headline of the day, IV
North Korea To Punish Mourners Who Were Insincere
Dear Clusterflock
How do you deal with the unbearable rudeness of strangers? I’m serious, here, guys. It’s starting to really affect my life.
It could be anything — the guy who cuts you off when you’re clearly waiting for the men’s room, the guy who switches to the fucking right lane after he sees the “right lane ends 1000 feet” sign, the elderly couple who really ought to know better than narrate through the entire showing of The Artist (even after you finally yell “hey” after he says “he didn’t do it” – BANG!), the woman who starts doing her makeup next to you on the train, the omnipresent imbeciles yelling into thin air (oh, they’re on the phone).
I’m thinking of never going to another movie again (damn kids nearly ruined Red Riding Hood for me), or moving to a cabin in the woods. I’ve been checking Craigslist for jobs, but so far, nothing.
from the comments
A ground crewman who worked on my father’s WWII plane told me their B-26 Marauder was known as the “whore of the skies.” I feel like I can’t say the rest of his quote on this family wire. It crashed a lot. So use your imagination. This was about 15 years ago, during a ceremony for a large marker with the names of the men associated with Flak Bait when it was displayed at Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. This old fella said this to me right in front of Miss Nell, who smiled politely and said, “Okay, well now…” and took my arm and hustled ME off.
from the spam
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.” — Mark Twain.
There’s no law that says you can’t ask anything you want
Yesterday I posted Errol Morris talking about Believing Is Seeing. Here’s Miranda July talking about It Chooses You.
I really shouldn’t post this . . .
You might actually look at it, and that will be bad. Worse, posting may generate more attention and more traffic. But I’m thinking that maybe Christmas light-lookers aren’t hanging out here with us.
This is the spectacle that nearly blinded us as we turned onto the block for Pam’s and Jam’s Christmas Eve party.
They’ve been living near this since Thanksgiving.
I am thinking they would rather have Carole for their neighbor.
12 Indicted On Hate Crimes Charges For Hair Cutting Assaults Led By Break-Off Amish Group
I think this is my favorite story of 2011.
If you comment on this post…
I’ll say something insanely insulting to you.*
*So make it good so I have plenty to work with.
Phil Ochs: “I’m Going to Say It Now”
Achingly brief clip of Ochs in performance. Said to have been filmed at a Free Speech rally held in the spring of 1965 on The Oval at The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio.
from the comments
I’m a dick grabber. Ask anyone.
from the spam
One day. Xiao Ming another class …. a sudden “rush”(fart) a cry;sitting next to a small U.S. scolded and said: Xiao-Ming Ah ~ if you could not make a noise;
protips for arguing
A must read list of intellectually honest and dishonest debate tactics. For example:
Accusation of taking a quote out of context: debater accuses opponent of taking a quote that makes the debater look bad out of context. All quotes are taken out of context—for two reasons: quoting the entire context would take too long and federal copyright law allows “fair use” quotes but not reproduction of the entire text. Taking a quote out of context is only wrong when the lack of the context misrepresents the author’s position. The classic example would be the movie review that says, “This movie is the best best example of a waste of film I have ever seen,” then gets quoted as “This movie is the best…I’ve ever seen.” Any debater who claims a quote misrepresents the author’s position must cite the one or more additional quotes from the same work that supply the missing context and thereby reveal the true meaning of the author, a meaning which is very different from the meaning conveyed by the original quote that they complained about. Furthermore, other unrelated quotes that just prove the speaker is a nice guy are irrelevant. The discussion is about the offending quotes, not whether the speaker is a good guy. The missing context must relate to, and change the meaning of, the statements objected to, not just serve as character witness material about the speaker or writer. Merely pointing out that the quote is not the entire text proves nothing. Indeed, if a search of the rest of the work reveals no additional quotes that show the original quote was misleading, the accusation itself is dishonest.
You know those people you hate getting into arguments with? It’s probably because they, willfully or not, ignore these sorts of distinctions. (via @interdome)
Keeping with a theme…
Enough with the “he just can’t seem to leave the seat down”. Why *can’t* there be a gender neutral position for that porcelain receptacle? Leaving it “lid down” means both men and women must take pains to be courteous. Discuss(t).
from the moderated comments
I PISS ON YOUR FACE AS I FUCK YOUR MOM AND SISTER
headline of the day
Fla. lawmaker wants to bring back firing squads
Mullet the Amish Barber, or more Amish mugshots
Sam Mullet said he didn’t order the hair-cutting but didn’t stop two of his sons and another man from carrying it out last week on a 74-year-old man in his home in rural eastern Ohio.
Previously, on clusterflock.
after farting…
S’cuse me, I have a touch of assburpers.
tweet of the day
tweet of the day
Update: Point. Counterpoint.
from the comments
Erica: Once you’ve fried my slice of cake, could I trouble you to impale it on a stick?
from the comments
The tree is a huge native holly, from a distance it looks like a magnolia. And as the ice thaws, the birds swarm their favorite party tree, stripping it of fermented berries. They create a ruckus, but not the high, shrill din the hawk’s appearances bring. More like they’re sitting on bar stools, trying to out-cheep each other. Little drunkards.
Your mother wears combat boots into Japanese apartments, which is impolite.
And other modern insults.
(via @tcarmody)
Dear ‘The Situation’, the situation is…
Abercrombie says a connection to The Situation goes against the “aspirational nature” of its brand and may be “distressing” to customers. The Ohio-based retailer says it has offered a “substantial payment” to Sorrentino and producers of the MTV show so he’ll wear something else.
How to email a student
I’ve recently started working at a university and I’ve never dealt with ruder people. This is sage advice for anybody, professor or not:
Address the writer by name.
Reply as if you’re speaking, not as if you’re writing a telegram.
Sign off. See you in class or See you next week can help make a prof sound less like the Delphic oracle and more like an everyday human.
He also has an exceedingly great piece on How to email a professor. (via @mattthomas)
from the comments
He sounds like the clodbuster who followed us around at the Conger House Museum in Washington, Iowa, during the funeral home exhibit (tricks of the death trade, 1800s style, or something like that). The rare sound of the southern Appalachian foothills apparently caught his ear. I couldn’t get over the exhibit and was lost in a verbal boomerang. “OMG, look at how tiny that coffin is, lordy! You don’t think that’s a mummy in there do you? This paper says it’s a WOMAN! There’s a net over her face to keep off INSECTS!” The clodbuster probably had seen a Virginia car tag in the lot. Finally, he made his way to the Iowan, farm cap in hand, and announced, “You’re not from around here.” Matter of fact, not aggressive. Just making a statement about a certain person’s museum viewing theatrics.
