Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for November 20, 2012

Reminds me; WHEN will the BLS get back to reality (away since the eighties) and work with the REAL unemployment numbers, including the discouraged? After five years of layoff, I just declared retirement (and was due for SS to keep the house, yay!)

The victory lap made me think it was a follow-up on NASCAR

Remember all those rightwing, Fox-noosers — such as Karl Rove and Peggy Noonan — who were dismissing scientific polling and analysis by Nate Silver, Sam Wong and others? Accusing them of “skewed” results? Well, I guess Trudeau is correct in depicting a victory lap! And, yes, Richard S., it’s “true”.

The US government officially adopted the metric system in 1875, in 1893, in 1960, in 1975, in 1989, and once again in 1991.

The citizenry of the US ignored the adoption of the metric system in 1875, 1893, 1960, 1975, in 1989 and once again in 1991. Except of course to complain about dual unit highway signage in national parks.

Sigh.

It really doesn’t matter too much whether the citizenry adopts metric or not – in the UK many people still think in pounds and pints (the Pint is sacred in the pub, proper 20oz not piddling 16oz :-) ), feet and miles – but surely to goodness no scientist or engineer in the US should be using anything other than metric nowadays? Remember the NASA cockup when part of the team used metric and part didn’t?

I worked for a boss for a couple years who was a John Birch Society member. He was convinced the metric system was a communist created and promoted plot to ruin the US economy. As we worked in a university and had researchers ask for equipment fabrication in metric units it got interesting when it wasn’t just plain silly.

As it happens the “English” system of weights and mesures is far more intereesting and accurate than most people realize. It may also date back to the end of the last Ice-Age. Chek out the work of Alexander Thom on the “standing stones” found all over Europe. For a ‘quickie’ search for the article “Megalithic Pint, Anyone?” and then TRY to prove it false.

Can someone explain the humor in current storyarc for non-us citizens?

I’m not getting it.

nate silver got one wrong prediction.that was the nd race, it still fascinates me that fox news and the gop are blaming everyone and anyone for their losses. they even blamed the weather. and, some of the reasons are really insane. like, obama was using mind control techniques developed during the cold war. or, aliens used their technology to rig the election. or, the recent favorite….agenda 21.

The punch line in today’s strip recalls the classic June 27, 1993 Dilbert strip. Everybody remember to give their 43 percent, now!

If Americans had to spend one week with a monetary system that had twelve pennies to a dime, and twelve dimes to a dollar, they’d see how “silly” the metric system is. Carter brought it in, Reagan threw it out, like the baby with the bathwater.

Most cars sold in the US have speedometer miles displaying both MPH’s and KPH’s, with the former dominant. In Canada, it’s just the other way around. In any case, in situations where it’s really critical, American industry uses metrics. The most obvious example is automobiles. Everything in them is in metrics.

FoxNews == science denial, math denial, social denial.

Today’s tag reminds me of yesterday’s Shoe about giving 110% unless you’re giving blood !

Drug use in the 60s and 70s gave American youth the basics of the metric system. Legalize weed and we can continue the good work. :-)

My facility with numbers is such that I can count all the way to twenty-one. When I’m naked. Innumeracy notwithstanding, I used to joke that the sales clerk became confused when I asked for a metric slide rule. Now the joke is no longer funny, because most sales clerks are too young to remember slide rules at all.

I live in Athens, Georgia, and Paul Broun is my representative. Even though his district includes the University of Georgia, he doesn’t like UGA. That’s ok, because UGA doesn’t like Paul. Mutual contempt and lots of it.

My wife kept saying, “Romney can’t win this, can he?”, and I kept telling her, “Don’t worry, Nate says he can’t.” I was so glad to be right, for once.

I think the folks at MSNBC and Current TV have begun to move on from the victory lap stage. After all, the midterm elections are only 2 years away, and they are very important too… I know people are exhausted by the election that just happened, but politics never takes a holiday. Just because Obama won doesn’t mean that we can let our guard down. The right continues to have major temper tantrums after the election. They are the ones who really need to move on. Even Barbara Bush told them the other day—the people have spoken, time to move on.

I have flagged your comment because of your last sentence, which I think is highly insulting to people with disabilities, and entirely gratuitous. We do not have to stoop so low as to be vicious. Name calling of the type you are doing, is juvenile and a pathetic attempt to sound clever.Please think before engaging in discussions.

Personally, I have had my fill of hearing about those who are having temper tantrums over the Obama victory. I am glad to focus on something positive. Enough with the goofy CEOs saying they can’t afford Obamacare, when they can afford much more than that for advertising, for example, and if we had a single payer plan they wouldn’t have to pay for healtthcare at all, and other folks saying they are going to secede from the US because they are unhappy that their candidate didn’t win. Too bad for them. We put up with W for 8 years, now they can deal with the other side for 8 years.

A lot of the celebration has been about ‘reality-based’ reporting, and I can still hope that official decisions will someday be made on that basis.Since the late forties (in the bloody rubble of WWII) we have had the kinder, gentler Defence(BR)/Defense(US) Department in charge of wars, instead of a War Department.Rep. Kucinich has proposed a Department of Peace, which I fear would become yet another euphemism for some horrible travesty.-When I worked at Hughes in the seventies, the prototype machinists next door in the basement said they’d be quite happy to go metric; they brought their own tools, and each rollaway contained about $10,000-worth, and asked the company to get them new. One problem. The MCO contract with Lockheed-Martin specified metric units, but LockMart ignored it, and supplied the wrong units for course-corrections, or MCO would have arrived just fine, instead of being scattered over the surface.-Governments lie to their populations all the time, and for what I’m sure they believe are good reasons. The ability to detect BS has declined (recalling Zappa’s admonishment in his testimony, about the US’ K-12 ‘education’ shortcomings), as has the takeover of the ‘fourth estate’ (as a check and balance on the three official branches of government) by corporate behemoths, leaving us vulnerable to defacto fascism, where business frankly owns government, and wields it to their own purposes.-Look for ‘Coupe de Ville’ at YouTube…

110% – the same percentage as Obama votes in certain districts – hmmm…

“BENGHAZI-GATE!!!!!”

Y R U screaming? Benghazi gate slammed N UR face? Try deep breathing.

“When someone talks about demanding a 110% then mean it. Literally.”

Your statement is of course nonsense. Nearly everybody uses metaphorical language. Here’s an example from the Bible KJV Revelation 1:16:

“And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword ….”

Picture Jesus coming in the clouds. With a “sharp twoedged sword” coming out of his mouth.

Sorry, literalists, but Jesus is not a sword swallower-regurgitator.

So, when did the reruns start?

Here is another example of a commonly-used metaphor — “life is a journey”. This time from the world of modern advertising.

• “Life is a journey, travel it well.” (United Airlines) • “Life is a journey. Enjoy the Ride.” (Nissan) • “Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride with a GM reward card.” (General Motors) • “Life’s a journey — travel light” (Hugo Boss Perfume).

Incidentally, using the word “world” to apply to business practices is using yet another metaphor. To apply it to the earth would be to apply it literally. Nobody sticks to literal-only language all the time. If you did you wouldn’t be able to communicate with other people without appearing robotic.

“… it is over your head >>>>”

Oops, gotcha, Night-Gaunt49. You just used a metaphor. What is over Susan’s head? Today’s Doonesbury strip? Sorry, but bwahahahahahaha!

Besides, Susan’s a smart cookie. What with your remarks about metaphor, I’m not so sure about you.

Now, is “smart cookie” literal? Or a metaphor? Go figure.

In the U.S. the only people who use the metric system are scientists and drug dealers.

Thank you and @Redkaycei Repoc for at least trying to explain that, yes, I did take offense at the pejorative term retard. I wasn’t trying to be " PC" but rather objecting that someone whose normally thought-provoking and articulate comments would have resorted to name calling. I am not above assigning a satiric or sarcastic epithet to someone or something. I do however, try to keep my comments with in the bounds of civil discourse and respect. I also do give thought to how my comments will land on others ( most of the time ).

@linguist@nightgaunt@redkaycei@sharuniboy

I missed the post that sparked this discussion, but if it involved calling people we disagree with “retards,” then I vote “no.”

It’s interesting, and frustrating sometimes, how once-neutral words have become burdened with baggage that makes them unusable in polite conversation. In my youth, “mentally retarded” meant mentally delayed, unable to progress as fast as others, or even unable to progress at all. It was a clinical term, based on the literal definition of the verb “to retard” (“to delay or hold back in terms of progress, development, etc.”). Then this nonprejudicial term was adopted by prejudiced people and used pejoratively (and viciously), whereupon it was replaced with such terms as “special needs” and “differently abled.” On the racial front, “colored people,” once commonly used, has been demonized and has morphed into “people of color” (which no one objects to). I’m white, but have relatives of several shades of brown. When the little white ones scoot nimbly up the nearest stepladder, I’m free to exclaim, “Look at you, you little monkey!” But I would say something very different in admiration of the little tan and brown ones. Sigh. And try saying, in the company of today’s middle-schoolers, that someone is “having a gay old time”! I don’t like these changes very much, but I do believe with all my heart that out of simple kindness where the sensitivities of others are concerned, we must be aware of them and roll with them, even when we don’t share them.

@annie

Meant to say, “even when we don’t agree with them” (the changes, that is).

PS: I still favor metric, ‘cause my closest computer is free: 10 fingers. Next closest: as many toes. Decimal numeration and all, why bother with dodeca-pranks? If anything, I’d go binary. We’d all look like billionaires and that would solve the “stupid economy” glitch.

Or the rest of the world joins US.

don’t know your state. In the South you might be in trouble. Get a resume writing course book and study. get KNOCK ’EM DEAD by Martin Yate. Even the old edition at the library would be worth your time. Make getting a job a job. Get up early every morning, hit the computer and then hit the bricks. there ARE jobs out there. I was 60 when i got a job after 2 years off. Took me four weeks to get another after i was let go from THAT one. You can do it, duke.

Uncle Joe: for a crushed guy, he looks pretty good in the White House. : )

Dylan. And his WORD is sharper than a two=edged sword. Yes, sometimes a symbol is a symbol.

But, UNcle joe, you are accurate in suggesting the Repubs lost because they believed their own lies. But, sometimes, that is the only way to sell the lies,

A victory lap? Be careful what you wish for.

“… some people forget it is symbolic and expect 110%.”

Of course you gave it your 110%, NG. You only needed 120%.