Blog

The Workerless Office

RadioShack has upped their stock price by firing their employees via email.

Employees at the Fort Worth headquarters got messages Tuesday morning saying: "The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately, your position is one that has been eliminated" . . .

She said employees were invited to ask questions before Tuesday's notification on a company intranet site.

Well, if they are administrating via technology and (consequently) saving all those management resources, I hope those redundancies received similar emails.

He's Certainly Drooling

A film that digitally assassinates George W. Bush is the "easily the most dangerous and breathtakingly original film I have encountered this year" gushes Noah Cowan of the Toronto Film Festival.

Cautionary tales are too often flights of fancy; as they push the envelope of credibility, the lessons gleaned from dark speculation become somehow tarnished. Not here. Every moment is completely believable, every comment is somehow appropriate – to the point of chilling, horrifying certainty . . .

The film is never a personal attack on Bush; [Director Gabriel] Range simply seeks to explore the potential consequences that might follow from the President’s policies and actions.

Pathetic. I hope Mr. Cowan doesn't soil himself in anticipation.

A Day of Discoveries

So my friend Steve Severinghaus is an administrator on Wikipedia.

What fun. I might know others, but his is the only name I recognized.

(Hat tip to Tony Meizelis.)

Designed to Make Him Blush

Ed McCulloch sent me an interesting article about the appeal of South Korean men.

Sensitive and fit, they are a hot commodity. Ed is sensitive, fit, and has South Korean ancestry. He has great earning potential as a Motorolan currently receiving an advanced business education at Northwestern University.

This has been a public service announcement.

Ex-Presidential Privilege

The Secret Service protects Bill Clinton in Tanzania, to the detriment of diplomacy and common civility.

(Hat tip to Charles Bohall.)

A Hairless Society

In Iran, women are being monitored:

Police in Tehran have been ordering Iranian women to cover up, stopping those they perceive as "badly veiled" . . .

"The person could end up in jail depending on their relationship with the authorities," [Hadi Ghaemi of Human Rights Watch] said. "Generally, the imposition of strict Islamic codes has been increasing under [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad."

If there is a bright side to this news, I suppose it is that Iranian women don't spend 2 years of their life on their hair.

The average British woman spends an astonishing £36,903.75 on her hair in a lifetime, according to new research.

Brunette is the hair colour most favoured by 43 per cent of women, 33 per cent would like to be blonde, whilst 12 per cent strive to be redheads.

So that explains why my hair looks the way it does! I'm a wash-and-go type of girl, and I fear it will stay that way. Life is too short.

Only Funny at 1:00 A.M.

Learn the Truth about Darth Vader and the Matrix.

Heck, you may as well meet the ninjas. Thrice.

Not a Miracle Cure Yet

A group of British scientists are trying to spread the word that stem cell "therapy" could be less than promised:

A group of leading British scientists warned patients today to be wary of "extravagant" claims made for "unorthodox" stem cell treatments offered abroad . . .

"[T]here is concern that these unproven treatments could be dangerous, potentially exposing patients to the risk of uncontrolled and inappropriate tissue generation."

I doubt that women in search of a fountain of youth or desperate victims of multiple sclerosis will pay much attention.

A Dollar Saved is a Dollar Earned

Doesn't SprialFrog place us right back where we started?

Universal Music, the world’s largest music company, is backing a start-up that will allow consumers to download songs for free. It will rely on advertising for its revenues, offering a different business model from that of Apple Computer’s popular iTunes music store.

Should SpiralFrog succeed, music will be free once again.

So, kiddies, we have earned our reward for being good, law-abiding citizens: it was pointless . . . and costly.

A Dozen Pots in the Kitchen

The Duluth police are looking for someone with a twisted sense of humor:

During law enforcement's briefing on how they were going to conduct the ATV sting Saturday, [News Tribune's Janna] Goerdt heard two members of a rival news team talking about "something interesting" in front of the police station at 5315 Grand Ave . . .

The gardener dug out the 12 marijuana plants by their roots and presented them to Beyer. They were 4 to 6 inches high and [Duluth City Gardner Tom] Kasper estimated they had been growing about three weeks.

I dunno. Isn't it possible for marijuana plants to grow in the wild? They had to originate somewhere.

My Coffee Profile

Caramel Frappuccino

Creative and expressive, you tend to match your Frappuccino flavor to your mood. And a flavored syrup is always a must!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

My Alcohol Profile

You Are a Strawberry Margarita

You're so sweet it's a little overwhelming, and people are a little afraid of corrupting you... It's a little difficult to imagine you with a margarita. And you're truly a different person after you've kicked back a couple!

What Flavor Margarita Are You?

Another Milestone

This is my 2000th blog entry.

(See 1000th blog entry.)

Causing Chaos and Joy Since 2001

I . . . can't . . . stand . . . the . . . brilliance!

ImprovEverywhere

(Hat tip to Ed McCulloch.)

Different, but the Same

You've Changed 44% in 10 Years

You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person. You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but it hasn't changed you.

(Hat tip to a friend of Bryan Johnson.)

Spock Rocks

Mark Harris sent me some brilliant Star Trek Inspirational Posters.

They have something for everyone:

And my personal favorite . . .

Up That Premium

It is absurd that insurance should have to pay for coverage that was never requested.

Paul Leonard did not buy flood insurance, but through his attorney, Dickie Scruggs, filed a lawsuit arguing that Nationwide Insurance should cover his losses from Hurricane Katrina regardless of what his insurance contract said . . .

[W]hat is fair about asking insurance companies to cover risk they did not agree to cover?

Indeed. And since that money has to come from somewhere, what is fair about asking the rest of us to cover it? Pity Mr. Leonard though I might, if also understand that if I choose to opt out of extra insurance coverage, I can't consider myself entitled to the coverage for which I didn't pay.

Ethical people understand this.

(Hat tip to Lori Donlon.)

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Brian Preston has drawn my attention to Armor of God PJs.

. . . and . . . that's all I can think to say.

It Couldn't Last Forever

SCI FI Channel is proud to be the network that brought Stargate SG-1 to its record-breaking 10th season. Ten seasons and 215 episodes is an astounding, Guinness World Record-setting accomplishment. Stargate is a worldwide phenomenon. Having achieved so much over the course of the past 10 years, SCI FI believes that the time is right to make this season their last on the channel. SCI FI is honored to have been part of the Stargate legacy for five years, and we look forward to continuing to explore the Stargate universe with our partners at MGM through a new season of Stargate Atlantis.

SG-1 was canceled!

I am bereft. Thanks for ruining my day, Barbara Walker.

The Ape-Man Cometh

A Catholic cardinal is weighing in on Darwinian evolution:

Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna said he thought Darwin's theories on evolution deserve to be studied in schools, along with the scientific question marks that remain.

It is right to teach "the science of Darwin, not ideological Darwinism," Cardinal Schonborn said Aug. 23.

I agree with him. To discount scientific theory is a disservice our public education system. On the other hand, it is foolishness to teach Darwin's theories as fact. They are theories and they should be taught as theories and debated as theories, in conjunction with all the other theories on the table.

Additionally, it is silly to place "Darwin" and "God" at odds with one another. Darwin himself declared that he was never an atheist. He simply had some funky ideas about how creation came about.

I think we lose sight of that.

CCC Q&A

Tim Schwarzenberger clued me into the fact that the Vatican published a compendium of the catechism.

What fun!

Falling Prices

Wal-Mart capitalism has crumbled:

A bastion of private business, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has fought efforts to form unions elsewhere in its worldwide operations. But in recent weeks it said it agreed to work with the state-sanctioned labor federation to allow unions in its outlets in China, where it has 30,000 employees . . .

China does not allow independent labor organizations. Unions usually represent the work force of a single company or outlet, rather than an industry, and they traditionally have been allied with management.

I am presuming that this grand social experiment will fail. But perhaps it might be okay, since it will be company-specific.

While I don't shop much at Wal-Mart, I admire their moxie. Here's hoping for the best.

Louisiana Ranks 45 of 50 in Education

Red River Elementary School certainly knows how to deal with potential prejudice:

Nine black children attending Red River Elementary School were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children.

When I first heard this news, my immediate reaction was that an overreaction was occurring to (probably) a group of disruptive children were told to sit at the back of the bus. And the children - all nine of them belonging to two families - probably happened to be black.

But whatever the truth of the matter, the school system has decided to nip this horrendous discrimination in the bud.

A new solution reached Monday by School Board officials has a black bus driver driving across town to pick up the nine black children.

So now they have a separate bus . . .

Simple, But Elegant

Have I mentioned how amazing Ty Wilson is?

Were I rich enough to indulge in an art collection, he would be my mainstay.

Pix Plz

Girls don't exist on the Intarweb.

(Hat tip to Rushabh Doshi.)

Mash Them to a Rejuvenating Pulp

Have Western women gone mad?

So what is it about stem cells that has set tongues wagging in the beauty world? They are the building blocks of every human body but are far more plentiful in embryos, which are still growing, human foetuses, or newborn babies, than in adults . . .

New York: The Nabi Medspa: The treatment: The Frozen in Time Stem-Cell Facial - £150.

I can't even adequately describe the level of revulsion I feel. To reiterate (as I have done in the past) I have no objection to stem cell research, per se, but I have a great deal of objection to the destruction of a fetus to obtain it. Stem cells can be acquired from umbilical cords and even the fat of adults. The destruction of a life is unnecessary.

That said . . .

It seems we, in our industrialized selfishness and decadence, have created a demand for the fetuses of developing nations, to be acquired, pulverized and injected into women in search of a fountain of youth. All I can see in my head is the image of the facelift scene in Brazil or the image of Lucrezia Borgia drinking the blood of young girls to give herself eternal life.

It's grotesque. Do we have no perspective?

Survival of the Fittest

Why is there to be an "investigation" into the crazy fireman in the dryer? It's quite clear who did it and what happened. Why waste any more resources - and newsprint - on it?

It's silly. It was a dopey prank and it doesn't look like anyone got hurt. And even if the man did hurt himself, he would merely be eliminating his personal idiocy from the gene pool.

What the Mouse Dragged In

Perhaps I'm old fashioned about this, but why would anyone want to smell like cheese?

[A]n emerging trend is seeing perfumers break with tradition, as they look to diversify in an over-flooded market. Cheese, cars and the smell of sweat are just some of the latest scents to be captured and bottled for a market eager to try unique and individual new perfumes . . .

[A]ged rockers Kiss are to launch their own fragrance line this autumn, containing a heady whiff of sweat and pheromones, along with sinful accords of bare skin and patent leather.

But apparently one can already purchase Stilton Cheese.

Ew.

Who Could Get Bored?

Now customers can build and design their own Lego sets.

Oh, and there is free shipping this week. (Note Jabba's Sail Barge.)

The Latest in Fashion

Please ignore the title of the video (which is pointlessly vulgar,) but the content is hilarious.

(Hat tip to Gary Pryzbocki.)

A Dedicated Duo

If one is to be passionate about something, it might as well be reading.

Schackne and Molina camped out in front of the library the night before its opening so they could be the first ones inside the next day.

"It's all I imagined it to be and a little bit more," Molina said as he looked around.

Wow. I'm inspired. I wonder if there are any libraries around here that are opening soon.

(Hat tip to Charles Bohall.)

The Basics of Laura

This is a bit o' fun, but don't do it unless you have a throwaway email account for such things. I don't know what sort of spam could result . . .

Create your own friendquiz here

(Hat tip to Beth Dillman.)

A Jolting Realization

This is, in the words of Ed McCulloch, a neat Mac hack.

Communal Theology

So my overall assessment of the 2006 Joliet Diocese Theology on Tap program is that it wasn't particularly theological.

I think this is an unfortunate, but I suppose it's also deliberate. I presume there is a deeply rooted conviction that 20 and 30-something adults are either (1) uninterested in the basis of their faith or (2) already acquired it by osmosis while kumbaya-ing around a candle in their CCD classes.

I dunno. Perhaps I really am in the minority of people who want to sit in a group and discuss Aquinas and Augustine and learn about Liguori's perspective on the Jewish sacrificial system. I am disappointed to think so; I like to think that I am fairly typical.

I hope that doesn't sound too harsh. I admit that I was quite dismayed by the "floof" of the first couple talks I attended (and exceedingly annoyed by the doctrinal ignorance of one,) but I did loosen up enough during the last two talks to appreciate it as the social event it was intended to be. The speakers were enthusiastic and engaging and the evenings were pleasant overall.

I just want more.

A Socially Conscious Droid

C3PO doesn't advocate smoking.

And the Star Wars Cantina doesn't let a drunk alien drive home.

(Hat tip to John Dodd.)

Clickity Clack

Warm Up America! and Save the Children are calling all knitters and crocheters around America to knit little caps for children in developing nations, as both an assist and a publicity stunt.

I don't know much about either group, but on first glance, it seems a thoroughly worthy effort to me.

(Hat tip to Rebecca McNulty.)