Whing´er -

n. 1. A kind of hanger or sword used as a knife at meals and as a weapon. "The chief acknowledged that he had corrected her with his whinger." - Sir W. Scott.

Whinger -

1. Slang for someone who won't shut up. 2. Someone who is always complaining.

As in: Whinging Irish, Whinging Pom, whinging pommy bastard, whinging poms. (the only actual usage examples from the Urban Dictionary, nothing remotely American among those)

I apologize for my ignorance, though I have never heard this word used in England or in British media of any kind; and I certainly have not heard it used anywhere in the US.

HOWEVER, according to The Online Etymology Dictionary, and other sources I've looked at, whine and whinge DO seem to have the same root.

To wit: whine (v.) O.E. hwinan "to whiz or whistle through the air" (only of arrows), also hwinsian "to whine" (of dogs), ultimately of imitative origin (cf. O.N. hvina "to whiz," Ger. wiehern "to neigh"). Meaning "to complain in a feeble way" is first recorded 1530. The noun is from 1633. The northern form of O.E. hwinsian survives in dial. whinge "to complain peevishly."

At least, Alden, in my "peevish complaint" I addressed the actual question at hand!

And I will again: It seems in this situation that the Russian husband is doing more complaining that the actual LW. She moved to be with him and he's still not happy! Most Grad programs give you 7 or so years to actually finish, so if she gets moving, she might be able to finish. Maybe the whole experience will break that writer's block.

No one is being permanently harmed here, no one's bleeding from the head, no kids are involved; it's just a first marriage for 2 people who weren't ready to be married.

Always remember: "Life isn't meant to be enjoyed, it's meant to be gotten on with."

"Marriage is about shared sacrifice", "it's all about shared sacrifice"

How could you afford to take time out from making your wife miserable to write such a letter? You'd better get back to work, Bod.

As for the LW's question, her obligation to the husband and his to her is to try to make it work. It sounds like she definitely has some growing up to do, but she isn't obliged to stay in an unhappy marriage to do it. My best guess is that ultimately the real issues are with the individuals and those need to be worked out before they can really be married.

"Lots of problems here" by jb and "Advice to American women" by no name given are on the right track, I think.

And what the hell is a "whinger"? Could that perhaps mean "whiner", someone such as BodAbroad?

"But exactly how much is 30 grams? It certainly seems like a lot."

- that's slightly more than AN OUNCE, fool.

"I always remember how the myth that a high-fiber diet would help reduce the risk of colon cancer was dispelled by a series of long-term studies."

A. As others have pointed out, high fiber intake has tremendous advantages when it comes to taking a dump. And you can achieve this high fiber intake by eating lots of vegetables rather than sawdust. If you don't like vegetables, lord help you.

B. Also as others have pointed out, it's the factor of reduced consuption of animal products that comes along with the higher fiber (ie, more vegetables) diet that really does you good.

Broadsheet has now officially become the village idiot of Salon.

St. F'uad, I deem thy letter false.

Thou art no longer a Saint.

Seriously, are you the same person who always writes in about Tom Tomorrow "phoning it in"?

The situation sounds entirely plasuible, if unlikely. Some folks should get out more and see how odd the human condition can be. Ever heard the expression 'truth is stranger than fiction?

Anyway... tell the kid, she'll get over it. Tell the ex husband so he can get to work lowering his alimony payments. Poor guy. You have a daughter, a lover, and two homes... what's he got? Emotional scar tissue would be my guess.

What if people realize that until they STARTED the war in Iraq, Iraq wasn't part of the "Terror" problem? Do the Republicans really want people to notice how they threw gas on the fire?

Maybe there were so many letters that I missed the one that says this explicitly, but it bears repeating anyway.

I would hope that anyone who lives in San Francisco (or anywhere else in earthquake country) would keep a very good stash of emergency supplies in their car at all times; the city recommends 72 hours' worth but I prefer more like a week's worth. And since you never know how cold it might get in SF (in the 20's tonight, supposedly) that stash will hopefully include good blankets and maybe a campstove. And, all that good boyscout stuff (windup flashlight/radio, 1st aid kit, SA knife, etc.) AND, keep your gas tank full.

All you Salon readers in the Bay Area are going to check on that this weekend, aren't you?

Can someone remind me what's wrong with burritos? I make them with a tortilla, rice, beans, lettuce, salsa, a little hot sauce, and a little cheese. Maybe you could add some grilled peppers and whatnot. I guess if you use lardy refried beans and the burrito is half sour cream and cheese you'd have a problem; is that the problem? I always thought it was pretty easy to make a rather healthy burrito.