"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
Shape of Earth: Views Differ
Listened to Nice Polite Republicans most of the day, and all I heard was scare talk. We’re going to lose our savings, our 401Ks, our IRAs. Putting the money in the mattress won’t work because that’ll cause hyperinflation and a cup of Starbucks’ll cost 6.5 million. Unless we do something quick. Unless we give this […]
We are meant to think, apparently, that Bruce Ivins, the civilian US Army scientist who committed suicide after becoming the FBI’s main suspect in the 2001 anthrax killings, was guilty. He was an insider, he had access to anthrax, he was brilliant but troubled, he had a long history of making homicidal threats, he exhibited […]
Some maniac went on a cross-town cop-shooting rampage today. From what I see on the news, he shot a policeman on the west side of Tucson, then shot two additional pursuing policemen as he headed east. They caught him somewhere in my neighborhood. One policeman is on life support and not expected to live. I’m not […]
Blogging’s been sporadic. Well, no, there’s plenty of blogging (passive voice, get thee behind me) . . . I’ve been blogging sporadically. I went on a 20-mile bike ride this morning with Darrell, Linda, and Lane, who are Trail Trash buddies. Donna, Mary Anne, and Kris got roped into manning a welcome booth at our destination, […]
I heard only parts of Senator Barak Obama’s speech yesterday. But I heard enough to make me want to read the entire transcript. We’re told that Obama’s speech was born from the political need to counter right wing media (read: all media) hysteria over the firebrand comments of Obama’s pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, but along the […]
This is just shameful: British athletes are being forced to agree not to critize China during the Olympics. Well, why not? There’s ample precedent: Will our own athletes will be required to sign a similar contract? I wonder why the American media doesn’t cover stories like this. Credit where credit’s due: spotted at Unqualified Offerings.
This is interesting. National Public Radio interviews a waitress who served Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff at an Iowa restaurant. The waitress says she didn’t get a tip, and NPR, without checking with the Clinton campaign, airs the accusation. Clinton’s people rebut the accusation, showing a credit card receipt for the restaurant tab and claiming […]
Sometimes I wonder where CNN went. Remember how great CNN’s news coverage was, back in the day? Now, in my time zone, it seems as if all you can find on CNN during prime time is celebrity chitchat and tabloid crime gossip. But one night last weekend I stayed up late. Ooh, what’s this? CNN Newsroom at […]