Saturday, November 27, 2004
How to Eat Anything
Slate has the skinny on this survival skill. Being a food critic is my idea of a dream job, so I'm studying this one closely.
Tasty excerpts:
I have always thought that people who keep a long list of certifiably delicious foods that they avoid are at least as troubled as people who avoid sex, except that the latter will probably seek psychiatric help, while food phobics rationalize their problem in the name of genetic inheritance, allergy, vegetarianism, matters of taste, nutrition, food safety, obesity, or a sensitive nature.
[...]
Nations are like people. Some are good at cooking, while others have a talent for music or baseball or manufacturing VCRs. ...Typical of the Greeks' modern cuisine are feta cheese and retsina wine. Any country that pickles its national cheese in brine and adulterates its national wine with pine pitch should order dinner at the local Chinese place and save its energies for other things. The British go to Greece for the food, which says volumes to me. You would probably think twice before buying a Russian or Algerian television set. I had thought for 10 years before buying my last Greek meal.
Harvard's Low Self-Opinion
Friday, November 26, 2004
Why the internets is great: 100 Monkeys
Ever hear the saying "Put 100 Monkeys at 100 typewriters for 100 years and one of them will eventually type the works of Shakespeare"? Actually, it turns out to be closer to millions of monkeys for millions of years, but it could still happen, probably.
This website is running a simulation to find out. You can participate just by visiting.
Friday Catblogging - Two for one special
Today, courtesy of Mrs. Joesblog's nifty new Fujifilm digital, we bring you Myra (top) and Lady in their favorite poses.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Dialect Survey
Another interesting timewaster. Sample questions:
What word(s) do you use to address a group of two or more people?More questions here.
What do you call the long sandwich that contains cold cuts, lettuce, and so on?
What is the distinction between dinner and supper?
What is your generic term for a sweetened carbonated beverage?
Fafblog?
Monday, November 22, 2004
Back to Reality Monday
The photographer who took the video of a Marine shooting an unarmed Iraqi has a blog. Here is his gut-wrenching open letter to the infantrymen he's been covering (found on Kos).
What comes through loud and clear in this and other thoughtful reporting on the war is that no one knows what to do any more. Even those of us opposed to the war don't know if getting out immediately, in the middle of chaos we created, is such a great idea.
Thanks again, Mr. President.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Why the Internet is Great, reason 102
Ever worry that maybe you really are a liberal wacko? The Autorantic Virtual Moonbat (found here, via Burnt Orange Report) will make you feel centrist if not downright conservative (not to mention sane).
Friday, November 19, 2004
Ned Flanders, Anchorage school principal
Okily dokily...
From the Anchorage Daily News*: (via Jesus General):
*If it asks, use my login... User: joesblog@hotmail.com Pwd: joesblog
Principal Steve Unfreid, who said he was inspired in his choice of disciplinary tactics by the actions of Jesus, asked teacher Joe Brost to whip him in front of two male students in the school's basement last month after the boys were caught kissing girls in the locker room for the second time in a week.
Unfreid, in an interview Friday at his home, acknowledged he should have called the boys' parents first but expressed no regret for his behavior.
The school's board of directors unanimously decided in a closed door session Sunday to fire Unfreid.
[...]
Unfreid violated school policy by not notifying parents before going ahead with discipline, particularly with "anything that unusual," school board president and acting administrator Scott Richardson said Friday.
[...]
When the two seniors, 17 and 18, got caught kissing girls in front of younger students in late October, Unfreid said that while contemplating what discipline to hand out, he woke at 3 a.m. and prayed how to avoid expelling them. He said that was when he remembered years ago he had cured his son of chronic lying by telling his son to hit him with a wooden ladle instead of spanking the youngster.
Later at school, Unfreid walked the boys down to a basement room with Brost. He told them, " 'Guys, this has gotta stop,' " he said. " 'I've let the atmosphere get too lax. I share in this discipline. This is a one-time deal.' "
Then the principal took off his belt, gave it to Brost, and instructed the teacher to "discipline me like you would discipline your own son," he recalled.
He told the teacher to stop only when the students acknowledged their mistake. The whole thing, starting with the trip downstairs, lasted 5 to 10 minutes, he said.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
My Little Buddy
This week's Friday cat-blog is a couple days early in memory of Opie, who passed away four years ago today at age 14. I still miss the little guy.
Opie was also known as Dopey, Opium, Open the Cat, Opener, Opmeister, Little Dude, Shithead, and...
"The best cat in the history of cats."
- Max
Bland Aid
It appears that some British radio listeners don't think the new schlocky charity musical all-star collaboration lives up to the high standard of the old schlocky musical all-star charity collaboration. You remember, the one with musical legends like Siobhan Fahey and Rick Parfitt?
From The Guardian:
The first public broadcast of the Band Aid 20 single yesterday met with a cool reception.That last sentence cracks me up. I'm hoping it's because despite the musical, um... quality, it is for a worthy cause.Listeners e-mailing Radio 1's website after the premiere called the re-recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? "drivel", "incoherent", and "a pale imitation". Nevertheless, most said they would still buy it.
Incredibly, despite all of our singing, people are still starving in Africa. What if it turns out that western societies should have demanded that our governments work on this problem, rather than delegating the musicians to fix it? Too bad a foreign policy based on compassion and enlightened self-interest is still out of fashion.
Condi Rice is Angry
As I happen across this type of link I'll add them to the Curiosities over on the left side of the page for future amusement.
(Thanks to Chris for the tip.)
Sleeping With Pets
You just never know what they'll be talking about over on Slate. Among other things, we learn where Three Dog Night got their name. (Thanks to Susan for the tip.)
For the record, we have four cats, three of which sleep on the bed. It gets pretty crowded.
During the winter Myra joins the rest of us, but only for the body heat. At all other times she views the bed as the source of all evil. She frowns on all this snoozin' when we could be playing with Myra till all hours. Pure laziness, sez Miss Myra.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
DeLay Circles the Drain
Unbelievable story in the Washington Post* (found on Kos). The Reds are changing congressional rules so an indicted member can remain in a leadership post.
The punchline: the rule they're rescinding was made by the GOP, to kick disgraced Democratic papa bear Dan Rostenkowski while he was down.
I'm hoping it won't help the little Orkin man from Sugarland. Travis County bloodhound Ronnie Earle has picked up DeLay's stench and seems to be closing in; one small schadenfreude lollipop for a starved liberal.
The tawdry outrages seem endless, but there's no outrage in the media for the most part, and no outrage among about 51% of my fellow citizens. And they wonder why some of us dream of New Zealand.
*Requires free registration, or you can use mine:
user: joesblog@hotmail.com
pwd: joesblog
Kinda kinky
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Quote to live by
Friday, November 12, 2004
Late Friday Cat-Blogging
Sister and brother snoozing peacefully. A rare decent photo of Lady (L) (who is never ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille).
Monday, November 08, 2004
Mavericks watch
How 'bout them Mavvies? Looking good so far...
Update: I just noticed they've yet to play a team who's beat anybody. We'll see how they do against Orlando tonight.
Be a family medical historian
If you'll get to see your family this Thanksgiving, the Surgeon General thinks you should take some time to gather your family medical history. They've even come up with an online tool on the HHS website to aid with this.
The things statistically most likely to do us in have a strong hereditary correlation. It's probably worthwhile to get as much background info as you can to your doctor so he or she can make informed diagnoses.
Election aftermath
Like everyone else I'm still licking my wounds and wondering what it all means. I'll try to think that through in subsequent posts, while resisting the temptation to daydream about Canada. In the meantime, there are plenty of other interesting things to highlight for a while.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Does this surprise anyone?
Found this handy chart on Jesus' General, an ironic and hilarious site. There's more info and discussion of the chart from the original author here.
Mencken was ahead of his time:
Friday, November 05, 2004
Friday cat-blogging
Today we bring you a study in black and white, courtesy of Lucky, a purse, and a shoe.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
I Stand Corrected
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Enjoy Today!
Oh yes, I am loving every second of it. Been waiting four years for these pig-headed arrogant bastards to be brought low.
From Tuesday's Washington Post:*
Bush's aides predicted victory when talking on the record, pointing to polls showing that the race remained a tossup, both nationally and in key states. But despite the insistence that all was well, the erosion in the moods of Bush's inner circle over the past two weeks was unmistakable. Several of his close advisers said they were concerned because the president had achieved no last-minute momentum, and Democratic turnout was looking as if it might swamp the Bush-Cheney campaign's projections.
A Republican official who is privy to Bush-Cheney strategy and polling said that as the incumbent, Bush should be further ahead of Kerry in polls. "Some of them have been moving in the right direction, but it isn't enough," the official said. "Karl [Rove] is a big believer in the bandwagon effect, but there has been nothing over the past week for the president to use it to turn it around."Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people.
* You can use my login for WaPo articles if you want:
login: joesblog@hotmail.com password: joesblog
Tell it to remember the login info.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Mike's Message
Things like this are why Michael Moore is such a great advocate, and why the wingers are so intent to smear, ridicule, marginalize and dismiss him.
Whether you are conservative, liberal, radical, apathetic, never-voted, a swing-stater or not, Moore has a good reason for you to get out and vote for change.
And if that doesn't motivate you, try this recent Doonesbury:
Who's Going To Win?
My nuance-free opinion is that Kerry managed to get close enough over the past few weeks to allow the intensive work put into registration drives and get-out-the-vote efforts to pay off big. I think he (we) will sweep Ohio and Florida, win the Electoral College by a mile and the popular vote by maybe 5% or so. I'm optimistic that this will carry over into enough Senate contests to give the Dems a slight majority.
After years of voting for Democratic losers, I'm not usually this optimistic. Why the not-long face? Read on...
From Slate:
...Although, in that article they narrowly call it for Bush. Go figure.Here is the math that matters: If all the states in which the data lean discernibly to either candidate vote as the polls suggest, the election will come down to Florida and Ohio. If Bush takes both, he wins. If Kerry takes either, he wins. We assess the probability in each state independently, and we assume that neither state's turnout affects the other's. Since the odds in each of the two states are approximately 50-50, with a tiny edge to Bush, the combined probability of Kerry winning the election is about 70 to 75 percent.
...Update 9:00 pm: Now they're calling a tie (which would go to Bush via the House).
You can check up on Slate's counts, or you can try Electoral-vote.com, which has Kerry up, or you can check the right-leaning RealClearPolitics average of polls (they're worried about the trend in Kerry's direction). For further fun, note that even Faux News' own poll is showing a Kerry lead.
Or you can wing it your own self with this handy self-service electoral vote calculator from American Research Group. Obsess away!
Red State Divorce Rate
I get sick of self-righteous, gay-marriage-hating conservatives slamming what they suppose are the degenerate ways of "Massachusetts liberals", and of other more progressive regions.
Au contraire (to quote some Frenchman). Tammy Wynette was on to something. Red states have a much higher rate of D-I-V-O-R-C-E.
The state with the lowest rate of divorce? That would be Massachusetts, which also happens to be the only state which officially sanctions gay marriages.
