Perhaps, even allow self-starvation, as long as the dessert is a certain bullet. This is great satire, though I’m not sure the author meant it to be.
The Carnival of Satire (#40)
Welcome to the 40th Carnival of Satire, where we have satire that’s transcendent, transhuman (including the transpapal), transgendered and, we hope, transgressive.
A special thanks to Ahistoricality for finding The Straight Man’s Guide to Lousy Sex at Susie Bright’s Journal. Though to be fair, we think about 80 percent of straight men don’t need a guide.
Ali Eteraz has satire so deep and dark you’ll need a spelunking helmet and headlamp in: Muslim Satirists Commit Mass Suicide.
Buckley F. Williams has news of the New York Times revealing Timmy Durgin’s Hiding Place.
More treats from Ahistoricality, who has also found a discussion of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Revisited. We have blogged about this book, but have yet to purchase it, mostly because we’re jealous we didn’t think of it first. And on a related note, there’s this satirical quiz: what kind of transhuman are you?
Anonymous Educator digs up more dirt as a member of the Beautification Committee.
Continue Reading →
Professor Quippy: Sweat Your Ass Off — Literally
If you need to lose some weight, consider turning off that central air.
According to a study from an obesity researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, too many Twinkies and not enough time on the treadmill are not the only factors leading to obesity.
Not getting enough sleep contributes to weight gain, as does keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
They drew up a list of factors other than calorie intake and exercise that may be leading to higher obesity rates, including a few provocative suggestions:
- social stigma around smoking (tobacco)
- fewer concentration camps (Gitmo notwithstanding)
- decreased popularity of heroine
- a decline in the tapeworm population.
In the end it comes down to calories in and calories expended, but it’s good to know there may be other forces at work. Of course, it’s hard to fight obesity when there are outrages like the Twinkies Cookbook.
The science here:
Air con and lack of sleep promote obesity
Satire eunuch
Dennis Miller once described his role in Murder at 1600 as the “exposition eunuch”, and now he’s becoming just that when it comes to satire.
We just watched “All In”, his latest HBO special. Sure, he can still crack wise when it comes to cultural issues, and he can still turn a phrase (his observations about obesity are particularly funny). But he’s kind of lost it on the political front by giving Dubya and company a pass. So, watch the first half, for sure, but you might lose interest in the second part. Seriously. Given the mendacity of the White House, the best he can do is make tired jokes about French cowardice?
Saddam was funnier last week when he started a hunger strike after lunch and ended it before dinner.
Also, one of them has to change their look. Of course, that’s just our opinion, we could be wrong.
Insensitivities o-rama
If General Kang isn’t enough, find more culturally inappropriate material at the Carnival of the Insanities.
And of course, there’s the opposite — the very appropriate Will Rogers hosts the Best of Me Symphony.
SearchProf: Mark’s new company
A serious note for a minute. In Mark’s non-writing life, he is a freelancer. He has started a new venture, called SearchProf, which will focus on search engine optimization (SEO) and web consulting services. If you know of anyone looking for help with either the search engines or for communications/marketing help as it relates to their website and Internet strategies, have them check out the SearchProf site.