Daily Dose of Common Sense

If you think your kids don’t learn anything positive from TV, then these two stories may change your mind. Two young children recently saved the lives of others by using moves they learned on SpongeBob Squarepants.

First, a 12-year old girl performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking friend. SpongeBob performs this move on Squidward when the squid chokes on his clarinet. Next, an 8-year old boy saved a younger boy from drowning this past April. The boy had seen Larry the Lobster save SpongeBob with a similar move on the show.

Not too shabby for a sponge.

So, your kids are learning from TV, whether you like it or not, and not all the lessons are bad.

Truth in politics. Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Between scandals, broken promises, spin control, and general sliminess, politicians aren’t known for being trustworthy. And, mainstream news shows just seem to let them get away with it. For example, remember this:

…“Good Morning America,” endured criticism in January when Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, said without being challenged that “we had no domestic attacks under Bush, we’ve had one under Obama.” Mr. Giuliani omitted the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The interviewer, George Stephanopoulos, admitted online later that he had made a mistake in not following up.

It seems like shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report are generally the only places you can hear politicians being called out on their BS.

One web site is trying to make a difference. The St. Petersburg Times has started a site called PolitiFact, where, “Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter.”

The Truth-O-Meter ranges from “True” to “False,” to my personal favorite, “Pants on Fire.”

The site won a 2009 Pulitzer Prize, just in case you’re taking notes. And, ABC’s Sunday morning political show “This Week,” is joining up with PolitiFact to check up on the rhetoric of the lawmakers interviewed. You would think more news shows and journalists would do this on their own (it’s common sense, right?), but they just don’t. David Gregory, who hosts NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said, “…people can fact check the program on their own online.” OK, thanks. Put the burden of truth on the viewer.

It’s good to see that at least some people care about the truth.

Twitter is great for up-to-the-minute updates and news flashes. But, some tweeters just don’t know when to keep their thumbs in their pants.

Ryan Seacrest caught flack this week for giving away the results of “American Idol” on Twitter before West Coast viewers had seen the show. Seacrest tweeted the name of the contestant who was booted off, spoiling the broadcast for many fans in other time zones.

Now, revealing an “Idol” castoff isn’t the end of the world. But, what if you make an off-handed joke about bombing an airport? In the old days, this wouldn’t be a big deal, either. Now, the terrorism police (that’s the technical term, I believe) take that shizzle seriously. In the UK, a man was just arrested for a tweet he sent after his flight was cancelled due to a snowfall:

“You’ve got a week and a bit to get your s**t together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!”

That tweet came back to haunt him when the police showed up on his doorstep. Now, his cell phone, laptop, and desktop computer have all been confiscated, plus he is banned from the intended airport FOR LIFE. Ridiculous, we know. All for a tweet made in jest.

Whether it’s tweeting too often, as in the case of John Mayer and his overzealous tweeting, or tweeting the inappropriate, sometimes it’s better to think before you tweet.

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I think Tina Fey is the DDOCS poster girl. She’s smart, funny, and interesting–exactly the kind of person who makes your “famous people I’d like to have over to dinner” list. Plus, of all the public figures out there, no one speaks more common sense than Fey, who is the creator, writer and producer of the genius 30 Rock.

Here are some of her recent gems:

On being the ‘thinking man’’s sex symbol:
“What I’ve come to realize is that when people say, ‘The thinking man’s whatever’ — there’s no such thing. The thinking man also wants to fuck Megan Fox.”

Normal Girls:
“I feel like I represent normalcy in some way. What are your choices today in entertainment? People either represent youth, power, or sexuality. And then there’s me, carrying normalcy.” Pause. “Me and Rachel Ray.”

The Skinny:
“People will say, ‘Oh, fashion magazines are so bad, they’re giving girls a negative message’–but we’re also the fattest country in the world, so it’s not like we’re all looking at fashion magazines and not eating. Maybe it just starts a shame cycle: I’m never going to look like that model, so… Chicken McNuggets it is! And conversely, I don’t look at models who are crazy skinny and think I want to look like that, because a lot of them are gigantic, with giant hands and giant feet.”

On fame:
“I think my level of fame will drop back down. I think it’ll recede. In fact, I know it will. That’s life on planet earth. And I’m okay with that. Besides getting tables at restaurants and special treatment at the airport, what else is there?”

Here she talks on Letterman about being a 24-year old virgin:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV0NA3UfpvA&feature=player_embedded

[Source: Huffington Post]

Tiger Woods held a press conference today (that was streamed live on the Web, no less) to apologize to us.

In case you’ve been living under a rock with no TV, Woods has had some extramarital affairs. So, why do we need an apology in such a private matter? I’m not sure. Was it a PR move for his remaining sponsors? His wife’s idea? A dare? I would believe any of those reasons over just his need for the world’s forgiveness to get on with his life. Think about it… If a friend, co-worker, relative, or total (non-famous) stranger cheated on his or her spouse, would you get an apology? Absolutely not.

Tiger, go away and play golf. We don’t care about what you do in your free time. Really, we don’t.

Sometimes I envy the days when the media would look the other way on the transgressions of famous people (Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., JFK, FDR, etc.). There are things that are just none of anyone else’s business. Think of how many tabloids would be out of business!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc02ZEPJuF8

AdFreak has a great graphic of what you could buy instead of a Super Bowl commercial. While I don’t like some of the suggestions, the point remains clear: Super Bowl ads are a giant waste of money.

Yes, I know some of them are iconic and some of them are wildly popular. And, the ads are a main reason that people tune into the game. Agencies know the audience numbers are unbeatable on any other day in the modern television landscape. So, the ad dollars makes sense to some companies. (How else would GoDaddy be a household word?) But, most of the ads we’ll see on Super Bowl Sunday will only end up as a blip on our busy, over-programmed, short-attention-span radar.

I don’t begrudge the network for charging the amount they do for the airtime. I’m a firm believer that the free market should decide what the going rate is. If there are companies willing to pay it, then the network should reap the benefits. But, in this recession, does it really seem wise from the company’s perspective to pay $2.6 million for a 30-second spot during the game? Yes, that is over two and a half million dollars!

That’s why Pepsi’s decision to not place Super Bowl ads this year is so great. After almost 25 years of placing ads during the Super Bowl, they have decided to put the money towards a social media campaign. Pepsi usually purchases many 30-second spots during the game, so this is a huge chunk of change the company can use throughout 2010 and beyond. Plus, the announcement has been so startling that Pepsi is now getting more Super Bowl buzz than its rival Coke.

We’ll have to wait until next year to see what effect Pepsi’s pull-out will have on the ad rates. Could this be a trend other companies will follow? Until the economy bounces back and people have jobs again, I sure hope so.

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Not that anyone believes anything Pat Robertson says, but he’s really proven how hateful he is with his latest comment on the Haitian earthquake. While tens of thousands of people have lost their lives in Haiti, Robertson said they asked for it by making a pact with the devil:

“They were under the heel of the French…and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French,’” he said.

Robertson continued: “True story. And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ They kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”

I know what we’re cursed with, Pat. Having to listen to YOU, you old conservative, hate-slinging, ignorant windbag.

For the record, earthquakes are caused by the shifting and moving of the Earth’s plates. Not the devil. Not a curse. Not magic beans or any other hoodoo you can dream up. I’m pretty sure an elementary school child could tell you that.

But, while we’re focusing on him, let’s not forget some of Robertson’s other gems in the face of disaster:

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Robertson said civil libertarians and gay rights groups bore responsibility for the strikes.

He has also said Hurricane Katrina was an expression of God’s wrath over abortion, and said Ariel Sharon’s stroke was God’s vengeance for Israel’s ceding land to the Palestinians.

Nice, huh?

Photo: FoxNews

Then, the EZCracker is here to solve all your egg-cracking problems!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CB2MVZgt5Y

Really? Is this how pathetic we’ve become? Cracking an egg is neither difficult nor time consuming. I think this product should only be purchased by amputees and people with severe arthritis. Anyone else who owns one has surely lost his or her dignity.

What’s next? A product that will shovel the eggs into our mouths for us? I can hear the informercial now…. “Using a fork is hard! And, how many times have you poked yourself in the eye? Well, put down that fork because now we’ll do it for you….”

[Thanks to Ken S. for the link!]

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• A couple in Washington is collecting aluminum cans in order to pay for their summer wedding. Getting hitched ain’t cheap, so kudos to this enterprising couple. I can’t wait to see how they pay for the honeymoon.
• An interactive media company in NYC developed a video to entice potential interns. When working for peanuts, a quick video of your responsibilities helps–especially if it looks fun. This makes the want ads seem so 1990s.

And, some did not.

• While giving an interview on Good Morning America, Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of NYC, said there was never a domestic terror attack on G.W. Bush’s watch. Really, Rudy? Did you forget about 9/11, which happened when YOU were mayor? More absurd than this ridiculous partisan sniping, GMA’s correspondent did NOT call Guiliani out on it. Just nod and smile while you’re on camera. No need to actually think.
• A woman in Ohio punched though a McDonald’s drive-thru window because McNuggets weren’t available. Man, what’s in those things?! We know the nuggets are good, but punching the window…wow.
• Some British researchers concluded that the female G-Spot is subjective, so therefore must be a myth. No physical exam was performed. Instead, the women (all twins) were asked whether they believed they had a G-Spot or not. 56% of the women said yes, but no pattern between twins emerged so the researchers concluded those 56% were misinformed about their bodies. The study seems anecdotal and not very thorough. It’s a sad commentary when such shoddy methodology is used, especially on such a delicate subject. If it’s going to be proven or disproven, do it right.

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• The owners of this house.
• Anyone who bet the farm on Susan Boyle’s first album. But, her success isn’t really much of a surprise considering the world’s response to her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. We’ve been rooting for her since we heard her first note.
• Despite complaints, a Connecticut elementary school principal maintains his ban on religious symbols in his public school’s classrooms. Hooray for the separation of church and state!

And, some did not.

• An employee of the Arizona school district is accused of using school computers to search for the existence of alien life. It will take over $1 million to fix the problems in the computer system. Can the aliens chip in on this one?
• Anyone who buys apparel from White Castle, especially something that looks disturbingly close to a muumuu. Do your dignity a (smaller) favor and buy a Snuggie instead. [Thanks, Consumerist!]
• TV viewers tuning into Steven Seagal Lawman who aren’t just gawking at the incredibly absurd. Is it me, or does it seem like someone is going to get inappropriately injured here?