First NPR Now This

Lingua Franca | Is Bad Writing Necessary?:

"On one side stand academic luminaries like University of California at Berkeley rhetorician Judith Butler and University of Pittsburgh English professor Jonathan Arac, who take their inspiration from critical theorists like Michel Foucault and Theodor Adorno. Arguing that their work has been misunderstood by journalists on the left, these radical professors distrust the demand for 'linguistic transparency,' charging that it cripples one's ability 'to think the world more radically.'

On the other side are ranged a variety of public intellectuals and journalists like UCLA historian Russell Jacoby, feminist writer Katha Pollitt, and NYU physicist Alan Sokal. Intolerant of bewildering jargon, they cannot see how deliberately difficult prose can possibly help change the world. As their patron saint, they often nominate George Orwell, the very image of a man who spoke truth to power and spoke it plainly."

I Eat Very Little Chocolate

Chocolate-Eaters More Likely to Be Depressed - Chocolate - Gawker:

"Participants in a recent study of dietary intake and chocolate consumption were given a mood test to screen for possible depression. Those who scored highest ('possible major depression') consumed the most chocolate—almost 12 servings a month. Those who scored 'not depressed' only ate 5.4 servings a month."

It's a Saab Thing

"If the 99 established Saab as a thoroughly modern car manufacturer, with its four-stroke engine and aerodynamic shape, it was the 1978 99 Turbo that cemented the brand's image as a builder of performance cars. Sure, a small contingent of Scandinavian rally kings could drive those smoky early Saabs to motorsports fame, but to the common public Saabs were just perceived as awkward little novelties. The 99 Turbo put the small Swedish builder on the radar for good."


FAU and I were talking about cars, and repairs, and a number of other things, and he pointed out that Saab owners are crazy...about their cars.

This is a very good article about the first American Saabs.

Saab 99 Turbo: The Car That Made Trollh�ttan Great - Saab 99 - Jalopnik

A Joke

So, Tiger Woods and Ben Roethlisberger walk into a bar...

What do you do?

Call the police.

This is...odd, right?

If it isn't odd, what does it say about me?

Via The Awl