"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." —Mark Twain
The continuation of war by other means
The scandal du jour is how the gathering of tabloid gossip has escalated from eavesdropping on insider chitchat to outright espionage. In Britain, reporters from Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World are accused of trying to get the dirt on royals, politicians, and sports stars by bribing bodyguards and household staff, hacking phone lines, and […]
A friend wrote the other day and asked me if I’d ever read anything by Stuart Archer Cohen. I fear for my friend’s mind, because just two years ago … on her recommendation … I read Cohen’s The Army of the Republic and sent her a copy of my brief review, which I’ll repost here: […]
We were with friends at a party last night and talk turned to the Casey Anthony trial (which I haven’t followed and have no intention of discussing). My daughter said something about bread and circuses and suggested we should be more concerned about the 23,000 laid-off state workers in Minnesota. It quickly emerged that some […]
Well, that’s done. Your humble correspondent is the newest certified walking tour docent at the Pima Air & Space Museum. My certification tour yesterday went pretty well, except for the part where I blanked on who won the toss for first flight, Orville or Wilbur, but I finessed it by simply saying “they took turns” […]
In Pima Air & Space Museum news, I’m ready to certify as a walking tour docent, but no one’s available to bless me until the 15th. Knowing me, given two weeks to prepare I’ll cram so hard I’ll blow my certification tour by mixing up facts & figures for different airplanes or going off on […]
Here’s another neighborhood mystery to keep me up nights. Once in a while road crews dump piles of dirt alongside county roads near our housing subdivision. I don’t know for sure, but presumably workers come along later and use the dirt to repair erosion damage along the shoulders of the roads. Perhaps it’s some special […]
Last week Jon Stewart weighed in on the Republican/Fox News hissy fit over the White House inviting the rapper Common to a poetry reading. Stewart’s segment — especially his masterful takedown of the deeply stupid Sean Hannity — was brilliant. If you missed it, here’s a link to the video. Then, last night, MSNBC’s Ed […]
In the wake of bin Laden’s death, political pressure is mounting for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan. We were leaving anyway: Obama announced months ago that we are going to draw down force levels there, and we’re already in the process of bringing troops home from Iraq. What happens when the troops come home? Unless […]