Not In My Backyard

It has been years when we first heard said that 'Latinamerica is 'the backyard of America'. It's an expression that the media of communication popularised. Popularise? In the streets, people go around saying the backyard of this, that or the other, of So & So and of such & such? Probably better not so. Just as well the invention of this expression is mainly used within the media; the metaphor creaks.

In the Spanish dictionary of documented modern day phraseology - a delicious read of references - the authors show 2 locutions for the word 'patio' (yard): 'patio de Monipodio' (den of thieves) or simply a yard. The term 'backyard' does not exist. In Spanish there's no other variation in meaning for such term. It's a yard, usually within a house or building, part of a garden or ground close to the living or utility quarter. So the English term backyard translated into Spanish would most likely be the lumber-(room), a place for disused or castoff articles. How would that fit 'Latinamerica? Insulting!

It's the literal meaning in English too, in the Webster's dictionary, but in the Oxford Dictionary it lists another definition: 'the area near where one lives, or the territory or ground adjacent to a particular country, which it considers it's property'. That's what the media has adopted to refer to the connection between America and it's close neighbours. It should really have been much clearer to say that America considers those parts their property, extensions of their land, etc. The rich essence of metaphor, basically, should be understood instantly, not given to ambiguous conjectures.

From such concept, the Americans have coined the initials NIMBY (not in my backyard), whose Spanish version is SPAN (Is, pero aquí no - Yes, but not here), known more critically as the culture of saying No. It serves as much for a junk yard, or a prison. That seems to be more apt. How can people round here go about saying "Not in my backyard" when the majority of them live in apartments without as much as a corridor?

Tags:backyard,junkyard

Current Mood: Blah

A Story Of Four Cats

Four men were bragging about how smart their cats were. The first man was an Engineer, The second man was an Accountant, The third man was a Chemist, and The fourth man was a Government Employee. To show off, the Engineer called his cat, 'T-square, do your stuff.' T-square pranced over to the desk, took out some paper and pen and promptly drew a circle, a square, and a triangle. Everyone agreed that was pretty smart. The Accountant said his cat could do better. He called his cat and said, 'Spreadsheet, do your stuff.' Spreadsheet went out to the kitchen and returned with a dozen cookies. He divided them into 4 equal piles of 3 cookies. Everyone agreed that was good. But the Chemist said his cat could do better. He called his cat and said, 'Measure, do your stuff.' Measure got up, walked to the fridge, took out a quart of milk, got a 10 ounce glass from the cupboard and poured exactly 8 ounces into the glass without spilling a drop. Everyone agreed that was pretty good. Then the three men turned to the Government Employee and said, 'What can your cat do?' The Government Employee called his cat and said, ' CoffeeBreak, do your stuff.' CoffeeBreak jumped to his feet ... Ate the cookies ... Drank the milk ... S**t on the paper ... Screwed the other three cats ... Claimed he injured his back while doing so ... Filed a grievance report for unsafe working conditions ... Put in for Workers Compensation ... and Went home for the rest of the day on sick leave ... AND THAT, MY FRIEND, IS WHY EVERYONE WANTS TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT!! Tags:Cats

Current Mood: Amused

Random Thoughts About Dogs

** The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue

** Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful ** If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went

** There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face ** A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself ** The average dog is a nicer person than the average person

** I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult

** Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog

** If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise

**A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down

** If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons

** We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made

** Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate

Tag:Dogs

Current Mood: Cheerful