Friday, November 29, 2013

Lovely in Yellow




24 comments:

  1. Hip, Hip for Howard!

    Is that perchance a cucumber blossom?

    Very nice, relaxing day. We will get some yard work done on Friday--no standing in lines for the opening bell at big box stores.
    --Alan

    --Alan

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    1. Ah, Alan, no yard work here today, as it's about 10 degrees outside.
      But there are sparkles in the snow that's bathed in sunshine!

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    2. As for the flower, I have no recollection of the name of the plant. The leaves do seem cucumberesque.

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    3. not that I'm doing it, but there is stucco work here today. Bright sunshine and the temps got above freezing around noon.

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    4. Work done by other people is the best kind of work...which should be the Fourth Law of Thermodynamics.

      Hmmm... You guys may not know the Flanders and Swan song "First and Second Law," which is the only reason I know anything at all about Thermodynamics.

      http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/anotherhat_first.html

      Not perhaps the most precise statement of the First and Second Laws, but memorable. I particularly love the spoken bridge:

      Heat is work and work's a curse
      And all the heat in the universe
      Is gonna cool down,
      'Cos it can't increase
      Then there'll be no more work
      And there'll be perfect peace
      Really?
      Yeah, that's entropy, Man.

      Now, that's deep. LOL

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    5. There is a Third Law, but since Michael and Donald didn't sing about it, I have n o idear what it states.

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    6. On the subject of cucumbers: Agatha Christie wrote a short story called "Mr. Eastwood's Adventure" (I think the name is Eastwood.) Our hero is, curiously enough, a writer of short stories. When the tale opens he is staring glumly at an otherwise blank sheet of paper with the title 'The Mystery of the Second Cucumber' neatly typed at the top. He never does manage to write that particular story, but I've always wondered what the Mystery of the Second Cucumber might be.

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    7. It's been decades since I even thought about the Laws of Thermodynamics. My memory is hazy and I'm too lazy to look it up. But I believe that in fact they do sing about the Third Law: Entropy can never decrease -- it can only increase. Eventually giving you the heat death of the universe and perfect peace.

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  2. Replies
    1. I do love how deeply and tenderly Pope Francis is rocking the world, both secular and religious.

      I highly recommend the movie "Saving Grace" starring Tom Conti as the pope. I suspect that Pope Francis has seen it. :-)


      Note: Unfortunately, the reporter used the incorrect term "one on one" which should actually be "one to one." One on one is a sports term referring to besting one's opponent. One to one signifies a meeting of equals.

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    2. Ah, Listener, if we're going to get into errors of grammar and diction, we'll never have done. My editor friend at Fun Trivia is a stickler, but she's not the only editor there and many of them seem not to understand the concept of copy editing let alone gently guiding quiz creators towards greater caution and more careful proofreading. Sometimes I come across the most egregious errors, including scrambled word order. To save my blood pressure I've learned to skate over such errors. Of course doing so is harder in the wider media, like news reports, but it's either that or spend all your time sending in corrections that won't be heeded, much less acted upon.

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    3. Cat, this one is more than about grammar, though; it is about the underlying intent. It's absurd to suggest, even inadvertently, in an article praising the Pope's compassion, that the Pope is trying to best others, when his empathy suggests that he sees them as equal in worth to himself!

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    4. You know that and I know that, but people are so sloppy, they don't use words correctly, don't even make sure hey have the correct words for the connotation they mean to convey. It's a hopeless battle.

      Some years ago a lawyer was on television - something to do with Pres. Clinton and Whitwater I think it was - and he used the expression "flaunt the law with immunity," two gaffs for the price of one. Of course, what he meant was obvious, but he couldn't be bothered to choose his words with even a modicum of care.

      The case you're objecting to is rather different in that "one on one" and "one to one" are commonly mixed up. the person who wrote the piece may conceivably not know that he substituted an inappropriate turn of phrase for the appropriate one. Sort of how I always thought "nauseous" meant sick rather than sickening. No doubt it speaks very ill of my vocabulary to have thought so, but there it is. No doubt many people have no idea of the difference between "one on one" and "one to one." And again people do not take kindly to being corrected. I'm afraid it's just part of the general decline in education and civility.

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    5. Where are we going? And why are we in this hand basket?

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    6. Cat, the distinction here is that the term "one on one" was misused by a professional Associated Press journalist! The term was never in the vernacular excepting only during sports, before Hall & Oates came out with their hit song by the same name, which referred to male-female relationships. This was in the early 80's. Suddenly it caught on like wildfire and a half dozen people have since told me they'd never heard the term "one to one"! I strongly suspect that student teachers were among those who picked up the trendy term…then taught it to children in schools! But an AP journalist ought to have enough study of English under their belt not to make the mistake…especially with reference to someone like this Pope!

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  3. And with that, to bed. Have to get up early tomorrow to let the stucco people in.

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  4. "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber"--the mind boggles. Imagine that as the topic of a college entrance exam composition!

    listnener--funny duly appreciated and forwarded to several friends; thanks!

    Good Heaven--can't get that out of my mind; guess I'm going to have to look it up, and maybe buy a copy! (Sounds vaguely familiar, though.)

    --Alan

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    1. The Listerdale Mystery [Click] Includes "Mr. Eastwood's Adventure"

      --Alan

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    2. That whole volume is good. Gentle, often mildly humorous stories. I particularly like the title story.

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