George Carlin: Comedy Won't Be the Same Sans Him

I love stand-up comedy. And I particularly George Carlin. I was very sad to hear of his death as well.
And there goes the end of an era. Thank you for marrying wit to humor, George Carlin. You will be sorely missed!
"When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny??

Read more of his quotes here.
graph per boston.com

Prada Brings Masculinity Back

Yes, folks, masculinity is back. On the runway, at least.
" There isn’t a lot of latitude these days to indulge controversy or ideas in fashion, and so even Miuccia Prada in her strong collection seemed far less intent than usual on engaging in what Carlo Antonelli, the editor of Italian Rolling Stone, termed “the discourse about gender.”

In other words, Prada ditched the peplums and other feminizing elements of her last, determinedly noncommercial collection and sent out a tightly organized presentation that combined elements of sports and formal wear and that eroticized men without rendering them drones."
Read full feature here.
graph per ny times

Tim Russert's Heart Attack

I was saddened to hear of Tim Russert's passing on the 13th of June. I enjoyed him on Meet the Press and I was a fan of his rhetoric. He seemed to be a man who reveled in a job well done. Russert apparently died of a heart attack.
Since my brother-in-law is a cardiologist I'm well aware of phrases like 'He or she needs to watch the waist.' "Well, I recommend he/she lose the weight as soon as possible.' 'Watch the waist.'
Just a few days ago my father and I were talking about Russert and heart attacks in general. The subject of the brother-in-law came up as well. It's amazing how we're always agreeing with what he says medically. And the best way he convinces his patients and his loved ones that health is indeed crucial is by doing what he preaches. The guy has always been lean.

The NY Times is featuring a piece on his heart problems and the reasons why he had the heart attack. A few bits say:
"“If there’s one number that’s a predictor of mortality, it’s waist circumference,” said Dr. Michael A. Newman, Mr. Russert’s internist.
But, Dr. Newman added, most people would rather focus on their LDL cholesterol, instead of taking measures to reduce their waist size. Studies have found a waist of over 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women is a risk factor for heart disease.
...
Mr. Russert’s cholesterol was not high, and medicine controlled his high blood pressure pretty well, Dr. Newman said. But, he added, Mr. Russert was “significantly overweight.” He also had a dangerous combination of other risk factors: high triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, and a low level of HDL, the “good cholesterol” that can help the body get rid of the bad cholesterol that can damage arteries.
...
Blockages start out as cholesterol deposits in the artery walls that turn into lesions or plaques, narrowing the vessels. Heart attacks occur when a plaque ruptures, causing a blood clot that quickly closes the artery and pinches off the blood supply to part of the heart."
graph per ny times

'Because' Is a Powerful Little Word

An excellent bit by Robert Cialdini et al. The book is called Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.
Hmm. And my Dad wondered why 'because' is such a high-frequency word in my vocabulary. Methinks I'll send him this book.
"Behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues decided to put the persuasive power of this word to the test. In one study, Langer arranged for a stranger to approach someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply ask, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" Faced with the direct request to cut ahead in this line, 60 percent of the people were willing to agree to allow the stranger to go ahead of them. However, when the stranger made the request with a reason ("May I use the Xerox machine, because I'm in a rush?"), almost everyone (94 percent) complied...

Here's where the study gets really interesting...This time, the stranger also used the word because but followed it with a completely meaningless reason. Specifically, the stranger said "May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?"
The rate of compliance was 93 percent."
graph per amazon
hat tip to MR for the pointer

Nominees and Musicians

Another solid posting from Carrie over at Monitormix. Hat tip to CB.
"Plus, since everyone else seems to have a methodology as to how Obama and McCain should go about choosing their running mates, we might as well propose one as well. And once we determine the results, that McCain is, um, Liz Phair and therefore his running mate should be.....RZA, then all we have to do is decide what politician out there is most like RZA. After that we let John McCain's people know. Or something like that. See for yourself."

Love Guru: It Put the 'er' in Loser

Why Mike Myers? Why?
All I have to say about the much-anticipated film is 'Ouch, Baby, very ouch!'
graph per imbd