Oscar buzz
March 8, 2010 by admin.
It’s so nice to see Mo’Nique win as best supporting actress. Ms. Nique has made a remarkable transition from comedy to drama.
It was also funny to see Kanye West dressed up in a red wig and a gaudy dress to “punk” one of the award recipients.
But the funniest moment of the night was the constant camera flashes to George Clooney, who was playing a gag and refused to smile when everyone else in the audience was laughing. It must have been nearly impossible for him to maintain a straight face when all around him were having the time of their lives.
I want my money back
March 6, 2010 by admin.
We have poured tons of money into educating people about the risks of unprotected sex. We have dumped good money after bad to fund lectures, TV ads, “free” condoms, and other messages all designed to avoid the risks of pregnancy and disease. Yet we keep reading about “unwanted pregnancies,” teen pregnancies, babies born out of wedlock, “surprise” pregnancies, AIDS epidemics and all that.
I don’t care anymore. Keep your baby, or abort it. Give it up for adoption. Complain about how the system is stacked against single mothers, or against dads who have to pay money or who can’t see their children or whatever your private grievance may be. Scratch your genitals until the warts bleed, and gripe about the cost of medicine.
I just want my money back.
Gay prostitution scandal at the Vatican
March 6, 2010 by admin.
Today’s news brings reports of a gay prostitution scandal within the walls of the Vatican.
Some people will be offended by the concept of “gay.” Some will be offended by the concept of “prostitution.” And some will be offended by the concept of “Vatican.”
To each his own, I suppose.
And another one . . .
March 5, 2010 by admin.
While I’m in such a pissy mood, let’s also add the stupid advertising phrases “up to 50% or more” or “as much as $100,000 or more.”
I’m not even going to bother explaining what’s wrong with those. Just make them stop. As soon as today.
As soon as tomorrow
March 5, 2010 by admin.
Here’s a phrase I despise: “as soon as tomorrow.” I have noticed it being used with increasing frequency in the media, especially on late-night TV news. It means “it hasn’t happened yet,” but it makes it sound like the media knows something special (the timing of an event) when they really know nothing.
When I worked in the media, the editor was constantly crossing out excess words that added nothing to the story. That phrase is comprised of words that can always be deleted. As soon as today.
Death on the track
February 14, 2010 by admin.
That luge track was like a car with faulty airbags. After nearly two years of concern, the manufacturer of the track and sport officials share the largest portion of blame for not issuing a “recall.” We know there will be crashes among experienced and inexperienced drivers. When the airbags in an automobile fail to deploy, though, the issue is no longer the driver’s experience, but the vehicle’s ability to react to a known, eventual event.
Just as cars are driven by 16-year-olds, let’s also remember that the spirit of international competition does not mean that every luge racer is among the best in the world. Rather, he or she is among the best in each nation, no matter how large or how small, and no matter how much money each nation puts into training its athletes. Any field of competition must - at a minimum - be made as safe as possible for the entire spectrum of anticipated competition - whether it’s Apollo Ohno or Eddie the Eagle, Michael Phelps or the Jamaican bobsled team.
Haiti disaster coverage hurts Haitians
January 26, 2010 by admin.
Note to the Detroit News (and its kin):
Food is scarce. Yet a major city like Detroit has sent teams of journalists to compete for limited resources in a disaster zone. Multiply that by the number of other major and mid-sized cities that have also sent teams of writers and photographers.
Honestly, is the local angle so important that teams of local journalists must be sent to tie up flights, hotels, food, water, rental cars, ports and roadways? Aren’t you really just hi-tech rubberneckers who tie up traffic at the world’s biggest accident scene? Is there something you at the News have done that the national outlets could not have fulfilled?
Charity begins at home. So should shame.
MagicJack number portability?
January 17, 2010 by admin.
A couple years ago I bought one of those MagicJack devices that connects to your computer and allows you to make and receive telephone calls for $20 per year (they actually charge a one-time fee of $20 for the device, plus $20 per year for service).
It worked reasonably well, but I did not renew for a second year for one simple reason: I wanted to move my home number to the Magic Jack (this feature is called “porting”). When I subscribed, they said they would allow this to happen “shortly.” I was looking forward to this eventuality. At the end of the year, they had not enabled this feature - but they promised it would be available “shortly” or “soon.”
I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now - a couple more years have passed, and they are still making the same hollow promise. Not only does this disappoint me when it comes to my own expectations and needs, but it causes me to question the sincerity of the company. Every other phone company allows porting of numbers, so we know it is technologically possible. Why, then, won’t MagicJack do it - incompetence, or dishonesty?
Getting Closer . . .
December 27, 2009 by admin.
The CDC has confirmed that America is fewer than 600 quilts away from solving AIDS.
Put your money where your dog’s mouth is
December 20, 2009 by admin.
During difficult economic times, the standard cliche portrays the elderly eating dog food instead of human food.
Personally, I always found a can of Alpo to be a rather expensive item. But the question must be asked, at least so investors know where to put their money: Do pet food sales rise during tough times?
