Monthly Archives: August 2004

Why the Button Fly?

August 30, 2004
As I was putting on a fairly new pair of pants today, I wondered why the clothing company had decided to use a button fly instead of a zipper fly. Three of my four newest pairs of pants have button … Continue reading →
Posted in miscellany | 69 Comments

The Loveliest Sentence of All

August 29, 2004
Ben and I are reading E.B. White’s Stuart Little for a second time, and enjoying it very much. I’m never quite sure how much Ben understands, or how long his attention lasts, but he usually wants to keep reading when … Continue reading →
Posted in language | 3 Comments

New englishrules.com feature

August 25, 2004
Because I care very deeply about the online experience of anyone who visits my web site—all three of you—I’ve added a little feature to my “Resources” pages. In the right-hand column of each resource page, you’ll see a list of … Continue reading →
Posted in technology | 1 Comment

Favorite New Words from The Word Spy

August 12, 2004
The Word Spy tries to keep track of neologisms as they start making their way into the vernacular. Here are a couple of my favorites: butt call n. An unintended phone call placed by sitting on one’s cell phone. wife … Continue reading →
Posted in language | 1 Comment

Mark These Words

August 7, 2004
In the Summer 2004 issue of City Journal, Michael Knox Beran wistfully describes the bygone days of classical education, when students were required to commit lines of both poetry and prose to memory. He makes an eloquent case, and I … Continue reading →
Posted in language | 2 Comments

Political Humor

August 6, 2004
Here are a few links to political humor/activism, in case you haven’t seen them already: Will Ferrel’s White House West: A George W. Bush spoof ad This Land Is Your Land: A bipartisan parody by Jibjab.com Bush in 30 Seconds: … Continue reading →
Posted in society | Leave a comment

Where There’s an Issue, There’s a Journal

August 5, 2004
File this one under the there’s-a-journal-about-everything-under-the-sun category: International Journal of Impotence. Makes me wonder if there’s a national one as well.
Posted in miscellany | Leave a comment