That notorious word

This week I saw "Notorious" on DVD. I didn't know the "mother" word -- or is it the "mutha" word? -- could be used in so many combinations and permutations.

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Answer to Wednesday's puzzlement: 1 BC was followed by 1 AD. There was no zero year.

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My last two cars were recommended by Consumer Reports ... then unrecommended months later. In fact, my current auto is on the magazine's list of "used cars to avoid." Never mind that the car  has always run fine, it will now be worth less at trade-in time. Thanks a lot, Consumer Reports.

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My wife and I had planned to join the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps when we retired. But, as they often do, circumstances intervened.

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In a class on how George Orwell's novel "1984" is coming true, I encountered the word "duckspeak," which means to speak rubbish without thinking, a la our past president. And all this time I thought duckspeak is what Donald did.

Speak up -- if you dare

The other day it was mentioned in my geezer class that people who take a stand -- be it on abortion, gay rights or whatever -- can expect to pay a price. Maybe I should take a stand, perhaps against loudmouthed Fox News commentators or maybe the tiny minority of people in motorized wheelchairs or other mini-vehicles who feel it is all right to be rude while improperly cutting cut in front of you in line. Ah, but if I did that I would pay the price of losing perhaps half my readers. (What's half of zero, anyway?)

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Playboy really should get rid of the monthly page that features several photos of Hugh Hefner looking like a wax dummy.

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As mentioned in an Arlo & Janis comic strip some time back, life is too short to wash cars.

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Why is it that nearly every U.S.-written feature about Canada seems to have "eh?" in the headline or lead sentence? When writing about Americans, Canadian writers don't automatically put in "like, yuh know."

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There are plenty of social networking pages, but this is one of the few antisocial networking ones!