Old man's lament??

[HTRN]

Stop dating go-go dancers!

I wish.

[Yogimus]

I enjoy when I get told I can't use the phrase "retarded". And by told, I mean get "briefed" for being a wiseass. The sentence in question?

"The fireproof paint retarded further spread of the fire".

[Aglifter]

Ask them what other term is acceptable for "retarding the ignition"

[Yogimus]

Ask them what other term is acceptable for "retarding the ignition"

My reply was "You people invented this language, the least you could do is speak it."

I was told in no uncertain terms that NCO-s can rewrite the english language any way they god damned pleased, and that there were 4 vehicles that required washing as soon as I was done with the report.

[toad]

Part of the problem is that when the public schools manage to teach a kid to read the kid reads too slowly. Slow readers can manage technical printed material sometimes, but they have trouble enjoying fiction. A good reader will intake a print story faster than a movie or video presentation. The mind fills in visualizations in addition to what print provides.

[Denis]

A good reader will intake a print story faster than a movie or video presentation. The mind fills in visualizations in addition to what print provides.

And the mental visualisations are usually beter than Hollywood's best efforts. Thus, horror books are scary, while horror movies are entertainment...

And yet we wonder why many Americans will sell their birthright for a bowl of porridge*.....

*how many would understand that reference?

My memory says "a mess of pottage"...

I used the word 'grapple' in some report, she came back and said, "That's not a word!" I got the dictionary and proved her wrong. She didn't like that

Mine was "cressets". Had to use the school's biggest dictionary to find it too.

[Denis]

My reply was "You people invented this language, the least you could do is speak it."

I work with a lot of clever people whose first language is not English. Their command of English, particularly the vocabulary, is often phenomenal (frequently better than the average "native speaker"), usually because they are voracious readers of good English literature.

[Netpackrat]

Part of the problem is that when the public schools manage to teach a kid to read the kid reads too slowly. Slow readers can manage technical printed material sometimes, but they have trouble enjoying fiction. A good reader will intake a print story faster than a movie or video presentation. The mind fills in visualizations in addition to what print provides.

Not necessarily; I think it has more to do with people who aren't good at something don't generally enjoy doing it, and being slower at something is not necessarily a sign of not being good at it. Most of the people in my life read faster than I do, and I still manage to enjoy fiction a lot. To the point where I won't generally crack open a new novel until I am on my days off, because I know if it's good, I won't be sleeping until I'm through it. OTOH, those same people who read faster, often come to me for help with editing something they've written.

[randy]

I enjoy when I get told I can't use the phrase "retarded". And by told, I mean get "briefed" for being a wiseass. The sentence in question?

"The fireproof paint retarded further spread of the fire".

Gee, think how much fun if you asked them what the "R" stands for in the official DoD Nomenclature "MK-84R".

[blackeagle603]

I think I would donate one of my kidneys to be able to send all my kids to Hillsdale College for a BA.

Amen, me too -- or to go myself.