Nukular

Pundint

Relator

(I feel your pain.)

That the LW has nothing better to complain about than use of words to describe a problem is pretty pathetic. He should have at least thrown in a comment about something really sordid, if he has anything to write about.

On the other hand, I can empathize with him-the misuse of the English language is truly appalling; one of my pet peeves is now the new phrase "went missing".

One is either missing or not. You don't go "missing".

Popular parlance does not absolve one of ignorance.

when really little things start to bother you, it's usually an indication that big things are bothering you and you can't face them, so you express your anger by ranting against insignificant things. Who cares what they call it? We call it a TV, not television, CD rather than Compact Disk, etc. Debating your peeve is pointless, because it's not enough to make you angry, something else is making you angry.

Gussing you're a baby boomer (since you've been involved with environmentalism since the 70s), I bet you're depressed about aging. It's hard, but it's a chance to reassess your goals and redefine your life.

Don't turn into a cranky old man.

it's not new, it's a very old Britist phrase. Try reading some classic British literature. There's a significant difference between British and American usage. I went the phrase is gaining use in the US thanks to British TV shows on the BBC. Oops, I meant television, not TV. 'Cuse me. oops, did it again.

which is the incorrect spelling of the french Viola! (wihtout the accent mark)

It was nineteen-oh-three, not one thousand nine hundred oh three. Why is it now two thousand seven, and not twenty-oh-seven? I blame Arthur C. Clarke, whose work I like very much. Still, I will continue to call the years of the 21st century by their rightful names.

Fergus

I can't stand it when I hear politicians refer to military abuses as "a few bad apples." Don't they realize the expression ends with "spoil the whole barrel"? Arrrgh! Precisely the opposite of the point they're trying to make!

These aphorisms are important because they convey traditional folk wisdom that is meant to be teachable. To use them incorrectly shows not only astonishing ignorance, but contempt for the very wisdom the phrase is trying to impart! Imagine listening to a White House spokesman say, "We've done a full review of our egg resources, and we are confident that we can accurately predict the future chicken population."

In the apple metaphor, the phrase is a stern warning against the danger of engaging in casual groupthink. The point is that without vigilance we are dangerously corruptible, which seems to be proven true in too many cases.

The reason carbon is used when talking about carbon neutrality is so that so that it covers all forms of carbon both when they are emitted as CO2 and methane and when they are emitted and then sequestered as organic carbon (i.e the CO2 is converted via photosynthesis).

I hate to be a nitpicker regarding a letter about nitpicking.

The Yellow ribbon thing may have been kicked off by the cheesy Tony Orlando song, but the symbolism derives from a John Wayne movie; "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," the symbolism of which derives from the yellow stripe on a cavalry trooper's pants. So, if you want to get bent out of shape about the various meanings of the color yellow, I suggest discussing it with a veteran of the AirCav.

It's "HOME in" in HONE in."

One does not sharpen in on anything.

And really? You say, LW, that people are trying to make you feel guilty. I would bet a (small) sum of money that they are simply dismissing your excessive angst about such a ridiculous issue.

The fact that other posters have pointed out that your logic is faulty only makes you look sillier.

...or it that ect.? :-)

On the learning curve question/debate/discussion...I always thought saying something "has a steep learning curve" meant that it required a steep learning curve, i.e., you have to gain a lot of knowledge very quickly. So the image of climbing that knowledge vs. time graph makes sense to me. I don't think I've heard of people having a steep learning curve; I think it (almost) always refers to the task or challenge. Or maybe I'm just lucky that I haven't come across really bad usage.

On the language thing...I've been an editor for years, and my pet peeve is people correcting each other's spoken grammar. Or being "outraged" by common misuse. I used to be something of a nitpicker when it came to grammar and usage, and my ears still grate when I hear an "over" that should be "more than", but language evolves. The purpose of language is clear communication, not a test of someone's knowledge of the rules. So let if it's not confusing you, let it go.

(And a big sarcastic thanks to all of you who write to publications to inform them of "the rules" when they make a mistake or let slip a typo. It's very helpful for professional editors to be reminded of the difference between "it's" and "its." Just a humble request from a longtime copy editor: Please keep the smug "gotchas" to yourself. Bask in your superiority without sharing it with us. We put a lot of words out there, and we usually get it right. We know when we made a mistake.)

Note: I'm still a traditionalist when it comes to print, but I'm not going to stop someone mid-sentence to correct their grammar. THAT makes me want to scream.

We can argue all day about the accuracy of "carbon" (and I'm sure we shall), but the greater point is that words have meaning. Correct and precise use is important. Ignorance and imprecision leads to unnecessary brou-ha-has such as that over the word "niggardly," dangerous feel-good legislation, even violence.

Cary does a pretty good job addressing the letter-writer's concern.

For an excellent discussion of the importance of language on thought, please read George Orwell's, "Politics and the English Language," which can be found here:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm

Unfortunately, Cary was a little indulgent when he veered off into his oblique rant about the Gawker.

Remember, the high road is always best.