Month: August 2008

Because it’s not high school any more, and electing science professionals to public office (as opposed to more lawyers and bankers) may not be a bad idea. A specific case in point here.

Yes, this actually happened. And no, the cops aren’t apologizing.

Coates points me to this post by Dana Goldstein:

Sebelius, of course, would be the bold, unconventional choice — very Obama. But by choosing a female running mate, Obama would, unfortunately, thrust the Hillary die-hards and their ever-more marginal discontentment back into the spotlight. That said, anyone who believes that only Hillary Clinton deserves to be the first female president or vice president doesn’t deserve the designation "feminist." So I’d relish watching the reactions to a Sebelius nod, not only because such a choice would double down on Obama’s most effective message — "change" — but because it would reveal exactly which Clinton boosters are ready to widen the lens and enthusiastically support women’s leadership as such.

A reader writes:

You’d think they’d have a more masculine reputation: when I was trying to figure out what gender my cat was, the advice I was given was to look for a colon if it was female and a semi-colon if it was male.

An English teacher adds:

Semi-colons are simple to use accurately; they have two functions.  The first is to sort independent clauses and join them signifying a relationship of simultaneity between the clauses. The second is to sort overly long items in series or items in series when each item already contains a list of comma sorted items within it. 

 

Commas, because of their multi-functionality, are far more widely misused and/or omitted.

I have read well over a hundred thousand college essays, and believe me when I tell you that comma usage errors outstrip semi-colon errors by a factor of about a hundred to one. So Kinsley’s point is a bit of nonsense. 

 

The problem with semi-colon errors occurs because semi-colons are used so rarely that a reader notices every single one.  Puh-lease, if you are going to nitpick an issue of punctuation, a detestable pettiness that consigns English teachers such as myself to the seventh circle of hell, know what you are talking about and understand that punctuation is used so that the reader will understand the structure of the writer’s thinking.  It is a tool (not a rule) for effective, streamlined communication, nothing more and nothing less.

Another:

I’ve never understood harshing on the semi-colon. My theory is that semi-colon bashing arises from ignorance about how to use it, but even this doesn’t explain why people find the semicolon so difficult to grasp. It’s really quite simple, if you understand the difference between a dependent and an independent clause and know a complicated series or list when you see it (and someone of Kinsley’s ability should). Which is to say, semicolons separate independent clauses NOT joined by a conjunction (thus your recent usage: “he fashioned a key on his computer that would, in one stroke, remove all semi-colons and replace them with a period and a capital letter for the next word; or maybe I remember that wrong.” is incorrect, since “or” joins the two independent clauses and so would dictate a comma). And semicolons are used to separate items in a list when a comma is used within any single item (thus Kinsley’s macro for removing semicolons and converting them to full stops would almost surely introduce editorial chaos into a piece of writing because it wrongly assumes the only use of a semicolon is to separate independent clauses).

Beyond that, discretionary uses of the semicolon (and I assume that’s really what Kinsley and others object to) are no more or less complicated that discretionary uses of the comma. Writers make all sorts of judgments about style and voices everyday that are exponentially more difficult than figuring out how to use the semicolon. Besides, ban the semicolon, and you eliminate an entire middle of register of emphasis and gradations of pace that semicolons help provide. But then I’m gay, so maybe my fondness for the semicolon was predestined.  

Clive Thompson compares Weight Watchers to video games:

As with an RPG, you roll a virtual character, manage your inventory and resources, and try to achieve a goal. Weight Watchers’ points function precisely like hit points; each bite of food does damage until you’ve used up your daily amount, so you sleep and start all over again. Play well and you level up — by losing weight! And the more you play it, the more you discover interesting combinations of the rules that aren’t apparent at first. Hey, if I eat a fruit-granola breakfast and an egg-and-romaine lunch, I’ll have enough points to survive a greasy hamburger dinner for a treat!

(Hat tip: Kottke)

It seems to me that Obama’s pressing need is not so much a game-changing veep, but a solid team of potential cabinet members. Among those he really should put front and center is Robert Rubin, an architect of the Clinton prosperity and a reassuring face for those who see the economy as the major issue for the next four years. And given what’s coming in the private sector, Rubin might be quite prepared to enter public service one more time.

Playful Spaces, an art project by Bruno Taylor:

From the artist’s statement:

This project is a study into different ways of bringing play back into public space. It focuses on ways of incorporating incidental play in the public realm by not so much as having separate play equipment that dictates the users but by using existing furniture and architectural elements that indicate playful behaviour for all.

Pollster’s latest:

Yglesias has argued convincingly in the past that most of the poll fluctuation we’re seeing is statistical noise, and the convention next week will give Obama a bump. It’s also silly to focus on the horse race before the most volatile period in any campaign. But this nugget from the LAT/Bloomberg poll has to be worrying:

More striking, however, is the drop in Obama’s favorable rating. It has slid from 59% to 48% since the June poll. At the same time, his negative rating has risen from 27% to 35%. The bulk of that shift stems from Republicans souring on Obama amid ferocious attacks on the Democrat by McCain and his allies.

…As Obama’s public image has eroded, McCain’s ratings have remained steady: 46% of voters have a positive feeling about him; 38% give him negative ratings.

A new report says that one on two German men now wear tights. Nige is appalled:

I fear it’s all part of the feminisation of the western male, as reflected in the surging market for male skincare products. This is not in itself a bad thing, but come on, we’ve got to draw the line somewhere. I draw it at tights.

Cravats? Yes! (I was out in mine again last night, looking one hell of a fellow). Tights? Nein danke!

A blogger has dug up an interesting television interview with Obama on his first book from thirteen years ago. Fascinating to see how many themes remain the same, and how, even at that young age, Obama seems preternaturally composed. It’s also striking to me, given how so many have raised questions about his membership inTUCC, that his determination to confront racial polarization and his cultural centrism (as well as liberal politics) have always been front and center. Here’s one clip. Judge for yourself: