We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I only read the "newspapers" when I cover for Bird Dog. Do you people really read that stuff, and act on what you've read as if it's informative?
Oops, did I just call our readers "you people"? Jeez, I'm sorry. I meant to say, Do us people really read this stuff...
No, that won't do. Does we people really reads that stuff...
I can't remember all that subjunctive gobbletygook from my McGuffey's Reader, so let's just agree that the newspapers all suck and move on. On to the news -- or whatever it is:
Counterfeit U.S. Cash Floods Crime Forums These counterfeit bills will do more to stimulate actual commerce than Quantitative Easing ever did, because they'll make it into the private economy instead of into the government economy. The Treasury will save on printing costs, too. It's a win/win.
Later advances in neuroscience revealed that schizophrenia is disorder of thought processes rather than of thought content, associated with subtle differences in brain structures and in brain chemistry, consequently no amount of psychotherapy can "cure" schizophrenic delusions. However, thanks to modern medicine schizophrenia and similar disorders are quite controllable with the use of antipsychotic medications.
There's a lot of words until you get to that paragraph right there, the only one worth mentioning: It really doesn't matter what crazy people believe. They're crazy.
Unlike Americans, Nordics/Scandinavians have a conversational culture which treasures the silences. This comes from a significantly increased comfort with silence compared to their American counterparts. Nordics/Scandinavians have a very turn-based structure and style. While the Finnish are notorious for the slow pacing of their conversations and their extreme comfort with what would otherwise be considered painfully uncomfortable periods of silence, it is a trend present to a lesser extent across all of the Nordic countries. The result is a conversational practice which is heavily turn based with definite gaps to signify the closure of a point. In this way a traditional Nordic conversation much more closely resembles the structure of formal debate than a round table free-for-all discussion.
A Norwegian extrovert looks at your shoes when he's talking instead of his own.
Just for the record, Mrs. Mudbug and I haven't subscribed to a newspaper in decades and we're probably better informed.
It's comical the way the local paper will send you stories that are a couple of days old and coupons (the only reason we kept the paper as long as we did) for free and then wonder why they're going broke. I don't even miss the comics anymore!
Re Nordic conversations: That has made it to the US in at least some subcultures. I've known some Minnesota fishermen to have a three hour conversation that consisted only of "Yup" and "Mm Hmm"
#2
Another guy named Dan
on
2014-08-21 11:57
(Reply)
If it wasn't for the Go-go boots and massive blond wigs, Nancy Sinatra would have been eminently forgettable!
Just as her brother, Jr. was. Even Ol' Blues wasn't that great. His buddy Dean Martin could sing rings around him.
No she didn't have Daddy's pipes. However, it appears to my admittedly uneducated ear, she is singing harmony in this song, which puts another spin. Harmony isn't the melody: what sounds like bad melody may be good harmony. It is more difficult to evaluate a voice which is singing harmony.
For a more conclusive proof of Nancy's poor voice, listen to These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Almost as if she is reciting a poem without background music.
"Explorers Discover Primitive And Superstitious Tribespeople Who Believe That Dousing Themselves With Water Will Cure Diseases"
I have a good friend who has been a vegetarian for 25+ years and is convinced of the same superstition, no not that water will protect him but that vegetarianism will. When we goout to eat he wouldn't even consider tasting a meat dish and has kind of a belief that even that little bite of steak would destroy his 25 years of superstitious dieting. Shamelessly I eat bacon in front of him. Breakfast is my favorite meal at a restuarant and I always ask if they serve breakfast 24 hours.
"These counterfeit bills will do more to stimulate actual commerce than Quantitative Easing ever did, because they'll make it into the private economy instead of into the government economy. The Treasury will save on printing costs, too. It's a win/win."
"A Norwegian extrovert looks at your shoes when he's talking instead of his own."
Is there any way we can get you to do a permanent daily post here?
I'm here to tell you that I have been married to a bonafide Scandinavian for 35 years and she does not now, nor has she ever, treasured silence. Can't abide the stuff.
My own experience suggests this may be a rural Nordic/Scandinabian trait. But then again, the same is probably true of rural Americans. Speak more slowly, await a response, listen more. The more urban among us want to get their point made and move on.
No longer subscribe to newspapers. Rarely read them. Too lazy to cut coupons and the local paper was just awful. Habitually read the NY Times for, mostly, the Science Times section on, IIRC Tuesdays. But they reached the point where they couldn't even keep their idiotic politics out of the sports pages ferkryinoutloud. Cancelled that and moved forward without them.
I agree with Chrichton when it comes to newspapers:
“Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually presents the story backward—reversing cause and effect. I call these the "wet streets cause rain" stories. Paper's full of them.
In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story, and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read. You turn the page, and forget what you know.”
A friend once sat on the jury for a local murder trial. He had his wife save all the newspapers for him so he could read how they depicted the events and trial. He said they could barely get the day of the week correct let alone time of day and who did what to whom where and with what. Newspapers are useless.
#10
Knucklehead
(Link)
on
2014-08-21 16:16
(Reply)
Paid no attention to Frank Sinatra when I was young.
Got old, discovered I had missed much. Found all kinds of great old stuff. Listened to Frank Sinatra in an attempt to enjoy. Lousy nasal voice. Whatever was the big deal? Dean Martin is much, much better.
