Every Monday stop by for jokes, links to stories you might have missed, amusing photos and video, and more. Contributions and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Click on the "Email Me" link on the right to contribute.
Joke of the Week:
Early one morning during the Presidential Campaign, John McCain heard a knock on his front door. He opened the door to find a high-school-age girl wearing a "Vote for McCain" t-shirt.
"I saw you on TV last night, debating with Barack Obama," she said.
McCain nodded. "Obama says I'm too old," he said. "He says I'm losing my memory and that I won't be able to remember the names of foreign leaders if I'm elected. But I'm going to prove him wrong."
"Good," said the girl.
"Now tell me, young lady," said McCain, "what is your name?"
The girl looked confused. "It's ME, Grandpa."
Stories you might have missed
1. Cubs fan makes futures bet on World Series tickets
(Am I insane for not thinking he's crazy?)
2. Ryan the Soothsayer sees great things for the Cubs
(When the NY Times starts doing profiles, you know this is going to be huge)
3. AUDIO: Rush Limbaugh song "I'm a Nazi"
(This is very funny. I know it's been around for awhile--but it's fantastic. Using Rush's real voice, and putting it to music.)
4. VIDEO: How many houses does John McCain own? He can't remember.
(I just checked my closet. McCain has more homes than I have shoes.)
5. VIDEO: Rogue Monkey loose in Tokyo Subway
(It's just fun to watch a monkey on the loose)
Video of the week: Hilarious rap song called "Stay at Home Dad." Contributed by "B"
- Watch more free videos
Photo of the week: Contributed by "C." He calls this "driving with your wife."
READER RESPONSE
Regarding "Suburban Man: Hats"
"Johnny needs to learn the power of arbitrary authority that defies explanation. How else will he be able to cope with DMV later in life?"
--B
"My son is/was a lot like Johnny. Once he was old enough to keep a hat on his head without flinging it across the room, or taking it off and chewing on the bill, he had to have one. When he was little, he had a laundry basket full of ball caps. He had at least two for every favorite sports team plus a few that other people gave him just to piss me off. I told him the Dallas Cowboy hat was not allowed in my house at ANY time. I found THAT rude and offensive. Once he started t-ball and graduated into Little League, Babe Ruth, and then high school baseball, he had a whole new collection (thus necessitating an explanation as to why he was wearing a Yankee cap for so long. The Yankees were his Little League team for years). Once he got into high school, the adjustable caps became "uncool." "Only a dork wears an adjustable cap, Mom," all the while scrunching up his nose as if he was smelling something foul. Oh, back to your original question. Why is it rude to wear them at the table? I don't know, either. It just is. And yeah, you probably should enforce it because when you're in a restaurant and Johnny is sitting at a table with a ballcap on his head, the old busy bodies aren't going to think HE'S rude. He's a kid. They're going to look at YOU and think "Why doesn't that man teach his child some manners."
--A
"I have the same answer you gave your son: it just is. I’m thinking maybe it’s because a baseball cap is so ‘casual’, and dinner is supposed to be a more formal affair? Or maybe because a cap casts a shadow on your face, so it’s harder for you to have meaningful conversations while wearing one at the one place families are supposed to talk? Not sure, but we use the same rule. That being said, a Cubs hat should be allowed everywhere…it should be a law."
--N
"On your hat question: Removing the hat has long been a show of respect. Have you noticed that at the end of a round on the PGA, golfers remove their hats as they shake hands with their playing partners? People used to remove their hats when going indoors, or when in the presence of a lady, or when our national flag passed by. To remove the hat at dinner shows respect for one's dinner partners, the family. It shows respect for the people who made the meal. If grace is said, it shows respect for one's God. In school, removing the hat respects the teacher and the educational process, which should, in my opinion, be treated as if kids take it seriously. By implication, to not remove the hat is to show that respect is not needed in the situation in question. Call me old fashioned, but I think there are too few things these days that are treated with the respect that a civilized society should give them. Just my take on it."
--R
"As far as school goes, hats were banned about 10 years ago in most areas b/c of gang markings. Depending on the angle the hat was worn, it represented different groups. As far as dinner tables, I must admit this one I didn’t know the background on, so I looked it up on Emily Post. I was just curious. Here is what she has to say about it.:
Q: I know back in the day, it was bad manners for a man to wear a hat (baseball cap) to the table. My grown sons wear them all the time and my husband is forever getting upset if they wear their hats to the table. If we have a formal dinner, such as holidays, they always remove them. Is it now acceptable for them to wear their hats to the table for casual meals?
A: No, it is not. Basically, hats are removed when going indoors as a measure of respect. Therefore, caps and hats should be removed when entering a home (which includes while eating at the table), when entering a place of religion, or when going to a restaurant. When entering a store or other “public area” like a train station, the hat or cap may remain on. This applies to baseball caps worn by men or women. Hats and caps are always removed for the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem.Women’s hats that are part of their ensembles and therefore fashion accessories may be worn indoors, including at a restaurant table, etc. If they are large-brimmed, they should be removed in a theater or other place where they block the vision of the person behind. Aside from garden parties and formal teas where hats are often left on, women generally remove their hats when dinning in someone’s home. The guidelines for wearing of hats by men and women are still an important part of our manners today. Hat traditions and manners may have originated in medieval times when knights lifted their face guard to show who they were, or in the days of the cowboys when a hat was lifted and removed to show there was no weapon hidden underneath. It became a sign of respect to others that has always remained.
I hope that answers your question
--K
Rick responds: Thanks for your responses. That really does help.
Regarding "Just One Bad Century"
""Believe it or not, I`m a long time Cubs fan! I`m 30 years old, and live in Guatemala city, and have been a Cub fan, since cable TV came to us! We had only a few channels including Atlanta Braves TBS, and of course WGN TV Chicago, were I watched every noon cubs game coming from school every day, an watched Harry Caray sing take me out to the ballgame! Back in those days you remember those great players, Andre Dawson, Ryno, Mark Grace, Greg Maddux, Shawn Dunston, Damon Berryhill, and the best manager Don Zimmer!!! I still remember all of then winning the Division agaist the Montreal Expos, when Mitch Williams struck out Mike Fitzgerald! I think it was 1989!
Those were nice days, and still now after all that time, a huge cub fan!
I cried with Steve Bartmans play, and have been praying for this season! THE TEAM IS IN GREAT SHAPE! My dream is to go to Wrigley Field once in my life! Go Cubs Go!!! This is our year! Greetings from Guatemala!"
--R
