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Random Q & A Thread - PART 2

 
  

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Ex
10:43 / 12.04.05
Was that comment supposed to be in the 'Foxes' thread, Haus?
Or is it your solution to everything mentioned in the Q&A thread since its inception?
If the latter, you could also try hitting it with a spade.
 
 
Jub
10:46 / 12.04.05
No, it was for foxes. my bad. I moved it for deletion and made a thread for it before I realised Haus had replied.
 
 
Ex
11:22 / 12.04.05
Blast. Sorry. But I do want all relationship advice threads from hereon in to end with "Shine a torch in its eyes and give it both barrels".
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
11:26 / 12.04.05
Questions:

1. Do you remember the first time?

2. What's wrong with your mouth?

3. I don't understand how the last card is played. (Please help.)
 
 
Bear
11:54 / 12.04.05
1. It's hazy but I remember that the mafia was involved.
2. I tried to open a bottle of bud with my teeth.
3. You must tell everyone that you're on your last card if you forget you gotta pick up the pile.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
12:26 / 12.04.05
1) Yes but they didn't like the colour so I had to start all over again. Sorry about the whole base-twelve thing. I was really drunk.

2) Stop staring at me.

3) You sort of flick it snappily onto the table with a pert and insouciant air.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
13:01 / 12.04.05
1. Yes. It did not go well.
2. I have Ruth Maddok lips.
3. You've already check raised on the turn and you don't want to risk losing a bet, so you bet out on the river.
 
 
We're The Great Old Ones Now
13:16 / 12.04.05
Deva:

Grammar question.

These trousers are not as loose round the waist as they used to be. Okay. But in the past tense:

These trousers were not as loose round the waist as they had used to be?


Haus:

"Had previously been"?

How about:

These trousers were not as [or 'so'] loose around the waist as once they had been?

I think it depends on which bit of past you want to use, no?

Yes, I realise this is an ancient question. It just interested me.
 
 
Whisky Priestess
13:16 / 12.04.05
Alex: I did 'a bit of work' in the Falklands.

Alex is Andy McNab and I claim my £5.

Alex, assuming you're not fibbing for a laugh, may I ask what your role was? Like were you catering corps, special ops, under fire at any point etc.? (actually this may also be useful for a friend's novel which features a Falklands vet suffering from PTSD).
 
 
Whisky Priestess
13:19 / 12.04.05
I would suggest: "These trousers were not as loose round the waist as they had been."

(or maybe "had once/previously been").

"Had used to be" is the pluperfect (I think) - fiddly, poncy and rarely used, hence best avoided if striving towards clear writing.

Or alternatively, and to the point: "He/she had put on weight."
 
 
grant
14:02 / 12.04.05
Isn't "once had been" more correct than "had once been"?
 
 
Whisky Priestess
17:36 / 12.04.05
Probably.
 
 
grant
18:18 / 14.04.05
Question for the Classics students:

How do you say "folklore" in Greek?

I'm interested because I have a friend who's a folklorist but tired of the pre-post-modernists in their faux-ethnic dresses weaving "authentic" tribal baskets who also call themselves folklorists.

So I was thinking a new word might be called for -- which means I'd be interested in not just the word used for "folklore" but possibly also the words used for "folk" and "lore" (or "people" and "stories").

Any ideas?
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
10:51 / 15.04.05
It's kind of just lore. Lore isn't stories - it's the collected knowledge on a particular subject. Folk, in this case, is not exactly people, either - it's the people, relating to the traditions of the common people of a country.

"The study of the storytelling of the common people" would be something like demotimythology. However, I'm not sure what distinction you're trying to draw here. Do you mean that the other people make things up? In that case, they aren't folklorists, they are simply storytellers, possibly in a folkloric tradition.
 
 
ibis the being
12:07 / 15.04.05
Oral history (oral historians?)
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
12:12 / 15.04.05
grant - I don't think it's more correct - the active part of the verb is the 'they had', isn't it, so surely that's the part that shouldn't be split (if you care about such things) - ?
 
 
grant
14:03 / 15.04.05
However, I'm not sure what distinction you're trying to draw here. Do you mean that the other people make things up? In that case, they aren't folklorists, they are simply storytellers, possibly in a folkloric tradition.

It's not that they make things up, it's that they're more like collectors & commentators than rigorous analysts. Not up on academic theory or most cult studs concerns.

It's sort of a cultural division within this subculture (students of folklore) within anthropology. The antiquarians vs. the academics. My anthropological friend was getting tired of being lumped in with the one set and wanted to create a distinction between the two approaches.

Oral history (oral historians?)

I think this is already a phrase that's being used, actually. I half-heartedly suggested "oral anthropology" to her, but more as a joke.

Any other suggestions are welcome.....

-----------

grant - I don't think it's more correct - the active part of the verb is the 'they had', isn't it, so surely that's the part that shouldn't be split (if you care about such things) - ?


I'm not sure either way -- something in me wants the "have/had" to be an integral part of the "been." I think it's because the "been" can't stand by itself without becoming an "are."
 
 
The Puck
13:38 / 17.04.05
OK two questions

1) Whats This?

2) Whats the story behind the dead lion on the golden syrup tin? i think its greek.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
13:46 / 17.04.05
In answer to question 1 - here.

What is BlogShares

BlogShares is a fantasy stock market where weblogs are the companies. Players invest fictional dollars on shares in blogs. Blogs are valued by their incoming links and add value to other blogs by linking to them. Prices can go up or down based on trading and the underlying value of the blog.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
14:52 / 17.04.05
And in answer to question 2, it's from the Book of Judges, Chapter 14:

Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." 3 But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your kinsmen, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me; for she pleases me well." 4 His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD; for he was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. 5 Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and he came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion roared against him; 6 and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid; and he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 And after a while he returned to take her; and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. 9 He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went; and he came to his father and mother, and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. 10 And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there; for so the young men used to do. 11 And when the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. 12 And Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you; if you can tell me what it is, within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments; 13 but if you cannot tell me what it is, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." And they said to him, "Put your riddle, that we may hear it." 14 And he said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." And they could not in three days tell what the riddle was. 15 On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" 16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, "You only hate me, you do not love me; you have put a riddle to my countrymen, and you have not told me what it is." And he said to her, "Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?" 17 She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her countrymen. 18 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." 19 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he went down to Ash'kelon and killed thirty men of the town, and took their spoil and gave the festal garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. 20 And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
 
 
The Puck
16:50 / 17.04.05
wow, efficient.
 
 
Baz Auckland
15:00 / 21.04.05
What's the situation in London with the new closing times? Are they in effect yet? Are they rare? Most pubs still closing at 11pm?
 
 
Mazarine
16:31 / 27.04.05
Okay, help? My computer has started playing all sound files about a quarter to a half a pitch flat. It's all sound files, from WMAs to MP3s to the littlest wav. This is driving me completely insane. Does anyone know what could cause such a thing, and if they do, how the fuck one fixes it?
 
 
Saveloy
10:49 / 06.05.05
Here's a long shot:

I'm after instructions on installing a toilet and wash basin in a garden shed (it's a big posh shed, or will be). It'll be a wooden building on top of a concrete floor with brick foundations.

Full instructions on how to do it would be marvellous, but what I need to know above all else is whether or not we have to do anything special before - or when - the foundations are dug and the bricks and concrete go down.

I've been googling all over the place, but all I've found so far is ads for sheds. So many ads for sheds!
 
 
grant
18:17 / 06.05.05
Well, I don't know if the UK has a supplier for these, but someday one of 'em's going in my workshop:

the composting toilet.

No pipes in the foundation needed, although some of the big ones want to be wired in.

I've been in a hiker's inn that used these, and they were marvelous -- no smell, tidy, no water to futz with.

Sinks you'd definitely have to put some kind of plumbing through the foundation. I mean, unless you want above-ground pipes.

Or, well, there's a sink out by my shed. It's outdoors, so the drain just has a chunk of guttering running down to the yard. Green grass under the sink. I'm not positive how the water gets there, but I'm pretty sure it's just as if the faucet was a garden hose. Is this an indoor sink? I suppose it must be.

Although -- how much of a "shed" is this shed? I mean, is it like really a little outside cottage that you're calling a shed, or is it a flimsy little building on a three-inch poured slab in which you'd just like to have facilities.
 
 
grant
18:22 / 06.05.05
Oh, and you might get some joy here.
Cruise around the "how-tos" and see if something fits.

-------------

What's that red condiment at Indian restaurants with the raw onions in it called? And how do you make it? I'd guess it's a something chutney, but looking at chutney recipes gives me no joy at all. No results, I mean.
 
 
Saveloy
11:56 / 11.05.05
Cheers, grant! I suggested the composting toilet to my wife but she's vetoed the idea (bah!)

"Although -- how much of a "shed" is this shed? I mean, is it like really a little outside cottage that you're calling a shed, or is it a flimsy little building on a three-inch poured slab in which you'd just like to have facilities."

Hmm, somewhere between the two. It'll be a wooden frame (5x5cm) with a layer of plyboard (6mm) on the outside, covered with shiplap cladding (?mm). Plasterboard on the inside, insulation in between. Flat felt roof (at an angle). We want to make it sleepable in.

Right, answers:

" What's that red condiment at Indian restaurants with the raw onions in it called? And how do you make it?"

A pal writes:

"Easy. Chop up yer onion. Mix with lemon juice, sugar, cayenne and paprika."

Note the lack of essential details such as quantities etc. Tchoh! Still, I suppose you could experiment with that.
 
 
doozy floop
13:30 / 11.05.05
What's the situation in London with the new closing times? Are they in effect yet? Are they rare? Most pubs still closing at 11pm?

From what I can make out, the relevant Act has been passed but doesn't take effect (for all practical purposes) until November. I'm not exactly sure what, if any, difference will be noticable from November, but at the moment everything's much the same as ever. Most pubs close at 11pm, a healthy portion sometimes stay open til midnight or so, and the clubs of all descriptions just stay open til silly o'clock.
 
 
grant
15:36 / 11.05.05
I'm nearly positive the red stuff I'm thinking of is not that, but I'll give that recipe a shot. It's like bright tandoori-chicken red, has a sharp, curryish flavor that paprika alone can't possibly be responsible for (unless your paprika is different from my paprika).

And that "shed" totally sounds like an extra room. According to code in my town, a "shed" is a portable, temporary structure -- not something with plaster and insulation. Good luck with it!
 
 
Olulabelle
14:49 / 19.05.05
Where can I get Antler from, for carving? I want 'environmentally sound' antler (dropped by the deer when the season is right rather than antlers taken from dead deer).

I don't really want to pay heaps for it either.
 
 
Olulabelle
15:05 / 19.05.05
Sax, about your toilet - I found you this article, which is a word doc, or the google 'open in HTML' link here. It's about installing toilets in random places such as allotments and gives you all the pro's and con's of each system, plus lots of 'how to's' and contacts.

Installing a conventional toilet needs mains drain access and all sorts, including planning permission for the new connecting drain. You could put in a septic tank, but it's expensive and you still have to empty them once a year. You should re-try the compost toilet route with your wife, they're brilliant, they're cheap and some of them only need emptying once a year, too.

You should also look through the CAT site as not only are they totally ace, they also know all there is to know about alternative sanitation.
 
 
GogMickGog
15:06 / 19.05.05
Question chaps, sorry of it's covered elsewher, but what exactly is menat by the phrase "threadrot"?
 
 
Bed Head
15:13 / 19.05.05
We have a wiki. Pls to read.

No idea on the antlers. I’d probably just hang out on Exmoor until a deer obligingly shed its antlers somewhere near me, but I’m like that. Very patient if the scenery's pretty enough.
 
 
Olulabelle
10:14 / 20.05.05
Apparently and according to the lovely Sekhmet, the technical term for what I'm looking for is 'shed antlers'. There are lots on ebay in America, but none in England.

What's the score with import duty when you buy from America? Once I had to pay some kind of tax on a £50 package which was sent via FedEx, then another time a £250 package came and I wasn't charged any kind of duty. I can't work it out.
 
 
A0S
10:18 / 20.05.05
Duty paid can depend on what the sender writes on the customs form. If they say it's not expensive (say $10)and a gift, unless customs suspect, you won't be charged. Of course if you want the item insured the full value will have to be declared and you will be charged.
 
  

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