Monday, June 30, 2008
Increasing Prisoner Population = Declining Crime Rates
Lefties lament that the US prisoner population swells even as crime rates are dropping. These "caring" people assume that evil prison profiteers and various white racists (cops, judges, politicians) are tossing black folks into prison unjustly, "spending more money to keep a man in prison than to educate him." But the crime stats as presented here by George Will indicate that "the system" overall is nabbing the right people, and that keeping them in prison is the cause of general reductions in crime, not an indication of unnecessarily incarcerations. Further, with urban public school systems spending annually over $10k per student, it seems unlikely that spending even more would somehow influence more individuals in this population (by far the richest source of violent and property crime) from making the life choices that result in society spending even more annually to house them in prisons.
British Teahouse Company... invented business software?
Fascinating NYT article about a post-WWII British teahouse chain that invented business computing. The effort produced the first business software solution, which none other than FoMoCo purchased and utilized as its first such computational utility. Read and enjoy -- then furously comment, correct, and bicker (or resign your membership!).
From the article: ===========
Lyons was the first company in the world to computerize its commercial operations, partly because it had so many of them: it had more than 200 teahouses in London and its suburbs, with each Lyons Corner House daily generating thousands of paper receipts and needing scores of fresh baked items. ...it also operated hotels, laundries, and ice cream, candy and meat pie companies. And, of course, tea plantations.
From the article: ===========
Lyons was the first company in the world to computerize its commercial operations, partly because it had so many of them: it had more than 200 teahouses in London and its suburbs, with each Lyons Corner House daily generating thousands of paper receipts and needing scores of fresh baked items. ...it also operated hotels, laundries, and ice cream, candy and meat pie companies. And, of course, tea plantations.
“Americans can’t believe this,” Paul Ceruzzi, a historian of computing and curator at the National Air and Space Museum, said in an interview last week. “They think you’re making it up. It really was true.”
That a food conglomerate did this seems almost incredible. New Scientist said in 2001: “In today’s terms it would be like hearing that Pizza Hut had developed a new generation of microprocessor, or McDonald’s had invented the Internet.”
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Member Reviews, Approbates Cool Hand Luke
Friday evening at my madhouse of modernism unfolded with a DVD-viewing of Cool Hand Luke, which this article ably surveys with narration and photos. The film manages to surpass my estimation of it based on 27 previous viewings. Check out our man singing Plastic Jesus. Hard to imagine that the American viewing public once made films like this a staple of their cinematic diet. No special effects, no potty jokes, no comic book source material.
Friday, June 27, 2008
"Education" Degrees = Uneducated Teachers > Disaster
This article quantifies and documents what authentic education experts have known and advanced for years: people who earn "education degrees" do not receive authentic educations themselves, and thus they lack a requisite for teaching any authentic academic subjects. The university "education" currucula, in other words, is garbage. And on top of that, the admissions standards are so low into education programs that they start out with the weakest brains. Four years of student loans later, these graduates have little more four years worth of college parties and non-intellectual development. These are the people that then go teach our kids K-12.
The solution is clear: abolish "education" degrees. Require teachers to hold degrees in genuine classic scholarly subjects. Grade school teachers should have degrees in literature, history, or psychology. Teacher training should constitute post-grad mentoring, plus some seminars. Selection of very simple, back-to-basics course materials, and re institution of do-as-I-say-or-leave discipline, is just about all a truly educated and motivated adult needs in order to lead children through an intellectually productive day. This works for coaches, afterall.
The "education" industry has evolved into a job works program for laggards.
The solution is clear: abolish "education" degrees. Require teachers to hold degrees in genuine classic scholarly subjects. Grade school teachers should have degrees in literature, history, or psychology. Teacher training should constitute post-grad mentoring, plus some seminars. Selection of very simple, back-to-basics course materials, and re institution of do-as-I-say-or-leave discipline, is just about all a truly educated and motivated adult needs in order to lead children through an intellectually productive day. This works for coaches, afterall.
The "education" industry has evolved into a job works program for laggards.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
kntkadosh conspicuously absent
Could he possibly be doing real work during business hours instead of pretending to like we are????? I am worried that this type of behavior could lead to the downfall of our order.
Suggested Other Order Names
The Organization of Rectitude & People Engaged in Dictating Order ... or, T.O.R.P.E.D.O.
The Exact Rectitude Dealers ... or, T.E.R.D.
Fraternity of Unctuous Caretakers of Knowledge & Ostentatious Fine-tuning of Facts ... or, F.U.C.K.O.F.F.
Conclave of Uber Nitpicky & Tedious Sectarians ... or, C.U.N.T.S.
Band of Older Onerous Brothers ... or, B.O.O. B.
Collection of Really Exacting Evil People ... or, C.R.E.E.P.
Association of Sadistic Sycophants Honing Official & Legitimate Elocution ... or, A.S.S.H.O.L.E
The Exact Rectitude Dealers ... or, T.E.R.D.
Fraternity of Unctuous Caretakers of Knowledge & Ostentatious Fine-tuning of Facts ... or, F.U.C.K.O.F.F.
Conclave of Uber Nitpicky & Tedious Sectarians ... or, C.U.N.T.S.
Band of Older Onerous Brothers ... or, B.O.O. B.
Collection of Really Exacting Evil People ... or, C.R.E.E.P.
Association of Sadistic Sycophants Honing Official & Legitimate Elocution ... or, A.S.S.H.O.L.E
Change my order before I cancel it
I am proposing a name modification for our illustrious order - "The royal order of exact rectitude". The other one is too long, sounds dumb, and is a bit "wordy". Both titles are riddled with redundancy, and actually constitute poor english, but since we are the founders, we can obviously make any rules we want. I find it ironic that the name of the order is in direct contradiction with one of its primary purposes - that being the absolute command of the queens language. Perhaps a more fitting name would have an oxymoron wrapped right into the name such as, "The order of the Jumboshrimp"?
(More than a) Touch of Genius
Glad to learn that our Brother TK recently stumbled upon this noir gem, "Touch of Evil." Surely nobody can really understand the plot, much like many great films, such Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and Godfather. Yet moment-by-moment these films seize hold of us, and populate our memories, even despite logic-defying developments. Why is this? Why do so many of the great films comprise incomprehensible plots, and illogical concepts? My film study leads me to this answer: because films are emotion-generating machines, not information narrations. These great films succeed because they succeed in auguring their audiences through a succession of emotions. Our inability to comprehend the plots, or to accept the logical of some developments, does not preclude us from experiancing the emotions transmitted to us by the procession of images and sounds from the screen.
Supreme Court says Americans have right to guns
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.
The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.
The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.
The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."
He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."
Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.
Gun rights supporters hailed the decision. "I consider this the opening salvo in a step-by-step process of providing relief for law-abiding Americans everywhere that have been deprived of this freedom," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
The NRA will file lawsuits in San Francisco, Chicago and several of its suburbs challenging handgun restrictions there based on Thursday's outcome.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, criticized the ruling. "I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it," she said.
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.
Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.
The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.
Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."
In a concluding paragraph to the his 64-page opinion, Scalia said the justices in the majority "are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country" and believe the Constitution "leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns."
The law adopted by Washington's city council in 1976 bars residents from owning handguns unless they had one before the law took effect. Shotguns and rifles may be kept in homes, if they are registered, kept unloaded and either disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.
Opponents of the law have said it prevents residents from defending themselves. The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense.
The last Supreme Court ruling on the topic came in 1939 in U.S. v. Miller, which involved a sawed-off shotgun. Constitutional scholars disagree over what that case means but agree it did not squarely answer the question of individual versus collective rights.
Forty-four state constitutions contain some form of gun rights, which are not affected by the court's consideration of Washington's restrictions.
The case is District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290.
The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.
The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.
Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.
The Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home," Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington's requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.
In a dissent he summarized from the bench, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that the majority "would have us believe that over 200 years ago, the Framers made a choice to limit the tools available to elected officials wishing to regulate civilian uses of weapons."
He said such evidence "is nowhere to be found."
Justice Stephen Breyer wrote a separate dissent in which he said, "In my view, there simply is no untouchable constitutional right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to keep loaded handguns in the house in crime-ridden urban areas."
Joining Scalia were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. The other dissenters were Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter.
Gun rights supporters hailed the decision. "I consider this the opening salvo in a step-by-step process of providing relief for law-abiding Americans everywhere that have been deprived of this freedom," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
The NRA will file lawsuits in San Francisco, Chicago and several of its suburbs challenging handgun restrictions there based on Thursday's outcome.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a leading gun control advocate in Congress, criticized the ruling. "I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it," she said.
The capital's gun law was among the nation's strictest.
Dick Anthony Heller, 66, an armed security guard, sued the District after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection in the same Capitol Hill neighborhood as the court.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in Heller's favor and struck down Washington's handgun ban, saying the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to own guns and that a total prohibition on handguns is not compatible with that right.
The issue caused a split within the Bush administration. Vice President Dick Cheney supported the appeals court ruling, but others in the administration feared it could lead to the undoing of other gun regulations, including a federal law restricting sales of machine guns. Other laws keep felons from buying guns and provide for an instant background check.
Scalia said nothing in Thursday's ruling should "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings."
In a concluding paragraph to the his 64-page opinion, Scalia said the justices in the majority "are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country" and believe the Constitution "leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns."
The law adopted by Washington's city council in 1976 bars residents from owning handguns unless they had one before the law took effect. Shotguns and rifles may be kept in homes, if they are registered, kept unloaded and either disassembled or equipped with trigger locks.
Opponents of the law have said it prevents residents from defending themselves. The Washington government says no one would be prosecuted for a gun law violation in cases of self-defense.
The last Supreme Court ruling on the topic came in 1939 in U.S. v. Miller, which involved a sawed-off shotgun. Constitutional scholars disagree over what that case means but agree it did not squarely answer the question of individual versus collective rights.
Forty-four state constitutions contain some form of gun rights, which are not affected by the court's consideration of Washington's restrictions.
The case is District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290.
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
ROER Members Bypass Blog, Resort to Emails
One of our officers mass-emailed our entire member body with a vital news announcement (US Supreme Court Upholds Citizen Gun Rights). Perhaps worse, a recipient replied USING EMAIL!
How do we feel about this?
How do we feel about this?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Geroge was the Walrus, and the Walrus is Dead
George Carlin died of heart failure Sunday at 71. He has left behind not only a series of memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on the infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language. And Howard Stern thinks he's pushing legal issues? Ha.
The counterculture hero joked about misplaced shame, religious hypocrisy and linguistic quirks — something our resident grammar cry-baby can relate to - such as: why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? Or ... "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"In one of his most famous routines, Carlin railed against euphemisms he said have become so widespread that no one can simply "die." "'Older' sounds a little better than 'old,' doesn't it?," he said. "Sounds like it might even last a little longer. ... I'm getting old. And it's OK. Because thanks to our fear of death in this country I won't have to die — I'll 'pass away.' Or I'll 'expire,' like a magazine subscription. If it happens in the hospital they'll call it a 'terminal episode.' The insurance company will refer to it as 'negative patient care outcome.' And if it's the result of malpractice they'll say it was a 'therapeutic misadventure.'"
Carlin constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are taboo on broadcast TV to this day.When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.
When the words were later played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
10 Truths
10 Truths Black and Hispanic people know but White people won't admit
1. Elvis is dead.
2. Jesus was not white.
3. Rap music is here to stay.
4. Kissing your pet is not cute or clean.
5. Skinny does not equal sexy.
6. Thomas Jefferson had black children.
7. A 5 year old is too big for a stroller.
8. N'SYNC will never hold a candle to theJackson
9. An occasional BUTT whooping helps a child stay in line.
10. Having your children curse you out in public is not normal.
10 Truths White and Black People know but Hispanic people wont admit
1. Hickeys are not attractive.
2. Chicken is food not a pet or a roommate.
3. Jesus is not a name for your son.
4. Your country flag is not a car decoration.
5. Maria is a name but not for every daughter.
6. 10 people to a car is considered too many.
7. 'Jump out and run' is not in any insurance policy.
8. Buttoning just the top button of your shirt is a bad fashion statement.
9. Mami & Papi can't possibly be the nickname of every person in your family.
10. Letting your children run wildly through the store is not normal.
10 Truths white and Hispanic people know but Black people wont admit
1. O.J. did it.
2. Tupac is dead.
3. Teeth shouldn't be decorated.
4. Weddings should start on time.
5. Your pastor doesn't know everything.
6. Jesse Jackson will never be President.
7. Red is not a Kool Aid flavor, its a color.
8. Church does not require expensive clothes.
9. Crown Royal bags are meant to be thrown away.
10. Your rims and sound system should not be worth more than your car.
1. Elvis is dead.
2. Jesus was not white.
3. Rap music is here to stay.
4. Kissing your pet is not cute or clean.
5. Skinny does not equal sexy.
6. Thomas Jefferson had black children.
7. A 5 year old is too big for a stroller.
8. N'SYNC will never hold a candle to the
9. An occasional BUTT whooping helps a child stay in line.
10. Having your children curse you out in public is not normal.
10 Truths White and Black People know but Hispanic people wont admit
1. Hickeys are not attractive.
2. Chicken is food not a pet or a roommate.
3. Jesus is not a name for your son.
4. Your country flag is not a car decoration.
5. Maria is a name but not for every daughter.
6. 10 people to a car is considered too many.
7. 'Jump out and run' is not in any insurance policy.
8. Buttoning just the top button of your shirt is a bad fashion statement.
9. Mami & Papi can't possibly be the nickname of every person in your family.
10. Letting your children run wildly through the store is not normal.
10 Truths white and Hispanic people know but Black people wont admit
1. O.J. did it.
2. Tupac is dead.
3. Teeth shouldn't be decorated.
4. Weddings should start on time.
5. Your pastor doesn't know everything.
6. Jesse Jackson will never be President.
7. Red is not a Kool Aid flavor, its a color.
8. Church does not require expensive clothes.
9. Crown Royal bags are meant to be thrown away.
10. Your rims and sound system should not be worth more than your car.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Happy Summer Solstice
Being that it is the longest day of the year, and represents the "adulthood" of the sun I will celebrate it by blowing off 1/2 of my work day by golfing and basking in the omnipotence of Jesus/Horus/Tammuz.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Petro Price Tumble Sparked by Asian Subsidy Lift
Turns out that the big Chinese and Indian petro demand resulted from do-gooding /"caring" governors there subsidizing the titular consumer prices. The resulting artificial consumption has driven the real petro prices, as felt by those of us living in free markets. Now comes down those subsidies...
Top Ten Things Done While "Telecommuting"
1. Babysit
2. Sleep in
3. Attend a grade school function: Field Trip, Conference, Donuts with Dad, etc.
4. Shag the old lady
5. Starch a sock
6. Mow the grass, edge the walk, irritate neighbors with blower, etc.
7. Get the car serviced
8. Go shopping
9. Watch HBO movies that you would never admit to actually watching
10. Do actual work
2. Sleep in
3. Attend a grade school function: Field Trip, Conference, Donuts with Dad, etc.
4. Shag the old lady
5. Starch a sock
6. Mow the grass, edge the walk, irritate neighbors with blower, etc.
7. Get the car serviced
8. Go shopping
9. Watch HBO movies that you would never admit to actually watching
10. Do actual work
Oil Crisis Solution That Only the ROER Can Provide
Oil Crisis Solution
1.) Imported Middle East Oil = $135 a barrel (and counting)
2.) Exported US Wheat = $7 a bushel
Increase the wheat export bushel price to $135 a bushel - and when the OPEC countrymen bitch and moan?
Tell them to eat their damn oil!
Let's see an Arab make pita bread out of Iraqi crude!
1.) Imported Middle East Oil = $135 a barrel (and counting)
2.) Exported US Wheat = $7 a bushel
Increase the wheat export bushel price to $135 a bushel - and when the OPEC countrymen bitch and moan?
Tell them to eat their damn oil!
Let's see an Arab make pita bread out of Iraqi crude!
Oil and Media on the same team
The reason we are experiencing ridiculous oil prices is due to the illegal gang/order (OPEC) who can easily lie about the supply of oil they actually have. Since the same guys own the media this is easily achieved. Hence, as far as we know, there is a real shortage of oil which equals high prices. Now if I remember correctly, Paul Wolfowitz (W's ass clown cronie) said that the invasion of Iraq would bring access to oil and therefore increase the supply and drive down prices. What the F happened to that? The media has conveniently forgot about that as usual when it comes to speaking out against corrupt corporate activity!
Mexico's Lefty Petro Subsidies Cause Absurdities
Petro is "cheap" in Mexico due to lefty subsidies. This means that consumers see low pump prices, about half that in Yankee towns (about $2 versus $4).
Absurdity 1: Yankees cross into Mexico to fill their tanks. The poor Mexican taxpayers thus pay for half of the real purchase price of the Yankee fillup.
Absurdity 2: Shortage! In a free market, if demand exceeds supply, the price rises. This forces consumers to conserve, and provides producers an incentive to boost production. But in lefty Mexico, "price gauging" is a crime. That inevitably leads to hallmark of "anti price gauging" laws: empty shelves boasting attractive prices. What good is $2 petro that doesn't exist? Only one good served: crusaders against "price-gauging" feel better.
Servants of Rectitude and Exactitude must know that if Obama has his way with "Windfall Profits" taxes, this will only drive prices higher, just as they did when Nixon and Carter employed them during previous periods of petro scarcity. Reducing profits will lesson the incentive for petro companies to boost their supplies (via new drilling and more refineries).
Absurdity 1: Yankees cross into Mexico to fill their tanks. The poor Mexican taxpayers thus pay for half of the real purchase price of the Yankee fillup.
Absurdity 2: Shortage! In a free market, if demand exceeds supply, the price rises. This forces consumers to conserve, and provides producers an incentive to boost production. But in lefty Mexico, "price gauging" is a crime. That inevitably leads to hallmark of "anti price gauging" laws: empty shelves boasting attractive prices. What good is $2 petro that doesn't exist? Only one good served: crusaders against "price-gauging" feel better.
Servants of Rectitude and Exactitude must know that if Obama has his way with "Windfall Profits" taxes, this will only drive prices higher, just as they did when Nixon and Carter employed them during previous periods of petro scarcity. Reducing profits will lesson the incentive for petro companies to boost their supplies (via new drilling and more refineries).
Tim Russert Sucked; His Son Sucks
I didn't think that I could hate Tim Russert any any more than I did when he lived. He really screwed me by dying, which prompted my beloved cable news broadcasts -- which he constantly ruined during the few hours that he appeared on them -- to render themselves unwatchable 24 hours a day for some days as supposed reporters and hosts embarrassed themselves with over-the-top tributes to the repulsively fleshy-faced twit. Could anything possibly be worse than the hagio-auto-biography ostensibly about his father, "Big Rus"? Well, yes: all the cable news post-life interminable sendoffs to him and his wretched volume.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/russert-backlash
Keith Olberman's on-air salute stood out as the worst, even worse than Russert's kids' eulogy signoff, "Go Bills." The payoff for me: the truly great Chris Matthews just got bumped up, and may replace Russert (whom all the talking heads keep telling us -- falsely -- is irreplaceable). Though Matthews has joined in this unctuous circus, I choose to believe that he has no choice if he hopes to take the dead guy's chair. Another bonus to me: with Russert gone, Olberman's now the worst on cable newstalk.
On a happy note: nearly 100% of the people to whom I've broached the subject have no idea who "Tim Russert" is. I believe that Tom Brokow is lying in his eulogy when he claims that a freaking construction working stopped him with tears in his eyes, lamenting that "he was one of us." No construction working knows the name Tim Russert! That makes for just one reason why his parent network MSNBC could not be more wrong for broadcasting his 1.5 funeral LIVE, plus late-night full-length repeats, nor for turning over regular programming (Olberman's awful show, Matthews' otherwise awesome show, the middling Morning Joe) to Russert deifications.
The death of a journalist does not equal news, especially a dippy phoney baloney like Tim Russsert. His rival, Chris Matthews, is the real deal, but even his death will not constitute stop-the-presses news.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/russert-backlash
Keith Olberman's on-air salute stood out as the worst, even worse than Russert's kids' eulogy signoff, "Go Bills." The payoff for me: the truly great Chris Matthews just got bumped up, and may replace Russert (whom all the talking heads keep telling us -- falsely -- is irreplaceable). Though Matthews has joined in this unctuous circus, I choose to believe that he has no choice if he hopes to take the dead guy's chair. Another bonus to me: with Russert gone, Olberman's now the worst on cable newstalk.
On a happy note: nearly 100% of the people to whom I've broached the subject have no idea who "Tim Russert" is. I believe that Tom Brokow is lying in his eulogy when he claims that a freaking construction working stopped him with tears in his eyes, lamenting that "he was one of us." No construction working knows the name Tim Russert! That makes for just one reason why his parent network MSNBC could not be more wrong for broadcasting his 1.5 funeral LIVE, plus late-night full-length repeats, nor for turning over regular programming (Olberman's awful show, Matthews' otherwise awesome show, the middling Morning Joe) to Russert deifications.
The death of a journalist does not equal news, especially a dippy phoney baloney like Tim Russsert. His rival, Chris Matthews, is the real deal, but even his death will not constitute stop-the-presses news.
"Working" from home
Since joining my new firm last October I have been observing what it truely means when I hear people (myself excluded of course) in my group say, "I am working from home on X-day". It is a slick way of saying, "I will get up early, log onto sametime, throw the TV on, or open a book, and do nothing". I have observed that the people who work from home do the least in the group, but are most likely to 'speak up' about 'working' in a group meeting. Perhaps, to them, attending a meeting and actually opening their mouth is what they constitute as work? It makes sense, considering that the rest of the week they are sitting on the couch in their underwear, watching family feud, porn, or young and the restless.
I would like to clarify for the record that I have been guilty of all the aforementioned tasks at one time or another, but more often than not, I am actually producing something worthwhile.....Like this rant on the ROER blog!
Good Day.
I would like to clarify for the record that I have been guilty of all the aforementioned tasks at one time or another, but more often than not, I am actually producing something worthwhile.....Like this rant on the ROER blog!
Good Day.
"High Rate of Speed" = Big Accelleration / Ignorance
Few things bother me more than butchery of our language, especially by people in in responsible news journalists. Reading an article today about one of KKK's (King Kwame Kilpatrick) buddy's traffic records, I encountered once again one of the dumbest and most popular incorrect phrases: "high rate of speed."
Where to begin? First, "speed" means "rate of displacement", and thus "rate of speed" means "acceleration." Everybody who ever uses this phrase always means "speed", not "acceleration." I have always fantasized about challenging a speeding ticket by getting a cop on the stand to agree that if I was traveling at a "rate of speed of zero" that I would be not guilty. Then I would ask him if I was accelerating. He would admit that he has no information about my acceleration. Then I would call my expert witness Tondle Boy to define "rate of speed" correctly.
I think that this sort of language occurs to ignorant people when they attempt to "talk fancy" in a public moment. Such people -- including 99% of reporters, lawyers, politicians, teachers, and others who lack basic linguistics educations -- in public situations usually replace the first person pronoun "me" in all cases with "I" 0r "myself", as in, "R. Kelly peed on Rick, Chris, Tim, and I -- or myself", and "Myself and Chris (or, Chris and myself) were out bird-dogging chicks and banging beaver".
Let us also take this time to berate the majority of reporters, who declare that juries found R. Kelly, Robert Blake, and OJ "innocent", when in fact "innocent" does not exist as a legal finding in our judicial system. What they mean of course is "not guilty."
It hardly needs mentioning that "irregardless" does not exist, though I still encounter this in professional settings from people with technical degrees. But even most otherwise educated people believe that "nauseous" means "nauseated", as in, "that spoiled meat made Tim nauseous". The literate among us would correctly interpret that statement to mean that the spoiled meat somehow caused Tim to make the rest of us sick, or nauseated. But that nauseous (or nauseating) meat can't make Tim nauseous, can it? It can only make him nauseated, which is to say, it nauseated him.
These same nauseous people (truly, they are) -- often reporters -- further believe that "enormity" means "large", rather than "evil." Worse, they lack a capacity to express themselves without silly nonsense phrases, like:
"The fact of the matter is..."
"It is what it is."
"To be perfectly honest..." & "Honestly..."
And a bunch of others that I will remember and exhaustively document here.
Where to begin? First, "speed" means "rate of displacement", and thus "rate of speed" means "acceleration." Everybody who ever uses this phrase always means "speed", not "acceleration." I have always fantasized about challenging a speeding ticket by getting a cop on the stand to agree that if I was traveling at a "rate of speed of zero" that I would be not guilty. Then I would ask him if I was accelerating. He would admit that he has no information about my acceleration. Then I would call my expert witness Tondle Boy to define "rate of speed" correctly.
I think that this sort of language occurs to ignorant people when they attempt to "talk fancy" in a public moment. Such people -- including 99% of reporters, lawyers, politicians, teachers, and others who lack basic linguistics educations -- in public situations usually replace the first person pronoun "me" in all cases with "I" 0r "myself", as in, "R. Kelly peed on Rick, Chris, Tim, and I -- or myself", and "Myself and Chris (or, Chris and myself) were out bird-dogging chicks and banging beaver".
Let us also take this time to berate the majority of reporters, who declare that juries found R. Kelly, Robert Blake, and OJ "innocent", when in fact "innocent" does not exist as a legal finding in our judicial system. What they mean of course is "not guilty."
It hardly needs mentioning that "irregardless" does not exist, though I still encounter this in professional settings from people with technical degrees. But even most otherwise educated people believe that "nauseous" means "nauseated", as in, "that spoiled meat made Tim nauseous". The literate among us would correctly interpret that statement to mean that the spoiled meat somehow caused Tim to make the rest of us sick, or nauseated. But that nauseous (or nauseating) meat can't make Tim nauseous, can it? It can only make him nauseated, which is to say, it nauseated him.
These same nauseous people (truly, they are) -- often reporters -- further believe that "enormity" means "large", rather than "evil." Worse, they lack a capacity to express themselves without silly nonsense phrases, like:
"The fact of the matter is..."
"It is what it is."
"To be perfectly honest..." & "Honestly..."
And a bunch of others that I will remember and exhaustively document here.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
GWM Krap's dictatorship
Must be destroyed before our entire order goes down under his meglomaniac regime
Coup neded on day 2
I am proposing a coup against GWM Krap. Although his work in creating this blog is admirable he should have cleared it with the Grand Pontiff of Universal Exactitude. I am astounded by his audacity to change the name of our order, create a symbol that represents us, and then as if that was not enough, define an inner circle without our approval.
Symbol Clarification needed
I am concerned that the GM of rectitude is off creating chaos without my input. I believe we need to bicker about whether this symbol is valid. Of course we will have to come up with an exoteric meaning for the masses while maintaining an esoteric meaning for us adepts.
The original Grand Master is here
I am now a member of this blog with my original name referencing the REAL name of our order.
Rectitude vs. Exactitude
The entire business of our group must never advance past vitriolic, ever worsening, and highly personalized bickering over a single word encompassed by our name.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
NICE EMBLEM!!! And a sign...
So, did you fabricate the emblem yourself?
The waves of options that I see as I think of Paul holding his hands in the position shown are enough to scare me...indeed, this must be the first secret sign, with something far more insidious to be used in the second degree...
OK, I have vented in regular mail too much already and now have a Jag meeting...but in future, we may stay on this platform...better than corporate mail anyway...
The waves of options that I see as I think of Paul holding his hands in the position shown are enough to scare me...indeed, this must be the first secret sign, with something far more insidious to be used in the second degree...
OK, I have vented in regular mail too much already and now have a Jag meeting...but in future, we may stay on this platform...better than corporate mail anyway...
One Man's Solution for Rising Gas Prices
This past weekend I stopped to purchase a Diet Coke at the BP gas station; to slake my thirst - and - whilst waiting in the omni-present queue of a certain Farmington Hills BP gas station, I begin my usual "R.O.E. inspection" of the denizens within the fine establishment ... Taking a mental inventory of who is purchasing their 5 dollar pack of coffin nails, scarfing up the latest copy of Hustler magazine, orally supplanting their thunder-thighs with a Slurpie and a Twinkie, etc. ... When my attention immediately turns to the disheveled gentleman just in front of me ... As he, and our "Hazel Park Honey" BP Attendant, were attempting to put $20 of gas (@100 miles of travel) on his DEBIT card. The clerk tried it 2 or 3 times; yet with every swipe: the card is rejected. Huh. Surely there is some issue with this gent's Grand Cayman bank account?
And, stop calling me Shirley ...
Our fearless road warrior then proceeds to pull out a wad ... No other word will suffice here ... He literally produces a wad of paper currency - ala Penn and Teller - from his pocket; and proceeds to fish through the monetary mess for the bill of largest denomination. This proves to be a 10 spot. Huzzah! Surely he will be able to produce another tenner ... Or a miniature copy of the Declaration of Independence? Interestingly, no. As he hands over the crumpled ten-spot, he proudly instructs our toothless Purveyor of Petrol to dole out "10 dollars of your finest distillate!" and begins the process of cramming said "fist full of dollars" back into his pocket ...
Suddenly something dawns on him! Could it be that he will now be limited to a mere 50 miles of conveyance? Only to travel over the river and through the woods to Grandma's, but never to return to Detroit?!?! Or, what about the original Grail-like quest of twenty dollars of gasoline for his fine steed? Just as he is shoving the mass of moola back into his pocket - like pushing a baby back into a vagina - he had stopped and re-produced his ball of loot. This time, within milliseconds, he peels off - or was it corkscrews out - a George Washington. A single buck. Will this extra .25 of a gallon now allow him to idle just down the block from Grandma's house while he smokes some hydro on the d-lo? Or, is it 55 - not 50 - miles to his private jet at Detroit Metro Airport?
Clearly, yet not visually tipping his psyche, the gentleman was shaken by the entire turn of events. What, with his off-shore bank accounts being in disrepair and having grabbed his wife's wad of singles - extracted from her g-string the night before - he quickly enacted his "Life Recovery Plan". Armed with 10 dollars of gasoline, his stoic countenance and the raisin-like dollar bill - he commands our BP shop keeper: "Give me ONE Mega-Millions lottery ticket!" What a visionary! His plan - while simplistic in nature - will cover all his woes ... Including his eminent stranding at Grandma's house.
Never underestimate the power of a dollar bill ... Even if it only takes you 5 miles, tips your stripper or fills your nostril with booger sugar.
And, stop calling me Shirley ...
Our fearless road warrior then proceeds to pull out a wad ... No other word will suffice here ... He literally produces a wad of paper currency - ala Penn and Teller - from his pocket; and proceeds to fish through the monetary mess for the bill of largest denomination. This proves to be a 10 spot. Huzzah! Surely he will be able to produce another tenner ... Or a miniature copy of the Declaration of Independence? Interestingly, no. As he hands over the crumpled ten-spot, he proudly instructs our toothless Purveyor of Petrol to dole out "10 dollars of your finest distillate!" and begins the process of cramming said "fist full of dollars" back into his pocket ...
Suddenly something dawns on him! Could it be that he will now be limited to a mere 50 miles of conveyance? Only to travel over the river and through the woods to Grandma's, but never to return to Detroit?!?! Or, what about the original Grail-like quest of twenty dollars of gasoline for his fine steed? Just as he is shoving the mass of moola back into his pocket - like pushing a baby back into a vagina - he had stopped and re-produced his ball of loot. This time, within milliseconds, he peels off - or was it corkscrews out - a George Washington. A single buck. Will this extra .25 of a gallon now allow him to idle just down the block from Grandma's house while he smokes some hydro on the d-lo? Or, is it 55 - not 50 - miles to his private jet at Detroit Metro Airport?
Clearly, yet not visually tipping his psyche, the gentleman was shaken by the entire turn of events. What, with his off-shore bank accounts being in disrepair and having grabbed his wife's wad of singles - extracted from her g-string the night before - he quickly enacted his "Life Recovery Plan". Armed with 10 dollars of gasoline, his stoic countenance and the raisin-like dollar bill - he commands our BP shop keeper: "Give me ONE Mega-Millions lottery ticket!" What a visionary! His plan - while simplistic in nature - will cover all his woes ... Including his eminent stranding at Grandma's house.
Never underestimate the power of a dollar bill ... Even if it only takes you 5 miles, tips your stripper or fills your nostril with booger sugar.
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