Re: #2 (DCer) - Apparently, the Chinese words for "aunt" and "uncle" are frequently used as a respectful address for someone you work under. I have become "Uncle" to quite a few Chinese students over the years, and my Mom became "Auntie" to several Chinese students as well. Most of them drop it after a while, when they notice that nobody else calls you "Uncle;" but I think it's kind of neat when it lasts!
Re: #3 (KiM) - "Panzer" is indeed a German word, meaning "panther." It was applied to either a type of tank or to tank units in general during WWII (an historian of the period would know better than I would of the specifics). I doubt that it became a general term for "tank," though. Yeah... kinda weird to see it used on blocks meant to teach English. However, a visit to a hobby-shop will turn up a number of plastic model kits manufactured in China and Japan, and of the military kits, German Panzer units are quite popular. (I guess German tank designs were visually more pleasing than others; thus the model kits are more popular than others.) It may be easy for one to make the assumption that "panzer" might be English for "tank," based on this, if identically-labeled kits are sold in China.
Re; #13 (Jenny K.) - Epileptic siezures, if I remember correctly, have something to do with the firing of neurons in response to each other. This is true for most thought processes, such as the ability to say the name of an object we see. In epileptics, the firing becomes erratic, and siezures are the result. In the case of Joe, firing in one hemisphere triggered firing in the other and back again, so splitting the corpus callosum seemed like a reasonable way to disrupt the problem.
The down side is that he cannot name objects perceived only by his right brain (left eye). In his (and most people's) brain, the language center is in the left hemisphere, and the artistic skills are in the right hemisphere. (Keep in mind that these hemispheres control the opposite sides of the body, which is why his right brain perceives what his left eye sees, and why he can draw the objects with his left hand. I'm also using "artistic" in a very broad sense; his drawings are purely functional. In a true artist, the artistic abilities are less compartmentalized in the brain than in non-artists.)
Strobe lights can trigger siezures in both epilleptics and non-epilleptics (although the strobing frequencies required to do this are different), which is why it is prudent to warn audiences if a strobe light is to be used in a performance. I still have no idea what's happening in a whole sequence near the end of the original "Alien" film, because of the strobe light that accompanies the ship's auto-destruct. After about three seconds of the flashing, I get serious migraine and have to cover my eyes. I wonder if there are plans to release some "ultimate" DVD of the movie with a strobe-free version of that scene as an extra feature...?
So "epidiascope" is the technical term for an overhead projector. Heh, heh... Next time one of my students complains that I used another "big" word he or she doesn't know (Hey, we're here to learn, kid), I can reply, "Too erudite for you? Nonsense! Now, to return to this epediascope projection..." New Word of the Day!
As for the "dick"/"egg" connection... In some cultures, testicles are called "eggs." It's possible that the dictionary the blocks' creator consulted gave a variety of English synonyms (or near-synonyms)for "egg" without going into sufficient detail.
Punching the guy was out of line, whether he was looking or not. The puncher could use anger-management. As for the other guy, perhaps this movie would help put things in perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzO1mCAVyMw
I've always found the practice of "swearing on a Bible" to be puzzling and kind of blasphemous, since it clearly instructs us NOT to swear --- on anything! Perhaps Pierce and Roosevelt felt this way too.
How very Medieval. Reminds me of a old English catch-song that might pre-date Shakespeare:
“My Lady and her Maid upon a merry pin, they made a match at farting, who should the wager win. Joan lights three candles then, and sets them bolt upright. With the first fart she blew them out; with the next she gave them light. In comes my Lady then, with all her might and main, and blew them out, and in and out, and in and out again.”
But seriously, if they're doing it deliberately, then it's not beyond their control, despite whatever rationalizations they make. They're being disruptive, just as if they were belching at will. The problem is that the burden of PROVING that their flatulence is deliberate falls on the teachers & administrators. The fact that anyone can tell they're faking it is beside the point --- the law protects these kids and promotes this behavior, and they know it. They'll abuse the system as long as it lets them... or until it dawns on them that maybe this is why no girls seem to show an interest in them. (Except for My Lady and her Maid...)
Among Dubyuh's many gaffes is the classic line from the unveiling of his official portrait: "I'd like to thank y'all for comin' to my public hangin'."
Had Mark Twain said it, it would have been the pinnacle of wit. But Dub had zero idea how his words came across. As the guy in "Spinal Tap" puts it, "There's a fine line between genius and stupid."
Where was I? Although New Jersey is in the same time zone as Florida, the news was pretty much suppressed at my high school. I was in 12th grade, and so was an exchange student staying with us. One of my brothers was in 10th grade. They took the bus home; I rode my bike because of my allergies (kids would smoke on the bus, and the 'tards thought my allergy was funny). When I got home, the other two told me they just heard on the bus radio that the shuttle blew up. Having just spent another miserable day in high school hearing this kind of crap from jerks with no lives, I naturally assumed they were just trying to get a reaction from me, and I snorted and said, "Yeah, right." But this was my brother and Giammarco, who knew me as a person... and they reiterated what they'd just told me. "Really?" I said. "Really." I think I asked how it happened, and they said they didn't know; the kids on the bus were making too much noise. We turned on the TV and we all watched.
Although I never pursued an astronaut career, I thought space travel was cool then, and I think it's cool now. I'd go up if I had the chance, just as I would have before Challenger.
So I missed seeing the event in "real time." Oddly enough, I DID manage to catch (on TV) Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, and the 9-11 attacks on the WTC as they happened. I'm not a sports fan, nor do I watch daytime TV; in the first instance a friend dragged me to another friend's apartment to watch the big fight; in the second instance, I had an off-day from work and turned on the TV in order to copy a video --- and there was the WTC with smoke pouring from one tower. By the end of the day, I'd donated blood and convinced my then-fiancee (who was too scared to donate) to do likewise. We were both very proud of her, and she has donated regularly since.
I second #6 (ted) re: #3 (kraka). Although cultural mores are also a factor, it varies with the individual and his/her situation. Some Americans, to be sure, are callous about the whole thing --- but you can find people like that anywhere. I was born and raised here in the USA and every breakup I suffered was horribly painful and miserable. The most recent breakup (a little over a year ago, after a 16-year engagement and 4 marriage attempts) was the only mutual one; I told her I'd had enough of her delaying & excuses, and her "runaway bride" stunt was the last straw. She felt sad, but knew it was her own fault... and felt a little relieved.
However, even though I had permission to take the day off for my honeymoon, I decided to go in to work. At least I could have a sympathetic ear, listen to other people's breakup stories... and it sure beat sitting around all alone on my honeymoon.
Cute! I remember baby-sitting a kid who had a doll that could play five notes when squeezed (one for each limb, and one in the tummy), and I would play the opening measures of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on it, as well as the opening of a Domenico Scarlatti keyboard sonata. The range is not sufficient for "Twinkle, Twinkle," but you can play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on it too.
I've long supposed that Baronyx was an earlier form of Suchomimus and Spinosaurus, all of which were African, from the Cretaceous Period and sported crocodile-like heads, large heavy forelimbs and sail-like spinal fins. Oddly, I have yet to read any studies that suggest or refute a link between any of these three dinosaurs. Has anyone looked into this?
"'What's the name of his other leg?' Now I get it!"
The guy who died watching "The Goodies" reminds me of a more recent instance of a guy who survived a heart attack he suffered from laughing hysterically at George (Larry David's character) on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld."
Re: #3 (KiM) - "Panzer" is indeed a German word, meaning "panther." It was applied to either a type of tank or to tank units in general during WWII (an historian of the period would know better than I would of the specifics). I doubt that it became a general term for "tank," though. Yeah... kinda weird to see it used on blocks meant to teach English. However, a visit to a hobby-shop will turn up a number of plastic model kits manufactured in China and Japan, and of the military kits, German Panzer units are quite popular. (I guess German tank designs were visually more pleasing than others; thus the model kits are more popular than others.) It may be easy for one to make the assumption that "panzer" might be English for "tank," based on this, if identically-labeled kits are sold in China.
The down side is that he cannot name objects perceived only by his right brain (left eye). In his (and most people's) brain, the language center is in the left hemisphere, and the artistic skills are in the right hemisphere. (Keep in mind that these hemispheres control the opposite sides of the body, which is why his right brain perceives what his left eye sees, and why he can draw the objects with his left hand. I'm also using "artistic" in a very broad sense; his drawings are purely functional. In a true artist, the artistic abilities are less compartmentalized in the brain than in non-artists.)
Strobe lights can trigger siezures in both epilleptics and non-epilleptics (although the strobing frequencies required to do this are different), which is why it is prudent to warn audiences if a strobe light is to be used in a performance. I still have no idea what's happening in a whole sequence near the end of the original "Alien" film, because of the strobe light that accompanies the ship's auto-destruct. After about three seconds of the flashing, I get serious migraine and have to cover my eyes. I wonder if there are plans to release some "ultimate" DVD of the movie with a strobe-free version of that scene as an extra feature...?
As for the "dick"/"egg" connection... In some cultures, testicles are called "eggs." It's possible that the dictionary the blocks' creator consulted gave a variety of English synonyms (or near-synonyms)for "egg" without going into sufficient detail.
“My Lady and her Maid
upon a merry pin,
they made a match at farting,
who should the wager win.
Joan lights three candles then,
and sets them bolt upright.
With the first fart she blew them out;
with the next she gave them light.
In comes my Lady then,
with all her might and main,
and blew them out, and in and out,
and in and out again.”
But seriously, if they're doing it deliberately, then it's not beyond their control, despite whatever rationalizations they make. They're being disruptive, just as if they were belching at will. The problem is that the burden of PROVING that their flatulence is deliberate falls on the teachers & administrators. The fact that anyone can tell they're faking it is beside the point --- the law protects these kids and promotes this behavior, and they know it. They'll abuse the system as long as it lets them... or until it dawns on them that maybe this is why no girls seem to show an interest in them. (Except for My Lady and her Maid...)
Had Mark Twain said it, it would have been the pinnacle of wit. But Dub had zero idea how his words came across. As the guy in "Spinal Tap" puts it, "There's a fine line between genius and stupid."
Although I never pursued an astronaut career, I thought space travel was cool then, and I think it's cool now. I'd go up if I had the chance, just as I would have before Challenger.
So I missed seeing the event in "real time." Oddly enough, I DID manage to catch (on TV) Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, and the 9-11 attacks on the WTC as they happened. I'm not a sports fan, nor do I watch daytime TV; in the first instance a friend dragged me to another friend's apartment to watch the big fight; in the second instance, I had an off-day from work and turned on the TV in order to copy a video --- and there was the WTC with smoke pouring from one tower. By the end of the day, I'd donated blood and convinced my then-fiancee (who was too scared to donate) to do likewise. We were both very proud of her, and she has donated regularly since.
However, even though I had permission to take the day off for my honeymoon, I decided to go in to work. At least I could have a sympathetic ear, listen to other people's breakup stories... and it sure beat sitting around all alone on my honeymoon.
The guy who died watching "The Goodies" reminds me of a more recent instance of a guy who survived a heart attack he suffered from laughing hysterically at George (Larry David's character) on the TV sitcom "Seinfeld."