tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32956895431660801752024-03-05T09:51:24.956-08:00The Chocolate Interrobangwhere we savor discussions about language & grammar & syntax, and sometimes reminisce about diagramming sentences...Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-28573717214746423842012-08-28T06:13:00.000-07:002012-08-28T06:13:21.887-07:00A Note on Relative PronounsTo start with, the rule: Relative pronouns take their gender, number, and person from their antecedent; they take their case from their use in their own clause.<p /p>
<p>On August 22, 2102, Glenn Greenwald posted an article on the Guardian's US website entitled <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/22/julian-assange-media-contempt">The bizarre, unhealthy, blinding media contempt for Julian Assange</a>. In this article Glenn used the following sentence [emphasis added]:
<blockquote>The person who (<i><b>along with whomever is the heroic leaker</b></i>) enabled "more scoops in a year than most journalists could imagine in a lifetime" – and who was quickly branded an enemy by the Pentagon and a terrorist by high U.S. officials – is the most hated figure among establishment journalists, even though they are ostensibly devoted to precisely these values of transparency and exposing serious government wrongdoing.</blockquote>
Leaving aside the prolix nature of Glenn's prose, which causes problems for those who have difficulty with texts that are not written in short, declarative sentences and who have even more difficulty holding a thought long enough to process a subordinate clause, I wish only to address the flagrant solecism presented by the emphasized text in the sentence given above.
We can see from the rule given in the first paragraph that the case of a relative pronoun is determined by its use in its own clause. For most relative pronouns this causes no problem because only one relative pronoun (<i>who</i>) has a marked form for the object case (<i>whom</i>).<br>
<p>Now, <i>along with</i> is an idiom that functions as a preposition meaning ‘in association with’ or ‘in conjunction with’. It is more or less synonymous with <i>together with</i>, which is similarly composed of an adverb plus a preposition and is also an idiom that functions as a preposition.</p>
<p>Clearly then, <i>along with</i> governs the object case and we would expect what follows to be in the object case. However, in this instance, the object is not the indefinite relative pronoun <i>whomever</i>, but the entire clause <i>who<font color="red"><s>m</s></font>ever is the heroic leaker</i>. Since the relative pronoun takes its case from its use in its own clause, it is clearly the subject of the verb <i>is</i> and so should be in the subject case, not the object case.</p>
<p>The correct usage then is <i>along with <font color="red">whoever</font> is the heroic leaker</i>.</p>
<p>Pronouns often cause even experienced writers and speakers problems because they represent the last vestiges of English's once extensive case system. The choice between <i>I</i>/<i>me</i>, <i>we</i>/<i>us</i>, <i>he</i>/<i>him</i>, <i>she</i>/<i>her</i>, <i>they</i></i>/<i>them</i>, and <i>who</i>/<i>whom</i> presents the writer with an unexpected choice between the subject case and the object case – unexpected because nowhere else is this choice necessary and the writer is not used to exercising it. Still, a word to the wise is sufficient and doubtless Glenn will be on his guard against repeating this error.</p>
Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-89515991952619712012009-12-02T08:43:00.000-08:002010-07-04T15:33:41.798-07:00Salon Letters Beta — The Whole Enchilada<span style="color: red; font-size: 150%;">[<span style="color: blue;">(27/06/10)</span> Salon has randomly changed the message header format on some letter pages causing the reformatting script to crash on those pages. I have written a patch that will fix this and incorporated it in the script posted below. To install, follow the instructions below for installing the script. Don't forget to uninstall the old version before installing the new; otherwise the new version won't be installed.]</span><br />It has now been about three weeks since Salon unveiled its “beta” pages, obviously designed by someone nostalgic for the red, white, and black color scheme so popular at the Nuremberg rallies. While the main pages at Salon are bad enough, the Letters pages were particularly hideous, with the previous more or less uncluttered format replaced with a page design where the letters are crammed into a space half the width of the page or less in order to make room for two additional columns, links were not marked in any way, and HTML tags that had previously been functional no longer worked.<br /><br />I offered an update to the Salon Letter Filter that would work on the beta pages and also provided snippets of code that could be integrated into the Letter Filter script to relieve some of the clutter and the the poor design features that made trying to read the letters pages stressful as I developed them.<br /><br />Now, by popular demand, a full Greasemonkey script that embodies both the Salon Letter Filter and the Salon Beta letter page reformatter is provided here. I have added some tweaks that let the script run on all Salon letters pages, including the letter posting page and individual author archive pages. The letter filter does not run on these pages as it is unneeded. The Letter Filter also will not run if the ‘killfile’ variable is not configured (i.e., it is empty or contains only the word “authors”). I have also added a switch to disable the Letter Filter even if the ‘killfile’ variable is configured. In short, if you do absolutely nothing after installing the script the Letter Filter will <b><i>not</i></b> operate — only the reformatting part of the script will run.<br /><br />I have also added some bells and whistles that weren't part of the earlier scripts, including a “linkifier” that makes any properly formulated URL in the letter body into a clickable link. I have added commentary to the script that identifies the purpose of each block of code so that it will be easier for users to modify values or disable unwanted features. Here I give a brief summary of the features of the new script and how to manipulate it to suit the individual user's preferences.<br /><br />First, however, and in keeping with the nature of this blog as a forum for language and grammar, a few remarks on the use of the term “comment” by programmers will be useful. All programming and scripting languages have a device that allows the compiler or interpreter to ignore lines in a program. In JavaScript (which is what Greasemonkey uses), the comment marker for an individual line is two slashes (‘//’). Programmers use <i>comment</i> (usually with “out”) as a verb meaning “to provide with comment markers” and any line with comment markers is said to be “commented out”. To <i>uncomment</i> a line is to remove the comment markers. I will be using these terms extensively in what follows.<br /><br /><ol><li>The Letter Filter</li><br>The Letter Filter itself is essentially unchanged from the previous version. Instructions for configuring the ‘killfile’ variable are included in the script. I have added some tests so that the Filter does not run if the ‘killfile’ variable is not configured or if it is empty. I have also added a switch to disable the Letter Filter even if the ‘killfile’ variable is configured. The switch is found in the line <code>//LetterFilterOn = "false";</code>. To disable the Letter Filter, simply uncomment this line.<br><br /><li>Reformat the name of the author of the letter</li><br>For each letter the author’s name is reformatted to make it a) visible and b) legible. The color is changed from gray to black and the font size is increased slightly. If the Letter Filter runs, this is done within the Filter. If not, it is done with a separate block of code. If you want to change the color or font size, the parameters are in <code><span style='font-size:110%;color:black'></code> and are self-explanatory.<br> <font color=red>[</font>Salon beta has now modified the format of authors’ names on letter pages. However, true to form, the name is now too large rather than too small. The size of the author’s name is now the same as the letter subject. To counter this, I have changed the earlier setting of 110% to 90%. The code is left in the script for those who may wish to further modify the format of the author’s name.<font color=red>]</font><br><br /><li>Ad Remover</li><br>If you really want to see the ads, you can comment out this block of code. If you do, be sure to comment out the entire block, not just a line or two.<br><br /><li>Letters Help</li><br>This section of the Salon letters page, located at the bottom of the second column, is actually useful and is worth saving before trashing the mostly useless second and third columns. This block of code saves the Letters Help and places it, very unobtrusively, at the beginning of the letter archive for the page.<br><br /><li>Remove columns two and three</li><br>Now that the Letters Help has been salvaged, it is possible to remove column two containing the scoreboard (“Most Active Letters Threads”), telling which of Salon’s authors is ahead in the battle for clicks and column three containing innumerable shiny objects all begging to be clicked on (“Currently in Salon”). If you want to retain these columns, comment out this block of code. If you do, you won't be able to spread the text of the letters across the page. The letters have been crowded into the small space allotted to them in order to make room for these additional columns of click generators.<br><br /><li>Function to make global style changes</li><br>Unless you are an experienced programmer, do not mess with this function. Even if you are an experienced programmer, don't mess with it. It falls into the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category.<br><br /><li>Change link colors</li><br>One of the most disgusting things about the Salon beta design is that it does not identify links unless your pointing device hovers over them. From looking at the page there is no way to tell what is a link and what is normal text. Further, visited links are not marked so that there is no difference between visited links and any other links. Presumably, if you can’t see that you’ve already visited a link it’s more likely that you’ll click on it again. What is particularly egregious about this policy is that it means that you cannot tell which letter pages you have already read. You can see what page you’re on and presumably you know that pages on one side of the current page have been read and pages on the other haven’t. But if you have to close the browser or navigate away from the letter page, there is no way to tell when you return which pages of letters have been read and which not. The only way to tell is to write down what page you were on before you leave. This is not just poor web page design; it is outright bad manners and lack of consideration. <font color=red>[</font>Salon beta has now apparently grudgingly changed the formatting so that letter pages that have been read are now marked. Other visited links, however, seem to be unaffected.<font color=red>]</font><br><br />To rectify this, I have added three lines of code that provide colors for links:<br><br /><span><ol span style='list-style-type:lower-alpha'><li>Links</li><br />The first line of code changes the color of links so that they stand out from the default text color.<br><br /><li>Visited Links</li><br />The second line of code sets the color of a link that has been visited. This allows you to see at a glance which pages you have already read.<br><br /><li>Hover Color</li><br />The third line of code changes the color of a link when the mouse is held over it.</ol></span><br />The colors have been chosen on the basis of my own preferences and can be changed by the user to suit his or her own preferences. Colors can be defined in three ways: 1) by name; 2) by a hex number (00 to FF) indicating the Red, Green, and Blue components of the color; or 3) by the rgb() function, which specifies the RGB components as either a decimal number (0 to 255) or a percentage (0% to 100%). I have used each of these methods in one line of code but the user can change them <i>ad libitum</i>: <code>color:blue</code>, <code>color:#0000FF</code>, and <code>color:rgb(0,0,255)</code> all produce the same color. A list of named colors can be found <a href="http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_colornames.asp">here</a> and you can quickly test your colors <a href="http://www.w3schools.com/css/tryit.asp?filename=trycss_color">here</a> if you have JavaScript enabled in your browser (or on the page if you use NoScript).<br><br /><li>Change width of letter components</li><br>Now that the second and third columns are gone, it is possible to expand the text of the letters to utilize some of the empty space. The next block of code resets the width of each letter component except the signature to an absolute width of 650 pixels. This is the width that I find most comfortable for the browser width that I like to use. The user can change the numbers in these lines to suit his or her own preference. Remember, however, that it can be as difficult to read lines that are too long as it is to read those that are too short.<br><br /><li>Reformat the <li> HTML tag to display bullet points</li><br>Salon letters beta still allows the <ul> (unordered list) and <li> (list item) HTML tags. However, there is no formatting associated with the tags so they have no effect other than allowing a single-spaced list. This block of code sets the parameters of the <li> element so that it displays bullet points and indents the text. Most posters probably will not use the <li> tag because a) they are unfamiliar with HTML and don't know what it is supposed to do and b) it doesn't work properly so even if they know what it is supposed to do, it doesn't do it. But with the Greasemonkey script working the <li> element will display correctly. There is no point in using the <ul> tag because Salon's HTML parser inserts a pair of <ul>/</ul> tags around every <li> element.<br><br /><li>Remove the huge navigation panels at the top and bottom of the page</li><br>The next line of code removes the gigantic navigation panel (which essentially duplicates the one at the top of the page) at the bottom of the page. Since we know where the panel is and there is only one of it, there is no need to search for it and this task can be handled with a single line of code. The next two lines remove the large cumbersome navigation panel at the top of the page. If you want the navigation panels, simply comment out these lines of code (or turn off Greasemonkey by clicking on the icon in the status bar of your browser and then reload the page).<br><br /><li>Change the harsh red background color of the copyright notices at the bottom of the page</li><br>I find the red used as background for the copyright notices at the bottom of the page to be both harsh and stressful. In addition, the black text of the notices is very difficult to read against the red background. Trying to do so gives me a headache. I have simply changed the background color to white to match the rest of the page. If you would like some other color, you can change the color in the line <code>foot.style.backgroundColor = 'white';</code> as described above in item 7. The method is slightly different in this case, however. The color name, hex number color code, or the rgb() function should replace the word ‘white’ inside the quotation marks.<br><br /><li>Reformat the letter posting page</li><br>All of the foregoing will also run on the page that posts letters. Now that there is more space on that page it is possible to expand the area allotted to the composition of your letter. The following blocks of code accomplish this.<br><br /><span><ol span style='list-style-type:lower-roman'><li>Expand the space for the letter subject</li><br>The first block of code in this section expands the size of the area provided for the subject of the letter. The part that does this is in the line <code>newSize.setAttribute('size','70');</code>. You can change the size by changing the number in this line. The remainder of the block is very important as it makes sure that the new element you are inserting has the same properties and content as the element you are replacing. This is important because the page has a verification script that looks for these properties and won't post the letter if they aren't there.<br><br /><li>Expand the space for the letter text</li><br>The next block of code increases the size of the “textarea” element for the body of the letter. The numbers that do this are in the <code>newTextarea.setAttribute('rows','20');</code> and <code>newTextarea.setAttribute('cols','70');</code> lines. The “rows” number adjusts the height of the box and the “cols” adjusts the width. These numbers can be changed to suit the individual user. Again, the remainder of the block of code is very important for the same reasons as in i above and should not be changed.<br><br /><li>Remove the gray background for the letter preview</li><br>There is a light gray background that is configured to the original size of the letter preview. This is distracting if the letter preview now extends outside this block. I found that the simplest solution to this was simply to remove the gray background rather than try to resize it. The final block of code in this section changes the gray background to white in the same manner as in item 11 above.</ol></span><br />These changes are, needless to say, specific to the letter posting page and do not affect other Salon letter pages. But what is more important is that they work. I have posted numerous letters using the reformatted pages and they can be used with confidence.<br><br /><li>Linkification</li><br>The last block of code in this instantiation of the Letter Filter and Reformatter is a routine to convert any properly formulated URL in the body of a letter into a clickable link. There are Firefox add-ons that provide this capability (in fact I use one myself), but for those who are distrustful of add-ons I decided to add this to the Reformatter. This is by way of atonement for the fact that I haven't be able to find a way to sneak a link tag past Salon's HTML parser.</ol><br />INSTRUCTIONS: General instructions are given in the script. To create the Greasemonky user script, copy everything below from <code>//BEGIN CODE</code> to <code>//END CODE</code> (you do not need to copy the BEGIN CODE and END CODE lines, but since they are comment lines it won't hurt anything if you do) into a new text file. Do not panic if it appears that the lines of code end in midair on the blog page. It is all there even if it doesn't display because of the Blogger page layout. Simply select the code, copy it, and paste it into a new text file.<br><br />IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE A WORD PROCESSOR TO CREATE THIS FILE. Word processors insert formatting codes into files. Scripts must contain nothing but text. If you do use a word processor (such as Wordpad), be sure to save the file as TEXT ONLY. It is recommended to use Notepad or some equivalent text editor (note: a text editor is fundamentally different from a word processor).<br><br />Once you have created the file, chose “Save As” and save the file with the extension .user.js. It doesn't matter what you name the file since Greasemonkey takes the name of the script from the “@name” element in the script itself, but it is essential that it have the extension .user.js otherwise Greasemonkey will not recognize it as a Greasemonkey user script.<br><br />When you have the file saved and Greasemonkey enabled on your browser, simply drag the file and drop it on the browser. Greasemonkey will recognize it as a user script and ask if you want to install it. Say yes.<br><br />IMPORTANT AGAIN: Once you have installed the script, you can no longer edit it from the original file. Well, you can edit it of course — it just won't have any effect on the script itself. When Greasemonkey installs the script it copies it to a directory far, far away, and that becomes the working copy of the script as far as Greasemonkey is concerned. You can edit this file with the “Edit” function in the “Manage User Scripts” dialog panel provided by Greasemonkey. If you want to edit the original script file, you can, but you will then have to uninstall the script and install it anew for your edits to have any effect.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><pre><code><b>//BEGIN CODE</b><br />//<br />var LetterFilterOn;<br />//<br />// MANUAL CONFIGURATION REQUIRED FOR LETTER FILTER<br />//<br />// To configure the letter filter, you must have a "killfile" variable configured.<br />// A template for this variable is given below. The "killfile" varable includes a <br />// comma-delimited string of the nyms of the authors that you wish to filter out.<br />// A sample "killfile variable configuration looks like:<br />//<br />// new String(killfile = 'author1,author2,author3');<br />// or<br />// new String(killfile = 'author');<br />//<br />// Simply replace the word "authors" in the template below with the nyms of the authors you<br />// wish to expunge, each one separated by a comma, and save the file.<br />// Entries are case insensitive. Since the "killfile" will become a regular expression,<br />// regular expression metacharacters (such as "." or "+") appearing in a nym should be<br />// preceded by two backslashes ("\\"; e.g., 'L\\.W\\.M\\.') in order to work properly.<br />// If you do not wish to use the Letter Filter function, no configuration is necessary,<br />// although reformatting parameters may be reconfigured by the user if desired.<br />//<br /> new String(killfile = 'authors');<br /><br />// Remove the "//" in front of the following line if you wish to disable the Letter <br />// Filter in all circumstances:<br />//<br />//LetterFilterOn = "false";<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// This is a Greasemonkey user script.<br />//<br />// To install, you need Greasemonkey: http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/<br />// After installing Greasemonkey, restart Firefox and revisit this script.<br />// Under Tools, there will be a new menu item to "Install User Script".<br />// Accept the default configuration and install.<br />//<br />// To uninstall, go to Tools/Manage User Scripts,<br />// select "Salon Letter Filter and Reformatter", and click Uninstall.<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// ==UserScript==<br />// @name Salon Letter Filter and Reformatter<br />// @author Frankly, my dear, ...<br />// @namespace http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/01/salon-letters-beta-whole-enchilada.html<br />// @description Filter and reformat letters from Salon. WARNING: manual configuration required. If you wish to use the Letter Filter you must edit the script and enter your "killfile" in the string variable near the top of the script. If you wish to use only the reformatting features, no configuration is necessary.<br />// @include http://letters.salon.com/*<br />// @version 0.0.1<br />// ==/UserScript==<br />//<br />// Shortcut function to evalute an XPath in the document<br />//<br />function xpath(query, sourceDoc) {<br /> return document.evaluate(query, sourceDoc, null, XPathResult.ORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null);<br />}<br /><br />// *BEGIN LETTER FILTER*<br />//<br />if (! LetterFilterOn) LetterFilterOn = true;<br />if (! document.getElementById('letter_source_container') && ! document.getElementById('letters_send_msg') && LetterFilterOn != 'false' && killfile.length != 0 && killfile.search(/^authors$/) == -1) LetterFilterOn = true;<br />else LetterFilterOn = false;<br />if (LetterFilterOn) {<br /> myregexp = new RegExp(killfile.replace(/, */g, "|"), "i");<br />//alert(myregexp);<br /> var allLets, thisLet, allAuthors, thisAuthor, allFooters, thisFooter, allHeads, thisHead;<br /> allHeads = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/h2[@class='headline md'] | //div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/h3[@class='headline md']",document);<br /> allLets = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='deck md']",document);<br /> allAuthors = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline'] | //div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline premium']",document);<br /> allFooters = xpath("//div[@class='letter_entry_footer']",document);<br /> for (var i = 0; i < allLets.snapshotLength; i++) {<br /> thisHead = allHeads.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisLet = allLets.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisAuthor = allAuthors.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisFooter = allFooters.snapshotItem(i);<br /> var author = thisAuthor.innerHTML;<br /> thisAuthor.innerHTML = "<span style='font-size:90%;color:black'>" + thisAuthor.innerHTML + "</span>";<br /> if (myregexp.test(author)) {<br /> mymatch = myregexp.exec(author);<br /> thisLet.innerHTML = "<h2><b>Letter from " + mymatch + " deleted</h2></b>" + thisFooter.innerHTML;<br /> thisHead.innerHTML = "";<br /> thisFooter.innerHTML = "";<br /> thisAuthor.innerHTML = "";<br /> //thisLet.innerHTML = "";<br /> }<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />// *BEGIN REFORMATTING*<br />//<br />// change color and increase size of author's name if Letter Filter didn't run<br />if (! LetterFilterOn) {<br /> allAuthors = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline'] | //div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline premium']",document);<br /> for (var i = 0; i < allAuthors.snapshotLength; i++) {<br /> thisAuthor = allAuthors.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisAuthor.innerHTML = "<span style='font-size:90%;color:black'>" + thisAuthor.innerHTML + "</span>";<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />// ad remover<br />var allAds, thisAd;<br />allAds = xpath("//div[@class='ad_content'] | //div[@id='ad_Top']",document);<br />for (var j = 0; j < allAds.snapshotLength; j++) {<br /> thisAd = allAds.snapshotItem(j);<br /> thisAd.innerHTML = "";<br />}<br /><br />// save the letters help section and place it before the letters<br />var allBoxes, helplist,helpbox, letters;<br />allBoxes = xpath("//div[@class='box']",document);<br />helplist = allBoxes.snapshotItem(1).innerHTML;<br />helpbox = document.createElement('div');<br />helpbox.class = "box";<br />helpbox.innerHTML = helplist<br />letters = document.getElementById('letters_archive');<br />if (letters) {<br />letters.parentNode.insertBefore(helpbox, letters);<br />}<br /><br />// remove the irrelevant second and third columns<br />var allCols, thisCol;<br />allCols = xpath("//div[@id='col2'] | //div[@id='col3']",document);<br />for (var k = 0; k < allCols.snapshotLength; k++) {<br /> thisCol = allCols.snapshotItem(k);<br /> thisCol.innerHTML = "";<br />}<br /><br />// Function to make global changes in style<br />function addGlobalStyle(css) {<br />var head, style;<br />head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];<br />if (!head) { return; }<br />style = document.createElement('style');<br />style.type = 'text/css';<br />style.innerHTML = css;<br />head.appendChild(style);<br />}<br /><br />// change link colors<br />addGlobalStyle('a:link {color:#0088FF ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('a:visited {color:orange ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('a:hover {color:rgb(0,0,255) ! important; }');<br /><br />// change width of letter components<br />addGlobalStyle('p {width:650px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('blockquote {width:650px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('h2 {width:650px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('h3 {width:650px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('li {width:650px ! important; }');<br /><br />// format the <li> HTML tag so it gives bullet points instead of garbage<br />var thisList, allLists;<br />allLists = xpath("//div[@class='posts preview']/div[@class='letter clearfix']/div[@class='deck md']/ul/li | //div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='deck md']/ul/li",document);<br />if (allLists.snapshotItem(0)) {<br /> for (var m = 0; m < allLists.snapshotLength; m++) {<br /> thisList = allLists.snapshotItem(m);<br /> thisList.style.marginLeft = "25px";<br /> thisList.style.listStyleType = "disc";<br /> thisList.style.listStylePosition = "outside";<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />// remove huge navigation panel at top and bottom of page<br />xpath("//div[@class='sitemap_wrap']",document).snapshotItem(1).innerHTML = "";<br /><br />var header = document.getElementById('header');<br />header.innerHTML = "";<br /><br />// remove the harsh red background from the copyright section at the bottom of the page<br />var foot = document.getElementById('footer_inner');<br />foot.style.backgroundColor = 'white';<br /><br />// *Reformat the letter posting page<br />// expand the space for the letter subject<br />var theSize, newSize;<br />theSize = document.getElementById('letter_subject');<br />if (theSize) {<br /> newSize = document.createElement("input");<br /> newSize.type = 'text';<br /> newSize.setAttribute('size','70');<br /> newSize.value = theSize.value;<br /> newSize.id = 'letter_subject';<br /> newSize.name = 'subject';<br /> theSize.parentNode.replaceChild(newSize, theSize);<br />}<br /><br />// expand the area for the letter body<br />var theTextarea, newTextarea;<br />theTextarea = document.getElementById('letter_body');<br />if (theTextarea) {<br /> newTextarea = document.createElement("textarea");<br /> newTextarea.setAttribute('rows','20');<br /> newTextarea.setAttribute('cols','70');<br /> newTextarea.value = theTextarea.value;<br /> newTextarea.id = 'letter_body';<br /> newTextarea.name = 'body';<br /> theTextarea.parentNode.replaceChild(newTextarea, theTextarea);<br />}<br /><br />// remove the gray background from the letter preview<br />pre = document.getElementById('letters_archive');<br />if(pre) pre.style.backgroundColor = 'white';<br /><br />// make all URLs in letter body clickable links<br />var isURL = new RegExp("[a-z]+://[a-z0-9_-]+\\.[a-z0-9_#%&\?\/.,;:!'~=+-]+", "ig");<br />var isLink = new RegExp("http://static\\.open\\.salon\\.com", "i");<br />var allTexts, thisText, p;<br />allTexts = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='deck md']/* | //div[@class='posts preview']/div[@class='letter clearfix']/div[@class='deck md']/*",document);<br />if (allTexts.snapshotItem(0)) {<br /> for (var n = 0; n < allTexts.snapshotLength; n++) {<br /> thisText = allTexts.snapshotItem(n);<br /> if (isURL.test(thisText.innerHTML)) {<br /> myURLs = thisText.innerHTML.match(isURL);<br /> for (p = 0; p < myURLs.length; p++) {<br /> myURL = new String(myURLs[p]);<br /> if (isLink.test(myURL)) break;<br /> myURL = myURL.replace(/(\&gt;.?|[.,:;'!]+)$/,"");<br /> newURL = myURL.replace(/([.?])/g,"\\$1");<br /> var oldURL = new RegExp(newURL,"i");<br /> thisText.innerHTML = thisText.innerHTML.replace(oldURL,'<a href="' + myURL + '">' + myURL + '</a>');<br /> }<br /> }<br /> }<br />}<br /><br />//<br /><b>//END CODE</b></code></pre>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-56600768648544132972009-11-10T18:26:00.000-08:002009-11-12T06:01:20.951-08:00Optional Additional Code for Salon Letter Filter betaThe following additional code can be added to the Salon Letter Filter beta greasemonkey script to correct deficiencies in the Salon formatting:<br /><br />1) Mark visited links — The letter page formatting does not mark links that have been visited. This means that you cannot tell which pages of the letter commentary you have read and which you haven't. If you navigate away from the page or close your browser you have to remember which page you were on when you come back. This can be fixed with the following code, which can simply be copied and pasted at the end of the Salon Letter Filter beta script:<br><br /><pre><code>function addGlobalStyle(css) {<br />var head, style;<br />head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];<br />if (!head) { return; }<br />style = document.createElement('style');<br />style.type = 'text/css';<br />style.innerHTML = css;<br />head.appendChild(style);<br />}<br />addGlobalStyle('a:link {color:blue ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('a:visited {color:orange ! important; }');</code></pre><br /><br />2) Remove Navigation panel at the bottom of letter pages — A huge amount of space at the bottom of each letter page is taken up with a navigation panel that will take you almost anywhere in Salon. For most people it is simply a distraction. It can be removed by adding the following line of code to the Salon Letter Filter beta script:<br><br /><pre><code>xpath("//div[@class='sitemap_wrap']",document).snapshotItem(1).innerHTML = "";</code></pre><br />Be sure to copy the entire line of code since you can't see the end of it because of blogger's page layout.<br /><br />3) Remove the second and third columns containing “Most Active Letter Threads” (the scoreboard) and “Currently in Salon” — The size of the letter area has been considerably reduced by the need of the “business model” to include graphic links to everything else on Salon. You can get rid of these two additional columns that are mostly merely distracting from the letters by adding the following code to the greasemonkey script:<br><br /><pre><code>var allCols, thisCol;<br />allCols = xpath("//div[@id='col2'] | //div[@id='col3']",document);<br />for (var k = 0; k < allCols.snapshotLength; k++) {<br /> thisCol = allCols.snapshotItem(k);<br /> thisCol.innerHTML = "";<br />}</code></pre><br />Unfortunately, this will also remove the “Letters Help” box in the second column, which might actually prove useful, but you can't have everything. I'll try to find a way to put the “Letters Help” back somewhere unobtrusive.<br /><br />4) Preserve the “Letters Help” box — the following code will preserve the help box for letters and place it unobtrusively before the letter archive:<br><br /><pre><code>var allBoxes, helplist,helpbox, letters;<br />allBoxes = xpath("//div[@class='box']",document);<br />helplist = allBoxes.snapshotItem(1).innerHTML;<br />helpbox = document.createElement('div');<br />helpbox.class = "box";<br />helpbox.innerHTML = helplist<br />letters = document.getElementById('letters_archive');<br />if (letters) {<br />letters.parentNode.insertBefore(helpbox, letters);<br />}</code></pre><br />WARNING: This code must be placed before the code given in section 3) above. You have to snarf the letters help box before you trash column 2.<br /><br />5) Remove the red background from the copyright notices at the bottom of the page — The hideous and stressful red background to the copyright notice at the bottom of the letter pages can be removed with the following two lines of code:<br><br /><pre><code>var foot = document.getElementById('footer_inner');<br />foot.style.backgroundColor = 'white';</code></pre><br /><br />6) Spread the letter text across the page — Now that columns 2 and 3 have been removed it is possible to spread the letters across the page to make them more readable. The following code will accomplish this:<BR><br /><pre><code>addGlobalStyle('p {width:700px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('blockquote {width:700px ! important; }');<br />addGlobalStyle('h2 {width:700px ! important; }');</code></pre><br />These lines will work only if the addGlobalStyle() function defined above in 1) has been included. Otherwise you will have to copy the function from 1) and paste it into the script before these lines will work.<br /><br />I have set the width in pixels at 700. This is the width I find most comfortable for the browser width that I use. You can make the lines longer or shorter just by changing the number to suit your own preference.<br /><br /><br />That's all for now, but stay tuned for further developments.Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-44893479330347090212009-09-15T08:01:00.000-07:002009-12-12T04:33:33.323-08:00Salon Letter Filter Script beta<span style="color:red;font-size:150%">[<span style="color:blue">(11/10/09)</span> Salon has again changed its Letter format in conformance with its new beta page layout. Presumably this change will be permanent]</span><br><br />Salon has changed the format of their letters pages, obviously in order to make them even less readable than they were before, and the earlier Salon Letter Filter Greasemonkey script no longer works. Here is the text of a revised script that should function until Salon changes the format again. To install, copy everything between //BEGIN CODE and //END CODE into a text file (do not copy //BEGIN CODE and //END CODE). Name the text file salonletterfilterbeta.user.js and save it. If you already have Salon Letter Filter installed, you do not need to uninstall it before installing the new file. Simply open the new file in your browser (you can drag and drop). If Greasemonkey is installed and active, when you open the file a Greasemonkey dialog will appear asking if you want to install the script. Click on install.<br />Alternatively, if you think you know what you are doing, you can simply edit the installed script and replace those lines of code that have been changed with the new ones.<br /><br /><b>IMPORTANT:</b> Your file name must end with .user.js for Greasemonkey to recognize it as a user script.<br /><br />Do not panic if it appears that the lines of code end in midair on the blog page. It is all there even if it doesn't display because of the Blogger page layout. Simply select the code, copy it, and paste it into a new text file. Notepad or some other fairly simple text editor is recommended for this.<br />This version also removes ads from Salon Letter pages. If you actually prefer to see the ads, simply remove the code at the end that begins with “// ad remover”.<br />There is also an enhancement that increases the size of the poster's name slightly to make it easier to see. If you prefer the original setting, edit the file and put “//” at the beginning of the line that begins “thisAuthor.innerHTML = "<span style=”.<br />The greasemonkey script for the letter filter is no longer available as a download. To install it, you must copy the code from here into a file on your own computer. We regret the inconvenience.<br /><br /><pre><code><b>//BEGIN CODE</b><br />//<br />// MANUAL CONFIGURATION REQUIRED<br />//<br />// To configure the letters filter, you must have a "killfile" variable configured.<br />// A template for this variable is given below. The "killfile" varable includes a <br />// comma-delimited string of the nyms of the authors that you wish to filter out.<br />// A sample "killfile variable configuration looks like:<br />//<br />// new String(killfile = 'author1,author2,author3');<br />// or<br />// new String(killfile = 'author');<br />//<br />// Simply replace the word "authors" in the template below with the nyms of the authors you<br />// wish to expunge, each one separated by a comma, and save the file.<br />// Entries are case insensitive. Since the "killfile" will become a regular expression,<br />// regular expression metacharacters (such as "." or "+") appearing in a nym should be<br />// preceded by a backslash ("\"; e.g., 'L\.W\.M\.') in order to work properly.<br />//<br /> new String(killfile = 'authors');<br /> if (killfile.length == 0) exit;<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// This is a Greasemonkey user script.<br />//<br />// To install, you need Greasemonkey: http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/<br />// Then restart Firefox and revisit this script.<br />// Under Tools, there will be a new menu item to "Install User Script".<br />// Accept the default configuration and install.<br />//<br />// To uninstall, go to Tools/Manage User Scripts,<br />// select "Letter_Filter", and click Uninstall.<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// ==UserScript==<br />// @name Salon Letter filter beta<br />// @author Frankly, my dear, ...<br />// @namespace http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/09/salon-letter-filter-script-version-002.html<br />// @description Filter letters from Salon. WARNING: manual configuration required. Before use you must edit the script and enter your "killfile" in the string variable near the top of the script.<br />// @include http://letters.salon.com/*<br />// @version 0.0.1<br />// ==/UserScript==<br /><br />//<br />// Set debug to 1 to see debug output in Javascript console<br />//<br />var debug = 1;<br />// <br />// Only print information to console if debug is on<br />//<br />//function myGM_log(args) {<br />// if (debug == 1) {<br />// GM_log(args);<br />// }<br />//} <br /><br />//<br />// Shortcut function to evalute an XPath in the document<br />//<br />function xpath(query, sourceDoc) {<br /> return document.evaluate(query, sourceDoc, null, XPathResult.ORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null);<br />}<br /><br />myregexp = new RegExp(killfile.replace(/, */g, "|"), "i");<br />//alert(myregexp);<br />var allLets, thisLet, allAuthors, thisAuthor, allFooters, thisFooter, allHeads, thisHead;<br />allHeads = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/h2[@class='headline md']",document);<br />allLets = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='deck md']",document);<br />allAuthors = xpath("//div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline'] | //div[@class='posts']/div[@class='letter']/div[@class='byline premium']",document);<br />allFooters = xpath("//div[@class='letter_entry_footer']",document);<br />for (var i = 0; i < allLets.snapshotLength; i++) {<br /> thisHead = allHeads.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisLet = allLets.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisAuthor = allAuthors.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisFooter = allFooters.snapshotItem(i);<br /> var author = thisAuthor.innerHTML;<br />thisAuthor.innerHTML = "<span style='font-size:90%;color:black'>" + thisAuthor.innerHTML + "</span>";<br /> if (myregexp.test(author)) {<br /> mymatch = myregexp.exec(author);<br /> thisLet.innerHTML = "<h2><b>Letter from " + mymatch + " deleted</h2></b>" + thisFooter.innerHTML;<br /> thisHead.innerHTML = "";<br /> thisFooter.innerHTML = "";<br /> thisAuthor.innerHTML = "";<br /> //thisLet.innerHTML = "";<br /> }<br />}<br />// ad remover<br />var allAds, thisAd;<br />allAds = xpath("//div[@class='ad_content' | //div[@id='ad_Top']",document);<br />for (var j = 0; j < allAds.snapshotLength; j++) {<br /> thisAd = allAds.snapshotItem(j);<br /> thisAd.innerHTML = "";<br />}<br /><b>//END CODE</b></code></pre>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-8884489952270170162009-09-13T07:47:00.000-07:002009-09-27T05:41:06.058-07:00Latin for Bloggers<style type="text/css"> <!-- A:link {text-decoration:none; color:blue} <br />A:visited {text-decoration:none; color:green}<br />A:hover {text-decoration:none; color:FFF000} --> </style><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-size:80;">[Author’s note: I started this <span class="newtext">contribution</span> more than two years ago, but had to set it aside for more urgent undertakings (like <a href="http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/04/salon-letter-filters-script.html">a filter for Salon letters</a>), but the recent <a href="http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/08/31/glenn-greenwald/">posting by <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" title="(better known to the world of punditry as “Joke Line”)"><span style="color:white;">Joe Klein</span></span> on Time’s <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" title="(ever so appropriately named)"><span style="color:white;"><i>Swampland</i></span></span> blog</a> in which he casually inserted what he apparently thought was a Latin phrase, *<i>ad nauseum</i> (I say apparently because he put the phrase in italics, indicating that he didn't consider it English). Since this solecism, while extremely common on blogs, now has the imprimatur of Time Magazine (presumably <i>Swampland</i> doesn’t have an editor, or at least not one familiar with Latin), it is clearly time to dust off this little excursus on the misuse of Latin by bloggers in hopes of, if not encouraging the miscreants to mend their ways and look up things that they don't know (after all it is hard to change the habits of a lifetime), at least heaping well-deserved ridicule and scorn on their pretentiousness.]</span></span><br /><br />Yeah, I know — this blog is supposed to be about English. But English is a voracious language that accepts not only unlimited loan words but also takes over foreign words and phrases wholesale. In fact, according to James D. Nicoll:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:90;">We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.</span><br /><a href="http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/linguist/issues/13/13-499.html"><div style="text-align: right; font-size: 85%; padding-right: 3cm;">— James D. Nicoll</div></a></blockquote><br /><style type="text/css"> <!-- A:link {text-decoration:none; color:blue} <br />A:visited {text-decoration:none; color:green}<br />A:hover {text-decoration:none; color:FFF000} --> </style><br />But I digress. Not only was English syntax consciously remodeled after Latin in the 17th and 18th centuries, but the prestige of the classical languages led to a great number of neologisms based on Latin and Greek roots as well as many loanwords taken directly from the classical languages. Indeed, many common abbreviations used in writing were based on Latin phrases (i.e., e.g., loc. cit., etc.). By contrast, English's sister language rejected most of the Latin/Greek etymologies and instead calqued (loan translated) the English into German (E. <i>rhinoceros</i> [‘nose horn’], G. Näshorn; E. <i>exposition</i>, G. Ausstellung; E. <i>television</i>, G. Fernseher, and so on) and uses German abbreviations rather than abbreviations of Latin (d.h., z.B., a.a.O., usw.).<br /><br />The prestige of the classical languages has also ensured that many Latin phrases and expressions are used in English prose to give status to the author as an educated person (there was a time, not all that long ago, when a knowledge of Latin and Greek was simply the mark of an educated person; no one went to university without knowing Latin and Greek). Indeed, in many European universities dissertations were still written in Latin well into the twentieth century.<br /><br />Latin (and to a considerably lesser extent Greek) expressions thus find their way into English prose, either because they are well known and familiar, or because writers wish to show, by their knowledge of Latin, that they are educated persons. What then of those who misuse Latin expressions in their writing? — get the wrong expression, misspell them, use the wrong case, or just generally demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge of Latin vocabulary, grammar, and syntax? If one is generous, one could just say that they made a mistake — everyone makes mistakes; if one is less generous, one might be inclined to say that they are trying to capitalize on the prestige generated by the use of Latin and mark themselves as knowledgeable and educated when, in fact, they lack the knowledge and education that they are implicitly claiming.<br /><br />Here then are some of the most <span title="and egregious">common</span> mistakes to be found in the use of Latin by bloggers (and by blog commenters):<br /><br /><a name="habeas_corpus"></a><h4>Habeas Corpus<!--4--></h4><ul><li>Most common mistake: <i>habeus corpus</i> (Google gets about 112,000 hits for “habeus”, but is self-correcting in that a search for “habeus corpus” returns habeas corpus as well)</li><li>Reasons for the mistake: <ul><li>Lack of knowledge of Latin plus a general belief that all Latin words end in <i>-us</i> or <i>-um</i>. </li><li>There is a natural linguistic tendency for making word pairs, especially when the words are foreign/not understood (i.e., nonsense), phonetically congruent. Thus ‘hocus pocus’, ‘abra cadabra’, ‘jibber-jabber’, and so on.</li><li>A pronunciation spelling since the final <i>a</i> of <i>habeas</i> is unstressed and hence pronounced as shwa (an <i>uh-</i>sound; [ə]) and thus phonetically matches the final syllable of corpus triggering the spelling of <i>habeas</i> as *<i>habeus</i>.</li></ul></li><li>The correct form and interpretation:<ul><li>The expression ‘habeas corpus’ is now fully English. There is no need to italicize it (although it frequently is) and it will be found in practically any dictionary of English. It represents the Latin <i>habeās corpus</i>, “produce the body,”, from <i>habeās</i>, second person sing. present subjunctive of <i>habēre</i>, ‘to have’ + <i>corpus</i>, ‘body.’</li><li>Using this expression cannot be considered a bid for prestige, since it has no English equivalent, there is no simple English phrase that expresses the concept; for the reason for this, see <a href="http://dictionary.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/results.pl?co=dictionary.lp.findlaw.com&topic=c7/c736ec69ca3865c3b7570506257bd98f">here</a>. There is, however, no excuse for misspelling it if one is at all familiar with Latin.</li></ul></li></ul><br /><a name="casus_belli"></a><h4>Casus Belli<!--4--></h4><ul><li>Most common mistakes: <i>cassus belli</i>, <i>causus belli</i></li><li>Reasons for the mistakes: <ul><li>It is difficult to characterize <i>cassus belli</i> as a mistake because the form <i>cassus</i> does occur in Latin. This is the result of a process that is fairly common cross-linguistically, usually known as metathesis of length or quantitative metathesis. This often involves two consecutive vowel sounds, one short and one long, where the length is transferred from one vowel to the other, but it also occurs between a long vowel and a following consonant so that the vowel is shortened and the consonant is lengthened (doubled). The basic form is <i>cāsus</i> so in living Latin the form <i>cassus</i> is a natural variant. As for English, it has no long vowels (although most speakers don't realize this), so if the pronunciation given by the OED is followed ([keɪsəs], i.e., with the same vowel sound as in English ‘case, cases’), then the spelling <casus> is likely. However, if the more common value of written <i>a</i> ([æ]) is used in imitation of Latin <i>a</i> then the spelling <cassus> is natural (compare the <i>a-</i>sounds in ‘plate’ and ‘platter’) and “cassus” is again a pronunciation spelling.</li><li>A secondary reason for the use of “cassus belli” is name recognition: Cassus Belli is a well-known rapper from Lyon.</li><li>The error “causus belli” comes from confusing Latin <i>causa</i>, “cause,” with Latin <i>cāsus</i>, “case,” and then making <i>causa</i> into *<i>causus</i>, again in the mistaken belief that all Latin words end in <i>-us</i> or <i>-um</i>, perhaps abetted by a faint memory of “casus belli.” This mistake is perhaps <span title="(to those who don’t understand Latin)">natural</span> because <i>cāsus bellī</i> is frequently translated, or at least thought of, as “cause of war” rather than the more appropriate “case for war.” There is nothing wrong with <i>causa bellī</i>, “cause of war”; it is perfectly good Latin. But *“causus belli” is not.</li></ul></li><li> The correct form and interpretation:<ul><li>The correct English form is casus belli, representing the Latin <i>cāsus bellī</i>, “case for war.” It is usually italicized as a foreign phrase. The phrase came into use in the 17th and 18th centuries as as a technical term as part of the political “just war” doctrine. Anyone intending to wage a “just war” was expected to provide a <i>cāsus bellī</i> or a “case for war.” Thus the term comes from New Latin, rather than from the living language of the classical period and hence “cassus belli” is not a natural variant. The technical term chosen was <i>cāsus bellī</i> and that is what the correct term is. While <i>causa bellī</i> is good Latin, it also is not the technical term used in connection with the “just war” doctrine. And *“causus belli” is nothing but a mistake, pure and simple.</li></ul></li></ul><br /><a name="ad_nauseam"></a><h4>Ad Nauseam<!--4--></h4><ul><li>Most common mistake: <i>ad nauseum</i> (although I confess to having seen <i>ad nauseaum</i> at least once)</li><li>Reasons for the mistake: <ul><li>Lack of knowledge of Latin plus a general belief that all Latin words end in <i>-us</i> or <i>-um</i> plus analogy to similar phrases, such as <i>ad infinitum</i>, that properly have the case ending <i>-um</i>.</li></ul></li><li>The correct form and interpretation:<ul><li>This one is really a no-brainer. The Latin word for ‘nausea’ is — surprise, surprise — <i>nausea</i>; the preposition <i>ad</i> when it expresses motion governs the accusative case; the accusative singular of <i>nausea</i> is <i>nauseam</i>. Therefore, the correct expression is <i>ad nauseam</i>, “to the point of disgust/revulsion/nausea.”</li><li>The expression is actually a shortening of a term from logic, <i>argumentum ad nauseam</i>, in which an argument is repeated over and over until your opponent just gets sick of hearing it. There are many such terms based on the <i>argumentum ad …</i> format, and, since many Latin nouns are second declension masculines or neuters and since the accusative singular of both masculine and neuter second declension nouns is <i>-um</i>, those who are unfamiliar with Latin may be led to believe that the object noun in this construction always ends in <i>-um</i>. However, everyone is familiar with the expression <i>argumentum ad</i> <span title="homō is a third declension noun (homō, hominis); the accusative singular is hominem"><i>hominem</i></span> (often shortened to <i>ad hominem</i>, but, interestingly enough, never seen as *“ad hominum”) so everyone has the means at their disposal to disprove this belief and realize that the <i>-um</i> ending in this formula is not invariant. Moreover, there are a sufficient number of first declension feminines used in this formula (<i>argumentum ad consequentiam</i> “to the consequence”, <i>ad crumenam</i> “to the purse”, <i>ad ignorantiam</i> “to ignorance”, <i>ad logicam</i> “to logic”, <i>ad misericordiam</i> “to pity”, etc.) that it should be obvious to anyone with any familiarity with Latin or logic or even English that there are more endings than <i>-um</i> possible in the <i>argumentum ad …</i> formula.</li></ul></li></ul><br />I'll call a halt to this here, but there are, needless to say, many other Latin phrases that can be, and are, abused regularly. These are just three of the most common abuses, seen on an almost daily basis and done by <span title="yeah, I'm talking to you, Joe Klein">those who ought to know better</span>. There is no excuse for this, especially when there are numerous lists of common Latin phrases available on the intertubes. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_phrases">Wikipedia has one</a> and while Wikipedia may not alway be reliable on controversial issues, for straightforward matters of fact they are pretty good. If you don't want to use Wikipedia, there is always “The Google” and you can simply <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22list+of+latin+phrases%22">Google “list of Latin phrases”</a> and take your choice.<br /><br />A writer's use of Latin phrases here and there is expected to give his or her work a certain cachet and accord the writer a certain amount of respect for his or her knowledge and education. <span title="yeah, Joe Klein, I'm talking to you again">But nothing screams ignorance and incompetence more loudly than misusing the very devices meant to demonstrate knowledge and competence.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">###</div>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-9813212414729329832009-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:002009-07-21T10:20:38.981-07:00Joseph K. meets Alice<blockquote>...in Wonderland [sic] where they exchange "war" [sic] stories about their own experiences with authority run amok. (Anonymust)<br /></blockquote> <p>One trial makes you larger,<br />And one trial makes you small,<br />And the ones that Obama ordered,<br />Isn't really a trial at all,<br />Go ask Ali, when he was just small.</p> <p>And if you go chasing terrorists,<br />And you know you're going to fall,<br />Tell them a Yoo-bah written memo,<br />Has given you the call,<br />Call Khalid, when he was ten feet tall.</p> <p>When the Uighurs in the prison,<br />Get up and tell you where to go,<br />And you've just tried to stop due process,<br />And your court date is moving slow.<br />Go ask Al Marri, I think he'll know.</p> <p>When law and due process,<br />Have all fallen slowly dead,<br />And the Audacity of Hope is talking backwards,<br />And the OLC has lost it's head,<br />Remember, what the AG said,<br /></p> <p>Reason has fled,<br />The law is dead.</p> <div class="letter_entry_author premium">-- ondelette<br /><br />Update:<br /><br /><h3>For those who've forgotten the tune</h3> <p>here's the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLF3-Qvk84">link to the song</a> for which ondelette just provided new lyrics.</p> <div class="letter_entry_author premium">-- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLF3-Qvk84" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLF3-Qvk84" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Jim White</a> </div><br /><br /><br /></div>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-28324596829531653932009-07-08T17:17:00.000-07:002009-07-08T17:22:38.836-07:00Let the government define?It's up the Bush Administration,and now the Obama Administration to define words, and NPR's ( & other "journalists") job to adopt those definitions unchallenged? Sheez!!! She actually said that!? Had to listen to it twice, to make sure I heard that.<br /><br />Re the latest proposed travesty, (as I said back in '01) somebody should inform these depraved a-holes that Kafka didn't intend to write a #!&^#@!!! how-to manual.<br /><br />-- mikeinportc<br /><br /><a class="permalink" href="http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/08/obama/permalink/5062ed866e494c6d3c474dea3fd7b59d.html">Permalink</a> Wednesday, July 8, 2009 12:11 PM<br /><br />The above comment appeared in a comment thread which accompanies a typically hard-hitting Greenwald post. I was inspired to respond that perhaps we should parody an "official" government-sponsored dictionary.<br /><br />Please feel free to add the most odious and officious definitions and euphemisms that you have heard of-- or are willing to invent-- in the comments here.Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-37446628135826201512009-04-04T13:23:00.000-07:002009-11-10T15:46:52.787-08:00Salon Letter Filter Script<span style="color:red;font-size:150%">[WARNING: This script can no longer be used due to changes in Salon's Letter format. The new script is <a href="http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/09/salon-letter-filter-script-version-002.html">here</a>.]</span><br /><span style="color:blue;font-size:150%">[On 11/10/09 Salon again changed the format of their letter pages. A new script to filter Salon letters is again available <a href="http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/09/salon-letter-filter-script-version-002.html">here</a>. The old code is left here in case Salon changes the format back again.]</span><br />For those who have been unable to install the Salon Letter Filter Greasemonkey script from the link to the file, here is the text of the script. To install, copy everything between //BEGIN CODE and //END CODE into a text file (do not copy //BEGIN CODE and //END CODE). Name the text file salonletterfilter.user.js and save it. Open the file in your browser (you can drag and drop). If Greasemonkey is installed and active, when you open the file a Greasemonkey dialog will appear asking if you want to install the script. Click on install.<br /><br /><b>IMPORTANT:</b> Your file name must end with .user.js for Greasemonkey to recognize it as a user script.<br /><br />Do not panic if it appears that the lines of code end in midair on the blog page. It is all there even if it doesn't display because of the Blogger page layout. Simply select the code, copy it, and paste it into a new text file. Notepad or some other fairly simple text editor is recommended for this.<br /><pre><code><b>//BEGIN CODE</b><br />//<br />// MANUAL CONFIGURATION REQUIRED<br />//<br />// To configure the letters filter, you must have a "killfile" variable configured.<br />// A template for this variable is given below. The "killfile" varable includes a <br />// comma-delimited string of the nyms of the authors that you wish to filter out.<br />// A sample "killfile variable configuration looks like:<br />//<br />// new String(killfile = 'author1,author2,author3');<br />// or<br />// new String(killfile = 'author');<br />//<br />// Simply replace the word "authors" in the template below with the nyms of the authors you<br />// wish to expunge, each one separated by a comma, and save the file.<br />// Entries are case insensitive. Since the "killfile" will become a regular expression,<br />// regular expression metacharacters (such as "." or "+") appearing in a nym should be<br />// preceded by a backslash ("\"; e.g., 'L\.W\.M\.') in order to work properly.<br />//<br /> new String(killfile = 'authors');<br /> if (killfile.length == 0) exit;<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// This is a Greasemonkey user script.<br />//<br />// To install, you need Greasemonkey: http://greasemonkey.mozdev.org/<br />// Then restart Firefox and revisit this script.<br />// Under Tools, there will be a new menu item to "Install User Script".<br />// Accept the default configuration and install.<br />//<br />// To uninstall, go to Tools/Manage User Scripts,<br />// select "Letter_Filter", and click Uninstall.<br />//<br />// --------------------------------------------------------------------<br />//<br />// ==UserScript==<br />// @name Salon Letter filter<br />// @author Frankly, my dear, ...<br />// @namespace http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/04/filter-for-salon-letters.html<br />// @description Filter letters from Salon. WARNING: manual configuration required. Before use you must edit the script and enter your "killfile" in the string variable near the top of the script.<br />// @include http://letters.salon.com/*<br />// @version 0.0.1<br />// ==/UserScript==<br /><br />//<br />// Set debug to 1 to see debug output in Javascript console<br />//<br />var debug = 1;<br /><br /><br />// <br />// Only print information to console if debug is on<br />//<br />function myGM_log(args) {<br /> if (debug == 1) {<br /> GM_log(args);<br /> }<br />}<br /><br /><br />//<br />// Shortcut function to evalute an XPath in the document<br />//<br />function xpath(query, sourceDoc) {<br /> return document.evaluate(query, sourceDoc, null, XPathResult.ORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE, null);<br />}<br /><br />myregexp = new RegExp(killfile.replace(/, */g, "|"), "i");<br />myGM_log(myregexp);<br />var allLets, thisLet, allAuthors, thisAuthor, allFooters, thisFooter;<br />allLets = xpath("//li[@class='letter_node']",document);<br />allAuthors = xpath("//div[@class='letter_entry_author'] | //div[@class='letter_entry_author premium']",document);<br />allFooters = xpath("//div[@class='letter_entry_footer']",document);<br />for (var i = 0; i < allLets.snapshotLength; i++) {<br /> thisLet = allLets.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisAuthor = allAuthors.snapshotItem(i);<br /> thisFooter = allFooters.snapshotItem(i);<br /> var author = thisAuthor.innerHTML;<br /> if (myregexp.test(author)) {<br /> mymatch = myregexp.exec(author);<br /> thisLet.innerHTML = "<h3><b>Letter from " + mymatch + " deleted</h3></b>" + thisFooter.innerHTML +"<hr>";<br /> //thisLet.innerHTML = "";<br /> }<br />}<br /><b>//END CODE</b></code></pre>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-75057628848886696082009-04-03T05:29:00.000-07:002009-11-10T15:54:50.944-08:00A Filter for Salon Letters (Important Update below — 9/15/09) (Updated again — 11/10/09) In view of the vitriolic and acerbic nature of the comment section of Glenn's recent postings at UT, many commenters have asked for a filter to remove certain authors' letters from the comment thread. It got so bad, that one commenter was ready to kill:<br /><blockquote>Baring that, I'd kill for a "ignore" or "filter" option. At least that way I can completely skip the crap and not waste the time and bytes downloading text I'm not going to read.<br>— <a href="http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/30/logic/permalink/89bbdb4a6e75bf539e32f6fbcc3c63f9.html">KB4Hire</a></blockquote><br />At the time, <a href="http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/30/logic/permalink/d9f7d9f26161d9be314cf4aedaa1027b.html">I said</a> that I was too busy to take the necessary steps to produce such a filter, but this is the kind of simple programming task that I just can't pass up. So I brushed up my javascript and read a book on Greasemonkey and then wasted a day of my life writing a Q&D<sup>®</sup> filter to remove letters from specified authors from comments pages. It turns out it was about as simple as I predicted. And while it doesn't save on downloading, because you have to download the letters before you check and eliminate them, it does mean that you don't have to read the vitriol and invective that some people seem to be incapable of excluding from their writing. This will be a boon to those with peptic ulcers and high blood pressure.<br /><br />The file is <a href="http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/kEDWScdjqhoh5gzEXQMf0wPfsRPTHdJHWD8b5e6ybz5UMFpQYuHxsop-Eabhry9F4LFdMg8Km_2Mq3ETFMFgcFf_5rapW5fb/salonletterfilter.user.js">salonletterfilter.user.js</a>, and, if you already have the Greasemonkey add-on for Firefox installed and active, it can be installed simply by clicking on the file name and selecting "Install" when the Greasemonkey dialog panel appears. If you don't already have <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748">Greasemonkey</a>, install it by clicking on the link. If you're using Internet Explorer, eat your heart out.<br /><br />Note that there is some manual configuration necessary to make the script functional. After installing the script, open the Greasemonkey "Manage User Scripts" dialog either by right-clicking on the Greasemonkey icon in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window or from the browser's "Tools" menu. Once the dialog panel is open, select "Salon Letter Filter" and click on "Edit". This will open the script in your designated text editor. Then go to the first line of the script that is not a comment (i.e., does not begin with "//") and replace the word "authors" with your kill list. Use a comma to separate individual authors if you want to exclude more than one author. Save the file, and the next time you open a Salon letters page, letters from the authors listed in "killfile" will be deleted.<br /><br />The configured version is fairly "polite" in that it leaves behind a notice that a letter from a particular author has been deleted, the permalink to the message (as an icon) and the datestamp. As a less polite option, there is also a more vicious version that removes letters completely. To implement this, edit the script and in the last line of the code (//thisLet.innerHTML = "";) delete the "//" at the beginning. Unwanted letters will disappear without a trace.<br /><br />You can, of course, retrieve deleted letters by editing the "killfile" variable at any time. And there is no need to uninstall the script if you no longer wish to have a killfile. Simply set the variable "killfile" to an empty string ('') and the script will stop. The only thing to keep in mind is that the "killfile" variable is used to create a regular expression so regular expression metacharacters have to have a backslash ("\") in front of them for the script to work properly.<br /><br />[<font face=arial>Disclaimer: No warranty, expressed or implied, is associated with this script. The use of this script is entirely at the user's risk. This offer void where prohibited by law.</font>]<br /><br /><span style="color:red;font-size:125%">UPDATE:</span> While we were sleeping, Salon changed the format of their letters pages (obviously to make them less readable than they were before). This means that the old version of the Salon Letters Filter no longer works. I have revised the Greasemonkey script and it is still available through the link above in this posting. In order to install the new version you will have to first delete the old one. For those who are unable to access the script through the link, the <a href="http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/09/salon-letter-filter-script-version-002.html">text of the new script</a> is now available.<br /><br /><span style="color:red;font-size:125%">LATER UPDATE:</span> Salon has mercifully restored the previous letters settings. There is now no need for version 0.0.2 of the Salon Letter Filter and the original version works fine. That is all.<br /><br /><span style="color:red;font-size:125%">STILL LATER UPDATE:</span> Salon has now changed the format of their letter pages in conformance with their new beta "business model". This change is likely to be permanent. The <a href="http://language-grammar.blogspot.com/2009/09/salon-letter-filter-script-version-002.html">text of the new script</a> for the beta layout is now available. The link to a downloadable version of the script no longer works.Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-92205841480416313062009-03-19T11:40:00.000-07:002009-03-19T16:19:08.547-07:00The Earnestness of being ImportantTwice in the current month a poster at UT has criticized Glenn's use of sentence initial "most importantly", insisting, rather pedantically, that the "correct" form is "most important":<br /><blockquote><a href="http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/09/freeman/permalink/4a2a7d40256fa6cdccb9eddbcbc238a2.html"><b>Usage</b><br /><br />"Importantly" means "in an important manner." Thus, the phrase "most important" should replace your frequent "most importantly."<br />Monday, March 9, 2009 11:00 AM</a></blockquote><br /><blockquote></blockquote>and<br /><blockquote><a href="http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/17/dodd/permalink/611907f7a4fa5163eaf6a0c41b4c750e.html"><b>Usage</b><br /><br />Glenn writes:<br /><br />UPDATE II: Rather oddly, the NYT article I quoted above, by David Herzsenhorn, has been moved on the NYT site and is now at this link (see here). Most importantly, it has been re-written to reflect that fact that it was not Dodd who inserted the exception for past contracts:<br /><br />"Importantly" means "in an important manner." The correct form is: "Most important, it has been rewritten..."<br />Wednesday, March 18, 2009 02:38 AM</a></blockquote><br />However, despite the poster's certainty about the "correct" usage, the issue is not so clear-cut:<br /><blockquote>Usage note:<br />Both <i>more important</i> and <i>more importantly</i> occur at the beginning of a sentence in all varieties of standard English: More important (or More importantly), her record as an administrator is unmatched. Today, more importantly is the more common, even though some object to its use on the grounds that more important is an elliptical form of “What is more important” and that the adverb importantly could not occur in such a construction. More importantly probably developed by analogy with other sentence-modifying adverbs, as curiously, fortunately, and regrettably.<br />Based on the Random House Dictionary<br /><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=importantly&ia=luna">Dictionary.com</a></blockquote><br /><blockquote><i>Usage Note</i>: Some critics have objected to the use of the phrase <i>more importantly</i> in place of <i>more important</i> when one introduces an assertion, as in More importantly, no one is ready to step into the vacuum left by the retiring senator. But both forms are widely used by reputable writers, and there is no obvious reason for preferring one or the other.<br />The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language<br /><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=importantly&ia=luna">Dictionary.com</a><br /></blockquote><br /><blockquote><b>importantly</b>, adv.<br />1. In an important manner or degree; weightily, momentously.<br /><blockquote>Now esp. common as a kind of sentence adverb preceded by <i>more</i> or <i>most</i>; in some contexts it is interchangeable with important and so has the function of a quasi-adj. Cf. IMPORTANT a. 4.</blockquote><br /><a href="http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50113212">Oxford English Dictionary (subscription required)</a></blockquote><br /><blockquote>important, a.<br />4. Preceded by more or most: used as a kind of sentence adjective. Cf. IMPORTANTLY adv. 1.<br /><blockquote>This construction is discussed in R. Quirk et al. Gram. Contemp. Eng. (1972) §5.26 (p. 255).</blockquote><br /><a href="http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50113211">Oxford English Dictionary (subscription required)</a></blockquote><br /><blockquote>Either the adjectival more/most important or the adverbial more/most importantly may serve as a sentence adverb; both are Standard in this use: More [Most] important [importantly], we now have the right answer.<br /><a href="http://www.bartleby.com/68/61/3161.html">Bartleby.com</a></blockquote><br />A nice <a href="http://www.cjr.org/resources/lc/important.php">analysis of the usage</a> was written by Evan Jenkins for the Language Corner blog of the <a href="http://www.cjr.org/index.php">Columbia Journalism Review</a>, which is worth quoting extensively here:<br /><blockquote><b>Important/Importantly</b><br /><i>Important ? Well, Interesting</i><br /><br />By Evan Jenkins<br /><br />Steve Parrott, associate director (later director) for university relations at the University of Iowa, e-mailed to ask, “Please consider a few words on ‘more important / more importantly.’ ”<br /><br />Okay. Mr. Parrott had in mind sentences or clauses that begin with one of those phrases, like “Most importantly, the charges are tied directly to the original topic Mr. Starr was supposed to investigate.”<br /><br />The short answer is that either form of the word is acceptable. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage (1994) has a lengthy and interesting (really) discussion of the longstanding argument (really) over important vs. importantly, with many citations, and concludes that “both are defensible grammatically and both are in respectable use.”<br /><br />The tilt here, though, is toward “importantly.” The adverb can stand alone at the start of a sentence or clause — without “more” or “most” or any other modifier — and the adjective can’t.<br /><br />Try it. Drop the “most” from the example quoted above; the sentence still works. Then, with “most” gone, drop the “ly” from “importantly”; the sentence no longer works.<br /><br />(Some mindless aversion to “ly” adverbs at the start of a sentence — an extension of misguided rigidity about “importantly”? — must have been at work in the following sentence, since no human being ever spoke this way: “Not surprising, a variety of polls indicate...”)<br /><br />The arguments for “most important” are strained, as an e-mail discussion with the freelance copy editor Christy Goldfinch of Fort Worth made clear.<br /><br />“Important” commonly fails to modify any specific part of its sentence, so the adjective advocates contend that it can be understood to modify the whole thing — a “sentence adjective.” Well, “importantly” can certainly be called a “sentence adverb.”<br /><br />But with “importantly” there’s no need for that dance. The adverb has an element to grab hold of within its sentence, the verb or the overall predicate. (And that, quite apart from any “sentence adverb” justification, makes the literalists’ objection to “hopefully” at the start of a sentence fallacious, as well as outmoded.)<br /><br />Another argument for “most important” is that the phrase “What is” is understood to precede it. If that were a natural supposition, all sorts of adjectives (with modifiers) could start sentences. But “Most happy, the storm ended,” just doesn’t make it.<br /><br />The “most” approach is acceptable (not preferable) with the one adjective “important” not on logical grounds but because it is widely used and well established. And in passages that start with modifiers ending in “ly” — “equally” comes to mind — using “important” is handy.</blockquote><br />So the consensus is clear. Either <i>more/most importantly</i> or <i>more/most important</i> is acceptable, but it is fairly clear that more/most important is the interloper here. Sentence initials are frequently used as absolutes (i.e., they modify the entire sentence rather than any particular part of the sentence). Generally speaking, such absolutes are usually adverbial (in what manner, by what means). To use more/most important as a sentence initial it must be considered elliptical for (What is) <i>more/most important</i> (is the fact that) ....<br /><br />Furthermore, 'importantly' is a synonym of 'significantly'. It is quite natural to say "More significantly, there is no other choice available" — considerably more natural than saying "More significant, there is no other choice available." Initial adverbials used as absolutes are quite common (e.g., "regrettably, curiously, surprisingly). One would never think of replacing them with an adjective:<br /><br /><blockquote>Regrettably, his attempt failed.<br />*Regrettable, his attempt failed.<br />Curiously, no one was bothered by this.<br />*Curious, no one was bothered by this.<br />Surprisingly, the meeting was well attended.<br />*Surprising, the meeting was well attended.</blockquote><br /><br />even though doing so could be considered elliptical for (What is) regrettable/curious/surprising (is the fact that) ....<br /><br />Extending this to <i>more/most</i> expressions completes the analogy:<br /><br /><blockquote>Regrettably, his attempt failed. More regrettably, he died in the attempt.<br />*Regrettable, his attempt failed. *More regrettable, he died in the attempt.<br />Curiously, no one was bothered by this. More curiously, some were even pleased by it.<br />*Curious, no one was bothered by this. *More curious, some were even pleased by it.<br />Surprisingly, the meeting was well attended. More surprisingly, no one left before the end.<br />*Surprising, the meeting was well attended. *More surprising, no one left before the end.</blockquote><br />Thus the elliptical "(What is) {<span style="font-family:ariel;">adjective</span>} (is the fact that)..." model is unnatural and there is no doubt that <i>more/most importantly</i> is the original usage and that <i>more/most important</i> is no more than an accepted interloper.Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-88839977879198023112009-02-18T16:49:00.000-08:002009-02-18T17:03:06.733-08:00At last! A president whose sentences might be diagrammed....<p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XgbzNgZToiw/SZys5qvuxuI/AAAAAAAAACM/IHWaYPEHbPI/s1600-h/Obama-sentence-diagram.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304304567862609634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 381px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 566px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XgbzNgZToiw/SZys5qvuxuI/AAAAAAAAACM/IHWaYPEHbPI/s400/Obama-sentence-diagram.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p></p><p>From Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post...<br /><br />Something that most people - even his political opponents - agree on is that President Barack Obama is a fairly gifted orator. On those occasions when he speaks extemporaneously, he still struggles with vocalized pauses - those lengthy "Uhhmmms" and "Errrrrs" - but in general, he can compose articulate sentences and typically does fine work with a prepared speech.<br /><br />But is GRAMMAR, itself, in the tank for Obama? Apparently so, and all it takes to reveal this truth is a trip back to the most hated part of your middle school education: sentence diagramming. [At left], <a href="http://www.themillionsblog.com/2009/02/diagramming-obama-sentence.html" peppycount="52">blogger Garth Risk Hallberg</a> diagrammed a sentence from Obama's recent press conference - coincidentally, his response to the question put to him by our own Sam Stein:<br /><br /></p><em><blockquote><p><em>My view is also that nobody's above the law, and, if </em><em>there are clear instances of wrongdoing, that people should be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen, but that, generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards.</em><br /></p></blockquote></em><br />You can read the rest of Linkin's post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/what-sentence-diagrams-re_n_167988.html">here</a>, including some of Hallberg's analysis... the rest of Hallberg's post may be found <a href="http://www.themillionsblog.com/2009/02/diagramming-obama-sentence.html">here</a>.Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-17585703460024439292009-02-11T16:41:00.000-08:002009-02-11T16:49:26.730-08:00a new GOP-specific form of aphasia?The inimitable <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/president-obama-is-litera_b_166152.html">Bob Cesa, at the Huffington Post</a>, has published a litany of examples of how the Republican Party is losing its mind, its logic, sense of syntax, etc. Of course, this should not be a surprise, given the past eight years, when their party's leader was one of the most linguistically challenged politicians within memory.<br /><br />After giving dozens of examples of plain lunacy-- including a very strange Bushism that was completely new to me and I thought I'd heard them all-- Cesca concludes with the following:<br /><br /><blockquote>They have indeed totally lost their shpadoinkle and despite purely involuntary spikes in my blood pressure, it's so much fun to watch. <strong>By successfully debunking their lies, rising above their bait and merely presenting a contrast of character, President Obama is making the Republican A-listers appear small, petty and absolutely befuddled.</strong> They're frantically struggling to figure out how to counterpunch, so they're grabbing, borrowing or downright plagiarizing ideas from anywhere, irrespective of the general quality of the idea. And if the Republicans are at all interested in continued survival, someone they respect should probably smack their hands and scold: Drop that filthy Limbaugh quote! You don't know where it's been! [emphasis is mine]<br /><br />But if this is their "voice" and they're satisfied with it, I for one welcome the new Republican "voice" and wish them a hearty and very sincere: Good luck with that.<br /></blockquote>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-47171032677902535172009-01-23T12:24:00.000-08:002009-01-23T12:27:39.274-08:00Proof in Japan that we have truly entered a new phase...We <span style="font-style: italic;">never </span>could have expected to see a headline similar to this one during the Bush Years...<br /><h1><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/23/japanese-use-obamas-speec_n_160260.html" id="title_permalink">Japanese Use Obama's Speeches To Learn English</a></h1><p></p><blockquote><p>TOKYO — Aspiring English speakers in Japan have made President <a id="KonaLink1" target="_top" class="rcLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/23/japanese-use-obamas-speec_n_160260.html#"><span style="color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static;color:#038258;" ><span class="rcLink" style="color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static;">Barack </span><span class="rcLink" style="color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static;">Obama</span></span></a>'s book of speeches and accompanying CD a national best-seller.</p> <p>In Aichi, central Japan, a Buddhist monk has reportedly been playing the president's speeches during his temple service. And dozens of students in an English-language class in Tokyo have been memorizing his 2004 <a id="KonaLink0" target="_top" class="rcLink" style="text-decoration: underline ! important; position: static;" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/23/japanese-use-obamas-speec_n_160260.html#"><span style="color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static;color:#038258;" ><span class="rcLink" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(3, 130, 88); color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-color: transparent;">Democratic </span><span class="rcLink" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(3, 130, 88); color: rgb(3, 130, 88) ! important; font-family: Arial,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-color: transparent;">Convention</span></span></a> speech to improve their understanding and pronunciation.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Click <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/23/japanese-use-obamas-speec_n_160260.html">here</a> to read more.<br /></p>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-50726883724105982862008-12-06T21:26:00.000-08:002008-12-06T22:20:37.561-08:00WordsJust discovered <a href="http://wordie.org/">this</a> site, Wordie, which has all sorts of interesting <a href="http://wordie.org/lists/crystalsenterbrowns-list">lists</a> with words like <a href="http://wordie.org/words/louche"><span style="font-style: italic;">louche</span></a> and <a href="http://wordie.org/words/crepuscular"><span style="font-style: italic;">crepuscular</span></a>, and comments like <a href="http://wordie.org/words/rumoured">this one</a> about the word <span style="font-style: italic;">rumored</span>:<br /><br /><blockquote>A highly unusual verb in Present-day English: it has only this one verb form. Although it was historically a full verb with all its parts ('Come hither Catesby, rumor it abroad, That Anne my Wife is very grieuous sicke.'—Richard III, IV.ii), for most of us today it can only be a past participle.<br /><br />This raises the question of why it should be counted a verb at all, rather than an adjective: compare 'she was rumoured to be dead', 'she was keen/eager/reluctant to be dead': adjectives can take infinitival clause complements.<br /><br />Well last night I found the answer, when I read this sentence opening Dorothy Parker's 'Mrs. Hoftstadter on Josephine Street':<br /><br />That summer, the Colonel and I leased a bungalow named 947 West Catalpa Boulevard, rumored completely furnished: three forks, but twenty-four nutpicks.<br /><br />'Completely furnished' is an adjective phrase (AdjP), and adjectives can't take AdjP complements, but verbs can: compare *'eager/easy/pleasant completely furnished' with 'considered completely furnished'. And indeed, on checking Google this morning, I find quite a few "was rumoured dead"—not the way I'd say it myself (I'd much prefer to add 'to be'), but common enough to prove it's verbal in Standard English. So, another discovery.</blockquote>Jeff Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296663806825685128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-563912613986923492008-10-03T14:19:00.000-07:002008-10-03T15:15:51.004-07:00The Palin ChallengeSince our masthead boasts that we “sometimes reminisce about diagramming sentences,” I thought when I came across an article by <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2201158/">Kitty Burns Florey</a> that outlines the perils of trying to diagram the classic Palin utterance that has become the hall- and mintmark of the vice-presidential candidate, that it was something to be shared here.<br /><br />One really needs to read Ms Florey's article to get the background, but since she clearly asked for help at one point, it seems a worthwhile project to see if anyone has ideas of how to crack the Palin Challenge.<br /><br />From Ms Florey:<br /><blockquote><i>Other Palinisms are not so tractable. From <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091203310.html">the Charlie Gibson interview</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>I know that John McCain will do that and I, as his vice president, families we are blessed with that vote of the American people and are elected to serve and are sworn in on January 20, that will be our top priority is to defend the American people.</blockquote><br /><br />I didn't stop to marvel at the mad thrusting of that pet political watchword "families" into the text. I just rolled up my sleeves and attempted to bring order out of the chaos:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2201310/"><img border=0 align=center width=100% src="http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/122953/2180638/2201304/081001_GW_sentenceDiagram2.gif"></a><br /><br />I had to give up. This sentence is not for diagramming lightweights. If there's anyone out there who can kick this sucker into line, I'd be delighted to hear from you. To me, it's not English—it's a collection of words strung together to elicit a reaction, floating ands and prepositional phrases ("with that vote of the American people") be damned. It requires not a diagram but a selection of push buttons.</i></blockquote><br />There you have it. Anyone who thinks he or she is up to the Palin Challenge is welcome to take a shot at it. Or, if anyone feels the urge to try to diagram any of Palin's other sentences, feel free. Who knows, it might become a growth industry.Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-25530113578960414752008-07-21T13:03:00.000-07:002008-07-21T13:08:11.890-07:00Quotes of the week...from Don Eggen at <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001707_2.html">The Washington Post</a>:<br /><blockquote><p> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica;" > <b style="font-size: 15px;">Quote of the Week No. 1</b><br /><!-- BREAK --></span> </p> <p> "Well, you know, God bless him, bless his heart, the president of the United States, a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject, and for him to be challenging Congress when we are trying to sweep up after his mess over and over and over again." </p> <p> <i>-- </i><i><a href="http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/p000197/" target="">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a></i><i> (D-Calif.), when asked by CNN about Bush's criticism of Congress</i> </p> <p> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial,Helvetica;" > <b style="font-size: 15px;">Quote of the Week No. 2</b><br /><!-- BREAK --></span> </p> <p> "And they have no disregard for human life." </p> <p> -- <i><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/George+W.+Bush?tid=informline" target="">President Bush</a></i><i>, referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan</i></p></blockquote><p><i></i></p><p><br /></p><p>Don't you just love the English language and all of its little idiosyncracies? I know I do.<i><br /></i> </p>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-26016421501332946742008-07-21T10:57:00.000-07:002008-07-21T11:29:00.277-07:00the Myth of Centrism<span style="font-size:100%;">Definitions of <b>centrism</b> on the <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:centrism&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title">the web</a>:</span><br /><span style=""></span><blockquote><span style=""><li>a political philosophy of avoiding the extremes of left and right by taking a moderate position or course of action<br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=0&oi=define&q=http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn%3Fs%3Dcentrism&usg=AFQjCNESniXk8wsnmmtNY-44vXq2wp8q0w">wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn</a></li></span><span style=""><li>In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ...<br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&start=1&oi=define&q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrism&usg=AFQjCNGRMvxwXsZ8fIn48yfTVPuRDw0W0g">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrism</a></li></span><span style=""><li>Any moderate political philosophy that avoids extremes</li></span></blockquote><span style="">But, as George Lakoff knows, that center is something of a myth.<br /><br />Jim White (noted UT commenter) attended Netroots 08, and shared with us in a post at AchievingOurCountry his experience at a session videotaped for DFA's night school. The session was based on work from Lakoff's latest book, The Political Mind.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Jim writes:<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">To illustrate the concept that there is not a linear scale, Lakoff holds up the brilliant example of Senators Joe Lieberman and Chuck Hagel.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The popular press incessantly describes both as “centrists”, yet they share virtually no views.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">On social issues, Lieberman is consistently progressive and Hagel is solidly conservative.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">On the war, Lieberman is conservative and Hagel is progressive.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They share views on nothing, yet both are branded as centrists.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">How can there be such a thing as a centrist, or a center, if these two agree on nothing?</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />And isn't it interesting how often we use words that are just as likely to be Reality-challenged as if they were everyday items? As if they were things that you can use and touch.<br /><br />So, that mythic centrist space doesn't really exist, especially not as a spot in one-dimensional space. After all, in politics, even three dimensions can seem inadequate for describing what the hell is going on. </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><br /></span></span>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-11117085630767142902008-06-27T11:30:00.000-07:002008-06-27T11:58:42.849-07:00To Karen. Thanks.<span>Thus far, with rough and all un-able pen,</span><br /><span>Our bending author hath pursued the story,</span><br /><span>In small room confining mighty men,</span><br /><span>Mangling by starts the full course of their glory.</span><br /><span>Small time ...</span>dirigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16223859921847950971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-14125325717844620612008-06-08T01:26:00.000-07:002008-06-08T03:45:26.659-07:00Reckless at Any SpeechOne commenter over at <span style="font-style:italic;">Daily Kos</span> <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/6/4/72023/54133/193#c193">pointed out</a> this sentence in John McCain's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/03/the-lime-green-monster-mc_n_105044.html">trainwreck</a> of a speech Tuesday night:<blockquote>I don’t oppose a reckless withdrawal from Iraq because I’m indifferent to the suffering war inflicts on too many American families.</blockquote>While I would not characterize this sentence as a "major gaffe"—it's more like some loopy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_path_sentence">garden path sentence</a>—(and this is, after all, John McCain, and the campaign has just begun), I somehow enjoy imagining, say, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6444183">Dennis Steele</a> in some ad, solemnly intoning:<blockquote>John McCain: He said he was indifferent to the suffering that the Iraq War inflicts on many American families. And, therefore, he would not oppose even a reckless withdrawal from Iraq. John McCain. Reckless. Indifferent. That's not a leader we can believe in.</blockquote>One might have hoped for some attempt at an elegant <a href="http://www.figarospeech.com/it-figures/2005/8/4/suffer-the-little-stem-cells.html">syncrisis</a>—I don't oppose <i>X</i> because <i>Y</i>; I oppose <i>X</i> because…—but, well, that might have raised the question of what sort of withdrawal John McCain <i>could</i> support or, perhaps, if he could support any type of withdrawal at all.Jeff Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296663806825685128noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-48737242220286200002008-06-03T08:57:00.000-07:002008-12-12T22:49:31.309-08:00I know what it says, but what does it mean?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAbPjVlTVpRhVfSAZ1EdSkKmbhfQf1RHxVG3Wn8AN_TswkjCg1brh99S3LkireS5ON9zujh87W4jJfEbO0i8rzKbBpqmvB1BLCp-znh2hqt_6lwS2CjQHqHlf0A7pZzI2l7h3nr8I2j0X/s1600-h/mccain-lieberman-graham.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAbPjVlTVpRhVfSAZ1EdSkKmbhfQf1RHxVG3Wn8AN_TswkjCg1brh99S3LkireS5ON9zujh87W4jJfEbO0i8rzKbBpqmvB1BLCp-znh2hqt_6lwS2CjQHqHlf0A7pZzI2l7h3nr8I2j0X/s320/mccain-lieberman-graham.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207688716818828082" /></a><br />On the subject of rhetorical devices, here, by popular demand, is my vision of what the ultimate anti-McCain campaign ad would look like:<br /><blockquote><i>Actual news footage — McCain standing at the microphone, Joe Lieberman in the background.</i><br /><br />MCCAIN: "Well, it’s common knowledge and has been reported in the media that Al Qaeda is going back into Iran and receiving training and are coming back into Iraq from Iran. That’s well known. And it’s unfortunate."<br /><br /><i>Lieberman steps forward, takes McCain by the arm, and whispers in McCain's ear.</i><br /><br />MCCAIN: "I’m sorry, the Iranians are training extremists, not Al Qaeda."<br /><br /><i>The scene shifts; a child is in bed sleeping; in the background a phone is ringing.</i><br /><br />NARRATOR: "It's 3:00 AM and your children are safely asleep. But somewhere in the White House a phone is ringing. Something is wrong in the world. Who's going to answer that phone?"<br /><br /><i>Still shot of Lieberman whispering in McCain's ear (above)</i><br /><br />NARRATOR: "What if it's John McCain and Joe Lieberman isn't there to tell him what to say?"<br /><br /><i>Fade to text: </i><br><font face=arial><b> THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES<br> NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT<br> AS WELL AS WHAT HE'S SAYING.</b></font></blockquote>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-44077127389672882152008-05-26T08:23:00.000-07:002008-05-28T13:52:36.368-07:00A Free PressIn honor of Glenn's two most recent posts (<a href="http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/05/28/gibson/index.html">here</a> and <a href="">here</a>), I thought I'd post this little homily on the role of a free press in a democracy. While it may look like a handout for a ninth grade civics class, the source may surprise you.<br /><br /><i>A Free Press<br /><br />In a democracy the press should operate free from governmental control. Democratic governments do not have ministries of information to regulate content of newspapers or the activities of journalists; requirements that journalists be vetted by the state; or force journalists to join government-controlled unions.<br /><ul><li>A free press informs the public, holds leaders accountable, and provides a forum for debate of local and national issues.<br /><br /><li>Democracies foster the existence of a free press. An independent judiciary, civil society with rule of law, and free speech all support a free press. A free press must have legal protections.<br /><br /><li>In democracies the government is accountable for its actions. Citizens therefore expect to be informed about decisions their governments make on their behalf. The press facilitates this “right to know,” by serving as a watchdog over the government, helping citizens to hold government accountable, and questioning its policies. Democratic governments grant journalists access to public meetings and public documents. They do not place prior restraints on what journalists may say or print.<br /><br /><li>The press, itself, must act responsibly. Through professional associations, independent press councils, and “ombudsmen,” in-house critics who hear public complaints, the press responds to complaints of its own excesses and remains internally accountable.<br /><br /><li>Democracy requires the public to make choices and decisions. In order for the public to trust the press, journalists must provide factual reporting based on credible sources and information. Plagiarism and false reporting are counterproductive to a free press.<br /><br /><li>Press outlets should establish their own editorial boards, independent of government control, in order to separate information gathering and dissemination from editorial processes.<br /><br /><li>Journalists should not be swayed by public opinion, only by the pursuit of truth, as close as they can get to it. A democracy allows the press to go about its business of collecting and reporting the news without fear or favor from the government.<br /><br /><li>Democracies foster a never-ending struggle between two rights: The government’s obligation to protect national security; and the people’s right to know, based on journalists’ ability to access information. Governments sometimes need to limit access to information considered too sensitive for general distribution. But journalists in democracies are fully justified in pursuing such information.</i></ul><br /><br /><hr height=1 width=25%><br />Yeah, well, you say, everyone should know this, and, yes, everyone should. This is basic ninth grade civics. But just run through these points and see how many our “free press” and our “democratic government” violate or ignore.<br /><br />But what, you say, is the point in posting this if this is something everyone knows? The point lies not in the information itself, but in its source: <a href="http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/principles/freepress.htm">http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/principles/freepress.htm</a>.<br /><br />That's right, this little homily on the role of a free press in a democracy is part of the State Department's primer on democracy — what we preach to the rest of the world while at home the government assiduously goes about subverting and suborning the press. Yes, the same State Department that hires Blackwater, Inc. to massacre Iraqi civilians (or at least doesn't fire them when they do).<br /><br />Well, you say, since the government and the press are supposed to be adversaries shouldn't the government try to subvert and suborn the press? The answer is, not in a democracy according to the USDOS. Consider the following quotations from the above: “<i>Democratic governments grant journalists access to public meetings and public documents. They do not place prior restraints on what journalists may say or print</i>” and “<i>A democracy allows the press to go about its business of collecting and reporting the news without fear or favor from the government</i>.”<br /><br />Perhaps a little statement to the effect that “the press should expect the government will try to subvert and suborn it” would be a helpful warning to a press that seems to be so easily subverted and suborned.<br /><br />So long as the press is willing to provide favorable coverage of the government in exchange for access, we do not have a free press or a democratic government. A democratic government is supposed to provide access to journalists regardless (“<i>no prior restraints</i>” and “<i>without fear or favor</i>”). The State Department says so (just not for domestic consumption).<br /><br />And note particularly the final paragraph concerning the admission that “<i>journalists in democracies are fully justified in pursuing such</i> [national security]<i> information</i>” and compare that with <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/29/kristol-v-nyt/">the insistence of Billy Kristol that the NY Times be prosecuted for publishing national security information</a> (that coincidentally revealed that the president of the US was a felon). Why has the State Department never explained to Billy Kristol the duties and responsibilities of the journalist in a democracy as they themselves promulgate them? Does no one in the State Department ever speak to Kristol?<br /><br />[Sorry, I couldn't find any way to work language and grammar into this; someone else will have to do that.]Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-79360337047294621412008-04-28T06:52:00.000-07:002008-05-09T04:09:20.157-07:00Vapid is as vapid doesFrom KarenM in comments:<br><br /><blockquote><i>Perhaps it's time for a post about synonyms for vapid?</i></blockquote><br />Good idea! Here's my list:<br><br />Vapid:<br /><table border="0"><br /><tbody><tr><td><i>insipid</i></td><td><i>flat</i></td><td><i>lifeless</i></td><td><i>dull</i></td></tr><br /><tr><td><i>boring</i></td><td><i>trite</i></td><td><i>banal</i></td><td><i>uninspiring</i></td></tr><br /><tr><td><i>flavorless</i></td><td><i>tedious</i></td><td><i>listless</i></td><td><i>tiresome</i></td></tr><br /><tr><td><i>spiritless</i></td><td><i>prosaic</i></td><td><i>unanimated</i></td><td><i>tasteless</i></td><tr><br /></tbody></table><br />Anybody else?<br /><hr size=1 width=50%><br />Additions from comments (5/9/08):<br /><table border="0"><br /><tbody><tr><td><i>vacuous</i></td><td><i>tired</i></td><td><i>hackneyed</i></td><td><i>uninspired</i></td></tr><br /></tbody></table>Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-3621081026776678132008-04-24T11:44:00.000-07:002008-04-24T12:28:33.987-07:00Forcing vs. Pouring?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/stoptorture/files/2007/10/waterboarding-in-vietnam.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/stoptorture/files/2007/10/waterboarding-in-vietnam.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">From a diary at Kos by Elsinora... <span style="font-size:85%;">transcript from <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/04/24/BL2008042401889_5.html">Dan Froomkin's column</a></span><br /></span><p><span style="font-size:100%;"> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Ashcroft:</span> "Now, listen here. You're comparing apples and oranges, apples and oranges. We don't do anything like what you described." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Elsinora:</span> "I'm sorry, I was under the impression that we still use the method of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >putting a cloth over someone's face and pouring water down their throat</span><span style="font-size:100%;">. . . . " </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Ashcroft:</span> "'Pouring'! 'Pouring'! Did you hear what she said?: 'Putting a cloth over someone's face and pouring water on them.' That's not what you said before! Read that again, what you said before [about the Asano case]!" </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Elsinora:</span> "'</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >The victim was bound or otherwise secured in a prone position</span><span style="font-size:100%;">; and </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >water was forced through his mouth and nostrils into his lungs and stomach</span><span style="font-size:100%;">.'" </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Ashcroft:</span> "You hear that? You hear it? 'Forced'! If you can't tell the difference between forcing and pouring. . . . Does this college have an anatomy class?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;">If you can't tell the difference between forcing and pouring. . . . "</span></p><pre><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>pour</strong><br />v 1: cause to run; of liquids<br />2: </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">move in large numbers</span>; "people were pouring out<br />of the theater" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/swarm">swarm</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/stream">stream</a>]<br />3: pour out; of wines or sherry [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/decant">decant</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/pour%20out">pour out</a>]<br />4: </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">flow in a spurt</span>; of liquids<br />5: </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">supply in large amounts or quantities</span>: "We poured<br />money into the education of our children"<br />6: </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >rain heavily</span><span style="font-size:100%;">; "Put on your rain coat-- it's<br />pouring outside!"<br />[syn: </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dictionary.die.net/pelt">pelt</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dictionary.die.net/stream">stream</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dictionary.die.net/rain%20cats%20and%20dogs">rain cats and dogs</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >,</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dictionary.die.net/rain%20buckets"> rain</a> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://dictionary.die.net/rain%20buckets">buckets</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:85%;">]</span> </span></span></pre><p> </p> <div id="admiddle"> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-5823754184406795"; google_ad_slot = "7241899208"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--> </script></div><pre><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><strong>force</strong></strong><br />v 1: to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by<br />physical, moral or intellectual means :"She forced him<br />to take a job in the city" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/coerce">coerce</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/hale">hale</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/pressure">pressure</a>]<br />2: urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or<br />motivate<br />[syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/impel">impel</a>]<br />3: move with force, "He pushed the table into a corner"<br />[syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/push">push</a>] [ant: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/pull">pull</a>]<br />4: impose or thrust urgently, importunately, or inexorably;<br />"She forced her diet fads on him" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/thrust">thrust</a>]<br />5: squeeze like a wedge into a tight space; "I squeezed<br />myself into the corner" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/wedge">wedge</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/squeeze">squeeze</a>]<br />6: force into or from an action or state, either<br />physically or metaphorically; "She rammed her mind into<br />focus"; "He drives me mad" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/drive">drive</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/ram">ram</a>]<br />7: do forcibly; exert force; "Don't force it!"<br />8: cause to move along the ground by pulling; "draw<br />a wagon"; "pull a sled" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/pull">pull</a>, <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/draw">draw</a>] [ant: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/push">push</a>]<br />9: take by force; "Storm the fort" [syn: <a href="http://dictionary.die.net/storm">storm</a>]</span> <!-- google_ad_section_end --><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogs.law.harvard.edu"></a><br /></pre><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span> <div style="text-align: left;">I guess if it will ease Ashcroft's mind semantically, we can agree on using some variation of <span style="font-style: italic;">forcibly pouring</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">poured by force</span>. However, the words and phrases emphasized above should have sufficed.<br /><br />And, perhaps Knox College will, in future, make sure that the distinction between pouring and forcing is added to their anatomy curriculum. <span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >[/sarcasm]</span><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Definitions: http://dictionary.die.net/ </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />Image: "Waterboarding in Vietnam," </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >from </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogs.law.harvard.edu">Stop Torture: the Harvard anti-Torture Coalition</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span></div>Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-87892565819268481612008-04-19T19:01:00.000-07:002008-04-19T19:10:37.693-07:00Elites and ElitismTime to reclaim these words. They don't really sustain their proper meanings when applied, e.g., to our esteemed Press.<br /><br />"Elites," as I understand the term, are the cream of the crop, those with expertise to share, and with verifiable discernment. Journalism's true elites are <span style="font-style: italic;">not </span>those who think it is too difficult to do actual research, or that they merely have to present two opposing views, no matter the facts of the case, in order to be objective. Nor do they think that facts have a liberal bias, but rather understand they are simply based in Reality.<br /><br />"Elites" may or may not belong to the uppermost income brackets. Although they often do, belonging to that bracket does not automatically confer "elitism" on a person; nor should it. Merit also counts.Karen Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13177791730943410658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3295689543166080175.post-61142656252086139242008-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:002008-04-07T05:18:31.496-07:00Can someone suggest to Glenn that he find a new word to characterize America's press coverage?While Glenn's regular use of the adjective "vapid" to describe the writings of the mainstream media is a completely apt descrption, he needs to insert a little variation into his narrative or else he's creating his own google bomb. If you google greenwald vapid, you get about 20,000 hits. An occasional post without "vapid", using instead some equally valid synonym such as "insipid", "pointless", "inane", "lifeless", or "tiresome", probably wouldn't damage the thrust of Glenn's prose and might even make it less predictable and, heaven forbid, "vapid".<br />On the other hand, perhaps Glenn intends for "vapid" to become a signature word, so that "vapid press coverage" is automatically associated with Greenwald much as <i>Carthago delenda est</i> calls to mind Cato the Elder. If so, he's well on his way.<br />(Update 4/6/08): Never mind. I've just read <a href="http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/06/mukasey/index.html">Glenn's post on the AP fluff piece on AG Mukasey</a> and there really is no other word for it than vAPid.Frankly, my dear, ...http://www.blogger.com/profile/13417982906335528951noreply@blogger.com4