Sorry Slava, probably my fault, I thought the xkcd cartoon was excellent and relevant to the meaning of subduction, and worth a post, and though I should not have japed at the end, I meant it jocularly.

Shrapnel in the sense of loose change is commonly used here in the UK also BTW - for perhaps the last ten years I have heard this in the wild.

Ah, a reference to the six days of creation each lasting a thousand years I guess? Well, even (personal hero) Newton went with 6000 years. It was fashionable before Ussher though - I'm pretty sure the Venerable Bede thought 6 millennia adequate. Anyhow, second guessing is not really needed - we have...

Speaking of cartoons, on a more modern (and accessible to myself at least) tip I noted geeky comic xkcd's use of 'subduction' this week:

http://xkcd.com/1194/

Apologies to those who prefer to believe in the 5000 year old earth

Grapeshot IIRC is like an oversized version of a shotgun. The more regular balls are more damaging than irregular scattershot, a la blunderbuss, and could punch through a ship's hull reasonably effectively. Also devastating at close range for scything through infantry and cavalry charges. Shrapnel m...

Not French! The rest I could take but... I jest of course, but I am interested that it may still be an issue - to be honest I supposed that likely to be the case. I live in a pretty cosmopolitan area but imagine there exist those for whom it may be an issue. I suspect these are more likely to be rec...

You are welcome to count me amongst the miscegenators - though I can assure you it is not a self-image I have ever presented, it not being a pretty word, I dwell in such ranks by definition.

Understatement is indeed always good, but does not necessarily always convey well on the interwebz, I will confess. Communication often fails even among intimates face to face, so I suppose it may be sensible to avoid ambiguation over distances and cultures. Sadly I must warn I may not heed my own w...

Never mind geology!

I had never heard of Peeps either. Our shores appear to be relatively undisturbed by such imports.

Ah, sorry Mr Lassiter, I should have pointed out I'm British, hence understatement is a staple. Meiosis and litotes are our standard figures of speech. When thinking of a suitable reaction to events I always think of a Monty Python sketch (in The Meaning of Life I think) where an Army officer loses ...

@Philip That's somewhat reassuring! I assure you I do not regard you as dense (though I might have remained silent if you revealed birther tendencies!) :D Of course the President's political stance is up for honest and probing debate, probably not on this forum really, but the birther movement is si...

On Kant I could hardly disagree. CS Lewis is just a tad more accessible! However Kant's ideas are interesting - I've not studied him directly, but I lived in a house with 3 philosophy students when at University, and discussed these things at great length. I see philosophy as very closely related to...

@Philip Perhaps you did not read the link I posted? Donald Trump projects few admirable qualities and is roundly disliked by many. We could go on and on, but here is another link which might elucidate upon the negative aspects of his and perhaps, I'll grant you, the plutocratic nature: http://www.gu...

Gail, that is a response I would be proud to call my own. As to Maugham's quandary I would call upon Kant's categorical imperative - the idea that actions can only be considered moral if they could be imitated by anyone else and produce good results. Taking this line religion and morality are entire...

Tycoon is one thing I'd call Mr Trump. On the principal that if you have nothing good to say about someone say nothing, I'll refrain from mentioning other epitaphs suitable for deployment in this instance. He is certainly no advert for plutocracy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/05/donald-t...