Brian Gongol
- Notes on shopping: (rant mode: on)
- I hate shopping; I think most men do.
- I just bought a set of "multipurpose" hangers. What multiple purposes can hangers possibly serve? You put clothing on hangers. That's it. You don't make macrame necklaces or jet fighters out of hangers. They hold clothes up, usually inside a closet.
- No one can look manly buying fabric softener. It's a basic, fundamental requirement for doing laundry; I understand this. But even Sean Connery and Arnold Schwarzenegger would look just a little fruity buying a product named "Snuggle."
- The "designers" behind the "artwork" on tissue boxes seem to forget: There are men in the world who need to buy tissues, too. Is there a single Kleenex box in the world without flowers on the side? It's almost as bad as buying fabric softener. (rant mode: off)
(4.29.2002)
- Despite its convincing appearance to the contrary, the Male Pregnancy website is nothing more than another elaborate hoax, made even more convincing by the invention of RYT Hospital-Dwayne Medical Center. But all they go to prove is that the acquisition of a URL (malepregnancy.com or rythospital.com, for instance) grants one a strange degree of credibility. Of course, Jack Chick learned this a long time ago with his pamphleteering. If you're not fully convinced that the male pregnancy thing is a big hoax, try this little experiment: the URL RYThospital.com is licensed to PO Box 20800, New York, NY. But there's no such "hospital" among public hospitals in New York City, nor is it listed among members of the Greater New York Hospital Association. Still not convinced? It doesn't exist either under Dwayne or under RYT among hospitals in New York. Give up? OK, how about reading a complete debunking of the hoax. Still not convinced? Try reading the credits, where they admit it's an "artistic" endeavor. (4.25.2002)
- I'm on a quest to find a good capitalist university. Good luck: Here are my searches for "university for capitalists", "pro-capitalism university", and "college for capitalists". I loosened up and went without the quotes and can't find anything better than some regular Libertarian hangouts, liberal whining, and some mishmash about venture capitalists. Where's a good Patrick Henry University when you need it? (4.22.2002)
- Why didn't anyone tell me that George Clinton did the music behind the Austin Powers films? Oh -- perhaps because it wasn't the "real" George Clinton. (4.20.2002)
- I suppose it had escaped my imagination that Burger King has only offered drive-through service since 1975. Feel like opening your own franchise? Have a cool half-million in cash. (4.18.2002)
- The FBI plans to release the cockpit voice recordings from the Pennsylvania flight that crashed on September 11th, and it's considered controversial because many pilots are uneasy with the prospect. But dozens of CVR's can be read as transcripts (or even streamed online) on sites like AirDisaster.com. One airline union thinks there's plenty of reason to arm pilots in the cockpit. That would truly be breaking new ground. (4.16.2002)
- I don't condone animal mistreatment, but the "Puppy Protection Act" sounds like another regularly-scheduled overstepping of government bounds. (4.7.2002)
- What happens when brainless nitwits down a conspiracy theory with a side of anti-Americanism? Thierry Meyssan's protest that no airplane struck the Pentagon on September 11th. I'll believe that Federal security is lax or that security breaches continue on domestic flights. But the Pentagon attack not happening? Shame on anyone who would promote and profit from the theory. (4.4.2002)
- A thought for the folks at Maryland Public Television who decided to take the Louis Rukeyser out of Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser: Perhaps you thought taking the brand name out of the show would make it stronger. But I'm a 23-year-old who watched W$W because of Rukeyser, the brand. I'm going to follow him wherever he takes his show. You didn't make the show any younger by taking Louis Rukeyser out. You lost a younger viewer instead. (4.1.2002)
- I hate shopping; I think most men do.
