Stephen Smith

One phrase and why I'm sorry I quoted it

bbc.co.uk — It was a barbaric attack carried out in broad daylight on the streets of London. A man hacked to death. The attackers had been shot by the police. An extraordinary and horrific story but not one, you might think, for the Political Editor of the BBC.

Allen Iverson, NBA icon, struggles with life after basketball

washingtonpost.com — "He'll be on time," Aron says assuredly. "That's all that matters." Three years after Iverson's last NBA game, the spotlight has shifted from his play to his flaws. His refusal back then to play by society's rules was seen as an independent player's quirks, part of the character and the brand, same as his cornrows and tattoos.

Dropped Apostrophes Spark Grammar War in Britain

rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com — Grand Canyon National Park LONDON - A local council in southern England has sparked a grammar war with proposals to ban the apostrophe from its street signs to avoid what it calls "adverse consequences in times of emergency."

Harvard E-mail Search Stuns Faculty Members

nytimes.com — "I was shocked and dismayed," said the law professor Charles J. Ogletree. "I hope that it means the faculty will now have something to say about the fact that these things like this can happen."