cultural observation
grrlscientist | March 10, 2010tags: Obama Now Experiencing Presidential Puberty, cultural observation, social commentary, news report, health care reform, parody, satire, humor, fucking hilarious, television, Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert, Ezra Klein, streaming video
Stephen Colbert interviews Ezra Klein, who explains the reconciliation process that Democrats need to pass health care reform and what Republicans can do to drag it out indefinitely.
The Colbert Report
Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Action Center - Health Care Bill - Ezra Klein
www.colbertnation.com
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Political…
grrlscientist | March 8, 2010tags: cultural observation, expat life, Life in Germany, Apotheken, Drogerien
Expats, immigrants, and people who travel internationally often are impressed with differences between their home country and the country they are visiting or living in. I thought I'd write about some of the daily features of my life in Germany that are different from my former life in Seattle and in NYC; sometimes amusing, other times annoying. If you also have similar experiences, I'd sure like to read about your experiences and observations in the comments thread. Because I only recently found a "drug store," I'…
grrlscientist | March 5, 2010tags: How Will the End of Print Journalism Affect Old Loons Who Hoard Newspapers?, newspapers, print journalism, newspaper hoarding, ONN, Onion News Network, comedy, humor, satire, fucking hilarious, streaming video
The decline of the newspaper?? Ransom notes, papier-mâché and slacker gift wrapping will never be the same! Worse, what will crazy old loons pack their houses to the rafters with?
grrlscientist | February 22, 2010tags: Disappointing Torture, cultural observation, political commentary, politics, torture, funny, satire, humor, streaming video
Two agents (Jimmy Mulville and Phillip Pope) are preparing to interrogate a suspected secret agent (Tony Robinson). Unfortunately, the suspected secret agent is afraid of torture, which seems an ideal situation, right? Well, not really, not when you wish to test your torture kit for the first time.
grrlscientist | February 22, 2010Since I have been without wireless for one week now, I thought I'd take this opportunity to provide you with an update so you don't think I've either died, lost interest in writing or been kidnapped by space aliens. None of these things is true.
If you've been following my saga on twitter these past few days, then you know that I've been going crazy because my wireless connection unexpectedly died one week ago. The internet providers, T-Mobile, are a study of stupidity and incompetence, unable to understand what the problem is (like, duh!), unable to route our many phone calls to someone in…
grrlscientist | February 20, 2010tags: americans, ignorance, stupid, uneducated, Bill Maher, comedy, humor, beliefs, television, education, streaming video
"This country is like a college chick after two long island iced teas: we can be talked into anything, like wars, and we can be talked out of anything, like health care," says Bill Maher. "We should forget town halls and replace them with study halls."
grrlscientist | February 19, 2010tags: How to Swear Like a Brit, humor, funny, comedy, culture, British culture, cursing, swearing, language, streaming video
My spouse, who I was told was a "shy and nerdly British scientist" is anything but that! He is teaching me, a shy and nerdly American scientist, how to swear like a Brit, something that inspired me to share this video with you.
grrlscientist | February 18, 2010tags: Conan O'Brien, Martha Stewart, Conan O'Brien Invades Martha Stewart's Kitchen, humor, funny, comedy, offbeat, cultural observation, television, streaming video
After having my kitchen invaded repeatedly -- six times, for those who care -- by strangers hired by IKEA to install the kitchen that my spouse purchased three months ago, I can relate to this video, where Conan O'Brien invades Martha Stewart's kitchen. The end is quite funny, though!
grrlscientist | February 17, 2010tags: British, Americans, funny things that people say, humor, funny, comedy, offbeat, cultural observation, television, streaming video
Here's an amusing list of the top ten funny things that Americans say to Brits, as said by Stephen Fry Ricky Gervais (this is posted in honor of my spouse, who is British, who is celebrating his birdday today);
grrlscientist | February 16, 2010
I've not been publishing much recently because I've been unexpectedly blown off the air. Tuesday at 2 minutes after midnight local time (Monday afternoon in NYC), when I was trying to publish Scientia Pro Publica, my internet connection crashed and I nearly lost the entire document (!), apparently due to a router malfunction. Rebooting multiple times did nothing to correct the situation, so it is assumed that the router is "dead." Never mind that it is brand-new (two months old?).
Of course, the Germans being the models of technological inefficiency, have decided they cannot fix this issue…
grrlscientist | February 14, 2010tags: food, health, healthy eating, healthy food, cooking, portion size, obesity, overweight, Jamie Oliver, TEDTalks, streaming video
In this affecting video, TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver shares powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., and makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.
Jamie Oliver is transforming the way we feed ourselves, and our children. Jamie Oliver has been drawn to the kitchen since he was a child working in his father's pub-restaurant. He showed not only a precocious culinary talent but also a passion for creating (and…
grrlscientist | February 14, 2010tags: nerds, valentine's day, comedy, funny, humor, parody, offbeat, music video, education, streaming video
I did what this guy suggests and went one further: I married a nerd (but not on VD).
It's kinda hard being a nerd on Valentine's Day.
Cause Statistically ladies don't feel the same way.
So i say to all the girls,
From the nerds across the world.
Hug a nerd on Valentines Day.
Oh it only takes me one minute so solve a rubix cube.
But when it comes to the ladies I'm a really big noob.
So i say to all the girls,
from the nerds across the world.
Hug a nerd on Valentine's Day.
Spoken: YOU…
grrlscientist | February 13, 2010tags: Mormonism, religion, cults, mind control, magic underwear, moron, offbeat, beliefs, insanity, education, streaming video
In some denominations of the Latter Day Saint cult, the temple garment (also referred to as "garments", or "Mormon underwear") is worn beneath the clothing of those who have taken part in the Endowment ceremony. Mormon underwear are worn both day and night and are required for any previously endowed adult to enter a church temple.The undergarments are viewed as a symbolic reminder of the sacred covenants made in temple ceremonies, and are viewed as an either symbolic…
grrlscientist | February 11, 2010tags: NASA Scientists Plan To Approach Girl By 2018, scientists, geeks, nerds, pencilheads, ONN, Onion News Network, comedy, humor, satire, fucking hilarious, streaming video
President Obama recently increased funding to all science organizations, including NASA. According to this news report, it appears that NASA has already budgeted their share of the money to support their plan to approach a girl at the laundromat by 2018. This amusing video is a commentary on male scientists, geeks, nerds and other types of pencilheads. It actually looks to be rather close to the truth.
grrlscientist | February 7, 2010tags: gay adoption, United States, equality, religion, children, religion, hypocrisy, Dan+Savage, streaming video
Unlike straight parents, gay parents cannot go out one night, get drunk and adopt. Unlike straight parents, gay parents have children because they are wanted and planned for. Certainly this was the situation for my (straight) so-called parents, who not only didn't plan for me and didn't want me, but they were horribly abusive and neglectful after I was born, and after they'd finished trying to destroy me, they gave me up to the state when I was a teen-ager. I would love to have…
grrlscientist | February 5, 2010tags: A Brief History of the United States of America, humor, funny,comedy, African-Americans, Black Americans, guns, KKK, Ku Klux Klan, NRA, National Rifle Association, racism, streaming video
This video explains the intimate relationship between guns, freedom and racism. Yes, I know there are exceptions to this guns-freedom-racism link, but I grew up among morons like this, and I couldn't escape from their festering hatred fast enough.
grrlscientist | February 2, 2010tags: Alone in the Shed, documentary, cultural observation, men, satire, parody, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
This video documentary captures a modern-day everyman's adventure: one man's extraordinary attempt to survive completely alone in his shed.
grrlscientist | February 1, 2010tags: People are Boring, social commentary, cultural observation, George Carlin, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
George Carlin was the perfect crotchety old man. In this video, he reveals that he actually likes people -- in short doses lasting roughly a minute or less. Why? George, it seems, has a low tolerance for stupid bullshit.
grrlscientist | February 1, 2010tags: Britain's Hardest Men, journalism, television news, cultural observation, Charlie Brooker, satire, parody, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
What is it about some men and violence? This video news report seeks to provide amusement and a little insight.
grrlscientist | January 31, 2010tags: iPad, MADTV, technology, commentary, NSFW, satire, parody, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
It's rude, it's disgusting, it's NOT SAFE FOR WORK! (but admit it, all of you thought this very thing when you first heard the name of Apple's newest technology, didn't you)