Not anything obscene, just a reference to Marshall McLuhan’s tip on how to figure out which book to read:
Turn to page 69 of any book and read it. If you like that page, buy the book.
And, of course, now there’s a blog devoted to exactly that. Start browsing. (Hat tip: Kottke.)
Over to Peter Suderman. Who is uniquely able to appreciate the movie trailer’s
brain-melting visual effects, the throbbing techno soundtrack, the comic-book eroticism, the blending of fetish-fashion and high-style designer Eurotrashiness, the stoic, super-powered hero intoning Zen bromides, the bad comic antics …
Batman, of course. Here’s Ron’s reasoning:
"My favorite comic book superhero is Baruch Wane, otherwise known as Batman, in The Batman Chronicles. "The Berlin Batman," #11 in the series by Paul Pope, details Batman’s attempts to rescue the confiscated works of persecuted Austrian economist, Ludwig von Mises, from Nazi Party hands.
“Batman’s assistant Robin writes in the memoirs, "[Mises] was an advocate of individual liberty, free speech, and free thinking… and so, should I add, the Berlin Batman." Batman, a Jew in hiding in Nazi Austria, was willing to risk his life for the sake of the promulgation of freedom, and I find this to be super-heroic."
It’s all about von Mises! I think this post is even nerdier than the Kant attack ad.
A reminder of what it still is – in America.
A reader writes:
You mentioned Shakespeare’s verbing of nouns. I wish I could find the actual comic strip, but here’s the text:
Calvin: I like to verb words.
Hobbes: What?
Calvin: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when "access" was a thing? Now, it’s something you do. It got verbed. Verbing weirds language.
Hobbes: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding.
Which inspired this:
"First they came for the verbs, and I said nothing because verbing weirds language. Then they arrival for the nouns, and I speech nothing because I no verbs." — Peter Ellis.
Shakespeare demonstrates that when you’re a transcendent genius, the rules that help the rest of us just get in your way.
Publius explains:
To rid ourselves of the Cheney worldview, there has to be a political fight against it – a final showdown. A game of chicken. Rank-and-file Dems need to know that their alternative worldview (no torture, rule of law, etc.) are politically viable. Every time one of these issues comes up, vulnerable Dems will rightly fear juvenile ultra-nationalist attack ads – that is, until the Dems stand, face them, and win.
Shorter version:
You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be.
Less fifteen minutes than fifteen people:
If you really want to see the future, check out teenagers and twentysomethings. When they go to a party, they make sure they’re dressed for their close-up — because there will be photos, and those photos will end up online. In managing their Web presence, they understand the impact of logos, images, and fonts.
I guess it’s the merging of Facebook culture with reality TV culture. Which is to say: a grim prospect. Someone somewhere must appreciate the value of anonymity.
A useful Newsweek piece details his temper and intransigence:
Republican state Rep. Jeremy Hutchinson says Huckabee has an explosive temper. He recalls one heated conversation with Huckabee about a health bill Hutchinson didn’t want to support. Huckabee began screaming at him, and banged his fists on his desk so hard that "trinkets started falling off." …
Jim Hendren, the state’s Senate minority whip, says he gave up trying to debate issues with Huckabee. "It was like you became the enemy," he says. "There wasn’t ever a negotiation. It was, ‘It’s going to be my way or else’."
John Stossel interviews Ron Paul:
