Comments on: Oil Prices Will Eventually Change Everything Drastically

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:16:34 +0000

Ernie, you wretch, comes the deluge get yourself over here and join the crew, and you KNOW how much I detest being addressed as “Ms.” I am known variously as Mrs. Traynham (for formal meetings), Commissioner Traynham (as a courtesy), Linda, Mom-Mom, Stinky Mum, Madre, Miss Linda, and Aunt Linda, so you pick one of those out (or make up your own affectionate appellation, perhaps “moon of my delight, or Colonel) but don’t y’all go insultin’ respectable South’n ladies with that “Ms.” claptrap! We already have honorifics, and don’t need any liberal nonsense. Besides, “Miz” and “Mizrez” are usages found only very far in the back woods. Empress. Yeah. I could like that one. Hugs, Linda

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:10:34 +0000

Dear Barry: Welcome to the crew. I’m a firm believer in semantics (in the sense of the right word for the job, not Korzybski). I am against being pompous and abstruse, other than for sataric purposes. What grates on me is using “decimate” to mean “inflict enormous losses upon,” far less “wiped out,” when it means one out of ten. And those who put an article before “myriad” need to realize that you cannot have “a many of stars.” There are myriad stars in the sky and myriad fishes in the sea. Period. Sloppy diction imperils thinking, and “diction” means choice of words, not accent. There, now, we feel better. Cordially, Linda

By: Ernie

Ernie — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:25:25 +0000

Hi Ms. Brady Traynham! Double dose of adoration back at you, 1. For saying what I’m thinking and 2. for being able to express it with style. See you at the last bastion!

By: Barry Schatz

Barry Schatz — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:05:25 +0000

Amid all the hot language, I’d like to offer a calm thought on ‘modern English usage’ (think Fowler) concerning Mr. Kunstler’s too British (read: tosh) use of “envisage”. Fowler did his logical best to smother this nonsensical usage, but lesser educated tosh pretentiousness won out anyway. Which doesn’t make such usage correct. A visage is a face, we all know that, don’t we? And a vision is something seen. Now, if we envisage something, then we’re putting a face on it, right? So why go on using envisage when you mean envision? Ok, right, I know why.

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:20:27 +0000

Do you suppose William took tenth grade English composition? Even in the abysmal modern day school system I can’t suppose fourth-graders are allowed to commit such expressions to paper. “Kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood,” but there is much to be said for correct punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure, as well. Above all else one should strive to convey one’s message clearly. All in all, I am probably happier not knowing what William thought he was saying, and I don’t know what “STFU” means, either. Please don’t tell me if it isn’t anything you can imagine me using!

By: Ernie

Ernie — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:27:34 +0000

Ah now you know why nothing can change, simply read the post above. Lol seems people always have immense appreciation for their own viewpoint and intelligence, but can’t put together a coherent comment in response to others. “Seems William must be a politician the way he attacks those who disagree, but then again its simply the mind set of the American public at large,,,,”. Omg back to 10 grade English composition with you lol stfu.

By: Robert Ferrin

Robert Ferrin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:26:17 +0000

Ah now you know why nothing wll change,simply read the post above.Lol seems Willam must be a politician the way he attacks those who disagree,but then again its simply the mind set of the American public at large,,,,

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:15:13 +0000

Ernie…did I ever tell you I adore you?! I’ll throw in a little thought to help Mr. Kunstler: God never said the Jews stopped being His favorite people!

I fear you have misunderstood the eloquent and exquisitely polite William. I don’t think he intended to express his opinion of James Howard; I infer he is a tiny bit annoyed with my reaction to his people pens surrounded by verdant swards of mostly untouchable land. (I, at least, watched his presentation on YouTube. All of it.) The SPAM filter ate my reply to his, and mine didn’t even contain any unladylike language. William, that is what comes of expressing yourself so imprecisely. For those of you who did not trouble yourselves to watch, he favors replacing cities with clumps of 15 tier apartment buildings, approx 2000 feet cages, connected to business and commercial plazas by light rail. Gee, just think of all the traffic accidents that might prevent…but fear not! He proposes we ride electric bicycles occasionally and on special occasions be allowed to borrow vehicles (ride-share, of course) to go look at the untouched forests. We can have our groceries delivered by Fed-Ex. “Caves of Steel.” Imagine living our whole lives crammed up around other people, never any serenity or freedom from their incessant noises, arguments, and odors. I’d rather be a hermit living in a cave…so long as I had e-mail! The problem with the mass transit, walkable cities, and vast apartment malls theories is that they fail totally to understand what Americans want, which is our own land, separate living spaces, and private transportation. We’re going to fight for those to the last ditch, and some of us will live in ditches before we submit to being stuffed permanently into cattleyards.

By: Ernie

Ernie — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:47:04 +0000

You leave ol’ Kunstler alone, now, William. He’s one more gifted but deeply conflicted Jewish-American, pretending (quite artfully) to an Olympian view of man and his condition, but crudely dismissing anyone who criticizes Israel’s policies as an anti-semite. When and if he ever has the moral courage to be as sagely objective towards the promised land as he is towards America, he’ll have catharsis, then peace, and we’ll be short an entertaining word-cobbler.

By: Linda Brady Traynham

Linda Brady Traynham — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:56:35 +0000

Dear William: Who could not be swayed by your eloquent defense of your goals? Such civility, such gentility, a pure appeal to logic…You did not say that everyone “has” to live in highrises; you “merely” proposed pulling down existing cities to build high rises (with what funding? How do you plan to make factories and businesses relocate to central complexes?) and return the sacred land to pristine semi-wilderness. I LIVE my solution, which is leaving others to make their own decisions and being blissfully happy raising cattle, goats, chickens, pigs, and crops. If I choose to play the piano at midnight I disturb no one; I am never obliged to listen to neighbors arguing or taking showers at five a.m. I am a homeowner’s association of one with precisely two rules: do not throw your cigarette butts down in my pastures and do not shoot anything which belongs on the place without my permission. I appreciate your urge to gaze upon wide, open vistas since I share it and I agree that any who want to should certainly have the opportunity (if they can pay for it and if it exists) to stuff themselves into people hives and leave the driving to the state. A major difference between us (other than our ideas of speech appropriate for mixed company) is that I do not regard imposing my ideas of the good life on others. Perhaps you would like the agreement Statists will give you: “Yes, of course the peasants should be crammed into tenements and not allowed to pick the flowers, but the rest of us shall have our daschas and sleighs.”