News to me

You know how religiously-based those 10 Commandments monuments in government buildings all over the country are?

"...thousands [were] placed around the country in the 1950's and 1960's by the Fraternal Order of Eagles with the support of Cecil B. DeMille, the director, who was promoting his movie "The Ten Commandments."


It's not about acknowledging God; it's about promoting a movie! If only the religious right-wingers would make that argument, we'd have no problem.

( Or, ceremonial deism... )

Must...stab...phone...tree

ARGH!

After the studies that have been done showing that customers are infuriated by phone trees that make them press "1" or "2" more than a few times, why is my stupid dental insurance company revising theirs to make it WORSE? I finally refused to input any more dates of birth or account numbers or zip codes in through the keypad and just sat there, so finally someone came on the line because they figured I was unable to figure it out. So evidently silence is the way to fight it. I told the poor guy who came on the line that it was the worst phone system I have ever seen in my life. It was good for him that he was a mild-mannered guy, because if I'd gotten a snotty, brusque CSR they would have gotten an earful.

Don't trust rice!

Another graduate student claimed that rice "cheese" is better than soy "cheese," in that it actually melts and tastes good. So I bought some "cheddar" rice "cheese," hoping against hope that he wasn't lying. Either he was lying, though, or he has no taste buds. This crap tastes like American cheese-flavored rubber.