- English Teacher Writes Racy Novels. Which…what? Should be grounds for firing the teacher? It’s not as if she assigned the novels as readings for her class, or even mentioned them to her students; by all accounts, she kept her writing life very separate, if not secret, and I don’t see why this should be anybody’s business, much less a problem.
“Now my son knows so how is he thinking when he’s sitting in her class knowing what she does on the side,” said parent Wendy Apple.
To which I say, maybe it’s time you and your son both grew up, then. The woman is allowed to have a personal life, and has committed no crime or obvious impropriety. And, honestly, if you’re trying to get a 10th-grade boy to quit thinking about sex, whatever the circumstances, you’re fighting a losing battle. [via]
- Oscar Wilde takes on Jersey Shore. Does exactly what it says on the tin.
- TSA security looks at people who complain about…TSA security.
“This violation of my Constitutional rights in the service of fear-mongering and creating the illusion of safety is really — oh no! They’ve caught on to my nefarious plan!” [via]
- When words change meaning. [via]
- And finally, because it was only a matter of time, Infographic of Infographics [via]
videos
Tuesday various
- House Republicans Paying Outside Counsel $500,000 To Uphold Defense Of Marriage Act. Leaving aside the potential ethical and legal problems with this, isn’t it funny how politicians always find the money when it’s for their pet projects? [via]
- Chris Christie: “I AM the law!” [via]
- I think I agree with Tasha Robinson: nobody really comes across looking great in the recent Weird Al/Lady Gaga tempest in a teapot.
- Gary Busey endorses Donald Trump for President. As TV’s Frank noted on Twitter, “Hope this doesn’t suddenly turn Trump’s candidacy into a sick stupid joke.”
- And finally, The Fantastic Mr. Starfox. [via]
Tuesday various
- I am not a Pennsylvanian barber. Just so you know.
- Well, it’s no Donald Glover for Spider-Man, but I don’t see how George Takei could do any worse.
- What if your favorite album was a book? A neat concept, if you ignore the sort of crappy slideshow presentation…and pretend the misspelling in Never Mind the Bollocks was intentional. [via]
- Bristol Palin’s Nonprofit Paid Her Seven Times What It Spent On Actual Teen Pregnancy Prevention. I wish I could say I was remotely surprised. [via]
- And finally, the world’s most expensive hot dog. I probably won’t be eating this — even though this place apparently is just a 15-minute walk away from my office — and I’m naturally a little disgusted by the excess of it. But I’m at least impressed they didn’t cheat, like a lot of “most expensive” chefs seem to, with gold plates or silverware or something else to artificially inflate the price. Well of course something’s expensive if it’s coated in diamonds. The parts you can’t eat shouldn’t count. [via]
This did, of course, also make me think of Heather.
Thursday various
- What are the Windows A: and B: drives used for?. Well, questions like this are used for making people like me feel old. (See, also, this video of French children playing with vintage technology.) [via]
- Nuclear bomb photo archives. Exactly what it says on the (likely radioactive) tin. [via]
- The Meaning of Dog Barks. Take the interactive quiz! [via]
- There’s something utterly charming about the idea of fifteen-year-old John Updike writing a fan letter to the creator of Little Orphan Annie.
- And finally, Choose your own Night of the Living Dead adventure