|
|
The increasingly inaccurately-named blog of journalist and futurist Chris Taylor. Either the most sporadically brilliant amateur blog, the most brilliantly amateur sporadic blog, or the most amateur sporadic brilliance on the Web since 2001.
Oh My God, the RSS Feed Actually Works!
Daily Blah FAQ
Who are you?
I'm the newly-appointed Future editor at Business 2.0 and the former San Francisco correspondent for Time Magazine.
Wow, so does this mean everything you write reflects Time Inc's opinion? Or do you perhaps have some sort of standard disclaimer to the effect that it doesn't?
Naturally, the opinions contained in this blog are not those of my employers. In fact, some opinions may be the polar opposite of my employers. Some may be the same, for all I know. Hey, it's not like I ask my employers their opinions about everything in the news, okay? Let's just say that if this were a Venn diagram with one circle marked "my opinions" and the other one marked "my employers' opinions", there would doubtless be some overlap. But neither I nor my employers are able to pinpoint exactly where that overlap is.
What is this Daily Blah thing?
An experiment for a column I wrote about blogging back in December 2001. All these years later, I haven't been able to kick the habit.
Do you write any other blogs, by chance? Could that have something to do with the fact that Daily Blah isn't always Daily?
Yes -- the Future Boy blog for Business 2.0. And yes. If you want true, editorially-mandated daily coverage from me, that's probably the best place to look.
Mister, you talk funny. Are you one of them furrners?
Why yes I am, as it happens. I was born, raised and educated in Great Britain. I've been living in the U.S. since 1996 and identify as British.
I say, old chap, you forgot the "u" in "colour."
No I didn't. I may identify as British, but I am also an American journalist writing for an American audience about mostly American issues. These two different sides of me are a constant source of tension. Nevertheless, Daily Blah will adhere to American English grammar and spelling.
Praise for Daily Blah:
"It is fun to watch the author's navel-gazing joy." - Sunday Times (UK)
"It's really funny and informative." - Dave Eggers, author
"The Blah is becoming a daily destination for me." - Richard Marsh, Playwright
"I like it, and I don't." - Fiona Hogg, Teacher
"Better than Xanax." - Lessley Andersen, journalist
"Dude, lay off the crack pipe." - Souris Hong-Porretta, gamesmith
Friends, Bloggers, Countrymen ... lend your ears to these people. I come not to bury them, but praise them.
Arik
Bill
Dan
Cole
Emily B
Emily G
Helena
Jee
Jewelz
Kaila
Kathryn
Mac
Robin
Slim
Souris
Mr. West
My TIME articles
All magazine articles (subscription required for older stories)
Online column index
|
|
|
|
|
Daily Blah for... Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Please Enter Your Credit Card Number, and the Country You'd Like to be Evacuated From
You've probably heard the brouhaha about American citizens in the Lebanon being forced to pay for their own evacuation. It was a political storm on the verge of blowing up to Katrina-like proportions -- really, does Condelezza ever learn? First shopping for shoes while New Orleans drowns, now charging her citzens for evacuation from a warzone? -- until the administration, in a rising tide of panic, waived the fees.
If you're non-American, your first response was probably a sad, smug smirk that any nation could even think of charging its citizens in such circumstances -- that, at least, was the official French response quoted on NPR. And if you're American, your first response was probably a sad shake of the head that Congress could have made a law requiring the State Department to charge evacuees -- or that the State Department was so politically tone-deaf as to execute such bad law. Not only that, they printed up promissory notes -- IOUs, in other words -- for the harried, bomb-scared families to sign. I love this bit from the San Jose Merc's story:
Americans seeking U.S. Embassy for help in leaving the country had been asked to sign promissory notes, which [assistant secretary for consular affairs Maura] Harty portrayed as part of the registration process for evacuation. 'We are going to need to know that everybody who says they're an American citizen is an American citizen,' she said.
Of course. Because what could be more American than being forced to pay for vital services at the moment you most vitally need them? Only American citizens would expect to be charged in such circumstances. That's the way to root out Johnny Foreigner and prevent him from getting on the American steamer home: he's the only one not whipping out his wallet in order to copy his credit card number on the promissory note. In fact, he seems to be demanding that his elected government ought to provide such a thing by right. Imagine! A citizen with the right to get something for nothing? It's socialism gone mad!
|
|
|
|
