Some 20 or so years ago, a fellow I knew in DC was working for a trade publication called International Geophysical News or some such; Max was on their editorial staff. One day he walked by the mockup for the front cover, which had a picture of a man getting ready to drop a seismic charge down a tube sunk into the ground. In a moment of whimsy, Max changed the caption to say "CIA operative plants land mines in picturesque Afghanistan." Twenty five thousand copies got into the mail before they noticed the switch.

He was fired forthwith, as was the proofreader who approved the front page, notwithstanding her explanation that she had indeed checked the dictionary to make sure that "picturesque" and "Afghanistan" were spelled properly.


TEd