Close Shave Alert™:Wynonna Judd cheats death in car crash

Publication: Globe
Date: 16 August 2010

This story is true, though not really news. Wynonna Judd was in a car crash last month and she considers herself lucky to be alive. This prompts the headline writers at the Globe to say she cheated death.

Here's the thing about death. Pretty good sport about being cheated. It's almost like he expects there's going to be a rematch and he's relatively confident about the outcome.

Close Shave Alert™: Al-Qaeda almost kills Bill Clinton

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 25 Jan. 2010

The new tabloids are starting to show up at my local spots, but I've started teaching again and my schedule is such that it will be easier to start reporting new stuff on Fridays. But just to keep my hand in, I've created a new category called the Close Shave Alert™. Unlike the original rules for categories, there is no way to test if these are right or wrong, but from what I've seen so far, this is a type of story the tabs love to put on the cover.

According to the National Examiner, a plot on Bill Clinton's life missed by a matter of minutes and was thwarted by some brave anonymous Jack Bauer type guy in the Secret Service. Of course, you might think an attempt on the life of a former president would be the kind of story that would be reported in The New York Times or on the TV, but if you really want people to know about it, of course you leak it to the National Examiner first.

And now you know the rest of the story.

You're welcome.