I just got done clearing about 4 1/2 inches of snow. Luckily it was a light, fluffy snow since the snowblower didn't want to start. So far this Winter is still milder than average, but still... I don't like the cold and I don't care for snow other than a picturesque coating of wet snow on the grass and mountain tops. I could always move to Florida, but my family and job is here. I have a better idea. I'm not sure who has the power to decide what gets in the dictionary and how it is worded. I'm not sure who makes decisions of the ever changing dynamics of the English language, but how about we change the definition of cold. I mean for a Floridian 45F is cold. To many in eastern Russia 32F may be just a little chilly. Lets settle it all and say that under the new definition of cold it needs to be below -20F. It rarely gets colder than that here so it would suit me fine. We could also change the definition of warm to be anything above 15F... I mean no one has explicitly defined these terms anyway so it's about time... Today it was in the low 20F's and my fingers were getting cold, but under this new definition I would have been able to go outside without a coat on since it would be considered "warm". Oh, and since I'm not a fan of long Winters maybe the National Weather Service ought to redefine it narrowing the definition (actually the definition is different in different countries anyway) to the time between New Years Day and the last day of February. Perhaps this way we wont have to use so much money, energy, or *public resources* (hint-hint) in snow removal or heating buildings. After all don't a lot of those self-help books teach that we create our own reality. Only difference here is that it would be that an elite group of qualified decision makers will be the ones creating everybody's reality, at least for the English speaking world.
For those who didn't yet read my post from yesterday on changing the definition of Autism than read it and you should then see where I'm going with this. I'm not saying I know more than the Doctors and I should be the one writing the DSM. I'm not saying I know better how broad or narrow the diagnostic criteria should be. What concerns me is when people try to absolutize what is not an absolute. There are many non-autistic people who need help and services, yet there are many who are clearly Autistic who are self-sufficient and don't need any help- at least not in the form of public or professional services. People rely so much on statistical and official definitions and then end up arguing over semantics and playing games with the English language.
Tomorrow is the 39 year anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. It was a decision that affected what can easily be the most polarizing and divisive issue of our current time and culture. Without digressing too much as this post has nothing to do with abortion, I find this as a good example of how only a small group of people in a high position can have the authority to decide whether someone is even human and at what point they become human. The answer to that is a totally different discussion as I'm not debating here when life begins. I just want to point out with this most extreme example to show how a small group of authorities can have the power to decide on a label or definition. I think this is something that people on both sides of the abortion issue may relate to if they think carefully. Without me getting too carried away what if the right authorities decided that the dog pictured in this blog was going to be redefined as a cat. Could I then just buy him a litter box and forget taking him out in the cold? I mean he does have some cat traits, Miniature Schnauzers are bred to chase vermin, they have small feet for a dog, and they are roughly the size of many cats...
As a weather geek here's some less controversial examples: For a hurricane to be major in the US it needs to have maximum winds of 111 MPH or greater. A few years back a major hurricane quickly came ashore in a sparsely populated part of rural Texas. There was some damage but it barely made the news. On the other hand a hurricane with 105 MPH winds can make landfall over a major city and stall for a while still causing wind damage on top of catastrophic flooding. But then you can at least say it wasn't a "major" hurricane. Also for there to be a heat wave at least here it takes 3 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 90F, it doesn't even have to be humid and cold nights wont make a difference in the definition. What if there is a 30 day stretch of high temperatures in the upper 80F's, lows in the mid 70F's, and several 2 day stretches withing that period closer to 100F. For good measures lets say it was oppressively humid for the whole period. I'm sure air conditioners and dehumidifiers will be working hard but at least it wasn't a heat wave <grin>. The best example with weather that I can think of is snow. I've met a lot of sticklers and statistics geeks who are guilty of this. People in the mountains can just get done digging out of over a foot of snow. They then tell their friends about it. Then the weather comes and find that the official snowfall total at the nearest official weather station located in the middle of an urban valley officially records 5.8". Does this mean all those people were lying and the foot of snow was all in their heads. If the official weather station recorded any less than maybe they should have had school with no delays.
My point here is to suggest that deciding on what someones needs are should be on a more individual basis and that facts and intuition need to work together. Perhaps more decisions should be based on individual symptoms and less dependant of the official diagnosis.
For those who didn't yet read my post from yesterday on changing the definition of Autism than read it and you should then see where I'm going with this. I'm not saying I know more than the Doctors and I should be the one writing the DSM. I'm not saying I know better how broad or narrow the diagnostic criteria should be. What concerns me is when people try to absolutize what is not an absolute. There are many non-autistic people who need help and services, yet there are many who are clearly Autistic who are self-sufficient and don't need any help- at least not in the form of public or professional services. People rely so much on statistical and official definitions and then end up arguing over semantics and playing games with the English language.
Tomorrow is the 39 year anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. It was a decision that affected what can easily be the most polarizing and divisive issue of our current time and culture. Without digressing too much as this post has nothing to do with abortion, I find this as a good example of how only a small group of people in a high position can have the authority to decide whether someone is even human and at what point they become human. The answer to that is a totally different discussion as I'm not debating here when life begins. I just want to point out with this most extreme example to show how a small group of authorities can have the power to decide on a label or definition. I think this is something that people on both sides of the abortion issue may relate to if they think carefully. Without me getting too carried away what if the right authorities decided that the dog pictured in this blog was going to be redefined as a cat. Could I then just buy him a litter box and forget taking him out in the cold? I mean he does have some cat traits, Miniature Schnauzers are bred to chase vermin, they have small feet for a dog, and they are roughly the size of many cats...
As a weather geek here's some less controversial examples: For a hurricane to be major in the US it needs to have maximum winds of 111 MPH or greater. A few years back a major hurricane quickly came ashore in a sparsely populated part of rural Texas. There was some damage but it barely made the news. On the other hand a hurricane with 105 MPH winds can make landfall over a major city and stall for a while still causing wind damage on top of catastrophic flooding. But then you can at least say it wasn't a "major" hurricane. Also for there to be a heat wave at least here it takes 3 consecutive days with a high temperature of at least 90F, it doesn't even have to be humid and cold nights wont make a difference in the definition. What if there is a 30 day stretch of high temperatures in the upper 80F's, lows in the mid 70F's, and several 2 day stretches withing that period closer to 100F. For good measures lets say it was oppressively humid for the whole period. I'm sure air conditioners and dehumidifiers will be working hard but at least it wasn't a heat wave <grin>. The best example with weather that I can think of is snow. I've met a lot of sticklers and statistics geeks who are guilty of this. People in the mountains can just get done digging out of over a foot of snow. They then tell their friends about it. Then the weather comes and find that the official snowfall total at the nearest official weather station located in the middle of an urban valley officially records 5.8". Does this mean all those people were lying and the foot of snow was all in their heads. If the official weather station recorded any less than maybe they should have had school with no delays.
My point here is to suggest that deciding on what someones needs are should be on a more individual basis and that facts and intuition need to work together. Perhaps more decisions should be based on individual symptoms and less dependant of the official diagnosis.
