Debris
«chaque notaire porte en soi les débris d’un poète.»Archive for news
Hey, I can see Russia from here!
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin checks out new spy imaging technology at GOP fundraising dinner.
15 seconds of fame
I stepped out for a brief stroll and some coffee, and got stopped by a reporter from the local Fox news affiliate for a “man on the street” interview about the Wall Street bailout. To my surprise, I managed to convey my opposition coherently and concisely, and without resorting to the word “bullshit”.
Truth really is stranger than fiction
The headline of this news story doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of weirdness:
Dog cloner Joyce McKinney sought over burglary to fund horse’s wooden leg
Martha mourns Paw Paw’s passing
CNN reports that Martha Stewart’s dog, Paw Paw, has died of renal failure. Now, I love dogs, and I fully understand the bond between people and their pets. No doubt Martha is terribly broken up about this loss and I mean her no disrespect. But there is something terribly, terribly wrong with this story.
According to the CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, more than 40,000 people die of kidney disease every year. How many of their deaths does CNN report? Why is the death of one dog — even a dog owned by America’s Favorite Home Decorating Maven — newsworthy?
WTF?
This story in today’s NY Times has me wondering whether the Grey Lady has decided to fill the gaping journalistic hole left by the recent demise of the Weekly World News:
Among cards picturing third basemen and center fielders, the Topps Company, the maker of baseball trading cards and Bazooka bubble gum, inserted three George Washington “relic” cards, each with a strand of hair from the first president. Topps obtained the strands from the world’s pre-eminent historical hair collector (yes, there is such a thing), John Reznikoff.
[...]
Mr. Reznikoff, who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “Largest Collection of Hair from Historical Figures,” obtained Washington’s hair from Charles Hamilton, whom Mr. Reznikoff described as “the pioneer of modern hair collecting.”
The story explains that “a brainstorming session” led to the brilliant idea of a baseball card with DNA in it. Thankfully, the creative geniuses at Topps “decid[ed] that putting blood or skin on a card would be too disgusting.” Though I fully expect someone else to cross that line in short order.
