What's the matter with Kansas?

Ladies and gentleman, we're now arriving in Kansas. Please bring your seatbacks and tray tables to their full upright and locked position, and reset your watches. The time in Kansas is now, like, 1854 or something.

What the hell? Phill (love the second "L" there, buddy) Kline, the esteemed Attorney General of Kansas, feels he needs to review the abortion records of women so he can prosecute late-term abortionists and underage sex offenders. I feel he needs to go to hell.

As if having the Kansas Jayhawks in your state isn't bad enough. Egad.

Well, thank heaven for that.

Burning Manure Pile in Nebraska Goes Out

An actual headline. And I think nothing more need be said, but I can't help but wonder if the burning manure might have been an improvement.

Tomorrow's headline:

TOURISM SUFFERS SHARP DECLINE IN NEBRASKA
Convention & Visitors Bureau Plans to Set Fire to An "Even Bigger" Pile of Shit

I should be grateful the world is experiencing a slow news day.

I shouldn't care.

It shouldn't matter to me at all that the Boston Red Sox players seem to spend all of their waking moments insulting the Yankees' third baseman, Alex Rodriguez. I hate both teams, after all. But the fact that there is no hockey is causing me to read far more of the baseball coverage in the New York Times than I normally would. And it provides an interesting angle on how issues (or, in this case, non-issues) are fanned by the media, particularly in sports, where the same gang of reporters covers the same beat and interviews the same athletes every day.

Saturday Night. Live?

Sometimes you just want to repeat a joke you heard on SNL. I know, it doesn't happen VERY often, but when it does, this site could be indispensable.

Two of my all-time favorites are Colonel Angus and Christina Aguilera's hilariously transgendered impression of Kim Cattrall. "Sweet lady New York, you are the fifth whore at this table."

Indeed.

Politically correct.

I don't know how I feel about the recent remarks made by Harvard president Lawrence Summers. He opines that women may be underrepresented in the sciences not only because of gender bias, but also because of innate biological differences, and also mentioned that married women are far less likely to want to work 80 hours per week than married men. It's caused quite a firestorm, but it's hard for me to be upset when someone expresses a thought. And he didn't label it any more than that, according to the transcript.

There's not enough dialogue in society today, and the reaction Summers is receiving is precisely what shortchanges the free exchange of ideas. I read an article in which a recent Harvard grad, Ross Douthat, discusses his overall disappointment at how little he was challenged in those hallowed halls. His book, Privilege, looks like a great read. It reminded me, too, of something I read in The Paradox of Choice, in which the author laments the fact that rampant consumerism has rendered impossible any kind of common discourse in this country. Even at a university as fine as Harvard, where one would expect students to have some common ground to discuss issues of politics, science and civilization, there is no such common ground because the curriculum is free-form and student-driven. There's a fine line between the necessity of expanding the curriculum to embrace diversity and multiculturalism, and between watering it down so that there is no "common" to any common curriculum.

When in doubt, post a picture instead.

No new tale to tell.

Ah, what to bore you with today? So much news, so little time. Well, there's always...

• The fact that I'm taking a pay cut to facilitate a transfer with my company, but don't yet know how much of a pay cut I'll be taking. Thoughts and prayers are gratefully accepted, as I will likely find out Monday what offer is on the table. After that, donations may also be gratefully accepted.
• The fact that my boss hates me, or at the very least considers me an incompetent loser, despite the fact that a week ago she tried to extend my tour of duty until the summer. Friday, she took time out of her schedule to tell me what an ass I am. In all fairness, her comments, while upsetting, had some merit, but it didn't make it any more fun to hear. My sister pointed out how much more meaningful it is to hear those things by phone. It's like your supervisor is saying, "You know, I'm really busy and don't have time to come to see you today, but I wanted to know I'm thinking about you AND WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT YOU ARE." Thanks.
• The fact that we're in the process of getting our first mortgage, and are soon to visit our new city to find a home (cross your fingers).
  
• The fact that I'm experiencing constant, low-level anxiety and would like to stay in bed with the covers over my head. This could have to do with my as-yet-unknown new salary (see above), my alleged poor job performance (see above), the impending move and home purchase (see above again), or something else altogether that I don't even know is bothering me yet.
• The fact that I'm still strung out on all versions of Law & Order, and nearly cried tears of joy when NBC began running ads for the new series, Law & Order: Trial by Jury (coming in March to a TV near you). I'm not the only one, I know, and it's like a dirty little habit. But you won't catch me giving it up for Lent.

Or perhaps none of that is worth discussing in any detail.