I had to do it. Coming in just under the wire, a Presidential Debate Drinking Game! Pretty simple, but it should hold for these debates. Let me know if you actually do it, eh? I'm pausing it on DVR so I have a little more time to get set up, here.
DRINK:
Any time McCain mentions his time as a POW.
Any time McCain uses the phrase "brave Americans" to refer to troops.
Any time Obama refers to McCain as "my esteemed ____" or "my respected_____".
Any time Obama mentions his father, or his (white) grandmother. (Take a big slug if he mentions them both in the same sentence.)
Any time Obama uses the word "dreams."
Any use of the phrase "9/11"
If McCain accuses Obama's tax plan of raising taxes "on Americans."
If Obama mentions the "Bush economy."*
If Obama brings up McCain's comments about $5 mil being rich or not remembering how many houses he owns.
If McCain brings up Obama's sex-ed bill.
Any "I met a woman in Kansas..." kind of story. Take a good slug if it involves dying of cancer or losing a house.
If Obama calls McCain "out of touch" or McCain calls Obama "elitist."
If either candidate accuses the other of "socializing" anything.* (Extra drink if he follows it with the phrase "on our backs" or "on the backs of _____ Americans.")
Any time anyone mentions Palin.*
Any time McCain contends Palin has as much (or more) relevant experience as (/than) Obama.
Any time an animal is mentioned, whether referring to a literal animal or as a metaphor.
Any incredibly folksy metaphor is used.
Drink twice if anyone uses an obscenity or loses their temper.
Any time Jim Lehrer refers to "Main Street."*
Special bonus drink for the incredible disappearing scandal: If Jim Lehrer asks about John McCain's involvement in the Keating Five scandal, finish your drink and get a new one.*
Enjoy!
*Contributed by my lovely Chris.
Friday, September 26, 2008
And now for a sillier work thing:
I have too much fun with my status messages online. I don't think anyone really gets them, other than sometimes identifying that they're song lines? But there's a theme.
So far I've used:
"Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it..." (from Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man")
"So come on, Virginia, show me a sign,/ Send up a signal, I'll throw you the line..." (from Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young")
"She gave me some dictation,/ but my strength is in administration..." (from Belle and Sebastian's "Step Into My Office, Baby")
And now, more surreally:
You can talk to me
You can talk to me-e
You can talk to me--if you're lonely you can talk to me.
Hey! Woof! Hey, Bulldog!
(...which is the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog!")
Hey, be nice--no REM sleep, remember?
So, apart from all being parts of songs that are generally fairly naughty (okay, kind of a lot naughty), the lines themselves are all "I'm here to help," and "grab me if you need me!" Get it? Get it??
GENIUS!
Because that's basically my function, go-to girl. Cast your dancing spell my way! Send up a signal! My strength is in administration! You can talk to me! All in all, that I'm there and very, very flexible. Work-wise.
...but it's all a little obtuse, I guess. Still, I'm noticing more people with more elaborate status messages, now. It was all fuera de la oficina and not at my desk and Busy (on the phone), before. Unfortunately, my Spanish isn't good enough, especially with idiomatic things, to really understand most of the new ones. Something about a baby with a head like a coconut...? Idunno.
But, anyway, I'm way too easily amused.
So far I've used:
"Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it..." (from Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man")
"So come on, Virginia, show me a sign,/ Send up a signal, I'll throw you the line..." (from Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young")
"She gave me some dictation,/ but my strength is in administration..." (from Belle and Sebastian's "Step Into My Office, Baby")
And now, more surreally:
You can talk to me
You can talk to me-e
You can talk to me--if you're lonely you can talk to me.
Hey! Woof! Hey, Bulldog!
(...which is the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog!")
Hey, be nice--no REM sleep, remember?
So, apart from all being parts of songs that are generally fairly naughty (okay, kind of a lot naughty), the lines themselves are all "I'm here to help," and "grab me if you need me!" Get it? Get it??
GENIUS!
Because that's basically my function, go-to girl. Cast your dancing spell my way! Send up a signal! My strength is in administration! You can talk to me! All in all, that I'm there and very, very flexible. Work-wise.
...but it's all a little obtuse, I guess. Still, I'm noticing more people with more elaborate status messages, now. It was all fuera de la oficina and not at my desk and Busy (on the phone), before. Unfortunately, my Spanish isn't good enough, especially with idiomatic things, to really understand most of the new ones. Something about a baby with a head like a coconut...? Idunno.
But, anyway, I'm way too easily amused.
My boss's bank just bought my bank.
(Bitching re: private corps as related to us specifically has been redacted, just in case. But it was there. Oh, it was there.)
Okay. So in the midst of all this shit, my wonderful little non-profit is pretty safe, I think. (...Fretting...) Luckily, work didn't wind up building anything on money that would have disappeared, now. (...Snarking...) Apparently appropriate regulation is all right, for a non-profit. (...Kvetching...)
As for Chris and I, we're thinking of going credit union when this all settles down a little. Credit Unions don't buy up every bad mortgage they can get their hands on, willy nilly, and then expect the rest of us to pay for their fuck-ups. I'm ready for non-profit banking, baby.
Until then (to the tune of "California..."), FDIC, here I come...
(I am unaccountably really amused by the whole fucking thing.)
Also edit: We're not actually going to FDIC. We are, currently, okay.
Okay. So in the midst of all this shit, my wonderful little non-profit is pretty safe, I think. (...Fretting...) Luckily, work didn't wind up building anything on money that would have disappeared, now. (...Snarking...) Apparently appropriate regulation is all right, for a non-profit. (...Kvetching...)
As for Chris and I, we're thinking of going credit union when this all settles down a little. Credit Unions don't buy up every bad mortgage they can get their hands on, willy nilly, and then expect the rest of us to pay for their fuck-ups. I'm ready for non-profit banking, baby.
Until then (to the tune of "California..."), FDIC, here I come...
(I am unaccountably really amused by the whole fucking thing.)
Also edit: We're not actually going to FDIC. We are, currently, okay.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Women's Rights in 2008?
My God, I just started a forward. Never before, in all my life.... To touch on just one tiny piece of this year's politics, I researched and wrote sent out something to a handful of people that I hope will actually be forwarded. It's specifically about Palin (and McCain) on women's rights, to touch on this idea some people have that a vote for McCain/Palin could possibly, somehow further the cause of gender equality.
I'm posting it here. If any of y'all feel like it's worth sending out? *Please* go ahead and C&P and pass it on.
_________________________
Subject: Women's Rights in 2008?
I don't usually do this, but I had to speak up--this affects us all. Please send this anyone you know who cares about women's welfare.
"In picking Palin, Republicans are lending credence to the sexist assumption that women voters are too stupid to investigate or care about the issues, and merely want to vote for someone who looks like them ... McCain has turned the idea of the first woman in the White House from a true moment of change to an empty pander." - Ann Friedman, American Prospect
Here are some things to think about, if you're on the fence about whether electing Palin to the White House will advance the cause of gender equality and safety of women:
Despite mounting evidence that (1) it does not lower the number of teen pregnancies, (2) it actually increases instances of unprotected sex, and (3) consequently increases the spread of venereal disease in teenagers, Sarah Palin is a proponent of abstinence only education. (Though her own family's behavior is considered sacrosanct, her 17 year old unwed daughter is pregnant, presumably despite copious instruction to be abstinent until marriage.)
Sarah Palin cut funding for transitional homes for teenage mothers without places to live or the ability to care for their babies--putting girls with newborns and no support on the street, without the education or resources to actually take care of those children.
Sarah Palin is anti-choice. Even in cases of rape and incest. She has said that even if her own daughter was raped, she would be against her receiving an abortion.
As Mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin made sure that women who were raped had to pay for their own rape kits--that is, if you are raped, you have to pay the police to collect the semen from your body and analyze it. The police are not expected to, in the course of their investigations, collect the physical evidence of the crime--it is a luxury that you have to pay for separately. (This is not the case if, for instance, your car gets stolen or your home gets broken into--police work is covered by your taxes. But your being raped nullifies your rights to a 'free' and thorough investigation.) The kits cost up to $1200.
And for just a few notes on McCain's policies, if you're fairly certain he'll make it through all four years himself, without granting any powers to Palin on the way:
John McCain is against birth control. He has never supported any legislation that would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. He voted against health insurance--even plans that cover Viagra--having to cover birth control.
McCain also supports a the overturn of Roe v. Wade and a constitutional ban on abortion.
McCain voted against (and helped defeat) a bill that supported equal pay for women doing equal work.
And on the more personal and anecdotal side of things, when McCain's first wife was disfigured by a car accident, he began cheating on her, then divorced her, and married a younger heiress. In view of reporters, when said heiress teased him about losing his hair, he called her a trollop and a cu*t.
(If these sound a little hard to believe, here are some articles:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/McCain_temper_boiled_over_in_92_0407.html )
Please think about this for the upcoming elections, and send this on to anyone you know who might think women are PEOPLE, who deserve equal pay or equal protection under the law.
I'm posting it here. If any of y'all feel like it's worth sending out? *Please* go ahead and C&P and pass it on.
_________________________
Subject: Women's Rights in 2008?
I don't usually do this, but I had to speak up--this affects us all. Please send this anyone you know who cares about women's welfare.
"In picking Palin, Republicans are lending credence to the sexist assumption that women voters are too stupid to investigate or care about the issues, and merely want to vote for someone who looks like them ... McCain has turned the idea of the first woman in the White House from a true moment of change to an empty pander." - Ann Friedman, American Prospect
Here are some things to think about, if you're on the fence about whether electing Palin to the White House will advance the cause of gender equality and safety of women:
Despite mounting evidence that (1) it does not lower the number of teen pregnancies, (2) it actually increases instances of unprotected sex, and (3) consequently increases the spread of venereal disease in teenagers, Sarah Palin is a proponent of abstinence only education. (Though her own family's behavior is considered sacrosanct, her 17 year old unwed daughter is pregnant, presumably despite copious instruction to be abstinent until marriage.)
Sarah Palin cut funding for transitional homes for teenage mothers without places to live or the ability to care for their babies--putting girls with newborns and no support on the street, without the education or resources to actually take care of those children.
Sarah Palin is anti-choice. Even in cases of rape and incest. She has said that even if her own daughter was raped, she would be against her receiving an abortion.
As Mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin made sure that women who were raped had to pay for their own rape kits--that is, if you are raped, you have to pay the police to collect the semen from your body and analyze it. The police are not expected to, in the course of their investigations, collect the physical evidence of the crime--it is a luxury that you have to pay for separately. (This is not the case if, for instance, your car gets stolen or your home gets broken into--police work is covered by your taxes. But your being raped nullifies your rights to a 'free' and thorough investigation.) The kits cost up to $1200.
And for just a few notes on McCain's policies, if you're fairly certain he'll make it through all four years himself, without granting any powers to Palin on the way:
John McCain is against birth control. He has never supported any legislation that would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. He voted against health insurance--even plans that cover Viagra--having to cover birth control.
McCain also supports a the overturn of Roe v. Wade and a constitutional ban on abortion.
McCain voted against (and helped defeat) a bill that supported equal pay for women doing equal work.
And on the more personal and anecdotal side of things, when McCain's first wife was disfigured by a car accident, he began cheating on her, then divorced her, and married a younger heiress. In view of reporters, when said heiress teased him about losing his hair, he called her a trollop and a cu*t.
(If these sound a little hard to believe, here are some articles:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2008/McCain_temper_boiled_over_in_92_0407.html )
Please think about this for the upcoming elections, and send this on to anyone you know who might think women are PEOPLE, who deserve equal pay or equal protection under the law.
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