Posts Tagged ‘DaddyTips Rant’
Video Games Suck, Part One
I like video games. I’ve been playing them for most of my life, which is also most of their lives. That is, I’ve been playing video games almost as long as video games have existed.
Games have become infinitely more complex as the years have marched on. There have always been games that flat out suck. But now they suck for different reasons. Here’s one. There are more. But we’ll start with this one.
Video Games Suck, Part One — Everything Must Be Online
What’s wrong with going online? Aren’t you blogging? You couldn’t do that offline. I mean, you could. But then nobody would read what you wrote. Hasn’t the Internet democratized everything, eliminated all strife in the world and made the planet a more wonderful place?
OK, now I’m just being obnoxious. Let’s stay with how the Internet has contributed to the suckification of gaming, especially for kids. Read more »
Game Changing Gadgets That Aren’t [Opinions] – UPDATED
This list of “10 game-changing gadgets” from a panel of tech journalists (via ZDNet) is amusingly stupid. Let’s go through them one by one. (Note: this is more of an opinion piece than a rant. But I like my DaddyTips Rant graphic. And I do rant a little bit.)
UPDATED 6/27/11: see below for an update on the OnLive Game System, which can be used on an iPad and may include a controller. That could actually be a significant product if anybody notices enough to use it.
Dads in Spain Want Breast-Feeding Leave
From ParentDish, a story about dads in Spain who want breast-feeding leave.
The Luxembourg high court has ruled that for the first 9 months of a baby’s life, dads can take 30-minute “breastfeeding leaves” during their work day, London’s Daily Telegraph reports.
That’s dumb enough but the reasoning is even more ridiculous.
“It’s not fair to extend breast-feeding benefits only to women,” says the European Union Court of Justice, calling it “unjustified discrimination on grounds of sex, ” the newspaper says.
Are you kidding me? Unfair? Discrimination?
Dads don’t breast-feed!
Am I missing something here? Did I provide milk to my children from my body? Did I huddle in the bathroom with a breast-pump? Did I have to explain to airport security that said breast-pump was not, in fact, a weapon of mass destruction?
This isn’t discrimination. It’s biology.
I think it’s great that women are being allowed to take time off to breast-feed their babies. I’m in favor of breast-feeding, I think it’s healthier for the kid, and so on.
But how can anyone say with a straight face that only offering this benefit to women is “discrimination”?
Discrimination is a woman being paid less for doing the same job as a man.
Apparently this ruling came in response to the existing law, which states that dad’s are allowed to ask for breast-feeding leave only if the mom works full-time. Which is pretty damn progressive, methinks.
And even though they call it “breast-feeding leave”, it is designed to allow the dad to spend time with the child. If that’s the case, why not call it that?
Breast-feeding is something that women choose to do. It’s not easy. It takes time and effort. Men can’t do it any more than we can give birth.
This is yet another case of men trying to get a piece of everything. We run the world, guys. Look around. Things really aren’t so bad for us. Let women have some benefits that we don’t have. It’ll be okay. Really. I promise.
The Milkmen Are Coming: In Spain, Breast-Feeding Leave Not Just for Women [ParentDish]
Full disclosure: Brett Singer writes for ParentDish and other AOL properties.
Breastfeeding: What’s A Dad Supposed to Do? image via Amazon
Health Care Reform, Blue Dogs, and Paul Krugman
It doesn’t look like the House will vote on a health-care bill before their “recess” on Friday. For some reason I think “recess” is an appropriate term for such a childish group of individuals.
Oh no he didn’t! He did not just call members of our government childish!
Ah, but I did. Why? Because one of the main stumbling blocks appears to be the self-described “Blue Dog Democrats.” I fully respect the idea that people will disagree with the President’s plans, even if they are members of the same party. But why do they have to give themselves a name? Do they wear special jackets? Perhaps with little blue doggie patches on them? Anyway, Paul Krugman says that the Blue Dogs “aren’t making any sense” because they want to keep the costs of the proposed health care plan down, but at the same time don’t want to force small business owners to contribute to it. (I’m simplifying a lot. Sorry. I don’t have a NOBEL PRIZE.) Personally, I think Krugman is an extremely bright guy but is wrong about this particular point. It is possible to think one thing that appears to be in opposition to something else. It happens all the time. To me, the real problem is watching potentially life changing legislation get hung up by a bunch of guys who feel the need to call themselves something as stupid as the Blue Dogs.
Is the President’s plan perfect? I have no idea, but I doubt it. Will the Obama Presidency collapse if health care reform isn’t passed by Friday, as Krugman suggests? Nah. In fact, the President himself said “by the end of the year” in his press conference last week. Nobody seemed to notice. So this “before you get to go to recess” deadline is mostly designed to give the House and Senate a kick in the ass.
And you know what? It worked. Republicans are talking seriously about health-care reform. You know the last time that happened? Nixon. (Again, I may be wrong about that. But I don’t think I am.) Not that I want to let anyone off the hook, but you know something? That’s a victory for President Obama. A very real one. Can you tell me the last time we saw a debate about the issue at hand — health care — getting more attention than the politics surrounding the issue? Obviously politics are still very much a part of the storyline. But John McCain just helped the President kill off a plan to build more F-22 fighter planes. John McFuckingCain! The guy who ran against Obama for President! How is that not seen as a major political victory?
I hope they pass a health care plan. I really do. And I hope it’s not done to meet an artificial deadline. But I don’t think it is. If the House leaves without a vote, they’re the ones who will look like they haven’t done their jobs. The President is doing his. It’s time somebody started to notice.
