“On the one-year anniversary of the arrival of my Ukrainian orphans in Poland (C8), we drove yesterday,” writes Chris Keane, who is now back in Seattle, USA. “The kids, who have learned English with Duolingo, have filled their heads with an eclectic array of English names and expressions. When Hit the alarm by Nicki Minaj got on the car playlist, I nearly crashed into a pole (wood, not human) as the kids gleefully belted out the chorus. Instead of “pound the alarm!” to sing, they sang “Bob Dylan!” That’s the new text now, I think. Excuse me, Nicki.
“I’ve just encountered the ultimate ‘phone on loudspeaker’ (C8) madness,” declares Merona Martin of Meroo Meadow. “The couple next to me at a local cafe put their phone on speaker and held it almost in front of my face so their two boisterous, bouncing dogs could say hello to a friend who happened to be calling.”
Graham Bird from St Ives confesses: “(I) resisted owning a mobile phone for as long as I could, telling people in the 1990s that I wasn’t important enough to have one. From the beginning of the new century I changed my tune and told people I was too important to have one.
“Contrary to Eric Scott’s (C8) comment, Bell didn’t invent the telephone, he stole it from Italian immigrant inventor Antonio Meucci, who had asked Bell for advice on its usefulness,” claims Finley’s Shane Nunan . Bell told him it was of no use, but immediately registered the patents behind Meucci’s back and took credit for his invention. However, the US House of Reps belatedly awarded the credit to Meucci in 2002. Others have also taken credit for this invention.
Stewart Copper’s (C8) shark story had a bit of a directional error when he expressed concern about them swimming “west across the Pacific”. The resulting food frenzy was just getting started with the likes of Julie Campbell of Redfern noting that “they would have to circumnavigate South America via the Strait of Magellan or sneak through the Panama Canal” when Stewart decided to drop on his harpoon and issue a correction.
“Maybe your granddaughter’s class could switch to Monet, de Gas, and Van Gogh, instead of da Vinci, Toni Mulholland (C8). Then you could tell her that after meeting Costa Living you hope you have some Monet to pay for De Gas to make the Van Gogh,” says Judy Archer of Hornsby.
Column8@smh.com.au
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