2. Guided tour of SF Botanical Garden's native garden May 3
3. 13th annual Open Space Conference in Presidio May 10
4. Native gardening talk in Saratoga May 1/another in San Jose May 9
5. U.S. government kills >50,000 non-target species
6. Do you have Save The Frogs Day photos?
7. Kid-friendly birding trip to Muir Beach May 5
8. Feedback: Lands End Visitor Center/tough driver's license exam in old days
9. Save GGP - volunteer at Sunday Streets May 6
10. Albany farm tract vs UC
11. Habitat and Trails stewardship with Sutro Stewards May 5
12. Shark Soiree at Crissy Field May 3
13. Oaktown Native Plant Nursery Spring Open House May 5/see gardens May 6
14. Book developing on Bay Area coastal wetlands
15. What to Remember When Waking - David Whyte
16. Volunteer opportunity at Kent Lake, Tamalpais May 5
17. Save the date: Cal-IPC Symposium Oct 11-13, Rohnert Park
18. Restore Hetch Hetchy - collect signatures, send money - or BOTH
19. Flying fish aced Isaac Newton and his Principia Mathematica
20. God Pours Light - Hafiz
21. Phenotyping Health: Tools and Targets conference June 8 & 9
22. Shakespeare on bow-legged cowboys
23. LTE: Death of proper English
24. Notes & Queries
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Society is like a lawn, where every roughness is smoothed, every bramble eradicated, and where the eye is delighted by the smiling verdure of a velvet surface; he, however, who would study nature in its wildness and variety, must plunge into the forest, must explore the glen, must stem the torrent, and dare the precipice. -Washington Irving (1783-1859)
1. SAVE MUNI PRESS CONFERENCE
Time: Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 1:30 PM
Place: Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center
550 Chestnut Street (between Powell & Mason)
HUGE SETBACKS FOR THE CENTRAL SUBWAY.
PROJECT NOW FACES MAJOR NEW HURDLES.
The Central Subway is far from the “done deal” that proponents like Mayor Ed Lee like to claim. At the Press Conference, former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Aaron Peskin will blast the Subway as a betrayal of the original plans which the voters approved. Peskin will be joined in opposition to the Central Subway by former State Senator Quentin Kopp, transportation consultant Bob Feinbaum, well known architect Howard Wong and the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods.
The Central Subway is awaiting a crucial vote in Congress to commit $ 983 million of federal funds. Save Muni will detail new information about Muni’s finances that makes the commitment of federal dollars increasingly unlikely. The press conference will show:
- How the Central Subway hurts low income residents while enriching wealthy developers and property owners.
- Why recent decisions by Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s High Speed Rail Authority make the subway increasingly unlikely
- How SFMTA Director Reiskin’s recent revelations about Muni’s weak operating and financial condition contradict rosy predictions the SFMTA has sent to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
- What FTA Administrator Rogoff’s astonishing comments, recorded during a recent interview on KQED, reveal about FTA’s misconceptions about the Central Subway.
Contact:
Jerry Cauthen 510 208-5441 cautn1@aol.com
Howard Wong 415 982-5055 wongAIA@aol.com
__________________
EXCERPTS
MTA’s Stealth Maneuver to Commit Additional City Funds
to the Central Subway
On May 1, 2012, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) Board will be asked to approve Central Subway revenue bonds, of undetermined amount, to plug a large hole that has developed in the Central Subway budget. This is a very risky course of action.
A shortfall of between $61.3 million and $140 million has now appeared in the project budget. In order to make up for this substantial loss of previously anticipated State of California funding, the MTA staff is asking its Board and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to approve a revenue bond sale of undetermined amount. On the agenda of the May 1, 2012 MTA Board meeting, the bond authorization is scheduled as Item 10.4 which is unaccountably included under the Board’s consent calendar rather than its regular calendar. In the Agenda packet, the staff attributes the need for the revenue bond sale to "uncertainty regarding HSR in California". This statement is false and misleading, for the reasons set forth below.
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2. A Guided Tour of the Arthur Menzies Garden of California Native Plants in the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum
Leaders: Ted Kipping & Jake Sigg
Location: San Francisco Botanical Garden
Every year we arrange an after-hours stroll and picnic in San Francisco Botanical Garden’s award-winning Arthur Menzies Garden of California Native Plants. This year’s visit will be led by two of the Garden’s expert luminaries. Our chapter conservation chair Jake Sigg spent 16 years as caretaker and supervisor of the Menzies Garden. Jake will share with us the history of many of the well-established plants, as well as some wonderful stories from the past. Ted Kipping has been involved with SFBG most of his life, as gardener, treeworker, and always generous volunteer of time and expertise. A trained geologist, skilled in botany and horticulture, Ted’s breadth of natural history knowledge is extraordinary, and his ability to see, interpret, and explain his observations is unsurpassed. He will concentrate on the wealth of trees and shrubs in the garden. Bring your bag supper and enjoy a communal dinner in the garden. Enjoy guided walks from our experts, and take advantage of the opportunity to ask them questions. Garden admission is free for all attendees.
Directions:
• Meet in the parking lot behind the County Fair Building before 5:30 pm.
• Please be on time, as we may have to lock the gate behind us.
• Be sure to bring your own supper.
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3.
In 10 short days over 300 people will gather at the 13th annual Open Space conference. The conference will be held on Thursday, May 10 at the Golden Gate Club in the Presidio from 8:00am till 4:40pm. The agenda, the speakers, and the sponsors can all be found on our website.
If you’re on the fence, here are 10 reasons why you should join us:
1. You care about State Parks. Assemblymember Jared Huffman will speak about his work to address the State Parks crisis. And a newly released documentary called The First 70 will be showing in the Exhibitor Hall.
2. You care about locally grown food. Jered Lawson from Pie Ranch will share his story about this innovative farm on the San Mateo coast. Ari Derfel of Gather Restaurant will talk about their work to build the bridge between farm and fork.
3. You want to get away from your computer. The Exhibitor halls will be full of familiar and new faces. Lunch will be had al fresco and a great time to catch up. The views are stunning and the vibe is happy.
4. You’re curious about history. Dr. Gray Brechin of The New Deal Project and Dr. Anthea Hartig of the California Historical Society will talk about the past and what we can learn from it. And how much hope they have for the future.
5. You like to read, plant seeds, use maps, and go birding. In our Exhibitor Halls there will be people with loads of resources, ideas, and ways of working together. And you might just find something you're looking for.
6. You are watching elections, ballot measures, and other public policy. Ben Tulchin of Tulchin Research will talk about polls and what’s behind and between the numbers.
7. You love saying goodbye. Several members of the land conservation community are starting new chapters in their lives. We will have time to honor and to celebrate (and to coax back!).
8. You have benefited from the 15 years of the Coastal Conservancy Bay Area Program. We’ll hear from Amy Hutzel about the 15 years, hundreds of projects and millions of dollars for conservation and restoration.
9. You think people should go outside more. Jen Isacoff from the Trust for Public Land will share with us the work of their Parks for People program and how it’s bringing nature within reach of more Bay Area residents.
10. You like to play. The photo booth will be back! The questions will be about your dreams, the possibilities and what you want to create. Will you play with us?
Now’s the time! Only 30 more seats are available.
For those that have registered to attend, please check out our website for more information about directions, tickets, bikes and more.
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4. Practice environmentally friendly gardening and save money: use less water, provide more habitat, pollute less -- do all this by using more native plants in your garden. Learn more by attending the following free talks on native plant gardening, one at Saratoga Library on May 1 and another at the Almaden Library on May 9. These talks are presented by the California Native Plant Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter) in partnership with the county and city library system.
Good Bones for Your Garden – Choosing Native Trees and Shrubs, a talk by Chris Todd
Tuesday, May 1, 7:00 PM,
Saratoga Library, 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga, (408) 867-6126.
This lecture is the fifth in our 12-part Designing Your Native Plant Garden series. You’ve already created a conceptual plan and have learned about adding food, shelter and water for wild garden visitors. Now you’ll start adding some structure to your design.
Native perennials and annuals add color to the garden, but often need a green backdrop to look their best. Learn how larger shrubs & trees provide all-year interest, nesting sites, and protection from the hot summer sun. Their form and foliage, berries and colorful stems outlast the blossoms of smaller plants, providing multi-seasonal beauty. See how some basic design concepts can help you choose the right plants for the right purpose to make attractive and functional outdoor “garden rooms.”
Chris Todd of Garden Escapes by Chris Todd has been designing sustainable, drought-tolerant, and native gardens since 2000, and has a degree in horticulture and landscape design. Using native plants and educating clients on managing their environments in a healthier way are a major focus of her water-efficient landscapes.
----------------
Year-Round Interest with California Native Plants, a talk by Cayce Hill
Wed., May 9, 6:30 PM (Note early start time)
Almaden Branch Library, 6445 Camden Avenue, San Jose, (408) 808-3040.
California's breathtaking native plant diversity means that with careful planning, a garden can have something in flower or fruit every month of every year. Come to this talk to learn about which plants perform well in which season, and how to create and maintain a garden that is attractive all year long.
Cayce Hill has been growing California natives since she and her husband moved to San Jose in March 2008. She is the head gardener for Sons & Daughters restaurant of San Francisco, garden and programs manager for the Delphi Foundation, and the Treasurer for the Friends of Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County.
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5. Mark Palmer:
The Sunday Sacramento Bee has a big front-page story on the killing of 50,000 nontarget species (including endangered species and family dogs) by the Dept. of Agriculture, written by Tom Knudson, the first of three parts.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/28/4450678/the-killing-agency-wildlife-services.html
P.S. Nothing new to insiders, but about time the media picked it up!!!
Marilyn Jasper:
Be sure to look at the slide show and the graphics—very compelling.
One photo omits telling the whole story of what is happening to the one (of three) coyotes caught in the leg trap—not exactly related to SB 1221, but the ramifications are there.
Eric Mills:
See enclosed cover story from today's SACRAMENTO BEE, a three-part series, continuing tomorrow (Monday) and next Sunday, May 6. Be sure to click on the numerous links for more info. Anything we can do to stop the carnage at the state level? This is decidedly NOT a new issue; only the numbers have changed. (See, e.g., Cleveland Amory's 1974 "Man Kind? Our Incredible War on Wildlife")
Ironic, is it not, that "Wildlife Services" used to be more honestly called "Animal Damage Control."
And here we are, in the process of changing the name "Dept. of Fish & Game" to "Dept. of Fish & Wildlife." (Me, I'd prefer "Dept. of Wildlife" -- fish are wildlife, too, though most of us tend to see them merely as "seafood.")
One step forward, one step back.
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6. Dear Jake,
I just wanted to wish you a very happy Save The Frogs Day and thank you for making the 4th Annual Save The Frogs Day the largest day of amphibian education in the planet's history, with at least 193 educational events in 27 US states and 38 countries! Your support makes all our successes possible -- Thanks from myself and everybody at SAVE THE FROGS!
If you have Save The Frogs Day photos, please send your best to photos@savethefrogs.com (put Country, State and City in subject line). Thanks again and I can't wait to post all your event photos online! Here are some photos from today:
Runners at the Seattle Save the Frogs Day 5K starting line
Nurul Islam and frog savers in Chittagong, Bangladesh
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7. We all know kids love dinosaurs. So they must all be out birding, right? No, but they should be. A set of binoculars and a field guide are all you need to get started. Join Scott Sampson and Bay Nature for a kid-friendly birding trip to Muir Beach on May 5, 2012 (details at http://baynature.org/about/inthefield). Kids and grown-ups can "hunt" for modern dinosaur descendants!
Before you go, read trip co-leader Scott Sampson's article here: http://baynature.org/articles/apr-jun-2012/birding-with-kids
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8. Feedback
Jan Blum:
Hi Jake:
I was sorry to see that regarding item number 9, "one reader's comment" was that the-just-opened-today, Lands End Vistor Center is a "glorified book store/café".
I believe that those who look around will have a lot of questions about the physical place, its materials and the stories about some very intriguing cultural objects. It is located on a breathtaking site and offers 180 degree views of the Pacific, Lands End, and Ocean Beach. The site alone will help promote the thought that these stunning vistas are well worth preserving just for the visual relief they provide from our built environments. Visitors will remember this feeling and who knows what could come out of that positive experience when they return to their own homeland. There are educational materials in and all around the Visitor Center and more educational programmin will be added as time passes. I believe the visitor center will also help reconnect the public not only to the Sutro Gardens, one of the quiet and frequently missed San Francisco beauties, but will also help the public comprehend and value the history of Sutro Baths in time (programmming is in the works for the long gone Baths). So I say to locals on day one of its opening, give the Center a little time and if you see something that is seriously lacking in the future, report it to the Conservancy. I am sure they would highly value constructive feedback as their aim is to support education in the Parks, of the Parks and the surrounding environment.
Jim Ansbro:
Hi Jake,
Your Olmsted quote reminded me of a book review by my tour guide pal Paul : http://www.suedeshirttravel.com/
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 1901 - license required to drive car in SF's GG Park
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:11:09 -0800
From: Paul Sholar
To: Jim Ansbro
I was skimming through a book I just received about history of G.G. Park. In 1901 the park required owners of cars to get a license to drive in the park. (This was before the state of California was issuing drivers' licenses.) As part of the test for the license, the applicant drove down a park road where in the bushes alongside was hidden a park worker holding a dummy. As the car approached, the worker threw the dummy into the road. If the car struck the dummy, the driver wasn't issued the license!
It's kind of interesting that in this book, the author uses the word 'invaders' to refer to the private interests who compromised the "preserve" identity of the park. I've been planning to research and offer a walking tour premised on the same kind of idea, that today the park looks like a jumble of sites for use by special interests.
The book is 'The Making of Golden Gate Park, The Early Years: 1865-1906' by Raymond H. Clary.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Born 26 April 1822 Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted in an 1886 letter to the Park Commissioners regarding Golden Gate Park:
Let me counsel you, in general terms, to remember that your park is not for today, but for all time - so long as you have a city. You have your present population to satisfy and please. It is an intelligent population, beyond a doubt, and possessed of a high appreciation of good results. But it is to be expected that future generations will be more intelligent and more appreciative.
"The sojourning habit of the people is shown in their want of interest in the fixed qualities of the place."
Frederick Law Olmsted
Ray Clary gave me a copy of that book, but I have no recollection of that story. I'd better read it again. Thanks
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9.
HELP & HAVE FUN!
SAVE GOLDEN GATE PARK
VOLUNTEER
at our table at
SUNDAY STREETS
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
11:00am to 3:00pm
We will meet at 24th St & Valencia
RSVP to Sunsetfog@aol.com
TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO PROTECT THE BEACH CHALET FIELDS
FROM ARTIFICIAL TURF AND 60 FOOT NIGHT LIGHTS!
The hearing for the Final Environmental Report will be out in May -
see our website for updates.
www.sfoceanedge.org
VOLUNTEER NOW!
Sunsetfog@aol.com
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10. Ian Wilson on Albany farm:
http://www.takebackthetract.com/
Was out there yesterday. Amazing what they've accomplished so far, although UC Regents immediately cut off the water supply, so they have a major problem -- they appear to be trucking in water right now. Not very environmentally friendly, but what can you do? (Miguel Altieri's agroecology area has been roped off by the occupiers, so his experiments are safe.)
I suppose that the more people who know about it, the less likely that the police will use extreme force when the inevitable eviction happens. On the other hand UC Berkeley and the local police got some pretty bad press coverage recently when those student protestors were beaten, so maybe they'll lay off for the time being.
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11.
Sutro Stewards
May 5, 2012 from 9am to 12:30pm
UCSF Mount Sutro Open Space Reserve
We'll be back in the field (so to speak) on May 5th for a morning of Habitat and Trail stewardship. We will be revisiting some of our trailside habitat restoration projects where we'll give them a quick grooming while the trail crews tackle a technical armoring project and restore some top coating along a sticky stretch. RIDERS, HIKERS, RUNNERS and NATURE LOVERS we've got a project for you! Be sure to save time for our little social at 12:30 complete with food and beverages :-)
PLEASE RSVP AND MAKE OUR WEBMASTER HAPPY !
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12. Shark Soirée
DATE: Thursday, May 3
TIMES: Reception: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Farallones Sanctuary, Crissy Field Beach, SF Presidio
Lecture: 7:45 to 9:30* p.m. across Crissy Field at USF Hall
COST: Reception and lecture: $15 per person; pre-registration required
Lecture only: Free, pre-registration still required
INCLUDED: Admission to reception and talks
Spend a fascinating evening with two shark researchers, Dr. Sal Jorgensen of the Tagging of Pacific Predators/TOPP program, and Dr. Brandon Brown of the University of San Francisco, and learn about their studies of sharks: formerly, the “fish you loved to hate” but now viewed as important components of our marine ecosystems – and in great need of our help.
Sal Jorgensen, a research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has a Ph.D. in marine ecology. He did post-doctoral work at Stanford University. Through electronic tagging, Sal and other shark scientists have discovered that great white sharks along the California coastline belong to a small and isolated population. They move back and forth between international waters and American and Mexican territorial waters. Because of scientists like Sal, there is information lawmakers can use to safeguard sharks through creating marine protected areas.
Brandon Brown, Professor of Physics at University of San Francisco, has studied the ability of sharks, skates and rays to detect electrical signals in the surrounding water. Sharks and their relatives use an electric sense to zero in on prey, aid their navigation, and even find potential mates. Brown has investigated the hydrogel ensconced in the electrosensor organs of sharks and used computer modeling to explore their "electric sight." He is the winner of USF’s 2010 Distinguished Research Award.
The reception is hosted by Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; the lectures are in conjunction with the University of San Francisco.
Space is limited; pre-registration is required. Contact Justin Holl at justin.holl@noaa.gov<mailto:justin.holl@noaa.gov>, 415/ 561-6622 x308. Further details will be sent with confirmation.
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13. Oaktown Native Plant Nursery Spring Open House
In conjunction with the Bringing Back the Natives Tour Nursery Extravaganza
Saturday May 5 we will be open at our 702 Channing Way, Berkeley location from 10 till 5 with special deals on wild flower seedlings.
Come see the Oaktown flower beds and pick up some local color.
On Sunday May 6
Oaktown will be selling plants and enjoying the comings and goings at
Joe and Holly Maffei's garden at 148 Hermosa Ave. Oakland
also from 10 till 5 with a cool selection of local natives as well as deals on wildflower seedlings.
If you're not familiar with the tour visit http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/
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14. Algis Ratnikas:
Hi Jake - FYI
A PhD student (from Lithuania) at Berkeley is working to complete a book on the SF Bay Area coastal wetlands.
Here are some details:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2062842002/wetlands-of-the-san-francisco-bay-science-and-cons
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15.
WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN WAKING
In that first
hardly noticed
moment
to which you wake,
coming back
to this life
from the other
more secret,
moveable
and frighteningly
honest
world
where everything
began,
there is a small
opening
into the new day
which closes
the moment
you begin
your plans.
What you can plan
is too small
for you to live.
What you can live
wholeheartedly
will make plans
enough
for the vitality
hidden in your sleep.
To be human
is to become visible
while carrying
what is hidden
as a gift to others.
To remember
the other world
in this world
is to live in your
true inheritance.
You are not
a troubled guest
on this earth,
you are not
an accident
amidst other accidents
you were invited
from another and greater
night
than the one
from which
you have just emerged.
Now, looking through
the slanting light
of the morning
window toward
the mountain
presence
of everything
that can be,
what urgency
calls you to your
one love? What shape
waits in the seed
of you to grow
and spread
its branches
against a future sky?
Is it waiting
in the fertile sea?
In the trees
beyond the house?
In the life
you can imagine
for yourself?
In the open
and lovely
white page
on the waiting desk?
~ David Whyte ~
(The House of Belonging)
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16. Volunteer Opportunities
Trail Crew
Kent Trail on Alpine's Lakeshore
Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Join us to improve tread and drainage plus trim vegetation along lower Kent Trail. Spy serpentine wildflowers along the way! Meet at 9 a.m. at the parking lot below Bon Tempe Dam (first right off Sky Oaks Rd. after the ranger station).
Centennial Event
Sudden Oak Death Blitz
Saturday, May 12, 10 AM to Noon
MMWD has extensive maps of SOD infestations on watershed lands but not of surrounding areas. After a two-hour training in the district's Board Room at 220 Nellen Ave. in Corte Madera, volunteers will collect samples on May 12-13 at home or designated sites on the watershed and return them to a central drop-off location by May 15. Reservations required. Contact awilliams@marinwater.org by May 7.
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17.
Save the Date!
Cal-IPC Symposium
October 11-13, 2012
Wine Country Double Tree, Rohnert Park
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18. It's crunch time for Hetch Hetchy!
We now need 14,999 more signatures by July 9th to insure our initiative appears on the November 6th ballot in San Francisco.
We need your immediate help. Because of the short time frame, we are using both paid and volunteer signature gatherers. That means we need to immediately raise $25,000 to make sure this historic initiative qualifies for the ballot. There are two ways you can help:
1) Make a non-tax deductible contribution today:
◦ A contribution of $500 will pay for 200 signatures
◦ A contribution of $250 will pay for 100 signatures
◦ A contribution of $100 will pay for 50 signatures
◦ A contribution of $50 will pay for 25 signatures
Click Here to Donate
2) Collect signatures from your colleagues and family members who live in San Francisco.
Email me at mike@yosemiterestorationcampaign.org and we will immediately send you a petition with instructions. Every signature we collect from a volunteer means one less signature we have to pay for.
It's time for voters, not politicians and bureaucrats, to decide whether Hetch Hetchy Valley should be restored.
Please help us make sure our ballot initiative qualifies and help us restore Hetch Hetchy!
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19. The history of science
A fishy tale
Apr 21st 2012 | from The Economist
This engraving, of a flying fish, almost changed the course of history. It is one of a set from John Ray’s and Francis Willughby’s book “Historia Piscium”, published in 1686 by the Royal Society and recently put online by them for the edification of scholars everywhere. The Society, which today proudly describes itself as the world’s oldest scientific academy (it was founded in 1660), was almost bankrupted by the expense of the high-quality illustrations in what was regarded at the time as a leading natural-history text, but which unfortunately failed to sell as well as its publishers had hoped. As a result, no money was left over for another publication, “Principia Mathematica”, by Isaac Newton. That the most important volume in the history of physics, which described the laws of motion and of gravity, saw the light of day the next year was, in the end, due to the deep pockets of Edmund Halley, of comet fame. Halley was the son of a wealthy soapmaker and he stumped up much of the cost himself.
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20.
GOD POURS LIGHT
God
pours light
into every cup,
quenching darkness.
The proudly pious
stuff their cups with parchment
and critique the taste of ink
while God pours light
and the trees lift their limbs
without worry of redemption,
every blossom a chalice.
Hafiz, seduce those withered souls
with words that wet their parched lips
as light
pours like rain
into every empty cup
set adrift on the Infinite Ocean.
~ Hafiz ~
(Interpretive version of Ghazal 11 by Jose Orez)
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21. The Foods for Health Institute and USDA, ARS, WHNRC presents the June 8 & 9 conference--
Phenotyping Health: Tools and Targets hosted at UC Davis. A phenotype is the composite of an individual's measurable characteristics. Phenotypes results from the expression of genes as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two.
Direct access to the conference's website: http://www.cevs.ucdavis.edu/confreg/?confid=585
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22.
Speaking of bow/bow, bow/bough, and Shakespeare (see Notes & Queries, below)--was it Shakespeare who said:
What manner of men are these who walk around with their balls in parentheses?
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23. LTE, The Economist
Death of proper English
Regarding your piece Darwinian competition kills off words: If you've heard a BBC commentator say "the amount of cars on the road this weekend …", you already know that spoken English, at least, is ridding itself of "unnecessary" duplications.
Amount replaces number, much is as good as many, and not/or is as accurate as neither/nor. The misplaced apostrophe is the first sign that it's a punctuation mark we don't need and may lose entirely (and wouldn't Shaw be pleased): it's is a possessive, coat's is a plural and does'nt, well, you know what I mean. Intelligent, thoughtful but error-ridden comments on websites, and copywriters who think the adverbial –ly is a frill (Apple tells us to "Think different"), imply that our schools have given up teaching the why of grammar though, as an English teacher in Holland, I know how few and how simple the rules are.
Bryna Hellmann-Gillson
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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24. Notes & Queries, Guardian Weekly
Any serious contenders for English? The language of Shakespeare rules
English has become the world's pre-eminent language. Would another have been more suitable?
English is pre-eminent largely because of British colonial expansion and the rise of the US as an economic power, though there are other contributing factors such as the high percentage of English used in electronic retrieval systems.
The UN was established with five official languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. French, Russian and Spanish do not have the global coverage that English enjoys.
If Bill Gates had grown up speaking Mandarin Chinese, it might be a rather different story. I suspect not, however, because of the complexity of that language both in speech and writing.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• The several billions for whom English is not their mother tongue would probably answer, "Yes – ours!"
Dick Hedges, Nairobi, Kenya
• Non; nein; nyet ...
Chris Piper, Torquay, Victoria, Australia
• Esperanto would have allowed the world to avoid the problems generated by bow/bow, bow/bough, led/lead, red/read, and rite/right among others, but English is where it is and will remain there because the English have looted from, among other things, other peoples languages, and will doubtless continue to do so.
Philip Stigger, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
• Chinese – but we got in first.
Adrian Cooper, Queens Park, NSW, Australia
• No, all other languages are foreign.
Ray Smith, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
• Oui.
Brian Cloughley, Voutenay sur Cure, France
• Yes, body language.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
• Love.
Barrie Sargeant, Otaki Beach, New Zealand
• Personally I'm a pidgin fancier.
Roger Morrell, Perth, Western Australia
Prayer needs no password
Is Facebook a more effective opiate of the masses than religion?
In terms of instant gratification, that search for the friend in a time of need, it is more effective indeed! Prayers simply take too long these days to be answered. On the other hand, one does not need a password for a prayer to get sent.
Doreen Forney, Pownal, Vermont, US
I believe I'm not wrong
Why do people believe what they believe?
Because believing and being right is better than not believing and being right.
David Bye, Göd, Hungary
Any answers?
What is the Guardian guarding?
Nadine Wiseman, Brisbane, Australia
Why do Americans say Zee for Z and not Zed? Who started this deviation and why?
Peter D Jones, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
