While gainfully employed, I had a medical insurance plan that allowed me to go to a private clinic for my quarterly cholesterol blood tests (yes, we can pay for some procedures here in the frozen north). It was very convenient - make an appointment for the next day, show up, get poked and prodded, pay, get results within three days, submit a claim to insurance, get reimbursed - very convenient. Now that I no longer have medical insurance, I was advised by my doctor to call a public clinic to make an appointment for a blood test. So I called on Friday (Feb. 10th) but had to leave a message, which I did. Left my name, number, reason for the call, and said that Monday morning would be great for me. An hour later, the clinic called me back. The first available spot...March 21st. Now that's service! But no problem...I was going to Bowser and Blue the next evening, on Saturday. Something to cheer me up. You may not have heard of these guys...they're a musical comedy duo (George Bowser and Rick Blue - when George introduces his partner, he says that the P is silent) specializing in political satire (similar to the Smothers Brothers of the sixties) but with a distinctly Canadian and Quebec slant. I've seen them a few times but now that we're trying to break into the comedy world ourselves, with IGotNewsForYou.com, I wanted to look at what made people laugh, the demographic of the audience, and how these guys deliver. It was very interesting in that the audience was fairly senior, middle age and beyond, quite staid and English (in the uptight sort of way), yet they laughed hysterically at "little penis" and "erectile dysfunction" jokes. Musically, these guys are excellent, but it's the overall context, atmosphere, rapid delivery and stage presence that makes people laugh at jokes that are older than me. It's like watching a guy get kicked in the groin - we've all seen it happen a million times (most guys experience this at least once in their lives), but it's always funny (for those watching, not the guy with the crushed nuts). IGotNewsForYou.com is not dissimilar to Bowser and Blue. Some of our jokes are old, some deal with small male appendages, etc. but wrapped in its context - personalized, newspaper format, ability to select the right story for the recipient, etc. - you end up with something that's hysterical and fresh...check it out...April 2006! (Technorati Tags: bowser and blue, humor, comedy)