A few quick conclusions crystalized or articulated over the past week or so. 1. Authority derives from relations and consequent responsibility. In fact, ‘responsibility’ is in a sense only another term for ‘authority’. Because to the extent that you are responsible for something, you must be able to exercise decision making power over it. 2. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: A few Quick Points on Authority and Other Things
Zack Snyder’s ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’
Thought of the Day: “I Pay Your Salary!”
You know the common canard “I pay your salary!” directed against, say, police officers or teachers? Have you ever considered just how absurd that is? Let’s say that I have a dispute with a certain public school teacher and I play this card. Well, in the first place, I don’t pay his salary: I pay … Continue reading Thought of the Day: “I Pay Your Salary!”
“I’m Going to Say Two Little Words to You…”
Friday Flotsam: Whither Milo Murphy?
1. BW Media Spotlight posted a good piece defending Milo Murphy’s Law, the sequel series to Phineas and Ferb that, alas, failed to find the same audience its predecessor did and lasted only two seasons. Me, I’m a big fan of Phineas and Ferb: it’s one of my all-time favorites, and I really liked Milo … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Whither Milo Murphy?
You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNWZo0UjLNQ Classic skit by the legendary Don Knotts, offered for your enjoyment
The Walk Home
Background: A week or two ago I ended up in a discussion with Caroline Furlong on how to create tension in a story. Later I tried to come up with a simple 'example' scenario to illustrate my ideas. I ended up liking it enough that I turned it into a quick short, which I now … Continue reading The Walk Home
Friday Flotsam: Free Thinking, a Review, and the End of the World
1. One of my co-workers has a sticker on his computer that says ‘Danger: Free Thinker’. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, and he seems like a decent guy, but in my experience legitimate ‘free thinkers’ (to the extent that such creatures exist) do not proudly identify themselves as such. ‘Free thinker’ or ‘think … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Free Thinking, a Review, and the End of the World
Thought of the Day: Pioneering Jewish Comedians
Pioneering Jewish Comedian syndrome: when someone claims to be pioneering something and talks as though it were something new and daring, when in fact it's already fairly commonplace and expected. Equivalent to saying “Are mainstream audiences ready to accept a Jewish comedian?!"
And the realistic version:"One federal judge without integrity is a majority."
Serpent's Den 