Citroën fail | Too Much To Say For Myself

Cath Elliott – feminist, labour activist, blogger, Twitterer and regular Guardian contributor – has posted a breathtaking bit of sexist advertising over on her blog, Too Much To Say For Myself. Under the title Citroën fail, she posts the text of a Citroën press release, and a video from the website being PRed, largely without comment because, as I said, it’s so appalling it takes your breath away:

Citroën has unveiled the latest relationship innovation – Dating 2.0 – a pioneering online service that allows users to create their perfect partner through interactive technology – the 21st century way to make a date….

Playmobil Security Check Point

Amazon.com: Playmobil Security Check Point.

Be sure to check out loosenut’s review of this wonderful toy – more funny and sarcastic and damning than anything I could come up with…

And thanks to Roger Ebert for tweeting about this…

They told us that the future would be better than this.

Yeah – where are our jetpacks?

A Softer World
By Emily Horne and Joey Comeau

As part of its original sequential art offerings, each month Tor.com will be bringing you a new A Softer World strip, by the inimitable Joey Comeau and Emily Horne.
Copyright © 2010 by Emily Horne and Joey Comeau

(via Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy.)

Good News for People who Hate Bad News (ie, Fox News)

Panic Time at Fox News as Glenn Beck loses 50% of his Viewers: “The Beck fad appears to be over, and what Fox News has left is redundant, repetitive, one trick pony of a host…. (via Politicususa.com.)

Towel Day – Celebrating the life and work of Douglas Adams

Towel Day – Celebrating the life and work of Douglas Adams: “Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe proudly carry a towel in his honour.”

I rarely leave the house without a towel – usually a highly portable pack towel from REI, though, and I don’t think this really cuts it in the serious Hitchhiker community…

WikiLeaks and The Pentagon

(via Scratch! Media Cartoon Archive – International current affairs – 2010.)

Here’s another great piece by David Pope – editorial cartoonist at The Canberra Times, of whom I’ve written before. I missed this when it first came out – otherwise I would have posted it then – but it’s too good not to share. You can find this and other examples of his terrific style and incisive commentary at Scratch! Media.

Where’s Osama? Washington DC

“Rest assured that he’s in Washington.
I think there’s a high chance he’s there.”

— Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Osama bin Laden.

Central to Ahmadinejad’s argument is the idea that bin Laden might be hiding out with his old pal and supporter, George Bush. But since the Bushes have largely decamped from DC, maybe we should be looking up in Kennebunkport, Maine or, given bin Laden’s presumed preference for hotter weather, deep in the heart of Texas – Dallas County or Crawford. Of course, if bin Laden gets wind of the hunt, he might flee. But given his skin tone and the way he dresses, I wouldn’t recommend going through Arizona. Talk about your illegal alien…

Or perhaps this is a genius piece of viral marketing, cooked up by Morgan Spurlock to hype his new movie:

Which would raise the question: What kind of deal did Spurlock cut with Ahmadinejad for the marketing coup of the century?

Captain Picard says, “Labour – Make It So.”

Can New Labour cling on?: “As the campaign hits warp factor 10, John Harris heads south to test the government’s record on three key issues: jobs, housing and equality…”

Watch the video of everyone’s favourite sexy bald captain tell you why you should vote Labour in the upcoming election (assuming you’re in Britain) at Comment is free | guardian.co.uk.

(thanks to Ken Macleod at The Early Days of a Better Nation for pointing me at this)

Machete – special Arizona/Cinco de Mayo trailer

Men Who Hate Women

Men Who Hate Women (Män som hatar kvinnor) is the original, Swedish title of Stieg Larsson’s phenomenal bestseller, published in English as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – the first volume of “The Millennium Trilogy.” All three books in the trilogy have been incredibly successful. Unfortunately, Larsson never got to enjoy this success – he died before the books were published. Posthumously, though, he was the second biggest selling author in the world in 2008.

Kids and Kommercialism – The Boob Tube, pt 1

I wanted to return to the topic of “kids and kommercialism” that I discussed in a number of earlier posts (cf, here, here, here), and in particular to talk a bit more about some ways of addressing problems associated with the pervasive marketing aimed at kids.

Event: Tribute to Howard Zinn at San Francisco Green Festival

[an email from Screening Liberally – hotlinks added]

This Sunday at the San Francisco Green Festival

Join Alice Walker and Friends in a Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Progressive Historian Howard Zinn with Special Guests Danny Glover, Alice Walker, People Speak Director/Producer Chris Moore and Gloria Steinem via Satellite (4pm)

And see The People Speak movie- Howard Zinn’s final work starring Matt Damon, Danny Glover, Morgan Freeman, Josh Brolin, Marisa Tomei and more (6pm screening- arrive by 5:50 for entrance)

Wearing Badges is Not Enough…

You also need a t-shirt:

Blaxploitation Pride: The Boondocks [Season 1]

Blaxploitation Pride: The Boondocks [Season 1] (2005).

Another ranting revolutionary… because we can’t be serious all the time – and “I know you don’t read.”

Is Obama a Secret Vulcan?

Confessions of an Aca/Fan: Is Obama a Secret Vulcan?