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I bet you didn't know that this thread would have a part 2

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  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Deirdre-Luke-Sabina-Wedding-023-1.jpg


    Luke Kelly married Deirdre O'Connell, an actress from the Bronx who moved to Ireland in the 60s. Her bridesmaid in this photo is a fellow actress she met over here, by the name of Sabina Coyne.


    Coyne is her maiden name, and she is married now. Her married name....is Higgins.


    Higgins-sabina.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,908 ✭✭✭LostinBlanch


    mzungu wrote: »
    More high-ranking Nazi officers died in the Czechoslovakian car Tatra 77a and 87 than in active combat, prompting Hitler to ban his officers from driving them. It was nicknamed the "Czech secret weapon" by the Allied forces. These high-ranking Nazi officers drove this car fast but the handling was woeful, so at a sharp turn they would lose control, spin out and wrap themselves round a tree killing the driver more often than not.


    Tatra87
    tatramain_3319504b.jpg

    tatra_3319500c.jpg

    tatravw_3319511b.jpg

    Incidentally, Tatra was suing Volkswagen for patent infringement, the photos show how much the Germans "copied" from Tatras design. This continued until Hitler invaded Czecheslovakia. Then the lawsuit was dropped. Fancy that? :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,908 ✭✭✭LostinBlanch


    The Russian Crown Jewels were hidden in a chimney in a house in Marino for 16 years.

    In 1921 Harry Boland was part of a delegation sent by Dev to raise money in the US. While they were there they met a Russian delegation who were also trying to raise money. The Irish delegation lent the Russians $20,000 and got the crown jewels as collateral.

    Oh, that house in Marino was previously Bram Stokers house.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,819 ✭✭✭✭Realt Dearg Sec


    The Russian Crown Jewels were hidden in a chimney in a house in Marino for 16 years.

    In 1917 Harry Boland was part of a delegation sent by Dev to raise money in the US. While they were there they met a Russian delegation who were also trying to raise money. The Irish delegation lent the Russians $20,000 and got the crown jewels as collateral.

    Oh, that house in Marino was previously Bram Stokers house.

    Neil Jordan has a novel called Mistaken about two twin brothers who grow up in adoptive families on opposite sides of the Liffey. The North side one grows up in a house next to Stoker's, a fact which drives up the property value.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,192 ✭✭✭facehugger99


    humberklog wrote: »
    The word Moot used as an adjective to describe a point as too uncertain to have a practical relevance for debating.


    The word Moot used as a verb is to propose or suggest an idea for debate.

    The words 'stammer' and 'stutter' were made purposely difficult to say for people with the said afflictions in order to heap further social embarrassment on them.

    For similar reasons, 'Dyslexia' was made difficult to spell.


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  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,295 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    For similar reasons, 'Dyslexia' was made difficult to spell.

    Hmmm. Not quite.

    From Etymonline.com:
    dyslexia (n.)

    "a difficulty in reading due to a condition of the brain," 1885, from German dyslexie (1883), from Greek dys- "bad, abnormal, difficult" (see dys-) + lexis "word" (taken as "reading"), from legein "speak" (from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather," with derivatives meaning "to speak (to 'pick out words')") + abstract noun ending -ia. Dyslexic (n.) is recorded by 1946; dyslectic (adj.) by 1962.
    Professor Berlin has written a very interesting monograph upon the disease called dyslexia, which he believes allied to the alexia, or word-blindness of Kussmaul. He gives a clinical history of six cases, collected during a period of twenty-three years, all having this peculiarity, that they could read aloud the average type, Jaeger three to five, only a few words in succession. These words were correctly spoken and without confusion or stammering, but as soon as a few words had been read the patients seemed anxious to get rid of the book, and, on being questioned, stated that they had an unpleasant feeling which they could not well define. ["The Satellite of the Annual of the Universal Medical Sciences," Philadelphia, November 1887]


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    New Home wrote: »
    Hmmm. Not quite.

    From Etymonline.com:


    [/INDENT]

    Same with stammer and stutter, as they are 16th century and from old or middle German for to strike against.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,306 Mod ✭✭✭✭mzungu


    In the USA, about 85 percent of hospitals still use pagers because cell service in hospitals can have quite a number of dead zones. In some hospital areas, the walls are built to keep X-rays from penetrating, but those heavy-duty designs also make it hard for a cell phone signal to make it through but not pagers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    Why not pagers???


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    Why not pagers???
    Bandwidth I'd imagine. A text is a tiny lump of information, a phonecall ramps that up by quite a margin, so is less likely to connect. A text also doesn't have to connect instantly. So all in all a text/pager message is more likely to get through. Like in the early days of radio, morse code was used for the same reason.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 40,088 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Bandwidth I'd imagine. A text is a tiny lump of information, a phonecall ramps that up by quite a margin, so is less likely to connect. A text also doesn't have to connect instantly. So all in all a text/pager message is more likely to get through. Like in the early days of radio, morse code was used for the same reason.


    would it not be to do with the frequency they operate at? hospital pages operate at VHF frequencies which penetrate walls better than lower frequencies. they are also not as subject to RFI (radio frequency interference) from electrical equipment.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Bandwidth I'd imagine. A text is a tiny lump of information, a phonecall ramps that up by quite a margin, so is less likely to connect. A text also doesn't have to connect instantly. So all in all a text/pager message is more likely to get through. Like in the early days of radio, morse code was used for the same reason.

    Usually if you can't receive a ohonecall it's cos you have no service and won't receive a text either


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,088 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Usually if you can't receive a ohonecall it's cos you have no service and won't receive a text either


    While this is true if there are bandwidth problems due to congestion (on new years eve for example) a text may get through while a phonecall won't because of its lower bandwidth usage.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭Kat1170


    They still use pagers in Tallaght Hospital.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Kat1170 wrote: »
    They still use pagers in Tallaght Hospital.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if they still used carrier pigeons!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭Kat1170


    BaZmO* wrote:
    I wouldn’t be surprised if they still used carrier pigeons!


    Catering is outsourced.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    Some tips when speaking to a crowd who are talking and won't pay attention

    Start blessing yourself aloud...people generally follow along with it and go silent after the amen in anticipation of a prayer

    2 - bed way to get a person to quiet down is not to shout over them but acrually to whisper. They generally start whispering with you. Try it next time your drunk friend is being way too shouty


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Kat1170 wrote: »
    Catering is outsourced.

    :pac:
    471901.jpg


  • Registered Users Posts: 958 ✭✭✭Conchir


    A group of giraffes is called a tower.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Conchir wrote: »
    A group of giraffes is called a tower.

    It's primarily referred to as a herd, but tower and loft have been used.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    What's the collective noun for a group of collective nouns?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    What's the collective noun for a group of collective nouns?

    An assemblage.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,295 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    A "dictionary" or a "vocabulary", but that also contains verbs and adjectives and pronouns and adverbs and articles and prepositions and conjunctions and particles and so on. :D


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,295 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    Now, on that note, is "shoal" of fish the same as "school" of fish? I've heard/read both being used but I'm not sure if each term refers to specific species or what.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,480 ✭✭✭Chancer3001


    New Home wrote: »
    Now, on that note, is "shoal" of fish the same as "school" of fish? I've heard/read both being used but I'm not sure if each term refers to specific species or what.

    School of fish is when they're travelling together.

    A shoal of fish is mayhem . Usually when they're in a feeding frenzy or when they're bunched together where they live


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 76,295 Mod ✭✭✭✭New Home


    So, it's school of fish until recess! :pac: Cool, thanks! :)

    Which one would be closer to a murmuration of birds?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,586 ✭✭✭4068ac1elhodqr


    It's cooler today in Chicago than it is in areas near the North Pole, Siberia and parts of the planet Mars.
    (Mars ranges from -125oC to max +20, but as a planet average, it is much cooler than Earth).

    Parts of Aussieland got so warm this month (49oC)
    that these areas are coloured 'black' on many weather map heat colour keys.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Geese!!

    "Flock of Geese"
    "Gaggle of Geese"
    "Nide of Geese"
    "Plump of Geese"
    "Skein of Geese"
    "Team of Geese"
    "Wedge of Geese"
    "Trip of Geese"

    Varies with on the ground, flying, flying in formation, on water,...


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,024 ✭✭✭Carry


    Geese!!

    "Flock of Geese"
    "Gaggle of Geese"
    "Nide of Geese"
    "Plump of Geese"
    "Skein of Geese"
    "Team of Geese"
    "Wedge of Geese"
    "Trip of Geese"

    Varies with on the ground, flying, flying in formation, on water,...

    Gosh almighty, anglophone people just have it with birds ;):D.

    While translating stuff, occasionally "tips for birdwatchers", I always struggle to find an adequate word in German for all above. In German there is only "Schwarm" or "Schar", meaning just a lot of birdies flying around, for mammals "Rudel" or "Herde", likewise lots of critters.

    It's interesting how language reflects the focus of interest of a people, or, as Fichte said, language is the soul of a people.

    Food for thought.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,364 ✭✭✭KevRossi


    Half of all Canadians live beneath the red line.

    DybsVF6XQAAJm_J.jpg


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