Quote of the Day
December 7, 2015
“I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”– Stephen Hawking
Month: December 2015
The Islamic State, Donald Trump, and Grammatical Ambiguity
December 7, 2015
A curious ambiguity arises when a negative main clause is followed by a ‘because” subordinate clause. Look at the following sentence: Leaders of the Islamic State don’t want Donald Trump to lose because they like him. Do you see the ambiguity? Take a minute to think about it and say the sentence out loud. The ambiguity … More The Islamic State, Donald Trump, and Grammatical Ambiguity
Quote of the Day
December 6, 2015
“A language is a dialect with an army and navy.“–Max Weinreich
Taking Religion Seriously
December 6, 2015
Religious beliefs can be lethal. But most religious beliefs seem harmless. Take the traditional Catholic belief in Limbo, where unbaptized infants spend eternity. It’s not Heaven, but it’s not Hell either. Catholics who believe in Limbo might be very upset that an infant is not going to Heaven or relieved it’s not going to Hell, but … More Taking Religion Seriously
Quote of the Day
December 6, 2015
“The Postmodernists’ tyranny wears people down by boredom and semi-literate prose.” ― Christopher Hitchens
Using the Colon to Join Clauses
December 6, 2015
Two independent clauses can be joined by a colon to make one compound sentence if the second clause expands on or explains the first clause. Here are some examples: Fascists have a problem: Donald Trump is a Republican. Terrible body odor is useful: it makes room for your bags on the seat next to you. … More Using the Colon to Join Clauses
Gibberish
December 4, 2015
Writing gibberish has one big advantage: typos are never an issue.
Quote of the Day
December 4, 2015
“There are things like reflecting pools, and images, an infinite reference from one to the other, but no longer a source, a spring. There is no longer any simple origin. For what is reflected it split in itself and not only as an addition to itself of its image. The reflection, the image, the double, … More Quote of the Day
Quote of the Day
December 3, 2015
“The place where French postmodernism has been really harmful is the Third World. Because Third World intellectuals are badly needed in popular movements, they can make contributions. And a lot of them are drawn away from this: antropologists, sociologists and others. They are drawn away in these arcane, and in my view, mostly meaningless discourses and … More Quote of the Day
Dark Clouds Gathering
December 3, 2015
In the United States the police are becoming increasingly militarized in order to deal with an increasingly militarized society. American civilians—including the mentally unstable, the completely deranged, and the ideologically violent—can easily get their hands on military-style assault weapons and armour-piercing ammunition, so the police can hardly get by with simple standard-issue service revolvers. So … More Dark Clouds Gathering
No Harm Spilt 