An Odd Phrase.

 The phrase "Andrew Scheer loyalists" isn't one I expected to hear at this late date.

"Sunnies?" Ugh!

One thing I don't bother with is running an ad blocker.  I often find ads interesting, and occasionally will click on an ad to help a website I like. But I would save a bit of annoyance if I did.  I saw an ad a bit ago for glasses which used the term sunnies as shorthand for sun glasses.  I find it a grating concoction.  Hopefully it hasn't been catching on.

He Was Actually Useful.

Donald Trump actually taught me a new word today.  Emergy.

Covfefe Didn't Help.

Using the term covfefe in my last post did nothing to boost traffic here.  Big surprise.

I wish I knew what did.  Mentions of specific junk food?

COVFEFE!!!!!!

Yes, I too will acknowledge the wondrous wordiness that is covfefe.  All hail the mighty covfefe!  I just have to make sure I'm one of the first 194712947218972 people to post something about it on the very first day it exists.  I hope that by doing so I will get zillions and zillions of hits.

Unfortunately my previous attempts at such Shameless Hit Mongering really haven't worked.  But this time for sure!

Lost In Translation.

Chances are that if you're reading this blog your first language, or primary language, is English.  It's written in English, so not surprisingly most visitors come from English speaking places and/or mainly speak English in their daily lives.  And chances are you've had a problem understanding what Donald Trump has said at least once, since his style of speaking can be unclear and repetitive.  Now just imagine what it's like translating Trumpspeak into other languages.  According to this article it is in fact quite the problem.   Some of his statements come out as impossible to understand if you translate them too literally, yet not doing so may not mirror the fact they're confusing in English as well.  He just doesn't speak in the way US politicians generally have spoken.  I'm glad I don't have to translate his rambling.

You'd Never See It Down South.

It's interesting how much difference a border can make.  Beaners is a kid's hair cut salon found mainly in Alberta.  A location opened in Saskatoon a few years ago, but it's unclear to me if it still is.

If you're an American you might be raising an eyebrow at seeing that name.  In the US beaner is a slang term for Hispanic people, and generally considered a derogatory one, although some people have tried to reclaim it.  I've never heard it used in my area, but I was well aware of its existence.  So seeing that used as a business name was odd to me.  Apparently it wasn't commonly heard in Calgary in the late '80s when the first Beaners opened. 

I wonder if they've ever had people complain about the name.

Redundant Adjective.

This morning I looked at an ad for Dennys Restaurants hamburgers, which mentioned "melty cheeses."  I've  seen that combination in other ads.  It seems a bit odd to me, as I'm pretty sure all cheeses melt, especially when you put them on top of a hamburger fresh off the grill.  I suppose if you used a thick enough hunk of cheese it might not melt much.

"Pet Parents."

Who came up with that silly phrase?  No, you're not the parents of a dog or cat.  Unless you're secretly a dog or cat masquerading as a human being.  So don't call yourself a pet parent.

Those Things, Those Whatchacallems.

If you've watched even a bit of US TV lately you've probably seen the ads for Burger King's new SatisFries.  They're a crinkle cut style French fry that apparently have less fat and calories that other fast food fries.  But you won't be eating them in Canada.  Here you'll be eating GratiFries(and MagniFrites in French speaking Quebec).  "But they look the same," you might say if you've seen both Canadian and American ads. And they are the same.  But apparently the different branding is because focus groups found Canadians liked the GratiFries name better.  Go figure.  They're a product developed by Burger King with Canada's McCain Foods, who make one third of the world's French fry products.

I haven't had any yet.  I did have some of BK's Poutine With Bacon today for lunch.  No, you don't want to know what my blood pressure is.

And speaking of fast food differences if you're an American looking for your Popeye's chicken fix keep your eyes open if you're in Southern Ontario.  Ads during the Major League Baseball playoffs alerted me to the fact that the chain, which I've seen ads for a lot on some US TV channels, has set up franchises in Canada.  Only in Ontario at this point, so I won't be making their spokeslady happy and chowing down on some anytime soon.  Their Canadian website is here.

A Grammar Note.

I know it can be confusing given other parts of English grammar, but it's is a contraction of it is, not the possessive form of it.  The possessive form of it is its.  An example pair of sentences:  It's June 27th.  Target has not opened its new stores in Saskatoon yet.

VAGINA!

Vagina.  If you're disturbed by this word, there's something wrong with you.

(Inspired by this.)

Rename?

The names we give things can be so interesting.  In English today's date on the Christian calender is called Good Friday.  When you think about it this is kind of an odd name, since today is the day Jesus was supposedly killed.  Wouldn't a more appropriate name be Evil Friday?  Or Murder Friday?  Of course since he supposedly died at the hands of Roman law enforcement perhaps the appropriate name should be Execution Friday.  For that matter Easter could be called Good Sunday, since that's when Jesus supposedly came back from the dead.

Redundant.

One of the channels we get with our current cable package is Fight Network.  I find it amusing that they have disclaimers that the programming has scenes of violence, and that viewer discretion is advised.  Seems redundant to me.  If you didn't realise a channel called Fight Network, and programming such as the Glory kickboxing tournament I was watching last night, contains violence you probably shouldn't be watching TV.

Seriously, Macleans?

I really can't believe it.  I look at your article on supposed wasteful government spending, and what do I find?  Your writers used the word expensed,  Ugly.  As if we need another one of these awkward concoctions around.  And here you are promoting it.

A Gentle Letdown.

In businesses that sell Western Canada Lottery Corp. tickets in Saskatchewan you'll find ticket checking machines.  If you check a ticket that isn't a winner, the message they display is "Sorry Appears To Be A Non-Winner."  I find the use of the term "non-winner" interesting.  I would imagine this was chosen after consulting an expert on such things.  Presumably there's good money to be made determining the most effective message for electronic displays.  "Non-winner" probably is less likely to offend or upset people than the term loser.

Be Honest, We Can Take It.

That short little fan of purple, Prince, was scheduled to play in Saskatoon December 11th.   Unfortunately for his local fans it was announced this week that the show has beeen cancelled due to "scheduling conflicts."

It's amazing this hoary old euphamism is still in use.  Promoters and performers should be honest and admit the truth.  They didn't sell enough tickets.  We all know that's the case, so why pretend otherwise?  After all , these shows cancelled due to supposed scheduling conflicts are never rescheduled.

Euphemism.

It's funny that they call it life insurance.  It's actually death and damage insturance.  But of course calling it life insurance makes it a more appealing product.

When I was a kid every year we'd get a package handed out at Cardinal Leger, the Saskatoon Catholic school I attended, offering life insurance for kids.  We kids always shook our heads at the fact that the company gave out more money if you were maimed that if you died.  Of course we didn't realise that a badly injured child would cost money to help recover, while a dead child wouldn't.  If I remember correctly it was 10 grand if you died, 25 grand for major injury. 

Hey CFQC!

Tell your newscasters to stop pronouncing Iraq as "eye rack."  That is not how that country name is pronounced.  Doing so makes them sound like uneducated hicks, and I suspect a lot of uneducated hicks know better.

This Post Includes Offensive Content.

If you haven't heard about it already you're likely to over the next few days.  The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council wants Canadian radio stations to stop playing the unedited version of Dire Straits' 1985 hit "Money For Nothing."  The problem is the use of faggot in the lyrics.  This story will of course prompt a bunch of yelling about government censorship.

But wait a moment.  It's not the government who wants the song removed.  The CBSC is run by the broadcast industry, not government.  The industry is policing itself.  And let's not hear any "slippery slope" arguments either.  Canadian radio stations already play versions of current hits where words many find offensive, like nigger, are edited out.  So removing one word from one verse of "Money For Nothing" is more a nuisance than anything else.

How offensive language should be dealt with is a question with no easy answers.  Unlike other media music on the radio has the problem that it's not really practical to warn for content on a specific basis.  Compare this with TV or the movies, which can warn in advance for offensive words in a specific piece of content.  It is also easier for viewers to realise that the words a character uses don't necessarily reflect the beliefs of the performer than it is in a song, where the tendency is often to assume the singer of a song and the persona in the song are the same. 

And let's also not forget that the song is still available for anyone to listen to in its original form on CD etc.  If not hearing one word ruins your enjoyment of a piece so much perhaps you shouldn't be listening to music on radio, which often airs versions of music shortened for one reason or another.