Monthly Archives: February 2010

A lick is still a lick

By Peppermint Patti JOTR Columnist I like to play with their heads, Sophie, to the extent that two-leggers can be said to have heads. Hah! Overstatement? I don’t think so. I’m not saying two-leggers lack intelligence, exactly. On occasion, they … Continue reading

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Henry the 8th and all that

By Joel Thurtell What this country needs is more historians. Or at least, people who THINK like historians. Thinking like a historian involves two different kinds of mental concentration. First, a historian understands that, according to the laws of physics, … Continue reading

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Measuring ‘progress’ in poor countries

By Joel Thurtell I know I’m paying too much for things that only a few years ago I’d have considered luxuries, prestige purchases that drained my savings without contributing lasting good to our household. Things like cell phones, and  even … Continue reading

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‘A+’ for deceit

By Luke Warm Professor of Mendacity University of Munchausen My purpose in lecturing you today is to explain how it’s possible for a journalistic essay to be judged inferior or even given a failing grade according to conventional standards, when … Continue reading

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Lunch and glory

By Peppermint Patti JOTR Columnist I caught a mouse once, Sophie. Just once. It was a powerful lesson to me, too. About pride, you know, hubris, chutzpah, all rolled into one package. I knew there was something wrong. This was … Continue reading

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Fair to poor

By Joel Thurtell Fair to poor. That’s what I think of the February 5, 2010 Detroit Free Press editorial about the need for a new bridge across the Detroit River. By the way, those are the same words an engineering firm, … Continue reading

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Another auto bailout?

By J. P. Tappet JOTR Auto Writer Got a funny feelin’ ’bout this Toyota mess. Wonder if it ain’t another kinda bailout. Comin’ out now that the feds, i.e., the Highway Traffic Safety Administration, cut a deal with Toyota back … Continue reading

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Third-party scammers

By Joel Thurtell If you get telephone service from ATT, better cast a wary eye over your bill. You might find what I found–phony charges. My January ATT bill contained more than my usual bill for phone and Internet connections. … Continue reading

Posted in ATT & me, Bad government | Tagged , , | 30 Comments

Canada’s banks

By Joel Thurtell I was pleased to see Nobel Prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has discovered the benefits of banking in Canada. Finally. The rule here at JOTR is that we never gloat over other writers’ failings, since … Continue reading

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Sticky throttles or goofy electronics?

If we found anything, we would take appropriate action. But we continue to think it’s entirely unlikely that an electronic malfunction is the cause. — Mike Michels, Toyota spokesman By Joel Thurtell Think again, Toyota.  I had trouble with a … Continue reading

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