From random polling ... for best new oxymoron ... a list of all too familiar entries--however a few were new to me and after I collect all submissions by end of week I will post leading contenders for best of the bunch.  Till then, I'll let you know that current leader is:
Microsoft Works. 

From The New Yorker…

Article begins with:  “Pakistan has a way of cutting careers short…”  and goes on...

"Most recently, the U.S. Ambassador, Cameron Munter, retired prematurely because, according to a colleague quoted in the Times,  “he didn’t realize his main job was to kill people.”

Piece then recounts discussion he had with some students at Columbia Law School, where he now a visiting Professor. 

 “ He distinguished three types of drone attacks:  high-value targets (“Article Fifty-one of the U.N. charter gives us the right to go after these people…I don’t have a problem with that”); imminent threats, mostly to troops in Afghanistan (“Those, to, are fairly un-controversial, at least inside our government”); and signature strikes, firing a missle at guys who “look like they’re up to no good” (targeting based on behavior, rather than identity”).  This became a source of contention between Munter and the C.I.A. :  When you kill people and you don’t know who they are, what are you leaving yourself open to?”

Apparently, the CIA has learned something from Jewish Mothers by following the rule of…”you can never be too careful.”

A South Shore Clean up after the aptly named Storm.

From Sandy's Shores...

Was helping one of our new neighbors in The Springs who was digging up the beach to find the anchor to the raft he puts in the bay each summer (we managed to dig out about 40 feet of chain--but never found the anchor) and he told me he lost three cars...one a pick-up truck he uses for construction work.

Un-Real Ark that survived real flood.

From Hollywood land...Did you know that they are shooting a movie about 

Noah? And that the enormous 

Ark they built for it is in Oyster Bay Long Island? And that it was undamaged by Super Storm Sandy?  Nice to know that at least the fictional places and people were spared.

From Palestine...Trying to learn more about 20^th century history of middle-east, especially events preceding WWII.  Starting with The Balfour Declaration in 1917 and beginning of British Mandate in 1920 it sure starts to get dense with a crazy quilted pattern of promises made and broken, agreements signed and ignored, intentions stated and withdrawn and then continuing to repeat and intensify as anger and resentment mounts and gets passed along from one generation to the next until martyrdom and myth replace reason and reality.  I can easily imagine any direct inheritor of either of the opposing legacies born during the most violent chapters  of this history—having a helluva time being convinced to put his weapons down. 

Finding much at: 

http://mideastweb.org/

From Fran Leibowitz... our contemporary Oscar Wilde even resembles him (uncannily so) but the more compelling common thread is the irrepressible compulsion to amuse through clever contrarianism and undiluted disdain for dishonest decorum and political correctness.  Just heard her interviewed on the radio the other day, and she was in fine form as she railed against the hypocrisy, absurdity, banality, triviality, mediocrity, stupidity and ridiculousness of....everything.  I leave you with sampler of greatest hits.


Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying.

Your responsibility as a parent is not as great as you might imagine. If your child simply grows up to be someone who does not use the word collectible as a noun, you can consider yourself an unqualified success.


If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater suggest that he wear a tail.


Being a woman is of special interest only to aspiring male transsexuals. To actual women it is merely a good excuse not to play football.


There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness or death.


Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.

The terrible state of public education has paid huge dividends in ignorance.

When we have a terrorist attack, on September 11, 2001 with 19 men — 15 of them are Saudis — and five minutes later the whole country thinks they’re from Iraq — how can you have faith in the public? This is an easily checkable fact. The whole country is like the O.J. Simpson jurors.

I doubt there’s ever been a true thing said on Fox. Maybe the weather report, maybe not.

I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not. 

Polite conversation is rarely either. 

U Is for:
ulotrichous	Having very wooly hair
ultracrepidarian	Offering opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge
usufructuary	One who enjoys use of something, especially property