A Google Images search for “Mukalla, Yemen” produced one of these pictures. Can you guess which one?
If you guessed “The stylish piece of neckwear,” you are wrong!
All posts by acilius
Which is Mukalla?
Posted by acilius on August 31, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/31/which-is-mukalla/
Long live the blog!
Lefalcon, how are things in Mukalla? It sounds like quite a change from Aden.
Monday night I attended a meeting of Ball State’s Orthodox Christian Fellowship. As you recall, I’d attended once last year and had been meaning to go back. Someone I hadn’t seen there before asked me if I was an Orthodox Christian. No, I said, I’m a Quaker. This was a bit of an exaggeration; I haven’t joined the Friends Church yet, but am planning to do so. This drew a puzzled look. “I’m very comfortable with Quakerism and can’t imagine being anything but a Quaker, and that’s precisely why I want to learn more about Orthodoxy. I want to make sure that I’m not just looking for an excuse for being the sort of person I already am.” “Well, Quakerism and Orthodoxy are certainly opposite ends of the sprectrum.” I agreed. For example, the Orthodox always tend towards the most elaborate possible liturgical forms, while Quaker liturgy consists of sitting still.
At any rate, the theme of that meeting was the New Year. Because 1 September is New Year’s day in the liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church. In that spirit, I declare my New Year’s resolution to be posting more stuff on this blog.
Posted by acilius on August 31, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/31/long-live-the-blog/
An email I sent to P, in which I critiqued your least-favorite blogger
P-funk has been sending me emails lately with his views on society and class in Brazil, a topic whereupon my ignorance is almost total. So I keep trying to change the subject. Something he said yesterday reminded me of a recent posting on Steve Sailer’s blog, so I took the opportunity to introduce him to that site and my reservations about it. With P’s permission, I copy the message below. (more…)
Posted by acilius on August 15, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/15/an-email-i-sent-to-p-in-which-i-critiqued-your-least-favorite-blogger/
The Imp of the Perverse
Keith Knight on an odd psychological phenomenon.
Posted by acilius on August 14, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/14/the-imp-of-the-perverse/
beer commercial
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like if Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel had collaborated on a beer commercial? Neither have I. But somebody has- look at this Stella Artois spot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s-aXtrrdpU&mode=related&search=
Posted by acilius on August 14, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/08/14/beer-commercial/
Slow Start
So the blog is off to a slow start. I haven’t had much time lately for the sort of wide-ranging reading that would support a lot of postings, and I know you guys have a lot going on as well. But I think that email would be at a lull right now as well, for the same reason. So I still believe that going to a blog format was the right move, and that future developments will vindicate this judgement. I call for a surge of comments, posts, and new links.
Here’s a link to linguist Larry Trask’s very engaging article, “Where do Mama/Papa words come from?” I may have included a link in an email a while back, but it’s a really fun read and very convincing. If you’re at all interested in what historical linguists do, you’ll enjoy it. The file is pdf, but worth it. http://www.sussex.ac.uk/linguistics/documents/where_do_mama2.pdf
And another youtube clip from The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. I love them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeWH1wP9tM8
Speaking of youtube, here’s a Viewmaster commercial from 1971 featuring Henry Fonda and Jodie Foster. Also a kid who may or may not have been on The Brady Bunch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5QGd-0X3bg
The Word Origins class I teach includes the Greek word phobos, meaning fear, the uncontrollable urge to run away. Of course that gives us lots of English words ending in the six letters phobia, words that refer to irrational, unmanageable fears. People get interested in lists of paronyms like that, so the website below has lots of fans.
Posted by acilius on July 18, 2007
https://losthunderlads.com/2007/07/18/slow-start/
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acilius
believer1
lefalcon
losthunderlads
vthunderlad
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