Entries Categorized as 'Editorial Endeavors'
August 8, 2009
Ugh. Not this again.
Some people seem to think the way to egalitarianism is by prohibiting any criticism of protected groups whatsoever.
And it isn’t like there aren’t dicey areas: every time I use the word “cunt” in my fiction, I get slammed at writer’s group—even if the word occurs in dialogue, and even if the speaker [...]
Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, Blogkeeping, Books, Freedom of Speech, Gay Rights, The English Language, new media 
37 Comments »
June 6, 2009
Of course, if we wanted remuneration, why the heck did we major in English?
When I was in college I remember telling my dad one term that I was taking a course in the Victorian novel, one on speculative fiction, and seminars on lesbian literature and William Butler Yeats.
“Isn’t that kind of ‘all frosting, and [...]
Posted in Advertising, Art and Technology, Economics, Editorial Endeavors, Family, Freedom of Speech, Lanterns and Scimitars, Litratur, The English Language 2 Comments »
June 2, 2009
other than in the Ford Motor Company / UAW relationship and the product lines of Toyota and Honda (hint: produce a few midsize sedans; consider stealing a few styling cues from American cars of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s) will be in the used car market, and the parts market. A lot of people like [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Art and Technology, Automotive, Business & Management, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Cultured, Like Yogurt, Drive-By Media, Economics, Editorial Endeavors, Energy Issues, Highway to Hell, Hot Rods, Hot Bikes, Industries, Media, Obama Administration, Organizing, Patriotism, People, Small Planet, Transportation, new media, politics, self-help/entrepreneurship 3 Comments »
May 30, 2009
. . . and everyone should read it.
Here’s a taste:
there was evidence to suggest that the Obama administration may have been wielding its economic power — gained at future taxpayers’ expense — to punish political enemies. The accusation was serious enough to call for very thorough reporting, but the major media tried to dismiss [...]
Posted in Americana, Around the 'Sphere, Attila, Girl Reporter, Automotive, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, City Life, Civil Liberties, Conservative Icons, Editorial Endeavors, Freedom of Speech, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Lanterns and Scimitars, Media, Obama Administration, Organizing, Patriotism, Southern CA, Southern Comfort, Stacy's Crew, Trust the Gubmint, politics 1 Comment »
May 25, 2009
And the rest of the linguistically decaying Anglosphere.
But who wants to pay someone a whole $25 an hour for the sake of correctness and clarity?
Via Smitty over at The Other McCain.
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Editorial Endeavors, The English Language No Comments »
May 13, 2009
Well, let’s see, now: Neo has weighed in on the Definite Article Pronunciation/thee-thuh controversy—the meme that Anchoress started, and I responded to. Neo fully supports the custom of using “thee” when the following word begins with a vowel. I had not wanted to think that I did that, but as I listen to myself talk [...]
Posted in Absolutely Academe, Around the 'Sphere, The English Language 8 Comments »
May 12, 2009
I’m not as much into the pronunciation of words as I am into their structure; I wasn’t raised in the kind of house wherein we know how to pronounce every word in our respective reading vocabularies. (And given the sizes thereof, that would have been unlikely in any case. We read a bit.)
I know that [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Editorial Endeavors, The English Language, The Writing Life, + Novels 16 Comments »
May 10, 2009
And the Condé Nasties:
From an outsider’s perspective, I completely agree with this assessment. Portfolio worked–for a while–as an advertising vehicle, but it never gave readers a reason to care. And from what little I know from the inside, the stuff about editing the life (and glamour) out of articles is entirely true. Newspaper training isn’t [...]
Posted in Attila, Girl Reporter, Editorial Endeavors, Media 1 Comment »
April 19, 2009
Reynolds responds to Steyn, who is making the Boston Globe his bitch*:
MARK STEYN on the Tea Party movement. “Doing the job the Boston Globe won’t do, Glenn Reynolds, the Internet’s Instapundit, has been posting many photographs of tea parties. For a movement of mean, angry old white men, there seem to be a lot of [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Drive-By Media, Economics, Litratur, Media, Obama Administration, Organizing, Patriotism, Tea Parties, The English Language, new media 6 Comments »
April 14, 2009
At least, for now. It sounds like a layoff, of sorts, but if it is, they are laying off the wrong person. Making, rather, one of several possible wrong choices. (What would the right choice be? I’ll give you three guesses. The first two do not count.) Or this may simply represent a failure to [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Drive-By Media, Editorial Endeavors, Media, The English Language, new media 2 Comments »
April 11, 2009
“Unless it is. In which case, never mind.”
I don’t think there’s anything terribly wrong with James Wolcott’s writing, but I’m not sure he’s the very best out there. I do see that he’s smart enough to pick his fights “upward” in the blogosphere, taking on the crowd at Protein Wisdom, the Tea Party tax protests, [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Editorial Endeavors, Media, new media 11 Comments »
April 4, 2009
1) Copyediting is a “skill,” that can be “taught.” Not something one is born to. Not a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A “skill.” Perhaps; I’ve been doing it so long that it’s hard to see it that way. Mostly the skill is figuring out which mistakes the editors do not want called to their attention. [...]
Posted in Editorial Endeavors, The English Language 3 Comments »
April 4, 2009
And then it hit me: Why not the Executive Branch of the United States of America? I hear those people are really smart, and I can’t imagine a better crew to be shutting down my email, and reading it, or deciding if my websites should go dark.
I mean: they are handling the economic situation and [...]
Posted in Around the 'Sphere, Art and Technology, Business & Management, Civil Liberties, Freedom of Speech, Highway to Hell, Obama Administration, Organizing, The English Language, politics 1 Comment »
April 3, 2009
Such as my body’s odd reaction to menopause, work and its deadlines, my sleep disorders, Being Weird, and gearing up for picking up new clients. I’m serious about that: I’m about to mail a bunch of new marketing packages to past clients and previous employers, and start driving around with my business magnets on the [...]
Posted in All About Meeeee!, City Life, Editorial Endeavors No Comments »
March 28, 2009
But we might want to help them with basic grammar and diction. We could even re-acquaint them with the possibility that many people don’t speak their special secret legal language—or Latin, for that matter.
Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades HQ:
Step One is to dig through Supreme Court decisions for dicta (that is, non-binding editorializing) that [...]
Posted in All About Meeeee!, Around the 'Sphere, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, The English Language 1 Comment »
March 27, 2009
They are so expensive, and they don’t really do anything: we can do fine fine without them.
Yazoots showed this to me today, and it’s pretty good.
Posted in Editorial Endeavors 1 Comment »
March 23, 2009
Perfectly Normal Wife: Honey?
Slightly Eccentric Husband: Yes?
Perfectly Normal Wife: I think we need a style sheet around here.
Slightly Eccentric Husband: What for?
Perfectly Normal Wife: For the shopping . . .
Slightly Eccentric Husband: The what?
Perfectly Normal Wife: . . . shopping . . .
Slightly Eccentric Husband: Don’t say it!
Perfectly Normal Wife: . . . [...]
Posted in Ain't This the Life?, Editorial Endeavors, Media, The English Language 2 Comments »
March 22, 2009
Suicide.
When you’re depressed, you have no business living in Alaska. None.
Okay, okay: I take it back. Sort of. It’s just that it’s such a selfish thing to do. There are people you can call instead of doing that. They volunteer. You call them up, and you talk to them until it goes away partly, and [...]
Posted in Goodbyes, Litratur, Sadness, The English Language 2 Comments »
March 21, 2009
“Taunted by Special Olympians.”
Some of the Special Olympians who would beat Obama handily.
I used to worry that Obama would have some sort of health-care concern—say, a minor heart incident—that might leave Joe Biden in charge for multiple weeks and months. I thought this would be embarrassing, but it looks like our VP would be [...]
Posted in Americana, Attila, Girl Reporter, Media, Obama Administration, On the Telly, The English Language, new media, politics 3 Comments »
March 18, 2009
“Why do they call it a ‘whale shark’ if it’s really a mammal?’ It should be a ’shark whale.’”
“You really need to leave your work at the office, Dear.”
In my next lifetime I will learn a skill that is useful. Or, at the least, not annoying to those around me.
Posted in Ain't This the Life?, Editorial Endeavors, The English Language 4 Comments »
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