Hopefully Not Stupid
Thursday, January 15, 2004
AlterNet: Green Party "Terrorist" Not Allowed to Fly
Link
Members of the Green Party, which came in third in the 2000 presidental election, are now considered likely terrorists, on a par with al Qaeda. Another reason to vote for the ever popular Anything-But-Bush ticket this year.
Link
Members of the Green Party, which came in third in the 2000 presidental election, are now considered likely terrorists, on a par with al Qaeda. Another reason to vote for the ever popular Anything-But-Bush ticket this year.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Not Fooling Anybody: Home
Link Found on Metafilter, but before than on Boing Boing.
This site ridicules people who buy out abandoned chain store buildings and repurpose them for their own businesses (like in one memorable Onion sidebar photo captioned, "You can tell area bank used to be a Pizza Hut"), but I think these guys are admirable. You can probably save a fortune on construction costs by letting the big chain with bottomless pockets construct the building, and when you buy it from them when they fail the remaining portions of their brain identity will forever serve as a reminder of their failure.
I'm of the opinion that anything that helps out small businesses in this country is beyond wonderful. If it comes at the expense of the big boys, it's even better.
Link Found on Metafilter, but before than on Boing Boing.
This site ridicules people who buy out abandoned chain store buildings and repurpose them for their own businesses (like in one memorable Onion sidebar photo captioned, "You can tell area bank used to be a Pizza Hut"), but I think these guys are admirable. You can probably save a fortune on construction costs by letting the big chain with bottomless pockets construct the building, and when you buy it from them when they fail the remaining portions of their brain identity will forever serve as a reminder of their failure.
I'm of the opinion that anything that helps out small businesses in this country is beyond wonderful. If it comes at the expense of the big boys, it's even better.
George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics
Link, found on Metafilter.
I've mused about this kind of thing a bit (usually after hearing a particularly mind-twisting Monty Python piece). Framing involves using words that imply things in favor of your point of view. The very phrase "tax relief" implies that taxes are ornerous. To say you're against it is to say as much that you are against relief as against taxes.
The solution George Kakoff (subject of the interview in this piece) suggests is that Democrats learn some of the verbal tricks conservatives have been using for a while. I think a better, but much harder, answer is to make yourself immune to it, as far as you are able. I know something screwy is going on every time I hear a guest on Talk Of The Nation dilligently rephrase something every time it's presented to him phrased differently than he wants, often slowly. He's slow because he's basically doing verbal math problems in his head.
Either way, this is a very important piece that helps you understand both politics and certain forms of comedy in a new light.
Link, found on Metafilter.
I've mused about this kind of thing a bit (usually after hearing a particularly mind-twisting Monty Python piece). Framing involves using words that imply things in favor of your point of view. The very phrase "tax relief" implies that taxes are ornerous. To say you're against it is to say as much that you are against relief as against taxes.
The solution George Kakoff (subject of the interview in this piece) suggests is that Democrats learn some of the verbal tricks conservatives have been using for a while. I think a better, but much harder, answer is to make yourself immune to it, as far as you are able. I know something screwy is going on every time I hear a guest on Talk Of The Nation dilligently rephrase something every time it's presented to him phrased differently than he wants, often slowly. He's slow because he's basically doing verbal math problems in his head.
Either way, this is a very important piece that helps you understand both politics and certain forms of comedy in a new light.
Monday, January 12, 2004
fUSION Anomaly. J.R.R. Tolkien
Link
Read down a little on this scattered discussion of the life and work of J.R.R. Tolkien and you'll find some strange things. I would have never guessed that people hold Tolkien meetings in Russia, dressing up as elves and speaking Elvish, a concept I find simultaneously cool and goofy-as-hell. Apparently some other people there get together solely to pretend to be orcs, though they seem to be getting something out of the idea that was nowhere to be found in The Lord of the Rings.
Amazingly enough, this link wasn't scavanged off of another blog.
Link
Read down a little on this scattered discussion of the life and work of J.R.R. Tolkien and you'll find some strange things. I would have never guessed that people hold Tolkien meetings in Russia, dressing up as elves and speaking Elvish, a concept I find simultaneously cool and goofy-as-hell. Apparently some other people there get together solely to pretend to be orcs, though they seem to be getting something out of the idea that was nowhere to be found in The Lord of the Rings.
Amazingly enough, this link wasn't scavanged off of another blog.
