildly fluctuating cost of uranium, environmental degradation, the health costs of accidents, the problem of nuclear waste and the cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants. When everything is taken into account, nuclear power is not cheaper than renewable alternative energy which don’t have the dangers.
When mining, processing, transport, construction, waste handling and decommissioning are taken into account; nuclear power is not as beneficial to reducing carbon dioxide emissions as has been advertised.
Huge amounts of water are needed to cool nuclear power plants. Some of the rivers that supply water to cool power plants have insufficient flows to allow plants to operate at peak power all the time and the situation will just get worst. Recently the rising temperature of the ocean due to global warming caused the shutdown of a nuclear power plant that drew cooling water from the ocean.
The big corporations that run the nuclear power plants are often guilty of incompetence or callous disregard in following proper procedures in the construction of power plants, their regular and safe operation and response to emergencies.
Government agencies that are supposed to inspect and regulate nuclear power plants and to punish infractions by plant operators are often guilty of incompetence or even deliberately ignoring infractions and handing out light punishment when infractions are recognized.
The spent fuel pools of nuclear reactors are filling up with spent fuel rods and, without permanent nuclear waste disposal facilities, when these pools are full, reactors will have to be shut down until sufficient temporary storage can be constructed.
Most of the currently operating reactors are approaching the end of their intended lifespan. Either they will have to be shut down, decommissioned and replaced with new reactors with all the attendant costs and problems or they will have to be relicensed and continue to operate as they age and deteriorate, increasing the danger of a major accident.
Because the construction and operation of new reactors has been slowing in recent decades, interested in jobs in the industry has been declining as well. There is a shortage of nuclear engineers in the world today to replace the current aging operators at nuclear power plants.
One of the problems that does not get enough attention is the fact that the nuclear industry is complex and global. Uranium is mined in one country and processed in another country. Reactors are constructed by global companies that source their parts from different countries. Waste may be moved to different countries for processing or disposal. As countries drop the use of nuclear power and companies rethink whether they want to stay in the business of supplying reactors and reactor components, the construction of new reactors and the fueling and maintenance of reactors will become more expensive and meet growing public resistance. One of two more major accidents could seriously impact the global nuclear industry and make further use of nuclear power much more difficult and expensive if not impossible.
Housing discrimination, you say?
The feds aren’t willing to prove it exists.
Even when housing discrimination is illegal, it can still be difficult to prove in cases of he-said, she said. But even when they are reported, there’s no way to prosecute people who commit housing discrimination unless law enforcement are willing to take a peek into the claim and see that it’s happening.
When a family in Michigan was denied a home, the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit set up some test subjects to see if discrimination had occurred. Lo and behold, the white family was granted a showing while the black family didn’t even get a call back.
The 1968 Fair Housing Act was put into place to ensure incidents of racism like this do not happen—yet when they do, the feds are pretty much refusing to go undercover to prove it’s happening themselves, which would actually end with some kind of action taken against the people breaking the law—as well as prevention against it occurring again.
African American and Latino families are discriminated against in 1 in 5 of these tests—and housing laws remain one of the most violated civil rights protections in the country. What will it take to get local and federal law enforcement to take these instances of discrimination seriously?
Texts From Hillary
I’m loving this meme!
Sure, some people are using the famous picture of Hillary Clinton texting for more nefarious purposes, but for the most part Hill fans are really using this photo for some really fun, supportive memes. Websites like Texts From Hillary depict her as the cool, stylish leader that she is, while The World of Hillary Clinton Facebook page uses the pictures, as well as others, to help build support for her career.
Some people are really hoping that Hill runs in 2016, and I must admit that I’m one of them. I was a Clinton supporter back when she ran against Obama in 2008 and as much as I love him, he was definitely my second choice. I love that they were still able to work together, and I think she’s been a fierce, fantastic example of women in leadership roles for our daughters.
Check out these links for some laughs and fun ideas about Hillary, and be sure to add your own if you have some zingers. I think my favorites are when she tells the guys to “get back to work!” I also love the one where they incorporate the famous Ryan Gosling “Hey girl” meme, to which Clinton simply replies, “It’s Madame Secretary.” Nice!
Walmart: Nintendo Wii Bundle for $149
Save $30 with this special bundle.
This Wal-Mart Wii Bundle is on sale for $149 and includes:
- Choice of Console
- Choice of 3 Games
- Wii Sports (Wii)
- Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
- Choice of Additional Controller
Additional game choices include Rock Band 3, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Your Shape and many more selections.
Walgreens: BOGO on Select Vitamins and Supplements
Buy one, get one 50% and more.
Walgreens is offering several supplements and vitamins at buy one, get one half-off discounts. Nature Made, Finest Nutrition, and many other brands included.
Other deals include
- 20% off bathroom safety products
- $39.99 blood pressure monitors
- 15% off Baby Bjorn products
- BOGO cosmetics
- 2 for $11 diapers
K-Mart: 4-Piece Bath Set for $39.99
Save $10 on this elegant bathroom set.
Get a 4-pice scroll bath set with satin nickel finish for $39.99 at K-Mart, a savings of $10 today only.
Set includes:
- Over the door organizer
- Vanity tray
- Space Saver
- Magazine rack
Target: Huggies Gift Basket for $24.99
Get this special price today only.
Target is offering a Huggies newborn baby gift set for just $24.99 today only.
The set includes:
- Huggies Natural Care 72-ct. Baby Wipes with Tub
- Huggies Natural Care 40-ct. Baby Wipes Soft Pack
- Huggies Snug & Dry 24-ct. Newborn Diapers
- Huggies 8-ct. Changing Pads
- Basket
- On-the-go diapering bag
Spend $50 and get FREE shipping. Buy two and get 15% off.
RW Knudson Family Spritzer Drinks
These things are delicious—but a bit caloric.
As a fruity drink addict, I am always looking for something new to enjoy that fizzes but won’t add to my daily calorie intake—much. I like things that taste sweet or fruity, and especially drinks that fizz—but caffeine isn’t a requirement. I don’t like a lot of artificial sweeteners, though I’ll try just about anything once.
I picked up two packs of RW Knudson drinks while grocery shopping the other night because they were on sale. And they were fizzy. Both are spritzer drinks; one is Red Raspberry while the other—my favorite—is Jamaican Lemonade. Both are absolutely delicious, fruity and bubbly just like I like them, though they seem to run on the small side as far as canned drinks go at 10.5 ounces per can. They are slightly less caloric than soda—110 to 120 calories per can—but if they matched soda per ounce they would probably be even closer.
That said, they have to be a little more healthy, right? After all, they are both made with over 60% juice and contain natural flavors. They do contain sparkling water as well, which makes them so fizzy. The story on the cans says that the company started the drink in 1985 as an alternative to soda, replacing high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar with natural juices and sparkling water. It’s a good idea, and to me, it tastes much better than soda. I would drink carbonated lemonade every day if I could.
That said, I do have a soda making machine a friend gave us a while back that we don’t use much. Now I’m wondering if we should look into getting the CO2 refilled so we can make some fizzy lemonade regularly. If it saves money—and may even make less caloric versions, depending on the recipe I use—it may just be worth it.
On the other hand, I think I have my new choice drink for family picnics this summer. It’s just in time, too, since our neighborhood Sonic, where my best friend and I always get our fizzy fruity drink fixes, just closed in order to free up room for some bank. We are not pleased. I would say that these cans of spritzer are cheaper than those drinks were, though, even during happy hour—though they don’t have the real lemons and cherries… I guess we’ll have to provide our own garnishes!
Archie Comics MAC products
Get the Betty or Veronica look!
Some makeup brands have the whole using media favorites to sell makeup thing down to an art. I remember buying nail polish and lipstick in the Max Factor brand when I was a teenager because they were advertised as the “looks” of Rose Dewitt Bukater of Titanic (AKA Kate Winslet, whom I still love dearly) and the fairies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which came out a bit later, I believe. I have since seen teen girls purchase products marketed to make them look like Bella from Twilight (which is unfortunate) and Katniss from The Hunger Games (who is a BAMF) and I can relate.
MAC now features a line of products based on the Archie Comics series. I’m a little too young for these, but I do remember looking at the comics my grandmother had in the house (she read pretty much everything). These “looks” are modeled after the comics’ heroines, Betty and Veronica. If I recall correctly, Veronica was a rich girl and a bit of a snob while Betty was the girl next door, into sports and being herself or something like that. Archie pretty much dragged them both along, so I don’t know why anyone would want to be either of them—unless they gave him what for, and then I say go for it!
The MAC product line is called MAC Archie’s Girls, which I also think is unfortunate—being named after the guy who wants you half of the time sucks. Veronica’s products are supposed to be on the darker side while Betty’s are brighter and more pastel. The logo will feature—guess who?—Archie between the two girls, which is also annoying. I doubt anyone is trying to get his “look.” I guess it’s really just the reverse love triangle of today’s popular two guys to one girl; only in today’s trios, a couple usually walks off into the sunset rather than a trio…
If anyone wants to start a comic book line of makeup, I’d totally be down for X-Men—or better yet, Batman! Who wouldn’t want the “look” of Poison Ivy, Batgirl, or Catwoman, the most awesome females among the comic pages? Some Storm, Jean Grey, or Rogue wear would also be pretty cool. I would definitely buy some Phoenix lip gloss if it had my favorite character on it. What can I say, I love her.
That said, if we marketed products to bring out the best in you as you are, right now, I think it would be the coolest ad campaign ever. I would happily buy those products!