Fall 2005 will see new parenting products. First up is the O’Pair (how clever). It’s a tot harness that tries to soften the stigma of the kiddie-leash by combining the implied greater social acceptability of an umbilical cord with the fashion sense of a fanny pack.

Here’s another, the Take Out Time Out. It’s a mat that parents schlep around with them and toss to the floor to provide a space for the child to sit when he/she is told to take a “time-out”.

Cual es mas creepy? Hard to say.

When asked at yesterday’s press conference about Amnesty International’s report criticizing America’s treatment of detainees, President Bush called the claims “absurd.” According to the White House transcript, he also said:

In terms of the detainees, we’ve had thousands of people detained. We’ve investigated every single complaint against the detainees. It seemed like to me they based some of their decisions on the word of — and the allegations — by people who were held in detention, people who hate America, people that had been trained in some instances to disassemble — that means not tell the truth.

What, Dubya? You’re trying to trying to dispel the widely held opinion that you’re a rube? And you think that you can achieve that by appearing professorial as you use a word in a speech that you assume people don’t know, then define it for them? Well, OK, that tactic may seem condescending and blatantly transparent, but you’re the prez. There are just one or two things you may want to consider:

• Make sure you use the right word-definition combination. For instance, disassemble does not mean to “not tell the truth”, but dissemble does.
• To lessen the transparency of the definition tactic, it might be a good idea to not use “Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day” from the previous fucking day.

How did you get into Yale? Oh, never mind, I remember.

Penny Arcade is one of the few online comic strips that I read regularly. They take a swing at Will Wright in this one. He’s the creator of all games Sim including the most recent one, Spore.

This is what’s so great about public access cable.

According to one insurer’s written test, Massachusetts’ drivers are the second worst in the nation, and Oregon came in having the best. Mass was inched out by Rhode Island. Well done, RI… enjoy your 15 minutes of fame before obscurity reclaims you.

The only reason Oregon placed highest is because the guy who scored the tests thought it was cute that when asked “When is it OK to pass another vehicle on a 5-lane highway?” every driver in Oregon answered, “Never”.

So there’s this protest over the Scouts’ policy to not include openly gay and atheist members. The policy has been in place since the organization was founded in 1910. For a private organization, that would be their prerogative, but they receive federal, state, and local funding and have preferential access to various resources, etc. The controversy has been going on for a long time. Anyway, the chosen venue for the Scouts’ annual meeting that’s being picketed… the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.
Dahh-hah.

From their ad:

Many Minnesotans are afflicted with the genetic defect known as Minnesota Nice, and it takes valiant effort by the not so nice Minnesotans to bring them back to reality.

I like the image. Kinda Trogdor-esque.

You know those big foam fingers people wave at sports and entertainment events? Here’s a link to one that you might find rather shocking…

I even like the description – particularly the grandma line and the quote “not yet obscene to the general public.” Hear hear.