Month: December 2003

The Red Baron’s last flight

It wasn’t Snoopy who took him out; most likely it was ground fire, according to this summary at kuro5hin.org. A long read but a fascinating look at aerial combat during World War I.

A thread on heads

Blanp rails yet again on people’s lopsided notions of “good” headlines. My favorite riposte: Nearly all winners in headline contests are puns. Usually, they aren?t even funny. Copy editors see this and draw the lesson that they are supposed to…

The ‘Christmas Truce’

It really happened, snopes.com says. A spontaneous ceace fire erupted, gifts were exchanged, good cheer was spread about. Then a couple days later the previously scheduled bloodbath resumed.

My favorite Christmas song

“Cry of a Tiny Babe,” by Bruce Cockburn Mary grows a child without the help of a man Joseph get upset because he doesn’t understand Angel comes to Joseph in a powerful dream Says "God did this and you’re part…

A Christmas thought

It was about 4:30 this afternoon and we were getting near the end of the do-four-days’-work-in-three routine that we always do three times a year, every year, for the privilege of not having to work on the actual holidays, when…

Papa’s Christmas Eve

?Father,? the children said. There was no answer. He?s there, all right, they thought. ?Father,? they said, and banged on their beds. ?What do you want?? I asked. ?We have visions of sugarplums,? the children said. ?Go to sleep,? said…

Stop by Nicole’s blog

For a guide to holiday myths. For instance: “Xmas” is a modern abbreviation that is disrespectful for “taking the Christ out of Christmas.” (The first letter in the Greek word for Christ is chi, which looks like an X in…

Hat tip to Copy Massage

He sent me a curmudegeonly Christmas card. (And Thanks to Jeff, another Tampa Tribber who sent get-well greetings.)

Putdown of the day

Foes of a certain former governor are calling his henchpeople Deanie Weenies. (Something made me think, what’s going to happen when everybody starts calling them “Deanie Weenies,” so I put the words in Google and found out, yep, they already…