Tag Archives: news

Search Engine Optimized Poet – An Ode to Ken Bone

up-korora-beatnik-800px

SEO Poet

:::Bongo Drum Beats:::

Hey there all you hep cats and hep kittens. Come on down to the East Randomtown Java Bean, where the poets always stink and the cups are never clean.

Next on the mic is the one and only Search Engine Optimized Poet…the only rhyme-smith whose beats bring in the web searchers’ feets, ya dig?

Ken Bone!

Whoa, Ken Bone!

Why is your sweater so bright?

Portly mustached man with thinning hair and glasses for your sight.

Fright?  Of a world that doesn’t treat you right?

No. He refused to give that thought a single respite.

He wanted answers as to the country’s energy plight.

Fight! That’s what the presidential debate was.

But…buzz! That’s what Ken Bone got because…

…he wears his lip fuzz…

…like a boss.  He didn’t get cross and he had nothing to hide

A breathe of fresh air while the rest of the country sighed,

At two dummies who make the founding fathers cry.

Ken Bone! Look at you and the way you plug about your day.

Just because you’re not a supermodel you don’t feel any dismay.

Or, if you do, it never shows,

Even though around and around the toilet bowl is where our country goes.

Ken Bone you are a star, especially to me,

And a champion of non-supermodels everywhere, just like BQB.

BQB EDITORIAL NOTE: I’d like to say I’m very proud of Ken Bone.  Although I have to say it shouldn’t be a news story that someone who is a little chubby and style challenged was able to ask an interesting question at a presidential debate, I’m glad that he did.

He’s become a bit of an Internet sensation and I feel part of that is a lot of people saying, “Wow! People who don’t look like supermodels have thoughts?!”

Yes. Yes they do. Stop being so surprised.

Still, as far as I’ve heard, no one seems to be busting on him (at least not in a mean way) so whenever the Internet shows class we can be happy.

Finally, to increase SEO optimization, allow me to say – Ken Bone! Ken Bone. Ken Bone. Ken Bone, the guy in the red sweater who asked a question at the presidential debate.

Yes, the debate with Trump vs. Clinton where Ken Bone asked a question about energy. Also, Ken Bone.  Or possibly, Kenneth Bone.

 

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

No One Wants to Buy Twitter

This CNN article explains it better but essentially, Twitter is looking for a buyer and Disney, Google, and Apple have said nope.

What’s up?  What do you think? Has Twitter reached its apex? Its zenith? Yikes, I’ve put a lot of time into it I hope its not going to go the way of Myspace.

What say you, 3.5 readers? Do you use Twitter? Do you like it? Is tweeting worth it?

Oh and shameless plug – follow me @bookshelfbattle

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Who won the Presidential Debate – Trump or Hillary?

Pbbht. Yeah, I’m not going to talk about that.  I’m just putting the post out there in the name of shameless search engine optimization.

Come to me, my sweet, sweet, delicious clicks.

Talk about it if you like or if you prefer, what is your favorite kind of pizza? Personally, I like mine with a little ham, maybe some pineapple. Delicious.

Y’all been Rickrolled, baby. Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, please buy my book if I ever get around to publishing one….

Tagged , , , , , ,

Trump vs. Hillary Debate

I don’t like to get political but from a TV viewership angle, this thing is going to be YUUUUGE.  Even up against Monday Night Football, they’re expecting over 100 million people to tune in.

I don’t care who you’re rooting for, everyone is allowed an opinion.  I just hope that to get extra ratings, Trump and Hillary end up engaging in naked mud wrestling.

And honestly, I think a lot of the tension between them is sexual.  For the good of the country, they should just bang one out on live TV just to bring everyone closer together.

Only blur it out because no one wants to see that.

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Man Robs Bank to Go To Jail So He Can Get Away from His Wife

As reported in today’s Washington Post and other media outlets, a 70 year old, apparently fed up with his wife after an argument, robbed a bank and as he stated to police, to go to jail because he felt that being in the hoosegow would be a better fate than having to live with his wife.

Well…my first thought is maybe he’s just exaggerating and maybe he and his wife just had a really bad day…but then again, I’ve never met his wife.

I guess he could get a divorce but then again a) if that led to her getting the house and b) he’s not a young stud muffin who could rebuild his life and get another house and c) he’s not wrong about her being that bad then…hell, maybe his scheme was almost understandable.

DISCLAIMER: Understandable, but obviously not advisable. Surely there are public programs, charities and services one could turn to if you’re old and you hate your wife and don’t want to live with her anymore.

At any rate, this fine blog and its proprietor do not advise you to rob a bank under any circumstances and especially as a ploy to get away from your wife, no matter how horrible you believe her to be.

What say you, 3.5 readers?

 

Tagged , , , ,

East Randomtown Mayor’s Race – Issue #1 – Zombie Flesh Eating Iguanas

oksmith-iguana-800px

Zombie Flesh Eating Iguanas: Friend or Foe?

Soon, it will be one year since the outbreak of a massive zombie apocalypse that engrossed East Randomtown.

The zombies are long gone in spirit but their flesh remains.  Boy howdy, do they remain because literally every surface in town is covered with zombie guts.

Cleanup efforts have been underway for quite some time, but they have barely scratched the surface.

Shortly after the zombie apocalypse concluded, scores of wild zombie flesh eating iguanas descended upon East Randomtown.  They’ve become a nuisance, almost like squirrels with scales.

But as it turns out, iguanas love the taste of zombie meat.

QUESTION: SHOULD THE ZOMBIE FLESH EATING IGUANAS BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN EAST RANDOMTOWN?

Mayoral candidates Bookshelf Q. Battler, proprietor of a website with 3.5 readers and Leo McKoy, the man who once delivered a sandwich to James Van Der Beek, have the floor.

shutterstock_236377597

Acting Mayor Battler

Thank you. As acting mayor, allow me to say that the zombie flesh eating iguanas are a welcome addition to our community.

Sure, they scurry around our feet and get in the way but the important thing to remember is that they are helping us get rid of the zombie carcasses that litter our town.

I don’t want to clean up all those zombie bodies. You don’t want to clean up those zombie bodies. If our little green friends are willing to eat the zombie bodies, then what’s the big deal?

Frankly, these zombie flesh eating iguanas are just eating the zombie flesh that East Randomtown’s current small animal population can’t be bothered to eat.

shutterstock_287109401

Mayoral Candidate McKoy

Battler, the last two brain cells in your stupid head need to hump and produce some more brain cells quick lest their entire kind go extinct, because what you just said was the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my entire life.

Who are these zombie flesh eating iguanas? What are they doing here? What do they want?

Has anyone ever bothered to ask them? Perhaps their long term goal is to eat us. Any of you yahoos ever stop and think of that?

When these iguanas are done eating all the dead zombie flesh, will they move along or will they become wards of the state that hard working tax paying Americans will have to support once the last bit of zombie flesh has been consumed?

What about East Randomtown’s squirrels?  What about our rats?  Mice? What about our pigeons?

What about our many, many trash animals have been scurrying about our streets aimlessly in search of opportunity?

Shouldn’t our own rodents get first dibs on all that zombie flesh before we start importing thousands and thousands of iguanas?

I can’t count the number of poor, downtrodden, starving badgers I’ve spoken to on the campaign trail who tell me that they can’t get a fair chance at a chunk of leftover zombie flesh because its all being scooped up by dastardly out of town iguanas from God only knows where.

Further, how do we know that consuming zombie flesh is good for anyone?  I’m no scientist, but it would seem to me that allowing iguanas to consume zombie flesh might very well turn those iguanas into a new species of rabid, man eating zombie iguanas.

Better safe than sorry, I always say. Tell those little green piles of puke to move on to the next town because we’ve got enough problems as it is.

There you have it, 3.5 readers. The candidates have sounded off on the very important iguana issue.  Who do you side with?  BQB or Leo McKoy?

Discuss in the comments.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

RIP John McLaughlin

Hey 3.5 readers.

John McLaughlin, host of the McLaughlin group, died this week at age 89, which surprises me greatly because I thought he was 89 like 30 years ago.

Is that relevant to this blog?  Well, this blog is more about pop culture than politics but to make it short and sweet, you wouldn’t have the many, many, perhaps too many talking head pundit shows that you have today without John McLaughlin.

He had a certain style about him.  Or should I say, “formula?”

The formula:

  • Announce the issue and the number he has assigned to it.  Give the issue a snappy title.
  • Address one of the panelists with a quirky nickname. (Journalist Fred Barnes became “Freddie the Beatle Barnes” for example.
  • Shout “wrong!” then move on to the next panelist.
  • After every panelist was done, he’d declare they were all wrong and explain how his take on the issue was the most accurate one.

Admittedly, he wasn’t that bad.  But when I was a kid, I was in love with Saturday Night Live.

I think every kid who is into humor falls in love with SNL at some point.

Back in those days it was Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, Kevin Nealon, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, etc.

Anyway, I used to watch Dana Carvey do his masterful impressions of the first President Bush, H. Ross Perot, the Church Lady, etc.

And then I’d do my rendition of Dana’s impression.

One of the funniest impressions Dana did was of John McLaughlin.  I’d incorporate it around the house, telling various family members they were, “wrong!”

Was I a no-life having kid who was into things that kids should find boring?

Was it that this was pre-10 million channels plus streaming everything and I didn’t have cable and only had like 5 channels?

A little from column A. A little from Column B.

Anyway, here’s a clip from NBC of Dana doing his John McLaughlin impression.

Saddest part is that Chris Farley is dead (heart attack) and Phil Hartman is dead (shot by wife).

Sigh.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guardian Article About Joseph Goebbels’ 105 Year Old Secretary

Hey 3.5 readers.

Just wanted to share an interesting article I read in The Guardian:

“Joseph Goebbels’ 105-year-old secretary: ‘No one believes me now, but I knew nothing.’”

The article features an interview with Brunhilde Pomsel, who worked as a secretary for Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda during World War II.

At 105, Pomsel is a living bit of history. The article describes her as unrepentant, that her job as a secretary was just like any other job, that “a combination of ignorance and awe” “shielded her from reality.”

She discusses how after the war she was jailed by the Russians for five years.  Only then, she claims, did she learn about the holocaust.

The article further explains that she had a friendship with a Jewish woman but wasn’t able to find out what happened to her until she visited the Holocaust Memorial in 2005.

Interesting quote:

“Those people nowadays who say they would have stood up against the Nazis – I believe they are sincere in meaning that, but believe me, most of them wouldn’t have.”

I don’t know. Obviously, I can’t/don’t want to condone Nazi-ism or even working in the Nazi typing pool but I guess the fraulein might have a point. If that was where you lived and you needed a job and you weren’t exactly working for people who shared all the details…and if standing up to them meant you’d surely end up taking the big dirt nap…

I have no idea. I don’t want to pin a medal on her or anything but from a historical perspective the article is interesting and I imagine A German Life, the film in which she recalls her story, has a lot of history told by a rare person still alive who lived during that time period.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Barnes and Noble Lets Self-Published Books Into Stores

Happy Monday, 3.5 readers.

Wait. Are Mondays ever happy?

Interesting article in The Columbus Dispatch.

Barnes and Noble, which has allowed self-publishers to sell their books on their site to Nook users (Nook being B + N’s version of the Amazon Kindle) will let self-publishers sell books in their brick and mortar stores.

According to the article above, there is a catch, namely, that the author must have sold 1,000 books in the past year.

On the surface, it sounds like a great development for the self-publishing community.

I’ve yet to self-publish, but I’ve read (on blogs) and heard (on various podcasts) that there are a number of self-publishers who are iffy on Nook, they just don’t see the sales that they see on Amazon or other sites.

Still, getting your book in a bookstore…that’s the dream of every author, isn’t it?  Might as well reach out and grab it while bookstores are still around.

My gut tells me this is a recognition that print media is rapidly going the way of self-publishing.  More writers are bypassing the traditional publishing run around by building their blogs, their social media, their online fan base and as that continues, physical bookstores will need to get print copies of those self-published books into their stores to keep sales up.

That’s my take on it. I can’t think of any other reason why they’d do it.

What say you, 3.5 readers?

If you are a self-publisher, will you try this out?

Tagged , , , , ,

Things that Really Frost My Ass – Uncle Hardass for President

By: Uncle Hardass, Official Bookshelf Battle Blog Grumpy Old Man Correspondent

shutterstock_267074402.jpg

In Hardass We Trust

Hello degenerate 3.5 readers.

Still working on your writing careers, I see.  Insert joke about how you’re all lazy bastards who need to quit writing and get jobs at the salt mines here.

So the presidential election is in full swing and for awhile I thought I might dip a toe into the old wading pool of muck that this contest has become.

Then I said to myself, “No Hardassimo.  You’re no spring chicken anymore. The kids want to see fresh faces with new ideas, not some wrinkled up old has been who has lost all hope after year after year of being put down by the man.”

But then I saw who you people are interested in.   Donald Trump?  Hillary Clinton? Bernie Sanders?

Holy shit.  Is this an election or a cocktail party at the Golden Girls condo?

Somebody hit the music. “Thank you for being a friend. Travel round the road and back again….”

Oh sorry. My incompetent nephew Bookshelf Q. Battler informs me that if I sing any more of that song I’ll owe Betty White a hundo.

Anyway, seeing as how Methuselah-esque politicians are in style this year, allow me to announce my candidacy right here on a blog with 3.5 readers, which might make you laugh, but keep in mind that most news website proprietors would sell their kidneys to black market organ traffickers just to get 2.5 readers.

The following is a brief synopsis of my platform.  You can like it or leave it, I really don’t give a crap.  In fact, you should leave it because you won’t understand any of it because you’re all so stupid.

EDUCATION

That’s right. I said it. You’re all incredibly stupid.

Don’t blame yourselves.  The public school system has failed you.

You know the Japanese kids get up at 3 a.m., go for a 50 mile jog, practice martial arts and break boards in half with their fists, feet and faces, study math, science, languages, quantum physics and so on and so forth until 2 a.m. the next day. Then they sleep for one hour and do it all over again.

Enough with the “high school is the best time of our lives” bullshit. Listen, if high school was the best time of your life, then you’re a loser.

No one likes high school.  High school memories only become moderately interesting when you’re seventy-five years old and suddenly you’d gladly give your entire nut sack away just to be that young kid getting pelted in the back of the head with spitballs all day instead of a decrepit old bastard who has to get up five thousand times a night to pee.

In short, my education system is simple. Beat the Japanese.

Oh, and get a job between 2 and 3 a.m. you lazy bastards. You can sleep when you die.

WORLD PEACE

My plan here is two-fold.

First, all of the poor, shitty countries need a one-hundred percent increase in pornographic access.

Look, I’m sorry, but all of these people are blowing themselves up out of frustration.

Get them some Internet.  Get them set up with some movies of some broads with gigantic knockers and you’ll see a 9,000 percent decrease in people being violent because they’ll all be too busy pounding the old flounder.

Why no one else has thought of this I don’t know but few will ever be as smart as I am.

Second, everyone needs to get jobs.  When you have jobs, you have money coming in and therefore you don’t want to do shit that will stop the money from coming in (like blow yourself up for example.)

Moreover, when you have a job, you just don’t have enough time to worry about petty bullshit that makes you hate people enough to want to blow them up.  “That guy doesn’t believe in the same god as I do.  That guy doesn’t read the same holy book as I do…who gives a shit? I have to go to work tomorrow so I can get my ass paid, son.”

Porn.  Jobs.  Spread both around the world and pretty soon everyone will be joining their sticky hands together to sing a chorus of “kumbaya.”

THE ECONOMY

You. Right there. The dumb ass reading this.

My plan for you is simple.

Get a job!

What? You can’t find a job?

Get any job!

What? You can’t find anything?

Really?  Have you tried:

  • Volunteering and/or developing the skills necessary to turn yourself from a useless sack of crap into a productive member of society? As President, I will be opening a “Useless Sack of Crap Reeducation Center” in every state where you can go to learn how to not be a useless sack of crap.
  • Have you sold your hair, teeth, and superfluous body parts? All will be considered currency under my regime.
  • Have you sold your bodily orifices to complete strangers for pennies on the dollar? Prostitution will be legalized under my administration.  Our criminal justice system is much too clogged as it is without having to worry about prosecuting women just for trying to make you holla for a dolla.
  • Finally, and here’s the most important part.  Get a job…AND…feel like a total dumbass until you secure the aforementioned job.  Once you do have a job, you will join the ranks of the self-righteous and enjoy the tremendous feeling of chewing out useless layabouts who do not have jobs.

TRADE

When engaging in business deals with other nations, the two most important questions are, “Do you want this shit?” and “How much you got?”

The key, you see, is to find the countries that will a) want our shit and b) pay as much as or as close to the amount they got as possible.

By the way, I recently heard some news about child labor that is very disturbing.

We don’t have it here in America and I am very disturbed by that.

Seriously.  You park your kids’ dumb asses in front of the TV for 18 years then wonder why they grow up to become self-absorbed douchebags who start shooting up the joint the first time someone tells them “no?”

I had my first job thirty seconds out of the womb and the only thing I am ashamed of is that it took me that long.

Put the kids to work assembling smart phones for ten cents an hour while some schmuck beats a drum to make sure they go at a steady pace.  I’m telling you, they will grow up to become very productive, high performing, well adjusted adults like yours truly.

CRIME

Stop stealing shit and get a job. Professional stealer of shit is one of few jobs that will be deemed unacceptable.

 

CONCLUSIONS

These are the broad strokes of my platform thus far and I’ll be revising as the campaign moves forward.

If you forget this column, at least remember:

  • I’m running for president so vote for me, dumb ass.
  • Get a job.
  • Seriously, quit your futile attempts at becoming a writer and get jobs, preferably at the salt mines, so that your parents can be proud of you for once.

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Uncle Hardass

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,