Too Stupid for Words category archive
The Entitlement Society, Political Version 0
One can see the rationale for the law–one can imagine a Scott Walker or Rick Scott trumping up charges for political ends–but perhaps it needs a little rethinking.
This is hardly partisan. Remember Wilbur Mills.
Taking Fat Chances for Darwin Awards 2
Around noon each day, motorists waiting to place orders at the McDonald’s drive-thru window back up into the roadway north of Fairfax, holding up traffic in the right lane and forcing drivers behind them to brake for the fast-food line.
The story goes on to report that there have been accidents and even more near-misses and that the line blocks entrances to other businesses in the block. The McDonald’s has hired extra staff for lunches and posted warning signs, which are ignored.
This stretch of the Concord Pike (which columnist Ralph Moyed used to call the “Conquered Pike”) is a six-lane wide (sometimes 10 with turning lanes) suburban shopping strip with small businesses, some medium-sized shopping centers, a couple of hotels, and a mall, all packed closely together.
If I recall correctly, the speed limit is mostly 45 with a stretch of 35, limits most drivers wave to on the way to 60.
Savvy locals learn quickly the streets to use to avoid 202 (my favorite was Shipley).
The McDonald’s sits on a small lot in the middle of the block. It serves the same cookie-cutter garbage as every other McDonald’s.
There is no accounting for taste.
No Way To Teach (Updated) 0
Once again, a Georgia school comes up with the wrong way to address slavery in school. This time it was in Gwinnet County, a wealthy suburb north of Atlanta.
Ericka Lasley told Channel 2 that her 8-year-old daughter said she was a slave and other students were slave catchers during a game similar to tag. The third-grade student said the teacher proposed the game based on what the class is learning.
“She would sit on the bench and the slave catchers would come up to the door and ask did she have any slaves,” the girl said.
Addendum, Later That Same Day:
ABL explains what should have happened:
TOMMY: Hey you wanna play slave/slave catcher?
SUZIE: Gee ok.
TEACHER: ::blows whistle:: HEY! KNOCK IT OFF!
419 on ‘Roids 0
Don’t believe everything you read:
The offer turned out to be a so-called 419 scam on an epic scale. South African police say the credulous man arrived with his daughter only for both to be taken hostage in a township for four days.
Why persons will believe stuff they read on a computer when the wouldn’t believe the same stuff if it came in the mail continues to baffle me.
H/T to my brother for the link.
“If Johnny Had Three Apples . . .” 0
One word problem stated, “Each tree had 56 oranges. If 8 slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?” Another said, “If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in 1 week?”
The school’s defense is that the teachers were trying to work history into the math exercise.
If that was indeed their motive, this was a profoundly stupid way to do it.
The worksheets are being pulled.
Driving while Brown 0
How does a 14-year-old American turn into a 22-year-old Columbian and get deported?
By being brown.
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I have no doubt that, had she not been not-white, someone would have said, “Wait a minute. She doesn’t look 22. Let’s look into this a little deeper.”
No doubt whatsoever.
Via C&L, where’s there’s more.
Computer Crashes on Freeway 0
The BBC reports:
In-vehicle internet access is close to becoming reality, according to the world’s top car bosses.
The survey by KPMG looking at future trends shows speech recognition and internet connection with wi-fi and 3G will become the norm.
More than a third (37%) of the 200 car executives believe “infotainment” in cars is nearly as important as car safety.
Car manufacturers will also join forces with music, telecoms and IT companies.
I predict that the bottom will fall out of the scrap metal business because of a smashing increase in supply.
Twits on Twitter 0
Stock car twits spinning out on the curves.
Facebook Frolics 0
You can’t make this stuff up.
(snip)
Cops say she posted a photo of the stolen statue to her Facebook page (which was spotted by a witness who contacted police).
Trial by Jury Balloons (Updated) 0
New antics in Happy Valley:
Words fail me.
Addendum:
Mr. Lawyer Person is regretting his words.
Duh.
End Addendum
Afterthought:
As much as persons decry the flood of sexual imagery in our society (I recently watched my first episode of Two and a Half Men–in between the laughs, I was amazed that it was actually on; Father Knows Best was never like this!), it occurs there may be a positive aspect to it.
When I was a young un, sex was a secret known only to adults and undiscussed by everyone, except in code. A sexual handbook, for instance, was a “marriage manual.” If you ever saw one, you will remember that it had damned little in it about budgets, communications, and emotional give-and-take, but a lot about anatomical give-and-take.
Sex is as universal a human experience* as birth and death. Being willing to talk openly about it humorously or salaciously may enable persons to talk openly about it seriously.
In situations involving sexual victimization, this could translate into victims willing to speak up promptly and testify if need be–before the statute of limitations expires.
Since the incidence of sexual abuse and assault is far more common than most persons realize, this is a good thing.
___________________
*The thought is not original to me. I read it recently, but I cannot remember where.
The Republican War on Science 0
Little Ricky Santorum takes it public.
Clipboard Nazis 2
Philly dot com tells the story of a condominium where exterior colored Christmas lights are banned. Only white lights are permitted and then only in certain locations (for example, in the shrubbery, not on the building itself).
Residents agreed to these restrictions when they bought their units.
All palaver about “rules are rules” aside, here’s the reason given for having and enforcing this one:
Former board president Kenneth Davis called the matter a “nonissue.”
“Whatever you want to do, do it inside,” Davis said, adding that the board was trying to preserve property values.
Questions of good taste aside, persons have the screwiest notions about what affects property values.
[Fade to dream sequence]
Real Estate Agent: “So, would you like to make an offer?”
Pigeon: “I don’t think so. They had ugly Christmas decorations last year.”
[Fade back in]
Rules are indeed rules.
Arbitrary and stupid are still arbitrary and stupid.
Full disclosure:
I live in a condo. They have rules about decorations.
They may be arbitrary about some things, but they are not stupid.
Twits on Twitter 0
Entitled to a jury of your twits:
Sample texts of twits at the link.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up 0
Cherry Knoll Elementary School Principal Chris Parker told television station WPBN on Monday that he was disappointed with the decision to make the change to “Deck the Halls” after children kept giggling.
One line in the popular version of the song is “Don we now our gay apparel,” referring to festive holiday clothing.
More distressing than students’ state of vocabulary-challenged-ness is that the writer of the news story felt it necessary to define “gay” for the readers of the news story.
I Wouldn’t Want To Disclose It Either 2
This is enough to make your nose twitch:
There’s a reason one Delawarean I know refers to her as “Christine O’Dodo.”