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Carpal Tunnel
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Ah, wwh, you're angel indeed! That's the exact sonnet I was thinking of! I love rembering it, if only in essence rather than in lines. You've provided those!
Best regards,
WW
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Geoff: I think you will find that it's not Swartz, but schwartze, which is a Yiddish pejorative for a black person. Akin to the N-word. In the following URL it's schwartz, but I believe the pronunciation had an "eh" on the end, two syllables. The w is most often pronounced as a V. http://tomsquotes.amhosting.net/movies/space/space.htmIn another of Mel Brooks's wonderful movies, Black Bart's childhood is revealed when his parents are excluded from the wagon train circle when Indians attack. They circle the wagon, riding it around and around. Mel Brooks, incongrously garbed as an Indian chief in full regalia, rides up and says, "Ugh, schwartze! Cop a walk!" After fifteen seconds of intense laughter, my Jewish girl friend and I looked around the theater, where no one else was laughing; they were instead staring at us. Buncha Philistines! TEd
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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by my experience of yiddish, and as edited after LIU:
shvartz black (the color)
shvartzer: black person, male; rarely used
shvartzeh : black person, female -- but usually used to mean "housemaid"
At least one recent source states that after some years of debate, the terms are now considered offensive. It is unclear, however, whether this conclusion simply reflects the editor's PC bias.
Yiddish also has a specific term for "black person". However, that term is not suitable for use in an english-speaking society, as its pronunciaton is uncomfortably close to "nigger".
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old hand
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old hand
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I think you will find that it's not Swartz, but schwartze, which is a Yiddish pejorative for a black person.... ---------------------------- I'll hafta go rent the movie again and check that out, Ted. Buncha Philistines!Your cutting remarks are just making a mountain out of a moylehill.  Goy boy Geoff
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I was also thinking that, among some of the black people I have known and/or read about, there have been expressions that indicate "lighter is better".
For a good, contemporary study of this see Spike Lee's film, School Daze.
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Carpal Tunnel
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>Your cutting remarks are just making a mountain out of a moylehill.
Let me get straight to the point. It was due to circumcizes beyond my control.
TEd
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Carpal Tunnel
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I have heard that a rabbi who used pinking shears and cut on the bias caused inaccurate aim.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Actually, Jackie, this is a very timely post, as we turn our attention to the holiday season. Take note that Midwinter festivals, Celebrations of Light, date back to ancient pagan rituals, and include among others throughout history, the Roman Saturnalia, and, of course, Christmas. As the nights grow longer and the dark encroaches, finally arriving at its zenith on December 21st, it was only natural to focus on, and re-empower light, in the midst of all that cold and darkness. And to counter the barreness of life as well, thus our elevation of the evergreen. But, indeed, the deepened dark enhances the value of light. You can never let the fire go out or the wolves staring hungrily in the distance will move in and devour you. Interestingly enough, however, it now seems, according to a just released study (does anyone have the citation on this?) that our immune systems actually need an extended period of true darkness each night to sustain their vitality. Thus, nightlights or any other seepage of light into one's sleeping quarters may be inhibiting your ability to maintain your health! So perhaps we don't respect enough the value of darkness after all? Nature is a crafty balancer...all influences accounted and provided for. We still have so much to learn about so many things. Most folks don't realize (or don't want to admit) how primitive our state of civilization really is. We have a long ways to go folks. May the force go with you!  And may you maintain your light in the darkening days just ahead.
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Carpal Tunnel
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"As the nights grow longer and the dark encroaches, finally arriving at its zenith on December 21st" Dear WO'N; Since we are dedicated to finding le mot juste, I wonder if you might not be able to find a better word than "zenith" in the above sentence. I always think of "zenith" as meaning noontime with the sun overhead.
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OP
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Whoa, Sweet WO'N, what a good post! I think you are exactly right about keeping the wolves at bay, and I never heard about needing darkness for health reasons. Interesting. Wonder what the people near the poles do? That is, what their health is like, in The Land of the Midnight Sun?
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