For all you pranksters out there, I challenge you to come up with the most daring, funny, and breathtaking April Fool's Day pranks you can think of.
Post your idea as a comment on this blog. Once I hear from you and see just what your deviously, comedic minds are cappable of, then you get another blog with my ideas for April Fool's Day pranks. And trust me, I've pulled quite a few doosies in my day.
Monday, March 31, 2008
With Just A Little Bit of Tweaking, These Could Be Used On Teachers, Too ;)
Surfing the internet and looking for interesting topics to write about, I came across this list of April Fools Day pranks that are used by co-workers against each other.
While faking a resignation, gluing office supplies to the desk and covering someone's cube in aluminum foil are among the most common office pranks, here are 10 of the most memorable pranks from this year's survey:
1. Placed a pair of pants and shoes inside the only toilet stall in a men's room to make it appear someone was using the stall. It sat there for hours until someone called security to check if the person had died.
2. Sent a fake love note to a co-worker from another co-worker.
3. All the women in office individually spoke to the president, confiding that she is pregnant. By noon, he 'knew' that all of his female workers were pregnant and he could not tell anyone because each asked for confidentially.
4. Called the electric company, used a co-worker's name and told them he was moving so the electricity got turned off at the co-worker's house.
5. Filled the vending soda machine with cans of beer.
6. Rigged the boss' chair to drop suddenly during a staff meeting.
7. Placed a sign on the restroom door that read, "The company ran out of toilet tissue; please use your own resources."
8. Paged a co-worker over the loud speaker claiming the CEO was looking for him. The worker went into the CEOs office and the CEO didn't know who he was or why he was there.
9. Shrink-wrapped everything in a co-worker's cubicle.
10. Put a 'house for sale' ad in the newspaper regarding a co-worker's home.
All of these are funny, some REALLY more so than others (See: #3, #5, and #9). The others were ok, but lacked a certain flair that makes an April Fool's Day prank really, really entertaining. I began thinking that with a few alterations here and there, I could use some of these pranks on my instructors. After all, today is the one day when these kind of pranks and jokes are moderately acceptible. So, I wonder which one of these I might consider? I may abandon all of these suggestions and rely on my cunning. Be afraid...be VERY afraid ;)
While faking a resignation, gluing office supplies to the desk and covering someone's cube in aluminum foil are among the most common office pranks, here are 10 of the most memorable pranks from this year's survey:
1. Placed a pair of pants and shoes inside the only toilet stall in a men's room to make it appear someone was using the stall. It sat there for hours until someone called security to check if the person had died.
2. Sent a fake love note to a co-worker from another co-worker.
3. All the women in office individually spoke to the president, confiding that she is pregnant. By noon, he 'knew' that all of his female workers were pregnant and he could not tell anyone because each asked for confidentially.
4. Called the electric company, used a co-worker's name and told them he was moving so the electricity got turned off at the co-worker's house.
5. Filled the vending soda machine with cans of beer.
6. Rigged the boss' chair to drop suddenly during a staff meeting.
7. Placed a sign on the restroom door that read, "The company ran out of toilet tissue; please use your own resources."
8. Paged a co-worker over the loud speaker claiming the CEO was looking for him. The worker went into the CEOs office and the CEO didn't know who he was or why he was there.
9. Shrink-wrapped everything in a co-worker's cubicle.
10. Put a 'house for sale' ad in the newspaper regarding a co-worker's home.
All of these are funny, some REALLY more so than others (See: #3, #5, and #9). The others were ok, but lacked a certain flair that makes an April Fool's Day prank really, really entertaining. I began thinking that with a few alterations here and there, I could use some of these pranks on my instructors. After all, today is the one day when these kind of pranks and jokes are moderately acceptible. So, I wonder which one of these I might consider? I may abandon all of these suggestions and rely on my cunning. Be afraid...be VERY afraid ;)
A Hollywood Marriage Torn Apart
For those interested, there is a bitterly hostile divorce that happened just this last weekend in the "Land of Two-Minute to Two-Month Marriages," Los Angeles, California. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) split over the weekend.
The reason for the split between the two actors unions seemed reminiscent of a tawdry extra-marital affair from a soap opera. Actors were lured away from from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists by what the AFTRA President, Roberta Reardon, calls a "relentless campaign of disinformation and disparagement" by the Screen Actors Guild. It is quite ironic that this situation mirrors a storyline from a soap opera, because it just happens to involve actors fro the daytime drama, "The Bold and The Beautiful."
Reardon may be jumping to conclusions by blaming the SAG. Alan Rosenberg, President of the Screen Actors Guild, told CNN that Reardon's statement was "calculated" and "cynical" and that the SAG had "no desire" to lure actors away from another actors union, especially one that had a partnership with the SAG. He believes this was Reardon's way of hastily dissolving the partnership. "They wanted to be out of this relationship for a long time," said Rosenberg. It seems, according to the SAG President, that veteran actors of the soap drama, John McCook and Susan Flannery invited Rosenberg and other executives to a lunch meeting one month ago.
And, of course, it's always the children who are the most hurt by a divorce. "The breakup hurts the actors, who will now begin negotiations with CBS, Fox, NBC Universal and other producers with a divided front," Rosenberg said.
I personally hope this crap smoothes over REAL soon. We are already hot off the heels of the Hollywood writer's strike. We don't need the actors going on strike for any reason. I would just go insane if I was forced to endure an actors' strike and couldn't see any new episodes of CSI and Dexter.
The reason for the split between the two actors unions seemed reminiscent of a tawdry extra-marital affair from a soap opera. Actors were lured away from from the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists by what the AFTRA President, Roberta Reardon, calls a "relentless campaign of disinformation and disparagement" by the Screen Actors Guild. It is quite ironic that this situation mirrors a storyline from a soap opera, because it just happens to involve actors fro the daytime drama, "The Bold and The Beautiful."
Reardon may be jumping to conclusions by blaming the SAG. Alan Rosenberg, President of the Screen Actors Guild, told CNN that Reardon's statement was "calculated" and "cynical" and that the SAG had "no desire" to lure actors away from another actors union, especially one that had a partnership with the SAG. He believes this was Reardon's way of hastily dissolving the partnership. "They wanted to be out of this relationship for a long time," said Rosenberg. It seems, according to the SAG President, that veteran actors of the soap drama, John McCook and Susan Flannery invited Rosenberg and other executives to a lunch meeting one month ago.
And, of course, it's always the children who are the most hurt by a divorce. "The breakup hurts the actors, who will now begin negotiations with CBS, Fox, NBC Universal and other producers with a divided front," Rosenberg said.
I personally hope this crap smoothes over REAL soon. We are already hot off the heels of the Hollywood writer's strike. We don't need the actors going on strike for any reason. I would just go insane if I was forced to endure an actors' strike and couldn't see any new episodes of CSI and Dexter.
Tigers will Roar Into the Final Four
Even someone who doesn't like basketball, like yours truely, can get a little swept up by the emotional overtones on campus and by the fever brought on by "March Madness." I am almost ashamed to say that while I was at work yesterday, the manager was letting us occasionally tune into the game and I was getting into it, a little. She brought a little portable TV from home and just about every 15 or 20 minutes, she turned it on and we got caught up on the game. Yes, there were a few exciting moments and once or twice I caught myself cheering for a basketball game and rooting for the Tigers. Lol, the guys in the shorts are just so cute.
Don't get me wrong, I support the University of Memphis in every way I possibly can. I just don't have the time, money, nor the inclination to go to a basketball game. I do very much hope the Tigers go all the way, win the championship, and skunk all the other college teams.
Yesterday's game ended with the Tigers beating...wait, who the hell did they play? Oh yeah, the Texas Longhorns. The final score was 85-67. Kudos to Memphis and way to go John Calipari. This coach is just what our Tigers have needed to get them back into the championship hunt. Ok, I'm done. All this sports talk is making my head hurt. I'm going to go have a Pina Colada and watch some re-runs of Sex In The City. Later y'all.
Don't get me wrong, I support the University of Memphis in every way I possibly can. I just don't have the time, money, nor the inclination to go to a basketball game. I do very much hope the Tigers go all the way, win the championship, and skunk all the other college teams.
Yesterday's game ended with the Tigers beating...wait, who the hell did they play? Oh yeah, the Texas Longhorns. The final score was 85-67. Kudos to Memphis and way to go John Calipari. This coach is just what our Tigers have needed to get them back into the championship hunt. Ok, I'm done. All this sports talk is making my head hurt. I'm going to go have a Pina Colada and watch some re-runs of Sex In The City. Later y'all.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Cherry-Picking
Cherry Picking is defined metaphorically to indicate the act of pointing at individual cases or data that seem to confirm a particular position, while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position. Sometimes, when a person believes strongly in a topic, as I originally did with my view on national or "universal" health care, it is very hard to remain objective. You sometimes believe the way you think is the way everyone should think. To that end, when you are doing research for a persuasive paper or speech, you may very well find yourself "cherry-picking" without even knowing it.
It is fine to find all the data that supports your side, but you should always report the other side. Most people tend to look at a one-sided persuasive argument as a rant. They usually think that you think they are not capable of making an informed, rational decision on their own and they are likely to dismiss your side before you ever make your case.
There are times when cherry-picking is acceptable, even necessary. Defense lawyers and prosecutors, for example, use cherry-picking to build their cases for court. In this instance, cherry-picking is very vital to the situation at hand. But when doing research for a paper, especially a persuasive argument paper, a student must deliver both sides. Doing so will not hurt your point of view. On the contrary, it is likely to help you greatly. It says to the reader: "the writer cares about my knowing both sides so I can make an educated decision about this topic and not feel pressured into choosing their side of the argument." If the reader reads your paper and chooses a side other than yours, then so be it. At least you were fair and balanced to the situation and allowed the reader to exercise their right to choose as, hopefully you would want the writer of something you read to extend the same courtesy to you.
It is fine to find all the data that supports your side, but you should always report the other side. Most people tend to look at a one-sided persuasive argument as a rant. They usually think that you think they are not capable of making an informed, rational decision on their own and they are likely to dismiss your side before you ever make your case.
There are times when cherry-picking is acceptable, even necessary. Defense lawyers and prosecutors, for example, use cherry-picking to build their cases for court. In this instance, cherry-picking is very vital to the situation at hand. But when doing research for a paper, especially a persuasive argument paper, a student must deliver both sides. Doing so will not hurt your point of view. On the contrary, it is likely to help you greatly. It says to the reader: "the writer cares about my knowing both sides so I can make an educated decision about this topic and not feel pressured into choosing their side of the argument." If the reader reads your paper and chooses a side other than yours, then so be it. At least you were fair and balanced to the situation and allowed the reader to exercise their right to choose as, hopefully you would want the writer of something you read to extend the same courtesy to you.
Friday, March 28, 2008
A Linguist, A War Reporter, and A Baseball Nut Walk Into A Bar...
OK, so Wendy was right. Actually, she was more than right. I very much enjoyed going to the readings Thursday night. And I enjoyed the interviews the next day even more. The trio of writers from New York were very interesting and I believe what made me enjoy them even more was how real and down to earth they all were. They seemed almost awe-inspired to be doing the readings in such a gorgeous house as the Galloway Mansion. The house was simply breathtaking. Between Thursday night's readings and Friday morning's interviews, I really got a sense of who these people were and how much they cared about what they wrote about.
Stacy Sullivan, author of Be Not Afraid For You Have Sons In America: How A Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure The U.S. into the Kosovo War, spoke of her book and the scope of her involvement with the Albanians. I stepped away from her book and asked her last night about the lawsuit that she and New York Magazine were involved in. She laughed, thought to herself for a moment to make sure she wasn't violating any laws by talking about it, and told the audience about the self-appointed mercenary who was trying to pass himself off as U.S. Special Forces. I think she feels the way most people do about this creep. He is a talentless hack that has nothing better to do than go around suing people. Hope the judge dismisses his case and then throws him in jail for wasting the court's and Sullivan's and New York Magazine's time.
Then, there is Joshua Prager. Who knew a Wall Street Journal reporter could be so funny? I guess I have a preconceived notion of anyone at the WSJ as being just a bunch of "stuffed shirts." If Prager ever gets tired of being a reporter, he definitely has a career in stand-up comedy. My question for him today was whether or not he had ever received any negative comments or hate mail from people regarding his public uncovering of the truth behind the 1951 greatest moment in baseball history. He told us all that there were definitely people that were not pleased with his exposing the truth. But I think two people that were definitely grateful to him were the two men around which this fantastic moment centered, Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca.
Lastly, there is Christine Kenneally. An eloquent linguist who really knows her stuff. Her question was what her opinion of words like "jiggy" and "smackdown" being placed in Webster's Dictionary and the likelihood that it will eventually creep its way into just about everyone's vocabulary across the world. She was surprisingly supportive of the two jargony words, saying that as long as they are used in the right context and used appropriately where they should be used, then it is great these words are now part of our language.
Thanks Wendy, I had a wonderful time.
Stacy Sullivan, author of Be Not Afraid For You Have Sons In America: How A Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure The U.S. into the Kosovo War, spoke of her book and the scope of her involvement with the Albanians. I stepped away from her book and asked her last night about the lawsuit that she and New York Magazine were involved in. She laughed, thought to herself for a moment to make sure she wasn't violating any laws by talking about it, and told the audience about the self-appointed mercenary who was trying to pass himself off as U.S. Special Forces. I think she feels the way most people do about this creep. He is a talentless hack that has nothing better to do than go around suing people. Hope the judge dismisses his case and then throws him in jail for wasting the court's and Sullivan's and New York Magazine's time.
Then, there is Joshua Prager. Who knew a Wall Street Journal reporter could be so funny? I guess I have a preconceived notion of anyone at the WSJ as being just a bunch of "stuffed shirts." If Prager ever gets tired of being a reporter, he definitely has a career in stand-up comedy. My question for him today was whether or not he had ever received any negative comments or hate mail from people regarding his public uncovering of the truth behind the 1951 greatest moment in baseball history. He told us all that there were definitely people that were not pleased with his exposing the truth. But I think two people that were definitely grateful to him were the two men around which this fantastic moment centered, Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca.
Lastly, there is Christine Kenneally. An eloquent linguist who really knows her stuff. Her question was what her opinion of words like "jiggy" and "smackdown" being placed in Webster's Dictionary and the likelihood that it will eventually creep its way into just about everyone's vocabulary across the world. She was surprisingly supportive of the two jargony words, saying that as long as they are used in the right context and used appropriately where they should be used, then it is great these words are now part of our language.
Thanks Wendy, I had a wonderful time.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Buck-Wild Bush...Part 2
This one will be brief, but I just looked back over the list of those that Bush pardoned and noticed that "W" pardoned 4 of the 15 who were involved in everything from marijuana to heroin to crack-cocaine, one guy for illegal firearm distribution, and one guy for bank embezzlement. Damn "W," are you trying to set up one hell of a party back in Texas for when you retire or were all of these pardons just coincidental??? Have any of you noticed that "W" is turning into his animated double on the Comedy Central hit animated series, Lil' Bush? Lol, either way, It will be funny to see what our President does next.
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