no parachute

i ran across a very interesting analysis about the use of lifejackets on airplanes at the british fly blog this morning: lives saved vs. lives potentially saved vs. fuel most certainly used. i agree with gareth robinson – you’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery, so go ahead and heave those jackets overboard. and i say this as a person who (reluctantly) logs an awful lot of hours in the air.

when it comes to air travel vs. the environment, though, what we really should do is put a match to all the e-tickets and take a long walk down a local street. does wonders for lardass as well, should you be among the 64% of americans with a skyrocketing BMI.

but don’t go taking any walks if you live in st. paul. it’s not safe there, and it won’t be safe until after the republicans have left.

photo by lindsay beyerstein

speaking of being left without a parachute (wait a minute she was talking about life jackets, what’s up with the parachutes? well, clearly you didn’t read the link to the blog that inspired this post, now did you?) seems to me that bristol palin has really gotten the shit end of the stick. whether her mother stays on the ticket or not, whether mccain wins the election or not, she has become a public figure, likely without so much as a by-your-leave. after all, if john mccain really only did take one day to vet sarah palin, then neither did sarah & family have much time to discuss the implications of her candidacy.

though, looked at in another way, bristol is being treated with kid gloves. after all, asks cenk uygar at the huffington post, what if bristol palin were black? what indeed.

i continue to be mystified by women who approve of palin’s selection because they want a powerful woman in the white house (the whole glass-ceiling notion having been exploded more than 20 years ago by geraldine). condeleeza rice ranked 4th on the most recent forbes 100 most poweful women list — and it’s unlikely that a mere VP could displace angela merkel at the head of that line.

can i get a Hail Mary?