30 October 2009

Oh No!

Greetings,

I suppose it was reminiscing about children's stories last week that has kept my little grey cells attuned to the subject, so it was only to be expected that I pricked up my shell-pink ears last week when I heard an item on the news about Humpty Dumpty. (And really, how often does Humpty Dumpty make the headlines?)

Now, if you haven't kept up with the latest happenings in the life of this adventurer eggstraordinaire, may I be the first to break the happy news to you?

It seems, dear reader, that the old dare-devil of our acquaintance has taken on the characteristics of a super-hero and can no longer be harmed. Some boffins at the BBC, in their politically-correct wisdom, have decreed that it's upsetting for the kiddies to sing about Humpty having a great fall, and even more distressing to discover that "all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again."

So ... the new version of the rhyme concludes that "...all the king's horses and all the king's men now make Humpty happy again."

Now is it only me, or do you also find that wrong on so many levels?

Let us count the ways ...

1. The rhyme has been around since 1810; are we to conclude from this that we can now change the endings of any story we don't like? (Well, I think Heathcliff and Catherine should have lived happily ever after together, so let's rewrite Wuthering Heights to have a happy ending.)

2. We (and countless millions of other children) were brought up singing happily about a large ambulatory egg that fell off a wall and was smashed to bits, and we all turned out all right.

3. Even the youngest children up till now have managed to successfully separate reality from fiction in the case of Humpty Dumpty (unless they live with some very odd-looking people, in which case they need all the help they can get).

4. And just how exactly, I ask myself, are all the king's horses and all the king's men going to make Humpty happy again? Hmmm?

5. Could this be a royalist plot to make us believe all our problems can be solved by HRH and his merry men?

In their defence, the news report concluded, "A  BBC spokesman said the changes were made for creative reasons. 'We play nursery rhymes with their original lyrics all the time and the small change to Humpty Dumpty was done for no other reason than being creative and entertaining,' he said.

"It is not the first time the BBC has tweaked a popular nursery rhyme to ensure a more sanitised ending.

"A recent CBeebies cookery show changed Little Miss Muffet so the little girl no longer runs away from the spider but instead becomes friends with the eight-legged creature."

Right ...

A "tweak" he calls it. I rather think that changing the fate of the character from annihilation to living happily ever after with the help of a bunch of horses and humans is far from tweaking. And what lessons does that teach the littlies? That it's all right to climb tall walls and fall off, because when you do, there'll be someone to make you "happy again."

At least our version of the rhyme had an object lesson -- if you don't listen to your mum when she tells you to stay off the wall, you'll end up scrambled like poor Humpty Dumpty!

But we probably shouldn't animadvert too much about all this, after all, we're told the changes were made for "creative reasons," and who are we to argue with the creative mind?

I know ... it's one of those difficult-to-say words, isn't it? Your tongue gets quite tangled trying to wrap around it ...

And it doesn't sound anything like its meaning. It should have something to do with cartoons or selling things, but it actually means "to remark or comment critically, usually with strong disapproval or censure."

Animadvert comes from Middle English animadverten, 'to notice,' originally pinched from the Latin animadvertere, which combines animus, 'mind' with advertere, 'to turn toward.'

There are quite a few words like this ... words that don't sound like their meaning.

Some that always catch me out are:

enervate -- it really should have something to do with leaping around like a hairy goat, but in fact means just the opposite. If you're enervated, you're not invigorated at all, but 'deprived of force or strength; weakened.' dictionary.com explains the reason for our confusion: "In fact enervate does not come from the same source as energize (Greek energos, "active"). It comes from Latin nervus, "sinew." Thus enervate means "to cause to become 'out of muscle'," that is, "to weaken or deplete of strength."

Ah ... So that's why.

Another that always throws me, no matter how many times I sit and try to remember it is legerdemain. It's got to be an office term, hasn't it? Keep a ledger ... Oh ... ledger and leger- ...

It actually means 'sleight of hand; magic tricks; any illusory feat; trickery; deception; show of skill or deceitful cleverness.' (And no, we're not talking about people with skinny hands here, it's sleight of hand, not slight of hand.)

We get this tricky word from the French phrase léger de main meaning 'quick of hand.' The léger part means 'light' in weight, which the French pinched from the Romans. The Latin word for light is levis, (from which we get our English word, lever) and the main part comes from the Latin manus 'a hand.' 

Now it all makes perfect sense!

My final example of these worrisome words is encomium ...

An encomium, boys and girls, is 'a formal expression of high praise; a eulogy.'

The word comes to us via the Latin encōmium, but was originally from the Greek enkōmion (from epos), a 'speech praising a victor.' (This comes from the prefix en- meaning 'in,' and komos a 'banquet, procession, merrymaking.')

It is not to be confused with meconium, which is the "first faecal excretion of a newborn child, composed chiefly of bile, mucus and epithelial cells."

Close ... but not quite!

Meconium comes from the Latin mēcōnium, meaning (wait for it ...) 'poppy juice,' which in turn comes from the Greek mēkōn, meaning 'poppy.' (No, don't even ask ...)

You have to love English!

The family had many happy outings together. Trips to the city, trips to the coast, trips all over the country. However, there was one December that will always remain as the family favourite. That was the time that they bought that wonderful and very inexpensive camping tent. They'll never forget it ... It was the winter of their discount tent.

And I was delighted to discover that I wasn't the only one who remembered singing that little ditty I mentioned last week -- it was obviously a popular number in homes around the world back in the 50s. The song was originally recorded by Frankie Lane in 1953 (according to my best mate, Google), and it's quite a long song, which explains the different versions we all remember. There's nothing like music to evoke memories, is there?

If you feel strongly about the threat to Humpty Dumpty (and other politically incorrect relics) hop up on your soap-box and have your say on the Write101 blog.

And now may be the perfect time to get some educational toys for your ankle-biters ...

This week's quiz:

Speaking, as we were, about words that can confuse our tiny minds, here are some more. Think carefully about each of these:

refer, perspicacious, sanguinary, fortuitous, abjure, perspicuous, allude, fortunate, sanguine, adjure

1. refer to something indirectly or covertly

2. request earnestly; to charge, bind or command earnestly and solemnly, often under oath or the threat of a penalty 

3. happening by chance; accidental

4. hopeful; optimistic; confident; (of complexion) reddish, ruddy

5. having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning; having or showing insight; clear-sighted

6. renounce; repudiate; to renounce or give up under oath; forswear; to avoid or shun

7. bloody; murderous; ready or eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty; composed of or marked with blood

8. lucky; receiving good from uncertain or unexpected sources

9. easily understood; lucid; when referring to a person, expressing things clearly

10. referring to something directly, by naming

And don't you agree that while a handlebar moustache may look ridiculous, false eyelashes are even cilia?

Last week's quiz:

hyperbole, enjambment, alliteration, onomatopoeia, ambiguity, assonance, ballad, couplet, euphony, limerick

1. two consecutive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same metre - COUPLET

2. song, transmitted orally from generation to generation, that tells a story and that eventually is written down - BALLAD

3. light, humorous style of fixed form poetry; usual form consists of five lines with the rhyme scheme aabba; lines 1, 2, and 5 contain three feet, while lines 3 and 4 usually contain two feet - LIMERICK

4. repetition of the same consonant sounds in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a word or stressed syllable - ALLITERATION

5. word that resembles the sound it denote - ONOMATOPOEIA.

6. two or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a work - AMBIGUITY

7. boldly exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true - HYPERBOLE

8. language that is smooth and musically pleasant to the ear - EUPHONY

9. repetition of internal vowel sounds in nearby words that do not end the same - ASSONANCE

10. when one line of poetry ends without a pause and continues into the next line for its meaning - ENJAMBMENT

Here's a story about some of our fellow travellers on Planet Earth ...

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica -- where do they go?

Wonder no more!

It's a well-known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird that lives an extremely ordered and complex life. The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.

If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled in and buried. The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing: "Freeze a jolly good fellow."

A Little Something Extra

We made a brief stop with the penguins earlier, which has prompted me to ponder all Things Green, so this week, we're looking at what's available for everyone who's looking for a way to help the planet while working ...

And if you're interested in building your Green skills, you can earn an accredited Online MBA, Diploma or Certificate in Sustainable Management through the Anaheim University Kisho Kurokawa Green Institute. Print this text out along with this 6-digit code and have your $100 Application fee waived: 460756

The Hottest Green Jobs for the Next Decade
by Kevin Hutto

In this day and age when the focus is more on the environment, you may want to consider a job in the "green" market. There are so many choices, that there are many different opportunities out there. Here are several of the hottest "green" careers out there, geared towards a greener more eco-friendly future.

Farming is really becoming a lost art. With only about 2 million farmers, whose ages are around 55 to 60 years old; this is an important area that is losing ground. Sustainable farming means using more organic methods, rather than harsh fertilizers and pesticides. You really don't have to have some big giant commercial farm to grow food, many new farmers are thinking smaller, using resources better and reducing their costs.

Jobs in Forestry are growing more and more popular. Not only do they help with conservation and development, but they also work to teach people about how to improve their production and cut down on their global impact. They also work on new ways to conserve our lands, how to prevent deforestation, and many other micro-careers.

Now, with so many people looking to conserve energy and find alternative sources of power to run their homes and businesses, there are several careers in this field. There are solar, wind turbine, as well as hydro electric and thermal energy alternatives, and learning to install these systems is growing in demand. Not just this though, there are many other jobs related to this field, from Urban planning, sustainable systems development and many others. All of these jobs are designed to help companies and communities develop self sustaining energy sources.

Conservation Biology, Green MBA entrepreneurs, and Energy Efficiency careers are also in high demand.

One of the most important aspects of sustaining a green planet is recycling. You could start a recycling business, and there are many people who are starting these from their own homes. What you really need to get started here is a good scale, not one of those household models, something that can really take some weight. You will need bins to sort everything out, plastics, glass, aluminium, and even cardboard. You will need a computer, so you can check prices daily for recyclable materials and some extra cash on hand to pay people.

The first thing you should do if you are interested in one of these careers is do some quick research. Stop and think of what you would really like to do, installing alternative power, or providing companies with alternative energy ideas that they can use. You should also look into what kinds of opportunities are available in your area, maybe there is a need for an installer, or your community may need people to help improve and decrease their carbon foot print.

Then, when you have decided what you want to do, find classes on the skills you need for whatever job you want. There are all kinds of different aspects of installing alternative power sources, some of which require special training. Many colleges offer complete career training, giving instruction on many different aspects of one job. These may require a lot of time and commitment, but if you truly want to help the Planet, you really do need to have or acquire a lot of different skills.

(Kevin Hutto has been writing articles online for several years now. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/ )

Word of the week: Subfusc (adj) dark and dull; dingy; drab

Now here's another of those awkward words ... talk about a tongue-twister. It comes from the Latin subfuscus, meaning (what else?) 'brownish' from the prefix sub- 'under' and fuscus, 'dark.'

Oxymoron of the week: unanticipated (Duh!)

This week's Latin phrase is probably more accurately a Dog Latin phrase, but will still prove eminently useful one day:

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

[KWOHN-doh OHM-nee FLOON-koos mohr-ree-TAH-tee]

(When all else fails, play dead.)

Did you know that you can have your very own Latin reminders? How about undies proclaiming, Bene est rex esse? (It's good to be king) Or a shopping bag that warns, Emptrix nata sum (Born to shop)? Click here for these and more: http://www.cafepress.com/write101 

Don't forget to bookmark the page when you get there ... or even make it your Home Page. (For Internet Explorer, just click on Tools ... Internet Options ... General ... fill in www.write101.com/archives/index.htm and click OK. For Netscape, select Edit ... Preferences. Then select Navigator from the left menu, click Home Page and enter the URL above next to Location and click OK. For all the flash new browsers, you'll have to do a search on my mate google to find what to do. There's a search box on the archives page!)

Subscribe Here and Be Bribed!

If you've received this little missive from a friend, you can get your very own issue, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every Friday morning by clicking here: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogrups.com And I'm even prepared to offer a shameless bribe.

Kind regards,

Jennifer

P.S. Want to donate to the upkeep of this newsletter? Just $17 a year seems a small price to pay for all this wit and wisdom, don't you think? C'mon, that's just a tad more than 30 cents a week! 

1. Toss a few pennies in my Running Away Fund here: https://www. paypal.com (Send to jennifer @ write101.com ... without the spaces, of course) OR

2. Click here to subscribe for a full year OR

3. Use your credit card on my secure order form: http://www.write101.com/fund.htm (You can also access the PayPal subscription link from this page if the link above didn't work for you. With PayPal, you can use your credit card, PayPal account or pay online using your own cheque account.) OR

4. Send a cheque (made payable to Jennifer Stewart): http://www.write101.com/fund.htm 

To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: mailto:WritingTips-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com  or go to the  web site, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WritingTips  This menu will also let you change your subscription between digest and normal mode.

Copyright  Jennifer Stewart  2009

Individual articles copyrighted by their authors.