zut:
You know, I could probably credibly claim that I purposely included a typo as an homage to Cecil , much the same way that some rug-makers purposely include a point of asymmetry to demonstrate their humility before God. But let’s face it, the “m” and “n” keys on my computer are way too close.
And, as far as plagiarism goes, try Googling some distinctive phrases from Cecil’s more popular columns:
“I have been in repeated contact with the Beijing government” from If all Chinese jumped at once, would cataclysm result? (06-Apr-1984) results in eighteen matches .Is it true about Catherine the Great and the horse? (17-Nov-1978) results in ten matches .Did a French vaudeville star once specialize in trained flatulence? (06-Jul-1984) results in fifteen matches .Why does Heinz ketchup say “57 varieties”? I only see one variety results in seven matches .Is it true what they say about gerbils? results in twelve matches .
And a bunch more with three or four repititions apiece. Some of these are legitimate quotations with attributions, or course, but many are not.
To be fair, if you repeat the same search with -“straight dope”, there are only 3 or 4 results at most.
mobo85
December 2, 2004, 12:01am
22
As much as I hate to hijack this thread, I just wanted to say that I’ve always liked “That Wacky Millennium” and “That Wacky Century” and was surprised to see their author posts here. Small world, innit? That wacky off-topic post!