Unca Darrell

DECEMBER 11 / A new edition of Fowler's

IF YOU don't already know about . . .

OCTOBER 16 / Partial transcript: Anita Dunn on Mao Tse-tung

Partial transcript, Anita Dunn (White House communications director), High School Commencement Speech, June ___, 2009:

OCTOBER 8 / Whatever this is . . .

. . . it ain't an apology:

JUNE 19 / When even your friends start talking about your love affair with the first-person singular pronoun

STANLEY FISH, "Yes I Can," New York Times, June 9, 2009:

By the time of the address to the Congress on Feb. 24, the royal we has flowered into the naked "I": "As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress." "I called for action." "I pushed for quick action." "I have told each of my cabinet." "I've appointed a proven and aggressive inspector general." "I refuse to let that happen. "I will not spend a single penny." "I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves." "I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term." The last is particularly telling: it says, there's going to be a second term . . . .

MARCH 12 / How often will Hannity say "literally" in the next hour?

SO DISAPPOINTING. Only six times. He usually does better.

2:44 . . . literally lavished praise on the Saudi king . . . .

2:17 . . . and you literally can practice your civil disobedience . . . .

2:16 . . . and they literally bled the California taxpayer . . . .

MARCH 6 / When "no problem" means there is a problem

A READER'S ESSAY on the deeper meaning of "no problem":  

MARCH 4 / Reader has no problem with "you're welcome"

A THOUGHTFUL READER (Unca D's only kind) offers this commentary on how to respond to "thank you":

It depends. Honesty is the best policy. I agree, however, that in a perfect world, we would be more apt to use "you're welcome" than "no problem."

FEBRUARY 20 / "Absolutely" is the new "yes" (updated)

Yes is better.

FEBRUARY 16 / "No problem" is the new "you're welcome"

"You're welcome" is better.