As we approach the end of the year, you’ll see more “Top X of 2007” lists including this one, 2007 Top 8 Most Dangerous Animals…
Click to see the comic at full size.
Image courtesy of Miss Fipi Lele.
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…well, according to The Beast’s list of the 50 most loathsome people in America for 2007, anyway. (And yes, we’ve got loathsome types of this sort in Canada as well.)
You
Charges
You believe in freedom of speech, until someone says something that offends you. You suddenly give a damn about border integrity, because the automated voice system at your pharmacy asked you to press 9 for Spanish. You cling to every scrap of bullshit you can find to support your ludicrous belief system, and reject all empirical evidence to the contrary. You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism — it’s nationalism when foreigners do it. You hate anyone who seems smarter than you. You care more about zygotes than actual people. You love to blame people for their misfortunes, even if it means screwing yourself over. You still think Republicans favor limited government. Your knowledge of politics and government are dwarfed by your concern for Britney Spears’ children. You think buying Chinese goods stimulates our economy. You think you’re going to get universal health care. You tolerate the phrase “enhanced interrogation techniques.” You think the government is actually trying to improve education. You think watching CNN makes you smarter. You think two parties is enough. You can’t spell. You think $9 trillion in debt is manageable. You believe in an afterlife for the sole reason that you don’t want to die. You think lowering taxes raises revenue. You think the economy’s doing well. You’re an idiot.
Exhibit A
You couldn’t get enough Anna Nicole Smith coverage.
Sentence
A gradual decline into abject poverty as you continue to vote against your own self-interest. Death by an easily treated disorder that your health insurance doesn’t cover. You deserve it, chump.
Our Christmas tree ornaments, which include little dreidels.
Ours is a mixed household: the Ginger Ninja is Jewish, and I’m a Filipino Catholic. Although she’s from a tradition that doesn’t celebrate Christmas at all and I’m from what could arguably be called the culture that celebrates Christmas the most (a good chunk of the Philippines takes three weeks off — the two weeks prior to and the week after Christmas — for all the festivities and family activities), we work it out.
In the spirit of the season, three articles about Christmas from each culture. First the Jewish stuff:
- A Jewish look at Christmas: A convert appreciates it even more now — “Christmas causes problems for lots of people. Some come from troubled families; some are non-Christians. When I joined Jacob’s tribe nearly 20 years ago (translation: converted to Judaism), my relationship to Christmas changed. Unexpectedly, it got stronger.”
- Irving the Snowchicken is Coming to Town: One family’s solution to the Jewish/Christmas dilemma. Be sure to read the comments, which get a little lively.
- What Do Jews Do on Christmas? JewFAQ’s answer, which includes the greatest military/culinary mind ever, General Tso.
- Five Christmas Songs Written by Jewish Songwriters…including one written by “Mr Schorofsky” from Fame!
…and now, the Filipino stuff:
- Philippines: Longest Christmas Season in the World. A Global Voices Online entry compiling a number of Filipino bloggers’ entries on Christmas.
- Christmas in the Philippines, as described in Wikipedia.
- How to Make Your Own Parol. A parol is the traditional Filipino Christmas lantern shaped like the Star of Bethlehem.
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Gift-Wrapping Tips
Photo borrowed from Oy Bay!
I don’t have any — I’ve taken the gift bag route — but Teresa Nielsen Hayden, moderator of the Boing Boing comments section and blogger at the excellent Making Light has tips aplenty on how to wrap your gifts.
My favourite tip: “Be bold. Look like you mean it.”
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30 Minutes with CNN Headline News
Here’s a pie chart showing the content of half an hour’s worth of CNN Headline News. No wonder the results from that Indiana University study said that The Daily Show was as substantive as “real” news shows…
Click the graph to see it on full size on its original page.
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Clever Grafitti
This one always makes me snicker:
Photo courtesy of Miss Fipi Lele.
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Caught!
Here’s a close-up of the front page of the Lewiston Tribune (a newspaper in Lewiston, Idaho). Note the two pictures, which are for different stories: one of a guy making a Christmas sign, the other being surveillance camera footage of a thief. Do you see something odd that connects the two otherwise-unrelated pictures?
Click the photo to see a full-size PDF of the front page of this newspaper.
Luckily someone at the local police read the paper, put two and two together and made the arrest. The story is here.
(I have a question: Why didn’t the photo editor or layout people at the paper figure it out?)
Depending on your point of view, the lesson to be learned from this incident could be:
- When committing a crime, don’t wear clothing that would easily identify you.
- Sometimes the solution to a problem is to rearrange the given information.
[Found via Miss Fipi Lele and Very Short List.]