Weekend update: February 13

Hot takes, super fast

Programming note: We’ve got so many great takes cooking up in the Slow Boring kitchen that we’ll be maintaining the standard M-F publishing schedule next week notwithstanding the sacred President’s Day holiday.

Speaking of which, I do this take every year so why not do it again — President’s Day is stupid, but also extremely close to the Super Bowl. And when there isn’t a pandemic, Super Bowl Sunday is a great time to get together with friends, drink beer, stay up late, and otherwise have a good time. Except then you have to go to work the next day. The obvious solution is to either move President’s Day back one week to coincide with the Super Bowl or else officially proclaim a Super Bowl Monday holiday.

Use, mention, and taboo

I kind of feel like Donald McNeil got a raw deal from The New York Times in that it’s odd to force a reporter out for conduct that doesn’t really seem to have violated any policy that was clearly stated in advance.

But I actually have more to say on the anti-Mc…