Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Mark Morford: Your mind, well and nicely blown (sfgate.com)
We are never going to run out.
Carolyn Foster Segal: Forms, Forms, and Yet More Forms (iracsibleprofessor.com)
This is, of course, the age of assessment. I am hopeful, however, that (A) this is only another academic phase (just as, for example, "critical thinking," which appeared in every mission statement a few short years ago, turned out to be only a phase) (B) someone, somewhere, with more power than I have, will call a halt to the relentless churning of forms (C) someone, somewhere will seriously assess our current assessment mania (D) all of these things will come to pass.
Froma Harrop: The Justice, His Wife, Her Voice Mail and Our Democracy (creators.com)
I'm not going to waste everyone's time treating Virginia Thomas' message on Anita Hill's office voice mail as a genuine request for an apology. Hill had famously accused Ginni's husband, Clarence Thomas, of sexual harassment at his confirmation hearing for Supreme Court justice. That was 19 years ago.
Andrew Tobias: ARE WE A WARLIKE PEOPLE?
… our $700 billion annual military expenditure - nearly as much as every other nation's combined - works outs to roughly $10,000 a year for each American family of four. … By contrast, our annual non-military foreign aid budget is roughly $25 billion, a more modest $300 for each family of four. Is it possible that by cutting the former by 25% and quadrupling the latter, we'd gain more friends and a safer world for ourselves and our children? And still have $100 billion change left in our pocket each year?
Jim Hightower: SURPRISE! THE PEOPLE SPEAK
Michael Duke is the Big Wally of Walmart. As CEO of the low-wage behemoth, he siphons some $19 million a year in personal pay from the global retailer.
Andrew Sum: The Nation's Recent College Graduates Face Significant Labor Market Problems (huffingtonpost.com)
There is a critical need for policymakers to address the growing labor market problem among college graduates. During the January-August period of 2010, it's estimated that less than half of young B.A.-holders held a job requiring a college degree.
David Plotz: An Interview With Garry Trudeau (slate.com)
The Doonesbury creator on his stamina, the difficulty of satirizing Obama, and the most bizarre attack on his strip ever.
Ed Pilkington: "Garry Trudeau: 'Doonesbury quickly became a cause of trouble'" (guardian.co.uk)
The creator of America's first and best satirical daily newspaper cartoon talks about 40 years of upsetting politicians and editors.
Nicholas Von Hoffman: Me and Uncle Duke ( slate.com)
What happened when Hunter Thompson told me Garry Trudeau was spying on him.
Emma Brockes: "Anne Rice: 'I thought the church was flat-out immoral. I had to leave'" (guardian.co.uk)
The Interview with the Vampire author on her rejection of her Catholic faith - and her fascination with sex and immortality.
DICK CAVETT: Match Him? Not Likely (nytimes.com)
In a 1970 talk-show appearance, Tony Curtis performed without a net.
Interview by Laura Barnett: "Portrait of the artist: Baz Luhrmann, director" (guardian.co.uk)
I feel funny about owning art. I don't want to say, "Come and see my Monet - it's in a dark room in the cellar."
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
Spud's POV
Repubonics : It's Cool To Be Dumb
2010-10-27
Repubonics : It's Cool To Be Dumb
Who woulda thunk the party of that bow tied dude George Will would buy into the dumb is cool deal that's sorta popular these days? I mean there are still a bunch of old school Ivy League GOP nerds around who read books and stuff but does anyone give a crap about them? I guess not as they got tossed overboard with those other dinosaur "moderate' ones that I used to hear about on the news. Is it fair? Probably not but you gotta go for the win even if people with library cards all over the USA make jokes about you 24/7.
I can't lie it does make me feel so much smarter than I really am. That's neat for me but not so much for the country I live in. Some people are asking how the hell did this happen? Did someone spike the drinks of millions of the elephant people? Are they like hypnotized? Or even did some alien crawl up their butts and lay stupid eggs inside them? Anything's possible I guess but whatever went down the question is how dumb are these people gonna get? So dumb that I have to start feeling more sorry for them than more superior for me? I'm saying you don't make fun of humans dealt a bad hand in the thinking area. It's just not right. Like writing this is kinda tough cuz I just don't know how bad this could end up. Maybe it's just a temporary fad but then again it could get worse and this conservative bandwagon (with the blondes from FOX NEWS at the steering wheel) could be headed to flat earth territory. Way more sad than funny.
I seem to remember a lot of older white geezers making a hecka lotta fun of young black kids who spoke in what could be called loose English. A lot of talk about how these youngsters didn't want to seem smart. It was the rap music that had rotted their brains they said. Maybe. Maybe not but the republican conservative types are way more gangsta these days with their own way of talking. Like that pearl of wisdom from a woman who almost was our Vice President - "refudiate" or this from a woman who wants to be a US Senator - "scientists have implanted human brains into mice" and or this from that bat shit crazy talk show host/gold salesman Beck who ripped that evil progressive Darwin's evolution scam - " I haven't seen a half monkey-half person yet." There are a buttload more of these tasty morsels out there, so many I ain't gonna sprain a finger typing just to prove how street this crowd has gotten. They are so down with the "dumb is cool" thing maybe they think they'll get more than 0% of the hip hop vote on Nov 2 but boy are they gonna be disappointed.
Here's the problem with their plan, they have taken it way farther than just hammering words and changing the meaning of them. No, they have made the Three Six Mafia, Crime Mob or Lil Boosie sound like eggheads. I took a gander at the lyrics on a couple of their CD's and never saw anything as dumb as the separation of church and state is not even whispered about in that Constitution thingy. Nope, the rappers might be talking about ho's and gin but what the f word sounds more dumb than than some really white Teabagger lady running for the Senate in Nevada telling a class of Hispanic kids they look sorta Asian? Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't bring up more of this garbage but I can't help myself. What's worse, black kids speaking in mangled English or grown adults running for public office spouting junk that would freak out even Lil Wayne? We are talking about stuff that this dude wouldn't drop on us after downing a full case of cheap cough syrup.
I should say about now that I know Democrats are no prize winners themselves but at least they don't try to push being a moron as something to brag about. I guess you could describe the current day conservative world as up is down and down is up. Can't think of a better way to say they have a bunch of things ass backwards. Not the gray area stuff like arguing about whether we should pull out of that sandy part of the world as fast as we can or whether we should send even more jobs to places really far away, but about junk like that "budget" thing everyone is always bitching about. The republicans always throw out the personal checkbook angle when talking about our deficit problem but they never cop to the fact that even if we cut everything but beer money sometimes you still need more cash to make it to the end of the month. Maybe they can dump the husband or wife and marry somebody richer but us regular folks usually just have to get a second or third job. The people in that 2% who make mondo bank might have to give up a couple botox treatments or a second polo pony to pay 3% more in taxes like they did when Clinton was president but if I remember right they survived ok. It's gonna raise like 1.2 trillion dollars in 10 years. I know, I know if this happens the elephant people will start yelling really loud with spit coming out about us being one day from the SS kicking in our doors. Stepping in the way back machine for a second, man it's lucky they didn't stop us from crushing the real life Nazi's (oh yeah, I forgot in the late 30's the GOP tried to keep America from doing just that).
I guess I understand if some people don't believe in having firemen, public school teachers and air traffic controllers working for the government. I know that Wal-Mart or 7-11 could maybe do just as good a job and save us a few bucks. It's worth a try I guess. If enough right wing wack jobs win on Nov 2nd then let em do their thing to America and see how that turns out. I could be wrong but I'm thinking the ones squealing the loudest in about 6 months will be the older angry people who chose tea over brains. Let's see how long that Scooter Store place will be able to scam a broke Medicare for those "free scooters" they shill on cable tv all day. Since there's no do overs in elections we'll just have to wait until Obama gets about 93% of the vote in 2012 to even the score. Sometimes you gotta take a baby step backward before you long jump 28 feet forward. It's gonna be a scary ass movie with a happy ending (no, not that kind). Later.
Repubonics : It's Cool To Be Dumb
Thanks, Spud!
Hubert's Poetry Corner
"Amazin' Big Crack Texas Fubar Squadron"
The Weekly Poll
Current Question
The 'Call it as ya See it' Edition...
The 2010 Mid-term Elections. No media intro or links are needed, I'm thinkin'...
We all know what's at stake here... So, gaze into yer Crystal Ball, break out the Ouija board, shuffle the Tarot cards, read yer tea leaves or just take a wild-ass guess and make yer prediction on the outcome, if'n ya dare...
The Democrats will:
1.) Retain the majority in both the House and the Senate
2.) Lose the House, but retain the Senate
3.) Retain the House, but lose the Senate
4.) Worse case scenario... and you know what that is, dagnabbit!
Predictions will be posted the morning of November 2nd.
... and may The Force be with us!
Send your response to
wrote:
said:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Reader Suggestion
Marian, the Retired Teacher
Check out this one - Tattoo Lover Matt Gone Inks His Eyeballs
Tattoo Lover Matt Gone Inks His Eyeballs
Thanks, Marian!
As my mom would have phrased it - "Ick."
BadtotheboneBob
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan - October 26, 2010...
As a Coxswain, I ran a 44 ft Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat out of here and further up the coast at Muskegon back in the late 80's. This scenario is not at all uncommon along the Lake Michigan shore from time to time. (Right, Joe S.?)
Made for quite a ride, I'm tellin' ya, when we went out in this kinda stuff...
BadtotheboneBob
Thanks, B2tbBob!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and much warmer.
New Zealand Wins
'The Hobbit'
Two $500 million "Hobbit" movies will be made in New Zealand as originally planned, Prime Minister John Key said Wednesday, after two days of crisis talks with Hollywood studio executives.
Senior executives from Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema won an agreement for a change in labor law and bigger tax breaks to keep the project in New Zealand after a dispute over pay and conditions for actors threw the production into turmoil last week.
A labor law change will be put to Parliament on Thursday "to ensure New Zealand law in this area is settled to give producers like Warner Bros. the confidence they need to produce their movies in New Zealand," he said.
The change - which applies only to the film industry - ensures actors and others will be hired as contract workers, a method often used by production companies, not as employees. The union had wanted local actors and other production workers to be hired as full-fledged employees on union contracts.
'The Hobbit'
Costume To Auction
Darth Vader
An exceptionally rare Darth Vader costume comes up for sale next month and is expected to fetch as much as 230,000 pounds ($365,000), auctioneer Christie's said on Wednesday.
The main components of the 1980 costume, including the helmet and mask, are considered to have been production-made for "The Empire Strikes Back," the second of the "Star Wars" series to be released, Christie's added.
"While there are limited public records of the costumes produced and used for the first Star Wars trilogy, the helmet, mask and shoulder armor from the present example have a provenance leading back to the film studios around the time of production," Christie's said.
The costume was acquired by the present owner, an American private collector in 2003 and is the first complete costume to be offered at auction, it added.
Darth Vader
Syfy Cancels
"Caprica"
Syfy has canceled its "Battlestar Galactica" spinoff "Caprica."
The move comes on the heels of the cable channel ordering a new spinoff pilot, titled "Blood & Chrome." It will burn off the remaining five unaired episodes of "Caprica" some time in the first quarter of 2011.
"Caprica" was well-regarded by critics, though some sci fi fans were frustrated with its pacing and terrestrial-bound setting. With "Blood & Chrome," Syfy hopes to launch a series that's more in line with the action-filled original series.
"Caprica"
Nuns Auctioning Holy Card
Honus Wagner
Sister Virginia Muller had never heard of shortstop Honus Wagner. But she quickly learned the baseball great is a revered figure among collectors, and the most sought-after baseball card in history. And thanks to an unexpected donation, one of the century-old cards belongs to Muller and her order, the Baltimore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame.
The Roman Catholic nuns are auctioning off the card, which despite its poor condition is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. The proceeds will go to their ministries in 35 countries around the world.
The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.
A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Muller remains aghast that the 1 1/4-inch-by-2 1/2-inch piece of cardboard could sell for even a fraction of that.
Honus Wagner
Surprise Find Frees
Quaids
Hollywood actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi, who sought asylum in Canada saying they feared for their lives, were freed from custody on Wednesday after it was discovered her father was born in Canada.
Immigration officials agreed to release Evi Quaid and waived their request for a hearing on her refugee claim after they received documents about her father's birthplace, which would qualify her for Canadian citizenship.
Randy Quaid, a U.S. citizen and the brother of actor Dennis Quaid, was released on a C$10,000 ($9,740) bond. He still faces a hearing on Thursday but it was not immediately clear how officials would now handle his request for refugee status.
Immediately after their release, the couple went to get their dog from the animal pound, where it had also been in custody since the Quaids were arrested outside a bank in an upscale Vancouver neighborhood.
Quaids
Needs An Education
Clint McCance
A member of a northern Arkansas school board, commenting on a campaign to get people to wear purple to show support for bullied gay and lesbian youth, purportedly posted on Facebook that the only way he would wear purple is "if they all commit suicide."
The Arkansas Department of Education on Wednesday condemned the alleged posting by Midland School Board member Clint McCance.
McCance's alleged posting was in response to a Facebook campaign that asked supporters to wear purple last Wednesday to show solidarity after several gay and lesbian youths killed themselves, reportedly because of bullying.
"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves," the posting reads. "The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin."
Clint McCance
Sued For Plagiarism
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey is being sued by the author of political booklet, "How America Elects Her Presidents."
Charles Harris claims in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania that in 2008, as Winfrey began supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Harris sent 10 copies of his booklet to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in hopes of gaining publicity. He followed up with several inquiries.
Harris got no response, but according to the complaint, on the February 16, 2009 show, Winfrey allegedly read aloud exact questions that were included in the book.
Harris claims that the readings were plagiarism and constituted copyright infringement, which "caused and will continue to cause Plaintiffs to suffer substantial injury, loss and damage to its property and exclusive rights ... and further has damaged Plaintiffs' business reputation and goodwill, diverted its trade and caused a loss of profits all in an amount not yet ascertained."
Oprah
Real Moran Problem
WDEL-AM
Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's campaign threatened a radio station with a lawsuit if it posted video of an interview with the tea party favorite on the Internet.
During the interview Tuesday on WDEL-AM, O'Donnell snapped her fingers and beckoned a spokesman to her side after the host of "The Rick Jensen Show" pressed her on how she would have handled the New Castle County budget differently from her Democratic opponent Chris Coons, who is the executive of the state's largest county.
Jensen told The Associated Press that O'Donnell said after the interview that she would sue if the video was released. O'Donnell campaign manager Matt Moran then called WDEL general manager Michael Reath, demanded that the station turn over the video and threatened to "crush" the station with a lawsuit if it did not comply, Reath said.
After viewing the video, which the station provided to the campaign before posting it Tuesday night, O'Donnell's campaign attorney called WDEL's attorney and was very apologetic, Reath said.
"This is another example of the liberal media shamelessly attacking Christine O'Donnell to boost their ratings," Moran said in the statement, even though Jensen, the host of the show in question, is a well-known conservative.
WDEL-AM
Hero Implicated
"Hotel Rwanda"
Paul Rusesabagina, the man who saved more than 1,200 people from genocide in events depicted in the Oscar-nominated film "Hotel Rwanda," has been implicated in the terrorism case against a Rwandan opposition leader.
The 2004 movie "Hotel Rwanda" told Rusesabagina's real-life story as the hotel manager (played by Don Cheadle) who used his connections with the Hutu elite to protect Tutsis and moderate Hutus fleeing militiamen during Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
Martin Ngoga, Rwanda's prosecutor general, told Reuters on Wednesday that Rwandan courts would summon Rusesabagina because investigations indicated he funded the terrorism activities that opposition leader Victoire Ingabire is being held for.
Ingabire, the outspoken head of the unregistered United Democratic Forces (UDF) party, was arrested by Rwandan police on October 14. She pleaded not guilty at a hearing on Monday and has said the case against her is politically motivated.
"Hotel Rwanda"
Gets Flowers
Joy Behar
TV talk show co-host Joy Behar was railing about a Sharron Angle ad on immigration Tuesday on ABC's "The View" when she taunted the candidate to run the commercial in New York.
Behar referred to Angle using a vulgarity, then repeated it in saying that "she is going to hell, this b----."
On Wednesday, there was a large bouquet on the program's set. Behar said it came with a note from Angle that claimed the candidate raised $150,000 online Tuesday and added, "Thanks for your help."
But Behar aimed at Angle again, suggesting the flowers were picked by illegal immigrants and "they're not voting for you, b----."
Joy Behar
Conservative Family Values
Billy Ray Cyrus
Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife Tish, the parents of teenage pop star Miley Cyrus, have filed for divorce in Tennessee after 17 years of marriage, the pair told People magazine on Wednesday.
"Achy Breaky Heart" singer Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish have five children including Miley, who became a teen sensation on her "Hannah Montana" Disney Channel television series and has built on that success with a singing career.
Billy Ray Cyrus has staunchly defended his daughter in the face of criticism. He broke into the music world with his 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart," and his handsome face and hunky good looks brought him female fans around the world.
While several albums and numerous songs followed, Cyrus seemed to be on track to become a one-hit sensation when he began starring alongside his daughter on the "Hannah Montana" TV show, portraying her father.
Billy Ray Cyrus
Board Recommends Against Museum
Wayne Newton
An advisory board is recommending against entertainer Wayne Newton's proposal to build a museum and bus tourists to his sprawling estate southeast of Las Vegas.
Dozens of speakers aired opinions before the Paradise Town Advisory Board gave a thumbs-down Tuesday to Newton's proposal to develop his 38-acre Casa de Shenandoah compound as a tourist attraction.
The Las Vegas Strip headliner didn't attend the meeting, although he hosted a neighborhood meeting in September. The Las Vegas Sun reported Newton was represented instead by a lawyer and a prominent area land use consultant.
Board members said they were concerned the project would draw too much traffic and hurt the surrounding neighborhood. It's zoned for rural neighborhood preservation.
Wayne Newton
Sells For $4.1M
007's Aston Martin
One of the world's most famous James Bond cars - the specially equipped silver Aston Martin first driven by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger" - was auctioned off Wednesday in London for 2.6 million pounds ($4.1 million.)
The unique car, which boasts an ejector seat, machine guns, rotating license plates and other spy gear, was initially expected to go for more than 3.5 million pounds ($5.5 million).
"This is the only genuine, 007 James Bond car," said Mick Walsh, Editor-in-Chief of Classic and Sports Car Magazine.
He said the fact the iconic Aston Martin has never been auctioned before meant it had tremendous appeal to collectors.
007's Aston Martin
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