Music Friday: "Mr. Brownstone"

My son played a varsity baseball game at a school this morning, and the announcer/DJ played this song in between one inning. 

It's a song about heroin. 

Mr. announcer, you need to do better. 

Musing of the Moment: Isocrates on the Youth in Ancient Greece

I'm running an independent study with an undergraduate who wants to study classical rhetoric. 

As I was reading Antidosis by Isocrates, I came across this passage of his take on the problems among the youth in Ancient Greece. 

"It is from these pursuits that you have for a long time now been driving out youth, because you accept the words of those who denounce this kind of education. Yes, and you have brought it about that the most promising of our young men are wasting their youth in drinking bouts, in parties, in soft living and childish folly, to the neglect of all efforts to improve themselves; while those of grosser nature are engaged from morning until night in extremes of dissipation which in former days an honest slave would have despised. You see some of them chilling their wine at the 'Nine-fountains'; others, drinking in taverns; others, tossing dice in gambling dens; and many, hanging about the training schools of the flute girls."

I'm thinking "same as it ever was, bruh."

They're youth.

Today I think you could replace the drinking with smoking weed.

I am intrigued by the prospect of "flute girls" though. Most people associate flute girls with prostitution, but according someone who knows Ancient Greece better than me, they are not necessarily prostitutes.

Check out "Flute Girls" on Mindship.

Random Notes from a Crank

If Twitter declines dramatically in use and influence because of Musk's negative influence, I wonder which online platform/s will fill the vacuum for quickly sharing information in a non-cesspool like setting? 

Well, Twitter has been a cesspool for quite a while, but at least they seemed to be taking steps to quash lies and misinformation during the previous organizational regime. 

Based on some cursory research done via the InterWebs, some of options look like Mastodon and Counter Social. 

I joined Mastodon to check it out. If you are on the platform, my handle is Quintilianw@masto.nu.

My daughter, who is home from college, asked me the other day if I went to Woodstock. My immediate answer was, "How old do you think I am?" 

I was confused obviously because she was asking about the one in 1999 because she watched the documentary Trainwreck: Woodstock '99. Mrs. Nasty and I got married during the summer of 1999, and that was the summer before my second year in my Ph.D. program. No concert-going was happening. 

I was at my local CVS, and they had a manner of bourbon called Jethro T. Boots for sale for $7.99. Hell, at that price, a fifth of that bourbon is cheaper than a six pack of craft beer. 

Random Notes from a Crank

There have been a number of articles speculating about how Democrats might take back the House of Representatives. 

We'll see. 

In addition, here's an article that focuses on a key Senate race, the midterm race to replace Bob Corker. In "Trade War Changing Minds in Senate Battleground," the authors recount how Moscow Don's trade wars might be significantly influencing the midterm elections because higher costs for steel and worries about international markets being less competitive for US products like pork. 

As the article relates, "An estimated $1.4 billion in Tennessee exports are threatened by Trump's trade moves, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a longtime Republican ally." To take a more comprehensive view, the Chamber notes "$75 billion in exports will soon be subject to retaliatory tariffs." 

The emphasis on pork exports makes me think of my home state of Iowa, a state that has more pigs than people. I wonder how all those pork and soybean producers feel now about this trade war with China?  

Make America More Tariffed Again? Not very catchy though...

Regardless, when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is speaking out against a Republican president's trade policies, that act is an eye-opener. 

When I was a kid my parents put the old fashioned pencil sharpener in our detached garage. I always used to complain when I had to go sharpen pencils in the dead of winter in northern Iowa. During the rough winter months I'd have to put on a winter coat to sharpen pencils. 

So, of course, where do you think I placed our pencil sharpener? In the garage. 

The sins of the father...

The Washington Post article, "Scientists Link Record Heat and Power Outages in Southern California to Climate Change," informs readers about temperatures in southern California making demand for air conditioning outpace supply. This was correctly predicted by climate scientists over a decade ago. 

It's way past time to start listening to real scientists. 

Random Notes from a Crank

A week or so ago a fraternity brother of mine bought the cardboard sign (below) from 1969 for me. I collect Schlitz memorabilia, and I found this piece wonderful. First, a beer company/distributor created a sign for teachers for some reason. Second, I am amused by the unnecessary quotation marks. This is going in my office. 

On July 1 my son and I are going to a Braves-Cardinals baseball game at Busch. My son is going with his travel team, which is the damned Redbirds. I'm a Cubs fan, and I throw up a little in my mouth when I see my son in his Redbirds jersey. For the game we're going to, I purchased a throwback Braves cap. I'm not a Braves fan, but I like the retro cap. 

So I wonder which team Moscow Don is rooting for in the World Cup? My bet is on I Russia. 

I enjoy watching the World Cup. There are certain teams I'll root for. I've always liked Spain. I like Spanish culture, and they usually have a solid team. As I type this though, Ronaldo just tied up the game with Spain. That dude is incredible. 

I'll cheer for Denmark because I'm part Danish. I'll also root for the African countries in the Cup: Egypt, Nigeria, and Senegal. I also like the underdog Latin American countries: Uruguay, Peru, and Costa Rica. France and Mexico's teams interest me too. 

Random Notes from a Crank

For years I've been reading reports about how optimists do better in life and live longer. Much to my surprise, the December/January issue of The Atlantic has a uplifting article for we pessimists of the world. Check out "The Power of Negative Thinking."  I'm particularly fond of "defensive pessimism": "Forget about hoping for the best. Instead, focus on preparing for the worst." 

In the same issue, Julia Ioffe's "Putin's Game," aka "What Putin Really Wants," details why and how Russia interfered in the presidential election and why they will probably interfere in future elections. It also details the current state of the country and Putin's popularity. It's a longish article but well worth the read. 

This short article from Deadspin doesn't surprise me at all: "Cops Say an Eagles Fan Punched a Police Horse after Being Ejected from the Stadium."

Which reminds me of Mongo punching out a horse in Blazing Saddles...

Random Notes from a Crank

Traveling through Pennsylvania was a scenic drive. Even though we were on an interstate (I-76), the Alleghany Mountains are a pretty sight. 

Our hotel is right beside the Delaware River, so even though I've never been to New Jersey, I can see it. There's a battleship docked on that side of the river. 

Hilton hotels tend to have good shower heads. 

I caught part of movie The Great Wall last night. It was fantastical but seemed good enough to watch all the way through. Good enough in a "turn-off-your-brain-and-enjoy-the-action" sort of way. I only caught parts of it. I'm trying to figure out what kind of accent Matt Damon was trying to have though. Perhaps Scottish or Welsh? 

In the wake of all these women coming out to accuse men of past sexual harassments, I think it's safe to say that more people, particularly those who had power to do something about Clarence Thomas, should have believed Anita Hill. 

This evening my son and I went to the Trailblazers-76ers game. It was interesting. I had never been to an NBA game before. Even though we were high up in the stands, we could still see quite well. 

Philly fans are notorious for being obnoxious and rude. They followed through on their reputation. As the Trailblazers starting lineup was announced, after each name of the player was read by the announcer, the fans shouted "SUCKS!"

And they even booed kids. There was a dance cam during the fourth quarter, and one chubby kid was dancing in an outstanding fashion to the wobble song. And then the camera people would pan to other people dancing, and the fans liked the chubby kid so much that they booed other kids dancing. Astounding. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I was at one of my local liquor stores the other day, and the car I parked next to had a driver's side window that was covered by plastic sheeting and duct tape, but the plastic sheet was ripped. As I walked to and fro getting my bourbon, I noticed a cat on the the dashboard and a young lady texting. As I departed, the cat meowed at me as if it were asking, "Get me out of this madness. This woman is crazy." 

Pistachios are the best nut on the planet. Behind them, I consider it a tie for second place among Brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts. 

1. Pistachios

2a. Brazil nuts

2b. Almonds

2c. Walnuts

Ummmm .... nuts. Me now hungry.

As much as Puerto Rico is getting all kinds of attention for moving on to the championship game of the World Baseball Classic, the US government is still screwing its unincorporated territory as you can learn about via John Oliver's feature. 



Check out this lengthy article of strong reporting from Politico about the success of the light rail line in the Twin Cities: "The Train Line That Brought the Twin Cities Back Together."

A couple of weeks ago I finished Florence Williams' The Nature Fix, which I highly recommend. Grist has a good interview with her about the book: "Anxious, Depressed, Distracted -- What If the Cure Is Just Outside?" 

Random Notes from a Crank

As you would probably figure if you know me or if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, I didn't watch the GOP debate this week. The first reason is because I dislike clowns. The second reason is that I wouldn't vote for any of those people. 

I did partake in the not-so-shocking factcheck reports. If you're interested, here you go:

• "Factchecking the CNN Republican Debate" by FactCheck.org
• "We Fact-Checked What the Republicans Said about Climate Change During the Debate" by Mother Jones/Climate Desk

I'm glad Rubio set me straight on understanding that America is not a planet. 

I'm interested to see how the Democratic candidates fare with the fact-checkers when they debate. But when are they going to debate? Seriously. 

Ah, not till October...

While I'm not Catholic, I like this new Pope, and I'm interested in what he has to say when he addresses Congress. 

I really enjoy this meme.

I'd like to get an old card catalog and have it in my house or in my office. That would be sweet. 

What is "The Love Ballad of Turd Ferguson"? 

Random Notes from a Crank

While I side with the folks who think the Washington D.C. national football league team should change its stupid mascot (a more appropriate mascot would be "Lobbyists," "Super PACs, "Corporate Shills," or "Dark Money"), I also tend to agree with Jerry Seinfeld's recent comments on the Collin Cowherd show. Strangely enough, I saw a number of solid comedians ~ Seinfeld, Rock, and George Wallace ~ on my college campus when I was an undergrad. But that was back in the early 90s. 

Monday's post on Bleed Cubbie Blue is a fair evaluation of the Cubs after a third of the season in the books. With Javier Baez now on the DL because of dumb face-first slides, we certainly aren't going to see him anytime soon, so there's been some wild speculation that they might bring up Kyle Schwarber, who is raking at AA right now, to play DH when they play interleague games. I doubt that happens though. 

This has to be one of the best headlines I've seen in a while. It's about an "amphibious" pitcher. I bet he likes water.

Random Notes from a Crank

We got home late Saturday night from Florida. When I went to pick up the dog from the kennel on Sunday morning, I received the happy surprise that all of the sweet gum balls on my front yard were gone. Before we left for spring break, I mentioned to my neighbor that when I get home, I will be taking care of the scads of sweet gum balls covering my front yard. While we were away, he cleansed by lawn of them. I guess shoveling their driveway all winter has some pay-it-forward dividends. 

Jason Isbell will have a new album out this year. This interview on radio.com provides some insight about the forthcoming album and his songwriting methods. 

I'm about to finish reading Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World by Naomi S. Baron. If you're an educator or you're just plain interested in literacy, you need to check it out. 

In my previous Random Notes post, I linked an article about the upcoming presidential race. In a whole different direction, Alternet offers "The Six Most Evil Presidents in U.S. History." George W. Bush shouldn't be in the runner-up category. To me, he's gotta be somewhere in the top six. 

And here's "Seven Demented Right-Wing Moments..." on FoxNews. 

On a cheerier note, the U.K. created an enormous marine sanctuary in the Pacific. 

Stay Positive: Vasectomies

Well, it's been arranged. It's all over. Ladies, you will soon lose my beautiful sperm from the gene pool. This March I will get a vasectomy. Ladies de Kirksville, you had your chances. Mrs. Nasty got to 'em, and now they'll be officially closed out. When we wanted them to, my boys swam and gave us two beautiful children. After early March I will no longer sire children. 

My phone conversation to set up the appointment was slightly humorous though. I asked the nurse, "So I just come on in and get snipped? Anything else I need to know?" She gave a polite chortle and offered some more details. 

What's a bit disturbing is how my doctor's office is a regular vasectomy factory. One dude does it: Fridays at 1pm. Every week. Nothing like starting your weekend by ending your force of procreation. 

I'm trying to stay positive, but recommendations of wearing tight-fitting underwear and cooling down my groin with a package of frozen corn aren't exactly prospects to look forward to. 

Stay Positive: @#$% People Say Videos

Random Notes from a Crank

If you're looking for a good laugh, and I certainly am these days, check out this segment on Jimmy Kimmel's show called "Celebrities Read Out Mean Tweets About Themselves." I'm sorry I've missed the first five installments. 

On the 19th, my daughter will receive a Kindness Award at her elementary school. The deal is that every teacher nominates a kid from their class to receive the award. I have to say it fits her character. If there's an example of Mom's teachings and actions flowing to the younger generation, Hannah receiving the Kindness Award is one. 

When we talked about the award last week, my daughter said she liked that she received the award, but she really wanted the Perserverence Award because, as she said (and I"m paraphrasing here), perserverence means you work hard toward your goals and never give up. For those of you who know my interest in the "growth mindset" and research about "grit," you understand the pride that enveloped me when she said that. 

When I was driving my daughter to school this morning, she asked when her grandma's birthday is. It's the 23rd of this month, and she wants to celebrate her grandma's birthday even though she's gone. We decided we could make pies for her birthday because my mom was an excellent maker of pies. I'm sure we'll make pecan, but I need to figure out what to make for the second one. This weekend will entail making pie crusts and then putting them in the freezer. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Well, at the start of this year, Colorado legalized the recreational use of marijuana. The media outlets have covered this story, but what the whole deal got me thinking about is one of the business ideas one of friends had when we were in college. I remember loyal reader TGD coming up with the idea that in college towns you could create a service industry that caters to the inebriated. Instead of drunks getting a cab or driving drunk, a business could take late-night orders for fast food and distribute that food to the hammered at a healthy profit. The shitfaced are well known for throwing their money around after they've frequented a keg party, imbibed too heavily in tequila, had three too many jello shots, or pounded down a twelve pack of Milwaukee's Best Light. Or at least that's what I've been told...

This idea could easily be adapted for the pot smokers of Colorado (and elsewhere). You could create a business entirely devoted to curbing drunk/high driving while making a healthy profit. I know, I know. Based on empirical studies, those who enjoy ganga are notorious for ordering pizza when they get the munchies, but high people would surely be fine with a 20 to 30 percent markup on late-night food runs, and this service would keep our streets and drive-thru lines safer, less stupid, and less stinky. 

The new law in Colorado also gets me wondering what kind of sales growth pizza franchises will enjoy in 2014 because it's assumed more people will be partaking of cannabis. I want to see some statistical analysis about business growth related to this new law. Lots of people have talked about how this law might spur Colorado's economy, but I doubt they've talked much about economic growth in the way I'm thinking. 

And for a news program's trenchant analysis of the reactions to the Colorado law, I present to you Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show. Watch and enjoy. 

In the Nov-Dec issue of Utne, there's a trio of articles I thought I'd share. 

Staff writers inform us about how the Blest Machine can convert plastic to oil in "Turning Plastic into Oil." 

In a celebratory and satirical essay, G. Robert Ogilvy provides an ode to calorie-laden, old fashioned breakfasts in "Cupcake Shops Don't Serve Breakfast," which is titled "Breakfast: A Manifesto" in the print magazine. As the author says, "As civilization crumbles around us, we must console ourselves by knowing that there remains at least one thing untouched by the ravages of anarchy and decadence, one unchanging constant, one bedrock [a hearty breakfast] which still has rules." 

In "The Democratic Education of Unschoolers," Astra Taylor reflects on her own experience with being pulled out of public schools to be "unschooled." She offers some biting commentary about the drudgery and hoop-jumping of organized (public and private) educational systems: "What I really wanted--what I still want, even now, as an adult--is that intellectual community I was looking for in high school and college but never quite found. I would have loved to commune with other young people and find out what a school of freedom could be like. But for some reason, such a possibility was unthinkable, a wild fantasy--instead, the only option available was to submit to irrational authority six and a half hours a day, five days a week, in a series of cinder-block holding cells. If nothing else, we should pause to wonder why there's so rarely any middle ground." 

An Odd Career Objective

A colleague told me today about a career objective he saw recently on a resume. 

The objective said this:"An entry-level position in pubic relations"

If you missed the proofreading glitch, it should say "public," not "pubic."

Regardless, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would like a career in that endeavor. 

Random Notes from a Crank

One of my favorite commercials for a college is a Georgia Tech one I saw last Saturday. See below. 

A fuller version of his spiel is below if you want a better context. 



I need to brace myself like that guy recommends because tomorrow evening my daughter is having her birthday party at our house. It's a theme party. All twelve girls coming over for the party and sleepover were given Clue-like names, such as Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet, and they will be put in pairs to solve this mystery: "Who killed my little brother?" The rooms of the house have different names and will have clues in them. 

The dead brother in question and I are leaving after the party gets started to take in the revived football rivalry between Charleston and Mattoon, the "Coles County Clash." 

Mrs. Nasty also found out today that a joke she told our daughter is being taken seriously for humorous effect. At a previous birthday party, apparently there was some drama between a few girls. Mrs. Nasty told our daughter, jokingly, that if anything like that happened at her party, that she'd "hose down" the offending parties. Tonight one of the moms of my daughter's friends told her that our daughter has been telling her friends that they need to take an extra set of clothes in case they have to be hosed down. I plan to have some fun with that image as my boy and I leave for the game tomorrow night. As we part ways, I might say something like, "I hope you are all good. I wouldn't want any of you to get hosed down." 

Random Notes from a Crank

I got the picture below from the InterWebs. I'm having a hard time interpreting the comma and what comes after the comma in the description of this sandwich:

I'm not a huge potato chip kind of guy, but the Sriracha flavored Lay's they're test marketing right now could persuade me to browse that aisle when I visit the grocery store. 

I've gotten back into watching episodes of The Simpsons again. I used to watch that show religiously. In the rerun episode I watched Sunday night, one of my favorite characters, Grandpa Simpson, related this bit of wisdom: "Unfortunately, like all true stories, this one has a crappy ending." Abe, you speak to my troubled soul. 

And then there's Krusty in the same episode as he's starting to tell a joke and then he realizes his audience is kids, "So, Lady Godiva gets a haircut, right ... KIDS!!!"

I plan to watch this new show The Americans, but I keep getting caught up in other programs and whatnot. Mrs. Nasty says it's really good, so the show has a good character reference so far. I might finally get to it this week. I like the concept -- Russian spies living in America during the 80s. I like some good historical fiction, especially if it's set in the 80s. I've been searching for a new drama to get caught up in.  

I watch Iron Chef America on a fairly regular basis, and many of these chefs use quail eggs. Where are they getting quail eggs? I've never had one. I've had quail a couple of times, but that was the natural effect of being around people who hunt. But these rich folks, they're crazy about the quail eggs. 

My Monday morning began with me accidentally breaking my wireless mouse as I tried to remember how to replace the battery. [sad trombone] Good times. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I'm tired of Iron Chef America still trotting out their tired-ass fake chairman. Just turn over those duties to Alton Brown, Food Network. I watched Sunday's episode, which was "Battle Scotch," and the "chairman" is just dead weight on the show, a silly ruse that never should have been enacted. With that episode in mind though, I can't imagine trying to make food with Scotch. Tough draw.

I got the video below from one of FB friends, but it's clear this instructor has a strict policy about texting in his class.



The big question that is asked, however, is this one: "What do human beings possess in their natural state?"


Hank Hill has the right attitude about the New Year. 

As usual, Mark Schlabach of ESPN had up his Way Too Early Top 25 days ago. But I highly doubt Alabama will end up numero uno at the end of next season like most prognosticators ape. With Ohio State's weak schedule, I see them making it to the BCS Championship Game where they will meet either Stanford or someone a little further off the top five pre-season radar like Florida State (who benefits from playing in the ACC) or Texas. 

Random Notes from a Crank

If you get a chance, check out this short article in Forbes from 2011: "Why Trying to Learn Clear Writing in College is Like Trying to Learn Sobriety in a Bar." While Ellsberg creates a strawperson about humanities professors (or presents a blanket/hasty generalization), especially because he's speaking from the viewpoint of an Ivy League grad, it's a damning portrait that provoked and will probably continue to provoke responses. Thanks to Dr. Kim of Pros Write for passing this along on 12/12/12. 

I rarely talk about my work on this blog because I usually don't want to "go there." In general, I've wanted PlannedOb to be a place for my other interests in life. However, this week provided the highs and lows of what I do. My group of first-year students, as a whole, did fine jobs on their final portfolios, which made me feel good about what they learned this semester and their prospects next semester. One group in my other class, however, did a half-assed job on their final report. In fact, when I met with two of the group members on Thursday, I told them that if I were to receive a report like theirs in a business setting, I would start thinking about ways to fire them. A finals week of pumping sunshine and bringing the pain. 

Some people like to use online systems to sort out their schedules. I, however, am old fashioned. On Wednesday, I bought a new weekly planner and perused 2013 wall calendars. Take that 21st century practices. Huzzah to old technology. 

My son, in his ongoing quest to repeat all kinds of stuff he hears, was funny Thursday morning when shot out his index fingers at Mrs. Nasty and said, "What's happenin', hot sauce?" 

I finished David O. Stewart's American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America a little while ago. I highly recommend the book if you're someone who likes reading about history. Aaron Burr, what a character. He was a fellow who was close to becoming President of the United States over Jefferson in 1800, and then after he was no longer Vice President and after his duel with Hamilton, he hatched a plan that he thought would separate the western part of the US to become its own country along with acquiring grand chunks of Mexico and Florida. And he got off. He beat the rap at his treason trial (thanks, in part, to Chief Justice John Marshall). But the biggest villain might have been General James Wilkinson. Stewart's book reads like a cross between history and detective work because Burr, a highly successful lawyer, was smart not to leave solid records of his true intentions. And when he did leave records, his intentions to various people provide mixed messages. Burr was known to repeat the maxim, "Things written remain." Indeed. 

Now it's on to shuffling my reading life among Everyday Genres: Writing Assignments Across the Disciplines by Mary Soliday, The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us by James W. Pennebaker, and The Beautiful Wishes of Ugly Men: Stories by Adam Prince.