@Paolo- Hmmmm... I was more used to Prosit as a toast as well, so I looked it up. "Prosit" does come from Latin (maybe from 'pro sit tibi' -- may it do you good ), but it's used as both a "gesundheit" type "bless you" in Scandanavian countries and also as a toast before imbibing in other countries. "Prosit" as a drinking toast is used in German. Dutch might be the dividing line on usage -- looks like they say either "Gezondheid" or "Proost" to mean bless you. (Native speakers please correct me...)
Well, of course... This is nothing new. The prophets (and profits) of doom have been around for years. Even today, the former global warming crowd has subtly morphed themselves into heralding cries of "climate change" rather than "global warming". The idea is that they postulate that some certain climate and temperature band is *ideal* and ANY deviation from that (high or low) is a response to man's harmful influence.
There are 2 factors at play: 1. Global Warming / Climate Change is HUGE business for government-funded scientists. If there isn't a problem, there isn't any research money. They are well-motivated to keep saying there is a problem. 2. Many Third World governments, although not rich in greedy researchers, join the fray because any restrictions on growth in the developed world amount to a subsidy for them.
I'm not saying the climate isn't changing now, but it ALWAYS has moved in cycles and at no time in the world's history has it been stagnant. Long before man's presence, the Sahara was a lush verdant area. The climate changed and now it isn't ... people had nothing to do with that; it well predated them! Myriad other examples abound. There is hugely insufficient evidence for any honest critical thinker to establish man's presence as the cause of the current swing. The logical fallacy of confusing correlation with causality is at hand here. And if man is to blame, who or what is to blame for all the other swings over time? It's never been steady, folks... deal with it.
@Skipweasel- Yes, in the US, except in rare curculstances, buying a house includes title to the land. You go awry a little in a couple places though because you are assuming Detroit is like anywhere else in the civilized world. It is not. 1. You still pay some property taxes on the land, albeit less when there is no house on it. But the property taxes are based on the overall value of the property, so a house that is worth nothing adds little to the value of the property or the tax bill. 2. You've probably never been to Detroit. It's a hellhole and you will be holding onto that property for an ETERNITY before you can sell it for more. All that time you'll be paying taxes and probably insurance (if you are smart) to protect yourself from getting sued by a crackwhore who cuts herself on a broken bottle or something. 3. There is an ENORMOUS supply of cheap property in Detroit -- it's not like this one place got magically undervalued or something.
I got through engineering University with a 15C and had it for many years until it finally died. I figured I'd just buy a used one on Ebay until I saw the prices and nearly fell off my chair. I wound up buying a 48GX (like smokeandoakum), and while it's still reverse polish, it just isn't the same -- it's big and clunky and full of a zillion features I don't need. The 15C was king ...
I also had a 16C which was a special programmers' model. It was almost completely bereft of other functions though ... great for assembly language programmers, but not much else. Well taht one I subsequently sold on Ebay for @200. Sweet.
Nothing makes one feel better about himself than a positive message constructed from garbage jammed into an unsightly chainlink fence. Ahhh... Ghetto-living at its best.
@ mike_nc & EEM: Duh. Of course I know Oriental is from the Latin for "East"... do you take me for a Latino educated in Los Angeles schools?
My question is why do some (not all) in recent years consider it soooo taboo to say "Oriental", while others label themselves and their businesses "Oriental" without thinking twice? There's NOTHING perjorative about the word! Obviously it is a *relative* term, but so what? People can freely use "Westerner" (or even Occidental, which comes from Latin for West) without any uptightedness. What is the big deal about "oriental" ? If its lack of precision is that troubling, why not replace it with something better, not something worse?
"Asian" is not more accurate, and as it's typically employed (excluding a whole lot of people native to Asia) is plainly wrong. Maybe if they called themselves "East Asians" it would be a little more accurate, but striking down "Oriental" in favor of plain "Asian" is a step backwards. Far Easterners (see mike nc post) works OK, too.
On a related note, is there anyone of Afrikaan heritage now living in the U.S. who checks the "African-American" box on Census and other demographic polls and surveys? I would *love* to do this. From time to time I do pick "Other" and write in "European-American" on the fill-in space, but being able to legitimately check "African-American" and monkey with the data (a wee tiny bit) would bring me great glee.
OK, since the lead-in to the post mentioned being politically correct... Do these "Asian" students include Indians, Pakistanis, Israelis, Arabs, and half the people from Turkey? Those countries are ALL in Asia, after all.
The adoption of the term "Asian" and denegration of the much more accurate "Oriental" is annoying to me. This fairly recent "asian" neologism seems to be particularly prevalent in the *Western* U.S., where people get seem a real bug up their butt if you ever use the term oriental. In the East, the "Asian" insisters are growing, but we still have plenty of "Oriental Grocery Stores" run by (and for!) self-described Orientals. I'm pretty sure "oriental" hasn't become a slur in Europe has it? What's the big deal?
Robert Mugabe Bright Idea #1: Confiscate the landholdings of experienced (and productive) white farmers and redistribute it to a larger number of inexperienced black farmers.
Farm productivity plummets, food becomes scarce, hyper-inflation ensues. People starve.
Robert Mugabe Bright Idea #2: Run for re-election. When your opponent forces a runoff, have thugs beat the hell out of anyone who voted for said opponent in the first election so they don't make the same "mistake" again.
Yeah, people of Zimbabwe were really being oppressed by British colonial rule. geez.
Hmmmm... I was more used to Prosit as a toast as well, so I looked it up. "Prosit" does come from Latin (maybe from 'pro sit tibi' -- may it do you good ), but it's used as both a "gesundheit" type "bless you" in Scandanavian countries and also as a toast before imbibing in other countries. "Prosit" as a drinking toast is used in German. Dutch might be the dividing line on usage -- looks like they say either "Gezondheid" or "Proost" to mean bless you. (Native speakers please correct me...)
There are 2 factors at play:
1. Global Warming / Climate Change is HUGE business for government-funded scientists. If there isn't a problem, there isn't any research money. They are well-motivated to keep saying there is a problem.
2. Many Third World governments, although not rich in greedy researchers, join the fray because any restrictions on growth in the developed world amount to a subsidy for them.
I'm not saying the climate isn't changing now, but it ALWAYS has moved in cycles and at no time in the world's history has it been stagnant. Long before man's presence, the Sahara was a lush verdant area. The climate changed and now it isn't ... people had nothing to do with that; it well predated them! Myriad other examples abound. There is hugely insufficient evidence for any honest critical thinker to establish man's presence as the cause of the current swing. The logical fallacy of confusing correlation with causality is at hand here. And if man is to blame, who or what is to blame for all the other swings over time? It's never been steady, folks... deal with it.
Staright talk from Sid.
Well, yes you could, but it would be safer living outside of "the green zone" in Bagdad with an Israeli flag flying at your front door.
Yes, in the US, except in rare curculstances, buying a house includes title to the land. You go awry a little in a couple places though because you are assuming Detroit is like anywhere else in the civilized world. It is not.
1. You still pay some property taxes on the land, albeit less when there is no house on it. But the property taxes are based on the overall value of the property, so a house that is worth nothing adds little to the value of the property or the tax bill.
2. You've probably never been to Detroit. It's a hellhole and you will be holding onto that property for an ETERNITY before you can sell it for more. All that time you'll be paying taxes and probably insurance (if you are smart) to protect yourself from getting sued by a crackwhore who cuts herself on a broken bottle or something.
3. There is an ENORMOUS supply of cheap property in Detroit -- it's not like this one place got magically undervalued or something.
along the lines of Christophe's comments- Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards the British skijumper at Calgary in '88.
I also had a 16C which was a special programmers' model. It was almost completely bereft of other functions though ... great for assembly language programmers, but not much else. Well taht one I subsequently sold on Ebay for @200. Sweet.
Duh. Of course I know Oriental is from the Latin for "East"... do you take me for a Latino educated in Los Angeles schools?
My question is why do some (not all) in recent years consider it soooo taboo to say "Oriental", while others label themselves and their businesses "Oriental" without thinking twice? There's NOTHING perjorative about the word! Obviously it is a *relative* term, but so what? People can freely use "Westerner" (or even Occidental, which comes from Latin for West) without any uptightedness. What is the big deal about "oriental" ? If its lack of precision is that troubling, why not replace it with something better, not something worse?
"Asian" is not more accurate, and as it's typically employed (excluding a whole lot of people native to Asia) is plainly wrong. Maybe if they called themselves "East Asians" it would be a little more accurate, but striking down "Oriental" in favor of plain "Asian" is a step backwards. Far Easterners (see mike nc post) works OK, too.
On a related note, is there anyone of Afrikaan heritage now living in the U.S. who checks the "African-American" box on Census and other demographic polls and surveys? I would *love* to do this. From time to time I do pick "Other" and write in "European-American" on the fill-in space, but being able to legitimately check "African-American" and monkey with the data (a wee tiny bit) would bring me great glee.
The adoption of the term "Asian" and denegration of the much more accurate "Oriental" is annoying to me. This fairly recent "asian" neologism seems to be particularly prevalent in the *Western* U.S., where people get seem a real bug up their butt if you ever use the term oriental. In the East, the "Asian" insisters are growing, but we still have plenty of "Oriental Grocery Stores" run by (and for!) self-described Orientals. I'm pretty sure "oriental" hasn't become a slur in Europe has it? What's the big deal?
Confiscate the landholdings of experienced (and productive) white farmers and redistribute it to a larger number of inexperienced black farmers.
Farm productivity plummets, food becomes scarce, hyper-inflation ensues. People starve.
Robert Mugabe Bright Idea #2:
Run for re-election. When your opponent forces a runoff, have thugs beat the hell out of anyone who voted for said opponent in the first election so they don't make the same "mistake" again.
Yeah, people of Zimbabwe were really being oppressed by British colonial rule. geez.