[PRCo] Re: New Math

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Does anyone besides me have books on etymology on the shelf?  But should we
need it to know that "deci" refers to tenths?  Don't we have a decimal
currency?  [On the other hand, we continue to reject the Metric System.]

We just accept sloppy work, period.  And it's annoying to see the
intellectual equivalent of Gresham's Law at work!  For those not familiar
with that law, it states that bad money drives out good.

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
Schneider
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 3:35 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: New Math


Love this thread!

On Feb 11, 2007, at 2:23 PM, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> Yes, it is frequently misused.  The original meaning has been totally
> ignored.  We are an ignorant people when it's convenient, aren't we?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
> [mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of
> Joshua Dunfield
> Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 2:17 PM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: New Math
>
>
>
> Ed Lybarger wrote:
>> Quote of the Week, as reported in the Post-Gazette:
>> from Al Biehler, PA Secretary of Transportation (and Port Authority
>> graduate), about the appropriateness of PAT's proposed service cuts:
>>
>> "But that shouldn't be anywhere near 25 percent, he said, because
>> it would
>> nearly decimate the nation's 15th largest transit system."
>>
>> If you never before knew that 10 was greater than 25, maybe you
>> want to
> call
>> Al and ask him to explain it.
>
> These days, "decimate" is often used to mean "nearly destroy",
> rather than
> in the precise historical sense.  You might say the original usage
> has been
> decimated.
>
> -j.
>
>
>
>