About Editing and Writing

Cheating Their Way to the World Series

September 29, 2023

From a Wall Street Journal television review by John Anderson headlined “The Astros Edge: Triumph and Scandal in Major League Baseball Review: Cheating Their Way to the World Series”

With the regular MLB season winding down and the playoffs about to start, the autumn air may soon be filled with cries of “Play ball!” “Beer here!” and “Cheaters!”—the last of these being aimed at the Houston Astros. Should things go their way, the Astros might well be en route to their fifth World Series appearance in seven years, the first of these—2017—being the source of their infamy.

How General Charles Q. Brown Became the Nation’s Highest-Ranking Officer

September 29, 2023

From a New York Times story by Helene Cooper headlined “How Gen. Charles Q. Brown Became the Nation’s Highest-Ranking Officer”:

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. is known for being steady in a storm.

There was the time in 1991 when his F-16 was struck by lightning and he had to eject into the alligator-infested Everglades, earning the call sign “Swamp Thang.” The time in 2020, just days before his Senate confirmation vote to be Air Force chief, when he spoke quietly but forcefully in a video of the many African Americans who have suffered the same fate as George Floyd.

California Senator Diane Feinstein Dies at 90

September 29, 2023

From an AP story headlined “Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein of California dies at 90″:

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90.

Three people familiar with the situation confirmed her death to The Associated Press on Friday.

Feinstein, the oldest sitting U.S. senator, was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground.

Gannett Wants to Save Local Journalism—It Thinks Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Can Help

September 29, 2023

From a Wall Street Journal story by Alexandra Bruell and Ann-Marie Alcantara headlined “Gannett Wants to ‘Save Local Journalism.’ It Thinks Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Can Help.”:

Lexi Thompson recently took a dip in her parents’ swimming pool—not to lounge and relax, but as part of her application to become a newspaper reporter,

“I’m going to tell all of you guys at USA Today why I would be an amazing Taylor Swift reporter,” Thompson says in a video as the camera zooms in on her, resting arms flat on the edge of the pool—a shot reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon in “Legally Blonde,” in which her character, Elle Woods, submits a video essay to get into Harvard.

Ed Fancher: A Founder of The Village Voice

September 29, 2023

From a New York Times obit by Richard Sandomir headlined “Ed Fancher, a Founder of The Village Voice, Is Dead at 100”:

Ed Fancher, a psychologist who started The Village Voice, the nationally known alternative weekly newspaper, with two partners in 1955 and remained its publisher until new ownership dismissed him 19 years later, died at his home in Manhattan.

In a city brimming with daily newspapers, The Voice found its niche as an alternative newsweekly in the bohemian culture of Greenwich Village, where another weekly, The Villager, had been publishing since the 1930s.

Alarmed Republicans Are Preparing to Draft Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin

September 28, 2023

From a Washington Post column by Robert Costa headlined “Alarmed Republicans are preparing to draft Glenn Youngkin”:

Some of the biggest Republican donors in the country will converge next month at the historic Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach for a two-day meeting to rally behind Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The closed gathering, named the “Red Vest Retreat” after the fleece Youngkin wore during his 2021 campaign, will begin Oct. 17 and be focused, officially, on the Republican effort to win full control of the General Assembly in Virginia’s upcoming elections. But unofficially, several donors tell me, it will be an opportunity for them to try to push, if not shove, Youngkin into the Republican presidential race.

Senators Nix Casual Clothing, Set New Dress Code for Senate Floor

September 28, 2023

From an AP story by Mary Clare Jalonick headlined “Senators nix casual clothing as bipartisan resolution sets new dress code for Senate floor”:

No shorts on the Senate floor.

The Senate voted Wednesday evening to reverse an informal guidance issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last week that senators could wear what they want when voting or speaking in the chamber. The resolution, passed by voice vote with no objections, requires that ”business attire be worn on the floor of the Senate, which for men shall include a coat, tie, and slacks or other long pants.” It did not specify what women should wear.

Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Delay Trial in Fraud Case

September 28, 2023

From a New York Times story by Jonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess headlined “Appeals Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Delay Trial in Fraud Case”:

Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud trial over accusations that he inflated the value of his properties by billions of dollars could begin as soon as Monday after a New York appeals court rejected the former president’s attempt to delay it.

The appeals court, in a terse two-page order Thursday, effectively turned aside for now a lawsuit Mr. Trump filed against the trial judge, Arthur F. Engoron. The lawsuit had sought to delay the trial, and ultimately throw out many of the accusations against the former president.

Michael Gambon: British Actor Who Played Dumbledore

September 28, 2023

From a story on reuters.com headlined “Michael Gambon, British actor who played Dumbledore, dies aged 82”:

British-Irish actor Michael Gambon, best known to global audiences for playing the wise professor Albus Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” movie franchise and whose career was launched by his mentor Laurence Olivier, died on Thursday.

Gambon began his acting on the stage in the early 1960s and later moved into TV and film. Notable film roles include a psychotic mob leader in Peter Greenaway’s “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover” in 1989 and the elderly King George V in Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” in 2010.

How the Technological Revolution on Ukraine Battlefields Is Reshaping Modern Warfare

September 28, 2023

From a Wall Street Journal story by Yaroslav Trofimov headlined “Drones Everywhere: How the Technological Revolution on Ukraine Battlefields Is Reshaping Modern Warfare”:

CHASIV YAR, Ukraine—Wearing video goggles, a Ukrainian trooper crouched on the top floor of a gutted high-rise and piloted a small drone into the nearby Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut.

With a swoosh, the first-person-view drone—which cost roughly $300 to assemble—sped after a target of opportunity, blowing up a pickup truck full of Russian troops.

About Editing and Writing

Cheating Their Way to the World Series

How General Charles Q. Brown Became the Nation’s Highest-Ranking Officer

California Senator Diane Feinstein Dies at 90

Gannett Wants to Save Local Journalism—It Thinks Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Can Help

Ed Fancher: A Founder of The Village Voice

Alarmed Republicans Are Preparing to Draft Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin

Senators Nix Casual Clothing, Set New Dress Code for Senate Floor

Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Delay Trial in Fraud Case

Michael Gambon: British Actor Who Played Dumbledore

How the Technological Revolution on Ukraine Battlefields Is Reshaping Modern Warfare

About Editing

What Editors Should Look for in Writers

About Writing

Writing That Is of Marginal Interest