Or Other Factors
Louis C.K. said, about Francis Ford Coppola, that when Mr. Coppola wants to do something he just does it. Doesn’t wait for a deal, doesn’t wait on financing, he just does it. (That is not an exact quote. It is on the current WTF podcast.) ~ Three rules for blogging, or whatever you want to call this thing. Don’t spill your beverage. Link to your source. Have fun. ~ co MAHDification make a commodity coMODEification make a commode the two concepts are surprisingly similar ~ Gephyromania-a passion for bridges- wordoftheday subfuscous – dark,dusky,somber sponsored by tracfone ~ power vulnerability transcript ~ @postcrunk i’ll tolerate all the systematic oppression as long as i can express my identity through the public display of consumer goods i’ve purchased ~ @TheHashtagGame Dear @mpbachmeier, You’ve been flagged as a troll by @TheHashtagGame. You were provided a private opportunity to remedy and declined. #BLOCK ~ @TheTweetOfGod I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Bible is 100% accurate. Especially when thrown at close range. ~ @NationalCenter So where do you stand? Are you really a conservative, or do you just claim to be one? Take our quiz and find out! ~ Last year we did Imbolc on the night of the Super Bowl. This year, that will be February 1. There is something naughty about ignoring what the media orders us to do. ~ It gets mighty lonely telling people that Santa Claus is not real. I sometimes wonder how good this so called integrity is. Maybe it is better to have people around you. ~ My third grade teacher said to never buy books. If you want something, you can find it at the library. She probably did not go to yard sales. ~ @marcmaron Ranking artists and making lists is a dead culture’s version of intellectualism. ~ When you are through with a book you take it back and the library. They find a place to keep it. When you move, it is still there. ~ This post violates an unnumbered commandment: Thou shalt not install auto start media players. ~ This is how the free market operates. If the producer, and the distributor, cannot come to an agreement that is mutually profitable, then the deal is off. ~ Dan Savage tells the story of a man in Kentucky who has sex with his horse. Mr. Savage asked if the horse was male or female. The Kentucky man said it was female … I AM NOT HOMOSEXUAL ~ A Russ Meyer movie,”Vixen,” played at that theater. You could dial a phone number, and hear an actress invite you to see the movie. ~ I will not be posting my year in review. Facebook’s algorithm appears to believe that I’m a total slut– and we all already know that. ~ Hariet Brown has a safer spaces policy, and we ask anyone within our space to follow that policy. This means that we do not tolerate abuse of any kind, including sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination based on ability, age, cultural background, education, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, language, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other factors. Please be respectful of people’s identities, experiences, opinions, beliefs and boundaries, and be aware of the effect your language and behavior has on others (despite what your intentions may be). If you violate this policy, we have the right to ask you to leave. Our full safer space policy is on our page, so check that out or message us if you have any questions or concerns. ~ @postcrunk first no tooth fairy then no santa and no god and then your parents are only human your government is corrupt and the universe is a hologram ~ pictures from . “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
When You Can’t Say Anything Good
Dangerousminds , which is seldom at a loss for words, posted the video of Bob Dylan seen above. The young Mr. Zimmerman is in angry young man mode, and discusses the concept of an all picture Time magazine. All pictures, no words. This may be where this blog is headed.
Writers block is real. You have all of modern media at your beck and call, and yet you don’t have a message. TwentyTwoWords posts the story of a medical study into writers block. The study wastes no words in it a pithy treatment of this issue. It is an unspoken masterpiece, the treatment that dare not speak it’s name. The research was financed by a block grant.
The findings of this study were replicated in 2007. The report is included here, in it’s entirety. The editor noted “I did not change one word, and this is a first in my tenure as editor.” There is no word on whether the report was submitted before the deadline.
Ben Hecht tells a story in his autobiography “Child of the Century”. As a young, underpaid newspaper writer in Chicago, Mr. Hecht was hired to participate in literary debates. In the era before movies and radio, these were considered after dinner entertainment. One night, Mr. Hecht got together with his opponent, and hatched a plan. The topic of the debate was “People who attend literary debates are idiots”. The first speaker did not say a word, but gestured towards the crowd. The second speaker said, “you win.”
“Child of the Century” is now out of print. In 1994, PG thought he was going to have to move, and the first step was to throw away things. His copy of “Child of the Century” was one thing he pitched.
The sound that you hear is one hand clapping. Those reading with one hand can join in with the other one. Appreciation is always welcome. Vintage pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library” .
This is a repost. PG thinks writer’s block should be called writer’s tackle, but few agree. The owner of this blog has stumbled into a session of contract employment, and does not have as much free time as before. The internet will survive.
Phoebus Cartel
99pi has a show out, Episode 144: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out. It seems as though a firehouse in Livermore CA has a light bulb that has burned continuously since 1901. It is a big deal, with a BULBCAM shining worldwide.
“The bulb is a genuine heirloom from the dawn of electric illumination, built by one of its pioneers: Adolphe Chaillet…. Chaillet liked to do a theatrical product demo where he’d have a big theatre marquee-like light bulb bank. In it would be one bulb of his own design, and the rest would be bulbs by competing brands. Then, Chaillet would start slowly dialing up the power. One by one, the competitors’ bulbs would all explode. Every time, Chaillet’s would be the last one shining.”
At some point in the show, the Phoebus Cartel was discussed. By amazing coincidence, today is the ninetieth anniversary of planned obsolescence.
“On 23 December 1924, a group of leading international businessmen gathered in Geneva for a meeting that would alter the world for decades to come. Present were top representatives from all the major light bulb manufacturers, including Germany’s Osram, the Netherlands’ Philips, France’s Compagnie des Lampes, and the United States’ General Electric. As revelers hung Christmas lights elsewhere in the city, the group founded the Phoebus cartel, a supervisory body that would carve up the worldwide incandescent light bulb market, with each national and regional zone assigned its own manufacturers and production quotas. It was the first cartel in history to enjoy a truly global reach.”
The idea was to produce a light bulb that did not last as long as previously manufactured items. With a shorter lifespan, the producers could sell more bulbs. Where the pre-Phoebus bulb lasted up to 2000 hours, the new bulbs had a mandated life of 1000 hours.
It is an urban legend. There are light bulbs that never burn out. The government uses them. This bit of high school wisdom has been around for generations.
The screw-type light bulb socket was invented by Thomas Edison, and named E26/E27. It’s use was mandated by the Phoebus Cartel. This standard is still in use today. The light bulb jokes started much later, about the same time the chicken decided to cross the road.
The Phoebus Cartel did not last very long. The major light bulb manufacturers were on opposite sides of World War II. The Cartel had been on shaky ground, both legally, and in the free marketplace. The War was the last straw. The 1924 agreement was nullified in 1940. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Clusterduck
This is a repost, from this time last year. Phil Robertson continues to be on shameless public display. He is generous with his opinions, as with this discussion of an Iraqi fighting force: “In this case you have to convert them, which I think would be next to impossible, I’m not giving up on them, I’m just saying convert them or kill them. One or the other. … I’d much rather have a Bible study with all of them and show them the error of their ways and point them to Jesus Christ,”
PG had heard about yet another celebrity making offensive comments about queers. Since PG had never seen, nor heard of, the tv show the celebrity was in, it was questionable how much concern it deserved. After a few days of facebook firestorm, PG began to wonder just what the man said.
Mr. Google had a list of 299 million places to look. On the first page, there was a link. PG clicked on the link. After a few seconds, an auto start video started to play. It was a commercial for a Dove soap product, designed for the use of men. There was no place to turn the noise off. PG left the site.
On the second page of the google list was a link to What the Duck? This was the article, in GQ magazine, that quacked up America. It seems like a writer went to Louisiana to listen to Phil Robertson. The writer is surprised that Monroe, LA, is pronounced MUN row.
The sensational quote is presented, without any context, early on in the piece. Any casual readers will see it before the attention span runs out. There are other bizarre quotes. Supposedly, black people in Louisiana were happier under Jim Crow. (FWIW, “He and his wife, Korie, adopted a biracial child named Will and are dedicated advocates of the practice.”) “Islamists” are a “society where there is no Jesus.” And on, and on, and on. Spell check suggestion for Islamists: Misogamists, Alarmists.
The article paints the picture of a man, perhaps well meaning, who simply cannot keep his mouth shut. “While Phil proselytizes, I lean over to Willie (Phil’s son), who is playing a video game on his phone. Boy, it’s hard to get a word in with him! Willie nods knowingly, barely looking up. I get the sense he’s heard all this before, many, many times.”
The article keeps coming back to the “faith” of Mr. Robertson. He does seem to believe what he says. So did the people who flew planes into the World Trade Center. At some point a person has to ask what it says, about Jesus, to be represented by Phil Robertson. (Not to mention Pat Robertson, who has no doubt been confusd for Phil.) Maybe we should just leave it at that.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. These are Union Soldiers, from The War Between the States. Their targets fired back.
Drug Screen
The work assignment required a drug screen. On one level, this is no big deal. PG has been detoxed for a while. A residual distaste for the war on drugs except alcohol does linger over the chore.
There was an email. You print the information on the email, and take it to an office. The offices are listed on the email, in fine print. PG printed the email, and wrote the address, and phone number, of the nearest office on the back. This office had moved across the street.
PG called the phone number. A lengthy recorded message started, with no menu options. 3 was the number for speaking to a person. The line went directly to voicemail.
Since the office was nearby, PG decided to just go (to the office.) Fortunately, the office was only a couple of miles away. The note said 976 Johnson Ferry Road. When you went past Northside Hospital, the next building is an MOB complex. There are 2 buildings, 960 and 980.
PG turns around to go home. He tries to call the office, and gets voice mail. He leaves a message. “This is a nightmare. Answer your phone.” He might have raised his voice.
When he got home, PG took another look at the email. After enlarging the text, he saw that the address was 975 Johnson Ferry Road, instead of 976. PG called another office of the drug testing company. The line was busy. PG then tried the first office again, and left a message.
A few minutes later, the lady from the first office called back. Yes, they were open today, and were not especially busy. To get to the parking lot, you turn onto Meridian Mark Drive, and take a right into the parking deck. This is something else the email did not tell you.
Once PG got to the office, things came out all right. The lady was very friendly. It turns out she is in the office by herself. The drug testing company is trying to squeeze all the profits they can.
The procedure was the same as before. Go in the bathroom, fill the cup past the sticker, and do not flush. You fill the cup, and put the toilet seat back down. There is a sink behind the desk, where the attendant watches you wash your hands. You need to sign three copies of the “URINE CHAIN OF CUSTODY FORM.” At this point the procedure is finished.
As if the medical extortion committee is not punishment enough, most facilities require you to pay for parking. When it was time to leave, PG had to wait behind a BMW. The AMEX card was rejected, and the lady fed dollar bills into a machine. A man in the little building talked on his phone, and pointed to the machine. PG fed enough dollar bills into the machine to satisfy the hunger. Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”.
Fruit Cake
A facebook friend put some fruitcake facts on the internet. PG saw a chance for some text to put between pictures. He would be nutty as a fruitcake to turn down this chance. This is a repost.
Fruitcakes were buried with the dead in Ancient Egypt. It’s true. Ancient Egyptians used to fill the tombs of the dead with all the supplies that they would need to enjoy the afterlife, including food and water. Fruitcake was often put into the tomb of a deceased person because a fruitcake soaked in a natural preservative like alcohol or fruit juice would last a long time. It was thought that the preserved fruitcake would not spoil on the journey to the afterlife. Fruitcake was a staple food of other ancient Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and Mediterranean cultures as well
Candied fruits are used in fruitcake because using sugar was the only way to preserve the fruit long enough to get it back to Europe from the Middle East. When the Crusaders began carrying exotic fruits back to their European home the fresh fruit would spoil long before they were able to get it home. Ingenious traders began drying the fruits by candying them with sugar which made them an even more delicious treat and preserved them indefinitely. Once the candied fruits were sent to Europe and to other parts of the world they were baked into cakes so that they could be shared with family and friends on special occasions.
Fruitcakes will last for years without spoiling. It’s true. A fruitcake that is properly preserved with an alcohol soaked cheesecloth that is then wrapped in plastic wrap or foil can be kept unrefrigerated for years without spoiling. In the past, before refrigerators came along, families would make fruitcake for holidays and special occasions months in advance of the actual event and then let the covered fruitcakes sit wrapped in an alcohol soaked cloth until the event happened. As long as the cloth was remoistened with alcohol occasionally the cakes not only didn’t spoil, they actually tasted richer and sweeter because they had been soaking in brandy and rum for a couple of months.
To millions of fruitcake consumers, the town of Claxton GA is very special. This south Georgia town, just down the road from Reidsville, is home to Claxton Fruit Cake . The story of the Claxton Fruit Cake company is a sweet one. Savino Tos founded the Claxton Bakery in 1910. He hired Albert Parker in 1927, and sold him the business in 1945. Mr. Parker decided to sell Fruit Cake to America.
No story about fruitcake is complete without mentioning the “Fruitcake Lady”. Marie Rudisill , an aunt of Truman Capote, wrote a book of fruitcake recipes. She became a tv celebrity, before going to the bakery in the sky November 3, 2006.
The urban dictionary has nine listings for fruit cake. The ones for homosexuals and crazy people are there. UD gets creative with this selection: “The act of releasing green chunky diarrhea onto your partners face then, ejaculating on it, then punching him/her in the nose causing the colors to mix together to form a fruit cake like color.”
If you tire of jokes about fruitcake, you can go to The society for the protection and preservation of fruitcake . (If you click on the “new URL”, you will be invited to join in the green card lottery.) There used to be a link on the society page that enables you to buy Fruitcake Mints. “Keep your breath fruitcake fresh with these festive mints!”
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”
Validate My Existence
@illhueminati SAY IT WITH ME: I AM A BEAUTIFUL, COMPLEX HUMAN BEING AND I DONT NEED ANYONE TO VALIDATE MY EXISTENCE ~ you don’t have to shout ~ Say it with me: I am a beautiful, complex human being and I don’t need anyone to validate my existence ~ Georgia just executed a man with a 70 IQ. The only lawyer who would take his case was a useless alcoholic. The Social Justice Warriors have been totally silent. Pointing fingers, and screaming racism, is more important than taking action on something that matters. ~ the morning after wayne holsey died nineteen years after will robinson died one could ask why the social justice clique was so quiet one could ask if any murders were prevented one could ask what drugs were used when nathan deal got a notch on his belt ~ This is true and not true. The event you describe probably happened. However, it was not the only event like that. People started to put flowers on soldier graves as the war was still going on. After a conflict as horrific as the War Between the States, some sort of remembrance was inevitable. ~ This “war on christmas” is such a pain. I like secular christmas. If you want to be religious, you can. If you want to shop till you drop, you can. If you want to drink to excess, you can. (The original meaning of merry christmas was a drunken holiday.) The trouble is that the some Jesus worshipers want the holiday to be all about them. ~ Most research is designed to provide evidence for an already decided outcome. ~ just heard episode11 #serialpodcast it is starting to wear thin next week is the final show ~ WWYDJ What Would You Do To Jesus ~ Al Pieda is an international terrorist group consisting entirely of pastry chefs. AP has claimed responsibility for several heinous crimes, including the assassination of Betty Crocker in 1996, ~ From FUCK YOU / a magazine of the ARTS, number 5, vol 6, Apr. 1964 ~ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the copyright to this recording, nor am I claiming ownership, it is being posted here strictly for all Judy fans as a promotional and entertainment tool. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. ~ @mbsycamore why is dress the verb if you are wearing pants? If you wore a dress, would they like the way you pant? ~ Whereas OKCupid is mostly, “Young professional heteropatriarchic ‘centrist’ republican seeking overly manscaped MBA/accountant with a below-average sex drive for a honeymoon at Martha’s Vinyard followed by long walks on the beach with our Mastiff when we’re not ‘cutting it loose’ at Disney World’s oxygen bar.” ~ @MiguelDaCosta01 Bio: Married to God. But she’s away a lot, so feel free to sext. ~ If you think your post has disappeared, see spam or an inappropriate post, please do not hesitate to contact the mods, we’re happy to help. ~ not your soapbox, personal army, or advertising platform. Questions seeking professional advice are inappropriate and will be removed. Soliciting money, goods, services, or favours is not allowed. All users are expected to be respectful to other users at all times Comment replies consisting solely of images will be removed. ~ Clarice Starling: I graduated from UVa, Captain; it’s not exactly a charm school. ~ They should have kept Marthasville. ~ keep your mouth shut ~ I would suggest starting out with a blog on a hosted site, like WordPress. It would be free to start. If this turns into something, then you could go with a self hosted site. If you get tired of feeding the puppy, then you can ditch it with no harm done. There is a page on chamblee54 How to Blog with a few ideas about how to do this. ~ “The Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library”. ~ selah
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