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JCPenney’s Girls Are Too Pretty For Homework T-Shirt Sends Worst Message Ever [UPDATE]

Update: According to an email from JCPenney Corporate Communications sent to The Frisky, the shirt has been pulled. Original Post: Sometimes something is so wrong you can’t believe it’s real. Case in point: this JCPenney back-to-school shirt for “Girls 7-16.” We’re sure it’s made of the finest “imported” fabric, but the message tears apart in the common sense wash. We can only assume this is from the chain’s new Courtney Stodden line of girls wear. A word of advice to all clothing manufacturers, designers and stores: please don’t use your clothing to encourage young girls to value being cutesy-pies over smarty-pantses. That’s kind of not what we’re going for as a species. Speaking of horrible ideas for children:

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English history: why we need to understand 1066 and all that

History is more than just isolated moments. Only with a knowledge of the complete evolution of English politics, argues Simon Jenkins, can we address the problems facing today’s society Which “bits” of English history do we need to know? Should they be Simon Schama’s peasants’ revolt, Indian empire and opium wars, or David Starkey’s rules of chivalry? Or is the Cambridge professor Richard Evans right to dismiss “rote learning of

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Where’s Michele Bachmann? Well, she’s certainly not in New Hampshire. She hasn’t visited the state since two months ago, and she canceled her last planned visit, after the Ames straw poll. In fact, every single 2012 GOP candidate other than Bachmann has been to New Hampshire since the straw poll….

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Hurricane Irene brought unexpectedly disastrous floods to the state of Vermont — the worst in 75 years or “perhaps ever,” according to Governor Peter Shumlin. The epic storm created massive flooding, 250 road closures and caused one death. But the most striking image many have taken from reports on the state’s ordeal stems from the

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Pentagon Reflections, 10 Years After 9/11

189 people died when a plane crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. A decade later a son remembers the father he lost and emergency workers remember a grisly scene. (Sept. 1)

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US Forces Show New Hardware in Korea Exercises

US and South Korean forces staged a joint demonstration and firing exercise Thursday, showcasing new M1A2 Abrams tanks and M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicles. Commander General JD Thurman hailed the strength of the alliance. (Sept. 1)

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Republican Governors Split with Eric Cantor Over Disaster Aid and Budget Cuts

Click here to view this media Looks like Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor is getting some push back from Republican governors in states ravaged by Hurricane Irene after his statements calling for budget cuts before funding for disaster relief . As Ed Schultz discussed during this segment, it looks like Cantor may be backing away from his rigid stance, even if it’s ever so slightly, now that he’s being criticized from the likes of his state’s Gov. Bob McDonnell and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. From ThinkProgress — Republican Revolt: Virgina’s GOP Governor Splits With Cantor, Rejects Conditioning Disaster Aid On Budget Cuts : House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), along with some of his House GOP colleagues, have been saying that disaster aid for the areas affected by Hurricane Irene must be offset by, in Cantor’s words, “ savings elsewhere .” Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) said yesterday on Bloomberg News that budget cuts must be a prerequisite for disaster aid in order to reassure “ the business markets .” Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) added that the days when disaster relief could be funded without offsetting budget cuts “ are gone .” However, not everyone in the GOP agrees that disaster funding should play second fiddle to the GOP’s budget-slashing agenda. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) yesterday broke with Cantor, saying that “ I don’t think it’s the time to get into that [deficit] debate “: Virginia GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell, breaking with Cantor, on Tuesday suggested that deficit-spending concerns should not be a factor as Congress and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) respond to the hurricane. “My concern is that we help people in need,” McDonnell said during his monthly radio show. “For the FEMA money that’s going to flow, it’s up to them on how they get it. I don’t think it’s the time to get into that [deficit] debate.” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn’t have any kind words for Cantor and his fellow Republicans as well and slammed them for the games they were playing during the debt-ceiling hostage taking, and said the citizens of his state weren’t going to wait around for similar games with their disaster relief. From the HuffPo — Chris Christie: Don’t Delay Hurricane Irene Disaster Aid Over Federal Spending Cuts : Firebrand Gov. Chris Christie let loose against Congress on Wednesday, saying he wouldn’t let a fight brewing in Washington over whether disaster aid needs to be offset by federal spending cuts hurt Hurricane Irene flood victims in his state. “Our people are suffering now, and they need support now. And they (Congress) can all go down there and get back to work and figure out budget cuts later,” the Republican governor told a crowd in the flood-ravaged town of Lincoln Park. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has less than $800 million in its disaster coffers, and U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said the House will require offsetting spending cuts to pay for aid. Christie, who some Republicans are pushing to run for the White House in 2012, chastised Congress – with three members of the state’s delegation standing feet away as he did – for playing games at a time when people need government assistance most. Christie said that he doesn’t want to hear that offsetting budget cuts have to come before aid is distributed and that such a discussion isn’t appropriate in a time of need, like in May, when a tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., killing 160 people and damaging about 7,500 homes. “Nobody was asking about offsetting budget cuts in Joplin,” the governor said.

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J.C. Penney Shirt Teaches Girls That Being Smart <![CDATA[&]]> Pretty Are Mutually Exclusive (PHOTO)

Despite girls playing sports, boys wearing pink and the million other modern ways our old gender stereotypes have been proven false, every so often a product or company reminds us that not everyone has given up on the old cliches (see: this Tide commercial). Thanks to the Hairpin, we got a look at this girls’ t-shirt on sale (only $9.99!) at J. C. Penney that reads: “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” Progressive, Penney’s. Little girls should most definitely know that being smart and beautiful are mutually exclusive. Hell, why don’t you just make a tee for the juniors department that says, “Smart girls don’t get asked to prom”? Luckily, the media chatter about the shirt in just the past few hours seems to have inspired J.C. Penney to pull the product — clicking the link to buy it now turns up a “We are sorry, but this product is not available at this time” message. But we got a screengrab before the tee was removed — check it out below. Does this shirt bother you as much as it bothers us? UPDATE: Since pulling the tee, J.C. Penney gave the following statement to the Village Voice: “J.C. Penney is committed to being America’s destination for great style and great value for the whole family. We agree that the ‘Too pretty’ t-shirt does not deliver an appropriate message, and we have immediately discontinued its sale. Our merchandise is intended to appeal to a broad customer base, not to offend them. We would like to apologize to our customers and are taking action to ensure that we continue to uphold the integrity of our merchandise that they have come to expect.” (Via Hairpin)

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Alex Schooley, Louisville High School Football Player, Penalized For Tribute To Dead Friend (VIDEO)

A high school football player’s tribute to a deceased friend in last Friday’s season opener may have cost his team the game. After Louisville High School receiver Alex Schooley scored the go-ahead touchdown to put his team up 26-24 with 1:15 left in the game against Walsh Jesuit in Ohio, he pointed to the sky as a tribute to a close friend who died in a car accident last week. The referee, however, threw a flag after in the middle of the gesture and penalized Schooley for excessive celebration, giving Walsh Jesuit excellent field position. They drove down the field and scored a 29-yard field goal to win the game. According to Cleveland’s WJW-TV, many in Louisville thought the call was inappropriate. But Assistant Ohio High School Athletic Association Commissioner Henry Zaborniak said the correct call was made because “any prolonged gesture that draws attention to himself is a foul.” He made “a simple gesture to heaven,” a grandparent of a Louisville player told the Associated Press. In the NFL, players have also been fined or prevented from paying tribute to friends and loved ones who they have lost. In 2008, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark etched the number 21 in his eye black as a tribute to the late Sean Taylor, his former teammate when Clark was a Washington Redskin. The league fined him $5,000. After Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry passed away, then-teammate Chad Ochocinco planned on wearing his jersey as a tribute. But the league rules prohibit it and wouldn’t let the NFL Players Association reimburse him for any fine that he would have received. WATCH VIDEO AT THE TOP

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Well, this could have something to do with why we’re fat : Half of Americans drink at least one soda or other sugary beverage per day, and one in 20 drinks the equivalent of four-plus cans. The alarming CDC report follows interviews conducted between 2005 and 2008 with more than 17,…

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