The Writer's Poke

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/11/23/pie.protest/ For Writers: For some, the pie has become the great equalizer. Used mainly as a political weapon, the pie attack makes a messy, if not somewhat juvenile, statement. The victim of the attack is humiliated in front of a crowd, and is forced to spend a few bucks at the dry cleaners. But why use the pie? If you don't like what Ann Coulter or Pat Buchanan has to say, isn't there a more civil way to protest their views? Perhaps not. Pies, after all, are the weapons of the voiceless. But to that we might add: the gutless. What would really be fun is to give the pie throwers their just desserts. Give them a taste of their own pie, so to speak. If you're ready to give it, then you should be prepared to take one to the face yourself. In fact, when Ralph Nader was attacked, he tried to do just that, throwing pieces of the pie right back at his assailants . Who would you hit in the face with a pie if you had the opportunity...

For Writers: When I was an undergraduate, most co-eds wore sweatshirts tied around their waists. It didn't matter if it was spring, summer, or fall. That was just the style, and it was a style that protected backsides from the leering inspection of hungry male eyes. Another group of women, however, wore sweats with a word or slogan right on the seat. One example is the word "juicy," which is apparently the name of a clothing brand. I certainly didn't know that at the time, but it did make for some interesting reading opportunities. I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this question, but why would anyone want to put a word on their butt? Especially a word like "juicy"? And what about all of the girls that tied sweatshirts ever-so-carefully around their waists? Did they secretly wear the "juicy" slogan underneath? What do your clothes say about you? Do you wear only specific brands. Do your clothes brand you in any other specific ways? ...

For Writers: Recently, a University of Michigan professor took his son to the ballpark to watch the Tigers play. Before taking their seats, they hit the concession stand for drinks. The dad ordered a beer for himself and a Mike's Lemonade for his son. Luckily, small kids take a long time to drink anything, and the boy nursed his lemonade for almost the entire game. Then all hell broke loose when a security guard noticed that the seven year old boy was drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade, a drink that contains 5% alcohol by volume. (Note: you cannot even enter its website without verifying your age --> http://www.mikeshard.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/age-verification-032a.php?redirect_to=http://www.mikeshard.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php ) The dad claimed he had never heard of Mike's Hard Lemonade, which has been around since 1999. This was a college professor, one that drank alcohol himself. How is it possible that an educated man, especially one that drinks adult beverages, could h...

For Writers: When was Michael Jackson’s Thriller released? Late 1982. When did my mom buy me a Michael Jackson-style jacket? That didn’t happen until late 1984, when it was on sale for 70% off. Actually, I loved the jacket when she brought it home from the mall. All black, it was a bit more “toned down” than some of the clothes he wore at the time. It still had all the pockets and zippers, and it still had the puffy v-shaped shoulders, but I thought it looked cool. When I wore it to grade school, however, I soon discovered it wasn’t cool. Jackets made out of parachute pants material might have worked in 1982, but they didn’t work in 1984. This was the conclusion of most of my sixth grade classmates, and so I quickly threw the jacket to the back of my closet. Going to school with goose bumps was better than going to school with my peers singing “Beat It” in my direction. Think of a time when you experienced peer pressure. How did you handle it? In what ways do you still experience peer ...

Barack Obama just received the left-handed endorsement of Rush Limbaugh; of course Rush supports Obama because he believes him to be the weaker of the two candidates. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/ While it's true that Obama and Clinton have different bases within the Democratic party itself, I think it's still very unclear which one would do better against John McCain. And since when is Rush a big McCain supporter, anyway?

Watch and smile. :)