Steelers Fans, You Know What Tonight Is Don’t You? February 5, 2011
Posted by BrewFan in Art, Heroes, History, Honor, Philosophy, Religion.20 comments
….I firmly believe that any man’s finest hours – his greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.
Steelers fans are 'special'
Book Club – A Confederacy of Dunces – Concluding Thoughts (Part III) February 5, 2011
Posted by Cathy in Art, Literature.40 comments
And now for the third and final Part III of the Innocent Bystanders Book Club discussion of the book A Confederacy of Dunces, where we share Concluding Thoughts.
Help yourself to any/all of these focus questions and share your response:
- Although this book is longer than the average novel, Walker Percy fought against it being severely edited. What do you think of his decision? If you were to expand or cut something, what would it be?
- The book is elaborately plotted, but does it work? What do you find unbelievable or improbable?
- In the forty years since A Confederacy of Dunces was written our attitudes toward what constitutes pornography have changed. Given the same circumstances, would Lana Lee be arrested today for her bird show? Develop a scenario suitable for today’s more permissive times.
- It is unusual for a current novel to use written dialect. Would A Confederacy of Dunces be the same if characters like Burma and Santa spoke in standard English?
- In the twenty-plus years since it’s publication A Confederacy of Dunces has become a cult novel. What does that mean to you? Give examples of other cult novels you may have read. Have you joined in slavish devotion to any of these works?
- In a letter dated March 5, 19065, Tool critiques his own novel writing that he “was certain that the Levys were the book’s worst flaw: and “that couple kept slipping from my grasp as I tried to manipulate them throughout the book” (Nevils and hardy, page 139). What did Toole mean? And do you agree? Are they the only characters who don’t come to life? Toole lauds other characters as being representative of New Orleans. Who do you think they might be?
- ANY OTHER FOCUS QUESTIONS from beloved IB Book Club readers is welcome. Just ask away in the comment thread and kind of announce it so that we all are aware and can respond.
Thank you! Hope you all had as much fun as I, but that’s not likely.
Also, please include suggested recommendations for our next book. Nominations and votes will come soon to keep this rolling for those in the throes of cabin fevah!
WTF is This Shit? (Updated) February 4, 2011
Posted by daveintexas in Crime, Ducks, Entertainment, History, Man Laws, Nature Shit, Personal Experiences, Religion, Science, Sex, Sidebar Flag Bullshit, WTF?.50 comments
Enough White Death to make an entire footprint.
UPDATE BY MICHAEL:
I guess I'll work on my tan some other time
My Father’s Gun February 3, 2011
Posted by Michael in Family, News.9 comments
OK, first you gotta start the mood music for this post:
Daughter Michael was so thrilled by the chance to shoot at the Texas Moron Meatup that I promised to buy her a gun of her own. After months of research and trying out guns in Colorado, here is her new friend. She emailed this to me yesterday.
I feel much better not having to worry about sassy boyfriends.
Fire February 3, 2011
Posted by skinbad in Entertainment, Stupid shit.15 comments
What the heck. We can all be on fire.
Fire Damages Crematorium February 2, 2011
Posted by skinbad in News, Stupid shit.23 comments
I like this headline.
I wonder if people rushed in to save the ashes.
Water Damages Submarine Facility
High Winds Damage Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ice Storm Damages Igloo Village
etc.
Planned Parenthood Aids Pimp’s Underage Sex Ring February 1, 2011
Posted by Michael in News.10 comments
I thought I couldn’t be shocked any more. At my age, it should be dang near impossible to shock me. After all, I have spent one night in Bangkok, and that makes a hard man humble.
I was wrong.
via BizzyBlog.
Planned Parenthood is going to say this is just a “bad apple” that does not reflect their noble mission to help women exercise their Constitutional right to reproductive freedom.
Yeah. Like ACORN was just serving American democracy by attempting to help get out the vote.
How long before Americans get the message that federal dollars doled out by liberal bureaucrats in far-away D.C. will corrupt any private organization?
U! S! A! February 1, 2011
Posted by Michael in Economics.13 comments
We’re Number 2!!!
Or worse.
Remember getting one of these, and your Mom told you how proud she was of you and tried to make you feel better?
Thanks Mom, but I still feel like crap.
Here’s a grim review of ten major industries where the U.S. has lost it’s global leadership, largely due to self-inflicted injuries with which we have handicapped our businesses.
As U.S. manufacturing eroded, so did other critical parts of society. American children are no longer the best educated in the world. America’s health care system no longer produces the healthiest population. US GDP no longer grows as quickly as it once did, particularly in the recoveries that follow recessions. China now has the fastest growing large economy in the world. It has passed Japan into the No.2 spot and economists are forecasting how long it will take to pass the US.
. . .
This is the 24/7 Wall St. analysis of “Ten Industries In Which The US Is No Longer No.1.” Whether this list will grow depends on how quickly the American economy improves and whether business innovation continues to increasingly come from overseas. America now fights to remain competitive globally with one hand tied behind its back. The current deficit, growing national debt, lack of government capital for R&D and unemployment all contribute to a crippled economy. Each of these make it harder for the US economy to regain the ground it has lost over the past few years.
See the rest of the story at: Ten Industries In Which The US Is No Longer No.1 – 24/7 Wall St..
