John Kelly's Commons: February 22, 2009 - February 28, 2009
BritNews RoundUp: Funny Name Edition
A lot of British people already have funny names--all those Bryony Plumpingtons and Colin Dithering-Smythes--so it's a treat to see even odder names, as described in this BBC story. Actually, what they're called is "most unfortunate names," as determined by...
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John Kelly
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February 27, 2009; 11:01 AM ET |
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Oh, Say Can You D.C.? Our Essay Contest Winners
How does that song go? You don't know what you've got till it's gone? I thought about that as I was picking my favorite entries in our "What Does It Mean to Be a Washingtonian?" essay contest. Many of the...
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John Kelly
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February 27, 2009; 6:39 AM ET |
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Are Cousins the Worst Relatives?
It's a bad time to be a cousin. Baseball's Alex Rodriguez said his cousin was the one who injected him with steroids. The Washington Nationals are embarrassed about the $1.4 million signing bonus they gave to a Dominican ballplayer who...
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John Kelly
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February 26, 2009; 9:25 AM ET |
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Silly Syllables: More News Haikus
The overwhelming lack of response to yesterday's news haikus -- or "naikus," as I've dubbed them -- was not enough to stop me from doing it again: Economy shot, We seek ways to save money. DIY nose jobs? Young conservatives...
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John Kelly
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February 26, 2009; 9:00 AM ET |
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Today's Top Stories, Condensed
I introduce a new feature today: The News in Haiku Form. Why bother plowing through long, boring, informative articles when you can simply read about the day's most pressing issues in classic Japanese poetic form? Here's today's news, served up...
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John Kelly
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February 25, 2009; 9:00 AM ET |
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Dubai? Du Why? Mayor Fenty's Odd Trip
Dubai? What a weird place for Mayor Fenty to go. True, it is listed in "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," but then again so is Sturgis, S.D. The United Arab Emirates paid the mayor's way. Fenty paid for...
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John Kelly
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February 24, 2009; 9:45 AM ET |
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Where in Washington?
Who knows what this is: Do you recognize the handsome structure pictured on this postcard from the collection of Jerry McCoy? If so, send its name to me at kellyj@washpost.com. The person who sends me the first correct entry will...
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John Kelly
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February 23, 2009; 11:30 AM ET |
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Apostrophe Apostasy
In my column today I profile John Richards, who founded a group in England devoted to saving the apostrophe. It's illustrated with a lovely photo of the 84-year-old retired journalist sitting in a garden. If I'd had the time, I...
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Washington Post Editors
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February 23, 2009; 9:10 AM ET |
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Who Wants to Be a Washingtonian?
It's the day after the Academy Awards and we're gearing up for our own gala awards ceremony around here. This is "What Does It Mean to Be a Washingtonian?" Week. On Friday we'll announce the winner of our first-ever essay...
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John Kelly
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February 23, 2009; 9:00 AM ET |
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