Remember all that talk (for about five minutes) post-Tucson shooting that maybe Hollywood movies project an image of violence too readily to young men? The conversation was even more halfhearted than the gun control debate where people mentioned it might be okay if people aren’t allowed to buy assault weapons, and then dropped it by…
Just Go With It…or Don’t, Boycott this Excuse for Adam Sandler to go on Vacation
Only a week after I mentioned Adam Sandler’s great, angry work in the underappreciated film Funny People, I watch the stink bomb Just Go with It. This week is morality week here on Alabama Liberal, and if Hollywood loves violence (The Mechanic) and mocking fat black women (Big Momma’s House), then they also love lazy,…
Why The Social Network Should Beat The King’s Speech for Best Picture
It’s that time of year again. For a couple dozen movies to be nominated in Oscar’s big races and for only a handful to really win big. For the last decade the Oscars have been about as lively as snail shit mostly because from December until early February so many groups have their awards first…
Mom Jokes, resending the best joke my mom emailed me last week:
A woman walks into a bridal shop to pick out a wedding dress for her fourth wedding. She tells the store clerk she wants a white wedding gown. The store clerk, delicately, tries to inform her that white wedding dresses are more for virgins than women on their fourth marriage. The woman is furious and…
The New Religious Right, Not Really That Religious
In the 1980’s, the Reagan Revolution swept the country. It was an awkward marriage of fiscal conservatives trying to deregulate or privatize as much as they could get their hands on (no matter the long term economic costs) and tricking dirt farmers in Kansas that they were holy rollers in order to do it. This…
Tip 2: On a Cougar Hunt
In a small town where most of the available women are probably A. single moms, B. meth heads, or C. both, you could probably do a lot worse than a cougar. In fact, odds are good you will do worse, at least during dry spells, so why not go for an older woman? I recommend…
Interviews with the Invisible: The Returning Veteran
Today, I interview an Afghanistan war veteran named Tony Beaird. I wanted his general take on private contractors, troop suicide rates, and what hope, if any, there is in Afghanistan 1. Thank you for coming on. First question: I’ve heard several generals say the Afghanistan/Iraq Wars have exhausted our military to where we might not…
Larger Editorials: Why America is in an Arms Race with Itself
Last week I briefly mentioned that in the ongoing debate about trimming the deficit the one sacred cow the Republican Party seems resistant to cut is the defense budget. This week, I’d like to talk about it a lot more than briefly. Ever since the height of the Cold War, America has become the exact…
Petty Issues Week 2
Joe Biden is the Fredo Corleone of Vice Presidents. If Obama doesn’t ditch him and trade up (I’m looking at the lady who should have been offered the job in 2012, Hillary Clinton) we can look forward to the Dumb and Dumber Presidency of Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. God I hope The Social Network…
Now What? (Life Post-Grad): Network Connectivity Problems, What to do When You Don’t Know Anyone Useful
Last week we talked about how brutal the job market can be without experience. This week we should talk about how brutal it can be if you don’t know anyone. Generation Z or Generation Next or Generation Wireless or whatever the hell our generation of socially retarded, 30 year old brats surfing facebook 4 hours…
The Fast Food Critic: Today’s Review is The McRib
If there is such a thing as snooty fast food, it would be the McRib. The legendarily elusive McDonald’s sandwich is never available in all stores nationwide, it is never available at a single store year round, and pops up across the country at random stores with no rhyme, reason, or release pattern. It doesn’t…
Working Class Economist: If a Bank Doesn’t Know Your Name, Bank Somewhere Else
Last week I encouraged people to ditch their credit card for anything but the most extreme of situations—and there aren’t many—in order to avoid the cancer sweeping the nation: credit card debt. This week I’m asking you to ditch your bank. Not any bank you might have, but a very specific variety: the one that…
Red State Vs. Blue State: The Two Beer Debate
After approximately thirty seconds of soul searching (and not a moment longer) on why last week’s debate might have went south—Alabama pun, get it—I decided it must have been because I knew the person I was debating, so I set out to debate a complete stranger this week. At first, I was unsure of where…