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Jamoz's corner - by jamoz

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Jamoz's corner - November 2006

More than words

November 30th 2006 10:14

As someone who likes to write and has a love/hate realtionship with words I get slightly aggravated with people who tend to use words with little or no respect and for me the worst users of words are the Americans. I'm sorry, but it's true. They've only been around for what 230 years and they've already changed the spelling and pronunciation of many good words. The first word that comes to mind is the word buoy (pronounced b-o-y). They have hijacked this word and now apparently it's pronounced b-o-o-e-y. Despite the fact that the words buoyed, buoyancy and buoyant are not pronounced booeed booency or booyent but boid, boy-ant and boy-ency, so why the bloody hell do they say booey? The other word that throws me into a fit of hair pulling and angst is the word h-e-r-b pronounced h-e-r-b and not u-r-b. Who was the bright spark who dropped the h off of herb?

Would anyone mind if I put the 'w' back onto the end of anyhow, which seems to have been replaced recently by an 'o' ? Has the 'w' gone on leave? Or is it just the peoples minds who put this misspelling out there? Surely someone must be the head honcho of words over there, someone who decides how to spell and pronounce words. I need someone who I can write to and tear shreds off for spreading poor grammar throughout the world.

And another thing why is it that people are now changing the spelling to the US spelling? Do we live in the United States? Thank goodness we don't. A good example are the words c-e-n-t-r-e and m-e-t-r-e. Why are people now spelling them c-e-n-t-e-r and m-e-t-e-r? Center is just wrong but a meter is something that measures how much water/time/electricity I have used. I have this fantasy where when its dark and I go and correct the spelling on a sign with a paint brush or a spray can. I can't help it. Its a compulsion I have.

My next issue is people who shorten words that don't need to be shortened. Watching the local tv news tonight there was a sportsman who just had returned from a "comp" in the Phillipines. Is it too hard to say "competition"? And for years I listened to a radio announcer say "We'll be back in just a 'mo'" Don't we have enough time to say full words anymore? Would it hurt to finish a simple word? No wonder guys apparently only say 7000 words a day because we only use half a bloody word at a time. The rest we eat.

On the same subject Australians are not blameless and not to be outdone and we are well known for shortening many words and names that don't need to be shortened. We have mozzies and cozzies, there are places such as Brizzie and Tassie and good friends such as Daz and Baz (which have been conjucted even further from Dazza and Bazza). Its an argument I know I'll never win and all that can be done is watch our language slide into a perfect quagmire of poor spelling and even poorer pronunciation perpetuated by even poorer minds who continue to do it unabated.

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Marriage like thunder and lightning is made in heaven

November 30th 2006 09:14

With so many celebrities that get married and then get divorced it had to happen that one of them was bound to split up because of something stranger than fiction. Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock got married on a yacht four months ago. They looked happy on the yacht with her in her little string bikini and him....well her in her little string bikini anyway. Things seemed to be going well until they were invited to a screening of the movie "Borat" in which she stars and a tiny part of the movie is her home movie with ex Tommy Lee.

Well, the Kidster apparently blew a gasket like he had never even heard of, yet alone seen this home video. It's not like he wouldn't have known of it's existence (unless of course he's been living in a cave) and it wouldn't have been the whole movie that was shown I'd imagine just a small snippet because it's part of a larger movie. So he lost his cool and shouted and ranted and acted the fool in front of everybody. Pam, who of course felt bad about the whole thing because she thought he had a sense of humour about stuff like this. I take it also that he had no idea what his wife (his girlfriend at the time) was doing. How could he not know what she did in the movie? This was the straw that broke the camels back and hence the divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".

Wow talk about being sensitive. There are so many guys who'd love to get close to her. Not me of course (my wife wouldn't allow it) but then there also some guys who have this perversion (for want of a better word) where they get their kicks or get their rocks off watching their wives having sex with another guy. Unfortunately Kid Rock wasn't one of them. He may have sex on video but he just does have his standards by not watching his wife have sex with an ex. I guess the one thing that they may have had in common was the one thing that may have just torn them apart.

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Getting softer?

November 30th 2006 05:59

In this day and age where calling anybody anything can get you into trouble, the English Cricket Board have pushed it to a new extreme. The word is now that calling an Englishman a "Pom" is now a term of racial abuse. Would somebody please explain to me when the English became a race unto themselves? Because it's now apparently in the same class as wog, dago, chink, dago and all of the other really racially offensive names. There are many worse names that you could call someone english other than a "Pom". They also complained that Monty Panesar was subjected to racial abuse by someone who yelled out to him "You don't come from England!" It was very vague in that it didn't call him a name, didn't mention his colour or his religion so I ask you where is the racism in that? What if it was said to Kevin Peterson? Would it still qualify as racism? Half the fun is going to the cricket and being in the crowd. If we all had to sit there and say and do nothing then we'd all be at the tennis, wouldn't we? I don't encourage racial taunts, but a little ribbing of the opposition never hurt anyone as long as it's not taken too far. How many times have we heard a chant from the crowd that goes "(insert cricketers name here) is a wanker!"

The english really do remind me of a doughnut in that they're thin-skinned, pasty and soft. They need to find other things more important to worry about such as their so called fast bowler Stephen "L-plate" Harmison. I'm sorry but if any other bowler in any other test playing nation bowled like he did in the first test he'd be sitting out the next match cooling his heels especially when he has to "re-learn" how to bowl. Is there no other option than a terribly out of sorts bowler who has been desribed as potentially the difference between keeping or losing the Ashes? Is the English cupboard that bare?

Personally, I'm beginning to believe that most international cricketers are getting softer by the day. When I was growing up I heard stories of how international cricketers played with injuries and still made it through. Ever hear about how Jeff Thompson played in his first test with a broken foot? Rick McCosker and his broken jaw in the centenary test in 1977? Or how Allan Border batted with a broken finger in England in 1981? How about how Malcolm Marshall played with a fractured arm in England in 1988? These days we get players like Pedro Collins who got hit on the chin whilst batting, required stitches and then sat out the rest of the days play! Or how Shane Watson who injured his hamstring and when he was ruled out went into the dressing room and cried his eyes out. Test cricket is a tough sport and it requires tough men. We don't need prima donnas. Thats what international soccer is for.

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An important lesson for all of us

November 29th 2006 13:24

"Frankly I couldn't care less if students are unable to rattle off the functions of the Governer-General. It takes three seconds to get this information from the net" Maralyn Parker

The above comment was taken from The Daily Telegraph of Wednesday November 29 2006 and was written by a teacher who apparently was writing on behalf of all teachers. Her piece was inspired by the less than perfect pop quiz results of Ms Tebbutt, Mr Iemma and the state opposition spokesman on education. She was on the front foot defending the integrity of the teachers in case there were people out there who wanted to blame them for the three Government leaders who should have had simple general knowledge but didn't. Ms Parker seems to have forgotten what history is, and what general knowlege is, confused. Knowing the functions of the Governer-General isn't a matter of history that is a case of pure general knowledge. But knowing who the first Premier of NSW was would be general knowledge that is historical in content. What is worrying is that Ms Parker seems to think that certain knowledge about how our style of system is run is irrelevant to our students best interests. Not only that it doesn't seem to be important enough to be taught but can be found within three seconds on the internet which is not always 100% substantive or correct. I don't think Ms Parker did herself or her profession any favours in her column by showing her slip

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This is the research we just had to have

November 29th 2006 11:43

Have you noticed that there is now scientific data for everything? Even stuff we all knew, scientists have to find a way to waste what little money we place in the hands of the tax man on data that we have absolutely no use for except to nod our heads and go "Yep! I knew it!" as if to confirm our worst fears or to back up our own convictions on certain matters.

Todays research tells us that "women talk three times as much as men daily" and not only that "they speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit chat and get a kick out of hearing their own voices." Well there's a surprise if ever there was one! Was research really necessary to make these remarkable discoveries? I really would like to meet the people who really believe that this research, as interesting as it is, is worthy of my hard earned money for such study. Can't they find anything more important to do their research papers on other than how many words a woman speaks daily (20,000) to a man's (7,000)? She claims that its because of testosterone that men don't say that much. I disagree wholeheartedly with the good Doctor (who just happens to be a self affirmed feminist). We don't speak that much because with the amount of words that flow from womens mouths (not all of it sensible either) we find it hard to get a word in edgewise. To prove my point there was a man who once lamented "I had words with my wife...and she had paragraphs with me

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Whatever happened to diplomacy?

November 28th 2006 09:43

Watching the news tonight, there was amongst all the talk of politics and other bad news a little piece about Elton John. I regard Elton as a great singer but he seems to be pushing it with his rudeness and his arrogance. I saw him on television tonight and was upset with the Prime Ministers stance on gay marriage. He was asked what he would like to say to Mr Howard and he replied "Up yours!" Elton may be a Sir but he certainly ain't diplomatic and definitely not a gentleman. Must he be reminded that he is speaking to the leader of a country and not just any little guy off the street? To me it's worse than the Dixie Chicks saying they're ashamed that Mr Bush is from Texas.

It should be a personal affront to every Australian when Mr Howard is standing up for certain principles and he gets attacked by a celebrity who not only wants to try and justify his own behaviour but to try to force his lifestyle on others. He seems to want to attack anything that goes against how he lives his life. I find that a lot of people tend to very get aggressive defending a stance when they know they're wrong and feel guilty about it

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I want bang for my buck!

November 27th 2006 23:11

I probably more than most others have more than a slight distrust of those who either hold power or those who wish to be in power in either state or feferal parliament. In my mind there is something awfully corrupt about the system that has been created and moreover the power that we, the people, have given to those who sit, stand and walk in the corridors of power. Many people feel that they don't connect with politics and politicians simply because there is the belief that somehow certain politicians either never had or have lost the plot when it comes to what the people want. It is interesting to note that a position that was created to serve the people has now turned into a matter of not service to the people but service to they self. Admittedly, not all politicians are this way and those who are, are indeed a rare breed indeed.

Here are a few of my suggestions for bringing some credibility back to the post of politician

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Where loyalty can get you

November 27th 2006 09:57

I don't know about you but when I was growing up I never took any interest in politics because it wasn't something that grabbed my attention. I paid little attention to Malcolm and Bob mainly because I was too young to understand them. I mean Bob seemed like a nice down to earth bloke. he seemed genuine enough for me as a seven year old to invite him to my community. Of course he never came but that is neither here nor there because I still admired him. He unfortunately was taken out of office because of disloyalty of his own party. I have a better recollection of Mr Keating as a flashy dressing, clock loving, sport hating, Prime Minister who knew how to throw a verbal bomb at the Liberal Party.

The current Prime Minister, Mr Howard seems to be more Bob Hawke than Paul Keating personality wise. I can either find him on television with the press, I can turn on the radio and hear him, or read an article he has in the paper. He certainly gets around. It's as if he is approachable and available almost anytime. I have one problem with him though and it concerns his loyalty. Now there's nothing wrong with loyalty as such but he needs to let Mr Bush know that it is time to remove his hand from a certain part of his anatomy so he can start to make his own decisions in relation to global matters such as Iraq and global warming. When they were in Vietnam together, they seemed to like each other so much that they started dressing alike! The press made some kind of issue out of the fact that they didn't give the usual handshake at the end of their press conference. To me, it was a storm in a tea cup and someone was just looking for news when there was none there. I did want to know why they decided to wear the same suit and tie though. In a way I feel sorry for him because if he wins the next general election he will have to live life without Mr Bush after 2008. He may very well start to feel the effects now as we are now beginning to see the beginning of the end of not only Mr Bush's power which has been seriously curtailed by the new Congress and Senate but by Tony Blair stepping down sometime within the next year. Is it any wonder we've started to see Mr Howard backtrack on the environment? And it would be very interesting if the next US president signed the Kyoto Protocol, wouldn't it? Where would that us as a nation, and Mr Howard politcally? Mr Howard is going to find himself isolated internationally sooner rather than later and he for the sake of all of us needs to find a way to dig his way out of what his loyalty has got us into.

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A lesson for all of us

November 27th 2006 06:40

Just when you think the politics in NSW couldn't take another beating, it happens again. Can you imagine that a politician is asked why we celebrate Australia Day and she says it's when the Australian states came together under federation. Maybe my memory is slipping because I'd swear that wasn't what I was taught in high school. Maybe it's a bit of revisionist history that all politicians sometimes tend to pull on the those who don't know any better. It's that or she's making it up as she goes along. It might not be so bad if it weren't the Minister of Education because you would expect the person holding this portfolio to at least have general knowledge of Australian history. There is the saying that the fish stinks from the head and in this case it seems quite approriate to use.

It didn't happen to her alone mind you. The Premier and the opposition spokesman both failed their pop quiz as well. They were both asked the same question (The first Premier of NSW), both had different answers and both were wrong. I'd have thought the Premier was a little closer to being right (he said Parkes) than the opposition spokesman was (Sir Edmund Barton who just happened to be the first Australian PM). How could he get it so wrong? I'm sorry if you don't know the answer, you just don't know so don't guess because it only makes you look even worse. Doesn't just make you swell with pride that these people who are paid so much to look after our childrens futures know even less than the students who graduate

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So much for the hype

November 27th 2006 05:46

There has been this huge hype over the Ashes series which has over the past five days has done nothing to explain the reason for all the fuss. It seems like just another ordinary Ashes series where the Aussies give the Poms a beating and the Poms once again become the laughing stock of the tabloids both in Australia and in England. They can be thankful though, they aren't the West Indies who seem to turn in Jekyll and Hyde performances every second or third match and then become the laughing stock of the cricketing world.

I believe that if there's supposed to be the hype I want it to come close to living up to what it was billed to be. Now this happens a lot with television programmes and movies which are billed to be hilarious or guaranteed to knock your socks off in some way, shape or form. So you sit there expectantly waiting to be blown away only to find yourself thinking halfway through "Why the hell am I watching this rubbish?" I had the same experience watching the Poms get absolutely mauled first by the bat then by the ball on a flat pitch. They're damn lucky they got to the fifth day. If the English want to come out under the guise of wanting to play and then play like they don't want the Ashes then maybe they should have just couriered them back instead of wasting the cricketing publics time

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Richards Freudian rant

November 27th 2006 03:11

I watched on television not totally surprised by Michael Richards racial rant last week and was even more bemused by his first apology on Letterman. I was surprised that it was him but not surprised it happened to a white celebrity.

I see it this way. He did it because it was exactly how he feels about African-Americans and perhaps all coloured peoples. His splutterings on Letterman claiming his rant was "Insane" and that he wasn't racist left a lot to be desired. It doesn't matter to me if he claims to have meant it or not it came from deep within him. It bubbled under the surface and just needed the right environment to come out. Whether he was under pressure or not used to doing stand up isn't a reasonable excuse because usually you don't say things you don't mean even if it is in a temper. It's what is termed as a "Freudian slip" where people say something that they didn't intend to say but what is said is what they feel. The mouth may stay closed sometimes but the heart doesn't lie. Under the supposed repentance and the apologies to the African-American community and the rest of the people who were offended lies a heart that holds hatred and intolerance. You can't esacpe from that. I don't see how someone can make such statements claim "insanity" and then feel repentance

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Whats wrong with the world?

November 27th 2006 02:42

I was on yahoo answers some time ago and someone asked the question "Do you fear the way the world is heading?" I couldn't resist answering. It may seem like a rehash of stuff that I've spoken about before but you must understand that I'm a little rusty where my writing is concerned so forgive me for reprinting old stuff. My answer is reprinted below with some new thoughts added in.

As long as we progress toward relative moralism then we don't have a hope. I'm sorry but It disturbs me that the more we talk about freedom the less of it there is. When someone else wants freedom to do what ever it is they feel they want to do the rest of us who don't necessarily believe they have the right to do so have to squeeze up in the "bus of freedom" to make room

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