lexicography.com

More prolific than me, same subject: Language Log.

I am a not a well person and lately I am hoping that my maker calls me before I live to see the results of much of what we are getting into. You cannot wage war on terror any more than you can war on landmines or artillery. (”Shoot whoever uses artillery, but you are using artillery to shoot them!”) You could work against the use of landmines by anyone, but that would not be war, except in the metaphorical sense.

Now the idea that the war on terror will be replaced by a war on violent extremism reduces me to tears.

Things are really messed up here.

If anyone tried to harm my child I would react with the total amount of violence I am capable of. What is this violent extremism? Violence has a place when you are threatened with violence, not true? If someone has a knife to your neck surely you are entitled to respond with force.

Extremism. If violence is justified in support of some sort of middling middle, when in response to violence, why is it not justified in extremism: such as unwavering support of preservation of innocent life, unwavering resistance to genocide, etc.

Our government is so tied up that it cannot give a clear explination of anything. Sheesh.

Idiotarian is a widely used term in the Blogosphere. Yet whenever I read it, I passed over it quickly assuming from context and sound that it was a fancy term for “idiot.” If that describes your reading experience, now is a good time to sharpen your knowledge.

Winds of Change.net: The Origins & Meaning of “Idiotarian”

A site dedicated to people’s favorite words, with personal stories backing up the selections: MyFavoriteWord.

Strangly moving.

Hat Tip to A Small Victory - QOD

My daughter is being raised in the new Internet age, where an academic paper may be supported with a cite to a web page. Well, any web page may change from saying without equivication “A” to saying “B” between the writing of the paper and the next day. Frankly, a web cite is worth shit. It should never be accepted by an academic institution. Period.

School teachers do not understand the technology behind web publishing and are not fit to determine the quality of research done on the web by their students.

There is nothing there, a cite to a web page is worthless for academic purposes; the page may say the exact opposite of what it is cited for one day after the paper is published.

Yet my daughter gets “A’s” for the endless papers supported by cites to web pages for authority. I’ll bet the teachers feel particularly progressive.

To me. a blog is like a letter to the public. I cringe when I see a blogger say “I will be on TV this evening,” or “I joined this media group to do a column.”

No doubt envy is partly responsible for my reaction. Yet that is only part of it. A blog is like a public letter and just as it would be tacky to load a letter to a friend with one’s achievements, it apears tacky to me to read a blogger who lists media conquests. I read your [most public] letter because you open yourself and express yourself to me (annoymous public). Promotion is another matter - you are free to do it and it may work but it makes for reservations in this camp. Some bloggers think that news about their MSM appearences are the most interesting thing there is to write about. Reflects the power of the MSM more than the blogger, in my opinion.

I was afraid to announce my vacation before because the Internet is public space. I got more hits while away and not posting then I do while here and posting.

When I returned the first thing I did was to read Eternity Road. It makes me realize, F. P. is writing good stuff, laying out an important record, and providing a place for like minded persons to gather. What you do is more important than what you say, and I visited Eternity Road right away.

Oh, I went to Acadia National Park, what a great country. Hate the environ-facists, one even said that it used to be “take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints” but that is not good enough anymore - it is now leave nothing, your footprints defile.

What about “sustainable use” of national parks? Seven or eight milion New Yorkers do not have to never step on the Great Lawn; they merely have to step infrequently. Why should 99.99% of Acaida (every inch off path) be off limits to every visitor? Sustainable use is not good enough for the ideological Park Rangers.

This, Editors’ Note - New York Times. is not a parady of a correction.

Found via Billy Beck