Friday, November 30, 2012

Friday Follies: Zombie Apocalypse Edition





Winter is coming...and with it the supposed end of the world, according to the Mayan calendar.  So what if it technically isn't true that the Mayans predicted the end of the world? The zombie apocalypse may well be upon us!  Are you prepared with your zombie survival strategy?   Here are some of my favorite zombie memes, from the political to the genre-bending, below the fold...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Badass - the Sequel




So we here at YBGP do pay attention to what you guys like.  And Mandi and I are impressed by your devotion to Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Our first NDGT post has recently become our Most Visited Post.  It's also one of the top ways people get here from Google (thanks Google! Welcome NDGT People!).


We are so impressed with how much you like NDGT, that I'm going back to the well to find some more of the reasons Tyson is a Badass.


NDGT is a busy man.  He has his own podcast/radio show, called StarTalk.



He tweets -





.: I believe in God. No man knows when the world will end. // When asteroids head our way, you'll quickly believe in physics

And here are 7 ways NDGT is busy, bringing the awesome... 7 Days a Week.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

True North: Objectivity Is Not a Fad


Alec Baldwin: But in your profession, in the political professional class, the punditocracy, whatever you want to call it, now we have a whole network which is very, very tilted in one direction. Did you see that coming?

George Will: You have two – you have two whole networks. Well, look, 30 years ago – CNN was founded in '81, I think – 30 years ago at the dinner hour in this country, 80 percent of all television sets in use were turned to Cronkite, Chancellor, and Peter Jennings. Today we have this cornucopia of news sources. People define journalism on their own terms, get it on their own time.
I was told by an activist in South Carolina during the primary this year that a survey showed that 72 percent of all Republican primary voters in South Carolina get all, not most, all of their news from Fox News. When a Republican candidate buys an ad on Fox News, he's not broadcasting, he's narrowcasting right into Republican voters. 
Now, in a way, this too is a reversion. When the party system developed in the 1790s and early 1800s, American newspapers were largely factional papers. Some of them were paid by the parties.  So we may look back upon the, some would say the pretense of objective journalism or nonpartisan journalism as an episode, a parenthesis in our national history. [Emphasis Mine.]

- Here's the Thing Podcast, September 24, 2012


There are things I like about George Will.  He's an interesting, smart guy.  He often has a different take on political situations than the Republican party line.  And I like smart people who aren't afraid to show their smarts - so in the same way that I have an appreciation for Justice Scalia, I have an appreciation for George Will.  But this statement he made - in a generally good podcast episode - made me seriously upset.

I'll try to explain why.

Monday, November 26, 2012

5 Reasons Why You’re Fat






Why are Americans, out of all the countries in the world, one of the fattest? One of the most common answers is that Americans are fat because individuals are making bad food choices, and are thus willing themselves to be fat. People routinely cite obese people with a ton of junk food in their carts at grocery stores, or the “super-sizing” at fast food places as reasons why Americans are fat.






Friday, November 23, 2012

A Cornucopia of Post-Turkey News


So I only have the time left in a playground outing of the hubby and kids to write, but there are a few stories that bear discussion this week...


1. R.I.P. Warren Rudman - Warren Rudman was a Republican Senator from New Hampshire, one who earnestly sought progress and bipartisan governance.  He resigned from the Senate after two terms because he said it was too partisan and fractious.


He was well-known for his work in Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, which established some bipartisan (Hollings was a Democrat from South Carolina, Gramm a Republican from Texas) budget processes to try to tame budget deficits in the mid-1980s.  Those processes were about... raising the debt limit.  They would have created mandatory sequestrations by the Comptroller General, but they were found unconstitutional (as was the Line Item Veto - which was not in GRH but was also supposedly a method for achieving budget sanity, though at the same time a large grant of presidential power).    Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) also penned budget control measures in the same era.


Rudman later served in a Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board under President Clinton.  And he helped steer the Iran/Contra Hearings with Senator Inouye (D-HI), producing a bipartisan document that said Reagan officials knowingly violated the law (hence the Bush Pardons).  Rudman supported aid to the Contras, but famously said (and here you will hear echoes of C.J. Roberts from the Affordable Care Act decision - "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices."):

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Follies: Prez Is Not Impressed


So we're taking tomorrow off, because unlike Walmart, Kmart, Toys R Us, and Sears, we Respect the Holiday.  I mean seriously: only TV Celebrities, Broadway Dancers, High School Marching Bands, and Football Players are supposed to work on Thanksgiving :-)


In the meantime, let's meme it up.

First there was McKayla, being unimpressed:


...and then...


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

YBGP Index: Math Is Hard


Election Contest Update:  We have not forgotten the Election Contest, but Arizona has been crazy slow to count, so we haven't had the numbers until this week.  I'll sit down and do the math sometime this week when the kids are at their least frenetic.  The T-Shirts are in and ready to go once I figure out the winner.



In the meantime:  with a nod to Harper's, I give you the YBGP Index...


Monday, November 19, 2012

Mandi Mansplains It All


rothman_mansplain_post.png

Mansplaining:  The tendency of some men to mistakenly believe that they automatically know more about any given topic than does a woman and who, consequently, proceed to explain to her- correctly or not- things that she already knows.
Woman A: When he started mansplaining to me what it really meant to be a woman in the 21st century, I got up and left.

Woman B: Really, what else could you do?
     
                -Urban Dictionary

Friday, November 16, 2012

Friday Follies: Top 5 Stupid Sex Scandals Edition





There's been a lot of talk this week about whether the affair General Petraeus had with his biographer Paula Broadwell is a legitimate news story.  The only reason I think it is, is because of the potential for blackmail Petraeus opened himself up to as CIA Director (i.e. holder of the government's most important secrets).  But because of the downright Real-Housewivean facts of the case, I felt this week's follies should look at the crazier sex scandals we've seen over the years.  All of these scandals have a sad side, with families impacted.  But they also have a funny side, with prominent politicians acting like fools while seemingly convinced they will not be caught.




And so, without further ado...


Thursday, November 15, 2012

4 Ways Republicans Can Relaunch The Brand: Crystal Pepsi Edition



After every election, the losing party assesses the damage, and thinks of ways they can get the elusive 50.1% of the vote the next time around. In other words, how do political parties relaunch themselves to get a bigger share of the market for the next round of elections?  As the loser of two presidential elections in a row, Republicans are now the ones in re-branding mode. What tried and true marketing techniques can the Republicans perform moving forward to become more appealing to more people?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dangerous Liasons: Sex and the Powerful Man




Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few days, you have by now heard about CIA Director General Patraeus and his mistress, Paula Broadwell.

Monday, November 12, 2012

3 and 1/2 Reasons Republicans Should Be Glad They Lost


Okay, my Republican Friends: enough with the predictions of gloom and doom.  What Would Reagan Do, people?  Reagan wouldn't talk about the country being awful these days, and he wouldn't despair.  Let's try to find the bright side here, folks.  And there really is one.  Three and a half, even.



Seriously, Grover.
1. The Game of Tax-Raising Chicken Can End.  A.K.A. Grover K. Norquist: will you please go now?


Grover Norquist (founder of Americans for Tax Reform or ATR) has been holding the Republican Party hostage for years now.  He's bullied almost all Republicans running for any national office to sign his no-raising-taxes-ever pledge.


And then he puts together a highly-biased yearly rating based on his own estimation of what votes should count as "raising taxes" and which should not.  He threatens legislators with rating given votes in his yearly tally.  And he has been very successful in keeping Rs in his line...



Friday, November 9, 2012

Friday Follies- In A Galaxy Far, Far, Away




By now the news has had time to sink in.  Wounds have had time to heal, all the wailing and gnashing of teeth has stopped, and spontaneous celebrations have ceased.  That's right, Disney has announced last week that they bought Lucasfilm for over 4 billion dollars, and plan to release at least six, but as many as 12 new Star Wars movies. 

Rumors are running rampant right now, and one rumor has it that Disney tentatively plans to start the series about 5 years after the last one ended.  As none of the original cast are spring chickens anymore, this will probably require a recast of all the major human characters.  (No Tron: Legacy please).  So who will be the next generation to step into those shoes?  I give my speculations below the fold:

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Come Sail Away: Our Top 3 Take-Aways from the 2012 Election




So there has been over 24 hours of sobbing, crowing, whining, gloating, and finger-pointing.  And that was just on Facebook.  Now that we have a bit of distance from the emotion of the night, what are our top take-aways from the election?  We will each give you our top 3.



Emily:

1. Women Matter -

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

My Blue Heaven


It was a very good night for we YBGP ladies.

It's so hard to pick the best memes, there are so many.  But since both Mandi and I are spent this morning from a loooong live-blog day, memes it is.  And hopefully they will capture a bit of the feeling.


1. Yay.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Live-Blog 5.1: 99 Problems...But Mitt Ain't One


Mmmm...bacon




Live-Blog 5.0: Can I Get A...?



AAAAAAAHHHHHH.  It's finally here, people.

No more friggin' political ads.  No more robocalls.  Actually, we may have a few more hours of those.  For those people who inexplicably have yet to decide.


Follow us below to the live-blogging action, and the results contest (yes, you could earn your very own YBGP t-shirt if your prognosticating skills are up to snuff).




Monday, November 5, 2012

All the Pretty Numbers, or When Can I Go to Bed Tomorrow?






Some of you may have just heard that there is an election tomorrow.  Others, like me, have been obsessively following this election since the last election ended.  Still others have taken a casual interest in the election, paying attention only when something truly noteworthy is in the news.  Any which way, it's all coming to a close tomorrow night.  And the biggest question on everyone's mind is, at what point can I go to bed?  I'll give you some early signs to let you know which way the election is breaking, below the fold...



Friday, November 2, 2012

Friday Follies: One Step Beyond!




Hey, it's the Last Follies Before the Election!

I believe this calls for some music, and some video madness.  So without further ado...


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Black Flag



When you're already in a ditch, stop digging.We've touched on this subject before ( here and here), but John Sununu has stirred the pot yet once again with his recent remarks.  "When you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to look at whether that's an endorsement based on issues or he's got a slightly different reason for endorsing President Obama," he said. "I think when you have somebody of your own race that you're proud of being president of the United States, I applaud Colin for standing with him." Sarah Palin recently wrote in a Facebook post, “President Obama’s shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end."