Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Monday, August 27, 2007

Breaking: We're still fat.

And so are our kids, per a report published on August 27, 2007. See how your state fares on page 3 of the report. I wonder if CNN will update the obesity map.

No f'ing way.

Bush will likely nominate Michael Chertoff to succeed Alberto Gonzales as attorney general. This is the dude who recklessly warned we'd be attacked by terrorists this summer, based on his "gut instinct". And the dude who memorably referred to Louisiana as a "city".

Gawker snarks:

It's a pretty good move, sure, but if the President is really intent on taking the Constitution, cutting a hole out of it, and fucking it six ways to Sunday, why just settle for partison incompetence? Why not go for outright criminality? Dude should tap Scooter Libby.

Kudos to Gawker. If you can't laugh in times like this, you cry.

Update: CNN has since downgraded Chertoff's prospects from "Bush will likely nominate" to "Bush may nominate." You can still find "will likely" in Google cache. With any luck, by tomorrow, this may be downgraded to "will not." A girl can hope.

Update #2: CNN is now reporting that Chertoff will not be nominated. Sanity prevails.

Just asking.

Without a Trace. Cold Case. Two different shows? Would anyone care if we merged them?

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Baby Names: Celebrity Edition


Out: "Britney"

Name your child Britney? What are you thinking, wonders the Poop. I think they're onto something. How will we ever divorce the name from the image of her entering the public bathroom barefoot? That image is seared in my brain for life. Too bad y'all, cause the name was kind of cute!

In: "Reese"

Anecdotally, I've noticed a significant uptick in the name "Reese". She is the celebrity model of girl perfection: smart, gorgeous and talented. And, perhaps most important to frightened parents in this day and age of GGW, she's a good girl. Not sure if naming one's child "Reese" will ensure the child's virtue, but gotta give parents credit for trying.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Paci Hall of Shame

Posh and Beck's son, Brooklyn. And it's a pink paci!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Good News/Bad News.

The good news: I received an Evite from one of the other mothers in my son's preschool class. That's nice, I think to myself. I'd like to get to know some of the other mothers. I'm the only working mother of the group, which makes me feel like an outsider, so this is a welcome opportunity.

The bad news: it's all a ploy to sell me shit! In fact, it's a party at a store. An ugly boutique clothing store, no less. Free wine and cheese, plus 10% off anything I buy. *rolls eyes*

Monday, August 20, 2007

Change is under way.

Firm Kills Billable Hour for First Year Associates. Probably because first years are notorious for padding their hours. Partners get sick of writing off their time

Sunday, August 19, 2007

More Randomness.

The urethra rap.



There is hope yet for today's youth. This girl kills it.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Random: Children's television-induced dementia.

"You're Beautiful" is "A Triangle." And it's still grating.



What children's television show makes you want to hang yourself?

Update: If we were handing out awards for dementia, we'd have to give it to the creators of Bert Is Evil.

Lead fallout.

Momsrising has been lobbying the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to police the lead issue. Any such effort will be fruitless because the CPSC is, essentially, a joke - a safety organization in name only.

...the CPSC is not taken seriously, with a dearth of money, staffing, enforcement authority and leadership. Its budget is $63 million -- less than half of its original 1974 budget, if one corrects for inflation. (With inflation the budget should be $149 million, he says.) In 1980, the CPSC had a staff of 978. Now its staff is less than 400.

...Congressional investigators recently visited the CPSC's laboratory in Bethesda, Maryland, and according to Mierzwinski found it "like a bad high school lab."


Edwards is calling on the Administration and democratic leaders in Congress:

"As one father to another" -- to "take immediate action to stop the growing crisis of dangerous toys being imported from China." Specifically Edwards called for "mandatory, independent third party testing" of toys.

Given the current state of the CPSC, a legislative fix appears to be the only answer.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Oxymoron?

2007 50 Best Law Firms for Women.

These are the best firms, and the average percentage of female partners (equity and nonequity) appears to be approximatly 25%. Keep in mind that the female to male split is roughly 50/50 in law school and one year out of law school. So what happens between year 1 and partnership?

Monday, August 13, 2007

Paving on ramps.

A new staffing agency, EmployMoms, caters to mothers who seek to rejoin the workforce. I hope this experiment will succeed because it has huge potential for mothers. But I'm skeptical. Will employers sign on to this? If you're an employer, and you have a vacancy to fill, do you go out of your way to request a returning-to-work mother?

If you can't keep your pants on, blame the flower company.

Check this out. Guy sends his mistress flowers via 1-800-flowers. 1-800-flowers sends the bill to his wife. And this is a newsflash to her - she had no idea he was cheating. Wife divorces guy and receives a hefty settlement, using the flower receipt as proof of his infidelity. Guy sues 1-800 Flowers.

Way to take personal responsibility, buddy!

I might as well just sign over my paycheck to Thomas the Tank Engine.

We all know that James and Elmo are toxic. What are retailers going to do about it? Shake us down, naturally. Specifically:

Tighter controls will add more costs to makers, which could result in higher prices at the stores.

Oh, right. Cause the $19.99 per train they charge now is such a bargain.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Headline of the Day

Britney Spears Has Very Nice Boobs. I find it all very sad how she keeps going for these losers who run to the press at the first opportunity. No wonder girlfriend has no self-esteem. Everyone in her life is using her.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

PSA

Talbots is having a summer clearance sale.

CNN confirms what the world already knew.

The United States is increasingly becoming a nation of fatties. Check out the obesity map.

FYI the skinny states are:
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • Connecticut
  • Vermont
  • Utah
  • Colorado
  • Montana

I wonder why.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

"The Billable Hour Must Die"

So says the ABA Journal. "It rewards inefficiency. It makes clients suspicious. And it may be unethical." Not to mention the fact that law firms evaluate an attorney's worth solely based on the attorney's billable hours, and that single factor bears no correlation to the quality of the attorney's workproduct. It also perpetuates a system which is fundamentally incompatible with work/life balance.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Is this really necessary?

Some want ice cream truck music banned.

Snarky Headline of the Day

Study: Babies Raised by Videos Appropriately Dumb as Expected. The study shows that Baby Einstein videos have a detrimental effect on a baby's vocabulary. I knew those things were a racket.

Dog days of summer.

Check out Wholesome Wear, for the repressed parent. What is it about this country? We're four hundred years removed from the Mayflower, but we still act like a bunch of puritans. An accomplished woman can't wear a shirt with a v-neck line without igniting a major controversy. And we're still offended by a woman nursing in public. Silly.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Murdoch buys WSJ.

The deal hasn't closed yet, but both parties have agreed to the sale.

What's in store for the Journal? My take is that Murdoch wants to turn the Journal into the people's paper, like the Post. Well not just like the Post. According to the NYT:

Executives at the News Corporation are keen to explore whether more of that content ought to be offered free online to increase the audience and attract advertising, while keeping subscribers by offering more premium services. A more open WSJ.com would be able to attract more advertising, but also potentially distribute that advertising across the News Corporation’s online footprint.

Well, free isn't bad, per se. But, as we all know, you don't get something for nothing. Hence, Murdoch wants to cut down on the marquis content:

In an interview with The Times earlier this year, Mr. Murdoch mused aloud about The Journal, saying, for instance, that he did not have time to read longer articles during the week and might like to swap out the paper’s Pursuits section on Saturdays with a glossy magazine. More recently, he told Time magazine that he was not sure about the offbeat front-page stories known internally as “A-Heds” that are a plum for reporters to write.

I personally would rather pay for high quality content then read the low rent stuff for free. I love those "A-hed" stories! Who doesn't? That's one of the features that makes the Journal a truly great publication.

Good bye Journal. We'll always have memories.

Red Alert

The plastic which comprises sippy cups and bottles may cause cancer. Is anything safe anymore?