AdamSmith

TY, love the Ford reminiscence. My father's first job was mechanic in his brother's garage shop. He idolized the great designer Harley Earl, so he loved to say he would rather push a Buick than drive anything else. My first car was a '67 Mustang that had been rescued from the junkyard (ditched due to cracked block) and its 289 engine replaced with a rebuilt 302. (Such a car, like NYC perhaps , should not be handed to the unready.) That was in 1976, by which time papa had sadly passed on. So there were no great fights about abandoning the GM fold. Re body styling constraints today, yep, aerodynamics is huge determinant of fuel efficiency, second only to efficiency of powertrain itself. On the other hand, a couple of industrial designers I know seem to view this as just another worthy challenge. Never thought I would be saying this, but some of the skin coming out of both Ford and GM today looks pretty good.

Look in on a hobby shop that caters to dollhouse aficionados. Fascinating all the tiny furniture, props, architectural details, etc. I used to do model railroading and I thought we were nuts, but the dollhousers put us to shame.

ROFL "...Roy tells his bud that their marriage was a failure 'Cause neither he nor Babs have any genitalia." -- from "The Groove Tube," rap number with poses of Barbie (Babs) and Ken (Roy) going through courtship, marriage, divorce, finally standing nekked as described. (Note to self: buy DVDs of Groove Tube and Tunnelvision.)

Icing on the cake is the way it makes Newt look, if possible, more ludicrous than ever.

Catholic envy, you know. So many of us fundamentalist Protestants have it. Why do they get to have all the good toys? ... Oh, all right, I'll do it myself: ...Who stuffed his ass With broken glass And circumcised the vicar.

Why not rent a box at Mailboxes Etc.? Besides having your porn sent there, if you get a big enough box you can see your escorts in it. Just tell them it's a new twist on the Japanese capsule hotel.

Joe and Terry Graedon have long been reporting in their People's Pharmacy column on non-prescription remedies that really seem to work. http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/home-remedies/ My fix at this point in life is ground flax seed on the morning cereal. Saved me from the doc's threat to move me to Statin Island. A relief, as I've seen Lipitor have side effects on a couple of acquaintances.

Peas in a pod on Narnia. First book, I think, that I just could not plow through. Somebody could padlock the damned wardrobe behind the brats, for my money. ... Back on point, this would be the day to acknowledge my blasphemies toward YHWH in no wise extend to Yeshua bar Joseph. Some of his followers, now... (The double entendre I imputed to you: if no Judean Lion can be had just now, maybe a Roman lion or two would suffice.)

We are, as noted, in trembling agreement about that. The Housecat of Oxford, however...

He is making a double entendre. (Could be triple, if one counts the insipid C.S. Lewis. ) I find myself in heated agreement with him. Which, this being one o' them thar theological things, he may or may not appreciate. Nonetheless, we had best be careful what we wish for.

Fully agree. Kudos to him for that. ...Illuminating how truly relevant criticisms roll off the backs of GS et al. whereas this thing, a red herring but with third-rail potential, makes 'em jump. A lesson or three in there somewhere.

Story momentum continues to build (cross-file under Brain-Dead Reporting Fuels Fire): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/04/03/ann-romney-trust-goldman-sachs-backpagecom_n_1399204.html?icid=hp_politics_art_more

Kristof won his renown through admittedly valuable firsthand reporting on human rights outrages in Darfur and elsewhere, and through such as repeatedly calling out the Bushies on their pending and then enacted follies in Iraq, etc. But his dedication to cause-oriented reporting looks here as though it has made the data of secondary importance to him. In the Backpage piece, he cites just one source -- AIM -- for market share estimates (if you read AIM's own reports, note they do not even measure gay male ad sites except the partially relevant bareback.com). And he accepts "27 state attorneys general" charging child trafficking as damning, without questioning it much further. And then banging on the populist hate-Goldman line for its barely relevant, practically inadvertent ownership stake. Man on a mission. And now, as you say, child trafficking is the meme du jour in this domain. A deeper critique of Kristof's approach, and how it cuts against his ostensible goals, reinforcing structural problems he (thinks he) aims to remedy: http://thenewinquiry.com/essays/be-aware-nick-kristofs-anti-politics/ Seems to well characterize his treatment of underage trafficking (and his sotto voce distaste for of-age sex work) as well as much of his other reporting.

Except when you are rushing to leave the house, coat in hand, but cannot find the dang keys anywhere. Until you finally locate them clutched in your hand, hidden underneath your coat.

Great, great question, OZ! And all great answers. After reflection, I go with first instinct: James Tiberius K. himself. What more unlikely success in playing the role than Shatner's? Not to add helping create it. And not out of the smooth, effortless-seeming Shakespearean chops of such as Patrick Stewart, but rather (even given Shatner's own Shakespeare and other serious theatre work previous) mud-wrestling the role ham-fisted out of, more or less, nowhere except some broad-brush direction from Roddenberry and the first few scripts. To OneFinger's point: no Trekkies here, boss! We be TREKKERS, one & all. I am with JKane in that Sisko really, and surprisingly, grew on me with time. As did the whole of DS9. In some ways it ought not to have worked; and yet much of what first promised to be tedious and limiting turned into its strengths. The thing could be yearningly poetic, at its best. OK, time for my meds.

Absolutely! I would give anything to see Clarke's Childhood's End brought to the big screen. He reported he sold the rights long ago and projects were started more than once, but never came to anything.

Hilarious. Spot on. http://alphadesigner.com/mapping-stereotypes/

Sympathies. Looks like it will have to be PayLess for one more season. At least one has the consolation there that a trailer trash momma will, very occasionally, have a Tadzio in tow from whom one must keep averting one's gaze. Just do not, on any account, follow him into the hobby shop.

Ah, but Ms. Bonham Carter riffing on Grayson Hall -- this will be something to savor.

Hmmm...Dare I press my luck? (Didn't one or two Patriarchs get away with doing so, just barely?) So. Here goes nothing (speaking advisedly): http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Book_of_J.html?id=xDJKaYWzrvwC P.S. Just tested the link and it works. But in case it is Google (not quite the Omnipotent yet but close enough) timing out the link after a number of viewings, here's an alternative: http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/11/01/specials/bloom-j.html

Further confirming my theory that the Japanese (right?) are a different species. Underneath superficial resemblances due to convergent evolution, displays such as the above keep blowing their cover. P.S. Intended as a compliment!

Ah, one just moves on. Their punishment was to watch the rest of the dancers there receiving many (way too many!) of Uncle Adam's greenbacks.

Thought the lotus eaters ever stood a chance against our tribal war deity? Knew He had to be good for something. (Altbough that second crack does make me think how I grudgingly admire His genius in stymie-img our best efforts to suck up to Him.) (His childish jealousy for praise, worship, etc. notwithstanding.) (That J author was a real laugh riot. http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Boohttp://books.google.com/books/about/The_Book_of_J.html?id=xDJKaYWzrvwCk_of_J.html?id=xDJKaYWzrvwC )

Just returning the favor.

Agree thank the gods for St. Ruth. But embarrassing that she had to feed him his line there. And, in general, disconcerting how off balance Verrilli seemed to be, judging from the transcripts. His opposite number sang like a lark.