"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Shape of Earth: Views Differ
Remember my earlier post about following the money involved in catching, holding, processing, and deporting illegal immigrants in Arizona? And how much of that money finds its way to the private prison industry and associated private contractors? I started following the money in May. Rachel Maddow started following it in August, quickly picking up on […]
NPR, the only radio station I can stand listening to for more than five minutes in a row, is in full horse race mode as mid-term elections near, obsessing over poll numbers, and — what a surprise! — breathlessly advancing the mainstream media meme that Republican and Tea Party candidates are going to win big. […]
I didn’t get around to watching Jon Stewart’s September 16th Daily Show until last night. By then I’d already seen some blog reaction to the “Rally to Restore Sanity” announcement, so I knew what was coming. Even so, I was shocked. A “million moderate march”? I literally squirmed in embarrassment, all the more so as […]
What’s in Paul’s grab bag? Unconnected thoughts and observations too short to rate blog posts of their own, but which might amount to something when aggregated together: Damen und Herren I always wanted to write a lengthy post on restroom signage, complete with illustrations. Well, what do you know? Someone saved me the trouble! A […]
Is there something about aviation accidents reporters don’t understand? Upwards of 95% of airplane crashes (actually, more like 99.9%) are caused by the pilots involved. But you might never guess that from newspaper, magazine, and blog reportage, where a passive-voice form of politeness takes over. They report the who/what/when/where of aviation accidents, but rarely the […]
So, it wasn’t Rush who broke hate radio’s N-word barrier after all. It was Laura Schlessinger. Will there be consequences? À la Don Imus? In my earlier post, I expressed the opinion that Rush could get away with it. Laura, I don’t know. Maybe if Rush backs her up? I must say, though . . […]
What’s in Paul’s grab bag? Unconnected thoughts and short observations which don’t rate separate blog posts, but when aggregated together might amount to something: Some of My Best Friends Are Negroes NASCAR Fans You may have seen my earlier NASCAR post. I swear, they must put something in those $10 beers. Here’s an ESPN reporter […]
Went out to dinner with our RRFs (Rich Republican Friends) the other night. They, as always, were up to date on Fox News talking points, which they used to guide what had been a sociable discussion toward the Muslim Threat. Why, did we know there are Muslims in Detroit, Muslims with mosques? Mosques with minarets […]