01.26.07

MIT Dean of Admissions resigns after falsifying credentials

Posted in Necessary at 4:30 pm by megazoid

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01.12.07

Jordan un-ironically needs a good relationship with Israel

Posted in Incorrect at 9:45 am by megazoid

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01.10.07

Americans don’t trust DHS and TSA — well, duh!

Posted in Unnecessary at 9:57 pm by megazoid

From UPI:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration remain among the least trusted of all U.S. agencies, a new survey finds.

Indeed, the DHS came in dead last of all 74 federal agencies that the survey respondents were asked about.

Ironically, the survey showed the TSA and the DHS got slightly higher trust figures from the even lower ones they received last year.

DHS and TSA were perceived as untrustworthy last year but this year they’re more trustworthy. That’s a good thing; the general public thinks they’re mucking up less. I totally fail to see what the irony is though. This is a prime example of the abuse of the i-word — there is not even a half-assed attempt at setting up the irony because the word is entirely superfluous.

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01.04.07

Trans fats un-ironically the new toxic waste of our time

Posted in Incorrect at 5:26 pm by Vishy

From the North Jersey Media Group:

Trans fat is created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil — hydrogenation — to make the oil more solid and less likely to spoil…Ironically, many big fast-food companies became dependent on hydrogenated oil a decade and a half ago because they were pressured by health groups to do something about saturated fat. At the time, trans fats were considered a healthy alternative to animal fats and lard because they are unsaturated and made mainly from plant oils.

That trans-fats are facing the same fate as what replaced to begin with could be perhaps noteworthy or amusing, but ironic it is not. The situation might be labeled ironic if the ban on trans-fats came just as popular demand for them reached an all-time high. The noticeable changes in the popular perception of trans-fats is merely an interesting aside. In place of ironically, “As it turns out”, “Interestingly” or “Amusingly” might have been more appropriate.

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12.06.06

Vaughniston’s ironic breakup

Posted in Correct at 8:49 pm by Vishy

From United Press International:

The couple got together during the summer of 2005, ironically while filming “The Break-Up.”

Ironically here is correct, but the whole situation is just too funny to pass up. Aniston and Vaughn start a relationship while filming a movie about a break-up (oh the irony). After a while, they break up in real life, and in so doing, create an example of life imitating art. I’ve always thought life imitating art is in itself a subtle irony. After all, the Fourth Wall, however invisible, is still a wall.

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12.01.06

An impressive but totally un-ironic movie project

Posted in Incorrect at 2:19 pm by Vishy

An example so incorrect it’s juicy. From Baptist Press:

Ironically, production of “The Nativity Story” took about as long as the period of time the movie portrays — from just before Christ’s immaculate conception to just after His miraculous birth.

If making a movie about a pregnancy took only as long as a pregnancy in real life, that’s quite impressive. If a movie conceived (no pun intended) around a pregnancy, like this one or Nine Months, took, say, a year and a half from start to finish, you might somewhat legitimately call the situation ironic. The Nativity Story taking nine months, just like a pregnancy, conjures up as much irony as the fizzling out of a damp squib, or the boredom of watching paint dry.

Perhaps the author should have used “Amazingly” or “Surprisingly” instead.

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11.22.06

An ironic take on death

Posted in Incorrect, Unnecessary at 2:52 pm by Vishy

From The Age, an Australian newspaper:

Death is a mystery that hasn’t been resolved and never will be. It’s the only event in our lives that is certain and inevitable and ironically we have no control over it.

Is it really ironic that we have no control over something that is certain and inevitable? That would be like saying, “The green traffic light comes on after the red traffic light. This light change is certain and inevitable and ironically we have no control over it.”

The use of ironically here is unnecessary and incorrect. Instead of ‘and ironically’, a simple ‘but’ would have done.

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11.08.06

Florida’s anti-amendment amendment passes ironically

Posted in Correct at 10:02 pm by Vishy

From The Herald Tribune:

On Tuesday, Florida supported … [Amendment 3], which requires 60 percent of voters to approve an amendment for it to pass. Currently it takes a simple majority.

Ironically, Amendment 3 itself wouldn’t have passed under its rules: it received 58 percent support.

This is a correct use of the word ironically, because the measure would not have passed had it already been in effect.

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Bush gets ‘ironic’ responsiblity for de facto midterm referendum

Posted in Incorrect at 9:25 pm by Vishy

Via The Boston Globe:

“Ironically, Bush himself is largely responsible for making the midterm elections a referendum on his policies.”

There is nothing ironic about this situation. A midterm election, especially in the 6th year of a president’s term, is almost by definition a referendum on the ruling party. Bush would be making it a referendum on his policies regardless. There is no mention in the surrounding context about his not wanting to make this election a referendum about his policies. If there was such a mention, the ‘ironically’ might have been a little more justified.

The writer was probably looking for interestingly instead.

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Ironically, a weblog

01.26.07

MIT Dean of Admissions resigns after falsifying credentials

01.12.07

Jordan un-ironically needs a good relationship with Israel

01.10.07

Americans don’t trust DHS and TSA — well, duh!

01.04.07

Trans fats un-ironically the new toxic waste of our time

12.06.06

Vaughniston’s ironic breakup

12.01.06

An impressive but totally un-ironic movie project

11.22.06

An ironic take on death

11.08.06

Florida’s anti-amendment amendment passes ironically

Bush gets ‘ironic’ responsiblity for de facto midterm referendum

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