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Assorted Tales of Stupidity from the Bookstore . . .

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  • #16
    Thanksgiving music...hmmm.

    How about "I yam what I yam" from Cage...
    Research is the art of reading what everyone has read and seeing what no one else has seen.

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    • #17
      Quoth draftermatt View Post
      May I ask what happened with the Thomas Jefferson woman?

      Had it been me I would have gotten her a book on him and found where it talked about his being President, handed her that to look at, then found a book on the Presidents and showed her his page.

      Oh, how I wish I could have done that . . .

      Under normal circumstances, I might have. But on that particular day, we were really busy in the store. There were at least four or five people already waiting in line at the customer service desk, and the other two employees on the floor were already helping other customers.

      I had to make a quick decision, and it just didn't seem fair to the other customers to keep them waiting any longer than necessary . . . Even though it would have been quite satisfying to show this woman that she was wrong . . .

      So I just directed her to the U.S. History section, where she would easily be able to find books on Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War . . . and Jefferson's political career, including his two terms as President.

      No doubt, her son would have gotten into trouble with his teacher if he had written his paper on Jefferson . . . and she might very well have turned it around and blamed us for it . . .

      . . . but I'm guessing that it wouldn't go that far. Being President was a major part of Jefferson's career (as it would be for any politician), and it was also a time of great importance for the country (the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis & Clark expedition, and so forth).

      If this woman or her son did any research on Jefferson at all, they were bound to find out very quickly that he was, in fact, President. And, hopefully, they would have sense enough to pick some other historical figure.

      (And if, by sheer stubbornness or stupidity, this woman or her son insisted on pressing on with Jefferson . . . Well, there's nothing I could have done to help that.)
      “Excuse me. Is this bracelet real jade?”
      “Ma’am, this is a thrift shop. The tag on the bracelet says $1.50. It comes with a matching mood ring. What do you think?”
      “I don’t know.”
      “Yes, it’s real.”

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      • #18
        Quoth Juwl View Post
        There weren't even warning signs of Tim Russert's impending death, right? He was fit and lively up until he died... in the studio?

        That's correct.

        Tim Russert was known to have coronary artery disease, but it was said to be well-controlled with medication and exercise. NBC stated that in late April, Russert had performed well on a stress test.


        Russert had been preparing to record voice-overs for the Sunday edition of Meet the Press when he suddenly collapsed. A co-worker performed rescue breathing on him, although Russert needed CPR.

        A few minutes later, the paramedics arrived and tried to defibrillate Russert's heart, to no avail. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

        Russert's death took many people by surprise.


        Later on, an autopsy revealed that Russert's heart attack was caused by cholesterol plaque rupturing in a coronary artery. It is believed to have been the result of years (if not decades) of cholesterol buildup in the arteries around his heart. This buildup might have been the result of many different factors, some of which may have been under Russert's control, and others beyond his control.

        Unfortunately, there is presently no way to predict plaque rupture in human arteries (although there are certain therapies that can reduce the frequency of it). They are developing tests for it, but they're only in the animal model stage right now.

        Last edited by Anthony K. S.; 06-25-2008, 07:17 PM. Reason: Added information.
        “Excuse me. Is this bracelet real jade?”
        “Ma’am, this is a thrift shop. The tag on the bracelet says $1.50. It comes with a matching mood ring. What do you think?”
        “I don’t know.”
        “Yes, it’s real.”

        Comment


        • #19
          Try this for "Thanksgiving Music"!

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          • #20
            Is that bad if, when thinking of "major historical figures" of the USA who were not presidents, Elvis comes up first, before I can think of, say, Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell or Martin Luther King ?
            "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

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            • #21
              Alexander Bell was Scottish (if you are talking about the inventor of the telephone).
              "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

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              • #22
                Quoth TTAZ View Post
                I read the thanksgiving music thing to my mom, and she suggested the dulcet tones of a turkey farm....with Yanni in the background. I suggested a lively tune of *gobble gobble* THWACK! *gobble gobble* THWACK!

                Mom said add some Yanni, and I've got myself a hit.
                Or Kenny G
                "I am quite confident that I do exist."
                "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

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                • #23
                  Quoth Trayol View Post
                  "Turkey in the Straw" perhaps
                  Isn't that a sex game of some sort?
                  "We were put on this Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." -Kurt Vonnegut

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                  • #24
                    Quoth Gawdzillers View Post
                    Isn't that a sex game of some sort?
                    Listen to the lyrics, then you tell me. Turkey in the Straw.
                    "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

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                    • #25
                      Quoth Samaliel View Post
                      Is that bad if, when thinking of "major historical figures" of the USA who were not presidents, Elvis comes up first, before I can think of, say, Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell or Martin Luther King ?
                      I just photographed a booksigning yesterday and a little pipsqueak of all of about 7 came up to the guest and was starstruck and told him how he did a report on the guest's brother for school and got an A! And it was a very complicated report. And he was the only one in the class to not pick a president. And could our guest sign the report for him?

                      The guest was Mike McCartney - aka Paul's brother.
                      It was very very sweet.


                      PS As soon as the OP said "blue" and "dragon" I knew it would be Eragon too!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Quoth cinema guy View Post
                        Alexander Bell was Scottish (if you are talking about the inventor of the telephone).
                        Well, I'm confused. English Wikipedia tells me he became a citizen of the USA in 1882, while the French version tells me he became Canadian that year. But yeah, that was the one I was talking about and he was indeed born a Scottish.
                        "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

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                        • #27
                          Quoth Samaliel View Post
                          Well, I'm confused. English Wikipedia tells me he became a citizen of the USA in 1882, while the French version tells me he became Canadian that year. But yeah, that was the one I was talking about and he was indeed born a Scottish.
                          I have to admit I didn't realise he bacame a citizen of the US. Several other sites confirm it, including this one:
                          http://www.alexandergrahambell.org/
                          "I can tell her you're all tied up in the projection room." Sunset Boulevard.

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