The Evils of Youtube

Enter one keyword into the Youtube search engine and you're off. Perhaps it's your favorite band, an actor or a comedian. Either way, you're sure to find numerous videos you never knew existed, or never dreamed you would see.

Their 1992 appearance on a late night talk show? Can't miss that. Rare footage from a performance at a state fair in the late eighties? It's like you've hit the jackpot.

Soon you'll get greedy and want to view every video possible. Before you know it several hours have passed, your butt has fallen asleep and you have nothing to show for your day. Youtube makes television seem quite innocuous.

Promoting Family Values, Their Own

In the interest of full disclosure, a publication will occasionally include a disclaimer within a story when it may appear that there is a conflict of interest or that they are bein hypocritical. Perhaps that need does not apply in this situation, but the New York Times certainly published one ironic piece on Wednesday.

A story on the front page of the Arts section, dated October 24, 2007, tells of the controversy surrounding the annoucement of John Podhoretz as the next editor of Commentary magazine. Podhoretz's hiring has attracted claims of neopotism; Podhoretz's father, Norman Podhoretz, was editor of the magazine from 1959 to 1995.

While the New York Times only reports on the controversy and not offer its own opinion, the story is still quite ironic considering the history of the paper. One needs only to turn to the editorial page to find why. There one will find a listing of the current staff along with a list of past publishers and the years they held the position.

Adolph S. Ochs
Publisher 1896-1935

Arthur Hays Sulzberger
Publisher 1935-1961

Orvil E. Dryfoos
Publisher 1961-1963

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Publisher 1963-1992

And the current publisher... Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. The Ochs-Sulzberger family has been heading the New York Times for 106 of the last 109 years. I wonder if this fact crossed the mind of author Patricia Cohen as she wrote this piece.

We Speak Different Languages

Brandon listened intently as the female classmate read aloud from the German text book with impecable pronunciation. He and a third classmate had been grouped with this apparent perfectionist to read the passage aloud and work on translation. The perfectionist was apparently the only who knew what was going on.

As the classmate finished reading the paragraph, she looked up from the book and made the most astonishing of proclamations. "I think German is my new favorite foreign language," said the female classmate.

"Oh," said Brandon, feining interest yet hoping that this noncommital response would not lead to a conversation.

Truthfully, Brandon was left a little puzzled as to how anyone could have a "favorite foreign language," let alone a "new favorite foreign language." It must be an innate quaility some poses from birth.

Where back? There back!

A picture is worth a thousand words. However, a picture doesn't always have to be grammatically correct. The marquee at the Topeka Steak and Shake has been displaying this message since at least October 7. Either no one has the nerve to tell the management how embarrassingly stupid this makes them look, or they don't care.

If someone is going to misuse the English language, at least do it correctly. Case in point, the title of this blog. At least employ humor or irony when butchering the language.

Overheard At Washburn

It's a lazy afternoon in Memorial Union at Washburn University. The buzz of students going to a fro that resonated off the walls just a few hours before has died down to a relative calm.

On the lower level two students play ping pong while a third sits in a chair watching ESPN on the nearby plasma screen TV. A male student approaches and takes a seat next to his friend and strikes up the following conversation.

"Dude, there's a flier on the bulletin board with a picture of Ron Jeremy."
Ping. Pong.
"Yeah, he's going to be here next week."
Ping. Pong.
"What? Here at Washburn? Really? Why?"
Ping. Pong.
"Yeah, he's going to debate a former porn addict about the pros and cons of porn addiction."
Ping. Pong.
"Wait, there are pros to porn addiction?"

Laughter ensues.

Ping. Pong.