Archive for July, 2006

Pretty Persuasion

From the underrated dark comedy Pretty Persuasion (2004):

Kimberly: Randa, what’s the greatest thing about this country?
Randa: Sylvester Stallone?
Kimberly: No. It’s that anybody can sue anybody at anytime over anything.

Perhaps (or perhaps not) relatedly: the tale of driving instructor Norman Swerling, acquitted of raping one of his students. The school district paid him $250,000 to stay at home instead of returning to work. (Keith O’Brian, “Not Guilty”, Boston Globe, Jul. 9).

No benefits for alcoholic who drank ethanol

“An Iowa judge has denied unemployment benefits to a man who claimed discrimination after being fired from an ethanol plant for drinking ‘automobile fuel’ produced by the company.” Cory Neddermeyer, 42, was fired after being hospitalized with an almost fatal 0.72 blood-alcohol level after dipping into the 190-proof fuel at his employer, Amaizing Energy in Denison, Iowa. “Neddermeyer argued that his employer shared in the responsibility for the incident because the spill at the plant provided an ‘opportunity’ for him to drink. He also argued that Amaizing Energy was discriminating against him due to his ‘disease of alcoholism.'” (Clark Kauffman, “Man fired for getting gassed on spilled ethanol at work”, Des Moines Register, Jul. 9 (via Romenesko)).

“Tide turns against rape — but why?”

“The Washington Post recently reported that since the 1970s, rape has diminished in frequency by some 85 percent.” Both feminists and televangelists would seem to have some trouble accounting for this welcome trend, given that access to pornography on the one hand, and the trappings of modernism in general on the other, remain ubiquitous (Steve Chapman, syndicated/Chicago Tribune, Jun. 29)(reg).

Slavery reparations gaining momentum?

The Associated Press claims, on evidence whose strength readers may assess for themselves, that advocates of slavery reparations now constitute a “sophisticated, mainstream movement” which is “quietly chalking up victories and gaining momentum”. Amid all its cheerleading for the concept, the article brings in my Manhattan Institute colleague John McWhorter for token balance (Erin Texeira, “Slavery reparations gaining momentum”, AP/Boston Globe, Jun. 9).