February 19, 2005

In response to the Jeff Gannon scandal, someone in Seattle posted a fake job ad on Craig's List. The ad has already been deleted, but I've enclosed the original text for your reading pleasure:

Journalist Sought - No Experience Necessary Will Train

Major News Publication seeks "hardball" journalist for White House Media Correspondent.

Successful candidates should have a degree from a reputable school of journalism such as the Leadership Institute Broadcast School of Journalism, or the Pennsylvania State University System.

Experience with the CTRL+C and CTRL+V functions on a PC when interpreting White House Press Releases for newsworthiness is required.

Benefits include:
Unfettered access to the White House & President
Chance to Pitch on the White House Soft Ball team
Early Retirement

All Qualified Applicants Should forward a copy of their resume (real or fictional), their choice of Nom de Plume (Freedom Name) and Salary requirements to:

Robert R. Eberle, Ph.D.
Editor in Chief, Talon News Copyright 2005 Talon News-A GOP Subsidiary.
moreinfo@talonnews.com
newstips@talonnews.com

Compensation: Unspecified
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Reposting this message elsewhere is OK.

This posting was originally posted at:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/wri/59240267.html

A few people in the United States have been fired for their blogging activities. Most were let go for publishing trade secrets or posting negative comment about their coworkers.

In contrast, an Iranian journalist recently published an enlightening essay in the Los Angeles Times about her government's response to her Weblog. She was leaving a book store when a man ordered her into a car, placed a blindfold across her eyes and drove her to prison. She was then incarcerated without a trial for 36 days and repeatedly interrogated.

At the end of her ordeal, the authorities told her she should be grateful that they treated her so well.

February 18, 2005

This week has been insanely busy with freelance assignments, interviews and deadlines. Next week won't be much better. In fact, I'll be flying to New York City for a couple days, so expect updates to be sparse. Thanks for understanding.

* Margaret Truman - 2/17/24
* Chaim Potok - 2/17/29
* Ruth Rendell - 2/17/30
* Helen Gurley Brown - 2/18/22
* Toni Morrison - 2/18/31
* Amy Tan - 2/19/52
* W.H. Auden - 2/21/07
* Anais Nin - 2/21/1903
* Erma Bombeck - 2/21/27
* Edna St. Vincent Millay - 2/22/1892
* Edward St. John Gorey - 2/22/25

February 14, 2005

Steve Friedman recently learned that the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach.

To test this theory, he prepared dinners for three unsuspecting women to see if they would fall "deliriously and uncontrollably in love" with him. Sure enough, it worked.

I want take a class with Doc Choc. Unfortunately, he lives in Michigan.

Patrick F. Fields (a.k.a. Doc Choc) teaches adult education classes about the mystery, history and allure of chocolate. For his lectures, Fields dons a milk chocolate-colored lab coat and presents his students with 60 different types of chocolate. The students -- women outnumber men by 2 to 1 -- rate each candy on appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and aftertaste.

"They sing songs about broken hearts, but I think most people feel it in their stomachs; that adrenaline-rush sickness you get when something reminds you."
--Beth Saulnier, "Reliable Sources."

Past Afterthoughts