Another Grammar Rant...

Hello, everyone.
This time I would like to touch on the subject of verb tense. I hear so many people, on a daily basis, who butcher the English language in so many annoying ways. One of my biggest peeves is with those individuals (you all know who you are) who insist on misusing the verb form be. Specifically speaking, the 'progressive future perfect' form of 'would have' in the place of the 'future perfect' form of 'had'.
For example, I so often (too often, Grrr!!!) hear people saying "If you 'would have' done this or that..." instead of "If you 'had' done this or that..." This is extremely annoying to me, and should be to anyone with a sense of proper grammar. To continue in this vein, "If you 'had' done this or that, then I 'would have' done this or that", is the correct usage of these two verb forms.
The really bad thing about all of this foolishness is the fact that all of the media (TV, movies, newspapers, magazines, reporters, etc.) encourage this sort of stupidity by making the same grammatical mistake, instead of seeking to correct it. Here are all of these people , in positions to fix this error, and yet, they continue to perpetuate it instead. What is this world becoming when we can't even use the English language in a proper manner? It is all very sad, and yet, not many people seem to care. Perhaps, that, in itself, is the saddest part of all.
Well, at least I have done my small part to try rectifying the situation. My conscience is clear; is yours? Thank you all.
Anna

Why should I...?

Hello, everyone.

I am a bit upset, right now. Not with anyone on the 'net'. I have been watching and listening to the people in my part of the U.S. and I am not liking what I see and hear.
I have been noticing the way that many Americans (especially young people) expect people my age to do and to be. Let me explain. When I get out and do my walking for exercise, I wear earphones and listen to fast-paced music on my MP3 player, and I walk fast to the beat of that music. As I walk, I have noticed how a lot of people stare at me, or whisper to one another as they watch me walking by. Some of them even laugh aloud.
I don't think that is right. I am not like a lot of individuals my age. It is true I have many aches, pains, and ailments, but I just don't let them stop me, or even hold me back, like some older people.
They call us Senior Citizens if we're over fifty, which doesn't bother me, as long as they don't expect me to act like an S.C.; Not Happening! I tell everyone that they can say I'm old when I say I am, but not until then. And they can box me in when I am ready to be buried, but not until then. I'm talking about the kind of boxes which have labels on them; stereotypical ones. Just because an individual is older that doesn't mean he or she is ready for a wheelchair or even a cane.
I can still walk about 6 kph (3.4 miles an hour), which is pretty fast for an 'old' lady! My 24-year-old daughter is a snail compared to me! A few years ago I even took a hike up to the top of a nearby mountain peak. (More than 160 meters high, and I never even had to stop to catch my breath!)
I don't understand why 'Seniors' are put into certain categories. If I can walk two blocks to the grocers in 5-8 minutes, what's wrong with that? If I were still 20-years-old, no one would give me a second glance. But because my hair is no longer brown, I get stares; even from some people my age and older.
Where is it written that I and others like me are supposed to 'creak' and 'creep' around as though we have rusty joints? Not in my book! This 'old' lady is not going to 'act her age' as the saying goes; not when it comes to behaving like a Senior Citizen. No one on Earth can show me where it is written in any book, or any law, anywhere, that says I, and others like me, can't act younger than our years! And that is exactly what I am doing and will continue to do, as long as I am able to do so. If God is willing, and I have my way, that will be for the rest of my life. I am not alone in my thinking, either. I have an older gentleman friend who is 72-years-old and walks over 6k (3 miles) every day. (Way to go, Dwight!) And, there are many many others out there, too. (More power to them, as well!)
Thoreau wrote of the "Different Drummer" hearer: "let him step to the music which he hears; however measured or far away". I adhere strongly to that philosophy. I believe human beings were not meant to 'age gracefully' when it comes to being less active. I think we are supposed to stay active in order to stay healthier. I am giving it my best shot. For those 'seniors' out there who happen to read this, maybe it will encourage them to seek a less aged outlook and lifestyle. I hope so. I always wanted to start a revolution; at least on a small scale. Perhaps, this is my chance. Thank you.
Anna

Show Some Respect...

Hi, everyone.

I am so upset, I can barely write this. I have been reading the internet news notes, regarding the death of Korean actor and singer, Park Yong Ha, and some of the comments which have been made about that sad news, and I must say many of them have made me angry. I won't give justification to any of those pitiful comments by repeating them here, but I will and must say this:

What the flip is wrong with those people? Don't they realize that Yong Ha-ssi's family might be reading some of the news articles which have been posted here on the 'net'? How do they think those thoughtless remarks of theirs would make his family members feel if they read any of them? I know I would hate to read those sort of remarks about someone I loved, especially if that person died in such a tragic way.

Listen up, you people who post callous remarks in regards to someone's death. You may not agree with a person's choices or with they way they die, but at least have some respect for the dead and for those who are left to mourn them. That is just using simple courtesy and kindness in such an instance. I can't see having such thoughts at a time like this, much less thoughtlessly voicing them. Cold. Very cold and unfeeling. How disappointing to know that some people have not been taught better than to behave in such a disrespectful way.

(My deepest sympathy goes to the family of Park Yong Ha. He was a great actor, and had a truly wonderful singing talent, too. He is loved and will be greatly missed by his fans, and I am sure, by his friends, as well. My prayers are with you all. Take care, and be well. My best regards. Anna)

Special Posting

To any East Tennesseans who may read this blog:  At 11:35 PM, May 28, 2010, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert, through the National Weather Service alert system, warning everyone in East Tennessee to be on the lookout for Brandon West, a 35-year-old white male with brown hair and green eyes, 5'6" tall, who is wanted for aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, and two counts of reckless endangerment. According to the report, West kidnapped his 2-year-old daughter, and 1-year-old son, after forcing their mother's car off the road and into a tree in Scott County. West is said to be driving a gray 2004 Chevy Impala; license # 2 3 4 Q J G. The 2-year-old girl was last seen wearing a black and white polka-dot dress with hot pink ties at the shoulders, black patent leather shoes and green ball earrings. The 1-year-old boy was wearing a one-piece play-suit with blue and white stripes, with a little dog on the front. Both children have brown hair and green eyes. The little boy's hair has a burr cut. The children's names are Zoe and Reason West. Anyone who has any information concerning these three individuals is asked to contact the Scott County Sheriff's department at 1 (423) 663-2245 or TBI at 1 800 TBI-FIND. Thank You.

Two Things That Bug Me...

Hello.

There are two things which people do to the English language which really bug me.
First of all, I can't stand when people mispronounce certain words. For example: Library and February are two of the words I often hear being mispronounced. People will say 'Li-bury' or 'Feb-u-ary', and both of these are so wrong. These words both have an extra 'r' in them which a lot of people tend to leave out. The correct way to say them is Li-brair-ee and Feb-roo-air-ee.
Secondly, it irks me when people misuse words by giving them the wrong meaning. Take the word Medieval (Med-ee-e-val). This word simply means 'Anything which pertains to the Middle Ages', yet people use it to mean 'being mean or hurting someone'. And the word Apocalypse, which means 'Revelation', and which some people use to mean 'disaster' or 'destruction'. Wrong, wrong, wrong!!! I do not understand why people do not see their errors in these two areas. To me this abuse is not logical. People, please, learn how to pronounce these words or learn what they really mean, or please do not use them at all!!!
Thank you, Anna

Nobody's Perfect...

Hello.
I have been talking to some very nice people, recently, and I have discovered that many people think that Christians are supposed to be perfect! How ridiculous. Just because these people try to follow their spiritual convictions, and live a better kind of life, some will label them as thinking they are better than other people, or assume that they are supposed to be A-1 perfect in every way; and it just isn't true.
These people, at least the ones of my acquaintance, certainly don't think they are better than anyone else, or that they know everything, nor even that they are perfect. So, I don't know why others assume these things about them. Just because they have chosen to live a different way, and strive to be more spiritually in tune with the universe, doesn't mean that they don't make their share of mistakes. I have talked with many individuals who have assured me they make mistakes every day. The fact is, these people simply try harder to not do things which they feel are wrong. That doesn't make them perfect or better than anyone else. it merely serves to make them more self-aware, which can be a good thing as far as human-beings are concerned. The individuals with whom I spoke were surprisingly (despite popular opinion) open-minded about the life choices of others. They may not like how some people choose to live, but a large number of Christians, today, are far more accepting of others beliefs and preferences than was true in the religious community even 20 years ago. Perhaps the intolerance of others towards themselves, and their beliefs, has prompted them to a greater and deeper understanding of the other person's point of view. Whatever the case, these people are much more concerned with how people treat each other, as a world society, than in pointing fingers at individuals short-comings and mistakes. I believe this is the way it should be. Thank you. Anna

No, Means No!!!

Hello.
Why is it that some people can't understand that when a person says no that is precisely what is meant. For example, I have had to tell our Blogger hosts several times that I do not want ads placed above the navigation bars on my blogsites. Yet, today I logged on to American Bae Fan and what did I find?: ads above my navbar!!! I have tried to quietly, graciously explain to these people that I am Obsessive/Compulsive and that having ads placed at the tops of my blogsites makes me feel claustrophobic, which I am, by the way, as well as being O/C. I can not stand to feel closed in and restricted this way, but I don't know what to do about it. I have asked these people nicely time and again to stop doing what they are doing, but it only helped for a short while, apparently. It is beginning to look as though I may have to take my blogging business elsewhere on the 'net'. I really do not wish to do this, but I can not tolerate something on my blogs that I do not want. Ads at the bottoms of my blogs would be far more tolerable, although I really don't want those, either. This is the last time I am going to say this, Blogger, so please pay attention: Please, Stop putting ads at the Tops of My blogsites!!! Thank you, Anna

Etc.,Etc., Etc....Wrong!

Have you ever read a posting on someone's blog, a post comment, or even a news article, and encountered the phrase "and etc."? This is wrong. 'et cetera' is a Latin term which means: "and the others..." and should not be used with the word 'and'. If they are used together then the user is really saying: "and, and the others" which is a bit redundant. The term "etc." can stand on its own with out a conjunction like 'and'.  So, the next time you see "and, etc." in print, or even hear someone using it while speaking,  just remember that it is not right, and you might want to tell them so, in the nicest possible way, of course. Thank you. Anna

In A Word...

Hello.
This posting is concerned with the extraordinary fact that the majority of Americans use the most deplorable grammar imaginable. For example, ending sentences with a preposition seems to be a chronic condition in this country; even among supposedly better educated types, such as authors, reporters, playwrights, script writers, etc. These people earn tons of money, annually, yet they don't seem to know how to construct simple sentences. Pity.
The trouble seems to originate within our educational system. American high schools, have become mere diploma mills; cranking out a steady stream of minimally literate or even functionally illiterate graduates who then require remedial reading classes, on the college freshman level, in order to be able to further their educations. These programs are patches designed to 'fix' what should have been done right in the first place; the teaching of proper grammar and sentence forms, from the word go, in childrens' elementary school classes. We, as a nation, should re-examine these 'quick fix' measures and ask ourselves if they are really what is best for our children. Wouldn't it be preferable to actually teach good grammar and reading skills to younger children in schools rather than having to 'fix' our mistakes later?
The worst thing is sending these young people, with their inadequate reading and grammatical skills out into the public sector, trying to find decent jobs. That proposition is difficult enough when one has an adequate grasp of the basic principles of good linguistic skills. For those who do not, the task can be particularly daunting. The best for which most can hope is doing some minimum wage, dead-end jobs for the rest of their lives. What other hope do they have? That is a question which only our school systems can answer. If the educational system would only stop and take stock of itself and its problems, perhaps the future would hold more hope for literacy and good grammatical practices for future generations.
Parents can also help by encouraging their children to want to learn and do well academically. This would ensure that future generations would at least be able to construct acceptable sentences and perhaps those writers, etc, among them would not end their sentences with prepositions. Dare to dream. Thank you.

Internet Sabotage

This time, I am ranting about Internet abuse. Not abuse of 'netizens', but abuse of the Internet itself. Why, oh why do people want to put such things as adware, spyware, worms, trojans, viruses, pop-up ads, and even spam on other people's websites, or in their e-mail? I will never understand these practices. Are they jealous of others being able to use the 'net'? Do they get a certain kind of perverse pleasure from destroying others sites or blogs? Are they being paid by someone to spy on others sites? Or, are they just naturally twisted individuals who are so miserable with their own existences that they can't stand to see others enjoying something in their lives, in the sharing of friendship and information on the Internet? These are all questions to which I, and I am sure millions of other Internet users, would love to know the answers. But, I do know one thing: that each one of the kind, courteous, considerate, thoughtful, and caring individuals out there who use the Internet with manners, and respect for other users feelings, is worth so much more than all of these 'Internet abusers' put together. Thank you.

Don't Be So Negative...

Well, when I started this site it was with the intention of letting other people have their say about things that 'bugged' them, but it doesn't seem to be turning out that way. It seems friends who have visited here like reading my rants, so...
This posting has to do with not respecting someone else' talent. A few days ago I was answering questions on Yahoo Answers and I came across an earnest, sincere plea from a young lady who wanted peoples honest opinions of her singing ability. I clicked the link to her Youtube channel, and heard a very nice voice singing a country song. I posted to her comments column under the video that I thought she had a lot of talent and a very good voice. The next day, I got a message in my e-mail from a girl who disagreed with me, but in a very rude way. I went back to the message column, for that video, and told that person that I felt I knew what I was saying as I was once a minor local celebrity, as a singer, some years ago. I also said that I had had my '15 minutes of fame' and that she should let the singer in the video have hers. Then, that rude person said she was a singer now, and signed autographs everyday. The thing is she didn't make her reply nicely, but was yelling. So, I went back in and told her that when people belittled others with talent it was often because they were afraid of the competition. I then told her she ought to upload some videos of herself, singing, to youtube, and then the commenters could decide whether her opinions carried any weight. She became even angrier, if possible, and yelled JERK at me, saying I should upload some videos of myself singing. I then told her she should move away from her mirror; then she might be able to see someone besides herself. And, after noting her terrible grammar, I asked her if she was sure she could sing, and that it seemed to me she couldn't even put together a coherent sentence. I haven't received a reply to this last comment, as yet, but I have a feeling I may not. I know my behavior in this instance may seem rude to some, but that other person had no call to be rude in the first place. I don't see why people can't criticize others, if they must, in a constructive way. If I had felt the girl in the video could not sing that well, I would have simply told her that perhaps her singing needed some work. If I felt she couldn't really sing at all, I would have voiced that opinion, too, but in as kindly a way as possible. I don't see any reason for hurting others' feelings just because we don't like what they are able to do. Some of the other commenters agreed with me, that the singer has real talent. And, the singer, herself, actually sent me a message voicing her appreciation for what I did. I told her to hang in there and not to let any negative people keep her from achieving her dream. I also told her she had a talent, and to take it from there. I hope she will at least consider my advice. Her voice is one worth developing to its fullest potential. My best to her for the future. Anna

How To Deal With Macho Types

Hello.
One of my Youtube friends and I were messaging yesterday, and she was talking about the way some men treat some women as though they were stupid. I told her some men treat all women as though they were stupid, and that I had run into that a great deal throughout my lifetime. I also pointed out to her that if we women try to prove them wrong, these men then resort to swearing and tell us to shut up. I have learned to take this kind of macho behavior in my stride. I simply keep telling myself "You are smarter than this guy, and not just because you have the good sense to not behave the way he is doing. And, besides, he wouldn't be so upset, unless he knew that you were smarter than he." This approach works very well for me, because then I can just smile, shake my head and walk away; proud to be an intelligent woman. Score one for all intelligent women, everywhere!

Another Rant...

Hello.
Well, it seems as though no one is going to post any comments here, not yet anyway, so I may as well post another rant! This one concerns individuals who consider themselves so expert in a particular field, they think no one else could possibly know as much as they know. I ran into an example of this just today. A certain Asian actor recently wrote a photo essay book and had it published, with not-so-surprising results: it became a mega-bestseller. There was a teacher who told one of his/her students that the book could not have been written by said actor because it was too well-written. Wait a minute. Just because that person is a teacher, that automatically makes them an expert on book writing? And be cause the author is an actor, that means he can't be a writer as well? What the flip? That makes absolutely no sense, whatsoever. Is a celebrity, especially an intelligent, multi-talented one, supposed to be limited to doing only one thing in life? How stereotypical is that kind of thinking? In fact, this particular celebrity has proven the versatility and range of his abilities, on more than one occasion. As actor, model, businessman, artist, musician, and more, this person has shown a wide range of talents. What gives that teacher the right to assume an actor is just capable of being an actor? That is a very narrow-minded view for an educator to take. What kind of influence is that to be to a student? Not a very good one, or so it seems to me. I  have not read the aforementioned Photo essay book, but I am sure of one thing. Given the kind of character which the author is reputed to have, I do not believe he would take credit for writing a book unless he really wrote it. From what I have seen of this person, I am actually certain he would not do that. Thank you. Anna