BS: Infrequently Asked Questions

Subject: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 08:58 AM

Questions, I got questions. And I bet other people do too.

Mudcat already has a Frequently Asked Questions thread. This thread is for infrequently-or never before-asked questions.

Sometimes reading Mudcat threads is like eavesdropping on a converation. Sometimes I have a question about something someone wrote but I don't ask it because to do so would be too disruptive to the discussion. There are other times I wanna ask a question that pops into my head but I don't ask it because I figure that everybody but me probably knows the answer. And sometimes I ask a slightly, or really off-topic question anyway. But the question doesn't get answered -maybe because it got lost in the conversation or maybe because folks considered it to be too trivial. Well, some questions are trivial, but trivial is not necessarily the same thing as dumb, right? Besides Trivial Pursuits is a game and some folks-including me-like to gather information about all kinds of miscellaneous subjects just to satisfy our curiousity.

On this thread folks can ask all the trivial questions or slightly off-topic questions, or really off-topic questions they want to. And hopefully folks will respond on this thread to those questions in the spirit they were given-that is to say-with knowledgeable, intelligent-and not necessarily "smart"-remarks.

This thread could also be used as a repository for links to other Mudcat threads on the general or specific topic that a person is wondering about. If there's a Mudcat thread or post from a thread that also answers a question posed, and provides additional information about that question, it would also be great if the name of that thead-and ideally, a link to that thread or that post-would be provided in this thread.

This thread may also be used to point out other threads on miscellaneous topics that you remember or you found by "surfing the Mud"-Mudcat that is.

In other words, this thread is for inquiring minds who wanna know stuff that other folks may not think is important. Btw, I looked for a previous thread like this, but couldn't find one. If there is already a thread like this, hopefully someone will provide a link to it.

In my next post, I'll start off with a couple of questions and a link to what I consider an interesting Mudcat thread which started off with one infrequently asked question and includes responses to that question which provide not-easy-to-find-in-one-place information about various musical instruments.

Join in if you have a mind to.

Thanks in advance for the answers to these questions!

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: MMario
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 09:04 AM

Just want to point out that some situations are *ideal* for popping off a PM to someone with the OT question or if you don't want to ask the question "in public".

The one thing I don't think people need to worry about is "too trivial" - we are talking on a forum that has had deep involved discussions on how many spatulas one owns. *grin*

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 09:37 AM

On this thread about Morris dancing thread.cfm?threadid=103732&messages=27 "Morris segregation" the term "Morris sides" was frequently used.

Is a Morris side the same thing as a group or a team of Morris dancers? And is there any particular reason why the word "side" being used for these dance groups?

**

I think it was on that same thread that someone used the word "naff". What does that word mean? I sensed that it wasn't complimentary.

**

On the "Lyr Req: Playground songs" thread thread.cfm?threadid=18352&messages=35 GUEST,Jonny Sunshine wrote that
"Some years back there was a project in Camden (that's in London UK) which collected children's songs from around the world all rfom children in schools in the borough: Camden World Song project"

Before reading that comment, the only Camden I had ever heard of is Camden, New Jersey, which is across the bridge from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My question is this-is the Camden that Jonny Sunshine referred to a section of London? What are some other sections of London-for instance, isn't there a neighborhood of London which has an annual Caribbean festival? What is that section's name?

And btw, I notice that Jonny Sunshine wrote "London, UK". Is it incorrect to say "London, England" now?

**

Here's a thread that I found which asks this question "How do I make music without my left hand?" thread.cfm?threadid=12106#93939

Here's a post from that thread:

Subject: RE: How do I make music without my left hand?
From: Night Owl - PM
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 12:30 PM

I know that it's a risky business to ask a Mudcatter for a definition, ;o) BUT....Danielspiritsong...what's a Gene Autry chordchanger????

-snip-

I guess that question about the Gene Autry chordchanger was answered in that thread, but I'm not sure. But scanning that thread, I saw that Mudcat members shared information about various instruments that can be played without the musician using his or her left hand, and in doing so gave lots of information about little known instruments like the tabor pipe, glockenspiel, the melodica, didgeridoo, and bones.   

That thread looks real interesting to me. I'll check it out later.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: MMario
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 09:42 AM

I've always read "side" for Morris Dancers as being the technical term for "team, group, set" whatever. Especially since frequently used with the proper name of the group.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 09:49 AM

MMario, yes, folks who are members could pm {private message} another Mudcatter member if they have an off-topic question that comes to mind as a result of what that member wrote.

But a} everybody who posts here aren't members

and b} sometimes other people might be interested in a sidebar conversation that could result from an off topic question. Therefore, the person asking the question has another option to ask those questions-and read the response to their questions-in this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Bert
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 10:03 AM

Camden Town is in London, near Regent's Park and is the home of Cecil Sharp House the English Folk Song place. A must visit place for Catters visiting London.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: ClaireBear
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 10:06 AM

According to Rich Holmes' "Normal Person's Guide to the Morris", a side is: "(1) A morris team. (2) Enough of a team to make a set."

Both morris teams I've been on (berkeley and Apple Tree) have numbered around 30 at their high points, but even then on any gioven day (depending on the nature of the event we were planning to attend) might be able to field only a "side" of eight or ten -- enough for one set (6 dancers in a set, for most dances) and a few spares, but NOT enough to ensure that nobody had to dance two dances in a row.

Hope that helps.

Claire

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: MMario
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 10:14 AM

Not discounting the thread, Azizi; just pointing out on of the benefits of membership and of PM's.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Mickey191
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 10:25 AM

Since I now have a car that plays CDs-I'm wondering if they can melt if left in the car on a very hot day. Interior temps, they say, can get up to 120 degrees. If it's okay--is it verboten to leave one _in_ the player? Thanks in advance.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 03:32 PM

Mickey191,

I'm so old fashioned that I don't have a CD player in my car. When I bought my car five years ago I had a lot of casette music tapes but few music CDs. So I asked the car dealer to take out the CD player that came with the car and instead put in a casette tape player. I realized afterwards that I should have insisted on having both, but it would have been extra money that I didn't have.

So I've lived without a car CD player. And it really hasn't been that much of a hardship to be without a car CD player. That said, I have some second hand experience with car CD players, because my daughter has had a shuffle CD player in her car for years one. So I asked an expert-my daughter :o) about whether CDs would be damaged by remaining in a hot car. And-just as I thought-she said that heat doesn't damage CDs that are left in a car CD player.

I tried to google this question, but couldn't find much about CDs and cars. This may be because car CD players are just about a thing of the past. The "hot" thing now is Mp3 players.

See this excerpt from http://hardlikesoftware.com/weblog/2007/03/16/a-box-to-put-my-music-in/ :

"...I want my music player to be as simple as a box. A special box that when you put music in it you will hear the music. A CD player is pretty close. You push a button and a tray opens. Put a CD in it, push the tray closed and it plays. A car CD player is even better just stick a CD in the slot and it plays. Push a button to get it out.

But these days CDs are old news and CD players are single purpose (don't put a Pop Tart brand toaster pastry in your CD player). MP3s are where its at. I want my MP3 player to work like a box. This box doesn't hold physical things from the real world but virtual things, digital information in the form of music or anything else"...

-snip-

My daughter has had an Ipod for almost two years now. As a matter of fact she just upgraded to an Ipod that can hold many more songs than her previous one. And she gave me her old Ipod. So I guess I've got to figure out how to use it. I'm looking forward to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: MMario
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 03:36 PM

CD's can melt in a car. So can cassettes. I have had both occur. but never *in* the player.

But you know it got warm in the car when you come back and a CD is curved around the edge of your passenger seat.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Amos
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 03:39 PM

A Gene Autry Chord Change was a plastic box with buttons on it which turned a stringed instrument (guitar or ukelele) into a sort of autoharp by damping the correct strings -- it was attached to plastic guitars with a picture of the famous singing cowboy from the Fifties, Gene Autry, painted on them. The chord changer did not work all that well.

IIRC.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 05:08 PM

My Beautiful Wife is very fond of bread-and-butter pickles. In case anyone doesn't recognize that term, they are sliced sweet dill(ish) pickles. I'm not an admirer of sweet pickles, but that's not the point.

But why "bread-and-butter pickles"?   There's no bread about them, nor is there any butter.

Does anyone know why they are so called?

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 05:11 PM

So, what IS folk music, anyhow?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 05:28 PM

Agghhh!

:o))

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Becca72
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 05:40 PM

According to egullet.com, bread and butter pickles are named such because during the Depression, they were as regular a part of a diet as bread and butter. The difference between bread and butter pickles and sweet pickles is just a few ingredients. Sweet pickles use cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in a vinegar-sugar brine. Bread and butter pickles are made with turmeric. mustard, and onion in a vinegar-sugar brine.

Don't know if this is the "real scoop" though, DaveO

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: TheSnail
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 06:24 PM

The Carribean festival in London is the Notting Hill Carnival.

I would have thought that London didn't need to have any qualification at all having been the only one for about 1400 years.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 06:43 PM

About those melting CD's and tapes - I make it a habit to drape a dark cloth over my windshield on a hot day. It goes on the outside, to prevent solar gain from light going through the glass. There's enough cloth to pinch in the doors and go under the wipers, so as to hold it in place.

At an auto parts place I ordered plastic guards that go over the tops of the windows. They make it possible to keep the windows open a bit so heat can go out and rain won't get it.

Without these things, the interior would get so hot that I can't touch the steering wheel. Such heat does a lot of damage to upholstery as well as to CD's.
===
Joe, to answer your question 'What is folk music?' - it is any music you can perform while wearing a plaid shirt.

Is there anything else you needed to know?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 07:02 PM

Thanks to all who have posted thus far to this thread!

Most of the questions I asked have been answered.

I asked about the meaning of the word "naff" and found a definition for it here:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/naff


naff 1(nf)
adj. Chiefly British Slang
Unstylish, clichéd, or outmoded.

[Possibly of dialectal origin.]

naff 2(nf)
intr.v. naff·ed, naff·ing, naffs Chiefly British Slang
To fool around or go about: "naffing about in a tutu" Suzanne Lowry.
Phrasal Verb:
naff off
Used in the imperative as a signal of angry dismissal.

[Origin unknown.]

**

I had also asked whether it's still correct to say London, England or is the proper form now London, Great Britain or London, United Kingdom.

Also, I had asked what were the names of different sections or boroughs of London. I was wondering what were the names of specific communities within the city. For instance, New York City, New York {USA} is divided into Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem, Queens, Bedford Styvesand {mispelled I'm sure} and probably other distinct neighborhoods whose names I can't remember. When I went to college with a woman from New York City, and someone asked her where she was from, she didn't say "New York City", but instead gave the name of the borough that she lived in. Actually, she was from Flatbush which I think was a subsection of Brooklyn but I might be wrong about that.

I suppose this is the case with all large cities. My adopted city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has a number of neighborhoods such as The Hill, Homewood, East Liberty,Lawrenceville, Shadyside, Manchester, Mount Washington, Downtown, and Oakland-to name a few of Pittsburgh's distinct neighborhoods.

In reference to London and Camden, it occured to me how many American cities are named after cities {or subsections of cities} in England and other parts of Europe.

For instance, I only know of Bristol because of the 1960s or so R&B dance "The Bristol Stomp". It was from reading Mudcat threads that I realized that Bristol is an English city. {or a British city, or a city in the UK}...Sorry if I'm saying this wrong.

Should I be this worried that my choice of words will offend people?

Truly, I mean no harm.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Rowan
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 07:09 PM

leenia, if you used a black cloth in Oz the way you described, the heat inside the car would rapidly become intolerable. Even in Tasmania, the part of settled Oz furthest away from the equator. I recall a fiddle player who left his fiddle in its (black) case on the parcel shelf (under the rear window) of his sedan for a while. When he later opened the case he found he had a complete fiddle kit; all he had to do was assemble the parts.

In Oz, we spread highly reflective screens, inside the windscreen across the full width of the car, to reduce heat entry into the car.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Mickey191
Date: 02 Aug 07 - 11:41 PM

AZIZI, CDs a thing of the past.....Oh. In a box I have 8tracks.My wonderful collection of cassette tapes (about 250) which I still play in the house. Now you say CDs are soon to be old hat. This is just a racket that makes us spend our money. I didn't know I could have gotten a gizmo that would play cassettes & CDs. Damn!   

So now I have to study up on MP3s. 'Tis a bit disheartening.

Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: JennyO
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 12:12 AM

I think about half of the suburbs of Sydney in Australia have names that came from the UK. I didn't realise how many till I went over to London one year. Yes, we have a Camden too - it's a town/city way out of Sydney that has become swallowed up by the city sprawl and has now become more of an outer suburb of Sydney.

I still have a tape player in my car. I keep the tapes in a nice deep area between the seats, and quite often there is one in the tape player.   They have never been affected by heat - and here our cars can get extremely hot in summer. I did melt a tape once when I accidentally left it on the dashboard. That or the parcel shelf would be asking for trouble. Not sure about CDs but I suspect pretty much the same would apply with them.

Meanwhile, I don't think anyone's answered this question yet -

Who Put The Bomp In the Bomp-Shoo-Bomp-Shoo-Bomp?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:02 AM

Hey, JennyO!

LOL!!! I figured that question would pop up sooner rather than later.

But, who was that masked man, anyway?

:o}}

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Rowan
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:36 AM

Azizi, when describing urban localities in the US you used several terms to refer to them, including Subsections", "Neighbourhood" & "Borough". I suspect only the latter two are 'formal' and guess most British and Oz 'catters would be familiar with the terms because of the tsunami of American cultural material in our cinemas (called film theatres by older Australians) and on the telly.

My impression is that those in the UK (rarely describable as "Great Britain" these days) would probably use those terms only rarely and more commonly say "suburb" if informally describing an urban locality with its own name, and might refer to County or Shire if describing a more rural locality with its own name. If giving the formal name of a Municipality or Local Govt Area they probably have even more specific terminology.

NSW & Sydney started with a very English approach to such nomenclature so there "are" Counties but only a couple get referred to as such in colloquial use, but cadastral (municipal) maps will refer to both Parish and County as descriptors; I've only heard "Parish" used (in naming a locality) to refer to church boundaries and then only to Anglican or Catholic churches. And even the term Anglican instead of Episcopalian because of how the latter term is used in the SE US. "Suburb" is the usual term for an urban area with its own name in most of Oz.

Outside the original settlement area of greater Sydney, rural Local Govt Areas (Municipalities) with one or only a couple of small townships would be called "Shires" and only be regarded as a "City" if the township had more than 10,000 people (at least it used to be like that in Victoria) and, although they might be large enough to have differently named subsections, such subsections often had no formal nomenclature.

Confused? Join the club.

UK, GB, England etc?
It depends on how polite you want to be. It's never a good idea to refer to anywhere outside England (but part of the British Isles) as "England"; most denizens will be most snaky at such treatment. They may be more accepting of being called "British", depending on their politics but context is everything. Aussies have a reputation of enjoying stirring the Poms but some of us have learned how to be nice. Some of the time, anyway. UK is the usual last bit you'd put on an envelope you're sending by snail mail, much the way USA is the last bit for sending to that part of America north of the Rio Grande but south of the 39th parallel.

And the locality descriptor you call a Zip Code, the Poms and us call a Post Code.

Hope this is helpful.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 03:14 AM

Hello, Rowan!

I take it that "Poms" means the British? I wonder where that nickname came from... I suppose it's a relatively friendly nickname-though that may depend on the tone of voice one uses when saying it. I got the sense that you were not being insulting when you wrote "Poms"...

With regard to the words I used to describe communities within a larger community, I suppose that "boroughs" is the correct term for New York City as per this online source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_subdivisions_of_New_York_State

Here's an excerpt from that wikipedia article:

..."New York City is a special case. The city consists of the entire area of five counties. These counties retain a small amount of governance as boroughs. Under the state legislation, commonly called Consolidation, that allowed the city (as the City of Greater New York) to annex huge areas beyond its original borders (including smaller cities, towns and villages) in 1898, the State of New York retains certain powers over the city. At the time of Consolidation, Queens County was split between the western towns, which voted to join the city, and those that did not. The next year (1899), the eastern towns of Queens County separated to become Nassau County."

-snip-

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania there are specific formally identifable & identified neighborhoods within the city proper. And different sections of these neighborhods have their own names with which they are more informally identified. My understanding is that most sections of the city were once autonomous towns that joined together at some point in time-though probably not all at the same time-to form the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to a particular township's decision to join or not join the city of Pittsburgh-and also due to the topography of the area which is separated by rivers and joined by bridges and highways-it's possible to drive outside of Pittsburgh through other towns or boroughs and then continue "straight" ahead and once again re-enter Pittsburgh.

The neighborhoods that comprise Pittsburgh aren't called boroughs, and unlike New York City, besides members of city council and school board members who are supposed to represent that community's interests, these communities have no administrative authority.

**

Thanks, also Rowan, for the explanation about England, GB, and UK.
I'm still influenced by almost 5 decades old high school book learnin which is really faulty in our changing world. For instance, I didn't know that "the UK is rarely described as "Great Britain" these days".

Good ole Mudcat! You can always learn something here.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Darowyn
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 03:15 AM

Area names in British cities are mostly remnants of the villages and small towns that have been swallowed up by the expansion of adjacent cities. Some of them still retain village-like characteristics.
Areas of London, such as Chelsea, Soho, Westminster etc. are all good examples.
Other areas in other towns are called after the geographical features which used to be their way they were referred to before the brick and concrete arrived. Goldenhill (Stoke on Trent) or Oakwood(Leeds) are two like that. Less often, areas are called after their aristocratic former Landlords or after their home estates. Thus Carnaby Street and Burlington arcade in London have names that refer to a little fishing town in East Yorkshire, which is where their former owner's aristocratic title originated- Bridlington.
British names are history. There is a place near me called British Camp.
The British bit refers to the Britons who resisted the Roman occupation two thousand years ago.
cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 03:42 AM

Um...what is a decade? Oh..well um..it woulda been more accurate for me to say that I'm still influenced by a little more than 4 decades old high school book learnin.

I know that we're supposed to get wiser as we age, but it's also wise not to age yourself before your time.

**

Dave, thanks for that information on area names for British cities. I appreciate your response.

**

Mickey191, you're welcome. While I don't have 8 tracks tapes anymore, and I don't have a record player [which later became known as a turn table] so I can't play my records, I still play my casette tapes and my CDs. But I figure that once I learn how to do this Ipod thingamajig, I'll mostly be using my CDs to add to the songs in the Ipod and probably won't be playing my tapes much after that. But who knows what will be the new way to store and record music five years from now? Actually, I bet that something newer and better [?] will probably be foisted upon us long before five years.

I should have known times they were achangin about 15 years ago when I went into a record store and asked the twenty-something year old salesman where I could find those plastic disc like thingies that go in the middle of a 45 record so it will play on a turn table. And the salesman looked at me blankly and said "What's a 45?

Nuff said.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 04:04 AM

Well here's my question: how do you pronounce Poughkeepsie? Des Moines? Saint Louis?

As for British suburbs, they were often named, like American ones, after other British places... so there's a Wapping in Liverpool, a Soho in Birmingham, and a Hackney in Matlock, all of which names were originally associated with London. There's also a New Zealand in Derbyshire, which according to urban legend became famous some years ago when an escaped wallaby was run over by a car there. The driver called the police, who asked him for details. Convincing the Derbyshire police that he'd run over a wallaby in New Zealand wasn't easy.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: GUEST,Mingulay at work
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:01 AM

There's also a New York in Lincolnshire, England, just to add to the confusion. Not to mention Washington, Boston etc.

My question is "Why do many Americans refer to motor cars as vee-hickles"?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:30 AM

'how do you pronounce Poughkeepsie? Des Moines? Saint Louis?'

Poughkeepsie - puh KEEP see

Des Moines - deh (short e) MOYNE

St. Louis - Saint LEWis, unless you are singing the old song "Saint Louie Blues"

By the way, the s on Illinois, like the s on Des Moines, is silent.
=======

My question - how do you pronounce Liam and Gervaise?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Mickey191
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 10:28 AM

leeneia, Living 20 miles from Poughkeepsie - I've never heard the accent on "keep" (with long ees)
I've heard the natives always pronounce it puh-KIP-see.

When I first moved to this area, the locals always said "I'm going to The City." I was surprised to learn they were NOT referring to Manhattan-but Poughkeepsie.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:16 PM

My question - how do you pronounce Liam and Gervaise?
Lee Um
Jur Vace (rhymes with face)

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: gnu
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:35 PM

Seeum.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:48 PM

Why did Otis but his testicles on the barbecue grill and smother them with A-1 sauce?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 04:45 PM

I can't give historical precedents, but on the subject of "bread and butter pickles" (way back up there) I can attest that as a kid when we got hungry we got a slice of bread, slathered it with butter, and laid a layer or two of "b&b pickles" on it. About the only way they were consumed was in "pickle sandwiches." One might have used them on hotdogs or hamburgers, but in that time we seldom had meat of any kind, except home-grown chickens.

The difference in how they were made has been described, but it should be noted that while with most kinds of pickles an attempt is made to have them "crisp" the bread and butter ones are pretty much "limp" and shouldn't snap when you bite into them. They generally - at least as my family made them - were much less "tart" than the commercial imitations I find at the grocers now.

Essentially, they were preserved sweetened wilted cucumbers.

(A rare, but delectable, treat was made by substituting watermelon rind bits in the bread and butter pickle recipe, but we couldn't afford many watermelons either.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 05:02 PM

Where does America gets new talent to staff and front for the American Ruling class?

In a world collaterally damaged by the magic of money and the miracal of science, no question gets asked more often than the use of America's wealth and power.

To what ends do the wealth of the Wall Street Banks and the force of the Pentagon's collosal weapons. Where does America get its wisdom to play with its wonderful toys?

The questions touch upon the nature of America's ruling class/
IF the question is too hard it is because we like to pretend there is no such thing as the American ruling class that has ever darkened an American shore or howled at the dark of an American moon.

It has always been the American Ruling class who ultimately buys the President, laws and new talent to further their ability to get more money for power and get more power to protect their money.

Must one sell out to do well? Must one subvert the ruling class to do GOOD? Will we overcome?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????!

Subject: Lyr Add: KIDS (from Bye Bye Birdie)
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:06 PM

Seriousness is as seriousness does. And for some reason, I just don't wanna be that serious tonight.

So, that said, I give you fair warning that I'm gonna post a song in this here little ole BS thread-

And heeeerre it is!

Kids!
I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!
Kids!
Who can understand anything they say?
Kids!
They a disobedient, disrespectful oafs!
Noisy, crazy, dirty, lazy, loafers!
While we're on the subject:
Kids!
You can talk and talk till your face is blue!
Kids!
But they still just do what they want to do!
Why can't they be like we were,
Perfect in every way?
What's the matter with kids today?
Kids!
I've tried to raise him the best I could
Kids! Kids!
Laughing, singing, dancing, grinning, morons!
And while we're on the subject!
Kids! They are just impossible to control!
Kids! With their awful clothes and their rock an' roll!
Why can't they dance like we did
What's wrong with Sammy Caine?
What's the matter with kids today!

-snip-

Who knows the name of the musical that this song comes from AND the name of the actor or actress who sang it?

No fair using a search engine...

Oh, what the heck. Go ahead and google this question. After all, it's not like this is a real contest.

This is just a Mudcat thread. Right? Right!

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:37 PM

On the subject of naming UK (and indeed generally European) cities, one should not follow it up with the name of the country, or the name of the county etc. The idea being that, as this is the "old world", the cities (and names) here are the "original" ones and require no other qualification. The capital of Great Britain (and England) is London. That's it. Nothing else. And Cardiff, Birmingham, Athens, Paris etc require no further definition.

Subsequently built towns and cities in the New World named after those original "old world" places are differentiated by using the name of the state/county etc as appropriate.

And so, Birmingham is distinguished from Birmingham, Alabama; and Paris from Paris, Texas.

In Europe it is part of the stateside visitor's caricature that they should refer to "London, England" etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:38 PM

It was Bye Bye Birdie and Paul Linde (sp?), wasn't it? I didn't cheat, so I could be wrong!

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:39 PM

Paul Lynde in "Bye bye, birdie"!

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:40 PM

bugger...

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:41 PM

DING!!! DING!!! Ding!!!

We got ourselves a winner!

Good job, George!

And your prize is....

Darn if I know.

But congratulations, anyway!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:46 PM

Why do folks over the pond say bugger? I don't think that folks in the USA say "bugger". I know the word "bugged" has several meanings, but "bugger"??

And what does "bugger" mean, anyway? I thought it meant something like a more adult "Shucks" but I can't figure out why you'd say it in that post.

???

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:49 PM

I believe in this case he said it because my post beat his to the correct answer by a millisecond...and I always understood it to be more like "damn".

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 06:57 PM

WOW!

I'm so SORRY, Becca72!

I don't know how I missed your post. I know I need glasses sometimes but that's crazy.

So that means that the winner that was announced was actually not the winner so he has to give back the title and his prize-

Oh that's right. There was no prize.

Well, CONGRATULATIONS to our REAL winner, Becca72.

Give that girl a hand

[and please hold the jokes that might come as a result of that line].

So do people say bugger in the USA as much as it seems that word is used in Europe? And what about "bloody" as an adjective Britlike the serovei

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 07:05 PM

"In Europe it is part of the stateside visitor's caricature that they should refer to "London, England" etc. "

Oh. Um. So that's the way it goes, hm?

Okay. So that's what TheSnail meant in his 02 Aug 07 - 06:24 PM post when he {I think he's a he. If not, excuse me} wrote:

"I would have thought that London didn't need to have any qualification at all having been the only one for about 1400 years"
-snip-

Okay. I think.

Well, that's one mistake I won't make if and when I visit Europe.

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 07:15 PM

Here's a question "What does "Britlike the serovei" mean?

And here's the answer-Nothing. It's just a poor cut & paste job.

I guess I'm lucky that I didn't forget to delete the name of my bestest most secret admirer.

You'd never guess who is it. So don't even try. 'Cause even if you did guess, I wouldn't be able to confirm that you're right cause then it wouldn't be a secret any longer.

So mums the word.

Though I can't imagine what my mum has to do any of this.

Moving right along, does anyone else have any questions that he or she wants to share?

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Rowan
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 07:52 PM

Pronunciation of locality names can be fraught with traps. Coming from Melbourne (for the sake of the current thread) I, like all the other Melbournites, pronounced it Melb'n; it was only American visitors who pronounced it carefully the way it was written. On another thread there was, a while ago in a discussion on the antibiotic properties of honey, reference to manuka. This is the common (New Zealand) name for a species of tea tree and also the name of a Canberra suburb. The uninitiated pronounce it Mah New ka (emphasis on the second syllable) but locals and New Zealanders pronounce it Mah ne ka, with the stress on the first syllable and the second almost lost.

Then again, ever since Queen Liz (E II for Poms but E I for Australians) pronounced the name of the city Can BERR a on her first visit there (when the city was quite young and full of public servants) there has been a debate about the priority of that pronunciation over the more common CAN b'rra.

Again, northern NSW and the Northern Territory each have a town named Wauchope; in NSW it's pronounced War Hope but in the NT it's pronounced Walk Up.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Azizi
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 08:05 PM

Rowan-or anyone else who knows, how did British people come to be called "Poms?"

Subject: RE: BS: Infrequently Asked Questions
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:49 PM

"Bristol is an English city. {or a British city, or a city in the UK}"

All of the above.

Indiana has a lot of old-world names, often pronounced in ways that would puzzle old-worlders.

Milan, Indiana, is "MY-lun". Lafayette, Indiana, often comes out of uneducated mouths as "Lay-fee-ETTE".   Versailles, Indiana, is always "Ver-SALES".

And Indianapolis usually comes out "In-n-NAP-luhs".   And the big city in the political division to our south, on the Ohio River, is neither Lou-is-ville nor Lou-ee-ville, but "Lou-uh-vl", sort of rolled around in the mouth to the point where the "vl" is almost "wl".

And when I speak of "the political division to our south", I do not speak of the State of Kentucky. There IS no State of Kentucky. It's "the Commonwealth of Kentucky", influenced no doubt by "the Commonwealth of Virginia". Seems to me there's a commonwealth in New England too, but I'm too lazy to look it up right now.

And, not to neglect city names on the East Coast of the US, that great city in Maryland named for Lord Baltimore is locally "BAWL-mr" or "BAHL-mr".

You always wanted to know these things, I'm sure.

Dave Oesterreich