A Moron in a Hurry

Over the years, the American humorist Dave Barry has amused himself and me with a list of words and phrases that he proposes would serve well as names for rock bands. Names such as Bones of Contention, the Phlegmtones, or Thrusting Balloon Puppies prove to me once again that you can take the boy out of the eighth grade, but you never quite take the eighth grade out of the man, not completely anyway.

NPR reports today on the World Intellectual Property Organization's decision in a complaint by Glenn Beck over a domain name. The wit of the WIPO decision easily pays for the minute spent reading the report. A moron in a hurry, indeed.

Thus are blogs titled and born. I'm not sure what I'll do with the blog, but the name seems perfect for the odds and ends that I've been linking here.

A Placeholder about Free Speech and Free Fish...

In "Beware the instant online anger of the HobNob mob" (The Observer, November 1, 2009), Nick Cohen writes:

A mob fighting a good cause is still a mob. To fight back, you need to remember that although the internet age is hugely expanding the number of complaints, the old rules still apply. Whether you are the owner of a tiny blog or the editor of a national newspaper, if someone points out an incorrect fact, you correct it; if someone challenges an argument, you argue back; and if someone says that you must think what they think, you ignore them.

Oh, how much easier to thank the planet for all the fish and head home than to untangle the logical paradox of free speech in an era of democratic and instantaneous publication.

Another day. Maybe another cortex.

"Scientific American" on Urban Bicycling

The October 2009 Scientific American reports on urban cycling here: "To boost urban cycling, figure out what women want."

At the time I read this piece, there were only a few comments, none of them encouraging about regard for cycling or cyclists in the U.S.

Alas.

From "Saturday Night Live" to the U.S. Senate: Al Franken

I know, I know, I know--I should get to reading, cycling, life, the universe, or movies, but right now the healthcare issue is our best--and most important--theater, important not only as the discussion moves the U.S. to shape a sustainable healthcare policy (or not), but important for the future of informed (or not) and thoughtful (or not) public discussion in this country.

Here's a ten-minute video of Al Franken behaving in a most statesmanlike manner at the Minnesota State Fair. As he talks to the folks at the fair, I do not see Jack Handy or any other of his comedic personae.

Aboot the Canadian Health System

There are so many other things to say here--I could drone on for pages about the beautiful weather we've had for cycling, for instance--but nothing seems more important right now in the U.S. than our national debate decision about healthcare. The word "debate" in that last sentence didn't seem appropriate when I considered the tenor and tone of the opposition's arguments misrepresentations.

So here's a word from Canadians aboot their system, eh.

Why the Funny Papers Matter

Another shiny something:

On his own blog, Andy Lubershane, the creator of this cartoon and presentation, offers comics to address matters of sustainability, and he makes the point that "comics are a great medium for explaining difficult technical concepts." He's well worth a click. Here's the link:
http://www.earthlycomics.blogspot.com/ 

Barney Frank at Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Something shiny caught my eye: