No Shit, Sherlock

From the "no duh" files, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the wealthy are less worried about the economy than the rich. The Note has the story:
The Wall Street Journal's Jon Hilsenrath reports that "while many average Americans remain wary about the economy, wealthy Americans feel more confident. The University of Michigan's monthly surveys of consumer sentiment show that confidence among the top-third of income earners in the U.S. is up 24% since February. Confidence in middle-income households is up 10% and in the poorest households is down 2%."

Will tomorrow's WSJ report that the sun rises in the East?

— October 13, 2003

Breaching the Fuck Barrier

One of my idle speculation involves saying the naughtiest of naughty words on television. When will "fuck" be said on non-live prime time television? "Shit" was said on NYPD Blue sometime around 1999, though many local stations bleeped it. Back then, I guessed that "fuck" would be said in 2005. Maybe that was too early, but an important milestone for saying "fuck" on TV has been reached.

According to Steve Gilliard, the FCC has OKed "fuck" -- as long as it doesn't refer to "sexual or excretory activities". The ruling was in response to U2's Bono saying it at the Golden Globe Awards in January. The FCC said that while the word was crude, he was using it for emphasis, not to describe a sexual activity.

So I guess you can say something is "fucking awesome", but not "fuck you".

— October 13, 2003