May
2
2012

URLs du Jour

2012-05-02

  • Stand Your Ground. We all know from the whole George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin saga that Florida is a gun-crazy zone, where all you have to do after shooting someone is to come up with a halfway-plausible self-defense yarn. And, via Florida's "stand your ground" legislation, that's a stay-out-of-jail-free card. Right?

    Jacob Sullum says: Wrong, hoplophobia-breath! He tells the story of Jacksonville resident Marissa Alexander who fired a warning shot, in a confrontation with her abusive husband. The conclusion:

    On March 16, after deliberating for 12 minutes, a jury convicted Alexander on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Although she injured no one, she faces a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence unless she can win a new trial.
    Just outrageous.

  • What political news can you safely ignore? Cracked provides a handy guide: "5 Ways to Spot a B.S. Political Story in Under 10 Seconds".

    It's Cracked, so beware: the language is a little rougher than (say) National Review. But it's mostly non-partisan, true, and funny. The warning signs:

    1. The Headline Contains the Word "Gaffe"
    2. The Headline Ends in a Question Mark
    3. The Headline Contains the Word "Blasts"
    4. The Headline Is About a "Lawmaker" Saying Something Stupid
    5. The Headline Includes the Phrase "Blow To"
    Follow the link for the whole story. Nevertheless, if I see a headline that reads
    Senator Shaheen Blasts Opponent, but will Stupid Gaffe Deal a Blow To Her Re-Election?
    … I will probably read the article.

  • In an old (i.e., funny) episode of The Simpsons, "Homer at the Bat", Mr. Burns found himself in charge of Springfield's baseball team and brought in pro ringers, including Daryl Strawberry, to play a key game. Key quote:
    Burns: You, Strawberry, hit a home run.
    Strawbery: Okay, skip.
    (hits a home run)
    Burns: Ha-ha! I told him to do that.
    Smithers: Brilliant strategy sir.
    Frank J. remembers that episode too. And you'll never guess what reminded him of it.

  • This story from last week has been tickling funny bones at work. We do crazy here in New Hampshire too:
    A driver waved a flare gun at another vehicle on Interstate 93 on Monday before the gun ultimately went off in his own car, narrowly missing a juvenile passenger, according to the state police.
    Thought he was Mel Gibson, turned out to be Moe Howard.

  • In other traffic news, I want one of these for my commute. It says it takes up more than one traffic lane, but somehow… given the right accessories, I don't see that as a problem.


Last Modified 2017-12-02 9:05 AM EDT