When people care less, they sometimes carelessly interchange "I couldn't care less" and "I could care less."
Personally, I couldn't care less, which means it's fine with me, if
suggestively-clad Miley Cyrus twerks
for her fans
Shia LaBoeuf and Justin Bieber continually exhibit juvenile behavior
Bode Miller is made to cry in a Winter Olympics TV interview
OJ Simpson goes on a hunger strike, for whatever reason
Vladimir Putin is pictured
bare-chested
Stephen King were never to write another novel
people spend hours on Facebook and Twitter
people text while walking, talking, or playing golf
people text-message or "read" their phones in movie theaters
President
Obama--or anyone else, dignitary or not--takes a selfie during a serious occasion
people appear in public in sweatpants
there is never any halftime "entertainment" at the Super Bowl
House of Cards has another season
President
Obama seems to be aloof
the NSA has access to my phone calls and e-mails
the NSA taps the phones of foreign heads of state
TSA employees inspect my brogues, my bags, and my body
public cameras become omnipresent in our society
retailers track shoppers' cell phones to determine their location in order to pitch sales info to them
"addressable" TV enables advertisers to direct their ads to specific viewers
"smart" roads employ sensors to read license plates
persons
or corporations are allowed to make unlimited campaign contributions
billionaire Tom Steyer plans to spend millions during the 2014 Congressional races on attack ads designed to pressure legislators to push measures to combat climate change
billionaires
Charles and David Koch plan to do the same to pressure pols not to push such measures
states pass "stand your ground" laws
the Supreme Court considers the limits of executive authority
Dennis Rodman is an unwitting stooge for North
Korea
Ambassador Victoria Nuland used the "f" word in regard to the EU in a private phone conversation
Wendy Davis stretched the truth in telling her life story
Clarence Thomas never asks questions during Supreme Court sessions
pharmacies
sell tobacco products
Colorado and Utah raise the legal smoking age to 21
people smoke e-cigarettes
the Obama administration is moving to phase out junk food advertising on school grounds
people leave the work force because Obamacare
subsidies make doing so economically feasible
the US eases economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for its not building a nuclear bomb
the USPS gets into banking
US coal companies sell coal to Asia
US oil companies freely export
American crude
technological companies and the US military compete for scarce natural resources
Comcast acquires Time Warner Cable
Facebook acquires WhatsApp
there is a gender gap in total earnings for men and women, provided that
women and men get equal pay for equal work
Google Fiber establishes a fiber-optic network
Americans prefer using dollar bills to more durable dollar coins
Big Ag genetically modifies our wheat, soybeans, and corn
becoming a computer
is the next step in human evolution
mental health treatment moves toward the use of drugs for treatment and away from talking and analysis
seniors citizens take testosterone and estrogen
the earth's "old" climate is moving toward the poles
at the rate of 3.8 feet per day
sports commentators dissect the results of the NFL Combine tests
NCAA football and basketball players form a union
openly gay males and females share locker rooms with straight males and females
anyone
keeps a tally of which country won what medals in the Winter Olympics
Russia spent $50 billion to put on the Winter Olympics
TV viewers call the media to report rules violations in televised PGA tournaments
Scandinavian countries are considering
giving youth the right to assisted suicide
Scotland secedes from the UK
Ukraine splits into two countries, one allied with the EU and one allied with Russia
the EU denies the US access to lethal injection drugs
insurance companies
continue to pay for mammograms for women over 40, even though studies show that they may be either unnecessary or lead to over-diagnosis because of false positives
the Pentagon proposes large-scale cutbacks in the Defense budget
states maintain
18 as the legal age to buy e-cigarettes
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Brevik goes on a hunger strike in demanding that he be given better video games, a sofa, and a larger gym
But I could care less, which means that I definitely
do care, that I think it's wrong or bad that
Dame Judy Dench didn't win the Oscar for Best Leading Actress
some lawyers are employing the "Affluenza" defense for their more privileged clients
colleges rely heavily on adjunct professors
Members of Pussy Riot are persecuted by the Russian government
Egypt has cracked down on journalistic freedom
AZ lawmakers want to abolish AZ College and Career Ready Standards
for-profit schools falsify records to keep students
enrolled and secure government subsidies
governmental meetings open with a prayer that is specific to a given religion
"Redskins" remains the nickname of Washington's NFL team
the NFL seeks to impose a language code outlawing the use of
certain words in NFL locker rooms
the NBA plans to raise its minimum age to 20
sports commentators find any significance in the results of the NFL Combine tests
anyone keeps a tally of which country won what medals in the Winter Olympics
there are ever any all-star games in any sport at any level whatsoever
Jay Leno is out and Jimmy Fallon is in
obesity is classified as a disease
the percentage of Americans who believe Obama's Recovery Act was successful is less
than the percentage who believe Elvis is still alive
Attorney General Eric Holder says that state attorneys general are not obligated to defend state laws that they believe are unconstitutional
writers, politicians, and crusaders use the hyperbolic
"war on" or "assault on" metaphor to characterize actions, proposals, or points of view with which they disagree: "the war on women," "the war on religion," "the war on reason," etc.
And I could also care less, which means that I do care, that
I think it's right or good that
President Obama has met with the Dalai Lama
The US establishes a free-trade agreement with Asia
AZ Governor Jan Brewer vetoed SB 1020, which would have allowed businesses to refuse service to patrons
on religious grounds
Major League Baseball will allow managers to challenge umpires' calls by requesting video replays
MLB has added rules to reduce collisions at home plate
the NFL is considering altering its point-after-touchdown rule,
so that a team may choose one of two options: a flat seven points, no conversion attempt; or six points for a touchdown plus two points awarded for a successful conversion, which must be a run or a pass, not a kick
the Obama administration plans to
establish a fund for large-wildfire suppression
the FDA has proposed changes in food labels to highlight calorie counts and serving sizes
President Obama is cautious about getting involved in Syrian and Ukrainian civil conflicts
visionary
Google is fighting for the right to drive with Glass
the Brooklyn Nets signed openly gay Jason Collins to a contract
women now have the same opportunities as men to fill combat jobs in the military
President Obama has warned Afghanistan
that the US will withdraw completely from Afghanistan unless President Hamid Karzai agrees to a security pact guaranteeing US troops immunity from prosecution under Afghan laws
The U. S. Dept. of Ag will spend millions to improve pastures to provide
food for the nation's struggling honeybee population
California lawmakers are demanding that out-of-state farmers who sell eggs in CA must meet CA's standards for humane treatment of farm animals
Whaddaya mean you could care?
*****
NBA Fun
NBA basketball, increasingly more cosmopolitan and internationalist, has loosened up and become more fun for players and spectators alike. The influx of players from all over the world has brought to American
arenas not only the "Euro step" but more speed, more open-court play, an increase in the 3-point shot, and an emphasis on better outside shooting in general. Post-ups and dunks still matter, but the NBA game, even with the more complicated defenses employed
now, is much more fluid than it was a generation ago when isolation plays ruled. And I am tickled to note as well that international players are contributing to the fun not only with their play but with their--to these provincial American ears, at least--exotic-sounding
names. In my high school days, our basketball roster consisted of bland, mostly Anglo-Saxon names like Evans, Curry, Bailey, Hillis, Eades, Moran, Miller, Johnson, Hopkins. Starkenburg, Grimstad, and Kjolso were as outre as we got. Our first
names were your basic Tom, Dick, and Jerry, plus the pedestrian Brian, Bruce, Del, Roger, John, Dave, and Norm, but today the prophets Muhamad--Shabazz, that is--and Mohammad--Nazr--have ascended to the top of the basketball mountain. Announcers and
fans now have the pleasure of saying and hearing the often mellifluous, often multi-syllabic names of players hailing from all over the globe, names like Udoh, Udrih, Batum, Shved, Varejao, Biedrins, Delledova, Oladipo, Raduljica, Aminu, Ajinich, Nene, Dragic,
Valanciunas, Bargnani, Teletovic, Scola, Aminu, Ajinca, Motiejunas, Datome, Jerebko, Rubio, Nowitski, Dalembert, Mozgov, Faried, Koufos, Calathes, Bijombo, Karatsev, Thabeet, Onuaku, Ayon, Valaricunas, Ilyasova, Biyombo, Kirilenko, Diaw, De Rozan, Calderon,
Turiaf, Asik, Pachulia, Prigioni, Iguodala, Turkoglu, Olynyk, Sacre, Mahinmi, Vasquez, Fournier, Ibaka, Sefolosha, Fredette, Stiemsma, Calathes, Shengelia, Barbosa, Melo (Fab--that's his name, not a judgment!) and, most fun of all, Antetokounmpo and Mbah a
Moute. The presence of such players delights the ears as well as the eyes of the NBA fan.
*****
Guilty Pleasures
Okay, I know better, but sometimes a strong weakness overcomes me and I can't help indulging myself in
Crescent
rolls
frozen waffles
Doritos
vanilla bean frappucinos
blue cheese
jelly-filled doughnuts
diet Coke
marshmallow-Rice Krispies bars
Orange Is the New Black
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Rules of Engagement
Subergatory
Rake
Lilyhammer
Dancing with the Stars
Oscar Red Carpet fashions
the comic strip Blondie
the NBA TV channel
NBA
box scores
telecasts of PBA bowling tournaments
having the car professionally washed and detailed
Dean Martin
Roberta Flack
Barbara Streisand
disco music
the latest high-tech softball bat
Lofric prelubed
catheters (3X the cost of the rubber ones)