graymalkn's New Writeups

hella (idea)

2003-08-29T19:28:38Z

I'd like to add a bit more info on the possible geographic origin of hella (and defend the honor of my hometown of San Francisco). When I attended UC Santa Cruz from 1995-1997, it was clear to me and my friends that the term originated or at least found an early foothold in the Central Valley - of the four people we knew who used the term regularly, two were from rural Central Valley areas and one was from Sacramento (the largest city in the valley). Since then it has taken hold in the mouths of junior high school girls and, from there, the masses.

It should also be noted, contrary to Inyo's w/u, it is used in the Los Angeles area, albeit mostly (in my experience) by children.

Godfather (person)

2003-07-24T20:36:20Z

Godfather and godmother have also come into broader usage to refer to a person who has agreed to take a special interest in the upbringing - Christian or not - of a child, and/or has agreed to adopt the child should both parents die. Although largely an honorary position, godparents will sometimes help to finance the education of a child or simply act as a mentor.

Peter Singer (person)

2003-06-12T08:43:24Z

therion has given a quick whois in his writeup on Peter Singer, but I feel that a little more of an explanation for his striking and seemingly contradictory views is in order.

Singer's point of view stems from two basic premises. First, he is a self-described preference utilitarian, meaning that he finds the greatest moral good to be in the satisfaction of the most preferences or desires (this is a slight refinement from early utilitarianism which emphasized happiness).

Second, he holds there is a fundamental difference between the two senses in which we generally use the term human. The first simply refers to "a member of the species homo sapiens" whereas the second refers to a person. While being a member of the species homo sapiens is a straightforward matter of genetics and not really open to debate or interpretation, personhood requires self-awareness and the capacity for reason. For Singer, the difference between the two is…

How Air France sponsored my wedding night (idea)

2003-05-19T20:54:30Z

T.E. Lawrence once described the French as the most prosaic of all peoples, able to sap the romance and poetry from even sex by being completely matter-of-fact. Prosaic or not, the typically French matter-of-factness came in very handy on my wedding night.

OK, strictly speaking, it was not our wedding night. The fact was that on the actual night of our wedding we were so exhausted from not only getting married but also having to set up and break down much of the wedding and reception equipment ourselves (despite having not one but four best men), so not much happened in terms of usual wedding night activities. The next morning we left for our honeymoon in Jerusalem and Egypt, stopping over in Paris. The flight was fine and we got there OK. Thing is, our luggage didn't. It was still making its way through Charles de Gaulle while we were arriving in Tel Aviv.

Air France was very apologetic and made arrangements for our luggage to be held at the airport for us, but for…

kushari (thing)

2003-03-23T05:45:02Z

Egyptian high-carb comfort food, consisting of noodles, lentils, garbanzo beans, and rice, topped with fried onions and tomato sauce. The sauce is made from tomatoes, vinegar, red pepper, and a few other tidbits.

Kushari is ultra-fast, dirt cheap, and hugely satisfying. It seems to fill about the same role in Egyptian society as pizza does in American society- somewhat lowbrow but popular with everyone. Kushari joints tend to be about like pizza-by-the-slice places in the West in that they are generally small, spare, brightly lit, and warm. Where they differ, however, is in the sound. As all the elements of kushari are prepared and kept in different pots (or vats), the sound of a bowl being served up is distinctive for the tapping sound the ladle makes on the side of each pot in turn- almost melodic.

When my wife and I were visiting the Pyramids, we were swarmed at one point by a group of schoolchildren, obviously…

swearing (thing)

2003-03-15T11:38:31Z

From Chambers Encyclopedia of Universal Knowledge (Collier, 1887):

SWEARING, PROFANE, according to the law of England, is an offense for which the party may be convicted by a justice of the peace according to a scale of penalties. A day laborer, a common soldier, sailor, or seaman forfeits 1s. per oath; every other person under the degree of gentleman, 2s.; and every person of the degree above gentleman, 5s.—for a second offense, double these sums; for a third, treble, &c. If the cursing take place in presence of a justice of the peace, the latter may convict the swearer then and there, without further proces or evidence; and in all cases a constable may apprehend a profane swearer; and carry him before a justice. On a recent occasion, a man swore a volley of oaths, twenty times repeating the oath, and the justices fined him 2s. for each repetition, making in all

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