Monday, May 14, 2007

The Simpsons on Biofuels, Politics and P.R. Spin

Grandpa Simpson on CAFE Standards:

Marge:
Now, I know you haven't liked some of my past suggestions, like switching to the metric system --
Abe:
[stammers a little] The metric system is the tool of the devil!
My car gets forty rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it.

[hogshead: n 1: a British unit of capacity for alcoholic beverages]

Kang on politics:

Kang: Abortions for all.
[crowd boos]
Very well, no abortions for anyone.
[crowd boos]
Hmm... Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others.
[crowd cheers and waves miniature flags]

Kodos on P.R. spin:
One night, Springfield holds a Dole-Clinton debate. Clinton is giving
the opening speech:

My fellow Americans. As a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball, but tonight I say,
we must move forward, not backward, upward not forward,
and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.


The first quote is from episode 2F31 "A Star is Burns"
The latter two are from episode 4F02 "Treehouse of Horrors VII"

In a post a year ago this Thursday, Professor Whitehead at Environmental Economics makes this point regarding Grandpa's fuel economy:
"...which is about 0.00198413 miles per gallon, or about 10.48
feet per gallon (118 547.97 l/100 km, or about 119 m³/100 km)"