On April 12, 1955, Edward R. Murrow asked Jonas Salk who owned the patent to the polio vaccine. “Well, the people, I would say,” Salk responded. “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”

Right on the first point, irrelevant hyperbole on the second, according to Slatecom.

The public voluntarily funded the vaccine’s incredibly expensive research ( Read more... )

Today one of my writing students showed me his composition.  He had some good ideas, but his sentences were terribly clumsy.  I told him both points ( Read more... )

One college student always came late, but he tried hard in class so she never said anything.  Then he told the teacher he needs a 'B'.
( Why? )

The G.O. put up a poster of the Statue of Liberty holding up a torch in each fist. (Why two?  Don't ask.)( Look Twice... )

Is your writer’s block coming from laziness?
Butt-in-Chair is the solution.

Is your writer’s block coming from not knowing what to write?
( Mark Twain is always in context )

Anna just finished killing her dragon.  She’s exhausted.  As she walks through her door, she sees a letter tucked under a rock near the door.  Why hasn’t the post-mistress held the letter until Anna could come over for a good gossip?  Who cares, she’s tired.

Want to bet she should have read the letter right away?
( Tune in for more exciting adventures... )

Many people envision a muse, a word fairy who inspires them to write.  I envision a well, who’s walls are waist high, with a bucket ready to drop in and haul out the words.  Sometimes, inspiration comes raining down.  Most of the inspiration falls on the field, and I forget the idea before it gets written down, but a lot falls into the well, and ( Read more... )