Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Coming Soon to a TV Near You?

Posted on August 4, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

It’s all too easy to imagine how this Australian commercial for the Fascist Party, Fascism is Fun, could be adapted for the US market.

It’s a somewhat slow download, but I recommend perseverance.

Continue reading →

Posted in Politics: International | Comments Off on Coming Soon to a TV Near You?

Daily Show’s Valentine to Florida

Posted on August 4, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

The Daily Show explores its love affair with Florida. Part One and Part Two (not decorous at all).

They love us. They really do.

They do love us, don’t they?

Posted in Florida | 1 Comment

Help Me Parse This

Posted on August 3, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

The Iguana is sometimes ahead of the curve, but is also willing to embrace tin foil at times, so I’ve parked this in that category for the time being. But I have to confess that I don’t even quite follow what it wants to mean.

Cosmic Iguana – Voice of the Evil Doers: NO ARABS ON FLIGHT 77. Maybe someone can explain it?

Posted in Politics: Tinfoil | 3 Comments

Almost as Good as Lightbulbs

Posted on August 3, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

Has John Quarterman figured out the next best thing since the lightbulb joke? Let’s listen in:

Perilocity: Why Did the Titanic Sink?: Let’s ask some people in different lines of work:

Reporters:
    because it hit an iceberg.
Executives:
    because it had the wrong captain.
Security professionals:
    because its rivets were stressed from temperature changes.
Security managers:
    because it didn’t have radar to detect the iceberg.
Risk managers:
    because it didn’t have access to a distributed iceberg detection system.

As jokes go it’s highly extensible. Not quite as funny as the lightbulbs, but I’ll take what I can get.

So let’s add some…

Posted in Completely Different | 11 Comments

A Chance to Help Raise the Quality of the Florida House

Posted on August 3, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

A correspondent writes,

I see in your blog from March of this year that you called attention to Florida House member Dennis Baxley’s ridiculous idea to make sure students can “express their views” in the classroom. Unfortunately I live in his district. The good news is that he faces a challenger this year in November, a young democrat who is an Iraqi war veteran but now works at a women’s domestic violence center. His name is James Walker. I am not associated with his campaign, but have been trying to help him and have given him the maximum $500 myself.

Are you interested in doing something about Baxley and legislators who propose crazy ideas like his? I suggest you round up your friends who have an interest in this issue and each give James Walker $50 for his campaign. The only way to temper people with crazy ideas like Baxley is to try to throw them out of office. This is an excellent chance to do so. Baxley has no business serving in our legislature.

Here is a link to James Walker’s website:

P.S. Baxley’s legislation relates directly to religion and his disbelief in the theory evolution. What he really wants is for students to be able to argue in favor of creationism, and against evolution, and not be penalized in any way (i.e. meaning graded down). Baxley is a far right wing religious conservative.

Posted in Florida | 1 Comment

“The Blog that Ate a Presidency”

Posted on August 3, 2006 by Michael Froomkin

No, not that Presidency — a University Presidency. Inside Higher Ed has a story about a blog that helped bring down Uma G. Gupta, until recently the president of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred.

Personally, I’m not sure how significant or surprising it is to learn that an anonymous blog served as a major rallying point in taking down a highly unpopular and perhaps incompetent university administrator. But it’s interesting that some of the commentators over at Inside Higher Ed think it’s an awfully big deal.

Posted in Blogs | Comments Off on “The Blog that Ate a Presidency”