Time Magazine’s article on the subject is just disturbing. What’s wrong with people?
Garfield
This is the right way to deal with homage or mockery. Make money off of it!
My opinion of Jim Davis just went way up.
Heavy Water
Good gravy:
The state’s water park regulator said Thursday it appears a family was injured on a new slide at Rapids Water Park because their combined weight was between 850 and 900 pounds – much heavier than the posted limit for a single raft.
“There were warning signs at the slide. There’s a maximum 700 pounds for riders,” said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
However, a lawyer for the injured family has declined to rule out the possibility that a suit might be filed on behalf of John D. Lenahan and his three children.
Ride inspectors arrived at Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach on Wednesday afternoon after fire-rescue was called to treat Lenahan and the children, who were injured when their raft flipped over on the new Black Thunder attraction, McElroy said.
One father. Three children aged 11, 14 and 15. 900 lbs. That’s 225 lbs per Lenahan. Unless his children are all strapping football players, I suspect this is another Attack of the American Diet.
What’s really interesting is the sidebar:
Of 206 total accidents at both permanent parks such as Rapids Water Park and traveling carnivals, 186 were found to have been caused by patron error.
No number on how many patrons we’re talking about. But when 90% of the problem is patron error, I would say we’ve safetied these things up to about the public’s level of intelligence.
Not that this means the regulators should go home. Anytime you’re dealing with children and water, supervision is a good idea.
Dead Silence
If this ever becomes widespread, the internet will be filled with a ghostly silence.
Wednesday Night Linkorama
I exaggerate not a bit when I describe the prevailing politics of L.A. to be roughly as follows: Wal-Mart and big box stores = evil, and need to be stopped at all costs. Also, we need more cheap supermarkets! Mom and pop stores need to be defended from Big Corporations, unless they sell fried chicken or used tires, or get in the way of a big development project. We have an affordable housing crisis, which is why we need to raise property taxes, limit the footprint of houses on their lots, and bulldoze thousands of affordable houses to make way for schools that we don’t need!
Signs You Are A Dad, Part II
I watch morning TV with my daughter. Correction: morning TV is on. She plays with her toys. I play with my computer.
Sesame Street is a kids’ show, but it’s a good kids’ show. It’s kind of fun to watch it my little girl. And they’re kind of clever, sometimes. Of course, it also has some nostalgia value even though I have no clear memories of watching the show as a kid.
What follow Sesame Street is another story. I’d heard of Barney the purple dinosaur before and assumed that the extreme hostility some feel toward him was exaggerated or some strangely hip thing, like hating the Phantom Menace. I now find that I was wrong. Barney sucks. His show is incredibly annoying. I just want to run onto the stage and start punching those big dinosaurs. I’m hoping very fervently that my daughter feels the same way.
McCain Stumbles
What’s worse than the stupid gas tax holiday? McCain trying to defend it.
We’re In Trouble
Our economy is definitely in recession. How do I now?
Right before the last recession, I noticed that a lot of companies were changing their names for now apparent reason. Phillip Morris became Altria, Anderson Consulting became Accenture, etc. When American companies have nothing better to do with their money and lawyers than change names, we’re about to hit an economic downturn.
I’ve noticed recently a lot of businesses relocating for no apparent reason. When American companies have nothing better do to with their money and lawyers than change locations, we’re about to hit an economic downturn.
Doha Falls
It’s so depressing to think of all the people who could be lifted out of poverty if the nations of the world would get their heads out of their asses. I do think it’s promising that more progress was made than ever before. And I suspect that once a Democrat is elected President, the countries of the world will find new reasons to broker a trade deal — just in time for the man with the worst trade record in Congress to scuttle it.
Signs You Are A Dad, Part I
How pathetic is it that I can correctly identify more sesame street characters (16/25) than Will Farrell movies (9). About as pathetic as realizing I know all the songs on Sesame Street but couldn’t identify a top 40 song if my life depended on it.
Urban Renewal
There’s been a spate of recent articles noting the inversion going on in our inner cities. Rich people are moving in; poor people are moving out. Our cities are being rebuilt.
This would have happened a long time ago if we hadn’t engaged in the catastrophe of government urban renewal.
The Right Wing Echosphere, Part 81
Neal Boortz is going of again on the Global Poverty Act:
We’ll be on the lookout. Barack Obama’s Global Poverty Act is supposed to be on the Senate calendar for a vote sometime soon. This is the fancy wealth redistribution scheme where the United States will provide the UN with .7% of its GDP to “eliminate global poverty.” Yeah, right. More like fund corrupt dictatorships. But if this bill comes up to vote, it will be interesting to see how Obamamania will play out in the Senate considering the actual facts of the bill. But how could anyone vote against the Messiah?
Bullshit. Here is the bill. it says the US should implement the UN’s goal of cutting global poverty in half. It says nothing about how that should be achieved, levies no tax and commits to no payments. It’s typical liberal feel-good legislation that does nothing.
What has happened to the Right Wing?
Bridezilla
I’ve heard of bad brides, but this is ridiculous. Some women are demanding that their bridesmaids get cosmetic surgery — in one case asking that they get breast implants.
You know the oppression of women by men has nothing on the oppression of women by each other.
Girls Can Add
I find this fascinating. Apparently, the gender gap in math achievement has vanished. So much for the idea that men’s brains are more abstract than women’s.
I do think the physical sciences will continue to be heavily male. Because while it is now very clear women have the ability to do effective science, it’s less clear that a career in science is of overwhelming interest to them.
On the other hand, maybe, in time, that will also prove to be false.