Quote of the Day:
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” –Pablo Picasso
Last August we were in the midst of a Presidential Election, the Olympics were going on and the TB universe was in its infancy. There was a lot to discuss. August 2009 gives us the health care fear fest, birthers and a lot of rain in Ridgeland, and none of that seems worth a post right now. Plus, I’m leaving town for a few days to attend a family event. So while I’m gone, I leave you with six questions. Be funny, be serious, or come back Monday and see if I found anything interesting to write about over the weekend–it’s up to you. I’ll answer these myself later on in the comments, but so not to influence the direction of the thread, I leave them blank for now. I look forward to peering inside YOUR twisted brains for a change!
- If you could live for a year as a fictional character, who would you choose and why?
- God grants you the power to cure cancer, establish world peace, or eliminate hunger–choose one (this question sponsored by the Miss South Carolina Pageant Commission).
- If you could undo one mistake of history what would it be?
- You can push a button and make one celebrity of your choosing disappear from the public eye permanently. They won’t be hurt, they will just lose their fame. Who do you choose?
- In the future everyone gets to pick a superpower. What’s yours?
- Who were the three greatest Americans of the Twentieth Century?
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For those of you new to the blog since August 2008, I bring back through the power of the great 20th century invention–the rerun–one of my favorite all time posts. I hope you enjoy.
Travellinbaen 
Hmmm, my pondering is beginning. I’ll be back.
Can’t wait to see what you got JL. BTW, if someone only wants to answer some of the questions, that’s fine too.
Also…TB just had a classic “customer service” experience. You know what that means if you’ve been around here for awhile. Yep, looks like there will be a post for tomorrow after all. But the questions will still be something to play with today and over the weekend.
1. Still pondering – reserving the right to supplement.
2. I would choose to cure cancer – without your health you cannot attempt to create world peace or solve world hunger.
3. The holocaust is the first thing that comes to mind.
4. The conglomerate celebrity of Jon and Kate plus all 8 of them – who really cares? They would be better off if we had never heard of them.
5. I would want my already psychic powers to be heightened.
6. I do not know if these would be the greatest but they are 3 who have a large effect on my everyday life as I know it:
Henry Ford – he gets me to work in some shape or form.
Jonas Salk – keeps me from getting a disease by his vaccine.
Margaret Sanger – keeps me from further adding to the population of the world by inventing birth control.
1. Elizabeth Bennet. No question about it. Hand over Mr. Darcy now!
2. World Peace. If we fix that I figure working together will fix the other two.
3. The point where Hitler’s daddy forgot to put on a condom.
4. How about if we push a button and just make all of L.A. disappear? 🙂 That’s wrong, isn’t it….
5. Sounds silly, but I’d chose to be able to communicate with all creatures in all languages. Proper communication could fix a lot of problems.
6. My Grandpa H. and my parents. They all overcame odds and accomplished more than anyone could have expected. They still inspire me.
Whew! That was a brain tickler! Hope you enjoy your family va-ca!
I’ll comment on this when I’m feeling a bit more clever & creative (read: drinking). Stop by my blog though, I got something for ya. 😉
Wow, this was a tough one…
1. Huck Finn – not so much the scary, killin parts, just the adventure!!
2. Cure Cancer – have to agree with JL on this one.
3. The introduction of welfare in our country. Whatever happened to “teach a man to fish???”
4. Well, technically the one I would like to see disappear is already gone – Michael Jackson… but the media just won’t let him go… sorry if I offended anyone on this one. I hear that some people are into idolizing popular pedophiles. Oops, I just can’t stop…
5. Love this one – My son and I often discuss super powers. I think I’d want something similar to the Jedi mind trick. Oh, how powerful I’d be 🙂
6. Robert Frost (The Road Not Taken is one of my all time favorites); Percy Spencer (invented microwave oven); Ronald Reagan (wish he were in charge now)
I agree with curing cancer. And I’m officially in love with GoulaGirl for her Michael Jackson comment. Which #3 could have probably taken care of.
SM, Best. Virtual Cake. I. Ever. Got. Thanks! BTW, I think you in particular will like the Key West Story as it involves underwear. Take the time to read and react. Calico, as you are my blog twin, you might want to see the side of TB with the little devil on the shoulder. And GG, you probably already have heard it, but I’m not sure, so you better check it too.
My responses to all the 6 Q’s tomorrow before we head out, along with the customer service conversation of this afternoon.
I haven’t found any answers to these but I do have an audio response to question 3 from my favorite comedian, Patton Oswalt. There are some profanities so watch out for the children’s ears.
1. Ferris Bueller
2. World Peace–I think if you take all the resources devoted to war you’d have a realistic chance to take down cancer and hunger.
3. This one is tough. I’m going with removing the 10th amendment from the Bill of Rights–the “states rights” amendment. It has only been used to justify the restriction of individual freedoms since the beginning, starting with slavery, which I point to as the root cause of all our biggest internal problems to this very day. Honorable mention to World War I and Mississippi State’s firing of Allyn McKeen and failure to hold on a few more years to Darrell Royal.
4. Rush Limbaugh
5. Hadn’t thought about Jedi powers, but I’m with GG on this one. I want to be able to manipulate the Force.
6.
Teddy Roosevelt–a capitalist, individualist and visionary. Above all he foresaw the coming corporate takeover of America and was even effective for a time in forestalling it.
Franklin Roosevelt–saved the country from the Depression, saved the country from the political threats of the fascists, the communists and the capitalists, and led the free world to victory over the nazis.
Bill Gates–ushered in the modern world
1. James Bond, cause I use his name when making dinner reservations
2.Cure cancer. Although I believe there is already a cure out there being suppressed by the govt because the drug companies would lose billions
3.Tie – going to college and not taking smi-LY up on his offer that night
4.Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olberman
5.Invisibility…sweet
6.Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King Jr, Ted Williams
I could definitely take a year as James Bond or Huck Finn. Nice calls there. I also like the superpower of total communication and Calico, you probably love C-3PO, right?
BTW, Irv, I have to say I dig the prequels. I know I’m the only one. So I can’t endorse the Oswalt bit. I will admit they could’ve done away with the whole Jar Jar Binks thing.
I actually don’t really dislike the prequels myself. I thought episode 3 was pretty awesome. I just like that whole bit, particularly the giant bag of rock salt and Jon Voight’s genitals.
1. The Outlaw Josey Wales.
2. Eliminate Hunger. Ev eryone should be able to enjoy a good country-fried steak.
3. Taking the cuffs off Sweet that nite in college.
4. Nancy Pelosi. Her husband will reward me, I’m sure. So I also profit from this one.
5. The ability to make clothes disappear.
6. John Wayne. Dan Marino. Harpo Marx. If you can’t figure out why, then there is something wrong with you.
I think I’ve decided that the fictional character I’d like to be for one year is Thomas Magnum’s girlfriend. I’m going for pure pleasure on this one.
Or Fiona from Burn Notice. Looks, smarts and can kick your butt when needed.
SmileyJ – If you role those guys into 1 they would just about make the perfect man. Swagger, looks and laughs. A girl can’t ask for much more than that.
Ok I will play despite the fact this seems like the start of a coffee talk skit.
1. Valentine Michael Smith.
2. Cancer (more likely to help someone I know)
3. Caving into slavery when the country was founded. I would not go with the 10th amendment like TB as slavery existed in lots of places without the benefit of the 10th amendment. Also, the Courts ignore that one now anyway.
4. Really there is not a wrong answer to this question. Probably Barbara Streisand but really whatever one makes a political statement next will do
5. Time travel (I will kill the stock market in whatever time I decide to live in and live it up)
6. Lots of good choices. I guess the Wright Brothers and Ronald Reagan
We’re on the save wavelength re: the 10th amendment Stone, but a different crest. Lack of use in law was part of my thinking, whereas its misuse in demagoguery has been legion. And the one case it was used in turned out pretty bad.
I like the time travel power though its borderline cheating and I even agree with the popular pick of Reagan in most regards on number 6.
No comment on my Mr. Smith. I really stretched on that to fit your them of superpowers. He had some pretty cool ones.
I almost went with John Galt a) because he built himself a compound hidden from the rest of the world and invited his friends to live there (a personal dream of mine) and b) a good dose of libertarianism would balance out some of your liberalism.
I will give you an invite to the compound if you promise not to tell the IRS/government where it was.
If we went with Presidents I would go with the Roosevelts and Reagan. Teddy is my favorite President. Big ideas. Same with Reagan.
TR is AOK
JLou, wouldn’t your momma be jealous about your fictional character choice?
1. Thomas Crown. Rich, good looking, smart. All the things I’m not.
2.This is a hard choice b/c they all need immediate attention. But I would eliminate hunger b/c poverty and strife create disharmony, leading to violence, terrorism, coups, wars, etc.
3. Tough one, but I’m going with the Crusades.
4. Fox News except Shepard Smith.
5. the ability to fly
6. FDR, MLK, Jr., Einstein
I’m sure my mom would love to come and visit me in Hawaii if I was with Tom. That might be the one thing that would get her on the airplane – the thought of him handing her the nightly gin and tonic would be hard to resist. Otherwise, she is not leaving the area for any reason.
1. Willy Wonka, I get to live in a massive chocolate factory powered by an army of dwarfs.
2. Cancer
3.Vietnam, make us actually take Ho Chi Minh (msp?) in when we had the chance to in the 50’s but didn’t because of our friendship with the French, thus saving an entire generation.
4. Sean Hannity.
5.Speed, greasy, bad-ass speed.
6. FDR, Hunter Thompson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have to think about these…I’ll read everyone’s replies later.
Looking forward to your list Harmony. At least one other reader is still thinking about their list–this turned out to be a really fun game. We’ll do it again some slow day in the not too distant future, but seldom enough not to jump the shark!
Also, Harmony, I hope you clicked the “rerun” link. As I mentioned, it’s probably my favorite all time story and probably post and I want those of you new to the TBU (since Aug ’08 when it ran) to read and respond.