Wordle 833

 

Wordle 832

 

Wordle 831

 

What Does Next Mean

Normally, "next" means the immediate event after this one, so the next day after a Monday is Tuesday, the next letter in the alphabet after C is D, etc.  

For most things there is no dispute, if I say I plan to go to Italy next year, everyone knows I mean 2025, not 2026, since it's currently 2024.  But if I say, are you coming to our BBQ next Sunday? People might rightly wonder if it's the coming Sunday or the one after that.  Some people mean it one way (I take next literally) and some people mean the day after the coming one (my wife).  We both think the other is using it wrong.

There's nobody I trust more than Professor Paul Brians of WSU.  Here's what his Common Errors in English Usage has:

next, this

If I tell you that the company picnic is next Saturday it would be wise to ask whether I mean this coming Saturday or the Saturday after that. People differ in how they use “next” in this sort of context, and there’s no standard pattern; so it’s worth making an extra effort to be clear.

So, we're kind of both right.

Wordle 830

 My 22nd loss and the end of 110 game streak.  Last loss was at 718

You Didn't Have to Race

I couldn't have not raced.  I, being the way I am, got inexorably sucked-in.  It was a bloodthirsty competition, we both gave all we had and not a word, or even a looks was exchanged.  Here's how it went down.

I was five and a half miles into an 8-miler and getting to where I turned off of a suburban side-road onto the (paved) rail-trail.  About 100 feet before I got to the turn, I saw another jogger pass my road on the path and going the direction I would be going.  

He was tall, gangly probably a bit younger than my 61 years and looked to be going a bit more slowly than me.  I hadn't run in a few days and had that, I feel really good, kind of running day.

I made up about half the 100 feet distance between us pretty quickly, he was going a lot slower than me--I'd been doing about 9:20 pace for my first 5.5 miles, I wear a Garmin, so I can be and was at the time, well aware of my pace.  Once I got to about 25 feet of him, even though I'd sped up, I was no longer gaining on him.  I had more in me and had already pushed myself to, what I thought, was a sustainable speed, so I redoubled my efforts. It had taken me half a mile to catch him and after catching someone, I like to burry them.  I hate it when somebody passes me and then slows down, either on the track or on the highway and so I don't like to; be that person,  so after passing, I kept pouring on the steam..  As I passed, I saw that he was running with ear buds in place and he made no sign of noticing me.   I could hear his footsteps and breathing behind me, maybe 20 feet back, even though I was redoubling my efforts, he was not getting buried.

Along we both went, passing pedestrians, getting passed by bicyclists.  At one point, I saw a man with a corgi ahead of me, by the side of the path.  I gave plenty of room and nodded at him as I passed.  I heard the dog barking and snarling behind me, about as far back as I estimated the other runner to be.  I was was aware of the man running behind me until at least the Heart Pond parking area and maybe a bit further.  When I crossed the final road and was a quarter mile before exiting the path, I no longer heard him--he could have turned off or quit with the speed.  I forgot to look back when I made my exit.

I'd been averaging about 9:20/mile before the race, the remaining 2.5 miles was at 8:00/mile and once I got off the bike path, I'm certain that I dropped my speed a lot.

Added:  I don't always win.  But I always end up running faster than I would have.

Wordle 829

 

Wordle 828

 

Wordle 827

 

Word Groupings

There are word groups, like the two major cities in Kenya, where whichever of the two I think of first, I'm totally stumped on the other one.  So, if I think of Nairobi first, Mombasa will be brain-locked.

Another one is the group of 3 rivers which run through Pittsburg.  I always remember the Ohio, but then only one of the other two, Monongahela and Allegheny.

Another two are foreign words.  Rulau is a Konkani word for what pretty much every other Indian language calls upma.  I prefer the Konkani word for a number of reasons, it sounds better, my in-laws are Konkani, etc.  But the word which comes into my head is usually upma and then rulau is locked out, also very hard to find since Konkani is an extremely niche language in India.  The word is for a savory dish made from what we call cream of wheat.

Wordle 826

 

Classic Althouse, in her comments section

 

Ann Althouse said...

"'And don't most Americans, at this point, agree that the prosecutions are politically motivated?' Even if true (and you don't provide any links backing up your assertion), so what?"

1. You said I made an "assertion," but you need to provide links backing up your assertion that I made an assertion.

2. As for the answer to *your* incisive question "So what?," I'll translate your question into an assertion. You are essentially saying, you don't think it should matter if most Americans believe the prosecutions are politically motivated. And then, like you, I'll answer the imputed assertion with a question: Who cares if you are in denial?

4/18/24, 8:20 AM

Romance At The Rally

 Image from a NYT story about the Trump rally in PA

It was a cold day in Schnecksville

One couple found time for a moment of romance.

Wordle 825

 

Wordle 824

 

Wordle 823

 

Our Democracy

When I see this term for just plain old democracy, I know what they mean.

From NRO...

Secretary Fudge’s retirement at so awkward a moment — with only eleven days’ notice — may even have been motivated by Biden’s plans to delay the finalization of AFFH. Fudge told USA Today that her resignation was “mostly” personal. She wants to spend more time with her family. What about the part that isn’t personal? We get hints when Fudge says she knows that, on housing, “not much is going to be done through this election cycle” and that nothing will happen “as we go into this crazy, silly season of an election.” It’s mere speculation on my part, but it does sound as though Fudge might have abruptly resigned after learning that the White House wouldn’t finalize AFFH until after the election.

You see, elections just get in the way of the things the actual rulers--unelected bureaucrats--plan on doing.  We can elect all we want, and the true powers may pause a bit, but they go on with their plans.  The will of the people.  Don't make me laugh!

Wordle 822

 

Wordle 821

 

Wordle 820

 

Wordle 819

 

Wordle 818

 

Wordle 817

 

Authorial Authority

I think, depending on the work, the level of subtlety etc. one can read into and find that an author is revealing something about themselves.  It's easier when they're famous and you know something about their life-story.  If the only thing you know about them is their work, this is maybe harder to do.

That said, it is funny when authors are used as authorities on their work.  Like when Woody Allen produces an author, who chastises the know-it-all.

Link

The opposite, sort-of, happens when Rodney Dangerfield gets Kurt Vonnegut to write a term paper about Kurt Vonnegut and the professor he likes disparages the work.

Link

Wordle 816

 

Alternate McSweeny's Titles

 

I AM Mcsweeny's, AND I WILL RESTORE ORDER TO GOTHAM BY PULVERIZING A strawMAN ROBBING A CONVENIENCE STORE TO FEED HIS 100% imaginary STARVING FAMILY

by FOREST ABRUZZO

Wordle 815

 

Wordle 814

 

Wordle 813

 

Wordle 812

 

Wordle 811

 

Wordle 810

 

Saving this for the future

 

Christopher F. Rufo 

@realchrisrufo

The best way to understand DEI is to separate the marketing pitch—which, I agree, is attractive—from the reality of DEI in practice. Here is how I see it: 1. Diversity: We agree that it is important for people of all backgrounds to be treated fairly. But "diversity" in the political sense means treating individuals as a representation of their group identity, sorting them into a hierarchy based on the "oppressor-oppressed" dynamic, and then discriminating for or against certain groups on that basis. In practice, it means putting identity above merit, rewarding and punishing individuals based on their ancestry and, increasingly, their political ideology. In academia, for example, "diversity statements" are used to measure conformity to left-wing racial theories. 2. Equity: We agree that we should maximize opportunity for all. But "equity" is a political ideology that is distinct from, and contradictory to, "equality." In the highest sense, equality means that the state should treat individuals impartially, as in "equality under law," while recognizing that individuals have different talents, desires, and motivations, which will inevitably lead to inequalities. In a sense, you cannot have equality without inequality—they are two sides of the same coin. "Equity," on the other hand, treats all inequality as illegitimate and attempts to force group equalization, or "equality of outcomes," through redistribution of wealth and property. This is a key tenet of critical race theory. 3. Inclusion: We agree that institutions should have constructive, creative environments. But in practice, "inclusion" is a code word for a distinct, left-wing orthodoxy and is used to suppress disfavored groups and opinions. At many universities, DEI administrators publish speech codes in the name of "inclusion" that restrict the range of discourse and speech on campus. Additionally, the "inclusion" principle is never extended to supposed "oppressor" groups, such as whites, men, and Christians—instead, it becomes a form of exclusion. We can see this in the real world with many institutions implementing "hate," "bias," and "safe space" policies, which, in practice, are used to silence dissent and, especially, conservative speech. This is not speculation. I have substantiated all of these claims with dozens of investigative reports on DEI bureaucracies in universities, schools, and corporations. It is, in fact, much worse in the particular than in the general dynamics I am describing above.

Wordle 809

 

Wordle 808

 

Wordle 807

 

Wordle 806

 

Sardonic

 

Wordle 805

 

Mansplaining

It's a term which is somewhat vague but perhaps can be boiled down to; a man explaining something to a woman, something she already knows.

Anytime anyone explains something and they weren't directly asked to explain that thing, there is a possibility of explaining something they already know.  The ability to take cues and explain where it seems to be needed and wanted, is a skill and people have this skill to wildly different levels.  There's two kinds of errors which are possible:  Not explaining something that you should have explained and explaining something unnecessarily. 

Something I've noticed, is that women who complain a lot about mansplaining, also have a pet peeve of having a man say, "I know" when they are trying to explain something to him.  They are good at noticing when men fail to read their mind, but refuse to believe that they could fail at mindreading themselves: They'd rather believe that the man is lying about knowing something he doesn't really know.

Wordle 804

 

Wordle 803

 

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

We've all seen a lot of bridges and it seems as if the ones I've noticed have a wide concrete pier around where the towers go into the water.  I had assumed this was to prevent exactly this sort of thing.  Maybe container ships have grown to the point that the above water part can hit the tower before the underwater part runs aground. 

Going forward, maybe the replacement should be a tunnel, or a bridge such that the towers are located on land or in shallow water, such that a ship will not be able to reach this vulnerable structure under any circumstance. 

Added:  The span had some bit of pier around it, but the supports are very close to the edge.  This was a disaster waiting to happen.

Wordle 802

 

Wordle 801

 

Wordle 800

 

Wordle 799

 

7 Billion Tons

EPA Rule

I assume the 7 billion tons is just looking at the direct emissions from automobiles.  The thing is that most of the electricity generation in the US comes from burning natural gas or coal.  Once you burn these things to make electricity, transmit it to homes or charging stations and eventually run the cars, have you saved any CO2 emissions?  I doubt it.

The obvious low-hanging fruit is power generation.  If climate alarmists were serious, they'd be proposing a crash program of nuclearizing our electricity production. Once that's done, cheap electricity will induce people to move to electric heat and more electric appliances, it also will create demand for electric cars, mostly for commuting, since they can be charged at home almost for free.

The alarmists are of course not serious, or maybe they really are serious but really stupid. Whichever it is, we shouldn't let unserious or stupid people make laws.

Wordle 798

 

Wordle 797

 

Classic Lileks

The workout was a bit annoying, as one of the irregulars gathered all the lower-weight barbells around him like a class of elementary school students to whom he wanted to tell a story. He had some routine that required this weight then that weight, and since he looked very pleased with himself I wondered whether he was thinking "these other guys, they don't know the strength advantage you get from multi-varied weight differential hoisting. Me, I know, which is why I give myself a look of self-regard and stab my hair with my hand before making sounds of conspicuous exhalation."

Wordle 796

 

Dear Washington Post

Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel are not the same rank.

Article

The race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District features a pair of county supervisors, two state lawmakers, a self-funded tech entrepreneur and veterans of most branches of the military — including a Navy SEAL, two Green Berets and a retired Army colonel who played a key role in Trump-era Washington.

 Maybe they don't know that there's such a thing as a Lieutenant Colonel?

The others seeking the GOP nomination are Marine Corps veteran Jon Myers; John Prabhudoss, former chair of the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations; retired Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Sacks; and Terris Todd, a former Heritage Foundation adviser and Trump appointee in the Department of Education.

Funny how mistakes like this only happen in one direction.

Wordle 795

 

Wordle 794

 

Wordle 793

 

Wordle 792

 

Wordle 791