If you live in the metro-Atlanta (GA) area .....

You have a great opportunity right in your city: "Words" courses at Emory University on Sunday evenings!

You will find, as I have: Discussing words in a group of like-minded (i.e., motivated, word-hungry) people is the key to remembering them. Nuncupative inculcation!

We have a blast in these courses, and cover many great (highly useful) words.

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You can choose between 2 courses that I lead:

1) "Wordmongers Workshop"
The "advanced" Words course.
For die-hard word-lovers.

2) "Words to Win"
The "easier" Words course.
For anyone who wants to build and/or reinforce a solid vocabulary.
(easier, more mainstream, words than in "Wordmongers" course)
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You can read a description of both courses, and register, at:
http://www.emory.edu/eve/short_courses/general.html
(Scroll down just a bit.)

Each course lasts for 6 weeks, and costs a mere $90.
This fall quarter's classes both begin on Sunday, Nov. 4th.

If you desire any further info, please feel free to email me: pamnoud@mindspring.com.

See you Atlanta folks on Sunday evenings at Emory for fun & effective word learning!

Oh boy, advertisements right in AWADtalk!

I wonder if Anu is getting compensated.

I wonder if 'spam' is covered in the "easier" or the advanced course....

Can I get the eggs, bacon, tomato and spam without the spam?

Only if goldibear holds it between the knees.

I wonder if 'spam' is covered in the "easier" or the advanced course....

I find this to be interesting, "spam" or not! Those of us of lesser intellectual prowess than TSUWM, Jazzoctopus, et al could use a little help! Besides, Goldibear appropriately posted this in I&A, did she not?

Goldibear appropriately posted this in I&A, did she not?

And she also made it clear she taught the course : Truth in Advertising. If I lived near Atlanta I'd be giving it serious consideration! Not just for the course itself but for the opportunity to meet like-minded folks.
In general, I'd rather have the information and the opportunity to either ignore or use it.
Just one AWADer's opinion.

If you live in the metro-Chicago (IL) area .....

You have a great opportunity right in your city: "Words" courses at your local tavern on any evening or your choice!

You will find, as I have: Discussing words in a group of like-minded (i.e., motivated, word-thirsty) people is the key to remembering them. Nuncupative intoxication!

We have a blast in these cozy taverns, and cover many great (highly useful) words.

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You can choose between 2 establishments that I participate:

1) "Dartplayers Workshop"
The "advanced" Words course.
For die-hard word-lovers.

2) "SportsWatchers"
The "easier" Words course.
For anyone who wants to build and/or reinforce a solid buzz.
(easier, more mainstream, words than in "Dartplayers" course)
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The reality of the participants is the description of both courses, and please bring your own. (Calm down just a bit.)

Each course lasts a lifetime, and costs whatever you're willing to spend whenever you come. This fall quarter's classes began with the football season. If you desire any further info, please look it up yourself, and share it with the rest of us.

See you Chicago folks on any evening of your choice at "Your local tavern" for fun & effective word use!

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Brought to you (in part) by Norway, makers of the fine Norwegian dish "lapskaus"... also brought to you by "Spam... just do it"... and by "Old Smile" brewed in god's country.

Great. I'll come next time I'm in Chicago, although I must tell you that the last time I was there, I was 5 and all we did was get gasoline.

>Those of us of lesser intellectual prowess than TSUWM, Jazzoctopus, et al could use a little help!

here's a little help then: I don't capitalize tsuwm, at all. (but then I don't capitalize much of ANYTHING, do I?!)

Those of us of lesser intellectual prowess than TSUWM, Jazzoctopus, et al could use a little help!
here's a little help then: I don't capitalize tsuwm, at all.
tsuwm, the capitalization was added simply to emphasize that yours is an extreme degree; that even among those of distinguished intellectual prowess, YOU stand out in a class by yourself.

YOU stand out in a class by yourself.

Is that irony?

Just sign me Confused in New Hampshire

Is that irony?
I don't think it was. I think he meant what I feel:
tsuwm, no one comes close, Dear. We all look up to you.

...the capitalization was added simply to...

Brought to you, in part, by the distinguished consortium of G and K enterprises...

As I just wrote to Kieva, I am sorry for the confusion ...
I read YOU stand out in a class by yourself and my warped mind took it literally.

So, sorry Kieva, and, Dear tsuwm, to me you are the one and only tsuwm ... unique.

Apologies all around.
Going back into that black hole I never should have left and pulling it in after me.
wow

Yeah, JTD, I got gas in Chicago too. But it was because of the food. Nah, just kiddin'. Musick showed us a real fun time. Worth another visit if your parents are headed out that way.

Going back into that black hole I never should have left and pulling it in after me.

So tell us, Wow, where's the event horizon? In New Hampshire somewhere?

how did this thread go from crass solicitation to everyone doing interpretations of someone else's post? (hi to jackie, wow, geoff/keiva, and a special shout out to musick)

[aside to G/K: goldibear has now posted twice here, with about an 18 mo. interregnum -- for my part I was just trying to discourage the commercial trend of these 8)
this has, after all, been a very spam-free zone!]

So tell us, Wow, where's the event horizon? In New Hampshire somewhere?

There's this little place just offshore called "Star Island" ....

Thanks, wow, for seeing the good in my original "Atlanta Words courses" posting.

I was merely seeking to extend an opportunity. And the bulletin board concept seemed the perfect forum to do this:
a) Subject-specific*;
b) Unobtrusive; AND
c) Efficient, Economical, Environmentally-friendly!

* Ideally, I would have posted to an "Atlanta words-lovers" b board. Since I do not know of one (Does anyone else?), I put "Atlanta" in the posting's title to dissuade non-Atlanta people in AWADtalk from opening the announcement, and therefore from being subjected to information that would be irrelevant to them.

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Jazzoctopus and tsuwm:
According to profiles, you two do NOT live in Atlanta.

A fact which makes me curious about 2 things:
1) If you DID live in Atlanta, would you still have viewed my announcement as a negative thing?
2) You are both apparently, and understandably, averse to "advertisements" and "spam." i.e., to information coming your way that you do not find useful/beneficial. Me too. Anyway, then ... Why did either of you bother to open a posting entitled "Atlanta Words courses?"

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And, for my future benefit, do either of you have any alternate suggestions for:
1) A title for the posting that would have more clearly let you know upfront that the information therein would be useless to non-Atlanta people like yourselves?
2) A better medium for letting Atlanta people know of this "Atlanta Words courses" opportunity?

I look forward to hearing from you both regarding the above issues.
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Also, tsuwm, you wrote:
"I was just trying to discourage the commercial trend"

By "commercial," do you mean "involving money?" If so, then if I were selling $35 dictionaries in your city for $1 each, would you yourself NOT want me to post an announcement of such information in AWADtalk?

I am desperately trying to understand whence came the umbrage.

Thanks much. Pam

well, pam, maybe, if you regularly connected with this board.. and didn't just come by to drop off your ad, the response might have been different. I certain felt you have no real interest in the board and posting, or how we interact, you just saw AWAD as a vehicle for free advertizement. (by the way, AWAD does take paid ads of this type in the news letter... )

you are not the first, and the comments you garnered, are pretty mild. we are not a group to do mad flaming.. you do have your email adress in you profile, and if we really were a hostile group, you would have felt our hostility is a much more tangelable way than a few mildly worded repremand.

and then, after a mild, but firmly negitive responce, you come back to complain! i guess we are supposed to be happy you used us? and we shouldn't complain about it? really-- the words i can think to describe you are not ones i want to use. -- but RAPIST come to mind as being close.

gbear,
there's really nothing for me to add, but since you did address a couple of questions to me I'll answer those:

1) If you DID live in Atlanta, would you still have viewed my announcement as a negative thing?

in a word, yes (in as much as it was a solicitation)

2) Why did... you bother to open a posting entitled "Atlanta Words courses?"

I was, in a word, curious (and not expecting a solicitation)

and you go on to ask us:
1) A title for the posting that would have more clearly let you know upfront that the information therein
would be useless to non-Atlanta people like yourselves?

WARNING! ATLANTA SPAM ALERT

2) A better medium for letting Atlanta people know of this "Atlanta Words courses" opportunity?

to quote an infamous (albeit fictional) denizen of Atlanta: frankly my dear, I don't give a damn

EDIT: that last was unnecessarily flippant. the fact of the matter is that AWAD (and this board) is a *totally free* public service provided by Anu Garg. if I were he and provided such a service (and I do), I would feel slighted and, well, used if someone started dropping in solicitations for profit.

IMHO:
C'mon, guys and gals, lighten up! S'right, I can understand why you were offended, tho I wasn't (de gustibus, you know).

But offense or not, words like 'rapist" strikes me as overkill, by a wide margin. Heck, if one were to be thin-skinned about this one might take offense at the discussion of Faldage's poetry book. G'bear's new to the board; cut her some slack, huh? It's fine to be firm on the point, but firmness with understanding, to teach, not to excoriate.

JMH and uninformed O.

This isn't directed just to you, tsuwm, but to all of you who jumped on this lady.

This is far beneath us to treat a new person thusly. There is no way she could have known that there's an unwritten "encouragement" not to engage in advertising here. Just reading her post about this course, I feel it's obvious she wanted to give people the opportunity to go to this class if they were fortunate enough to live in the Atlanta area. It did not smack of commercialism or spam any more that the post I made about getting totally free access to the online OED if you belonged to a certain book club. And I was gently chastised for that, if I remember correctly, and I've been here a long time.

On behalf of all those AWAD folks who treat new folks as guests, I extend my hand to goldibear: we're sorry you were treated so shabbily. While we can't stop you from going, we can assure you that your mistreatment was a momentary aberration in the otherwise kind and gentle mileau (EDIT: Oh my God, did I really misspell milieu???) we are fostering here.

I'm not sorry to be blunt when people have been less than gracious. I hope we learn from this mistake.

TEd

What a coincidence, Jim. I got gas the last time I was in Chicago. The pizza, perhaps???

Note from TEd to TEd:

Read the whole thread before you comment! Sorry CK!

Has early demnitia set into my mind? What has happened to the edit-or-explanation I distinctly recall making to my October 14 post above?

>'m not sorry to be blunt when people have been less than gracious. I hope we learn from this mistake.

and I have to say that as a webmaster myself I wouldn't change a word that I've posted (well, with the possible exception of the GwtW quote 8). although I love to get feedback (who doesn't?), I won't even put up a guestbook because there's always someone who'll try to take advantage.
furthermoreoverandinthesecondplace, gbear has been registered almost from the beginning and this was her(?) second post; so although she may be new, she isn't exactly *new and has had ample time to know what this site is about.

kevia, i am replying here, (as well as the PM,) to clarify.

goldibear, placed an ad, not in Anu's newsletter, which, she like us, as registered user gets and know that
Anu is looking for ads for the newsletter. The newsletter reaches a wider audience, but of course it wouldn't be Free-- so basicly, goldi is freeloader, taking advantage of this board..

(lets see, taking something that doesn't really belong to them, and using for their own profit? is that legal? and even if it was, it is morally right?)

but, our complaints, were not screaming flames, but rather mild tsks, tsks, about spam.. and goli's reply?

And, for my future benefit, do either of you have any alternate suggestions for:
1) A title for the posting that would have more clearly let you know upfront that the information therein would be useless to non-Atlanta people like yourselves?
2) A better medium for letting Atlanta people know of this "Atlanta Words courses" opportunity?

which sound to me like she plans to place an other ad next semister.. so, when we mildly repremand her, her response is, not "Gee, i am sorry, you're right, i shouldn't just take over this free service to meet my ends." , but, instead we are treated to "Oh, how should i take advantage of you?"
EDITi was wrong to use such strong, graphic language.. so a line has been removed.

first she battered the board with her ad, and now she is assaulting us, and promising to batter us again.. and those of us who object are wrong?

The severity of goldibear's offense is not relevant to adjudging the temperance of the response.

Edit, answering tsuwm's inquiry two posts below: tsuwm, please note, inter alia, the final paragraph of the post two posts above this one.

The two immediately-preceding posts were nearly simultaneous, and mine was written before seeing Helen's. I will defer response until others have had a chance to speak.

...and yours, keiva, was in response to what, precisely?

... although there are people that *would be (given their understanding of my intent).

how did this thread go from crass solicitation to everyone doing interpretations of someone else's post? I take full responsibility!

I would've expected g'bear to include me in the Jazz-O/tsuwm consortium. What... did I really sound *serious? Not enough winks? Assuming (that's all I can do at this point) she actually got far enough to read my satire which was delibrately attacking the use of "6 weeks for a mere $90" (I might as well go buy a new dictionary on the street), I would insist that she has prolly never read a previous post of mine (not that anyone should).

2.Unobtrusive... ZZZZZZZZT - Wrong answer!

ofTroy - You did say "comes close".

TEd - I felt it actually® did "smack of commercialism or spam" like nothing that I've ever seen on this board before. Our response didn't seem that offensive, but was certainly direct... but then again, my paitence seems to be askew.

Maybe she just hasn't finished with us, Musick. Don't be too sad she didn't include you yet. Maybe that's this weeks assignment. Let me see, yup. $15.00 a week, times what, maybe 10 people? I'd say .....OFF WITH HER HEAD!

gbear writes: I am desperately trying to understand whence came the umbrage.

To answer your question, people view this Board as a source of education, a source of entertainment and a refuge from everyday stress - a place where friends meet to discuss, to learn and to play with language.

By introducing your ad you have invaded this refuge. If you had taken the time to read through several posts, participated in some discussions and looked through the archives you would have seen that this is not the place for advertising.

Also, you would have seen that, though the service is not free, there is a specific place for advertising. By posting on the chat board you give the impression that you are trying to pull a fast one and go around the rules. If you were selling dollar dictionaries in a 35 dollar market I would not want to see it here either. Of troy is right, AWAD does take PAID ads in the newsletter.

You also write: Why did either of you bother to open a posting entitled "Atlanta Words courses?"

Well, let me answer that for them (if you please Jazz & tsuwm). They opened it for the same reasons I did.

a) they never expected spam on the Board
b) they never expected advertising on the Board
c) thread titles are only small inklings of what is in the threads. You know what you were going to say – not us. It might just as easily have been about a new method of teaching English in Atlanta, or the adoption of “southern speak” into the school curriculum (like Ebonics in New York) or any number of things.

It was intrusive and, unless you are completely dishonest with us, and with yourself, it was commercial. You see a bunch of people interested in language and think, "this is the perfect crowd to make a pitch to." I would ask you the courtesy to be truthful about this.

Goldibear, I really enjoy new members. I think they bring fresh topics and new points of view into the mix and I will welcome you with open arms if you wish to join our motley crew in our romance with the English language – but not if you’re here to sell us stuff.

_________________________________________________________________

TEd, I'm sorry if this post makes you ashamed but I too felt insulted at the intrusion and groaned at the thought of having to dodge advertising in the future.

Best of intentions all round, but let's loosen up, guys. Surely it's fairly simple to agree:

A. Informative announcements of all kind = welcome
2. Solicitation for money = unwelcome
iii. see point 4

Is that 2 for $4.99 American dollars, Canadian dollars, pesos, pounds, rupees, rials, lira,or euros? And is that tea in that pot green, Grey, black, jasmine, orange pekoe, or chamopotomusmile? Will you be serving biscuits and jam? Are we invited? Don't forget to ask Alice!

iii. see point 4

four(4). if it's true that no publicity is bad, we've really give g'bear her money's worth.

we've really give g'bear her money's worth.

You have a point, Magister. Should we be charging for the service? - someone call a good lawyer! Hey, CK, is that another o'them oxy-morons?