Uneasy Rhetoric

I don’t think I ever sat through an entire Bollywood movie, but I know I can sit for hours and watch the Indian music “videos” (many of which I think are just taken from the movies) on the International Channel.
Bollywood for the Skeptical includes an excellent history of Bollywood movies and the languages of Indian [...]

At the beginning of the month, Microsoft announced Welsh language versions of Windows XP and Office. From the story:
Welcoming the software, Welsh Language Minister Alun Pugh, said: “The launch of Windows and Office 2003 in Welsh marks a real milestone for the language and fits in well with the Welsh Assembly Government’s vision [...]

Today, I had a little bit of cultural experience turn on its head. I had to call my doctor, but did not want to broadcast my medical history in my open office.
In years past, to seek some privacy, I might have borrowed an office with a door, or gone into a conference room, but [...]

Kerik loses his place in history because, like so many others, he “forgot” to pay social security taxes. Which begs the question, why does this practice continue? Why do the fortunate continue to deny their servants a little bit of the social security pie?
But I digress. From a Washington Post wire story, [...]

Roads Gone Wild, Wired Magazine, December 2004.
It is now generally accepted wisdom that adding a crosswalk to an intersection does nothing to make pedestrians safer, and may actually increase accidents. The reason? Psychology. A pedestrian crossing at an unmarked intersection will double check oncoming traffic and will maintain vigilance all the way [...]