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Author	Message
tomciav	Post subject: Well, I'll be dammed Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2004 1:20 pm
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 1:01 am Posts: 29 Location: Philadelphia, cradle of drug companies	Front page of today's New York Times:<p>Dam Building Threatens China's 'Grand Canyon'<p>Sure, it makes sense if you can see the three-column photo, but if you're scanning the headlines on the Times Web site, it's good for a laugh.<p>As the tour guides at the Hoover Dam say, "Leave the dam jokes to the dam professionals."
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Oeditpus Rex	Post subject: Re: Well, I'll be dammed Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 2:02 pm
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2003 1:01 am Posts: 1324 Location: N 36° 57' 9", W 121° 24' 2"	They actually do say stuff like that. It's not just a cheap joke written for "Vegas Vacation."<p>This brings up something that hasn't yet reached "peeve" status with me: When did it become acceptable to use "damn" when "damned" is called for? I'm seeing more of "the damn government" or whatever, and as far as I know that's the same as saying "the condemn government." Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Bumfketeer	Post subject: Re: Well, I'll be dammed Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 3:44 pm
Joined: Fri Nov 15, 2002 1:01 am Posts: 3557 Location: Cusp of retirement, grave or both	Brings up something with me that has reached peeve status: having to give personal info to look at a paper's Web site, which i refuse to do.
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nstockdale	Post subject: Re: Well, I'll be dammed Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 7:05 pm
Joined: Sat Feb 01, 2003 1:01 am Posts: 281 Location: Dallas	I don't understand why this makes people so mad, especially newspaper people. These Web sites need advertisers, and that advertising provides money that helps provide our paychecks. <p>We're getting content for free that otherwise we'd have to buy a paper for. The least we can do is share a couple of details to help them better target advertising -- as long as they promise not to send us e-mail or call our phones. And if you're worried about that, make that information up. <p>Yes, it's annoying, but most of the sites save your information, so it's generally only annoying once.
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SusanV	Post subject: Re: Well, I'll be dammed Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2004 10:14 pm
Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am Posts: 1399 Location: In the newsroom	There is no reason on this earth that a newspaper Web site needs my home address or phone number. I have taken to making up absoutely everything that's requested, including email addresses, and if the site will then only grant access with a confirming email I don't bother. Frankly, there is almost nothing I want that badly from any paper's Web site, and if something should turn up that I want to pursue, I can always find it some other way. (The advantages of working in this business.)
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