Two great "reads" in today's Wall Street Journal

One story about my buddy Randy Barnett (here) and one about what we should learn from Shirley Sherrod's story (here).

I am addicted to "Old Spice Man" and the parodies of his commercials.

I love Old Spice Man (see him here).  I also love the parodies of the Old Spice commercials (see here).

To all "we didn't really land on the moon" doubters

Mythbusters busted your myth (see herehttp://www.yourdiscovery.com/web/shows/mythbusters-nasa/).

We're number 11 (and not in the Spinal Tap sense....) (click on this heading for the Spinal Tap reference)

See here.  And, no, I'm not endorsing any online degree programs.  I don't know anything about that site.

Bravo to my cousin Tobi!

See this article (here), discussing Tobi's Sky and Water Meditation exhibit.  For more on Tobi, see here.  For more on my cousin Nessa, who married Tobi, see here.  


Not only do I love Tobi for appreciating Nessa and raising a wonderful family with her (and, of course, for his talent), but I remember how quickly Tobi and my hubby Jeff hit it off.  They're kindred spirits in a lot of important ways.


Bravo, Tobi!

Which Weapon of Choice video is better?

This new Kia commercial (see here) is great, but then, so's Fatboy Slim's original music video with Christopher Walken (see here).  (Yes, I know--one link has some delays, but trust me, both links are worth watching.)

For me, the win goes to Christopher Walken, who's an all-around amazing performer.  Jeff disagrees.

I want my commas back.

For years, I've been one of those truly obnoxious people pointing out grammatical errors and typos in signs.  Sometimes, I've even surreptitiously (and not so surreptitiously) erased such glaring errors as misused apostrophes.  When asked, I've explained that no one can make a noun plural by adding an apostrophe and an "s" and that "its" really does mean something different from "it's."  I know.  It's annoying for me to do that.  But--like Lynne Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves--I believe that the decline in language ability is a precursor to the destruction of civilization as we know it.  I'm . . . a "wordie."

So when I see the latest anti-Harry Reid ad, with its "Really[,] Harry?" slogan (see here), I ask myself how an advertising company could manage not to insert the comma.  Would having a comma somehow scream "elitism" and fail to resonate with the voting public?  American Crossroads puts the comma in when announcing the ad (see here).  What happened to the missing comma in the ad itself?

Imagine how happy I was, then, to see an op-ed in today's Las Vegas Sun (I'd publish the link, but the Sun doesn't have it up) by Jan Freeman, my new favorite grammarian (see here).  The column discusses the history of various word pairs that supposedly connote distinctions (e.g., "authentic" vs. "genuine").  It's enough to make a wordie sigh happily.  Brava, Ms. Freeman!

Update:  For the opposite point of view, see here and here.   Hat tip to my buddy Bruce.

Why I love the Luxor Las Vegas

I had a gathering for some friends this week, and I talked with Felix Rappaport about how to make the event really memorable.  Felix introduced me to Jean George and Linda Kelly, both of whom took my breath away with the amount of spoiling they did:  a breathtaking room, two great cabanas, and champagne and snacks.  I felt like a VIP from the moment we arrived to the moment that we left.

Yes, the party was amazing, but I've always been impressed by the staff at Luxor.  Everyone from the valet to the bell desk to the folks at check-in to the folks at the shops -- all of them exceptionally nice and friendly.  (And all of them have said great things about Felix, Jean, and Linda.)

So thank you, Luxor, and here's to the next time I hang out with you!