My Second Fav Holiday Song

This amazing rendition of "Sleigh Ride" by the Boston Pops never ceases to get me into the Christmas spirit. Happy Holidays, everyone.



Copyright 2010 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Great Gifts for Mother's Day: Video Stardom and $10,622

Mother's Day is just a few days away. This year, give your mom something she needs and deserves: equal pay. MomsRising.org has developed a great Mother's Day video that you can customize and send to your mom and all the moms you know. Each mom you send the video to will see her name appear in a faux news story about them winning the "Mother of the Decade" award and will be lauded by Michelle Obama and Hollywood celebrities. Celebrating the achievements of mothers everywhere, this short, funny video also educates folks about economic issues facing all women.

Honor all the women in your life this Mother's Day by urging your senators to support the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182) and bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Imagine how happy your mom would be when she opened your gift: a giant check for $10,622, the gap between the median yearly earnings of men and women. Just think of all the things she could do with this! From paying for groceries and health care to investing in an education and saving for retirement, equal pay is the best gift that you could give the women in your life.

By supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act, you'll also be giving your mom -- and everyone who has a mom -- the gift of workplace fairness. Mom deserves the right to ask about her employer's wage practices and discuss her wages with coworkers without the fear of being fired. In addition, you'll give her the tools she needs to negotiate for fair pay and the protection of stronger federal enforcement efforts. Since her economic security throughout her lifespan is largely determined by her earnings, this truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

This recession makes pay equity even more important. With women now making up half of the workforce and more and more families dependent upon a woman's paycheck to make ends meet, ensuring that women are paid fairly is even more critical. Equal pay for equal work is not only crucial to most families' economic security, it's crucial to our nation's economic recovery. That's why it's so imperative that these tough economic times aren't used as an excuse to ignore pay discrimination.

The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

If You Can Text Your Grandma on New Year's Eve, What Else Can Go Wrong?

Hilarious video reminds everyone to back your birth control! Why? Because New Year's is the biggest night of the year for birth control accidents, and you shouldn't drop the ball! Thanks to our friends at the Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign. Oh, and don't forget to send your girlfrieds a funny after-eve message, reminding them that emergency contraception is available if they became a statistic the night before! Have fun, but be safe!




Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

First Peeps & Company Store Opens New DC

Are you a fan of the multi-colored marshmallow Peeps? Well, if you are, you'll love the latest store to hit DC's National Harbor -- the first ever brick and mortar Peeps and Company store. There are more than 850 incarnations of the sticky candy in the new venture, from the standard yellow to chocolate covered, as well as novelties based on the Peeps such as spun glass Peeps. My favorite, though, is the company car: a yellow VW Bug with a huge yellow Peep on top. Watch this video for the full scope.



For more info, read this article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2009-12-09-peeps-store_N.htm


Copyright 2009 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

NORAD Tracks Santa!

Prepare to track the fastest object on Earth -- Santa! On Christmas Eve, you and your little ones can track Mr. Claus' progress, and ensure he makes stops where the folks have truly been nice this year. NORAD -- the North American Air Defense System -- has gotten into the spirit of the season and put their considerable resources to not only track Santa, but to ensure his safe passage. This is critically important since Santa must move fast to make it to every house! You can track Santa in 3-D (using Google Earth), and there's a great interactive map of the North Pole so you can check out the various shops and their roles as they prepare for the big day -- truly the inside scoop! And, for those of you doing last minute shopping, you can even track Santa on your cell phone! Phew, what a relief!

Let me also take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, and a safe, healthy and happy New Year. Thanks so much for reading my blog this year -- come January, my blog will be a year old -- time flies!





This blog has been nominated for the Bloggers' Choice '09 awards. Vote for The Zaftig Redhead!

Copyright 2008 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

A Very Blago Christmas

Courtesy of the Springfield (IL) State-Journal Register... a holiday ditty just for you -- but maybe not the whole family.






This blog has been nominated for the Bloggers' Choice '09 awards. Vote for The Zaftig Redhead!

Copyright 2008 (text only). The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

This Just in for Thanksgiving: Ammunition for Political Holiday Family Feuding and Palin's Turkey Slaughter Disaster

Wanna be able to shamelessly wallow in the Democrats' victory this holiday season? Are you just dying to give as good as you get from your right-wing relatives? Well, look no further for help in your dinner table jousting than this great article from Slate. Use it in good health.

Also, here's a creative remix of the unbelievable interview Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) did at an Alaskan turkey farm this week. There to pardon a turkey for Thanksgiving, she then thoughtfully stopped to do an interview in front of the slaughterhouse -- with turkeys being, um, processed in the background. Wow... just, wow. Thanks to Slate for the gory mad-libbed details in the video.



And here's Letterman's Top Ten List of Palin's excuses for what is, I believe, one of the more amazing demonstrations of piss poor advance work and sad political instincts I've had the misfortune to witness -- not to mention just downright gross.



Just another reason why I don't eat Thanksgiving turkey, folks. It's simply much too literal for me -- it's clearly a big dead bird. Yuck. I prefer my carnivorous food to arrive under plastic wrap and well-disguised, thank you -- and not staring back at me accusingly, either. Yes, I'm a hypocritical vegetarian, and proud of it.

Who wants a drumstick???

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

An Early Holiday Gift: "The Mouth that Roared" (and Lies Remorselessly) is... Wired Shut!

In an absolutely delicious bit of karmic justice, it seems that Ann Coulter -- that right-wing talking points spouter, prolific regurgitator/author of absurd new books seemingly every other day, anti-progressive, anti-feminist (or is she just the anti-Christ?) -- has had her jaw wired shut. No, really -- wired shut.

Just in time for the holidays, boys and girls, we have all been gifted with a forced moment of silence from Ann Coulter -- something I didn't think was humanly possible. Better yet, the peaceful bliss could last as long at 5 whole weeks.

The word on the street is that Coulter fell down the stairs -- or was pushed? Okay, okay, that was not funny. Well, maybe a little... but truly, it's not like The Zaftig Redhead to wish bodily injury on anyone (well, except the assholes who cut me off on the beltway). But in this instance, I simply must basque in the irony... the cosmic realignment that has given us all a much needed reprieve. I can do that and still wish her a speedy recovery, right?


It also has gotten me thinking -- always dangerous -- that if Coulter can manage to get her jaw wired shut, rendering her blessedly mute throughout the holidays, what might the benevolent universe bestow upon Sen. Joe Lieberman (turncoat-CT) to balance the scales of justice in that direction? The mind boggles... and mine, at least, also cackles with glee.

On the downside, I do worry a bit about what dipshit theories and outright lies Coulter might plot, write, conjure, etc. while in her mandatory bubble of silence. All that pent up verbiage could kill someone once the wires are removed and she's free to spew again; police would do well to clear the area, and protect us all from her blind vitriol in the new year.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.

Barack O'Lanterns: Yes We Carve!

With Halloween just days before Election Day, pumpkin fever has struck the Obama Faithful -- momentarily creating orange states out of red, blue and purple. In fact, Yes We Carve is holding a contest for the best Obamakin -- win an iPod! Also, there are photos galore of the lengths Obama supporters are going to via squashes around the nation. If you are feeling the need to join the fun, stencils you can believe in have been provided so you, too, can Change Your Pumpkin and Change the World, Be the Change We Seed, um, well, you get it. Remember, Every Pumpkin Counts!



Copyright 2008 (text only. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.