English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

M.A.R.

12:23 AM

Interesting MO

Cerberus

12:38 AM

Makes sense.

Robusto

@M.A.R. Looks like botched Japanese translation.

Cerberus

OMG these commercials on Fox.

80% would be illegal in the EU.

And they look so incredibly dated, as though they were from the eighties or something.

CNN doesn't show commercials so I cannot compare.

Robusto

12:55 AM

@Cerberus That's probably close to the mark.

They got Trump elected.

Elect a clown, expect a circus.

Cerberus

Hah.

OMG some sort of Jewish commercial. I assume they're sending money to the illegal Israeli settlements. And the voices sound like how you would satirise a priest in cabaret.

Robusto

Amazon Alexius - Latin speaking digital assistant

►

Cerberus

Hah, I need that.

M.A.R.

@Cerberus y-

es

Cerberus

I love your h-
yphenatio-
n.

Dariouz Orellana

1:10 AM

Hello :b

Cerberus

1:23 AM

Hello.

tchrist

1:36 AM

It is only right that she comes clad in the suffragettes' blinding white.

Cerberus

All this talk about family.

So very odd.

tchrist

Go listen to Trump's version of this, and reflect.

Cerberus

And the music.

I'm sure Trump's version is 1000 times crazier.

Wow, the horrific music goes on and on.

tchrist

Look at the color of his tie.

That's also speaking volumes.

Cerberus

Blue dots?

tchrist

1:43 AM

@Cerberus You can go nowhere these days without being constantly assaulted by horrific music. It's in every large store. Even trying to fill up your car's gas tank at the unattended filling station you're assaulted with it, intercut with commercial spamvertising.

@Cerberus Yes.

Cerberus

We have stupid music in big chain shops.

tchrist

It's a lighter, brighter effect than the oversaturated solid blood-red tongue the Other wears.

Cerberus

Now, now.

It's the colour of communism.

tchrist

It's the color of blood.

Cerberus

I wonder why nobody at all is commenting on the large number of people standing fairly close together.

tchrist

1:46 AM

wonders how Trump’s call with Putin went today

I don't know who's commenting. That would require listening to them.

Cerberus

I have seen crowds all evening.

No comments at all.

CowperKettle

@Robusto LOL

Cerberus

I'm watching Fox, but CNN didn't comment on it either.

tchrist

Oh I see.

Cerberus

At least most of the crowds are outside.

tchrist

1:47 AM

The place where he's giving the talk, it's a giant parking lot with people spread out in family-groups at each parking spot.

Cerberus

But not the crowd listening to Biden, or is it?

tchrist

But up close, they're sharing shoulders.

Cerberus

Oh, it is outside as well?

tchrist

You aren't watching Biden?

Yes, it's outside.

Cerberus

I am.

I thought I saw a ceiling.

Perhaps not.

OK.

tchrist

1:48 AM

He's standing on a giant outdoor stage they built for this.

Cerberus

I'm glad.

CowperKettle

tchrist

The family talk from Harris was important to her because her family believed in her when nobody believed someone who was black or Asian or female could ever ascend to the nation's highest offices, let alone someone who was all of those things.

Cerberus

OMG religious talk.

tchrist

You cannot unite America if you're a godslayer. Half of them will consign you to the flames.

LOOK at the eyes of the Secret Service, always darting for danger, greatly worried.

Cerberus

1:59 AM

The eyes of the Sauron?

Yet another person at the White House has been infected.

tchrist

Since when? Last I knew there were six in the new cluster.

Cerberus

Probably infected at election events.

Meadows.

tchrist

Mark Meadows was spreading it all day election day.

There are five more beyond him.

Cerberus

OK.

Apparently, it's news to Fox.

It's in their ticker.

tchrist

It got out last night.

Cerberus

2:04 AM

@Færd By the way, thanks for the article. It's nice to have a small peek at the Murdoch family's internal politics.

@tchrist Noted.

Fox says "it was a good speech".

tchrist

It was.

This is how we're used to being addressed. Not with hate speech.

Cerberus

I really hope Biden and all those people he is touching at close range are not infecting each other.

My parents are his age.

I would NOT touch them.

tchrist

He's stayed away from his family for many, many, many months now. He has not been able to hug his grandchildren.

Cerberus

He could at least do it in secret.

tchrist

He has been ultra careful personally, but he has also done all this to be a model of behavior.

Cerberus

2:10 AM

He is not being a model now.

tchrist

They were all wearing masks but the four principals.

Cerberus

Fox says it is a speech that gives hope and may bring unity.

tchrist

They're just saying that to piss off Trump. :)

Cerberus

They're more positive than I expected, even considering the Murdoch split.

@tchrist It's distance that has the greatest effect, not masks.

tchrist

@Cerberus The Fox newsmen have had it with the noisy ones.

@Cerberus So, a stage without family? Just one person at a time?

They drove off Shepard Smith entirely. Chris Wallace has remained though.

Robusto

2:38 AM

@Cerberus Well, sure. You being in Amsterdam means I have very little chance of catching it from you.

Cerberus

@tchrist I don't see why relatives of a politician should be present, but at least it's not an official occasion.

There can be more people on stage, just keeping their distance from each other.

You can just stand like this (Dutch PM, sign-language translatrix, Minister of Healthcare.

tchrist

3:15 AM

@Cerberus This was a party. Why wouldn't his family be with him??

This was not a press conference.

Cerberus

Right.

But it is still a political event.

It should be about important members of the party, not about relatives of important members?

tchrist

It's weird how G7 leaders heaped congratulations on him even before Trump had given a concession speech.

Cerberus

Very 'weird'.

tchrist

@Cerberus What does the party matter?

There were a couple of party members there, local Senators he's worked closely with.

Cerberus

It's not a party event?

tchrist

3:18 AM

But they aren't on stage. It's not their victory. It's theirs.

Cerberus

All right.

tchrist

@Cerberus Why would there be any other Democratic National Party members there? These aren't the Blue Balls one expects to follow the actual ~~coronation~~ inauguration.

Not sure if they'll have balls this time around. But if they do, you can bet they'll be masked balls. :)

Cerberus

Indeed.

tchrist

4:00 AM

I loved the look of genuine wonder and delight on Biden's face as he regarded the synchronized pyrotechnic display with drones spelling out messages as though they were stars come alive.

Like a child seeing some marvel he never even knew could exist.

Faheem Mitha

@tchrist Are those actual magazine covers?

CowperKettle

5:15 AM

Why don't black holes consume everything in the Universe? A friend asked yesteday, and I could provide no answer

Cerberus

5:27 AM

@CowperKettle Because most matter is outside the reach of their pull.

skillpatrol

6:08 AM

America First (policy)

America First refers to a foreign policy stance in the United States that generally emphasizes isolationism. It first gained prominence in the interwar period (1918–1939) and was advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against the U.S. entry into World War II. Since 2016, an identically-named campaign slogan and foreign policy that emphasizes withdrawal from international treaties and organizations has been pursued by the presidential campaigns and administration of Donald Trump. == History == === Origins === "America First" has been used as a slo...

CowperKettle

@Cerberus But as they consume more matter, the rich of their pull should increase

> Hitler wrote to Lindy, said "Do your very worst"
Lindy started an outfit that he called America First
In Washington, Washington

Lindbergh - Woody Guthrie

►

CowperKettle

9:22 AM

Færd

@Cerberus You're welcome!

Færd

9:50 AM

> I’ve been begging the party to let me help them for two years. That’s also the damn thing of it. I’ve been trying to help. Before the election, I offered to help every single swing district Democrat with their operation. And every single one of them, but five, refused my help. And all five of the vulnerable or swing district people that I helped secured victory or are on a path to secure victory. And every single one that rejected my help is losing. And now they’re blaming us for their loss.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Biden’s Win, House Losses, and What’s Next for the Left

Faheem Mitha

@Færd I have a paywall here.

Færd

@FaheemMitha Open it in an incognito window on Chrome. See if it works.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd OK. Yes, that works, thanks. I've used that trick before, but then forgot about it.

Færd

np :)

Faheem Mitha

One has to admire Ocasio-Cortez's spirit. Of course, she's very young.

Also obviously has a strong natural talent for the whole politician thing.

Færd

9:56 AM

That, despite them (the progressive wing) being under a barrage of stigma from the party's establishment.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd If you mean the DNC, then yes.

They're terrified of being labelled socialist or something. Because we all know that "socialists" are Satan's little helpers.

I've watched Ocasio-Cortez speak. She's got very strong natural charisma.

Surprisingly uncommon in politicians. And thinks impressively fast on her feet.

Pelosi attempted to dis that New Green Deal thing, calling it a dream. AOC turned it right around on her. "Of course it's a dream" she agreed, brightly.

Færd

Aye. I'd prefer to call them progressives, rather than socialists. I think that resonates better with people. And not all of them call themselves socialists.

Not that there's anything wrong with "socialist". I'm just fucking tired of quarrelling over names and labels.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd I didn't introduce the "socialist" word. That's the word they throw around there. Though I'm not sure if any of them actually know the definition. I'd incline towards no.

As I think was discussed here some time ago, the definition of socialist is relatively narrow, and largely economic. Probably it made more sense in the 18th century, or whenever that word was formed.

Færd

Like any other political term, it has a myriad of meanings.

Faheem Mitha

These days, it's a bit restrictive. I don't have an issue with progressive, which seems to be gaining favor. But the trouble with most political words is that they eventually get so abused they lose all meaning. I've discussed that too, here and elsewhere.

@Færd Some attempt to assign and keep a consistent meaning to words is desirable.

Færd

10:05 AM

Maybe. But change is inevitable. I'm not that much in the business of prescribing what people should use words for.

Faheem Mitha

According to Wikipedia, the term socialist only goes back to the early 19th century. I'd have expected an earlier history.

Færd

So a continuous attempt to keep up is also desirable.

Faheem Mitha

If one does not know what words mean, using them as part of a reasonable conversation becomes impossible.

And keeping up with a constant flux is also not reasonable.

People call me a prescriptivist because I object to the corruption of word usage.

Færd

Little can you do about that. To have a conversation, you need to find common ground and start from there and make clear what you mean by further terms by defining them. It works better than being pedantic about what words should mean.

Faheem Mitha

It seems that people like AOC doubled this time around. Possibly with some help from AOC herself. I don't think they're enough to even try to stop the bombs droppng, but it's still encouraging.

@Færd How often do you start a conversation by defining terms? :-)

And if you do, how does that work for you?

Færd

10:12 AM

Not in a mathematical sense. I mean talking about what we mean by words we commonly use is indispensable if you want to have a conversation, especially those who think differently than you. People have vastly different ideas and feelings about things and names.

Faheem Mitha

That's actually quite an interesting interview. That woman is smart, there's no doubt of that.

Færd

I try to do that pretty often when I talk to people. If I don't fail and they cooperate, it goes well.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Ok, fair enough. Just wondering how often they cooperate.

Incidentally AOC herself was asked about the definition of socialism in a talk show. She made what I would politely describe as make a hash of it.

I don't if that was deliberate, but it's hard to imagine she doesn't know the definition.

Færd

@FaheemMitha I don't normally talk a lot with people who have made up their mind and are resistant to all new perspectives. So it's not that rare.

@FaheemMitha Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. I don't really care for the word being used "correct"ly.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Hmm. You must move in intellectual circles. I have a hard time imagining doing that.

Færd

10:15 AM

She probably just wanted to present it in a pleasant manner.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Using words corrrectly matters.

That's why dictionaries exist.

Færd

Yeah but not "correct"ly.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd I forget what the talk was, but her effort was pretty pathetic, I thought.

@Færd What's the distinction?

Færd

@FaheemMitha I'm a bit lucky like that.

Faheem Mitha

In Bombay, I used to mostly talk to my guests. But I have no guests now.

@Færd Apparently.

Færd

10:17 AM

@FaheemMitha The distinction is that there's not a single universal meaning for these politcal terms. Usage varies across time and space, and the variation should be recognized as real, and thus, legitimate.

If she's the only one who uses socialism like that, that's a problem. If not, and she's actually one of many who do, then that's just their definition.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Extreme variation makes the word dull and ultimately useless.

Words need to be precise or they are not useful. I'd pratictally consider that a truism.

Færd

Go ahead and control poeple's minds and mouths. Good luck with that.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd I can't remember what her definition was, anyway.

@Færd Not control. Education.

Færd

That kind of restrictive education is a manner of control, and you won't achieve your goal of uniformity unless you exert a good deal of violence, be it latent or naked.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Sorry, I think that's a real misrepresentation of what I mean by eduction. But let's not argue about it.

Færd

10:21 AM

Okay. Very well.

Faheem Mitha

Question: are there any US military bases in Iran? I don't think there are, but I could be wrong.

And if not, where are the closest military US bases to Iran currently located?

Færd

Of foreign countries?

Ah US bases. They're all around our boarders.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Sorry, I mean the US.

Færd

But not inside, of course.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd In which countries?

Færd

10:23 AM

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Oh my god. That's horrible.

Færd

There you go.

Faheem Mitha

I didn't realise it was that bad. That's terrifying.

@Færd Thank you. I think I might go take a nap now.

Færd

The map maybe a bit old or something. But it's been kinda like that for a long time.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Where is that map from?

Færd

10:25 AM

Just a random Google hit. I've seen many similar maps, so I didn't check the details of this one.

@FaheemMitha Sweet dreams.

Faheem Mitha

@Færd Oh, I didn't realise they were so easy to come by.

@Færd Unlikely, but thank you.

Færd

:))

Færd

10:37 AM

Another good article:

Hoping for a return to normal after Trump? That's the last thing we need | Yanis Varoufakis

> The discontent that swept Trump to power in 2016 has not gone away. To pretend like it has will only invite future disaster
...
The tragedy of progressives is that Trump’s supporters are not entirely wrong. The Democratic party has demonstrated time and again its determination to prevent any challenge to the powerful that are responsible for the pain, anger and humiliation that propelled Trump to the White House.
...
Against this background, however hard Biden tries to speak the language of some Green New Deal, no one can imagine him uttering a phrase like Franklin Roosevelt’s, who referr…

RegDwigнt

12:02 PM

@tchrist the 9 from that album is much better. Even if I say so myself.

Never understood people's obsession with the 13. It's a meh song by any standard.

CowperKettle

1:13 PM

@FaheemMitha What is so bad about this?

Cerberus

1:57 PM

@CowperKettle Yes. But the universe is continuously expanding.

CowperKettle

JTP - Apologise to Monica

2:16 PM

@Færd - thx for that article link. Will read later.

Robusto

CowperKettle

100 000 000 mail-in ballots?

Robusto

@CowperKettle Biden got ~74 million votes. Trump got ~70 million. So if there were 100 million mail-in ballots, that means at least a third of Trump's votes came that way.

JTP - Apologise to Monica

washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/vote-by-mail-states

data for vote by mail

CowperKettle

I think that vote-by-mail is a bad scheme, prone to corruption and rigging.

JTP - Apologise to Monica

2:24 PM

Ha! You fell for Trump's Lies

CowperKettle

Maybe some scheme should be set up instead based on open encryption.

@JTP-ApologisetoMonica No, I'm talking based on Russian practices, where preliminary votes are usually pro-Putin.

JTP - Apologise to Monica

In US, for 2016 they went back to find fraud, and found none.

CowperKettle

I hope so. I'm not an expert. But in Russia the officials are already saying, look, in the USA they use this scheme, so we should use it more. And everybody really feels downcast at the thought of the Kremlin using this scheme more.

Robusto

@CowperKettle The voting mechanism in Russia is essentially corrupt. The one in the US is not. It would be really hard to defraud an election here at the ballot box.

Faheem Mitha

3:11 PM

@CowperKettle Is that a serious question? They're surrounded.

Funny question, coming from a Russian. :-)

tchrist

@FaheemMitha So it seems.

CowperKettle

3:54 PM

@FaheemMitha So what? We Russians are drilled bullshit about being "surrounded" by US bases, in order to make us complicit with Putin's criminal regime. I'm happy for the Baltic states for having US bases - they would not be attacked suddently by Russia, like Ukraine was in 2014.

Faheem Mitha

@CowperKettle While I applaud your independent thinking, I think you're a bit confused about who does the attacking.

CowperKettle

@FaheemMitha You mean the US is attacking Iran?

Faheem Mitha

4:25 PM

@CowperKettle The US attacks lots of places. As you should be aware.

Robusto

@FaheemMitha True. But not Iran, at least not at the moment. At least not militarily.

The truth is this: the American military posture is born out of fear. And it governs everything America does. This goes all the way back to the cold war. In the name of an indefinable "greater good" the US has committed many execrable acts, and continues to do so. It's why they anti-democratically installed the Shah in Iran in 1953, and why when the Iranians revolted in 1979, turned a cold shoulder to those people as if they were the ones who had caused the problem in the first place.

The same thing happened with Cuba 20 years earlier.

We are still suffering the effects of the Cold War many years later. I think it's time we tried to work out a different way to live together.

Would it have been different if the US and the Soviets had not used the rest of the world as their proxy battleground? I hope it would. I don't lay blame on either side. It should be mutually shared, as their doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction was.

But it was, and is, madness.

And we should not give in to madness.

CowperKettle

4:45 PM

I signed a letter against the invasion of Iraq, which was cleary unjustified, but I felt pleasure as I watches Saddam's statue toppled.

The big problem is that there is no authority above the USA, it can invade everybody provided that it has cobbled together a coalition and found a good pretext. Thus far the USA has not been using this to grab territory, at least for the last 100 years (or less?).

I see no exit from this situation. The USA will not give its leaders to an international war crimes court.

Robusto

@CowperKettle The US grabs territory by proxy these days.

CowperKettle

I would arrest Colin Powell and Dubya Bush and put them before court for invading Iraq.

Even though I'm happy that Iraq was freed from an oppressive regime.

The humanity should instead set up some rules for toppling oppressive regimes. This way, it would not benefit a signle state, or would not overburden a single state with the role of a global policeman.

Robusto

Colin Powell was tricked by the Republican leadership, W's cabal.

Henry Kissinger is definitely one who should be prosecuted, however.

So should Robert McNamara have been.

CowperKettle

I'd be happy so see someone invade North Korea and liberate its people.

Robusto

That won't happen.

CowperKettle

4:52 PM

Yes, because China is too close.

Robusto

Not now that NK has nukes.

CowperKettle

Yes, and that ))

Robusto

And this is principally (I suspect) why Iran wants nukes. They believe that if you have nukes, nobody is going to fuck with you militarily. Which is only partially true.

If NK ever does attack anyone with nuclear weapons, the one certain outcome is their utter destruction.

BTW, the real criminal in Bush's regime was Dick Cheney. I wish he could be tried for his involvement in that war. W himself was a posturing fool; Cheney was the evil power behind the throne.

CowperKettle

5:32 PM

> MOSCOW —In a concession speech remarkable for its graciousness, Vladimir Putin committed to peacefully transfer power to Joe Biden. Putin was philosophical about losing his control of the White House after nearly four years, stating, “It is what it is.”

2

tchrist

Gounod - Funeral March of a Marionette

►

Robusto

@CowperKettle ^_^

Færd

Sure! Would be interested to know what you thought about it.
(Which one tho? The Guardian Varoufakis one or the NYT AOC interview one?)

Robusto

@CowperKettle It seems to me that "It is what it is" would be difficult to translate into Russian. Your thoughts?

Færd

@CowperKettle I feel you. That's to say I can personally and emotionally relate to your point. But let's not forget what devilish standard was erected instead of Saddam's statue, and and what havoc it wrought over the region.

I find this view of "US liberating oppressed people" problematic because
A) liberation and democracy is not something that could be granted to a society by a benevolent outside force that strangles you with harsh economic sanctions and then when you're ready topples your government by a military operation and bingo! You're free! Not even close. It's a process that takes its course. You can think about how to help with that, but if your end goals are humanitarian ones, you should stick to those principles in your strategies and tactics.

Even in the case of North Korea, it's very unrealistic to think the US would be welcomed with open arms if it forcefully toppled their regime. Things could even greatly exacerbate.

And B) That outside force is actually not benevolent at all. Quite the contrary.

So at the end, one's left with a bunch of evils to balance against each other. And I think the evil of a military "liberation" is often recklessly underestimated. Oh and sanctions too. Harsh economic sanctions on normal people that denies them their basic needs (as in the case of Iraq and Iran) is tantamount to war crime. The end result is no different than bombing civilians.

tchrist

5:48 PM

What meaningful good can a Zombie Government now do? Or, for that matter, a Government in Waiting?

Færd

Correction: So in the end...

@tchrist I think the urgent question is what harm the Zombie Government can do in the next two months.

tchrist

@Færd Merely doing nothing at all will do immeasurable harm.

Færd

That's a generously optimistic estimate.

tchrist

6:04 PM

If immeasurable harm is generously optimistic, anything less generous beggars the imagination.

Færd

Hehe. Just sayign it's unlikely that He should content himself with just doing nothing.

.

A type of mistake that I make too often in English is that I treat plurals as singulars:

> - in the case of Iraq and Iran
- Harsh sanctoins... is tantamount to war crime
- liberation and democracy is not something

tchrist

I'm not sure those are mistakes. They're typical of native speakers as well.

Færd

I thought they had something to do with number agreement rules of Farsi.

tchrist

Green eggs and ham is not an attractive breakfast.

Færd

Ah isn't that considered as one thing?

tchrist

6:10 PM

@Færd Only with copular verbs whose predicate complements are plural nouns?

@Færd Well, that's exactly the point.

Færd

@tchrist Inanimate plurals are very often treated as singular across the board.

I need to think further about exceptions but I guess that's true as a general rule.

@tchrist Yeah my mistakes are not limited to those cases then.

tchrist

Notional rather than grammatical concord can nonetheless itself be grammatical.

CowperKettle

@Robusto I think the Russian prase "Что есть, то есть" might fit ))

Færd

@tchrist That's soothing to hear but I still think I shouldn't take too much liberty with that rule.

tchrist

@Færd With your harsh sanctions example, there appears to be an elided syntactic element that one can readily construe which would render a singular subject more palatable.

So like "having", or "imposing", or "the imposition of".

Consider also the frequency in actual speech of "these kind of things".

OF these type or these sort, etc.

Those kind of things bother me.

You can't blame bother being plural simply on it immediately following things, because you can't say that of these, which is farther away.

I'm not certain whether such cases are best seen as isolated oddities lacking in any more generalizable principle.

15

Q: "This kind of things" vs "These kinds of thing"

I have a question about the following text: Last week Alex Knapp at Forbes published an article criticizing my Nikola Tesla comic. I don't normally respond to these kinds of thing, but since it's' Forbes I figured a proper response was in order. I would rather say "this kind of things" rat...

grammatical-number

CowperKettle

6:28 PM

The brain makes up 2% of the body's weight but consumes 20% of the inhaled oxygen.

tchrist

@CowperKettle Doing what?

I mean, chemically.

Mere cellular respiration?

ATP etc?

Glycolysis?

> During normal activity, only 50% of oxygen is used for neural activity, the remaining 50% is required for glial cells and maintaining the metabolic rate of other nerve cells. The brain has a high energy demand and reacts very sensitively to oxygen deficiency

> Energy in the brain is generated almost exclusively from a form of metabolism that requires oxygen. However, neurons only maintain a small reserve of energy and these cells require a continuous supply of oxygen, especially when the cells are firing and communicating with their neighbors.

> The wind stops, completely, as I finish my lunch. I strip and lie back in
the sun, high on Tukuhnikivats, with nothing between me and the universe
but my thoughts. Deliberately I compose my mind, quieting the febrile
buzzing of the cells and circuits, and strive to open my consciousness
directly, nakedly to the cosmos. Under the influence of cosmic rays I try
for cosmic intuitions—and end up earthbound as always, with a vision not of
the universal but of a small and mortal particular, unique and disparate…

> You’ll find no deep thinkers at 13,000 feet anyway.

if (covid_cases > 1.00e07) { panic() }

@Cerberus What specific infection-control measures did Holland institute during early to mid October?

Robusto

7:09 PM

@CowperKettle But is it idiomatic? Does it express resignation in the same way?

tchrist

7:41 PM

> 26 October 2020, Chile: Tens of thousands of Chileans have taken to Santiago’s main square in celebration after people across the country overwhelmingly backed re-writing Chile’s dictatorship-era constitution that many see as the root cause of the country’s social and economic inequalities.

As votes were counted on Sunday on live television, spontaneous parties broke out on street corners and in squares around the country. Drivers honked car horns, some as revellers danced on their roofs, and others banged pots and pans.

> 31 March 2015, Nigeria: Amid anger over an Islamic insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, Nigerians threw out the incumbent and elected a 72-year-old former military dictator in a historic transfer of power officially announced early Wednesday following the nation's most hotly contested election ever.

Spontaneous celebrations sprang up across cities in northern Nigeria, where Buhari is almost revered. Young men on motor scooters performed wheelies as hundreds of youths chanted, "Change! Change! Change!" and cars honked their horns in support.

tchrist

8:08 PM

> Former President George W. Bush congratulated President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Sunday, becoming the highest-profile Republican to publicly declare the election over in defiance of President Trump’s refusal to accept the results.

Little tardy there, George.

Robusto

8:35 PM

@tchrist Yeah, but at least he said it. Unlike, say, Mitch McConnell.

In other news, Massachusetts experienced its strongest earthquake in decades this morning.

tchrist

@Robusto Curious place for it.

Robusto

Indeed. But if a big one does hit there it will likely be terrible.

Færd

9:33 PM

@tchrist That's an interesting question. Thank you.

Robusto

In the same vein:

34

Q: Types of things vs. types of thing

When speaking precisely or technically, one would say that "Homo erectus and homo sapiens are two species of hominid" rather than "Homo erectus and homo sapiens are two species of hominids." The hominid here should be singular because we are speaking about instances of a single class ("class" bei...

word-choice grammaticality grammatical-number uncountable-nouns countable-nouns

RegDwigнt

Huhuh, homo.

Robusto

That was so uplifting. Thank you.

RegDwigнt

@tchrist I uh wha? None of these words even rhyme with one another.

@Robusto no probs.

You want to see something uplifting, check out the question that I'm getting pinged on now.

0

Q: We can cause "reactions on someone" or "reactions in someone"?

Sometimes it's not clear to me when to use one or another, so can anyone help me? We can cause "reactions on someone" or "reactions in someone"? Like in this phrase: The judge set aside the case about the lake pollution and ordered a new trial for the next month, causing strong reactions in envir...

word-choice

The current answer is that you can say both.

Is this bizarro world? I forgot to check this morning.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt Yes, that is Anton for you. Always ready to give an incorrect or at least tone-deaf response. And get upvoted for it.

RegDwigнt

9:41 PM

Shrug. First time I hear that name.

As always, you are more knowledgeable than me.

Or is this an alias for a user I know by a different handle.

Robusto

I thought he was Russian at first, given his name and apparent unfamiliarity with the language, but it appears he hails from Scotland. Or at least that's where he is currently.

RegDwigнt

Well that's even worse. Scots don't even speak Russian, let alone English.

Check out Sean Connery (RIP) in The Hunt For Red October.

Robusto

And he likes Jane Austen, which makes me think he may be with the Russians after all. Because who would say that if they had actually read her?

RegDwigнt

Personally, I would have placed him in Tirol.

Dj Otzi - Anton Aus Tirol

►

Don't click on that. Only @Cerberus can listen to that kind of music.

Robusto

His Irish accent is worse than his Russian one. Both sound like Scots to me.

RegDwigнt

9:44 PM

I don't know any Russian who's read Jane Austen. There's no shortage of Russian authresses writing in that vein.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt It sounds like something you would hear at a Nazi rally in 1936.

RegDwigнt

Well. I did say Tirol.

Robusto

Not quite the Horst Wessel Lied, perhaps, but the spirit is there.

RegDwigнt

The spirit is always there. The bottom 40% never go away.

Robusto

He's in a class by himself.

RegDwigнt

9:46 PM

Hold on. Why is he in the red circle.

Robusto

Because Putin?

RegDwigнt

He's not been impeached because giving away top secret information to the enemy is fine.

And as to resigning, well, read his Twitter.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt He was impeached. Deal with it.

RegDwigнt

When?

Nixon was impeached. Clinton wasn't.

Robusto

Impeachment of Donald Trump

The impeachment of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, was initiated on December 18, 2019, when the House of Representatives approved articles of impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted Trump of these charges on February 5, 2020.Trump's impeachment came after a formal House inquiry alleged that he had solicited foreign interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election to help his re-election bid, and then obstructed the inquiry itself by telling his administration officials to ignore subpoenas for documents and testimony. The...

@RegDwigнt Clinton was impeached. Nixon wasn't.

RegDwigнt

9:49 PM

I see. So all you're saying is, the red circle is wrong after all.

Robusto

Three presidents, including Trump, have been impeached. Nixon resigned before he would have been impeached. So far no US president has been convicted, which is the next step after impeachment.

RegDwigнt

OIC.

Well then.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt No, it's 100% correct. Impeached or resigned. You know enough about Booleans to figure that one out.

RegDwigнt

Oh fuck I forgot all about the other verb. That was minutes ago.

Where's my medicine, Bobby.

Robusto

You'd better start studying, or you're going to fail at being an old man.

RegDwigнt

9:50 PM

Meh.

I've literally remembered so many things from this chat for so many years I might as well start forgetting everything right about now, or else I won't be remotely done by the time I'm dead.

The more things you forget, the more room you make for not remembering other things.

It's a win-win.

Well anyway. To me impeached always meant convicted. Soimpeachme.

Robusto

Maybe just go back to listening to Tyrolean rap by DJ Otzi.

RegDwigнt

Yes that's helped before. Not sure with what, but it has.

And anyway. Whether or not Trump was one-term, we will only find out in 2028.

Robusto

@RegDwigнt Many a slip twixt cup and the lip.

RegDwigнt

Haha.