observations NGC

[normzone]

I use Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap.  Liquid soap.  The label's fun to read when you don't have other things to do

I've run out of hot water before finishing reading that label. It could be broken up into chapters.

[Phang]

It's the oldest brand in the world. Used to be wonderful until they changed the formula a few years back. Was all natural ingredients and dried in the sun (and only a buck a bar at Ocean State Job lot). Now it's got some synthetics and alcohol in the formula and smells a bit like medication.

They are now made in India, like the Royal Enfield bikes.

I started using it in 1992 , noticed a change somewhere along 2008~2010 and quit in 2012. The original formula has a very unique aroma and pleasant to the skin. The new formula smells awful and made my skin crack and itchy.

The other thing I like about this soap was, they fuse together easily and the concave sides of the new bar made a perfect shape for the old bar to stick on.

[n3303j]

Original Pears was also out of India.
There was a big rush in buying up the originals when the formulation changed. At one point I owned 144 bars.
Wife thought that was gross.

[hidn45]

At one point I owned 144 bars.
Wife thought that was gross.

When I was just a young'un, our family had a case of White Floating bar soap, which we kept in the basement.  Got to the point that when you needed a new bar you'd have to rummage around in the box to find one that wasn't too mouse-chewed.  Even with 4 kids in the house, at 1 bath a week that case lasted a long time.....  ;^)

[wrbix]

Some times it's the smallest things that can  send us off looking for answers. This one has had me perplexed for some time now.

 Why does a bar of soap no longer act like soap when it gets little?   I got's to know.

I am sure there are many more out there , please share.

As we mostly know, many things no longer act like they should when they get little. 

[tris]

........
Why can you not buy a chocolate orange at Christmas any more, the kind you could whack against the table and it would separate into sections?   They used to be in every Dollar General and supermarket and Kmart at Christmas time by the thousands and sold out every year ... and now no one sells them any more.   They still sell them in the UK but not in the US?   What's up with that?

Lannis

So if I start shipping Terry's Chocolate Oranges to the States I'll be able to retire?? 

[Lannis]

So if I start shipping Terry's Chocolate Oranges to the States I'll be able to retire?? 

We were just over in Cornwall a couple weeks ago, and every Morrison's or Sainsbury's or Tesco's we went into, as well as every little High Street shop, had Terry's Chocolate Oranges all over the shelf.

I've been in a dozen stores here in the last week or two, sometimes just to look and NONE of them have any!   And I'm telling ya, a couple years ago each store had shelves full of them even after Christmas.

There's been a plague or something, I'm guessing ....

Lannis

[Lannis]

Hey, here's one!

Why, when you're getting a bunch of unwanted Emails from someplace where you may or may not have bought something, or some site you browsed through ... and you go to the bottom of the message and click "Unsubscribe" ...

... Why does it say "It may take up to 10 business days for this option to be effective"?

They know that we know that it actually takes about 1 millisecond for it to be effective.   Why do they do something to p!ss off the customer AND make themselves look stupid one more time ... ?

Lannis

[Moto]

"Statistics" is shortened to "stats" the world around.

But "mathematics" is shortened differently depending on where you are: "maths" in Britain, "math" in the U.S.

What's up with that?

Moto

P.S. Anyone else never notice that "stats" is a palindrome?

[Moto]

Here's another observation:

The U.S. Navy historically put the emblem (e.g., a fouled anchor) on the side of its coffee cups (used in the officer's mess) that faces away from the drinker if the cup is held in the right hand. I noticed this in an old movie, and confirmed it on ebay.

Almost every mug and coffee cup nowadays does the opposite, presumably so the drinker can enjoy the emblem or logo.

Does anyone know if the modern Navy continues its old practice? (Or have mugs supplanted the coffee cups entirely?)

I think the practice reflected a different valuing of the individual vs. the group. The old cups' emblems were in effect badges, that displayed the drinker's membership to observers, including other officers. New mugs (and maybe new Navy cups, for all I know) are decorated for the private enjoyment of the drinker. To me, this is profoundly sad.

Moto

P.S. The Navy also produced some 1940's or 1950's era cups that had emblems 180 degrees opposite the handle, apparently in ambivalence about who should be the target of the display. 

[Tom]

"Statistics" is shortened to "stats" the world around.

But "mathematics" is shortened differently depending on where you are: "maths" in Britain, "math" in the U.S.

What's up with that?

Moto

P.S. Anyone else never notice that "stats" is a palindrome?

Still the same coming and going in a kayak. 

[Lannis]

Still the same coming and going in a kayak. 

Yo, banana boy! 

Lannis

[lucian]

Here's another observation:

The U.S. Navy historically put the emblem (e.g., a fouled anchor) on the side of its coffee cups (used in the officer's mess) that faces away from the drinker if the cup is held in the right hand. I noticed this in an old movie, and confirmed it on ebay.

Almost every mug and coffee cup nowadays does the opposite, presumably so the drinker can enjoy the emblem or logo.

Does anyone know if the modern Navy continues its old practice? (Or have mugs supplanted the coffee cups entirely?)

I think the practice reflected a different valuing of the individual vs. the group. The old cups' emblems were in effect badges, that displayed the drinker's membership to observers, including other officers. New mugs (and maybe new Navy cups, for all I know) are decorated for the private enjoyment of the drinker. To me, this is profoundly sad.

Moto

P.S. The Navy also produced some 1940's or 1950's era cups that had emblems 180 degrees opposite the handle, apparently in ambivalence about who should be the target of the display.

Hence the old Navy song,  Anchors away.

[Moto]

Hence the old Navy song,  Anchors away.

 

[Lannis]

Here's another observation:

The U.S. Navy historically put the emblem (e.g., a fouled anchor) .....

And why (to extend the "Hmmmm...." one more level) is the symbol a fouled anchor in the first place?

My Dad was a career CPO, and told me the one on his uniform symbolized the daily ... troubles ... that a chief had to put up with .....

Lannis

[Moto]

And why (to extend the "Hmmmm...." one more level) is the symbol a fouled anchor in the first place?

Here's an unusually learned-seeming explanation:

04-06-10, 00:09
Anchors shown in heraldic context such as on badges, arms, headstones and so on are always shown fouled, with the cable around the stock. Anyone know why this is?

As you can see, anchors in heraldry are shown clear more often than fouled. Fouled examples are often in insignia of organizations with some sort of historical link to the UK.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Anchors_in_heraldry&until=File%3ASnezhnogorsk+%28Murmansk+Oblast%29+co a.png

http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Anchors_in_heraldry&from=File%3ASnezhnogorsk+%28Murmansk+Oblast%29+coa .png

In the UK, we are used to seeing mostly fouled anchors because the fouled anchor is the official insignia of the Lord High Admiral of the Admiralty, so when british maritime organizations have wanted to use an anchor they have tended to use the fouled type.

It was probably adopted because the fouled anchor was the personal seal of Lord Howard of Effingham, who was Lord High Admiral at the time of the Armada, and was transferred to the office of state instead of the person at that time.
The fouled anchor is thought to symbolise steadfastness and hope in tribulation, and has long been used as a christian symbol.

The US Navy and coast guard use plain anchors in their official seals, but do use fouled in some, but not all of their rank badges...mixed heritage I guess. Alledgedly, the U.S.N. on a US navy petty officer's fouled anchor badge does not stand for US Navy but for for Unity Service Navigation. I have this from several retired US Navy chiefs.
Maybe they chose to give the fouled anchors to the petty officers because of all the trials and tribulations ahead on the climb to the cleared anchors of a US Navy warrant officer.

From this web page: http://www.ybw.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-239302.html

If true, that really is interesting.

Moto

[rodekyll]

And speaking of mischaracterized mascots, (see what I did there?), what about the eagle?  It's like a seagull with inferior social skills -- a carrion eater by choice, and grumpy by nature.  We give it qualities of nobility and revere it in song and prose.  But a few minutes of actual eagle observation would convince anyone that they are just a nastier variation of the common pidgeon. 

My favorite is the need of groups and businesses to associate with the "screaming eagle" as though a screaming eagle is a desireable association.  Have you ever heard an bald eagle scream?  I'm listening to one right now -- scratching my eardrum with a steel wool q-tip would be more pleasant.  The eagle is in a tree near the house and is quite upset that some big owl is roosting a few trees over.  Now an owl has a respectable scream.  An owl scream has everything the eagle wished his did -- volume, tone, and an ominous unidirectionality that implies "I'm coming for you, and you can't know from where or when!"  The owl's scream is your only indication that he's there.  In the night you can't see him, and his flight is completely soundless -- look it up.  On the other hand, you can hear a eagle's dry flapping well before he steals your fish.  The owl's voice is always calm, determined, and confident.  The owl has only one message, and he delivers it with punctuation.  The eagle is more like a rookie cop shrieking "show me your hands!" at that upper octave only severe fear or tight skivvies can produce.  When they congregate (and they do -- the lone eagle is a romantic author's myth) the effect is similar to a gaggle of pubescent girls who have just sighted any pop singer.

This eagle has been vetching at the owl all morning in a tone somewhere between a squeaky flagpole pulley and chalk scritching across slate.  WhoTF would want their football team, military unit, or aftermarket mufflers associated with THAT hot, whiny mess?  Instead of fear and respect, the petulant, shrill racket strikes instant annoyance into the hearts of everyone that hears.  The listener want to put the offender down for a nap, change its diaper, or lock it in the bedroom until it behaves.

[Tom]

I like owls.  Besides being an "aumakua" (Hawaiian family god) for my family, the owl is what Dave says they are. 

[lucian]

Thats it , all the eagles are coming off my guzzis. Owls will take there rightful place. Especially when all I here is,  WHOO, WHOO,  WHOO, the frig would want one of those.

[Lannis]

Here's an unusually learned-seeming explanation:

From this web page: http://www.ybw.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-239302.html

If true, that really is interesting.

Moto

It certainly sounds likely enough to me.   Even squares up with what my Dad told me.   

Lannis

[kenvil1]

But "mathematics" is shortened differently depending on where you are: "maths" in Britain, "math" in the U.S.

Funny, that’s the opposite of an article I just read which states that Britain uses the singular, whereas North America uses the plural. They have “scrambled egg” for breakfast, we have “scrambled eggs.”

Palindrome: madam im adam

[Moto]

Funny, that�s the opposite of an article I just read which states that Britain uses the singular, whereas North America uses the plural. They have �scrambled egg� for breakfast, we have �scrambled eggs.�

That could be a rule that's generally true, and an interesting one. But I have plenty of direct experience of the "math" (U.S.) vs. "maths" (British) usages in my work.

Do you have citation for the article? I'd be interested in it.

Moto

[Lannis]

That could be a rule that's generally true, and an interesting one. But I have plenty of direct experience of the "math" (U.S.) vs. "maths" (British) usages in my work.

Do you have citation for the article? I'd be interested in it.

Moto

Shows up all over.   "My husband just watches sport on the telly all weekend."

"Norvil are a company that reproduces parts for Nortons."    Never sure where you are at ....

Lannis

[kenvil1]

Do you have citation for the article? I'd be interested in it.

Lego or Legos? By Mignon Fogarty

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lego-or-legos

Quote: "people in the UK are much more likely than Americans to talk about sport instead of sports." (Lannis)

[Moto]

Lego or Legos? By Mignon Fogarty

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/lego-or-legos

Thanks! Not the definitive treatment I suppose, but no doubt on the right track.

The math/s and stat/s one still is puzzling. Both words came from singular roots that gave way to plurals, at least in French and English, according to dictionaries.

[quota2000]

P.S. The Navy also produced some 1940's or 1950's era cups that had emblems 180 degrees opposite the handle, apparently in ambivalence about who should be the target of the display.

Those cups are for the lefties.....

[Moto]

Those cups are for the lefties.....

No, the logos are opposite the handle, and can't be seen by anyone, like South Park.

[Lannis]

No, the logos are opposite the handle, and can't be seen by anyone, like South Park.

It wouldn't matter, though.  There's foolproof evidence.

If the guy is just drinking his coffee, holding the handle in one hand, it's hard to tell.

But if the hand that's holding the cup also has a cigarette between two fingers, then it's a Navy guy sure as shootin' ....

Or you can glance into the cup once it's half-empty.   If the inside of the cup is coated with coffee residue deep enough to plow from the last 100 cups of coffee, he's probably enlisted Navy.

Lannis

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Does the peppermint soap taste better when you get your mouth washed out with it.
 Childhood memories.

[Sheepdog]

I’d like to meet the cruel etymologist who thought that an “s” belonged in the word “lisp.”