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random quotes ... to amuse, inspire, enrage:
regarding the male Washington, D.C., mayoral aide who used the word "niggardly' and then was canned / asked to resign / resigned, and the resulting brouhaha about political-correct language etc.:
But the point about 'niggardly' is that words are more than their origin and their dictionary definition. The very sound of them carries weight and meaning, as does their real or perceived relationship to other words. 'Niggardly' belongs in society's vocabulary trashbin, not through any fault of its own, but because it transcends its definition and automatically conveys a feeling of bigotry. For God's sake, it sounds like the adjective form of a word that we can't bear to speak or even write! How can anyone use it? It's like putting up a wallpaper pattern that looks very much like a series of swastikas, but it's not! It's really a Scandinavian design that symbolizes good luck for the upcoming ice fishing season.
South African inventor Sonette Ehlers has developed the “rapex”, a barbed female condom aimed at discouraging rapists. A coordinator for Rape Crisis cautions that the device could backfire, and rapists in penile pain might respond with increased violence. Of course, Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash (1992) was all over this idea: his teenage protagonist wore [...]
a little interest of mine: religious texts and copyright. Michael Geist covers a Canadian copyright case by the Watch Tower Society (Jehovah’s Witnesses) suing a website for posting religious texts. [link via boingboing] Scientologists do this all the time: Operation Clambake has its own response to copyright issues. A few cites: Religious Technology Center v. [...]
9/1: Between work-stuff and watching Katrina, I’ve been too busy & too sad to post much the last few days. To sum it all up:, a letter from Switzerland (9/3) [via daily kos 9/4]: Watching the events in New Orleans unfold from here in Europe, mostly via BBC World, we have the impression that the [...]
Dept. of Homeland Security [DHS Website via america blog 9/3]: In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response [...]
hollywood.com 9/12 HOLLYWOOD, September 12, 2005 Wood Stunned by Gay Photo ‘Revelations’ By WENN …………………………………….. Elijah Wood is continually stunned by clever cyber pranksters who try to prove he is gay. The Lord of the Rings star is often caught out by Web sites with far from subtle names, like www.veryverygay.com, when he’s surfing the [...]
The copyright notice in Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (2002): No part of this book may be used, reproduced, destroyed, tampered with, or eaten without written permission except in the case of brief, possibly coded quotations embodied in critical articles, reviews, and subpoenas. Allegedly printed in the United States of America. For information address HarperCollins [...]
DS: You also suggest that our current system of locally financed schools be abolished, claiming that it perpetuates inequality by allowing suburbs like Scarsdale or Manhasset to spend twice as much on each student as less affluent cities do. JK: Schooling should not be left to the whim or wealth of village elders. I believe [...]
yet more depressing news: iraq: where people keep dying. A friend recently met with her family who lives in Baghdad, who reported a) her elderly aunties regularly have laser sightings trained on them by US soldiers; b) her cousin’s cousin was recently shot & killed by US soldiers; c) they still don’t have power & [...]