Headline in today's paper:
Lansing Teachers May Pare Their Raise
I don't often hear "pare" without "down". A googlefight between "pare exenses" and "pare down expenses" comes out almost a tie. "Pare costs" creams "pare down costs", so I may be in the minority, here. Pare by itself may be more common than I thought.
Which is good. Because as I think about it, "pare down" seems to be a redundancy; you can't "pare up".
The story talks about teachers being forced to make a choice: take a cut in your (already sad 2%, but at least we aren't working for Delphi) raise, or we lay off 20 or so of your colleagues. Man.
Now, I guess it's up to teachers to decide which is better: a pare or a full house.
12.15.2005
Chew On This
In conversation today, someone was talking about their experience in retail. It had to do with selling calendars, and a customer trying to "chew him down" on the price.
I had to stop him. Chew you down? Don't you mean Jew you down? And, by the way, where's your time machine, because you're comin' straight outta 1950.
He hadn't meant to be even vaguely anti-Semitic. In, fact, he was horrified to think that that he could be construed as such. Unaware of the connection, he had always thought his phrase was more literal: to chew away at (badger) someone until they gave you a better price.
I'd never heard "chew him down". I haven't heard "Jew down" in years.
Enter Google. "Chew him down" gives 250 hits. Quite small, and some of those actually refer to chewing (the dog had to chew him down to a manageable size). So, it's definitely not common usage. It may fit the category of malapropism... though a malapropism, I believe, is the use of the wrong word for your intended meaning. I doubt that most people saying "chew" really mean "Jew".
Here are a few uses:
"...the salesman will try talking to you in terms of monthly payments, but you need to switch him back to total price of the car in order to chew him down."
"I'm hoping to chew him down to $200."
..."trying to chew him down to almost slave wages."
"I decided that I was going to just give him his asking price rather than try to chew him down."
"...I didn't try to chew him down any, I got what I wanted for the price.."
Of course, "Jew him down" gets nearly as many hits, and most of those are talking about the phrase itself, not using it conversationally. This either means that the blogosphere is self-censoring, or that it's going away as a figure of speech.
Either way works for me.
I had to stop him. Chew you down? Don't you mean Jew you down? And, by the way, where's your time machine, because you're comin' straight outta 1950.
He hadn't meant to be even vaguely anti-Semitic. In, fact, he was horrified to think that that he could be construed as such. Unaware of the connection, he had always thought his phrase was more literal: to chew away at (badger) someone until they gave you a better price.
I'd never heard "chew him down". I haven't heard "Jew down" in years.
Enter Google. "Chew him down" gives 250 hits. Quite small, and some of those actually refer to chewing (the dog had to chew him down to a manageable size). So, it's definitely not common usage. It may fit the category of malapropism... though a malapropism, I believe, is the use of the wrong word for your intended meaning. I doubt that most people saying "chew" really mean "Jew".
Here are a few uses:
"...the salesman will try talking to you in terms of monthly payments, but you need to switch him back to total price of the car in order to chew him down."
"I'm hoping to chew him down to $200."
..."trying to chew him down to almost slave wages."
"I decided that I was going to just give him his asking price rather than try to chew him down."
"...I didn't try to chew him down any, I got what I wanted for the price.."
Of course, "Jew him down" gets nearly as many hits, and most of those are talking about the phrase itself, not using it conversationally. This either means that the blogosphere is self-censoring, or that it's going away as a figure of speech.
Either way works for me.
12.14.2005
Jokes I Remember From Junior High (4 of 4)
A lady comes down with a terrible rash over most of her body. She calls the doctor, and he tells her to take a bath in milk.
She calls the local dairy, and explains that she needs enough milk to fill her bathtub.
"Do you need it pasteurized?" the man on the other end asks.
Her reply: "No, I think up to my chin should be fine."
She calls the local dairy, and explains that she needs enough milk to fill her bathtub.
"Do you need it pasteurized?" the man on the other end asks.
Her reply: "No, I think up to my chin should be fine."
12.13.2005
My Front Pages
There's been much talk lately about the death penalty, and it gives us another look at Death Euphemisms.
Look at headlines covering the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams. The LA Daily News, CNN and San Jose Mercury News both say it in one, bold word: "Execution". For CNN.com, NPR, and MSNBC, he was "put to death".
One obviously sounds softer. "Put to death" sounds like something you do to an old dog. It almost sounds like "put to bed".
Most outlets lean toward Execution. I agree. There's nothing soft about death by injection.
Look at headlines covering the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams. The LA Daily News, CNN and San Jose Mercury News both say it in one, bold word: "Execution". For CNN.com, NPR, and MSNBC, he was "put to death".
One obviously sounds softer. "Put to death" sounds like something you do to an old dog. It almost sounds like "put to bed".
Most outlets lean toward Execution. I agree. There's nothing soft about death by injection.
12.12.2005
Posts I Only Have The Titles For
Sure, content is nice. Idea, first. Headline, later.
But I've got some great posts coming... I just don't know what they're about, yet.
But the headlines have already been written:
And Then There's Maude
It's Only Cheating If You Whistle
Arctic Genocide: The Legacy of North Pol Pot
Umlaut... Oprah... Oprah... Umlaut.
Pole Position for Prepositions
If Not Charlie Kauffman, Then Whom?
Is That Your Modifier Dangling, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
I Haven't Seen Saw
Cherry Pie Cover Not Warranted
Wait! Wait! Don't Smell Me!
The Year Of The Tat
Coleman Makes Imperfect Tense
That's My Interrogative
Torn Ligatures
Tuber Or Not Tuber
But I've got some great posts coming... I just don't know what they're about, yet.
But the headlines have already been written:
And Then There's Maude
It's Only Cheating If You Whistle
Arctic Genocide: The Legacy of North Pol Pot
Umlaut... Oprah... Oprah... Umlaut.
Pole Position for Prepositions
If Not Charlie Kauffman, Then Whom?
Is That Your Modifier Dangling, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?
I Haven't Seen Saw
Cherry Pie Cover Not Warranted
Wait! Wait! Don't Smell Me!
The Year Of The Tat
Coleman Makes Imperfect Tense
That's My Interrogative
Torn Ligatures
Tuber Or Not Tuber
12.08.2005
ROPE? Uh, Dope.
From acoolkid, comes this interoffice email letting folks know about an update to an unfortunate acronym:
...ROPES, Version 10.0, the Remote Online Print System, was installed into Production CICS and batch, effective with the cycle of the CICS regions this morning, August 25. There are no significant changes to the product, but it will affect both batch and online...
His question: Where do they get the E?
Sometimes folks get a little liberal, borrowing two or three letters instead of one from some words in order to make a catchier acronym. But there's no E to be found betwixt the P and S. Huh.
So why not use ROPS, and just pronounce it "ropes"? Dunno. Are there other example of this startegy out there?
...ROPES, Version 10.0, the Remote Online Print System, was installed into Production CICS and batch, effective with the cycle of the CICS regions this morning, August 25. There are no significant changes to the product, but it will affect both batch and online...
His question: Where do they get the E?
Sometimes folks get a little liberal, borrowing two or three letters instead of one from some words in order to make a catchier acronym. But there's no E to be found betwixt the P and S. Huh.
So why not use ROPS, and just pronounce it "ropes"? Dunno. Are there other example of this startegy out there?
12.06.2005
Holiday Reflections (1 of a few)
You're spending a lot of time talking about a Christmas carol.
Yeah, well, it's what's on my mind. Sue me. And stop calling me Carol.
Do you sing along with O Holy Night? Man, now there's a song probably written by that O, Say Can You See? guy, with that one note that comes outta nowhere:
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night DiVIIIIIIIIIINE!
Whew. I don't go falsetto there, though. O, no. Straight-up Axl Rose. It's horrid.
Yeah, well, it's what's on my mind. Sue me. And stop calling me Carol.
Do you sing along with O Holy Night? Man, now there's a song probably written by that O, Say Can You See? guy, with that one note that comes outta nowhere:
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night DiVIIIIIIIIIINE!
Whew. I don't go falsetto there, though. O, no. Straight-up Axl Rose. It's horrid.
12.02.2005
The Man With All The Toys
Just did my first of what will be many readings of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. Each year, subversive thoughts find their way into my brain as I'm reading this poem. Here are three:
When I read "...threw up the sash" I picture the fellow retching and pulling a beauty queen sash out of his mouth. (actually, it's more often a merit badge sash. Former Boy Scout.)
When I read "...his face it was broad" I want to read it like Jimmy Cagney. It makes no sense, but there it is.
When I read "...filled all the stockings and then turned with a jerk..." I picture Santa standing at the chimney, but suddenly there's Steve Martin beside him, arrow through head, yelling "The new phone book is here!"
Anyone else have crazy images flash though their brain whilst trying to read something not meant to be crazy? Another example of this might be something a friend told me 20 years ago that has made it hard to keep a straight face in church over the years.
He told me that instead of "Lead On, O King Eternal" he sang "Lead On, O Kinky Turtle." So sophomoric, yet there I am, Sunday morning, visions of turtles dancing in my head. Tsk.
I'd much rather have sugar plums in my head. Or even Steve Martin.
When I read "...threw up the sash" I picture the fellow retching and pulling a beauty queen sash out of his mouth. (actually, it's more often a merit badge sash. Former Boy Scout.)
When I read "...his face it was broad" I want to read it like Jimmy Cagney. It makes no sense, but there it is.
When I read "...filled all the stockings and then turned with a jerk..." I picture Santa standing at the chimney, but suddenly there's Steve Martin beside him, arrow through head, yelling "The new phone book is here!"
Anyone else have crazy images flash though their brain whilst trying to read something not meant to be crazy? Another example of this might be something a friend told me 20 years ago that has made it hard to keep a straight face in church over the years.
He told me that instead of "Lead On, O King Eternal" he sang "Lead On, O Kinky Turtle." So sophomoric, yet there I am, Sunday morning, visions of turtles dancing in my head. Tsk.
I'd much rather have sugar plums in my head. Or even Steve Martin.
12.01.2005
Draggin' The Line
Read this headline:
Spoof paper proceeds to buy shoes for needy kids
I think since headlines tend to put verbs early, I read it proceeds.
Then got to the end... then had to go back to the beginning. The spoof paper is buying shoes? Oh. proceeds.
How about you? Anyone else get the same reading?
Is this confusion reason enough for the head to be rewritten, or should people figure it out?
the story
Spoof paper proceeds to buy shoes for needy kids
I think since headlines tend to put verbs early, I read it proceeds.
Then got to the end... then had to go back to the beginning. The spoof paper is buying shoes? Oh. proceeds.
How about you? Anyone else get the same reading?
Is this confusion reason enough for the head to be rewritten, or should people figure it out?
the story
11.30.2005
The Wages of This Sin: Two Bucks
In Michigan, smokers pay $2.00 a pack in taxes for the privilege of standing out back in the rain. This tax hike passed over a year ago, mere weeks after it was soundly trounced as bad government. The story of its failure is here:
Estate, 'sin' tax bills fail in House
Now, a mere 19 months later, I've rewritten the headline.
Sin Tax Error
We'll just have to file that away for the next one.
.......
Why do I do this? Just as I'm about to hit Publish, I think Hey. I wonder if anyone else could ever have come up with this bit of wit? Let's check! Google says 386 other web pages already came up with my headline. Dangit! I could've left well enough alone, deluded in the thought that my stream of consciousness had lapped over some unturned punnish pebble, but nope. I checked. I am officially, again, wholely unoriginal.
Dangit.
[update: "stream of consciousness" +"punnish pebble" gets zero hits. I am at turns pleased and unamazed.]
......
Can't seem to Publish yet. One more thought, as I was trying to pun my way through the post title:
A regional meeting of church leaders where they cast a controversial vote (gay clergy, for example) could have a snarky headline in a partisan paper that reads:
Putting the 'Sin' in Synod
[checks Google. Ha! Zero!]
Full disclosure: this may have subconsciously been inspired by the tagline in Bridget's blog.
......
(One man's take on why sin taxes don't work can be found here)
Estate, 'sin' tax bills fail in House
Now, a mere 19 months later, I've rewritten the headline.
Sin Tax Error
We'll just have to file that away for the next one.
.......
Why do I do this? Just as I'm about to hit Publish, I think Hey. I wonder if anyone else could ever have come up with this bit of wit? Let's check! Google says 386 other web pages already came up with my headline. Dangit! I could've left well enough alone, deluded in the thought that my stream of consciousness had lapped over some unturned punnish pebble, but nope. I checked. I am officially, again, wholely unoriginal.
Dangit.
[update: "stream of consciousness" +"punnish pebble" gets zero hits. I am at turns pleased and unamazed.]
......
Can't seem to Publish yet. One more thought, as I was trying to pun my way through the post title:
A regional meeting of church leaders where they cast a controversial vote (gay clergy, for example) could have a snarky headline in a partisan paper that reads:
Putting the 'Sin' in Synod
[checks Google. Ha! Zero!]
Full disclosure: this may have subconsciously been inspired by the tagline in Bridget's blog.
......
(One man's take on why sin taxes don't work can be found here)
11.27.2005
Come On!
More billboard reflections.
This one is an derivation of what I call Frag Tags: Fragmented taglines in a headline that work awfully hard to make their product seem hipper than it usually is. One example is the billboard that I still see daily advertising "Quality. Hometown. Care." Wal-Mart advertises "Good. Works."
I submit that these gimmicks rarely add anything more to the content. Well, periods, I suppose.
One I saw recently that I liked was:
Serious. Fun.
That works for me. Another one I saw somewhere was:
Logical. Phallus-y.
I didn't really get that one, but it works.
Any-hoo. back to "Wellcome." I assume it's to be read as a Frag Tag:
Well. Come.
It's for a health plan of some sort (the pic above's an artist's rendering, BTW... I'm still not stopping by woods on a snowy highway to snap pics), and they want me to know that if I use their plan, I'll be well. And I should come.
OK. For me, it doesn't add any more meaning than "quality care" does. Actually, it's more confusing. It sounds like something you'd say to a dog who doesn't get that you have a treat for him: Well? Come!
But what it does do is put a commonly misspelled word on a highway billboard in 4,000 point Times New Roman. "Wellcome" hasn't reached "Comming" proportions (still #1 five years running), but this 'board may make it a contender.
Yes, the misspelling is intentional... part of the charm of the ad, I suppose. That doesn't mean that many won't see it and subconsciously file away the new "Two Ls in 'Wellcome'" rule.
I believe in the First Amendment right to say or print what you wish. But I think there should be a fine for folks who contribute to American-youth-spelling-test-failure. Maybe for every intentional misspelling they create, they have to hand-grade 4,000 standardized English tests.
You say: comming from you, that's rich. You've got a typo in, like, every post.
I say: yeah. but at leaast it's not in 4,000 point type. And no one reads this blog, so your point is mute.
11.22.2005
Unique New York. Red Leather, Yellow Leather.
I got this warning message when installing software today. There is no Photoshop trickery involved.
Update: I updated the Updater, and Adobe's up-to-date.
Update: I updated the Updater, and Adobe's up-to-date.
11.21.2005
Vanity of Vanities; All is Vanity
Hey, Mr. '05 Mustang Driver. You blew by me so dang fast I could barely make out your vanity plate:
MRLDCTY
Now, as humbly as possible, I'd like to say that I'm pretty darn good at figuring out vanity plates. I'm usually the first one in a group to shout it out. Now, now, no comments about the social life of a person who takes pride in being the best vanity-plate-figure-outer. Stay on topic, Vanity Plate Man. This is about you, not me. Your plate left me STR8UP stumped.
IMHO, vanity plates are MENT2B understood. An inside joke plate is a waste of money. Vanity plates are all about others' recognition of your wit and good humour:
A1ANA2? A-1? Like the steak sauce? Who's Ana? Oh, A one and a two! He's a conductor! Ha ha! Good show!
(A1ANA2, famously, was Lawrence Welk's vanity plate)
So, back to you.
MRLDCTY.
Mr. Lead City? This is my best shot. But I can't figure this out. It's a Michigan plate... We're not a big lead producer, as far as I know. Judging by the speed at which you passed me, you have a Lead Foot, but are speeders referred to as being from "Lead City"? Not that I know of.
Is your name Merle? You didn't look like a Merle. Not to pigeonhole you or anything. Besides, I still don't make anything of it. Merle D. City?
Meryl? A Meryl Streep fan, perhaps? And your plate references the state of being that comes about on the eve of a new Streep movie... Meryldicity?
No, Cool Car Guy, I can't get it. Therefore, I dub thine plate whack.
The truth hurts, my man. Pick yourself up, get to the DMV, and take a Vanity Plate Mulligan. My suggestion:
CHZYPL8
MRLDCTY
Now, as humbly as possible, I'd like to say that I'm pretty darn good at figuring out vanity plates. I'm usually the first one in a group to shout it out. Now, now, no comments about the social life of a person who takes pride in being the best vanity-plate-figure-outer. Stay on topic, Vanity Plate Man. This is about you, not me. Your plate left me STR8UP stumped.
IMHO, vanity plates are MENT2B understood. An inside joke plate is a waste of money. Vanity plates are all about others' recognition of your wit and good humour:
A1ANA2? A-1? Like the steak sauce? Who's Ana? Oh, A one and a two! He's a conductor! Ha ha! Good show!
(A1ANA2, famously, was Lawrence Welk's vanity plate)
So, back to you.
MRLDCTY.
Mr. Lead City? This is my best shot. But I can't figure this out. It's a Michigan plate... We're not a big lead producer, as far as I know. Judging by the speed at which you passed me, you have a Lead Foot, but are speeders referred to as being from "Lead City"? Not that I know of.
Is your name Merle? You didn't look like a Merle. Not to pigeonhole you or anything. Besides, I still don't make anything of it. Merle D. City?
Meryl? A Meryl Streep fan, perhaps? And your plate references the state of being that comes about on the eve of a new Streep movie... Meryldicity?
No, Cool Car Guy, I can't get it. Therefore, I dub thine plate whack.
The truth hurts, my man. Pick yourself up, get to the DMV, and take a Vanity Plate Mulligan. My suggestion:
CHZYPL8
11.17.2005
Logical. Phallus-y.
Mere months after Pimp Dose, we've got another vandal in the school.
His tag:
penis
It's written in red sharpie on lockers, in the stairwell, on railings.
This may be the work of a group. There's a chance they're a new gang, marking their territory with graffiti. While it's easier to read than typical gang tags, it's just as confusing. There is no punctauation to help us.
Is this a triumphant announcement of his/their manhood? (Penis!)
Is it shock at a recent discovery? (Penis?!)
Or is it, as I'm hoping, the start of a campaign?
Much like the billboards that post a series of teasers before the entire ad appears, I think "penis" will soon have a "The" in front of it:
The
penis
A few days later, the rest of the text will follow:
The
penis
mightier than
the sword.
Clever, penis-man. Very clever, indeed.
His tag:
penis
It's written in red sharpie on lockers, in the stairwell, on railings.
This may be the work of a group. There's a chance they're a new gang, marking their territory with graffiti. While it's easier to read than typical gang tags, it's just as confusing. There is no punctauation to help us.
Is this a triumphant announcement of his/their manhood? (Penis!)
Is it shock at a recent discovery? (Penis?!)
Or is it, as I'm hoping, the start of a campaign?
Much like the billboards that post a series of teasers before the entire ad appears, I think "penis" will soon have a "The" in front of it:
The
penis
A few days later, the rest of the text will follow:
The
penis
mightier than
the sword.
Clever, penis-man. Very clever, indeed.
11.14.2005
Oh, Ya. You Betcha.
This billboard greets me on the way to work every day. Actually, this is my Photoshopped rendering of it, since I'm not wont to stop on the freeway and take a picture. What interests me is the deliberation in the art department of where to place that two-foot high apostrophe:
...no, "ya" isn't a word. it's an abbreviation of "you."
Yeah, but what letter are you replacing with the apostrophe?
What are you talking about?! The apostrophe is there to show people that we know we're using nonstandard English!
What, is that from Strunk & White: The Lost Elements? You're making up usage!
Dude, just put in the apostrophe.
Fine. Where does it go?
Just put it where it makes sense...
Maybe because we put one in "y'all", they thought we needed one here. Of course, then we'd have:
ORANGE Y'A GLAD TO SEE US?
Which just looks silly.
If Ya, sans punctuation, is good enough for Outkast, it should be good enough for Adams Outdoor Advertising.
11.10.2005
Darkness Falls
Ah, The Darkness.
The boys who gave us lyrics like:
Snowflakes melt in hell
That it would end
Don't let the bells end
Christmas time
Just let me leave please
are back with a new single.
It's called:
One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back
The thing about The Darkness is this: you're never quite sure if it's a joke. I think that's why I find them so appealing.
Either way, this song rocks. Even if I hadn't heard it, I'd love it from the title alone: a one-way round trip, baby.
It makes absolutely no sense.
And therein lies the beauty. Even deciphering the lyrics about highs and lows of cocaine abuse really sheds no more light.
And that's OK.
'Cuz they rock.
[outro]
...One way ticket to hell and back(yeah)
Bought a one way ticket to hell and back(ooh yeah)
One way ticket to hell and back,
Bought a one way ticket to hell (oooh yeaah)
One way ticket to hell and back(woo!)
Bought a one way ticket to hell and back
One way ticket to hell and back,
Bought a one way ticket to hell...
The boys who gave us lyrics like:
Snowflakes melt in hell
That it would end
Don't let the bells end
Christmas time
Just let me leave please
are back with a new single.
It's called:
One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back
The thing about The Darkness is this: you're never quite sure if it's a joke. I think that's why I find them so appealing.
Either way, this song rocks. Even if I hadn't heard it, I'd love it from the title alone: a one-way round trip, baby.
It makes absolutely no sense.
And therein lies the beauty. Even deciphering the lyrics about highs and lows of cocaine abuse really sheds no more light.
And that's OK.
'Cuz they rock.
[outro]
...One way ticket to hell and back(yeah)
Bought a one way ticket to hell and back(ooh yeah)
One way ticket to hell and back,
Bought a one way ticket to hell (oooh yeaah)
One way ticket to hell and back(woo!)
Bought a one way ticket to hell and back
One way ticket to hell and back,
Bought a one way ticket to hell...
11.08.2005
Three Words I Use When I Want To Sound Smarter Than I Am
Irrespective
Hierarchy (pronouncing it hear-arky)
Ephemeral
What are yours?
Hierarchy (pronouncing it hear-arky)
Ephemeral
What are yours?
11.07.2005
Friskies Business
Here's a partial transcript from a commercial that plays on my radio at times:
...This is [radio personality]. You've heard me talk about my cats and how much they love Purina, as well as myself...
Whoa. The first time I heard it, I was sure I'd heard incorrectly. This could not be what it said. The next time, I wrote it down, in awe.
To me, the most literal reading of her message is:
I'm [radio personality]. You've heard me tell you how much my cats love [Purina cat food and] me.
Now, she doesn't say "love me". She says "...how much they love Purina, as well as myself." Which sounds like a fairly common misuse of a reflexive pronoun. So we would assume she meant "how much they love Purina, as well as me."
But, this isn't what she means, is it? She means to tell us that both she and her cats love Purina. Something like:
This is [radio personality]. You've heard me talk about how much my cats and I love Purina.
Now, this does bring to mind a radio host sitting down at the breakfast table with her coffee and a bowl of dry cat food. And, maybe that's why it isn't worded this way... someone thought it sounded weird. We need a rewrite from the ground up.
The problem, here, again, is this:
Aren't there people who proof these things? Even after it's aired, doesn't someone hear it and go "Uh, guys? Yeah, [radio personality]'s on the radio saying her cats love her. It just sounds weird. And she's using reflexive pronouns instead of standard personal pronouns. Can we get a rewrite?"
And the answer, again, comes back.
No. No, there aren't.
Sigh.
...This is [radio personality]. You've heard me talk about my cats and how much they love Purina, as well as myself...
Whoa. The first time I heard it, I was sure I'd heard incorrectly. This could not be what it said. The next time, I wrote it down, in awe.
To me, the most literal reading of her message is:
I'm [radio personality]. You've heard me tell you how much my cats love [Purina cat food and] me.
Now, she doesn't say "love me". She says "...how much they love Purina, as well as myself." Which sounds like a fairly common misuse of a reflexive pronoun. So we would assume she meant "how much they love Purina, as well as me."
But, this isn't what she means, is it? She means to tell us that both she and her cats love Purina. Something like:
This is [radio personality]. You've heard me talk about how much my cats and I love Purina.
Now, this does bring to mind a radio host sitting down at the breakfast table with her coffee and a bowl of dry cat food. And, maybe that's why it isn't worded this way... someone thought it sounded weird. We need a rewrite from the ground up.
The problem, here, again, is this:
Aren't there people who proof these things? Even after it's aired, doesn't someone hear it and go "Uh, guys? Yeah, [radio personality]'s on the radio saying her cats love her. It just sounds weird. And she's using reflexive pronouns instead of standard personal pronouns. Can we get a rewrite?"
And the answer, again, comes back.
No. No, there aren't.
Sigh.
11.06.2005
Something Wicked Segue Comes*
The news this morning had a story about a family that moved back into its flooded home in New Orleans to find it had been invaded by water moccasins. Every time they opened a door or moved a piece of furniture, a snake slithered out to greet them.
After this piece, the anchor threw to the weatherman with this:
"...Luckily, nothing like that weatherwise is going to bug us today..."
Yes, luckily there are no poisonous snakes in the weather today. And luckily, today we will not have to return to a destroyed home after over a month away. Boy, it sure would suck to be them! Haha! Luckily, it's going to be nearly 70 today!
Do we really need a segue? In TV Anchorman School, it must be drilled into young recruits, because this is only a small example of something that happens every day. In local news, especially, but the Bigs do it, too. I would like the weather, thank you, but I'm not terribly concerned that it somehow ties to the previous story.
Just tell me that it's time for the weather.
Thanks.
*A stretch, yes. The other, less stretchy title was Where There's A Will, There's A Segue.
After this piece, the anchor threw to the weatherman with this:
"...Luckily, nothing like that weatherwise is going to bug us today..."
Yes, luckily there are no poisonous snakes in the weather today. And luckily, today we will not have to return to a destroyed home after over a month away. Boy, it sure would suck to be them! Haha! Luckily, it's going to be nearly 70 today!
Do we really need a segue? In TV Anchorman School, it must be drilled into young recruits, because this is only a small example of something that happens every day. In local news, especially, but the Bigs do it, too. I would like the weather, thank you, but I'm not terribly concerned that it somehow ties to the previous story.
Just tell me that it's time for the weather.
Thanks.
*A stretch, yes. The other, less stretchy title was Where There's A Will, There's A Segue.
11.01.2005
The Remains Of The Day
When does a body become a remain?
Today, I have heard various reports, some talking about Rosa Parks' body, others about her remains.
AP:
"The Senate approved a resolution Thursday allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Rotunda..."
MSNBC:
"When they learned Friday night that Parks’ body would lie in honor in the Capitol, Cunningham’s wife said, “We have to go.”"
Many skip the distinction, saying simply that she will "lie in honor."
Is there a distinction? To me, remains suggests ashes, or something more gruesome. I must be off here, though, since it seems a fairly common way to refer to the body of one who has passed.
Hoping someone else will do the research, I wonder if it has to do with bodies that are not immediately buried, but are on view for a period.
Finally, as I got into this post I realized it might seem inappropriate. I do not mean to diminish the legacy of a civil rights pioneer by quibbling semantics. This is simply a straight question of usage that had never occurred to me before today.
Today, I have heard various reports, some talking about Rosa Parks' body, others about her remains.
AP:
"The Senate approved a resolution Thursday allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Rotunda..."
MSNBC:
"When they learned Friday night that Parks’ body would lie in honor in the Capitol, Cunningham’s wife said, “We have to go.”"
Many skip the distinction, saying simply that she will "lie in honor."
Is there a distinction? To me, remains suggests ashes, or something more gruesome. I must be off here, though, since it seems a fairly common way to refer to the body of one who has passed.
Hoping someone else will do the research, I wonder if it has to do with bodies that are not immediately buried, but are on view for a period.
Finally, as I got into this post I realized it might seem inappropriate. I do not mean to diminish the legacy of a civil rights pioneer by quibbling semantics. This is simply a straight question of usage that had never occurred to me before today.
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