Eddie Dean and Emily Yoffe
Dear Eddie, ah, Mr Dean,
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StumbleUponHow shall I put this? I am the person who wrote the outer-space chicken letter. Let's say I'll take a look at the movie, then we can talk about going to a cockfight.
Do you ever have the experience while driving here in D.C. and flipping radio channels of suddenly hearing an official-sounding voice and thinking "Something must have happened!" only to realize you've just landing on C-Span radio? We may not have the right to vote here in Washington, but we can listen to C-Span in our cars. A few years ago, as you know, to make some money the district sold it's mostly jazz station (net profit: $2.98) to C-Span. Hey, who wants to listen to "In a Sentimental Mood" when you can hear the House Agriculture Committee mark-up?
Today they were broadcasting the White House conference on teen-agers, hosted by the Clintons. I could only listen for a few minutes because I was in danger of experiencing Road Stupor. But it did occur to me that Leo Rosten, in The Joys of Yiddish, could have cited this conference under the entry on "chutzpah." Will the Clintons ever be done telling us how to be good role models for our children?
I was on my way to the dentist's office, and walking through the lobby of his building I had what is to date my ultimate Washington experience. As I passed two men, I heard one say to the other, "I swear, I just saw John Hinckley." When you hear that it encourages you to run to the relative safety of the dentist's chair.
I love the New York Times' "Science Times" and the Washington Post's "Health" sections. They came together today in an article in one and a letter in the other. The Times has a story about the controversy over whether men should get a P.S.A. test for prostate cancer. Does early detection and treatment save lives? Or is the disease often so slow growing that it would not be lethal, and detection ends up subjecting men to unnecessary treatments with severe side effects? The article seems to lean toward early detection. But the American Urological Association's official position on P.S.A. testing is that it's up to the patient. Well, it's always up to the patient, but that official position isn't much help. So the patient is driven to do his (in this case) own research. The problem is--as a letter to the Post's "Health" section illustrates--doctors hate it when you do your own research. One doctor writes in that he gets "frustrated and angry" with patients who have looked up their condition on the Internet. At least this doctor had the grace to say he was ready to dismiss one article a family printed out when they told him it was an article he had written. So, we're supposed to be active, informed participants in our care. But if we actually inform ourselves, we are, as this doctor writes derisively, "instant experts."
Eddie, I am getting the sense you have an eye for the bizarre. So you would probably appreciate the Post's article on what should be called "Dolly Parton Wrist." To quote: "A team headed by a Tuscaloosa, Ala., plastic surgeon has found that women with large breasts are more likely to suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome than their smaller-breasted counterparts."
Talk to you tomorrow,
Emily
P.S. It's too late in the day for you to catch a flight to Tuscaloosa.
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Reader Response from The Fray--to be read after the final entry:
Not only should Bobo the Clown be drafted to moderate the Presidential debates [Thursday's entry], but he should chair every Congressional Committee, be given Joe Lockhart's job, and he should anchor the news on all networks.
--Will Allen
(To reply, click here.)
I know it's all the rage now to demonstrate your liberal bona fides by trashing the Confederate flag in South Carolina or Confederate History Month in Virginia, but Eddie's little diatribe against Governor Gilmore and Richmond, Virginia takes the cake [Tuesday]. I see that he has joined some of those he criticizes in hijacking history, ascribing his beliefs to be in the great tradition of Robert E. Lee.
The natural progression of not honoring Confederate History Month is to begin to impede or discourage tourists who want to visit Civil War sites or Confederate museums and cemeteries, as these people must be misguided at best or racist yahoos at worst. I'm sure that Virginians of all ethnicities who work in tourism-related businesses appreciate all the controversy and would rather not have Civil War tourists staying in hotels, eating at restaurants, or buying souvenirs. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Virginia elect the one and only black governor ever to serve in the 50 states?
If you could find 50 people in Virginia who knew about the Confederate History Month proclamation before this contretemps, I would be shocked.
--Will
(To reply, click here.)
(5/4)
Slate should call this "Whenever You Can Make It To The Table" instead of the "Breakfast Table".
--NT
[See timing of Monday's posts. Matters seemed to improve during the week.]
(To reply, click here.)
So there could be genetically-engineered giant animals [Monday's entry]--but what about when politicians start splicing their genes? Imagine the havoc a 50-foot George Bush would do to the environment--dangerous. Or the monotone bellow of a 100-foot-tall Gore. O the horror.
--Chris
(To reply, click here.)
I have engineered four-legged chickens because my family likes fried chicken legs. We are as of this date unsure of the palatability of these fowl because now we can't catch them.
--eieio
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Today Pharm Animals--Tomorrow Your Mom!
--Seeking Justice
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[This was the title of the post. There was quite a lot more, but this seemed to hit the spot.]
Actually, if the knife that George Harrison was stabbed with had been about a half-inch to the left, he would have died instantly [Monday]. Only those with no knowledge or understanding of violence (which in this post-draft era means basically all of the chattering classes) think that knives are inherently less lethal than guns.
--Tench Coxe
(To reply, click here.)
Re: the possible break-up of Microsoft:
Oh Emily,
Some of us relate:
Poor Bill's the guy everyone loves to hate.
But fear not for your beloved Slate
Just follow His lead,
simply innovate.
--Ann
(To reply, click here.)
(5/2)