Subj : some stuff To : alexander koryagin From : Roy Witt Date : Thu Jul 05 2018 09:23:28 alexander koryagin wrote to Roy Witt: ak>>>>> "There is a man in the street." RW>>>> This would be correct for someone who is actually in the street. RW>>>> There is also a correct way to say 'the man on the street' as a RW>>>> general term as a news reporter doing remote radio or TV RW>>>> broadcasting. ak>>> I read in a dictionary that it is an American variant. The British ak>>> say "in the street." RW>> I forget who it was or which morning TV program it was, but they RW>> featured 'the man on the street' way back in the 1960s... he RW>> interviewed the people on the street on a daily basis. They were RW>> actually on the sidewalk, outside the TV studio where the show was RW>> being broadcast. ak> As for me, I like "on the street." I think that when the Americans ak> modernized their English they understood that, in this case, the ak> preposition "on" is much logical than British "in." Although, the ak> tradition means much. For instance, IMO it is funny, that birds in ak> America are still IN the tree, not ON the tree, although it would be ak> quite logical. Even more logical than "on the street." ;-) When I go out to the field and do some bird hunting, the birds are usually in the trees, sitting on a limb. When I come along, self preservation moves them to spread their wings and leave the trees, landing on the ground. These birds are what we call Quail. They have a tendency to run rather than fly to escape the hunter...and they usually run up hill and fly down hill. Which frustrates a hunter even more than he already is. ak> In Russia, our birds are ON trees, but mice are IN holes. Bark ak> beetles live IN trees. Gophers live underground in their nests. ak>>> But look at the example at ak>>> http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/square_2 ak>>> "She lives in Hanover Square." Can she live AT Hanover Square? RW>> Yes, she can live at 12 Hanover Square, which would be more RW>> specific than saying she lives in Hanover Square. ak> Do you mean that I can't use "at" without mentioning her house ak> number? Not at all. She lives on (or at) Hanover Square in (or at) #12... ak> I repeat the question: Can she live AT Hanover Square? Is it ak> a legitimate question? Generally speaking, she can live at someplace. ak> RW>>>>>> Russian rockets would be intercepted and destroyed by American RW>>>>>> satellites using rocket killer lasers from space. ak>>>>> Can we have in Russia laser killers for the American satellites? ak>>>>> ;) RW>>>> Probably... just as America has spy satelites looking in your RW>>>> bathroom window. 8^) ak>>> As Snowden would said "look who's talking!" ;-) RW>> Apparently he's a smart guy, but he's not very smart! Know what I RW>> mean? 8^) ak> Well, as any person he can be smart in a specific area, but be ak> naive in some others. I think, he had hoped that he would stay in ak> Hong-Kong. It has some autonomy from China, but it is not a communist ak> country. From another side China provides the defense and controls ak> Hong-Kong's foreign policy. Snowden could not be extradited without ak> Chinese consent. Theoretically, Chinese Communist government must not ak> allow Hong-Kong to extradite Snowen to the US. They are not friends, ak> speaking mildly. He could hope on that, and that was the point that ak> he revealed his secrets there, and open some information that the US ak> spies widely in the Chinese cyberspace. And vice versa... ak> Hong-Kong's authority appeared to be between two fires. As a ak> Chinese territory it could not extradite Showden, but as a close the ak> US' partner it could not grant him an asylum. We call that situation as 'being between a rock and a hard place'. RW>> Iceland has offered him a welcome there and there's no extradition RW>> treaty between them and the USA. In Iceland he'd be able to walk RW>> the streets without fear of being picked up and extradited. Now he RW>> just sits in a holding area while Putin thumbs his nose at Obama. ak> In Russia, theoretically, Snowden would have the same freedom of ak> movement. That Snowden is in a holding area, having been there for longer than it should take to move on, says that he's now a political pawn. However, Putin can't give him asylum because of the relationship between Russia and the USA...right now we have a stalemate. ak> He is not the first spy nail between the US and Russia. That's right. ak> There are many KGB traitors who have caused great damage to Russia ak> when they sold top secrets to CIA, and they were given an asylum in ak> the US. Perhaps they were disgruntled spys with a bone to pick with the KGB... ak> The situation looks similar -- Russia has been wanting to ak> suit them as criminals, but the US is not in the mood to extradite ak> them. So, for Russia, Showden could be just a small revenge. We've been there before. Most, if not all, former KGB agents re-patriated to Russian seem to have disappeared. ak> As for Putin's words, that "Snowden could stay in Russia on ak> condition that he stops to cause damage to the US" -- all politicians ak> are liars and hypocrites. IMHO, it was just a formal statement, and ak> after that Putin's spokesman had said that Snowden would no be ak> extradited in any case (because there is a death penalty in the US). Snowden's own publically spoken words convicted him before he was charged with any crimes. This is what I meant when I said he was a smart man, but not a very smart man. ak>>> They say when he wants to swear at CIA he does it the Sheremetyevo ak>>> bathroom holding the douche as a telephone handset. ;=) RW>> There are douche' bags in Russian bathrooms for men? ak> No, it is just a joking description of the late stage of insanity ak> when a person thinks he is been listened everywhere. ;=) Modern pop ak> stars have another syndrome -- they thought they are shot even they ak> are photographed even in their bathrooms. But they bothers not about ak> their nakedness, but about their face to be look good on the photos. ak> So they smile in their bathrooms. ;) I would call that a 'skunk eating (feces)' grin...caught 'red handed' in an embarrasing situation, what else can you do? ak>>>>>>> If you want your guests to be off, ask them for money. If you ak>>>>>>> want them to stay, ask for advice. RW>>>>>> If you want your guests to leave, ask them for money. If you RW>>>>>> want them to stay, ask them for advice. ak>>>>> I wonder, maybe "be off" is more rude, and therefore is more apt ak>>>>> when it applied to annoying guests? ;) RW>>>> No, I think 'be off' is a British way of saying 'leave' in RW>>>> American English. ak>>> I need something nasty. Maybe this: "If you want your guests to ak>>> buzz off ask them for money...." ;) RW>> How about: If you want your unwanted guests to flee the party, tell RW>> them one of the drunken party-goers pissed in the punch bowl. Those RW>> who have been drinking the punch will be out of there with a RW>> flash... ak> Well, as a rule guests are not unwanted. We say about our guests ak> that stay very late, without thinking that the good time to leave had ak> passed long ago. I remember as Winnie-the-Pooh was Rabbit's guest and ak> got into a tight place. But all the Rabbit should have done was to ak> ask the bear for some honey. ;-) I haven't read Winnie the Pooh, but having some kind of lubricant to help release someone caught in a tight place seems logical... R\%/itt --- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012 --- D'Bridge 3.92 * Origin: Lone-Star BBS - San Antonio, Texas - USA (1:387/22) .