Category: Edgewise

This was in a letter from my credit-card company: “So that you have no surprises, know that your APR’s, fees and other terms can change at any time.” –I guess they mean no surprising surprises.

May your name be inscribed for good in the Book of Life! I understand there is another New Year, celebrated on January 1, but I think we need all the New Years we can get. The Jews actually have two. One is the start of the first month of the Jewish Calendar, in the Spring,…

“After Mr. Qaddafi’s renunciation of terrorism and his agreement to end programs to develop unconventional weapons, the United States last year removed Libya from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.”

“President George W. Bush and his Democratic foes…fire the opening shots in a long-brewing clash likely to seal the fate of US war strategy….set[ting] the stage for Bush’s critical progress report,…due by September 15.” AFP DKo: So, why is Bush so unconcerned about this deadline bearing down? The answer, say confidants, is he plans to…

“They would put people naked for up to 40 days in cells where they were deprived of any kind of light.” “History Will Not Absolve Us,” Nat Hentoff, the Village Voice, August 28th, 2007 DKo: Why does it go on and on? For one thing, they frighten us with stories of the “ticking time bomb.”…

From the promo for a play I’m going to see, “DRACULA,” Bram Stoker, “We think you’ll find it nothing less than epic…” I can believe it. There certainly must be something fundamental about the Vampire. There’s not much that competes with it for perpetual fascination. There used to be the gunfighter; I remember watching 15-20…

It would be mighty convenient if everybody put the “Printer Friendly” button in the same place on their Web pages. But that’s exactly what the communists would do!

US changes status of 14 detainees, AP, 8/10/07 “…Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Commander Chito Peppler said the proceedings….do not distinguish between lawful and unlawful combatants.” DKo: So, we took lawful combatants prisoner in the War in Afghanistan and they were not Prisoners of War. –Probably a bunch of unpaid parking tickets.

Sometimes you just don’t manage to get all your cards out on time. Nevertheless, you don’t want to appear rude. So here’s an easy etiquette tip that solves the problem. Write at the top on the front of the card: I can’t understand why this is just now reaching you! I mailed it weeks ago.

“Shiite Insurgents.” The Bush administration has been rolling this surprising combination out in recent weeks. I think we’ll be hearing more of it. For years, “Insurgents” has meant Sunnis, because they are trying to bring down the government. Shiite fighters, have been “Militants,” and “Extremists,” but they haven’t been “Insurgents.” Whom would they be insurgent…

Every so often I like to just stop and click over to the Ames Room for a moment, because it really helps undermine my perspective on things. It gets my vote for the greatest of all optical illusions. The two people you see are actually the same height. It’s just that someone has carefully constructed…

One of the FAQs in the Windows Messenger Help is: “Why can’t my contacts see my music?” I think Microsoft was very gutsy even getting into this. Anyhow, this is the answer from Tech Support: “If some of your contacts can’t see your music, they have probably been dropping some really weak acid. “It might…

Bush alters rules for interrogations, AP, 7/20/07 The Supreme Court had ruled in June 2006 that trying detainees in military tribunals violated U.S. and international law, so Bush urged Congress to change the law. He also insisted that the law authorize CIA agents to use tough methods to interrogate suspected terrorists. —————— DKo: I have…

An email yesterday triggered my continuing Kirkuk obsession. So… ————– David, Has the major fight over Kirkuk begun? Ever since you wrote about it (was it two or three years ago?) that I’ve been waiting for the perfect storm to begin. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070716/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq ——————- Reply: [Why am I still so up on this? Because, I’ve imposed…

Americans don’t like to admit that they have changed their minds. We convince ourselves that somehow or other, in some way or another, we have always thought what we are thinking now. The media are foremost enthusiasts of this fantasy, driven by their own heartfelt passion for self-justification. So, inevitably, Iraq, like Vietnam, will come…

I don’t get the point of why countries make prisoner exchanges. It must be a case of “The grass is always greener on the other side.” What makes them think they’re going to get a better class of prisoners out of this, compared to the ones they are sending away? More likely, the new prisoners…

This must have come from Galileo, I guess. In any case, it is to show that heavy objects don’t fall faster than lighter objects. Imagine three identical bricks falling–at the same speed, obviously. Two of the bricks have adhesive on their sides. As they fall, these two bricks happen to touch, and the adhesive joins…

I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets confused by the terribly ambiguous abbreviation “ASST.” I mean, all you have to do is take one look at: ASST VEGETABLES and ASST DA’s Don’t you often find yourself reading them: Assistant Vegetables and Assorted DA’s Please, sign-makers, a little clarity wouldn’t hurt.

“[Vice Adm.] Olson, 55, has been the command’s deputy chief since August 2003. If confirmed by the full Senate, he would receive a fourth star and…” I can totally relate. I once won a Gold Star for getting all the words right on a Spelling Test. It was a terrific motivator. And it still works…

The Guantanamo prisoners were found by pre-trial tribunals to be “enemy combatants,” but not necessarily “unlawful enemy combatants.” US officials have characterized this as a “technicality,” and the press has bought in to that. Shockingly, even Sen. Levin’s proposed revamp “would make the commissions act’s definition of ‘unlawful enemy combatant’ the same as it is…