CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES - August 31

Time for the weekly insanity update, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). So, if you want to remain sane, the best thing is to poke some fun at the more egregious absurdities.

Keep those entries coming in every week, and try to get them to me by Saturday. If you have questions, go here before submitting an entry. You can also submit an entry via Blog Carnival.

Try to make it funny, ironic, or clearly insane, people...I get a lot of "self-help" stuff that doesn't seem particularly funny or even ironic to me--and, if it doesn't seem that way to me, then its likely it won't be included-- unless it just happens to fit in with one of the COTI themes for the week.

Also, a link back to the Carnival if your submitted post is included would be appreciated...and some extremely harsh penalties await those who do not comply with this simple and reasonable request!

REMEMBER, THERE ARE SO MANY INSANITIES AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!

1. An ego for the ages! Freudian slip? It's too good, but true-- but maybe he's just lost his mind? An analysis of the unconscious fantasies of the 'reality-based' community.

2. The Iliad Odyssey Idiossey! A speech to the Delegates--any delegates. After which, the opposition sues for peace!

3. We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. The Sermon in the Temple.... Oh, gee; maybe God is on their side? Amusing.

4. She's really proud of America. Really she is.

5. Oh, goody! Mandatory volunteerism is just what we slackers need.

6. Hope, Change, and just a pinch of pathological, subliterate hatred to keep it spicy. I wonder why?? And the media begins its assault. Inexperienced? You compare and decide-- in words, or in pictures.

7. No bounce after all?

8. Little known facts about Sarah Palin....now they're all flailin at Palin....a heartbeat away from the Presidency? But it's a combination of true grit and the political union of Mr. Curmudgeon and Miss Congeniality ! Hilary's unintended consequences!

9. A general devotes himself to stand-up comedy. Oh so casual. A flotilla of useful idiots even at the DNC. It's all about sisterhood.

10. Marxists of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your complete and utter irrelevance. Not to mention your mediocrity. Why can't we just move on?

11. Political dilemma? For a peace protest, they were ready to make war on anyone they didn't like. Free speech is only for them, obviously.

12. The nominee who could have been?

13. Dude, where's my recession? Part II. The real 'housing crisis'.

14. Your call means nothing to us....

15. More in the annals of idiocy.

16. Are bored people stupid? Put on a pair of Neon red trout shoes --they are clearly inspiring!

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Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival and at the BlogCarnival.

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

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THE SANITY SQUAD - Special Edition: 'WHY WE HATE US'

On Thursday, THE SANITY SQUAD hosted a very special interview with author Dick Myer whose book "WHY WE HATE US: American Discontent in the New Millennium" is a best-seller. Meyer was a reporter, producer, online editor, and columnist at CBS News in Washington for more than twenty three years. He is now the editorial director of digital media at National Public Radio.

Publisher's Weekly had this to say about the book:

In this study of American social self-loathing Meyer addresses why Americans have come to hate themselves (and each other) at a time of national prosperity and relative peace. In compelling, wonderfully cranky and comic prose, the author contends that the radical social changes of the 1960s and the recent technological revolution have drastically altered the pace of life, leaving Americans morally and existentially tired, disoriented, anchorless, and defensive. In arguments familiar to any sociology student, Meyer describes how the rise of freedom of choice in nearly every aspect of American life has been accompanied by the enervation of traditional social institutions (Our communities have been neutered, and our traditional, inherited moral, religious, and aesthetic sensibilities have been discredited). Pointed critiques of political theater, celebrity culture, the rise of marketing and media conglomerates and the decline of manners elaborate on the growing trends of bullshit, belligerence, and boorishness. Meyer is gleefully critical and very sincere in his concern for the state of American life; his practical suggestions urging readers to turn the tide of self-hate and phoniness are a must-read for anyone fed up with modern life

Join Siggy, ShrinkWrapped and me for a lively interview and discussion of these fascinating issues.

Listen to the podcast:

THE CANDIDATE TO NOWHERE...

...voted for the "Bridge to Nowhere":

...Obama and 81 other senators opposed an amendment in 2005 to strike the infamous $231 million “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark for Alaska and redirect that funding to help with rebuilding New Orleans.

The Senate rarely backs efforts to strike another member’s pet projects.

Translation: Obama, for all his hype about 'hope and change' , is actually the poster boy for 'politics as usual.'

Sarah Palin, however, killed the entire project:

Some called it a bridge to the future. Others called it the bridge to nowhere.

On Friday, Alaska decided the bridge really was going nowhere, officially abandoning the project in Ketchikan that became a national symbol of wasteful federal spending.

Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday the project was $329 million short of full funding.

"We will continue to look for options for Ketchikan to allow better access to the island," the Republican governor said. "The concentration is not going to be on a $400 million bridge."

Palin directed state transportation officials to find the most "fiscally responsible" alternative for access to the airport. She said the best option would be to upgrade the ferry system.

HEH.

Not only that, but "before she was on the national stage" and when no one was watching, Palin actually visited wounded American soldiers in Germany (hat tip: Ace)--something the Obamessiah somehow neglected to do when he was there.



The guys at Power Line have some great pics of Palin.

THRILLED !

Look for the overtly sexist (and latently racist) left to dismiss and sneer McCain's choice; and in general be extremely ungracious about the whole thing. I would bet that inside they are furious and outraged that McCain could be such a....maverick.

Compare and contrast.

SANITY HAS RETURNED

After a restful, non-blogging summer, I intend to blog on a semi-regular basis beginning post-Labor Day. I have come to the conclusion that it is far far too easy to get caught up in the political obsession/madness du jour; thus, my plan is to post (almost) every day on a topic that grabs me and makes my spidey-psych sense tingle.

I continue have a real job (i.e., one that pays money--unlike blogging); and to intermittantly work on a major book project, which I hope will be completed soon :-)

I also am looking forward to the end to this seemingly bottomless pit of an election cycle with all the insanity it is generating.

Spread the word...Sanity has returned!

THE RELATIONSHIP OBAMA DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT

First there is the ad (Michelle Malkin has more) his thugs are trying to squelch:




Then there is this, from Ben Smith:

Barack Obama's campaign hasn't advertised this a great deal this week, but the campaign's "Action Wire" has been waging large-scale campaigns against critics. That includes tens of thousands of e-mails to television stations running Harold Simmons' Bill Ayers ad, and to their advertisers — including a list of major automobile and telecommunications companies.

And tonight, the campaign launched a more specific campaign: an effort to disrupt the appearance by a writer for National Review, Stanley Kurtz, on a Chicago radio program. Kurtz has been writing about Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers, and has suggested that papers housed at the University of Illinois at Chicago would reveal new details of that relationship.

The campaign e-mailed Chicago supporters who had signed up for the Obama Action Wire with detailed instructions including the station's telephone number and the show's extension, as well as a research file on Kurtz, which seems to prove that he's a conservative, which isn't in dispute. The file cites a couple of his more controversial pieces, notably his much-maligned claim that same-sex unions have undermined marriage in Scandinavia.

"Tell WGN that by providing Kurtz with airtime, they are legitimizing baseless attacks from a smear-merchant and lowering the standards of political discourse," says the email, which picks up a form of pressure on the press pioneered by conservative talk radio hosts and activists in the 1990s, and since adopted by Media Matters and other liberal groups.

"It is absolutely unacceptable that WGN would give a slimy character assassin like Kurtz time for his divisive, destructive ranting on our public airwaves. At the very least, they should offer sane, honest rebuttal to every one of Kurtz's lies," it continues.

Kurtz, in case you are not aware, has been researching the connection between Barack Obama and Bill Ayers, including looking into records from the Chicago Annenburg Challenge (see here, here, here, and here for more details).

I don't know about you, but I for one would like to know as much as possible about the personal and professional associations of a potential US President. Those associations matter because they give insight into character and judgment--or lack of same.

If you think John Edwards' "association" with Rielle Hunter; and his subsequent attempts to squelch the story make him unfit to remain in politics, then what about Obama's relationship with the likes of Bill Ayers? The Edwards-Hunter relationship is just another example of adolescent-style hormonal imbalance coupled with the narcissistic entitlement mindset so prevalent in our political culture these days. The Obama-Ayers relationship is far more dangerous in its implications--because Ayers is not exactly a beautiful woman attemptimg to capture a powerful politician with her sexual wiles, he is an unrepentent terrorist, murderer, and liar with an ideological agenda he wants imposed on American society. Ayers famously said in his Underground days:

Characterizing Weatherman as "an American Red Army," Ayers summed up the organization's ideology as follows: "Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home, Kill your parents."

His successful seduction of people like Barack Obama means he doesn't plan on being "underground" anymore.



Ayers stomping on an American flag in 2001
(and if that is not the symbolic equivalent of his words quoted above from 1970, then I haven't been practicing psychiatry for the last 25 years).

UPDATE: If you'd like to listen to Stanley Kurtz being attacked on the Milt Rosenberg Show, you can go here. It will be very instructive.

THE SANITY SQUAD Interviews Author DICK MEYER on Thursday !

THE SANITY SQUAD will host a very special interview with author Dick Myer whose book "WHY WE HATE US: American Discontent in the New Millennium" is a best-seller. Publisher's Weekly had this to say about the book:

In this study of American social self-loathing Meyer addresses why Americans have come to hate themselves (and each other) at a time of national prosperity and relative peace. In compelling, wonderfully cranky and comic prose, the author contends that the radical social changes of the 1960s and the recent technological revolution have drastically altered the pace of life, leaving Americans morally and existentially tired, disoriented, anchorless, and defensive. In arguments familiar to any sociology student, Meyer describes how the rise of freedom of choice in nearly every aspect of American life has been accompanied by the enervation of traditional social institutions (Our communities have been neutered, and our traditional, inherited moral, religious, and aesthetic sensibilities have been discredited). Pointed critiques of political theater, celebrity culture, the rise of marketing and media conglomerates and the decline of manners elaborate on the growing trends of bullshit, belligerence, and boorishness. Meyer is gleefully critical and very sincere in his concern for the state of American life; his practical suggestions urging readers to turn the tide of self-hate and phoniness are a must-read for anyone fed up with modern life

Join Siggy, ShrinkWrapped and me for a lively interview and discussion of these fascinating issues.

Listen Live on Thursday evening, August 28th from 8 pm to 9 pm ! Click on the button below to listen...or, call in with your own question (646) 716-9116.

CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES - August 24th

Time for the weekly insanity update, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). So, if you want to remain sane, the best thing is to poke some fun at the more egregious absurdities.

DURING MY BLOGGING HIATUS, I WILL CONTINUE TO POST THE CARNIVAL EVERY SUNDAY! So keep those entries coming in, and try to get them to me by Saturday. If you have questions, go here before submitting an entry. You can also submit an entry via Blog Carnival.

Try to make it funny, ironic, or clearly insane, people...I get a lot of "self-help" stuff that doesn't seem particularly funny or even ironic to me--and, if it doesn't seem that way to me, then its likely it won't be included-- unless it just happens to fit in with one of the COTI themes for the week.

Also, a link back to the Carnival if your submitted post is included would be appreciated...and some extremely harsh penalties await those who do not comply with this simple and reasonable request!

REMEMBER, THERE ARE SO MANY INSANITIES AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!

1. The Obamamatons? Half-cocked? No change? I'd say, definitely no change. And, leading the Clinton whining is....but there will be much more of that in the coming week!

2. Was it a response to the scary new Zogby poll, perhaps? Or, for foreign policy chops? Or maybe because they're not fainting anymore? The VP vetting list explains the process. Too bad they didn't vet the mechanic!

3. About that American "selfishness".... Whatever the U.S. does is clearly wrong--that's a given.

4. Don't know much about history...but they do know ideology--and that's all that counts for them. Just part of the machinery of the State.

5. A tale of two Rosies. Wacko unleashed. Then there's Yoda the wacko cat. (also unleashed)

6. Duke and Duchess of Edwards?

7. Exposing liars--the science. Hmmmmmmm. Too bad you can't see blinking in photos.

8. You know, it does sound like Olberman, who really is a prick (and I am not making a Freudian slip). And, speaking of pricks....

9. For heaven's sake, Get Smart. The brouhaha came about because they know the One came in second. Oh! He thought they were asking how many combs he owned!

10. The cause of all corruption and wickedness? That's cold. Honestly, A-jad is a walking, talking psychological projection all by himself.

11. Ivan wants to play--or should I say, bully. Who will stand up to them? Or to Saudi Arabia for that matter? I suggest that John Bolton will do the job! There are pluses and minuses to being too aggressive.

12. Those whores are such lawyers !

13. Top 10 funniest country song titles (most of which aren't!)

14. Obvious hoax confirmed as obvious hoax. Very sad. But there's still the Mighty Mullet Man !

15. Life in line at the DMV. The most boring sport in the world?

16. Estate planning for pets.

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Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival and at the BlogCarnival.

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?

LIVE FROM NEW YORK! IT'S THE CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES !

Time for the weekly insanity update, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This week I am in NYC on vacation and enjoying a family reunion, and it has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). So, if you want to remain sane, the best thing is to poke some fun at the more egregious absurdities.

NOTE: DURING MY BLOGGING HIATUS, I WILL CONTINUE TO POST THE CARNIVAL EVERY SUNDAY! So keep those entries coming in, and try to get them to me by Saturday. If you have questions, go here before submitting an entry. You can also submit an entry via Blog Carnival.

Try to make it funny, ironic, or clearly insane, people...I get a lot of "self-help" stuff that doesn't seem particularly funny or even ironic to me--and, if it doesn't seem that way to me, then its likely it won't be included-- unless it just happens to fit in with one of the COTI themes for the week.

Also, a link back to the Carnival if your submitted post is included would be appreciated...and some extremely harsh penalties await those who do not comply with this simple and reasonable request!

REMEMBER, THERE ARE SO MANY INSANITIES AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!

1. A typical programming day at Al Jazeera. A typical day in Saudi Arabia, land of the tolerant where belief is unutterable. It's already radioactive and extremely toxic there.

2. Such good friends! Isn't there a phallacy in there somewhere?

3. Georgia after the Soviet...errrr I mean the ...Russian invasion. The ubiquitous "But". Popeye McCain: Too bellicose? Off to see the Wizard!

4. Ok, where's Code Pinko and the antiwar robots when you need them? Parroting the Russian line, of course. Coming soon to a former soviet republic near you!

5. Seems they've been going out of their way lately just to prove why the shield is necessary. It's still 'trust but verify' Russian statecraft meets Western appeasement head on, once again. Back to the future.

6. Postcard from the realm of stunted possibilities.

7. The left wing protection racket? Well, yes. And this is your FINAL warning. Heh. If they had their way, they'd ALL have brain tumors (tomours?).

8. The 2008 Presidential kippah collection! Does McCain know this horror about Lieberman?? Speaking about religious tolerance (see # above).

9. Buyer's remorse? Just a taste of things to come.... In the pocket of Big Air! Another major endorsement!

10. Finally! Victimhood is within reach!! We will be the world.

11.Sex, more lies, and videotape. Sheesh. What a louse. John Edwards is (fill in blank--see image above) . But, the left forgives him because he's not a hypocrite, after all. When will he take a paternity test? After he's selected AG?

12. And, of course, the MSM really pursued the story from the beginning, the same way they will (have) pursued this story. Uh oh! McCain caught with a younger woman! As for that evil hypocrite, Bush....

13. Surely they're kidding? Aren't they? It doesn't seem like the Democratic party is really able to moveon, does it? Or be very progressive, either.

14. For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of overpaid professional athlete basketball stars in my country. NYTimes memo to staffers covering Olympics.... Meanwhile, can your budget handle becoming an Olympic athlete?

16. Makers and takers? A spectacularly ugly bit of moral equivalence.

17. Good Lord! And he's not even an opining politician! Bikini olympics?

18. The American Psychological Association wants you to go green. And manipulating behavior is what they do. Isn't that special? You've got to wonder who funds studies about turds on the tongue?

19. Bigfoot was real, after all? Or is it a big hoax?

20. Kinda ironic, huh? BigEgO is really just a big hoax.

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Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival and at the BlogCarnival.

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?

CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES - August 10

Time for the weekly insanity update, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). So, if you want to remain sane, the best thing is to poke some fun at the more egregious absurdities.

DURING MY BLOGGING HIATUS, I WILL CONTINUE TO POST THE CARNIVAL EVERY SUNDAY! So keep those entries coming in, and try to get them to me by Saturday. If you have questions, go here before submitting an entry. You can also submit an entry via Blog Carnival.

Try to make it funny, ironic, or clearly insane, people...I get a lot of "self-help" stuff that doesn't seem particularly funny or even ironic to me--and, if it doesn't seem that way to me, then its likely it won't be included-- unless it just happens to fit in with one of the COTI themes for the week.

Also, a link back to the Carnival if your submitted post is included would be appreciated...and some extremely harsh penalties await those who do not comply with this simple and reasonable request!

REMEMBER, THERE ARE SO MANY INSANITIES AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!

1. Don't argue! See how much the left worships free speech. NOT. See how much the left needs to rewrite history so that they win. So, let the trials begin in good hands! Bush and Cheney will be sorry they were so foolish as to do things in a non-leftist mode.

2. Oh yeah, don't forget the 'profits for me, not for thee' philosophy (they aren't profits--they're entitlements)

3. In a huff. But you know what? She would make a decent energy secretary. The adoration of the magi vagi could well induce a bit of...hubris.

4. You might be a racist if......But, skinny is the new racism... Ectomorphs of the world, unite !! At least find a comfy chair.

5. Birds of a feather... Obama and Paris? They're joking, right? Right? Oh, dear--he's a useful idiot, but the AntiChrist? Somebody tell the left about psychological projection, please.

6. The One has two? But basically folks, America sucks--unless of course it has the vision and courage to elect him.

7. The modern equivalent of religious edicts in the West is political incorrectness. E.g., a Green Dictatorship. An 'inability to understand context'? I'd call it concrete thinking with a twist of projection.

8. Well they'd like it to be 'none of our business' until they get around to destroying us.

9. Appropriate Olympic mascot for the administrative detention triathlon. Leni Riefenstahl, call your office....oh, wait, "training to be fully developed Communist people," i.e., robots in the service of the state. Dear leader guides the way.

10. He certainly did do 'astounding things'. What a good judge of character the Great One's turned out to be! Now, name that party!

11. Psssst. Wanna know why she really closed Congress?

12. Hard to believe it could have gotten uglier, but these two groups rise to exceed all expectations. Meanwhile, Nissan pisses off the Saudis, who lack any sense of humor about such things.

13. Amazing! Who would have ever thought to use kitty litter as a house deodorizer? Since it is only 135 shopping days until Christmas make sure you put it on your list!

14. Totally off the deep end into the depths of paranoid fantasy. No wonder they swear a lot.

15. Hunk alert! Louse alert! (calling him gay is an insult to gays).

16. When not to call 911.

17. Anybody ever heard of the statute of limitations?

18. Maybe it's time to wean yourself off the TV and go watch some dock dogs instead!

***************************************
Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival and at the BlogCarnival.

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?

CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES - AUGUST 3 OBAMARAMA

Time for the weekly insanity update, where the insane, the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the completely absurd are highlighted for all to see! This has been a week of rare idiocy (as always!). So, if you want to remain sane, the best thing is to poke some fun at the more egregious absurdities.

DURING MY BLOGGING HIATUS, I WILL CONTINUE TO POST THE CARNIVAL EVERY SUNDAY! So keep those entries coming in, and try to get them to me by Saturday. If you have questions, go here before submitting an entry. You can also submit an entry via Blog Carnival.

Try to make it funny, ironic, or clearly insane, people...I get a lot of "self-help" stuff that doesn't seem particularly funny or even ironic to me--and, if it doesn't seem that way to me, then its likely it won't be included-- unless it just happens to fit in with one of the COTI themes for the week.

Also, a link back to the Carnival if your submitted post is included would be appreciated...and some extremely harsh penalties await those who do not comply with this simple and reasonable request!

REMEMBER, THERE ARE SO MANY INSANITIES AND SO LITTLE TIME!!!

1. Hubris......Ludacris? Not the rapper he knew...Simply ludicrous...and under that infamous bus. Another former friend found on faceBarackbook.

2. On a wing and a prayer. If he's taken up with another woman, he'll definitely need the prayers!

3. Pop quiz. The hopium of the masses? Whether it's legal tender or plug nickels, he'll make a mint! But he's dropping in the polls. Maybe he needs a new theme song...no, not the Ludacris one.

4. Oh dear...where'd that mojo go? Barack Hitler Obama?? Tsk Tsk. Another racist attack.

5. The Church of Saint Obama---or, Saint Batman. Wonder Woman (get out of her way, Republican scum!)...or Mighty Mouse?

6. The published energy solution! And it's sooooooo simple! The unpublished energy solutions..

7. Hot dogs that can kill you (and I'm not talking about the One, i.e., the Carter of the 21st century.) The only solution? Get Drunk and Vote For McCain.

8. Secret charms...and looking for innuendo in all the wrong places. This was just an ugly, vicious attack...remind me again what "ugly" and "vicious" mean? Playing the racist orphan card.

9. Secretary of state...dear Lord, NO! Not to mention the possibility of AG.

10. It's a matter of priorities. What's more threatening, after all--Al Qaeda or UFO's? I'll bet he was working on a stealth UFO!

11. More than a hijab! Much more. Who could have ever conceived such a thing was possible in this politically correct day and age? Religious tolerance--NOT.
Mohammed brand condoms?

12. I'll take my power extra crispy, please.

13. Geo-narcissism. Blacks hardest hit by climate change! Just another death to lay at the door of global warming. Time for Gore-El to act!

14. Just imagine what would happen to prices if we did something other than talk about it!

15. Leave it to the communists to harness all that 'mental power'...I think it's called collective slavery.

16. Committing a felony is the new 'victimhood'--really, she's breaking my heart with her plight.

17. Gender-based instructions on how to use the ATM. Very helpful. Tennis is the thrifty person's golf?

18. Evil overlords rejoice!

19. Internet phenomena that came and went.

20. The king of fruit?

21. Grow old gracefully?

22. This week Google shut down my blog as spam (true--it's fortunate I am on hiatus except for the COTI). That's why I devoted most of this week's COTI to mocking the Dem's messiah. Let's see if they shut me down again. This is only a test.

***************************************
Carnival of the Insanities can also be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival and at the BlogCarnival.

If you would like to Join the insanity, and add the Carnival of the Insanities button to your sidebar (clicking on it will always take you to the latest update of the Carnival), click on "Word of Blog" below the button to obtain the html code:

Heard the Word of Blog?