This is the kind of news story that I’m embarrassed to blog about, but I do anyway: A 15-year-old girl with a peanut allergy died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, hospital officials said Monday. Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital Wednesday after doctors were unable to treat her allergic reaction to the … Read More
He Didn’t Have Enough Slanty Pieces
Hey, I liked Lego too, but then I grew up: Portland, Oregon – A 40-year-old man is behind bars, accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of Lego sets. William Swanberg was indicted on Wednesday by a Washington County grand jury on two counts of felony theft and one count of attempted felony theft.
No, I’m Not Making This Up
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the inventor of Stove Top stuffing has died. Her obit is in today’s New York Times. If you are at a loss for something to be thankful for tomorrow, why not give a shout out to her?
Same Ol’, Same Ol’
Is there really much difference between this CNN "Thanksgiving holiday rush" story from today, and this CNN "Thanksgiving holiday rush" story from 2004, and this CNN "Thanksgiving holiday rush" story from 2003?
Title This Book!
UNC Law Professor Eric Muller of the blog Is That Legal? has a dilemna, and a solution: I said I suck at coming up with book titles, right? This creates an opportunity for you, dear reader. It’s the IsThatLegal Name-My-Book Contest! Go to his post, download the draft introduction (so you can tell what the book is about), and suggest … Read More
World’s Ugliest Dog
No doubt you have heard that Sam, the world’s ugliest dog, died last week at the age of 14. And as you can see, he was indeed a very ugly dog. Sam, a tiny hairless crooked-toothed Chinese pedigree, was the three-time winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog competition. Apparently, he had a very pleasant disposition. You can read MSNBC’s story … Read More
Stupid.com
A town in Idaho has decided to change its name to "SecretSanta.Com" in order to hype an online gift exchange management service. I kid you not. Surprisingly, this is not the first time this has happened. Just ask the folks in Half.com, Oregon. [Half.com is an e-Bay-like online audition site].
Something I Didn’t Know
Of the many things I didn’t know, one of them is that Martin Luther King delivered a rough draft of his "I Have A Dream" speech in Rocky Mount, NC: "And so, my friends of Rocky Mount, I have a dream tonight," he said. "That one day, right here in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the sons of former slaves and … Read More
Why I Am A Liberal
The Viscount LaCarte explains.
EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With My New AOL Buddy
AOL’s instant messenger (AIM) program self-installed two new "buddies" on my buddy list under the heading "AOL BOTS". My new buddies are named "MovieFone" and "ShoppingBuddy". Well, I figured if they are new buddies of mine, I better get to know them. So, armed with a virtual giftbasket, I started an online chat with my new online pal, ShoppingBuddy. Below … Read More
Proto-language
Remember learning syntax in grade school? You know — nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc., and how they all fit together? You typically learn that every communication has a noun and a verb. or at least good sentences do. But, when you think about it, much communication really isn’t that way. In fact, there are words we use that aren’t really parts … Read More
No You Can’t Have A Pony Update
I’m 90% of the way to the conclusion that I’m not as happy as I could be with the "look" of this blog. My main problem is the color scheme: white text on black blackground. First of all — stylistically. I was sort of going for a "classic black" feel, like a cocktail dress or sports car. But I think … Read More
Where’s Richard Lederer* When You Need Him?
I was reading a post somewhere talking about the "Murtha foofaraw". What’s that word? "Foofaraw"? Is that how it’s spelled? Isn’t it something like "falderol"? Or is that something else? Have I been saying it wrong all these years? What’s the etymology? Okay, maybe it’s time for a refresher course: It’s a "dog EAT dog world", not a "doggie dog … Read More