Jon Stewart of the Daily Show has written a book. Watch the video blurb if you get a chance (in which Stewart says he likes to buy books off Amazon because he�s afraid of, oh, people, the outside world�germs). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446532681/ref=bxgy_cc_text_a/104-6537346-1827952 It�s Amazon�s #1 book right now. It�s funny, because there are several reviews of the book on Amazon accusing *Amazon* of liberal bias for promoting Stewart�s book while giving a �chilly reception� to upstanding Republican authors. Perhaps it�s just because they can�t write, and the books don�t sell well? No, couldn�t be. I read the back of cereal boxes, for heaven's sake, and I'd read a book by Ann Coulter if she could write half as well as something a Kellog's or Post marketing executive could spew out during the most liquid of lunches. The funniest reviews are the ones accusing Stewart of historical inaccuracy (duh! It�s a parody). My favorite review: �The problem with this book: It's made by the Daily Show, the worst news show on TV period(.). It's weird Liberal anchor man is all goofy. When I get home from work, my mother and I will watch this show and just look at each other at how incompetent it is and even laugh outright sometimes at it. And this is the only news show I'm aware of that doesn't even have one correspondent actually in Iraq (where we're fightin)!� How can people just not �get� it? I mean, what real news show sends correspondents trick-or-treating on embassy row in DC? Can you see Dan Rather skipping along dressed like a pirate and carrying a plastic pumpkin full of candy?

Interesting factoid from the reviews: The Daily Show recently (and somewhat scandalously) won the Television Critics Association's award for outstanding news and public affairs series.

Stupid people tricks.

Spoke with my ex-boyfriend today; he called and we had a pleasant enough chat, although it is very weird to talk to him these days. Anyway, he had a story about his mother. She is, quite literally, one of the most nastily bitter and stupidest people I've ever met (I doubt the two factors are unrelated). She recently got a new Lexus and accidentally put diesel fuel in the tank. Yes, diesel fuel. But that�s not the really stupid part. She realized her mistake before she started the car but figured, "gasoline is gasoline," and drove off (yet another linguistic insight from the woman who once said, "Bourgeois means poor. I know; I'm from Montreal."). Thus she now has a $10,000 engine replacement bill. She blames the Lexus, too, apparently for not being able to tolerate diesel fuel (because it couldn�t possibly be because she�s rock stupid, now could it?).

Interesting Crossfire episode with Jon Stewart, of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." I've pasted some of the most insightful gems here, a full transcript is available at the following address: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf.01.html.

STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.
And:
CARLSON: Welcome back to CROSSFIRE. We're talking to Jon Stewart, who was just lecturing us on our moral inferiority. Jon, you're bumming us out. Tell us, what do you think about the Bill O'Reilly vibrator story?STEWART: I'm sorry. I don't.
CARLSON: Oh, OK.STEWART: What do you think?BEGALA: Let me change the subject.STEWART: Where's your moral outrage on this?CARLSON: I don't have any.STEWART: I know.

And:
STEWART: I didn't realize that -- and maybe this explains quite a bit.STEWART: ... is that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity.

And yet more:
STEWART: But the thing is that this -- you're doing theater, when you should be doing debate, which would be great. BEGALA: We do, do... STEWART: It's not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it. CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you're accusing us of partisan hackery? STEWART: Absolutely.CARLSON: You've got to be kidding me. He comes on and you... STEWART: You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls. (LAUGHTER) STEWART: What is wrong with you?

And, Stewart�s best gem:
CARLSON: I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion. �
STEWART: You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show.

Human Folly.

I�ve decided to start a (very small) museum dedicated to human folly. I'll post pictures on my website if I get around to it. I�ve already two exhibits in the acquisition stage: a pets.com sock puppet ($5 on eBay) and a stock certificate from my old employer (cash value: 18 cents). As my acquisitions budget is close to nill, I expect my museum to grow slowly, but I've just bid on an Enron stock cert on eBay, which will increase the size of my collections by half. If I feel like including historical folly, I�ll add a tulip bulb to the collection. Anyone who has any useless, tasteless dotcom related memorabilia or stock certificates not worth the paper on which they're printed, remember to send them to me before you jump off that ledge, okay?

And yes, this sort of thing is how I keep myself busy and entertained: how many people do you know with their own self-declared museums, no matter how small? ;)

Animals are funny. I just bought bunny a used rainbow slinky from eBay for $1.40 total; the local House Rabbit Society website recommends them as good bunny toys, hope he likes it. A good soaking in soap should remove any nasty kid germs the slinky picked up during its previous incarnation.

New bird toys today, too, the source of great puzzlement and perhaps even anger to the two birds. You know where you stand with birds: I am in the "evil" category and don't expect that to change despite any number of bribes. I see that my male yellow bird has a crooked tail feather. I wondered why, but noticed the other day that the female has the habit of pulling his tail feather to make him move when he�s somewhere he oughtn�t be (i.e. anywhere she wants to be, i.e. anywhere he is).

As to the cats, noticed some dander on Djali, so gave him a bath. He kept shrieking his meow of death (I�M DYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYING), and Gypsy came and perched on the side of the tub and started to give her sympathetic, distressed meow. Such a sweet girl, she�s now engaged in some comfort grooming because it upset her so much. Poor Djali was literally in shock with horror once I pulled him out. He lay in my lap for several minutes goggling into empty space...this can�t happen to *me*�how could this happen to *me*� Puts up such an act, but a total baby underneath, a typical male.

At pet store today, found a cute, silly collar for Gypsy. Here she is: