Will insects take over or go extinct

[bozo de niro]

will insects take over or go extinct?

[Thomas Joseph]

bozo de niro wrote:


> will insects take over or go extinct?

LOL - like it has to be one or the other, they either go extinct or
they take over. They don't go extinct because they are lucky enough to
be small. If ants were 100 times their normal size they would be frightening -
but they would also be easier to hunt down and kill. Maybe that's the cure
for cancer and other germ-type illnesses. Enlarge the small stuff, then
kill them. Gotta bring them up beyond microscopic to make them easier to
kill. Shotgun them to death and watch their guts explode into the past
where they belong.

[bozo de niro]

If you ask Google the total number of insects on the planet, you'll get a ridiculous number in the squillions to the 23rd power or other, but if you ask how many effing bedbugs, you won't get a discrete number. I'm gonna post a photo of my disgusting bed and say now "count 'em bitch"! Btw ants are the single largest I mean most numerous insect horde especially them little teeny tiny sonsofbitches.

[Thomas Joseph]

bozo de niro wrote:

[Thomas Joseph]

It's a shame there are only two of us in so engrossing a theoretical
discussion. But that's the way it's going to be when THEY see you
talking to me - and me taking to you. They want in on it, but their
egos won't allow it.

As for ants, I first encountered the meandering herd a week or
so ago. Most of my life if I saw them it was in a straight line and
I'd blast them with alcohol and that was the end of it. Not now.
Those tiny fuckers are all over the place. The "Bug Man" showed
up today. Usually once every two months or so. They do a good
job. But they must have been made aware there is an ant problem
in the building because of the two ant bait devices they gave me.
They work on the same principle as putting boric acid in convenient
spots to kill cockroaches. They use borax, maybe the same thing.
It works. But in the beginning it's worst. Today was day one. They put
the tiny plastic containers on my kitchen counters and now I'm seeing
more ants than ever. I googled it. They say at first you're going to
see a bunch of them because when they go for the bait they leave
pheromones alerting other ants to available food. But the food will
kill them within 48 hours. Kind of sadistic, but I'm not against it.
They idea is they poison them just enough to let them live long enough
to carry the borax back to the nest to wipe it out. I think it will work.
Yes, those buggers are fast. Very small and very fast. They give me
the creeps. But I'll take a thousand of them over a thousand huge
low-to-the-ground cocoa colored American cockroaches with hairy
legs and armored backs and always moving disgusting antennae.
The insect world can be fascinating. But it creeps me out.

[occam]

On 25/07/2023 06:11, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> It's a shame there are only two of us in so engrossing a theoretical
> discussion.

No, Thomas. There is only one of you in this discussion. I accept your
reasons to responding to the moron.

[bozo de niro]

Insects are the 5th column of an overheating planet with rising temperatures and climate perversity.

I don't care how much you spend on pest eradication, it will come back time and again and finally with the relentless bedbugs.

I'm about to embark on my 3rd move in less than a year and now I have nowhere to go.

[Thomas Joseph]

I can't deny it, I will respond to anyone. Especially if they use
my name as you just did. Who doesn't like seeing their name
in print (other than a wanted poster or an official extermination decree)?
It is funny though. Sometimes I'll be reading an ongoing flamewar
between two people. It might be boring at times. But every so often
someone will send in a zinger that makes me laugh. So I give them
an LOL. Invariably when that happens the other person thinks my LOL
means I am siding with his opponent. I can take sides, but I don't have
to. I'm just looking to laugh. Most everybody likes to laugh. Some
love to laugh. I need it.

And if I don't get it there could be trouble. Make me laugh or you're
a dead man. Hah ha ha ha ha

[Thomas Joseph]

bozo de niro wrote:

occam wrote:
Thomas Joseph wrote:

> > > It's a shame there are only two of us in so engrossing a theoretical
> > > discussion.


> > No, Thomas. There is only one of you in this discussion. I accept your
> > reasons to responding to the moron.


> Insects are the 5th column of an overheating planet
with rising temperatures and climate perversity.
>
> I don't care how much you spend on pest eradication,
it will come back time and again and finally with the
relentless bedbugs.
>
> I'm about to embark on my 3rd move in less than a year and
> now I have nowhere to go.

Insects are resilient. They thrive. I believe their size has a lot
to do with it. Also because they aren't addicting their bodies
to a bunch of vaccines and other needless crap. Sure, manmade
poisons kill them by the billions every year. But they get used to
it, each generation coming back stronger than ever.

As for the bed bugs - don't be offended Bozo - it is possible
you're toting a few around without knowing it. You may have
to boil you clothes and get rid of some stuff. I am glad I don't
have them.

The bug guy came in yesterday and put down some bait
traps. I looked it up on the web by name. Sure enough, as
suspected, the bait is infused with borax. I am guessing
that boric acid (which is really good at controlling cockroach
problems) comes from borax. Anyway, within an hour the counter
tops were aswarm with these tiny fuckers looking to make their
way to the little containers for a taste of what's inside. The stuff
gets on them and they take it back to the nest where the entire
colony is eventually wiped out.

At first it was just a swarm. Within hours it was like a very
well organized fire brigade with a line of ants going in for
the food, another line taking it back to the nest. I believe
the stuff is working. Too bad it's not so easy with bed
bugs. Plus I am not ready to gloat as one day does not
tell the story. These pesty fuckers could become a regular
thing, like once a year, then twice a year, then every month,
then every week.

I am serious when I say this because I can imagine what I
might do if I had bed bugs. Get rid of the bed. I don't mean
just the one you have now - I mean get rid of the need for
a bed entirely. I know a guy who slept on his floor for years.
I liked his style, very minimal. He kept his 'roll' in the closet
and would bring it out for bed time. Anyway, Boze, you know
people in your area - I'm sure if you really wanted to you could
get some help with this problem. Good luck clown. I'm serious.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02:58 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:

> bozo de niro wrote:
> occam wrote:
> Thomas Joseph wrote:

STOP DELETING CHEVRONS.

[Thomas Joseph]

Anything you say. Anything to be more like you.

I have taken orders all my life - "Do this, do that" - but not once
have I heard, "STOP DELETING CHEVRONS." You sound like
you're losing your mind. I can see you snapping and killing
a bunch of people. In the courtroom you are chained to a
chair to keep you under control and otherwise all you do is
bury your head in your hands, shaking it back and forth muttering,
"They wouldn't delete their chevrons", over and over, occasionally
bolting upward, startled, gazing at the assemblage and and screaming,
"Can't you people understand? STOP DELETING CHEVRONS!", as the
Judge orders the bailiff to go into the other room and come back with
"The iron Mask."

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > (these chevrons represent the past)

[Thomas Joseph]

On Sunday, July 23, 2023 at 1:45:42 AM UTC-4, bozo de niro wrote:
> will insects take over or go extinct?

I like this topic. Will my ability, or that of the human race,
to discuss it ever go extinct? Can things go extinct and
come back as other things? I say they can. For example,
who is to say that AIDS of COVID (examples only) are not
the soul of the extinct dinosaur? Life cannot die, Bozo.
Bozo can die. Thomas Joseph can die. They will die -
hopefully not together in each others arms - but they
will die. They will become extinct. Or maybe not. My
theory is that everything alive was once something else
but can't remember it except rarely at moments when they
are close to (a), losing their minds, or (b), dying.

Now I have a extinct oriented question for you Bozo: If
you were to return to life as a spider but with your old
human brain compacted to spider head size but still
fully functional - and you find yourself on the wall of
a friend's house - and you really want to live, even
under such hellish conditions - would you be able
as a spider with your old human mind to somehow
convince your human friend that, "Hey wait a minute,
I'm not a spider, I'm your old friend Bozo", as he approaches
with a large can of some kind of spray in one hand and
a paper towel in the other. Would you (a) be able in some
way to convince your old friend that you really are Bozo,
and (b), even if you do convince him, would you be able
to stop him from killing you because "I'm sorry Bozo,
I always liked you as a human, but right now you're just
too ugly to have around."

In other words, can a human brain in a spider body make
convincing contact with old human friends? And remember,
as an insect you won't have the luxury of time - the time you
have now but take for granted like most everyone else including even me.

[bozo de niro]

You have no idea how many times I've thought about that. Spiders are my favorite insect and bedbugs my most hated.

[Thomas Joseph]

bozo de niro wrote:

> You have no idea how many times I've thought about that.
Spiders are my favorite insect and bedbugs my most hated.

The insect world creeps me out top to bottom. I certainly have
no favorites. I suppose if I were kidnapped and tortured daily
by having an ever changing variety of bugs dumped on me I
would in time find some less repugnant than others. If deprived
of food I might even tongue-snag some of them. I find insects
fascinating. Watched a spider in a web once for about 10 minutes.
The web was full of wriggling creatures. The spider was mostly
in the middle. Content I would assume as it never seemed to
move in any directions no matter what new creature would fly
into it's trap. I wondered, if it had a choice, and maybe it does -
when it finally gets hungry how will it determine which insect it's
going to eat first? Is it by size? Perhaps by newness. Or maybe
it goes for the ones that have been around a while, taking them
in first come/first served fashion. So I find them interesting but
I'd hate to be inundated with any of them. And as bad a bedbugs
can be, I'm sure - I'll bet if enough different types of bugs were
forced on you over time the bedbugs rating would go down as
you are introduced to other as yet unseen insects so hideous
and creepy and harmful in so many ways that the bedbugs
become a welcome relief.

I don't like insects but I can talk about them all day long,
right up there with talking about foul odors, shit, murder,
ironic situations, and a variety of other stuff to deep and
complex to mention.

[lar3ryca]

On 2023-07-27 04:23, Stefan Ram wrote:

> Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> writes:
>> I have taken orders all my life
>

> |Don't you try
> |Don't you try to tell me what to do
> |Everybody's always tryin to tell me
> |What to do
> "Raw Power" (1973) - Iggy Pop (1947/)

Clerk: "Have a nice day."
Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"

--
I have the words already.
What I am seeking is the perfect order of words in the sentence.
~ James Joyce

[Kerr-Mudd, John]

On Thu, 27 Jul 2023 09:26:38 -0600
lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:

> On 2023-07-27 04:23, Stefan Ram wrote:
> > Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> writes:
> >> I have taken orders all my life
> >
> > |Don't you try
> > |Don't you try to tell me what to do
> > |Everybody's always tryin to tell me
> > |What to do
> > "Raw Power" (1973) - Iggy Pop (1947/)
>
> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
> Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"
>

Quite. A well-known pub chain in the UK has its staff issue the
exhortation 'Enjoy' after presenting the goods. I sometimes feel the need
to reply 'I'll try my best'.


--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

[charles]

In article <u9u2be$1tfqa$3...@dont-email.me>,

lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:
> On 2023-07-27 04:23, Stefan Ram wrote:
> > Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> writes:
> >> I have taken orders all my life
> >
> > |Don't you try
> > |Don't you try to tell me what to do
> > |Everybody's always tryin to tell me
> > |What to do
> > "Raw Power" (1973) - Iggy Pop (1947/)

> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
> Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"

even better:

Clerk: "Have a nice day."

Customer: "Unfortunately, I've made other arrangements.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4té
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

[Mack A. Damia]

On Thu, 27 Jul 23 16:15:02 UTC, charles <cha...@candehope.me.uk>
wrote:

>In article <u9u2be$1tfqa$3...@dont-email.me>,
> lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:
>> On 2023-07-27 04:23, Stefan Ram wrote:
>> > Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> writes:
>> >> I have taken orders all my life
>> >
>> > |Don't you try
>> > |Don't you try to tell me what to do
>> > |Everybody's always tryin to tell me
>> > |What to do
>> > "Raw Power" (1973) - Iggy Pop (1947/)
>
>> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
>> Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"
>
>even better:
>Clerk: "Have a nice day."
>Customer: "Unfortunately, I've made other arrangements.

Temper of the times?

Somebody is being pleasant with you, and you throw it back in their
face?

At least keep quiet.

[Hibou]

Le 27/07/2023 à 17:20, Mack A. Damia a écrit :

> On Thu, 27 Jul 23 16:15:02 UTC, charles wrote:
>> lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:
>>>
>>> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
>>> Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"
>>
>> even better:
>> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
>> Customer: "Unfortunately, I've made other arrangements.
>
> Temper of the times?
>
> Somebody is being pleasant with you, and you throw it back in their
> face?
>
> At least keep quiet.

Hmm. The server could usefully say "I hope you..." to make it sound less
like a command - but the word 'nice' would still jar, and the whole
thing would be too much.

People used to wish each other "Good day" etc. and that was enough.
Where did this inflation come from?

The suspicion is that servers don't actually care what kind of day the
customer has, but are just saying what they've been told to say.

"Europeans generally feel the phrase 'have a nice day' is fake and that
the speaker is solely interacting with the listener for business
purposes. It is generally not used in the United Kingdom ... Beyond
smiling, most Germans consider the phrase 'have a nice day' an insincere
and superficial bit of nonsense. To an American it's something normal
and expected..." -
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_nice_day>

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Similar expressions are extremely common in France, to the point that
not saying them can be taken as rude. After you've been through the
check-out at the supermarket you say "Bonne fin de journée" to the
cashier even though you won't lose any sleep if (s)he doesn't a nice
day. When you run into someone you know (or even someone you don't know
but pass on the street) you say "Bonjour" and when you part company you
say "Bonne journée". If you see someone you think is off to have lunch
you say "Bon appétit". And so on. After 36 years I still have to remind
myself to say the right phrases. I agree with "most Germans" but I
don't try to fight the system.

The Wikipedia article you refer to (which I hadn't looked at when I
wrote the above) says "The French also concur that the phrase is
insincere" but then immediately goes on to contradict itself.


--
Athel -- French and British, living in Marseilles for 36 years; mainly
in England until 1987.

[J. J. Lodder]

"Is that an order?"

Jan

[charles]

In article <u9u6j8$1ts0p$1...@dont-email.me>,

checking in to a flight at Chicago, some years ago, my wife was wished
"Have a nice day". It was 23.55!

[lar3ryca]

Hence the really annoying phrase "Have a nice rest of the day" that i
have heard many times.

--
When I was a kid, I had to walk 12 feet through shag carpet
just to change the channel on the TV.

[Sam Plusnet]

Alas insincere phrases seen to have become much more common of late in
the UK.

I often hear some version of "Enjoy the rest of your day."

I suspect they switch to this version at some point in the afternoon -
but I cannot tell. I am not a morning person.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Hibou]

Le 27/07/2023 à 18:03, Athel Cornish-Bowden a écrit :
> On 2023-07-27 16:39:03 +0000, Hibou said:
>>
>> "Europeans generally feel the phrase 'have a nice day' is fake and
>> that the speaker is solely interacting with the listener for business
>> purposes. It is generally not used in the United Kingdom ... Beyond
>> smiling, most Germans consider the phrase 'have a nice day' an
>> insincere and superficial bit of nonsense. To an American it's
>> something normal and expected..." -
>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_nice_day>
>
> Similar expressions are extremely common in France, to the point that
> not saying them can be taken as rude. After you've been through the
> check-out at the supermarket you say "Bonne fin de journée" to the
> cashier even though you won't lose any sleep if (s)he doesn't a nice
> day. When you run into someone you know (or even someone you don't know
> but pass on the street) you say "Bonjour" and when you part company you
> say "Bonne journée". If you see someone you think is off to have lunch
> you say "Bon appétit". And so on. After 36 years I still have to remind
> myself to say the right phrases. I agree with "most Germans" but I don't
> try to fight the system.

Well, « Bonjour » is just "Good day", just a polite token, and I'm happy
with it. « Bonne journée » is starting to feel inflated, and - Dieu help
me - I often don't echo it, but content myself with an « Au revoir » and
a smile, which I think is polite enough. I am foreign, after all, and
can't be expected to know.

<https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=souhaiter_INF+bonjour%2Csouhaiter_INF+bonne+journ%C3%A9e&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=fr-2019&smoothing=3>

> The Wikipedia article you refer to (which I hadn't looked at when I
> wrote the above) says "The French also concur that the phrase is
> insincere" but then immediately goes on to contradict itself.

Yes, the article is poorly written.

I find the whole thing distasteful. "Those in the service industry,
though, have to become 'one-minute friends' each time they interact with
customers." No, absolutely not! I don't want a 'one-minute friend'
(especially not one who nosily wants to know how I'm doing today), I
just want service.

At least I'm lucky enough never to have been told to "Have a good meal"
by a waiter.

[Hibou]

Le 28/07/2023 à 06:35, Hibou a écrit :
>
> <https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=souhaiter_INF+bonjour%2Csouhaiter_INF+bonne+journ%C3%A9e&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=fr-2019&smoothing=3>

Right-clicking on any of the curves merges them and simplifies the graph.

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

On 2023-07-28 05:35:00 +0000, Hibou said:

> Le 27/07/2023 à 18:03, Athel Cornish-Bowden a écrit :
>> On 2023-07-27 16:39:03 +0000, Hibou said:
>>>
>>> "Europeans generally feel the phrase 'have a nice day' is fake and that
>>> the speaker is solely interacting with the listener for business
>>> purposes. It is generally not used in the United Kingdom ... Beyond
>>> smiling, most Germans consider the phrase 'have a nice day' an
>>> insincere and superficial bit of nonsense. To an American it's
>>> something normal and expected..." -
>>> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_a_nice_day>
>>
>> Similar expressions are extremely common in France, to the point that
>> not saying them can be taken as rude. After you've been through the
>> check-out at the supermarket you say "Bonne fin de journée" to the
>> cashier even though you won't lose any sleep if (s)he doesn't a nice
>> day. When you run into someone you know (or even someone you don't know
>> but pass on the street) you say "Bonjour" and when you part company you
>> say "Bonne journée". If you see someone you think is off to have lunch
>> you say "Bon appétit". And so on. After 36 years I still have to remind
>> myself to say the right phrases. I agree with "most Germans" but I
>> don't try to fight the system.
>
> Well, « Bonjour » is just "Good day", just a polite token, and I'm
> happy with it.

Me too. Nothing wrong with "Bonjour": I shouldn't have mentioned it.

> « Bonne journée » is starting to feel inflated, and - Dieu help me - I
> often don't echo it, but content myself with an « Au revoir » and a
> smile, which I think is polite enough. I am foreign, after all, and
> can't be expected to know.
>
> <https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=souhaiter_INF+bonjour%2Csouhaiter_INF+bonne+journ%C3%A9e&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=fr-2019&smoothing=3>
>
>
>> The Wikipedia article you refer to (which I hadn't looked at when I
>> wrote the above) says "The French also concur that the phrase is
>> insincere" but then immediately goes on to contradict itself.
>
> Yes, the article is poorly written.
>
> I find the whole thing distasteful. "Those in the service industry,
> though, have to become 'one-minute friends' each time they interact
> with customers." No, absolutely not! I don't want a 'one-minute friend'
> (especially not one who nosily wants to know how I'm doing today), I
> just want service.
>
> At least I'm lucky enough never to have been told to "Have a good meal"
> by a waiter.

--
athel -- biochemist, not a physicist, but detector of crackpots

[Mack A. Damia]

On 28 Jul 2023 11:20:57 GMT, r...@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
wrote:

>Hibou <vpaereru-u...@yahoo.com.invalid> quoted:

>>"Europeans generally feel the phrase 'have a nice day' is fake and that
>>the speaker is solely interacting with the listener for business
>>purposes.
>

> If a plumber fixes my drain just for the money, I'm still happy
> with it.
>
> A problem with "Have a nice day!" is that it forces me to answer
> something, which takes time and effort and distracts me.

Try something humorous:

"I'll try, but my mother-in-law is coming for a two week stay today."

Put a smile on somebody's face. It is a good expression of your
humanity.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Yesterday I said "Have you seen the weather here? Yeah, I guess
you have, unless you're in Alaska." She laughed.

[Snidely]

Just this Friday, Stefan Ram puzzled about:

> A problem with "Have a nice day!" is that it forces me to answer
> something, which takes time and effort and distracts me.

It can be pretty automatic to answer "you too" or "you also", whichever
you choose. If you're spending much effort and being distracted,
you're overthinking the sequence.

/dps

--
I have always been glad we weren't killed that night. I do not know
any particular reason, but I have always been glad.
_Roughing It_, Mark Twain

[Snidely]

On Friday or thereabouts, Athel Cornish-Bowden declared ...

I think you guys are all showing as thin-skinned and unwilling to
cooperate with social luubrication. You've gone from being mature
adults to shouting "you kids get off my lawn!"


/dps

--
"First thing in the morning, before I have coffee, I read the obits, If
I'm not in it, I'll have breakfast." -- Carl Reiner, to CBS News in
2015.

[Sam Plusnet]

It all comes down to individual taste, since your "social lubrication"
is the grit in my salad.

If it has a negative effect on a fair percentage of the customers[1],
then why continue to do it?

[1] Discussion here seems to suggest that.


--
Sam Plusnet

[Thomas Joseph]

Wrong. I have heard lots of Americans put down the expression.
For a long time it was even the butt of jokes for pro comics. That
was boring to me - more media oriented stuff. I used to laugh at
"Have a nice day." But really, if you put it up against any other number
of hello or farewell expressions it is no worse than most and in fact
better than most. I suppose if one is in the mood they can find
something ridiculous and laughable about any hello/goodbye expression.

May God bless you and have mercy on your stinking rotting soul!

[Thomas Joseph]

Who determines whether this or that version is insincere?
"Have a nice day", may have it corny side, but take any phrase
to suit the situation and I'm sure somebody will find something
stupid or laughable about it.

See ya later (unless one of us dies before then)

[Hibou]

Le 29/07/2023 à 02:47, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
>
> Who determines whether this or that version is insincere?
> "Have a nice day", may have it corny side, but take any phrase
> to suit the situation and I'm sure somebody will find something
> stupid or laughable about it.

There used to be phrases ("Good day", "Good afternoon", etc., "How do
you do?", « Bonjour », « Au revoir »...) that had become frozen tokens.
There was no real meaning in them, they were just part of etiquette,
and, as far as I know, no-one took exception to them.

If you try to elaborate on these ("Have a nice day", "How are you
today?", "Missing you already"...), that immediately draws attention and
prompts questions. Why are you saying this? Do you mean it? Have you
been instructed to say it? What are you after?

If you don't want this sort of reaction, it's better to stick with the
old phrases.

On which, I bid you good day.

[Paul Wolff]

On Sat, 29 Jul 2023, at 06:58:51, Hibou posted:

>Le 29/07/2023 ą 02:47, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
>> Who determines whether this or that version is insincere?
>> "Have a nice day", may have it corny side, but take any phrase
>> to suit the situation and I'm sure somebody will find something
>> stupid or laughable about it.
>
>There used to be phrases ("Good day", "Good afternoon", etc., "How do

>you do?", 0 >There was no real meaning in them, they were just part of etiquette,

>and, as far as I know, no-one took exception to them.
>
>If you try to elaborate on these ("Have a nice day", "How are you
>today?", "Missing you already"...), that immediately draws attention
>and prompts questions. Why are you saying this? Do you mean it? Have
>you been instructed to say it? What are you after?
>
>If you don't want this sort of reaction, it's better to stick with the
>old phrases.
>
>On which, I bid you good day.
>

BBC radio's Today programme (aired 6 to 9am) is a great place to observe
speech trends among the educated. The presenters start many of their
interviews with either "Good morning" or the bare and less meaningful
"Morning". They use the full form with outsiders, and the abbreviated
form with other broadcasters (typically, special correspondents). They
aren't consistent in this, but it's noticeable.

If they interviewed me and began with "Morning" I'd want to answer "Yes,
I agree that it's morning." But if they started with "Good morning" I'd
be happy with their greeting. With professionals, they still seem to
need an opener, but save fractional seconds of valuable broadcasting
time by using code.

If they saved more time, they'd be able to give the poor weather
forecasters time to speak at a normal pace instead of at the double.
Then we listeners would have time to process the weather information
properly.
--
Paul W

[Jerry Friedman]

On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:58:56 PM UTC-6, Hibou wrote:
> Le 29/07/2023 à 02:47, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
> >
> > Who determines whether this or that version is insincere?
> > "Have a nice day", may have it corny side, but take any phrase
> > to suit the situation and I'm sure somebody will find something
> > stupid or laughable about it.

> There used to be phrases ("Good day", "Good afternoon", etc., "How do
> you do?", « Bonjour », « Au revoir »...) that had become frozen tokens.
> There was no real meaning in them, they were just part of etiquette,
> and, as far as I know, no-one took exception to them.

There was a time when some people felt that they were boring and
replaced "Good-bye," for instance, with "Cheerio," "Pip-pip," "Toodle-oo,"
etc. I feel that the point of using nonsense words there was to
demonstrate one's recognition that "Good-bye" was a meaningless
noise.

> If you try to elaborate on these ("Have a nice day", "How are you
> today?", "Missing you already"...), that immediately draws attention and
> prompts questions. Why are you saying this? Do you mean it? Have you
> been instructed to say it? What are you after?

But does that last more than a few months of hearing those phrases?
I've never heard "Missing you already", or maybe only once, but the other
two became "frozen tokens" decades ago.

> If you don't want this sort of reaction, it's better to stick with the
> old phrases.
>
> On which, I bid you good day.

I have the honor to remain, Sir, etc.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Peter T. Daniels]

WNYC has been using the BBC instead of NPR for some of its top-of-the-
hour news summaries (BrE bulletins, which has a quite different meaning
in AmE) -- I suspect they charge less -- and they've taken to beginning with
"Hello." (I suppose being international they can't use a time of day.)

[Mack A. Damia]

Hold up your right hand and spread your four fingers, two and two.

Was that the Vulcan expression introduced by Dr. Spock?

[Mack A. Damia]

On Sat, 29 Jul 2023 07:33:29 -0700, Mack A. Damia

And a touch of humanity: (spoken) "Be safe and well!"

[Sam Plusnet]

On 27-Jul-23 17:39, Hibou wrote:

I recently read a Time Travel story, in which some people were sent back
into the Stone Age.
On visiting a nearby village after several hours of walking, they were
offered a meal by the Chief of that village. When food had been placed
in front of each of the visitors, the Chief said:
"Enjoy!".

This must have been a North American Stone Age.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 2:58:55 PM UTC-4, Sam Plusnet wrote:

> I recently read a Time Travel story, in which some people were sent back
> into the Stone Age.
> On visiting a nearby village after several hours of walking, they were
> offered a meal by the Chief of that village. When food had been placed
> in front of each of the visitors, the Chief said:
> "Enjoy!".
>
> This must have been a North American Stone Age.

A _Jewish_ North American Stone Age.

[Hibou]

Le 29/07/2023 à 13:31, Jerry Friedman a écrit :
> On Friday, July 28, 2023 at 11:58:56 PM UTC-6, Hibou wrote:
>>
>> There used to be phrases ("Good day", "Good afternoon", etc., "How do
>> you do?", « Bonjour », « Au revoir »...) that had become frozen tokens.
>> There was no real meaning in them, they were just part of etiquette,
>> and, as far as I know, no-one took exception to them.
>
> There was a time when some people felt that they were boring and
> replaced "Good-bye," for instance, with "Cheerio," "Pip-pip," "Toodle-oo,"
> etc. I feel that the point of using nonsense words there was to
> demonstrate one's recognition that "Good-bye" was a meaningless
> noise.

I hadn't thought of those. I imagine they were criticised in their time.
They are not working sentences, do look just like tokens, so are not
going to raise hackles the way "Have a nice day" does. That phrase comes
across as an order.

I cannot brook the accent of the imperative mood, as Richard III might say.

>> If you try to elaborate on these ("Have a nice day", "How are you
>> today?", "Missing you already"...), that immediately draws attention and
>> prompts questions. Why are you saying this? Do you mean it? Have you
>> been instructed to say it? What are you after?
>
> But does that last more than a few months of hearing those phrases?

At least with those who pay attention to and care about language, yes.

> I've never heard "Missing you already", or maybe only once, but the other
> two became "frozen tokens" decades ago.
>
>> If you don't want this sort of reaction, it's better to stick with the
>> old phrases.
>>
>> On which, I bid you good day.
>
> I have the honor to remain, Sir, etc.

Ta enormously, and TTFN!

[Athel Cornish-Bowden]

Now that emails have largely replaced letters on paper the traditional
endings have largely disappeared, but 35 and more years ago it was
common to end a letter in French with something like "I beseech you, my
dear friend and colleague, to accept the sincere expression of my most
profound admiration".


>
> Ta enormously, and TTFN!

[Thomas Joseph]

How do you know I didn't die last night? I understand the
question prompting aspect of it. I understand the ridicule
"Have a nice day" has been getting since it first turned up.
When? Can you name the year? Anyway, I guess we both
know that any phrase used in the same capacity is open to
criticism and ridicule. I'm not a rabid fan of "have a nice
day", but I think those who spend a lot of time putting it
down should be obligated to give a replacement. I think
I typically use, "See ya later", which itself is open to ridicule
as is everything under the sun including you and. yes by God,
even me.

How about condolence phrases? They all seem insincere.
Or abrupt. "He will be missed", usually gets a laugh out of me.
Even if the person saying it is serious it's still funny.

[Thomas Joseph]

On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 5:26:54 AM UTC-4, Paul Wolff wrote:

You may be able to process the information properly - but will the
information itself be proper? When I surf over the weather (or news)
channels, it seems they are always talking about impending disasters.
They can say it's going to be mostly sunny tomorrow. Instead they say
there is a 10% chance of rain. Always go with the negative. They want
to be seen as our saviors. Part of the first responder brigade - the "we're
looking out for you" crowd. You want the weather, stick your head out the window.

[Thomas Joseph]

bozo de niro wrote:

> will insects take over or go extinct?


I've lived in a lot of grand old building that had cockroaches. They
could be controlled but never eliminated, not without the owners
taking control. I have lived down here in NC for 30 years and have
never had a roach problem in any of the places I was renting. But
last week I noticed a bunch of ants on one of the kitchen counters,
one I don't even make food on.

The bug guy who comes every week gave me two "terror" quick
acting ant bait and within two days I thought the problem was
gone. But they were just getting warmed up. I think the stuff
is finally working.

The other day I watched the swarm on the counter - one long
line coming in for the bait, another line to take the food back
to the queen and the rest of the colony. I think it's worked. Took
about 6 days. They are small and very fast and very annoying.
But if I had to chose I suppose I'd take them over an equal amount
of cocoa-colored, pus-bellied American cockroaches with hairy
legs and armored backs with hideous other-worldly antennae
twitching in all directions. But only if it's an equal amount.

Insects will not take over the world. There is no need, it is
already theirs. They will endure. And we will be their food.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Thomas Joseph wrote:

> I've lived in a lot of grand old building that had cockroaches. They
> could be controlled but never eliminated, not without the owners
> taking control. I have lived down here in NC for 30 years and have
> never had a roach problem in any of the places I was renting. But
> last week I noticed a bunch of ants on one of the kitchen counters,
> one I don't even make food on.

I haven't ants inside my house, but I have them in my garden, and they
prefer to live in the gaps between my tiles where they dig up a lot of
the gravel that ought to keep the tiles stable.

Once in a while I boil a kettle of water and pour it down the holes they
have made. That sets them back for a while.

If they dig in my lawn, I leave them in peace.

--
Bertel, Denmark

[Hibou]

Le 31/07/2023 à 02:35, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
> On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 1:58:56 AM UTC-4, Hibou wrote:
>>
>> There used to be phrases ("Good day", "Good afternoon", etc., "How do
>> you do?", « Bonjour », « Au revoir »...) that had become frozen tokens.
>> There was no real meaning in them, they were just part of etiquette,
>> and, as far as I know, no-one took exception to them.
>>
>> If you try to elaborate on these ("Have a nice day", "How are you
>> today?", "Missing you already"...), that immediately draws attention and
>> prompts questions. Why are you saying this? Do you mean it? Have you
>> been instructed to say it? What are you after?
>>
>> If you don't want this sort of reaction, it's better to stick with the
>> old phrases.
>>
>> On which, I bid you good day.
>
> How do you know I didn't die last night?

I know you didn't because you've written to me today.

I was just wishing you a good day. I'm afraid that's no guarantee it
will go well.

> I understand the
> question prompting aspect of it. I understand the ridicule
> "Have a nice day" has been getting since it first turned up.
> When? Can you name the year? Anyway, I guess we both
> know that any phrase used in the same capacity is open to
> criticism and ridicule. I'm not a rabid fan of "have a nice
> day", but I think those who spend a lot of time putting it
> down should be obligated to give a replacement.

The easy answer to that is to ask, what did it replace? And the answer
is "Good day" etc..

> I think
> I typically use, "See ya later", which itself is open to ridicule
> as is everything under the sun including you and. yes by God,
> even me.

I think in practice we're all flexible. In order to keep things cordial
and not make waves, I'll echo correspondents' "Kind regards" in business
e-mails (though a simple "Regards" used to be enough in telexes - that's
regards inflation for you). In personal e-mails I'll be less formal,
perhaps starting with "Wotcher" and ending with "@+" (/à plus/ tard, see
you later).

> How about condolence phrases? They all seem insincere.
> Or abrupt. "He will be missed", usually gets a laugh out of me.
> Even if the person saying it is serious it's still funny.

I'm not sure about funny, but I agree some phrases need reworking. "He
won't be forgotten"? Yes he will, actually, sooner or later.

In the end, it's all about the thing that sets aue-ers and their ilk
apart: thinking about what one says.

[Bebercito]

Le dimanche 23 juillet 2023 à 07:45:42 UTC+2, bozo de niro a écrit :
> will insects take over or go extinct?

ObAUE: Just a minor quibble, but I don't think what you're asking is
whether insects will have to take over not to go extinct - so that an
added comma might be welcome for the avoidance of doubt: "Will
insects take over, or go extinct?"

[Sam Plusnet]

The survivors are now steadily working to undermine your entire house.

--
Sam Plusnet

[lar3ryca]

For a more long-lasting solution, make a mixture of borax and powdered
sugar, and leave little piles of it near the entrances/exits the ants use.

> If they dig in my lawn, I leave them in peace.

As do I.

--
Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam

[bozo de niro]

On Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 6:30:44 PM UTC-7, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> bozo de niro wrote:
>
> > You have no idea how many times I've thought about that.
> Spiders are my favorite insect and bedbugs my most hated.
> The insect world creeps me out top to bottom. I certainly have
> no favorites. I suppose if I were kidnapped and tortured daily
> by having an ever changing variety of bugs dumped on me I
> would in time find some less repugnant than others. If deprived
> of food I might even tongue-snag some of them. I find insects
> fascinating. Watched a spider in a web once for about 10 minutes.
> The web was full of wriggling creatures. The spider was mostly
> in the middle. Content I would assume as it never seemed to
> move in any directions no matter what new creature would fly
> into it's trap. I wondered, if it had a choice, and maybe it does -
> when it finally gets hungry how will it determine which insect it's
> going to eat first? Is it by size? Perhaps by newness. Or maybe
> it goes for the ones that have been around a while, taking them
> in first come/first served fashion. So I find them interesting but
> I'd hate to be inundated with any of them. And as bad a bedbugs
> can be, I'm sure - I'll bet if enough different types of bugs were
> forced on you over time the bedbugs rating would go down as
> you are introduced to other as yet unseen insects so hideous
> and creepy and harmful in so many ways that the bedbugs
> become a welcome relief.
>
> I don't like insects but I can talk about them all day long,
> right up there with talking about foul odors, shit, murder,
> ironic situations, and a variety of other stuff to deep and
> complex to mention.

Trust me TJ if you actually KNEW what you were talking about and had more intimate familiarity with insects
say like bedbugs versus spiders, you'd find virtue in the simple difference between predators and parasites
in the vast diversity of the class Insecta.

helpful mnemonic acronym K P C O F G S
Think of radio station call letters "KPCO"
then just ad FGS
for the mnemonic
kingdom, phylum, CLASS, order / family, genus, species

Btw does anybody know if this scheme still generally applies or not?

[bozo de niro]

On Thursday, July 27, 2023 at 8:26:43 AM UTC-7, lar3ryca wrote:
> On 2023-07-27 04:23, Stefan Ram wrote:
> > Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> writes:
> >> I have taken orders all my life
> >
> > |Don't you try
> > |Don't you try to tell me what to do
> > |Everybody's always tryin to tell me
> > |What to do
> > "Raw Power" (1973) - Iggy Pop (1947/)
>

> Clerk: "Have a nice day."
> Customer: "Don't tell me what to do!"
>

> --
> I have the words already.
> What I am seeking is the perfect order of words in the sentence.
> ~ James Joyce

"Don't tell me what to do"

Two words come to mind
Precious and Exactly
or as transliterated into Hebrew is pronounced
B E T T Y - E W K!

[Snidely]

on 7/31/2023, Hibou supposed :

> In the end, it's all about the thing that sets aue-ers and their ilk apart:
> thinking about what one says.

But not all AUEers think they've reached perfection and that everyone
else is wrong.

f/dps

--
Ieri, oggi, domani

[Snidely]

Remember Monday, when Bebercito asked plaintively:

Unnecessary.

/dps

--
Ieri, oggi, domani

[Bebercito]

Not IMO - reading this title, I wasn't sure which meaning was intended
(hence the remark) and I seem to remember hearing of theories to either
effect. (I know next to nothing about the matter, though.)

[Snidely]

Bebercito is guilty of
<718cd050-3a93-402d...@googlegroups.com> as of 8/2/2023
5:08:51 AM

> Le mercredi 2 août 2023 à 11:15:12 UTC+2, Snidely a écrit :
>> Remember Monday, when Bebercito asked plaintively:
>>> Le dimanche 23 juillet 2023 à 07:45:42 UTC+2, bozo de niro a écrit :
>>>> will insects take over or go extinct?
>>>
>>> ObAUE: Just a minor quibble, but I don't think what you're asking is
>>> whether insects will have to take over not to go extinct - so that an
>>> added comma might be welcome for the avoidance of doubt: "Will
>>> insects take over, or go extinct?"
>> Unnecessary.
>
> Not IMO - reading this title, I wasn't sure which meaning was intended
> (hence the remark)

Sorry, but to this native speaker there is no ambiguity and the comma
is not only unnecessary but annoying.

> and I seem to remember hearing of theories to either
> effect. (I know next to nothing about the matter, though.)
>
>>
>> /dps
>>
>> --
>> Ieri, oggi, domani

I see you're using Google Groups, but it is still appropriate to trim
dot-sig material unless you're actually commenting on it.

/dps "yes, I have used GG myself, and have done the manual trimming
myself"

--
Ieri, oggi, domani

[Thomas Joseph]

Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:


> I haven't ants inside my house, but I have them in my garden, and they
> prefer to live in the gaps between my tiles where they dig up a lot of
> the gravel that ought to keep the tiles stable.
>
> Once in a while I boil a kettle of water and pour it down the holes they
> have made. That sets them back for a while.
>
> If they dig in my lawn, I leave them in peace.
>
> --
> Bertel, Denmark

Thomas Joseph responded:


"That sets them back for a while" - LOL. I don't have a garden.
I live in an apartment. Even if I had a house I'd probably turn
down a garden.

They are good with maintenance in this building. The bug guy
comes once a month. Non toxic stuff (to humans anyway). I
showed him the ants and he laid a Terro bait trap filled with
borax on the counter.

It's a bit sadistic - but I'm for it because it works. It took a week,
the ants are gone. At the start all I saw was a swarm. Within two
days the ants had formed a bucket brigade - one line in to take the
bait, another line to take it back to the colony to infect the others.
The stuff is designed to take between 24 and 48 hours to kill, keeping
them alive long enough to kill the others. Across the rug, one end of
the room to the other. I didn't see it at first. Quite a dedicated society,
I must say. Hard workers. Still, I do feel superior destroying not only
a mindless swarm of insects, but an entire society of dedicated workers.
The stuff worked. In time they will find a way to adapt to it - without
vaccines and other pharm crap humans use. But in the meantime they
are going to pay with their lives if they cross the line again.

"This is MY house!"

[Thomas Joseph]

Hibou and Thomas Joseph (>>) back and forthed:

> > How about condolence phrases? They all seem insincere.
> > Or abrupt. "He will be missed", usually gets a laugh out of me.
> > Even if the person saying it is serious it's still funny.

> I'm not sure about funny, but I agree some phrases need reworking. "He
> won't be forgotten"? Yes he will, actually, sooner or later.
>
> In the end, it's all about the thing that sets aue-ers and their ilk
> apart: thinking about what one says.

I am sometimes concerned much with proper word use but generally prefer using them my own way. To me words are not sacred. People can concern themselves with proper word usage to the point where they become so flustered they don't know what to say. I might laugh at a phrase or the way someone says something. But if I know what they're saying - that's good enough for me.

Word up, Bro!

[Thomas Joseph]

Bozo wrote:
TJ replied:

>> Trust me TJ if you actually KNEW what you were talking about
and had more intimate familiarity with insects say like bedbugs
versus spiders, you'd find virtue in the simple difference between
predators and parasites in the vast diversity of the class Insecta.

>> helpful mnemonic acronym K P C O F G S
Think of radio station call letters "KPCO"
then just ad FGS
for the mnemonic
kingdom, phylum, CLASS, order / family, genus, species

>> Btw does anybody know if this scheme still generally applies or not?

Bozo, your argumentative attitude for all things Thomas Joseph
is beginning to g-r-a-t-e on my nerves. You're t-e-a-r-i-n-g me apart.
Now you're going to take me to war over a spider vs bed bug beef?
Reminds me of the old hypothetic bear vs gorilla proposition bet.

Spiders are fascinating for sure - but I am not a fan. I am not a fan
of bed bugs either. Your predator vs parasite argument has merit
only in its humor, which is good enough for me.

I don't care what the 'experts' say, in my opinion ALL creatures
are predatory and that includes bed bug and leeches or any creature
large or small forced to make it through life one way or another.

Bed bugs are parasites, no doubt, but I'm sure they work hard at it,
so they're not bums - got that? And if they are bums, then what are
dust mites? All they do is hang around inside a mattress chomping
on anything they can get including your dead skin. I am sure you
already know, bug expert that you are, that dust mites are spiders.
Microscopic. Why so small? And why inside the mattress? Perhaps
to hide from predatory bed bugs.

We are all predators, Mr. Clown. For all who continue to live, no
matter who or what they are, the hunting never stops.

I can see the headline now: "Two men hospitalized with
life-threatening injuries after bed bug vs spider debacle."

[Thomas Joseph]

That's what the bug guy put down, little canisters with a
liquid mix of bait and borax. It worked. Took about a week.
At first I didn't see the long line of ants bucket-brigading their way
from the bait to the nest and back. They were very small but
all over the place. I haven't see any in days. Maybe they're in
hiding plotting revenge.

[Thomas Joseph]

Bozo wrote:
Bebercito wrote:

Unnecessary.


I try not to over-read things but will take the opportunity to
analyze if it comes along. I enjoy misreading things without
going out of my way to do it. I like the way Bozo phrased his
question, all or nothing at all style. Either the insects take over
the world or they go extinct. All or nothing. But the insects
don't want to overtake the world - and they better not try, because
this is one human being who will not hesitate to kill an entire
society of creepy crawlers even if it means stomping them half
unconscious before tearing their heads from their funked out bodies
with my bare teeth.

[J. J. Lodder]

Thomas Joseph <jazee...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hibou and Thomas Joseph (>>) back and forthed:
>
> > > How about condolence phrases? They all seem insincere.
> > > Or abrupt. "He will be missed", usually gets a laugh out of me.
> > > Even if the person saying it is serious it's still funny.
>
> > I'm not sure about funny, but I agree some phrases need reworking. "He
> > won't be forgotten"? Yes he will, actually, sooner or later.
> >
> > In the end, it's all about the thing that sets aue-ers and their ilk
> > apart: thinking about what one says.

[snip garbage]
Still falsifying the attributions, I see.

Are you really to dumb to see that it is no longer possibe this way
to see who wrote what?
You really should leave attribution lines like they were,

Jan

[Sam Plusnet]

If someone persists in not playing nicely with the other people, it's
best to send them to the naughty step.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Thomas Joseph]

Here we go again! Did you look at the attribution lines
in that thread? I never liked that method - I call it the
debate method - where a poster responds paragraph
by paragraph or sentence by sentence. Yes, maybe I
am that dumb. I told you before I intend to leave all
posts exactly as they are, especially when you're in
the mix. Earlier I responded to someone who had no
'attribution' lines at all for their post. I think you are
quibbling just a bit. The type who will interrupt a
discussion/argument/debate to point out a grammatical
error to avoid involvement. I also do not like you suggesting
that I am 'falsifying' the attributions. That is not true.
If I have to choose between 'falsifying' and being "too
dumb" to understand what you're saying I will gladly
take "too dumb."

[Thomas Joseph]

On Friday, August 4, 2023 at 4:32:16 PM UTC-4, J. J. Lodder wrote:

I did snip some stuff. But I went back and looked at my post
and I never said "<snipped garbage>" - you did. You are the
falsifier putting words in my mouth. Get off the game. As I
said, I may not be perfect but from now on (especially with
you), I will simply leave all text intact and roll from there. Just
for you. Good God.

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

Thomas Joseph wrote:

>> Once in a while I boil a kettle of water and pour it down the holes they
>> have made. That sets them back for a while.
>>
>> If they dig in my lawn, I leave them in peace.

> "That sets them back for a while" - LOL. I don't have a garden.
> I live in an apartment. Even if I had a house I'd probably turn
> down a garden.
>
> They are good with maintenance in this building. The bug guy
> comes once a month. Non toxic stuff (to humans anyway). I
> showed him the ants and he laid a Terro bait trap filled with
> borax on the counter.

Borax is illegal in Denmark.

--
Bertel, Denmark

[Hibou]

Le 04/08/2023 à 20:45, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
> Hibou:

>>
>> I'm not sure about funny, but I agree some phrases need reworking. "He
>> won't be forgotten"? Yes he will, actually, sooner or later.
>>
>> In the end, it's all about the thing that sets aue-ers and their ilk
>> apart: thinking about what one says.
>
> I am sometimes concerned much with proper word use but generally prefer using them my own way. To me words are not sacred. People can concern themselves with proper word usage to the point where they become so flustered they don't know what to say. I might laugh at a phrase or the way someone says something. But if I know what they're saying - that's good enough for me.
>
> Word up, Bro!

I agree: words are not sacred.

I suppose they're a bit like clothes. At home, I wear what I like, but
when I go out, I spare a thought for the effect on other people.

Does this make my breeks sacred? I don't think so.

There is enormous power in taking a moment to think about what one says
- delving into one's ideas more deeply, ordering them, choosing the
right word to express them. It was doing this a lot that made
Shakespeare great.

In a more modest way, we can all do it a bit, and the language would be
healthier if we did. I'm sure this is true; in fact I'd stake my shirt
on it.

[Thomas Joseph]

I don't know much about it other than suspecting that boric acid
comes from borax - I'll look it up to make sure - and I'll bet there's
a lot more toxic stuff being used out there. Do you know why Borax
is illegal in Denmark? I can google that too. Incredible, I feel like
I am being hounded out of asking questions. "Why don't you just
google it?" And it's true, I can google it and I will. Right now.

I got this: "What is in borax that makes it harmful to the touch?
The EU banned borax on claims of impacts on reproductive health,
following studies on mice and rats at high (abnormally high) ingested
doses. ... Borax is not a known carcinogen, but like substitutes, it can
be a skin irritant to sensitive skins."

I suppose as soap or detergent it could be harsh or even dangerous.
But it was used for a lot of years. Anyway, it comes in liquid form
in small plastic canisters mixed with something to attract ants
and so forth. I am not an insect lover. "This is MY house!" So
I am glad they gave me the canisters and even gladder that they worked.
I would guess as a bug killer it is less offensive and dangerous than
most sprays. I drove a cab for 33 and used to tote a lot of groceries
into people's homes. Sometimes the first thing I'd smell on entering
was bug spray. Horrible.

[Thomas Joseph]

I might let you win that bet just so I won't have to look at your
disgusting torso. Hah hah. I do not go out of my way in public
or in private to misuse words. I could be wrong but I suspect
some people pretend to be bugged by it more than they really
are. It gives them a chance to play God in some way. I am all
about learning new words and phrases, and I am by no means
opposed to using proper English (If I know it, which is not
always the case). Depends on the person, I'd say. If a person
knows what he's talking about I don't care how it comes out,
although high end techno speak is our of my realm and will
hopefully stay that way.

Adios for now dude..............

[Thomas Joseph]

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 3:01:37 AM UTC-4, Hibou wrote:

Yes, but will insects take over the world or go extinct?

[Hibou]

Le 05/08/2023 à 08:48, Thomas Joseph a écrit :
>
> Yes, but will insects take over the world or go extinct?

Take over the world. At least, that's the buzz.

[Thomas Joseph]

Hah hah. Yeah, I heard them buzzing big time tonight while
walking home from the market. Really loud. I read somewhere
that all the insects in the world outweighs humans by a large
amount. I'm going to look it up - see if I can't get the buzz on
it - the inside info.

"What weighs more humans or insects?"

"If we zoom in on all animal life, we again see how insignificant
humans are compared to everyone else in the kingdom. Arthropods
(insects) outweigh us by a factor of 17. Even the mollusks (think clams)
weigh more."

All I can say is let's hope they don't get together and join forces in
a concerted maneuver to wipe out the human race. They will cut
right through us like a buzz saw. Not if I have anything to say about
it. I am a dedicated pro human person. I will kill to defend my species.
In fact I will even kill my own species if it means a better life for all of
us down the road. I am ready to sacrifice my life for my species. Are
you with me?

[J. J. Lodder]

Guess you are right.
What I made sure of is that for this particular nasty
the 'not playing nice' is quite deliberate,
(as if it wasn't clear enough yet)

Jan

[Peter Moylan]

On 27/07/23 00:07, Peter T. Daniels wrote:

> On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02:58 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
>
>> bozo de niro wrote:

>> occam wrote:
>> Thomas Joseph wrote:
>
> STOP DELETING CHEVRONS.

You must be among the few still reading his crap.

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, August 4, 2023 at 7:25:34 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> On Friday, August 4, 2023 at 4:32:16 PM UTC-4, J. J. Lodder wrote:

> > You really should leave attribution lines like they were,
>

> Here we go again! Did you look at the attribution lines
> in that thread?

I neither know nor care which thread youse guys are referring to, but

> I never liked that method - I call it the
> debate method - where a poster responds paragraph
> by paragraph or sentence by sentence.

this is NOT the point!!!

Regardless of where in a message any individual's paragraph
appears, it is preceded by some number of chevrons from
zero up. (Zero chevrons for the new material found in the new
message.)

At the top of the message is a list, in order, of everyone who
has contributed to the thread, with some number of chevrons,
from zero up, preceding them (these lines are the "attributions")
-- and the number of chevrons before each attribution is _one
less_ than the number of chevrons before the lines of the paragraph(s)
they contributed. That is how readers know who said what.

For some reason, you never leave alone what your system does
with the attributions, but delete or retype chevrons in an arbitrary
manner. Whatever you do takes more effort than doing nothing
at all.

> Yes, maybe I
> am that dumb. I told you before I intend to leave all
> posts exactly as they are, especially when you're in
> the mix.

But (except, for the first time, in this message) you didn't.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 9:22:38 AM UTC-4, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 27/07/23 00:07, Peter T. Daniels wrote:

> > On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02:58 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> >
> >> bozo de niro wrote:
> >> occam wrote:
> >> Thomas Joseph wrote:
> >
> > STOP DELETING CHEVRONS.
>
> You must be among the few still reading his crap.

Scrolling past isn't reading. And JJ's rancor is usually entertaining.

[lar3ryca]

Have the authorities dug up all the borax in Denmark and sequestered it?

Or is it just illegal to sell it, and if so, would you happen to know
the reason for it?

--
It’s bad luck to be superstitious.
~ Andrew W. Mathis

[Bertel Lund Hansen]

lar3ryca wrote:

>> Borax is illegal in Denmark.
>
> Have the authorities dug up all the borax in Denmark and sequestered it?

No, and they haven't searched every Danish home. My father kept using a
plant poison years after it had been forbidden. It was quite nasty stuff
judging from the spot on the shelf it stood on.

> Or is it just illegal to sell it, and if so, would you happen to know
> the reason for it?

Not specifically, but I presume that the reason is that it is poisonous.
I just skimmed a Danish artcle about the stuff, and it won't kill you on
the spot, but it doesn't sound pleasant either.

--
Bertel, Denmark

[charles]

In article <ualts9$1q07o$3...@dont-email.me>,

I remember, from my university days, that if you added it to Boracic Powder
you could make a fire-proofing mixture.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4té
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

[lar3ryca]

On 2023-08-05 10:37, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
>  lar3ryca wrote:
>
>>> Borax is illegal in Denmark.
>>
>> Have the authorities dug up all the borax in Denmark and sequestered it?
>
> No, and they haven't searched every Danish home. My father kept using a
> plant poison years after it had been forbidden. It was quite nasty stuff
> judging from the spot on the shelf it stood on.

Some plant poisons are illegal to use on lawns and home gardens, in
several Canadian provinces.

>> Or is it just illegal to sell it, and if so, would you happen to know
>> the reason for it?
>
> Not specifically, but I presume that the reason is that it is poisonous.
> I just skimmed a Danish artcle about the stuff, and it won't kill you on
> the spot, but it doesn't sound pleasant either.

So what about methyl alcohol and anti-freeze, just to mention two
poisonous substances?

--
Gargoyle (n.), an olive flavoured mouthwash

[Sam Plusnet]

It all seems terribly limiting.
There must be other options open to an enterprising insect.

--
Sam Plusnet

[Thomas Joseph]

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 9:22:38 AM UTC-4, Peter Moylan wrote:

I was wondering when someone would get around to saying that
and I suspected if anyone it would likely be you. Sometimes my
stuff is crap. But not always. I only go to 3 newsgroups but I have
seen others and they all have one thing in common, people like you
and Lodder who were there first and have appointed themselves
Lord of the group and can't wait for newbies to come along to
criticize for whatever reason, unless the newbie says all the
right things, i.e. agrees with them on everything. I will admit
I thought the same thing as you when Lodder lodged another
complaint against my improper posting methods. I wondered
why he's even reading my stuff. I really did. I saw it as a compliment
of sorts even if Lodder did not intend it. But you, Lodder - you cannot
be satisfied, ever - because you don't want to be. You NEED things
to complain about to justify your position as self appointed God of
this newsgroup and a master of the english language, which you are
not. You may use the proper words but you sling them together poorly.
As a writer you suck.

[Thomas Joseph]

I'm not sure but it seems there was a time when I had to do
the work myself. Or maybe I just thought I had to. I saw the
chevrons but never considered how they related to individual
posters. Ok, I get it now. But it's not easy to break long term
habits. I have indeed lately not touched the previous text at all.
I don't even look at it. Even it looks like a mess I leave it alone.
So a few times I jumped off the chevron wagon and went back
to doing things myself. Big deal. I admit I did not know the
number of chevrons before text was related to the poster
given the came number of chevrons. Ok, so take me out and
hang me from a tree. Point is, Moylan is right, nobody has
to read my posts. But it is not true to say I have not adapted
to THE PROPER METHOD when clearly I have.

>>>>>>>>>>>>> Give me some credit, please.

[Thomas Joseph]

Who is JJ? Are you talking about me? If so, thanks, I appreciate it.
Oh, and by the way, it's not always rancor, although I can see how
others might see it that way. Whatever, I hope you were talking about
me.

[Thomas Joseph]

I'm not lobbying for the stuff, only explaining that it's form might
have something to do with its considered dangerousness. A tiny
canister of liquid borax mixed with bait to attract ants to take it
back to the next and kill them all - that is different than liberally
spraying something in powder form all over the place. I am no
authority on the subject.

I can be a suspicious person though,
and I sometimes wonder if some of these actions, such as
making certain things illegal, are not done to make those
passing the laws look like they're actually doing something.
In some way every new law tends to prove the old one didn't
work. And soon the new one will be old too. Borax could be
really dangerous stuff - I don't know for sure. I only know it
worked on the ants.

Also, when I lived in California I had roach problems in all the
buildings I lived in. They were grand old buildings but in
disrepair (which is why the rent was so incredibly cheap, which
as a young kid did not know at the time). Someone told me to
go to the pharmacy and buy some boric acid powder to control
the roaches. I did. I had no instructions. I just sprinkled a bit
of the powder around the perimeter of the room, then used
a broom to gently push it under things, cabinets and so forth.
Within a week I saw far less roaches.

[Thomas Joseph]

Interesting because I'm seeing a lot of class action lawsuits advertised
on TV lately where the lawyers are appealing to anyone who at any
point in their life has come in contact with fire retardant spray, foam,
whatever. They say it causes cancer. Maybe it does, but it is
sickening the way people who get cancer will sometimes blame
one thing alone. Well, maybe not them, but their attorneys for sure.
The anti smoking ads are still around. They'll show a 30 year old
person talking through a hole in their throat, saying, "I wish I hadn't
smoked all those years", as if they know for absolute certain that
the smoking alone caused the cancer. The lawsuits are sickening.
I started smoking at 11. I know it's bad for people. I knew it the
minute I took my first drag. I can't stand the frauds pulling the
helpless act when they get sick, like pro football players suing
the league on the basis concussions, etc., saying, "They never
told us that getting hit in the head over and over and over again
can be dangerous." Somewhere somehow it's always about
somebody trying to make money off someone or something else.

[Thomas Joseph]

Regarding class action lawsuit schemes involving poisonous
materials such as fire retardant foam which could cause
cancer:

A guy is driving down the highway when his car catches
on fire. He pulls over. Bad wiring or something. He opens
the hood and flames start flying.

A fellow traveler pulls over behind him and rushes up
with a canister of flame retardant in his hands.

Now at this point does the guy with the burning car say,
"Wait a minute, before you use that stuff - does it cause
cancer?" No, I don't think so. But years later he gets
cancer and uses the events of that day as an excuse
for a lawsuit against the company that makes the foam.
Ungrateful bastards.

[Thomas Joseph]

With all creatures it's all about eating. Every living thing no
matter its design is basically just a mouth with evolution-based
add ons like legs and arms and other junk to help get them
to the food and also for defense against other mouths ready
to die for it. We are all born of hunger. We are hunger. It's
scary.

[Snidely]

Bertel Lund Hansen presented the following explanation :

An AmE article (headline first):

"Borax is the new Tide Pods, and poison control experts are facepalming
Borax is used in laundry detergent and is not safe to ingest."

<URL:https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/07/borax-is-the-new-tide-pods-and-poison-control-experts-are-facepalming/>

[short term: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; long term: seizures, anemia]

/dps

--
And the Raiders and the Broncos have life now in the West. I thought
they were both nearly dead if not quite really most sincerely dead. --
Mike Salfino, fivethirtyeight.com

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 8:47:56 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 10:12:39 AM UTC-4, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 9:22:38 AM UTC-4, Peter Moylan wrote:
> > > On 27/07/23 00:07, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02:58 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> > > >> bozo de niro wrote:
> > > >> occam wrote:
> > > >> Thomas Joseph wrote:

> > > > STOP DELETING CHEVRONS.
> > > You must be among the few still reading his crap.
> > Scrolling past isn't reading. And JJ's rancor is usually entertaining.
>
> Who is JJ? Are you talking about me? If so, thanks, I appreciate it.

Jesus H. Fucking Christ, you've ben arguing with someone for
a couple of days and you don't even know his name?

[bruce bowser]

Ben? No, been. As in " you've BEEN arguing with someone for a couple of days ...

[Thomas Joseph]

On Sunday, August 6, 2023 at 9:33:18 AM UTC-4, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 8:47:56 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> > On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 10:12:39 AM UTC-4, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > > On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 9:22:38 AM UTC-4, Peter Moylan wrote:
> > > > On 27/07/23 00:07, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > > > > On Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 10:02:58 PM UTC-4, Thomas Joseph wrote:
> > > > >> bozo de niro wrote:
> > > > >> occam wrote:
> > > > >> Thomas Joseph wrote:
>
> > > > > STOP DELETING CHEVRONS.
> > > > You must be among the few still reading his crap.


> > > Scrolling past isn't reading. And JJ's rancor is usually entertaining.


> > Who is JJ? Are you talking about me? If so, thanks, I appreciate it.


> Jesus H. Fucking Christ, you've ben arguing with someone for
> a couple of days and you don't even know his name?

I should have known. You have no taste. Lodder - JJ - Jan, whatever,
it's kind of enigmatic, on purpose probably, like having a ton of aliases.
Yes, I am an idiot to think you or anyone in this group might have
something half nice to say about me. By the way, I am not arguing with
Lodder - Lodder is arguing with me. And you've got his back. I
feel like I'm in a tag team wrestling match and I don't have a partner.
Bastards!

[Thomas Joseph]

bruce bowser wrote:

> Ben? No, been. As in " you've BEEN arguing with someone for a couple of days ...

It's like walking on eggshells talking to some of the stiff-neckers
in this group. Ever careful to not make mistakes, to use the proper
word at all times or face their wrath. It's funny but it's sickening too.

I am able to see how I might bore others as I bore even myself,
sometimes. But it's not just this group, I've seen it in every day
life as well, people just waiting for someone to make a mistake
so they can jump all over it. Instead of saying, "This conversation
bores me", and putting a quick end to it, they will wait for someone
to make a grammatical error of some kind to give them a way out.

"Wait a minute, that word you just used," (spelling it), "let me
hear you pronounce it again." The accused complies and
pronounces the word again. "No", says his accuser, "that is
not the way it's pronounced", as the topic moves from whatever
they were talking about in the first place to proper word usage (as
a cheap excuse to avoid the topic at hand). This tactic is typically
used by people who know their argument is weak. It's a cheap
diversionary tactic employed by far too many people.

[Thomas Joseph]

By the way Bowser, in case I gave the wrong impression now looking
at my words, I was not referring to you as the stiff necked grammarian,
I was talking about the person you were responding to - him and his
ilk. They serve a useful purpose. People on occasion will turn to them
for word usage advice. But when things get dull and not enough
questions are being asked of them they become like cops who are
bored because nothing exciting is happening on their shift - nobody
needs them - so they go out and make it happen on their own, rogue
style.

Looking for action!

[bozo de niro]

Sorry TJ but I can't give you credit because I use a debit Card.

[Thomas Joseph]

I use a debit card too. Never had a credit card in my life. I have
no credit but I am not in debt. Besides, I am not asking you to
give me some credit, although I did use those words - I am asking
you to once and for all acknowledge my greatness - made even
greater because it serves no purpose to anyone including even
myself except for an occasional laugh and the heavenly feeling
of writing down what I want to say without caring what anyone
thinks of it. Oh God what a great feeling.