Welcome to another edition of Carnival of the Vanities, the internets longest running vanity serial. This week’s episode…
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…ah, hell. I got nothing.
The blog is broken and I really should be trying to figure out why in sam hell we don’t have any comments but, truth be told, I’m tired of sitting in front of a computer. I love my new job but after ten hours of sitting in meetings and staring at recalcitrant code, I’m up for damn near anything except for sitting in front of a PC. This is why most of the recent updating of this here blog has been done by Hraka founder and brother Bigwig. I for one am glad to see him roused from his long bloggy slumber. Before I moved to Atlanta, blog traffic had started to snowball and I’m glad to be free of sole responsibility for keeping the ball rolling. Welcome back, Bigwig. Thou has slept overlong.
I’m going to try something a little different this week in that I’m going to read and post the Carnival entries in real time. I’ll read an entry, decide whether it’s Carny material and post it in this space. Of course, it won’t look any different to you guys, but, trust me, it’s a different experience for me.
The first entry this week, by dint of being the last submitted, comes from Friend-of-Hraka, Madeleine Begun Kane, alias Mad Kane. She’s obviously been checking out the post-Thanksgiving Christmas sales and has come up with a holiday helper for all you married types out there: A Mad Gift Giving Guide. I’d like to add a line to the contract of giving: “Wife (or girlfriend) shall not give Husband (or boyfriend) any clothing gift that attempts to change Husband’s (or boyfriend’s) personally selected style, even if said style is egregious and embarassing.” No, I don’t have any personal experience. Why do you ask?
Next up is Sarah Winfrey. Sarah, you almost didn’t make it. A short post doesn’t scream “I put a lot into it and this is my best stuff”, typically. But, since it’s the holidays and since it’s the thought that counts, I’m going to let it slide this time. Merry Christmas (or Happy Hannukah or Jolly Kwanzaa or whatever. Don’t get all PC on me, people.)
Making it three in a row with no whammies, Courtney Routh at OptimistLab asks Does fear prevent you from manifesting?. Yes, Courtney. I’m afraid so.
Switching gears, Curry Kenworthy looks on the bright side of the threatened cyber-attacks by al Qaeda. “Always look on the bright side of life! Ba Dum! Ba Dum! Ba Dum Ba Dum Ba Dum!”
Wayne, Wayne, Wayne. You’re as regular as clockwork. Wayne Hurlbert, CoTV’s most loyal submitter, teaches your grandmother to suck eggs and advises bloggers to create link roundups, mini-carnivals of selected material. I’d leave it out for the sake of shaking things up around here but leaving out Wayne is like kicking a puppy. Keep the posts coming, Wayne.
Ooooo…skipping the first entry of the week on the basis that it is weak. Note to posters: you gotta’ give me more than a few sentences linked to a current event. If you’re going to do that, you should add insight and analysis not provided by the linked article. Otherwise, I throw you into the CoTV garbage bin. No hard feelings, I hope.
Hmm. Skipping another. My judgement? Someone trying to use CoTV for free marketing. I have no problem with business bloggers or entrepreneurs, but some efforts leave a sour taste in my mouth. I’ve include posts like this in the past but…not this time.
Watcher of Weasels restores my faith in the Carnival with a brilliant piece of humor, taking a look inside the government’s Iraq study group. Best of the Carny award winner for the week unless I get to something even better.
Stephen Littau tees off on the intolerant in society. Specifically, Stephen targets those who hate homosexuals, Muslims and Mormons. Did anybody else know Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was a Mormon? Seriously? He just lost my vote!
Just kidding, Stephen. One of my best (albeit misguided) friends is a Mormon. I hate that she’ll be going to hell, but I support her right to worship as she chooses.
Speaking of Mormons, Dan Harris at the China Law Blog looks at the ramifications of China’s requirement that all judicial executions be approved by the Supreme People’s Court. Supreme People’s Court. Supreme People’s Court. Sounds like an upgrade of the old Judge Wapner classic, doesn’t it?
Skipping another one. If your post carries a “Staff Writer” byline, it’s probably not going to make it into the Carnival. CoTV is a place for quality writing, not quality marketing. Bugger off, you.
Sagar Satapathy asks the question Burning Train or Burning India?. I quote: “The desecration of the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Messiah of the downtrodden (Dalits), triggered an unprecedented outrage in India. Dalits went on a rampage in many states, particularly in Maharashtra, state of the commercial capital of India, Mumbai.”
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Dalits exterminate! Dalits exterminate!
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I’m so going to hell for this.
I’m probably won’t be alone though. Check out Abdallah Al-Bishi in Starling David Hunter’s To Live and Die by the Sword, a special look at apprenticeship and on-the-job training. His enthusiasm for cutting off people’s heads is a little much.
Jack Yoest might be there too. He looks at the Army’s new slogan and says it will probably fail to help recruiting. Why? Because the Army’s too easy. “Even a girl can do it.” His words, folks, not mine. You wanna’ bitch about it, bitch to him.
I personally don’t think it will work because people don’t want to die. It’s human nature. I could be wrong, though. I’ve been wrong before. Once. About 10 years ago. Though I could be mistaken about that.
Adam bemoans the lack of innovation in our thinking or, at least, in the thinking of our politicians. He says we should be allowed to opt out of Social Security. I have news for him: unless something is done about Social Security, we may all be opted out. I like the idea though.
Skip. Rehashing news article with no new insight. On to the next entry.
Nina at Queercents points out a rising philanthropic trend and specifically examines Bill’s power to driving giving. Clinton, that is. Not Gates. But him too.
Jack Danger gives Watcher of Weasels a run for his money and the Best of the Carny award with How to Become a Religious Hypocrite in 10 Easy Lessons. I’m still making the call for WoW, but we’ll make Jack the runner up.
Skip. Another web mag seeking free marketing. Two words for you, folks: Google AdWords.
Is that actually three words? Hmmm.
Showing that I’m just as hypocritical as anyone, I’ll include the next link, if only because I need a break myself right now. Alvaro gives us all a Well-deserved break with SharpBrain’s Top 10 brain teasers.
David E. exposes the sordid truth behind Richard Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”. Richard, you bastard, you lied to me! You lied to us all!
Michael John Bertrand offers up his nomination for Best of the Carny and Makes a Modest Proposal to Solve World Hunger. I’ll give you a hint: child pornography. You have to go read the rest yourself.
Why do I feel like I just put this blog on an untold number of blacklists?
Mark A. Rayner treats us to the first part of his Christmas gift-giving guide. Mark, have you met Mad Kane? You guys should talk.
Providing more evidence of my hypocriscy, Andrew Ian Dodge sends in a press-release touting his book on the state of the British music industry.
Nah…I can’t include that. Sorry, A.I.D. Congrats on the book though.
Patricia tell us how to use a sick day to change our lives. Patricia, I didn’t see “Play World of Warcraft all day” in your list. What’s up with that?
Dr. Kavokin chats up a health insurance professional about the state of health care in the U.S. I’m not buying a lot of the answers.
And, thank all that is holy, that’s it for the 220th edition of Carnival of the Vanities. I did skip one more entry after the good Doctor’s above because it included a link to online gambling spam. I pray nightly that all spammers burn in the same fiery hell that will claim the Mormons. But in a good way.
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Thanks again to all the Carny’s submitters and supporters. Carnival of the Vanities #221 will be right here in this space next Wednesday morning. If you’d like to submit your post for consideration, use the carnival submission form over at Blog Carnival.
I’m for bed. Niters, all!