Currency in use in the greater part of the European Union since January 2nd, 2002. Adopted on that date by a core group of twelve countries: Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Finland, Austria, Italy and Greece. The Euro has been adopted more recently by Slovenia, and subsequently (and jointly) by Malta and Cyprus. It is therefore a single currency for some 317 million Europeans, or more than the total population of the United States. Slovakia is set to adopt the Euro at the start of 2009, followed by Lithuania a year later and Estonia at the start of 2011, with other mainly eastern European states following not too long afterwards.
Coins in the currency are marked on one side with a representation of Europe (or the globe on copper coins) and on the obverse with a national design that varies between countries and often between denominations within a country; all versions are of course legal tender within the Euro zone. 1, 2 and 5 cent coins are of copper plated steel. 10, 20 and 50 cent coins are of an alloy known as Nordic Gold for its colour but in fact are gold free. 1 Euro coins have are two-toned, with a cupronickel centre and a surrounding nickel brass ring, a design reversed on the 2 Euro coin.
Bank notes are standardised across the Euro zone and feature representations of different styles of windows and bridges symbolic of the openness of the unifying European culture, with more modern architectural styles represented on higher denomination notes.
The Euro started off within a cent of parity with the US dollar; the exchange rate at the time of writing is approaching one Euro to one US dollar and fifty cents. Various countries in the Far East have expressed a preference for the Euro over the dollar as a unit of international currency.
Coins in the currency are marked on one side with a representation of Europe (or the globe on copper coins) and on the obverse with a national design that varies between countries and often between denominations within a country; all versions are of course legal tender within the Euro zone. 1, 2 and 5 cent coins are of copper plated steel. 10, 20 and 50 cent coins are of an alloy known as Nordic Gold for its colour but in fact are gold free. 1 Euro coins have are two-toned, with a cupronickel centre and a surrounding nickel brass ring, a design reversed on the 2 Euro coin.
Bank notes are standardised across the Euro zone and feature representations of different styles of windows and bridges symbolic of the openness of the unifying European culture, with more modern architectural styles represented on higher denomination notes.
The Euro started off within a cent of parity with the US dollar; the exchange rate at the time of writing is approaching one Euro to one US dollar and fifty cents. Various countries in the Far East have expressed a preference for the Euro over the dollar as a unit of international currency.
by Fearman March 03, 2008
Pronounced "chum-ling". Inventing detailed rules of etiquette out of whole cloth in an attempt to help people put on airs, or to put them on oneself. From a 1980s magazine advert purporting to show how best to consume certain fashionable wafery mints. A sad waste of what often could have been a brilliant imagination. May be intended satirically, although never of course taken that way by devoted etiquette freaks.
by Fearman March 04, 2008
Expression used ironically in a mocking tone to suggest that something idiotic someone has done is exactly what any ordinary intelligent person would have done in that situation ... NOT.
After one pedal flew off his pushbike and into the drains near Marie's, he tied one foot to the remaining pedal with twine for the return journey and pedalled extra hard, as you do.
Dizzy Dolly tried to cover up the catshit on the toilet floor by laying down the handle of the toilet brush across it, as you do.
Dizzy Dolly tried to cover up the catshit on the toilet floor by laying down the handle of the toilet brush across it, as you do.
by Fearman September 25, 2007
A misheard song lyric or occasionally other utterance. The funnier the better. Originated when the seventeenth century ballad "The Bonnie Earl of Moray" was misheard; "they have slain the Earl of Moray/ and laid him on the green", became "They have slain the Earl of Moray/ And Lady Mondegreen".
Examples of mondegreens:
The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind. (After Bob Dylan).
They've all come to look for a miracle. (from "America", by Paul Simon.)
Jumbled shack flash is a gas, gas, gas. (Rolling Stones.)
Lock the cash box, lock the cash box. (The Clash, "Rock the Casbah".)
Olive, the other reindeer. ("Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer".)
There's a bathroom on the right. (Originally "there's a bad moon on the rise", from "Bad Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival.)
The girl with colitis goes by. (The Beatles.)
Jose, can you see? ("The Star-Spangled Banner".)
Blessed art thou, a monk swimming. (Catholic prayer "Hail Mary".)
The ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind. (After Bob Dylan).
They've all come to look for a miracle. (from "America", by Paul Simon.)
Jumbled shack flash is a gas, gas, gas. (Rolling Stones.)
Lock the cash box, lock the cash box. (The Clash, "Rock the Casbah".)
Olive, the other reindeer. ("Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer".)
There's a bathroom on the right. (Originally "there's a bad moon on the rise", from "Bad Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival.)
The girl with colitis goes by. (The Beatles.)
Jose, can you see? ("The Star-Spangled Banner".)
Blessed art thou, a monk swimming. (Catholic prayer "Hail Mary".)
by Fearman October 31, 2007
A significant proportion of the population (not many, but enough people) spend their school days whipping other kids, sneering in their faces, tearing up their copybooks, beating up anyone they can while still looking righteous and popular and generally doing everything they can to crush the spirit out of anyone they can get away with so treating. Fortunately, most of them have the grace to leave this childhood unpleasantness behind in due course, and become people of fairness, maturity and integrity who are man or woman enough to, at the very least, apologise to their former victims. And mean it.
And then, alas, there are a pathetic few like the Phelps clan.
And then, alas, there are a pathetic few like the Phelps clan.
Various forms of behaviour unworthy of the most intelligent species on the planet are exemplified, to take two examples, by schoolyard bullies, and by the Westboro Baptist Church.
by Fearman August 05, 2007
Pseudoscientific diagnosis most often made of people by their narcissistic parents, in conjunction with airheaded social workers, so that the parents don't have to accept personal responsibility for ten to twenty years of filling the kid's head full of dysfunctional bullshit. Also useful, in our age of postmodernist relativism where science is seen as at once useful and deeply suspect, for purposes of claiming financial aid. The kids could probably do with the aid, but society doesn't need the quackery. Those who make a mint out of selling the notion of this condition often rope in a few undeniable autistic savants to their argument so as to confer a thin veneer of respectability on the whole enterprise.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Incidentally, the very use of the word syndrome is pseudoscientific when used in the field of psychiatry. In medicine or any real science, a syndrome is defined as a wide range of symptoms, not all of which may be present in any one patient, which can be proven to link back to a common cause. To take two examples: Down's Syndrome results from a doubling of the sex-linked X chromosome in a person's genotype. It manifests in a range of symptoms including a flattened facial structure, a slant to the eyes, above average muscular development and below average intelligence, not all of which will necessarily manifest in any one person with the syndrome. Likewise, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, manifests in any of a large number of otherwise usually rare opportunistic infections once the body's immune system has been disabled by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Again, not all of these show up in any one case; again, there is a common underlying cause.
After decades of research, psychiatrists remain divided on how the human mind works. There are various conflicting schools of thought (Freudians, Jungians, Adlerians, gestalt therapists, a plethora of others); beyond some empirical research on brain chemistry, neural functioning and other areas related to hard science, the teaching on the workings of the mind get rather hazy rather fast. In other words, we don't really know for certain how the mind works in the sort of detail that would enable us to talk about "common origins" for the extremely wide range of symptoms allegedly linked to this so-called syndrome. The word "syndrome" is simply used in this case because the naive and misguided think it sounds impressively scientific. The very fact that the parameters of Asperger's are so broad and vague pretty much tells you what this whole racket is really about; selling people a bill of goods. However, in the majority of cases, given the plasticity of the human mind in early development and the lack of any explanation of how this "syndrome" is supposed to arise, the above definition is, I would offer, likely to be at least as good as any.
Johnny and Mary Stewart could never get their asses out of bed in the morning and Mary filled little Billy's head with nonsense about how the world is full of people out to get him. When he was bullied in school she told him to ignore it. Now she's gadding about telling everyone he has Asperger's Syndrome. Surprise surprise.
by Fearman June 27, 2007
Look at those nouveaux-riches types at the boarding school on sports day. They want everyone to know they have diamonds on the soles of their shoes.
by Fearman August 06, 2007