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Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 11, 2015 40 Comments
This story hits a little too close to home. Yesterday, Republican state Rep. David Moore introduced House Bill 365 in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill would redefine "provocative clothing" in such a way that the wearing of yoga pants in public would be outlawed. According to the Billings Gazette:
A Montana legislative panel has moved to kill a bill that would tighten the state's indecent exposure law and consequently ban some provocative clothing. Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to table House Bill 365 Wednesday. Republican Rep. David Moore introduced it on Tuesday. The proposal would have expanded the definition of indecent exposure to include garments that give the appearance of a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple. Moore said the bill could outlaw some provocative clothing, and later said he thinks yoga pants should be illegal in public.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 10, 2015 12 Comments
Berg-dog. Club Gitmo. Feeling so...ISIS right now. Every year, the city of Tampa, Florida gathers at the Gasparilla Pirate Festival to soak in a little sun, a little more music, and one too many of those gigantic frozen margaritas. Not exactly the best venue to discuss pressing issues of foreign policy, but still---you'd expect the attendees to have at least a basic awareness of the things that threaten their country at any given moment. Or would you? Maybe not after today. Fox News' Jesse Watters traveled down to Gasparilla to see just how many attendees he could coax into revealing a rudimentary grasp on current events. The results will not shock you. From Fox News Insider:
“Do you think [the administration] should keep Gitmo open or close it?”
“Open, so we can have fun.” “Club Gitmo?” “You know it!”
No. Surely not.
“Do you know what ISIS is?”
“Being alone.”
This is real. This is a thing that is real that has happened and if I have to deal with it, then so do you. Watch:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 08, 2015 18 Comments
What is going on in the Left Coast? Reader and frequent commenter LukeHandCool, a resident of Santa Monica, sends along this note and link:
What happens when the blackboard jungle comes to two of the most progressive high schools in America? How could this possibly happen in Utopia when all the kids are taught they are unbelievably special just for breathing? I'll tell you what happens. You get long, long hand-wringing emails from the principal on an almost daily basis.
Here's the link, Video Emerges Of Nasty Brawl Between Rival High Schools:
Video of a nasty fight between rival high schools last month — touched off by basketball games — has now emerged.... The teams involved were Santa Monica High and Beverly Hills High. The fight broke out at Santa Monica High on Jan. 23 following a sweep of the JV and varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams by Beverly Hills....

Posted by Amy Miller on February 08, 2015 8 Comments
Every once in a while, fortune favors those who work hard enough to earn it. This is one of those times. Last week, the Detroit Free Press ran a story about a man named James Robertson. For the past ten years, 56 year-old James has dealt with a 21 mile commute back and forth between Detroit, Michigan and a factory in Rochester Hills. 21 miles doesn't seem like such a big deal---unless, of course, you don't have a car or available public transportation. When James' car died a decade ago, he kept going to work; only now, he had to walk. James' situation began to catch the attention of the community after the Free Press went to print; since then, his story has taken on a life of its own. A complete stranger started a GoFundMe account with the intent of raising a couple thousand dollars towards a "beater" car to help lessen James' burden. As of about 6 am on February 8, this is the balance of that account: Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 5.54.09 AM

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 05, 2015 8 Comments
When San Diego's talk station KOGO AM600 announced they were going to chat about obnoxious Super Bowl ads, they asked listeners to call in with the ones they wanted to discuss. Instead, I sent a producer I knew my piece, I am apologizing #LikeAGirl for Super Bowl Ads’ #WarOnMen. As a result, their independent-minded host, Bob "Sully" Sullivan, invited me to chat with him about the commercials, as well as my work at both Legal Insurrection and College Insurrection related to the challenges men face today. Here's a video with the exchange:

Posted by Amy Miller on February 04, 2015 15 Comments
The race relations debate in America has become a caricature of its former self. What was once a serious conversation about ending discrimination and hatred has become a three ring circus of hand-wringing and recriminations over whose office, TV show, or university has the largest representation of minority members. It's not a question of sharing cultural elements, or learning a new language; all that really matters to the race relations brigade these days comes down to hard numbers---how many of you are there?---and regular reminders about the dangers of "cultural appropriation," making it nearly impossible for America to enjoy its status as a world class melting pot. This is why I fully endorse any and all attempts to lampoon the Very Important Concerns© of those who make it their mission in life to question my commitment to love and equality. In his latest edition of "Pedestrian Questions," comedian Jimmy Kimmel did just that---and managed to make his own point about race relations in America (even if it happened by accident.)

Posted by Amy Miller on February 04, 2015 21 Comments
In 2015's America, no one expects greatness from a romantic thriller starring Jennifer Lopez; but every once in a while, something makes its way into the genre that is so incredibly ridiculous we can't help but serve it up for censure and recriminations. Lopez's latest flick, "The Boy Next Door," has all the makings of a movie I'll eventually catch on Netflix after a glass of wine or two:
When a handsome, charming teenager named Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, newly separated high-school teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) encourages his friendship and engages in a little bit of harmless -- or so she thinks -- flirtation. Although Noah spends much of the time hanging out with Claire's son, the teen's attraction to her is palpable. One night, Claire gives in to temptation and lets Noah seduce her -- but when she tries to end the relationship, he turns violent.
Obviously ridiculous---but internet snarkfest WTFark found something tucked into the many layers of this catastrophe that takes us beyond "ridiculous" and into the realm of "America is over." Behold: First edition "Iliad." First. Editiion. "Iliad." First...no. I can't. Oh my god is right. As in, "oh my God, we are literally doomed."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 02, 2015 7 Comments
If you were hoping to dust the snow off the lawn chair to start working on your tan, you're going to have to wait a few weeks, at least according to Punxsutawney Phil. Phil the groundhog saw his shadow today, so six more weeks of winter it is. Punxsutawney Phil is no stranger to controversy though. According to the Washington Post:
Last year, Phil also saw his shadow — the final nail in the coffin for what was one of the most brutally long winters in the U.S. The unrelenting winter dragged on through March in many places in 2014. Around D.C., many locations accumulated more than 30 inches of snow last winter, and Phil chalked another one up in the “verified” column.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 02, 2015 31 Comments
In Oakland, California, one alternative scout troop is far more socially active than their counterparts across the globe---and they're not affiliated with the Girl Scouts. They call themselves, "Radical Brownies." Their mission? "The Radical Brownies empower young girls of color so that they step into their collective power, brilliance and leadership in order to make the world a more radical place." There are no badges for stitching, taking care of pets or being a good neighbor. Radical Brownies "badges earned are custom-made," and "reflect our social justice and culturally-inclusive values." Badges include Radical Beauty Badge, Food Justice Badge, Radical Self-Love Badge. This social-justice version of the girl scouts is a relatively new endeavor by group organizers. In the video below, co-founders Marilyn Hollinquest & Anayvette Martinezco discuss why they decided to create the group. In short, their goal is to show young girls what the world would look like if it were free of "isms":

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 02, 2015 32 Comments
While Professor Jacobson was surfing the Twitter stream during the Super Bowl, I was savoring the free market creativity of American advertisers. The runaway favorite commercials feature cute puppies and horses. One particular ad, however, brought out an entirely different animal in me: The Mama Grizzly. I have a serious recommendation to T-Mobile executives: Fire the idiot feminists and their beta-male minions who came up with this commercial: The dialog for one of the scenes, in which Sarah Silverman & Chelsea Handler characters duel over first-world lifestyle quality, has Sarah Silverman's insipid character inform a newborn's mother: "I'm sorry, it's a boy." It was a real piece of #WarOnMen propaganda. As a mother of a son, who is a 100% all-boy alpha male that I have been delighted to raise as such, I was appalled by the crass anti-maleness of the statement. Let's play a game of substitution, shall we?

Posted by Amy Miller on February 01, 2015 10 Comments
I don't know about you, but after a wild week in politics, I'm more than ready for a little queso, a few silly commercials, and maximum football saturation. For those of you who, like me, have chosen to forego an expensive cable TV subscription in favor of a long term relationship with Netflix, NBC sports is offering a free livestream of Super Bowl XLIX, pre- and post-game coverage, and the halftime show. Katy Perry, Tom Brady, and Gronk---oh my! Although commercials will not be streamed, you can watch them here immediately after they air. A few have already been released, including this piece of adorableness involving not one, but TWO cats and their antics:
Post by BuzzFeed Video.
Enjoy the game---and the break from politics! UPDATE: Halftime report, brought to you by puppies and dads!

Posted by Amy Miller on January 28, 2015 58 Comments
Michelle Obama made waves this week with her decision to not wear headscarf during her visit to Saudi Arabia. Although reactions to her decision were mixed, the reaction on social media gave birth to a hashtag accusing the first lady of immodesty---a heady violation in one of the few remaining countries requiring women to cover their heads in public. Via Politico:
On Twitter, Saudis used a hashtag that translates to “#Michelle_Obama_Immodest” or “#Michelle_Obama_NotVeiled” to chastise the first lady for being disrespectful to Saudi traditions. ... Some on Twitter noted that Obama had covered her hair during a visit to a mosque in Indonesia and wondered why she hadn’t done the same, Egypt’s Ahram Online noted, while one woman urged fellow Saudis not to “make Obama angry at us.” The first lady’s office had no comment on her attire.
Twitter is still chirping about it:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on January 25, 2015 14 Comments
Egypt has three icons that symbolize its ancient glories: 1) The pyramids 2) The Great Sphinx 3) The golden mask of the boy king, Tutankhamun. And while the pyramids and Great Sphinx are safe from the threat of destruction at the hands of Muslim extremists, the famous mask has been damaged by too much care and concern. There are many versions of how the damage happened, but it seems the beard was accidentally knocked off and epoxy, which is designed for use on stone-work and not metal, was slathered on in the repair attempt. Additionally, the mask was scratched in an attempt to remove excess glue that had smeared. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540"] (Photo: Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP/Getty Images)[/caption] However, it seems that one of history's greatest treasures can be properly restored to its original glory.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 23, 2015 23 Comments
I didn't expect to enjoy President Obama's sit-down interview with YouTube stars Bethany Mota, GloZell Green and Hank Green, first because before today I couldn't name a "YouTube star" to save my life, and second, because of a variety of rapid-fire thoughts involving things like gravitas and Presidential and I'd like to see more of Jake Tapper on my screen, TBH. Of course, I saw this news at the same time I was seeing reports of Yemen burning to the ground, so maybe I was a little irritated that this was taking up space on my wire. I didn't care. I was worried about real issues. As it turns out, so were Hank, GloZell, and Bethany. Watch: Was it "journalism?" We can fight about that all day, but I don't think it matters, because it worked. Hank Green peppered the President with questions, but he pulled it off well and I didn't feel like his Obamacare PSA ruined it (even though I groaned and yelled OH OF COURSE YOU DID HANK because, predictable.) GloZell Green calls Castro a dick at 22:07, which is inappropriate in almost any scenario, but she moved on and asked Obama a question about Cuba. (Then she accidentally called the First Lady the President's "first wife," which was hilarious and human.) Bethany Mota made 19 look smart, which is hard to do with the Justin Biebers of the world running around making 19 look mind-numbingly stupid. (She also asked about Boko Haram, which is more than I can say about most MSM outlets.)

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 22, 2015 9 Comments
I love, love, love when companies and brands go pro-Dad. Last year, Cheerios released a "How to Dad" series of ads that were adorable and quite perfect in their ability to silence the ridiculous "dumb Dad" meme. This year, one company has upped the ante on featuring fatherhood in its marketing. You might need to grab the Kleenex to watch Dove's newly released Super Bowl ad. Called #RealStrength, Dove's commercial asks, "What makes a man stronger?" Take a look: Dove's intention is to highlight the caring side of masculinity. The ad's description states, "90% of men around the world say that their caring side is part of their masculinity and strength. Let’s acknowledge the caring side of men and celebrate their #RealStrength as a true sign of masculinity."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on January 19, 2015 31 Comments
First and foremost, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! In 1983, President Reagan signed Martin Luther King, Jr. day into law. Even so, it wasn't until 2000 that all states observed the day as intended. 2000. That's... incredible. So called 'controversial figures' are always difficult to discuss. Regardless of what I write, someone, many even, will inevitably comment about King's shortcomings, his failures, maybe even his alleged infidelities. Yet none of those things detract from what Dr. King accomplished on the civil rights front nor the legacy of hope he left behind. God how I wish he were here today. I've often wondered if we would've been spared the pestilence of the Sharpton's and Jackson's of this world had Dr. King survived. So abundant are King's words of wisdom; the truths he left with us, that it's always hard to pick one. So this Martin Luther, King, Jr. Day, I pick love.

Posted by Amy Miller on January 15, 2015 40 Comments
The Oscar nominations have been revealed, and everyone is talking about this year's nods, snubs, and most importantly---the racial and gender makeup of the Academy and its nominees. Of course. Here we go again. We're barely over this weekend's total freakout over the various combinations of skin color and genitalia that won top rights at the Golden Globes; you'd think we'd be given at least a week to recuperate. But no: That's right, ladies and gentlemen. The internet spent an entire day lobbing hate at a group of talented entertainers whose only crime is the relative paleness of their skin:
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