WINTER STORM 5 FEB 2009

[doughowk]

The debate over "decade" reminds me of one of my undergrad English professors during the 60s who insisted that we pronounce "don juan" as in the Italian = don jew'n. It may be correct, but I don't hear many (any in America) pronounce it that way. One of the better aspects of English language as practiced by Americans is how flexible, may we even say democratic, it is.

[keithwms]

One of the better aspects of English language as practiced by Americans is how flexible, may we say even democratic, it is.

Ah yes, there is Houston=HOW-st'n in Manhattan and then there is Houston=HYOO-st'n in Texas. Or the way some people say it down there, Hee-YOO-st'n.

I am sure most APUGers are familiar with the three (or four) pronunciations of Louisville. After considerable on-site training I am able to render it luh'avul as most natives would have it. When I first went to KY I said Lewisville and was greeted with guffaws.

Now van Huyck, how do Americans typically render that one? Van hike? Van hook? Van hick?

I have an easier name for American pronunciation, it is typically "whi'ms." It seems the double L is disappearing in many parts of the southern US, hispanified one might say. So wall is becoming waw, y'all is becoming yaw. Well at least we aren't turning th into f like certain parts of England :rolleyes:

[Darkroom317]

They are now predicting 4-8 inches here in Arkansas on Monday. The snow from last week finally melted with a bit still here. I've been having a lot of fun with FP4+ and the snow.

We had a pretty good hour of snow yesterday from the storm that's hitting you guys.

[Sirius Glass]

Oh come on, let's beat that dead horse. It's so much fun, and the snow story seems to be over anyway:

Wikepedia is a bit confusing in defining the term 'decade', but is pretty elaborate when it comes to the term 'century':

According to the Gregorian calendar, the 1st century C.E. started on January 1, 1 and ended on December 31, 100. The 2nd century started at year 101, the third at 201, etc. The n-th century started/will start on the year 100×n - 99. A century will only include one year, the centennial year, that starts with the century's number (e.g. 1900 is the final year in the 19th century).

It is a commonly held misconception that the 20th century ended on December 31, 1999. The 20th century actually ended on December 31, 2000, its centennial year. In the United States, this fact has been disputed with major media calling December 31, 1999 the end of the 20th century. The century referred to as the 1900s would, however, end on December 31, 1999.



So, if one is wrong, he just needs to find enough others to be wrong too, and everything is fine. We will never let facts stay in the way of opinions, will we now?

Too bad my grammar teachers didn't buy that one.

Thank you again Ralph.

Logic tells us that

If the thesis is true and the conclusion is true, that the logic is true.
If the thesis is true and the conclusion is false, that the logic is false.
If the thesis is false and the conclusion is true, that the logic is true.
If the thesis is false and the conclusion is false, that the logic is true.

Therefore, if the thesis is false regardless whether the conclusion is true or false the logic is always true.

Hence, if I state that 1 + 1 = 5, then anything I say after that is logically true!

1 + 1 = 5 therefore the decade ended 31 December 2009. <= that is the only way one can have correct logic and state this blatant falsehood.

Thus be the logic of Wikipedia.

By the way, no one has ever, ever, ever heard me state the media reporters are intelligent!

Steve

[keithwms]

Steve! Go back to balancing your pennies on your hassie

[TheFlyingCamera]

well, back on topic, we're over 2 feet of snow here in DC. And they're predicting another 8-10 hours of snowfall.

[Sirius Glass]

well, back on topic, we're over 2 feet of snow here in DC. And they're predicting another 8-10 hours of snowfall.

And I still cannot fly out to go skiing in Canada!

Steve

[colrehogan]

well, back on topic, we're over 2 feet of snow here in DC. And they're predicting another 8-10 hours of snowfall.

We barely got a dusting here. It rained here most of yesterday.

[brian steinberger]

We're in at 22" now, still snowing for a few more hours yet.

[RalphLambrecht]

We're in at 22" now, still snowing for a few more hours yet.

Aren't you guys all on the wrong site? Try this:

http://www.weather.com/maps/dopplerradarusnational.html