Links for 2010-01-27

"Along with Bunting's remarks, the Science Channel issued a statement claiming that it currently airs more than 150 programming hours that are tangentially, and often laughably, related to science, and that staff members are unable to bring themselves to make those hours even more asinine. "

"Several minutes before tipoff, the director made a short announcement. "We have a guest today," he said. "Everyone say hello to Kyle. He's going to be our kazoo player."

And there I was, in my black logoless shirt and jeans, with my "axe," a green plastic kazoo from a recent birthday party of a friend-of-mine's kid. I was an awkward, overtall and overaged kid standing in the back with the tubas. I grinned and waved weakly as everyone turned around. I was just trying to blend in as well as I could, and not draw any excess attention to myself -- I was part of a collective, after all. But after the band launched into its first full number, a tight and streamlined take on "Johnny B. Goode," I knew that was going to be tough.

"Kazoo solo!" a couple of fans in a nearby section shouted out. "Give the kazoo player some!""

"O'Neal, who scored 12 points and grabbed three rebounds during the first half of the game, returned to the bench at the beginning of the third quarter, clutching at the pulled pork sandwich and informing trainers that it was incredibly tender. A member of the Cavaliers' medical staff said that when he attempted to examine the pulled pork sandwich, O'Neal flinched away and grunted sharply. "

"Singer was told by prison officials that he could not keep the materials because Dungeons & Dragons "promotes fantasy role playing, competitive hostility, violence, addictive escape behaviors, and possible gambling," according to the ruling. The prison later developed a more comprehensive policy against all types of fantasy games, the court said."

"I think most people who say we need more debut authors really don't spend much time browsing the shelves of their bookstore or library, picking up books and authors they've never heard of. If you did that, you'd quickly be overwhelmed. There are thousands of debut books available in Barnes & Noble (and everywhere else).

Agents and editors live in the midst of a curious tension: The pull between the books they love, and the books they believe the market will support. Each one of us does our best to balance this, and when we're lucky, we find books that fit both criteria. But we often find books that are well-written and valuable and we may love them, but they're a long-shot in terms of their ability to find a reading audience. We have to make hard choices.

All this to say: We hear you. We love to champion fresh new voices. We do it as much as we can and still stay in business."

"The All-Star Weekend ought to be really impressive, what with the Layup Competition and Crisp Chest Pass Off."