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March 6, 2002
Politics, dead persons (again), strange patents, family relations (or the
lack thereof), and the intelligence challenged all headline this weeks edition
of Net Hot Spots.
With the next election cycle beginning to heat up here in Lexington, it seems
only fitting to continue to include some political sites I've come across
lately. Our first is The Political
Graveyard (http://politicalgraveyard.com)
billing itself as the "Web Site That Tells Where the Dead Politicians are
Buried." That may not have been intended to include the 'Politically Dead' (or,
at least, some you may have THOUGHT were dead) but there are several references
to the physically alive, like recent presidential candidates. Having gone thru
some of the Tennessee entrants, I'm thinking the authors of this site could use
some input, as there are relatively few listed for a state in existence since
1796, none listed from the Lexington/Henderson County area. Methinks some of our
readers could help them update their site.
Presidents come and go, but Alan Greenspan is forever. The leader of the Fed is
the topic of this rock star-like site (http://www.getexuberant.com)
touting itself as being "the best on-line resource for all things Greenspan." No
matter what you may hear about the man, or whether you love or hate him, his
impact on our world has and will be felt for generations to come. Maybe it's not
all that odd to see fans like this, and probably more appropriate than the
Hollywood /entertainment industry worshipping sites one usually comes across.
Slate's contribution this week includes our first humor based entry. You really
should take a moment to check out
The Official Site of
the fictional US Rep. Blanton Foghorn (http://slate.msn.com/Features/Foghorn/default.asp)
who says "Isn't it time that we as a nation put our petty squabbles aside and
unite behind what I believe in?" At least he's honest, sort of. He reminds me a
lot like Senator Claghorn from old radio broadcasts of the 30's or his somewhat
more recent incarnation, Foghorn Leghorn of Looney Tunes fame. 'I say, makes
almost as much since, too, boy.'
Think your vote is worthless? Think again, says
Voteauction.com, which is "devoted to
combining the American principles of democracy and capitalism." The Ebay of Pogo
Politics I suppose (the "Vote Early, Vote Often", often political, cartoon of my
father's youth).
And speaking of the wise old Pogo, there are several sites devoted to this this
little fellow who was a mainstay of the comics in the first half of this century
and often poked fun at politics of the day. I confess, I was only able to see a
couple of these sites, and I'll include the better of the two here as follows:
http://www.igopogo.com/ by Marilyn K.
White who has been collecting Pogo and Walt Kelly (the artist) items for many
years. A little walk down memory lane for some, a fun, new, and still relevant
experience for others.
My favorite 'interesting' site this week is full of absolutely useless
information. Advertising "stuff you never needed to know but your life would be
incomplete without" go to
http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/ for stories ranging from the origin of
S.O.S Pads to a man who has lived in an airport terminal in France for nearly 2
decades because of a foul up regarding his passport and other ID papers. Talk
about flight delay! Agreeably useless, but more fun than the news, most days.
Honorable mentions this week include (1)
The Wacky Patent of the Month (http://colitz.com/site/wacky.htm),
devoted to recognizing selected inventors and their remarkable, if
unconventional patented inventions. Scrolling by on the main page: the
Annunciator for the supposed dead, and several bat winged-like fire escape
devices ('Holy Gravity, Batman, that ground's coming up fast...', or, 'Better to
go splat on the pavement than burn'). (2)
The Internet Squeegee Guy (http://www.website1.com/squeegee/).
The site is a waste of time, but I loved the name. (3) For the intelligence
challenged, The Stare Down Sally Page
(http://www.stairwell.com/stare).
Be warned, if you spend over about a minute on this one, you definitely qualify
for my Ebay auction regarding a tower in Paris (France, that is..).
And finally, the favorite joke site of the week is "The
Buy My In-Laws Page" (http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/9319/index.html).
While MY in-laws are the best around, some folks, I understand, have had less
that wonderful relations with theirs. Well ladies & gentlemen, this site is for
you! I don't know how successful the author of this page has been yet, but he
certainly ought to be able to give a new seller some pointers. He has pictures,
voice recordings, and even reduced pricing on his current, as well as
Ex-In-Laws. I noticed he also had his Sister for sale, advertising "Now you too
can use MY SISTER for all your Holiday needs!
THANKSGIVING...You will no longer need to chase after that turkey! One look at
MY SISTER and birds drop! No more broken teeth from gun pellets!
HALLOWEEN...She frightens small children! Make your house the most popular
attraction on Halloween night with MY SISTER!"
A late entry this week: The changes on Enron's Voice Mail System at
http://www.witcity.com/enron. Well,
I liked it.
And now, for something completely different...
How long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom door you are on!
And, advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do
what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from
children"
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