A DOONESBURY EASTER SPECIAL

See it here.

Also: Doonesbury will be on hiatus through Monday, June 16, 2008.

WORD OF THE YEAR 2007: EARLY CANDIDATES

Here are some words I noticed this year (once or twice with the help of a friend):

belief tank

botnet

efforting ("The stinkiest addition to the language is 'efforting'—as in TV producers saying, 'I'm efforting a picture we can use of Lindsay Lohan.' Please—I'm efforting to vomit, darling."—Michael Musto, The Village Voice (Feb 7-13, 2007)

favorited (noted by David Bergdahl)

Juneuary

PowerPoint Ranger (seen in Doonesbury; also, "'PowerPoint Ranger' is a derogatory term for a desk-bound bureaucrat more adept at making slides than tossing grenades.")

rehab (It's been around for a while, but it seemed to take on a new life—or a new nuance?—in terms of media/celebrity coverage since the beginning of 2007.)

school shooter (Students interviewed at Virginia Tech seemed to have a clear a priori understanding of the meaning of this term.)

shipper (A fandom term used since the late 1990s, it might have gained traction this year.)

DAVID HALBERSTAM (1934-2007)

I know very little of David Halberstam and his work, but all that I've heard has been positive. My heart goes out to those who loved him, especially one friend who knew him well and feels his loss deeply.

Here is a piece on Halberstam by Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute. And here's a piece by Richard Reeves, thanks to a lead from Romanesko.

And now for something completely different: a 1979 Halberstam storyline from Doonesbury!