claytonic

First of all, let me concede that while I am very good at picking up other people's spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors, I tend to miss my own even if I proof read my own work. I type VERY fast and typos are a fact of life. And sometimes even though my brain knows better, my flying fingers actually make errors that look like grammatical errors! OK, that's my story and I am sticking with it! The truth is that no one is infallible, we all make mistakes even at things we are good at. I, too, have a learning disability when it comes to certain things, trust me, most people do. However, mine are in subject matters that aren't showcased on a daily basis, i.e. written communication, something we all do pretty much all the time, especially since the internet burst into our lives. This is why I feel that anyone who doesn't have a natural aptitude for written and verbal language should receive private tuition from a tutor who specializes in remedial teaching. I have a friend who teaches 8 year olds. Some of the students who are promoted into her class can barely read or write, despite 3 years of school. Yet, by year's end, she has those students caught up (or almost caught up) to the rest of the class. Teachers like her are pure gold. The parents of those students thank her with tears in their eyes. The students themselves, when they reach an age old enough to realize how much her dedication has changed their life, thank her at every opportunity. Reading and comprehension is critical, even for stay-at-home moms, because they need to read and understand instructions on the bottle of medicines prescribed for their kids. Language is the foundation of learning, if you are proficient in language, you have an advantage in any other subject, including math. I also believe everyone is teachable, some just require more patience and perhaps a different teaching method, one that is more compatible with the way their brain works. Clay certainly found that out, and that is what excited him about special education. Tribeca, sorry if I sound like I am preaching but, even as an adult, if you can find someone to teach you the way you need to be taught, and if you make a point of reading on a regular basis, you will be amazed at what starts to fall into place for you. After a while, it becomes second nature to know how to write clear, grammatical English with the minimum of errors. Whether you improve by 10% or 50%, the fact is, you WILL improve and the confidence it gives you... money can't buy. You know how people always think that Asian kids seem to be so smart? Much of their "smartness" came from their parents, i.e. their parents would work two jobs, whatever it takes, to pay for after-school private tuition, to give their kids an academic leg-up. That's is why so many of them do so well at school, and even have exceptional English language skills despite English not being their mother-tongue, i.e. not spoken at home. (gets off soap-box) ETA: haha I just fixed an error I found in a paragraph above, quoted in another post!!!

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=JlevdGvGcJM The Lip Balm kissing test....

Shucks Cagney1950, I didn't mean to interrupt you so rudely, I was well intentioned and if I'd known who you were, I would have remained silent. Thanks, though, for not slapping the side of my head, ouch that would have hurt! Well, I'll tell you why I care.... because it is a distraction ... it ruins the reading flow for me when I see these errors. And the possessive apostrophe definitely bugs me too. As if it is so hard to work out!!

No Speak English A Russian woman married a Canadian gentleman and they lived happily ever after in Toronto . The poor lady was not very proficient in English, but did manage to communicate with her husband. The real problem arose whenever she had to shop for groceries. One day, she went to the butcher and wanted to buy chicken legs. She didn't know how to put forward her request, and in desperation, clucked like a chicken and lifted up her skirt to show her thighs. Her butcher got the message, and gave her the chicken legs. Next day she needed to get chicken breasts, again she didn't know how to say it, and so she clucked like a chicken and unbuttoned her blouse to show the butcher her breasts. The butcher understood again, and gave her some chicken breasts. On the 3rd day, the poor lady needed to buy sausages. Unable to find a way to communicate this, she brought her husband to the store... (Please scroll down.) What were you thinking? Hellooooooo, her husband speaks English! Now get back to your work. I don't know about you sometimes..

I agree, that's the root of "would of"!!!! Actually, I can't believe I left out MY pet peeve, Your and You're..... WRONG: Your going to the movies with me RIGHT : You are going to the movies with me RIGHT : You're (contraction of "you are") going to the movies with me The word "your" is the possessive term for the word "you" SO...The suitcase in the car belongs to you WRONG: You're suitcase is in the car. RIGHT: Your suitcase is in the car I never realised this was such an issue until I started using the internet. Having worked in offices all my life, I don't recall seeing it misused very often, but it is rampant on the net, in blogs and blog comments, forum posts, emails, instant messaging, even from people who are middle-aged university graduates, which is surprising because in the good old days, there was a lot of emphasis on correct grammar, spelling etc.. And now with text messaging being the way so many young people communicate, no one ever questions the strange abbreviations cuz w/ txtng, n e tng gos. Do U no wht i mn? It's all Ruben's fault! HE started it! TGIF, right annabear?

Exactly, and the cost in human life is much greater, and will take many generations to erase it, if it ever can be erased, because when you lose a loved-one through senseless violence, you don't forget... you tell your kids and grandkids and they will remember how angry and heartbroken you were, and they will tell their kids and grandkids, and so the hatred and resentment is perpetuated in a wound that may not get a chance to heal before something else blasts it open again. That's what the attack on Iraq did, it ripped open a wound that was already there. It is bad enough when someone is killed because doing their job involves being in the front line, but when someone is killed just because they were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, minding their own business while they go about their daily lives, it's hard to "forgive and forget".

That's because it has become so common place that you have become accustomed to hearing it said that way. In fact, I know people who correct their kids, incorrectly!!!! Other commonly, but incorrectly, used terms: WRONG: I would of gone to the movies with you RIGHT: I would have gone to the movies with you WRONG: Her and I are going to the movies RIGHT: She and I are going to the movies WRONG: Her is going to the movies RIGHT: She is going to the movies THEREFORE: She and I are going to the movies Today's lesson is over, girls and boys. Boys? Any boys here?

Couchie, so sorry you are going through this. I agree that you should try to get as much sleep as possible, although that is hard to do when you are worried and stressed. Sending you and your mom lots of white healing light.

Hm.. maybe that's why Clay always says "we"..... so that he doesn't have to deal with when to say "I" and when to say "me".

The rule is to always put the other person first, and it's that very rule that people have remembered so rigidly that they go and make the mistake of saying "Clay and I" when it should be "Clay and me". It depends on the context. When it is broken up, it is easier to remember: Clay is going to the movies I am going to the movies Clay and I are going to the movies Clay, Tom, Dick, Harry and I are going to the movies. You'd never say "me am going to the movies" so you'd never say" Clay and me are going to the movies" Come to the movies with me Come to the movies with Clay and me Come to the movies with Clay, Tom, Dick, Harry and me. You'd never say "come to the movies with I" So you'd never say "come to the movies with Clay and I" KAndre, you were actually correct, just that you put yourself first !! Just not good manners!! HAHAHA

Actually, it should be "Clay and me"... LOL

TUT TUT TUT merrieeee! aikim, you've created a monster!

Good Samaritan - The Lawyer One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate. He asked one man, 'Why are you eating grass?' 'We don't have any money for food,' the poor man replied. 'We have to eat grass.' 'Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you,' the lawyer said. 'But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree.' 'Bring them along,' the lawyer replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, 'You come with us, also.' The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, 'But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!' 'Bring them all, as well,' the lawyer answered. They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was. Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, 'Sir, you are too kind.' 'Thank you for taking all of us with you.' The lawyer replied, 'Glad to do it. 'You'll really love my place. 'The grass is almost a foot high'

Yes but at one heck of an expense...I read the Iraq war alone is costing 2 billion a week..... a war nobody wanted. I am still angry at my country's leader for being joined at the hip with GW. I mean, Canada and New Zealand had the courage to say no. What to Expect from Obama http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/521.html I got this via email, haven't listened to it all but since it is being passed around the net ....

Those who are not interested in Charice, please scroll. I have just been told that she will be singing at the Inauguration Ball. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=WOvQVHZ_22k I don't know how she was chosen, I would have thought preference would be given to American citizens or at least American residents but ah well. But I am thrilled for her as I've been promoting her for 2 years, long before anyone had even heard of her. But having said that, I would have preferred to find out Clay was to sing at this historical event. tribeca... in another post you asked what the vault was. I have added it to the FCA glossary, which you can find at the top right of your screen, just under the "Help" button. ETA: Couchie, I posted without reading the board... so I want to say DITTO to this...

I just love his boyish smile! Just adorable!!!!

George W. Bush: Quotes from the US president Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-president.html I bet Letterman is worried about how much it is now gonna cost him to actually hire writers....

How fights start One year, a husband decided to buy his mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift. The next year, he didn't buy her a gift. When she asked him why, he replied, "Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!" And that's how the fight started..... ************************************************************************ My wife walked into the den & asked "Whats on the tv?" I replied "Dust". And that's how the fight started..... ************************************************************************ A woman is standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not happy with what she sees and says to her husband, 'I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.' The husband replies, 'Your eyesight's damn near perfect.' And that's how the fight started..... ************************************************************************ My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 200 in about 3 seconds. I bought her a scale. And that's how the fight started..... ************************************************************************ I asked my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation. 'Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!' she said. So I suggested, 'How about the kitchen?' And that's when the fight started.... ************************************************************************ My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to have sex?' 'No,' she answered. I then said, 'Is that your final answer?' She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying 'Yes.' So I said, 'Then I'd like to phone a friend.' And that's when the fight started.... ************************************************************************ I tried to talk my wife into buying a case of Miller Light for $14.95. Instead, she bought a jar of cold cream for $7.95. I told her the beer would make her look better at night than the cold cream. And that's when the fight started..... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first. 'I'll have the strip steak, medium rare, please.' He said, 'Aren't you worried about the mad cow?' 'Nah, she can order for herself.' And that's when the fight started.....

Gidday ausdon! Oztralian Idol is no fun now that Mark Holden is gone. Somehow those touchdowns don't seem like they are worth much when they aren't delivered by him.... tribeca, I just cannot stop laughing at this! The very idea of it .... Clay should do a skit of this next time he is on Kimmel. ETA: This is a neat fun site... it tells you the #1 song for any given date. http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm The #1 song for my birthday - I've never heard of! But I just checked and on 30 Nov 1978 when Clay was born, the #1 song was "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond on 08 Aug 2008 when Parker was born, the #1 song was "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry on 4 Aug 1961 when Barack Obama was born, the #1 song was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis

Looking for a job? Tourism officials in Australia are describing it as "the best job in the world". They want someone to work on a tropical island off the Queensland coast. No formal qualifications are needed but candidates must be willing to swim, snorkel, dive and sail. In return, the successful applicant will receive a salary of A$150,000 ($103,000, £70,000) for six months and get to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool. Anthony Hayes, Chief Executive, Tourism Queensland, said: "It doesn't sound too bad does it? We are looking for someone to tell the stories of the Great Barrier Reef and we have come up with what we think is the dream job." :glasses: The post is being advertised as 'caretaker' on Hamilton Island in Australia's Whitsunday Islands. The new recruit will work for just 12 hours a month. Duties include feeding some of the hundreds of species of fish and collecting the island's mail. Full Story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7823812.stm And you can apply for the job http://www.islandreefjob.com/, but for some reason the site is VERY busy at the moment

Does Clay EVER go out without Jerome breathing down his neck?

ldyjocelyn thanks for bringing that over. I just love that video, he looks and sounds incredible. p.s. Couchie Are your niece and nephew as angelic as they look? (You've mentioned them before and i can see why you are besotted with them, they are just gorgeous!)

I don't think some people fully understand what the term 'liberal' represents. For me, it's about acceptance, it's about inclusion.... that everyone counts, and those who are least able to have a voice (members of 'minority' groups) are the ones who need inclusion in a special way. We will never be equal, but a true liberal seeks to bring about equality in terms of human dignity. Liberals, however, have a reputation for being "do-gooders" without the economic priorities that the conservatives hold dear. Ideally, a conservative head with a liberal heart would be the 'perfect' politician. But can the left and right ever meet in the middle?

I saw Kandre ... and before I could say ohiogoziemousse, she disappeared.

tribeca I remember when I had no idea how to post a pic to a board, and i asked someone and they (another board) told me to upload to Photobucket and I had no idea what they were talking about. I did find out about Photobucket and now use it all the time. It is a great place to backup your pics, and access them easily from any computer. Also, with regards to the 'naughty' pic of Clay and Merle... you know, sometimes pics DO lie. For example, supposing he had stretched his arm to pull her closer and accidentally reached her boobs, and in that split second she reacted devilishly and the camera clicked. I am not saying that is what happened, but such a pic COULD have resulted from that situation. I am just saying that because your niece was upset. Sometimes what looks obvious, just isn't. But since I am older than 12, I hope it was just a close group of friends having some harmless fun. That kind of fun happens all the time, unfortunately, on the internet, it is shared too easily and judged too easily by those who don't know the parties involved.