How to learn your subject matter

Authors have many ways to get a clearer understanding of their subject matter when writing -- studying and interviewing experts are two ways that come to mind.

Or... they can take the approach of this author and set fires.

I just have the strangest feeling that his defense is going to involve "research" for his next book.

Cats and faxes -- bad mix

I've never been much of a cat fancier.

And if I did have cats and they managed to pull off this stunt, I'm pretty sure I'd be an ex-cat owner.

This would have to provoke another of those really interesting conversations with an insurance adjuster...

Helping to keep Dad employed

Kids all over the world do stupid things. And we as parents pretty much forgive them, show them the error of their ways, and help them to avoid making the same mistake more than once.

But this father in Kentucky must just shake his head, wondering exactly what part of his DNA was inherited by his son.

Perhaps the son is adopted. Dunno.

But it sure would help this story make sense.

Even if that is the case, wouldn't you think that being arrested once on drug-related charges would make you think twice about hanging around meth labs?

Compassionate conservativizing

The catchphrase way back when was the desire of our current leaders to be compassionate. They were going to show the rest of us that they weren't just mean, old pro-business Republicans.

I guess reality has a way of stripping the veneer away.

I don't see them (any more) as mean, old pro-business Republicans. They're just Republicans. They pander to their constituents just like the Democrats.

But any administration that'd stand between very sick people and something like growing their own marijuana and then using it to ease their suffering -- well, this smacks of a little hypocrisy. These are the selfsame people who view any abortion as cruel and inhumane.

By failing to show the minimum compassion required (by just leaving these sick people alone), the anti-dope fanatics probably won the battle. And lost the war.

Their compassion is now used to define the acceptable borders of our pain.

Themed restaurants

With all of the themes used for restaurants, surely every base has been covered by now.

And yet... in Taiwan they've come up with a new way to entice you to eat, as detailed here.

There's just something so appealing about staring into a toilet and knowing that's your food in there...

This would be one of my favorite "Only in America" stories, but we've been beaten to the punch. We seem to be losing our stranglehold on dubious taste.

I'm counting on an enterprising American to surpass this. I know we can do it.