Monthly Archives: August 2003

imposture

Sigh. Some toad is using my return address on spam entitled “Your details”. I’ve had two bounces today, but happily no flames yet.

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1778

Rethinking the Articles of Confederation The American confederation was destined to become a free-trade area, even without a consolidated union. Hamilton, in Federalist No. 12, all but admitted, and complained, that such would be the case. He worried that the … Continue reading

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trying not to advertise where I sleep

In the heart of Anytown I happened to see a sign advertising mailboxes for $13/month, so I went in, as my old mailbox on Market Street is less convenient now than in 1997 when I was nearby every day. “The … Continue reading

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etymology

I wonder: Minbar, name of a planet in Babylon 5, could be Elvish for ‘first home’.

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thoughtcrime

In Oklahoma, a teenager has been charged with the felony of “planning to cause serious bodily harm or death to another” because he wrote a presumably fictional script for a terrorist strike at a school. He did not show his … Continue reading

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Outlet

Bummer: the archive of Adam Greengard’s defunct cartoon No Outlet has vanished, I guess because its domain registration expired.

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you could be anybody

Nobody looks at credit card signatures. (Vectored in alt.fan.cecil-adams, by way of Jo.) My One True Ex writes SEE I D in the signature strip of her card, and hands over her internal passport non-driving license along with it. Waitresses … Continue reading

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