Dads: Unite!

Rebel Dad isn't too happy with NBC's new show, "Meet Mister Mom". Here's how NBC describes it:

Can Dad handle what Mom does? Dads are in charge in this new reality competition that takes some of America's busiest families and gives moms a much-deserved break!

Each week, moms from two different families are surprised with a luxury vacation, while the dads are left to manage their chaotic households. The results are funny, heartwarming and something every busy family can relate to!

During the week-long challenge, the two dads and their kids compete in various tasks (with the moms watching in awe on closed-circuit TV). Families are rewarded with a greater appreciation for each other ..and the winning family also receives a wonderful cash prize.

Sounds like "reality TV" has found yet another divisive wedge to stick into the lives of its viewers. Showing how hard it is to raise kids and run a house is a good thing. Deriving 100% of the entertainment value from making men look like idiots is the problem. At least the Nanny shows portray both sexes as equally idiotic.

It's disturbing, this whole idea of being entertained by the misfortune of others. The technology has changed, but we're still at the coliseum throwing people to the lions for a laugh.

Tantrums and an angry man in Canada

I just let a guy have it for his ignorance about parenting. He wrote something about how much he hates kids and blames parents for everything that bugs him. I posted a comment to set him straight. I didn't intend to write so much but I guess he struck a nerve. I'm the guy with the kid who's having a tantrum, and I'd like a little respect please.
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Update: I may be forced to reconsider my position after realizing the Oompa Loompas are on Angry Man's side on this issue.

Oompa Loompa Song #3 (Veruca Salt)
Oompa loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa loompa doompadah dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
Who do you blame when your kid is a brat
Pampered and spoiled like a siamese cat
Blaming the kids is a lie and a shame
You know exactly who's to blame
The mother and the father
Oompa loompa doompadee dah
If you're not spoiled then you will go far.
You will live in happiness too
Like the oompa loompa doompadee do

Ourmedia.org, and W sings "Imagine"

I just discovered Ourmedia.org after reading about it in Hiawatha Bray's column in The Boston Globe yesterday. I hope I stumble across more gems like George W. Bush singing "Imagine".

Rove is too damn clever

He is a political strategist, after all. Finding a hole to crawl into is just second nature.

Rove testified last year that he remembers specifically being told by columnist Robert Novak that Valerie Plame, the wife of a harsh
Iraq war critic, worked for the CIA.

Rove testified that Novak originally called him the Tuesday before Plame's identity was revealed in July 2003 to discuss another story. (Associated Press)

"I didn't tell the reporter, the reporter told me!" It's like when some young defendant on Law & Order outsmarts the prosecutors by having someone else testify they committed the crime, or by pulling an identical twin out of a hat to refute the DNA evidence. In fact, you might see this story work its way into a Law & Order script provided they can ratchet up the stakes with a dead body.

An email newsletter done right

I've had a couple of questions on my mind lately about my kids. One was whether the new Star Wars and Batman movies might be OK for my son--I know they're PG-13 and he's younger, but would they be OK for him if he saw them with me? The other was a health question that we'd already seen a doctor about, but I was still thinking about it. If I had time, or if they were more urgent, I would have dug around on the web. But as it was, they were just hovering around in my mind.

Then I got my newsletter from ParentCenter. They don't come too often, and sometimes I delete it without reading it (who has time?) but this time I opened it and found a) a parent-oriented movie review of one of the movies, and b) an article on the health topic, after the heading "For your 8-year-old."

Well done! They've found the holy grail of information technology: the right information to the right person at the right time. It starts with good editorial decisions; they chose their subjects well. Then the personalization engine picked the right stuff for me. Then the design and layout got me where I needed to go. And the moderate frequency is just right. If it came too often I'd probably ignore it.

I don't work for them or anything; I'm just a pleased reader. It's nice to see something done right!