As I looked at a square in a SuDoKu puzzle, I said, "9 can't go here and 8 can't go here, so 6 must go here", I realized that SuDoKu is a game of can'ts.
For more fun with words, see my Homonym Homilies.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Gender-neutral language?
Many want to use language that is wholly gender-neutral but I think many attempts will be clumsy, even one many of us choose without thinking.
Chairor or chairperson instead of chairman or chair comes to mind. Of course, is a person something to sit in? Usage does make chair more acceptable than the first two choices; "the chair recognizes" is standard formal meeting usage.
Mailperson or fireperson thankfully have fallen by the wayside in favor of mail carrier or fire fighter.
The Unitarian-Universalists, who believe in the free and responsible search for truth have denied the truth of Walt Whitman's wishes. He did not want one word of his poems changed. But the UU hymnal "Singing the Living Tradition", in the name of gender-neutrality, has changed his "the men who govern you" to "those who govern you". My gosh, how can you take out a syllable from a poem?
One could use "one" as the pronoun for a person in general, but one finds that the use of "one" as a pronoun a bit outdated or clumsy.
"He or she", "him or her", "his or hers" have had some popularity for talking or writing about a person in general, but I find them clumsy also.
Popular usage has found the solution, but strict grammarians don't like it. "Someone left their wallet on the store counter" makes perfect sense to most people, but strict grammarians would complain about lack of agreement in number between the main subject and the pronoun referencing it. However, any language that follows the same rules for all time is a dead language. A living language, especially in a democracy, follows the rules made by today's speakers, not speakers of two hundred years ago.
Sure, many of us will rave and rant about usages we don't like. Like, they feel uncomfortable to our ear, you know. My teachers spoke against using "kid" for "child", but today's teachers easily use "kids" to refer to their students.
For a fun reference on language, read "The Power of Babel" by John McWorter. He gives many examples and explanations on how languages change.
Chairor or chairperson instead of chairman or chair comes to mind. Of course, is a person something to sit in? Usage does make chair more acceptable than the first two choices; "the chair recognizes" is standard formal meeting usage.
Mailperson or fireperson thankfully have fallen by the wayside in favor of mail carrier or fire fighter.
The Unitarian-Universalists, who believe in the free and responsible search for truth have denied the truth of Walt Whitman's wishes. He did not want one word of his poems changed. But the UU hymnal "Singing the Living Tradition", in the name of gender-neutrality, has changed his "the men who govern you" to "those who govern you". My gosh, how can you take out a syllable from a poem?
One could use "one" as the pronoun for a person in general, but one finds that the use of "one" as a pronoun a bit outdated or clumsy.
"He or she", "him or her", "his or hers" have had some popularity for talking or writing about a person in general, but I find them clumsy also.
Popular usage has found the solution, but strict grammarians don't like it. "Someone left their wallet on the store counter" makes perfect sense to most people, but strict grammarians would complain about lack of agreement in number between the main subject and the pronoun referencing it. However, any language that follows the same rules for all time is a dead language. A living language, especially in a democracy, follows the rules made by today's speakers, not speakers of two hundred years ago.
Sure, many of us will rave and rant about usages we don't like. Like, they feel uncomfortable to our ear, you know. My teachers spoke against using "kid" for "child", but today's teachers easily use "kids" to refer to their students.
For a fun reference on language, read "The Power of Babel" by John McWorter. He gives many examples and explanations on how languages change.
Ron Paul for president?
Christopher Caldwell wrote a very interesting article about Rep. Ron Paul's (R-TX) candidacy for president (“The Antiwar, Anti-Abortion, Anti-Drug-Enforcement-Administration, Anti-Medicare Candidacy of Dr. Ron Paul”, New York Times, July 22, 2007). In it he asserts that "Ron Paul will not be the next president of the United States". I sent a letter to the New York Times that this is making news rather than reporting news.
Such writing tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. People decide not to "throw their vote away" for "somebody who can't win" and throw it away anyway by voting for somebody whom they don't agree with as much.
On many issues Ron Paul is an appealing candidate to me; on many other issues I would rather not see him as president. But his great strength is he votes and speaks what he believes in, not what he thinks voters want to hear. When one votes for such a candidate, you know what you're going to get.
I didn't like Barry Goldwater's bellicosity in 1964 and voted for Lyndon Johnson. Johnson won and we got Vietnam.
See also my article “Making news or reporting news”.
Such writing tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. People decide not to "throw their vote away" for "somebody who can't win" and throw it away anyway by voting for somebody whom they don't agree with as much.
On many issues Ron Paul is an appealing candidate to me; on many other issues I would rather not see him as president. But his great strength is he votes and speaks what he believes in, not what he thinks voters want to hear. When one votes for such a candidate, you know what you're going to get.
I didn't like Barry Goldwater's bellicosity in 1964 and voted for Lyndon Johnson. Johnson won and we got Vietnam.
See also my article “Making news or reporting news”.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Livability of cities
I sent the following email to a Duluth city councillor who is proposing an amendment to the city's tall grass and rubbish ordinance. I doubt whether the amendment will do any good considering how little money Duluth or any other city has for enforcement.
I appreciate your concern about the livability of Duluth, but as a walker, I wonder if your amendment to the rubbish and tall grass ordinance will have much effect.
Laws and ordinances have three purposes:
to provide guidance to people of good faith (yellow lines to divide streets)
to punish people of bad faith after the fact (burglary laws and so forth)
to make legislators feel good (flag burning amendments)
Given the current financial support of government by citizens, I would say the mowing ordinance comes more under purpose 3 then purpose 2.
My grounds for saying this are the effectiveness of the snow shoveling ordinance and the snow shoveling hot line. It’s not that city employees are not responding to requests in a timely fashion; they do as I recently found out about shrubbery blocking a sidewalk. The problem is that it is rare for citizens to call in about obvious problems.
For example, dozens of students walk to UMD or Woodland Middle School, but often over half of the sidewalks on 19th Ave, E. 8th St., Woodland Ave., or St. Marie St. are not shoveled in a timely fashion after a snow storm. I doubt many students bother calling the snow shoveling hot line.
I could call in dozens of properties in this same area that have shrubbery blocking half or more of the sidewalk or trees hanging over the sidewalk at eye level. Surprise, on Garden St with all of its nice yards or city trees on one of the avenues either side of Lake Ave. just north of Superior St. But, like many people, I’m reluctant to make a “nuisance of myself” or even spend the time calling in with sufficient details for action.
I’m sure that city can’t afford to have a “walkability patrol” when it can’t afford enough police to strictly enforce the speed limits on Arrowhead Road, Snively, or Woodland Ave.
I wrote an article on walkability for the Reader Weekly three years ago:
In any case, thanks for your concern about the livability of Duluth. I wish I could feel confident that your efforts will make a difference.
I appreciate your concern about the livability of Duluth, but as a walker, I wonder if your amendment to the rubbish and tall grass ordinance will have much effect.
Laws and ordinances have three purposes:
to provide guidance to people of good faith (yellow lines to divide streets)
to punish people of bad faith after the fact (burglary laws and so forth)
to make legislators feel good (flag burning amendments)
Given the current financial support of government by citizens, I would say the mowing ordinance comes more under purpose 3 then purpose 2.
My grounds for saying this are the effectiveness of the snow shoveling ordinance and the snow shoveling hot line. It’s not that city employees are not responding to requests in a timely fashion; they do as I recently found out about shrubbery blocking a sidewalk. The problem is that it is rare for citizens to call in about obvious problems.
For example, dozens of students walk to UMD or Woodland Middle School, but often over half of the sidewalks on 19th Ave, E. 8th St., Woodland Ave., or St. Marie St. are not shoveled in a timely fashion after a snow storm. I doubt many students bother calling the snow shoveling hot line.
I could call in dozens of properties in this same area that have shrubbery blocking half or more of the sidewalk or trees hanging over the sidewalk at eye level. Surprise, on Garden St with all of its nice yards or city trees on one of the avenues either side of Lake Ave. just north of Superior St. But, like many people, I’m reluctant to make a “nuisance of myself” or even spend the time calling in with sufficient details for action.
I’m sure that city can’t afford to have a “walkability patrol” when it can’t afford enough police to strictly enforce the speed limits on Arrowhead Road, Snively, or Woodland Ave.
I wrote an article on walkability for the Reader Weekly three years ago:
http://www.cpinternet.com/~mdmagree/walking_2004-10-21.htmMany of these problems still exist.
In any case, thanks for your concern about the livability of Duluth. I wish I could feel confident that your efforts will make a difference.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Are "Patriots" Good Citizens
The Fourth of July, Independence Day, is coming and many people are feeling patriotic. They will be flying flags, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and singing the Star-Spangled Banner. But is this really patriotism? For my thoughts, see Are "Patriots" Good Citizens, from the Reader Weekly, July 1, 2004.
Surprising Google ranking
I've noticed that one of my April Fool's articles for the Reader Weekly has been getting many hits recently, but I didn't know why. When I did a search for its URL, www.cpinternet.com/~mdmagree/april_fool_2000-04-01.htm, I found no references except my own. However, when I did a search for billionaire and Duluth, this page and one other of mine were the top two out of over 26,000 results. I'll let you visit the page to find out what the interest is.
Another humor article, "Major Food Groups" has been getting even more hits, even more than this blog. Again, I find no references to the URL. When I search for "Major food groups" it is not in the top 30. When I add "chocolate", it is second out of over 25,000 results.
Gosh, if I can only figure the right tags to put in all of my pages to get this kind of ranking.
Another humor article, "Major Food Groups" has been getting even more hits, even more than this blog. Again, I find no references to the URL. When I search for "Major food groups" it is not in the top 30. When I add "chocolate", it is second out of over 25,000 results.
Gosh, if I can only figure the right tags to put in all of my pages to get this kind of ranking.
Responsive Bureaucrat
I have long been bothered by those who think "responsive bureacrat" is an oxymoron. In my experience, government employees, especially in Minnesota, take the title "civil servant" seriously.
I recently got tired of shrubbery blocking the sidewalk at a particular address and called a city hotline about it. The shrubbery was cut back within a day, not the week or two I had expected.
In appreciation, I sent the follow email to the Director of Public Works with copies to the Mayor of Duluth and a couple of city councilors. Both the Director and the Mayor responded with thank you emails.
I recently got tired of shrubbery blocking the sidewalk at a particular address and called a city hotline about it. The shrubbery was cut back within a day, not the week or two I had expected.
In appreciation, I sent the follow email to the Director of Public Works with copies to the Mayor of Duluth and a couple of city councilors. Both the Director and the Mayor responded with thank you emails.
Good Afternoon,
I have long been bothered by all the properties where sidewalks aren’t shoveled in the winter and trees and shrubs are allowed to block the sidewalk all year round. I’ve been reluctant to be a “tattle-tale” but one hedge really bothered me.
Over a month ago, I asked a resident at that address to clip it back. He, who probably only drove up to the rear entrance, came around the front and was amazed at how far over the sidewalk it went. He said he would call the property management company. About two weeks later I saw a crew mowing the lawn and hoped that the hedge would be cut back. The next day it was still untouched.
Yesterday I called the Sidewalk Snow Removal Hotline and left a message about this property. I hoped the city would prompt the owner to cut the hedge back in a week or two. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the hedge was cut back this morning. It could be cut back further yet but at least fewer people will be walking in the path worn in the boulevard.
One down, hundreds to go.
Thanks to Tom Kasper and anyone else involved in this little improvement in the walkability of Duluth.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Protecting the patient or protecting the doctor?
The cost in "An unnecessary health care cost" was piddling compared to a CYA cost that will be sent to Medicare and Blue Cross on my behalf - $1576 for an echocardiogram and stress test that I saw no need for.
Every so often a doctor hears a noise in my chest that he or she doesn’t like. Years ago a family doctor prescribed an echocardiogram and nothing abnormal was found. About ten years ago I was hospitalized overnight for a "heart attack" that was really strained chest muscles from throwing small logs. Two years ago my current physician didn’t like a whooshing; last year he said I had the “heart of an athlete”; this year he prescribed the echocardiogram and stress test.
My non-running legs got tired before my heart rate got to a level the technicians wanted; additionally, they had me on the stress test longer than most people my age.
I think this was the last time I will walk from downtown to the clinic and up the 68 steps to the doctor’s office for an annual physical. Next time, I’ll sit and meditate 20 minutes before my appointment and do my best to hold my breath completely as he listens.
Every so often a doctor hears a noise in my chest that he or she doesn’t like. Years ago a family doctor prescribed an echocardiogram and nothing abnormal was found. About ten years ago I was hospitalized overnight for a "heart attack" that was really strained chest muscles from throwing small logs. Two years ago my current physician didn’t like a whooshing; last year he said I had the “heart of an athlete”; this year he prescribed the echocardiogram and stress test.
My non-running legs got tired before my heart rate got to a level the technicians wanted; additionally, they had me on the stress test longer than most people my age.
I think this was the last time I will walk from downtown to the clinic and up the 68 steps to the doctor’s office for an annual physical. Next time, I’ll sit and meditate 20 minutes before my appointment and do my best to hold my breath completely as he listens.
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