More difficult than it looks

But I do want to mention something I think I heard Calvin Trillin say once, when he came to talk to a writing class circa 1982. He said people were always asking him how he managed, again and again, to write humor that was just a little bit funny — gently humorous, civilized, New Yorkerish — but not super laugh-out-loud, bust-a-gut, knee-slapping, spittle-spewing hilarious. Trillin’s answer: “Actually, I’m going pedal to the metal.”

Joel Achenbach

Imitation Flavored

An excellent article on acting and the Oscars from Ann Hornaday in The Washington Post. It includes this:

Moss, who coached Helen Hunt for her role in “As Good as It Gets” and Hilary Swank for both “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby,” believes that the difference between impersonating and acting — and between good acting and great acting — lies in the psychological research and reflection an actor does before going on camera, accessing personal memories and emotions to bring oneself into a role rather than just playing it. Hoffman’s performance, Moss says, is “a very good example of a performance that has enormous technique, filled to the brim with what I call emotional justification, and that’s the private work the actor does to identify within himself the emotional cost of a character’s desires.”

Hornaday’s choices for the acting Oscars: Hoffman and Dillon, Huffman and Adams.

Why is it?

Why is it that for more than 2,000 years February has had fewer days than the other eleven months? Why is it that in the first part of the year the odd numbered months have 31 days, but then without reason the eighth, tenth and twelfth months do? Why, if Augustus stole a day from February to add to his month (August, previously Sextilis), couldn’t we move it back?

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras, literally “Fat Tuesday,” has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurrah” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That’s why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.
…

Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh.” Like many Catholic holidays and seasonal celebrations, it likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early as the middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.

Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras from American Catholic, which has more.

Shrove Tuesday, and I’m off to IHOP

Shrove Tuesday is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. It’s a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins.

Shrove Tuesday is sometimes called Pancake Day after the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day.

But there’s more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

BBC – Religion & Ethics, which has more.

White House Had Prior Knowledge Of Cheney Threat

WASHINGTON, DC—Government documents declassified today reveal that President Bush was briefed last summer of “a substantial risk” that Vice President Dick Cheney would shoot an elderly male in the face sometime in the next several months.

The Onion, which has more.

Strange Laws

Dilbert’s Scott Adams:

Blog reader Diana W. wrote to opine that the sentence for attempted murder should be the same as the sentence for successful murder. Otherwise we’re just rewarding incompetence.

There are a lot of laws that don’t make sense to me. For example, if I were king, I’d make attempted suicide punishable by death. That’s a win-win scenario.

I’m also not clear as to why gambling is legal in a few specific places within a country and not others. It seems to me that if the main complaint about gaming is that some people will gamble away their mortgage money, isn’t it even worse if they have to pay for gas to drive to a distant casino?

I’m also confused as to why potentially dangerous drugs are illegal. I assume the reasoning is that it will keep people from hurting themselves. The penalty for attempting to hurt yourself is that you are sent to prison where a guy named Chainsaw punches out your front teeth and rents you to the Aryan Brotherhood for parties. After about 15 years of that, you’ll think twice about trying to hurt yourself.

I also think that prostitution should be legal, but only provided via vending machines. That way you don’t have to see the person providing the service. He or she or it would be inside the vending machine. Don’t make me draw you a picture.

Wonderlic scores

For last year’s top five NFL draft picks:

1. Alex Smith, 49ers: 40
2. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins: 23
3. Braylon Edwards, Browns: 27
4. Cedric Benson, Bears: 19
5. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, Buccaneers: 22

Word is Matt Leinart got a 35. 50 is best possible.

Unrelated to the Wonderlic, but just this fascinating tidbit I read while surfing the NFL draft. Virginia tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who some think will go second overall (after Reggie Bush), weighed 312 pounds at the NFL combine — and he’s known for his quickness.

B & O

On February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first U.S. railway chartered for commercial transportation of freight and passengers. Investors hoped a railroad would allow Baltimore, the second largest U.S. city at that time, to successfully compete with New York for western trade. New Yorkers were profiting from easy access to the Midwest via the Erie Canal.

Construction began at Baltimore harbor on July 4, 1828. Local dignitary Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid the first stone.

The initial line of track, a 13-mile stretch to Ellicott’s Mills (now Ellicott City), Maryland, opened in 1830. The Tom Thumb, a steam engine designed by Peter Cooper, negotiated the route well enough to convince skeptics that steam traction worked along steep, winding grades.

Library of Congress

The railroad finally connected Baltimore to the Ohio River (at Wheeling) in 1852.

Best line of the day (last night), so far

“On Wednesday President Bush will fly to India. See, last week he met with American workers. This week he will go to India and visit their old jobs.”

Jay Leno

Kids Might Tune In to This Cartoon Billionaire

The Oracle of Omaha is Tinseltown’s newest animated hero.

But, at least in Warren E. Buffett’s crystal ball, he still has no future here.

“I can’t afford to go Hollywood,” he said. “There’s no money in this stuff.”

If anyone knows the value of a dollar, it’s a guy with 40 billion of them. Which is why the world’s second-richest individual decided to become a cartoon character to teach children financial responsibility.

Working pro bono, Buffett will play himself in an upcoming 13-part DVD series, “The Secret Millionaire’s Club,” produced by Burbank-based DIC Entertainment Corp. The 75-year-old grandfather plays an animated version of himself who offers his wisdom with the kind of down-home delivery that has made him a folk hero to investors.

Los Angeles Times

If he wants any of NewMexiKen’s grandkids to watch he’ll need some light sabers or a backpack with a map.

Don Knotts and Dennis Weaver

It’s been a tough few days for Ron Howard and Ron Howard’s brother, Clint Howard.

Ron lost his TV-dad’s deputy, Barney Fife of The Andy Griffith Show, played by the great Don Knotts who died at age 81 Friday.

And Clint lost his TV-dad, Tom Wedloe of Gentle Ben, played by the equally great Dennis Weaver who also died at age 81 Friday. Of course, Weaver was better known from Gunsmoke and McCloud — and the terrific movie Duel (one of director Steven Spielberg’s first efforts).

And let’s not forget Darren McGavin who died Saturday at age 83. Among his scores of roles spanning seven decades, a particular favorite was as “The Old Man,” Ralphie Parker’s dad, in the ever-delightful A Christmas Story.

Want to try another math quiz?

This one from the BBC and called How’s your maths?

Question of the day

CBS says its new poll shows the approval rating for President Bush has sunk to 34% (Cheney 18%).

My question: Who are these 34% and what’s wrong with them?

[Clinton never got below 57% approval in the CBS poll during his second term. Nixon was at 24% when he resigned.]

Update: Or as Brad DeLong puts it: “You can fool all of the people some of the time. But you can only fool 34% of the people all the time….”

Why is it?

Why is it that appearing in a porn movie or on a porn web site (that is, performing a sexual act with a stranger for money) is legal, but prostitution or soliciting a prostitute (that is, performing a sexual act with a stranger for money) is illegal?

Bin Laden to run U.S. Postal Service

The White House became embroiled in controversy once again as it announced today that it had made a deal with Osama bin Laden to run the U.S. Postal Service.

Only days after it agreed to a review of its deal with a Dubai-based company to run several U.S. ports, the White House surprised Washington with its decision to put the U.S. mail in the hands of the world’s most wanted man.

But at a press briefing in Washington, Vice President Dick Cheney vigorously defended the deal, calling Mr. bin Laden “the right man for the job.”

“Osama bin Laden is eminently qualified to run the U.S. Postal Service,” Mr. Cheney told reporters. “For one thing, he’s already disgruntled.”

The Borowitz Report .com

First woman elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Effa Manley became the first woman elected to the baseball Hall of Fame when the former Newark Eagles executive was among 17 people from the Negro Leagues and pre-Negro Leagues chosen Monday by a special committee. Manley co-owned the Eagles with her husband, Abe, and ran the business end of the team for more than a decade. The Eagles won the Negro Leagues World Series in 1946 — one year before Jackie Robinson broke the major league color barrier.

Manley used the game to advance civil rights causes with events such as an Anti-Lynching Day at the ballpark. She died in 1981 at age 84.

Buck O’Neil and Minnie Minoso, the only living members among the 39 candidates on the ballot, were not elected by the 12-person panel.

AP via SI.com

Just Shoot Me

At Time, Joe Klein writes about poor Dick Cheney.

He seemed stunned, uncertain for once. And the haunted look in his eyes reminded me of what soldiers in Vietnam used to call the Thousand-Yard Stare—the paralytic shock that comes from seeing the impact that even low-caliber weaponry can have on human flesh.

An appalled Charles P. Pierce points out one difference between south Texas and Vietnam — “NEITHER HARRY WHITTINGTON NOR THE QUAIL WERE SHOOTING BACK!”

Best line of the day, so far

“And Bob Kerrey, who’s said enough flaky stuff in his day to take a job with Kellogg’s ….”

Charles P. Pierce

More on Gabriela (and Algebra)

The Daily Howler has more on whether Algebra should be required in high school. Scroll about half-way down to the header: Special report—Farewell, Gabriela!

See previous NewMexiKen posting.

Thought you’d want to know

“[I]n the current Harper’s the estimated cost of this horrific war to each American taxpayer is just under $20,000.”

Eric Alterman

It’s the birthday

… of Academy Award winning actress Joanne Woodward. She is 76 today. Miss Woodward won the best actress Oscar for The Three Faces of Eve (1957). She was nominated for best actress three other times. Woodward and Paul Newman have been married 48 years.

… of two-time Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Taylor. She is 74 today. Miss Taylor won best actress Oscars for Butterfield 8 (1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

… of Ralph Nader. He’s 72.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on this date in 1807.

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

So, how do you score?

Word around was that Vince Young the Texas quarterback got just 6 correct on the 50 question Wonderlic test for the NFL combine. Now they’re saying he took it again and got 16. Here from ESPN.com are 15 sample questions (with the answers at the bottom; it’s self-scoring).

So, how do you score?

NewMexiKen was 15 for 15 but suspects that most NFL teams would still prefer Vince Young.

A little background:

Each year, about 2.5 million job applicants, in every line of work, take the Wonderlic. The average NFL combiner scores about the same as the average applicant for any other job, a 21 [of 50]. A 20 indicates the test-taker has an IQ of 100, which is average. (ESPN.com)

10 of 50 is considered literacy.

Black and white twins

Click image to enlarge.

Or here to read about the fraternal girl twins.

Is Freedom Just Another Word for Many Things to Buy?

An article in The New York Times Magazine explains that freedom means different things to different classes in America. To upper and middle class Americans it means the freedom “to.” To working class Americans it means freedom “from.”

We also analyzed how freedom and choice are presented in one of our most pervasive and influential cultural products: popular songs. In every region, Americans with higher education and higher incomes typically prefer rock music over country. We found that rock lyrics had a lot more talk of choice, control and self-expression, as in the Rolling Stones’ refrain, “‘Cause I’m free to do what I want any old time.” But when we analyzed country music, preferred over rock by less-educated Americans in every region, we heard more mentions of self-protection and defense, as in Darryl Worley’s observation, “We didn’t get to keep [our freedom] by backin’ down.” When choice was mentioned, it was often as a prelude or coda to tragedy, as in George Jones’s lament “Now I’m living and dying with the choices I’ve made.”

Another study that compared people in different occupations showed that those employed in middle-class jobs got upset when a friend or neighbor bought the same car as theirs because they felt that the uniqueness of their choice had been undercut. But those in working-class jobs liked it when others chose the same car because it affirmed that they had made a good choice.