Self-important humourless autofellating ass hats

Scott Adams, fellow blogger and the creator of the amazing Dilbert, has a lovely post on SHAAHs—Self-important, Humourless, Autofellating, Ass Hats—who misunderstand him and then get very angry about their misunderstandings.

“Unlike most pundit-types, I don’t have a heavy investment in being right. I like to propose a line of reasoning and see what people think. If it exposes my ignorance—or more commonly, the reader misunderstands it and assumes ignorance, also known as the SHAAH method— that doesn’t bother me much. I have some sort of genetic abnormality that allows me to experience high levels of insult and embarrassment and find amusement in it. I’m lucky that way. I would go so far as to say it’s the secret of my success”

What a dog can teach a journalist

Journalists are cynical and sceptical. It is supposed to be our stock in trade. Our motto is to question everything, suspect everything. But what happens when a child tells her journalist-father about what she read in a school textbook?

Read V Sudarshan in Outlook: The Dogged Pursuit

A brief (but not necessarily easy) quiz-I

John Simon said, “A person who misuses the language is as bereft of good taste as someone who picks his nose at a party.”

In that spirit, below are some sentences with common grammar and punctuation problems that trouble many people, least of all reporters and sub-editors.Can you spot the problems?

1) If I was rich, I’d do something about the homeless.

2) Theadministration hopes the faculty will set their own goals.

3) We feel badly that we missed your call.

4) You’ve been here longer than me.

5) Leave the parcel with whomever is in reception.

6) He lived in an old, red brick house.

7) I appreciate you doing this for me.

This gift will show someone you care about them.

9) We stayed outdoors like we did when we were young.

10) He is one of those who always wants the last word.

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Courtesy: The Book on Writing, the Ultimate Guide to Writing Well, by Paula LaRocque, writing coach of the Dallas Morning News