Damp Squib

Those damn squid, errr, damp squid! I must have squid on the brain. Speaking of which, the first time I heard of my future sister-in-law was when I noticed a postcard she had sent my brother (the one she eventually married, not the other one that she dallies with on the side ;)). In it, she addressed her future and current husband as "Squid-brain," and I knew I'd like her from there on out.

Anyway, in today's news, I see Tony Blair referring to a supposed "smoking gun" memo regarding the legality of the Iraq war as a "damp squib." Must be a British expression. A quick check online reveals that it is a fairly common term mean something that amounts to very little. A "squib" is apparently a small firecracker, and a damp one presumably promises much but fizzles instead. It also apparently refers to a racehorse that starts fast but fizzles out.

Learning something new every day is a surefire way not get paid for doing something you already know.

posted on Thu, 28 Apr 2005 at 12:08 | path: /words | perma link

Pediculosis

Pediculosis is the fancy name for an infestation of head lice. A pediculicide is something that kills lice. See LiceMeister for more information.

posted on Tue, 29 Mar 2005 at 13:00 | path: /words | perma link

Intelligent Design

"Intelligent design" is the new name for what was previously called "Creationism" (and stands largely in opposition to Darwin's theory of evolution). My opinion is that Darwin should be taught in biology class and that teaching of creationism should be limited to church/temple/mosque or a comparative religions class.

For more, see "We've been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture."

posted on Tue, 29 Mar 2005 at 12:47 | path: /words | perma link

Taiko

Taiko is a style of Japanese percussion. A taiko ensemble often consists of multiple people playing drums of various sizes (some extremely large) and other percussion instruments. The drumming is more than just a musical performance. The percussionists often perform intricate choreography (a sort of stylized dance reminiscent of martial arts) while drumming. The arm, hand, and body movements add to the artistic asthetic, making it both a visual and auditory feast for the senses.

posted on Tue, 29 Mar 2005 at 01:58 | path: /words | perma link

Peshmerga

The term "pershmega" refers to a member of the Kurdish militia. Previously a guerilla force fighting for an independent Kurdish state, the peshmerga militia is now the subject of negotiations regarding a coalition goverment in Iraq. The Kurds want to maintain a separate militia, but other parties want to incorporate it into the Iraqi army.

posted on Fri, 25 Mar 2005 at 13:48 | path: /words | perma link

Leptodactyl / Leptodactylidae

A leptodactyl, is a slender-toed animal. The term is used for birds and other animals, including frogs. The word leptodactyl derives from the greek, "lepto" meaning "slender" and "dactyl" meaning "toes". The family Leptodactylidae comprises many species of frogs, including tropical and other New World frogs.

posted on Thu, 24 Mar 2005 at 12:47 | path: /words | perma link

Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

Lately in the news due to the Terri Schiavo case, I recommend the following links:

THE PERMANENT VEGETATIVE STATE; ETHICAL CRUX, MEDICAL FICTION? and Dictionary.LaborLawTalk.com

The Schiavo cases raises many interesting issues. I'm omitting the many legal, political, and religious issues that have been widely discussed in the media, which is not to discount their relevance. I'm just trying to say something new and make my viewpoint known.

My standard for quality of life is "If I can't shovel the sidewalk, and I can't tell you not to pull the plug, then you have my current permission to kill my future body as expediently as possible." I wouldnot like to be dehydrated or starved to death. It seems like a cruel way to go. I'd have no problem with being taken off a respirator. If I was in a persistent vegetative state and able to breathe on my own, I'd rather be killed by an overdose of a drug. I think people can return from a persistent vegetative state, as some have. The process may be very long, perhaps years. If a loved one was in that state, I'd like to think I'd be patient. But if I was in that state, I see no reason to put my loved ones through the angst. They should have no compunction about ending a bad situation and getting on with their lives.

The problems I see with the Terri Schiavo case are as follows:

1. I don't like it when families fight. Yes, the parents might think it is their business, but when Terri married her husband, he got the right to make medical decisions for her. That is the way our system works, and I don't like people crying foul if they don't get their way. Either change the law or accept the law as written.

2. There is no legal basis for Congress to intervene. Yes, the presumption should be on the side of life, but Terri was given that presumption. Courts ruled that after considering the evidence, the presumption was not sufficient to sustain her body in a PVS.

3. I firmly believe in the right to die and that the state and federal gov't have no business intervening. I see the courts as upholding the sanctity of the individual and of marriage (not to be confused with simply anti-gay "sanctity of marriage") in this case. Two problems: First, the husband has moved on, and has a new family with another woman. That puts him in a bad political situation regardless of his motives. Second: By definition, Terri's wishes were for herself applied to her "self". It is less clear that those wishes apply to a body carrying Terri's old brain around. One could argue that the Terri that opted not to live in this state no longer exists. If the parents and siblings want to take possession of and care for the physical body, I would have no objection were it not for the rights of the husband. I don't want to admit that Terri has lost her rights, but it isn't crazy to suggest it, as you could argue that Terri no longer exists.

4. I don't know enough about neurology, but people and doctors tend to underestimate the consciousness of other people and animals. Ask yourself whether you attribute conscious thought to every other person you hear about, whether a criminal, a homeless person, a foreigner, etc. And few of us attribute consciousness to the animals we eat for food, despite obvious evidence that animals feel pain, etc. My point is that I see consciousness in severely disabled people where others discount it. Would we put Stephen Hawking to death if he didn't have a voice synthesizer?

5. I'd rather Congress vote whether to withhold hydration and nutrition from Tom DeLay.

Not a simple issue, but for different reasons than I usually hear discussed in the news (skip the "right to life", "due process", and "eternal damnation" arguments please--those have already been adjudicated).

posted on Thu, 24 Mar 2005 at 12:41 | path: /words | perma link

Federalism

Federalism, despite misconceptions to the contrary, does not refer to the supremacy of Federal institutions. Instead, the term currently refers to the belief that states' rights should outweigh federal powers. Therefore, "federalism" is the U.S. is largely synonymous with "states' rights," although it is often used incorrectly (with the opposite meaning), including recently by Pat Buchanan as he appeared on "Hardball" with Chris Matthews. Granted, when the country was founded, the term referred to people who believed in a federation, that is, a central government of some sort. But even then, the role of the central government was to be limited.

The term "federalism" also has different meanings in different contexts and countries. Here, I refer to it in the context of the U.S., where it is most recently in the news due to the Terry Schiavo case. In an extraordinary move, the Republican congress and president ran rough-shod over states' rights by attempting to move the jurisdiction of the case from the Florida courts to Federal courts. This comes despite Republicans often touting states' rights when they don't like federal laws or don't want one states' laws to affect another state. They did a similar thing when the US Supreme Court stopped the Florida court from ruling on the 2000 presidential election. Likewise, Republicans are afraid of anti-gay-marriage states having to recognize the same-sex couples that were married by states where same-sex marriage is legal.

In short, if Republicans control the Federal gov't and can get a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, they are anti-federalist (i.e., they feel the Federal gov't should take precedence over states' rights). OTOH, if Republicans don't like Federal laws, they conveniently either overturn or rewrite them, or retreat to the position that states should make decisions independent of the Federal gov't. Beauty.

posted on Wed, 23 Mar 2005 at 20:13 | path: /words | perma link

zona pellucida

A thick layer surrounding a mammalian egg, which the sperm must penetrate via an enzymatic reaction in order to fuse with the egg membrane and fertilize the egg. Japanese scientists recently discovered a protein (dubbed "Izumo" after a Japanese shrine dedicated to marriage) without which mouse sperm could not fuse with a mouse egg membrane. A similar protein has been identified in human sperm, hinting at possible methods of non-hormonal contraception.

posted on Wed, 09 Mar 2005 at 15:33 | path: /words | perma link

Cost Certainty

The phrase "cost certainty" is used by the NHL (hockey league) owners

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posted on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 at 13:01 | path: /words | perma link

Peremptory Challenges

The word "peremptory" surfaces whenever a trial, such as the latest one for Michael Jackson, attracts enough attention that even the jury selection process becomes newsworthy.

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posted on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 at 11:32 | path: /words | perma link

Apostate Guards

The phrase "apostate guards" appears in news accounts of the war and insurgency in Iraq.

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posted on Wed, 02 Mar 2005 at 11:27 | path: /words | perma link