There must be something that causes deafness in upstate NY, because some a$$holes at the gym will turn the TVs in the locker room up to volumes that rival jet engines at takeoff. To hear some idiot comment on a ball game.

What is wrong with these people?

I had to laugh at a comment I read a few days ago about people being more rude in the DC area. Maybe I just notice it more because I am here, but rude jerks are not on the endangered species list in upstate NY.

Here's the note I just sent to the Binghamton Airport:

I was early for my flight yesterday at the Binghamton Airport. The TV playing NASCAR was SUPER loud -- so loud you could hear it perfectly in the TSA area. I couldn't bear having it vibrate my brain for three hours before my flight -- it was THAT loud.

The TSA guy watching the TV when he left his post numerous times told me there was no way to change the volume. I'm a journalist so I tracked down the desk number of somebody at an airline there, and they gave me the number of airport operations (apparently, only they have the remote - genius!). The guy was conducting a fire safety class at the time, but said he'd come turn it down afterward. He also told me that sometimes "passengers" turn it up or change the channel with an umbrella.

Just a suspicion of mine, no proof, but I'd venture that somebody or somebodies at the TSA turn it up for their listening and never mind the passengers who have to listen to a TV so loud that it can't be ignored with headphones and loud music on -- or at all.

Here's a link to the TSA guy watching -- and he watched repeatedly (Officer Scott) -- complete with video (within post).

http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/04/05/do_you_think_th_1.html

I would like to submit:

http://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_main.php

Why does he keep sniffing his fingers?

By the way- cooooool poster- well done!

TV-B-Gone is great. I used to carry one on my keychain and zap TVs all the time, at airports, doctors' offices, bars, you name it.

CNN has a contract with Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, so that's all you see being piped in there on TVs. Very annoying.

Perhaps other airports have similar contracts.

Jihadi NASCAR?

Huh, cars that explode on impact? now that could be kinda cool!

If one flies to Binghamton NY to listen to socio-psyco-babble lectures...you deserve to listen to loud NASCAR racing on the TV, monitored by a sniffy, slightly paunchy TSA agent. Rounds out a perfectly stupid weekend. The spot-on exclamation point.

Besides, Boobus Americanus today cannot survive without TVs. They are in gyms, elevators, gas stations, any terminal or any kind, busses, airplanes, grocery stores.....

If they don't have 'em in prison, it might be worth getting sent up.

Well, better watching NASCAR than harrassing travelers... or being obnoxious online... Is the butthole still pissed off because you don't want kids? (I hope he doesn't have any of his own. Can you imagine what obnoxious little assholes they must be, if this guy is their father?)

That TV-B-Gone is brilliant, if I travelled more I would absolutely invest in one of those. This all reminded me of that sillystupid NBC BS trying to suck NASCAR fans into spouting anti-muslim bigotry, and it didn't happen. More of the MSM's Fake but Accurate
http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/opinion/04/06/cross.nbc.dateline/index.html
I am tired. Sick and tired of these people popping off about how *we* are the problem, how *we* need to be strip-searched by dillweeds like this to walk down the street. How we need to give up our Constitutional Rights because *they* print a story and some uncivilized barbarian goes apeshit half the world away and kills an innocent person. It doesn't even have to be a TRUE story.
I have only one thing left to say to the sad sacks of crap that can't understand why they are so frelling wrong, or think that power is more important than the people they are pissing on.

Futue te ipsum et caballum tuum.

AHW-
No, I am not pissed off that AA is not having kids. That was a passing fancy (and no, I was not offering myself as father, althogh I could perfomred certain catalytic duties).
My three kids are winners (though that is also their mothers' gene pool).

AA-

But really, NEEP? Is it possible to take this stuff seriously?

From a recent NEEP conference

2:00-3:40 Session 1 - Evolutionary Psychology, Gender, Literature and Film
Session chair: Maryanne Fisher
Pride and Prejudice or Children and Cheating? Representation of Women’s Mating Strategies in the Work of Jane Austen
Sarah L. Strout (Southern New Hampshire University; s.strout@snhu.edu), Maryanne Fisher (St. Mary’s University), Daniel J. Kruger (University of Michigan) & Lesley-Anne Steeleworthy (St. Mary’s University)
Past research has examined male mating strategies in Romantic literature. There has been substantially less investigation of female mating strategies, so the goal of the current project was to address this oversight. Furthermore, past work has relied extensively upon work authored by men, so the current
study used the immensely popular work of Jane Austen. We created a survey based on descriptions of six female characters described in Austen’s novels; three women were described as exhibiting long term mating strategies, such as being loyal and quiet, while three were described as exhibiting short term mating strategies, such as being active, boisterous and untamed. Data collection is still ongoing, but to
date we have found that men recognize the distinct strategies and express a preference to marry those exhibiting long term mating strategies and realize those exhibiting short term mating strategies would be more likely to cheat on them. Women realize the women exhibiting the short term mating strategies are
those who men would prefer for sexual relations, and those exhibiting long term mating strategies would be better with children and a better mother."

Well, this would be good for a guffaw. Gee, they found this out by reading novels? Gee, does it exactly mirro a favorite stereotype that women indulge in?

I meant to highlight the quote below, but I didn't know how.

"Data collection is still ongoing, but to
date we have found that men recognize the distinct strategies and express a preference to marry those exhibiting long term mating strategies and realize those exhibiting short term mating strategies would be more likely to cheat on them."

Data collection is still ongoing? The data is in a novel? Is it hidden somehow? They have not finished reading the novel yet?

Amy Alkon, I defy you to read this and not laugh out loud. This is from 2010 NEEPS conference.

PS As a "libertarian" I think you would be outraged if any of this "research" is funded by taxpayers.

"I meant to highlight the quote below, but I didn't know how."

And this lack is not highest on your list. It interferes with your point-making.

Yes, conferences are fulla bullspeak, newspeak - anything but plainspeak, because if you speak plainly you're done at once, people "get it" and then they don't have to listen any more.

But you're still here, despite Amy's having said the same thing better, faster, harder.

That's one reason I'm trying to get our dear hostess to come to DragonCon, by hook or crook. I've attended one too many homeopathic lecture.

BTW, genius, displacement, to a novel, lets you make your points without attacking anyone. I don't like that tactic, but there you go.

Radwaste:

I think you have it wrong. AA says these are valuable conferences.

"This NEEPS was one of the best conferences I've ever been to."--AA

I am completely baffled by this. But, each to his own.

Since Janet Napolitano is so concerned about domestic right-wing terrorist groups and everyone knows right-wingers love NASCAR, perhaps he is looking for terrorists.

Amy-

The title of the lecture is "Pride and Prejudice or Children and Cheating? Representation of Women’s Mating Strategies in the Work of Jane Austen"

Jane Austen wrote a finite number of novels. Evidently the NEEPS presenters are still researching to find out all the novels she wrote. That will take a while. Maybe they plan to read different editions of the same novel to verify the characters act the same way in all the novels. Or maybe they plan to read all the Jane Austen novels in different libraries to broaden the research.

Please, this sounds like Keystone Cops Invite Abbot & Costello Investigate Human Behavior.

This is a funny one--you could write a terrific lampoon of this presentation, if you put your writing skills to work.

The nitwits are commenting on the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqY5HySNOTY

BOTU, so great that you don't ever confuse us from thinking you're an ass.

Again, for anybody interested in novels and Theory of Mind, check out Lisa Zunshine's great book.

Umm think about it. They take 3500 pound missles at 100mph + and intentionally attempt to kill another driver and maybee fans every week. Bad thing is most of the fans that are still there are too wrapped up in the excitement to realize they are supporting the largest terrorist group in america.