RogerH Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I keep coming up with oddities in the English language and how people behave etc - it is usually oblique and sideways to normality Today's whacky thought - Can an Atheist be articulate ? An Atheist has no 'The' 'The' is the definite Article Article and Articulate are associated. It gets worse - In France 'The' is their version for our daily cuppa So do Atheists in France not have a cup of PG Tips etc. I shall have a lay down non Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Don’t sweat the small stuff…..? Nurse! Time for his pills….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeTRacted Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 'Atheist' certainly has a definite article Roger. It's 'Agnostic' that doesn't. I get the feeling you must be a bit bored.......as am I. Stuck indoors at the moment recovering from a largish OP with a row of clips down my stomach like a YKK zip. To cap it I can't have them removed tomorrow as planned or go out, as the slight cold I had over the weekend (probably caught in hospital) turned out to be covid, so I now have to isolate for a week. Grrr. There are only so many crossword puzzles you can do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 I suppose if there was a room containing 100 people, 98 of whom (whom not who) are affected by religion, with one agnostic and one atheist then you could reasonable use the definite article and refer to them as 'the' agnostic and 'the' atheist. However Nick has a point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) DeTR, Perhaps a selected range of YouTube videos might amuse you if the crosswords bore? I'm rather fond of those made by "Kurtis, from Cutting Edge Engineering", a laconic Aussie who handles some massive bits of kit in his plant enginering workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gOjdhCfaNE&list=RDCMUC2wdo5vU7bPBNzyC2nnwmNQ&start_radio=1 And then a recent find is "Artisan Electrics". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ_XKCf5NTQ Much of what he says is as Greek to me, but I love watching someone apply diagnostic skills to a problem! And in this episode, the problem is such that "His brain hurts"! Hope you're back on form soon! John Edited February 22, 2023 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeTRacted Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Thanks John - I'll have a look at those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 2 hours ago, DeTRacted said: Stuck indoors at the moment recovering from a largish OP with a row of clips down my stomach like a YKK zip. To cap it I can't have them removed tomorrow as planned or go out, as the slight cold I had over the weekend (probably caught in hospital) turned out to be covid Aarrrgh! Commiserations! The fates are kicking you when already down A little reminder that Covid hasn’t actually gone away, just that most have stopped testing for it. Thankfully it doesn’t seem to be causing much serious illness (or maybe that’s an illusion caused by loss of interest by the media) Anyhow, best wishes for a speedy and full recovery! I also enjoy Cutting Edge Engineering and there are many similar content producers out there. “This old Tony” is another, and “ABOM Engineering” Youtube is an almost bottomless rabbit hole…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Ignoring that slur on those uninterested medics () Covid IS a lesser disease now - in this country at least, and in Europe. Contrast that with China, where a "no Covid" policy that sought to limit infection spread by drastic, enforced seclusion, coupled with a very low vaccination rate and an inferior vaccine, was ended, suddenly. China reports an accumulated 93 million infections (in 1.4 billion people) and 120,000 deaths. That's a mortality of 130/100,000. Contrast that with the UK record of 20 million infections and 185,000 deaths (925/100,000), and you can see that China may not be telling the complete truth. See: https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p2 With effective vaccines, started quickly, and boosted by repeats so that most of the UK has had four or more doses, there is a high level of at least partial immunity, and a much lower death rate than of yore. But yes! Covid has not gone away! It will remain and continue to be a cause of illness and death, like 'flu. There will be another vaccination campaign next autumn, which may include Covid vaccines. All the pharma groups are looking to provide combined Covid/Flu vaccines ASAP, so those might be available by then! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeTRacted Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 Thanks Nick - I'll check that site out too. The bugger of it is I have things I want to fettle on the TR, but I'm in no fit state to do anything much for a few weeks at least for fear of straining something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 28 minutes ago, DeTRacted said: The bugger of it is I have things I want to fettle on the TR, but I'm in no fit state to do anything much for a few weeks at least for fear of straining something. Yeah…. Can relate. Have that t-shirt. In the bottom of the drawer now though happily… never to come out again I hope. Mind you, being well enough to be getting frustrated is not all bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted February 22, 2023 Share Posted February 22, 2023 11 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Mind you, being well enough to be getting frustrated is not all bad! Certainly a good sign... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerH Posted February 23, 2023 Author Share Posted February 23, 2023 19 hours ago, DeTRacted said: Thanks Nick - I'll check that site out too. The bugger of it is I have things I want to fettle on the TR, but I'm in no fit state to do anything much for a few weeks at least for fear of straining something. Hi Rob, at the moment I can do 15 minutes work (weeding on Sunday & Monday) and then rest for 30 minutes. After a day or so of doing that I then spend 2 days recovering. Hopefully this Spring/Summer should show a reversal to this knackered state. Keep smiling Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 If we're exchanging the effects of increasing age, and decreasing health, I had unexpected news yesterday. A month ago I had a bout of severe bowel upset - no details, but very unpleasant. I 'blamed' that on my visit to youngest Grandson's school, to be the "Mystery Reader" of the week, that I reported here, because I thought I had picked up Norovirus from the littlies in his reception class. I'm recovering but function still abnormal, so consulted GP (excellent, quick telephone consult) and provided a sample. Yesterday, 24 hours later (!) she phoned me to tell that I have "Clostridium difficile" Clostridium difficile (C. diff) - NHS (www.nhs.uk) My recovery means that my physiology is overcoming it, so the few treatment alternatives such as Vancomycin (the fleet flagship of antibiotics, used rarely and as a last resort) or a faecal transplant (YUCK!) won't be necessary, but the diagnosis, however welcome in terms of knowing rather than speculating, that I am a carrier of this unpleasant bowel bug, makes me feel like Typhoid Mary - Mary Mallon - Wikipedia. Fortunately, my GP, backed up by Daughter who happens to be a consultant in gastroenterology, reassure me that if I follow the ordinary rules of hygiene and wash my hands, I'm most unlikely to infect anyone else. So I need not lock myself down again, and visits to either set of grandkids may continue, thank goodness! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 From the peculiarities of the English language to infirmities of age in less than one forum page. It's the older persons' version of Godwin's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law John, glad you know what it is, that you are on the road to recovery and that you have the decency to put a black cross on your front door 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 C-Diff..... curse of hospitals and infection control nurses/pharmacists...... Usually a problem for those who are either being aggressively treated with antibiotics and/or in hospital.... But as far as I know John, you are neither..... or have you had a course of antibiotics recently? 5 hours ago, RogerH said: at the moment I can do 15 minutes work (weeding on Sunday & Monday) and then rest for 30 minutes. This is very far from Ideal Roger.... long covid? Wish you both a full and speedy recovery! In the same way that UK inhabitants tend to spend alot of time talking about the weather - because we have a lot of it, as one gets older, more time tends to get spent talking about health issues..... Age does not come alone.... (except to a lucky few) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted February 23, 2023 Share Posted February 23, 2023 (edited) Yes. Definitely a lot of it. @RogerH and @JohnD while you gentlemen recover I can recommend this video to entertain and educate. My daughter bought me his book for Christmas. I thoroughly recommend it, interesting and illuminating on so many aspects of our predicament. The bredth of the discussion is incredible. Edited February 23, 2023 by Escadrille Ecosse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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