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    Why is this question column different than all other question columns ...

    Because on this question column, we try out Genghis's proposed suggestion to write the full questions in the comments section to make it even easier for you to answer them ... Also, I was eating bitter herbs while I wrote this ... Man-eesh Ta-Na ...

    1) NHL Hockey?

    2) Bobbleheads?

    3) New Music?

    4) Tivo additions?

    5) Laundromats?

    6) Shopping?

    7) Avant-garde parenting?

    8) Corporal punishment?

    9) Sterilization?

    10) Liberal arts education?

    Bonus Qs) Column? New Format?

    Topics: 
    Series: 

    Comments

    1) The NHL hockey season started a few weeks back. For you this means: A) Absolutely nothing B) Something to watch IF there's no college football, pro football, pro basketball, Poker, English Premier soccer, Nascar, cricket, Dancing with the Stars, AND I can somehow find the VS. channel on my cable system C) The return of one of the most exciting games in the world, a wonderful symphony of grace, violence, and unbelievable athleticsm that is punctuated by the best postseason period in sports.


    A. Although I used to date a guy with season tickets and I did enjoy the games. Hockey is graceful and brutal at the same time. It's an interesting combination.

    Hockey is stoopit and coma inducing.


    For me, if you can't tell, the answer is C. Go Blues! Hockey is sometimes tough to watch on TV because the puck is small, but it's still very exciting. Great to see live too!


    That would be A.  I'm a basketball fan.


    D) wasted bandwith


    Grace... Violence... Comas.... AND the best playoffs in sports.

    Playoffs are great. But for sheer gut-wrenching emotion, buy the boxed set of the 1972 Canada-Russia series. Spoiler alert: watch for the surprise ending.


    A and B.  I like fast-moving sports now and then, as in basketball or hockey.  I went to an Anaheim Ducks game when I worked for Sony and I had AWESOME seats, and found that I couldn't sit down because it was so exciting.  Football is okay if I like the team and it's the Superbowl (or if I have a bet on the Superbowl), but I mostly prefer watching golf. 


    2) Have you ever owned a Bobblehead? Who was it of?


    My mom gave me a bobblehead of Paul Giametti's character in Sideways. I cherished it for many years. Give or take many years.


    No fucking way. Those things are creepier than clowns.

    No, never had one. I may have a secret admiration for them, as I tend to flick display models. I'm obnoxious that way.


    Nope.


    no


    Kim Basinger. Ohhhhhhhh! A BOBBLE-head. Sorry.

    I don't personally own a bobble-head, but I and my coworker bought our boss a Mr. Burns one -- which talks, whilst also serving as a piggy bank.  Our boss doesn't watch the Simpsons, so had no idea who Mr. Burns was, but he likes the fact that when he bangs his fist on his desk, Mr. Burns says, "Excellent" and nods his head.

     


    3) So a few weeks ago, I wanted to know how I could learn about good music, and one of the most common answers was 'friends' ... So, dear dagfriends, what must I immediately add to my music collection - popular to obscure, rock to jazz, and everything in between, I'm open to anything.


    The Secret Machines, who I'll be seeing in Williamsburg on Tuesday. But IMO the best (relatively) new band out there is The National.


    How did you format links in the comments?

    The comments should have the same edit buttons as the posts. If you don't see them, try refreshing the page.


    Salsa Celtica (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s01fH0TuCiA&feature=related). They're from Scotland and it's a fusion of traditional celtic and latin music. You'd never think it would work but it is so much fun! My favorite song: El aqua de la vida. It's at about 6:15 in the video link above.

    Pandora Radio, silly. The Music Genome Project.

    H/T to Orlando


    Just saw Local H open up for the Electric Six at the Great American music hall week before last.  It was a great show.  Local H is a two-piece with guitar and drums.  They both play like madmen.  My girlfriend thought that they sounded like Nirvana at times, but I thought they sounded like they were influenced by a lot of the same stuff that influenced Nirvana, especially early 80s punk like Black Flag.  The Electric Six are just too much damned fun.  It's a nearly cartoonish mix of high-energy 70s rock and disco with terribly awesome lyrics.  Most of their songs are about dancing, rocking, drugs, war, nuclear war or partying.  Or cleaning products.

    As far as anything else, I'd be curious as to what you're into.  I listen to all kinds of music.


    I remember their hit, "Bound for the Floor," but wasn't familiar with any of their other stuff, which sounds pretty good.


    rock


    Damnwells. Two Hours Traffic. subdudes. Chew Fu. Miracle Fortress. The National. And everything Wilson Pickett & Paul Westerberg ever did.

    So much good stuff to start downloading - thanks for all the suggestions. as far as what I like, i'm going to see christina courtin friday live. she's quite good (kind of like regina spektor), tho seeing her live is better than her recorded stuff ... other stuff I've seen live and like is The Pierces and Griffin House. i know this is old hat by now (which is why i asked the question) but i've really been digging the sufjan stevens and iron and wine i have on my ipod. cake used to be one of my favorite bands but i dont even know if they've released anything new in years.


    I'm not always up on new music, but I like Snow Patrol when I'm not listening to the Clash or Pearl Jam.


    4) As long as I'm asking for pop culture recommendations, my Tivo viewing schedule has gotten surprisingly small (Daily Show/Colbert Report, Family Guy, Office, 30 Rock, Jeopardy, Heroes (barely, that show is really losing me), and House). Any other shows that i should absolutely be watching, esp. new shows???


    If you have Showtime, True Blood is pretty awesome. I don't have cable. So, I watch it online.

    Do yourself a favor, drop your television off a high rise, film it, and put it on YouTube.


    Gotta say - I think there's some decent stuff on TV nowadays (obviously hidden amongst loads of crap). Can at times be better than the stuff one finds at the local cineplex.


    I try not to watch too much TV.  Outside of TDS/TCR, the only show I really care about is Battlestar Galactica.  I was a big fan of what Ron Moore did with TNG and he basically saved DS9 from a boring demise by giving them something to do with the Dominion war.  If you're not into sci-fi at all it might not sound appealing, but the new BSG is sci-fi done right.  They don't waste time with technobabble and they cleverly use the framework of the show to feel around in the mess of the human experience.  The shows has dealt with politics, religion, war, terrorism, drugs, divorce and the very big questions of existence itself.  Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonell definitely give the show some dramatic gravitas and James Callis frequently steals the show.  They're just getting ready to air the last half of the final season, so I'd recommend watching the 3 hour mini-series that kicked it off if you've never seen it.  If you can't stand it after that then perhaps it's not for you, but I'd say it's one of the best shows I've seen on TV.

    I also watch Lost, very grudgingly, after a friend of mine convinced me of how great is was.  He kept saying that it got better.  It doesn't.


    I second BSG


    Yep. Battlestar Galactica. And Hockey Night In Canada.

    when I was a kid we had this great show from midnight to 6 am... it was called "Test Pattern"


    ah yes, i loved the beginning of that show - the star spangled banner and cheesy graphics sign-off... that's kind of sad you don't see that anymore ... it used to be a bit of an accomplishment to make it to that point of the evening where the TV would go off.


    I'm with workerbee on this one, other than House.  Oh, and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

     


    5) Why have laundromats/dry cleaners resisted the national chain trend? I understand it's a business that's hard to differentiate and where proximity trumps all other considerations, but you would think scale could still matter. Yet they're still all mom-and-pop shops. What's with that?


    Liability issues?

    I bet it's the Mob.


    I've decided this is a stupid question. The more I think of it, I'm not sure scale matters at all in the dry cleaning business. It's all pretty much labor costs.

    If I had changed the question to grocery stores, then we could have had something. I know you got your whole foods and trader joes, and wal-mart is getting in the game, but it's amazing to me how local and regional supermarkets have not only done well but tend to dominate. This is a business where you scale should definitely help - and Trader Joes and Whole Foods have proven there's a way to differentiate the business. In St. Louis, we had Dierbergs and Schnucks (which were great). In NYC, it's Gristedes and D'agostino's (which suck). In San Fran, it was Safeway. In Chicago, Jewel. Why isn't there a Starbucks of grocery stores. It's just weird.


    'cause investors see them as down market.


    Can you dryclean snowpants?

    Has anyone here ever watched the Maggie Gyllenhaal/James Spader film, "The Secretary"?  There's a scene where Maggie goes to a local laundromat in Florida that has a bar/restaurant with music in it.  Now that, to me, would be the ultimate laundromat experience.  I could literally bring a month's worth of clothes in and sit there drinking and eating and talking with other people while doing my laundry.  That would be a great chain to start, no?


    6) How is it possible that some people shop to make themselves feel better?? I just got back from buying stuff, and it made me instantly depressed. The crowds, the lines, the cold, heartless materialism of it all, the knowing that I don't have room in my apartment for what I'm buying and that I probably don't need what I'm buying anyway, the walking home past panhandlers while carrying several bags on each arm. This really gives pleasure to people??


    Shopping sucks. But I think for people that like it, it's a total control thing.

    Stop shopping. The shabby look might suit you.


    Shopping is power.  It's I-can-have-whatever-I-want-power and it's I'm-a-grown-up-and-I-have-the-means power. Sometimes it's all about "I'm gonna by this ball dress, even though I have no occassion to wear it and nobody to wear it with... just because I like it and it looks good."  And sometimes it's "I've given myself permission to buy whatever I want and I'm not going to buy that $400 purse because it's feaking ugly" power.

    Though the fruitless searching, long lines, florescent lines, and delirium can be rather irritating.

    That's what I go straight for shoes when I really need to "shop" -- I know I'll wear 'em; they're much easier to fit than clothes.


    I shop like I'm engaging in a surgical strike.  I know what my target is ahead of time.  I use the closest entrance, head straight to my target, acquire it and exit as expediently as possible.

    I dunno what it is.  Instant gratification?  People want things.  Shopping could just be the process of fulfilling this desire, but some people just like to browse around and entertain the idea (sort of like flirting?).


    How do some people find violent hate for people unlike them makes them feel better?  Folks are weird.


    I like to go, sit by the water fountain, and play "I crush your head... I crush your head." That seems to mellow me out.

    was that a kids in the hall routine? I loved that!


    My favorite was the follow-up episode where two of the "head crushers" had a turf war.... each circling and maneuvering to try and crush the other's head... the loser cringing on the ground, in despair as the winner closed in to finish them off with a head crush. Those boys were demented.

    I don't like shopping for major appliances, clothes, or anything other than groceries if I'm out.  Every time I put something in my cart, I imagine little dollar signs drowning in a pool of bubbling green slime.  However, when I shop online, it's a whole other story.  Somehow, not being there in the store makes it easier. 


    7) I plan on sitting my child down (assuming I have one one day) as soon as I think he or she can understand the logic of this statement:

    "You are the most important thing in this world to me, and I want to give you everything I can and do everything I can to make you happy. But there will be times where I just will not, for different reasons, which I will try to explain to you as best I can, be able to get you what it is you want. I hope you will understand that and realize that crying and crying about it won't help, and will only make me upset."

    For all you parents out there, do you think that will work at all to limit outbursts?


    I don't understand the logic of this statement.


    Tongue out - good one G.


    I'm not a parent, but I know it won't work. The thing that limits outbursts is to say no and mean it. It's tough the first few times because kids whine and whine until you give in. If you don't give in, the next time, they'll give up faster. If you don't give in again, the next time the whining stops sooner still. It's like writing. Show. Don't tell.

    But I just see kids have these outbursts in public places, and I just know I'm going to want to give in to keep them quiet. I was thinking we could preempt these scenarios with a little reason. Wink


    But the patterns of their behavior are set in place before they are able to understand logic and reason.  I hate to be a therapist about it, but you could try to understand what the outburst is really about.  Why it's so important for them to have that thing, or is it something else they really want? (comfort, sleep, reassurance of something, attention).     Also, remember how you feel when you are out of control, overwhelmed, frustrated, and help teach them how to cope.  Maybe they just need to get away from whatever it is that is upsetting them. I also agree about being firm and consistant with limits and punishment.  Disclaimer: i don't have any children.


    Sometimes. Sometimes reason isn't something kids will listen to. Pick your battles, and start off as you mean to go on.


    no


    Dude, you are SO aptly named. ;-)

    I like your intent, Deadman, but it ain't gonna work.  Sorry.

     


    8) I know corporal punishment is a no-no, and illegal in many countries, but don't you have to spank a misbehaving kid at least once to show it's an option, even if it's the nuclear option you never hope to use again ...


    My dad's a pediatrician. He was once recruited by Rob Reiner for a three-way debate on spanking with Reiner and Jerry Falwell. It fell through, probably because my dad was too cautious and doctorly for Reiner's taste.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against corporal punishment and threats of corporal punishment not because they're inherently evil but because they're less effective than other disciplinary approaches, like time-out, and because they can lead to abuse. Here are some details:

    • Spanking children <18 months of age increases the chance of physical injury, and the child is unlikely to understand the connectionbetween the behavior and the punishment.
    • Although spanking may result in a reaction of shock by the child and cessation of the undesired behavior, repeated spankingmay cause agitated, aggressive behavior in the child that maylead to physical altercation between parent and child.
    • Spanking models aggressive behavior as a solution to conflict and has been associated with increased aggression in preschooland school children.
    • Spanking and threats of spanking lead to altered parent-child relationships, making discipline substantially more difficultwhen physical punishment is no longer an option, such as withadolescents.
    • Spanking is no more effective as a long-term strategy than other approaches, and reliance on spanking as a disciplineapproach makes other discipline strategies less effective to use.Time-out and positive reinforcement of other behaviors are moredifficult to implement and take longer to become effective whenspanking has previously been a primary method of discipline.
    • A pattern of spanking may be sustained or increased. Because spanking may provide the parent some relief from anger, thelikelihood that the parent will spank the child in the futureis increased.

    interesting. not totally convinced. but interesting. makes it sound like spanking is a gateway punishment ... or like Lay's chips (you can't stop at just one). i was only talking about one little spank just to show its in your arsenal.


    If you spank your (potential future) child once, it won't scar him/her. The point is that for most people, one little spank isn't just one little spank. That's why the APA advises against it. Also, even the threat of corporal punishment undermines the effectiveness of other forms have discipline that are more effective. But frankly, the APA is primarily concerned with parents who are more likely to abuse their children than you are. Especially since you have no children.


    I was spanked as a kid and it didn't lead to an anti-social behavior that I know of. That said, I think we've trended away from it as a society and there is something to be said for the punishment relating to the behavior. Also, spanking is over really fast. Whereas if you take away TV, phone, or computer privileges for a week, the kid really suffers.

    I spanked my daughter once, and it was more of a reaction than anything. She went running out between parked cars at a busy parking lot. I spanked her once. It shocked both of us. I was very frightened as a car was speeding down the aisle and I had to pull her back abruptly. (Parents of toddlers have amazing reflexes.)

    She did not run out from between cars again.


    My parents were dead-set against spanking, but I quickly developed this habit of running out into the street whenever I could.  It scared the hell out of them, so they would spank me when I would get out of control.  I can honestly say that they probably liked it a lot less than I did.  My sister was much better behaved and rarely got spanked.  It never caused us a problem and I have to say I'm glad that I was spanked instead of run over.


    Misbehaving is not a reason for a spanking... Dangerous behaviour that has to stop at once may be a reason for a single slap.


    Screw spanking. It's worthless. Now random savage beatings.... those work. Look how I turned out.

    I was never spanked as a child, because I was so well-behaved.  Now that I'm an adult, I am not at all well-behaved and now and then really crave a spanking.  Go figure.

     


    9) Now that I have asked the previous two questions, should I be sterilized?


    Definitely not. Smart people need to start having babies at a higher rate or society is doomed.

    No, only dickheads that rant about world populations should be.


    Alright Bee! Top marks from me for that one. But Deadman? Uummmm... yeah. Probably. Nothing personal. It's the company you keep.

    Yes


    No, there's hope for you yet.  And I can't wait to buy your baby a hoodie and then draw a little mustache and beard on it's face.

     


    10) For those of you who went to college, do you think your liberal arts education was largely an inefficient waste of time - an enjoyable, inefficient waste of time, but an inefficient waste of time nonetheless? If not, defend it.


    So many ways to answer this question...

    • Socrates/Plato: There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.
    • Aristotle: All men by nature desire knowledge.
    • James Madison: Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
    • Ralph Waldo Emerson: Knowledge is the antidote to fear.
    • Francis Bacon: Knowledge and human power are synonymous, since the ignorance of the cause frustrates the effect.
    • Shakespeare: Knowledge is the wing whereby we fly to Heaven.
    • Genghis: Insufficient knowledge is the leading cause of ignorance.

    I thought Genghis was more of a "knowledge bad, sword good" kind of a philosopher.

    Different Genghis.


    And you would know that HOW? Liberal Arts education, baby. Or History Channel. Yeah, probably History Channel.

    If this had been the first question, I would have been so irritated, I might not have answered the rest. :) My liberal arts education was the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me how to think critically, how to synthesize seemingly unrelated bits of information, how to know that there were things that I did not know, and how to go out and find the answers when I encountered those things I didn't know. It broadened my to-that-point very sheltered mind and made me curious about the world. It made me want to learn everything I can, not just about the things that I need to have a successful career, but about anything that will make life more interesting. I always tell kids I meet about the benefits of attending a small liberal arts college. So there. Meanie.

    didn't mean to be mean Innocent. I just can't remember much about college except tailgating and bad dorm food. For some reason, my high school classes and teachers stick out so much more clearly for me. Don't get me wrong: I loved college, learned to be quasi-independent, and i'm sure I learned some useful things, but I still think it's kind of an odd process that we take young adults and give them 4 years to basically find themselves (after which many of these adults end up taking more time to find themselves - I'm in my thirteenth year of finding myself)

    But I certainly appreciate your well-reasoned argument - which by itself is indicative of the benefits of a good liberal arts education (esp. your use of the word meanie! Smile)


    Oh what a load of old cobblers. Without that education Orlando, you might have made a very fine farmer's wife. Now? Ruined. That corn's never gonna get harvested. Thank you very much Liberal Arts.

    Don't you worry about the corn, my friend. Those ethanol conglomerates are all OVER it.


    Not really. I didn't get a degree, though. Ran out of funds after my 3rd year, and didn't want my parents mortgaging their home. I went to work, and it hasn't hurt me, I don't think.


    College felt like a dumbed-down version of high school, to me.  But maybe I was just bored by then.  That had nothing to do with Liberal Arts approach, which was great.  At least I was able to be a computer science major and spend most of my time studying studio art, astromony, german history, or creative writing, as I chose.  Real world value?  A simple way to learn responsibility.  Despite my bitterness, if I had kids, would I send 'em to college?  Definitely.  And would I recommend a liberal arts education?  I guess it would depend on the kid, but I don't see any reason why not.


    It being a waste of time implies that it could have better been spent otherwise.  This also seems to imply that it doesn't help achieve an unstated goal.  So, what's that goal?

    Not to get too meta, but what are we here for anyway?  What isn't a waste of time?  Keynes said, "In the long run, we're all dead."

    Time is like a trust fund that you get when you're born, except that you're constantly spending it, must spend it all and never get to know the balance.


    Nice aphorism


    Have you ever met someone with a bachelors in business?


    Sorry workerbee and A-man. I'm awarding comment of the thread to Marqis. Bee gets the silver.


    Bonus) On a scale of 1-10, what do you think of this column's new format? And on that same scale, what do you think of this column generally?


    a) 11, b) 11


    Love it on both counts. Except when you go all "liberal arts is for weenies."

    I think Genghis is sucking up. You might want to watch him


    Talk like that will get you banned. I'm watching you.


    duh


    I'm with Genghis on this one:  11, and 11.  Unless, of course, I can go all the way up to 110, and in that case I'd give it a 120 and 120.

     


    ) NHL Hockey?

    Bull Puck.

    2) Bobbleheads?

    See #4

    3) New Music?

    no

    4) Tivo additions?

    Tivo subtractions.

    5) Laundromats?

    #4

    6) Shopping?

    grocerites

    7) Avant-garde parenting?

    spoiled brats

    8) Corporal punishment?

    spare the rod, spoil the teacher

    9) Sterilization?

    keeps the hospital from spreading staph

    10) Liberal arts education?

    +$1.25 will get you a cup of coffee

    Bonus Qs)

    Column?

    Doric

    New Format?

    Corinthian


    There's one in every crowd....


    Or maybe two ... see AM's post below (although she may genuinely not have seen the full questions ...)

    Genghis, I'm not liking the fact the comments are now taking up a second page. Still unconvinced about new format ...


    I LIKE the format and found the whole thread amusing and interesting.  Genghis rocks - he has great format.  Deadman rocks - he has great questions.  All the commenters rock for answering.


    D, you've got 50+ comments already, excluding the questions. That's like a dag record. I'd say that's evidence of a successful format.

    PS I like the way Marqis did it b/c I can see what questions he's answering without counting. But with AM and AM(an) below, it's too much work for me to figure out what questions they're answering, so I didn't.

    PPS I upped the comments per page

    PPPS Splashy rocks


    1. No

    2. Yes.

    3. Could be.

    4. Always.

    5. Won't be the same when the quarter is eliminated.

    6. yes

    7. Yes

    8. No.

    9. No

    10. Yes


    wow. late last night, I totaly didn't understand this post. I thought the questions were just the brief list in the original post. I didn't see the sub-questions.  I thought we were expected to write long creative answers just based on the short prompts...


    Given that you have now received 88 comments, not including the original 10, and over 300 reads, do you accept the wisdom of my recommendation?

    Make that 89 comments.


    Don't listen to him, Deadman. Dude counts like an investment banker. 114 comments.

    Um, try 131.


    Sorry, you just missed. 132......... And don't try anything tricky, 133 is already taken. Ha! ..................... And yes, 134 as well! 


    133 and 134 better not include the word porn in them.....fuck no.

    Cool


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