Continue reading ‘Snake vs Raptor’

Foreign language terms in English are normally put in italics so people don’t think their eyes or your spellchecker are broken. But once the term has become widely used, we can stop using italics. But how do you know when?

I propose the following scale be considered:

• The word is newly used, always italicized.
• The word has been around a while, italicizing can never be wrong for that word but it can be correct to not italicize.
• The word has been around longer: It is not going to be wrong to italicize, but it will be pretentious to some.
• The word is totally integrated into the language, and italicizing it would be a Format FAIL.

It is interesting to see certain terms italicized in older literature that is today never considered anything close to a borrowed term. I can’t think of a single example off hand, but imagine a reading along and having a word like “Spaghetti” italicized. It would be, like, “WTF is so special about this spaghetti?”

So what we need now that most of what we write is stored and transmitted electronically is a universal sed script attached to a cron job that un-italicizes words once they’ve been around long enough.

Click here for a blog post explaining what you are looking at.

In parts of the south there are a LOT of snakes compared to other regions of the US. There should be more because it is warmer, but there are more-more than there should be. And, I think the reason is because the raptors, the main competitor for many snake species, are are shot out by boys with their toys. A thought which I was reminded of when I read this: Jerks Shoot Gulls and a Crow

A court in Pakistan has ordered the release of a mentally-ill woman who was charged with desecrating the Koran, the Muslim holy book, in 1996.

Zaibun Nisa, 60, was never put on trial and her relatives did not contest her arrest, her lawyer said.

Pakistan’s blasphemy law prescribes the death sentence for anyone found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammad or the Koran.

Human rights groups have been campaigning for its repeal.

They say that the legal procedures involved are weighed against those accused of blasphemy.

Read more here, including some info on two gunmen killing accused blasphemers in a Pakistani court.

I find it interesting that the wealth of “nature is beautiful” literature that abounds today in nature writing and in the past in the writings of natural theologians generally ignores the down side. An example of this is the famous southeast Asian (Indonesian/Bornean) formless penis plants (Latin: Amorphophallus), which during bloom emits a horrid odor detectable miles away. For some unknown reason, botanical gardens around the world struggle to obtain and maintain these fetid veggies, which emit their foul odoriferous gas only every several years (thankfully), and then they (the botanists) get all giddy when the shit hits the fan, as it were.

There is currently a healthy smelly and vile specimen of Amorphophallus titanium (”Big Giant Formless Penis,” but also known as the “corpse plant”) plant outgassing in Japan, and the Japanese are giddy about it. Maybe there’s some thing in the air, I don’t know.

Want to know more? Click here.

I was a little annoyed when certain British bloggers jumped into the PepsiBlawg Gate maneno with accusations of highly improper activities on the part of Scienceblogs.com. My annoyance was increased when I noted that the BBC was essentially a government news agency that was quite capable of self promotion. I note here that BBC today posted “BBC News iPhone and iPad app launches in the UK” AS A NEWS STORY!!!!ELEVENTY!!11!!!! Thus totally destroying the credibility of ALL THINGS BBC and thus ALL THINGS BRITISH.

So, British detractors, keep your barmy poxy divvy-talk to yourselves!

Trafigura Inc guilty of dumping toxic waste in Ivory Coast. In case you were wondering if this sort of thing really happens. Trafigura will appeal.

UN suggests “use pepper spray to keep elephants away.” Cameroonian farmers doubtful. I’m guessing this will work. Once or twice.

Desmond Tutu, now 79, will withdraw from public life. I must say, last time I saw him six years or so ago, he looked a bit older than he is now. He has earned a rest.