Found in the archives — on 1999 May 20 I wrote:

The Examiner today used the phrase “one-month anniversary” at least three times on the front page alone. What’s next? Will monthly magazines be described as “one-month annual”?

(What happened on 1999 April 20? Hint: Michael (not Roger) “pants on fire” Moore.)

And on 1999 October 23:

We just got notice from the city DPW that it is about to change the street sweeping schedule (on non-residential streets). Apparently one won’t get a ticket for parking in a sweeping-zone on the new schedule until signs are up; but, to help us think about how to adjust our habits (I guess), the notice includes a handy chart describing the new rotation.

Some affected streets will be swept on both sides every day. On the others, Side 1 will be swept on MWF, and Side 2 on TTS.

Nowhere are “Side 1” and “Side 2” defined. . . .

Come to think of it, I never did find an answer to this one. Not that it matters much to me. Then, I had no car to park; now, I have my own space off the street.

I saw a group marching up Market Street today behind a banner reading

THE WAR STOPS HERE
and so do you

I was tempted to stand in their path (surely I have as much right to obstruct them as they have to disrupt traffic) and demand an explanation of the last phrase. But I had been on my feet long enough already, had more errands to do, and lacked the energy for a confrontation.

Later: It occurs to me that I’d have been wrong to bring them to a stop; they were moving steadily, in the appropriate lane, and stopping them would only cause a worse obstruction.

General strike in Zimbabwe. Kewl!

My spies tell me that an Alternate Pledge has become fashionable in some circles:

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples, promising liberty and justice for all.

John Cowan writes:

All transliteration systems for Arabic are shite in one way or another. When T.E. Lawrence was writing Seven Pillars of Wisdom, he made a point of being as inconsistent as possible throughout.

On my favorite list, someone observed:

It’s embarrassing when Iraq continually makes our professional, Fletcher/Kennedy schooled career diplomats look like bloody fools.

Kevin Maguire responded:

How surprising is this, really? To attain their positions, the Iraqi diplomats have had to be good at getting results in a political system where poor diplomacy gets you killed.
Our diplomats have honed their skills in an environment where lack of skills gets an extra 3% tariff on California wine entering Spain.

Randall Parker goes after the bioLuddethicists at some length.

If there’s ever a charity dedicated to rejuvenating the poor, might I suggest that priority be given to those whose native language is dying out?