Beginning Our 253rd Year

Friday, October 3, 2008—OK, so we didn’t quite get a post up yesterday. We were experiencing a slightly higher-than-normal level of chaos around here. Did the world end? All right, then. What we’re looking at just to the upper right is a bundle of 50 copies of our Volume 253, No. 1, bearing today’s date. We just completed our 252nd year, and we have hopes of making it through the next. We’re displaying a bundle of papers to make one point: in a nation going rapidly to hell because the lie to truth ratio is about a million to one, hardly anyone we know is …

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Places To Go, Things To Do

Wednesday, October 1, 2008—Well, we’re really not going anywhere, but the paper goes to the printer tomorrow, so we do have things to do. Visitors may expect a gloating update tomorrow, after our deadline. In the meantime, if anyone knows the make of this glorious chariot, seen recently cruising through Market Square, please advise via the Comments.

Beauty Contest

Tuesday, September 30, 2008—Non-binding elections have long been known as “beauty contests.” Now we’re heading into an alleged election that could put this real, live beauty contest winner, Sarah (Heath) Palin, a heartbeat—an old man’s heartbeat—away from the Presidency. Either democracy is a lousy idea, or something’s screwy. Forty years ago the alleged editor of this venerable rag began pondering this question: if the American form of government is the best in the world, what are we doing here in Vietnam, killing and being killed to no apparent purpose? Eventually—about twenty years later—he stumbled across a fairly obvious answer. The government screwed up, of course. …

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And Now For Something Very Similar

Monday, September 29, 2008—We’re going to break with our recent tradition here—posting every two weeks whether there’s any news or not—and start posting daily. Since we already have far too many little tasks to do just putting a newspaper together every fourteen days, we’ll probably go the Open Thread route most days, and encourage visitors to sound off about whatever’s on their minds. To the extent that the Alleged Editor chimes in, readers may expect a monotonous series of arguments in favor of free, small newspapers like this one, and like Seattle’s terrific Eat the State. Today, though, in recognition of those governing geniuses who …

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Yes We Can …

Friday, September 19, 2008 – … so we did: put another 5,00 or so copies of a free eight-page tabloid newspaper on the streets, and in the mail. Not the biggest deal in the world, we’ll grant, but for fans of This Olde Rag, it’s something. Meanwhile, for those outside our distribution area, here’s a free PDF to download, electronically simulating our September 5 paper, (Volume 252, No. 25, for the archivists out there; 2.8 MB). This issue includes our initial response to Senator McCain’s astonishing choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. Being almost completely unimpeded by fears of …

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On Time, and Under Budget

Friday, September 5, 2008 – Pardon us for bragging, but given our recent history, it seems justified. Besides, after listening to various shards of the Republican Convention over the past few days, we’re infused with self-regard. Anyway, here’s our August 22 paper, (Volume 252, No. 24, for you archivists; 3.4 MB). In this issue, we take a few swings at Rick “Dr. Evil” Berman. And why not? He had the nerve to come to our Congressional District and empty out his sewage truck into our information stream. Also, our Starving Artiste Mike Dater interprets a comment by Michael Mukasey. And we scratch our editorial chin …

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