jack-daw [JAK-dah], n. 1. a glossy, black, European bird, corvus monedula, of the crow family, that nests in towers, ruins, etc.; has a proclivity to collect bright objects that attract its attention; can include bits of ice, things round or square, twigs, filaments of light bulbs; specialist on the lookout of what fits the construction of its nest.
jackdaw journal [JAK-dah JERN-al], n. 1. a repository of bright objects — wit, wisdom and whimsey — collected and/or created by Michael McKinney. 2. a web log or blog
In Evelyn Waugh's Scoop, a brilliant satire of the 1930s tabloid press, he writes this line describing a character: "He was gifted with the sly, sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich."
In On My Honor, John Ashcroft shares a lesson that is true not only in public life, but any walk of life:
One of the problems of public life is that when you are in a position to do things that people consider to be beneficial, they will befriend you; but they won’t necessarily be your friend. There is a major difference between these two realities. Unfortunately, you can never really know where you stand with someone until your capacity to benefit that person is gone. That may sound like a jaundiced view, but it’s all too true.
In Evelyn Waugh's 
, a brilliant satire of the 1930s tabloid press, he writes this line describing a character: "He was gifted with the sly, sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich."
