Quick hits today, to get the ball rolling again:
• I thought I was the originator of a great newsworthy pun — "
Between Iraq and a Hard Place" — but Google says otherwise. I was closer with "
Dems' Fighting Words," with only the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee getting there first. Still, with 322 million native English speakers in this world, and half of them it seems working for
The Economist's Clever Headline Department, finding a virgin pun is increasingly an uphill battle. I'm almost moved to quit the medium entirely.
• I think it would be a great social experiment to name identical twins Echinacea and Euthanasia, just to see what would happen to them.
• Overheard in the Oval Office during Howard Dean's post-Iowa Caucus rant: "Wow. He can just reel off the names of all those states like that?" Dubya then called for an atlas so he could personally verify that Dean was not making any up. Think he's feeling the heat now?
•
Popeye turns 75 on Saturday, apparently. This is a testament to the freeze-in-time quality of animation (or is it the spinach?), because I don't think he ever looked a day under 85.
• The Year of the Monkey begins today, so I'll be handing over the keyboard to Bobo . . . Wait. Wait just a minute. Bobo here is a chimp. I didn't want a chimp. I wanted a monkey. I specifically asked for a ringtailed monkey. Otherwise it doesn't work. Right? Jesus. You know, that's it right there — I've had it. You're all fired. All of you. Leave now, before I call Security.
Except for you, Bobo: you can stay, provided you run around the corner right now and get me a Diet Coke.
