The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread XLIII

[sophie]

Song lyrics are often just what can make a melody work. Even if they don't make sense when spoken. They have a concept of where they want to go, even if they don't entirely know how to get there. The writer probably just felt a syllable was needed, and nothing else fit.

The question wasn’t “why did Henley et al add that little “uhn”…”

It was “what do YOU THINK it means?”

truly, auteur theory is a pox on mankind.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Yeah. You can see the second variant (that I described in my post) in this short clip:

Spoiler :

There are several people doing alternating arm up and down motions.

Here is another example straight from the English men's national football team players:

Spoiler :

Are these alternating up and down arm movements a reference to something? A remnant from some other type of celebration from day's gone past? Does it have its origins in some other sport maybe? What's the story here? Is there even a story? Or is this just a cultural artefact that's evolved over the years the exact causes of which are unknown? This is just how British people sometimes celebrate and we don't know why? Do British people think we are weird for not celebrating like that and instead having our own hand movements? I'm open to all answers, whatever they might be.

They are all milking invisible cows that are floating in mid-air. The milk and pails are also invisible.

To my British fellow-posters in particular, @EnglishEdward, @Gorbles. (I'm sure I should be able to think of others.)

For the word "enterprise," the Oxford English Dictionary gives the UK pronunciation and the American pronunciation. For the American pronunciation, they put a secondary stress on the last syllable, but for the British pronunciation they do not.

Does that correspond to how you feel yourself to pronounce the word: that there's not even the whiff of a secondary stress on the third syllable? It would be entirely like, say, GLEEfully, in other words.

How do my friends down under pronounce it, by the way? @Comrade Ceasefire, @Zardnaar, @Arwon? (Again, I'm sure I should be better at remembering others).

"Enterprise" is pronounced just like it is in Star Trek. YKMV between TOS and TNG, depending on if you prefer Shatner's accent or Stewart's accent.

 

[warpus]

They are all milking invisible cows that are floating in mid-air. The milk and pails are also invisible.

It's weird, I've asked this question in several places now, and nobody seems to know at all, even if the answer is simply "this is just how they/we celebrate, we don't know why". I mean, for all I know British people wonder why Canadians don't celebrate like that.

This makes me think I've stumbled upon some deep dark British secret they've been hiding from the rest of us all these decades (or centuries?). So if I ever stop posting on this forum, you're all witness to the fact that the shadowy Brits got to me and have silenced me.

 

[Arakhor]

Well, they're football fans. Their choice of hobbies is already suspect.

 

[warpus]

Well, they're football fans. Their choice of hobbies is already suspect.

Are you confirming that this sort of celebration is 100% a football thing and does not happen in other sports? I am genuinely trying to get to the bottom of this.

 

[Bonyduck Campersang]

It reminds me of the cringey Fortnite dances that were so fashionable some years ago, though I can't say for sure they're the same

 

[Samson]

Are you confirming that this sort of celebration is 100% a football thing and does not happen in other sports? I am genuinely trying to get to the bottom of this.

The "crowd of people drunk in the pub celebrating sport" in the UK is pretty close to a 100% football thing.

 

[tjs282]

My wife just found an Instagram video of a German (Leipzig?) fire department dancing in celebration of the Dutch EC team, and doing that move. So it's not exclusive to Brits...

 

[Birdjaguar]

My wife just found an Instagram video of a German (Leipzig?) fire department dancing in celebration of the Dutch EC team, and doing that move. So it's not exclusive to Brits...

With global social media, few things stay local once they get captured on tik tok.

 

[warpus]

The "crowd of people drunk in the pub celebrating sport" in the UK is pretty close to a 100% football thing.

I am more specifically referring to the alternating arms moving up and down part of the celebration. We don't really do that here on this side of the pond (unless I'm completely out of the loop), which has got me wondering if there's anything to the celebration in particular that's rooted in British or perhaps European culture that just doesn't resonate on this side of the Atlantic.. or if there's anything else to it.. or if this is just how the celebration evolved over time in England, the exact roots of this alternating arm movement lost to history.. or something else.

My wife just found an Instagram video of a German (Leipzig?) fire department dancing in celebration of the Dutch EC team, and doing that move. So it's not exclusive to Brits...

Maybe it's a pan-European thing? Or is it possible that it's a British thing that's since spread to some other select places due to globalization and the global nature of social media, etc.?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I'm not really that familiar with how fans react to sports other than hockey and figure skating. And trust me, NOBODY does those weird actions. At least for those sports.

 

[warpus]

I'm not really that familiar with how fans react to sports other than hockey and figure skating. And trust me, NOBODY does those weird actions. At least for those sports.

Yeah, 99% of the time I've only ever see it in relation to British football, and the other 1% it was football fans from other countries emulating that (or so I thought at the time)

Here in North America we tend to pump one fist up in the air or both at the same time, instead.. right? But the British thing seems more like a dance almost, which is why I thought that it might have some origin or reference that's known and not just lost to history

And now for a completely unrelated question:

This is very region and municipality specific.. but maybe somebody will have some tips. Say you're building a gazebo that's a car park and the city has told you that you need a permit.. and a sanctioned engineer to stamp your proposal, before you get the permit.. And the permit application form has a section for the "Designer" to fill out and a lot of language on the form might as well be Greek. Who the hell do we need to contact to help us fill this thing out? And where do we get the engineer? The guy @ city hall I talked to about this sent me a link to step by step gazebo installation instructions found on the manufacturer's website (I sent him a link to the product earlier). He said this could come in handy when we contact the manufacturer. Why the hell would we need to contact the manufacturer? Are they the "designer"? Are we seriously supposed to contact the manufacturer of the gazebo to help us fill out this form? And then an engineer is supposed to drop from the sky and stamp our drawing of what the gazebo will look like and where it will be positioned by the house?

This all seems like craziness. I realize that each municipality will have their own way of doing something like this, but maybe I could find some guidance here regardless, even if it isn't a full answer. The process they are guiding us down would have made sense if we were building a castle with a moat, but all we want to do is put up a gazebo that doesn't even have any friggin walls. So what's up with all this engineer and designer nonsense? We will likely be going down to city hall to get more answers.. but.. I thought I might as well ask the peanut gallery to see if anyone's ever had to go through anything like this before

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Yeah, 99% of the time I've only ever see it in relation to British football, and the other 1% it was football fans from other countries emulating that (or so I thought at the time)

Here in North America we tend to pump one fist up in the air or both at the same time, instead.. right? But the British thing seems more like a dance almost, which is why I thought that it might have some origin or reference that's known and not just lost to history

And now for a completely unrelated question:

This is very region and municipality specific.. but maybe somebody will have some tips. Say you're building a gazebo that's a car park and the city has told you that you need a permit.. and a sanctioned engineer to stamp your proposal, before you get the permit.. And the permit application form has a section for the "Designer" to fill out and a lot of language on the form might as well be Greek. Who the hell do we need to contact to help us fill this thing out? And where do we get the engineer? The guy @ city hall I talked to about this sent me a link to step by step gazebo installation instructions found on the manufacturer's website (I sent him a link to the product earlier). He said this could come in handy when we contact the manufacturer. Why the hell would we need to contact the manufacturer? Are they the "designer"? Are we seriously supposed to contact the manufacturer of the gazebo to help us fill out this form? And then an engineer is supposed to drop from the sky and stamp our drawing of what the gazebo will look like and where it will be positioned by the house?

This all seems like craziness. I realize that each municipality will have their own way of doing something like this, but maybe I could find some guidance here regardless, even if it isn't a full answer. The process they are guiding us down would have made sense if we were building a castle with a moat, but all we want to do is put up a gazebo that doesn't even have any friggin walls. So what's up with all this engineer and designer nonsense? We will likely be going down to city hall to get more answers.. but.. I thought I might as well ask the peanut gallery to see if anyone's ever had to go through anything like this before

Could you post a picture? I'm having trouble reconciling "gazebo" and "car park." Gazebos are either circular or hexagonal detached porch-like things that sit on a lawn, usually painted white with fancy latticework and flower boxes or other flowers planted. There might be a couple of benches in them where people go to either read or get somewhat affectionate with the person with whom they have a committed relationship. Gazebos are also used as an outdoor wedding site.

So I don't understand what this has to do with cars.

 

[tjs282]

I think what Warpus wants is what I'd call a "carport". Basically 4 legs and a (flattish) roof, maybe a back and/or side wall(s), built across the driveway to shelter a car from rain, snow, and birdpoop.

But since it's a permanent structure (and attached to the house?), it would need planning permission, and meet a minimum structural stability certification, to minimise the risk of it collapsing on someone's head, or pulling down the house wall.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I think what Warpus wants is what I'd call a "carport". Basically 4 legs and a (flattish) roof, maybe a back and/or side wall(s), built across the driveway to shelter a car from rain, snow, and birdpoop.
View attachment 696297
But since it's a permanent structure (and attached to the house?), it would need planning permission, and meet a minimum structural stability certification, to minimise the risk of it collapsing on someone's head, or pulling down the house wall.

Ah, okay. Yeah, this is not a gazebo.

There are a couple of different kinds. There's the kind attached to the house and the kind that isn't. Both can get a homeowner into an expensive lot of trouble with the local municipal bylaws and insane catch-22 situations. Some municipalities forbid the detached kind that can be taken down for reasons of "neighborhood aesthetics" or complaining that it would drag down the property values.

I would take all relevant paperwork, pictures, sketches, and notes, march into City Hall, and insist on finding out exactly which departments are going to have a say in if and how this thing could be built, including who is supposed to inspect what, whatever safety regulations may apply, and if the neighbors get to chime in with an opinion (all it takes is one neighbor complaining and they could unleash more hell on a homeowner). Know who you're going to have to talk to, and don't let them be dismissive. Problems with these things can end up costing thousands to tens of thousands and in the end you might not be allowed to have it anyway.

Oh, and be aware that part of this will involve parking and what sort of driveway you have, and if you have a garage at the end of the driveway (apparently not everyone does).

 

[Birdjaguar]

This is very region and municipality specific.. but maybe somebody will have some tips. Say you're building a gazebo that's a car park and the city has told you that you need a permit.. and a sanctioned engineer to stamp your proposal, before you get the permit.. And the permit application form has a section for the "Designer" to fill out and a lot of language on the form might as well be Greek. Who the hell do we need to contact to help us fill this thing out? And where do we get the engineer? The guy @ city hall I talked to about this sent me a link to step by step gazebo installation instructions found on the manufacturer's website (I sent him a link to the product earlier). He said this could come in handy when we contact the manufacturer. Why the hell would we need to contact the manufacturer? Are they the "designer"? Are we seriously supposed to contact the manufacturer of the gazebo to help us fill out this form? And then an engineer is supposed to drop from the sky and stamp our drawing of what the gazebo will look like and where it will be positioned by the house?

This all seems like craziness. I realize that each municipality will have their own way of doing something like this, but maybe I could find some guidance here regardless, even if it isn't a full answer. The process they are guiding us down would have made sense if we were building a castle with a moat, but all we want to do is put up a gazebo that doesn't even have any friggin walls. So what's up with all this engineer and designer nonsense? We will likely be going down to city hall to get more answers.. but.. I thought I might as well ask the peanut gallery to see if anyone's ever had to go through anything like this before

Our neighbors who live across the street from us wanted to add a carport in their driveway but to do so they needed a special code variation permit. To get that permit from the city they needed an approved design by an architect or engineer and a public hearing where neighbors could object (none did). In your case it it appears you are buying commercially designed unit that will just be installed as opposed a custom designed one. The manufacturing company might be required to provide the engineered drawings to show that it meets all building codes.

 

[Gori the Grey]

You can ask the office that insists on the permit for the names of local people who "count" in their eyes as engineers for these purposes, possibly.

I needed a home inspection done by someone qualified in a particular way (I don't recall that the word was engineer, but it might have been "structural engineer"), and they gave me at least the yellow-pages category of people who they thought fit the bill. I think they thought giving me actual names was inappropriate, b/c of cronyism or something. But anyway I found my guy. He himself turned out to be a dud (took forever to supply the needed document), but that's a story for a different time.

Just ask for guidance from the office in question and see what happens.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I'm recalling a news story from awhile back here in Canada - don't remember which city it was in. The person in question wanted one of these so they wouldn't have to deal with so much clearing snow off the car in winter (disabled people do drive sometimes and find snow clearing very difficult).

Turns out the problem areas were: A. Aesthetics and selfish neighbors who didn't give half a damn that a disabled person wanted this to make their life easier in winter (they wouldn't need the thing in summer); and B. Some obscure bylaw that hadn't been enforced in decades about the requirement that a driveway be in front of a garage. The person didn't have a garage. So some people wrote into the comments that the person should get a toy garage, put it at the end of the driveway in question, and therefore technically comply with the law.

I have no idea how it all turned out. It was a great example of how selfish neighbors and a disorganized, incompetent municipal bureaucracy can make people's lives a living hell over something that should be fairly simple.

The magic word is "permits." You need your permits and not one punctuation mark or signature or date can be out of place, and make sure every department involved is on the same page with this.

 

[Gori the Grey]

Why might a homeowner have wanted to put pea-gravel under a shed?

I took down an old shed and want to put grass in the spot, but when I go to dig, under a little bit of dirt, I find pea-gravel about a foot deep.

Drainage? Better support for the shed?

Nothing rides on the answer. I've got to dig it out, go buy dirt and fill the hole with dirt. Slows me down on a bigger project I have underway.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Drainage likely, Maybe to discourage varmints from nesting there? If the shed had a wood "foundation" the gravel would preserve it longer. Or the gravel m9ght help dissipate the outgassing of decomposing bodies buried there!