HU’s: I’d Like to Nominate…

Quite a few readers wrote last week to ask if they can nominate people for the Honorary Unsubscribe, mostly due to the death of Don Knotts (Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, among other roles), but also for actor Darren “Mike Hammer” McGavin. And Monday I learned that Dennis Weaver, who lived just a few miles from me, died on Friday. He was Chester in Gunsmoke, and also played a New Mexico marshal working in New York in McCloud. McGavin was 83; Knotts and Weaver were 81. All three were pioneers in early television.

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Another Self-Proclaimed Religious Scholar

So I got this email from a reader demanding to know why I make my world-famous “Get Out of Hell Free” cards available. I’ve written about that quite a bit over the years, so I don’t intend to repeat it all here (see the GOOHF site if you’re not already aware of the story. The basic answer, though, is “Because people like them.”)

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Aid and Comfort

Any long-time reader of This is True has heard of my (in)famous “Get Out of Hell Free” cards, stickers, and T-shirts. They’re my reaction to people telling me to go to (or that I am going to) hell. They have been wildly popular with readers who enjoy being able to finally have a good response to those who tell them the same thing.

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What the HELL?!!?

The Briefest of Backgrounds

For those coming in from other links, This is True is a pioneer in online publishing. Since 1994, it has been the email leader of “weird news.” Subscribers get stories every week by email with true tales of human stupidity, all tagged with humorous, opinionated or ironic commentary by me, Randy Cassingham.

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HeroicStories #131

In April 1999, I started a sister publication to This is True called HeroicStories. The idea was actually more of a spinoff of the Honorary Unsubscribe, which had started in January 1998. My concept: talk about cool people who didn’t have to be famous (and die!) to get some recognition.

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Boulder Economics Institute

I gave a talk this week at the Economics Institute here in Boulder, which is attached to the University of Colorado.

The institute “prepares” economics and business students from abroad for graduate studies here with crash courses in American culture. It was very interesting to speak to them about American media in the age of the Internet, and the changes that the Net is bringing about.

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