Category: words mean things (Page 200 of 223)

So a 12-year-old sets himself on fire while emulating a stunt he saw on MTV’s “Jackass.” Then he’s interviewed by Entertainment Weekly:

‘ “I don’t blame myself, I kind of blame the show,” says Hitz, whose family has decided not to sue MTV. ‘

While a show that prides itself on stunts like jumping on a barbecue grill while wearing a flame-retardant suit covered in raw steaks has little to recommend it, this kind of comment is infuriating. A 12-year-old apparently doesn’t have the presence of mind to understand why setting yourself on fire might not be the best idea, and his parents are magnanimous enough not to sue. Well bully for them. Maybe they should concentrate on their kid, who obviously has more problems than what he watches on cable TV.

Bad movies we love:
The Temp, on cable last night. Lara Flynn Boyle, her hair piled up on her head like a giant Cinnabon, begins the movie by tricking her predecessor into jamming his hand into a paper shredder, and ends it with a fight to the death with Faye Dunaway. There’s also Timothy “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you” Hutton, and Maura Tierney from NewsRadio doing her best impression of a poor man’s Demi Moore. What more could you ask for? Well, how about that the corporate action takes place at a cookie company, and the final confrontation takes place in a cookie factory? Good stuff.

Apparently Trent Lott likes cockfighting. (I’m not going to touch that one. So to speak.)

“The phrase ‘Think outside the box’ is the box.”
-Management consultant Paul D. Harrison

Deciding to take a break from the computer is like not thinking about elephants.

I think this is an April Fool’s joke. If not, I want one.

Touched by an Angel is the pop culture equivalent of a car crash. A bad one. You don’t want to look, but…

In recent weeks, this pseudo-religious pap factory has used hereditary blindness, pregnant women in peril, cancer victims (twice!), gambling addiction, and even Downs syndrome children to smack you in the face with its “message.” Last night, the message apparently was that planning a Halloween party would bring the wrath of Satan (!) down on your head, in the form of a large lion. (The lion will be scared away if you sing hymns at it.) And don’t touch those Tarot cards – they’re EVIL! This show is an insult to every person who actually takes their faith seriously. Now where did I leave those Tarot cards?

Final two Survivor prediction:
Colby and Tina.
My vote? Colby.

What do you think?

As a followup to my post yesterday about education, check out Schoolyard Subversion, a sort of education opinion weblog written by Aaron Swartz. His writing should impress you even before you learn that he’s a high school freshman. Did I mention he’s also a web programmer, working on a content management system called Blogspace? Or that he was a finalist for an ArsDigita prize for coming up with The Info Network?

When I was Aaron’s age (think TRS-80 Model I) I could barely remember my own class schedule. We all move at our own pace, I guess.

As Jon-Jon says, this is pure genius. I miss Calvin & Hobbes.