Good Judgement or Judgment?

I spoke at a conference this week (it went really well!). There was an exhibit hall as usual and in it an exhibit with the banner above. I looked at it for a moment and spoke with the person manning the booth. After a few minutes of talking, I asked him if he knew that the word judgment was misspelled on his banner (and in their website URL). He expressed surprise and was incredulous. I then said he could check in Microsoft Word. He typed in the word, checked spelling, and sure enough it indicated the word was misspelled and should be spelled judgment. His shock was something to see! Apparently I was the first person to notice this after all the time they had been in business. He then said that the person who had come up with the phrase and name of the company was Dutch. "Ah," I said, "Maybe it's the British spelling!" I suggested he switch to the British dictionary. He did, and the word was accepted! I told him then that although his company is American, he had an out: "Well, we believe in using the Queen's English!"

By the way, this word has always bothered me because I used to misspell it as well. Judgement just looks more correct than judgment to me. However, I don't make the rules!

Bad English...Really Bad! Take the Challenge!

I came home to find a message on my answering machine, part of which I've recorded and you can hear in the video above. So here is my question to all of you...what errors can you hear in the video above? Type your comments below and let's see who gets it right first!

Oh, one more thing. The message on my answering machine was prerecorded, not live. So what excuse is there for bad English when the message was supposedly scripted and recorded?

Italian Ferragosto Party!

This past Sunday we celebrated Ferragosto, an Italian holiday that is normally celebrated on August 15th. A description of the holiday, stolen from Wikipedia, is at the bottom of my post.

The day was very beautiful and a lot of us local Italians and lovers of Italian met at Great Falls Park. The park is wonderful, the Potomac river winding past it, with big rocks and falls cascading over them. I have photos and such from last year's party. See them by clicking here.

It was a real fun time for all of us. We mostly spoke Italian, with some English. Thanks to all who came out! I can't wait until next year's!

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Ferragosto is an Italian holiday celebrated on August 15. Originally, it was related to a celebration of the middle of the summer and the end of the hard labour in the fields. In time, the Roman Catholicism adopted this date as a Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the real physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorrupt body into Heaven.

Before the Roman Catholic Church came into existence, however, this holiday was celebrated in the Roman Empire to honor the gods—in particular Diana—and the cycle of fertility and ripening. In fact, the present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti (Fairs of the Emperor Augustus) ^[1].

Almost the entire month of August was taken as holiday and leisure time in Italy in honor of this feast day.

In present days, Ferragosto is mainly a short holiday where Italian people have short vacations.

A Poem From When I Was A Kid

A poem I've never forgotten. It holds a lot of truth:

Isn't man a fool?
When it's hot, he wants it cool.
When it's cold, he wants it hot.
Always wanting what is not.
Never happy with what he's got.

Oh, David!

After a two year visit to the United States, Michelangelo's David is returning to Italy.....

His Proud Sponsors were:

A Memento From the Past

My sister looked in my mother's bedroom recently to find personal items she could bring to my mom in the hospital to help her feel comfortable and perhaps jog her memory. In her search, she found this card, which we had not seen before. It's a card from my father to my mother on her name day. We don't know what year it was, but as he died in 1962 when I was 2 years old, it was probably in 1960 or 1961. It's very special to us, written in his handwriting. At a time like this, it's even more special to us.

The Kittens Are Growing Fast

My sister sent me this photo. As you can see, the kittens are growing quickly. Oh, no, that means soon they'll be CATS!

Strange Goings On

We had dinner in Reston at Lake Anne which has an open plaza. This evening, a company of young players put on an act while an audience sat and watched. They ran around and threw water at each other in various ways. Check out the video for a sense of what this was like. We stood and watched for a while, trying to figure out the point, but as we had missed the beginning, we just couldn't do it!

Asian Festival in Reston

Last weekend in Reston was the Asian Festival. It was much bigger than I expected and many Asian countries were represented! Here in the first pic were two Indian girls and their mom. The girls had performed on stage before I got there. Believe it or not, I wasn't the only one to ask to take their picture. Aren't they beautiful?

I decided to adopt them! I'm their new daddy!

The stick game is always fun. Try not to get whacked on the ankles!



My friend Irene and her son Arthur showed up after a while. Irene has been to many Asian countries on business so I'm sure this didn't seem all that exciting to her, though she seemed to have a good time.

What is Temporary?

We moved here to Northern Virginia in 1986, right after college. The first place we lived was Reston, Virginia, where the company that hired me was located. They put us up in a furnished apartment for a month while we looked for a place.

At the time, I remember finding it curious to see a street named Temporary Rd. I wondered how long it would last. Well, it's been 22 years and it's still there. It's probably not going to go away anytime soon, as there are houses on that road.

So this begs the question, "What is temporary?" If you think about it, aren't all streets temporary? In a few millennia, all these streets will be gone, replaced with something so futuristic we probably can't imagine it right now.

So is this the only street name that is totally honest? Or was it meant to be temporary only to have it become not-so-temporary?

Simplified English

Another old but good one...

Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC, the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between Government departments.

European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult - for example, cough, plough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased programme of changes to iron out these anomalies. The programme would, of course, be administered by a committee staff at top level by participating nations.

In the first year, for example, the committee would suggest using 's' instead of the soft 'c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then the hard 'c' could be replaced by 'k' sinse both letters are pronounsed alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, but typewriters kould be made with one less letter.

There would be growing enthusiasm when in the sekond year, it kould be announsed that the troublesome 'ph' would henseforth be written 'f'. This would make words like 'fotograf' twenty per sent shorter in print.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reash the stage where more komplikated shanges are possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double letters which have always been a deterent to akurate speling.

We would al agre that the horible mes of silent 'e's in the languag is disgrasful. Therefor we kould drop thes and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sins the skem began and peopl would be reseptive to steps sutsh as replasing 'th' by 'z'. Perhaps zen ze funktion of 'w' kould be taken on by 'v', vitsh is, after al, half a 'w'. Shortly after zis, ze unesesary 'o' kould be dropd from words kontaining 'ou'. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli hav a reli sensibl riten styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud fin it ezi tu understand ech ozer. Ze drems of the Guvermnt vud finali hav kum tru.

You're Smarter Than You Thought

Old but good...

According to a sutdy at Hrravad Unerstiivy msot pelope can raed and unadetnrsd any mxied up wrod as lnog as the frsit leettr and the lsat lteter are in palce. This is bcesaue we raed wrods as a wolhe and not as leretts in oderr.

So y'oure smraetr tahn you thohgut hhu?

What is a Gift? Part 2

Some of you have read my previous entry, What is a Gift?

Though no one until this point has posted a comment, I have received a couple of emails from friends expressing disdain for anyone who would question a gift. They have told me that a gift is a gift. If you don't like the gift, then you're not supposed to complain about it because a gift is not something that is supposed to be expected and one doesn't pay for it.

What do you all think? I'd really like to know your opinions on this. Thanks.

A Question of Money and Class

Years ago I was watching comedienne Jeanine Garofolo interviewed on The Tonight Show. She told a story of how she had always automatically flown economy before becoming an actress. However, when traveling on the job, the movie studios always put her in first class and she never had to buy her own airline tickets. One day she decided to go on a trip on her own. She asked for a first-class ticket, quite used to flying at the front of the plane by then. She was quoted a price of over $3,000 and was shocked. She had had no idea how much a first class ticket cost. She asked how much an economy ticket was and it was only about $400. She flew economy, not seeing the wisdom in paying eight times more to fly on the same plane, albeit a little more comfortably. She would get there no faster in first class, she said.

When I flew home from Italy this week, the plane was quite full. Having flown United quite a lot in the past, I still had Premier status, though this will expire soon because I used up so many miles to go see my mom. Because of this, I was upgraded to Business class on the flight from Zürich back to Washington, D.C.

Business class is very nice! I had a big screen TV in front of me. I could stretch out my legs all the way to the foot rest in front of me. In fact, my seat could be positioned many different ways and could even have it lie completely flat like a bed. I sneaked in a nap on the flight, in fact. When I went back to the restroom, where I could look back at Economy class, where I was supposed to be, I saw all the window shades were open, lots of sunlight streaming through. Everyone seemed as packed as sardines, just as I normally would be. Business (and I assume First Class further ahead) had all the shades down. It was dark, conducive to rest. The flight attendants were very attentive to our needs too.

I got to D.C. at the same time as all the other passengers.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to get back to Italy when I need. Out of curiosity, I decided to price out all three classes: Economy, Business and First Class. The differences in price are astonishing!

Here is the lowest price found for Economy class, using flexible dates in October, from D.C. to Milan, Italy:



The trip requires two flights, through Boston or Frankfurt. The lowest price for Economy for the nine hour flight is $1,057, about $117 an hour.

Next I checked on Business class for the same dates. The lowest price I could see there was $3,610, or $401 an hour, or 3.4 times as much as economy. That alone was enough to make me gulp hard.

Finally, I checked First Class. Oh, my goodness! The lowest price there was $14,258! That equates to $1,584 an hour. Each hour costs more than the whole flight does back in Economy!

So let's call these what they are: First Class, Second Class and Third Class. Or better yet The Rich and Crazy, the People Who Have Money and Really Like Comfort, and The Poor Schlubs in the Back.

Of course, there are many who can't afford to get on a bus, let alone on a plane, so I'm not complaining. My real question is, how much money do I have to have before spending almost 14 times more for a more comfortable experience at the front of the plane makes sense?

The Latest Kitten Photos...For You Cat Fans

I like how Selvatica's head is partially out of the hole in the box.

What is a Gift?

I spoke with a friend of mine today. He told me that he had recently received a gift from a friend that he thought might have been used and that this really bothered him. He said he had been taught growing up that gifts should never be items that had been previously used. I agreed with him that if I no longer want an item that I own and the choice is to throw it away or give it to someone who might find a use for it, I would not normally call that a gift to the person.

However, I presented the following scenario: What if I had more money than I could possibly ever use (dream on, Joe!)? In other words, I feel no pain to purchase a present for someone, no matter the price. On the other hand, you come into my home and see a vase that I have, one that you find quite beautiful. It's been in my family for three generations and I treasure it. It has no monetary value, but it is quite precious to me. If I were to part with it and give it to you, would that not qualify as a gift? My friend agreed with me that it would, no matter that it was used and had no monetary value.

Then I thought, does it matter if I had money or not? It's the fact that I give you something that causes me a sacrifice, whether it be monetary or not. If I have no money, and I give you something that I have that I would still find useful or edifying, that is a sacrifice and it is a gift, especially if I know that you will appreciate the item I give you. If I have a lot of money and I simply buy you something that doesn't cause me any pain or effort, the gift is of questionable value, even if the recipient finds it very useful (or am I wrong here?). If I have a lot of money but I give you something that is unique and has belonged to me and cannot be easily replaced, that is a gift.

In either case, if I take the time to make you something with my own hands, whether it be a poem, a sculpture or anything that would time and talent to create, that is also a gift. Perhaps I take the time to teach you something that will help you - that too would be a gift.

What do you think? What qualifies as a gift? What doesn't?

My Last Day in Italy...My Goodbye to Mom

The day I arrived in Italy three weeks ago, I cried when I saw my mom in bed. She seemed paralyzed and in a coma. Over the next few days, I saw her seemingly improve and had high hopes that she would return almost to her old self. Unfortunately, it was short-lived. Friday, when I left her, her condition was even worse, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She no longer talks and barely moves anymore, except for the repetitive up and down movement of her head and her shoulders. Who knows if there is still some chance but I’ve lost my optimism.

Friday when I was with her I cried as I have not since I was a child. All I could think of was that this was the last time I would see my mother alive. The words of the doctor, telling us that my mom’s life would last only weeks or perhaps a few months more rang in my head. I tried to get an answer from my mom, calling out to her constantly, stroking her face and her hair, rubbing her neck, trying to get any kind of response at all. Nothing. My mother is gone. Her body remains but only a vestige of her mind is left. She is lost in some old memories that she can no longer even express out loud anymore. She doesn’t appear to be in pain - for that I'm thankful. She doesn’t appear to be in any state.

I gave my mother my goodbyes with kisses and hugs and strokes and tears. I thanked her for all that she had done to make me who I am. I hope she was able to feel the love that I have for her, the love that she instilled in me.

During times like these, life can appear so cruel. What was the point of gathering 73 years of memories only to lose them so quickly? I think I know the answer – her life is imprinted on those whom she touched in her life, most especially my sister and me. Having done so, all of us whom she touched continue to pass on a part of her to everyone whom we help and love in our lives. The butterfly effect will continue for as long as humanity exists on the planet, just like the passing of her genes to her children and her grandchildren and so on. Her legacy and her progeny will continue.

Her life, like that of a butterfly, like that of all of us, has been short. We pity the mayfly who is born, breeds and dies in the span of 24 hours. How much different are we? To the mayfly, a day may feel like a lifetime. Sometimes 73 years can seem like a day.

I feel sorrow and envy for my sister, who will continue to see my mom every day for as long as she lives. I'm sorry because every time we see her in this state, it hurts so much. I'm envious because she gets to touch our mother and talk to our mother and hug and kiss our mother for more time than I do.

I am thankful that I was able to go to Italy and say my goodbyes. I'm afraid when next I go, it will be for an even sadder reason, one that will take place in a cemetery. I do not look forward to that day.

Update on Mom...A Day Before I Leave

I am in Italy still. I leave tomorrow by train for Zürich, Switzerland and Saturday I leave from Zürich airport to go home. Mom isn't going to make it. While they are not absolutely sure yet, they are doing final tests to confirm that she has Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. It's a disease that affects one person in a million, but she has every symptom. "Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD ) is a very rare and incurable degenerative neurological disorder (brain disease) that is ultimately fatal."

So now it appears a matter of weeks or months at the most. She has not recognized me or my sister since I've been here, three weeks now. She has reached the point where she's in a waking coma, hardly seeing us anymore. The doctor at the hospital is very dedicated. We spent three hours today answering all her questions. She made family trees, she took lots of notes, and she called other experts. She told another doctor while we were there that this was the most serious case they have had in that hospital department in a long time. She also said that they were going to rule out any other curable diseases she might possibly have, but that at this point all signs pointed to CJD and that she would be surprised if that wasn't the illness that has invaded my mother.

So I thought I would share with your some photos I took tonight of mom's room. My sister and I went in there to surround ourselves with "mom." I was surprised to see an English book on her night table. My sister told me that mom was still reading in English before the disease hit her so hard. I didn't know that she had retained the language at that level. So you can see some of the books she had read or was reading in the first picture.

The other photos describe themselves.

Thank you again for all of your support. While there is still a little hope, there's not much left. I plan to return as soon as possible, though it may be for her funeral if the doctor's predictions are right.