Monthly Archives: June 2003
Bloggers Gain Libel Protection
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list editors can’t be held responsible for libel for information they republish, extending crucial First Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online publishers. From WIRED, today
Lexicographers Rejoice
William Safire looks at new dictionaries and slang, specifically the first complete revision of Merriman Webster’s Collegiate in a decade, released this week, which includes such new entries as Frankenfood and barista , ”a person who makes and serves coffee … Continue reading
Kennedy Curse Continues
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — By the time they died in a 1999 plane crash, John F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Carolyn Bessette, were living a life of separate beds and violence, and Bessette was struggling with a drug … Continue reading
Sidekick in the Ass
T-Mobile drives a nail into the Sidekick’s coffin Thank goodness I am too cheap to run out and buy all the things I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE! This saves me from mistakes like the T-Mobile Sidekick, a combo cellphone, PDA, … Continue reading
Friedman on Google as God
God is All-powerful and Omnipresent, and knows all that is knowable. God had a good 3,000 year run as the ultimate authority, repository of knowledge, dispenser of advice and receipient of pleas, supplications and searches for knowledge and wisdom. Today, … Continue reading
Pynchon’s Intro to 1984
Some of you (like me) may have missed Thomas Pynchon’s rather remarkable introduction to the new edition of George Orwell’s 1984, as published in the Guardian (now off their site but I found it in Lex-Nex). This relates to a … Continue reading
Quote of the Day
Speaking at a public symposium, a member of Parliament, Seiichi Ota, recently made light of reports of gang rapes at a Tokyo university. "Boys who commit group rape are in good shape," Mr. Ota said. "I think they are rather … Continue reading
Forbidden Ink
“ Tattoos are not against the law in South Korea, but they were a foolproof way of avoiding the draft. Until the government started arresting young men for ”willfully tampering with their bodies to avoid military duty”. In old Korea, … Continue reading
Here’s One for Mommy Dearest
The controversial science of mother-infant bonding gets a new look A nice review of "Attachment Theory", once discreditied, newly rediscovered, which basically holds that "children who develop strong bonds with their parents are likely to form similar bonds with peers, … Continue reading
I HATE Krispy Kreme….
I hated Krispy Kreme donuts long before I ever tried one. I hated the whole concept of donuts after converting in my 40’s to a "healthier lifestyle". I especially hated Krispy Kreme donuts for their Tarheel origins and media-fueled expansionism. … Continue reading
Lord, please don’t let me win….
This unlucky man, Jody Lee Taylor, won $4.3 million dollars in the Virginia Lottery. Unfortunately, "He had a weakness for drink and drugs, they say." Now he’s lost his wife and his job, and he’s in the Henry County Jail, … Continue reading