Tag Archives: bad writing

One size fits all

Posted on May 26, 2016 by JBL

What does the author of this sentence think “one-size-fits-all” means? Our economy is too diverse for a one-size-fits-all sick and safe leave policy to work, particularly if enacted differently in each local community. The associated good news is that Minneapolis … Continue reading →

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Marijuana and driving

Posted on May 10, 2016 by JBL

I have no idea how one is supposed to parse this lead sentence: WASHINGTON — Six states that allow marijuana use have legal tests to determine driving while impaired by the drug that have no scientific basis, according to a … Continue reading →

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Doozy of a sentence

Posted on October 31, 2015 by JBL

From the Strib, no prepositions were harmed in the writing of this sentence: With his two young sons with him, a man rigged a car in a Lakeville home’s garage for a murder-suicide before fleeing until police soon caught up with … Continue reading →

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Training for the future

Posted on May 30, 2014 by JBL

Tomorrow’s Star Tribune is will run an article about how the Green Line has not yet transformed the neighborhoods through which it runs. The Green Line will start operating two weeks from now.

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What does “but” mean?

Posted on June 22, 2013 by JBL

From an AP article about the EPA maybe-sort-of backing off its contention that fracking contributed to water pollution in one particular spot in Wyoming: Environmentalists have voiced concern about fracking causing groundwater pollution for years, but the practice has significantly … Continue reading →

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In an article with the bizarre title As Miller Drops Out, Race for S.E.C. Chief Shifts, Ben Protess and Susanne Craig manage to employ the awful Wall St. versus Main St. cliché in a way that’s even worse than usual: … Continue reading →

Posted on November 28, 2012 by JBL | Leave a comment

Assorted New York Times blogging

Posted on April 29, 2012 by JBL

Three disasters, followed by two non-disasters: The Times style guide can’t really require the punctuation pattern in this paragraph, can it? The 44th president is enlisting the 42nd president, both as a historical validator of his own leadership and as … Continue reading →

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Did you hear the one about the efficient German?

Posted on September 7, 2011 by JBL

Here‘s a moderately interesting article in the Times about German attempts to collect taxes from the (legal) prostitution industry: The city of Bonn has begun collecting taxes from prostitutes with an automated pay station similar to a parking meter, proving … Continue reading →

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