Sam Barry's Blog, page 13
March 4, 2010
The Daily Sam: The Norwegian Olympic Curling Team's Pants
Weren't those Olympics exciting? The world was all in a tizzy because of the Norwegian curling team's trousers, which my colleague Bjorn Bakstad said made them look like "a bunch of clowns." He's Norwegian, so he can say that. And anyhow, the pants were clearly a hit: they have more than 600,000 fans on their Facebook page. Don't underestimate the power of the clown, I always say, ...
March 1, 2010
The Daily Sam: To Tweet Or Not to Tweet
"To tweet, or not to tweet—that is the question."—William Shakespeare"Around eighty-seven tweets ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."—Abraham Lincoln"A new commandment I give unto you: That ye tweet one another, as I have tweeted you, and that ye also retweet one ...
February 26, 2010
The Daily Sam: My Underwear Is On Backwards
Yesterday I realized about halfway through the morning that I had forgotten to wear a belt. This was the second day in a row that I had neglected to put on my belt, a standard item of my very simple wardrobe. Also, my fly was down.I often discover that I am not fully put together partway through my day. I forget to comb my hair. I forget my umbrella even though I know it's going to rain. I ...
February 22, 2010
The Daily Sam: Disneyland
Anaheim — The complimentary breakfast at the motel was the usual fair—cheap donuts, "o" shaped cereal, weak coffee. It didn't matter—we were two blocks from the happiest place on earth: the Anaheim Convention Center. Also, we were really close to Disneyland, which was where my daughter Laura and I were going to spend several hours that would seem like an eternity.Sorry, that last line ...
February 18, 2010
The Daily Sam: The Lost Week
Hi. My name is Sam and I am a candy addict. God it feels good to say that. I think I'll have a piece of gum to celeb—No!Let me start over. My name is Sam and I am a candy addict. I roam the HarperOne offices (I work there, so I do have a reason to be roaming around), searching, always searching for more candy. Lately my source has been the gum over on Abby Berendt's desk, but that's only ...
February 15, 2010
The Daily Sam: The Failed Obama Presidency
Now that it has been established by leaders and commentators across the political spectrum that the Obama administration is a failure, Americans everywhere must reassess their positions and plans for the three years that remain.This is good news for the Democrats: they no longer need to figure out how to get along. Democrats in liberal cities such as San Francisco can go back to pretending that ...
February 11, 2010
The Daily Sam: Is Heterosexuality a Sin?
Is heterosexuality a sin? What should society do about all the heterosexuals in our midst? A decade into the twenty-first century these questions confront the nation.Many heterosexuals feel they should be allowed to openly live their lives, marry, raise children, go to Disneyland—in other words, that they should be welcomed as full-fledged citizens of our society. But is their wish compatible ...
February 8, 2010
The Daily Sam: The Lousiest Sports Franchises
I know what all you sports fans are thinking about: how long can the New Jersey Nets keep it up? With a 4 and 46 record the NBA's losingest team is beginning to challenge some of the great awful teams of the past for the title of most inept professional sports team ever. The Nets are so bad that when I went to their official page on www.nba.com it stalled my computer. They are so bad I am ...
February 4, 2010
The Daily Sam: The Danger of Cynicism
Lately I have been encountering a lot of cynicism and it is making me mad. Smart people I know—people who have benefited from living in the United States—educated people with opportunities and resources—are running down the world, their country, the media, schools, the government, their fellow citizens—everything.Cynicism is self-indulgent and unproductive. All our institutions are ...
The Daily Sam: The Slave Mentality
Lately I have been encountering a lot of cynicism and it is making me mad. Smart people I know—people who have benefited from living in the United States—educated people with opportunities and resources—are running down the world, their country, the media, schools, the government, their fellow citizens—everything.Cynicism is self-indulgent and unproductive. All our institutions are ...
