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Category Archives: Mermaids
The Medium is Not the Message
That is how a picture is attached to reality; it reaches right out to it. –Ludwig Wittgenstein Here is Frank Sinatra performing Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” on his 1957 album A Swingin’ Affair. Here is a solo guitar version of … Continue reading
Yes, Virginia, Meaning Really is Use
For a large class of cases–though not for all–in which we employ the word “meaning” it can be defined thus: the meaning of a word is its use in language. -Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, §43 This feels right, but what … Continue reading
Posted in Fabulous ones, Mermaids
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Essentially American
For the sake of argument let’s say that there’s an ethnically Indian woman from Botswana who became an American citizen when she emigrated to the U.S. in her early adulthood. Let’s also suppose that she is from an educated background … Continue reading
Posted in Belonging to the emperor, Mermaids
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Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’
A few seasons back a contestant on Last Comic Standing did a bit where he said, “This is how I roll”, then laid down and rolled across the stage. I thought this was hilarious both because it was and because … Continue reading
Posted in Mermaids
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Proposed New Vocabulary Involving the Word “Right”
Rightdecide Example: you stop in somewhere to order a cup of coffee on your way to work, the person behind the counter asks, “Would you like the Pike Place Custom Blend or the Dark Rwandan Roast?” and you reply “Rwandan Roast” … Continue reading
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Café Code Switching
You are in a café in an English-speaking country where the staff and customers are all English monoglots. In the display case there is a pastry next to a written label that says “Pain au chocolat”. That’s the pastry you … Continue reading
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A Message From America to the Rest of the World
What you call “football” we call “soccer” because we use the word “football” to refer to an entirely different sport. This is a misnomer. It is clearly more logical to have “football” denote a game wherein one kicks a ball … Continue reading
Shopaholic Pauses Briefly
Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic Ties the Knot is a chick-lit synthesis of Bridget Jones and Sex and the City that follows the adventures of English expat Becky Bloomwood in New York City. Here’s a quote from page 14. I take another gulp … Continue reading
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“Runway worker” Five Letters. Starts With M.
I do crossword puzzles in pen. I won’t write in an answer until I’m pretty sure it’s correct, but I’ll scribble plausible guesses next to the clue. On more difficult puzzles I’ll do an initial sweep that consists solely of … Continue reading
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The Think System
In The Music Man, con man Harold Hill runs a scam on the people of River City, Iowa, in which he promises them that he’ll form the children of the town into a fine marching band if their parents will … Continue reading
