“It is often said that, under ideal conditions, a young, healthy person can see a candle flame from 30 miles away. That’s like being able to see a candle in Times Square from Stamford, Connecticut. Or seeing a candle in Candlestick Park from Napa Valley.”
Category: Best Line of the Day
Clever turns of phrase, special splashes of wit, provocative insight — all in a sentence or two.
Best line of the day
“They’re like the Winklevoss twins of getting bin Laden.”
Jon Stewart referring to various Bush Administration types trying to take credit for taking out bin Laden.
Best line of the day
“The Court agreed, unanimously, that Prince Phillip is an asshole, and that we know this from watching James Cromwell play him in The Queen.”
From the Taibblog discussion of The British Royal Family: Are They Assholes?
Best line of the day
“Osama was living here in this bullshit compound inside a military base with a TV from 1994!”
Jehangir Ahmad, Abbottbad realtor, quoted in Comment by Eliza Griswold in May 16, 2011, issue of The New Yorker. The realtors estimate the total current value of the property “at under three hundred thousand dollars,” not the million quoted by John Brennan (who misspoke a lot, didn’t he?).
[The New Yorker iPad app as of today enables subscribers to access the full magazine (and the archives). The cost for a digital subscription is $5.99 for a month, $59.99 for a year (47 issues). However, you can get the paper magazine and full digital access for $39.99 a year if you’d prefer. I subscribed to the iPad app for a month, but now think I’ll play their silly game and save money by subscribing to the paper magazine and throwing it in the recycle bin on the way in from the mailbox. What a waste.]
[Apparently a full page ad in The New Yorker goes for $141,000. Advertisers won’t pay that for digital subscribers.]
Best line of the day
“Miss … miss … miss … make.”
Seve Ballesteros when asked at the Masters once how such a good putter could four putt a hole, as quoted by Joe Posnanski in a profile.
Ballesteros died today of brain cancer at age 54.
Best line once again proving that half of Americans are below average in intelligence
The fastest-rising names for both girls and boys came from a pair of reality TV shows called “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom.” Maci was the biggest riser among girls, jumping 423 spots to No. 232. Among boys, Bentley shot up 414 spots to No. 101.
Maci Bookout has starred as a teen mother on the MTV shows. Her baby’s name is Bentley.
Jacob and Isabella were the most popular names in 2010. Nevaeh, which is Heaven spelled backwards, was 25th.
To which I can only add, Emkcuf — which is Fuck me spelled backwards.
Best line of the day
The Well blog is having a little contest — Share Six Words About Your Mom. They give a few examples. This was my favorite among them:
“In meeting. Binky in suit pocket.”
My favorite line in all the news reports
“On Sunday, White House officials canceled all West Wing tours so unsuspecting tourists and visiting celebrities wouldn’t accidentally run into all the high-level national security officials holed up in the Situation Room all afternoon monitoring the feeds they were getting from Mr. Panetta. A staffer went to Costco and came back with a mix of provisions — turkey pita wraps, cold shrimp, potato chips, soda.”
Best line of the day
“You know the definition of Canadians, don’t you? … unarmed Americans with health care.”
‘Most obvious, been-there, we should know by now’ line of the day
“The snuffing of Osama Bin Laden has already filled the Snake River Canyon with a torrent of coverage from newspapers, the Web, and television. The news output will only expand in the coming days, and as it does, remain skeptical about it. As we know from the coverage of other major breaking-news events—the Mumbai massacre, the death of Pat Tillman, Hurricane Katrina, the rescue of Jessica Lynch, to cite just a few examples—the earliest coverage of a big story is rarely reliable.
Jack Shafer – Slate Magazine posted yesterday evening.
Best line of the day
“Donald Trump called his treatment at last week’s White House dinner ‘inappropriate’. So it turns out he has heard of the word, which is a step.”
‘Now that you think about it’ line of the day
“Yahoo says that 66 percent of the people searching for “who is Osama bin Laden” were ages 13 to 17.”
The Best Thing About Teenagers: They Didn’t Know Bin Laden – The Atlantic Wire
Best line of the day
“Gaddafi Releases Official Statement: ‘Uh-oh’ ”
Best line of the day (but I’m guessing there may be a lot of ’em)
“It’s an overused phrase that is rarely used to mean exactly what it’s supposed to mean, but last night it literally happened: Someone gave the order to stop the presses.”
Best line of the day
“The fact that Donald Trump has no sense of humor makes me suspect that he also has no mirror.”
Best line of the night
“Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans because it will streamline their search for a vice president.”
Seth Meyers
Best line of the day
“Trump: New Information About Overdue Library Books Could Sink Obama”
Best line of the day
“With the possible exception of books, I love music more than I love anything in my life that is not a person or a dog.”
Michael Chabon, from a delightful little essay on music and stereo systems and life.
No really, I think this is the best line of the day
“It’s pretty great to see the Queen listening to people sing ‘God save the Queen.’ The only thing that could top it would be to see God listening as well.”
Leo Carey, “Ten Reasons I Watched the Wedding (After I Swore I Wouldn’t)”
Most fun line of the day
“[We] stopped by to see her … (she works in the same hospital) and they even had crumpets and tea for breakfast! Everyone was wearing fancy dresses and hats; one of their doctors came out of surgery and put her hat on over her scrub cap. They had the groom’s cake that William requested and it was pretty delish.”
Comment on a friend’s Facebook wall.
Best lines of the day
Many people who oppose the monarchy do so because they view it as anti-democratic, an antiquated system that preserves and glorifies privilege and social inequality. My reason for opposing it is rather different: I see it as a form of cruelty to the people at the very heart of it. It is – or ought to be – a basic human right that each person should be free to choose their own path in life, according to their interests and abilities. We should all be free to choose our profession, our partner and our beliefs for ourselves; William, for all his wealth and privilege, had his role in life mapped out for him before he was even born. Not for him the excitement of choosing his future career; not for him the option of marrying anyone not considered ‘suitable’ by the establishment; not for him the freedom to reject religious belief. And not for him, either, the freedom to opt for a quiet wedding on a Bahamian beach or a simple ceremony in a location close to his and his bride’s hearts.
Best line of the day
“I’m skipping the Royal Wedding for the same reason I avoid NASCAR – inbreeding scares me.”
Runner-up:
“Quit drunk-dialing me, Kate! You made your choice.”
Best line of the day
“WASHINGTON–In the continuing controversy surrounding the president’s U.S. citizenship, a new fringe group informally known as ‘Afterbirthers’ demanded Monday the authentication of Barack Obama’s placenta from his time inside his mother’s womb. . . . ”
Best tweet of the day, so far
“Apple responds to privacy controversy by releasing your birth certificate.”
Best line of the day
“A general reminder whenever budget issues are discussed: the U.S. government is — this isn’t original — best thought of as a giant insurance company with an army.”