Sunday, April 27, 2014

How the status quo maintain their power.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Over-population is the real cause of climate change – it's killing us all off


Despite all the warnings of global warming and imminent disaster, it is unlikely that we will change our ways until a real catastrophe actually occurs.

Having worked with emergency managers of many stripes for several years I can say this with assurance: 
Practically no one wants to spend one erg of energy trying to NOT have something happen.  

Reacting, we can do that! (Fukushima anyone?) 
Proactive?  Not so much!  

I can say this however.   For Y2K we definitely saw a cliff and avoided disaster.  Humanity world wide responded and there was little public interruption overall thanks to the $500,000,000,000 (that's .5 trillion USD) spent updating computer programs.  So we "can" get our stuff together when we are motivated.

But I don't see a 'social movement' that is sensibly and morally and committed to "anti-pregnancy" forming anytime soon.

Frishfrish

To whomever's been offended.

So, it is possible I've used a swear word, but, only since Fall 1972. (42 years ago, really Frish?) 
8 hour Archaeology lab every Saturday, on a hill where two freeways meet (8 and 5), that had been a church inside the fort, that burned down, and then became an unofficial cemetery!

We yelled things, loudly, to be heard over the freeway noise, much of it profane. (Presidio Park, San Diego).

Between then and now, I haven't really stopped swearing.

So...

Excuse my French

Meaning

Please forgive my swearing.

Origin

A coy phrase used when someone who has used a swear-word attempts to pass it off as French. The coyness comes from the fact the both the speaker and listener are of course both well aware the swear-word is indeed English.

This usage is mid 20th century English in origin. A version of it is found in Michael Harrison's All Trees were Green, 1936:

"A bloody sight better (pardon the French!) than most."

The precise phrase comes just a few years later in S.P.E. Tract IV., 1940:

"Excuse my French! (forgive me my strong language)."

The source of the phrase is earlier and derives from a literal usage of the exclamation. In the 19th century, when English people used French expressions in conversation they often apologised for it - presumably because many of their listeners (then as now) wouldn't be familiar with the language. An example of this was given in The Lady's Magazine, 1830:

Bless me, how fat you are grown! - absolutely as round as a ball: - you will soon be as enbon-point (excuse my French) as your poor dear father, the major.

'En bon point' is French for 'plump; well-nourished'. It might seem odd to us now that the speaker, having been rather rude about her compatriot's appearance, felt obliged to apologise for doing so in French, but not for the rudeness itself.


--
Frish