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It sounds like a George Carlin riff, but no one with any sense is laughing. That is, so long as we all agree to disqualify the rueful laugh, the mournful chuckle, or the stomach’s sad-and-knowing rumble.

You know, the laugh that keeps you from screaming.

Click here for the article that caused my jaw to drop:

The New York City Department of Education is waging a war on words of sorts, and is seeking to have words they deem upsetting removed from standardized tests.

Fearing that certain words and topics can make students feel unpleasant, officials are requesting 50 or so words be removed from city-issued tests.

Ludicrous, misguided, dumb. I won’t keep you in suspense.

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The complete list of words that could be banned:

Abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological)

Alcohol (beer and liquor), tobacco, or drugs

Birthday celebrations (and birthdays)

Bodily functions

Cancer (and other diseases)

Catastrophes/disasters (tsunamis and hurricanes)

Celebrities

Children dealing with serious issues

Cigarettes (and other smoking paraphernalia)

Computers in the home (acceptable in a school or library setting)

Crime

Death and disease

Divorce

Evolution

Expensive gifts, vacations, and prizes

Gambling involving money

Halloween

Homelessness

Homes with swimming pools

Hunting

Junk food

In-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge

Loss of employment

Nuclear weapons

Occult topics (i.e. fortune-telling)

Parapsychology

Politics

Pornography

Poverty

Rap Music

Religion

Religious holidays and festivals (including but not limited to Christmas, Yom Kippur, and Ramadan)

Rock-and-Roll music

Running away

Sex

Slavery

Terrorism

Television and video games (excessive use)

Traumatic material (including material that may be particularly upsetting such as animal shelters)

Vermin (rats and roaches)

Violence

War and bloodshed

Weapons (guns, knives, etc.)

Witchcraft, sorcery, etc.

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To celebrate twenty years of publishing, Hyperion Books is offering twenty backlist eBook titles for $2.99 from October 10th to October 24th.

The discounted eBooks come from a wide variety of genres such as memoir, thriller, cooking, academic and inspiration. The books include The World According to Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin, Shopgirl by Steve Martin, Home by Julie Andrews and Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox.

Here’s more from the announcement: “Along with our eBook promotion, we’re asking our Twitter followers and Facebook fans to join in. We’ll be Tweeting, with the hashtag #Hyperion20, 1 question everyday for the next 2 weeks, the winner gets 1 free Hyperion/Voice book and everyone who plays gets entered into a pool to win a bundle of 5 Hyperion/Voice books in the genre of their choice! We’re asking our Facebook fans to post a picture of themselves with a Hyperion/Voice book and in return, we’re giving them 1 free Hyperion/Voice book.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Sort of a bummer today. George Carlin, one of my all-time standup comics, passed away last night. He was one of those guys you either 'got' or you didn't and I think I definitely fell in the former category. I said, many years ago, that if he were to start up a religion, I'd probably be an altar boy at his church.

He said a lot of things that pushed people's buttons (organized religion, politics, cigar-smoking businessmen) and I loved the fact that he'd find where the line was and boldly step across it without hesitation.

More than anything, he got me to look at things in different ways. He loved to stab at people who took things waaaaay too seriously. Sure he sounded angry a lot, sure he had a mouth that could make a sailor blush, but still...he had a real gift for taking the truth and laying it right in front of our noses...no matter how ugly it was.

Say what you will about Mr. Carlin, but I feel like a huge void had been left in the world of comedy today.

Thanks for the laughs, George.

Your fan,

Thomas

I have a confession to make:  Before this year, I've never read a book told in free-verse poetry.  I know, I know--don't say it!  But, you'll be happy to know that I've changed my evil ways by reading . . .



. . . Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.  I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!  Why?  It was beautifully written with not a word wasted, making it such an enjoyable read. 

Now I'm reading . . .



. . . Dream Factory by Brad Barkly and Heather Hepler, that has an opening line that grabbed my attention right away.  "I wasn't at all surprised when Cinderella gave me the finger."  Spicy!

Have a great week!