“Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of bar-room vernacular, that is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed and attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have.”
- - Raymond Chandler- From a letter to his editor regarding a proofreader who had changed Chandler’s split infinitives
Filed under: Rant
Bush's Job Approval In Historical Perspective
by Chris Bowers
Gallup has a terrible new poll for Bush: 31% approve, 65% disapprove. Since the main benefit of the Gallup poll are its trendlines stretching back more than sixty years, here are some facts about this poll in historical perspective:
• A net approval of -34 is worse than the low suffered by either Jimmy Carter (-31) or Bush's father (-31). Only Truman and Nixon ever fared worse.
• Since 1950, this is the lowest job approval for a President facing midterm elections by more than ten points.
• This is the first poll showing Bush's disapproval to be more than twice the size of his approval.
• This is the lowest approval rating for Bush in any public surveysince the start of his term.
• A disapproval of 65% ties for the second highest ever recorded.The highest ever recorded was just one point higher, 66%, for Richard Nixonin August of 1974, about one week before he resigned.
It is now reasonable to start talking about Bush in the 20's, and Bush breaking the all-time record for job disapproval.
Filed under: Rant
I hate motorcycles! They’re loud, stinky, did I say loud, arrogant toys for little boys. I do not understand why a perfect Spring day should be ruined by a fume and noise spewing aggressive device. The noise is clearly meant to draw our attention to the large jutting apparatus between the riders legs. If a motorcyclist tells you he doesn’t get pleasure from having his ass on top of a hot vibrating, machine, he’s lying!
Thank you.
Have a nice day.
Filed under: Rant
Rule 213
Mass Transportation Etiquette
Obviously personal and preventative hygiene is best undertaken in the privacy of your own home. However occasionally moments arise when it becomes necessary to make a hygienic adjustment in public. This can be particularly awkward when using a mode of public transportation. If you have to blow your nose, for example, while on the Subway, be brief and discreet. It is advisable not to honk it out like the incoming Staten Island Ferry. Also do not examine the end result like it is one of the new Ten Dollar Bills.
