Let's start with some "fun" facts from Harper's Index:
Estimated number of feet eastward that Japan's main island was moved by March's earthquake: 8
Confirmed number of terrorist plots against the U.S. perpetrated by Muslims in 2010: 10
By non-Muslims: 25
Amount the Defense Department spent last year on military bands: $317,000,000
Percent change in U.S. labor productivity since 1972: +114
Percent change in wages during that same period: -6
Percentage by which an American is more likely than a non-American to suffer from bipolar disorder: 100
Age of the youngest person facing life without parole in the U.S.: 13
Average salary difference between a starting New York public teacher and a first-year private lawyer in 1970: $2,000
Today: $106,000
Although all of the above stats are compelling, there are two that really stick out (well, 3): the last two, which goes to show what we think about/how we support children in this country - and the paired stats on productivity vs. wages.
On and on, Republican blowhards talk about poor businessmen being saddled with taxes (even tho we hear over and over how the biggest ones aren't paying squat), and how they're "punished" for driving the economy, and how unions are the real bad guys, etc., etc., etc.
And yet, despite more than DOUBLING worker productivity, the selfish, greedy, lying, hypocritical business owners have seen fit to CUT wages. In the meantime, CEO salaries and bonuses are through the roof. AGAIN, where is the fucking revolution??
Moving on! I kinda like that brief moment of confusion/weirdness when you open your mailbox to find a letter addressed to you in your own handwriting. There's that momentary, "WTF?" feeling that you've entered a parallel universe.....until you remember what/why you sent off a SASE, and what it includes, in the first place. Wild.
Random weirdness: just a month ago, I'd never heard the word "supernumerary" nor knew what it was. I've now heard it twice in the past couple of weeks in totally different contexts: Don's first post-divorce date on "Mad Men" and an article on a guy in New York who volunteered as a supernumerary for an opera house in NYC. Wild.
My new favorite lame commercial is from Comcast; it's a series of shout-outs from their employees (or actors playing employees) trying to convince us all that Comcast really gives a shit about any of their customers. What makes it my favorite is this one guy who says, "I'm a professional....At least I try to be."
What makes this fun is the slightly, tho (I assume) unintended, bitchy tone he uses. It's kind of like he's snidely referring to a co-worker who is NOT "professional." Like what he REALLY wants to say is "I'm a professional....At least I try to be.....unlike that bitch in Accounting!"
Better yet, towards the end, this guy says, in an almost resigned tone of voice, "We're only as good as our word.....and our word is good." That just seems like a letdown to me.
Finally - another drug besides heroin I would never consider doing: Whoonga! Altho it sounds fun, it actually is a cocktail of various detergents, rat poison, and--tragically--anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs being sent to deal with South Africa's AIDS crisis. So of course people are robbing HIV+ folks to get their ARVs. As if Africa hasn't suffered enough. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about whoonga:
The drug is described as highly addictive. Project Whoonga, a charity devoted to combating the drug, reports that users feel heavy cravings even on the first day of use. It is also dangerous, because it reduces both heart and lung function. In overdose, heart and lung function reduction becomes fatal. Withdrawal symptoms reportedly involve both craving and pain, which are temporarily relieved by fresh doses of the drug.
I just don't understand who comes up with these ideas! "Hey, let's mix up some detergent, rat poison, marijuana and/or heroin, and also throw in some ARVs just for shits and giggles!" The ARVs don't even contribute to the high! Sigh. It's a sad, scary world out there sometimes.
Since I don't want to end on a downer note, and speaking of Comcast, check out this fun article wherein this guy reports on efforts to determine if the "Live Chat Comcast Representative" is, in fact, a robot. Click HERE to check that out.
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