I just listened to a talk by her, and then happened to run into her afterwards. The talk was great, and funny.
Archive | Famous People
Xerxes Was Nuts
I’m reading A History of Histories (review and review). The basic idea, I gather, is that when someone writes a history, that piece of writing is itself a part of history. That piece of writing gives us an indication of what people at the time of the writing felt about history and how they fit […]
Fox News is Pissy about Their Misleading Behavior
This isn’t a political thing. It’s an entertainment thing, though it does involve that ridiculous person, Sarah Palin. In short, ads and the Web page for an episode of her talk show made it appear as though rapper LL Cool J was a participant. But really, the show had grabbed an interview LL Cool J […]
Measure of Death
If the measure of your life is how many people talk about you when you die (and it obviously is), then aldaily.com shows J.D. Salinger kicking Howard Zinn’s butt. Congrats, J.D.!
Mark Twain Doesn't Hold Back
A beautifully seething letter from Mark Twain to a patent medicine salesman. It’s just the kind of thing I’d want to say to the parasites today who try to make money off the ignorant, weak, and desperate. In this case, the salesman was dealing with someone who knew better, and who’d lost two children to […]
Roundup
— The Britannica blog calls a spade a spade. Robertson and Limbaugh are: “…two men who have made a very good thing in this life of saying very stupid things that excite an audience of equally stupid people.” [LINK] — Freakonomics wonders: Do Bike-Helmet Laws Discourage Bicycling? — The Why Files: Fish cheat and get […]
Headline Mania!
Same reporter, same day, same event. 11-18-2009 8:48 PM: Thousands cheer Palin in Mich. for book tour [link] 11-18-2009 10:19 PM: Hundreds cheer Palin in Mich. for book tour [link]
Mike Tyson Punches a papa..papa..papa.. Photographer
I know it’s amazing, but Mike Tyson apparently punched someone. This after appearing so thoughtful in the documentary about him: Tyson That’s the one where he says that he just couldn’t believe that one human being could treat another human being the way he saw them doing in his childhood and in prison. Then comes […]
Hannity a Liar?
Ok, that’s not news, but Jon Stewart tears him up. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Not Necessarily
It’s not a big deal, but some people have a habit of throwing the word “necessarily” into odd places in a sentence. “We wouldn’t necessarily want to be disemboweled by a grizzly bear, so we’re bringing bear repellant.” “Necessarily” there doesn’t really mean anything that a dictionary could help you understand. But listeners usually just […]