December 27, 2003

Matthew Baures had just exited a very busy Wal-Mart store on Christmas Eve when he was attacked. The 22-year-old man was beaten with a baseball bat, and repeatedly kicked and punched, for allegedly cutting in line, arguing about it and then letting the offended parties go in front of him. The maligned customers then called their male friends/brothers, who jumped Baures in the parking lot.

Mahmoud Sourakli is hanging tough. He may be a paraplegic, the victim of a stray bullet, but he refuses to let the situation take away his inner strength.

Bless you, my child. Let's commit some sin.

Stanley Staniszewski, a priest who worked at several Catholic churches in the Diocese of Orlando, was recently charged with making obscene phone calls to a 70-year-old woman.

December 26, 2003

Susan Ager, the Detroit Free Press writing coach, has created a useful glossary of vocabulary words for writers and editors. Although the majority of these terms refer to nonfiction and/or journalism, all writers can learn from these definitions.

Lake Superior State University in Michigan has released its 28th annual "List of Words Banished From the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness." A few of the worst words/phrases of 2003?

Must-See TV. Black ice. Weapons of Mass Destruction. Undisclosed, Secret Location.

December 25, 2003

Like the librarian character in the film, "The Mummy," I've always believed that no harm has ever come from reading a book. Aidan Doyle disagrees. In fact, in his special report in the Toronto Star, he contends that movies and video games are the only inspirations for real-life violence.

Please! I'm begging you, Hollywood. Stop the madness!

December 23, 2003

What's undermining the sanctity of marriage? According to Dahlia Lithwick at Slate, the root causes are: divorce, Vegas, birth control and Victoria's Secret catalogs.

December 22, 2003

A new Jaded Writings column has been posted. This week, I discuss the colors of the 2003 holidays: red, green ... and orange.

My boyfriend bought me Helen Thomas's memoir, "Front Row at the White House: My Life and Times," for Yule. I've added it to my "cool women journalists" shelf, which features the stories of media pioneers like Martha Gellhorn and Lee Carson (who was once so close to the fighting during World War II that she inadvertently captured six German soldiers).

To learn more about these gallant and determined women, check out the National Geographic feature, "Gal Reporters: Breaking Barriers in World War II."

Past Afterthoughts