Most hypocritical line of the day, so far

“I have apologized to my family for my mistakes. And having offered this apology to the public, I would ask that you let me and my family deal with these matters in private.”

Roger Clemens

All full of hubris when he went to Capitol Hill, all for the publicity. Now that the news is negative, it’s time to take it private.

Thanks to Jill for the quotation.

Best line of the day, so far

“American consumers and our economy need a real solution to the energy crisis, not an empty trick. You can run cars on a lot of different fuels, but snake oil isn’t one of them.”

Rep. George Miller criticizing Clinton and McCain for their gasoline tax holiday proposal.

Meanwhile, “More than 200 economists, including four Nobel prize winners, signed a letter rejecting proposals by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain to offer a summertime gas-tax holiday.” (Bloomberg.com)

Kids

Buy kids all the video games and Disney princess paraphernalia in the world — or let them drop stones down a storm drain grate at the soccer field. Which to you think they’ll choose?

Five of The Sweeties® demonstrate. Click image for larger version.

An Interview with Buzz Bissinger

The wonderful writer Buzz Bissinger — author of the classic Friday Night Lights, Three Nights in August, and much more — went nuclear about blogs and bloggers last week on the Bob Costas show on HBO. Today he is much more contrite and interesting in an interview with The Big Lead.

May 5th ought to be a holiday

Nellie Bly was born on this date in 1864.

Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. In the 1880s and 1890s, as a reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, she became a pioneer in journalism and investigative reporting. Before the muckrakers of the early 20th century publicized corruption and before the investigative reporters of today sought out the story behind the story, Bly paved the way to valuable journalism as one of the first to “go behind the scenes” to expose societyís ills. At some personal danger, she had herself committed to a mental institution for 10 days so she could study firsthand how the mentally ill were being treated. As a result of her expose, the care of the mentally ill was reformed. As the New York Journal recognized, Bly was considered the “best reporter in America.”

National Women’s Hall of Fame

She went down into the sea in a diving bell and up in the air in a balloon and lived in an insane asylum as a patient; but the feat that made her famous was her trip around the world in 1889. She was sent by The World to beat the mark of Phileas Fogg, Jules Verne’s hero of “Around the World in Eighty Days,” and she succeeded, making the tour in 72 days 6 hours 11 minutes. Every one who read newspapers followed her progress and she landed in New York a national character.

The New York Times

Karl Marx was born in Trier, Germany, on this date in 1818.

Soren Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on this date in 1813.

Debunking Grammar Myths

Patricia T. O’Conner, a former editor at The New York Times Book Review, and the author of the national best-seller Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English, debunks some grammar myths for mental_floss Blog.

Among the myths she debunks:

Myth #1: Don’t Split an Infinitive.

Myth #2: Don’t End a Sentence With a Preposition.

Myth #4: None Is Always Singular.

Cinco de Mayo

The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexicans over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some recognition in other parts of the Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population. It is not, as many people think, Mexico’s Independence Day, which is actually September 16.

MexOnline.com