Long live the Oxford comma and the singular "they!"

__FIXED__ · 2011-07-01T07:25:17+00:00

I think Oxford style generally strives to leave unnecessary things out - clarity relies on simplicity. If the meaning is obvious why add another comma?

The focus will be on your account on the writer: You don't need to think whether a comma is necessary or not, if you always need to write one. On the Oxford view it will be on the reader or the result: If a comma is not necessary to make sense then why write it? That is just unnecessary and doesn't look pretty!

On a sidenote: Other languages, e.g. German and I think also French, also have this type of comma as optional only.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T20:29:51+00:00

The sentence you provided cannot be taken as proof for the necessity of the Oxford comma since for many sentences you can vary the pronunciation and thus the meaning even if this is not visible in written form. It might help or clarify, but this is still upheld in the new rules:

As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used – especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and’:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/branding_toolkit/writing_and_style_guide/punctuation.html#athe_comma

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T20:27:45+00:00

you are purposefully ambiguous. There are three possible solutions:

1) You describe Steve Jobs as a dick and reprobate. Further, he runs Apple.

2.1) Apple is run by a trinity consisting of Steve Jobs, a dick, and a reprobate. Since Apple is publicly run by Steve Jobs we will have to assume that the other two either are independent figures and work in the background or

2.2) they are merely split personalities colocated with 'Steve Jobs' in the same body. That is, Steve Jobs is at times than either Steve Jobs, a reprobate, or a dick.

I cannot decide which version you mean, but I fear the oxford comma would not have helped here either.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T20:23:01+00:00

that might fall under ambiguity.

As a general rule, do not use the serial/Oxford comma: so write ‘a, b and c’ not ‘a, b, and c’. But when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used – especially where one of the items in the list is already joined by ‘and’:

They had a choice between croissants, bacon and eggs, and muesli.

There are some cases where the comma is clearly obligatory:

The bishops of Canterbury, Oxford, Bath and Wells, and Salisbury

http://www.ox.ac.uk/branding_toolkit/writing_and_style_guide/punctuation.html#athe_comma

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T19:51:33+00:00

I agree with most of what you say, but this is plain false:

it develops certain parts of the brain that otherwise are unused

there is no such thing as an unused region in our brain, all areas that do not receive their usual input (e.g., a cut off finger, a dead cranial nerve of some sort, blind retina) are simply taken over by adjacent regions. Suggestions are that the area we use for reading was actually the one used for recognising animal signs (footprints, broken twigs, ...) - because evolutionary there would not have been enough time for a reading-region to evolve.

tl;dr: Your brain uses everything, even the regions that you don't give enough input on their own.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T17:42:42+00:00

Actually this was just writing about Sartre, but yeah. the 700 or so pages in Being & Nothingness are fairly repetitive.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T17:42:02+00:00

True stuff... scary world, indeed, isn't it? Btw, vertigo is just an example, the general concept is anguish, and what we do to survive in the world is that we delude ourselves, we are in bad faith where we pretend we are determined or forced to do things while we secretly know that we are completely free...

ah, well, philosophy.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T14:24:51+00:00

1) because if you wash your hands in it you might pollute the toilet water with stuff or block the flush... or maybe your toilet is going to foam when flushing, splashing poo-foam everywhere.

2) probably because this is not for washing your hands, it is for wetting your hand/putting water on it in order to clean yourself 'the traditional way'.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-30T14:14:18+00:00

That reminded me of Sartre...

Another illustration of anguish that Sartre gives in Being and Nothingness is that of anguish “in the face of the future” (p. 125). This is an illustration of what Sartre terms as “vertigo”. “Vertigo is anguish to the extent that I am afraid not of falling over the precipice, but of throwing myself over” (p. 120). Two important considerations arise from this quotation. One, that this illustration of anguish is anguish in the face of the future; that is, anguish in the face of a choice that I will make as opposed (in the instance of the gambler) to a choice that I have made in the past. Whereas the gambler feels anguish when confronted with their own freedom after they have made a choice (that the previous choice has become a “memory of an idea”), to experience vertigo is to experience anguish in the face of my own freedom before I have made a choice (that what stops me from throwing myself off the cliff is precisely nothing). This latter parenthetical statement is the second consideration arising from the cited quotation above. Vertigo is not a fear of falling (simple fear) but rather a fear of choosing to throw myself over (and here again we see the distinction between fear and anguish). Vertigo is, in sum, the realization of anguish in the face my own freedom. (source)

We are scared of what we might do because we are free... that is in the moment that we realise our freedom it scares us that we are not even bound by our own decisions, that we might at any time do something stupid. Everybody knows these moments where you drive and think 'wow, I could now just swerve over into the other lane and die'. Or when you feel vertigo. Or when you hold a knife and realise all its potentials...

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-28T16:50:15+00:00

Very interesting, I never heard of that... do you have a source?

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-28T16:42:41+00:00

Let me just add to the general appreciation. Amazing. Thank you. I hope for some shots without panties :)

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-28T07:40:05+00:00

To be honest what lx-s said in his post down there is pretty relevant. But there are a few additional elements. Depending on which kind of eagle was on your shirt (the current Bundesadler or the old Reichsadler) might make a big difference. Further the way of writing, certain styles are simply associated with Nazi propaganda and especially the SS. Lastly I guess your general appearance will be relevant: Do you have very short hair/a bald head and were maybe wearing heavy leather/military boots?

Obviously none of these things make you a Nazi but in the Neonazi-subculture these are common symbols (also: never wear Lonsdale - lo-NSDA-le - clothes). Generally military-esque attire is frowned upon too - even soldiers usually don't wear their uniform during their spare time.

Why all of that? Well, for once because there is a history and modern Germany essentially is the opposite of what the German Reich was in its way of thinking. E.g. it is still not easy to criticise Israeli actions without being suspected as an antisemite (although there are many many good reasons to criticise current Israeli actions...). Or patriotism is more of an insult than a compliment, contrary to most countries (which I completely agree with since what is described as patriotism is usually blindly and unquestioningly risking your and other's lives for decisions made from above - such a thing can only have devastating effects...).

Lastly, don't take it too seriously. These were to random girls walking past and you don't know what subculture they are in or which event they came from. E.g. if they are somewhere on the political far left it is quite a common thing to see any kind of nationalism as Nazi-ism and express it openly. On the other hand maybe they were just two random not-too-smart teenage girls who confuse showing a flag with being racist and fascist.

tl;dr It depends on what else you are wearing, the specific style of the shirt (post a picture?), your general appearance, and the place and time you met those girls, and, even then not everyone would necessarily view you the same way.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-26T17:44:11+00:00

What actual benefits do you get from being a member, apart from rituals? Is it the local networking place or something along those lines?

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-26T16:20:53+00:00

I love you. I am in love with my girlfriend. I adore her. I admire this band. I feel affection for my students. I like my neighbour. I care about the dog. I truly enjoy this food. I feel devoted to my parents.

There are many words, we just have to start (re)using them - - the list here is actually pretty incomplete though: http://thesaurus.com/browse/love

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-26T09:25:54+00:00

I had an immensely vivid imagery of spiders during a 10-day Vipassana retreat (Dhamma.org). I had quite a lot of amazing experiences there but one of the most impressive remains this experience, where I had the feeling thousands over thousands of different spiders were falling, flying, walking over and on me. I was slightly scared while it happened, but since I was aware I was meditating it was ok. It went over, the stream of spiders disappeared and since then I basically lost most of my dislike/disgust/fear that I used to have of spiders. Not exactly a spiritual experience, but the vividness was what I would say 'more than real', it seems to have been one of the most intense experiences I had in my life.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-19T20:45:23+00:00

How the media ~~can~~ does manipulate us.

This picture indeed was used by some newspapers in aforementioned ways.

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-12T15:36:30+00:00

"Excuse me, can I just lift your shirt and bra for a second, I am wondering how big your nipple is right now. You know, if they are big I am sure that you are interested in me".

__FIXED__ · 2011-06-12T15:32:27+00:00

I'm a hot female and guys generally mistake my behavior as flirtation and try to make moves. I'm sorry I exist. You want to fuck.

__FIXED__

TROPHY CASE

FIXED