According to Split.Id, “We poke fun and sexualize our leaders (and potential leaders) to hold them on the level at which they actually are -sexual beings, human beings.”

With the elections growing nearer, some clever people decided to “humanize” the candidates and cash in.  No one can resist a good risqué joke — unless it’s too much of course.  Here’s a little comparison between a good sexy joke (the kind that hints at it) and a bad one.  (the one that goes too far.)

Good one!
Palin Panties — Okay, so we’ve had unattractive political leaders before — now it’s prime time to make money off of their image, since one’s a beauty queen.  It should be easy, right?  Aside from the action figure, we get — Palin Panties.  The line is even called, Palin in your Pants.  Which is funny because it’s ironic; it could work like a chastity belt for that cute Democrat boy.  Who knows?

Too far!
Palin Panties — Well, there’s these two designs that go too far.  The first one’s her now-widely-known portrait … but wait, what’re those words underneath?  VPILF?  Double whammy!  Creepy and sexist!  The next one’s a silhouette from that infamous photoshopped picture of her in a bikini, while sporting a gun.

Good one!
Obama boxer-briefs — Designer Andrew Christian decided that he would show his support for the Democratic party by crating the putting the image of Obama on a pair of designer boxer-briefs.  Not only does it offer dudes ample support to fake a more shapely butt, $1 from every purchase is donated for the benefit of the Democratic party.  Which is a weird way of showing support, but the thought is there.

Too far!
Obama booty shorts — From the site, “Get the shorts made famous by Obama Girl. These screen printed microfiber boy shorts will make everyone know that you have a crush on a certain presidential candidate.”  If you’ve seen the “I have a crush on Obama” video — you’d certainly know that these were involved in a scene with girls dancing in front of a mirror, clinging on their butts oh-so-tightly.  Movies have proven of course that obsession is unhealthy.  And a little creepy — which leads to the next one:

Good one!
Obama Head O State “plaything” — It’s a dildo.  The site even alludes to the fact, but the images are pretty clear — this is another creepy, obsessive thing.  Obviously designed as a novelty item — I mean, are they really expecting Obama girls to use this?  The box looks like one of those fake boxes, the ones where it shows something else instead of the gift inside?  But wait, there’s a clear area and you can see Obama’s likeness sculpted as the head of this gold-colored “plaything.”  While it does go a little too far, it still falls short of …

TOO FAR!
Nailin Paylin — Hustler’s now-in-post-production Palin-inspired porno.  To quote: “The faux Sarah is Lisa Ann, who “will be nailing the Russians who come knocking on her back-door.” In another scene — a flashback — “young Paylin’s creationist college professor will explain a ‘big bang’ theory even she can’t deny!””  There was news about a certain Craigslist post, looking for Palin-lookalikes to shoot for an adult video.  Well, I think this is it.  She’s a grandmother, for chrissakes!  With the high profile of the VP candidate, there’s this probably low-production porno that analogs her.  Too far.

Think things have gone too far on the merchandising front?  Or are the politicians themselves going too far with all the hatin’?  Let your voice be heard on The Jabber!  (*click!*)

We live in … interesting times. No need to point out how strange and interesting times have changed — we were all there. Now if we can make it just another year.

It seems like the future that any previous decade has foreseen it is different from the present we are living in now. There’s still no video-phone watches, still no flying cars — but we’re getting there. This is just my little survival guide for the last three months of 2008.

1. Drive less. Know that “rising oil prices” that we kept on hearing years back? Well surprise! It’s here — and boy, are we all feeling its effects. But I do believe that humans are more resilient than that. We come up with ways to make do with what the ‘valuable commodity’ police hands us. When we drive less, not only will it be good for the environment, it also means less money for gas and more money for food. If you need a car to get to work/school? Carpool.

2. Vote wisely. Did anyone see the debates last night? Well, that’s 1.5 hours of my life that I’ll never get back. There are so many promises for a better future, and no clear answers to get to it, other than getting our votes right. Regardless of who you stand for, if you think that the decision you’ll be making by November 4 is good for you, the people around you, and doesn’t harm anyone in your proximity, then by all means, do it! The future’s up to all of us. This election’s been touted as “the most important of the century.” Why shouldn’t it be? You’ll be participating in it.

3. Forget dieting, eat right! It’s not a matter of being the right weight or not, so long as you’re being healthy. Think about it: cavemen probably didn’t have diet programs, and they managed to evolve enough to get us here, in the present. Forget about counting calories, eat what you think is right for you, throw a little of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and enjoy. Throw a little junkfood in there as well. When combined with number one, less driving, it’ll even out.

4. Read a book a month. So that’s three more books ‘til the end of the year. Compare what you’ll be getting after two hours of solid reading from what you’ll get after watching TV. It might teach you a skill that you’ll be using in a future job. You may learn something that they didn’t teach in college. Or, if you’re into fiction, it’ll stretch your imagination a lot more than visual media can.

5. Stick with family. It all starts at home. Haven’t you heard of Feist’s song, “It’s Cool to Love Your Family”? They may be embarrassing at times, but hey, you are too, sometimes. Put up pictures of ‘em in your workplace, or room — that’s bound to remind you who’s really important in this life. If, worse comes to worse, the oil prices skyrocket (even more) and food becomes expensive — at least you’ll have family. (To eat when you evolve into a cannibal.)

There are several ways to make the younger ones (the future voters) interested in politics.  Try to explain what politics is to them straight-up, and you’re definitely not speaking in their language.  Things should be light, informative and not dripped in rumor/speculation sauce.  For me, funny toys are the way to go.

Tv makes it harder to understand politics still; it starts from home.  What your family believes in, you’re most likely to believe in too.  So for the kids, here’s a little list of political toys — a little tongue-in-cheek approach to introducing them to the future leaders.

Plus, it might cultivate their sense of humor — they won’t aspire to be president!  They’ll want to be the next Jon Stewart!

The Obama Action Figure – “Like countless others out there, we’ve been inspired by the meteoric rise of Barack Obama and his campaign. In a time when America so desperately needed a hero, along came a man to show us a brand new vision of what America and the world could be in the 21st century. In many ways, Obama is the closest thing we’ve ever seen to a superhero… someone who has literally inspired millions of people simultaneously to step past fear, to be brave enough to hope and to go past cynicism and imagine what we could be if we were at our best.”

The Hillary Nutcracker – Is it still applicable?  Of course it is!  Even though she and Bill are now best-buds with Obama, she was still tough enough to take on the elections herself.  It takes a lot of courage and inner strength to be able to crack those nuts open.  (Plus, I’m pretty sure the Clintons have a good sense of humor.)  So why not crack some nuts open with Hillary?

The McCain Action Figure – Touted as an action figure with principles, (I mean, he’s wearing a suit!)  this one’s from the makers of the Obama toy — which means he’s done in the same scale as Obama, or to tower over those pesky COBRA terrorists.

BONUS!  If figures aren’t your thing, then maybe the McCain mask is cool for the kids — I mean, Halloween’s just around the corner — what’s scarier than a republican going door-to-door to take your candy?

The Sarah Palin Action Figure – Merely weeks from the VP announcement, Hero Builders made this action figure that depicts the lovely governor in a trenchcoat.  Take that off and you have a superhero in a schoolgirl outfit.  The people can’t seem to get enough of her, so I’m imagining these are flying off the shelves, or, well, the virtual shelves where she can be obtained from, online.

Captain Obama Bobblehead – Obama can nail a speech any day of the week;  His speeches are so compelling, that even non-Americans are convinced he’d make a great president.  What’s the next best thing to having a superhero president?  Having a funny, talking bobblehead version of him, of course!  Plus, if you need that little push in trying something new, press the talk feature and the toy shouts, “YES, WE CAN!”

Airports are probably one of the busiest places in a city. People from all walks of life are flying in and out of the country. One of the main problems in an airport would probably be communication. Foreign people who cannot speak the local dialect are probably one of the biggest concerns. It wouldn’t be practical also for airports to post the translation for every dialect known to man so addressing this concern would really be a challenge.
Personally I find it very important for airports to be comfortable and luxurious since you’ll have to check in at least a few hours before your flight. Free Wi-Fi access, shopping centers, coffee places, restaurants and hotels are just a few things to mention that should be in an airport.

Some of the best Asian airports in the world would be:

1.    Hong Kong International Airport

The Hong Kong International Airport is one of the favorites of travelers everywhere it being very large, spacious and convenient. The place is very huge but very strategically designed. Queues are not a problem in this airport because there are a lot of counters in the immigration which provide a speedier transaction. Baggage delays are not much of a concern either since they are already available once you finish presenting your documents to the immigration. A few things to point out in this airport are the free wi-fi hotspots that are available to the public. This is very important for business travelers who constantly have to check their emails and stay in touch with the office. Another point would be the free shuttle service to the different city locations, and a walking distance ferry terminal to connect to other city points and islands as well.

2.    Singapore Changi Airport

The Singapore Changi Airport is also worth mention in the list. Staffs around the airport are fluent in English so communication is not a problem for most passengers. The T3 (Terminal 3) is the latest addition in the Changi Airport, the T1 and T2 are being renovated as well. A note to mention in this airport is that it offers sleeping areas for passengers waiting for their flights. The T3 terminal has a dedicated sleeping area with thick carpets and comfortable leather seats in which you can arrange as a bed.

3.    Seoul Incheon Aiport

One of the primary concerns in this airport is that the people do not speak fluent English. A foreign passenger could more or less get help only from the airport’s helpdesk. Aside from this downside the airport beats the odds offering very luxurious places to eat and places to hang out. Shopping can also be done conveniently within the airport premises. Designer clothing, watches, shoes, bags and other wide array of products. You name it, chances are they have it. Very good for those last minute shopping and not to mention buying those souvenirs you forgot to buy while you were still in the city.

Every passengers dream would be the “queue-less”, no-delay and friendly airport. Against the odds of growing traffic, many airports are a step closer to achieving this. It may be a dream that’ll soon be reality. Who knows?

Will the new Beijing International airport be it? We would soon know but I am pretty sure that this would be the best airport in the world as of year 2008.

I do not want to sound like a teacher here but, I will teach you, how to value your wife, the way you should really value her. Sometimes, men think that, because they are married already, they can do whatever they want and sometimes, this would be misinterpreted by the wife, thus, creating a gap between them which would start fights and arguments.
Occasional bickering is fine but, when you reach the point where you argue everyday and you already hate to come home because you would just fight, that is a no-no.

Here is what every husband must do:

1.    Reminisce
I am sure every women would agree that they would want to reminisce their firsts. First dates, first kiss, first whatever! Treat her out occasionally and be with her from time to time, alone! Of course by alone I mean, no kids, no friends or other family members and most of all, no in laws! Agree, girls?

2.    Pamper
It is just natural for a girl to want to look pretty. Treat her and yourself to a private spa room where you both can relax and smell the scented candle while listening to a relaxing music while being pampered with a masseuse.

3.    Appreciate
If you wife is working or staying at home, appreciate it! It is not an easy job to manage the entire household. If she is working, be thankful and whip up a surprise romantic dinner or breakfast in bed. This would spice up your relationship

Remember, get out of your routinely relationship wherein she cooks breakfast, you go to office, you come home to eat dinner and sleep. That is just plain boring. Here is a short story to ponder upon.

A priest held up a 100 dollar bill and was offering to give it away. Almost everyone raised their hands and wanted to claim it. He then crumpled the hundred dollar bill after offering, hands decreased. The priest, trampled on the bill and for the third time, asked everyone who wanted it. No one raised their hands.

The priest then said, look at what just happened. The bill is just like your wife. She gets old and her looks will change. But whatever happens, you should still love her as she is. Her value doesn’t change like the hundred dollar bill.

That my folks are the ways you should treat your wife.