Gin, Wet Socks and Journalism
“Young poets are advised by their elders to avoid the practice of journalism as they would wet socks and gin before breakfast.”
—Archibald MacLeish (1892-1992), American poet, writer and Librarian of Congress, from “The Poet and the Press,” Atlantic Monthly, 1941
On This Day . . .
. . . In 1860, the Pony Express between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif., was born.
. . . In 1882, outlaw Robert Ford shot Jesse James in the back for the reward, in St. Joseph, Mo.
. . . In 1936, Bruno Hauptmann was electrocuted for the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby, in Trenton, NJ.
. . . In 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "Mountain" speech in Memphis.
. . . In 1991, the United Nations Security Council voted to end the Persian Gulf War.
. . . In 1996, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski was arrested.
Birthdays:
50, Alec Baldwin, actor
84, Doris Day, actress, singer
66, Wayne Newton, singer
64, Tony Orlando, singer
52, Mick Mars, rock musician (Motley Crue)
47, Eddie Murphy, actor, comedian
Henry R. Luce (1898-1967), American publisher of Time, Fortune and Life magazines.
Washington Irving (1783-1859), American author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
“Boss” William Marcy Tweed (1823-1878), American politician and leader of NYC’s corrupt Tammany Hall.
Bud Fisher (1885-1954), American cartoonist; created “Mutt and Jeff.”
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Today's Word—Bad News
Turn It Off!
Everybody Tells Me Everything
“I find it very difficult to enthuse
Over the current news.
Just when you think that at least the outlook is
so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens.
And that is why I do not like the news,
because there has never been an era
when so many things were going so right
for so many of the wrong persons.”
—Ogden Nash (1902-1971), poet, 1941
(Thanks to alert WORDster Tom Hodges)
On This Day . . .
. . . In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.”
. . . In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
. . . In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va.
. . . In 1932, aviator Charles Lindbergh, through an intermediary, paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. (The child was found dead the following month. The ransom money was eventually traced to Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed for the crime.)
. . . In 1968, “2001: A Space Odyssey” premiered in Washington, D.C.
. . . In 1982, Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands from Britain.
. . . In 2005, Pope John Paul II died at 84 after 26 years leading the Roman Catholic Church.
. . . In 2007, in its first case on climate change, the Supreme Court declared in a 5-4 ruling that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
Birthdays:
66 . . . singer Leon Russell
63 . . . Baseball Hall of Famer Don Sutton
61 . . . country singer Emmylou Harris
84 . . . German artist Max Ernst (1891-1976)
71. . . conquerer and ruler Charlemagne (742-814)
73. . . Italian writer, soldier and adventurer Giovanni Casanova (1725-1798)
70. . . Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), French sculptor of Statue of Liberty
Everybody Tells Me Everything
“I find it very difficult to enthuse
Over the current news.
Just when you think that at least the outlook is
so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens.
And that is why I do not like the news,
because there has never been an era
when so many things were going so right
for so many of the wrong persons.”
—Ogden Nash (1902-1971), poet, 1941
(Thanks to alert WORDster Tom Hodges)
On This Day . . .
. . . In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.”
. . . In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
. . . In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va.
. . . In 1932, aviator Charles Lindbergh, through an intermediary, paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. (The child was found dead the following month. The ransom money was eventually traced to Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed for the crime.)
. . . In 1968, “2001: A Space Odyssey” premiered in Washington, D.C.
. . . In 1982, Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands from Britain.
. . . In 2005, Pope John Paul II died at 84 after 26 years leading the Roman Catholic Church.
. . . In 2007, in its first case on climate change, the Supreme Court declared in a 5-4 ruling that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
Birthdays:
66 . . . singer Leon Russell
63 . . . Baseball Hall of Famer Don Sutton
61 . . . country singer Emmylou Harris
84 . . . German artist Max Ernst (1891-1976)
71. . . conquerer and ruler Charlemagne (742-814)
73. . . Italian writer, soldier and adventurer Giovanni Casanova (1725-1798)
70. . . Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), French sculptor of Statue of Liberty
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Today's Word—Foolishness
APRIL FOOLS’ DAY
Man’s Best Friend:
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
—Groucho Marx (1895-1977), comedian-philosopher
On This Day . . . . . . In 1700, April Fools’ Day was formalized in England, but pranksters had been observing the tradition for more than 100 years. Says the History Channel: “These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as ‘poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
“Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.
“April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with ‘hunting the gowk,’ in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or ‘kick me’ signs on them.” See History Channel link and video.
. . . In 1945, American forces invaded Okinawa during World War II.
. . . In 2003, American troops "rescued" Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.
Birthdays: 58: Samuel Alito, Supreme Court Justice
79: Jane Powell, actress
76: Debbie Reynolds, actress
70: Ali MacGraw, actress
69: Phil Niekro, baseball hall of famer
60: Jimmy Cliff, reggae singer
83: Otto von Bismarck, German statesman (1815-1898)
47: Lon Chaney, "Igor," silent film actor (1883-1930)
60: Whittaker Chambers, journalist and accuser in the Alger Hiss case (1901-1961)
SPEAKING OF “Hilaria” . . . . .
This was sent to me by a well-meaning friend, perfect for the day.
Man’s Best Friend:
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
—Groucho Marx (1895-1977), comedian-philosopher
On This Day . . . . . . In 1700, April Fools’ Day was formalized in England, but pranksters had been observing the tradition for more than 100 years. Says the History Channel: “These included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as ‘poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.
“Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to ancient festivals such as Hilaria, which was celebrated in Rome at the end of March and involved people dressing up in disguises. There’s also speculation that April Fools’ Day was tied to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather.
“April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with ‘hunting the gowk,’ in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or ‘kick me’ signs on them.” See History Channel link and video.
. . . In 1945, American forces invaded Okinawa during World War II.
. . . In 2003, American troops "rescued" Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.
Birthdays: 58: Samuel Alito, Supreme Court Justice
79: Jane Powell, actress
76: Debbie Reynolds, actress
70: Ali MacGraw, actress
69: Phil Niekro, baseball hall of famer
60: Jimmy Cliff, reggae singer
83: Otto von Bismarck, German statesman (1815-1898)
47: Lon Chaney, "Igor," silent film actor (1883-1930)
60: Whittaker Chambers, journalist and accuser in the Alger Hiss case (1901-1961)
SPEAKING OF “Hilaria” . . . . .
This was sent to me by a well-meaning friend, perfect for the day.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Today's Word—Let's Talk
Let's Just Talk
“It’s not my natural language. I’m not a politician. I haven’t been a social activist. At the same time, it’s an opportunity and a duty that I cannot let go. . . . We have vowed to fight the hatred that took Danny’s life, and one way to fight the hatred is to communicate. . . . This is our vision of revenge. . . . The loss of Danny will forever tear my heart. But I can think of no greater consolation than seeing your [Pakistani] children some day pointing at Danny’s picture and saying, ‘This is the kind of person I want to be.”’
—Judea Pearl, computer science professor, remembering his son, Daniel Pearl (1963-2002), a Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002 and later beheaded, 2008
On This Day . . .
In 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.
In 1968, Lyndon Baines Johnson announced: “I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party as your President.”
“It’s not my natural language. I’m not a politician. I haven’t been a social activist. At the same time, it’s an opportunity and a duty that I cannot let go. . . . We have vowed to fight the hatred that took Danny’s life, and one way to fight the hatred is to communicate. . . . This is our vision of revenge. . . . The loss of Danny will forever tear my heart. But I can think of no greater consolation than seeing your [Pakistani] children some day pointing at Danny’s picture and saying, ‘This is the kind of person I want to be.”’
—Judea Pearl, computer science professor, remembering his son, Daniel Pearl (1963-2002), a Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002 and later beheaded, 2008
On This Day . . .
In 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower's designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.
In 1968, Lyndon Baines Johnson announced: “I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party as your President.”
Friday, March 28, 2008
Today's Word—Truth Is No Strumpet, Sir!
Seek Truth:
“Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out.”
—William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008), conservative icon, author, talk-show host, magazine editor and wordman. (See Buckley's New York Times obit)
“Truth is a demure lady, much too ladylike to knock you on your head and drag you to her cave. She is there, but people must want her, and seek her out.”
—William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008), conservative icon, author, talk-show host, magazine editor and wordman. (See Buckley's New York Times obit)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Today's Word—Scumbag Rat Bastards
Prescription for America?
“All newspeople are scumbag rat bastards” (2005) . . . and . . . “This is America, it’s time for some logic and intelligence and less arguing about what really is good and bad.” (2008)
—Dell “SuperDell” Schanze, former owner, Totally Awesome Computers, and candidate for Utah governor (Salt Lake Tribune story)
“All newspeople are scumbag rat bastards” (2005) . . . and . . . “This is America, it’s time for some logic and intelligence and less arguing about what really is good and bad.” (2008)
—Dell “SuperDell” Schanze, former owner, Totally Awesome Computers, and candidate for Utah governor (Salt Lake Tribune story)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Today's Word—Mourning Editors
All due respect…
“I often share the story of the small-town editor who finally managed to drink himself to death. Finding that he was destitute, his cronies set out to collect money for a decent burial. Seeing the town banker, a frequent target of the paper’s editorials, they asked, ‘Sir, would you contribute a dollar to bury our editor?’ The banker pulled out a ten and snapped, ‘Here! Bury ten of ’em — and good riddance!’”
—Submitted by Joe Benham, newsman and alert WORDster
“I often share the story of the small-town editor who finally managed to drink himself to death. Finding that he was destitute, his cronies set out to collect money for a decent burial. Seeing the town banker, a frequent target of the paper’s editorials, they asked, ‘Sir, would you contribute a dollar to bury our editor?’ The banker pulled out a ten and snapped, ‘Here! Bury ten of ’em — and good riddance!’”
—Submitted by Joe Benham, newsman and alert WORDster
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Today's Word—Grammar
Nit-Picking Pedantry Lives!
“Ancient attitudes to grammar still survive: many people are in awe of it, know little about it, tend to fear or dislike it, often find it baffling and boring if exposed to it at school, and yet a minority is fascinated by it: a field in which precise scholarship and nit-picking pedantry have coexisted for centuries.”
—“Grammar” entry in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, edited by Tom McArthur, Oxford University Press (1992)
“Ancient attitudes to grammar still survive: many people are in awe of it, know little about it, tend to fear or dislike it, often find it baffling and boring if exposed to it at school, and yet a minority is fascinated by it: a field in which precise scholarship and nit-picking pedantry have coexisted for centuries.”
—“Grammar” entry in The Oxford Companion to the English Language, edited by Tom McArthur, Oxford University Press (1992)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Today's Word—Politics NOT As Usual
The Politics of Race and Gender:
“For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle—as we did in the OJ trial—or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina—or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
“We can do that.
“But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.”
—Barack Obama, democratic presidential candidate, “We the People” speech, Philadelphia, March 18, 2008
“For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle—as we did in the OJ trial—or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina—or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.
“We can do that.
“But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.”
—Barack Obama, democratic presidential candidate, “We the People” speech, Philadelphia, March 18, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Today's Word—Finding Facts
News Sources:
“A funny thing happened during the Iraq war: many Americans turned to the BBC for their TV news. They were looking for an alternative point of view—something they couldn’t find on domestic networks, which, in the words of the BBC’s director general, ‘wrapped themselves in the American flag and substituted patriotism for impartiality.’”
—Paul Krugman, columnist, New York Times (5/3/03)
“A funny thing happened during the Iraq war: many Americans turned to the BBC for their TV news. They were looking for an alternative point of view—something they couldn’t find on domestic networks, which, in the words of the BBC’s director general, ‘wrapped themselves in the American flag and substituted patriotism for impartiality.’”
—Paul Krugman, columnist, New York Times (5/3/03)
Thursday, March 20, 2008
“A Soldier’s Peace”
“A Soldier’s Peace” to Mark Iraq War’s 5th Anniversary
In 2006, Utah National Guard Sgt. Marshall Thompson came home from his last active-duty tour—a year as a military journalist and editor in Iraq. He was proud of his service, he said; he was a patriot, but he opposed the war in Iraq.
This Friday (3/21), to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, Thompson will screen “A Soldier’s Peace,” an 87-minute documentary about his 500-mile walk across Utah in 2006 to express his conflicted feelings about the war. Thompson says he felt he “had to do something” after returning from Iraq. A quiet, private man, he settled on walking north-to-south across his native Utah, the reddest state in the Union, from Idaho to the Arizona border—one day for every 100 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.
It will be the award-winning movie’s first showing in Thompson’s hometown, part of a series of events sponsored by Cache Valley Peace Works to mark the war’s anniversary. Earlier in the day, CVPW will sponsor the day-long exhibition of EYES WIDE OPEN, the powerful American Friends Service Committee collection of combat boots and civilian shoes representing Iraq war dead. Taggart Student Center, Utah State University.
Thompson, a journalist, Mormon and Utahn, graduated from Utah State’s journalism program in 2002 and has served as a journalist or National Guardsman—or both—in Iraq, Kosovo, Korea, Jerusalem and, currently, as a reporter for the Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner.
Following Friday's film, he will be part of a panel on “Activism—An American Heritage,” also featuring local social activists: Friday, March 21, 7 p.m., Eccles Science Learning Center Auditorium, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.
For more information on Marshall Thompson, his views on the Iraq war or to find out more about booking his documentary film, see his website, A Soldier’s Peace (http://www.asoldierspeace.com).
In 2006, Utah National Guard Sgt. Marshall Thompson came home from his last active-duty tour—a year as a military journalist and editor in Iraq. He was proud of his service, he said; he was a patriot, but he opposed the war in Iraq.
This Friday (3/21), to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, Thompson will screen “A Soldier’s Peace,” an 87-minute documentary about his 500-mile walk across Utah in 2006 to express his conflicted feelings about the war. Thompson says he felt he “had to do something” after returning from Iraq. A quiet, private man, he settled on walking north-to-south across his native Utah, the reddest state in the Union, from Idaho to the Arizona border—one day for every 100 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.
It will be the award-winning movie’s first showing in Thompson’s hometown, part of a series of events sponsored by Cache Valley Peace Works to mark the war’s anniversary. Earlier in the day, CVPW will sponsor the day-long exhibition of EYES WIDE OPEN, the powerful American Friends Service Committee collection of combat boots and civilian shoes representing Iraq war dead. Taggart Student Center, Utah State University.
Thompson, a journalist, Mormon and Utahn, graduated from Utah State’s journalism program in 2002 and has served as a journalist or National Guardsman—or both—in Iraq, Kosovo, Korea, Jerusalem and, currently, as a reporter for the Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner.
Following Friday's film, he will be part of a panel on “Activism—An American Heritage,” also featuring local social activists: Friday, March 21, 7 p.m., Eccles Science Learning Center Auditorium, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.
For more information on Marshall Thompson, his views on the Iraq war or to find out more about booking his documentary film, see his website, A Soldier’s Peace (http://www.asoldierspeace.com).
Today's Word—The Good Journalism Recipe File
Another recipe for effective journalism:
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
—Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), credible journalist (Thanks to alert WORDster Mike Pitman)
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful.”
—Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), credible journalist (Thanks to alert WORDster Mike Pitman)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Today's Word—Shock and Awe
Today marks the fifth anniversary of “shock and awe”—the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 2003.
For veteran White House journalists, getting a straight answer on Iraq was like pulling your own teeth:
“Those were the days when I longed for ABC-TV’s great Sam Donaldson to back up my questions as he always did, and I did the same for him and other daring reporters. Then I realized that the old pros, reporters whom I had known in the past, many of them around during World War II and later the Vietnam War, reporters who had some historical perspective on government deception and folly, were not around anymore. I honestly believe that if reporters had put the spotlight on the flaws in the Bush Administration’s war policies, they could have saved the country the heartache and the losses of American and Iraqi lives.
“It is past time for reporters to forget the party line, ask the tough questions and let the chips fall where they may.”
—Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps, 2006
For veteran White House journalists, getting a straight answer on Iraq was like pulling your own teeth:
“Those were the days when I longed for ABC-TV’s great Sam Donaldson to back up my questions as he always did, and I did the same for him and other daring reporters. Then I realized that the old pros, reporters whom I had known in the past, many of them around during World War II and later the Vietnam War, reporters who had some historical perspective on government deception and folly, were not around anymore. I honestly believe that if reporters had put the spotlight on the flaws in the Bush Administration’s war policies, they could have saved the country the heartache and the losses of American and Iraqi lives.
“It is past time for reporters to forget the party line, ask the tough questions and let the chips fall where they may.”
—Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps, 2006
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Today's Word—On TV & Parenting
NEWS NOTE: Supreme Court to take on profanity on live TV
“My only advice is, if you value the culture of your children, if you value the notion of your own sovereignty, if you value any sense of independence in the future, you [must] make a serious investment in your own televised programs and motion pictures to compete with the American products and, if necessary, place limits on American products.”
—George Gerbner (1919-2005), media scholar, 2002
“My only advice is, if you value the culture of your children, if you value the notion of your own sovereignty, if you value any sense of independence in the future, you [must] make a serious investment in your own televised programs and motion pictures to compete with the American products and, if necessary, place limits on American products.”
—George Gerbner (1919-2005), media scholar, 2002
Monday, March 17, 2008
Today's Word—Recipe
Take 1 Tbsp. pitbull, add 2 C. public interest…
“The recipe for an effective journalist, then and now, is 1 percent vocational training, 9 percent intelligence, talent and experience, and 90 percent attitude. The proper attitude? Picture a touchy pit bull that pulls his chain off the ringbolt every time he smells smugness—privilege without humility—and mendacity. A real journalist, we were taught, only unsheathes his pen in the public interest, defending the social contract and protecting the citizen without leverage, the underdog. If you don’t believe that, you can write like E.B White and appear in 400 newspapers, and you're still a publicist to me.”
—Hal Crowther, journalist, INDY, the Independent Weekly in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC (3/14/07) (See “Remembering Molly Ivins”)
“The recipe for an effective journalist, then and now, is 1 percent vocational training, 9 percent intelligence, talent and experience, and 90 percent attitude. The proper attitude? Picture a touchy pit bull that pulls his chain off the ringbolt every time he smells smugness—privilege without humility—and mendacity. A real journalist, we were taught, only unsheathes his pen in the public interest, defending the social contract and protecting the citizen without leverage, the underdog. If you don’t believe that, you can write like E.B White and appear in 400 newspapers, and you're still a publicist to me.”
—Hal Crowther, journalist, INDY, the Independent Weekly in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, NC (3/14/07) (See “Remembering Molly Ivins”)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Take a Break
The WORD is off for a week's Spring Break—both “Spring” and “Break” are needed. So everyone take a deep breath and reflect (and comment, if you like). More green and refreshed WORDs will return March 17.
Today's Word—Good Works
The Good Life of Journalists:
“I hope that my achievements in life shall be these—that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need, that I will have left the earth a better place for what I’ve done and who I’ve been.”
—Art Hoppe (1925-2000), columnist, San Francisco Chronicle (Thanks to alert WORDster Marc Davidson)
“I hope that my achievements in life shall be these—that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need, that I will have left the earth a better place for what I’ve done and who I’ve been.”
—Art Hoppe (1925-2000), columnist, San Francisco Chronicle (Thanks to alert WORDster Marc Davidson)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Today's Word—More on Polling
If Your Mom Tells You She Loves You, Get a Second Source...
“Sane and intelligent human beings are like all other human beings, and carefully and cautiously and diligently conceal their private real opinions from the world and give out fictitious ones in their stead for general consumption.”
—Mark Twain (1835-1910), writer (Thanks to alert WORDster Bronle Crosby)
“Sane and intelligent human beings are like all other human beings, and carefully and cautiously and diligently conceal their private real opinions from the world and give out fictitious ones in their stead for general consumption.”
—Mark Twain (1835-1910), writer (Thanks to alert WORDster Bronle Crosby)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Today's Word—O' Gramma!
Today is National Grammar Day!
Grammatically Speaking:
“We owe much to our mother tongue. It is through speech and writing that we understand each other and can attend to our needs and differences. If we don’t respect and honor the rules of English, we lose our ability to communicate clearly and well. In short, we invite mayhem, misery, madness, and inevitably even more bad things that start with letters other than M.”
—Martha Brockenbrough, grammarian and founder, National Grammar Day
Grammatically Speaking:
“We owe much to our mother tongue. It is through speech and writing that we understand each other and can attend to our needs and differences. If we don’t respect and honor the rules of English, we lose our ability to communicate clearly and well. In short, we invite mayhem, misery, madness, and inevitably even more bad things that start with letters other than M.”
—Martha Brockenbrough, grammarian and founder, National Grammar Day
Monday, March 3, 2008
Today's Word—Political Endorsements
(In)credibility:
“I confess that I’ve never quite understood why newspapers endorse presidential candidates. Sure, I know the history and the tradition, the fact that newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries were often affiliated with political parties, but why do they do it now? Why do it at a time when the credibility and viability of the press are at all-time lows? More important, why do it at a time when readers, especially young readers, question the objectivity of newspapers in particular and the media in general?”
—Richard Stengel, managing editor, Time (March 3, 2008)
“I confess that I’ve never quite understood why newspapers endorse presidential candidates. Sure, I know the history and the tradition, the fact that newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries were often affiliated with political parties, but why do they do it now? Why do it at a time when the credibility and viability of the press are at all-time lows? More important, why do it at a time when readers, especially young readers, question the objectivity of newspapers in particular and the media in general?”
—Richard Stengel, managing editor, Time (March 3, 2008)
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