Off & Odd
Globalization of Onomatopoeia
“Whereas Albanian dogs apparently go ‘ham ham’ rather than ‘woof woof’ and Hungarian pigs go ‘rof rof rof,’ not ‘oink oink,’ there are few language communities in the world that do not represent the sound of laughter with some variant on ‘ha ha’ or ‘hee hee.’
– Mary Beard in the New York Review
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A Tzipi Move Up the Ladder
“The Israeli prime minister’s declaration clears the way for rivals to form a new government. Several Kadima ministers, including the foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, have already thrown themselves into the succession battle.â€
– news item
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For Whom the Bell Tolls
A Welsh (or Scottish or American) actuary can tell you how many people are going to die over the next ten years. A Sicilian actuary can tell you how many people are going to die and who they are.
– CNBC interview
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This Just In
(Recent headlines. They’re all real, but on the scans we got by e-mail, we couldn’t make out most of the newspapers’ names.)
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Volunteers Search for
Old Civil War Planes
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Army Vehicle Disappears
An Australian army vehicle worth $74,000 has gone missing after being painted with camouflage. Police are seeking public help…
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Caskets Found as Workers
Demolish Mausoleum
subhead: ‘We had no idea anyone was buried there’
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Utah Poison Control Center Reminds
Everyone Not to Take Poison
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Statistics show that teen
pregnancy drops off
significantly after age 25