The Big List #10

Haven’t had a Big List post for awhile, and four of these came to me at work yesterday while we were busy not being busy, so here we go.

By the way, just as an aside, we opened three new movies this weekend, and the Indianapolis Star printed reviews for none of them. There are a number of reasons why art houses all over the country - not just here in Indianapolis, but you know, whatever - have played more mainstream film this summer than is the norm. I don’t imagine many indie distributors would be too eager to place their films in markets where there is such pathetic support from the local newspaper of record. (Yes, the weather, state fair, and Olympics were factors, too; combined, those three had more of an impact on business than the lack of reviews. Taken individually, however, the lack of reviews in the paper would get the biggest slice on the pie graph.)

So anyway, whilst the tumbleweeds were blowing across the lobby yesterday afternoon, I stumbled across the first four of these stories. I read about the fifth earlier in the week.

• Mantyhose

Anyone who remembers Kramer’s male support garment called the Bro from that episode of Seinfeld will probably get a kick out of this.

• Kilt Equality

Speaking of unusual garments, there’s a male mail carrier in the state of Washington who wants to wear a kilt while delivering mail on his route. I’m okay with that. But what if Newman had worn a kilt?

• Venezuelan Vampire Bats

This one is less silly and more serious than the other two, if perhaps no less bizarre. It appears to be a rabies outbreak in remote villages in Venezuela. The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez (a lunatic), is a populist who wins raves from the people of Venezuela because he uses oil revenue to take care of his people. Apparently he missed the 38 Warao Indians who have died in these remote villages in the last year.

• If They Want To Drink Merlot, We’re Drinking Merlot

More fun from the state of Washington! This time we’ve got marijuana planters buying up vineyards in order to grow pot. I’m okay with that, too, especially if it results in really good wine. The article calls them “drug dealers,” but that’s too harsh for guys running pot. I like “marijuana planters” better. And yes, it should be decriminalized.

And finally...

• Perseids Hit Maximum Early Tuesday Morning

The annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its maximum in the wee early hours of Tuesday morning (for some of us, that’s still Monday night). Rates are expected to be on the order of 50-60 per hour in places where skies are clear and there is very little light. Meteor showers are one of the few good reasons I can think of to live in the country. Everybody on our street keeps their porch lights on all night.