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Miscellaneous

Begging the Question

Two anonymous lawyers discuss law, politics and pop culture (in a manner reminiscent of the Foreign Service Board cheating scene in the classic 1985 Cold War spoof "Spies Like Us").
By "Milbarge" and "Fitz-Hume"

Post Frequency: 1.9/day

Last Entry: March 19, 2010 at 00:00:01

50 Book Challenge #4: Um...

Posted on January 28, 2008
Um...: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean by Michael Erard. (Amazon, B&N, Powell's) This was a neat one. It's got everything from Spoonerisms to Freudian slips to Bushisms, lots of other verbal flubs, the theories behind them, the Toastmasters, Cicero, and plenty of other reasons to make you pay more attention to your speech...

Blood Simple

Posted on January 27, 2008
I saw this interesting item from Wired. A scientist has developed a DNA test that will reveal the race of the donor. The technology has been used to help solve several crimes, or at least narrow the range of suspects. Yet lots of people, including police and prosecutors, feel sort of squeamish about it...

Well Now What?

Posted on January 26, 2008
My preferred candidate has dropped out of the presidential race. So now I'm left to look through the remaining options for a suitable option. While I haven't had the annoyance of anyone trying to recruit me to another candidate, this pretty much sums up my current feelings...

50 Book Challenge #3: Manhunt

Posted on January 25, 2008
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. (Amazon, B&N, Powell's) This one is pretty much exactly what the title says: a very thorough, detailed, researched telling of the aftermath of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It's really more about John Wilkes Booth's flight than it is about the hunt for him, but there's plenty of detail about his pursuers...

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Crime and Punishment, Take Two

Posted on January 23, 2008
A few days ago I wrote about this ongoing controversy in the golf world over an announcer making a jesting comment that golfers should gang up and "lynch" Tiger Woods. Woods, for the record, is clearly ready to let it go, saying everything is "said and done...

Choices

Posted on January 22, 2008
Via De Novo, I see that today was "Blog for Choice Day," an initiative of the group Pro-Choice America. Of course, I already mentioned that today is the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. Because it's an election year, I suppose, the folks at Pro-Choice America are asking us what it means to vote pro-choice...

Maybe it was an amicus filing in the DC gun ban case...

Posted on January 19, 2008
Here's a tip: If you ask someone for directions to the U.S. Supreme Court building and say you have an appointment with the Chief Justice, it's probably not a smart idea to be carrying a loaded shotgun, a tactical bow and arrow, and a samurai sword. (Noted here at The Corner, Wonkette, and The Politico, but still waiting to see something on How Appealing, SCOTUSBlog, or even Above the Law...

50 Book Challenge #2: Heartsick

Posted on January 14, 2008
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. (Amazon, B&N, Powell's) After Entertainment Weekly called this one a "profoundly creepy thriller," I picked up the audio version (read by Midland, Texas's own Carolyn McCormick). It was good enough that there were several times when I sat in my car and waited for a scene to end before I could turn it off...

Why don't we just lynch her?

Posted on January 11, 2008
I haven't been following this news too closely, but it's hard to miss the increasingly breathless reports that an announcer for the Golf Channel, Kelly Tilghman, was suspended. (In the interest of full disclosure, I will point out that Tilghman went to Duke, although I didn't know that until after I had heard about this controversy and formed an opinion on it...

50 Book Challenge #1: Then We Came to the End

Posted on January 10, 2008
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. (Amazon, B&N, Powell's) I'll admit I was dubious. This book got rave reviews, but I thought, It's about an advertising agency in the early days of the dot-com bust, circa 2001. Wouldn't that seem dated? And it's written in the first-person plural...

They were all like, literally literate

Posted on January 04, 2008
I've lost the source by now, but sometime over the holiday I caught some scold criticizing a public figure (a politician, I think) for talking about her parents and using the construction "They were like, 'Blah blah blah,' and I was like, 'Whatever.'" According to the critic, the speaker should have used "said" instead of "were like," asserting not only that "were like" is wrong but also that is sets a bad example for people who might emulate the public figure...

50 Book Challenge

Posted on January 03, 2008
I'm doing the 50 Book Challenge again this year. I think I got into the thirties last time, so we'll see if I can top that in 2008. I'll have a couple of reviews coming soon, but this will turn into a post where I'll collect links to all the reviews...

Cuteness Overload

Posted on December 30, 2007
Thought I would give readers a quick update on the puppy. Magnus will turn 1 year old next month, and is currently weighing in at about 120 lbs. In case you were wondering how he and Baby Haff are getting along, I present the following picture.Hope everyone's 2008 is happy, healthy and prosperous.

Sebastian and Milbarge Discuss the GOP Race

Posted on December 22, 2007
Sebastian and I have been engaging in a mini-debate over the race for the Republican nomination, and I thought I would share it with BTQ readers. Feel free to chime in. Posting around here should be a little light over the next several days, so I hope everyone enjoys whatever holiday they decide to celebrate...

What if we could live forever?

Posted on December 21, 2007
Scott Adams had a post at The Dilbert Blog recently in which he mentioned, in passing, an invention that allows doctors to "print" organs by replicating a patient's cells, layer-by-layer. Adams didn't cite his source, but let's assume for now this device is legit and fantasize about a world in which it is accessible at any hospital and could replace virtually any failing human organ...

The Dynasty Issue

Posted on December 20, 2007
Sebastian mentioned something in his recent "least bad Democrat" post I've been meaning to respond to. It's the issue of political "dynasties" and whether the thought of having another Clinton in the White House will turn voters off Hillary. (The image at left, of course, is a cast shot from the classic '80s soap opera Dynasty...

Signs you've joined the right church...

Posted on December 18, 2007
At a monthly pot luck dinner, the following things happen:1. Your 18 month old daughter runs up to the wine table, and an elderly lady nearby smiles and says, "What a good little Episcopalian."2. The head clergy gets up to make an announcement encouraging people to attend the New Years Eve party by saying, "The music will be divine, the food will be delectable, and the bar will be open...

Quick musings on the writers strike

Posted on December 18, 2007
1: Once the strike is over, will the writers be able to write about the writers strike?2: What happens for shows in their final season, like Smallville, who's actors probably had summer gigs lined up already? Will their contract to the show force them out of other commitments?3: If Leno and Conan come back on the air without writers and are just as funny, doesn't much of the writers' standing go out the window?4: Thank god they finished the new Batman movie before this happened...

The Internet and Crazy Cases

Posted on December 16, 2007
My eye caught the news last week that Marrita Murphy filed a cert petition in the Supreme Court. See more at How Appealing, SCOTUSBlog, and the Tax Prof Blog. The petition is noteworthy because Ms. Murphy won a short-lived victory in the D.C. Circuit a few months ago in her suit against the IRS...

Keep your geo-political speculation to yourself

Posted on December 12, 2007
Being the history major, and if I may be so bold, buff, checking recent archeology news is a daily routine. Archaeology.org has a great recent headlines section. Yesterday it contained this brief article summary:The Paleolithic paintings in the French cave of Lascaux are threatened by mold...

How are you dealing with the tv writers' strike?

Posted on December 11, 2007
Now that most network tv shows are running out of new episodes, thanks to the writers' strike, I'm realizing that I have a lot of free time. I don't watch as much television as I used to, but there are several shows I watch every week. Or did, that is...

Agreeing with TAPPED - Episode 1

Posted on December 05, 2007
A while back I wrote a post arguing with something said on the TAPPED blog, one of my daily stops. I intended it to be a reoccurring feature. I've seen plenty over there to argue with since then, but time and laziness have prevented any actual posting...

Least bad Democratic candidate

Posted on December 05, 2007
Milbarge asked me for my take on the least objectionable Democratic presidential candidate. I will profess some ignorance of the lesser candidates policy points, so will focus on the Big 3.ClintonActually seems like the most centrist of the three. Is not completely naive about foreign policy and the consequences of an immediate troop withdrawal in Iraq...

Oh, I forgot...

Posted on November 30, 2007
BTQ turned four last week.

Random question after looking at a map of the world

Posted on November 28, 2007
Why has there never been a band called "St. Vincent and the Grenadines"? I picture them as a '50s doo-wop group.

In Defense of Jessica Simpson

Posted on November 27, 2007
I've seen this Macy's ad a few times now:It's a bunch of celebrities, including Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, Emeril, and P. Diddy, decorating a Macy's store for the holidays. Near the end, Jessica Simpson trips over an electric cord and pulls the plug from the outlet...

Is "Happy Holidays" a Promise or a Threat?

Posted on November 24, 2007
If you ever feel a little blue this time of year, you really need to read Megan Seling's devastatingly awesome essay on depression in The Stranger. In fact, you ought to read it regardless, although I wouldn't recommend reading it while sitting alone in a restaurant having dinner on a Friday night...

Book Recommendations?

Posted on November 19, 2007
I recently came into possession of a free book download credit from Audible.com. I know some people don't like audiobooks, but I don't mind being read to, especially for free. But I can't decide what to get. The Audible website isn't as easy to browse as a book store...

Political Predictions

Posted on November 18, 2007
I asked Sebastian to keep us updated on his political thoughts as the 2008 presidential race progressed. He posted an early assessment of the GOP bunch back in May, and I was very interested in whether those first impressions have changed, or how different things look...

Updated take on the GOP field

Posted on November 13, 2007
There have been some changes since my last assessment of the GOP presidential nominees. Milbarge asked me to give an update on my feelings about the candidates. I'm giving it a shot, but I don't know how much my impressions have changed.Rudy GiulianiHe still bugs me...

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