May the next media outlet that does a feature on bacon get a bacon cupcake lodged in their collective aortas
March 31, 2009
Ok, seriously, why in the Hell is every last media outlet on the planet currently running a feature on bacon? It getting sort of unsettling and bizarre. There must be pork lobbyists running amok throughout every single mainstream media outlet in the nation. If I see one more bacon cupcake on TV, I’ll hurl.
Mind you, if you’d prefer this post with a side of bacon, click here.
-WKW
Pistachios: You can’t eat just one, thus increasing your chances of dying of salmonella poisoning
March 31, 2009
This is just nuts:
Barely two months after a huge recall of peanut-related products, federal officials said late Monday that a California processor would recall about one million pounds of pistachio products because of concerns about salmonella contamination.
The company, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, based in Terra Bella, Calif., decided to recall its 2008 crop after one of its customers, Kraft Foods, found several types of salmonella during routine analysis of the product. Kraft Foods alerted the Food and Drug Administration of its findings on March 24.
So far, no illnesses have been tied to the contaminated pistachios, though authorities were investigating at least two consumer complaints. F.D.A. officials warned consumers not to eat pistachios until the scope of the contamination was clear.
The pistachios were sent in 1,000- or 2,000-pound bags to about three dozen wholesalers, who repackaged them and resold them to other customers, said Dr. David Acheson, the F.D.A.’s associate commissioner for foods. As a result, authorities said the recall was likely to expand as the pistachios were traced to processed foods like ice cream and cake mixes.
The salmonella contamination of pistachios is not related to the recent salmonella outbreak tied to peanut products, which sickened hundreds and led to the recall of more than 3,800 products.
Don’t worry, the market - and a long hospital stay - will cure all.
-WKW
“One never gets over this”
March 31, 2009
Wise Web Woman at The Other Side of Sixty has written a powerful and extremely personal post about the sexual abuses she suffered as a child, at the hands of different men. And how she was forced to hide it.
“… I’m putting all this out there. Because I know I’m not alone.”
She isn’t. While I completely understand that many who have been the victim of sexual abuse may want to avoid her post, I strongly advise those that are up to it to give it a read. It is a shocking - and by no means abnormal - look at terrible events that shaped a woman’s psyche. And how “one never gets over this.”
-WKW
Negotiating with the Taliban - the reality
March 31, 2009
When Hamas was elected as the ruling party in Palestine, I thought it was a massive strategic mistake for the U.S. and Israel to not just recognize them, but to actively work for their removal. The reasoning was simple: they were democratically elected. And their survival depended on governing well. But like Iran was made stronger by the invasion of Iraq, Hamas was made stronger by the attacks it faced from the U.S. and Israel.
When it comes to the Taliban, I feel strongly about negotiating with them. They were not democratically elected and the citizenry not only didn’t want them, they actively (and appropriately) feared them.
But negotiate with them we apparently will. At least the “good” ones that are sorry for the hell they’ve brought upon the people of Afghanistan:
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The United States offered Taliban fighters who renounce violence in Afghanistan an “honorable form of reconciliation” on Tuesday as part of a revamped strategy to tackle a deepening insurgency.
Traditional U.S. foe Iran, attending an international conference on Afghanistan, pledged help in tackling the huge opium trade in its neighbor but stressed it remained opposed to U.S. and other foreign troops there.
The conference in the Netherlands is a chance for NATO and other U.S. allies to consult on the Afghan strategy unveiled by President Barack Obama last week stressing the need to cooperate with regional players such as Iran, Pakistan, Russia and India.
“We must … support efforts by the government of Afghanistan to separate the extremists of al Qaeda and the Taliban from those who have joined their ranks not out of conviction, but out of desperation,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the conference in The Hague.
“They should be offered an honorable form of reconciliation and reintegration into a peaceful society, if they are willing to abandon violence, break with al Qaeda, and support the constitution,” Clinton said.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai welcomed Obama’s “fresh, strong and judicious leadership,” but said his government should take the lead in approaches to the Taliban.
And “take the lead” is what Karzai has apparently done. And women will suffer greatly for it:
The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands’ permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands’ permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex.
A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only.
Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was “worse than during the Taliban”. “Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam,” she said.
The Afghan constitution allows for Shias, who are thought to represent about 10% of the population, to have a separate family law based on traditional Shia jurisprudence. But the constitution and various international treaties signed by Afghanistan guarantee equal rights for women.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail, like other female parliamentarians, complained that after an initial deal the law was passed with unprecedented speed and limited debate. “They wanted to pass it almost like a secret negotiation,” she said. “There were lots of things that we wanted to change, but they didn’t want to discuss it because Karzai wants to please the Shia before the election.”
This is the reality of “negotiating with the Taliban.” And for those in Afghanistan, it’s a reality they’ve lived with for far too long.
-WKW
In response to Craig Medred, Re: Mike Doogan
March 31, 2009
Bill:
And we should admire the people who lack the courage to put their names to their opinions because?
I ask this not lightly, having put my name publicly to controversial views for decades and having so often been threatened with bodily harm that I gave up paying any attention to such threats long ago.
Somehow I find this whole anonymous, citizen-journalist bullshit just so much cowardice.
But you know, I might be able to buy some of it if the author of Mudflats, having been caught out, had manned up (or is that womaned up) the way Joe Klein did when he got outed for “Primary Colors.”
Instead she writes a bunch of crap about not wanting to be noticed. If you want to avoid being noticed, you sit in the corner and keep your mouth shut.
You don’t put a bag over your head and start shouting yourself into the conversation. That’s just asking someone to pull the bag off.
Lord knows, there aren’t many people with whom I’ve had more fights than Mike Doogen. He’s the jerk who ordered me back from Barrow when I wanted to write about what a farce the great Alaska “whale rescue’’ was all those years back.
He was wrong then.
He’s right now.
I only hope he got the name right.
Craig MedredP.S. Why is this the William K. Wolfrum Chronicles instead of the Bill Anonymous Chronicles, anyway?
Craig,
I must say that your comment smacks of privilege. I can’t say I’m overly impressed with the courage of a long-time journalist that has received a steady pay check and benefits for something that is their life’s work, while earning public praise that he obviously craves. And doing so in a state where he’s viewed as populist.
That aside, your complaint seems to be that AKM didn’t run and hide when a politician unveiled her identity. Basically you are saying that since people now know who AKM is, she should shut up and know her place.
As for AKM, her reasons for being anonymous never really came into play, as Doogan seemed less interested in that than in outing her. Are you actually unaware that in a nation of 300 million there is a small percentage of people out there who want to express themselves, but for job and/or personal reasons want to keep their identities hidden? We all have our own circumstances, and one must give up a job or put their lives at risk to speak freely, than free speech doesn’t exist.
I use my own name because I long ago made the choice to be a journalist and have my name in print in one form or another for more than 20 years. And obviously I have my own cravings for attention. But I went into blogging understanding that it would make me extremely unattractive to the mainstream media. I’ve made about $80 doing what I love the past several years.
But I have absolutely no complaints. My situation is unlike others and I’m able to do what it is I love. But that doesn’t give me a myopia about the facticity of others that want to speak out in a land of free speech. Because I don’t believe that public discourse should only be controlled by those with the ability to stand visibly on a soap box for all to see.
Is giving up anonymity the price of free speech? Because as I see it, that would be the polar opposite of free speech. History is littered with those that have written under pseudonyms for a wide variety of reasons. Were the Bronte sisters “cowards” because they published under male names? Or perhaps they should have been outed by a local politician? What of Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Walter Scott, Jane Austen or others? Or is our time so enlightened that anonymity is unnecessary and we should all join the reality show of modern times?
My life’s travels have made me extremely sympathetic toward Alaska and Alaskans, and I respect your work. But I must say your comment is little more than a string of logical fallacies apparently written by someone that has been in their own shoes so long they no longer have an ability to recognize that other shoes even exist. More than anything, I find it perplexing that a writer would side with a politician on outing a citizen. Because Doogan is a politician. While he’ll always be a journalist, the shoes he now fills are the ones he put on when elected to public office. And he was wrong.
Regards and thanks for the comment,
Bill
-WKW
Ben & Jerry’s the final piece of the CyClone Dairy hoax?
March 30, 2009
Ok, while I know I promised I was done with this subject, I just received a comment that seemed to make one final connection in the case of the pretend “CyClone Dairy,” a non-existant dairy that says it produces its milk from cloned cows.
“There is a certain large socially conscious company involved that will make sense once it comes out,” said Joe Blow.
This sent my mind directly to one company - Ben & Jerry’s.
Earlier I had pointed out that a design company called Vermont Design Works had been involved on the project. So a small part of this is the fact that Ben & Jerry’s is in Vermont.
Another part is that Ben & Jerry’s is strongly opposed to cloning animals.
The final part is this: Ben & Jerry’s works with Food & Water Watch … on cloning issues.
I have a call into Ben & Jerry’s but don’t really expect a response. And it doesn’t change my final conclusion about the CyClone Dairy PR campaign, it just means that I’ve come to believe that Ben & Jerry’s is the main cog in its engine. I still believe it’s an amateurish campaign. I still believe it will all unfold Wednesday, and I still believe that Food & Water Watch is involved.
But don’t be surprised if you see that Ben & Jerry’s is involved, as well.
Update: Oh, and I forgot to mention this: The first comment on the first post ever about Cyclone Dairy:
Posted by Ben & Jerry at 2009-03-24 15:16
It is satire.
Update: Well how about that.
-WKW
Statement from William K. Wolfrum: “Catholic stayed I”
March 30, 2009
“Having seen the love and admiration pouring from Conservative circles following Newt Gingrich’s conversion to Catholicism, I feel it is time for me to come forward with an admission - I am a Catholic. And I always have been.
Yes, my friends, I grew up in a Catholic household and jumped through all the hoops the Catholic Church have: I ate the wafers, I confessed whatever it is a 10-year-old has to confess, and I prayed to every deity they threw in front of me.
To take it even further, I was married in a Catholic Church and got all the officials stamps and check marks directly from Jesus. Or a Cardinal, or whatever. It was a dude in a robe is all I know.
This is why I currently demand that all the same conservatives that are now eager to wipe Gingrich’s slate clean give me the same respect and love. After all, here’s what they said about Newt:
‘From a Catholic point of view, Newt’s sins no longer exist - they’ve been absolved. He’s made a fresh start in life. So Newt will continue to sin and confess but there aren’t going to be a lot of Catholics who will hold that against him. They understand why being a Catholic makes a difference.’
Thus, having been a Catholic for 42 years now, I believe Catholics are ready to embrace me, as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a sinner. And I will sin again. In fact, one of my biggest sins is very likely my complete disdain for the Catholic Church.
In the past, I’ve called the Catholic Church ‘evil,’ I’ve accused them of catering to Skinheads, I’ve envisioned a world where Jesus came back to Earth for the sole purpose of face-punching the Pope, and made a series of random attacks against Catholics.
And I personally guarantee I’ll be making these same attacks, as well as some much worse, in the future.
Nonetheless, despite my complete lack of faith, I am a far better Catholic than Gingrich. After all, I’ve never been divorced or cheated on my wife. I’m no expert, but that’s a big one, right? Better yet, I almost never covet. I’m quite content. Add to that the fact that I’m not rich - thus, unlike Gingrich, I won’t have to deal with that “eye of a needle” thing.
I have never renounced my Catholicism, despite the fact that I think it’s all a big scam. And being a Catholic makes all the difference. For this, I demand the same respect that Gingrich is receiving. Plus, I’d like Bill Donohue - one of the great douchebags in American history - to personally compliment me. After all, I confessed like a half-hour ago. And I was as honest about that as Gingrich is about converting.
Thank you for your time and I have retained counsel in this matter.”
-WKW
QOTD - the class of conservatism
March 30, 2009
“Well, your wife said the same thing.”
- Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), responding to Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who said “Oh, you are good.”
-WKW
Fox News doubles up on disseminating RNC talking points with Fox Nation
March 30, 2009
Obviously concerned that it’s main opinion site - FoxNews.com - is not disseminating far-right opinions fast enough, Fox News has debuted it’s second all-opinion site - Fox Nation.
“We felt that giving people a real destination to go and express themselves would give them a feeling of belonging,” says Senior Vice President Joel Cheatwood. “People feel they’re dictated to a lot by the media.”
With the move, Rupert Murdoch has now doubled up on his ability to spread RNC talking points. A look at the two sites shows that they are taking this seriously:
FoxNews.com: Report: AIG Exec Arm-Twists for Dodd
FoxNation.com: Chris Dodd’s cavalcade of scandal
FoxNews.com: GLENN BECK: It Is Anti-American to Try to Keep Newspapers Afloat
FoxNation.com: GLENN BECK: It Is Anti-American to Try to Keep Newspapers Afloat
All of this is good news for Fox News fans, most of whom are so set in their ideologies that they’ll actually be thrilled to read the exact same stories and opinions twice on separate Web sites. Though Fox Nation does have one advantage over Fox News - at Fox Nation, they actually mention two Republican politicians by name (John McCain & Sarah Palin). At Fox News, not one Republican politician is mentioned. So they have that going for them.
In the end, Fox Nation promises to be a non-partisan haven, as Grover Norquist says:
“FOX Nation itself takes no position on issues–although unlike so many other Web portals, FOX Nation does begin with the presumption that America is a special and unique place, a blessed land to be treasured and defended.
That’s right, conservatives, libertarians, and other believers in limited government have found a new home–at FOX Nation.”
Yes, Fox Nation will be the new home for all political beliefs, from Conservative to Really Conservative. Welcome to the Internets.
-WKW
If newspapers keep focusing on pseudoscience, maybe it’s good it’s a dying medium
March 30, 2009
I’m sure this won’t be popular with some, but the truth is often not what we want it to be. But here it is: There is no data whatsoever that proves that acupuncture works. It is pseudoscience, and the only thing it really is good for is proving the placebo effect. But that doesn’t keep daily newspapers from producing fact-free articles touting sticking pins in people.
From the St. Petersburg Times:
In recent decades more and more people have turned to acupuncture, an ancient therapy with roots dating back to China some 2,000 years ago. With the use of fine needles and supplementary herbs, acupuncturists have brought relief to those with a variety of ailments, including knee, back and neck pain; anxiety; migraine headaches; insomnia; fibromyalgia; irritable bowel syndrome; and even fertility problems.
Practitioners of acupuncture insert fine, sterile needles along a series of meridians, or channels, which run throughout the body. Through these meridians flows an energy, or life force, which the Chinese call “Qi,”( pronounced “chee”).
The weakest thing about this article? It is completely, 100 percent one-sided. No one gives an opposing viewpoint. If you read this article and were uninformed, you’d come to one conclusion - acupuncture is a miracle cure.
In the Letters to the Editor, Peter Trzeciak puts it succinctly:
I found this article extremely disappointing. In the first place, acupuncture lacks any kind of credibility. Despite multiple attempts to validate it using clinical studies, it has failed to produce scientific results. Secondly, it is interesting that acupuncture (and many other “alternative” modalities) seems to work only on very nonspecific symptoms (like pain), which make it hard to study and can be easily affected by the “placebo effect.”
The article not only fails to present the “other” side, which, in case of acupuncture, overwhelmingly points against any real effects that this “therapy” has on one’s health, but is also written in such a way that should have “advertisement” written all over it. Please, keep the standards higher.
P.S. A great resource for credible, medical knowledge, easily digestible for average reader can be found on the Science-Based Medicine Blog.
Journalism is all about facts, and for newspapers, that means they should be factual cover-to-cover in their articles. Instead, we get pseudoscience. It makes it kind of difficult to feel bad that newspapers are on their way out.
-WKW
(Goat) Blowing the lid off another super-secret, nefarious, blood-thirsty, liberal, e-mail cabal of evilness
March 30, 2009
When Michael Calderone and Mickey Kaus stumbled upon a super-secret, evil cabal of liberal hate called “JournoList,” Conservatives around the globe immediately got the vapors. How could this be? How could liberals meet in secret locations and share e-mails with one another? Because unlike Conservatives - who are much more open about their dealings with official secret organizations like PNAC, AEI, and The Heritage Foundation, JournoList was run via e-mail and didn’t invite open and honest debate.
Luckily, Kaus and others have put the kibosh on JournoList. But they haven’t looked deeply enough. Because there are other super-secret, liberal, fascist, communist, e-mail cabals out there. Like “JournoList II: The Goat Fuckening.”
Having infiltrated this group of America-haters, I’m thrilled to show you what these liberals have been up to behind closed firewalls:
*************************************
From: Matthew Yglesias Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:43:51 -0700 (PDT) Local: Tues, Mar 24 2009 1:43 pm Subject: BREAKING: Kaus Haunted By Goat-Blowing Allegations
It seems to me that he’s going to have to answer these charges.
*************************************
From: Matthew Saroff Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:43:51 -0700 (PDT) Local: Tues, Mar 24 2009 3:43 pm Subject: BREAKING: Kaus Haunted By Goat-Blowing Allegations
I wouldn’t mention it, but Mickey Kaus has STILL not offered a denial, so by the standards of…Mickey Kaus…Mickey Kaus blows goats.
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From: Oliver Willis Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:42:51 -0700 (PDT) Local: Tues, Mar 24 2009 13:43 pm Subject: BREAKING: Kaus Haunted By Goat-Blowing Allegations
Mickey Kaus blows goats, according to sources. I’m just following the high ethical standards of Slate Magazine (owned by the Washington Post).
*************************************
From: Atrios
According to an anonymous source, Mickey Kaus regularly blows goats. Either he fails to deny this strongly enough, in which case his goat blowing proclivities are assuredly true, or his denials will impugn the integrity of my source which makes him a tremendously bad person. And, of course, a goat blower.
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From: Liss
Mickey Kaus totally blowz goats! Pass it on!
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From: Mark Adams
Unnamed internet sources have suggested that a trail of chewed soda cans and Cheeto crumbs leading to his apartment confirm the anonymous rumor that Kaus Blows Goats.
Micky Kaus has yet to answer these charges. The original source of this scathing indictment could not be located, but may be hiding out at PETA headquaters near you.
*************************************
From: Ezra Klein Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:42:51 -0700 (PDT) Local: Tues, Mar 24 2009 13:43 pm Subject: BREAKING: Kaus Haunted By Goat-Blowing Allegations
The shame they should feel over their journalistic practices pales in comparison to the shame they must feel over their amorous feelings towards goats.
*************************************
From: Wonkette
“Marty Peretz is a Crazy-Ass Racist” would be the most unarguably correct statement about a journalist after “Mickey Kaus Blows Goats”
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More on this as it develops …
-WKW
Michelle Obama, Madonna have arms and L.A. Times invents a “debate” about them
March 30, 2009
There is one debate that apparently dominates all at the Los Angeles Times: Madonna and Michelle Obama’s arms.
Michelle Obama’s toned arms are debated
First Lady Michelle Obama stands tall and regal in her official portrait, a double strand of creamy pearls around her neck, her figure clad in a fitted Michael Kors dress. But there’s one aspect of this seemingly benign photograph that’s causing something of a commotion, and it lies in that exposed 10-inch-or-so stretch between her shoulder and elbow. The first lady is buff, and she’s not afraid to show it.
Her curvy biceps have become something of a lightning rod for remarks from both sexes in a larger discussion of how much female muscle constitutes too much. While some praise Obama as a role model in a world gone obese, others say she’s gone too far in displaying the fruit of her workouts. Read one online forum comment: “There is nothing uglier than manly, muscular arms on a woman. Mrs. Obama should be hiding them instead of showing them off.”
Now here’s the thing: In order to create a “debate,” author Jeannine Stein uses two anonymous comments from Internet forums. That’s her proof that this is an issue. And after using those two anonymous comments, Stein writes:
“Why do we care so much?”
We don’t, Jeannine. In fact, no one cares. No matter how much you blatantly lie about it to create a story.
-WKW
From the Wayback Machine - a writer’s story
March 29, 2009
This was previously published at Best Syndications on July 13, 2005
You learn fairly early that being a writer is a life of stale doughnuts, cold coffee and little or no recognition. Of course, my life was exactly the same before I decided to write full time, so to me it’s all good.
I didn’t go to college until I was 28, because I was busy exploring the world and opening my personal boundaries. OK, mostly that consisted of exploring bars and opening bottles of beer. In fact, the ages of 21 to 27 are pretty hazy to me. I know there were a couple jobs, mostly involving lifting things, and I know I had a nice dinner at Red Lobster once. Aside from that, I’m at a loss.
The “Lost Years of Bill” as many historians now recall it is neither here nor there and is really a story that only a full-length novel could fully express. I’m currently working on this project, which will likely become my life’s work.
Back to writing. I attended the University of Alaska Anchorage, which is a fabulous school if you plan to major in shivering or desolation. I majored in journalism, which meant I got to do a lot of reporting on shivering, desolate people.
Anyway, I learned early that being a writer meant to check your ego at the door. Getting your name in a newspaper is fine if you’re main goal in life is to impress your mom, but a great percentage of the general population thinks journalists and writers are self-absorbed egomaniacs. I plan to address this at length in my book, which is tentatively titled “BILL!! Say it again: BILL!!”
This great epiphany occurred to me during spring break of my junior year.
While many of my fellow students were enjoying fabulous Alaskan spring break rituals like drinking, passing out in a snow bank and having their toes amputated, I volunteered to be a counselor at a University sports camp for children.
Most of the other counselors were student-athletes, which made me stand out like a sore thumb. A big, fat, stale-doughnut-eating sore thumb. This was pointed out to me by one of the kids at the camp.
“You’re kind of fat, what sport do you play?” the lovable little cherub asked.
“Well, what I do is watch those guys play sports while I eat doughnuts and write about it,” I replied.
“That’s kind of sad. Bye,” the adorable urchin said.
So, while the athletes got to instruct groups of adoring 10-to-12 year olds, I was stuck with the 9 year olds, who have the attention span of, well, some sort of witty analogy for short attention span people. Sorry, reliving these painful memories is draining my creativity.
Basically, I spent my spring break trying to play dodge ball with 9 year olds, who had the uncanny ability to disappear from the group for hours on end. I’d find them hidden away in teachers’ lounge, smoking cigars, drinking brandy from snifters and telling witty jokes about farts.
In the end though, I got my message across I believe, and we spent the final couple days of the sports camp sitting around computers, eating stale doughnuts, drinking cold coffee and stressing over deadlines. They considered themselves lucky for the experience and for the ulcers and heart attacks.
So what does this all mean? Well, first of all, 9-year-old children should be kept in a closet until they’re 10. Extremely compassionate and humane closets, mind you. Second, writers, whether a journalist for the Dubuque Weekly Journal or Michael Crichton, shouldn’t take themselves too seriously.
Once again, this will be covered in excruciating detail in my book, in a chapter I will likely call “Jeez, Get Over Yourselves, it’s Not Like You’re Bill or Anything.”
-WKW
April Fools - a final thought on CyClone Dairy
March 29, 2009
Over at Fair Food Fight, El Dragón has some very good points about the CyClone Dairy hoax.
It would have been far better to have construct a campaign that allowed people in on the joke immediately, to engage people in a way that would have allowed them to feel “in on the joke” and to inspire them to spread the word virally to others who might enjoy the joke, too.
Instead, the Cyclone Dairy campaign comes off as cynical by tracking down discussions like True Mosquito’s, creating sock puppets (“Melissa” is most likely a sock puppet — the profile was created shortly before the comment she made was posted, which, itself, seems a forced and unlikely argument — who takes the time to come on a site like this to defend cloned milk??), taking out fake ads on lefty social network sites that cloud the point of the campaign, and otherwise treating potential allies in a way that makes them feel like dupes, not allies.
As far as I’m concerned, El Dragón has hit the nail on the head. Food and Water Watch (as far as I’m concerned) has created a false campaign to fool people, in order to draw attention to cloned foods and the need to label them as such. And yes, they have fooled people.
By all means, it would have been much better to treat the liberal blogosphere and TV viewers like grown-ups and let them in on the joke. And while I do hope they achieve their main goal - to create more discussion about cloned animals and the issues that come with them - their decision to approach the subject by confusing people was amateurish and foolish.
And speaking of foolish, here’s a comment left on the blog Team Bettendorf by Margaret:
This is a hoax, I’d guess that they’ll advertise all week and then release some kind of public statement on April fools day to reveal the person behind it.
It’s an expensive hoax though, and I’m not sure what they’ll get from it—- they are counting on it to go viral I guess.
I must say that I agree with Margaret, and believe that come Wednesday, F&WW will get to their point. And regardless of the validity of that point, the expensive and shifty way they’ve went about it has made them look foolish before their point was even made, and will have made plenty of bloggers and viewers feel foolish for falling for it. And that’s no way to start intelligent and meaningful debate.
-WKW
These are a few of my favorite satirical things
March 29, 2009
Having now been blogging for four-plus years, with more than 1,500 posts at this site, another 1,000 or so at WorldGolf.com and quite a few at Shakesville, I thought I’d use a lazy Sunday afternoon to showcase but a few of my favorite satire posts and articles with readers both new and old. So, in no particular order:
- Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi: The most hideous thing humans have ever created
- John McCain leads Barack Obama in official poll of golf-club throwers
- Shroud of Turin golf towel: bring idol worship to your golf bag
- Jesus Christ quits Christianity after viewing Republican Platform
- To Save America, we need the Black Death
- Can America really afford another American President?
- The Onion admits Republican Presidential ticket a satire that “spun out of control”
- Welcome to Jesustology: America’s Religion
- Red Dawn: We shall never forget
- Two-year-old Brayden Bozak: The future of golf, and of human life itself
- Statement from William K. Wolfrum: “I’ll take the hit on this one”
- Vatican thrilled as Skinheads turn to Catholicism in droves
- Gatorade Tiger: Instead of wasting scientists’ time analyzing Tiger Woods’ sweat, why not just sell his bodily fluids?
- The Swiftboating of Jesus H. Christ: A look back
- After eliminating Gay marriage rights, evangelicals plan to take away rights of Blacks to pee, Latinos to procreate, Muslims to live
- Rock star Sarah Palin spends $150K on clothes, trashes hotel room, bites head off puffin
- John McCain hires Sarah Palin’s Kenyan Pastor to “remove Witchcraft from economy”
- Feds, Economists blame Tim Johnson of Tupelo, Miss., for entire U.S. financial crisis
- Is it David Wygant or TR’s Hunting Tips?
- Conservatism dies of massive cash overdose
- Jose Padilla announces Candidacy for U.S. Presidency, citing POW, torture qualifications
- Interview with the Troll: The Troll Chronicles
- Christopher Hitchens lets Vanity Fair blow off his legs, kill his entire family, destroy his home; he writes about it
Stay tuned for more new material after I catch my breath …
-WKW
