Random Thoughts

[dlsterner]

Warning... this reply contains the S-word...

"Bat shit" has its own specific meaning (crazy), as does "ape shit" (belligerent).

Also paraphrasing Carlin ...  "He went bananas!"  and "He went ape-shit!" ... Think about it ... Bananas is ape shit.

[Max Rockatansky]

Does anyone rant from the top of a soap box anymore?

[kkt]

Warning... this reply contains the S-word...



A really thorough ESL course will need to devote a lecture to the proper use of the word shit. It's more than just a scatalogical term. It's a multipurpose metaphor that warps the grammar around it and has surprising nuance.

"Wawa is the shit" means it's good. But "Wawa is shit" means it's bad. However, "Wawa ain't shit" is also bad.

"He doesn't know shit" and "He knows his shit" are semantic opposites, but the role of the word "shit" in each is not as directly opposite. In fact, it's difficult to find a non-shit word that can be substituted in both sentences and still sound natural. Try it!

As George Carlin pointed out long ago, you don't "take a shit", you leave one. Meaning, "shit" can completely negate the meaning of nearby verbs.

As noted in Taro Gomi's book, "Everyone Poops". And various types of animal scat convey specific meanings. Yes, often "bullshit", "horseshit" and "dogshit" can be interchanged. Ticketmaster service fees can be described with any of those. But a good-natured "I'm just bullshitting you" cannot be swapped with "horse" or "dog". It doesn't sound right.

"Bat shit" has its own specific meaning (crazy), as does "ape shit" (belligerent).

The other colloquial uses are not as subtle or difficult to master.

Pity the English as a 2nd language student...

[hotdogPi]

hbelkins hasn't logged in since early on the 18th... maybe he's too upset (pun intended) that his basketball team lost to a 15 seed...

except he beat me to this post by a minute and a half

[Max Rockatansky]

hbelkins hasn't logged in since early on the 18th... maybe he's too upset (pun intended) that his basketball team lost to a 15 seed...

except he beat me to this post by a minute and a half

I'm more surprised someone didn't ask if he was alive or not given the attenuation of time.

[Flint1979]

Yesterday afternoon I was driving around in Saginaw when I saw an accident at the corner of N. Niagara and W. Genesee. A tan Pontiac ran the red light and slammed into a Chevy Equinox. The Pontiac suffered severe front end damage and his air bags went off. I was at the Sunoco gas station at the same intersection and noticed that the Pontiac that hit the Chevy took off going westbound on W. Genesee. So I got out onto the street and had the green light so I took off behind the Pontiac that left the scene of an accident. I got behind him at the corner of W. Genesee and Hill Street and got his plate number and dialed 911. I told them I had the plate number of the vehicle that drove off from the accident at Genesee and Niagara and they asked me if I would stay on the line with them until they could get the cops involved so I agreed to it and kept following the vehicle about two blocks behind him. He turned right at Barnard and then went up to Morgan and made another right, then went down Mershon Street. The cops came off of Davenport got behind him and pulled him over on Mershon between State and W. Genesee. I went back to the scene of the accident to see if the people that were hit were still there and they were. I informed them that I got the Pontiac's plate number and have already given it to 911 and told them that the car has been pulled over by the cops on Mershon Street. I asked them if they were ok and they both said they were ok then we talked for a few minutes and they were thanking me for helping. Just another day in Saginaw, Michigan.

[kkt]

Yesterday afternoon I was driving around in Saginaw when I saw an accident at the corner of N. Niagara and W. Genesee. A tan Pontiac ran the red light and slammed into a Chevy Equinox. The Pontiac suffered severe front end damage and his air bags went off. I was at the Sunoco gas station at the same intersection and noticed that the Pontiac that hit the Chevy took off going westbound on W. Genesee. So I got out onto the street and had the green light so I took off behind the Pontiac that left the scene of an accident. I got behind him at the corner of W. Genesee and Hill Street and got his plate number and dialed 911. I told them I had the plate number of the vehicle that drove off from the accident at Genesee and Niagara and they asked me if I would stay on the line with them until they could get the cops involved so I agreed to it and kept following the vehicle about two blocks behind him. He turned right at Barnard and then went up to Morgan and made another right, then went down Mershon Street. The cops came off of Davenport got behind him and pulled him over on Mershon between State and W. Genesee. I went back to the scene of the accident to see if the people that were hit were still there and they were. I informed them that I got the Pontiac's plate number and have already given it to 911 and told them that the car has been pulled over by the cops on Mershon Street. I asked them if they were ok and they both said they were ok then we talked for a few minutes and they were thanking me for helping. Just another day in Saginaw, Michigan.

Glad they didn't decide they didn't want someone following them and shoot at you.

[Flint1979]

Yesterday afternoon I was driving around in Saginaw when I saw an accident at the corner of N. Niagara and W. Genesee. A tan Pontiac ran the red light and slammed into a Chevy Equinox. The Pontiac suffered severe front end damage and his air bags went off. I was at the Sunoco gas station at the same intersection and noticed that the Pontiac that hit the Chevy took off going westbound on W. Genesee. So I got out onto the street and had the green light so I took off behind the Pontiac that left the scene of an accident. I got behind him at the corner of W. Genesee and Hill Street and got his plate number and dialed 911. I told them I had the plate number of the vehicle that drove off from the accident at Genesee and Niagara and they asked me if I would stay on the line with them until they could get the cops involved so I agreed to it and kept following the vehicle about two blocks behind him. He turned right at Barnard and then went up to Morgan and made another right, then went down Mershon Street. The cops came off of Davenport got behind him and pulled him over on Mershon between State and W. Genesee. I went back to the scene of the accident to see if the people that were hit were still there and they were. I informed them that I got the Pontiac's plate number and have already given it to 911 and told them that the car has been pulled over by the cops on Mershon Street. I asked them if they were ok and they both said they were ok then we talked for a few minutes and they were thanking me for helping. Just another day in Saginaw, Michigan.

Glad they didn't decide they didn't want someone following them and shoot at you.

They wouldn't have known that I saw them leave the accident scene. I was at a gas pump at the gas station, when I got up to them they had no idea that I had seen them leave. After I got the plate number I maintained about two blocks behind them just reporting the turns they were making and was careful doing it. I'm sure they figured I was part of getting them pulled over but the vehicle had airbags deflated and he was stopping at every single intersection along W. Genesee no matter if there was a stop sign or not, there are two one at Bond and one at Mason. I don't think he was going to get very far anyway, the cops were already looking for the vehicle I just helped them find it quicker.

[hotdogPi]

Why did the bundles of sticks and cigarettes get changed to biscuits and lorries instead of just switching them the way user english si said to? And will Mike2357's favorite word be filtered, or are there too many false positives?

[kphoger]

If you get a speeding ticket, and then a year later the speed limit is raised on that stretch of road, then you should get money back.

For example:

Speed limit = 35 mph
Your speed = 48 mph
Ticket = 13 over
Fine = $57

New speed limit = 40 mph
Ticket would have been = 8 over
Fine would have been = $45

You get a check in the mail for $12.

[webny99]

If you get a speeding ticket, and then a year later the speed limit is raised on that stretch of road, then you should get money back.

I like your idea, but I did have to laugh at the thought of a ticket being less than $100.

[kphoger]

If you get a speeding ticket, and then a year later the speed limit is raised on that stretch of road, then you should get money back.

I like your idea, but I did have to laugh at the thought of a ticket being less than $100.

If you subtract the court cost from the total, it's not uncommon for the actual fine itself to be under $100.

Example

[webny99]

If you get a speeding ticket, and then a year later the speed limit is raised on that stretch of road, then you should get money back.

I like your idea, but I did have to laugh at the thought of a ticket being less than $100.

If you subtract the court cost from the total, it's not uncommon for the actual fine itself to be under $100.

Example

That's... actually probably not far off from what you might pay in NY, but the difference is that tickets for less than 15 mph over are rare, so you're basically starting at $90.

NY also has a $300 "driver assessment fee" when you accrue 6 points on your license. You get 6 points for speeding 21-30 mph over the limit, so, the vast majority of tickets will come with an additional $300 due (you can pay $100/year for 3 years, but still).

[Scott5114]

I think we should do it like the Scandinavian countries and have the fine set as a percentage of income. A $150 speeding ticket would bring down my whole financial house of cards at the moment. Bill Gates could just laugh at the same ticket, toss a couple of Benjamins at the court clerk and tell them to keep the change, and probably drive home even faster because he could lose ten times that amount in his couch cushions and never realize it. If you want it to actually affect behavior it has to have the same bite for everyone, no matter their income level.

[kphoger]

I think we should do it like the Scandinavian countries and have the fine set as a percentage of income. A $150 speeding ticket would bring down my whole financial house of cards at the moment. Bill Gates could just laugh at the same ticket, toss a couple of Benjamins at the court clerk and tell them to keep the change, and probably drive home even faster because he could lose ten times that amount in his couch cushions and never realize it. If you want it to actually affect behavior it has to have the same bite for everyone, no matter their income level.

Ha!  If they actually affected behavior, then they'd lose their revenue stream.  Well-off people paying affordable tickets is their cash cow.

[kkt]

I think we should do it like the Scandinavian countries and have the fine set as a percentage of income. A $150 speeding ticket would bring down my whole financial house of cards at the moment. Bill Gates could just laugh at the same ticket, toss a couple of Benjamins at the court clerk and tell them to keep the change, and probably drive home even faster because he could lose ten times that amount in his couch cushions and never realize it. If you want it to actually affect behavior it has to have the same bite for everyone, no matter their income level.

I agree.  But Gates' solution would probably be even simpler.  Just hand the ticket to his assistant and say "pay this".  Not go to court.

[Big John]

I think we should do it like the Scandinavian countries and have the fine set as a percentage of income. A $150 speeding ticket would bring down my whole financial house of cards at the moment. Bill Gates could just laugh at the same ticket, toss a couple of Benjamins at the court clerk and tell them to keep the change, and probably drive home even faster because he could lose ten times that amount in his couch cushions and never realize it. If you want it to actually affect behavior it has to have the same bite for everyone, no matter their income level.

That is why they have demerit points.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I think we should do it like the Scandinavian countries and have the fine set as a percentage of income. A $150 speeding ticket would bring down my whole financial house of cards at the moment. Bill Gates could just laugh at the same ticket, toss a couple of Benjamins at the court clerk and tell them to keep the change, and probably drive home even faster because he could lose ten times that amount in his couch cushions and never realize it. If you want it to actually affect behavior it has to have the same bite for everyone, no matter their income level.

That is why they have demerit points.

In states that have them, anyway. Minnesota does not have a points system.

[Scott5114]

I just went for a walk (I needed to vote in a municipal election and the weather was nice), and saw someone on my street proudly flying an American flag and what appeared to be an Iowa flag in their back yard.

[formulanone]

In states that have them, anyway. Minnesota does not have a points system.

Suddenly Minnesota has become a much more attractive place to live. 

Though I've only picked up one speeding ticket in the last 10 years.

[kphoger]

I just went for a walk (I needed to vote in a municipal election and the weather was nice), and saw someone on my street proudly flying an American flag and what appeared to be an Iowa flag in their back yard.

In the back yard??  Are you sure it was proudly?   

[interstatefan990]

That's... actually probably not far off from what you might pay in NY, but the difference is that tickets for less than 15 mph over are rare, so you're basically starting at $90.

NY also has a $300 "driver assessment fee" when you accrue 6 points on your license. You get 6 points for speeding 21-30 mph over the limit, so, the vast majority of tickets will come with an additional $300 due (you can pay $100/year for 3 years, but still).

Don't forget the state-mandated $88 or $93 surcharge added to speeding tickets.



Today: What if school buses had yield signs instead of stop signs affixed to their sides? 

[webny99]

On the subject of school buses, if I encounter one going the other direction and they turn their yellow flashing lights on, I often wonder how far to push my luck with trying to get past before their lights switch to red. I tend to be a bit more cautious with buses than I would at a stoplight, partly because there's likely children/pedestrians in the area and partly because the buses' yellow phase is much more random in length. But sometimes I've come to a complete stop for 5-10 seconds before their lights switch to red and the stop signs open, which leaves me wishing I had just accelerated a bit and kept going - but how could I have known that in advance? One of those situations where you just can't win, I suppose.

[dlsterner]

If you get a speeding ticket, and then a year later the speed limit is raised on that stretch of road, then you should get money back.

I like your idea, but I did have to laugh at the thought of a ticket being less than $100.

Hey, my first speeding ticket was all of $26 ... this was for 74 in a 55 zone.  It was also a while back when I was young and stupid.  In the NMSL days.

[kphoger]

On the subject of school buses, if I encounter one going the other direction and they turn their yellow flashing lights on, I often wonder how far to push my luck with trying to get past before their lights switch to red. I tend to be a bit more cautious with buses than I would at a stoplight, partly because there's likely children/pedestrians in the area and partly because the buses' yellow phase is much more random in length. But sometimes I've come to a complete stop for 5-10 seconds before their lights switch to red and the stop signs open, which leaves me wishing I had just accelerated a bit and kept going - but how could I have known that in advance? One of those situations where you just can't win, I suppose.

And sometimes, the bus has arrived early and is just parallel-parking for a while.  No red lights to be seen for a couple of minutes.