No.
As a native, born-and-bred New Yorker—as well as a somewhat ancient one—I've had the opportunity to witness a lot of changes in our fair...
House Hunting with Richard and Cindy
Richard and Cindy have a problem. House #1 has the lanai overlooking the Pacific that Cindy has always dreamed of, but there's no place...
Quick Italian Coffee
If you've ever enjoyed that uniquely Italian beverage, caffè espresso, you know of its cheeky zing and bitter goodness. It's not quite...
A Curmudgeon Rerun: "Words and Their Meanings: 'World Famous'"
America is quite a country. Here, in this golden land of opportunity where dreams come true, even the least among us can rise from the...
Our Declining Language (part 6 in an endless series)
Welcome back. Herewith: more linguistic horrors. In this edition of Our Declining Language, we find a collection of written messages...
Grip of the Weak
It was late in life that I came to realize that the bizarre and unprovoked aggression I was occasionally encountering was actually a very...
Waiterspeak
Here we are again, readers, for another futile attempt at restoring sanity, accuracy, and elegance to a society that is determined to...
I Could Have Told You So
I have long believed that when businesses fail, when shows flop, when plans go wrong, when products tank, and when people embarrass...
Not Everyone Is Special
Not everyone is special. Not everyone is smart. Not everyone is beautiful. If we were all equally marvelous and delightful and talented...
Bad Places to Stop
There are advantages to living in the jungle. You can walk wherever you like, at your own pace, and stop any time you want, for as long...
Uncommon Decency
If you came here for humor, this may be a week you'd like to skip. This week, it's time for a refresher course on being human. And the...
Our Declining Language (part 5 in an endless series)
More horrors from the world of publicly displayed text. I ask you, does no one proofread anymore?
They Started It
As we all know, the ability to participate in a well-reasoned debate isn’t something we’re born with. It's highly unlikely that "I see...
Captive Audience
I would very much like to take a poll, if such a thing were possible, so as to determine precisely what percentage of the populations of...
Could You, or Could You Not, Care Less?
There is perhaps no more abused expression in the English language than the perfectly logical, clearly communicative, "I couldn't care...
