English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

21:00

Granted it's not always black and white. If the two parents spend a lot of time fighting with each other, or one parent is really bad and one is good, having that second parent could be undermining.

Cerberus

I suppose it depends on your definition of "a good parent". If it includes "can handle twice the workload well", then yes; otherwise, then perhaps not. So how much of a difference would that make, if you had less time for your child, but still did everything well otherwise?

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Oh, absolutely: I 100 % believe that a very bad marriage (i.e. fighting) is far worse than a single parent.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus I don't honestly know. I don't know how much time is enough time, and whether or not I'm spending it. I just know that I wish I could spend more time with my children, and that doing this alone would make things much harder.

Cerberus

Never, ever, ever fight in front of your kids, and don't think that they won't notice if you yell at each other in the bedroom. The secrecy might make it even worse.

2

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

There are so many outcomes too. Is one of your goals day-to-day happiness? reducing household stress by sharing the work can help a lot.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Yeah, it would certainly not be easy.

JSBձոգչ

21:02

@Cerberus bad advice. you should always fight in front of your kids. then you should make up in front of them.

making out in front of them is optional.

Cerberus

Ummm.

JSBձոգչ

refusing the fight where the kids can see you is likely to give them a distorted picture of what marriage is like

conflict is not the end of a relationship

they should understand this

Cerberus

The occasional argument is OK. Anything worse than that is really harmful to most children, I believe.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@JSBձոգչ yeah I agree. not all fighting is bad. And kids don't need to be sheltered from all "bad" things.

JSBձոգչ

it does depend on what we mean by "fighting"

there are some fights that shouldn't happen, period

Cerberus

21:04

I am thinking of serious fights, with yelling or ignoring going on.

Doing that once a week is harmful beyond doubt, if you ask me.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

well, speaking of my kids, I need to go get them. bye everyone.

Cerberus

And people often don't realize how bad it is what they're doing.

Haha bai!

"Well, dear, I'd really like to go to the Olive Garden tomorrow. — But I was hoping we could go to Maria's, I'd really like to go there! — But I don't like that place. — We did what you wanted last time. Now I want to go to Maria's. — Fine."

This is not what I would call a fight.

JSBձոգչ

i wouldn't call that a fight.

Cerberus

OK.

Matt Эллен

Sorry to hear about your friend @Cerb

Robusto

21:13

1

Q: Is it correct to say "a friend of X and mine" if both X and I know each other and the friend?

As I understand it, if X and Y independently have the same friend Z, we should write Z is a friend of X's and Y's but if X and Y collectively have Z as a friend (e.g., X and Y are a couple), then we should indicate that by making the possessive "'s" refer to "X and Y" collectively: Z is...

Gotta be a dupe.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Thanks.

Matt Эллен

On an unrelated topic, this might brighten your day

2

Cerberus

I have read it!

I congratulate our pond-hopped brothers.

Matt Эллен

@Robusto it smells familiar

@Cerberus yay! copyright hasn't been totally abused today!

Cerberus

Yay!

Robusto

21:17

Score one for the good guys.

And with that I'm out to shovel snow. Fuuuuuu ....

Matt Эллен

so manly!

Cerberus

> Practically everything owned by Americans is made outside of the USA and almost all of it embodies some kind of copyright ... meaning that it would be illegal to photograph anything made outside of the USA (no de minimis exemption) or to transform it in any way (no fair use, either)

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 See what I mean?

Note that the author wrote di minimum (I corrected it).

Matt Эллен

sic

Cerberus

It is better to correct.

If you have the time to sic, then you have to time to correct it.

Unless the exact spelling matters somehow.

Heinlein's quotation is of course very appropriate:

> "There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest.

> This strange doctrine is not supported by statute or common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back."

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus sorry, sir

Cerberus

21:26

SOK.

Matt Эллен

I was imagining you as a school master.

Cerberus

Always.

Robusto

0

Q: Legend of the fall

Name of the movie "Legend of the fall" is meaned as legend of the autumn? Is that fall equal to autumn term, or it have different mean?

american-english british-english

I would call this off-topic.

That is not what he meaned, though.

Matt Эллен

british-english?

tchrist

@MattЭллен NNSers always slap that on as a way of saying Proppa.

Matt Эллен

21:41

I see. That's heartening :D

tchrist

Usually it’s complete bull, imagining differences where none exist.

@Robusto What a mean question!

KitFox

@RegDwighт Ahh, Rammstein. I wish I had a copy of that video on the BluRay.

tchrist

“the”?

KitFox

Yes. For humorous "old fogey" effect.

I learned on the internets that you can catch the gay, don't you know?

Cerberus

Haha.

Matt Эллен

21:45

lol

Cerberus

The Blueray, I love it.

People actually say "the Android", you know.

KitFox

Is this the kind of thing we'd entertain here?

2

Q: Is this quote originally from The Dark Knight?

You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Now I'm fairly certain I've been saying that line for at least ten years, don't know where I heard it, but now someone pointed out I was referencing The Dark Knight and I honestly couldn't believe it when I google...

dark-knight dialogue origin

Matt Эллен

@KitFox is it one of the computer viruses I keep hearing about?

Cerberus

It does sound like a computer virus! Best stay far away from it.

KitFox

It's one of them new-fangled things what the kids are all "into."

Cerberus

21:47

Like roller skates and the Bugs?

Or what was it again, the Beetles.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox I don't know. almost. we do etymology, but is it an established phrase? should that matter?

tchrist

@KitFox Surely that’s “old fogette” or “old fogesse” or something.

KitFox

@MattЭллен I don't know. That's why I was asking.

Matt Эллен

I think we'd allow it if Yoichi Oishi asked it.

tchrist

He has cred that they don’t.

KitFox

21:50

drums fingers

tchrist

He would give us three paragraphs of explanation, with multiple citations and proper references. They wouldn’t. Not the same.

KitFox

Would you say yes if this one did that? I know the user from Writers.

Matt Эллен

yes

tchrist

In short, he’d do his research first before he came to us, and present that to us.

KitFox

Not that I'm saying that's me vouching. Don't get the wrong idea about my "knowing" there.

Matt Эллен

21:53

if they made it up to YO's standard then it would be cool with me

KitFox

I'm just saying aero is no troll, and likely has a legitimate interest.

Cerberus

It takes up a lot of system resources, though.

Better disable it.

Matt Эллен

eh?

KitFox

OK, I passed our suggestions along. It might come over or maybe not.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

oh hai!

KitFox

21:58

Oh. Hai.

I was just about to leave. Now I feel awkward about it.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

sniffs armpits

checks teeth

breaths into cupped hand

Oh, that's cool.

KitFox

See you next Tuesday!

giggles

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

0_0

Matt Эллен

:O

KitFox

I'd never heard that before.

RegDwighт

22:00

@Robusto ah, no. Not at all. I didn't even notice it. Had to figure out what you even meant.

KitFox

I just now turned to my husband and said "Have you ever heard that see you next Tuesday—" "Oh yes. All the time."

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I can has cheezburger today?

KitFox

Uh. OK?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Pay you Tuesday.

KitFox

Oh. For a hamburger today.

RegDwighт

22:02

So yeah. I'm sorry but it's bed time for me.

Not sure what you're discussing anyway. You are all next Tuesdays.

Matt Эллен

CU

RegDwighт

Damn I'm so tired.

KitFox

Bye, bye, Birdie.

RegDwighт

Two more days of stupid workshops.

KitFox

With LEGO?

I just put together a Sith infiltrator.

RegDwighт

22:03

No, with static program analysis tools.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

hush hush / keep it down now / voices carry

KitFox

Twice actually.

RegDwighт

@KitFox you saw the sneak preview of moar animal's?

KitFox

No. Moar?

RegDwighт

yesterday, by RegDwighт

KitFox

22:03

Oh!

RegDwighт

And here's one more before I go, just because it's you...

KitFox

omg, omg!

RegDwighт

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I like that pointy butt.

just realizing kit called me a cunt

KitFox

@RegDwighт OK, I'm not sure what it is.

RegDwighт

22:05

I actually looked at more photos of reindeer butts last week than anybody has ever at any butts.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I like pointy butts and I cannot lie.

RegDwighт

@KitFox it's a piglet, duh.

KitFox

Piglets are striped?

RegDwighт

No photos just yet. I am waiting for the tail part in reddish brown.

@KitFox gosh, do you even have animals in Umerrica?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@KitFox in the Poohniverse.

RegDwighт

22:06

KitFox

@RegDwighт O. M. G. !!! That is so cute!

RegDwighт

google.com/…

KitFox

I want to hug it a squeeze it and feed it milk from a bottle.

So now I see the resemblance to the LEGO version.

RegDwighт

tchrist

RegDwighт

22:08

Just some of the iterations I went through.

tchrist

Those ones are americanos.

KitFox

I still haven't had enough focus to figure out how to order parts.

I am a terrible LEGO parent.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

RegDwighт

Americanos, eh?

Feb 2 '11 at 14:29, by RegDwight

►

tchrist

KitFox

22:09

Although my five-year-old is getting really good at following the directions.

He did a big part of the infiltrator himself.

RegDwighт

So anyway. The tail in reddish brown is quite rare. I think only available in one set from 1992.

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Hey! You evil pre-jinxer.

tchrist

Harriet the Happy Javelina, con javelitos.

Cerberus

Dec 9 '12 at 17:38, by Cerberus

►

RegDwighт

So right now I use tan as a placeholder.

tchrist

22:10

Beige? I think I’ll paint the ceiling beige.

RegDwighт

KitFox

Are those truffles?

RegDwighт

Not really, no.

Truffles are underground.

KitFox

I liked the big X-wing, but the infiltrator kind of sucks balls. It's a good thing I got it for wicked cheap.

RegDwighт

The large tan one is actually a burger bun from a Spongebob set.

KitFox

22:12

Hahaha.

I didn't know truffles were underground. Actually, I know very little about fungi.

RegDwighт

Don't have the set, but got four of those parts off BrickLink a while ago.

@KitFox well that's why you need pigs to find truffles in the first place.

Otherwise you could just go around picking them off trees.

KitFox

Well, sure. Now that makes sense.

RegDwighт

Gee, you no has animals and no has plants in America. A sad state of affairs.

KitFox

Very.

RegDwighт

I am waiting for tchrist to protest how fungi are not plants.

Then I can go to bed.

KitFox

22:14

Maybe we could argue about how many kingdoms there are.

RegDwighт

There are seven.

KitFox

Eight.

Matt Эллен

one

RegDwighт

See, it says seven.

I win.

Cerberus

@RegDwighт Well, everybody knows there no plants whatsoever in the desert.

Matt Эллен

22:15

How many kingdoms of God are there?

KitFox

@MattЭллен Nine.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен There are seven circles of Hell.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox oh. then I change my vote to nine.

tchrist

Cryptobiotic soil

A Cryptobiotic soil is a biological soil crust composed of living cyanobacteria, green algae, brown algae, fungi, lichens, and/or mosses. Commonly found in arid regions around the world, cryptobiotic soils go by many names, including cryptogamic, microbiotic, or microphytic soils or crusts. Soil crusts are important members of desert ecosystems and contribute to the well-being of other plants by stabilizing sand and dirt, promoting moisture retention, and fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Because of their thin, fibrous nature, cryptobiotic soils are extremely fragile systems. A single foot...

Cerberus

No, wait, there are nine.

RegDwighт

22:16

@tchrist delicious again, Peter.

Cerberus

Damned.

tchrist

Microphytic is of course wrong.

KitFox

@MattЭллен Oh. I made that up.

tchrist

Cyanobacteria are their own beasties.

KitFox

But that was funny!

RegDwighт

22:17

It should be Macrophytic. Or, more precisely, Mamamamamamamacron-one-mamamamamamamacron-one-phytic.

Mar 5 '12 at 22:03, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

►

tchrist

O Mega!

KitFox

Isn't that Voltron?

RegDwighт

Feel the power!

Matt Эллен

it's Macron

RegDwighт

Voltron was an Italian scientist who wanted to be as cool as Macron. Needless to say, he's dead now.

tchrist

22:19

Reg, have you ever seen the desert in person?

RegDwighт

You mean the desert that you name your soul, or any desert in general?

KitFox

OK. Good night, peoples. Have fun with the chat and the starring.

tchrist

Any desert.

RegDwighт

The answer to both is yes.

tchrist

Out of my soul, papist!

Matt Эллен

22:20

CU @KitFox

RegDwighт

I actually am out of everywhere in a minute.

So tired.

tchrist

Many Europeans have never seen the desert.

RegDwighт

Many Americans have never seen the God.

tchrist

They are regular casualties in some of my favorite haunts. Like, deaders.

RegDwighт

Yeah ditto.

tchrist

22:21

You think your cathedrals grand, I’m sure.

RegDwighт

I think a lot, sometimes.

Not in this life, however.

tchrist

I think he was in the fire.

> And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Ok, what do I know?

RegDwighт

Multitudes are marching to a big kettle drum.

tchrist

Legions.

Didn’t you get up early today?

Where are our lapsed catholics to answer the liceity question?

RegDwighт

And I looked, and behold a pale bed: and his name that lied in it was I, and sleep followed with him.

3

Abierto y alto.

Matt Эллен

22:24

aurevior.

I too shall sleep

tchrist

bye

tchrist

22:39

1

A: What do you call a disease with an unknown cure?

An English Japanese Dictionary of Medical Science at hand shows the word, ‘intractable disease’ for a disease with unknown cure among others (obstinacy, refractoriness’, inveterate, obstinate, refractory under the headword, Nanbyou (disease difficult to cure). I think ‘intractable’ is closest to ...

Yoichi answered a question!

tchrist

22:56

-1

A: What is the meaning of 'in the ether'?

Ether does exist,and it is through this that electro-magnetic waves are transmitted.

The ether does exist, whodda thunk it?

Mahnax

Were I not retired, I would upvote that. It's a quality answer, gets straight to the point.

tchrist

There is so little worth upvoting these days.

Mahnax

I think I agree, whether I'd like to or not.

So in Finland, if you can get 50 000 citizens to sign a Citizen's Initiative, then whatever said Citizen's Initiative details must be voted on in Parliament. The Citizen's Initiative for Equal Marriage Laws has over 100 000 votes in less than 24 hours.

…in a country of 5.5 million.

tchrist

I don’t think we can make the legislature vote on something, but we do not need to: if we get enough signatures, it goes to a referendum.

Thinking of running away to Finland to get married? :)

Mahnax

Haha. If I want to get married to another man, then I can do it here.

tchrist

23:05

Oh.

I didn’t know that.

Mahnax

But I could always get Finnish citizenship, I think.

tchrist

You’re probably too young to marry a man, anyway.

Mahnax

Yes indeed.

tchrist

Pretty sure you are legally still a boy. :)

Mahnax

Whatever, dude.

Haha.

You are correct, though.

tchrist

23:06

But they’d probably let you marry another boy.

I didn’t know that Canada did that.

Mahnax

Give me… 18 months. Then I'll legally be an adult.

tchrist

Kinda.

I’ve known 15-year-olds who were more adult than 35-year-olds I’ve known.

Mahnax

@tchrist Yep, for 8 years.

I've actually thought very seriously about getting Finnish citizenship. It might happen one day.

tchrist

You seem young to be contemplating marriage, but if you’re planning on a family, it’s probably better not to wait till you’re in your 40s.

Kids take a lot of energy.

Mahnax

I've said before that I don't think I will want kids, and that opinion hasn't changed in the time since, but it might someday.

tchrist

23:12

Oh, ok.

I’m pretty sure I never thought I wouldn’t have kids when I was your age. I don’t think I thought about it at all.

Mahnax

I like to think about the future. I imagine myself working in academia, in mathematics, someday.

Who knows if that will happen, but hey, it's nice to imagine things like that.

tchrist

You have to really really really like grad school.

Mahnax

Time will tell, but it sounds like something I'd like, from the firsthand accounts I've read.

tchrist

I do know one fellow who decided he wanted to become a theoretical physicist, and has indeed gone on to become such. Full PhD and everything.

Mahnax

Awesome! I would love to get a PhD someday. One might say it's a goal of mine.

tchrist

23:15

And I knew him before kindergarten. He’s one of those grown-up-at-15 people.

Mahnax

Wow. Are you still in contact with him?

tchrist

Sure.

Before his kindergarten, not mine. He’s half my age.

I’m friends with his parents.

Mahnax

Oh, that would do it.

tchrist

I know another kid whom I met when he was 13 who always seemed to have a square head on his shoulders. He’d made a million bucks (on paper) by the time he was 30.

But these are the exceptions, of course.

Mahnax

Goodness.

tchrist

23:18

His mother is German. Very . . . industrious. :)

But fun, really. Don’t get the wrong idea.

That reminds me, I should check whether he’s gotten himself engaged yet. Looked like he might last time I talked to him a few months back.

Mahnax

Ooh, romance. How intriguing!

BTW, I dislike the popups to join "mailing lists" or "newsletters" that appear every time I visit a news site of some kind. They are everywhere and it drives me bonkers.

tchrist

If I recall, she is from Buenos Aires or somewhere exotic. He’s lived in both France and Mexico, so defends himself perfectly well in those two languages.

Not a typical American, I suppose.

Mahnax

It's suppertime for me, so I'll be off now. Goodbye! I'll have to ask you later about how the flooded basement went.

tchrist

Oh gosh.

Cerberus

23:50

@Mahnax Like which site? Doesn't Ablock Plus help?

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