humor

ScamWow! Greenpeace has the perfect solution for scrubbing BP’s oily image

Mocking the scam that is the BP cleanup, Greenpeace today released the “ScamWow!” infomercial targeting BP and other oil companies who need a quick solution whenever pesky ecological devastation results from their irresponsible, risky drilling practices. Spoofing the original late night cable sensation, the ScamWow! info-mock-cial demonstrates how the simple budget picker-upper’s cleaning powers can […]

USDA recalls 96,000 tons of beef … from one family

Yes, it’s a video from the Onion, and one of its finest. But with burger-grilling season heating up, and bacteria-friendly temperatures rising across the nation, it’s worth taking the meat of the video’s message with a grain of salt. (Gagging from my puns yet?) If you can find beef at your local farmers market, you’ll […]

Farmworkers dare Americans to ‘Take Our Jobs!’

Job opportunities for agricultural workers occupations should be abundant because large numbers of workers leave these jobs due to their low wages and physical demands. -Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition Tired of being vilified as stealing jobs from unemployed American citizens, and hoping to spark realistic discussion of immigration reform, United […]

They shoot unicorns, don’t they?

Grist reader Scott Hess sent in this photo in response to today’s post about Big Pork threatening legal action over the marketing copy for Canned Unicorn Meat. It immediately made me think of a concept my friends at Boing Boing long ago pioneered: a “unicorn chaser” — a mind-cleansing antidote to stories of a gross, […]

Big Pork squeals over unicorn-meat marketing. Yes, unicorn meat.

We’ll have a rainbow roast, please!(ThinkGeek.com)One has to feel sorry for Big Pork. First there was that nasty swine flu that put everyone off pork chops, even though the industry managed to get the name changed to H1N1. Profits are down for producers like Smithfield. Despite America’s love affair with all things bacon, pork consumption […]

Zach Weiner on how to pass climate change legislation

But can you dance and chew gum at the same time?

Photo: KIMTI wore a purple lamé dress to my junior prom, which I attended with my best friend, Jessica, because we were both too dorky to actually have dates. (Sorry, Jessica, I should just speak for myself. I was too dorky, and Jessica was my faithful best friend. Thank you, Jessica. And thanks for driving […]

Everybody poops…for a price

While it’s true that an airplane bathroom isn’t necessarily anyone’s idea of a five-star restroom experience, it does come as a welcome relief 30,000 feet above the ground after two in-flight club sodas. So imagine your surprise when, after scrambling over your fellow passengers and down the narrow aisle with a full bladder, there’s a […]

Ask Umbra on aluminum cans, the climate bill, and bathroom burdens

Send your question to Umbra! UPDATE: Happy April Fools’ Day! Q. Dear Umbra, I just finished drinking a soda—actually, I still have a sip or two left but wanted to go ahead and email you, so I’d have an answer by the time I finish it. What should I do when the can is empty? […]