I honor his accomplishments, but for god’s sake can we shut up about Lance Armstrong already?
Day: June 25, 2004
Choices
Since I’m starting grad school and parking and transportation around central campus is a pain, I decided to start biking it. Only problem: My very good and nice and fabulous Bianchi Lynx bike is still in San Francisco because I had problems attaching it to the Jeep securely enough for a 3,000-mile trip to Michigan…
Irritating Jacket Blurb of the Month
This appears on the front cover of the hyped-to-death Karen Joy Fowler novel The Jane Austen Book Club (Miss Austen would be most amused by her post-mortem fan club; or maybe mortified). What does this even mean? “If I could eat this novel, I would.” — Alice Sebold
Shorter <em>New York Times Book Review</em>
Reading it so you don’t have to ….. A full-page ad hawking Toni Morrison’s new line of handsome paperback editions of her novels “with deeply personal forewords reflecting on each work.” (I’ve never been able to finish the first chapter of a Toni Morrison novel. Maybe it’s just me.) An ad for a new book…
Northwest Threatens Employees
‘Northwest Airlines is threatening to discipline, and possibly fire, union employees if they proceed with picketing that questions the safety and security of Northwest flights, according to a letter the airline sent to the mechanics union. “It seems like pure intimidation,” said Jim Atkinson, president of Local 33 of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association. The…
Man Who Exposed Flaws Gets Probation
The man who exposed serious security flaws in airport security was « sentenced to probation this week »: ‘A college student who says he hid box cutters on airplanes to expose weaknesses in security was sentenced Thursday to two years supervised probation and fined $500. Nathaniel Heatwole also must serve 100 hours of community service and reimburse…
Smells Like Desperation
United is reporting that « it lost $94 million in May alone »: ‘United Airlines said in a bankruptcy court filing Thursday that it posted a net loss of $93 million in May its efforts to return to profitability complicated by near-record jet fuel costs. The nation’s No. 2 carrier, which is seeking an additional $500 million…
Private Screeners Return
So after all the wrangling and expense, not to mention the Republicans’ largest expansion of the federal government in American history, « airport screening is being returned to the private sector » by the Transportation Sicherheits Dienst: ‘Airports that want to replace government security screeners with privately employed workers can do so by early next summer, the…