Spring Alert!
6:15 a.m. and a robin is singing noisily outside my window. The saskatoon shrub is ready to leaf out. Crocuses and irises are up in the garden. Yay!
Soon to emerge from the piles of marking,
Leslie
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Inspired
The article that follows is adapted from the editorial I have just written for Active Voice, the national newsletter of the Editors' Association of Canada, of which I am co-editor. (It's only a couple of weeks overdue.) I submit these thoughts about the state of our language for your blogging pleasure — please feel free to comment. A more typically quirky post is sure to follow soon, once I get some sleep... Enjoy! — L
Do you want to banish buzzwords? I have to admit, sometimes I do.
Back in January, Lake Superior State University published its annual Banished Words list. As I do most years, I reviewed the 2005 list with vigorous agreement.
Amid an array of US election-inspired catchphrases, this year's list features the ubiquitous über, the notorious wardrobe malfunction, the well-trod journey, and neologisms blog and webinar. Some of these coinages are indeed trite and uninspired, and while reading the list, I felt a community among sticklers for careful usage.
After all, what's at stake is nicely observed by writer and editor William Zinsser: "our love of the language's beautiful precision." Flat, soggy expressions like safe and effective, sale event, and all new diminish our ability to express ourselves by giving us clichés, pat solutions. We must guard against such vague misdirection; the LSSU list reminds us to be vigilant with our diction (as Don Miguel Ruiz would say, "impeccable" with our words).
But a line in a profile that my student, Sophie Lees, wrote got me thinking about the deeper implications of banishment. Sophie observes that, in Chinese publications, Taiwan must be referred to as a part of China; Taiwan's independence must not be suggested, or the government may censor the document — may even shut the publication down. Watching China's increasingly tense relationship with Taiwan, I know these are not idle threats — they mask a much more serious political reality, symbolized in points of phrasing.
Editors, writers, teachers, and others who care about our language may find buzzwords boring, but do we really want to banish them? And if we do, are we prepared to live with the greater implications of that attitude? Those who work with words recognize the power inherent in them; as history has shown, it takes only a few steps to move from banishing words to censoring ideas, from censoring ideas to banishing those who think them.
According to Zinsser, editors tend to be "liberal in accepting new words and phrases, but conservative in grammar." That seems like the right balance. Grammar is the necessary structure that allows us to communicate efficiently; no matter what vocabulary we adopt, we need secure syntax to carry our thoughts. We might not like über-shizzle-mastic language, but we can understand it — and then we can choose not to use it. What will our choices be if we banish words, even in play? For we know the metaphor has a lived reality in equal rights activists-cum-bra burners and freedom fighters-cum-terrorists.
I still don't like buzzwords, but I suppose they're like junk food. Now and then I can indulge. But do you think I can eat just one?
The article that follows is adapted from the editorial I have just written for Active Voice, the national newsletter of the Editors' Association of Canada, of which I am co-editor. (It's only a couple of weeks overdue.) I submit these thoughts about the state of our language for your blogging pleasure — please feel free to comment. A more typically quirky post is sure to follow soon, once I get some sleep... Enjoy! — L
Do you want to banish buzzwords? I have to admit, sometimes I do.
Back in January, Lake Superior State University published its annual Banished Words list. As I do most years, I reviewed the 2005 list with vigorous agreement.
Amid an array of US election-inspired catchphrases, this year's list features the ubiquitous über, the notorious wardrobe malfunction, the well-trod journey, and neologisms blog and webinar. Some of these coinages are indeed trite and uninspired, and while reading the list, I felt a community among sticklers for careful usage.
After all, what's at stake is nicely observed by writer and editor William Zinsser: "our love of the language's beautiful precision." Flat, soggy expressions like safe and effective, sale event, and all new diminish our ability to express ourselves by giving us clichés, pat solutions. We must guard against such vague misdirection; the LSSU list reminds us to be vigilant with our diction (as Don Miguel Ruiz would say, "impeccable" with our words).
But a line in a profile that my student, Sophie Lees, wrote got me thinking about the deeper implications of banishment. Sophie observes that, in Chinese publications, Taiwan must be referred to as a part of China; Taiwan's independence must not be suggested, or the government may censor the document — may even shut the publication down. Watching China's increasingly tense relationship with Taiwan, I know these are not idle threats — they mask a much more serious political reality, symbolized in points of phrasing.
Editors, writers, teachers, and others who care about our language may find buzzwords boring, but do we really want to banish them? And if we do, are we prepared to live with the greater implications of that attitude? Those who work with words recognize the power inherent in them; as history has shown, it takes only a few steps to move from banishing words to censoring ideas, from censoring ideas to banishing those who think them.
According to Zinsser, editors tend to be "liberal in accepting new words and phrases, but conservative in grammar." That seems like the right balance. Grammar is the necessary structure that allows us to communicate efficiently; no matter what vocabulary we adopt, we need secure syntax to carry our thoughts. We might not like über-shizzle-mastic language, but we can understand it — and then we can choose not to use it. What will our choices be if we banish words, even in play? For we know the metaphor has a lived reality in equal rights activists-cum-bra burners and freedom fighters-cum-terrorists.
I still don't like buzzwords, but I suppose they're like junk food. Now and then I can indulge. But do you think I can eat just one?
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Monday, February 28, 2005
It came from the marking pile...
In Distilled Prose last week, my students were given a two-part in-class assignment. In pairs, they were to write a complaint letter on the subject of their choosing. Each pair then received another pair's complaint letter to respond to. The pairs had 30 minutes to complete each component of the assignment.
This one was at the bottom of the pile...
Dear Ms V———:
Your name is too hard to spell. For the convenience of the class members (many of whom, despite being in professional writing, can't write) please eliminate at least two, if not upwards of four letters from your surname. We suggest ditching everything but Erm or Eer.
Think of the advantages: Your name would no longer be called last; your car registration renewal date would change, possibly to a much better and convenient time. And those annoying syllables? Think of the time you would be saving yourself and others around you by cutting your name down to one syllable.
Another bit of ridiculousness that must come to an abrupt halt is your pretentious habit of capitalizing the first letter of "Leslie". Who do you think you are? We don't know who "lie" is, but your insistence of having "les" of her borders on the absurd. It's a self-indulgent number of L's anyway. Two? Honestly. eslie Erm just rolls off the tongue. eslie Erm. eslie Erm. It has a certain amount of quiet dignity, a certain intangible X-factor, a certain je ne sais quoi. Plus it's wickedly alliterative and it's completely unique. We don't think there are any other eslie Erm's on this earth. Even if there were, they wouldn't be as cool as you. Come to think of it, you'd have to be stupid NOT to change your name to eslie Erm.
To conclude, we truly believe that it would be beneficial for you to become known as "eslie Erm".
Sincerely yours,
Pair XY
On my behalf, Pair XX replied...
Dear Pair XY:
Thank you for your letter. While creative and comical, it is completely unjustified. As a full-time professor of the PROFESSIONAL Writing Program, it is my duty to weed out the weakest links. The fact that you can't grasp the spelling of my name goes against every inch of my writer's being. It's spelled just like it sounds.
However, I will concede that others have had problems with the spelling. I also had problems learning how to spell it, but then again I was six.
Your suggestion that having a last name closer to the beginning of the alphabet is noted. However, sometimes they start at the end of the alphabet, in which case "V———" is very advantageous. Moreover, I was named after my great-great-great grandmother and the honour and tradition seem much more valuable than the few extra seconds I would save by changing my name.
As far as your "ridiculousness" goes, Leslie or Eslie is a proper noun, thereby requiring capitalization. You asked me who I thought I was. My answer is quite simple. I am L——— V——— and I prefer you call me that.
Once again thanks for your letter. It's so much easier to sustain the quality of graduates when the "slow" students find me. To learn the proper spelling of my name I suggest you look up my office hours.
Sincerely,
L---- V------
So there!
In Distilled Prose last week, my students were given a two-part in-class assignment. In pairs, they were to write a complaint letter on the subject of their choosing. Each pair then received another pair's complaint letter to respond to. The pairs had 30 minutes to complete each component of the assignment.
This one was at the bottom of the pile...
Dear Ms V———:
Your name is too hard to spell. For the convenience of the class members (many of whom, despite being in professional writing, can't write) please eliminate at least two, if not upwards of four letters from your surname. We suggest ditching everything but Erm or Eer.
Think of the advantages: Your name would no longer be called last; your car registration renewal date would change, possibly to a much better and convenient time. And those annoying syllables? Think of the time you would be saving yourself and others around you by cutting your name down to one syllable.
Another bit of ridiculousness that must come to an abrupt halt is your pretentious habit of capitalizing the first letter of "Leslie". Who do you think you are? We don't know who "lie" is, but your insistence of having "les" of her borders on the absurd. It's a self-indulgent number of L's anyway. Two? Honestly. eslie Erm just rolls off the tongue. eslie Erm. eslie Erm. It has a certain amount of quiet dignity, a certain intangible X-factor, a certain je ne sais quoi. Plus it's wickedly alliterative and it's completely unique. We don't think there are any other eslie Erm's on this earth. Even if there were, they wouldn't be as cool as you. Come to think of it, you'd have to be stupid NOT to change your name to eslie Erm.
To conclude, we truly believe that it would be beneficial for you to become known as "eslie Erm".
Sincerely yours,
Pair XY
On my behalf, Pair XX replied...
Dear Pair XY:
Thank you for your letter. While creative and comical, it is completely unjustified. As a full-time professor of the PROFESSIONAL Writing Program, it is my duty to weed out the weakest links. The fact that you can't grasp the spelling of my name goes against every inch of my writer's being. It's spelled just like it sounds.
However, I will concede that others have had problems with the spelling. I also had problems learning how to spell it, but then again I was six.
Your suggestion that having a last name closer to the beginning of the alphabet is noted. However, sometimes they start at the end of the alphabet, in which case "V———" is very advantageous. Moreover, I was named after my great-great-great grandmother and the honour and tradition seem much more valuable than the few extra seconds I would save by changing my name.
As far as your "ridiculousness" goes, Leslie or Eslie is a proper noun, thereby requiring capitalization. You asked me who I thought I was. My answer is quite simple. I am L——— V——— and I prefer you call me that.
Once again thanks for your letter. It's so much easier to sustain the quality of graduates when the "slow" students find me. To learn the proper spelling of my name I suggest you look up my office hours.
Sincerely,
L---- V------
So there!
Purple Monday
Stretch your toes up to the sun, to the stars. Open the black night and find deepest primrose inside. There are undiscovered moons. The eyes of evening stretched, squinting: we cannot be seen in the dusk of dreams. Urgent silence. Where have you been walking tonight?
You can see the wrens fluttering their wings, truth beating through the fierce wind, the coy sun. Their voices sound like ghosts and they're laughing. Bring your knife: we will press palm to palm and commingle our histories. White daisies all over the meadow, pinks and heliotrope, violets, phlox, wild roses. Regret nothing. The truth may be inscribed only once.
***
Now reading: The Elephants of Style by Bill Walsh: a style and usage manual from a Washington Post copy chief; The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer: a meditation on what teaching really means and also the base text for the teaching diamond I belong to; The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant: a fascinating novel about fifteenth-century Florence.
Waiting to read The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, The Dance of Anger, and The Return of Merlin. Et vous? Recommendations are always welcome.
New(ish) listening: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by U2 and The Beekeeper by Tori Amos. Listen deep.
"Peace is all around us. In our world and in nature and within us, in our bodies and our spirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith, it is a matter of practice." —Thich Nhat Han
With love,
the queen of cups
Stretch your toes up to the sun, to the stars. Open the black night and find deepest primrose inside. There are undiscovered moons. The eyes of evening stretched, squinting: we cannot be seen in the dusk of dreams. Urgent silence. Where have you been walking tonight?
You can see the wrens fluttering their wings, truth beating through the fierce wind, the coy sun. Their voices sound like ghosts and they're laughing. Bring your knife: we will press palm to palm and commingle our histories. White daisies all over the meadow, pinks and heliotrope, violets, phlox, wild roses. Regret nothing. The truth may be inscribed only once.
***
Now reading: The Elephants of Style by Bill Walsh: a style and usage manual from a Washington Post copy chief; The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer: a meditation on what teaching really means and also the base text for the teaching diamond I belong to; The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant: a fascinating novel about fifteenth-century Florence.
Waiting to read The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, The Dance of Anger, and The Return of Merlin. Et vous? Recommendations are always welcome.
New(ish) listening: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by U2 and The Beekeeper by Tori Amos. Listen deep.
"Peace is all around us. In our world and in nature and within us, in our bodies and our spirits. Once we learn to touch this peace, we will be healed and transformed. It is not a matter of faith, it is a matter of practice." —Thich Nhat Han
With love,
the queen of cups
Thursday, February 10, 2005
It's been that kind of week...
Sigh. So glad tomorrow is Friday.
Just for entertainment...
“We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.” —Henry Miller
What kind of magical creature are you?
You scored as Faery.
You are beautiful wonder, and you are very wise, yet young and spontaneous at times. You are kind and sweet, but may be somewhat too deeply involved emotionally in frivolous affairs.
Faery 70%
Troll 60%
Witch 50%
Mermaid 45%
Human 40%
Demon 40%
Werewolf 25%
Vampire 20%
Want to know how you would score? Click here.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." —Mother Teresa
Off to sleep now...
L
Sigh. So glad tomorrow is Friday.
Just for entertainment...
“We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.” —Henry Miller
What kind of magical creature are you?
You scored as Faery.
You are beautiful wonder, and you are very wise, yet young and spontaneous at times. You are kind and sweet, but may be somewhat too deeply involved emotionally in frivolous affairs.
Faery 70%
Troll 60%
Witch 50%
Mermaid 45%
Human 40%
Demon 40%
Werewolf 25%
Vampire 20%
Want to know how you would score? Click here.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." —Mother Teresa
Off to sleep now...
L
Monday, January 31, 2005
Love may be blind but lust has a pretty sharp eye
My very own aphorism!
What does a sexy linguist wear on vacation?
A diphthong.
What's invisible and plays hockey?
A ghoulie.
Why was the cannibal expelled from school?
He was buttering up his teacher.
My favourite recent headline: Lawyers challenge Harper's same-sex position —CBC online
Today's thought: Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Words words words
From Jann Arden's "Good Mother"
I’ve got money in my pocket
I like the color of my hair
I’ve got a friend who loves me
Got a house, I’ve got a car
I’ve got a good mother
and her voice is what keeps me here
Feet on ground
Heart in hand
Facing forward
Be yourself
I’ve never wanted anything so bad...so bad
Cardboard masks of all the people
I’ve been
thrown out with all the rusted, tangled
dented god-damned miseries
You could say I’m hard to hold
But if you knew me you’d know
I’ve got a good father
And his strength is what makes me cry
Feet on ground
Heart in hand
Facing forward
Be yourself
I’ve never wanted anything so bad...
***
I hope you are well.
L
My very own aphorism!
What does a sexy linguist wear on vacation?
A diphthong.
What's invisible and plays hockey?
A ghoulie.
Why was the cannibal expelled from school?
He was buttering up his teacher.
My favourite recent headline: Lawyers challenge Harper's same-sex position —CBC online
Today's thought: Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Words words words
From Jann Arden's "Good Mother"
I’ve got money in my pocket
I like the color of my hair
I’ve got a friend who loves me
Got a house, I’ve got a car
I’ve got a good mother
and her voice is what keeps me here
Feet on ground
Heart in hand
Facing forward
Be yourself
I’ve never wanted anything so bad...so bad
Cardboard masks of all the people
I’ve been
thrown out with all the rusted, tangled
dented god-damned miseries
You could say I’m hard to hold
But if you knew me you’d know
I’ve got a good father
And his strength is what makes me cry
Feet on ground
Heart in hand
Facing forward
Be yourself
I’ve never wanted anything so bad...
***
I hope you are well.
L
Friday, January 21, 2005
The Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole, CM, AOE
or Lois...
I just finished making the Thank-you ad for the family to be published in the Journal and the Calgary Herald. It started out with a long-ish list of people who donated their time or services and add a longer list of people who went above and beyond to make the last few months something to be remembered.
In the end though, the ad holds nothing but the thanks of the family. There truly were too many people to thank, too many people who didn't want thanks, too many people that we didn't even know needed thanks. There were too many people touched by this event and by Lois' legacy. I think teh simple thank-you suffices.
I still get shivers when I do something involving Lois, I still discover new dimensions to how she touched my life, I still regret being unable to express the inexpressable and I really wish I had of asked her over for tea like I planned when we first bought the house.
Because you see, we all learn from our experiences, often without realization that learning has taken place. I learned along time ago from Lois' daughter-in-law that wealth is relative and the 3 bucks in my pocket is way more precious to another that it ever should be to me. I learned when I spent my first week working out of Lois' office that wealth and power aren't really synonymous with ambition, jealousy and unending moral compromise. I learned from working at Hole's that strength & confidence is actually one of the keys to charity. In the past month I have learned so much about myself, about the perceptions of truth that we all hold as a society and about the importance of strenght and the insidious eroding power of fear.
I learned a lot.
Kate, Lois' granddaughter, wrote a poem for her memorial which clarified some of what was racing around my mind.
...
I am not afraid to cry.
I will be strong of character
Strong of conviction
Strong of ethics and morals and values
And I will be strong in my beliefs.
...
We need to be strong and to be true and from this great things can come. To live up to Lois' legacy, we need not do great things, we need only to think, to learn, to listen and to do...
"and I said to myself, what a wonderful world..."
Friday, January 14, 2005
So this dyslexic walks into a bra...
I haven't felt much like writing, or anything else, lately. As you've probably heard, Her Honour Lois Hole, Alberta's Lieutenant Governor, died last week, and her death has hit me hard. She was an extraordinary woman, and I will miss her.
So, completely inappropriately, here's a melange of other stuff to amuse you. Perhaps after the memorial service on January 18 I'll be able to prepare a more fitting response to Lois' passing. In the meantime, if you want to read a beautiful tribute, click here.
And now, without further ado, my Friday blog.
• What do you call a fish with no eye? A fsh.
25 Most-Played Songs on My iTunes as of today
Tiny Thing, Jenson Interceptor
Fire Lake, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
I Drove All Night, Cyndi Lauper
All Hell For A Basement, Big Sugar
This Little Girl, Gary US Bonds
Without Me, Eminem
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gene Pitney
Crazy in Love (featuring Jay-Z), Beyoncé
I Did It for Love, Harlequin
Get Closer, Seals & Crofts
I'm Your Baby Tonight, Whitney Houston
Don't Stand So Close to Me, The Police
How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
Pour Some Sugar on Me, Def Leppard
Wednesday, Tori Amos
Summer Breeze, Seals & Crofts
Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Urge Overkill
Brand New Lover, Dead Or Alive
Summer Night City, ABBA
Welcome, Heather Nova
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
Hush, Deep Purple
Steppin' Out, Joe Jackson
A Sorta Fairytale, Tori Amos
What You Waiting For?, Gwen Stefani
(please don't comment on my execrable taste: I already know!)
A new outlook for the new year, courtesy of Dear Abby
JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot.
• Doctor to patient: "I've determined the cause of your illness. You have Tom Jones disease." Patient: "That sounds bad. Is it rare?" Doctor: "It's not unusual..."
Steinbeck's hometown to shut down libraries
SALINAS, CALIF. - The cash-strapped hometown of author John Steinbeck will close down its library system, including a branch named after the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, starting in early 2005.
Cutbacks in state funding, rapid growth of the city and rising heath-care costs have forced the city council of Salinas, Calif., to slash $8 million from its budget over the past year. It faces a similar cut for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.
Earlier this month, council voted to shut down its three libraries by spring 2005, after residents rejected in November a number of tax increases aimed at funding city services.
"The reality is that we live in a blue-collar community where people are struggling, and they're afraid of new taxes," Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero told the Associated Press. "I don't think they realized the enormity of what we were facing."
Steinbeck once described the region, which is dominated by produce farms, as "pastures of heaven" and memorialized the area in many of his works, including the 1952 novel East of Eden. Located about 160 kilometres south of San Francisco, Salinas also goes by the nickname "The Salad Bowl of the Nation."
A large number of Salinas's 150,000 residents are poor farmworkers and immigrants who regularly visit the three branches – The John Steinbeck Library, The Cesar Chavez Library and The El Gabilan Library – for books as well as for other resources, including citizenship information, literacy courses, English-as-a-second language material, after-school programs and to access the internet.
Library officials estimate that almost 2,000 people make use of the library system on an average day. The closings could leave Salinas the most populous U.S. city without a public library. About three dozen people employed at the libraries will lose their jobs.
• "If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot." —John Bunyan
L
I haven't felt much like writing, or anything else, lately. As you've probably heard, Her Honour Lois Hole, Alberta's Lieutenant Governor, died last week, and her death has hit me hard. She was an extraordinary woman, and I will miss her.
So, completely inappropriately, here's a melange of other stuff to amuse you. Perhaps after the memorial service on January 18 I'll be able to prepare a more fitting response to Lois' passing. In the meantime, if you want to read a beautiful tribute, click here.
And now, without further ado, my Friday blog.
• What do you call a fish with no eye? A fsh.
25 Most-Played Songs on My iTunes as of today
Tiny Thing, Jenson Interceptor
Fire Lake, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
I Drove All Night, Cyndi Lauper
All Hell For A Basement, Big Sugar
This Little Girl, Gary US Bonds
Without Me, Eminem
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gene Pitney
Crazy in Love (featuring Jay-Z), Beyoncé
I Did It for Love, Harlequin
Get Closer, Seals & Crofts
I'm Your Baby Tonight, Whitney Houston
Don't Stand So Close to Me, The Police
How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
Pour Some Sugar on Me, Def Leppard
Wednesday, Tori Amos
Summer Breeze, Seals & Crofts
Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Urge Overkill
Brand New Lover, Dead Or Alive
Summer Night City, ABBA
Welcome, Heather Nova
Billie Jean, Michael Jackson
Hush, Deep Purple
Steppin' Out, Joe Jackson
A Sorta Fairytale, Tori Amos
What You Waiting For?, Gwen Stefani
(please don't comment on my execrable taste: I already know!)
A new outlook for the new year, courtesy of Dear Abby
JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.
JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot.
• Doctor to patient: "I've determined the cause of your illness. You have Tom Jones disease." Patient: "That sounds bad. Is it rare?" Doctor: "It's not unusual..."
Steinbeck's hometown to shut down libraries
SALINAS, CALIF. - The cash-strapped hometown of author John Steinbeck will close down its library system, including a branch named after the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, starting in early 2005.
Cutbacks in state funding, rapid growth of the city and rising heath-care costs have forced the city council of Salinas, Calif., to slash $8 million from its budget over the past year. It faces a similar cut for the 2005-2006 fiscal year.
Earlier this month, council voted to shut down its three libraries by spring 2005, after residents rejected in November a number of tax increases aimed at funding city services.
"The reality is that we live in a blue-collar community where people are struggling, and they're afraid of new taxes," Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero told the Associated Press. "I don't think they realized the enormity of what we were facing."
Steinbeck once described the region, which is dominated by produce farms, as "pastures of heaven" and memorialized the area in many of his works, including the 1952 novel East of Eden. Located about 160 kilometres south of San Francisco, Salinas also goes by the nickname "The Salad Bowl of the Nation."
A large number of Salinas's 150,000 residents are poor farmworkers and immigrants who regularly visit the three branches – The John Steinbeck Library, The Cesar Chavez Library and The El Gabilan Library – for books as well as for other resources, including citizenship information, literacy courses, English-as-a-second language material, after-school programs and to access the internet.
Library officials estimate that almost 2,000 people make use of the library system on an average day. The closings could leave Salinas the most populous U.S. city without a public library. About three dozen people employed at the libraries will lose their jobs.
• "If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot." —John Bunyan
L
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
New Year Notes...
We had a limited budget Xmas this year and it actually was a bit funner ..."fun funner funnest" ...
Actually we blew a tone of moola on climbing stuff including a year's pass to Virg. Went climbing and took some pics. But hopefully the investment will be worth it. I actually seem to be feeling a bit better as I get more exercise... who'd a thunk eh?
Doug's in... mostly. So far he hasn't complained but we'll see.
Anyway... just a note to start 2005.
We had a limited budget Xmas this year and it actually was a bit funner ..."fun funner funnest" ...
Actually we blew a tone of moola on climbing stuff including a year's pass to Virg. Went climbing and took some pics. But hopefully the investment will be worth it. I actually seem to be feeling a bit better as I get more exercise... who'd a thunk eh?
Doug's in... mostly. So far he hasn't complained but we'll see.
Anyway... just a note to start 2005.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas!
Just woke up, it seems, and suddenly it's Christmas. We're off to my aunt's house in a few moments, but here are some winter thoughts to entertain you in the meanwhile. I promise to write next week, when I will have hours and hours of free time.
Snow can wait
I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose
Get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart
When I think of winter
I put my hand in my father's glove
I run off
Where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping Beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice
"'You must learn to stand up for yourself
'Cause I can't always be around"
He says, When you gonna make up your mind...
— from "Winter" by Tori Amos
December will be magic again
Don't miss the brightest star
Kiss under mistletoe
I want to hear you laugh
Don't let the mystery go now
— from "December will be magic again" by Kate Bush (who is promising a new album in 2005)
with stars in my eyes from watching the Christmas lights of Beverly,
Leslie
Just woke up, it seems, and suddenly it's Christmas. We're off to my aunt's house in a few moments, but here are some winter thoughts to entertain you in the meanwhile. I promise to write next week, when I will have hours and hours of free time.
Snow can wait
I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose
Get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart
When I think of winter
I put my hand in my father's glove
I run off
Where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping Beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice
"'You must learn to stand up for yourself
'Cause I can't always be around"
He says, When you gonna make up your mind...
— from "Winter" by Tori Amos
December will be magic again
Don't miss the brightest star
Kiss under mistletoe
I want to hear you laugh
Don't let the mystery go now
— from "December will be magic again" by Kate Bush (who is promising a new album in 2005)
with stars in my eyes from watching the Christmas lights of Beverly,
Leslie
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
It's not OK to throw stones ... unless they're small ones
The CBC news reports: "Premier Ralph Klein says it should be OK to discriminate against gays and lesbians when it comes to marriage." A reporter quotes him saying, "I do feel that gays and lesbians ought not to be discriminated against in any other form other than marriage, because I think that marriage is a sacred thing that exists between a man and a woman."
Why why why why why why why why why do I live in this province?
(banging head repeatedly on desk)
L
The CBC news reports: "Premier Ralph Klein says it should be OK to discriminate against gays and lesbians when it comes to marriage." A reporter quotes him saying, "I do feel that gays and lesbians ought not to be discriminated against in any other form other than marriage, because I think that marriage is a sacred thing that exists between a man and a woman."
Why why why why why why why why why do I live in this province?
(banging head repeatedly on desk)
L
Monday, December 13, 2004
C'est chouette!
Just a quick one today, because I must race off to a final exam and have piles and piles of marking still to get through. But there's always time to play!
1. One of my favourite words was recently the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day:
ludic \LOO-dik\ adjective: of, relating to, or characterized by play: playful
According to the lexicographer's notes, "Ludic is ultimately from the Latin noun ludus, which refers to a whole range of fun things — stage shows, games, sports, even jokes."
2. Looking for something to cheer you up? Check out this link. Reason number 431 to hire a professional professional designer. Sigh.
More as soon as sanity permits...
L
Just a quick one today, because I must race off to a final exam and have piles and piles of marking still to get through. But there's always time to play!
1. One of my favourite words was recently the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day:
ludic \LOO-dik\ adjective: of, relating to, or characterized by play: playful
According to the lexicographer's notes, "Ludic is ultimately from the Latin noun ludus, which refers to a whole range of fun things — stage shows, games, sports, even jokes."
2. Looking for something to cheer you up? Check out this link. Reason number 431 to hire a professional professional designer. Sigh.
More as soon as sanity permits...
L
Sunday, December 05, 2004
That terrible, terrible time of year
I know I owe many people letters, or at least notes, if not phone calls and visits. I'm sorry to be so pokey lately. I will try to write or call you soon! I promise!
In the meantime, here's something to provoke comments, perhaps, or at least amuse you. Have you been watching the storm between Naomi Klein and the US administration in the Guardian? Wowsers!
All those with agency are confronted by a choice. We can use that agency to secure for ourselves a safe and comfortable existence. We can use our life, that one unrepeatable product of four billion years of serendipity and evolution, to earn a little more, to save a little more, to win the approval of our bosses and the envy of our neighbours. We can place upon our walls those tombstones which the living erect to themselves: the framed certificates of their acceptance into what Erich Fromm has called the 'necrophiliac' world of wealth and power. We can, quite rationally, subordinate our desire for liberty to our desire for security.
Or we can use our agency to change the world, and, in changing it, to change ourselves. We will die and be forgotten with no less certainty than those who sought to fend off death by enhancing their material presence on the earth, but will live before we die through the extremes of feeling which comfort would deny us. — George Monbiot
Please forgive me my lapses! Surely you know by now they're always mindless and never mindful. Or something like that... Anyway ... Must go "attack a stack" now.
Flitting around the stars,
L
PS: And lest you think B is the only one to comment on climbing, I will chime in that 1) I was surprised we passed our lead checks, given that we both had to fall off the wall AGAIN and neither of us wanted to (somehow I doubt it was a good idea to re-read "Saturday Climbing" before taking my lead test); and 2) B placed third in the Novice category at the Rip and Grip on Friday, which was only his second time taking part in the event (I didn't actually place at all, but I was feeling wispy, etc.). So congratulate the man with the rippling shoulders and massive biceps when next you see him!
PPS: Oh ya — EARL! That's KATE BUSH, not PG, singing the "jeux sans frontiéres" BV on "Games Without Frontiers."
PPPS: Check out the iTunes store!!! Click here and then follow the "Download Here" link. I've already spent much more money than is seemly to disclose, almost all of it oneighties hits... Yes, there were hits in the eighties ... though you probably don't remember most of them ... How about "Geronimo's Cadillac" by Modern Talking? I bet I'm the only one among us who remembered that particular gem ... probably with good reason ... bear in mind my penchant for both sarcasm and cheez ...
PPPPS: Being unreasonably indulgent tonight ... Remind me to tell you my thoughts about pie.
I know I owe many people letters, or at least notes, if not phone calls and visits. I'm sorry to be so pokey lately. I will try to write or call you soon! I promise!
In the meantime, here's something to provoke comments, perhaps, or at least amuse you. Have you been watching the storm between Naomi Klein and the US administration in the Guardian? Wowsers!
All those with agency are confronted by a choice. We can use that agency to secure for ourselves a safe and comfortable existence. We can use our life, that one unrepeatable product of four billion years of serendipity and evolution, to earn a little more, to save a little more, to win the approval of our bosses and the envy of our neighbours. We can place upon our walls those tombstones which the living erect to themselves: the framed certificates of their acceptance into what Erich Fromm has called the 'necrophiliac' world of wealth and power. We can, quite rationally, subordinate our desire for liberty to our desire for security.
Or we can use our agency to change the world, and, in changing it, to change ourselves. We will die and be forgotten with no less certainty than those who sought to fend off death by enhancing their material presence on the earth, but will live before we die through the extremes of feeling which comfort would deny us. — George Monbiot
Please forgive me my lapses! Surely you know by now they're always mindless and never mindful. Or something like that... Anyway ... Must go "attack a stack" now.
Flitting around the stars,
L
PS: And lest you think B is the only one to comment on climbing, I will chime in that 1) I was surprised we passed our lead checks, given that we both had to fall off the wall AGAIN and neither of us wanted to (somehow I doubt it was a good idea to re-read "Saturday Climbing" before taking my lead test); and 2) B placed third in the Novice category at the Rip and Grip on Friday, which was only his second time taking part in the event (I didn't actually place at all, but I was feeling wispy, etc.). So congratulate the man with the rippling shoulders and massive biceps when next you see him!
PPS: Oh ya — EARL! That's KATE BUSH, not PG, singing the "jeux sans frontiéres" BV on "Games Without Frontiers."
PPPS: Check out the iTunes store!!! Click here and then follow the "Download Here" link. I've already spent much more money than is seemly to disclose, almost all of it on
PPPPS: Being unreasonably indulgent tonight ... Remind me to tell you my thoughts about pie.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
And in the lead...
...it's Bouncing Bruce and Lead-foot Leslie, scrambling to the top!
Well we had our last climbing class and miracles of miracles we overcame age and adversity to actually get our Lead Checks. This means we are now qualified to dispense with rope dangling and just put our trust in the fact that enough knowledge got into our heads that we we won't die without a rope...
Our team:
...it's Bouncing Bruce and Lead-foot Leslie, scrambling to the top!
Well we had our last climbing class and miracles of miracles we overcame age and adversity to actually get our Lead Checks. This means we are now qualified to dispense with rope dangling and just put our trust in the fact that enough knowledge got into our heads that we we won't die without a rope...
Our team:
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Aspire
Well, there ya go... L and I officially graduated from VIRG last night. With our fancy new Aspire T's and official certificate we are good to go. Very very interesting experience and some great people. One of our instructors was Jake the owner and more awesome, high-energy entrepeneur you are never gonna meet. If you are interested go and climb...
We have our lead checks to to next week and then we are set for the indoor climbing world. I'd liketo try rock climbing but don't see it as a passion in the making...too much risk, too much effort. Then again maybe I need to challenge my fears a bit more... you never know.
Those of you who know Leslie should come climbing with us cause she will rock your world with her bodacious belaying, brazen bouldering, terrific top roping and liquid leading. Seriously, it is amazing how much we developed in such a short time. It is also intersting how much a sport based on fear and trust can affect your outlook. Time was dangling from a rope was a real nail-biter... now its dyno'n for the jug whilst upside down with no hope of making it... I still get nervous the first time I let go of the wall but it passes. Actually the fear of falling is much less that the fear of letting go. I will posta few pictures when I remember to bring the camera along...
Walls
On other fronts, I learn more and more what a curse it is to be famous (not me of course). Everyone is yur best friend and and the pressure of keeping the world at large in its place isolates you more and more-- building a wall just begets more and bigger walls until you find yourself alone surrounded by impermeable layers... It seems to be unavoidable no matter what your inclinations.
Sort of makes you scratch your head because generally people who become famous are the ones that like people, want an audience or succeed because the play well with others...
Gives you an appreciation for the Princess Di's of the cosmos. Personally I like the recluse idea; Rapunzel had it good until that dang prince came along.
In conclusion...
Well must trundle: remember to doubleback and do your checks...always!
We have our lead checks to to next week and then we are set for the indoor climbing world. I'd liketo try rock climbing but don't see it as a passion in the making...too much risk, too much effort. Then again maybe I need to challenge my fears a bit more... you never know.
Those of you who know Leslie should come climbing with us cause she will rock your world with her bodacious belaying, brazen bouldering, terrific top roping and liquid leading. Seriously, it is amazing how much we developed in such a short time. It is also intersting how much a sport based on fear and trust can affect your outlook. Time was dangling from a rope was a real nail-biter... now its dyno'n for the jug whilst upside down with no hope of making it... I still get nervous the first time I let go of the wall but it passes. Actually the fear of falling is much less that the fear of letting go. I will posta few pictures when I remember to bring the camera along...
Walls
On other fronts, I learn more and more what a curse it is to be famous (not me of course). Everyone is yur best friend and and the pressure of keeping the world at large in its place isolates you more and more-- building a wall just begets more and bigger walls until you find yourself alone surrounded by impermeable layers... It seems to be unavoidable no matter what your inclinations.
Sort of makes you scratch your head because generally people who become famous are the ones that like people, want an audience or succeed because the play well with others...
Gives you an appreciation for the Princess Di's of the cosmos. Personally I like the recluse idea; Rapunzel had it good until that dang prince came along.
In conclusion...
Well must trundle: remember to doubleback and do your checks...always!
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Falling in love again...
with Chaucer! Do pay attention. From Troilus and Criseyde:
She was nat with the leste of hir stature,
But alle hir limes so wel answeringe
Weren to womanhode, that creature
Was neuer lasse mannish in seminge.
And eek the pure wyse of here meninge
Shewede wel, that men might in hir gesse
Honour, estat, and wommanly noblesse.
...
For ay the ner the fyr, the hotter is,
This, trowe I, knoweth al this companye.
But were he fer or neer, I dar seye this,
By night or day, for wisdom or folye,
His herte, which that is his brestes ye,
Was ay on hir, that fairer was to sene
Than ever were Eleyne or Polixene.
Eek of the day ther passed nought an houre
That to him-self a thousand tyme he seyde,
`Good goodly, to whom serve I and laboure,
As I best can, now wolde god, Criseyde,
Ye wolden on me rewe er that I deyde!
My dere herte, allas! myn hele and hewe
And lyf is lost, but ye wole on me rewe.'
...so there!
L
with Chaucer! Do pay attention. From Troilus and Criseyde:
She was nat with the leste of hir stature,
But alle hir limes so wel answeringe
Weren to womanhode, that creature
Was neuer lasse mannish in seminge.
And eek the pure wyse of here meninge
Shewede wel, that men might in hir gesse
Honour, estat, and wommanly noblesse.
...
For ay the ner the fyr, the hotter is,
This, trowe I, knoweth al this companye.
But were he fer or neer, I dar seye this,
By night or day, for wisdom or folye,
His herte, which that is his brestes ye,
Was ay on hir, that fairer was to sene
Than ever were Eleyne or Polixene.
Eek of the day ther passed nought an houre
That to him-self a thousand tyme he seyde,
`Good goodly, to whom serve I and laboure,
As I best can, now wolde god, Criseyde,
Ye wolden on me rewe er that I deyde!
My dere herte, allas! myn hele and hewe
And lyf is lost, but ye wole on me rewe.'
...so there!
L
Monday, November 15, 2004
Bloggy Bits
Time for more merry-go-round the language tree, courtesy of the goldarnedest grammar teacher north of the Sturgeon River (at least at the time of writing).
Thought 1: Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. — Potter Stewart, former associate justice of the US Supreme Court
Thought 2: It is better to debate a question without settling it, than to settle it without debate. — Joseph Joubert
• According to This magazine, on each day that you live in Edmonton, you inhale the equivalent of 32 cigarettes, based on the mean NOx content of city air. That's slightly better than the air in Calgary or Vancouver (equivalent of 38 and 34 cigarettes a day, respectively), but much, much worse than Hamilton, with the equivalent of only 18 cigarettes a day.
• A CBC comedian gave me my favourite one-liner of the last twelve months: "You've heard of J.Lo? Well, my wife has a bottom like Jell-O." Hmm. And now, this just in...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - J.Lo and Beyonce can take another bow. The booty-shaking stars have shaped the newest generation of mannequins, with hundreds of well-rounded plastic backsides appearing in shop windows across New York.
Bootylicious figures clad in tight low-rise jeans have spilled from the city's street fashion stores into more established labels.
"It's absolutely the trend," said Dwight Critchfield, creative director for mannequin firm Goldsmith. "These mannequins look great, and there is a real sex appeal about them." Am I reading this correctly? Does this man actually find mannequins sexually appealing?
The recent pop culture fixation on large bottoms has been around since at least 1992, when rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot scored a hit with "Baby Got Back." But some credit the recent booty shakin' efforts of shapely stars Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce for the fresh emphasis on bigger and rounder posteriors, coupled with the fashion explosion of the Brazilian-style low-rise jeans.
"J.Lo was the first to stress that women shouldn't be afraid to show their curves, and the popularity of rap made that shape more acceptable," said Critchfield. "And it is about these low-riding jeans looking good on a sexy, tight fit."
The company launched a "Sex" mannequin with "a larger booty and body" tailored for fashion label Express and for stores carrying lower-end trend clothing, said Critchfield.
On the juniors' floor of Macy's in Manhattan, Guess jeans and streetwear label EckoRed display jeans on a fuller rear-end bottom-half mannequin, known as a pants form, opposite a large poster of J.Lo and her clothing label, while a DJ mixes hip hop and reggae to teen and 20-something shoppers.
EckoRed launched the new mannequin — called the J.Lo butt form — at the store almost two years ago and sales have since tripled.
"It is a serious sociological trend that is positive for retailers and customers in that the tyranny of the undernourished perfect model is over," said Rich Rollison of Lifestyle Forms and Display, which designed the pants form mannequin. Other companies also are developing more realistic mannequins with larger posteriors in maternity and plus sizes. US label Lane Bryant, which caters to plus sizes 14 to 28, is launching a more voluptuous full-body mannequin across its 250 stores after a successful test run in New York.
"It originated from urban ethnic street wear, but it has transcended that," Rollison said. "Now you are going to see it projected in more urban markets and it will get bigger." Here's where pronouns can be fun: does Rollison's it here refer to the "serious sociological trend" identified several lines above, or to J.Lo's bottom? Or perhaps just her ego?
Too cool to wear jeans,
L
Time for more merry-go-round the language tree, courtesy of the goldarnedest grammar teacher north of the Sturgeon River (at least at the time of writing).
Thought 1: Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. — Potter Stewart, former associate justice of the US Supreme Court
Thought 2: It is better to debate a question without settling it, than to settle it without debate. — Joseph Joubert
• According to This magazine, on each day that you live in Edmonton, you inhale the equivalent of 32 cigarettes, based on the mean NOx content of city air. That's slightly better than the air in Calgary or Vancouver (equivalent of 38 and 34 cigarettes a day, respectively), but much, much worse than Hamilton, with the equivalent of only 18 cigarettes a day.
• A CBC comedian gave me my favourite one-liner of the last twelve months: "You've heard of J.Lo? Well, my wife has a bottom like Jell-O." Hmm. And now, this just in...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - J.Lo and Beyonce can take another bow. The booty-shaking stars have shaped the newest generation of mannequins, with hundreds of well-rounded plastic backsides appearing in shop windows across New York.
Bootylicious figures clad in tight low-rise jeans have spilled from the city's street fashion stores into more established labels.
"It's absolutely the trend," said Dwight Critchfield, creative director for mannequin firm Goldsmith. "These mannequins look great, and there is a real sex appeal about them." Am I reading this correctly? Does this man actually find mannequins sexually appealing?
The recent pop culture fixation on large bottoms has been around since at least 1992, when rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot scored a hit with "Baby Got Back." But some credit the recent booty shakin' efforts of shapely stars Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce for the fresh emphasis on bigger and rounder posteriors, coupled with the fashion explosion of the Brazilian-style low-rise jeans.
"J.Lo was the first to stress that women shouldn't be afraid to show their curves, and the popularity of rap made that shape more acceptable," said Critchfield. "And it is about these low-riding jeans looking good on a sexy, tight fit."
The company launched a "Sex" mannequin with "a larger booty and body" tailored for fashion label Express and for stores carrying lower-end trend clothing, said Critchfield.
On the juniors' floor of Macy's in Manhattan, Guess jeans and streetwear label EckoRed display jeans on a fuller rear-end bottom-half mannequin, known as a pants form, opposite a large poster of J.Lo and her clothing label, while a DJ mixes hip hop and reggae to teen and 20-something shoppers.
EckoRed launched the new mannequin — called the J.Lo butt form — at the store almost two years ago and sales have since tripled.
"It is a serious sociological trend that is positive for retailers and customers in that the tyranny of the undernourished perfect model is over," said Rich Rollison of Lifestyle Forms and Display, which designed the pants form mannequin. Other companies also are developing more realistic mannequins with larger posteriors in maternity and plus sizes. US label Lane Bryant, which caters to plus sizes 14 to 28, is launching a more voluptuous full-body mannequin across its 250 stores after a successful test run in New York.
"It originated from urban ethnic street wear, but it has transcended that," Rollison said. "Now you are going to see it projected in more urban markets and it will get bigger." Here's where pronouns can be fun: does Rollison's it here refer to the "serious sociological trend" identified several lines above, or to J.Lo's bottom? Or perhaps just her ego?
Too cool to wear jeans,
L
Saturday, November 06, 2004
So much to read, so little time...
Another installment in my condensed news of the world... Did you know stories like this are called brite? Well, now you do.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York officials were red-faced on Friday after they discovered that clothing ads on city buses that appeared to promote reading suggested a love of books could be rewarded with oral sex.
The advertisements that ran on about 200 buses across the city in recent months carried posters displaying a suggestively posed woman in hot pants kneeling among a pile of books beside the snappy slogan "Read Books, Get Brain."
What unhip, unsuspecting local transportation officials did not know was that "get brain" is street slang for oral sex.
The ads -- from hip-hop clothing maker Akademiks, which intended the double-entendre -- was stripped off New York buses on Friday after transportation officials discovered the street slang meaning.
Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman Tom Kelly condemned the "vulgar street phrases" in the racy ads he said were "demeaning women."
"To me and I believe to everyone else, while it was done by a clothing line, it would give the impression that it was also promoting reading and literacy," Kelly told Reuters.
"It's easy enough to understand how that would get by based upon someone not knowing the expression."
A spokesman for the New York-based clothing maker noted the ad campaign had run since September and "we hadn't had any complaints at all."
New York officials may not be the only ones caught out.
Akademiks also placed the ads on buses and bus shelters in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia, the company spokesman said.
Kelly, who said he was his 60s, said that after he was tipped to the hidden meaning of the phrase on Thursday he ran a test among some young MTA workers.
"I went downstairs to the mailroom and showed some of the young guys a copy of the ad," he said. "I was watching their faces and they all start smirking.
"Apparently it's on all the music, in music that's how they refer to it," Kelly said. "I didn't know anything about it and I'm sure the people that approved the ad didn't."
Kelly said it was sad that "you can't take things at face value any longer," adding, "We'll have to learn from experience before we accept ads." — Larry Fine
Another installment in my condensed news of the world... Did you know stories like this are called brite? Well, now you do.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York officials were red-faced on Friday after they discovered that clothing ads on city buses that appeared to promote reading suggested a love of books could be rewarded with oral sex.
The advertisements that ran on about 200 buses across the city in recent months carried posters displaying a suggestively posed woman in hot pants kneeling among a pile of books beside the snappy slogan "Read Books, Get Brain."
What unhip, unsuspecting local transportation officials did not know was that "get brain" is street slang for oral sex.
The ads -- from hip-hop clothing maker Akademiks, which intended the double-entendre -- was stripped off New York buses on Friday after transportation officials discovered the street slang meaning.
Metropolitan Transit Authority spokesman Tom Kelly condemned the "vulgar street phrases" in the racy ads he said were "demeaning women."
"To me and I believe to everyone else, while it was done by a clothing line, it would give the impression that it was also promoting reading and literacy," Kelly told Reuters.
"It's easy enough to understand how that would get by based upon someone not knowing the expression."
A spokesman for the New York-based clothing maker noted the ad campaign had run since September and "we hadn't had any complaints at all."
New York officials may not be the only ones caught out.
Akademiks also placed the ads on buses and bus shelters in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, San Francisco and Philadelphia, the company spokesman said.
Kelly, who said he was his 60s, said that after he was tipped to the hidden meaning of the phrase on Thursday he ran a test among some young MTA workers.
"I went downstairs to the mailroom and showed some of the young guys a copy of the ad," he said. "I was watching their faces and they all start smirking.
"Apparently it's on all the music, in music that's how they refer to it," Kelly said. "I didn't know anything about it and I'm sure the people that approved the ad didn't."
Kelly said it was sad that "you can't take things at face value any longer," adding, "We'll have to learn from experience before we accept ads." — Larry Fine
Friday, November 05, 2004
ex tempore
the mechanism of power are such that the more the power
the less the power means
the curve is against you, faster, harder - more more more
the slower and slower and slower you gain
in pursuit and never catching
the goal
keeps moving
on...
I think I like this side of the fence (it's easier- isn't it?)
the mechanism of power are such that the more the power
the less the power means
the curve is against you, faster, harder - more more more
the slower and slower and slower you gain
in pursuit and never catching
the goal
keeps moving
on...
I think I like this side of the fence (it's easier- isn't it?)
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