Bill Dedman Quotes & Sayings

Reggie Campbell and Kathleen Goldsmith are participants in an American success story, the unprecedented boom of home-buying by African-Americans in the 1990s. Only he is black and she is white. When he moved into the neighborhood, she moved out. — Bill Dedman

The proud little man was accompanied by three discreet touches of male vanity: a gold watch chain hanging from his dapper white waistcoat, a polka-dotted silk cravat held tightly to his high collar by a pearl stickpin, and his thirty-six-year-old wife. — Bill Dedman

Ted Williams, an extraordinary hitter in his day, has said the swing starts in the hips, and Sosa arrived with one of the strongest lower bodies in the game. — Bill Dedman

While the House of Blues slogan has been 'In blues we trust,' its stages are usually filled with more reliable moneymakers - Neil Diamond and A Tribe Called Quest among them. — Bill Dedman

The colleges and other institutions of learning are going too far, in my opinion. I think 50% of those attending educational institutions, having the professions in view, would be better off with a common school education that would enable them to earn a living, rather than sit around in offices and wait for clients.
W.A. Clark (MT Senator, 1901-1907) — Bill Dedman

The Obama administration is fighting to block access to names of visitors to the White House, taking up the Bush administration argument that a president doesn't have to reveal who comes calling to influence policy decisions. — Bill Dedman

After a plane or train crash, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatches its experts within two hours. The investigators in their familiar jackets take charge of the scene, secure evidence, follow leads. — Bill Dedman

Humidity notwithstanding, summer seems to bring out the best of Cincinnati. — Bill Dedman

This may be the only example in history of an individual financing an entire railroad of significance out of his own pocket. — Bill Dedman

Sammy Sosa grew up without a father in the back of a converted public hospital in San Pedro de Macoris, a dusty seaside town in the Dominican Republic. His father, Juan Montero, died when Sosa was 5. — Bill Dedman

California house, a palace on a cliff by the Pacific, and her father's house, the largest in New York City, with a tower and 121 rooms, including one adorned with gold. Taking all this in, the neurologist wasn't exactly sure how much to credit this tale of — Bill Dedman

Some parents believe that competition helps prepare children to succeed. Others fear that their children will not be able to handle failure. — Bill Dedman

The main threads running through the lives of W. A. Clark and his daughter Huguette include the costs of ambition, the burdens of inherited wealth, the fragility of reputation, the folly of judging someone's life from the outside, and the tension between engaging with the world, with all its risks, and keeping a safe distance from danger. — Bill Dedman

You could say that they had already gotten their share of the copper mining fortune of W.A. Clark. The millions had been divided equally among his five surviving children: Huguette and her four half-siblings from his first marriage. Each of W.A.'s five children who lived to adulthood had received one-fifth of his estate after his death in 1925 equal shares for May, Katherine, Charlie, Will, and Huguette. Huguette got her allowance for a couple of years, and eventually got something extra, inheriting Bellosguardo and the jewels and cash that her mother received from her prenup. But W.A.'s plan, it seemed, was to treat each of his children equally. — Bill Dedman

The Secret Service once watched for people who fit the popular profile of dangerousness: the lunatic, the loner, the threatener, the hater. — Bill Dedman

The entire federal budget for landslide research is $3.5 million a year - far less than the property value lost on a single day when 17 mansions slid down a hill in 2005 in Laguna Beach, Calif. — Bill Dedman

Huguette had a fairy-tale checkbook, one that was refilled whenever it ran out of magic beans. — Bill Dedman

So despite the Orthodox prohibition against working on Saturday, and despite having three school-age children, for many years Hadassah worked for Huguette from eight A.M. to eight P.M., twelve hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. She was up and out of the house before her children left for school and home close to bedtime. It would be several years before she took a day off. Hadassah was paid $30 an hour, $2,520 a week, $131,040 a year, but she described her self-sacrifice for Huguette as extreme. "I give my life to Madame," Hadassah said. — Bill Dedman

FEMA says that it does not factor in previous losses into its decisions on applications to redraw the flood zones. — Bill Dedman

Huguette was a quiet woman in a noisy time. — Bill Dedman

If police officers routinely issue tickets for the most serious traffic offenses, they'll be treating drivers of all races, sexes, and ages equally. — Bill Dedman

Wal-Mart has always paid low wages, or, as Sam Walton put it, 'as little as we could get by with at the time.' — Bill Dedman

Cincinnatians support a symphony, an opera, a ballet, museums, many galleries and theater groups. — Bill Dedman

The senior thesis of Hillary D. Rodham, Wellesley College class of 1969, has been speculated about, spun, analyzed, debated, criticized and defended. But rarely has it been read, because for the eight years of Bill Clinton's presidency it was locked away. — Bill Dedman

Disclosure of private e-mails from government officials has been a legal issue in many states. — Bill Dedman

WE CAME TO THIS STORY by separate paths, one of us by accident and one by birth. — Bill Dedman

Like most other states, Illinois has little regulation of the economic interests of legislators and relies on public disclosure to keep the lawmaking honest. — Bill Dedman

History is the best guide to the future. — Bill Dedman

White Star liner. The Clarks were booked for passage from New York to Ireland to Cherbourg. This crossing would be a treat, the second voyage of the largest ship afloat: the RMS Titanic. — Bill Dedman

Polygraphs are not allowed as evidence in most U.S. courts, but they're routinely used in police investigations, and the Defense Department relies heavily on them for security screening. — Bill Dedman

Companies are accustomed to dismissing employees for misuse of computers at work. — Bill Dedman

I am not one to seek simple causes. — Bill Dedman

More than 30 of America's 100 nuclear power reactors have the same brand of General Electric reactors or containment system used in Fukushima. — Bill Dedman

In the rest of the story, Sleeping Beauty and the prince marry and have children. An ogress demands that the children and princess be cooked and served to her, though they are saved. Disney's animated films also left out that part, agreeing with Huguette's editing. — Bill Dedman

Huguette was a formidable personality who lived life as she wanted, always on her own terms.

In her own way, she found what life may be, a life of integrity. — Bill Dedman

In votes cast, Latinos have increased to five million in the 1996 Presidential election, up from two million in the 1976 election. The number of Hispanic elected officials has not risen so fast. — Bill Dedman

At one point, Sarah Palin sent her husband instructions to stock up on 'fresh fruit and veggies' for the kids, and 'as little processed foods as possible.' — Bill Dedman

'John Doe' is typically used in a warrant when the accused is known by an alias or by a physical description. — Bill Dedman

I'm not a person who has people tell me things in parking garages. — Bill Dedman

John Glenn's father, known as Herschel, was mostly deaf from injuries in World War I. To help out at home, young Glenn sold rhubarb all over town from the family garden. — Bill Dedman

American nuclear reactors are well into middle age. The median age of an operating reactor in the U.S. is 34 years, placing start-up in midst of the Carter administration. — Bill Dedman

Though the platitude - money can't buy happiness - may be comforting to those who are less than well heeled, great wealth doesn't ensure sadness either. — Bill Dedman

If he is convicted, Dr. Kevorkian says he will die a martyr's death by going on a hunger strike. — Bill Dedman

As more workers lose manufacturing jobs as companies cut back, some are being forced into lower-paying retail jobs. But they still have union cards in their wallets. — Bill Dedman

I'm not in the what-people-feel business. It is not my place to guess. — Bill Dedman

million, and 30 percent of the — Bill Dedman

America's schools and streets are safer than Americans know. — Bill Dedman

Cities vary widely in the use of DNA testing. — Bill Dedman

Less than a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, al-Qaida attacks were continuing: the firebombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, a bomb outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi in June. — Bill Dedman

Huguette Clark was an artist, a painter and doll collector. — Bill Dedman

Each year, at the typical nuclear reactor in the U.S., there's a 1 in 74,176 chance of an earthquake strong enough to cause damage to the reactor's core, which could expose the public to radiation. No tsunami required. — Bill Dedman

Subprime lending is growing faster in black areas than in white areas. — Bill Dedman

Huguette Clark has had her own tax liens - four times, the IRS has filed to collect taxes from her. — Bill Dedman

William Andrews Clark was caught in a bribery scandal during a campaign for the U.S. Senate - he was said to describe the Montana legislators this way: 'I never bought a man who wasn't for sale.' — Bill Dedman

Although the number of manufacturing jobs in the United States has stagnated, dropping 12 percent from a high in the early 1980s, the number of retail jobs has risen 43 percent. — Bill Dedman

MSNBC policy requires journalists to report any potential conflict of interest and to seek approval from the president of NBC News before making any political contribution. — Bill Dedman

Many company policies restrict use of E-mail, limit access to offensive Web sites and prohibit disclosure of confidential information. Few policies, if any, directly address personal Web pages. — Bill Dedman

She desired not only the dolls and dollhouses but also the accessories that gave the appearance of daily life. For a breakfast scene, she cabled Au Nain Bleu asking for tiny French breads: croissants, brioches, madeleines, mille-feuilles, and turnovers. But she wasn't done. In a May 7,1956, cable to store, she wrote:
For the lovely pastry shop please send
the following: waffles, babas,
tartelettes, crepes, tartines, palm-
iers, galettes, cups of milk, tea and
coffee with milk, small butter jars,
fake jam and honey, small boxes of
chocolate, candies and candied fruits,
and small forks. Thank you. — Bill Dedman

Unlike the United States Congress, which mostly forbids outside employment, state legislatures are generally composed of people with other careers. — Bill Dedman

The Federal Highway Administration has allowed states to take advantage of a loophole in federal regulations, delaying bridge inspections to every four years instead of the two years normally required. — Bill Dedman

In Minneapolis, the overhead sky walks protect pedestrians from the winter cold and snow. — Bill Dedman

In early 1864, he became a Mason, joining the ancient fraternal organization's lodge in Virginia City, where the Masonic leader was also the president of the first group of Vigilantes. As the state lodge's longtime secretary, Cornelius Hedges, told it, "We will not say that all the Vigilantes were Masons, but we would not go astray to say that all Masons were Vigilantes. — Bill Dedman

The real Representative McDermott said Jason McDermott is no relation. The Congressman does have a son, but his name is James and he does not live in the Midwest. — Bill Dedman

Though some student activists of the 1960s may have idolized Alinsky, he didn't particularly idolize them. — Bill Dedman

The long view of the Census bureau allows some changes that are taken for granted to be studied in more detail. Everyone knows, for example, that people get married later than they used to. — Bill Dedman

Fans love McGwire for his powerful physique, for his on-field hugs of his son, the part-time bat boy. He is Big Mac, or Paul Bunyan in Cardinals red with a white-ash bat instead of an ax. — Bill Dedman

Eccentricity is not a psychiatric disorder. — Bill Dedman

With better gear, firefighters no longer surround and drown a fire - they go in. — Bill Dedman

Groups that advocate open government have argued that it's vital to know the names of White House visitors, who may have an outsized influence on policy matters. — Bill Dedman

I never bought a man who wasn't for sale.
-W.A. Clark, ascribed — Bill Dedman

Polygraphs have sparked a fierce debate for at least a century. — Bill Dedman

In more than 500 instances, from the Gulf of Alaska to Bar Harbor, Maine, FEMA has remapped waterfront properties from the highest-risk flood zone, saving the owners as much as 97 percent on the premiums they pay into the financially strained National Flood Insurance Program. — Bill Dedman

Fans love Sosa for his exuberance, for the kisses he blows to his mother, wife and four children. He is Slammin' Sammy, a fairy-tale figure rising from poverty in the Dominican Republic to the 55th floor above Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. — Bill Dedman

Todd Palin's frequent presence in the governor's office led some in Juneau to call him the 'Shadow Governor.' But it had never been clear, at least to the public, what roles he played. — Bill Dedman

Many police departments still use DNA evidence the way they have used fingerprints and tire tracks: to determine whether a suspect committed the crime. — Bill Dedman

There's a longstanding tradition that journalists don't cheer in the press box. They have opinions, like anyone else, but they are expected to keep those opinions out of their work. — Bill Dedman

Jason McDermott's political career, however bogus, appears to have had an early and promising start. — Bill Dedman

In 1900, the typical American was a boy, not yet a teenager, named John. He lived with his parents and his sisters, Mary and Helen, on a farm in New York or Pennsylvania. — Bill Dedman

State courts usually rule that correspondence between government officials, about government business, are public records, whether they use their government e-mail accounts or private ones. — Bill Dedman

We believe that nonfiction should contain only information that's true. Journalists and nonfiction author can't know what a person thinks or feels or believes---they only know what the person says and writes and does. If an author tells you someone's inner thoughts, move that book to the fiction shelf. — Bill Dedman

Lie detectors sometimes work because people believe they work, deterring the wrong people from applying for jobs in the first place, or prompting admissions of guilt during interrogations. — Bill Dedman

Both CNN and NPR prohibit political activity by all journalists, no matter their assignment. — Bill Dedman

A 'Globe' examination found that Boston police officers exercise broad discretion when deciding whether to issue a ticket. — Bill Dedman

In Los Angeles, the Police Department buys a 40-foot refrigerated trailer truck every six months just to hold DNA evidence. — Bill Dedman

Relaxing at home in his 55th-floor condominium before a game, Sammy Sosa is the same as at the ball park: focused but funny, exuberant but reserved. He is in a strange country, conversing in two languages, but his every movement displays a combination of confidence and humility. — Bill Dedman

'J'eet jet?' is still the standard way for a Pittsburgher to ask if you're ready for a meal, but the meal itself is no longer limited to chipped ham and an Iron City beer. — Bill Dedman

Wellesley's president, Nannerl Overholser Keohane, approved a broad rule with a specific application: The senior thesis of every Wellesley alumna is available in the college archives for anyone to read - except for those written by either a 'president or first lady of the United States.' — Bill Dedman

The scientific effort to inform the public about landslide risks often runs head-on into powerful economic interests. — Bill Dedman

I'm pretty much a documents reporter. I'm a public records geek. — Bill Dedman

In Montana, where Sen. William Andrews Clark made his fortune and lost his reputation, people had assumed that all his children were long dead. After all, he was born in 1839 and was of age to serve in the Civil War. — Bill Dedman

Some employees are protected by union or personal contracts that limit reasons for dismissal. — Bill Dedman

After Huguette Clark died in 2011 at age 104, 19 relatives challenged her will, claiming she was mentally ill and had been defrauded by her nurse, attorney and accountant. — Bill Dedman

Federal agencies that own bridges have some of the worst records for on-time inspections. Nearly 3,000 bridges owned by U.S. government agencies went more than two years between checkups. — Bill Dedman

Every scandal has its road kill: the pedestrians who stumble into the headlights of the oncoming 18-wheeler. — Bill Dedman

In the Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield, farmer-legislators write the agriculture laws. — Bill Dedman

A city built on rivers and bituminous coal, Pittsburgh in the '90s has survived the boom and bust years. — Bill Dedman

NBC News found that FEMA has redrawn maps even for properties that have repeatedly filed claims for flood losses from previous storms. At least some of the properties are on the secret 'repetitive loss list' that FEMA sends to communities to alert them to problem properties. — Bill Dedman

ABC forbids political activity by journalists. — Bill Dedman

interest in what is happening — Bill Dedman

Cincinnati attracted its first permanent white settlers by flatboat in 1788. It took its name from the Society of Cincinnati, an organization of Revolutionary officers. That name came from Cincinnatus, the Roman farmer and general. — Bill Dedman