That's not what "obligation" means

Thanks, Yahoo!Answers. For a second there, I thought this visit was going to be boring.

Something to pass the time

You're welcome.

Our Word of Mouth

I haven't posted much here recently, but don't worry, I haven't abandoned the place. I've just been keeping busy with a new group blog that began operating a couple of weeks ago. Travis had suggested it would be interesting to begin documenting some reviews of local restaurants and began looking for co-writers. We're now a 5-person team and we've managed to put together content on a consistent schedule. Feedback has been great so far, so come check us out:

www.ourwordofmouth.org

Be sure to leave us a comment!

Yahoo! Answers: The Obama-is-Hitler Edition

I sometimes complain that Yahoo! Answers is a bunch of bullshit, and yeah, it pretty much is. But it's still magnificent to see so much bullshit being churned out on an ongoing basis. For example, we all know people love comparing Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Yahoo! Answers is, like, the place where all these people hang out when they're not holding crazy signs at abortion rallies and stuff.

To really dig into this phenomenon, I did a quick search for the words "Hitler" and "Obama." There were too many results for me to list them all here (seriously!) but I'd love to share some of my favourites.

Alex True asks: "Why is Obama so popular in the same Country that gave us Adolph Hitler?"

There's only one logical answer: Germans love evil like Americans love freedom. What can I say? Guilty as charged. After all, this is the same land that gave us MP3 encoding, Diesel engines, coffee filters, and the Christmas tree. All pure evil.

Marc B asks: "Does anyone here see a simulaearity to Obama and Hitler?"

Unfortunately, Marc B forgot to include a photo of himself, so I can't say if he looks similar to either of these men.

txmatt500r asks: "Does anyone else see a resemblance between Obama and Hitler? I mean all i hear from Obama is blah blah change blah blah blah change. And droves of people going wow he's so cool. Is that not how Hitler started."

Absolutely. Like Obama, Hitler attended Harvard and worked as a community organizer before gaining a seat on the German senate. He married his Princeton-educated wife after they worked together at a law firm. Then they toppled the government, conquered several countries, attempted genocide, and engaged in a suicide pact as the rest of the world dropped bombs on the kingdom they built together.

Rhett asks: "Is it fair to compare Obama to Hitler?"

I'm glad someone has the common sense to question the fairness of this tactic. The best answer, as chosen by voters: "yea, he is the worst president to date." Thanks for clearing that up. So Hitler wasn't a sadistic evil mastermind after all -- he was just really bad at being president.

jake asks: "Does the OBAMA revolution make you understand HITLER better? No, I am not comparing Obama to Hitler but it makes one understand how easily people became frenzied about the whole Nazi party thing."

Of course, and Hitler is certainly the best example we have of people becoming excited about something to the point of frenzy. I think they even had a name for it: Obamamania, which is in no way related to Beatlemania.

Wasp asks: "How many parallels do you see between Obama and Hitler?"

Good idea. There are so many parallels, it makes my head spin. Let's add them all up in one convenient location!

The Deprogramer asks: "Do you oppose or agree with Hitler/Obama's useless eater Genocidal Health Care Reform scam?"

I like how this question gets right to the point and calls out Obama's eater Genocidal Health Care... Wait, what? If I'm understanding this correctly, Obama wants to commit genocide of eaters and disguise it as health care reform.

Tarzan asks: "Why are there so many similarities between Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler?"

Gosh. It must be because they're just so... darn... similar.

Hollywood Prod. asks: "What does it mean when both Obama and Hitler were and are good speakers? Is Obama the third anti Christ?"

Holy shit! There are three anti Christs? And they all have excellent public speaking skills? What it means is that we're doomed.

Neo Neocon asks: "Did you see a teacher got fired for comparing Obama to Hitler? The PC Gestapo is here people. Speak out against the Messiah, and you lose your job. It appears that you don't even have the right to complain about the government anymore."

Yes, because that's what Hitler did. When someone compared him unfavourably to a historical dictator, he fired them. What a mean guy.

Odin Green asks: "What's the difference between Hitler and Obama? Barack Obama laughs louder at babies in microwave ovens."

Silly Odin. You answered your own question! Anyway, yes, it's true: Hitler had an unhealthy obsession with his microwave... in 1930s Germany.

George asks: "If the election was between Obama and Hitler who would you vote for?"

George knows how to ask the tough questions. Hmm... Do I want lazy illegal aliens to get all my healthcare money? Or do I want to sign up for this "work camp" thing? This is going to be a tough call. How many countries has Obama conquered? None, you say. Yikes. I think I feel safer with Hitler.

The shameless kiss of vanity

Do I really need a reason to post this? No, but it is one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands of all time. All time, I say!

I was fortunate to see The Cure in 1996 on the Swing Tour and I still remember this song being a highlight of the show. It was one of those moments where a song I only had peripheral interest in became an obsession for me after seeing it performed live. That happens sometimes.

This version is from the Trilogy DVD recorded in Berlin, 2002.

I is in heaven...

Blue skies

Just wanted to post this because it made me laugh. The sign looks so majestic against that blue sky. A poster on the Trail of Dead message board put this up a few days ago. Apparently it was taken by someone at Austin City Limits Festival last week.