Odds and Ends

Paperwhites, 3 weeks along

Overheard on a Train

Two men were having a discussion about the friend of one of them.

"He used to weigh about 300 pounds, but then he lost a bunch of weight," the friend said.

"Now he weighs about 140, and he just looks emancipated."


Bad Newspaper Sentences 

"The death of the . . .baby. . . was the third time in recent months that babies in the city had been fatally thrown from a window of their family homes."
     
     (The first thing I thought when I read this sentence was, we've got to find that 
      window and BOARD IT UP.  Also the "death" was not the third "time," it was 
      the third "death.")

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"I will brave the commute Thursday, but am taking off Friday, said Maureen Lambusta, who's office is in Penn Plaza by Madison Square Garden. 

      (I know, pronouns are difficult.)

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He instead proposed slashing the 7 percent sales tax on all boats in half to also help "individuals, including middle-class citizens, who purchase smaller boats."

     (Exactly how many boats are in half here?)

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The bear exited the home through the window as police arrived before one of the officers fatally shot the animal. 

     (Of course the police arrived before one of the officers shot the animal.  Two
      sentences would have described the situation better.)

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Hayes decided to become an organ donor years before, Carpenter said. The decision was not initially met with his father's approval, Carpenter admitted.

    (Where did the father's approval not meet the decision, I want to know.)