Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
December 14, 2009, 20:49
Kalleh
The Internet is creating many changes in our culture, and I know you are aware of that. However, this article gives an example of what is happening in health care. The author, a Canadian, says:
quote:
Most recently, my sister, fresh from a tenure in Australia, shared with me the distasteful behavior of her nursing colleagues who spend their breaks offering family and cyber cohorts a snapshot of a stressful shift, complete with the evening's death tolls, diagnoses and patient demographics.
We are experiencing situations like this in the U.S., too, and currently I am working with some colleagues to develop some regulatory language that addresses issues such as this. What these nurses (and other health care workers) don't seem to know is that they could lose their licenses for doing things like this. I am not sure why they think it's okay. Surely health care workers know about confidentiality, and yet they are posting patient demographics?
December 15, 2009, 07:39
Kalleh
Our organization is looking for a word or phrase that describes the kind of behavior illustrated in the quote above. I've been calling it "Internet behavior," for lack of better terminology. I suppose it's really "Internet misbehavior." Is there anything more specific about posting confidential information on the Internet?
December 16, 2009, 07:57
<Proofreader>
At least in Australia the medical community is making great strides.
And here are the best mistakes of the year in newspapers.
December 16, 2009, 12:15
arnie
I subscribe to the blog referred to on the page linked in Proof's post. It's good fun! I'd seen several of those errors before, but it was good to be reminded of them.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
December 16, 2009, 19:27
Kalleh
quote:
At least in Australia the medical community is making great strides.
They needed a study to confirm that?
December 16, 2009, 19:48
Kalleh
As a frequent reader of the BMJ, I loved this:
quote:
British Medical Journal:
During the editing of this Review of the Week by Richard Smith (BMJ 2008;337:a2719,doi:10.1136/bmj.a2719), the author’s term “pisshouse” was changed to “pub” in the sentence: “Then, in true British and male style, Hammond met Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye, in the pub and did a deal.” However, a pisshouse is apparently a gentleman’s toilet, and (in the author’s social circle at least) the phrase “pisshouse deal” is well known. (It alludes to the tendency of men to make deals while standing side by side and urinating.) In the more genteel confines of the BMJ Editorial Office, however, this term was unknown and a mistake was made in translating it into more standard English. We apologise for any misunderstanding this may have caused.
December 16, 2009, 21:21
wordmatic
Those damned editors! What do they know?
Wordmatic
December 17, 2009, 01:32
arnie
They don't say what kind of deal was done, I see. I must be fairly genteel, as I'm not in the habit of making deals in public toilets either. Actually, I wouldn't have thought Ian Hislop was, either (he did go to Eton, y'know).
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
December 17, 2009, 06:52
<Proofreader>
I thought Larry Craig was the only politician who consummated deals in mens' rooms.
December 18, 2009, 10:28
Richard English
My own experience is that men rarely speak to other men in a gents' loo. This is very different, I am told, from the situation in ladies' loos where chit-chat is not only normal, but expected.
Which might explain why women seem to take so much longer undertaking an activity that differs little from that of men.
Richard English
December 18, 2009, 11:26
<Proofreader>
The only conversation I ever heard in a mens' room was: This water is cold Yes, and it's very deep.
Earlier this week, we called congressman Jason Chaffetz a self-hating weirdo, an asshole, a probable closet case, and the son of Kitty Dukakis. He is not the son of Kitty Dukakis. We regret the error.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
December 19, 2009, 19:19
Kalleh
quote:
My own experience is that men rarely speak to other men in a gents' loo.
Well, that's the difference between men and women.
Funny, arnie.
December 20, 2009, 01:08
Richard English
quote:
Well, that's the difference between men and women.
Well, one of them, anyway. I can think of others that are arguably more interesting.
Richard English
December 20, 2009, 20:31
Kalleh
Just curious, do men talk to each other in bathrooms if they know each other? In our office, for example, women will talk to each other, including from stall to stall. However, this doesn't happen with strangers (such as in the train station bathroom). Is that what you meant?
December 21, 2009, 01:11
arnie
quote:
do men talk to each other in bathrooms if they know each other?
Not usually.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
December 21, 2009, 01:38
Richard English
As Arnie says, talking is not a male habit in loos. You might apologise if you inadvertently brushed against someone or were in someone's way - but that's about all the verbal intercourse you will perceive in such surroundings.
Richard English
December 21, 2009, 06:40
BobHale
There is a particular social etiquette associated with urinals that the women on the board may not be aware of.
If there is a row of empty stalls the first man in must ALWAYS take one of the end ones. Every subsequent man in must take the one which is as far as possible away from everybody currently using them. If it is impossible to find one that is NOT next to somebody the next man in has to wait until it IS possible. As for talking to other people there it is absolutely essential to always pretend that there are no other people there.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
December 21, 2009, 19:26
<Proofreader>
While not a newspaper article, I thought you might like to see what else we've outsourced to India.Check this out.
December 21, 2009, 20:20
Kalleh
Funny, Proof!
Wow, Bob, I had no idea! It must be due to the urinal/penis situation, whereas women are not in view of each other.
December 21, 2009, 23:29
tinman
Men in my area do talk to each other in the bathroom. Not so much with strangers, but with friends. At work men will exchange greetings and carry on conversations in the bathrooms. I've even heard them talking on their cell phones or work radios.
December 22, 2009, 01:45
BobHale
quote:
Originally posted by tinman: Men in my area do talk to each other in the bathroom. Not so much with strangers, but with friends. At work men will exchange greetings and carry on conversations in the bathrooms. I've even heard them talking on their cell phones or work radios.
I've seen the mobile phone in use, but that's just a variation of pretending that you are not, in fact, in a toilet at all and pretending that there is no one around you.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
December 23, 2009, 12:58
Kalleh
I have to plead ignorance to this mathematical problem. I always thought women were more neurotic than men (worried about their kids being in accidents and all), but now I see that it's even.
December 23, 2009, 13:42
<Proofreader>
I have found it virtually impossible to organize a Christmas carol sing-along in a men's room. This is truly unfortunate, given the fine acoustics.
December 23, 2009, 23:53
Richard English
I wonder whether the standing protocol applies to women in those (rare but extant, I understand) loos where women use open standing urinals? The privacy of an enclosed stall, as common in most western countries, means that there is less need to secure proper spacing.
Richard English
December 24, 2009, 06:25
<Proofreader>
Nancy Friedman (of Fritinancy fame) pointed to this article which surely should interest word people here.
HPPAY HODILAYS1
December 25, 2009, 22:02
Kalleh
Thanks for that, proof. I also liked reading about fumblerules, Segal's Law, and hoist with his own petard.
I see that Wikipedia is asking for money again. In Wales's plea to the public, he calls Wikipedia the fifth most Web site in the world. What would the other 4 be?
December 26, 2009, 05:39
<Proofreader>
quote:
Wikipedia the fifth most Web site in the world.
Seems like there are some words missing in that sentence.
December 26, 2009, 06:33
zmježd
Depends on how you count, I suppose (cf. how many words in English). Some statistics: link, link, link. You too can google top most visited websites and browse the ghits.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
December 26, 2009, 08:13
<Proofreader>
quote:
fifth most Web site
"most" what?
December 26, 2009, 08:18
zmježd
"most" what?
She probably meant the fifth most visited or popular website. It was a typo.This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
December 26, 2009, 19:38
Kalleh
Sorry about the missing word, proof. All Wikipedia sites have the plea, which says it's the "fifth most-read website in the entire world."
I would call Google and Yahoo, and the like, search engines, but not Web sites. Similarly, facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. seem like social network sites to me, and not Web sites. Now I see how it would be easy to come up with most-read Web sites since all of those are considered Web sites.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,
For heaven's sake, can't North Face take a joke? It's this kind of attitude that would encourage me not to buy North Face (along with their prices!). I will admit that both my daughters (living in Chicago and all) have North Face coats, but I think I might go out and buy a South Butt coat.
December 28, 2009, 06:01
<Proofreader>
My wife says I should buy a Butt Face coat.
December 28, 2009, 16:37
tinman
I'm sure you're all interested in the sex life of ducks!
quote:
The mighty Muscovy duck: Unlike mammals and turtles, for example, a male Muscovy duck uses lymph instead of blood to inflate his penis, which he can do in a third of a second, a new study shows. Also unlike mammals, the semen does not travel through an internal channel. Instead, it travels along an external groove that closes into a tunnel as lymph inflates the penis. The unusual anatomy and rapid eversion are probably the male duck's means of countering equally unusual female anatomy.
WILL THIS BECOME THE SENSATION OF THE NEXT DECADE?
DUCK PORN!
December 29, 2009, 20:18
Kalleh
quote:
Be sure to watch the video!
I did. Wow! Tinman, where do you come up with these things? You definitely keep us on our toes.
January 08, 2010, 07:16
<Proofreader>
Here's something that will probably be of interest to Kalleh. Apparently people who fail the written portion of the police entrance exam will find some "legality" and sue for discrimination, costing the city money even if they don't prefail. So now the illiterate will be making out the police reports used to convict at trial. Certainly sounds Chicagan.
January 08, 2010, 18:12
Geoff
quote:
Originally posted by Proofreader: WILL THIS BECOME THE SENSATION OF THE NEXT DECADE?
DUCK PORN!
It's been done - kinda:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_the_Duck
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. -J. Krishnamurti
January 09, 2010, 11:13
<Proofreader>
I guessed correctly. Don't go here if you're uptight.
It says something about the attraction of cellphones!
When I was a young lad, exploration of girls was without doubt my main occupation. Of course, cellphones did not exist the - but I very much doubt whether they would have usurped the attraction of the nubile wenches of the local girls' school
Richard English
January 10, 2010, 18:28
<Proofreader>
I just read an advertisement for the local casino which offered "our delectable restaurant." Can a restaurant be "delectable" or only the food it serves?
January 11, 2010, 08:47
goofy
quote:
Originally posted by Proofreader: Can a restaurant be "delectable"
Yes, it means "Affording delight; delightful, pleasant"
January 11, 2010, 20:33
Kalleh
Interesting, goofy. I would have thought it referred to the food.
