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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear TEd: Now there's an obstetrical marvel.
When Poseidon sent a bull to Minos he refused to sacrifice it as it
was so beautiful, Poseidon then made Pasiphae fall in love with the bull, the result was the Minotaur.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Re:But it was agreed that Helen, at least, was fathered by Zeus.
yes, i will admit to being a demi god!
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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TEd states that Pasiphae was the wife of Minos and mother, by a white bull, of the Minotaur.I can't resist this! Bet she was a real cow ... 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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primarily grown up in canada, there is a food crop called rape seed, the plant is inedible, the yield canola oil.
Canadian researchers sought to reduce the erucic acid content of the oil produced by the rapeseed plant, which had been used as source of vegetable oil. When they succeeded, the question arose what to name the low-acid strain. Obviously, no one wanted a name incorporating the syllable "rape".
The oil was thus dubbed Canada Oil Low Acid -- canola oil.
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Carpal Tunnel
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But if you called it PI Number, there wouldn't be much security because EVERYONE would use 314.
TEd
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Joined: Jun 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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A utopian dream, wouldn't you say?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
*heh*
Then there's the story of the P number.
In Michigan, every person licensed to practice law has a "P number," an individual identification number which must go on all pleadings below counsel's signature.
No one seemed to know or care why it was a "P" number, although I asked around for years. Finally, while in a meeting about internal Court of Appeals information management, the subject of P numbers came up (I can't remember why), and I reiterated my complaint that I couldn't find out what the "P" was for. To my surprise, Hank, the then-head of the Court's information systems division, said, "I know."
It seems that for years and years, there was no system at the State Bar for uniquely identifying bar members, so that confusion often arose over who was who regarding counsel with duplicate names. Each year, when people paid their bar dues, the bar would number them according to the alphabetical list, but because membership changed each year, the numbers also changed each year. In a word, the numbers were pointless. So Hank, in I forget what capacity, volunteered to set up a system to assign permanent numbers to bar members. During the year that he did so, the old-system bar numbers were also assigned. To distinguish between the two numbers, Hank called his numbers the "permanent" numbers; or, "P numbers" for short. Thirty years later, with no other numbers in existence in the interim, those numbers are still called the "P" numbers. And until now, about the only people on the planet who knew why were Hank and me.
And it's stuff like this which makes etymology so hopeless and so fascinating.
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Carpal Tunnel
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To distinguish between the two numbers, Hank called his numbers the "permanent" numbers; or, "P numbers" for short.
NEAT, Sparteye! Thanks for sharing that. Good to see you posting, Sweetie. (You too, CK.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Dear Sparteye,
I heartily agree with Jackie: NEAT!
And, to attempt to bring things full circle back around to the Group Known as Pilobolus, wonder whether I should write 'em and suggest they have their own "P" numbers for their evocative dances? Spread the news! Get that ol' "P" into the word system!
Best regards,
WordWisher (or letter wisher here)
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